Accelerating Cold Dark Matter Cosmology (ΩΛ≡0\Omega_{\Lambda}\equiv 0)

A new kind of accelerating flat model with no dark energy that is fully dominated by cold dark matter (CDM) is investigated. The number of CDM particles is not conserved and the present accelerating stage is a consequence of the negative pressure describing the irreversible process of gravitational particle creation. A related work involving accelerating CDM cosmology has been discussed before the SNe observations [Lima, Abramo & Germano, Phys. Rev. D53, 4287 (1996)]. However, in order to have a transition from a decelerating to an accelerating regime at low redshifts, the matter creation rate proposed here includes a constant term of the order of the Hubble parameter. In this case, $H_0$ does not need to be small in order to solve the age problem and the transition happens even if the matter creation is negligible during the radiation and part of the matter dominated phase. Therefore, instead of the vacuum dominance at redshifts of the order of a few, the present accelerating stage in this sort of Einstein-de Sitter CDM cosmology is a consequence of the gravitational particle creation process. As an extra bonus, in the present scenario does not exist the coincidence problem that plagues models with dominance of dark energy. The model is able to harmonize a CDM picture with the present age of the universe, the latest measurements of the Hubble parameter and the Supernovae observations.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, typos corrected, references added, discussion in Appendix B extende

Identification of Antifungal Compounds Active against Candida albicans Using an Improved High-Throughput Caenorhabditis elegans Assay

Candida albicans, the most common human pathogenic fungus, can establish a persistent lethal infection in the intestine of the microscopic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The C. elegans–C. albicans infection model was previously adapted to screen for antifungal compounds. Modifications to this screen have been made to facilitate a high-throughput assay including co-inoculation of nematodes with C. albicans and instrumentation allowing precise dispensing of worms into assay wells, eliminating two labor-intensive steps. This high-throughput method was utilized to screen a library of 3,228 compounds represented by 1,948 bioactive compounds and 1,280 small molecules derived via diversity-oriented synthesis. Nineteen compounds were identified that conferred an increase in C. elegans survival, including most known antifungal compounds within the chemical library. In addition to seven clinically used antifungal compounds, twelve compounds were identified which are not primarily used as antifungal agents, including three immunosuppressive drugs. This assay also allowed the assessment of the relative minimal inhibitory concentration, the effective concentration in vivo, and the toxicity of the compound in a single assay

Cause of Death and Predictors of All-Cause Mortality in Anticoagulated Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation : Data From ROCKET AF

M. Kaste on työryhmän ROCKET AF Steering Comm jäsen.Background-Atrial fibrillation is associated with higher mortality. Identification of causes of death and contemporary risk factors for all-cause mortality may guide interventions. Methods and Results-In the Rivaroxaban Once Daily Oral Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared with Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation (ROCKET AF) study, patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation were randomized to rivaroxaban or dose-adjusted warfarin. Cox proportional hazards regression with backward elimination identified factors at randomization that were independently associated with all-cause mortality in the 14 171 participants in the intention-to-treat population. The median age was 73 years, and the mean CHADS(2) score was 3.5. Over 1.9 years of median follow-up, 1214 (8.6%) patients died. Kaplan-Meier mortality rates were 4.2% at 1 year and 8.9% at 2 years. The majority of classified deaths (1081) were cardiovascular (72%), whereas only 6% were nonhemorrhagic stroke or systemic embolism. No significant difference in all-cause mortality was observed between the rivaroxaban and warfarin arms (P=0.15). Heart failure (hazard ratio 1.51, 95% CI 1.33-1.70, P= 75 years (hazard ratio 1.69, 95% CI 1.51-1.90, P Conclusions-In a large population of patients anticoagulated for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, approximate to 7 in 10 deaths were cardiovascular, whereasPeer reviewe

Evaluation of Methods for the Analysis of Untreated and Processed Lignocellulosic Biomasses

The overall efficiency of the transformation of lignocellulosic materials to usable products as chemicals and fuels must be governed by adequate analysis of products before and after treatments. Using some promising technologies, lignocelluloses which are biomasses from marine plant and trees, grains, food and non-food crops, and woodbased can give products as fuel alcohol and other chemicals. Various methods of transformation from feedstock to valuable end products are discussed in the scientific literature. Therefore, yields must justify methods used for biomass transformations. As a result, adequate compositional analysis of these processing stages is needed. In this chapter, standard common methods such as gravimetric, chromatography, spectroscopic and their variations for analysis on both untreated and treated lignocelluloses are highlighted. The ease of the use and challenges with recommendations to their applicability to quantifying lignocelluloses fractionations for reproducibility and to be representative are discussed. With biomass technology, virtually all and even more products that can be produced from fossil energy can also be produced from biomass energy. Adequate analysis is therefore necessary

Vacuna fenol-insoluble contra la brucelosis humana: evaluacion del poder inmunogenico en cobayos

Se examinó una vacuna diseñada para inmunizar al hombre, preparada con extracto de fenol insoluble, para determinar si protegía a cobayos contra el desafío con la cepa virulenta B. abortus 2308. Se incluyeron en el experimento las vacunas vivas atenuadas B. abortus cepa 19 y B. melitensis Rev. 1, para comparar los resultados. Se vacunaron 93 animales en cada grupo, que fueron subdivididos en subgrupos de 31 y se los desafió con 10(4), 10³ y 10² unidades formadoras de colonias de la cepa B. abortus 2308 virulenta. El análisis global de los resultados demostró una protección del 11.9% en animales vacunados con el extracto de fenol insoluble, 65% en los vacunados con B. abortus cepa 19 y 95% en el grupo que recibió vacuna B. melitensis Rev. 1.A phenol insoluble extract vaccine proposed to immunize men against brucellosis was tested for its ability in protecting guinea pigs against challenge with virulent Brucella abortus strain 2308. Living attenuated Brucella abortus strain 19 and B. melitensis Rev. 1 were included in the experiment for comparison. Ninety three animals were vaccinated in each group and subdivided in subgroups of 31 for challenge with 10(4),10³ and 10² colony forming units of virulent B. abortus 2308. A global analysis of the results showed protection of 11.9%, 65% and 95% in animals vaccinated with phenol insoluble extract, strain 19 and Rev. 1, respectively