Observation of Direct-Photon Collective Flow in Au plus Au Collisions at root s(NN)=200 GeV

The second Fourier component v(2) of the azimuthal anisotropy with respect to the reaction plane is measured for direct photons at midrapidity and transverse momentum (p(T)) of 1-12 GeV/c in Au + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV. Previous measurements of this quantity for hadrons with p(T) < 6 GeV/c indicate that the medium behaves like a nearly perfect fluid, while for p(T) > 6 GeV/c a reduced anisotropy is interpreted in terms of a path-length dependence for parton energy loss. In this measurement with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider we find that for p(T) > 4 GeV/c the anisotropy for direct photons is consistent with zero, which is as expected if the dominant source of direct photons is initial hard scattering. However, in the p(T) < 4 GeV/c region dominated by thermal photons, we find a substantial direct-photon v(2) comparable to that of hadrons, whereas model calculations for thermal photons in this kinematic region underpredict the observed v(2).

New genera and species of Neotropical Rhinotragini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae)

Giesberteclipta and Thomasella, two new genera of Rhinotragini Thomson, 1861 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae), are described and illustrated. Six new species are also described and illustrated: Acyphoderes violaceus from Costa Rica; Ischasioides giesberti from Ecuador, and Oxylymma pallida, Pseudagaone williamsi, Stultutragus tippmanni and S. ventriguttatus from Brazil. Keys are provided for the known species of Pseudagaone Tippmann, 1960, Giesberteclipta, and Oxylymma Pascoe, 1859 and for parts of Ischasioides Tavakilian & Penaherrera-Leiva, 2003 and Stultutragus Clarke, 2010. The following new combinations are proposed: Giesberteclipta costipennis (Giesbert, 1991); G. monteverdensis (Giesbert, 1991); Thomasella igniventris (Giesbert, 1991), and Stultutragus romani (Aurivillius, 1919). The following three new country records are reported: Oxylymma durantoni Penaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2003 (Brazil), Oxylymma sudrei Penaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2003 (Brazil), and Ommata (Eclipta) faurei Penaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2003, all from Brazil.

Space-time relation of post-collisional granitic magmatism in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil: U-Pb LA-MC-ICP-MS zircon geochronology of coeval mafic-felsic magmatism related to the Major Gercino Shear Zone

LA-MC-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating was performed on syntectonic, early post-collisional granitic and associated mafic rocks that are intrusive in the Brusque Metamorphic Complex and in the Florianopolis Batholith, major tectonic domains separated by the Neoproterozoic Major Gercino Shear Zone (MGSZ) in south Brazil. The inferred ages of magmatic crystallization are consistent with field relationships, and show that the syntectonic granites from both domains are similar, with ages around 630-620 Ma for high-K calc-alkaline metaluminous granites and ca. 610 Ma for slightly peraluminous granites. Although ca. 650 Ma inherited zircon components are identified in granites from both domains, important contrasts on the crustal architecture in each domain are revealed by the patterns of zircon inheritance, indicating different crustal sources for the granites in each domain. The granites from the southern domain (Floriandpolis Batholith) have essentially Neoproterozoic (650-700 Ma and 900-950 Ma) inheritance; with a single 2.0-2.2 Ga inherited age obtained in the peraluminous Mariscal Granite. In the northern Brusque Metamorphic Complex, the metaluminous Rio Pequeno Granite and associated mafic rocks have scarce inherited cores with ages around 1.65 Ga, whereas the slightly peraluminous Serra dos Macacos Granite has abundant Paleoproterozoic (1.8-2.2 Ga) and Archean (2.9-3.4 Ga) inherited zircons. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the MGSZ separates domains with distinct geologic evolution; however, the contemporaneity of 630-610 Ma granitic magmatism with similar structural and geochemical patterns on both sides of this major shear zone indicates that these domains were already part of a single continental mass at 630 Ma, reinforcing the post-collisional character of these granites. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cold-Nuclear-Matter Effects on Heavy-Quark Production in d+Au Collisions at root S-NN=200 GeV

The PHENIX experiment has measured electrons and positrons at midrapidity from the decays of hadrons containing charm and bottom quarks produced in d + Au and p + p collisions at root S-NN = 200 GeV in the transverse-momentum range 0.85 <= p(T)(e) <= 8.5 GeV/c. In central d + Au collisions, the nuclear modification factor R-dA at 1.5 < p(T) < 5 GeV/c displays evidence of enhancement of these electrons, relative to those produced in p + p collisions, and shows that the mass-dependent Cronin enhancement observed at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider extends to the heavy D meson family. A comparison with the neutral-pion data suggests that the difference in cold-nuclear-matter effects on light- and heavy-flavor mesons could contribute to the observed differences between the pi(0) and heavy-flavor-electron nuclear modification factors R-AA. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.242301

Deviation from quark number scaling of the anisotropy parameter v(2) of pions, kaons, and protons in Au+Au collisions at root s(NN)=200 GeV

Measurements of the anisotropy parameter v(2) of identified hadrons (pions, kaons, and protons) as a function of centrality, transverse momentum p(T), and transverse kinetic energy KET at midrapidity (vertical bar eta vertical bar < 0.35) in Au + Au collisions at root s(N N) = 200 GeV are presented. Pions and protons are identified up to p(T) = 6 GeV/c, and kaons up to p(T) = 4 GeV/c, by combining information from time-of-flight and aerogel Cerenkov detectors in the PHENIX Experiment. The scaling of v(2) with the number of valence quarks (n(q)) has been studied in different centrality bins as a function of transverse momentum and transverse kinetic energy. A deviation from previously observed quark-number scaling is observed at large values of KET/n(q) in noncentral Au + Au collisions (20-60%), but this scaling remains valid in central collisions (0-10%).

Trypanosoma cruzi mitochondrial maxicircles display species- and strain-specific variation and a conserved element in the non-coding region

Abstract Background The mitochondrial DNA of kinetoplastid flagellates is distinctive in the eukaryotic world due to its massive size, complex form and large sequence content. Comprised of catenated maxicircles that contain rRNA and protein-coding genes and thousands of heterogeneous minicircles encoding small guide RNAs, the kinetoplast network has evolved along with an extreme form of mRNA processing in the form of uridine insertion and deletion RNA editing. Many maxicircle-encoded mRNAs cannot be translated without this post-transcriptional sequence modification. Results We present the complete sequence and annotation of the Trypanosoma cruzi maxicircles for the CL Brener and Esmeraldo strains. Gene order is syntenic with Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania tarentolae maxicircles. The non-coding components have strain-specific repetitive regions and a variable region that is unique for each strain with the exception of a conserved sequence element that may serve as an origin of replication, but shows no sequence identity with L. tarentolae or T. brucei. Alternative assemblies of the variable region demonstrate intra-strain heterogeneity of the maxicircle population. The extent of mRNA editing required for particular genes approximates that seen in T. brucei. Extensively edited genes were more divergent among the genera than non-edited and rRNA genes. Esmeraldo contains a unique 236-bp deletion that removes the 5'-ends of ND4 and CR4 and the intergenic region. Esmeraldo shows additional insertions and deletions outside of areas edited in other species in ND5, MURF1, and MURF2, while CL Brener has a distinct insertion in MURF2. Conclusion The CL Brener and Esmeraldo maxicircles represent two of three previously defined maxicircle clades and promise utility as taxonomic markers. Restoration of the disrupted reading frames might be accomplished by strain-specific RNA editing. Elements in the non-coding region may be important for replication, transcription, and anchoring of the maxicircle within the kinetoplast network.

Medienfreiheit in der Demokratiemessung : ein Konzeptualisierungsvorschlag und Evaluation einschlägiger Indizes

Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, einen Beitrag zur Klärung des Zusammenhangs zwischen Medienfreiheit und Demokratie, der zwar weitläufig postuliert, aber dennoch lediglich in geringem Maße erforscht ist, zu leisten und insbesondere die konzeptionelle Rückbindung von Medienfreiheit an die Demokratietheorie zu verbessern. Es wird davon ausgegangen, dass eine Demokratie ohne die Verwirklichung von Medienfreiheit nicht funktionieren kann. Medienfreiheit wird daher als ein Merkmal von Demokratie aufgefasst. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit wird, ausgehend von Larry Diamonds Konzeption einer liberalen Demokratie, eine konkrete Definition und Konzeptualisierung von Medienfreiheit herausgearbeitet. Damit wird ein Maßstab formuliert, der im Folgenden dazu dient existierende Messungen von Medienfreiheit auf ihren konzeptuellen Gehalt hin zu überprüfen. Im zweiten Teil werden existierende Indizes bezüglich ihrer Messung von Medienfreiheit evaluiert. Betrachtet werden hierbei sowohl zwei Demokratieindizes (der Index Politische Rechte und Bürgerliche Freiheiten von Freedom House sowie der Index Liberale Demokratie aus dem Varieties of Democracy-Projekt) als auch zwei Indizes, die explizit Medienfreiheit messen (der Index Pressefreiheit von Freedom House sowie die Rangliste der Pressefreiheit von Reporter ohne Grenzen).

Postural proteinuria associated with left renal vein entrapment: a follow-up evaluation

Imaging studies show entrapment of the left renal vein in the fork between the aorta and proximal superior mesenteric artery in most cases of isolated postural proteinuria. Therefore, it has been postulated that partial obstruction to the flow in the left renal vein in the upright position is a cause of this form of proteinuria. In a girl with isolated postural proteinuria, kidney ultrasonic imaging and Doppler flow scanning showed left renal vein entrapment. Seven years later, a new evaluation showed resolution of both postural proteinuria and left renal vein entrapment. The longitudinal observation provides substantial additional support for entrapment of the left renal vein by the aorta and superior mesenteric artery as a cause of isolated postural proteinuria.

Stereologic analysis of tibial-plateau cartilage and femoral cancellous bone in guinea pigs with spontaneous osteoarthritis

Two strains of guinea pig develop spontaneous osteoarthritis of the knee. Although the disease evolves at different rates in the two strains, it is not known whether these differences are reflected in the structure of the cartilage and cancellous bone.

The psychosis high-risk state: a comprehensive state-of-the-art review

Context During the past 2 decades, a major transition in the clinical characterization of psychotic disorders has occurred. The construct of a clinical high-risk (HR) state for psychosis has evolved to capture the prepsychotic phase, describing people presenting with potentially prodromal symptoms. The importance of this HR state has been increasingly recognized to such an extent that a new syndrome is being considered as a diagnostic category in the DSM-5. Objective To reframe the HR state in a comprehensive state-of-the-art review on the progress that has been made while also recognizing the challenges that remain. Data Sources Available HR research of the past 20 years from PubMed, books, meetings, abstracts, and international conferences. Study Selection and Data Extraction Critical review of HR studies addressing historical development, inclusion criteria, epidemiologic research, transition criteria, outcomes, clinical and functional characteristics, neurocognition, neuroimaging, predictors of psychosis development, treatment trials, socioeconomic aspects, nosography, and future challenges in the field. Data Synthesis Relevant articles retrieved in the literature search were discussed by a large group of leading worldwide experts in the field. The core results are presented after consensus and are summarized in illustrative tables and figures. Conclusions The relatively new field of HR research in psychosis is exciting. It has the potential to shed light on the development of major psychotic disorders and to alter their course. It also provides a rationale for service provision to those in need of help who could not previously access it and the possibility of changing trajectories for those with vulnerability to psychotic illnesses.

Robust Inferences For Covariate Effects On Survival Time With Censored Linear Regression Models

Various inference procedures for linear regression models with censored failure times have been studied extensively. Recent developments on efficient algorithms to implement these procedures enhance the practical usage of such models in survival analysis. In this article, we present robust inferences for certain covariate effects on the failure time in the presence of "nuisance" confounders under a semiparametric, partial linear regression setting. Specifically, the estimation procedures for the regression coefficients of interest are derived from a working linear model and are valid even when the function of the confounders in the model is not correctly specified. The new proposals are illustrated with two examples and their validity for cases with practical sample sizes is demonstrated via a simulation study.