Manifestly Covariant Worldline Actions from Coadjoint Orbits. Part I: Generalities and Vectorial Descriptions

We derive manifestly covariant actions of spinning particles starting from coadjoint orbits of isometry groups, by using Hamiltonian reductions. We show that the defining conditions of a classical Lie group can be treated as Hamiltonian constraints which generate the coadjoint orbits of another, dual, Lie group. In case of (inhomogeneous) orthogonal groups, the dual groups are (centrally-extended inhomogeneous) symplectic groups. This defines a symplectic dual pair correspondence between the coadjoint orbits of the isometry group and those of the dual Lie group, whose quantum version is the reductive dual pair correspondence \`a la Howe. We show explicitly how various particle species arise from the classification of coadjoint orbits of Poincar\'e and (A)dS symmetry. In the Poincar\'e case, we recover the data of the Wigner classification, which includes continuous spin particles, (spinning) tachyons and null particles with vanishing momenta, besides the usual massive and massless spinning particles. In (A)dS case, our classification results are not only consistent with the pattern of the corresponding unitary irreducible representations observed in the literature, but also contain novel information. In dS, we find the presence of partially massless spinning particles, but continuous spin particles, spinning tachyons and null particles are absent. The AdS case shows the largest diversity of particle species. It has all particles species of Poincar\'e symmetry except for the null particle, but allows in addition various exotic entities such as one parameter extension of continuous particles and conformal particles living on the boundary of AdS. Notably, we also find a large class of particles living in "bitemporal" AdS space, including ones where mass and spin play an interchanged role. We also discuss the relative inclusion structure of the corresponding orbits.Comment: 89 pages. An appendix on the comparison with Metsaev's AdS continuous spin field (arXiv:1903.10495) is added. More discussions on the quantisation with a non-trivial deformation parameter are added. Remarks on Peter-Weyl theorem are added. A few references are added. Other minor revisions are mad

Power efficient analog-to-digital converters using both voltage and time domain information

As advanced wired and wireless communication systems attempt to achieve higher performance, the demand for high resolution and wide signal bandwidth in their associated ADCs is strongly increased. Recently, time-domain quantization has drawn attention from its scalability in deep submicron CMOS processes. Furthermore, there are several interesting aspects of time-domain quantizer by processing the signal in time rather than only in voltage domain especially for power efficiency. This research focuses on developing a new architecture for power efficient, high resolution ADCs using both voltage and time domain information. As a first approach, a new ΔƩ ADC based on a noise-shaped two-step integrating quantizer which quantizes the signal in voltage and time domains is presented. Attaining an extra order of noise-shaping from the integrating quantizer, the proposed ΔƩ ADC manifests a second-order noise-shaping with a first-order loop filter. Furthermore, this quantizer provides an 8b uantization in itself, drastically reducing the oversampling requirement. The proposed ADC also incorporates a new feedback DAC topology that alleviates the feedback DAC complexity of a two-step 8b quantizer. The measured results of the prototype ADC implemented in a 0.13μm CMOS demonstrate peak SNDR of 70.7dB (11.5b ENOB) at 8.1mW power, with an 8x OSR at 80MHz sampling frequency. To further improve ADC performance, a Nyquist ADC based on a time-based pipelined TDC is also proposed as a second approach. In this work, a simple V-T conversion scheme with a cheap low gain amplifier in its first stage and a hybrid time-domain quantization stage based on simple charge pump and capacitive DAC in its backend stages, are also proposed to improve ADC linearity and power efficiency. Using voltage and time domain information, the proposed ADC architecture is beneficial for both resolution and power efficiency, with MSBs resolved in voltage domain and LSBs in time domain. The measured results of the prototype ADC implemented in a 0.13μm CMOS demonstrate peak SNDR of 69.3dB (11.2b ENOB) at 6.38mW power and 70MHz sampling frequency. The FOM is 38.2fJ/conversion-step

Pathogenicity of Porcine Circovirus Type 2e in Experimentally Infected Pigs

© 2022 Elsevier LtdA new porcine circovirus type 2e (PCV2e) genotype was recently isolated from diseased pigs. To investigate the pathogenicity of PCV2e, groups of conventional pigs were inoculated in one of three ways: with PCV2e only, with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and PCV2e, or with PCV2e and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Pigs were examined post mortem at 21 days post inoculation. Pigs in the M. hyopeumoniae/PCV2e group were inoculated intratracheally with M. hyopneumoniae at 4 weeks of age followed by an intranasal inoculation with PCV2e at 6 weeks of age. Pigs in the PCV2e/PRRSV group were inoculated intranasally with PCV2e and PRRSV at 6 weeks of age. Significant differences in PCV2e loads in blood or lymph nodes, or in the severity of lymphoid lesions, were not detected between the M. hyopneumoniae/PCV2e and PCV2e/PRRSV groups. All pigs co-infected with either M. hyopneumoniae/PCV2e or PCV2e/PRRSV developed mild porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD), whereas none of the pigs infected with PCV2e alone developed PCVAD. Production of PCVAD in pigs therefore appears to require PCV2e infection simultaneously with an additional infectious agent such as M. hyopneumoniae or PRRSV for full disease expression in pigs. These results demonstrate that PCV2e is not associated with significant clinical disease as assessed by levels of PCV2e viraemia and severity of lymphoid lesions.N

A Comparative Field Evaluation of the Effect of Growth Performance Between Porcine Circovirus Type 2a (PCV2a)- and PCV2b-Based Bivalent Vaccines Containing PCV2 and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

The objective of this study was to compare two different bivalent vaccines containing porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae. One vaccine contained PCV2a and the other contained PCV2b, and both were administered on a farm suffering from subclinical PCV2d infection and enzootic pneumonia. A total of 180 pigs were randomly divided into 3 groups (60 pigs per group; male pigs = 30 and female pigs = 30). Bivalent vaccination significantly improved growth performance in both vaccinated groups as compared to the unvaccinated (UnVac) group. Growth performance measured by body weight and average daily weight gain (ADWG) was not significantly different between the two bivalent-vaccinated groups (VacA and VacB). Both bivalent vaccines elicited high levels of neutralizing antibodies and interferon-gamma secreting cells (IFN-gamma-SC) against PCV2d, leading to a reduction in the levels of PCV2d blood viral load as compared to unvaccinated animals. Similarly, both bivalent vaccines elicited high levels of IFN-gamma-SC against M. hyopneumoniae that reduced the level of M. hyopneumoniae laryngeal viral loads as compared to unvaccinated animals. Significant differences in severity of lung and lymphoid lesions were observed in both vaccinated groups as compared to the UnVac group. These comparative field data demonstrated that both bivalent vaccines are good candidates for controlling subclinical PCV2d infection and enzootic pneumonia in swine farms suffering from an existing infection.N

Simulation of Spatiotemporal Variations in Cotton Lint Yield in the Texas High Plains

This study aimed to simulate the spatiotemporal variation in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growth and lint yield using a remote sensing-integrated crop model (RSCM) for cotton. The developed modeling scheme incorporated proximal sensing data and satellite imagery. We formulated this model and evaluated its accuracy using field datasets obtained in Lamesa in 1999, Halfway in 2002 and 2004, and Lubbock in 2003–2005 in the Texas High Plains in the USA. We found that RSCM cotton could reproduce the cotton leaf area index and lint yield across different locations and irrigation systems with a statistically significant degree of accuracy. RSCM cotton was also used to simulate cotton lint yield for the field circles in Halfway. The RSCM system could accurately reproduce the spatiotemporal variations in cotton lint yield when integrated with satellite images. From the results of this study, we predict that the proposed crop-modeling approach will be applicable for the practical monitoring of cotton growth and productivity by farmers. Furthermore, a user can operate the modeling system with minimal input data, owing to the integration of proximal and remote sensing information

Non-Inferiority Field Study Comparing the Administrations by Conventional Needle-Syringe and Needle-Free Injectors of a Trivalent Vaccine Containing Porcine Circovirus Types 2a/2b and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

The objective of this study was to assess the clinical, immunological, microbiological, and pathological evaluation of trivalent vaccine containing porcine circovirus types 2a/b (PCV2a/b) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae given by two different needle-free injection devices compared with conventional needle-syringe injection in a herd with subclinical PCV2d infection and enzootic pneumonia. A total of 240 21-day-old pigs, which weighed between 5 to 6 kg, were randomly divided into four groups (60 pigs per group, 30 = male and 30 = female per group). Injection site reactions in the pigs were minimal for the two needle-free injection devices and needle-syringe injection. Trivalent vaccination of pigs with two needle-free injection devices was not inferior to conventional needle-syringe injection for growth performance. Trivalent vaccination of pigs with two different needle-free injection devices reduced levels of PCV2d loads in serum and M. hyopneumoniae loads in the larynx equally compared to the conventional needle-syringe injection. The amount of PCV2d load in serum from the needle-free Pulse FX injection device at 49 days post vaccination showed non-inferiority to conventional needle-syringe injection. The immune response against PCV2 and M. hyopneumoniae to trivalent vaccine given with the needle-free Pulse FX injection device was non-inferior to conventional needle-syringe injection. The pigs from the two needle-free injection device and conventional needle-syringe injection had significantly (p < 0.05) lower macroscopic and microscopic lung lesion scores, and microscopic lymphoid lesions than from unvaccinated. The results of this study demonstrated that vaccination of trivalent vaccine by the two needle-free Pulse injection devices used in the study was non-inferior to that by conventional needle-syringe injection for growth performance, immune response against PCV2 and M. hyopneumoniae, and reduction of PCV2 viremia

Synthesis of Hydroxyapatite (HAp)-Zirconia Nanocomposite Powder and Evaluation of Its Biocompatibility: An In Vitro Study

A potential material for dental restorations and bone replacements is calcium phosphate (CaP)-based ceramic material. Nevertheless, its limited ability to withstand thermal processing and weak mechanical strength prevents it from being used in hard tissue engineering. Hydroxyapatite has been extensively used as a CaP-based biomaterial in prosthetic applications. On the other hand, zirconia is an inorganic material that combines outstanding mechanical capabilities with bioinert characteristics. In the present investigation, we demonstrated the reinforcement of zirconia in biomimetic hydroxyapatite (HAp) using a specially designed stir-type hydrothermal reactor to improve the biocompatibility and mechanical stability of bare hydroxyapatite. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed distinct peak shifts around 31° and 60°, which confirmed the formation of a nanocrystalline HAp-Zirconia composite without any intermediate phases. The size of the synthesized nanocomposite was found to be 30 nm using TEM. Further, the d-spacing value calculated from high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) images corresponded to the distinct planes of the HAp (211) and zirconia (311) phases, respectively, in the composite powder. The in vitro cytotoxicity study revealed excellent biocompatibility with MG-63 human osteoblasts. Hence, the zirconia reinforced hydroxyapatite (HZ1) prepared in the present work could be utilized as a successful approach in a variety of hard tissue engineering applications

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction for the detection and differentiation of 4 porcine circovirus 2 genotypes (PCV-2a, -2b, -2d, and -2e) in clinical samples

Copyright and/or publishing rights held by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.The objective of this study was to develop multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the simultaneous detection of porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2) and differentiation among 4 PCV-2 genotypes (2a, 2b, 2d, and 2e) in collected clinical lymph node samples. The multiplex PCR detected each of 4 PCV-2 genotypes (2a, 2b, 2d, and 2e) to a dilution of 2 × 101 copies/μL. PCV-2a, PCV-2b, PCV-2d, and PCV-2e were propagated in tissues prior to DNA extraction for use in multiplex PCR for the simultaneous detection and differentiation of 4 PCV-2 genotypes. The designed multiplex PCR effectively detected and differentiated various combinations of multiple infection, such as PCV-2a+2b, PCV-2a+2d, PCV-2b+2d, PCV-2a+2e, and PCV-2a+2b+2d, in clinical lymph node samples. The results of this study demonstrated that multiplex PCR testing of clinical samples developed herein was able to simultaneously detect and differentiate among the 4 PCV-2 genotypes (PCV-2a, 2b, 2d, and 2e). L’objectif de cette étude était de développer une réaction en chaîne par la polymérase multiplex (PCR) pour la détection simultanée du circovirus porcin 2 (PCV-2) et la différenciation entre quatre génotypes PCV-2 (2a, 2b, 2d et 2e) dans des échantillons cliniques de noeuds lymphatique. La PCR multiplex a détecté chacun des quatre génotypes PCV-2 (2a, 2b, 2d et 2e) à une dilution de 2 × 101 copies/μL. Le PCV-2a, le PCV-2b, le PCV-2d et le PCV-2e ont été propagés dans les tissus avant l’extraction de l’ADN pour être utilisés dans la PCR multiplex pour la détection et la différenciation simultanées de quatre génotypes du PCV-2. La PCR multiplex conçue a efficacement détecté et différencié diverses combinaisons d’infections multiples, telles que PCV-2a+2b, PCV-2a+2d, PCV-2b+2d, PCV-2a+2e et PCV-2a+2b+2d, dans les échantillons cliniques de ganglions lymphatiques. Les résultats de cette étude ont démontré que le test PCR multiplex des échantillons cliniques développés ici était capable de détecter et de différencier simultanément les quatre génotypes PCV-2 (PCV-2a, 2b, 2d et 2e).(Traduit par Docteur Serge Messier).N

Codium fragile Ameliorates High-Fat Diet-Induced Metabolism by Modulating the Gut Microbiota in Mice

Codium fragile (CF) is a functional seaweed food that has been used for its health effects, including immunostimulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity and anti-cancer activities, but the effect of CF extracts on obesity via regulation of intestinal microflora is still unknown. This study investigated anti-obesity effects of CF extracts on gut microbiota of diet-induced obese mice. C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat (HF) diet were given CF extracts intragastrically for 12 weeks. CF extracts significantly decreased animal body weight and the size of adipocytes, while reducing serum levels of cholesterol and glucose. In addition, CF extracts significantly shifted the gut microbiota of mice by increasing the abundance of Bacteroidetes and decreasing the abundance of Verrucomicrobia species, in which the portion of beneficial bacteria (i.e., Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae and Acetatifactor) were increased. This resulted in shifting predicted intestinal metabolic pathways involved in regulating adipocytes (i.e., mevalonate metabolism), energy harvest (i.e., pyruvate fermentation and glycolysis), appetite (i.e., chorismate biosynthesis) and metabolic disorders (i.e., isoprene biosynthesis, urea metabolism, and peptidoglycan biosynthesis). In conclusion, our study showed that CF extracts ameliorate intestinal metabolism in HF-induced obese mice by modulating the gut microbiota

One-Pot Hydrothermal Preparation of Hydroxyapatite/Zinc Oxide Nanorod Nanocomposites and Their Cytotoxicity Evaluation against MG-63 Osteoblast-like Cells

In the present study, HAp-ZnO nanorod nanocomposites were successfully prepared using a customized hydrothermal reactor and studied for their compatibility against MG-63 osteoblast-like cells. The crystallinity, morphology, presence of chemical elements, and surface area properties were studied by XRD (X-ray diffraction), FE-SEM (field emission scanning electron microscopy), TEM (transmission electron microscopy), EDS (energy dispersive spectrum) and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm techniques, respectively. Further, the mechanical strength and thermal analysis were carried out using the nanoindentation method and thermogravimetric/differential scanning calorimeter (TG/DSC) methods, respectively. Moreover, in vitro biocompatibility studies for the prepared samples were carried out against human osteosarcoma cell lines (MG-63). The crystalline nature of the samples without any impurity phases was notified from XRD results. The formation of composites with the morphology of nanorods and the presence of desired elements in the intended ratio were verified using FE-SEM and EDS spectra, respectively. The TG/DSC results revealed the improved thermal stability of the HAp matrix, promoted by the reinforcement of the ZnO nanorods. The nanoindentation study ensured a significant enhancement in the mechanical stability of the prepared composite material. Finally, it demonstrated that the HAp matrix’s mechanical strength and thermal stability were improved by the reinforcement of ZnO, and the cytotoxicity evaluation affirmed the biocompatible nature of the biomimetic hydroxyapatite in the composite