Evaluation of PCR as a diagnostic mass-screening tool to detect Leishmania (Viannia) spp. in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris).

Several studies have suggested that the PCR could be used in epidemiological mass-screening surveys to detect Leishmania (Viannia) spp. infection in human and animal hosts. Dogs from an area of Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania peruviana endemicity were screened for American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) infection by established PCR-based and enzyme-linked immunosorbent antibody test (ELISA) protocols. PCR detected Leishmania (Viannia) infection in a total of 90 of 1,066 (8.4%) dogs: 32 of 368 (8.7%), 65 of 769 (8.5%), and 7 of 42 (16.7%) dogs were PCR positive by testing of whole blood, buffy coat, and bone marrow aspirates, respectively. ELISA detected infection in 221 of 1,059 (20.9%) tested dogs. The high prevalence of Leishmania (Viannia) detected by PCR and ELISA in both asymptomatic (7.5 and 19.2%, respectively) and symptomatic (32 and 62.5%, respectively) dogs is further circumstantial evidence for their suspected role as reservoir hosts of ACL. However, the low sensitivity of PCR (31%) compared to ELISA (81%) indicates that PCR cannot be used for mass screening of samples in ACL epidemiological studies. Unless more-sensitive PCR protocols were to be developed, its use should be restricted to the diagnosis of active (canine and human) cases and to the parasitological monitoring of patients after chemotherapy

Reply to `Comment on ``Helmholtz Theorem and the V-Gauge in the Problem of Superluminal and Instantaneous Signals in Classical Electrodynamics" by A. Chubykalo Et Al' by J. A. Heras [FOUND. Phys. Lett. vol. 19(6) p. 579 (2006)]

This is the reply to `COMMENT ON ``HELMHOLTZ THEOREM AND THE V-GAUGE IN THE PROBLEM OF SUPERLUMINAL AND INSTANTANEOUS SIGNALS IN CLASSICAL ELECTRODYNAMICS" BY A. CHUBYKALO ET AL' BY J. A. HERAS [FOUND. PHYS. LETT. vol. 19(6) p. 579 (2006)]Comment: 5 pages, submitted to Foundations of Physic

Determinants of Bank-Sovereign Distress

This paper computes, for 15 advanced countries, the probability of bank-to-sovereign contagion, i.e. the probability of default of a sovereign, conditional on default in one of the domestic banks, and assesses the relevance of underlying structural characteristics in explaining the possibility of contagion. The probability of contagion is computed using the CIMDO methodology developed by Segoviano (2006). A panel model on quarterly data between 2005-q1 and 2012-q4 shows that the macroeconomic and financial outlooks, banking sector characteristics, initial fiscal positions, and the share of public debt held by domestic banks are all significant determinants of the probability of bank-to-sovereign contagion. GDP growth projections and capital buffers in banks were more important determinants before the start of the euro-area debt crisis. Since then, the fiscal situation has become more relevant. The share of government bonds held by domestic banks was especially important for the GIIPS countries. On the contrary, the fiscal situation was less pertinent for countries outside the euro-zone, in line with the theoretical prior that countries with their own currencies can better handle banking and fiscal crises

Orbital and physical parameters of eclipsing binaries from the All-Sky Automated Survey catalogue - VI. AK Fornacis - a rare, bright K-type eclipsing binary

We present the results of the combined photometric and spectroscopic analysis of a bright (V=9.14), nearby (d=31 pc), late-type detached eclipsing binary AK Fornacis. This P=3.981 d system has not been previously recognised as a double-lined spectroscopic binary, and this is the first full physical model of this unique target. With the FEROS, CORALIE and HARPS spectrographs we collected a number of high-resolution spectra in order to calculate radial velocities of both components of the binary. Measurements were done with our own disentangling procedure and the TODCOR technique, and were later combined with the photometry from the ASAS and SuperWASP archives. We also performed an atmospheric analysis of the component spectra with the Spectroscopy Made Easy (SME) package. Our analysis shows that AK For consists of two active, cool dwarfs having masses of $M_1=0.6958 \pm 0.0010$ and $M_2=0.6355 \pm 0.0007$ M$_\odot$ and radii of $R_1=0.687 \pm 0.020$ and $R_2=0.609 \pm 0.016$ R$_\odot$, slightly less metal abundant than the Sun. Parameters of both components are well reproduced by the models. AK For is the brightest system among the known eclipsing binaries with K or M type stars. Its orbital period is one of the longest and rotational velocities one of the lowest, which allows us to obtain very precise radial velocity measurements. The precision in physical parameters we obtained places AK For among the binaries with the best mass measurements in the literature. It also fills the gap in our knowledge of stars in the range of 0.5-0.8 M$_\odot$, and between short and long-period systems. All this makes AK For a unique benchmark for understanding the properties of low-mass stars.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables, accpeted for publication in A&

The glitch activity of neutron stars

We present a statistical study of the glitch population and the behaviour of the glitch activity across the known population of neutron stars. An unbiased glitch database was put together based on systematic searches of radio timing data of 898 rotation-powered pulsars obtained with the Jodrell Bank and Parkes observatories. Glitches identified in similar searches of 5 magnetars were also included. The database contains 384 glitches found in the rotation of 141 of these neutron stars. We confirm that the glitch size distribution is at least bimodal, with one sharp peak at approximately $20\, \rm{\mu\,Hz}$, which we call large glitches, and a broader distribution of smaller glitches. We also explored how the glitch activity $\dot{\nu}_{\rm{g}}$, defined as the mean frequency increment per unit of time due to glitches, correlates with the spin frequency $\nu$, spin-down rate $|\dot{\nu}|$, and various combinations of these, such as energy loss rate, magnetic field, and spin-down age. It is found that the activity is insensitive to the magnetic field and that it correlates strongly with the energy loss rate, though magnetars deviate from the trend defined by the rotation-powered pulsars. However, we find that a constant ratio $\dot\nu_{\rm{g}}/|\dot\nu| = 0.010 \pm 0.001$ is consistent with the behaviour of all rotation-powered pulsars and magnetars. This relation is dominated by large glitches, which occur at a rate directly proportional to $|\dot{\nu}|$. The only exception are the rotation-powered pulsars with the highest values of $|\dot{\nu}|$, such as the Crab pulsar and PSR B0540$-$69, which exhibit a much smaller glitch activity, intrinsically different from each other and from the rest of the population. The activity due to small glitches also shows an increasing trend with $|\dot\nu|$, but this relation is biased by selection effects.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&