Effects of quantum gravity on the inflationary parameters and thermodynamics of the early universe

The effects of generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) on the inflationary dynamics and the thermodynamics of the early universe are studied. Using the GUP approach, the tensorial and scalar density fluctuations in the inflation era are evaluated and compared with the standard case. We find a good agreement with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe data. Assuming that a quantum gas of scalar particles is confined within a thin layer near the apparent horizon of the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker universe which satisfies the boundary condition, the number and entropy densities and the free energy arising form the quantum states are calculated using the GUP approach. A qualitative estimation for effects of the quantum gravity on all these thermodynamic quantities is introduced.Comment: 15 graghes, 7 figures with 17 eps graph

Histological and electron microscopic study of the postulated protective role of green tea against DEHP liver toxicity in mice

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate [DEHP] is a plasticizer (softener) used to increase the flexibility of polyvinyl chloride (plastic). Animal studies following acute and chronic exposure of DEHP show several toxic changes in many organs including the liver. There have been no studies of compound specific techniques for reducing DEHP body burden. A study of the impact of dietary modifications (increased intake of antioxidants, zinc and glutathione precursors, and decreased dietary fat) on the effects of exposure to DEHP might be useful. Antioxidants effect of green tea was confirmed in many studies as a substance that protects the body from free radicals against degenerative changes by minimizing the amount of damage. This study was performed to evaluate the postulated protective effect of green tea against DEHP Liver toxicity in the mice on histological and ultra structural level. Results showed no significant differences in the mean of hepatocytes affection regarding necrosis or hydropic degeneration between 2nd, 3rd & 4th groups. Marked increase in amount of collagen fibers between hepatocytes and marked depleted glycogen contents in many hepatocytes were detected in 2nd, 3rd & 4th groups. Ulrastructral changes of the hepatocytes showed degenerated membranous organelles, destructed nuclear membrane and cytoplasmic necrosis in 2nd, 3rd & 4th groups. Many fat globules detected in the 3rd group were diminished in the 4th one. In conclusion, in-significant difference in hepatocytes affection existed between green tea control group, DEHP group & green tea/DEHP group. It is concluded that green tea has no antioxidant role against DEHP liver degeneration, in contrast it may have an oxidant role; further studies are needed. African Journal of Health Sciences Vol. 14 (1-2) 2007: pp. 19-3

Nonclassicality versus entanglement in a noncommutative space

Nonclassicality is an interesting property of light having applications in many different contexts of quantum optics, quantum information and computation. Nonclassical states produce substantial amount of reduced noise in optical communications. Furthermore, they often behave as sources of entangled quantum states, which are the most elementary requirement for quantum teleportation. We study various nonclassical properties of coherent states and Schrödinger cat states in a setting of noncommutative space resulting from the generalized uncertainty relation, first, in a complete analytical fashion and, later, by computing their entanglement entropies, which in turn provide supporting arguments behind our analytical results. By using standard theoretical frameworks, they are shown to produce considerably improved squeezing and nonclassicality and, hence, significantly higher amount of entanglement in comparison to the usual quantum mechanical models. Both the nonclassicality and the entanglement can be enhanced further by increasing the noncommutativity of the underlying space. In addition, we find as a by-product some rare explicit minimum uncertainty quadrature and number squeezed states, i.e., ideal squeezed states

Disparity in Maternal Health Services Among the Different Geopolitical Zones in Nigeria

Although the use of antenatal and other skilled maternal health delivery services in Nigeria was reported to be on the increase, this research explored whether geopolitical zone of residence and place of domicile are associated with the number of antenatal visits and place of delivery. A quantitative cross-sectional study based on secondary data from the Demographic and Health Survey was used to examine the relationship between women’s geopolitical zone of residence, place of domicile (rural/urban), and the number of antenatal visits (categorized as fewer than four or four or more) and delivery (home or health facility). A total of 33,385 women aged 15–49 years were recruited from 888 clusters spread across all the 36 states and the federal capital territory of Nigeria using a stratified two stage proportionate to size cluster design. A higher proportion of women from the South West and North Central zones had made four or more antenatal care visits compared to the other geopolitical zones. The difference was statistically significant even after controlling for differences in education, income, ethnicity, religion, autonomy, and place of domicile (adjusted odd ratio = 2.062; 95% confidence interval [1.897, 2.241]; p \u3c .05). Healthcare policy makers should consider the potential impact of geopolitical zones and place of domicile to enable the development of an all-inclusive strategy to robustly address maternal health services in Nigeria

Deranged aortic intima-media thickness, plasma triglycerides and granulopoiesis in Sl/Sl(d) mice.

Studies were carried out to evaluate the impact of a high-fat dietary regimen on aortic wall thickness, peripheral blood leukocyte profile, and plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the mast cell-deficient Sl/Sl(d) mouse. The results demonstrated that the mean aortic wall thickness of Sl/Sl(d) mice was significantly higher than their normal littermates, and were increased in both genotypes after a 17-day high-fat regimen. In comparison with normal littermates, Sl/Sl(d) genotypes had elevated levels of plasma triglycerides with normal levels of plasma cholesterol, and the high-fat diet markedly lowered the triglyceride levels. Total peripheral blood leukocytes, the monocyte and granulocyte counts, and hemoglobin levels were significantly lower in Sl/Sl(d) mice, although the number of lymphocytes, eosinophils and basophils were the same in both genotypes. Interestingly, the high-fat diet regimen elevated leukocyte counts and the number of monocytes and granulocytes in Sl/Sl(d) mice

Endovascular Management of Traumatic Iliac Vessel Disruption—Report of Two Cases

AbstractVascular injuries in a multi-trauma patient are associated with significant cardiovascular instability and organ injury. Injuries with active bleeding are best treated with a quick, safe and the least less invasive procedure available to the trauma surgeon. We report two cases of blunt trauma induced common and external iliac vessel injury, managed by endovascular treatment. In the second case, endovascular treatment prevented histological examination of the artery, which would have revealed an alternative diagnosis

Metabolomics and dereplication strategies in the discovery of natural product derived drugs

Metabolomics is the technology designed to provide general qualitative and quantitative profile of metabolites in organisms exposed to different conditions. Metabolomics is applied in many aspects of natural drug discoveries, particularly in bioactivity screening to improve dereplication and identification procedures. Fast dereplication of known compounds and identification of lead bioactive metabolites is important in the primary stages of metabolomics profiling prior to an intensive isolation work. Two levels of metabolomics were used in this study. First was metabolites fingerprinting which aimed for rapid classification of samples by comparing the metabolites patterns or fingerprints. Second was metabolites profiling and dereplication study for class of compounds related to a specific pathway in order to individually identify and quantify these metabolites. This study involved isolation of endophytic fungus Aspergillus aculeatus from Egyptian medicinal plants, Terminalia laxiflora. Identification of the strains has been achieved through molecular biological methods. Metabolomic profiling, using NMR and HR-MS were done at different stages of the growth phase for both solid and liquid culture media. Dereplication studies were accomplished by utilizing the MZmine 2.10 software with aid of the AntiBase and DNP databases. By end of the dereplication process metabolites were sorted out into three levels; level 1: identified compounds, level 2: putatively annotated compound class and level 3: completely unidentified and unclassified compounds. Multivariate data analysis was employed by using PCA in order to classify samples into groups, trends and outliers, which maximize the information, can be obtained from spectral data. OPLS-DA was used to correlate the chemical profile with tested biological activity. Metabolomics has been shown to be a powerful facilitator in the discovery of natural products, which are considered an excellent source for novel leads