Effective Lagrangians for Orientifold Theories

We construct effective Lagrangians of the Veneziano-Yankielowicz (VY) type for two non-supersymmetric theories which are orientifold daughters of supersymmetric gluodynamics (containing one Dirac fermion in the two-index antisymmetric or symmetric representation of the gauge group). Since the parent and daughter theories are planar equivalent, at N\to\infty the effective Lagrangians in the orientifold theories basically coincide with the bosonic part of the VY Lagrangian. We depart from the supersymmetric limit in two ways. First, we consider finite (albeit large) values of N. Then 1/N effects break supersymmetry. We suggest seemingly the simplest modification of the VY Lagrangian which incorporates these 1/N effects, leading to a non-vanishing vacuum energy density. We analyze the spectrum of the finite-N non-supersymmetric daughters. For N=3 the two-index antisymmetric representation (one flavor) is equivalent to one-flavor QCD. We show that in this case the scalar quark-antiquark state is heavier than the corresponding pseudoscalar state, `` eta' ''. Second, we add a small fermion mass term. The fermion mass term breaks supersymmetry explicitly. The vacuum degeneracy is lifted. The parity doublets split. We evaluate the splitting. Finally, we include the theta-angle and study its implications.Comment: LaTeX, 21 page

Can Indian Classical Instrumental Music Reduce Pain Felt During Venepuncture?

OBJECTIVE: Local anesthetic agent is not usually used to reduce pain experienced by children undergoing venepuncture. This study was undertaken to determine comparative efficacy of local anesthetic cream, Indian classical instrumental music and placebo, in reducing pain due to venepuncture in children. METHODS: Children aged 5-12 yr requiring venepuncture were enrolled in a prospective randomized clinical trial conducted at a tertiary care center. They were randomly assigned to 3 groups: local anesthetic (LA), music or placebo (control) group. Eutactic mixture of local anesthetic agents (EMLA) and Indian classical instrumental music (raaga-Todi) were used in the first 2 groups, respectively. Pain was assessed independently by parent, patient, investigator and an independent observer at the time of insertion of the cannula (0 min) and at 1- and 5 min after the insertion using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Kruskal- Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to assess the difference amongst the VAS scores. RESULTS: Fifty subjects were enrolled in each group. Significantly higher VAS scores were noted in control (placebo) group by all the categories of observers (parent, patient, investigator, independent observer) at all time points. The VAS scores obtained in LA group were lowest at all time points. However, the difference between VAS scores in LA group were significantly lower than those in music group only at some time-points and with some categories of observers (parent: 1 min; investigator: 0-, 1-, 5 min and independent observer: 5 min). CONCLUSION: Pain experienced during venepuncture can be significantly reduced by using EMLA or Indian classical instrumental music. The difference between VAS scores with LA and music is not always significant. Hence, the choice between EMLA and music could be dictated by logistical factors

Simultaneous identification of Trypanosoma cruzi surface and internal antigens reactive to different immunoglobulin classes (radio-immunoblotting) Identificação simultânea de antígenos internos e de superfície de Trypanosoma cruzi reativos para diferentes classes de imunoglobulinas (radio-immunoblotting)

A radioactive Western-blotting technique was developed by which the reactivity of Immunoglobulins (Igs) from different classes to both membrane radiolabelled and internal parasite antigens is simultaneously identified. The method includes radioiodination of parasites, polypeptide fractionation by SDS-PAGE, Western-blot transfer and autoradiography of the immunoblots developed with anti-Igs conjugates labelled with enzymes. The analysis is then performed by the comparison of common bands on the autoradiograms and the respective substrate stained nitrocellulose blots. This technique was used to analyse T. cruzi trypomastigote surface labelled antigens reactive to IgM, IgA and IgG specific antibodies. A different pattern of reactivity with acute Chagas' disease patients sera was thus obtained.<br>Classes e subclasses de anticorpos apresentam diferentes funções, influenciando a resposta imune humoral de um hospedeiro, frente a um agente infeccioso. Na maioria dos sistemas, o alvo principal é representado pelos antígenos de membrana do parasita. Entretanto, a identificação de antígenos de superfície de parasitas, reativos para classe (e subclasse) de imunoglobulinas que não se ligam a proteína-A implica em imunoprecipitações sucessivas, que levam a perda de antígenos e/ou reações inespecíficas. Visando esse estudo, foi desenvolvida uma técnica denominada "radio-immunoblotting", através da qual a reatividade de imunoglobulinas de diferentes classes para antígenos de membrana (e/ou internos) foi analisada simultaneamente. O método constitui na marcação prévia da superfície dos parasitas por radioiodação, fracionamento dos polipeptídeos por SDS/PA-GE, transferência das frações para nitrocelulose, reação com soros e conjugados anti-Igs - peroxidase e autoradiografia dos mesmos, a análise é feita comparando-se os antígenos comuns evidenciados na autoradiografia e nas tiras de nitrocelulose coradas com o substrato da peroxidase. Essa técnica foi utilizada para analisar antígenos de superfície de formas tripomastigotas de T. cruzi reativas para IgG, IgM e IgA provenientes de soros de pacientes com doença de Chagas na fase aguda. Obtiveram-se distintos padrões de reatividade para as diferentes classes de anticorpos provenientes de um mesmo soro humano