738 research outputs found
Age Constraints on Brane Models of Dark Energy
Inspired by recent developments in particle physics, the so-called brane
world cosmology seems to provide an alternative explanation for the present
dark energy problem. In this paper, we use the estimated age of high-
objects to constrain the value of the cosmological parameters in some
particular scenarios based on this large scale modification of gravity. We show
that such models are compatible with these observations for values of the
crossover distance between the 4 and 5 dimensions of the order of .Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Low dose Naltrexone for induction of remission in inflammatory bowel disease patients
Background: Around 30% of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are refractory to current IBD drugs or relapse over time. Novel treatments are called for, and low dose Naltrexone (LDN) may provide a safe, easily accessible alternative treatment option for these patients. We investigated the potential of LDN to induce clinical response in therapy refractory IBD patients, and investigated its direct effects on epithelial barrier function. Methods: Patients not in remission and not responding to conventional therapy were offered to initiate LDN as a concomitant treatment. In total 47 IBD patients prescribed LDN were followed prospectively for 12 weeks. Where available, endoscopic remission data, serum and biopsies were collected. Further the effect of Naltrexone on wound healing (scratch assay), cytokine production and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress (GRP78 and CHOP western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry) were investigated in HCT116 and CACO2 intestinal epithelial cells, human IBD intestinal organoids and patient samples. Results: Low dose Naltrexone induce
Some Observational Consequences of Brane World Cosmologies
The presence of dark energy in the Universe is inferred directly and
indirectly from a large body of observational evidence. The simplest and most
theoretically appealing possibility is the vacuum energy density (cosmological
constant). However, although in agreement with current observations, such a
possibility exacerbates the well known cosmological constant problem, requiring
a natural explanation for its small, but nonzero, value. In this paper we focus
our attention on another dark energy candidate, one arising from gravitational
\emph{leakage} into extra dimensions. We investigate observational constraints
from current measurements of angular size of high- compact radio-sources on
accelerated models based on this large scale modification of gravity. The
predicted age of the Universe in the context of these models is briefly
discussed. We argue that future observations will enable a more accurate test
of these cosmologies and, possibly, show that such models constitute a viable
possibility for the dark energy problem.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. D (minor revisions
Opinion dynamics: models, extensions and external effects
Recently, social phenomena have received a lot of attention not only from
social scientists, but also from physicists, mathematicians and computer
scientists, in the emerging interdisciplinary field of complex system science.
Opinion dynamics is one of the processes studied, since opinions are the
drivers of human behaviour, and play a crucial role in many global challenges
that our complex world and societies are facing: global financial crises,
global pandemics, growth of cities, urbanisation and migration patterns, and
last but not least important, climate change and environmental sustainability
and protection. Opinion formation is a complex process affected by the
interplay of different elements, including the individual predisposition, the
influence of positive and negative peer interaction (social networks playing a
crucial role in this respect), the information each individual is exposed to,
and many others. Several models inspired from those in use in physics have been
developed to encompass many of these elements, and to allow for the
identification of the mechanisms involved in the opinion formation process and
the understanding of their role, with the practical aim of simulating opinion
formation and spreading under various conditions. These modelling schemes range
from binary simple models such as the voter model, to multi-dimensional
continuous approaches. Here, we provide a review of recent methods, focusing on
models employing both peer interaction and external information, and
emphasising the role that less studied mechanisms, such as disagreement, has in
driving the opinion dynamics. [...]Comment: 42 pages, 6 figure
Valor nutritivo de pastagens de capim-elefante manejadas sob sistema convencional e agroecológico.
O capim-elefante é utilizado, na sua grande maioria, em sistemas convencionais de produção animal. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar o valor nutritivo do capimelefante em sistemas de manejo agroecológico e convencional, quanto a proteína bruta (PB), fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) e digestibilidade in vitro da matéria seca (DIVMS). Foram usados quatro piquetes, com 0,12ha cada um. No sistema convencional, o capim-elefante foi estabelecido singularmente. No sistema agroecológico, o plantio foi feito em linhas afastadas de 3m. Nas entrelinhas, estabeleceu-se a aveia e o azevém no período hibernal, enquanto que no período estival permitiu-se o desenvolvimento de espécies espontâneas. A adubação foi feita com fertilizantes orgânicos (150kg ha-1 de N). No sistema agroecológico, foram conduzidos sete pastejos, de 24/04/2004 a 05/05/2005. Na pastagem convencional, usouse a mesma quantidade de N (uréia), sendo conduzidos quatro ciclos de pastejo, de 06/10/2004 a 05/05/2005. Para ambos os sistemas foram utilizadas vacas da raça Holandês, recebendo complementação alimentar de 3,5kg dia-1 de concentrado com 20% de proteína bruta, constituindo-se nos animais experimentais. Nas avaliações, considerou-se a massa de forragem inicial com base na matéria seca (MS), os componentes botânicos da pastagem e estruturais do capimelefante. As análises de qualidade foram feitas em amostras de pastejo simulado. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado com dois tratamentos, convencional e agroecológico, duas repetições (piquetes) e em parcelas incompletas subdivididas no tempo (pastejos). Houve interação (P<0,05) entre tratamentos e pastejos em todas as variáveis. Na pastagem agroecológica, o modelo que melhor se ajustou foi o cúbico para todas as variáveis, em função do tempo de pastejo. Na pastagem convencional, a PB e a DIVMS ajustaram-se melhor ao modelo linear, com taxa positiva de crescimento, sendo observado comportamento inverso para FDN, com o decorrer dos pastejos. Tanto na pastagem convencional quanto na agroecológica encontraram-se associações negativas entre lâmina foliar do capim-elefante com PB e DIVMS e positiva com FDN. Ambos os sistemas apresentaram teores qualitativos elevados das pastagens, considerando-se a adubação, o manejo e o tempo de utilização
Xiquexique (Pilosocereus gounellei (A. Weber ex K. Schum.) Bly. ex Rowl.) em substituição à silagem de sorgo (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) na alimentação de vacas leiteiras
Evaluation of ammonia volatilization losses by adjusted parameters of a logistic function
Bone Morphogenetic Protein-6 (BMP-6) induces atresia in goat primordial follicles cultured in vitro
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