Results are presented of a search for heavy stable charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions at s=13 TeV using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.5 fb−1 ...collected in 2015 with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The search is conducted using signatures of anomalously high energy deposits in the silicon tracker and long time-of-flight measurements by the muon system. The data are consistent with the expected background, and upper limits are set on the cross sections for production of long-lived gluinos, top squarks, tau sleptons, and leptonlike long-lived fermions. These upper limits are equivalently expressed as lower limits on the masses of new states; the limits for gluinos, ranging up to 1610 GeV, are the most stringent to date. Limits on the cross sections for direct pair production of long-lived tau sleptons are also determined.
Abstract Introduction Because ribosomal RNA (rRNA) indicates metabolic cell activity, this study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of rRNA-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for ...the identification of active Enterococcus faecalis in root canals samples compared with a method based on ribosomal DNA (rDNA) (rRNA genes). Methods Samples were taken from 18 teeth with persistent/secondary intraradicular infection before (S1) and after (S2) chemomechanical preparation. RNA and DNA were extracted, and complementary DNA was synthesized from RNA using RT-PCR. Complementary DNA and genomic DNA were subjected to quantitative polymerase chain reaction with primers complementary for E. faecalis 16S rRNA sequence. Results E. faecalis was detected in 77.8% and 72.2% of S1 samples using rRNA- and rDNA-based assays, respectively. In contrast, E. faecalis was detected in only 33.3% of S2 samples using rDNA as the template compared with 61.1% using the rRNA-based method. The median concentration of rRNA copies of E. faecalis was significantly higher than rDNA copies, indicating a higher sensitivity for the method targeting rRNA in both S1 ( P < .01) and S2 samples ( P < .05). After chemomechanical preparation, the number of rRNA and rDNA copies was significantly reduced ( P < .05). The high ratio of rRNA to rDNA copies in S2 samples suggested that active E. faecalis persisted in root canals after chemomechanical preparation. Conclusions The RT-qPCR assay provides a sensitive method for the identification of active E. faecalis from endodontic samples. Furthermore, the rRNA-based assay indicated that E. faecalis viable cells persisted in treated root canals, suggesting that it may be a useful tool for monitoring microbial load during endodontic treatment.
Abstract The predominant use of glucose anaerobically by cancer cells (Warburg effect) may be the most important characteristic the majority of these cells have in common and, therefore, a potential ...metabolic pathway to be targeted during cancer treatment. Because this effect relates to fuel oxidation, dietary manipulation has been hypothesized as an important strategy during cancer treatment. As such, the concept of a ketogenic diet (KD) in cancer emerged as a metabolic therapy (ie, targeting cancer cell metabolism) rather than a dietary approach. The therapeutic mechanisms of action of this high-fat, moderate-to-low protein, and very-low-carbohydrate diet may potentially influence cancer treatment and prognosis. Considering the lack of a dietetics-focused narrative review on this topic, we compiled the evidence related to the use of this diet in humans with diverse cancer types and stages, also focusing on the nutrition and health perspective. The use of KD in cancer shows potentially promising, but inconsistent, results. The limited number of studies and differences in study design and characteristics contribute to overall poor quality evidence, limiting the ability to draw evidence-based conclusions. However, the potential positive influences a KD may have on cancer treatment justify the need for well-designed clinical trials to better elucidate the mechanisms by which this dietary approach affects nutritional status, cancer prognosis, and overall health. The role of registered dietitian nutritionists is demonstrated to be crucial in planning and implementing KD protocols in oncology research settings, while also ensuring patients’ adherence and optimal nutritional status.
Aegialomys galapagoensis (Waterhouse, 1839) is a sigmodontine rodent commonly called the Galapagos rice rat. It is a medium-sized rodent, characterized by dense, soft, yellow or copper, weakly ...grizzled pelage; the dorsum is grayish or brownish and the ventral pelage is pale. It is endemic to the open habitats of the Galapagos Archipelago, occurring on three islands, Santa Fé Island (Barrington Island), San Cristóbal Island (Chatham Island), and Santiago Island (James Island). Restricted populations are considered a major threat to A. galapagoensis conservation throughout most of its range, as well as competition with Rattus rattus. A. galapagoensis is listed as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and is listed as “Critically Endangered” on the Ecuador National list.
This paper sets out to acquire information on the atomic structure of the alkali-silica reaction gel by using the x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) technique to improve the understanding of the ...mechanism of expansion. The gel generates mechanical stress in the concrete, which cracks it. XAFS enables the study of the local atomic structure around each of the atomic species in the material, even in disordered structures. Analyses were made at the potassium (3608 eV) and silicon (1839 eV) absorption K-edges. Information was obtained about the local order (first and second neighbors) around the absorbing atoms and the nanoscale arrangement in the gel. The results show that most accepted structural models that are used to describe the gel are inaccurate and that a chemically inhomogeneous nanostructured material can be the better choice to explain the ASR gel structure and its chemical behavior.
The begomoviruses (BGVs) are plant pathogens that evolved in the Old World during the Cretaceous and arrived to the New World (NW) in the Cenozoic era. A subgroup of NW BGVs, the "
(SLCV) lineage" ...(S-Lin), includes viruses with unique characteristics. To get clues on the evolutionary origin of this lineage, a search for divergent members was undertaken. Four novel BGVs were characterized, including one that is basal to the group. Comparative analyses led to discover a ~670 bp genome module that is nearly exclusive of this lineage, encompassing the replication origin, the
gene, and 480 bp of the
gene. A similar DNA module was found in two curtoviruses, hence suggesting that the S-Lin ancestor acquired its distinctive genomic segment by recombination with a curtovirus. This hypothesis was definitely disproved by an in-depth sequence analysis. The search for homologs of S-Lin Rep uncover the common origin of Rep proteins encoded by diverse
genera and viral "fossils" integrated at plant genomes. In contrast, no homolog of S-Lin Rep was found in public databases. Consequently, it was concluded that the SLCV clade ancestor evolved by a recombination event between a primitive NW BGV and a virus from a hitherto unknown lineage.
Multiple customer data management has become a focus of attention in big organizations. Although much information is available, it does not translate into significant profitable value-added services. ...We present a design of a commercial web application based on business intelligence that generates information on social and financial behavior of clients in an organization; with the purpose of obtain additional information that allows to get more profits. This app will provide a broader perspective for making strategic decisions to increase profits and reduce internal investment costs. A case in point is the financial sector, a group of financial entities were used to make measurements and test them. A design to build a web application aimed at achieving a large and ambitious goal by means of defined tools reflecting clients’ business needs is proposed. In this research, different techniques and technologies are explored, such as diagrams, frameworks, design, architecture, model entity-relationship, tables, equations, mental maps and development tools. Through the Personal Software Process methodology and with the help of information extraction, consolidation, and visualization, the implementation can be carried out. This article provides the importance of implementing business intelligence in an organization and expands on the steps needed for the implementation of this valuable technology.
Abstract
In this work we have successfully hyperdoped germanium with tellurium with a concentration peak of 10
21
cm
−3
. The resulting hyperdoped layers show good crystallinity and sub-bandgap ...absorption at room temperature which makes the material a good candidate for a new era of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible short-wavelength-infrared photodetectors. We obtained absorption coefficients
α
higher than
4.1
×
10
3
cm
−1
at least up to 3
µ
m. In this study we report the temperature-dependency electrical properties of the hyperdoped layer measured in van der Pauw configuration. The electrical behaviour of this hyperdoped material can be explained with an electrical bilayer coupling/decoupling model and the values for the isolated hyperdoped layer are a resistivity of
4.25
×
10
−
3
Ω
⋅
cm with an electron-mobility around −100 cm
2
V
−1
s
−1
.
Hexagonal mesoporous silica modified with carboxylic acid (SiAc) has been obtained by reaction between chloroacetic acid and 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, which was immobilized on porous material by ...a sol–gel process in the presence of an n-dodecylamine template. SiAc was characterized by TG, FT-IR, 29Si NMR, 13C NMR, SEM, surface charge density, surface area and porous diameter, which proved that the carboxylic group was chemically bonded to an inorganic structure, and the material presented a nanometric structure with spheres <50 nm and porous diameter of 10 nm. Herbicides 2,4-D and picloram were anchored on SiAc porous gel to produce the materials named SiD and SiPi, respectively. The controlled release of picloram from the SiAc was less than that of 2,4-D. After 26 days of releasing, 4.43 × 10–5 mol L–1 of picloram was delivered by SiPi, and 5.0 × 10–5 L–1 was released from the SiD in 30 days.
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