True Neutrality as a New Type of Flavour

A classification of leptonic currents with respect to C-operation requires the separation of elementary particles into the two classes of vector C-even and axial-vector C-odd character. Their nature has been created so that to each type of lepton corresponds a kind of neutrino. Such pairs are united in families of a different C-parity. Unlike the neutrino of a vector type, any C-noninvariant Dirac neutrino must have his Majorana neutrino. They constitute the purely neutrino families. We discuss the nature of a corresponding mechanism responsible for the availability in all types of axial-vector particles of a kind of flavour which distinguishes each of them from others by a true charge characterized by a quantum number conserved at the interactions between the C-odd fermion and the field of emission of the corresponding types of gauge bosons. This regularity expresses the unidenticality of truly neutral neutrino and antineutrino, confirming that an internal symmetry of a C-noninvariant particle is described by an axial-vector space. Thereby, a true flavour together with the earlier known lepton flavour predicts the existence of leptonic strings and their birth in single and double beta decays as a unity of flavour and gauge symmetry laws. Such a unified principle explains the availability of a flavour symmetrical mode of neutrino oscillations.Comment: 19 pages, LaTex, Published version in IJT

Caractérisation agromorphologique d’une nouvelle génération d’hybrides de cocotiers grands (cocos nucifera l.) En côte d’ivoire

Pour répondre aux préoccupations des producteurs désireux de grosses noix, des hybrides améliorés de cocotier grands ont été créés. Le présent travail analyse quelques paramètres agromorphologiques de ces hybrides de cocotiers. Trois hybrides de cocotier Grands x Grands sont comparés à un témoin PB121 amélioré (PB121+) en examinant les paramètres de production et les composantes de la noix à travers l’analyse de variance complétée par le test de Newman et Keuls. Les résultats montrent que les hybrides Grands x Grands améliorés produisent des noix plus grosses (2,96 ± 0,56 dm3 à 3,29 ± 0,83 dm3) et plus lourdes (1084,3 ± 120,12 g à 1147 ± 27,52 g) que le croisement témoin PB121 amélioré (2,48 ±0,53 dm3 et 999,81 ± 85,54 g). Les grosses noix des hybrides Grands x Grands améliorés sont également plus riches en albumen (396,25 ± 37,08 g à 430,72 ± 39 g) que celles produites par le PB121 amélioré (353,31 ± 27,46 g). Parmi les hybrides de cocotiers Grands améliorés, c’est le Grand des îles Rennell croisé avec le Grand Ouest Africain (GRL+ x GOA+) qui présente le rendement en nombre de noix le plus élevé (127 ± 33 noix arbre-1an-1) qui est statistiquement égal à celui du PB121+. Les autres croisements de cocotiers Grands fournissent un rendement en nombre de noix (91 ± 35 à 95 ± 34 noix arbre -1 an-1) inférieur au témoin PB121+(136 ± 41 noix arbre-1an-1). L’hybride GRL+ x GOA+ est donc à conseiller aux opérateurs qui préfèrent les grosses noix riches en coprah et en huile à partir de l’albumen.Mots-clés : Cocos nucifera L., grosses noix, hybride Grand, production.In order to provide big coconut seed required by some farmers, tall improved hybrids were developed. This work analyzes some agromorphological parameters of these coconut hybrids. Three tall x tall coconut hybrids were compared to the controlled material PB121+ using yield parameters and nut components through analysis of variance completed by Newman and Keuls test. The results showed that the tall x tall improved hybrids yield bigger (from 2.96 ± 0.56 dm3 to 3.29 ± 0.83 dm3) and heavier nuts (from 1084.3 ± 120.12 g to 1147 ± 27.52 g) than those from PB121+ (2.48 ±0.53 dm3 and 999.81 ± 85.54 g). The big nuts of the tall x tall improved hybrids contain more kernels (from 396.25 ± 37.08 g to 430.72 ± 39 g) than those from PB121+ (353.31 ± 27.46 g). Within the tall x tall hybrids, Rennell Island Tall crossed with West African Tall (GRL+ x GOA+) is the bigger yielder of nuts (127 ± 33 nuts tree-1 year-1), with the same statistical level with the PB121+. The other tall hybrids (from 91 ± 35 to 95 ± 34 nuts tree -1 year-1) yield less nuts than the controlled material PB121+ (136 ± 41 nuts tree-1year-1). So the GRL+ x GOA+ is the tall hybrid which has to be advised to farmers and actors who prefer big coconut with high content copra and oil from kernel

Electrically Tunable Excitonic Light Emitting Diodes based on Monolayer WSe2 p-n Junctions

Light-emitting diodes are of importance for lighting, displays, optical interconnects, logic and sensors. Hence the development of new systems that allow improvements in their efficiency, spectral properties, compactness and integrability could have significant ramifications. Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides have recently emerged as interesting candidates for optoelectronic applications due to their unique optical properties. Electroluminescence has already been observed from monolayer MoS2 devices. However, the electroluminescence efficiency was low and the linewidth broad due both to the poor optical quality of MoS2 and to ineffective contacts. Here, we report electroluminescence from lateral p-n junctions in monolayer WSe2 induced electrostatically using a thin boron nitride support as a dielectric layer with multiple metal gates beneath. This structure allows effective injection of electrons and holes, and combined with the high optical quality of WSe2 it yields bright electroluminescence with 1000 times smaller injection current and 10 times smaller linewidth than in MoS2. Furthermore, by increasing the injection bias we can tune the electroluminescence between regimes of impurity-bound, charged, and neutral excitons. This system has the required ingredients for new kinds of optoelectronic devices such as spin- and valley-polarized light-emitting diodes, on-chip lasers, and two-dimensional electro-optic modulators.Comment: 13 pages main text with 4 figures + 4 pages upplemental material

Biplane double-supported screw fixation (F-technique): a method of screw fixation at osteoporotic fractures of the femoral neck

The present work introduces a method of screw fixation of femoral neck fractures in the presence of osteoporosis, according to an original concept of the establishment of two supporting points for the implants and their biplane positioning in the femoral neck and head. The provision of two steady supporting points for the implants and the highly increased (obtuse) angle at which they are positioned allow the body weight to be transferred successfully from the head fragment onto the diaphysis, thanks to the strength of the screws, with the patient’s bone quality being of least importance. The position of the screws allows them to slide under stress with a minimal risk of displacement. The method was developed in search of a solution for those patients for whom primary arthroplasty is contraindicated. The method has been analysed in relation to biomechanics and statics. For the first time, a new function is applied to a screw fixation—the implant is presented as a simple beam with an overhanging end

Punica granatum (Pomegranate) juice provides an HIV-1 entry inhibitor and candidate topical microbicide

BACKGROUND: For ≈ 24 years the AIDS pandemic has claimed ≈ 30 million lives, causing ≈ 14,000 new HIV-1 infections daily worldwide in 2003. About 80% of infections occur by heterosexual transmission. In the absence of vaccines, topical microbicides, expected to block virus transmission, offer hope for controlling the pandemic. Antiretroviral chemotherapeutics have decreased AIDS mortality in industrialized countries, but only minimally in developing countries. To prevent an analogous dichotomy, microbicides should be: acceptable; accessible; affordable; and accelerative in transition from development to marketing. Already marketed pharmaceutical excipients or foods, with established safety records and adequate anti-HIV-1 activity, may provide this option. METHODS: Fruit juices were screened for inhibitory activity against HIV-1 IIIB using CD4 and CXCR4 as cell receptors. The best juice was tested for inhibition of: (1) infection by HIV-1 BaL, utilizing CCR5 as the cellular coreceptor; and (2) binding of gp120 IIIB and gp120 BaL, respectively, to CXCR4 and CCR5. To remove most colored juice components, the adsorption of the effective ingredient(s) to dispersible excipients and other foods was investigated. A selected complex was assayed for inhibition of infection by primary HIV-1 isolates. RESULTS: HIV-1 entry inhibitors from pomegranate juice adsorb onto corn starch. The resulting complex blocks virus binding to CD4 and CXCR4/CCR5 and inhibits infection by primary virus clades A to G and group O. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the possibility of producing an anti-HIV-1 microbicide from inexpensive, widely available sources, whose safety has been established throughout centuries, provided that its quality is adequately standardized and monitored

Spatio-Temporal Characteristics of Global Warming in the Tibetan Plateau during the Last 50 Years Based on a Generalised Temperature Zone - Elevation Model

Temperature is one of the primary factors influencing the climate and ecosystem, and examining its change and fluctuation could elucidate the formation of novel climate patterns and trends. In this study, we constructed a generalised temperature zone elevation model (GTEM) to assess the trends of climate change and temporal-spatial differences in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) using the annual and monthly mean temperatures from 1961-2010 at 144 meteorological stations in and near the TP. The results showed the following: (1) The TP has undergone robust warming over the study period, and the warming rate was 0.318°C/decade. The warming has accelerated during recent decades, especially in the last 20 years, and the warming has been most significant in the winter months, followed by the spring, autumn and summer seasons. (2) Spatially, the zones that became significantly smaller were the temperature zones of -6°C and -4°C, and these have decreased 499.44 and 454.26 thousand sq km from 1961 to 2010 at average rates of 25.1% and 11.7%, respectively, over every 5-year interval. These quickly shrinking zones were located in the northwestern and central TP. (3) The elevation dependency of climate warming existed in the TP during 1961-2010, but this tendency has gradually been weakening due to more rapid warming at lower elevations than in the middle and upper elevations of the TP during 1991-2010. The higher regions and some low altitude valleys of the TP were the most significantly warming regions under the same categorizing criteria. Experimental evidence shows that the GTEM is an effective method to analyse climate changes in high altitude mountainous regions

Strain dependent differences in glucocorticoid-induced bone loss between C57BL/6J and CD-1 mice

We have investigated the effect of long-term glucocorticoid (GC) administration on bone turnover in two frequently used mouse strains; C57BL/6J and CD1, in order to assess the influence of their genetic background on GC-induced osteoporosis (GIO). GIO was induced in 12 weeks old female C57BL/6J and CD1 mice by subcutaneous insertion of long-term release prednisolone or placebo pellets. Biomechanical properties as assessed by three point bent testing revealed that femoral elasticity and strength significantly decreased in CD1 mice receiving GC, whereas C57BL/6J mice showed no differences between placebo and prednisolone treatment. Bone turnover assessed by microcomputer tomography revealed that contrary to C57BL/6J mice, prednisolone treated CD1 mice developed osteoporosis. In vitro experiments have underlined that, at a cellular level, C57BL/6J mice osteoclasts and osteoblasts were less responsive to GC treatment and tolerated higher doses than CD1 cells. Whilst administration of long-term release prednisolone pellets provided a robust GIO animal model in 12 weeks old CD1 mice, age matched C57BL/6J mice were not susceptible to the bone changes associated with GIO. This study indicates that for the induction of experimental GIO, the mouse strain choice together with other factors such as age should be carefully evaluated

Vpr14-88-Apobec3G Fusion Protein Is Efficiently Incorporated into Vif-Positive HIV-1 Particles and Inhibits Viral Infection

APOBEC3G (A3G), a deoxycytidine deaminase, is a potent host antiviral factor that can restrict HIV-1 infection. During Vif-negative HIV-1 replication, A3G is incorporated into HIV-1 particles, induces mutations in reverse transcribed viral DNA and inhibits reverse transcription. However, HIV-1 Vif counteracts A3G's activities by inducing its degradation and by blocking its incorporation into HIV-1 particles. Thus, it is interesting to elucidate a mechanism that would allow A3G to escape the effects of Vif in order to rescue its potent antiviral activity and to provide a possible novel therapeutic strategy for treating HIV-1 infection.In this study, we generated an R88-A3G fusion protein by fusing A3G to a virion-targeting polypeptide (R14-88) derived from HIV-1 Vpr protein and compared its antiviral effects relative to those of HA-tagged native A3G (HA-A3G). Our study showed that transient expression of the R88-A3G fusion protein in both Vif(-) and Vif(+) HIV-1 producing cells drastically inhibited viral infection in HeLa-CD4-CCR5-cells, CD4(+) C8166 T cells and human primary PBMCs. Moreover, we established CD4(+) C8166 T cell lines that stably express either R88-A3G or HA-A3G by transduction with VSV-G-pseudotyped lentiviral vector that harbor expression cassettes for R88-A3G or HA-A3G, respectively, and tested their susceptibility to Vif(+) HIV-1 infection. Our results clearly reveal that expression of R88-A3G in transduced CD4(+) C8166 cells significantly blocked Vif(+) HIV-1 infection. In an attempt to understand the mechanism underlying the antiviral activity of R88-A3G, we demonstrated that R88-A3G was efficiently incorporated into viral particles in the presence of Vif. Moreover, PCR analysis revealed that R88-A3G significantly inhibited viral cDNA synthesis during the early stage of Vif(+) virus infection.Our results clearly indicate that R88 delivers A3G into Vif(+) HIV-1 particles and inhibits infectivity and spread of the virions among CD4(+) T cells. This study provides evidence for an effective strategy to modify a host protein with innate anti-HIV-1 activity and rescue its potent anti-HIV potential in the presence of Vif. Further characterization and optimization of this system may lead to the development of an effective therapeutic approach against HIV-1 infection

How do you say ‘hello’? Personality impressions from brief novel voices

On hearing a novel voice, listeners readily form personality impressions of that speaker. Accurate or not, these impressions are known to affect subsequent interactions; yet the underlying psychological and acoustical bases remain poorly understood. Furthermore, hitherto studies have focussed on extended speech as opposed to analysing the instantaneous impressions we obtain from first experience. In this paper, through a mass online rating experiment, 320 participants rated 64 sub-second vocal utterances of the word ‘hello’ on one of 10 personality traits. We show that: (1) personality judgements of brief utterances from unfamiliar speakers are consistent across listeners; (2) a two-dimensional ‘social voice space’ with axes mapping Valence (Trust, Likeability) and Dominance, each driven by differing combinations of vocal acoustics, adequately summarises ratings in both male and female voices; and (3) a positive combination of Valence and Dominance results in increased perceived male vocal Attractiveness, whereas perceived female vocal Attractiveness is largely controlled by increasing Valence. Results are discussed in relation to the rapid evaluation of personality and, in turn, the intent of others, as being driven by survival mechanisms via approach or avoidance behaviours. These findings provide empirical bases for predicting personality impressions from acoustical analyses of short utterances and for generating desired personality impressions in artificial voices