192 research outputs found
Quintessential Kination and Thermal Production of SUSY e-WIMPs
The impact of a kination-dominated phase generated by a quintessential
exponential model on the thermal abundance of Supersymmetric (SUSY) extremely
Weekly Interacting Massive Particles (e-WIMPs) is investigated. For values of
the quintessential energy-density parameter on the eve of nucleosynthesis close
to its upper bound, we find that: (i) the gravitino constraint is totally
evaded for unstable gravitinos; (ii) the thermal abundance of stable gravitinos
is not sufficient to account for the cold dark matter of the universe; (iii)
the thermal abundance of axinos can satisfy the cold dark matter constraint for
values of the initial (``reheating'') temperature well above those required in
the standard cosmology.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of 4th International Workshop On The
Dark Side Of The Universe (DSU 2008) 1-5 Jun 2008, Cairo, Egyp
Dark Matter and Yukawa Unification with Massive Neutrinos
We revisit the WMAP dark matter constraints on Yukawa Unification in the
presence of massive neutrinos. The large neutrino mixing indicated by the data
modifies the predictions for the bottom quark mass, and enables Yukawa also for
large , and for positive that were previously disfavoured. As
a result, the allowed parameter space for neutralino dark matter also
increases, particularly for areas with resonant enhancement of the neutralino
relic density.Comment: Proceedings of 4th International Workshop on the Dark Side of the
Universe (DSU 2008), Cairo, June 2008. 7 pages, 4 figure
Medicinal plants used in some townships of municipalities in the high plains of eastern Antioquia, Colombia
ABSTRACT: With the aim of knowing and determining the relative importance of local medicinal plants, an ethnobotanical study was conducted in the farming communities of some townships in six municipalities of the high plains of eastern Antioquia: El Carmen de Viboral, El Retiro, Guarne, La Ceja, Marinilla, and Rionegro, in a region within the lower mountain humid rainforest life zone (bh-MB). Information was compiled on both wild and cultivated medicinal plants that were introduced during the conquest or colonial period and whose use is very ingrained in the communities in this region. With information provided by 17 informants from the different townships, 254 plant species used for medicinal purposes in the high plains of eastern Antioquia were registered from 193 genera belonging to 79 families. Half of the species reported in this study (127) are wild, not actively cultivated, and mainly obtained from areas of secondary vegetation such as roadsides, pastures, scrubby and second growth areas and streamsides, among others habitats. the other 127 species used medicinally in the region were cultivated for nutritional, ornamental, esoteric, rewood, or medicinal purposes, usually in familiar gardens or elds specialized for production of medicinal plants for sale. this study represents a contribution to the knowledge of the medicinal ora of Colombia and the recovery of traditional knowledge on the use of medicinal plants.RESUMEN: Con el objetivo de conocer y determinar la importancia relativa de las plantas usadas como medicinales, se realizoÌ un estudio etnobotaÌnico en las comunidades campesinas de algunas veredas de seis municipios del Altiplano del Oriente antioquenÌo: El Carmen de Viboral, El Retiro, Guarne, La Ceja, Marinilla y Rionegro, regioÌn correspondiente a la zona de vida denominada bosque huÌmedo montano bajo (bh-MB). Se recopiloÌ informacioÌn sobre plantas medicinales silvestres o espontaÌneas y plantas medicinales cultivadas, introducidas casi desde la eÌpoca de la conquista o la colonia y que son de uso muy arraigado entre las comunidades de la zona de estudio. Con la informacioÌn suministrada por 17 informantes de las diferentes veredas, se registraron 254 especies de plantas usadas como medicinales en el altiplano del Oriente antioquenÌo, agrupadas en 193 geÌneros correspondientes a 79 familias. La mitad de las especies mencionadas en este estudio (127) son silvestres o no cultivadas y se encuentran principalmente en aÌreas de vegetacioÌn secundaria como bordes de camino, potreros, matorrales, rastrojos y bordes de corrientes acuaÌticas, entre otros haÌbitats. Las otras 127 especies usadas como medicinales en la regioÌn del estudio, son cultivadas como alimenticias, ornamentales, esoteÌricas, maderables, medicinales, generalmente en huertas familiares y huertas especializadas para cultivos de plantas medicinales para la venta. El trabajo es un aporte al conocimiento de la ora medicinal de Colombia y al rescate del conocimiento tradicional sobre el uso de las plantas medicinales
Observations of a ^3He-rich SEP Event over a Broad Range of Heliographic Longitudes: Results from STEREO and ACE
Observations of energetic ions and electrons from STEREO and ACE have been used to investigate the longitudinal extent of particle emissions from 3He ârich solar energetic particle (SEP) events. In the event of 3â4 Nov 2008, ions and electrons were detected 20° ahead and behind the nominal connection from the source region to 1 AU, and electrons were also detected 60° ahead. The results are consistent with those of earlier studies that correlated data from nearâEarth spacecraft with Helios data or with observations of source regions on the Sun
Local Cooperativity in an Amyloidogenic State of Human Lysozyme Observed at Atomic Resolution
The partial unfolding of human lysozyme underlies its conversion from the soluble state into amyloid fibrils observed in a fatal hereditary form of systemic amyloidosis. To understand the molecular origins of the disease, it is critical to characterize the structural and physicochemical properties of the amyloidogenic states of the protein. Here we provide a high-resolution view of the unfolding process at low pH for three different lysozyme variants, the wild-type protein and the mutants I56T and I59T, which show variable stabilities and propensities to aggregate in vitro. Using a range of biophysical techniques that includes differential scanning calorimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we demonstrate that thermal unfolding under amyloidogenic solution conditions involves a cooperative loss of native tertiary structure, followed by progressive unfolding of a compact, molten globule-like denatured state ensemble as the temperature is increased. The width of the temperature window over which the denatured ensemble progressively unfolds correlates with the relative amyloidogenicity and stability of these variants, and the region of lysozyme that unfolds first maps to that which forms the core of the amyloid fibrils formed under similar conditions. Together, these results present a coherent picture at atomic resolution of the initial events underlying amyloid formation by a globular protein
Knowledge and social capacity building for sustainable urban transformation
No abstract available
Use of nanomaterials in the pretreatment of water samples for environmental analysis
The challenge of providing clean drinking water is of enormous relevance in todayâs human civilization, being essential for human consumption, but also for agriculture, livestock and several industrial applications. In addition to remediation strategies, the accurate monitoring of pollutants in water sup-plies, which most of the times are present at low concentrations, is a critical challenge. The usual low concentration of target analytes, the presence of in-terferents and the incompatibility of the sample matrix with instrumental techniques and detectors are the main reasons that renders sample preparation a relevant part of environmental monitoring strategies. The discovery and ap-plication of new nanomaterials allowed improvements on the pretreatment of water samples, with benefits in terms of speed, reliability and sensitivity in analysis. In this chapter, the use of nanomaterials in solid-phase extraction (SPE) protocols for water samples pretreatment for environmental monitoring is addressed. The most used nanomaterials, including metallic nanoparticles, metal organic frameworks, molecularly imprinted polymers, carbon-based nanomaterials, silica-based nanoparticles and nanocomposites are described, and their applications and advantages overviewed. Main gaps are identified and new directions on the field are suggested.publishe
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