A four-dimensional {\Lambda}CDM-type cosmological model induced from higher dimensions using a kinematical constraint

A class of cosmological solutions of higher dimensional Einstein field equations with the energy-momentum tensor of a homogeneous, isotropic fluid as the source are considered with an anisotropic metric that includes the direct sum of a 3-dimensional (physical, flat) external space metric and an n-dimensional (compact, flat) internal space metric. A simple kinematical constraint is postulated that correlates the expansion rates of the external and internal spaces in terms of a real parameter {\lambda}. A specific solution for which both the external and internal spaces expand at different rates is given analytically for n=3. Assuming that the internal dimensions were at Planck length scales when the external space starts with a Big Bang (t=0), they expand only 1.49 times and stay at Planck length scales even in the present age of the universe (13.7 Gyr). The effective four dimensional universe would exhibit a behavior consistent with our current understanding of the observed universe. It would start in a stiff fluid dominated phase and evolve through radiation dominated and pressureless matter dominated phases, eventually going into a de Sitter phase at late times.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures; matches the version published in General Relativity and Gravitatio

Phylogenetic relationships of cone snails endemic to Cabo Verde based on mitochondrial genomes

Background: Due to their great species and ecological diversity as well as their capacity to produce hundreds of different toxins, cone snails are of interest to evolutionary biologists, pharmacologists and amateur naturalists alike. Taxonomic identification of cone snails still relies mostly on the shape, color, and banding patterns of the shell. However, these phenotypic traits are prone to homoplasy. Therefore, the consistent use of genetic data for species delimitation and phylogenetic inference in this apparently hyperdiverse group is largely wanting. Here, we reconstruct the phylogeny of the cones endemic to Cabo Verde archipelago, a well-known radiation of the group, using mitochondrial (mt) genomes. Results: The reconstructed phylogeny grouped the analyzed species into two main clades, one including Kalloconus from West Africa sister to Trovaoconus from Cabo Verde and the other with a paraphyletic Lautoconus due to the sister group relationship of Africonus from Cabo Verde and Lautoconus ventricosus from Mediterranean Sea and neighboring Atlantic Ocean to the exclusion of Lautoconus endemic to Senegal (plus Lautoconus guanche from Mauritania, Morocco, and Canary Islands). Within Trovaoconus, up to three main lineages could be distinguished. The clade of Africonus included four main lineages (named I to IV), each further subdivided into two monophyletic groups. The reconstructed phylogeny allowed inferring the evolution of the radula in the studied lineages as well as biogeographic patterns. The number of cone species endemic to Cabo Verde was revised under the light of sequence divergence data and the inferred phylogenetic relationships. Conclusions: The sequence divergence between continental members of the genus Kalloconus and island endemics ascribed to the genus Trovaoconus is low, prompting for synonymization of the latter. The genus Lautoconus is paraphyletic. Lautoconus ventricosus is the closest living sister group of genus Africonus. Diversification of Africonus was in allopatry due to the direct development nature of their larvae and mainly triggered by eustatic sea level changes during the Miocene-Pliocene. Our study confirms the diversity of cone endemic to Cabo Verde but significantly reduces the number of valid species. Applying a sequence divergence threshold, the number of valid species within the sampled Africonus is reduced to half.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [CGL2013-45211-C2-2-P, CGL2016-75255-C2-1-P, BES-2011-051469, BES-2014-069575, Doctorado Nacional-567]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Increased CK5/CK8-Positive Intermediate Cells with Stromal Smooth Muscle Cell Atrophy in the Mice Lacking Prostate Epithelial Androgen Receptor

Results from tissue recombination experiments documented well that stromal androgen receptor (AR) plays essential roles in prostate development, but epithelial AR has little roles in prostate development. Using cell specific knockout AR strategy, we generated pes-ARKO mouse with knock out of AR only in the prostate epithelial cells and demonstrated that epithelial AR might also play important roles in the development of prostate gland. We found mice lacking the prostate epithelial AR have increased apoptosis in epithelial CK8-positive luminal cells and increased proliferation in epithelial CK5-positive basal cells. The consequences of these two contrasting results could then lead to the expansion of CK5/CK8-positive intermediate cells, accompanied by stromal atrophy and impaired ductal morphogenesis. Molecular mechanism dissection found AR target gene, TGF-β1, might play important roles in this epithelial AR-to-stromal morphogenesis modulation. Collectively, these results provided novel information relevant to epithelial AR functions in epithelial-stromal interactions during the development of normal prostate, and suggested AR could also function as suppressor in selective cells within prostate

Efficiency of the EmERGE Pathway of Care in Five European HIV Centres

Objective: We aimed to calculate the efficiency of the EmERGE Pathway of Care in five European HIV clinics, developed and implemented for medically stable people living with HIV. Methods: Participants were followed up for 1 year before and after implementation of EmERGE, between April 2016 and October 2019. Micro-costing studies were performed in the outpatient services of the clinics. Unit costs for outpatient services were calculated in national currencies and converted to US$2018 OECD purchasing parity prices to enable between clinic comparisons in terms of outcomes and costs. Unit costs were linked to the mean use of services for medically stable people living with HIV, before and after implementation of EmERGE. Primary outcome measures were CD4 count and viral load; secondary outcomes were patient activation (PAM13) and quality of life (PROQOL-HIV). Out-of-pocket expenditure data were collected. Results: There were 2251 participants: 87-93$ purchasing parity prices. Primary and secondary outcome measures of participants did not change during the study. Conclusions: EmERGE is acceptable and provided cost savings in different socio-economic settings. Antiretroviral drug costs remain the main cost drivers in medically stable people living with HIV. While antiretroviral drug prices in local currencies did not differ that much between countries, conversion to US$ purchasing parity prices revealed antiretroviral drugs were more expensive in the least wealthy countries. This needs to be taken into consideration when countries negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical vendors. Greater efficiencies can be anticipated by extending the use of the EmERGE Pathway to people with complex HIV infection or other chronic diseases. Extending such use should be systematically monitored, implementation should be evaluated and funding should be provided to monitor and evaluate future changes in service provision.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Serotonin regulates prostate growth through androgen receptor modulation

Serotonin regulates prostate growth through androgen receptor modulationAging and testosterone almost inexorably cause benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Human males. However, etiology of BPH is largely unknown. Serotonin (5-HT) is produced by neuroendocrine prostatic cells and presents in high concentration in normal prostatic transition zone, but its function in prostate physiology is unknown. Previous evidence demonstrated that neuroendocrine cells and 5-HT are decreased in BPH compared to normal prostate. Here, we show that 5-HT is a strong negative regulator of prostate growth. In vitro, 5-HT inhibits rat prostate branching through down-regulation of androgen receptor (AR). This 5-HT's inhibitory mechanism is also present in human cells of normal prostate and BPH, namely in cell lines expressing AR when treated with testosterone. In both models, 5-HT's inhibitory mechanism was replicated by specific agonists of 5-Htr1a and 5-Htr1b. Since peripheral 5-HT production is specifically regulated by tryptophan hydroxylase 1(Tph1), we showed that Tph1 knockout mice present higher prostate mass and up-regulation of AR when compared to wild-type, whereas 5-HT treatment restored the prostate weight and AR levels. As 5-HT is decreased in BPH, we present here evidence that links 5-HT depletion to BPH etiology through modulation of AR. Serotoninergic prostate pathway should be explored as a new therapeutic target for BPH.Projects NORTE-01-0246-FEDER-000012, NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013 and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000023, supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and Bolsa de Investigação GSK Inovação em Urologia 2012info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The validation analysis of the INSHORE system: a precise and efficient coastal survey system

Government and environmental entities are becoming increasingly concerned with qualifying and quantifying the erosion effects that are observed in sandy shores. Correspondingly, survey methodologies that gather data for such erosion studies are increasingly being demanded. The responsible entities are continually broadening their areas of interest, are concerned in the establishment of regular monitoring programmes and are demanding high accuracy from the geo-spatial data that is collected. The budget available for such monitoring activities, however, does not parallel the trend in the increasing demand for quality specifications. Survey methodologies need improvement to meet these requirements. We have developed a new land-based survey system-the INSHORE system-that is ideal for low cost, highly efficient and highly precise coastal surveys. The INSHORE system uses hi-tech hardware that is based on high-grade global positioning system (GPS) receivers and a laser distance sensor combined with advanced software algorithms. This system enables the determination of the ground coordinates of the surveyed areas with a precision of 1 to 2 cm, without having a sensor in contact with the ground surface. The absence of physical contact with the ground makes this system suitable for high-efficiency surveys. The accuracy of the positioning, which is based on advanced differential GPS processing, is enhanced by considering the estimated attitude of the GPS receiver holding structure and eliminates undesirable offsets. This paper describes the INSHORE survey system and presents the results of validation tests that were performed in a sandy shore environment

Oil palm monoculture induces drastic erosion of an Amazonian forest mammal fauna

Oil palm monoculture comprises one of the most financially attractive land-use options in tropical forests, but cropland suitability overlaps the distribution of many highly threatened vertebrate species. We investigated how forest mammals respond to a landscape mosaic, including mature oil palm plantations and primary forest patches in Eastern Amazonia. Using both line-transect censuses (LTC) and camera-trapping (CT), we quantified the general patterns of mammal community structure and attempted to identify both species life-history traits and the environmental and spatial covariates that govern species intolerance to oil palm monoculture. Considering mammal species richness, abundance, and species composition, oil palm plantations were consistently depauperate compared to the adjacent primary forest, but responses differed between functional groups. The degree of forest habitat dependency was a leading trait, determining compositional dissimilarities across habitats. Considering both the LTC and CT data, distance from the forest-plantation interface had a significant effect on mammal assemblages within each habitat type. Approximately 87% of all species detected within oil palm were never farther than 1300 m from the forest edge. Our study clearly reinforces the notion that conventional oil palm plantations are extremely hostile to native tropical forest biodiversity, which does not bode well given prospects for oil palm expansion in both aging and new Amazonian deforestation frontiers

Asteroseismology and Interferometry

Asteroseismology provides us with a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of stellar structure and evolution. Recent developments, including the first systematic studies of solar-like pulsators, have boosted the impact of this field of research within Astrophysics and have led to a significant increase in the size of the research community. In the present paper we start by reviewing the basic observational and theoretical properties of classical and solar-like pulsators and present results from some of the most recent and outstanding studies of these stars. We centre our review on those classes of pulsators for which interferometric studies are expected to provide a significant input. We discuss current limitations to asteroseismic studies, including difficulties in mode identification and in the accurate determination of global parameters of pulsating stars, and, after a brief review of those aspects of interferometry that are most relevant in this context, anticipate how interferometric observations may contribute to overcome these limitations. Moreover, we present results of recent pilot studies of pulsating stars involving both asteroseismic and interferometric constraints and look into the future, summarizing ongoing efforts concerning the development of future instruments and satellite missions which are expected to have an impact in this field of research.Comment: Version as published in The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, Volume 14, Issue 3-4, pp. 217-36