The Topology and Size of the Universe from the Cosmic Microwave Background

We study the possibility that the universe has compact topologies T^3, T^2 x R^1, or S^1 x R^2 using the seven-year WMAP data. The maximum likelihood 95% confidence intervals for the size L of the compact direction are 1.7 < L/L_0 < 2.1, 1.8 < L/L_0 < 2.0, 1.2 < L/L_0 < 2.1 for the three cases, respectively, where L_0=14.4 Gpc is the distance to the last scattering surface. An infinite universe is compatible with the data at 4.3 sigma. We find using a Bayesian analysis that the most probable universe has topology T^2 x R^1, with L/L_0=1.9.Comment: Additional checks, Monte-Carlo skies, and study of dipole contamination added. References added. 13 pages, 11 figure

Range-Expanding Populations of a Globally Introduced Weed Experience Negative Plant-Soil Feedbacks

BACKGROUND: Biological invasions are fundamentally biogeographic processes that occur over large spatial scales. Interactions with soil microbes can have strong impacts on plant invasions, but how these interactions vary among areas where introduced species are highly invasive vs. naturalized is still unknown. In this study, we examined biogeographic variation in plant-soil microbe interactions of a globally invasive weed, Centaurea solstitialis (yellow starthistle). We addressed the following questions (1) Is Centaurea released from natural enemy pressure from soil microbes in introduced regions? and (2) Is variation in plant-soil feedbacks associated with variation in Centaurea's invasive success? METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted greenhouse experiments using soils and seeds collected from native Eurasian populations and introduced populations spanning North and South America where Centaurea is highly invasive and noninvasive. Soil microbes had pervasive negative effects in all regions, although the magnitude of their effect varied among regions. These patterns were not unequivocally congruent with the enemy release hypothesis. Surprisingly, we also found that Centaurea generated strong negative feedbacks in regions where it is the most invasive, while it generated neutral plant-soil feedbacks where it is noninvasive. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Recent studies have found reduced below-ground enemy attack and more positive plant-soil feedbacks in range-expanding plant populations, but we found increased negative effects of soil microbes in range-expanding Centaurea populations. While such negative feedbacks may limit the long-term persistence of invasive plants, such feedbacks may also contribute to the success of invasions, either by having disproportionately negative impacts on competing species, or by yielding relatively better growth in uncolonized areas that would encourage lateral spread. Enemy release from soil-borne pathogens is not sufficient to explain the success of this weed in such different regions. The biogeographic variation in soil-microbe effects indicates that different mechanisms may operate on this species in different regions, thus establishing geographic mosaics of species interactions that contribute to variation in invasion success

Livestock trade networks for guiding animal health surveillance

BACKGROUND: Trade in live animals can contribute to the introduction of exotic diseases, the maintenance and spread endemic diseases. Annually millions of animals are moved across Europe for the purposes of breeding, fattening and slaughter. Data on the number of animals moved were obtained from the Directorate General Sanco (DG Sanco) for 2011. These were converted to livestock units to enable direct comparison across species and their movements were mapped, used to calculate the indegrees and outdegrees of 27 European countries and the density and transitivity of movements within Europe. This provided the opportunity to discuss surveillance of European livestock movement taking into account stopping points en-route. RESULTS: High density and transitivity of movement for registered equines, breeding and fattening cattle, breeding poultry and pigs for breeding, fattening and slaughter indicates that hazards have the potential to spread quickly within these populations. This is of concern to highly connected countries particularly those where imported animals constitute a large proportion of their national livestock populations, and have a high indegree. The transport of poultry (older than 72 hours) and unweaned animals would require more rest breaks than the movement of weaned animals, which may provide more opportunities for disease transmission. Transitivity is greatest for animals transported for breeding purposes with cattle, pigs and poultry having values of over 50%. CONCLUSIONS: This paper demonstrated that some species (pigs and poultry) are traded much more frequently and at a larger scale than species such as goats. Some countries are more vulnerable than others due to importing animals from many countries, having imported animals requiring rest-breaks and importing large proportions of their national herd or flock. Such knowledge about the vulnerability of different livestock systems related to trade movements can be used to inform the design of animal health surveillance systems to facilitate the trade in animals between European member states. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0354-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Meso-substituted cationic 3- and 4-N-Pyridylporphyrins and their Zn(II) derivatives for antibacterial photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic inactivation of microorganisms known as antibacterial photodynamic therapy (APDT) is one of the most promising and innovative approaches for the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms. Among the photosensitizers (PSs), compounds based on cationic porphyrins/ metalloporphyrins are most successfully used to inactivate microorganisms. Series of meso-substituted cationic pyridylporphyrins and metalloporphyrins with various peripheral groups in the third and fourth positions of the pyrrole ring have been synthesized in Armenia. The aim of this work was to determine and test the most effective cationic porphyrins and metalloporphyrins with high photoactivity against Gram negative and Gram positive microorganisms. It was shown that the synthesized cationic pyridylporphyrins/metalloporphyrins exhibit a high degree of phototoxicity towards both types of bacteria, including the methicillin-resistant S. aureus strain. Zinc complexes of porphyrins are more phototoxic than metal-free porphyrin analogs. The effectiveness of these Zn-metalloporphyrins on bacteria is consistent with the level of singlet oxygen generation. It was found that the high antibacterial activity of the studied cationic porphyrins/metalloporphyrins depends on four factors: The presence in the porphyrin macrocycle of a positive charge (+4), a central metal atom (Zn2+) and hydrophobic peripheral functional groups as well as high values of quantum yields of singlet oxygen. The results indicate that meso-substituted cationic pyridylporphyrins/metalloporphyrins can find wider application in photoinactivation of bacteria than anionic or neutral PSs usually used in APD

Asymptotically Extrinsic Tamed Submanifolds

We study, from the extrinsic point of view, the structure at infinity of open submanifolds, ϕ : Mm → Mn(κ) isometrically immersed in the real space forms of constant sectional curvature κ ≤ 0.We shall use the decay of the second fundamental form of the so-called tamed immersions to obtain a description at infinity of the submanifold in the line of the structural results in Greene et al. (Int Math Res Not 1994:364–377, 1994) and Petrunin and Tuschmann (Math Ann 321:775–788, 2001) and an estimation from below of the number of its ends in terms of the volume growth of a special class of extrinsic domains, the extrinsic balls.Vicent Gimeno: Work partially supported by the Research Program of University Jaume I Project UJI-B2016-07, and DGI -MINECO Grant (FEDER) MTM2013-48371-C2-2-P. Vicente Palmer: Work partially supported by the Research Program of University Jaume I Project UJI-B2016-07, DGI -MINECO Grant (FEDER) MTM2013-48371-C2-2-P, and Generalitat Valenciana Grant PrometeoII/2014/064. G. Pacelli Bessa: Work partially supported by CNPq- Brazil grant # 301581/2013-4

Retreatment with rituximab based on a treatment-to-target approach provides better disease control than treatment as needed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a retrospective pooled analysis

Objective. To assess the efficacy and safety profiles of two different rituximab retreatment regimens in patients with RA

Suitability of PSA-detected localised prostate cancers for focal therapy: Experience from the ProtecT study

This article is available through a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. Copyright @ 2011 Cancer Research UK.Background: Contemporary screening for prostate cancer frequently identifies small volume, low-grade lesions. Some clinicians have advocated focal prostatic ablation as an alternative to more aggressive interventions to manage these lesions. To identify which patients might benefit from focal ablative techniques, we analysed the surgical specimens of a large sample of population-detected men undergoing radical prostatectomy as part of a randomised clinical trial. Methods: Surgical specimens from 525 men who underwent prostatectomy within the ProtecT study were analysed to determine tumour volume, location and grade. These findings were compared with information available in the biopsy specimen to examine whether focal therapy could be provided appropriately. Results: Solitary cancers were found in prostatectomy specimens from 19% (100 out of 525) of men. In addition, 73 out of 425 (17%) men had multiple cancers with a solitary significant tumour focus. Thus, 173 out of 525 (33%) men had tumours potentially suitable for focal therapy. The majority of these were small, well-differentiated lesions that appeared to be pathologically insignificant (38–66%). Criteria used to select patients for focal prostatic ablation underestimated the cancer's significance in 26% (34 out of 130) of men and resulted in overtreatment in more than half. Only 18% (24 out of 130) of men presumed eligible for focal therapy, actually had significant solitary lesions. Conclusion: Focal therapy appears inappropriate for the majority of men presenting with prostate-specific antigen-detected localised prostate cancer. Unifocal prostate cancers suitable for focal ablation are difficult to identify pre-operatively using biopsy alone. Most lesions meeting criteria for focal ablation were either more aggressive than expected or posed little threat of progression.National Institute for Health Researc