Suppressing Super-Horizon Curvature Perturbations?

We consider the possibility of suppressing superhorizon curvature perturbations after the end of the ordinary slow-roll inflationary stage. This is the opposite of the curvaton limit. We assume that large curvature perturbations are created by the inflaton and investigate if they can be diluted or suppressed by a second very homogeneous field which starts to dominate the energy density of the universe shortly after the end of inflation. We show explicit that the gravitational sourcing of inhomogeneities from the more inhomogeneous fluid to the more homogeneous fluid makes the suppression difficult if not impossible to achieve.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure. Important revision. Conclusions more negativ

Natural expansion versus translocation in a previously human-persecuted bird of prey

Many threatened species in Europe have been expanding their distributions during recent decades owing to protection measures that overcome historical human activity that has limited their distributions. Range expansion has come about via two processes, natural expansion from existing range and reintroductions to new ranges. Reintroductions may prove to be a better way to establish populations because individuals are less subject to competitive relationships lowering breeding success than individuals expanding from existing populations. Whether this is true, however, remains uncertain. We compared success of breeding pairs of an expanding and a reintroduced population of spanish imperial eagles monitored for over 15 years in the south of Spain. We found significant differences in productivity between breeding pairs of each population. Newly established territories in reintroduction areas were almost three times more productive than new territories established as individuals expanded out from an existing population. We conclude that among these eagle populations reintroduced to new areas may fare as well or better than individuals expanding out form existing populations

SERS study of different species of p-aminothiophenol adsorbed on silver nanoparticles

In the present work we have focused the discussion on the experimental and theoretical SERS spectra of the organic compound pATP recorded on silver colloids. The huge SERS of pATP on metal substrates is significantly different from its ordinary Raman spectra due to the formation of a new specie namely p,p’ –dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB). The features of the SERS spectra of pATP are strongly dependent on many factors as i.e. the laser power density or the laser wavelength but there are still important aspects to understand as, for example, the effect of the concentration that has already been studied before by our group. In this case we have analyzed the effect of the concentration at different wavelengths on the SERS spectra of pATP on silver nanoparticles.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

CB1 cannabinoid receptor enrichment in the ependymal region of the adult human spinal cord

Cannabinoids are involved in the regulation of neural stem cell biology and their receptors are expressed in the neurogenic niches of adult rodents. In the spinal cord of rats and mice, neural stem cells can be found in the ependymal region, surrounding the central canal, but there is evidence that this region is largely different in adult humans: lacks a patent canal and presents perivascular pseudorosettes, typically found in low grade ependymomas. Using Laser Capture Microdissection, Taqman gene expression assays and immunohistochemistry, we have studied the expression of endocannabinoid system components (receptors and enzymes) at the human spinal cord ependymal region. We observe that ependymal region is enriched in CB1 cannabinoid receptor, due to high CB1 expression in GFAP+ astrocytic domains. However, in human spinal cord levels that retain central canal patency we found ependymal cells with high CB1 expression, equivalent to the CB1HIGH cell subpopulation described in rodents. Our results support the existence of ependymal CB1HIGH cells across species, and may encourage further studies on this subpopulation, although only in cases when central canal is patent. In the adult human ependyma, which usually shows central canal absence, CB1 may play a different role by modulating astrocyte functions