Accelerating cosmology in Rastall's theory

In an attempt to look for a viable mechanism leading to a present-day accelerated expansion, we investigate the possibility that the observed cosmic speed up may be recovered in the framework of the Rastall's theory, relying on the non-conservativity of the stress-energy tensor, i.e. $T^{\mu}_{\nu ; \mu} \neq 0$. We derive the modified Friedmann equations and show that they correspond to Cardassian-like equations. We also show that, under suitable assumptions on the equation of state of the matter term sourcing the gravitational field, it is indeed possible to get an accelerated expansion, in agreement with the Hubble diagram of both Type Ia Supernovae (SNeIa) and Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). Unfortunately, to achieve such a result one has to postulate a matter density parameter much larger than the typical $\Omega_M \simeq 0.3$ value inferred from cluster gas mass fraction data.Comment: 8 pages, 1 eps figure; revised to match the version accepted for publication in Il Nuovo Cimento

Brief Training of Psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology-Based Meditation (PNEIMED) Reduces Stress Symptom Ratings and Improves Control on Salivary Cortisol Secretion Under Basal and Stimulated Conditions

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The Pharmacological Chaperone N-butyldeoxynojirimycin Enhances Enzyme Replacement Therapy in Pompe Disease Fibroblasts

In spite of the progress in the treatment of lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs), in some of these disorders the available therapies show limited efficacy and a need exists to identify novel therapeutic strategies. We studied the combination of enzyme replacement and enzyme enhancement by pharmacological chaperones in Pompe disease (PD), a metabolic myopathy caused by the deficiency of the lysosomal acid α-glucosidase. We showed that coincubation of Pompe fibroblasts with recombinant human α-glucosidase and the chaperone N-butyldeoxynojirimycin (NB-DNJ) resulted in more efficient correction of enzyme activity. The chaperone improved α-glucosidase delivery to lysosomes, enhanced enzyme maturation, and increased enzyme stability. Improved enzyme correction was also found in vivo in a mouse model of PD treated with coadministration of single infusions of recombinant human α-glucosidase and oral NB-DNJ. The enhancing effect of chaperones on recombinant enzymes was also observed in fibroblasts from another lysosomal disease, Fabry disease, treated with recombinant α-galactosidase A and the specific chaperone 1-deoxygalactonojirimycin (DGJ). These results have important clinical implications, as they demonstrate synergy between pharmacological chaperones and enzyme replacement. A synergistic effect of these treatments may result particularly useful in patients responding poorly to therapy and in tissues in which sufficient enzyme levels are difficult to obtain

A crise econômica de 2008 nos Estados Unidos e no Brasil

Orientador: Igor Zanoni Constant Carneiro LeãoMonografia(Graduação) - Universidade Federal do Paraná,Setor de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas, Curso de Ciências EconômicasResumo: O presente trabalho tem como objetivo relatar como a crise econômica, iniciada no ano de 2008, afetou a economia mundial, e quais foram às medidas tomadas pelos Estados Unidos, Brasil, e alguns países europeus para que suas economias não fossem destruídas pela ação da crise. O trabalho apresenta informações sobre os motivos que culminaram na crise econômica mundial no ano de 2008, abordando as medidas de proteção tomadas pelos governos com a finalidade de estancar os efeitos da crise nascida da bolha no mercado imobiliário americano. Por ser a maior economia mundial, gerou reflexos nas economias de países europeus e para a nossa economia brasileira. E países como Grécia, Alemanha, Espanha, Portugal e Irlanda, foi necessário à adoção de medidas como corte de gastos públicos e aumento de impostos. Para o Brasil, o governo adotou medidas imediatas após o estouro da crise que proporcionaram ao país um impacto menos nocivo a economia. Aumento do salário mínimo, investimentos públicos e redução de cargas tributárias foram exemplos de medidas emergenciais tomadas pelo governo brasileir

Atomic and isotopic changes induced by ultrasounds in iron

Electron microscopy and neutron activation techniques are used to map the elemental and isotopical compositions of ferrite bars where the emission of neutron bursts and the formation of dark regions were reported after ultrasound irradiation. Anomalous values are found in these regions. The original concentrations of natural isotopes of copper and zinc are deduced; the occurrence of pressure-induced nuclear reactions is inferred while the cavities are suggested to act as nuclear micro-reactors. The general characteristics of these phenomena are considered a support to the existence of a new type of reactions, called deformed space–time reactions (DST-reactions)

Evaluating DNA metabarcoding to analyze diet composition of wild long-snouted seahorse Hippocampus guttulatus

Seahorses are small sedentary fish considered flagship species of the conservation efforts. During the last decades, worldwide decline of local populations led to the inclusion of all seahorse species on the IUCN Red List and Appendix II of CITES. Due to the threatening status, improving knowledge of their dietary composition, while using a noninvasive approach, might be of great importance as it could help to understand the way the environment is exploited. In the present study, we used an amplicon-based HTS (High Throughput Sequencing) approach to investigate the diet of wild long-snouted seahorse Hippocampus guttulatus. The results indicated that the applied approach is adequate for the characterization of diet in wild specimens. Indeed, the applied approach permitted identification of Amphipoda, Decapoda, Isopoda and Calanoida, present in most of the seahorse samples, while less common prey taxa were Gastropoda and Polyplacophora. As only a small amount of starting faecal material is needed and the sampling procedure is neither invasive nor lethal, DNA metabarcoding could be useful in the investigation of threatened seahorse diet in the wild and could help inform management and conservation actions

The Novel ETS Factor TEL2 Cooperates with Myc in B Lymphomagenesis

The human ETS family gene TEL2/ETV7 is highly homologous to TEL1/ETV6, a frequent target of chromosome translocations in human leukemia and specific solid tumors. Here we report that TEL2 augments the proliferation and survival of normal mouse B cells and dramatically accelerates lymphoma development in Eμ-Myc transgenic mice. Nonetheless, inactivation of the p53 pathway was a hallmark of all TEL2/Eμ-Myc lymphomas, indicating that TEL2 expression alone is insufficient to bypass this apoptotic checkpoint. Although TEL2 is infrequently up-regulated in human sporadic Burkitt's lymphoma, analysis of pediatric B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (B-ALL) samples showed increased coexpression of TEL2 and MYC and/or MYCN in over one-third of B-ALL patients. Therefore, TEL2 and MYC also appear to cooperate in provoking a cadre of human B-cell malignancies