Numerical study of low-cost alternative orbits around the Moon

In this paper, we have investigated a region of direct stable orbits around the Moon, whose stability is related to the H2 Family of periodic orbits and to the quasi-periodic orbits that oscillate around them. The stability criteria adopted was that the path did not escape from the Moon during an integration period of 1000 days (remaining with negative two-body Moon-probe orbital energy during this period). Considering the three-dimensional four-body Sun-Earth-Moon-probe problem, we investigated the evolution of the size of the stability region, taking into account the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit, the eccentricity and inclination of the Moon's orbit, and the solar radiation pressure on the probe. We also investigated the evolution of the region's size and its location by varying the inclination of the probe's initial osculating orbit relative to the Moon's orbital plane between 0 degrees and 180 degrees. The size of the stability region diminishes; nevertheless, it remains significant for 0 <= i <= 25 degrees and 35 degrees <= i <= 45 degrees. The orbits of this region could be useful for missions by space vehicles that must remain in orbit around the Moon for periods of up to 1000 days, requiring low maintenance costs. (c) 2005 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing the uncertainties of model estimates of primary productivity in the tropical Pacific Ocean

Depth-integrated primary productivity (PP) estimates obtained from satellite ocean color-based models (SatPPMs) and those generated from biogeochemical ocean general circulation models (BCGCMs) represent a key resource for biogeochemical and ecological studies at global as well as regional scales. Calibration and validation of these PP models are not straightforward, however, and comparative studies show large differences between model estimates. The goal of this paper is to compare PP estimates obtained from 30 different models (21 SatPPMs and 9 BOGCMs) to a tropical Pacific PP database consisting of similar to 1000 C-14 measurements spanning more than a decade (1983-1996). Primary findings include: skill varied significantly between models, but performance was not a function of model complexity or type (i.e. SatPPM vs. BOGCM); nearly all models underestimated the observed variance of PR specifically yielding too few low PP (< 0.2 g Cm-2 d(-1)) values; more than half of the total root-mean-squared model-data differences associated with the satellite-based PP models might be accounted for by uncertainties in the input variables and/or the PP data; and the tropical Pacific database captures a broad scale shift from low biomassnormalized productivity in the 1980s to higher biomass-normalized productivity in the 1990s, which was not successfully captured by any of the models. This latter result suggests that interdecadal and global changes will be a significant challenge for both SatPPMs and BOGCMs. Finally, average root-mean-squared differences between in situ PP data on the equator at 140 degrees W and PP estimates from the satellite-based productivity models were 58% lower than analogous values computed in a previous PP model comparison 6 years ago. The success of these types of comparison exercises is illustrated by the continual modification and improvement of the participating models and the resulting increase in model skill. (C) 2008 Elsevier BY. All rights reserved.

Absence of genotoxic effects of the coumarin derivative 4-methylesculetin in vivo and its potential chemoprevention against doxorubicin-induced DNA damage

4-Methylesculetin (4-ME) is a synthetic derivative of coumarin that displays a potent reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger and metal chelating agent and therefore has been produced to help reduce the risk of human disease. The main objective of this study was to investigate the in vivo genotoxicity of 4-ME and initially to verify its potential antigenotoxicity on doxorubicin (DXR)-induced DNA damage. Different doses of 4-ME (500, 1000 and 2000mgkg -1 body weight) were administered by gavage only or with a simultaneous intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of DXR (80mgkg -1). The following endpoints were analyzed: DNA damage in peripheral blood, liver, bone marrow, brain and testicle cells according to an alkaline (pH>13) comet assay and micronucleus induction in bone marrow cells. Cytotoxicity was assessed by scoring polychromatic (PCE) and normochromatic (NCE) erythrocytes (PCE/NCE ratio). No differences were observed between the negative control and the groups treated with a 4-ME dose for any of the endpoints analyzed, indicating that it lacks genotoxic and cytotoxic effects. Moreover, 4-ME demonstrated protective effects against DXR-induced DNA damage at all tested doses and in all analyzed cell types, which ranged from 34.1% to 93.3% in the comet assay and 54.4% to 65.9% in the micronucleus test.

Tissue engineering: Using collagen type i matrix for bone healing of bone defects

Among the many tissues in the human body, bone has been considered as a powerful marker for regeneration and its formation serves as a prototype model for tissue engineering based on morphogenesis. Therefore, collagen type I is one of the most useful biomaterials used in tissue engineering as extracellular matrix components capable to promote bone healing. The literature reveals excellent biocompatibility and safety due to its biological characteristics, such as biodegradability and weak antigenicity, making collagen type I the primary resource in medical applications. Thus, it was also used for tissue engineering including skin replacement, bone substitutes, and artificial blood vessels and valves. The authors describe the treatment of an abscessed apical periodontal cyst and show good outcomes of bone healing, using tissue engineering, as collagen type I matrix. © 2013 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.

Effects of macrocyclic lactones on the reproductive parameters of engorged Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus females detached from experimentally infested cattle

The present study therefore assessed the deleterious effects of MLs (ivermectin, abamectin, doramectin and moxidectin) on the reproductive parameters of engorged Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus females that naturally detached from experimentally infested cattle in two experiments. The following reproductive parameters of engorged female ticks were analyzed: female weight, egg mass weight, percentage of hatchability, percentage of reduction in oviposition, percentage of reduction in hatchability, reproductive efficiency and percent control/efficacy of formulations with respect to reproductive parameters. In the experiment I, statistical analysis of the data grouped into 5-days intervals revealed that pour-on application of abamectin (500. mcg/kg) had significantly (p≤. 0.05) reduced engorged female weight, egg mass weight and percent hatchability on days 6-15, 6-20 and 11-20 post-treatment (p. t.) compared to the respective data for detached and pre-selected engorged females in the control group. The abamectin, demonstrated 33.41% of reduction in oviposition, 6.77% in hatchability and abamectin efficacy was of 13.99%. In the experiment II, statistically significant reductions (p≥. 0.05) were observed in animals treated subcutaneous with ivermectin (630. mcg/kg), doramectin (700. mcg/kg) and moxidectin (1000. mcg/kg) relative to the control for days 6-40, 6-48 and 6-40 p. t., respectively. Ivermectin reduced hatchability only on days 16-20 p. t., whereas doramectin significantly reduced (p≤. 0.05) hatchability on days 6-10 and 16-35 p. t. For moxidectin, deleterious effects on hatchability were observed on days 16-35 p. t. The percent reductions in oviposition of engorged female ticks were 46.31%, 62.17% and 61.02% with ivermectin, doramectin and moxidectin treatments, respectively. The percent efficacy of the formulations on the reproductive parameters of engorged female ticks was 21.22% for ivermectin, 36.03% for doramectin and 35.45% for moxidectin. Among the MLs assessed, doramectin and moxidectin had the highest acaricidal efficacies and the most deleterious effects on the reproductive parameters of engorged R. (B.) microplus females. However, future studies will be necessary to assess the extent to which these effects, along with acaricidal activity, can be used to control the ectoparasite in cattle. © 2013 Elsevier Inc..

Influence of Insulin-like Growth Factor I (IGF-I) on the survival and the in vitro development of caprine preantral follicles

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Pharmacokinetics of tetracycline in plasma, synovial fluid and milk using single intravenous and single intravenous regional doses in dairy cattle with papillomatous digital dermatitis

The purpose of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics of tetracycline in plasma, synovial fluid, and milk following either a single systemic intravenous (i.v.) injection or a single i.v. regional antibiosis (IVRA) administration of tetracycline hydrochloride to dairy cattle with papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD). To this end, plasma and synovial fluid tetracycline concentrations were compared with the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the major bacteria, which are known to cause digital diseases and thus assess its efficacy in PDD. Residual tetracycline concentrations in milk from cows treated by both methods were also determined. Twelve Holstein cows with various stages of PDD were randomly assigned to two groups of six animals. Group 1 received a single systemic i.v. injection of 10 mg/kg of tetracycline hydrochloride. Group 2 received 1000 mg of tetracycline hydrochloride by IVRA of the affected limb. Blood, synovial fluid and milk samples were taken prior to tetracycline administration (time 0 control), and then at 22, 45 and 82 min, and 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h following drug administration. Tetracycline concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Mean tetracycline plasma and milk concentrations in Group 1 were higher than Group 2. The opposite was observed for synovial fluid concentrations. Group 2 synovial fluid concentrations were higher than the MIC value over 24 h for the bacteria most frequently responsible for claw disease. Compared with i.v. administration, IVRA administration of tetracycline produced very high synovial fluid and low plasma and milk concentrations.

Impact of sunlight on the age of onset of bipolar disorder

Bauer M, Glenn T, Alda M, Andreassen OA, Ardau R, Bellivier F, Berk M, Bjella TD, Bossini L, Del Zompo M, Dodd S, Fagiolini A, Frye MA, Gonzalez-Pinto A, Henry C, Kapczinski F, Kliwicki S, Konig B, Kunz M, Lafer B, Lopez-Jaramillo C, Manchia M, Marsh W, Martinez-Cengotitabengoa M, Melle I, Morken G, Munoz R, Nery FG, ODonovan C, Pfennig A, Quiroz D, Rasgon N, Reif A, Rybakowski J, Sagduyu K, Simhandl C, Torrent C, Vieta E, Zetin M, Whybrow PC. Impact of sunlight on the age of onset of bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord 2012: 14: 654663. (c) 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objective: Although bipolar disorder has high heritability, the onset occurs during several decades of life, suggesting that social and environmental factors may have considerable influence on disease onset. This study examined the association between the age of onset and sunlight at the location of onset. Method: Data were obtained from 2414 patients with a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder, according to DSM-IV criteria. Data were collected at 24 sites in 13 countries spanning latitudes 6.3 to 63.4 degrees from the equator, including data from both hemispheres. The age of onset and location of onset were obtained retrospectively, from patient records and/or direct interviews. Solar insolation data, or the amount of electromagnetic energy striking the surface of the earth, were obtained from the NASA Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy (SSE) database for each location of onset. Results: The larger the maximum monthly increase in solar insolation at the location of onset, the younger the age of onset (coefficient= -4.724, 95% CI: -8.124 to -1.323, p = 0.006), controlling for each countrys median age. The maximum monthly increase in solar insolation occurred in springtime. No relationships were found between the age of onset and latitude, yearly total solar insolation, and the maximum monthly decrease in solar insolation. The largest maximum monthly increases in solar insolation occurred in diverse environments, including Norway, arid areas in California, and Chile. Conclusion: The large maximum monthly increase in sunlight in springtime may have an important influence on the onset of bipolar disorder.

Measurement of electrons from semileptonic heavy-flavor hadron decays in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV

The differential production cross section of electrons from semileptonic heavy-flavor hadron decays has been measured at midrapidity (\y\ < 0.5) in proton-proton collisions at root s = 7 TeV with ALICE at the LHC. Electrons were measured in the transverse momentum range 0.5 < p(t) < 8 GeV/c. Predictions from a fixed-order perturbative QCD calculation with next-to-leading-log resummation agree with the data within the theoretical and experimental uncertainties. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.86.112007

Measurement of event background fluctuations for charged particle jet reconstruction in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76 TeV

The effect of event background fluctuations on charged particle jet reconstruction in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV has been measured with the ALICE experiment. The main sources of non-statistical fluctuations are characterized based purely on experimental data with an unbiased method, as well as by using single high p(t) particles and simulated jets embedded into real Pb-Pb events and reconstructed with the anti-k(t) jet finder. The influence of a low transverse momentum cut-off on particles used in the jet reconstruction is quantified by varying the minimum track p(t) between 0.15 GeV/c and 2 GeV/c. For embedded jets reconstructed from charged particles with p(t) > 0.15 GeV/c, the uncertainty in the reconstructed jet transverse momentum due to the heavy-ion background is measured to be 11.3 GeV/c (standard deviation) for the 10% most central Pb-Pb collisions, slightly larger than the value of 11.0 GeV/c measured using the unbiased method. For a higher particle transverse momentum threshold of 2 GeV/c, which will generate a stronger bias towards hard fragmentation in the jet finding process, the standard deviation of the fluctuations in the reconstructed jet transverse momentum is reduced to 4.8-5.0 GeV/c for the 10% most central events. A non-Gaussian tail of the momentum uncertainty is observed and its impact on the reconstructed jet spectrum is evaluated for varying particle momentum thresholds, by folding the measured fluctuations with steeply falling spectra.

Production of Muons from Heavy Flavor Decays at Forward Rapidity in pp and Pb-Pb Collisions at root s(NN)=2.76 TeV

The ALICE Collaboration has measured the inclusive production of muons from heavy-flavor decays at forward rapidity, 2.5 < y < 4, in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV. The p(t)-differential inclusive cross section of muons from heavy-flavor decays in pp collisions is compared to perturbative QCD calculations. The nuclear modification factor is studied as a function of p(t) and collision centrality. A weak suppression is measured in peripheral collisions. In the most central collisions, a suppression of a factor of about 3-4 is observed in 6 < p(t) < 10 GeV/c. The suppression shows no significant p(t) dependence.

Production of K*(892)(0) and phi(1020) in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV

The production of K*(892)(0) and phi(1020) in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV was measured by the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The yields and the transverse momentum spectra d(2)N/dydp(T) at midrapidity vertical bar y vertical bar < 0.5 in the range 0 < p(T) < 6 GeV/c for K*(892)(0) and 0.4 < p(T) < 6 GeV/c for phi(1020) are reported and compared to model predictions. Using the yield of pions, kaons, and Omega baryons measured previously by ALICE at root s = 7 TeV, the ratios K*/K-, phi/K*, phi/ K-, phi/pi(-), and (Omega + <(Omega)over bar>)/phi are presented. The values of the K*/K-, phi/K* and phi/K- ratios are similar to those found at lower centre-of-mass energies. In contrast, the phi/pi(-) ratio, which has been observed to increase with energy, seems to saturate above 200 GeV. The (Omega + (Omega) over bar)/phi ratio in the p(T) range 1-5 GeV/ c is found to be in good agreement with the prediction of the HIJING/B (B) over bar v2.0model with a strong colour field.

Transverse sphericity of primary charged particles in minimum bias proton-proton collisions at root s=0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV

Measurements of the sphericity of primary charged particles in minimum bias proton-proton collisions at root s = 0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC are presented. The observable is measured in the plane perpendicular to the beam direction using primary charged tracks with p(T) > 0.5 GeV/c in vertical bar eta vertical bar < 0.8. The mean sphericity as a function of the charged particle multiplicity at mid-rapidity (N-ch) is reported for events with different p(T) scales ("soft" and "hard") defined by the transverse momentum of the leading particle. In addition, the mean charged particle transverse momentum versus multiplicity is presented for the different event classes, and the sphericity distributions in bins of multiplicity are presented. The data are compared with calculations of standard Monte Carlo event generators. The transverse sphericity is found to grow with multiplicity at all collision energies, with a steeper rise at low N-ch, whereas the event generators show an opposite tendency. The combined study of the sphericity and the mean p(T) with multiplicity indicates that most of the tested event generators produce events with higher multiplicity by generating more back-to-back jets resulting in decreased sphericity (and isotropy). The PYTHIA6 generator with tune PERUGIA-2011 exhibits a noticeable improvement in describing the data, compared to the other tested generators.

Measurement of prompt J/psi and beauty hadron production cross sections at mid-rapidity in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV

The ALICE experiment at the LHC has studied J/psi production at mid-rapidity in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV through its electron pair decay on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity L-int = 5.6 nb(-1). The fraction of J/psi from the decay of long-lived beauty hadrons was determined for J/psi candidates with transverse momentum p(t) > 1,3 GeV/c and rapidity vertical bar y vertical bar < 0.9. The cross section for prompt J/psi mesons, i.e. directly produced J/psi and prompt decays of heavier charmonium states such as the psi(2S) and chi(c) resonances, is sigma(prompt J/psi) (p(t) > 1.3 GeV/c, vertical bar y vertical bar < 0.9) = 8.3 +/- 0.8(stat.) +/- 1.1 (syst.)(-1.4)(+1.5) (syst. pol.) mu b. The cross section for the production of b-hadrons decaying to J/psi with p(t) > 1.3 GeV/c and vertical bar y vertical bar < 0.9 is a sigma(J/psi <- hB) (p(t) > 1.3 GeV/c, vertical bar y vertical bar < 0.9) = 1.46 +/- 0.38 (stat.)(-0.32)(+0.26) (syst.) mu b. The results are compared to QCD model predictions. The shape of the p(t) and y distributions of b-quarks predicted by perturbative QCD model calculations are used to extrapolate the measured cross section to derive the b (b) over bar pair total cross section and d sigma/dy at mid-rapidity.

Suppression of high transverse momentum D mesons in central Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76 TeV

The production of the prompt charm mesons D-0, D+, D*(+), and their antiparticles, was measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC, at a centre-of-mass energy root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV per nucleon-nucleon collision. The p(t)-differential production yields in the range 2 < p(t) < 16 GeV/c at central rapidity, vertical bar y vertical bar < 0.5, were used to calculate the nuclear modification factor R-AA with respect to a proton-proton reference obtained from the cross section measured at root s = 7 TeV and scaled to root s = 2.76 TeV. For the three meson species, R-AA shows a suppression by a factor 3-4, for transverse momenta larger than 5 GeV/c in the 20% most central collisions. The suppression is reduced for peripheral collisions.