Cosmological Implications of Gauged U(1)B−LU(1)_{B-L} on ΔNeff\Delta N_{\rm eff} in the CMB and BBN

We calculate the effects of a light, very weakly-coupled boson $X$ arising from a spontaneously broken $U(1)_{B-L}$ symmetry on $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$ as measured by the CMB and $Y_p$ from BBN. Our focus is the mass range $1 \; {\rm eV} \lesssim m_X \lesssim 100 \; {\rm MeV}$; masses lighter than about an ${\rm eV}$ have strong constraints from fifth-force law constraints, while masses heavier than about $100$~MeV are constrained by other probes. We do not assume $X$ began in thermal equilibrium with the SM; instead, we allow $X$ to freeze-in from its very weak interactions with the SM. We find $U(1)_{B-L}$ is more strongly constrained by $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$ than previously considered. The bounds arise from the energy density in electrons and neutrinos slowly siphoned off into $X$ bosons, which become nonrelativistic, redshift as matter, and then decay, dumping their slightly larger energy density back into the SM bath causing $\Delta N_{\rm eff} > 0$. While some of the parameter space has complementary constraints from stellar cooling, supernova emission, and terrestrial experiments, we find future CMB observatories can access regions of mass and coupling space not probed by any other method. In gauging $U(1)_{B-L}$, we assume the $[U(1)_{B-L}]^3$ anomaly is canceled by right-handed neutrinos, and so our $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$ calculations have been carried out in two scenarios: neutrinos have Dirac masses, or, right-handed neutrinos acquire Majorana masses. In the latter scenario, we comment on the additional implications of thermalized right-handed neutrinos decaying during BBN. We also briefly consider the possibility that $X$ decays into dark sector states. If these states behave as radiation, we find weaker constraints, whereas if they are massive, there are stronger constraints, though now from $\Delta N_{\rm eff} < 0$.Comment: 48 pages, 9 figure

Determinants of exclusive breastfeeding practices in Ethiopia

Background: Despite the demonstrated benefits of breast milk, the prevalence of breastfeeding, in-particular exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), in many developing countries including Ethiopia is lower than the international recommendation of EBF for the first six months of lifeObjective: To assess the practice of EBF and explore its determinants in Ethiopia and provide policy makers and NGOs with relevant information for future planning and interventions.Methods: Raw data collected from nine regions and two city administrations using stratified cluster sampling method by the Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) 2005 were used to study the practice and determinants of EBF countrywide. Analysis was based on children whose age was less than six months and alive at the time of interviewthat was extracted from the women’s database.Results: The overall rates of exclusive and full breastfeeding were 49.0% and 68.2% respectively. Maternal education, marital status, wealth index and age of the child were closely associated with EBF practices, nonetheless, in the hierarchical analysis; being not married, middle/ richer/ richest wealth index, and child age 0-1and 2-3 month wereretained as the predictors of EBF (

Utilization of antenatal care services among teenagers in Ethiopia: A cross sectional study

Background: Teenaged women suffer from a disproportionate share of reproductive health problem. The purpose of this study was to estimate the utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services among teenagers (13-19 years) during delivery in Ethiopia.Methodology: Raw data collected from all part of the country on child bearing aged women using stratified cluster sampling method by the Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey 2005 was used. From the large dataset of women, a total of 994 teenage women at the time of their most recent childbirth five years prior to the survey was selected andanalyzed. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the differentials of ANC by explanatory variables.Result: Most (60%) of the subjects were in the age group between 18 and 19 years. The vast majority (90%) was from the rural settings and most (87%) were in marital union. Almost three out of four (72.4%) of those who had given birth has no any form of formal education. Over a quarter (27.3%) of most recent childbirths had at least one ANC service, of this, 21% had started their first antenatal visit in the first trimester of pregnancy. The majority (80.4%) of the women who attended ANC delivered at home without being assisted. The major deriving factors forthe utilization of ANC service were education level of women and their male partners, better wealth index and urban residence.Conclusion: Education of partners, rich wealth index and urban residence seemed to encourage teenagers to utilize ANC. Appropriate interventions targeting teenaged women with poor socioeconomic status is recommended with more emphasis on the rural underserved segment of population

Detection of Microplastics Using Machine Learning

© 2019 IEEE. Monitoring the presence of micro-plastics in human and animal habitats is fast becoming an important research theme due to a need to preserve healthy ecosystems. Microplastics pollute the environment and can represent a serious threat for biological organisms including the human body, as they can be inadvertently consumed through the food chain. To perceive and understand the level of microplastics pollution threats in the environment there is a need to design and develop reliable methodologies and tools that can detect and classify the different types of the microplastics. This paper presents results of our work related to exploration of methods and techniques useful for detecting suspicious objects in their respective ecosystem captured in hyperspectral images and then classifying these objects with the use of Neural Networks technique

Vitamin A supplementation on child morbidity

Objective: To determine the impact of vitamin A supplementation on child morbidity and nutritional status. Design: A community based follow-up (interventional) in nature. Setting: Two randomly selected Weredas (districts) of Tigray, North Ethiopia were studied between 1996 and 1997. Subjects: Four thousand seven hundred and seventy children aged between six and 72 months, selected using a multi-stage sampling procedure were enrolled and clinically assessed for xerophthalmia and nutritional status. A sub-sample of these children (n = 281) was further assessed for their serum retinol levels. Main outcome measures: The pre and post intervention data on xerophthalmia, morbidity, nutritional status and serum retinol levels were compared. Results: Vitamin A capsule coverage of 87% in all the villages of the Weredas and a statistically significant (p 0.7 µmole/L) has also improved significantly (from 36.8 to 56.2). Conclusion: In conclusion, the significant improvement in morbidity and nutritional status that followed the intervention programme although encouraging, it still indicates the importance of coupling periodic provision of Vitamin A capsules with nutrition education. (East African Medical Journal: 2003 80(1): 17-21

Utility of Masson’s Trichrome Stain in the Quantification of Mean Vascular Density in Normal Oral Mucosa, Epithelial Dysplasia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Indexación: Scopus; Scielo.El objetivo de este estudio fue valuar la utilidad del uso de la tinción de Tricrómico de Masson (TM) en la cuantificación de la densidad media vascular (DMV) en Mucosa Oral Normal (MON), Displasia Epitelial Oral (DEO) y Carcinoma Oral de Células Escamosas (COCE). Estudio descriptivo de serie de casos. Se analizaron 17 muestras de MON, 15 muestras de DEO y 16 de COCE, teñidas con TM. Para determinar su utilidad, se compararon con las mismas muestras analizadas con técnica de inmunohistoquímica contra CD31. La cuantificación de la DMV se realizó en las 3 áreas de mayor vascularización de cada muestra. Se determinó la DMV según diagnóstico mediante la tinción TM e inmunohistoquímica contra CD31, y se calculó la correlación entre ambos. La DMV cuantificada con TM y contra CD31 difiere según el diagnóstico, observándose un aumento de la DMV al malignizarse el diagnóstico. No se encontraron diferencias al comparar la DMV cuantificada con TM y contra CD31. La correlación de la DMV analizado por TM y contra CD31 es significativa y moderada. La cuantificación de vasos sanguíneos es posible mediante la tinción de TM en muestras de MON, DEO y COCE, con una correlación moderada con la inmunohistoquímica contra CD31.The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of Masson's Trichrome (TM) staining in the quantification of the mean vascular density (DMV) in samples of normal oral mucosa (MON), oral epithelial dysplasia (ODE) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (COCE). The design - a descriptive study of case series. We analyzed 17 samples of MON, 15 samples of DEO and 16 samples of COCE, stained with TM. To determine usefulness, we compared and analyzed the same samples, either stained with TM or with immunohistochemical technique against CD31. Quantification of the DMV was performed in the 3 areas of greatest vascularization in each sample. DMV was determined according to diagnosis by TM staining and immunohistochemistry against CD31, and the correlation between the two was then calculated. DMV quantified with TM and against CD31 differs according to the diagnosis, with an increase in DMV upon malignant diagnosis. No differences were found when comparing DMV quantified with TM and against CD31. The correlation of the DMV analyzed by TM and against CD31 is significant and moderate. Quantification of blood vessels is possible by TM staining in samples of MON, DEO and COCE. TM staining is moderately correlated with immunohistochemistry against CD31.https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0717-95022017000401576&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=e

Performance of the reconstruction algorithms of the FIRST experiment pixel sensors vertex detector

Hadrontherapy treatments use charged particles (e.g. protons and carbon ions) to treat tumors. During a therapeutic treatment with carbon ions, the beam undergoes nuclear fragmentation processes giving rise to significant yields of secondary charged particles. An accurate prediction of these production rates is necessary to estimate precisely the dose deposited into the tumours and the surrounding healthy tissues. Nowadays, a limited set of double differential carbon fragmentation cross-section is available. Experimental data are necessary to benchmark Monte Carlo simulations for their use in hadrontherapy. The purpose of the FIRST experiment is to study nuclear fragmentation processes of ions with kinetic energy in the range from 100 to 1000 MeV/u. Tracks are reconstructed using information from a pixel silicon detector based on the CMOS technology. The performances achieved using this device for hadrontherapy purpose are discussed. For each reconstruction step (clustering, tracking and vertexing), different methods are implemented. The algorithm performances and the accuracy on reconstructed observables are evaluated on the basis of simulated and experimental data