Compact hyperbolic universe and singularities

Recently many people have discussed the possibility that the universe is hyperbolic and was in an inflationary phase in the early stage. Under these assumptions, it is shown that the universe cannot have compact hyperbolic time-slices. Though the universal covering space of the universe has a past Cauchy horizon and can be extended analytically beyond it, the extended region has densely many points which correspond to singularities of the compact universe. The result is essentially attributed to the ergodicity of the geodesic flow on a compact negatively curved manifold. Validity of the result is also discussed in the case of inhomogeneous universe. Relationship with the strong cosmic censorship conjecture is also discussed.Comment: 8 pages with 7 figure

Late Holocene climatic oscillations traced by clay mineral assemblages and other palaeoceanographic proxies in Ria de Vigo (NW Spain)

This work aims to study recent climatic oscillations and their influence on sedimentation in the Ria de Vigo, a coastal embayment in Galicia, NW Spain. It is based on the study of clay mineral assemblages, in conjunction with other proxies (granulometric, geochemical, geochronological and microfaunal), in the core KSGX 24. A Benthic Foraminifera High Productivity (BFHP) proxy was used to determine changes in the flux of organic matter (OM) at the bottom of the study area. Total organic carbon (TOC) content is not a suitable proxy to estimate changes in the past supply of OM due to diagenetic processes.The sedimentation was finest in 3 sections: ~ 230–214 cm, ~ 185–73 cm and ~ 20–0 cm. These muddy sections are characterised, in general, by higher proportions of detrital minerals, concentrations of several chemical elements related to lithogenic sources and BFHP values. In addition, these sections are impoverished in carbonates, Ca, Sr and La when compared with the layers with the highest sand content.The clay mineral assemblage of the studied site, characterised by the dominance of illite, intermediate concentrations of kaolinite and minor amounts of smectite and chlorite, reveals the prevalence of a typical temperate humid climate in the last 3 ka BP, the estimated age for the core base. However, the quantities of illite and chlorite increase in the muddy layers. The characteristics of these muddy layers were interpreted as representing relatively cold climatic oscillations associated with the strengthening of northerly winds and the prevalence of an upwelling regime corresponding to wellknown periods, such as the first cold period of the Upper Holocene (~ 2.9 ka cal BP), the Dark Ages (between ~ 2.2 - 1.2 ka cal BP) and the Little Ice Age (~ 0.6 ka cal BP)

Casimir energy in multiply connected static hyperbolic Universes

We generalize a previously obtained result, for the case of a few other static hyperbolic universes with manifolds of nontrivial topology as spatial sections.Comment: accepted for publicatio

Religious Tastes and Styles as Markers of Class Belonging: A Bourdieuian Perspective on Pentecostalism in South America

Studies on the relationship between social class and religion tend to highlight the demographic dimension of class, but neglect its symbolic dimension. By addressing the symbolic dimensions through a Bourdieuian approach, this article contends that religious tastes and styles can be employed as class markers within the sphere of religion. A case study on Argentinean Pentecostalism and in-depth analysis of a lower and middle class church illustrate how symbolic class differences are cultivated in the form of distinctive religious styles. While the lower class church displays a style marked by emotional expressiveness and the search for life improvement through spiritual practices, the middle class church performs a sober and calm style of Pentecostalism. The study highlights the role of styles in the reproduction of class boundaries, while shedding a critical light on the importance of tastes

In silico exploration of Red Sea Bacillus genomes for natural product biosynthetic gene clusters

Background: The increasing spectrum of multidrug-resistant bacteria is a major global public health concern, necessitating discovery of novel antimicrobial agents. Here, members of the genus Bacillus are investigated as a potentially attractive source of novel antibiotics due to their broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities. We specifically focus on a computational analysis of the distinctive biosynthetic potential of Bacillus paralicheniformis strains isolated from the Red Sea, an ecosystem exposed to adverse, highly saline and hot conditions. Results: We report the complete circular and annotated genomes of two Red Sea strains, B. paralicheniformis Bac48 isolated from mangrove mud and B. paralicheniformis Bac84 isolated from microbial mat collected from Rabigh Harbor Lagoon in Saudi Arabia. Comparing the genomes of B. paralicheniformis Bac48 and B. paralicheniformis Bac84 with nine publicly available complete genomes of B. licheniformis and three genomes of B. paralicheniformis, revealed that all of the B. paralicheniformis strains in this study are more enriched in nonribosomal peptides (NRPs). We further report the first computationally identified trans-acyltransferase (trans-AT) nonribosomal peptide synthetase/polyketide synthase (PKS/ NRPS) cluster in strains of this species. Conclusions:B. paralicheniformis species have more genes associated with biosynthesis of antimicrobial bioactive compounds than other previously characterized species of B. licheniformis, which suggests that these species are better potential sources for novel antibiotics. Moreover, the genome of the Red Sea strain B. paralicheniformis Bac48 is more enriched in modular PKS genes compared to B. licheniformis strains and other B. paralicheniformis strains. This may be linked to adaptations that strains surviving in the Red Sea underwent to survive in the relatively hot and saline ecosystems

Improved functionalization of oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can providemultiple benefits for biomedical applications in aqueous environments such asmagnetic separation or magnetic resonance imaging. To increase the colloidal stability and allow subsequent reactions, the introduction of hydrophilic functional groups onto the particles’ surface is essential. During this process, the original coating is exchanged by preferably covalently bonded ligands such as trialkoxysilanes. The duration of the silane exchange reaction, which commonly takes more than 24 h, is an important drawback for this approach. In this paper, we present a novel method, which introduces ultrasonication as an energy source to dramatically accelerate this process, resulting in high-quality waterdispersible nanoparticles around 10 nmin size. To prove the generic character, different functional groups were introduced on the surface including polyethylene glycol chains, carboxylic acid, amine, and thiol groups. Their colloidal stability in various aqueous buffer solutions as well as human plasma and serum was investigated to allow implementation in biomedical and sensing applications.status: publishe

Longitudinal associations between television in the bedroom and body fatness in a UK cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess longitudinal associations between screen-based media use (television (TV) and computer hours, having a TV in the bedroom) and body fatness among UK children. METHODS: Participants were 12 556 children from the UK Millennium Cohort Study who were followed from age 7 to age 11 years. Associations were assessed between screen-based media use and the following outcomes: body mass index (BMI), fat mass index (FMI), and overweight. RESULTS: In fully adjusted models, having a bedroom TV at age 7 years was associated with significantly higher BMI and FMI (excess BMI for boys=0.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06-0.52; excess BMI for girls=0.57, 95% CI 0.31-0.84; excess FMI for boys=0.20, 95% CI 0.04-0.37; excess FMI for girls=0.39, 95% CI 0.21-0.57) and increased risk of being overweight (relative risk (RR) for boys=1.21, 95% CI 1.07-1.36; RR for girls=1.31, 95% CI 1.15-1.48) at age 11 years, compared with having no bedroom TV. Hours spent watching TV or digital versatile disks were associated with increased risk of overweight among girls only. Computer use at age 7 years was not related to later body fatness for either gender. CONCLUSION: Having a TV in the child's bedroom was an independent risk factor for overweight and increased body fatness in this nationally representative sample of UK children. Childhood obesity prevention strategies should consider TVs in children's bedrooms as a risk factor for obesity.International Journal of Obesity advance online publication, 27 June 2017; doi:10.1038/ijo.2017.129

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

The Relationship between Economic Status and Patient Retention in the Physical Therapy Setting in Selected Physical Therapy Clinics and Hospitals of Negros Oriental: Perspective of Filipino Physical Therapists

Patient retention has always been part of the goals in the medical field, especially in the Physical Therapy setting; there were some studies that depicted a contingent effect on its likelihood with the patients’ economic status. However, the lack of evidence-based studies in PT surrounding these variables have made it difficult to pinpoint the relationship between the two. This study investigated how economic status influences patient retention in physical therapy settings in Negros Oriental, Philippines. It combined quantitative data from surveys on participant demographics, economic status, and patient retention with qualitative insights gathered through semi-structured interviews. The data collected suggested that there was a moderate relationship between the overall patient retention rate and their economic class, indicating the need for creative strategies to overcome healthcare access barriers. Qualitative findings also revealed patients\u27 perceptions, clinic access, time constraints, and even income all affect how well they stick with therapy. Despite economic differences, it was also shown that patient availability provided a crucial factor in treatment adherence. While financial considerations were frequently cited by physical therapists as influential in patient adherence to treatment, our findings suggested that economic class alone did not guarantee retention. However, the study suggested the potential for tailored programs to accommodate patients\u27 economic situations and schedules. The study emphasized the role of healthcare providers in making conducive treatment environments and stresses ongoing skill development to ensure the availability and accessibility of physical therapy services