The cosmic abundance of cold gas in the local Universe

We determine the cosmic abundance of molecular hydrogen (H2) in the local universe from the xCOLD GASS survey. To constrain the H2 mass function at low masses and correct for the effect of the lower stellar mass limit of 10^9 Msun in the xCOLD GASS survey, we use an empirical approach based on an observed scaling relation between star formation rate and gas mass. We also constrain the HI and HI+H2 mass functions using the xGASS survey, and compare it to the HI mass function from the ALFALFA survey. We find the cosmic abundance of molecular gas in the local Universe to be Omega_H2=(5.34+/-0.47)x10^-5 h^-1. Molecular gas accounts for 19.6 +/- 3.9% of the total abundance of cold gas, Omega_HI+H2=(4.66+/-0.70)x10^-4 h^-1. Galaxies with stellar masses in excess of 10^9 Msun account for 89% of the molecular gas in the local Universe, while in comparison such galaxies only contain 73% of the cold atomic gas as traced by the HI 21cm line. The xCOLD GASS CO, molecular gas and cold gas mass functions and Omega_H2 measurements provide constraints for models of galaxy evolution and help to anchor blind ALMA and NOEMA surveys attempting to determine the abundance of molecular gas at high redshifts

Multipole expansion for H I intensity mapping experiments: simulations and modelling

We present a framework and an open-source python toolkit to analyse the 2-point statistics of 3D fluctuations in the context of HI intensity maps using the multipole expansion formalism. We include simulations of the cosmological HI signal using N-body and log-normal methods, foregrounds and their removal, as well as instrumental effects. Using these simulations and analytical modelling, we investigate the impact of foreground cleaning and the instrumental beam on the power spectrum multipoles as well as on the Fourier space clustering wedges. We find that both the instrumental beam and the foreground removal can produce a quadrupole (and a hexadecapole) signal, and demonstrate the importance of controlling and accurately modelling these effects for precision radio cosmology. We conclude that these effects can be modelled with reasonable accuracy using our multipole expansion technique. We also perform an MCMC analysis to showcase the effect of foreground cleaning on the estimation of the HI abundance and bias parameters. The accompanying python toolkit is available at https://github.com/IntensityTools/MultipoleExpansion, and includes an interactive suite of examples to aid new users.Comment: 21 pages, 14 figure

Antiophidian properties of plant extracts against Lachesis muta venom

Snakebites comprise a serious health problem in several countries due to their global incidence, which exceeds 2.5 million per year, and the elevated number of victim fatalities. To counteract envenomations, antivenoms have been used regularly for more than a century. Apart from side effects including anaphylactic reactions, antivenoms are not able to efficiently neutralize local tissue damage, which contributes to increasing the severity and morbidity observed in patients. This fact, in turn, may be responsible for economic hardship, particularly in rural populations of developing countries. In the present work, we evaluated the antiophidian properties of 12 Brazilian plant extracts against the hemolytic, coagulant, hemorrhagic and proteolytic effects of Lachesis muta venom. Taken together, our data revealed that most of these aqueous products were capable of inhibiting those activities at different levels, except for Sapindus saponaria extract. In contrast, Stryphnodendron barbatiman extract completely neutralized all the analyzed biological activities. Thus, we may conclude that Brazilian flora may also be useful against L. muta accidents.(FAPERJ) Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de JaneiroFAPESPCNPqCoordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)International Foundation for Science (IFS, Sweden

O Que Acontece aos Não Respondedores na Terapia de Ressincronização Cardíaca?

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR) is strongly related to the long-term prognosis of patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The aim of this study was to assess the long-term clinical outcome of patients without LVRR at six months after CRT implantation and to determine the prognostic impact of clinical response in this population. METHODS: We analyzed 178 consecutive patients who underwent successful CRT device implantation (age 64±11 years; 69% male; 89% in New York Heart Association [NYHA] functional class III; 35% with ischemic cardiomyopathy). Clinical status and echocardiographic parameters were determined before and six months after CRT implantation. We identified those without criteria for LVRR (≥10% increase in left ventricular ejection fraction with ≥15% reduction in left ventricular end-systolic diameter compared to baseline). Clinical responders were defined by a sustained improvement of at least one NYHA functional class. RESULTS: At six-month assessment after CRT, 109 (61%) patients showed LVRR. During a mean follow-up of 56±21 months, 47 (26%) patients died, with higher mortality in the group without LVRR (36% vs. 20%, p=0.023). Clinical response was greater in patients with LVRR (88% vs. 55%, p<0.001). In patients without LVRR, clinical response to CRT was the strongest independent predictor of survival (hazard ratio: 0.120; 95% confidence interval: 0.039-0.366; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Although patients without LVRR six months after CRT implantation had a worse prognosis, with higher all-cause mortality, clinical response can be an independent predictor of survival in this population.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Microbiological quality of drinking rainwater in the inland region of Pajeú, Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil

Despite all efforts to store and reduce its consumption, water is becoming less inexhaustible and its quality is falling faster. Considering that water is essential to animal life, it is necessary to adopt measures to ensure its sanitary conditions in order to be fit for consumption. The aim of this study was to analyze the microbiological quality of drinking rainwater used by rural communities of Tuparetama, a small town located in Northeast Brazil. The study covered seven rural communities, totaling 66 households. In each household two samples were collected, one from a tank and the other from a clay pot located inside the home, resulting in 132 samples (tank plus clay pot). Approximately 90% of samples were below the standard recommended by the current legislation, being considered unfit for human consumption. Part of this high microbiological contamination of drinking rainwater could be related to the lack of sanitary education and of an adequate sewerage sanitation system

The effect of long term combined yoga practice on the basal metabolic rate of healthy adults

BACKGROUND: Different procedures practiced in yoga have stimulatory or inhibitory effects on the basal metabolic rate when studied acutely. In daily life however, these procedures are usually practiced in combination. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the net change in the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of individuals actively engaging in a combination of yoga practices (asana or yogic postures, meditation and pranayama or breathing exercises) for a minimum period of six months, at a residential yoga education and research center at Bangalore. METHODS: The measured BMR of individuals practicing yoga through a combination of practices was compared with that of control subjects who did not practice yoga but led similar lifestyles. RESULTS: The BMR of the yoga practitioners was significantly lower than that of the non-yoga group, and was lower by about 13 % when adjusted for body weight (P < 0.001). This difference persisted when the groups were stratified by gender; however, the difference in BMR adjusted for body weight was greater in women than men (about 8 and 18% respectively). In addition, the mean BMR of the yoga group was significantly lower than their predicted values, while the mean BMR of non-yoga group was comparable with their predicted values derived from 1985 WHO/FAO/UNU predictive equations. CONCLUSION: This study shows that there is a significantly reduced BMR, probably linked to reduced arousal, with the long term practice of yoga using a combination of stimulatory and inhibitory yogic practices

Response and Outcomes of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Patients with Renal Dysfunction

PURPOSE: Renal dysfunction is often associated with chronic heart failure, leading to increased morbi-mortality. However, data regarding these patients after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is sparse. We sought to evaluate response and long-term mortality in patients with heart failure and renal dysfunction and assess renal improvement after CRT. METHODS: We analyzed 178 consecutive patients who underwent successful CRT device implantation (age 64 ± 11 years; 69% male; 92% in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class ≥ III; 34% with ischemic cardiomyopathy). Echocardiographic response was defined as ≥ 15% reduction in left ventricular end-systolic diameter and clinical response as a sustained improvement of at least one NYHA functional class. Renal dysfunction was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) below 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. RESULTS: Renal dysfunction was present in 34.7%. Renal dysfunction was not an independent predictor of echocardiographic response (OR 1.109, 95% CI 0.713-1.725, p 0.646) nor clinical response (OR 1.003; 95% CI 0.997-1.010; p 0.324). During follow-up (mean 55.2 ± 32 months), patients with eGFR < 60mL/min/1.73 m2 had higher overall mortality (HR 4.902, 95% CI 1.118-21.482, p 0.035). However, clinical response in patients with renal dysfunction was independently associated with better long-term survival (HR 0.236, 95% CI 0.073-0.767, p 0.016). Renal function was significantly improved in patients who respond to CRT (ΔeGFR + 5.5 mL/min/1.73 m2 at baseline vs. follow-up, p 0.049), while this was not evident in nonresponders. Improvements in eGFR of at least 10 mL/min/1.73 m2 were associated with improved survival in renal dysfunction patients (log-rank p 0.036). CONCLUSION: Renal dysfunction was associated with higher long-term mortality in CRT patients, though, it did not influence echocardiographic nor functional response. Despite worse overall prognosis, renal dysfunction patients who are responders showed long-term survival benefit and improvement in renal function following CRT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Siderophore production by Bacillus megaterium : effect of growth-phase and cultural conditions

Siderophore production by Bacillus megaterium was detected, in an iron-deficient culture medium, during the exponential growth phase, prior to the sporulation, in the presence of glucose; these results suggested that the onset of siderophore production did not require glucose depletion and was not related with the sporulation. The siderophore production by B. megaterium was affected by the carbon source used. The growth on glycerol promoted the very high siderophore production (1,182 μmol g−1 dry weight biomass); the opposite effect was observed in the presence of mannose (251 μmol g−1 dry weight biomass). The growth in the presence of fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, maltose or sucrose, originated similar concentrations of siderophore (546–842 μmol g−1 dry weight biomass). Aeration had a positive effect on the production of siderophore. Incubation of B. megaterium under static conditions delayed and reduced the growth and the production of siderophore, compared with the incubation in stirred conditions.The authors thank Porto University/Totta Bank for their financial support through the project "Microbiological production of chelating agents" (Ref: 180). The authors also thank the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) through the Portuguese Government for their financial support of this work through the grants Strategic project-LA23/2013-2014 (IBB) and PEST-C/EQB/LA0006/2011 (REQUIMTE). Manuela D. Machado gratefully acknowledges the postdoctoral (SFRH/BPD/72816/2010) grant from FCT

Evaluation of physical activity programmes for the elderly - exploring the lessons from other sectors and examining the general characteristics of the programmes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Portugal, there are several physical activity (PA) programmes for elderly people developed by the local government. The importance of these programmes has been increasing since the evidence has shown that this type of health promotion interventions may reduce the deleterious effects of the ageing process. However, no study has already identified the general characteristics of these programmes nor if they use any scheme to assess the quality of the service provided. A widely-used scheme is the EFQM Excellence Model, which will be in the core of our present work. Thus, the main aims of this preliminary study were 1) to identify the general characteristics of the PA programmes developed by the Portuguese Local Public Administration 2) to determine the extent of implementation of quality initiatives in these programmes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were collected by an on-line questionnaire sent to all Continental Municipalities (n = 278). Categorical data were expressed as absolute counts and percentages. Continuous data were expressed as the mean and SD. An open-ended question was analysed using qualitative content analysis with QSR NVivo software. Associations between categorical variables were tested by the use of contingency tables and the calculation of chi-square tests. Significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Results showed: i) a total of 125 PA programmes were identified in the 18 districts of the Portugal mainland; ii) the main goal of the majority (95.2%) was the participants' health promotion; iii) different characteristics of the programmes were found according to different regions of the country; iv) certain characteristics of the programmes were associated to the existence of other features; v) only one PA programme developed quality initiatives.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In conclusion, although there are many PA programmes for elderly people spread throughout the country, aiming at improving the health of participants, the overwhelming majority does not adopt quality control initiatives. Considering that the quality of a service increases customer satisfaction, the continuous quality improvement of the PA programmes for elderly people should therefore be implemented since they can be useful and critical for elderly satisfaction and adherence.</p