Modeling the quantum evolution of the universe through classical matter

It is well known that the canonical quantization of the Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) filled with a perfect fluid leads to nonsingular universes which, for later times, behave as their classical counterpart. This means that the expectation value of the scale factor $(t)$ never vanishes and, as $t\to\infty$, we recover the classical expression for the scale factor. In this paper, we show that such universes can be reproduced by classical cosmology given that the universe is filled with an exotic matter. In the case of a perfect fluid, we find an implicit equation of state (EoS). We then show that this single fluid with an implict EoS is equivalent to two non-interacting fluids, one of them representing stiff matter with negative energy density. In the case of two non-interacting scalar fields, one of them of the phantom type, we find their potential energy. In both cases we find that quantum mechanics changes completely the configuration of matter for small values of time, by adding a fluid or a scalar field with negative energy density. As time passes, the density of negative energy decreases and we recover the ordinary content of the classical universe. The more the initial wave function of the universe is concentrated around the classical big bang singularity, the more it is necessary to add negative energy, since this type of energy will be responsible for the removal of the classical singularity.Comment: updated version as accepted by Gen. Relativ. Gravi

Multi-parallel qPCR provides increased sensitivity and diagnostic breadth for gastrointestinal parasites of humans: field-based inferences on the impact of mass deworming

BACKGROUND: Although chronic morbidity in humans from soil transmitted helminth (STH) infections can be reduced by anthelmintic treatment, inconsistent diagnostic tools make it difficult to reliably measure the impact of deworming programs and often miss light helminth infections. METHODS: Cryopreserved stool samples from 796 people (aged 2-81 years) in four villages in Bungoma County, western Kenya, were assessed using multi-parallel qPCR for 8 parasites and compared to point-of-contact assessments of the same stools by the 2-stool 2-slide Kato-Katz (KK) method. All subjects were treated with albendazole and all Ascaris lumbricoides expelled post-treatment were collected. Three months later, samples from 633 of these people were re-assessed by both qPCR and KK, re-treated with albendazole and the expelled worms collected. RESULTS: Baseline prevalence by qPCR (n = 796) was 17 % for A. lumbricoides, 18 % for Necator americanus, 41 % for Giardia lamblia and 15% for Entamoeba histolytica. The prevalence was <1% for Trichuris trichiura, Ancylostoma duodenale, Strongyloides stercoralis and Cryptosporidium parvum. The sensitivity of qPCR was 98% for A. lumbricoides and N. americanus, whereas KK sensitivity was 70% and 32%, respectively. Furthermore, qPCR detected infections with T. trichiura and S. stercoralis that were missed by KK, and infections with G. lamblia and E. histolytica that cannot be detected by KK. Infection intensities measured by qPCR and by KK were correlated for A. lumbricoides (r = 0.83, p < 0.0001) and N. americanus (r = 0.55, p < 0.0001). The number of A. lumbricoides worms expelled was correlated (p < 0.0001) with both the KK (r = 0.63) and qPCR intensity measurements (r = 0.60). CONCLUSIONS: KK may be an inadequate tool for stool-based surveillance in areas where hookworm or Strongyloides are common or where intensity of helminth infection is low after repeated rounds of chemotherapy. Because deworming programs need to distinguish between populations where parasitic infection is controlled and those where further treatment is required, multi-parallel qPCR (or similar high throughput molecular diagnostics) may provide new and important diagnostic information

Association of MC1R Variants and host phenotypes with melanoma risk in CDKN2A mutation carriers: a GenoMEL study

&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Background&lt;/b&gt; Carrying the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) germline mutations is associated with a high risk for melanoma. Penetrance of CDKN2A mutations is modified by pigmentation characteristics, nevus phenotypes, and some variants of the melanocortin-1 receptor gene (MC1R), which is known to have a role in the pigmentation process. However, investigation of the associations of both MC1R variants and host phenotypes with melanoma risk has been limited.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Methods&lt;/b&gt; We included 815 CDKN2A mutation carriers (473 affected, and 342 unaffected, with melanoma) from 186 families from 15 centers in Europe, North America, and Australia who participated in the Melanoma Genetics Consortium. In this family-based study, we assessed the associations of the four most frequent MC1R variants (V60L, V92M, R151C, and R160W) and the number of variants (1, &#8805;2 variants), alone or jointly with the host phenotypes (hair color, propensity to sunburn, and number of nevi), with melanoma risk in CDKN2A mutation carriers. These associations were estimated and tested using generalized estimating equations. All statistical tests were two-sided.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Results&lt;/b&gt; Carrying any one of the four most frequent MC1R variants (V60L, V92M, R151C, R160W) in CDKN2A mutation carriers was associated with a statistically significantly increased risk for melanoma across all continents (1.24 × 10−6 &#8804; P &#8804; .0007). A consistent pattern of increase in melanoma risk was also associated with increase in number of MC1R variants. The risk of melanoma associated with at least two MC1R variants was 2.6-fold higher than the risk associated with only one variant (odds ratio = 5.83 [95% confidence interval = 3.60 to 9.46] vs 2.25 [95% confidence interval = 1.44 to 3.52]; Ptrend = 1.86 × 10−8). The joint analysis of MC1R variants and host phenotypes showed statistically significant associations of melanoma risk, together with MC1R variants (.0001 &#8804; P &#8804; .04), hair color (.006 &#8804; P &#8804; .06), and number of nevi (6.9 × 10−6 &#8804; P &#8804; .02).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Conclusion&lt;/b&gt; Results show that MC1R variants, hair color, and number of nevi were jointly associated with melanoma risk in CDKN2A mutation carriers. This joint association may have important consequences for risk assessments in familial settings.&lt;/p&gt

Optimisation of reverse osmosis based wastewater treatment system for the removal of chlorophenol using genetic algorithms

YesReverse osmosis (RO) has found extensive applications in industry as an efficient separation process in comparison with thermal process. In this study, a one-dimensional distributed model based on a wastewater treatment spiral-wound RO system is developed to simulate the transport phenomena of solute and water through the membrane and describe the variation of operating parameters along the x-axis of membrane. The distributed model is tested against experimental data available in the literature derived from a chlorophenol rejection system implemented on a pilot-scale cross-flow RO filtration system with an individual spiral-wound membrane at different operating conditions. The proposed model is then used to carry out an optimisation study using a genetic algorithm (GA). The GA is developed to solve a formulated optimisation problem involving two objective functions of RO wastewater system performance. The model code is written in MATLAB, and the optimisation problem is solved using an optimisation platform written in C++. The objective function is to maximize the solute rejection at different cases of feed concentration and minimize the operating pressure to improve economic aspects. The operating feed flow rate, pressure and temperature are considered as decision variables. The optimisation problem is subjected to a number of upper and lower limits of decision variables, as recommended by the module’s manufacturer, and the constraint of the pressure loss along the membrane length to be within the allowable value. The algorithm developed has yielded a low optimisation execution time and resulted in improved unit performance based on a set of optimal operating conditions

A genetic algorithm-Bayesian network approach for the analysis of metabolomics and spectroscopic data: application to the rapid detection of Bacillus spores and identification of Bacillus species

Background The rapid identification of Bacillus spores and bacterial identification are paramount because of their implications in food poisoning, pathogenesis and their use as potential biowarfare agents. Many automated analytical techniques such as Curie-point pyrolysis mass spectrometry (Py-MS) have been used to identify bacterial spores giving use to large amounts of analytical data. This high number of features makes interpretation of the data extremely difficult We analysed Py-MS data from 36 different strains of aerobic endospore-forming bacteria encompassing seven different species. These bacteria were grown axenically on nutrient agar and vegetative biomass and spores were analyzed by Curie-point Py-MS. Results We develop a novel genetic algorithm-Bayesian network algorithm that accurately identifies sand selects a small subset of key relevant mass spectra (biomarkers) to be further analysed. Once identified, this subset of relevant biomarkers was then used to identify Bacillus spores successfully and to identify Bacillus species via a Bayesian network model specifically built for this reduced set of features. Conclusions This final compact Bayesian network classification model is parsimonious, computationally fast to run and its graphical visualization allows easy interpretation of the probabilistic relationships among selected biomarkers. In addition, we compare the features selected by the genetic algorithm-Bayesian network approach with the features selected by partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The classification accuracy results show that the set of features selected by the GA-BN is far superior to PLS-DA

Unmet psychosocial needs in haematological cancer: A systematic review

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00520-014-2123-5A systematic review of key online databases and psycho-oncology journals was conducted to identify papers that formally assessed unmet psychosocial needs in adults with a diagnosis of haematological cancer

Effects of adding Tiotropium or Aclidinium as triple therapy using impulse oscillometry in COPD

INTRODUCTION: Long-acting muscarinic antagonists confer improvements in spirometry when used in addition to inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists (ICS/LABA) in COPD. The dual objectives of this proof of concept study were to evaluate trough effects of tiotropium (TIO) or aclidinium (ACL) when used as triple therapy and to assess if impulse oscillometry (IOS) might be more sensitive than spirometry in detecting subtle differences in bronchodilator response. METHODS: Patients with moderate to severe COPD already taking ICS/LABA were randomized to receive add-on therapy in cross-over fashion with either TIO 18 µg od or ACL 322 µg bid for 2–3 weeks each. Measurements of IOS, spirometry, 6-min walk test, St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and Baseline/Transition Dyspnoea Index (TDI) were made at baseline and after chronic dosing at trough (12 h for ACL and 24 h for TIO), in addition to domiciliary diurnal spirometry. RESULTS: 13 patients were completed: mean age 69 years, FEV(1) 52 % predicted, FEV(1)/FVC 0.48, and R5 202 % predicted. There were no differences in any visit-based trough IOS or spirometry outcomes comparing TIO versus ACL. Resonant frequency but not total airway resistance at 5 Hz (R5) significantly improved from baseline with both treatments while peripheral airway resistance (R5–R20) significantly improved with ACL. Visit-based FEV(1), and forced and relaxed vital capacity were also significantly improved from baseline with both treatments. There were no significant differences in diurnal FEV(1) and FEV(6) profiles between treatments. 6-min walk distance and post-walk fatigue significantly improved from baseline with ACL, while post-walk dyspnea improved with TIO. SGRQ symptom score significantly improved to a similar degree with both treatments. TDI significantly improved with ACL versus TIO by 1.54 units. CONCLUSION: We observed comparable bronchodilator efficacy at trough with TIO and ACL when used as triple therapy in COPD, while IOS was no more sensitive than spirometry

Legacies of Hate: The Psychological Legacy of the Ku Klux Klan.

The second coming of the Ku Klux Klan popularized the Klan and its ideas in the early 1920s, terrorizing Black American, their allies, and others deemed un-American. This article investigates the extent to which the cultural legacy of racial hatred of the Klan has persisted over the years. We use data from large online databases, multiverse analyses, and spatial models to evaluate whether regions with more historical Klan activity show higher levels of modern-day racial bias, and more modern-day White Supremacist activity. We find that regions with more Ku Klux Klan activity in the 1920s show higher levels of modern White Supremacist activity but, unexpectedly, lower levels of modern implicit and explicit racial bias. We discuss the implications of these findings for models linking historical events with present-day attitudes and behavior, and for situational models of bias more broadly

Vascular tissue contractility changes following late gestational exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes or their dispersing vehicle in Sprague Dawley rats

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are increasingly used in industry and in nanomedicine raising safety concerns, especially during unique life-stages such as pregnancy. We hypothesized that MWCNT exposure during pregnancy will increase vascular tissue contractile responses by increasing Rho kinase signaling. Pregnant (17-19 gestational days) and non-pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to 100 μg/kg of MWCNTs by intratracheal instillation or intravenous administration. Vasoactive responses of uterine, mesenteric, aortic and umbilical vessels were studied 24 hours post-exposure by wire myography. The contractile responses of the vessel segments were different between the pregnant and non-pregnant rats, following MWCNT exposure. Maximum stress generation in the uterine artery segments from the pregnant rats following pulmonary MWCNT exposure was increased in response to angiotensin II by 4.9 mN/mm2 (+118%), as compared to the naïve response and by 2.6 mN/mm2 (+40.7%) as compared to the vehicle exposed group. Following MWCNT exposure, serotonin induced approximately 4 mN/mm2 increase in stress generation of the mesenteric artery from both pregnant and non-pregnant rats as compared to the vehicle response. A significant contribution of the dispersion medium was identified as inducing changes in the contractile properties following both pulmonary and intravenous exposure to MWCNTs. Wire myographic studies in the presence of a Rho kinase inhibitor and RhoA and Rho kinase mRNA/protein expression of rat aortic endothelial cells were unaltered following exposure to MWCNTs, suggesting absent/minimal contribution of Rho kinase to the enhanced contractile responses following MWCNT exposure. The reactivity of the umbilical vein was not changed; however, mean fetal weight gain was reduced with dispersion media and MWCNT exposure by both routes. These results suggest a susceptibility of the vasculature during gestation to MWCNT and their dispersion media-induced vasoconstriction, predisposing reduced fetal growth during pregnancy