Superconducting loop quantum gravity and the cosmological constant

We argue that the cosmological constant is exponentially suppressed in a candidate ground state of loop quantum gravity as a nonperturbative effect of a holographic Fermi-liquid theory living on a two-dimensional spacetime. Ashtekar connection components, corresponding to degenerate gravitational configurations breaking large gauge invariance and CP symmetry, behave as composite fermions that condense as in Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory of superconductivity. Cooper pairs admit a description as wormholes on a de Sitter boundary.Comment: 10 pages; v2 matches the published versio

Determining aboveground biomass of a forest reserve in Malaysian Borneo using K-nearest neighbour method

This study examined the use of the k-nearest neighbour (k-NN) method to estimate aboveground biomass of a logged-over tropical forest in Sabah, Malaysia. To estimate aboveground biomass, field data as well as digital number and normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) values from Landsat TM-5 data were used to determine the optimum horizontal reference area and the number of reference sample plots (k). An accuracy assessment showed that enhancing the digital number value was superior to enhancing the NDVI value. Root mean square errors of no filtering and 3 × 3 filtering were minimum when k = 4 and k = 5 respectively, when a horizontal reference area of 17 km was applied. The bias was underestimated by 2.01 and 1.62 tonnes ha-1 for k = 4 and k = 5 respectively. Total aboveground biomass of the forest management unit estimated by enhancing the digital number value was 6,873,299 tonnes and average biomass density was 248.8 tonnes ha-1. The results suggest that the k-NN method is an alternative way to estimate and map aboveground biomass of a forest management unit

Report Card grades on the physical activity of children and youth comparing 30 very high Human Development Index countries

Background: To better understand the childhood physical inactivity crisis, Report Cards on physical activity of children and youth were prepared concurrently in 30 very high Human Development Index countries. The aim of this article was to present, describe, and compare the findings from these Report Cards. Methods: The Report Cards were developed using a harmonized process for data gathering, assessing, and assigning grades to 10 common physical activity indicators. Descriptive statistics were calculated after converting letter grades to interval variables, and correlational analyses between the 10 common indicators were performed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. Results: A matrix of 300 grades was obtained with substantial variations within and between countries. Low grades were observed for behavioral indicators, and higher grades were observed for sources of influence indicators, indicating a disconnect between supports and desired behaviors. Conclusion: This analysis summarizes the level and context of the physical activity of children and youth among very high Human Development Index countries, and provides additional evidence that the situation regarding physical activity in children and youth is very concerning. Unless a major shift to a more active lifestyle happens soon, a high rate of noncommunicable diseases can be anticipated when this generation of children reaches adulthood.</p

Report Card Grades on the Physical Activity of Children and Youth Comparing 30 Very High Human Development Index Countries

BACKGROUND: To better understand the childhood physical inactivity crisis, Report Cards on physical activity of children and youth were prepared concurrently in 30 very high Human Development Index countries. The aim of this article was to present, describe, and compare the findings from these Report Cards. METHODS: The Report Cards were developed using a harmonized process for data gathering, assessing, and assigning grades to 10 common physical activity indicators. Descriptive statistics were calculated after converting letter grades to interval variables, and correlational analyses between the 10 common indicators were performed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. RESULTS: A matrix of 300 grades was obtained with substantial variations within and between countries. Low grades were observed for behavioral indicators, and higher grades were observed for sources of influence indicators, indicating a disconnect between supports and desired behaviors. CONCLUSION: This analysis summarizes the level and context of the physical activity of children and youth among very high Human Development Index countries, and provides additional evidence that the situation regarding physical activity in children and youth is very concerning. Unless a major shift to a more active lifestyle happens soon, a high rate of noncommunicable diseases can be anticipated when this generation of children reaches adulthood.</p

Thermodynamics of Gauss-Bonnet black holes revisited

We investigate the Gauss-Bonnet black hole in five dimensional anti-de Sitter spacetimes (GBAdS). We analyze all thermodynamic quantities of the GBAdS, which is characterized by the Gauss-Bonnet coupling $c$ and mass $M$, comparing with those of the Born-Infeld-AdS (BIAdS), Reissner-Norstr\"om-AdS black holes (RNAdS), Schwarzschild-AdS (SAdS), and BTZ black holes. For $c<0$ we cannot obtain the black hole with positively definite thermodynamic quantities of mass, temperature, and entropy because the entropy does not satisfy the area-law. On the other hand, for $c>0$, we find the BIAdS-like black hole, showing that the coupling $c$ plays the role of pseudo-charge. Importantly, we could not obtain the SAdS in the limits of $c\to 0$, which means that the GBAdS is basically different from the SAdS. In addition, we clarify the connections between thermodynamic and dynamical stability. Finally, we also conjecture that if a black hole is big and thus globally stable, its quasinormal modes may take analytic expressions.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, version to appear in EPJ

Global Matrix 3.0 Physical Activity Report Card Grades for Children and Youth:Results and Analysis From 49 Countries

BACKGROUND: Accumulating sufficient moderate to vigorous physical activity is recognized as a key determinant of physical, physiological, developmental, mental, cognitive, and social health among children and youth (aged 5-17 y). The Global Matrix 3.0 of Report Card grades on physical activity was developed to achieve a better understanding of the global variation in child and youth physical activity and associated supports. METHODS: Work groups from 49 countries followed harmonized procedures to develop their Report Cards by grading 10 common indicators using the best available data. The participating countries were divided into 3 categories using the United Nations' human development index (HDI) classification (low or medium, high, and very high HDI). RESULTS: A total of 490 grades, including 369 letter grades and 121 incomplete grades, were assigned by the 49 work groups. Overall, an average grade of "C-," "D+," and "C-" was obtained for the low and medium HDI countries, high HDI countries, and very high HDI countries, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides rich new evidence showing that the situation regarding the physical activity of children and youth is a concern worldwide. Strategic public investments to implement effective interventions to increase physical activity opportunities are needed.</p

Biological approaches to artificial photosynthesis: general discussion

Metals in Catalysis, Biomimetics & Inorganic Material

Epstein-Barr virus: clinical and epidemiological revisits and genetic basis of oncogenesis

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is classified as a member in the order herpesvirales, family herpesviridae, subfamily gammaherpesvirinae and the genus lymphocytovirus. The virus is an exclusively human pathogen and thus also termed as human herpesvirus 4 (HHV4). It was the first oncogenic virus recognized and has been incriminated in the causation of tumors of both lymphatic and epithelial nature. It was reported in some previous studies that 95% of the population worldwide are serologically positive to the virus. Clinically, EBV primary infection is almost silent, persisting as a life-long asymptomatic latent infection in B cells although it may be responsible for a transient clinical syndrome called infectious mononucleosis. Following reactivation of the virus from latency due to immunocompromised status, EBV was found to be associated with several tumors. EBV linked to oncogenesis as detected in lymphoid tumors such as Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), Hodgkin's disease (HD), post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) and T-cell lymphomas (e.g. Peripheral T-cell lymphomas; PTCL and Anaplastic large cell lymphomas; ALCL). It is also linked to epithelial tumors such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), gastric carcinomas and oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL). In vitro, EBV many studies have demonstrated its ability to transform B cells into lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). Despite these malignancies showing different clinical and epidemiological patterns when studied, genetic studies have suggested that these EBV- associated transformations were characterized generally by low level of virus gene expression with only the latent virus proteins (LVPs) upregulated in both tumors and LCLs. In this review, we summarize some clinical and epidemiological features of EBV- associated tumors. We also discuss how EBV latent genes may lead to oncogenesis in the different clinical malignancie

Role of FGF receptors as an emerging therapeutic target in lung squamous cell carcinoma

10.2217/fon.12.190Future Oncology93377-38