Dark Matter and Yukawa Unification with Massive Neutrinos

We revisit the WMAP dark matter constraints on Yukawa Unification in the presence of massive neutrinos. The large neutrino mixing indicated by the data modifies the predictions for the bottom quark mass, and enables Yukawa also for large $\tan\beta$, and for positive $\mu$ that were previously disfavoured. As a result, the allowed parameter space for neutralino dark matter also increases, particularly for areas with resonant enhancement of the neutralino relic density.Comment: Proceedings of 4th International Workshop on the Dark Side of the Universe (DSU 2008), Cairo, June 2008. 7 pages, 4 figure

HepaPlan: a CAD software for planning hepatic surgeries

López-Mir, F.; Naranjo Ornedo, V.; Verdú-Monedero, R.; Morales, S.; Brugger, S.; Pareja, E. (2015). HepaPlan: a CAD software for planning hepatic surgeries. International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery. 10(Suppl 1):S238-S239. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/65381SS238S23910Suppl

Extrapolating non-target risk of Bt crops from laboratory to field

The tiered approach to assessing ecological risk of insect-resistant transgenic crops assumes that lower tier laboratory studies, which expose surrogate non-target organisms to high doses of insecticidal proteins, can detect harmful effects that might be manifested in the field. To test this assumption, we performed meta-analyses comparing results for non-target invertebrates exposed to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry proteins in laboratory studies with results derived from independent field studies examining effects on the abundance of non-target invertebrates. For Lepidopteran-active Cry proteins, laboratory studies correctly predicted the reduced field abundance of non-target Lepidoptera. However, laboratory studies incorporating tri-trophic interactions of Bt plants, herbivores and parasitoids were better correlated with the decreased field abundance of parasitoids than were direct-exposure assays. For predators, laboratory tri-trophic studies predicted reduced abundances that were not realized in field studies and thus overestimated ecological risk. Exposure to Coleopteran-active Cry proteins did not significantly reduce the laboratory survival or field abundance of any functional group examined. Our findings support the assumption that laboratory studies of transgenic insecticidal crops show effects that are either consistent with, or more conservative than, those found in field studies, with the important caveat that laboratory studies should explore all ecologically relevant routes of exposure

The motion of the 2D hydrodynamic Chaplygin sleigh in the presence of circulation

We consider the motion of a planar rigid body in a potential flow with circulation and subject to a certain nonholonomic constraint. This model is related to the design of underwater vehicles. The equations of motion admit a reduction to a 2-dimensional nonlinear system, which is integrated explicitly. We show that the reduced system comprises both asymptotic and periodic dynamics separated by a critical value of the energy, and give a complete classification of types of the motion. Then we describe the whole variety of the trajectories of the body on the plane.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures. This article uses some introductory material from arXiv:1109.321

Comparison of the material quality of AlxIn1-xN (x ~ 0-0.50) films deposited on Si (100) and (111) by reactive RF sputtering

Here, we compare the material quality of AlxIn1-xN layers deposited on Si with different crystallographic orientations, (100) and (111), via radio-frequency (RF) sputtering. To modulate their Al content, the Al RF power was varied from 0 to 225 W, whereas the In RF power and deposition temperature were fixed at 30 W and 300oC, respectively. X-ray diffraction measurements reveal a c-axis-oriented wurtzite structure with no phase separation regardless of the Al content (x = 0-0.50), which increases with the Al power supply. The surface morphology of the AlxIn1-xN layers improves with increasing Al content and it is similar for samples grown on both Si substrates (the root-mean-square roughness decreases from 12 nm to 2.5 nm). Furthermore, from TEM images we notice a similar grain-like columnar morphology and defect density on samples deposited on both Si substrates under the same conditions. Simultaneously grown AlxIn1-xN-on-sapphire samples point to a residual n-type carrier concentration in the 1020-1021 cm-3 range. The optical band gap energy of these layers evolves from 1.75 eV to 2.56 eV with increasing Al content, consistent with the blue shift of their low-temperature photoluminescence. In general, the material quality of the AlxIn1-xN films on Si is similar for both crystallographic orientations. Nonetheless, samples deposited on sapphire show an improved structural and morphological characteristic likely due to the lower difference in lattice constants between the nitride and the sapphire substrate

Bacillus thuringiensis plants expressing Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab and Cry1F are not toxic to the assassin bug, Zelus renardii

Cotton‐ and maize‐producing insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins from the bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), have been commercialized since 1996. Bt plants are subjected to environmental risk assessments for non‐target organisms, including natural enemies that suppress pest populations. Here, we used Cry1F‐resistant Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) and Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab‐resistant Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) as prey for the assassin bug, Zelus renardii (Kolenati), a common predator in maize and cotton fields. In tritrophic studies, we assessed several fitness parameters of Z. renardii when it fed on resistant S. frugiperda that had fed on Bt maize expressing Cry1F or on resistant T. ni that had fed on Bt cotton expressing Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab. Survival, nymphal duration, adult weight, adult longevity and female fecundity of Z. renardii were not different when they were fed resistant‐prey larvae (S. frugiperda or T. ni) reared on either a Bt crop or respective non‐Bt crops. ELISA tests demonstrated that the Cry proteins were present in the plant at the highest levels, at lower levels in the prey and at the lowest levels in the predator. While Z. renardii was exposed to Cry1F and Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab when it fed on hosts that consumed Bt‐transgenic plants, the proteins did not affect important fitness parameters in this common and important predator

Cytomolecular identification of individual wheat-wheat chromosome arm associations in wheat-rye hybrids

Chromosome pairing in the meiotic metaphase I of wheatrye hybrids has been characterized by sequential genomic and fluorescent in situ hybridization allowing not only the discrimination of wheat and rye chromosomes, but also the identification of the individual wheat and rye chromosome arms involved in the chromosome associations. The majority of associations (93.8%) were observed between the wheat chromosomes. The largest number of wheat-wheat chromosome associations (53%) was detected between the A and D genomes, while the frequency of B-D and A-B associations was significantly lower (32 and 8%, respectively). Among the A-D chromosome associations, pairing between the 3AL and 3DL arms was observed with the highest frequency, while the most frequent of all the chromosome associations (0.113/ cell) was found to be the 3DS-3BS. Differences in the pairing frequency of the individual chromosome arms of wheat-rye hybrids have been discussed in relation to the homoeologous relationships between the constituent genomes of hexaploid wheat