Borel and Stokes Nonperturbative Phenomena in Topological String Theory and c=1 Matrix Models

We address the nonperturbative structure of topological strings and c=1 matrix models, focusing on understanding the nature of instanton effects alongside with exploring their relation to the large-order behavior of the 1/N expansion. We consider the Gaussian, Penner and Chern-Simons matrix models, together with their holographic duals, the c=1 minimal string at self-dual radius and topological string theory on the resolved conifold. We employ Borel analysis to obtain the exact all-loop multi-instanton corrections to the free energies of the aforementioned models, and show that the leading poles in the Borel plane control the large-order behavior of perturbation theory. We understand the nonperturbative effects in terms of the Schwinger effect and provide a semiclassical picture in terms of eigenvalue tunneling between critical points of the multi-sheeted matrix model effective potentials. In particular, we relate instantons to Stokes phenomena via a hyperasymptotic analysis, providing a smoothing of the nonperturbative ambiguity. Our predictions for the multi-instanton expansions are confirmed within the trans-series set-up, which in the double-scaling limit describes nonperturbative corrections to the Toda equation. Finally, we provide a spacetime realization of our nonperturbative corrections in terms of toric D-brane instantons which, in the double-scaling limit, precisely match D-instanton contributions to c=1 minimal strings.Comment: 71 pages, 14 figures, JHEP3.cls; v2: added refs, minor change

Poverty impacts of increased openness and fiscal policies in a dollarized economy: a CGE-micro approach for Ecuador

We quantify the effects on poverty and income distribution in Ecuador of bilateral tradeliberalization with the US and a budget-neutral value added tax increase which seeks to compensatetariff revenue losses. We stress the study of fiscal policies that the government couldtap in order to compensate for tariff revenue loss. This is a very important issue for Ecuadorbecause this country adopted the US dollar as its currency in 2000, forgiving the use of importantpolicy instruments. To study these issues we combine a reduced-form micro householdincome and occupational choice model (using 2005/6 data from the Ecuadorian LSMS) with astandard single-country computable general equilibrium model (employing a 2004 SAM). Wefollow a sequential approach that simulates the full distributional impact of trade and tax policies.We find that the impact of these policy changes on extreme poverty and income distributionis small but positive.

Fiscal Policies and Increased Trade Openness: Poverty Impacts in Ecuador

This research quantifies the effects on poverty in Ecuador of bilateral trade liberalization with the U.S. and fiscal changes (value added tax and direct taxes) which seek to compensate tariff revenue losses, so that the government deficit remains constant. This is a very important issue for Ecuador because it adopted the U.S. dollar as its currency in 2000, forgoting the use of monetary and exchange rate policy instruments. This paper highlights labor market effects and fiscal policies as the main mechanisms through which trade impacts poverty. The paper combines a reduced-form micro household income and occupational choice model (using the 2005/6 Ecuadorian household survey) with a standard single-country computable general equilibrium model (employing a 2004 Social Accounting Matrix). A sequential approach that simulates the full income and distributional impact of trade and tax policies is followed. The impact of these policy changes on the economy is small. Indigence and income distribution effects are small but positive. There are mixed results on poverty. The best poverty reduction outcomes are attained when only direct taxes are used for making up tariff revenue losses and the worst when a flat VAT rate is employed, including the elimination of current VAT exemptions (mostly for agricultural goods). A key contribution of this research is to illustrate the significance for poverty of policy choices available to the government.Poverty, free trade agreement, fiscal policy, CGE, micro simulation

The spatio-temporal distribution patterns of biting midges of the genus Culicoides in Salta province, Argentina

The goal of this survey was to analyze the spatio-temporal distribution patterns of Culicoides Latreille species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) and their relationship with environmental variables in Salta, northwestern Argentina. Culicoides were collected monthly from January 2003 through December 2005. The influence of the climatic variables on population abundance was analyzed with a multilevel Poisson regression. A total of 918 specimens belonging to five species were collected. The most abundant species was Culicoides paraensis Goeldi (65.5%), followed by Culicoides lahillei Iches (14.6%) and Culicoides debilipalpis Lutz (7.6%). The highest seasonal abundance for C. paraensis, C. debilipalpis and C. lahillei occurred during the spring and summer. A Poisson regression analysis showed that the mean maximum and minimum temperature and the mean maximum and minimum humidity were the variables with the greatest influence on the population abundance of Culicoides species.Fil: Veggiani Aybar, Cecilia Adriana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto Superior de Entomología; ArgentinaFil: Dantur Juri, Maria Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto Superior de Entomología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Chilecito; ArgentinaFil: Santana, Mirta Sara. Universidad Nacional de Tucuman. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Investigación. Area de Bioestadística; ArgentinaFil: Lizarralde, Mercedes Sara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto Superior de Entomología; ArgentinaFil: Spinelli, Gustavo Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Limnología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Entomología; Argentin

Getting to know yourself: learn to read social contexts and learn to think on the everyday life through the research

The aim of this text is to approach the two paths we have found in the School of Education and Social Sciences (ESECS), Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (IPL) and Research Center of Identities and Diversities (CIID) to turn what is too often separate as one: education and research. One route has been through the courses that we taught, relating to the anthropology of education, in particular, where we look for students to learn, to read social reality, to think and investigate daily life and do research on educational processes, not only at school, but also through the Internet, by analyzing the children's games, through the analysis of family relationships and how they educate children. The idea is unscholars education. The second way we found to construct the bridge between education and research is through work we have going on with adults returning to school after they have left, compulsory schooling, and those between the ages of 30 and 60 years old. By investigation of listening, powered by ethnographic research and ethnographic interviews, we placed these adults juxtaposed to discuss issues and to think that we tried changing world views, either in childhood or in adolescence, both in elementary school, and now returning to school (University)

FGF control of E-cadherin targeting in the Drosophila midgut impacts on primordial germ cell motility

Embryo formation requires tight regulation and coordination of adhesion in multiple cell types. By undertaking imaging, threedimensional (3D) reconstructions and genetic analysis during posterior midgut morphogenesis in Drosophila, we find a new requirement for the conserved fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling pathway in the maintenance of epithelial cell adhesion through FGF modulation of zygotic E-cadherin. During Drosophila gastrulation, primordial germ cells (PGCs) are transported with the posterior midgut while it undergoes dynamic cell shape changes. In embryos mutant for the FGF signaling pathway components Branchless and Breathless, zygotic E-cadherin is not targeted to adherens junctions, causing midgut pocket collapse, which impacts on PGC movement. We find that the ventral midline also requires FGF signaling to maintain cell-cell adhesion. We show that FGF signaling regulates the distribution of zygotic E-cadherin during early embryonic development to maintain cell-cell adhesion in the posterior midgut and the ventral midline, a role that is likely crucial in other tissues undergoing active cell shape changes with higher adhesive needs.This work was supported by funds of Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion [grant number BFU2012-39509-C02-02 to S.R.]; and the European Union Research Executive Agency [grant number PEOPLE-CIG/1816 to S.R.]Peer Reviewe

Assessment of Potential Effects of Common Fining Agents Used for White Wine Protein Stabilization

Technical BriefA variety of fining agents are commercially available to the wine industry, including proteins and inorganic ion exchangers. These fining agents are essentially used to control the levels of phenolics in wine, but they also have the potential to interact with other wine components, most often as a side effect. They are therefore expected to influence, at least in part, the potential for wine protein haze formation. Six common fining agents—casein, egg albumin, isinglass, chitosan, chitin, and polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP)—were analyzed to assess their effects on wine protein haze-forming potential and on the levels of proteins and phenolic compounds in a Muscat of Alexandria wine. Bentonite was selected as the positive control, whereas nonfined wine was used as the negative control. Differential results were detected among the selected fining agents when compared to the controls. Egg albumin and chitosan, although incapable of stabilizing the wine, originated a small but significant decrease in the protein haze formed, whereas chitosan and PVPP were second to bentonite in removing the most polyphenols from the wine. Thus, while chitosan fining removes a fraction of polyphenols from the wine and seems to induce a small decrease in its haze-forming potential, PVPP eliminates more polyphenols while leaving its haze-forming potential unaltered. The fining agents analyzed did not significantly affect wine protein content but did remove considerable levels of polyphenols and presented no apparent effect on protein stabilization of the fined wines. Results show that these fining agents do not contribute significantly to protein stabilization in white wines, confirming that bentonite was the most effective agent in wine protein stabilizationinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Storage lipids and proteins of Euterpe edulis seeds

Comparative studies on fatty acid and protein composition of the endosperm and embryo of palmito (Euterpe edulis Martius) were conducted using gas-liquid chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. On a dry weight basis, the embryo contained extremely lower amounts of lipids and proteins than did the endosperm, which was associated with the scarce lipid and protein bodies previously reported in axis and cotyledon. The fatty acid composition also exhibited differences between both tissues: (I) the fatty acid diversity was greater in embryo than in endosperm; (II) embryo and endosperm contained predominantly linoleic, palmitic, oleic and stearic acids even though the relative values were different for each tissue. As compared to other palm species, the higher fatty acid unsaturation in Euterpe edulis seed could be involved in the previously reported short longevity and recalcitrant behavior during storage. Proteins of both tissues were heterogeneous in molecular mass. Some proteins were tissue-specific, but other were common, among them a highly glycosylated protein which migrated at about 55 kDa. We hypothesize that the latter, also reported in all previously studied palm species, is one of the proteins characterizing the Arecaceae family.Fil: Panza, Víctor. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Recursos Biológicos; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Pighín, Darío Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Lainez, Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Pollero, Ricardo Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner"; ArgentinaFil: Maldonado, Sara Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Recursos Biológicos; Argentin

Acute Toxicity of Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid on Early Life Stages of Daphnia Magna, Siriella Armata, Paracentrotus Lividus Sea Urchin, and Turbot (Scophthalmus Maximus L.).

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a persistent organic pollutant whose potential toxicity is causing great concern. In the present study, we used two crustaceans (_Daphnia magna_, _Siriella armata_), echinoid embryos (_Paracentrotus lividus_) and turbot (_Scophthalmus maximus L._) embryos and larvae to investigate the acute toxicity of this compound. The marine species _S. armata_ exhibited greater sensitivity than the freshwater species _D. magna_. In the 48-h acute toxicity test the median lethal concentration was 10.96 mg/L for _S. armata_ and 87.46 mg/L for _D. magna_. In the 96h toxicity test, turbot showed the lowest EC50 (0.155 mgL-1), whilst the EC50 for _S. armata_ was 7.92 mgL-1 which was approximately three times lower than that for sea urchin (24.12 mgL-1). The EC10 values were estimated as 0.032 mgL-1, 4.23 mgL-1 and 45.21 mgL-1 for turbot, Siriella and daphnia, respectively. The LOEC values were 75 µgL-1, 2.5 mgL-1 and 75 mgL-1 (p< 0.05) for turbot, daphnia, and Siriella, respectively. The NOEC values were estimated at 37.5 µgL-1, 1.25 mgL-1 and 50 mgL-1 (p< 0.05) for turbot, Siriella and daphnia, respectively. The order of acute toxicity was: turbot > _S. armata_ > sea urchin > _Daphnia magna_. This result highlights the importance of including a marine fish in the battery of species to describe the toxicity of these compounds. Considering the persistent nature of PFOS, more research is required to determine potential consequences of long-term exposure to these compounds in aquatic ecosystems