um complemento ao: Topics by Science.gov

Sample records for um complemento ao

A Large-Telescope Natural Guide Star AO System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redding, David; Milman, Mark; Needels, Laura

1994-01-01

None given. From overview and conclusion:Keck Telescope case study. Objectives-low cost, good sky coverage. Approach--natural guide star at 0.8um, correcting at 2.2um.Concl- Good performance is possible for Keck with natural guide star AO system (SR>0.2 to mag 17+).AO-optimized CCD should b every effective. Optimizing td is very effective.Spatial Coadding is not effective except perhaps at extreme low light levels.
Attache Extraordinaire: Vernon A. Walters and Brazil

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

contudo, o primeiro encontro com um brasileiro. De acordo com uma entrevista que Walters concedeu, em 1966, ao Jornal O Globo, o primeiro brasileiro...21 de fevereiro de 1964, às 18 h, Lincoln Gordon enviou um telegrama ao Departamento de Estado. A mensagem dava conta de um encontro que o...disposição de Goulart em assumir riscos extremos, por meio do incentivo a violência esporádica no interior, encontros de grandes multidões e greves com o
Direct hip joint distraction during acetabular fracture surgery using the AO universal manipulator.

PubMed

Calafi, L Afshin; Routt, M L Chip

2010-02-01

Certain acetabular fractures may necessitate distraction of the hip joint for removal of intra-articular debris and assessment of reduction. Distraction can be accomplished by manual traction, using a traction table or an AO universal manipulator (UM). The UM is a relatively simple and an inexpensive device that can provide focal distraction in a controlled manner without the risks associated with the use of a traction table. We describe a technique using the UM for hip joint distraction during acetabular fracture surgery through a Kocher-Langenbeck surgical exposure.
VizieR Online Data Catalog: MILO. I. HD 7449 radial velocities (Rodigas+, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodigas, T. J.; Arriagada, P.; Faherty, J.; Anglada-Escude, G.; Kaib, N.; Butler, R. P.; Shectman, S.; Weinberger, A.; Males, J. R.; Morzinski, K. M.; Close, L. M.; Hinz, P. M.; Crane, J. D.; Thompson, I.; Teske, J.; Diaz, M.; Minniti, D.; Lopez-Morales, M.; Adams, F. C.; Boss, A. P.

2016-04-01

We observed HD 7449 using the Magellan Clay Telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile on the nights of UT 2014 November 5 and 22. We observed the star with VisAO at Ys (0.99um) and with Clio-2 at H (1.65um) and Ks (2.15um) on the first night and with VisAO at r' (0.63um), i' (0.77um), z' (0.91um), and with Clio-2 at J (1.1um) on the second night. RV data on HD 7449 were first acquired as part of the Magellan Planet Search Program, which originally made use of the MIKE echelle spectrometer (R~70000 in the blue and ~50000 in the red; wavelength coverage ranges from 3900 to 6200Å) on the Magellan Clay telescope until 2009 September. HD 7449 was subsequently observed using the Carnegie Magellan/PFS (3880-6680Å with R~80000 in the iodine region). We also included in our analysis RVs measured with HARPS and CORALIE. These RVs were originally reported in Dumusque et al. (2011, J/A+A/535/A55). HARPS data on HD 7449 has been supplemented by the ESO archive. See section 2.2 for further explanations. (1 data file).
Respostas religiosas à aids no Brasil: impressões de pesquisa1

PubMed Central

Seffner, Fernando; da Silva, Cristiane Gonçalves Meireles; Maksud, Ívia; Garcia, Jonathan; Rios, Luís Felipe; Natividade, Marcelo; Borges, Priscila Rodrigues; Parker, Richard; Terto, Veriano

2009-01-01

Resumo O texto encontra-se estruturado em quatro partes. Na primeira delas, apresentamos um conjunto de considerações e informações acerca da situação da aids no Brasil, das relações entre religião, sexualidade, aids e estado laico, bem como uma descrição mais clara do Projeto Respostas Religiosas ao HIV/Aids no Brasil, do qual este texto apresenta algumas impressões de pesquisa preliminares. A seguir, dedicamos um item a apresentação da Pastoral de DST/Aids, sua história, estrutura e objetivos. No item seguinte problematizamos diversas questões em particular no âmbito das relações Estado e Igreja, relações entre agentes de pastoral e hierarquia da Igreja, e questões ligadas mais diretamente à sexualidade e aids, todas referenciadas ao trabalho da Pastoral de DST/Aids. Ao final, apresentamos a bibliografia e fontes consultadas. PMID:20428503
Respostas religiosas à aids no Brasil: impressões de pesquisa acerca da Pastoral de DST/Aids da Igreja Católica1

PubMed Central

Seffner, Fernando; Silva, Cristiane Gonçalves Meireles da; Maksud, Ívia; Garcia, Jonathan; Rios, Luís Felipe; Natividade, Marcelo; Borges, Priscila Rodrigues; Parker, Richard; Terto, Veriano

2009-01-01

O texto encontra-se estruturado em quatro partes. Na primeira delas, apresentamos um conjunto de considerações e informações acerca da situação da aids no Brasil, das relações entre religião, sexualidade, aids e estado laico, bem como uma descrição mais clara do Projeto Respostas Religiosas ao HIV/Aids no Brasil, do qual este texto apresenta algumas impressões de pesquisa preliminares. A seguir, dedicamos um item a apresentação da Pastoral de DST/Aids, sua história, estrutura e objetivos. No item seguinte problematizamos diversas questões em particular no âmbito das relações Estado e Igreja, relações entre agentes de pastoral e hierarquia da Igreja, e questões ligadas mais diretamente à sexualidade e aids, todas referenciadas ao trabalho da Pastoral de DST/Aids. Ao final, apresentamos a bibliografia e fontes consultadas. PMID:20442806
Life-cycle optimization model for distributed generation in buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safaei, Amir

O setor da construcao e responsavel por uma grande parte do consumo de energia e emissoes na Uniao Europeia. A Geracao Distribuida (GD) de energia, nomeadamente atraves de sistemas de cogeracao e tecnologias solares, representa um papel importante no futuro energetico deste setor. A otimizacao do funcionamento dos sistemas de cogeracao e uma tarefa complexa, devido as diversas variaveis em jogo, designadamente: os diferentes tipos de necessidades energeticas (eletricidade, aquecimento e arrefecimento), os precos dinamicos dos combustiveis (gas natural) e da eletricidade, e os custos fixos e variaveis dos diferentes sistemas de GD. Tal torna-se mais complexo considerando a natureza flutuante das tecnologias solares termicas e fotovoltaicas. Ao mesmo tempo, a liberalizacao do mercado da eletricidade permite exportar para a rede, a electricidade gerada localmente. Adicionalmente, a operacao estrategica de um sistema de GD deve atender aos quadros politicos nacionais, se tiver como objetivo beneficiar de tais regimes. Alem disso, considerando os elevados impactes ambientais do setor da construcao, qualquer avaliacao energetica de edificios rigorosa deve tambem integrar aspetos ambientais, utilizando uma abordagem de Ciclo de Vida (CV). Uma avaliacao de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) completa de um sistema de GD deve incluir as fases relativas a operacao e construcao do sistema, bem como os impactes associados a producao dos combustiveis. Foram analisadas as emissoes da producao de GN, as quais variam de acordo com a origem, tipo (convencional ou nao-convencional), e estado (na forma de GN Liquefeito (GNL) ou gas). Do mesmo modo, o impacte dos sistemas solares e afetado pela meteorologia e radiacao solar, de acordo com a sua localizacao geografica. Sendo assim, uma avaliacao adequada dos sistemas de GD exige um modelo de ACV adequado a localizacao geografica (Portugal), integrando tambem a producao de combustivel (GN), tendo em conta as suas diferentes fontes de abastecimento. O principal objetivo desta tese de doutoramento foi desenvolver um modelo para otimizar o desenho e operacao de sistemas de GD para o setor da construcao de edificios comerciais em Portugal, considerando os respetivos Impactes de Ciclo de Vida (IAVC) e Custos de Ciclo de Vida (CCV), de modo a satisfazer as necessidades energeticas do edificio. Tres tipos de tecnologias de cogeracao (Micro-Turbinas, Motores de combustao interna, e Celulas combustiveis de Oxido solido), e dois tipos de tecnologias de energia solar, solar termica e fotovoltaica, constituem os sistemas de GD que sao acoplados aos sistemas convencionais. Foi desenvolvido um modelo de CV, tendo em conta todos os impactes relacionados com a construcao e operacao dos sistemas de energia, bem como os processos a montante relacionados com a producao do GN. Em particular, o mix de GN consumido em Portugal em 2011 foi identificado (60% da Nigeria, 40% da Argelia) e os impactes relativos a cada uma das vias de abastecimento foram avaliados separadamente para quatro categorias de impacte ambiental: Consumo de Energia Primaria (CEP), Gases com Efeito de Estufa (GEE), acidificacao, e eutrofizacao. Devido a importancia das emissoes de GEE na formulacao de politicas, foi tambem realizada uma analise de incerteza as emissoes de GEE do GN fornecido a Portugal. Foi desenvolvido um modelo matematico, em linguagem de Programacao General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS), que utiliza os resultados da ACV dos sistemas de energia e as suas implicacoes economicas para minimizar o CCV e IACV ao longo de um horizonte de planeamento definido pelo decisor. Foram derivadas fronteiras otimas de Pareto, representando as relacoes entre o tipo de IACV (CEP, GEE, acidificacao, eutrofizacao) e CCV decorrentes da satisfacao das necessidades energeticas do edificio. Para aumentar a robustez do modelo, dada a incerteza dos precos dos combustiveis (GN e eletricidade), foi desenvolvido um modelo de custos robusto para os sistemas de GD, que e menos afetado por perturbacoes relativas aos custos de combustivel. A aplicacao do modelo proposto foi testada num caso de estudo real, um edificio comercial localizado na cidade de Coimbra, em Portugal.
Evaluation of thermochemical biomass conversion in fluidized bed =

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neves, Daniel dos Santos Felix das

Dado o aumento acelerado dos precos dos combustiveis fosseis e as incertezas quanto a sua disponibilidade futura, tem surgido um novo interesse nas tecnologias da biomassa aplicadas a producao de calor, eletricidade ou combustiveis sinteticos. Nao obstante, para a conversao termoquimica de uma particula de biomassa solida concorrem fenomenos bastante complexos que levam, em primeiro lugar, a secagem do combustivel, depois a pirolise e finalmente a combustao ou gasificacao propriamente ditas. Uma descricao relativamente incompleta de alguns desses estagios de conversao constitui ainda um obstaculo ao desenvolvimento das tecnologias que importa ultrapassar. Em particular, a presenca de elevados conteudos de materia volatil na biomassa poe em evidencia o interesse pratico do estudo da pirolise. A importância da pirolise durante a combustao de biomassa foi evidenciada neste trabalho atraves de ensaios realizados num reator piloto de leito fluidizado borbulhante. Verificou-se que o processo ocorre em grande parte a superficie do leito com chamas de difusao devido a libertacao de volateis, o que dificulta o controlo da temperatura do reator acima do leito. No caso da gasificacao de biomassa a pirolise pode inclusivamente determinar a eficiencia quimica do processo. Isso foi mostrado neste trabalho durante ensaios de gasificacao num reator de leito fluidizado de 2MWth, onde um novo metodo de medicao permitiu fechar o balanco de massa ao gasificador e monitorizar o grau de conversao da biomassa. A partir destes resultados tornou-se clara a necessidade de descrever adequadamente a pirolise de biomassa com vista ao projeto e controlo dos processos. Em aplicacoes de engenharia ha particular interesse na estequiometria e propriedades dos principais produtos piroliticos. Neste trabalho procurou-se responder a esta necessidade, inicialmente atraves da estruturacao de dados bibliograficos sobre rendimentos de carbonizado, liquidos piroliticos e gases, assim como composicoes elementares e poderes calorificos. O resultado traduziu-se num conjunto de parâmetros empiricos de interesse pratico que permitiram elucidar o comportamento geral da pirolise de biomassa numa gama ampla de condicoes operatorias. Para alem disso, propos-se um modelo empirico para a composicao dos volateis que pode ser integrado em modelos compreensivos de reatores desde que os parâmetros usados sejam adequados ao combustivel ensaiado. Esta abordagem despoletou um conjunto de ensaios de pirolise com varias biomassas, lenhina e celulose, e temperaturas entre os 600 e 975ºC. Elevadas taxas de aquecimento do combustivel foram alcancadas em reatores laboratoriais de leito fluidizado borbulhante e leito fixo, ao passo que um sistema termo-gravimetrico permitiu estudar o efeito de taxas de aquecimento mais baixas. Os resultados mostram que, em condicoes tipicas de processos de combustao e gasificacao, a quantidade de volateis libertada da biomassa e pouco influenciada pela temperatura do reator mas varia bastante entre combustiveis. Uma analise mais aprofundada deste assunto permitiu mostrar que o rendimento de carbonizado esta intimamente relacionado com o racio O/C do combustivel original, sendo proposto um modelo simples para descrever esta relacao. Embora a quantidade total de volateis libertada seja estabelecida pela composicao da biomassa, a respetiva composicao quimica depende bastante da temperatura do reator. Rendimentos de especies condensaveis (agua e especies orgânicas), CO2 e hidrocarbonetos leves descrevem um maximo relativamente a temperatura para dar lugar a CO e H2 as temperaturas mais altas. Nao obstante, em certas gamas de temperatura, os rendimentos de algumas das principais especies gasosas (e.g. CO, H2, CH4) estao bem correlacionados entre si, o que permitiu desenvolver modelos empiricos que minimizam o efeito das condicoes operatorias e, ao mesmo tempo, realcam o efeito do combustivel na composicao do gas. Em suma, os ensaios de pirolise realizados neste trabalho permitiram constatar que a estequiometria da pirolise de biomassa se relaciona de varias formas com a composicao elementar do combustivel original o que levanta varias possibilidades para a avaliacao e projeto de processos de combustao e gasificacao de biomassa.
Implementação de um algoritmo para a limpeza de mapas da RCFM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souza, C. L.; Wuensche, C. A.

2003-08-01

A Radiação Cósmica de Fundo em Microondas (RCFM), descoberta por Penzias e Wilson em 1965, é uma das ferramentas mais poderosas para o estudo da cosmologia. Com a descoberta de flutuações de temperatura na RCFM, da ordem de uma parte em 105, pelo COBE (1992), uma nova era teve início. Nos últimos onze anos, diversos instrumentos fizeram novas medidas de alta precisão, refinando os resultados apresentados pelo COBE, culminando com os resultados recentes do satélite WMAP. A análise de dados da RCFM, especialmente no caso de experimentos com pequena cobertura do céu, apresenta uma série de dificuldades devido a emissões de contaminantes externos, tais como a emissão da Galáxia e de fontes pontuais, e de ruídos intrínsecos tanto ao sistema de detecção quanto à estratégia de observação do céu. Uma das soluções típicas para a filtragem de dados brutos de um experimento para medir flutuações de temperatura é aplicar um gabarito (template) e um filtro passa alta ao produzir mapas simplificados (sem considerar matrizes de correlação ou covariância). No caso de experimentos que utilizam detectores HEMT, essa combinação de filtros remove, satisfatoriamente, ruídos do tipo 1/f gerados pela instabilidade no ganho do detector acoplado ao movimento do instrumento, definido pela estratégia de observação. Entretanto, o sinal resultante medido, tanto em simulações quanto em séries temporais reais, sugere que parte do sinal cosmológico pode estar sendo removido junto com o ruído dos detectores. Este trabalho descreve as etapas para a produção de um mapa típico (simulado) e os testes preliminares de um algoritmo para remover ruídos do tipo 1/f introduzidos pela estratégia de observação sem prejudicar a qualidade do sinal cosmológico presente no mapa.
Transferências orbitais dentro do modelo quase bicircular no sistema Terra-Lua-Sol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corrêa, A. A.; de Almeida Prado, A. F. B.; Stuchi, T. J.; Beaugé, C.

2003-08-01

O problema quase bicircular planar consiste na determinação da dinâmica de um corpo, de massa desprezível, que se move sob o campo gravitacional de três corpos. No caso estudado, o quarto corpo é considerado um satélite artificial e os demais são a Terra, a Lua e o Sol, formando o sistema de três corpos. Este modelo permite a construção de uma hamiltoniana similar a do problema restrito de três corpos (PRTC), incluindo termos periódicos não autônomos, provenientes da presença do Sol, portanto pode ser entendido como uma perturbação ao PRTC. Suas órbitas periódicas aparecem isoladas e possuem o mesmo período solar. Os pontos de equilíbrio colineares possuem o mesmo caráter de estabilidade linear dos pontos lagrangianos (L1, L2 e L3) do PRTC, sendo do tipo sela x centro x centro, instável na direção x e estáveis nas direções y e z. As órbitas periódicas tridimensionais ao redor do ponto colinear é chamada órbita Halo. O objetivo deste trabalho é determinar órbitas de transferências de baixo consumo de combustível para um veículo espacial partindo de uma órbita de estacionamento ao redor da Terra em direção a uma órbita Halo do ponto L1, situado entre a Terra e Lua. Esta tarefa pode ser transformada no problema de valor de contorno: dado um ponto inicial na órbita de estacionamento, um ponto final na órbita halo e o tempo de transferência, deseja-se obter a trajetória que liga estes dois pontos e que minimize os incrementos de velocidade do veículo. Essas transferências são realizadas baseadas no método de Lambert e analisadas de modo a fornecer um baixo consumo. Posteriormente, é feita uma comparação de consumo com as órbitas de transferência equivalentes do PRTC.
Adaptive Optics Imaging of Pluto-Charon and the Discovery of a Moon aroun d the Asteroid 45 Eugenia: The Potential of Adaptive Optics in Planetary Astrono my

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Close, L. M.; Merline, W. J.; Tholen, D.; Owen, T.; Roddier, F.; Dumas, C.

1999-12-01

We outline two separate projects which highlight the power of adaptive optics (AO) to aid planetary research. The first project utilized AO to resolve the Pluto-Charon system by producing 0.15" FWHM images. We used the University of Hawaii AO system (Roddier et al. PASP 103, 131,1991) at CFHT to obtain deep (20 min) narrow band images in/out the molecular bands of water and methane ices. Our images confirm that the variation of Pluto's albedo is mainly governed by the presence of methane ice over its surface, resulting in a lower albedo at 2.26 um than at 2.02 um. Our observations confirm also that Charon is mostly covered with water-ice (Buie et al. NATURE 329, 522,1987). See Tholen et al. (ICARUS submitted) for more details on these AO results. In another application of AO, we discovered a moon around asteroid 45 Eugenia by use of the PUEO AO facility at CFHT (Rigaut et al. PASP 110, 152, 1998). With PUEO we preformed a search for asteroidal satellites among two dozen asteroids, achieving moderate Strehl ratios (35%) and FWHM of about 0.12" at H band. During this survey, we detected a faint close companion to 45 Eugenia. The satellite was 6.14 magnitudes (at 1.65 um) fainter and located at most 0.75" from Eugenia. Without the ability of AO (to sharpen the contrast and increase the resolution to 0.1"), the detection of this companion would have been impossible with ground based-telescopes. The companion was found to be in a 1200 km circular orbit with a period of 4.7 days. A more detailed discussion of this new satellite is given by Merline et al. in this volume. Adaptive optics is entering a powerful new age as all the major ground based large telescopes are developing facility AO systems. Planetary astronomy is particularly well posed to take advantage of the diffraction-limited, near-IR images (0.050" FWHM) that will become commonplace at all 8 m facilities in the near future (It is already occurring on the KECK and GEMINI-North telescopes). In particular, we review plans for the NAOS/CONICA AO facility instrument at the ESO 8m VLT that will have first light in late 2000. It is planned that NAOS/CONICA will obtain K-band Strehl ratios of 60% with reference objects (extended up to 3") of brightness V=13 (or brighter). The instrument will allow guiding on faint V=15 sources (with Strehls 20 well as tracking planetary targets that have a velocity different from the guide source. The ability to carry out remote service observing and an automatic data reduction pipeline will make the ESO VLT AO system ideal for monitoring temporal changes in planetary targets and carrying out targets of opportunity programs in general. These AO observations were made possible by support from the NSF, NASA, SwRI, and ESO.
Simulações Numéricas de Rotação Nuclear Cometária

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voelzke, M. R.; Winter, O. C.

1999-08-01

Este trabalho apresenta os resultados iniciais de simulações numéricas da evolução rotacional, de um núcleo cometário não esférico, ao longo de uma passagem periélica, levando-se em conta os torques devido a existência dos jatos de poeira e de gás. Inicialmente os autores apresentam um modelo simples (primeira aproximação), com somente um único jato na extremidade do semi-eixo maior, para compreender a variação positiva ou negativa que estas forças não gravitacionais exercem sobre o período de rotação cometário. Posteriormente incrementa-se o número de jatos, os quais são distribuídos ao longo da superfície cometária, para observar-se a contribuição dos efeitos provenientes dos torques originários da liberação da poeira e gás cometários, que provavelmente violará a suposição da livre precessão. Os estados rotacionais, sob torques induzidos devido à sublimação, dependem fortemente da localização das áreas ativas do núcleo. Os cometas P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1, P/Tempel 2, P/Forbes e C/Meunier-Dupouy serão observados fotometricamente, pelos autores, no Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica (LNA) ao longo de algumas noites consecutivas em abril, junho e julho de 1999. Estas observações serão comparadas com as simulações numéricas de rotação cometária.
Research on large area VUV-sensitive gaseous photomultipliers for cryogenic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coimbra, Artur Emanuel Cardoso

Desde cedo que a comunidade cientifica compreendeu que gases nobres em liquido sao excelentes meios de deteccao de radiacao, combinando a sua elevada densidade, elevado grau de homogeneidade e de elevado rendimento de cintilacao. Para alem destas caracteristicas inerentes, estes tem a potencialidade de fornecer ambos sinais de ionizacao - criando electroes livres - e cintilacao em resposta a interaccao com radiacao ionizante e, tendo em vista a sua aplicacao em experiencias de eventos raros relacionados com fisica de neutrinos ou materia-escura, a capacidade de autoblindagem garante a exclusao de eventos induzidos por radiacao de fundo. O facto de nao absorverem a sua propria luz, emergente dos eventos de cintilacao, permite a expansao deste tipo de detectores ate grandes volumes, sendo que as colaboracoes mais recentes propoem detectores com dezenas de toneladas de xenon em estado liquido. As experiencias actuais que usam gases nobres em estado liquido empregam xenon ou argon numa so fase (estado liquido) ou em dupla-fase (estado liquido + gasoso) e as suas aplicacoes abrangem desde as ja referidas experiencias de procura de eventos raros, passando por imagiologia medica tais como detectores de radiacao gama para PET ou câmaras Compton "3-gamma" em combinacao com PET, passando tambem por aplicacoes de seguranca como sistemas de inspeccao para deteccao de material fissil e, finalmente, em câmaras Compton para aplicacoes de astrofisica. Em ambas as configuracoes a leitura dos sinais de cintilacao e geralmente feita atraves de um grande numero de dispendiosos fotomultiplicadores de vacuo agrupados. A presente tese de doutoramento e dedicada aos fotomultiplicadores gasosos de grande area para aplicacoes criogenicas desenvolvidos no contexto do programa doutoral, tendo em vista a sua eventual aplicacao como um dispositivo complementar aos metodos existentes de deteccao de cintilacao, para aplicacao em futuras experiencias de grande escala. Esta pesquisa foi direccionada tendo em vista o desenvolvimento de eficientes fotomultiplicadores gasosos de grande area, potencialmente mais economicos por unidade de area, baseados em "Thick Gas-Electron Multipliers" (THGEMs). Combinando fotocatodos de alta eficiencia com multiplicadores gasosos de electroes capazes de atingir elevado ganho em carga obteve-se assim um dispositivo com elevada sensibilidade para a deteccao de fotoes unicos, com a possibilidade de discriminacao em posicao com resolucao espacial inferior a um milimetro e com resolucao temporal da ordem de poucos nano segundos. Contrariamente ao que sucede com a tecnologia de vacuo actualmente, com este dispositivo a localizacao em posicao de fotoes em grandes areas e feita num unico dispositivo integrando electronica habitualmente utilizada em experiencias de rastreamento de particulas. Neste trabalho o fotomultiplicador gasoso desenvolvido consiste numa cadeia de THGEMs combinados com um fotocatodo de iodeto de cesio (CsI) sensivel ao ultravioleta enquanto que os testes criogenicos foram realizados na Time Projection Chamber (TPC) de dupla fase de xenon liquido recentemente desenvolvida no Weizmann Institute of Science (WILiX). (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).
Fiber-optic components for optical communicatios and sensing =

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marques, Carlos Alberto Ferreira

Nos ultimos anos, a Optoelectronica tem sido estabelecida como um campo de investigacao capaz de conduzir a novas solucoes tecnologicas. As conquistas abundantes no campo da optica e lasers, bem como em comunicacoes opticas tem sido de grande importancia e desencadearam uma serie de inovacoes. Entre o grande numero de componentes opticos existentes, os componentes baseados em fibra optica sao principalmente relevantes devido a sua simplicidade e a elevada de transporte de dados da fibra optica. Neste trabalho foi focado um destes componentes opticos: as redes de difraccao em fibra optica, as quais tem propriedades opticas de processamento unicas. Esta classe de componentes opticos e extremamente atraente para o desenvolvimento de dispositivos de comunicacoes opticas e sensores. O trabalho comecou com uma analise teorica aplicada a redes em fibra e foram focados os metodos de fabricacao de redes em fibra mais utilizados. A inscricao de redes em fibra tambem foi abordado neste trabalho, onde um sistema de inscricao automatizada foi implementada para a fibra optica de silica, e os resultados experimentais mostraram uma boa aproximacao ao estudo de simulacao. Tambem foi desenvolvido um sistema de inscricao de redes de Bragg em fibra optica de plastico. Foi apresentado um estudo detalhado da modulacao acustico-optica em redes em fibra optica de silica e de plastico. Por meio de uma analise detalhada dos modos de excitacao mecanica aplicadas ao modulador acustico-optico, destacou-se que dois modos predominantes de excitacao acustica pode ser estabelecidos na fibra optica, dependendo da frequencia acustica aplicada. Atraves dessa caracterizacao, foi possivel desenvolver novas aplicacoes para comunicacoes opticas. Estudos e implementacao de diferentes dispositivos baseados em redes em fibra foram realizados, usando o efeito acustico-optico e o processo de regeneracao em fibra optica para varias aplicacoes tais como rapido multiplexador optico add-drop, atraso de grupo sintonizavel de redes de Bragg, redes de Bragg com descolamento de fase sintonizaveis, metodo para a inscricao de redes de Bragg com perfis complexos, filtro sintonizavel para equalizacao de ganho e filtros opticos notch ajustaveis.
A distribuição de velocidades na linha de visada em galáxias barradas vistas de face

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gadotti, D. A.; de Souza, R. E.

2003-08-01

Com o objetivo de realizar um estudo cinemático da componente vertical de barras em galáxias, obtivemos espectros de fenda longa de alta razão S/N ao longo dos eixos maior e menor de 14 galáxias barradas vistas de face, nos telescópios de 1.52m do ESO em La Silla, Chile, e de 2.3m do Steward Observatory em Kitt Peak, Arizona. Estes dados nos permitiram determinar a distribuição de velocidades das estrelas ao longo do eixo vertical das barras e discos destes sistemas, tanto no centro como em pontos que distam cerca de 5 e 20 segundos de arco do núcleo, correspondendo a distâncias de cerca de 0.7 e 2.8 kpc, respectivamente. Desta forma, a variação radial da distribuição de velocidades também pôde ser avaliada. Este tipo de análise tem raros exemplos na literatura por ser caro em termos de tempo de telescópio. Entretanto, é de fácil justificativa, considerando que traz novas informações que podem ser utilizadas para aperfeiçoar modelos teóricos acerca da formação e evolução de galáxias. Um algoritmo por nós desenvolvido foi utilizado para obter as distribuições de velocidades como Gaussianas generalizadas (polinômios de Gauss-Hermite), o que traz um ingrediente a mais neste tipo de estudo que, tradicionalmente, se utiliza de Gaussianas puras, uma hipótese nem sempre razoável. Apresentaremos os resultados deste trabalho, que incluem um diagnóstico para a identificação de barras recém formadas, e testes para o modelo isotérmico de discos. Mostraremos que: (i) a escolha das estrelas padrão em velocidade, e dos parâmetros da Gaussiana, deve ser muito bem justificada já que tem influência significativa nos resultados; (ii) muitas galáxias apresentam uma depressão na dispersão de velocidades na região central, que pode estar associada a um disco interno; e (iii) a dispersão de velocidades é constante ao longo da barra, nos eixos maior e menor, mas cai substancialmente quando se passa da barra para o disco.
SCExAO: the most complete instrument to characterize exoplanets and stellar environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lozi, Julien; Guyon, Olivier; Jovanovic, Nemanja; Singh, Garima; Doughty, Danielle; Pathak, Prashant; Goebel, Sean; Kudo, Tomoyuki

2015-12-01

The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) instrument, currently under development for the Subaru Telescope, optimally combines state-of-the-art technologies to directly study exoplanets and stellar environments at the diffraction limit, both in visible and infrared light (0.6 to 2.4 um). The instrument already includes an ultra-fast visible pyramid wavefront sensor operating at 3.5 kHz, a 2k-actuator deformable mirror, a set of optimal coronagraphs that can work as close as 1 l/D, a low-order wavefront sensor, a high-speed speckle control, and two visible interferometric modules, VAMPIRES and FIRST. Stability of the wavefront correction has already been demonstrated on sky, and SCExAO is already producing scientific results. After the integration of the Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS) CHARIS and a Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (MKID) in 2016, SCExAO will be one of the most powerful and effective tools for characterizing exoplanets and disks.
Variação temporal do gradiente radial de o/h a partir de uma amostra de nebulosas planetárias

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maciel, W. J.; Costa, R. D. D.; Uchida, M. M. M.

2003-08-01

Gradientes radiais de abundância são observados no disco de nossa Galáxia e também em outras galáxias espirais. No caso da Galáxia, o principal problema relativo aos gradientes é sua variação temporal, que constitui um dos principais vínculos aos modelos de evolução química da Galáxia. As nebulosas planetárias são particularmente interessantes no estudo dos gradientes e suas variações, tanto espaciais como temporais. São objetos brilhantes, podendo ser observadas a grandes distâncias, e têm abundâncias relativamente precisas de diversos elementos químicos. Além disso, sendo originadas de estrelas com massas entre 0.8 e 8 massas solares na sequência principal, incluem objetos com idades e populações diferentes, o que as torna especialmente interessantes ao estudo da variação temporal dos gradientes. Neste trabalho, apresentamos resultados recentes sobre a variação temporal do gradiente de O/H a partir de uma amostra contendo cerca de 200 nebulosas, para as quais obtivemos distâncias por métodos estatísticos. As abundâncias foram parcialmente obtidas a partir de observações em Itajubá e La Silla, sendo as restantes obtidas da literatura. Os resultados mostram, pela primeira vez, evidências de um achatamento do gradiente de O/H, de -0.11 dex/kpc para -0.06 dex/kpc nos últimos 9 giga-anos ou de -0.08 dex/kpc para -0.06 dex/kpc nos últimos 5 giga-anos. Esses valores apresentam um bom acordo com alguns modelos recentes para a evolução química da Galáxia. (FAPESP/CNPq)
Thin films for gas sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pires, Jose Miguel Alves Correia

Nos ultimos anos tem-se assistido a um aumento dos investimentos na investigacao de novos materiais para aplicacao em sensores. Apesar de ja existir um bom numero de dispositivos explorados comercialmente, muitas vezes, quer devido aos elevados custos de producao, quer devido a uma crescente exigencia do ponto de vista das caracteristicas de funcionamento, continua a ser necessario procurar novos materiais ou novas formas de producao que permitam baixar os custos e melhorar o desempenho dos dispositivos. No campo dos sensores de gases tem-se verificado continuos avancos nos ultimos anos. Continua todavia a ser necessario conhecer melhor, tanto os processos de producao dos materiais, como os mecanismos que regulam a sensibilidade dos dispositivos aos gases, de modo a orientar adequadamente a investigacao dos novos materiais, nomeadamente no que se refere a optimizacao dos parâmetros que nao satisfazem ainda os requisitos do mercado. Um dos materiais que tem mostrado melhores qualidades para aplicacao em sensores de gases de tipo resistivo e o dioxido de estanho. Este material tem sido produzido sob diversas formas e usando diferentes tecnicas, como sejam: sol-gel [1], pulverizacao catodica (sputtering) por magnetrao [2-4], sinterizacao de pos [5, 6], ablacao laser [7] ou RGTO [8]. Os resultados obtidos revelam que as caracteristicas dos dispositivos sao muito dependentes das tecnicas usadas na sua producao. A deposicao usando sputtering reactivo por magnetrao e uma tecnica que permite obter filmes finos de oxido de estanho com diferentes caracteristicas, quer do ponto de vista da estrutura, quer da composicao, e por isso, tambem, com diferentes sensibilidades aos gases. No âmbito deste trabalho, foram produzidos filmes de SnO2 usando sputtering DC reactivo com diferentes condicoes de deposicao. Os substratos usados foram lâminas de vidro e o alvo foi estanho com 99.9% de pureza. Foi estudada a influencia da atmosfera de deposicao, da pressao parcial do O2, da temperatura do substrato e da potencia da descarga na estrutura do material depositado. Durante a deposicao, alem dos parâmetros ja referidos, foram tambem registados a pressao de base antes da entrada dos gases de sputtering, os fluxos de oxigenio e argon durante a deposicao, a distância alvo-substrato, o tempo de deposicao, a corrente e a tensao aplicadas ao magnetrao. Foram feitas algumas experiencias usando uma fonte RF, para comparacao. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).
Work addiction and quality of life: a study with physicians.

PubMed

Azevedo, Walter Fernandes de; Mathias, Lígia Andrade da Silva Telles

2017-01-01

To evaluate the quality of life of physicians and investigate to what extent it is affected by work addiction. This is an exploratory, descriptive and cross-sectional study, conducted with 1,110 physicians. For data collection, we used a questionnaire with sociodemographic information, the World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF, and the Work Addiction Scale. Most physicians presented high quality of life. Female participants presented lower quality of life in the domains psychologic, environment and general (p<0.05). Quality of life was negatively correlated with the number of shifts (p<0.005). The higher the addiction to work, the lower the quality of life. The research allowed understanding the implications of work addiction in the quality of life. Further studies are required to support the development of strategies that improve health conditions and quality of life of medical professionals. Avaliar a qualidade de vida de médicos e investigar em que medida a adição ao trabalho a afeta. Trata-se de um estudo exploratório, descritivo e transversal, realizado com 1.110 médicos. Para coleta de dados, optou-se por utilizar um questionário contendo informações sociodemográficas, bem como aplicar o instrumento World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF e a Escala de Adição ao Trabalho. Os médicos, em sua maioria, apresentaram alta qualidade de vida. Os participantes do sexo feminino tiveram menor qualidade de vida em relação aos homens nos domínios psicológico, meio ambiente e geral (p<0,05). A qualidade de vida correlacionou-se negativamente com o número de plantões (p<0,005), e quanto maior a adição ao trabalho, menor a qualidade de vida. A pesquisa permitiu o conhecimento das implicações da adição ao trabalho sobre a qualidade de vida. Novos estudos são necessários para subsidiar a elaboração de estratégias que melhorem a saúde e a qualidade de vida do profissional médico.
População nuclear e extranuclear em rádio-galáxias

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raimann, D. I.; Storchi-Bergmann, T.; Quintana, H.; Alloin, D.; Hunstead, R.; Wisotzki, L.

2003-08-01

A natureza do contínuo UV/ótico em rádio-galáxias é muito importante para o seu entendimento. Em baixos redshifts existem evidências de que muitas delas são dominadas no ótico por luz de estrelas velhas, características de galáxias early-type e em altos redshifts a característica dominante é um excesso de luz no UV, freqüentemente associado com estruturas que estão alinhadas aos eixos das estruturas rádio em grande escala. Inicialmente esse excesso foi interpretado como devido a episódios intensos de formação estelar nas galáxias hospedeiras. Entretanto, as descobertas dos alinhamentos entre as estruturas UV e rádio modificaram essa idéia. Foi proposto que a formação estelar é iniciada pela passagem do jato rádio através do meio interestelar das galáxias hospedeiras. A natureza do excesso UV começou a ser compreendida em um estudo detalhado do continuo ótico da 3C321, onde se concluiu que o contínuo desta galáxia tem origem multicomponente, com contribuições de populações velhas e intermediárias, de luz espalhada oriunda de um quasar obscurecido e do contínuo nebular. No presente trabalho estudamos a população nuclear e extranuclear de uma amostra de 24 rádio-galáxias, utilizando espectros óticos de fenda longa, com alta razão sinal/ruído. Através do método de síntese espectral de populações estelares, foram estimadas as contribuições de populações estelares de diferentes idades (e de um contínuo tipo lei de potência devido a um AGN, FC) para a luz integrada das galáxias, em 4020Å. As principais conclusões deste trabalho são: apenas quatro dos objetos estudados têm contribuições significativas (maiores do que 10%) das populações de 100 milhões de anos ou mais jovens (ou de FC) ao longo da região espacial estudada (6 kpc centrais); nenhuma das rádio-galáxias de tipo FRI estudadas tem contribuição significativa destas populações ao longo desta região; duas (de oito) de tipo FRII tem contribuições significativas da luz que vem do AGN, na região nuclear; uma tem contribuição significativa das populações de 100 milhões de anos e mais jovens ao longo dos 4 kpc centrais, indicando claramente a presença de formação estelar recente. Comparando estes resultados com aqueles obtidos para uma amostra de galáxias não ativas de mesmo tipo de Hubble das rádio, encontramos que a principal diferença entre as duas amostras está na contribuição da população de 1 bilhão de anos, geralmente maior nas rádio-galáxias.

Telescópio de pequeno porte como suporte ao ensino em cidades com intensa poluição luminosa II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, P. C. R.; Santos-Júnior, J. M.; Cruz, W. S.

2003-08-01

Para a maioria dos estudantes, sua passagem pelo ensino formal fundamental envolve a transmissão de fatos que devem ser guardados para um exame, a habilidade para lembrar fórmulas e, eventualmente, a repetição de experimentos que devem produzir resultados exigidos pelo professor. O resultado deste modelo de ensino, ao longo dos anos, é conhecido por todos: desconhecimento e descontentamento, por parte dos estudantes, de temas relativos ao papel e aos processos da ciência. Acreditamos que a Astronomia, pelo seu caráter observacional, é uma das áreas do conhecimento que pode contribuir neste cenário. A Fundação Planetário da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro possui um telescópio Meade LX-200 (25cm) que, juntamente com as câmeras CCD ST-7E e ST8E, tem sido utilizado em projetos voltados aos estudantes do ensino médio desde o ano 2000. Tais projetos envolvem a condução de um projeto de pesquisa observacional num nível apropriado, e possibilitam o contato com técnicas e novas tecnologias: computador, software para manipulação de dados e gráficos, programas de tratamento e redução de dados, uso de equipamentos óptico-eletrônicos (telescópio e CCD), bem como o processo de aquisição de conhecimento. Dentro da proposta dos anos anteriores, priorizamos projetos de uma noite, ou seja, procuramos trabalhar com fenômenos que apresentem variabilidade com intervalo de recorrência relativamente curto. Em todos os casos, optamos pela fotometria diferencial, que tem se mostrado bastante eficiente para o céu luminoso como o da cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Neste painel, apresentamos alguns dos projetos desenvolvidos no último ano, com 25 estudantes. Apresentamos os resultados da observação da variável pulsante AI Vel (V = 6,6) e da variável cataclísmica FO Aqr (V = 13,5), e do monitoramento do trânsito da lua de Júpiter, Europa, ocorrido em 30 de abril de 2003. As curvas de luz produzidas para as primeiras estão concordantes com as da literatura, assim como os respectivos períodos encontrados (1h20min e 4h48min). No caso do FO Aqr, ficou evidente, também, a modulação decorrente da rotação da anã branca receptora (21min). O erro estimado é de 0,01 magnitude. Propomos uma maior utilização de telescópios de pequeno porte, como suporte ao ensino (médio e superior) em cidades com poluição luminosa. Escolas e Planetários seriam ambientes propícios para a localização do telescópio. Os critérios adotados na escolha dos objetos e o método observacional empregado são também apresentados.
A bone tissue engineering strategy based on starch scaffolds and bone marrow cells cultured in a flow perfusion bioreactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomes, Maria Manuela Estima

A Engenharia de Tecidos e uma area cientifica em continua expansao. Os desenvolvimentos conseguidos por esta area tem contribuido significativamente para diversos avancos no campo da Medicina Regenerativa. Esta ciencia interdisciplinar combina os conhecimentos de diversas outras areas, tao distintas como a Engenharia de Materiais e a Biologia, com o objectivo de desenvolver substitutos sinteticos para tecidos humanos. Para se atingir este objectivo utilizam-se, de uma forma generica, combinacoes especificas de celulas e de um material de suporte tridimensional com propriedades adequadas, gerando um material hibrido cujas caracteristicas podem ainda ser moduladas atraves do sistema de cultura usado. A presente tese e centrada no desenvolvimento de estrategias de engenharia de tecido osseo baseadas na cultura in vitro de celulas previamente "semeadas" num suporte tridimensional ("scaffold"). Esta estrategia permite que as celulas adiram ao suporte, proliferem e segreguem matriz extracelular especifica do tecido osseo, ate se obter um substituto artificial funcional com caracteristicas do tecido original, que pode finalmente ser transplantado para tratar o defeito em causa. Para que uma estrategia deste tipo seja bem sucedida, pelo menos tres componentes fundamentais devem ser cuidadosamente estudados: o material de suporte (scaffold), as celulas a usar e o sistema de cultura in vitro. Dai que os principais objectivos desta tese estejam relacionados com estes tres aspectos, nomeadamente: • Desenvolvimento de scaffolds biodegradaveis a partir de polimeros a base de amido de milho que induzam a adesao e proliferacao celular e que apresentem propriedades adequadas, tais como a porosidade e interconectividade entre poros, de forma a proporcionar um ambiente que favoreca o desenvolvimento in vitro de um material hibrido com caracteristicas similares ao osso humano. • Estudo da utilizacao de celulas da medula ossea como uma potencial fonte de celulas para engenharia do tecido osseo, uma vez que estas celulas podem ser facilmente recolhidas do proprio paciente a tratar por metodos nao-invasivos (bioppsia) e em quantidades suficientes. Alem disso, tratando-se de uma fonte de celulas autologas (obtidas do proprio paciente) permitem evitar os riscos de transmissao de doencas contagiosas e/ou de rejeicao pelo sistema imunologico. • Estudo da influencia das condicoes de cultura in vitro geradas por um bioreactor de perfusao (em comparacao com os metodos tradicionais de cultura em condicoes estaticas) no desenvolvimento dos materiais hibridos, compostos pelas celulas e scaffolds, assim como as interaccoes do ambiente proporcionado por este sistema de cultura com as diferentes estruturas/arquitecturas e porosidades dos scaffolds utilizados. Estes objectivos convergem para o objectivo geral desta tese que consistiu no desenvolvimento de uma terapia de engenharia do tecido osseo alternativa as existentes e com potencial para vir a ser posteriormente utilizada na pratica clinica. Este objectivo foi avaliado atraves do estudo da funcionalidade dos materiais hibridos obtidos em diferentes condicoes de cultura in vitro (e utilizando diferentes scaffolds), partindo do principio que o sistema de perfusao poderia eventualmente superar as limitacoes de difusao tipicas dos sistema de cultura estatica e simultaneamente proporcionar estimulos mecânicos as celulas, semelhantes aos encontrados em condicoes fisiologicas. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).
Perfil dos Professores de Ciências Naturais do Recôncavo da Bahia - Alunos da Disciplina Terra e Universo no Curso de Ciências Naturais do Parfor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lima, S. R.; Cerqueira Júnior, W.; Dutra, G.

2011-12-01

Este trabalho foi desenvolvido pelo projeto Astronomia no Recôncavo da Bahia, no Centro de Formação de Professores da Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia. Traçamos o perfil de um grupo de professores que lecionam conteúdos de Ciências Naturais no recôncavo, alunos do curso de Licenciatura em Ciências Naturais, oferecido dentro do Plano Nacional de Formação de Professores da Educação Básica. Nosso objetivo era avaliar se eles estão preparados para trabalhar conteúdos de Astronomia e identificar suas dificuldades. Os resultados serviram para orientar o professor da disciplina “Terra e Universo”, oferecida no segundo semestre de 2010. Durante a primeira aula da disciplina Terra e Universo, os alunos responderam a um questionário contendo questões abertas e fechadas, divididas em duas partes. A primeira procurando caracterizar profissionalmente os alunos enquanto professores da rede pública da região do Recôncavo Sul da Bahia e uma segunda parte procurando identificar conhecimentos básicos em Astronomia. Os resultados indicam uma predominância de professores do sexo feminino, com idade superior aos 40 anos, pardos e sem formação específica para o ensino de ciências. A maioria leciona há mais de 15 anos para turmas do 1º ao 5º ano, alguns lecionam para turmas de 6º ao 9º ano. Quase todos nunca participaram de um curso de formação continuada em Astronomia. Além disso, não estão habituados a ler revistas especializadas e nem livros com esta temática. Os que procuram ensinar temas voltados para a Astronomia têm, no livro didático, a maior fonte de informação sobre o assunto. As respostas também indicam uma deficiência em conteúdos básicos como a compreensão da esfericidade da Terra, noções de verticalidade e gravidade, incapacidade de identificar a Terra como um planeta, no Sistema Solar, em uma galáxia, no Universo. Estes resultados ressaltam a importância de disciplinas de Astronomia básica na formação dos professores da região.
Development of a theoretical-practical script for clinical simulation.

PubMed

Fabri, Renata Paula; Mazzo, Alessandra; Martins, José Carlos Amado; Fonseca, Ariadne da Silva; Pedersoli, César Eduardo; Miranda, Fernanda Berchelli Girão; Fumincelli, Laís; Baptista, Rui Carlos Negrão

2017-04-10

To develop a theoretical-practical script based on the opinion of experts to be used in simulated clinical activities. Qualitative study through analysis of content of interviews with experts on the theme in order to develop the proposed script. Of the 24 invited experts, 12 specialists from educational institutions in Brazil and abroad participated in the study in compliance with the ethical precepts. The experts responded to questions on the characterization of their study attributes and described the items required for the development of a simulated scenario. In view of the responses obtained, data content was analyzed and classified into units and subunits of significance. The items mentioned for the development of the script generated seven units of significance. The units and subunits of significance were gathered in three stages of the main components of the simulated scenario: prior, preparation, and finals. This study enables an innovative, stimulating teaching experience, making it easier for professors to use the simulation resource as a learning process in an effective and objective manner, as a guide to professors and researchers in the area of clinical simulation. Construir, com base na opinião de peritos, roteiro teórico-prático para uso em atividade clínica simulada. Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo por meio de análise de conteúdo de entrevistas de peritos no assunto para construção do roteiro proposto. Seguido os preceitos éticos, entre os 24 peritos convidados pertencentes a instituições de ensino do Brasil e do exterior. Os peritos responderam a questões sobre a caracterização dos seus atributos de estudo e descreveram os itens imprescindíveis à construção de um cenário simulado. Diante das respostas obtidas, os dados foram analisados em relação ao seu conteúdo e organizados em unidades e subunidades de significância. Participaram 12 especialistas. Os itens mencionados para construção do roteiro originaram sete unidades de significância. As unidades e suas subunidades de significância foram ainda reunidas em três fases dos componentes principais do cenário simulado: prévios, preparo e finais. Este estudo permite um ensino inovador, estimulante e possibilita a facilidade ao professor, quanto à utilização do recurso de simulação, como processo de aprendizagem de maneira eficiente e objetiva, sendo um norteador aos docentes e pesquisadores na área de simulação clínica.
Psychometric properties of the Attitudes Scale facing Alcohol and Alcoholism in nursing students.

PubMed

Vargas, Divane de; Rocha, Fernanda Mota

2016-12-19

to verify the psychometric properties of the Attitudes Scale facing Alcohol and Alcoholism (EAFAA) and people with disorders related to the use of alcohol in nursing students. a convenience sample (n=420) completed the EAFAA, the data were submitted to Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). the EFA resulted in an instrument composed of 48 items divided into four factors. The CFA has established the validity of the factorial structure. The internal consistency of the scale was considered adequate (α=0.85) presenting a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 75%. the EAFAA constitutes a reliable instrument to identify the attitudes of nursing students towards alcohol, alcoholism and persons with disorders related to alcohol use. verificar as propriedades psicométricas da Escala de Atitudes Frente ao Álcool, ao Alcoolismo e as pessoas com transtornos relacionados ao uso do Álcool em estudantes de enfermagem. uma amostra de conveniência (n=420) completou a EAFAA, os dados foram submetidos à Análise Fatorial Exploratória (AFE) e Análise Fatorial Confirmatória (AFC). a AFE resultou em um instrumento composto por 48 itens divididos em quatro fatores. A AFC estabeleceu a validade da estrutura fatorial. A consistência interna da escala foi considerada adequada (α=0,85) apresentando sensibilidade de 70% e especificidade de 75%. a EAFAA constitui-se em um instrumento confiável para identificar as atitudes de estudantes de enfermagem frente ao álcool, ao alcoolismo e a pessoa com transtornos relacionados ao uso de álcool. verificar las propiedades psicométricas de la escala de actitudes frente al alcohol, al alcoholismo y a las personas con trastornos por consumo de alcohol en estudiantes de enfermería. una muestra por conveniencia (n=420) completó la EAFAA, cuyos datos se sometieron a un análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) y un análisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC). el AFE dio como resultado un instrumento compuesto por 48 ítems divididos en cuatro factores y estableció la validez de la estructura factorial. La coherencia interna de la escala se consideró adecuada (α=0,85) y presentó una sensibilidad y especificidad de 70% y 75%, respectivamente. la EAFAA representa un instrumento confiable para identificar las actitudes de estudiantes de enfermería frente al alcohol, al alcoholismo y a las personas con trastornos por consumo de alcohol.
Incorporando a variabilidade no processo de identificação do modelo de máximo global no Grade of Membership (GoM): considerações metodológicas

PubMed Central

Guedes, Gilvan Ramalho; Siviero, Pamila Cristina Lima; Caetano, André Junqueira; Machado, Carla Jorge; Brondízio, Eduardo

2012-01-01

A disponibilidade de bases de dados cada vez mais complexas e multidimensionais é um dos principais motivadores para o aumento do número de estudos que utilizam análises multivariadas baseadas em lógica de conjuntos nebulosos. Apesar da disseminação do método Grade of Membership nos trabalhos empíricos brasileiros da área de ciências sociais e saúde, questões relativas à identificabilidade e estabilidade dos parâmetros finais estimados pelo programa GoM 3.4 não foram suficientemente aprofundadas. Dada a relevância de se obterem parâmetros únicos e estáveis, Guedes et al. (2010) propuseram um procedimento empírico para localizar um modelo de máximo global (MG) com parâmetros estáveis. Entretanto, seu localizador de MG não incorpora qualquer medida de variabilidade. Neste artigo, tal limitação é contornada por meio da utilização de uma estatística de ponderação – Máximo Global Ponderado (MGP) – semelhante ao coeficiente de variação. Esse indicador busca não penalizar de forma desproporcional situações nas quais os desvios médios, apesar de diferentes de zero, são muito pequenos. Apresentam-se evidências de que o localizador MGP reduz a distância do modelo identificado à real estrutura latente dos dados em análise, quando comparados ao modelo identificado pelo localizador não ponderado, MG. PMID:23293402
On Ensino de Astronomia: Desafios para Implantação

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faria, R. Z.; Voelzke, M. R.

2008-09-01

Em 2002 o ensino de Astronomia foi proposto como um dos temas estruturadores pelos Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais e sugerido como facilitador para que o aluno compreendesse a Física como construção humana e parte do seu mundo vivencial, mas raramente seus conceitos foram ensinados. A presente pesquisa discute dois aspectos relacionados à abordagem de Astronomia. O primeiro aspecto é se ela está sendo abordada pelos professores do Ensino Médio e o segundo, aborda a maneira como ela está sendo ensinada. Optou-se pela aplicação de um questionário a partir do 2° semestre de 2006 e durante o ano de 2007 com professores que ministram a disciplina de Física, os quais trabalham em escolas estaduais em Rio Grande da Serra, Ribeirão Pires e Mauá no estado São Paulo. Dos 66,2% dos professores que responderam ao questionário nos municípios de Rio Grande da Serra, Ribeirão Pires e Mauá, 57,4% não aplicaram nenhum tópico de astronomia, 70,2% não utilizaram laboratório, 89,4% não utilizaram qualquer tipo de programa computacional, 83,0% nunca fizeram visitas com alunos a museus e planetários e 38,3% não indicaram qualquer tipo de livro ou revista referente à astronomia aos seus alunos. Mesmo considerando a Astronomia um conteúdo potencialmente significativo, esta não fez parte dos planejamentos escolares. Portanto são necessárias propostas que visem estratégias para a educação continuada dos professores como, por exemplo, cursos específicos sobre o ensino em Astronomia.
Systemic Arterial Hypertension in Patients Exposed to Cesium-137 in Goiânia-GO: Prevalence Study.

PubMed

Rodrigues, José Victor Rabelo; Pinto, Murillo Macêdo; Figueredo, Roberto Miller Pires; Lima, Helen de; Souto, Rafael; Sacchetim, Sylvana de Castro

2017-01-01

Systemic Arterial Hypertension (SAH) in the Brazilian population, in populations not exposed to Césio-137, presents a prevalence of 28% nationwide. However, in the group of radioactivity victims, these values are unknown. To analyze the prevalence of hypertension in patients exposed to Cesium-137 in Goiânia, enrolled in the Sistema de Monitoramento dos Radioacidentados (SISRAD) (Radioactivtity Victims Monitoring System) of the Centro de Assistência aos Radioacidentados (C.A.R.A) (Assistence Center for Radioactivity Victims). This is a descriptive, observational cross-sectional epidemiological study carried out in Goiânia-Goiás, from August 2013 to October 2014, with a group of patients enrolled in the Sistema de Monitoramento dos Radioacidentados (SISRAD) of the Centro de Assistência a Radioacidentados (C.A.R.A.). A total of 102 radioactive patients were divided into two groups: group 1 with 40 and group 2 with 62 participants. A field survey was conducted with a closed and semi-structured questionnaire in which the following contexts were addressed: sociodemographic profile, life habits and personal background. A database was created using the Google Forms application from the Google Web technologies company. The duly collected and stored data were imported and analyzed in the statistical software SPSS, version 21. The prevalence of SAH reached a total of 25% (12 individuals) of the 48 interviewees, 50% of women (24) and 50% of men (24), of which 22.9% (11) of the radioactivity victims revealed to be smokers. The prevalence of SAH in the radioactivity victims population is similar to that of the population in general. A Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica (HAS) na população brasileira, em populações não expostas ao Césio-137, apresenta prevalência de 28% em âmbito nacional. Porém, no grupo de radioacidentados, esses valores são desconhecidos. Analisar a prevalência da HAS em pacientes expostos ao Césio-137 ocorrido em Goiânia, cadastrados no Sistema de Monitoramento dos Radioacidentados (SISRAD) do Centro de Assistência aos Radioacidentados (C.A.R.A). Estudo epidemiológico do tipo descritivo, observacional de caráter transversal realizado em Goiânia-Goiás, no período de agosto de 2013 a outubro de 2014, com grupo de pacientes cadastrados no Sistema de Monitoramento dos Radioacidentados (SISRAD) do Centro de Assistência aos Radioacidentados (C.A.R.A). Participaram da pesquisa 48 radioacidentados de um total de 102 que foram subdivididos em dois grupos: grupo 1 com 40 e o grupo 2 com 62 participantes. Realizou-se uma pesquisa de campo com questionário fechado e semi-estruturado em que foram abordados os seguintes contextos: perfil sociodemográfico, hábitos de vida e antecedentes pessoais. Criou-se um banco de dados utilizando-se o aplicativo Google Forms, da empresa de tecnologias na Web Google. Os dados devidamente coletados e armazenados foram importados e analisados no software estatístico SPSS, versão 21. Dos 48 entrevistados a prevalência de HAS atingiu um total 25% deles (12 indivíduos), sendo 50% de mulheres (24) e 50% de homens (24), dentre estes, 22,9% (11) dos radioacidentados revelaram ser tabagistas. A prevalência de HAS na população de radioacidentados se manifesta de forma semelhante ao da população em geral.
M S MOLECULARES Rumo aos limites da miniaturiza o - (Molecular Magnets - towards the limits of miniaturization)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reis, Mario S; Moreira Dos Santos, Antonio F

Por s culos, acreditou-se que o magnetismo s se manifestava em metais, como aqueles contendo ferro; hoje, a imagem mais comum de um m talvez seja a daquelas plaquinhas flex veis coladas geladeira com propagandas dos mais diversos tipos. O leitor conseguiria imaginar um material puramente org nico daqueles que formam os seres vivos como magn tico? E m s do tamanho de mol culas? fato: ambos existem. Esses novos materiais, conhecidos como magnetos moleculares, descobertos e desenvolvidos em v rios laborat rios do mundo, j re nem longa lista de aplica es, do tratamento do c ncer a refrigeradoresmore » ecol gicos, passando pela transmiss o de eletricidade sem perda de calor e a fabrica o de computadores extremamente velozes.« less
On Ensino de Astronomia nas Cidades de Ribeirão Pires e Rio Grande da Serra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faria, R. Z.; Voelzke, M. R.

2007-08-01

Apesar da astronomia ser um dos temas indicados pelos Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais, observa-se que poucas mudanças ocorreram desde a implementação do mesmo em sala de aula. A presente pesquisa diz respeito sobre como os tópicos de astronomia estão sendo abordados pelos professores no ensino médio. Optou-se por aplicar um questionário com os professores que ministram a disciplina de física. Os mesmos trabalham em escolas estaduais situadas nas cidades de Ribeirão Pires e Rio Grande da Serra, ambas subordinadas a Diretoria de Ensino de Mauá, no Estado de São Paulo. O questionário foi aplicado durante o 2° semestre de 2006. Até o momento os resultados são preliminares. Dos 82,0% dos professores que responderam ao questionário no município de Rio Grande da Serra, 66,7% não aplicaram nenhum tópico de astronomia, 77,8% não utilizaram qualquer tipo de programa computacional, 66,7% não utilizaram laboratório, que 77,8% nunca levaram os alunos a museus e ou planetários e que 66,7% não indicaram qualquer tipo de revista ou livro sobre astronomia aos seus alunos. No município de Ribeirão Pires, 53,3% dos professores responderam ao questionário, destes 75,0% não aplicaram nenhum tópico de astronomia, 93,8% não utilizaram qualquer tipo de programa computacional, 75,0% não utilizaram laboratório, 81,3% nunca levaram os alunos a museus e ou planetário e 56,3% não indicaram qualquer tipo de revista ou livro sobre astronomia ao seus alunos. Apesar da maioria dos professores reconhecerem que o conteúdo de astronomia influi na formação do jovem, os mesmos não incluem o tema em seus planejamentos escolares.
Focused Cardiac Ultrasound Using a Pocket-Size Device in the Emergency Room.

PubMed

Mancuso, Frederico José Neves; Siqueira, Vicente Nicoliello; Moisés, Valdir Ambrósio; Gois, Aécio Flavio Teixeira; Paola, Angelo Amato Vincenzo de; Carvalho, Antonio Carlos Camargo; Campos, Orlando

2014-10-28

Background: Cardiovascular urgencies are frequent reasons for seeking medical care. Prompt and accurate medical diagnosis is critical to reduce the morbidity and mortality of these conditions. Objective: To evaluate the use of a pocket-size echocardiography in addition to clinical history and physical exam in a tertiary medical emergency care. Methods: One hundred adult patients without known cardiac or lung diseases who sought emergency care with cardiac complaints were included. Patients with ischemic changes in the electrocardiography or fever were excluded. A focused echocardiography with GE Vscan equipment was performed after the initial evaluation in the emergency room. Cardiac chambers dimensions, left and right ventricular systolic function, intracardiac flows with color, pericardium, and aorta were evaluated. Results: The mean age was 61 ± 17 years old. The patient complaint was chest pain in 51 patients, dyspnea in 32 patients, arrhythmia to evaluate the left ventricular function in ten patients, hypotension/dizziness in five patients and edema in one patient. In 28 patients, the focused echocardiography allowed to confirm the initial diagnosis: 19 patients with heart failure, five with acute coronary syndrome, two with pulmonary embolism and two patients with cardiac tamponade. In 17 patients, the echocardiography changed the diagnosis: ten with suspicious of heart failure, two with pulmonary embolism suspicious, two with hypotension without cause, one suspicious of acute coronary syndrome, one of cardiac tamponade and one of aortic dissection. Conclusion: The focused echocardiography with pocket-size equipment in the emergency care may allow a prompt diagnosis and, consequently, an earlier initiation of the therapy.Fundamento: As urgências cardiovasculares são causas importantes de procura por atendimento médico, sendo fundamentais a rapidez e a precisão no diagnóstico para diminuir sua morbimortalidade. Objetivo: Avaliar o uso da ecocardiografia direcionada como complemento diagnóstico ao exame físico em um serviço terciário de emergências clínicas. Métodos: Foram incluídos cem pacientes adultos sem doenças cardíacas ou pulmonares conhecidas que procuraram atendimento de urgência com queixas cardiológicas. Foram excluídos pacientes com alterações isquêmicas no eletrocardiograma ou febre. A ecocardiografia direcionada foi realizada logo após a avaliação inicial do paciente na sala de emergência, com aparelho ultraportátil GE Vscan, avaliando subjetivamente: dimensões das cavidades, função sistólica ventricular, fluxos intracardíacos pelo mapeamento de fluxo em cores, pericárdio e aorta. Resultados: A idade média dos pacientes foi 61 ± 17 anos. O quadro clínico inicial foi dor torácica (52 pacientes), dispneia (32 pacientes), arritmia/avaliação da função ventricular (dez pacientes), hipotensão/tontura (cinco pacientes) e edema periférico (um paciente). Em 28 pacientes a ecocardiografia direcionada confirmou a hipótese diagnóstica inicial: 19 pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca, cinco com síndrome coronariana aguda, dois com tromboembolismo pulmonar e dois com tamponamento cardíaco. Em 17 pacientes, a ecocardiografia direcionada alterou o diagnóstico, afastando a hipótese clínica inicial em dez casos com suspeita de insuficiência cardíaca, dois com suspeita de tromboembolismo pulmonar, dois com hipotensão a esclarecer, e em cada um dos três restantes com suspeitas de síndrome coronariana aguda, tamponamento cardíaco e dissecção de aorta. Conclusão: A ecocardiografia direcionada ultraportátil em serviço de emergências clínicas pode definir rapidamente o diagnóstico e, com isso, é possível iniciar mais precocemente o tratamento adequado.
Tão perto de casa, tão longe de nós: etnografia das novas margens no centro da urbe

PubMed Central

Fernandes, Por Luís

2011-01-01

Philippe Bourgois é, desde 2007, “Richard Perry University professor” no Departamento de Antropologia e de Medicina Familiar e de Práticas Comunitárias na Universidade da Pensilvânia. Esteve durante largos anos ligado ao Departamento de Antropologia, História e Medicina Social da Universidade da Califórnia, São Francisco. A publicação, em 1995, de In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio1 projectaria o seu nome muito para além dos Estados Unidos: uma etnografia no coração porto-riquenho do Harlem, em torno dos actores e dos ambientes da venda de crack. Seguir-se-ia um longo trabalho de terreno em acampamentos de dependentes de heroína em São Francisco, orientando o seu trabalho para as formas mais radicais da pobreza e da marginalidade nos EUA. É deste trabalho de terreno que sai o seu último livro, Righteous Dopefiend2. Em Junho de 2007 esteve em Lisboa para participar na 3.a edição do “Ethnografeast”. Foi então que aproveitámos a oportunidade para ouvir um percurso invulgar contado pelo próprio: uma longa conversa no Hotel Zurique, cujo nome só vem ao caso por evocar o país onde passou uma parte da infância. PMID:22013286
Biaxial seismic behaviour of reinforced concrete columns =

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, Hugo Filipe Pinheiro

A analise dos efeitos dos sismos mostra que a investigacao em engenharia sismica deve dar especial atencao a avaliacao da vulnerabilidade das construcoes existentes, frequentemente desprovidas de adequada resistencia sismica tal como acontece em edificios de betao armado (BA) de muitas cidades em paises do sul da Europa, entre os quais Portugal. Sendo os pilares elementos estruturais fundamentais na resistencia sismica dos edificios, deve ser dada especial atencao a sua resposta sob acoes ciclicas. Acresce que o sismo e um tipo de acao cujos efeitos nos edificios exige a consideracao de duas componentes horizontais, o que tem exigencias mais severas nos pilares comparativamente a acao unidirecional. Assim, esta tese centra-se na avaliacao da resposta estrutural de pilares de betao armado sujeitos a acoes ciclicas horizontais biaxiais, em tres linhas principais. Em primeiro lugar desenvolveu-se uma campanha de ensaios para o estudo do comportamento ciclico uniaxial e biaxial de pilares de betao armado com esforco axial constante. Para tal foram construidas quatro series de pilares retangulares de betao armado (24 no total) com diferentes caracteristicas geometricas e quantidades de armadura longitudinal, tendo os pilares sido ensaiados para diferentes historias de carga. Os resultados experimentais obtidos sao analisados e discutidos dando particular atencao a evolucao do dano, a degradacao de rigidez e resistencia com o aumento das exigencias de deformacao, a energia dissipada, ao amortecimento viscoso equivalente; por fim e proposto um indice de dano para pilares solicitados biaxialmente. De seguida foram aplicadas diferentes estrategias de modelacao nao-linear para a representacao do comportamento biaxial dos pilares ensaiados, considerando nao-linearidade distribuida ao longo dos elementos ou concentrada nas extremidades dos mesmos. Os resultados obtidos com as varias estrategias de modelacao demonstraram representar adequadamente a resposta em termos das curvas envolventes forca-deslocamento, mas foram encontradas algumas dificuldades na representacao da degradacao de resistencia e na evolucao da energia dissipada. Por fim, e proposto um modelo global para a representacao do comportamento nao-linear em flexao de elementos de betao armado sujeitos a acoes biaxiais ciclicas. Este modelo tem por base um modelo uniaxial conhecido, combinado com uma funcao de interacao desenvolvida com base no modelo de Bouc- Wen. Esta funcao de interacao foi calibrada com recurso a tecnicas de otimizacao e usando resultados de uma serie de analises numericas com um modelo refinado. E ainda demonstrada a capacidade do modelo simplificado em reproduzir os resultados experimentais de ensaios biaxiais de pilares.
A Introdução de Astronomia Básica para Estudantes de 5 e 6 Séries do Ensino Fundamental

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzaga, E. P.; Voelzke, M. R.

2008-09-01

Com intuito de despertar o interesse pelo estudo da astronomia, desenvolveu-se entre 2003 e 2006 no Centro Educacional do Serviço Social da Indústria situado no município de Mauá, São Paulo, um trabalho com duração de 12 meses para turmas de 11 e 12 anos, sendo três turmas por período (2003 / 2004, 2004 / 2005 e 2005 / 2006). O trabalho realizado, objetivando a introdução da astronomia básica com observações de constelações e das fases da Lua, permitindo estender-se a outros corpos celestes, iniciou-se com visita ao planetário Mundo Estelar, localizado no Ipiranga, São Paulo levantou-se a questão da importância do estudo da astronomia e foi lançado aos estudantes um trabalho de observação, com a proposta de localizar as constelações e compreender as fases da Lua, para o registro de tais observações, foram distribuídos mapas celestes, pastas, planilhas de anotações com lacunas para, constelações, fases da Lua e relatos, onde os estudantes acrescentaram pesquisas e relatórios. Os resultados dos 346 estudantes foram que 86,7% (300) concluíram a etapa de observação, destes 300 estudantes 43,3% (130) pesquisaram sobre as constelações e 19,0% (57) localizaram até quatro constelações. Dos 346 estudantes, 44,2% (153) registraram as fases da Lua equivocadamente e 10,4% (36) anexaram reportagens sobre astronomia. Conclui-se que os estudantes se dividiram em pesquisadores, sendo os estudantes que registraram e anexaram informações e, os observadores que preencheram as planilhas de observações, além de desenvolverem habilidades e competências relacionadas ao estudo da astronomia.
Analysis of the stability of housekeeping gene expression in the left cardiac ventricle of rats submitted to chronic intermittent hypoxia.

PubMed

Julian, Guilherme Silva; Oliveira, Renato Watanabe de; Tufik, Sergio; Chagas, Jair Ribeiro

2016-01-01

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with oxidative stress and various cardiovascular consequences, such as increased cardiovascular disease risk. Quantitative real-time PCR is frequently employed to assess changes in gene expression in experimental models. In this study, we analyzed the effects of chronic intermittent hypoxia (an experimental model of OSA) on housekeeping gene expression in the left cardiac ventricle of rats. Analyses via four different approaches-use of the geNorm, BestKeeper, and NormFinder algorithms; and 2-ΔCt (threshold cycle) data analysis-produced similar results: all genes were found to be suitable for use, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and 18S being classified as the most and the least stable, respectively. The use of more than one housekeeping gene is strongly advised. RESUMO A apneia obstrutiva do sono (AOS) tem sido associada ao estresse oxidativo e a várias consequências cardiovasculares, tais como risco aumentado de doença cardiovascular. A PCR quantitativa em tempo real é frequentemente empregada para avaliar alterações na expressão gênica em modelos experimentais. Neste estudo, analisamos os efeitos da hipóxia intermitente crônica (um modelo experimental de AOS) na expressão de genes de referência no ventrículo cardíaco esquerdo de ratos. Análises a partir de quatro abordagens - uso dos algoritmos geNorm, BestKeeper e NormFinder e análise de dados 2-ΔCt (ciclo limiar) - produziram resultados semelhantes: todos os genes mostraram-se adequados para uso, sendo que gliceraldeído-3-fosfato desidrogenase e 18S foram classificados como o mais e o menos estável, respectivamente. A utilização de mais de um gene de referência é altamente recomendada.
Classificação geométrica de galáxias bianeladas através do metódo CART (Classification And Regression Trees)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ormeño, M. I.; Faúndez-Abans, M.; Cavada, G.

2003-08-01

A importância deste trabalho deve-se à seleção de objetos ainda não tratados particularmente como uma família e ao emprego de procedimento estatístico robusto que não precisa de pressupostos ou condições de contorno. Contribui, assim, ao melhor entendimento do cenário das Galáxias Aneladas do diagrama de Hubble via classificação e estudo de subclasses. Selecionaram-se 100 galáxias possuidoras de dois anéis do Catalog of Southern Ringed Galaxies compilado por Ronald Buta, de modo a construir uma amostra completa em termos de conhecimento dos semi-eixos dos anéis interno e externo projetados no plano do céu. Visando uma possível classificação destas galáxias aneladas normais em famílias de acordo com as características geométricas dos anéis, empregou-se primeiramente a Análise de Aglomerados (ferramenta de classificação: medições de semelhança em um espaço bidimensional) para explorar a possível existência de famílias. As variáveis analisadas foram: os diâmetros interiores menores d(I) e maiores D(I), os diâmetros exteriores menores d(E) e maiores D(E), e os ângulos de inclinação dos semi-eixos maiores interiores q(I) e exteriores q(E) dos anéis. Como metodologia de discriminação, empregou-se a construção de Árvores de Classificação. As árvores de classificação constituem um método de discriminação alternativo aos modelos clássicos, tais como a Análise Discriminante e a Regressão Logística, onde uma base de dados é dividida em partições (subgrupos) da árvore por ação de um predictor (variável específica). Os pacotes estatísticos utilizados para o processamento da informação foram: SAS versão 8.0 (Statistical Analisys System) e CART versão 3.6.3. Esta análise estatística sugere a existência de três possíveis famílias de galáxias bianeladas, com base apenas na geometria dos anéis. Como forma exploratória inicial deste resultado, a construção de um diagrama BT (magnitude total) versus o índice de cor (B-R), mostra que os três grupos distribuem-se de forma praticamente contínua, porém discriminadas entre si, ocupando três regiões distintas. A classe 3, por exemplo, é geralmente a mais azul, sendo a Classe 1 a mais avermelhada.
Silver segregation in Ag/a-C nanocomposite coatings for potential application as antibacterial surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manninen, Noora Kristiina Alves de Sousa

O desenvolvimento de superficies antibacterianas representa um desafio atual em diferentes aplicacoes industriais, nomeadamente, dispositivos medicos, embalagens alimentares, texteis e sistemas de tratamento de agua. A maioria das bacterias existe em biofilmes que aderem fortemente a diferentes tipos de superficies uma vez que esta adesao representa um mecanismo estrategico de sobrevivencia. O fenomeno da adesao e colonizacao microbiana resulta na falha de diferentes dispositivos e componentes utilizados nas aplicacoes acima mencionadas, tendo como consequencia perdas economicas elevadas e representando tambem um problema de saude publica quando se tratam de aplicacoes como dispositivos medicos ou embalagens alimentares. Neste sentido, ao longo das ultimas decadas o desenvolvimento de superficies antibacterianas tem sido considerada uma estrategia emergente no desenvolvimento de materiais mais eficientes a serem aplicados em diferentes sectores. O objetivo da presente tese consiste no desenvolvimento e caracterizacao de revestimentos nanocompositos multifuncionais baseados em revestimentos de carbono amorfo dopado com nanoparticulas de prata (Ag/a-C) para potencial aplicacao em superficies antibacterianas. A Ag e atualmente considerada como o agente bactericida mais promissor e eficiente, sendo que as nanoparticulas de prata representam o material mais comercializado na area da nanotecnologia. A estrategia de modificacao superficial com revestimentos baseados em carbono amorfo (a-C) tem-se tornado popular do ponto de vista industrial essencialmente, devido entre outras propriedades, a sua resistencia ao desgaste tribologico excecional, que permite combinar uma elevada dureza com um baixo coeficiente de atrito, elevada estabilidade quimica, resistencia a corrosao e biocompatibilidade em diferentes aplicacoes biomedicas. Na atualidade os revestimentos de a-C sao utilizados em diferentes aplicacoes industriais nomeadamente dispositivos medicos, laminas de barbear e diferentes componentes mecanicos sujeitos a elevado desgaste tribologico. Neste sentido, a combinacao das propriedades intrinsecas destes materiais pode ser considerada uma abordagem promissora para o desenvolvimento de revestimentos multifuncionais, os quais podem ser aplicados em diferentes produtos, nomeadamente, dispositivos medicos. Na presente tese os revestimentos nanocompositos de Ag/a-C sao depositados por dois metodos distintos: (i) pulverizacao catodica em magnetrao e (ii) combinacao da pulverizacao catodica em magnetrao para deposicao da camada de a-C e condensacao em atmosfera inerte para a incorporacao simultanea de nanoparticulas de Ag na matrix de carbono. Os metodos acima mencionados sao comparados em relacao a uniformidade dos revestimentos depositados, permitindo efetuar a escolha do metodo de deposicao mais eficaz (pulverizacao catodica em magnetrao). Os revestimentos nanocompositos de Ag/a-C sao caraterizados relativamente a sua estrutura, estabilidade termodinamica em condicoes ambientais e propriedades funcionais (comportamento tribologico e atividade antibacteriana). O trabalho central da tese e focado na caraterizacao de revestimentos Ag/a-C contendo 20% at. de Ag, com diferentes espessuras e diferentes estruturas em multicamada. Os resultados sugerem que os revestimentos Ag/a-C sao instaveis mesmo em condicoes ambientais, sendo observado que a Ag e forma nanofibras entre as fronteiras das colunas, as quais recobrem a superficie do revestimento poucas semanas apos a producao. O processo de formacao de nanofibras e promovido pela humidade, sendo que, as particulas crescem atraves de um processo de coalescencia. As propriedades funcionais sugerem que os revestimentos Ag/a-C sao promissores do ponto de vista de actividade antibacteriana, a qual esta relacionada com a sua ionizacao. Os testes tribologicos revelam que em ambiente nao lubrificado a presenca da Ag promove a degradacao dos revestimentos a-C, contudo, em meios biologicos que simulam o liquido sinovial, presente nas articulacoes da anca, o comportamento tribologico e semelhante aos revestimentos a-C.
Novel materials based on chitosan, its derivatives and cellulose fibres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandes, Susana Cristina de Matos

O presente trabalho tem como principal objectivo o desenvolvimento de novos materiais baseados em quitosano, seus derivados e celulose, na forma de nanofibras ou de papel. Em primeiro lugar procedeu-se a purificacao das amostras comerciais de quitosano e a sua caracterizacao exaustiva em termos morfologicos e fisicoquimicos. Devido a valores contraditorios encontrados na literatura relativamente a energia de superficie do quitosano, e tendo em conta a sua utilizacao como precursor de modificacoes quimicas e a sua aplicacao em misturas com outros materiais, realizou-se tambem um estudo sistematico da determinacao da energia de superficie do quitosano, da quitina e seus respectivos homologos monomericos, por medicao de ângulos de contacto Em todas as amostras comerciais destes polimeros identificaram-se impurezas nao polares que estao associadas a erros na determinacao da componente polar da energia de superficie. Apos a remocao destas impurezas, o valor da energia total de superficie (gs), e em particular da sua componente polar, aumentou consideravelmente. Depois de purificadas e caracterizadas, algumas das amostras de quitosano foram entao usadas na preparacao de filmes nanocompositos, nomeadamente dois quitosanos com diferentes graus de polimerizacao, correspondentes derivados soluveis em agua (cloreto de N-(3-(N,N,N-trimetilamonio)-2- hidroxipropilo) de quitosano) e nanofibras de celulose como reforco (celulose nanofibrilada (NFC) e celulose bacteriana (BC). Estes filmes transparentes foram preparados atraves de um processo simples e com conotacao 'verde' pela dispersao homogenea de diferentes teores de NFC (ate 60%) e BC (ate 40%) nas solucoes de quitosano (1.5% w/v) seguida da evaporacao do solvente. Os filmes obtidos foram depois caracterizados por diversas tecnicas, tais como SEM, AFM, difraccao de raio-X, TGA, DMA, ensaios de traccao e espectroscopia no visivel. Estes filmes sao altamente transparentes e apresentam melhores propriedades mecânicas e maior estabilidade termica do que os correspondentes filmes sem reforco. Outra abordagem deste trabalho envolveu o revestimento de folhas de papel de E. globulus com quitosano e dois derivados, um derivado fluorescente e um derivado soluvel em agua, numa maquina de revestimentos ('maquina de colagem') a escala piloto. Este estudo envolveu inicialmente a deposicao de 1 a 5 camadas do derivado de quitosano fluorescente sobre as folhas de papel de forma a estudar a sua distribuicao nas folhas em termos de espalhamento e penetracao, atraves de medicoes de reflectância e luminescencia. Os resultados mostraram que, por um lado, a distribuicao do quitosano na superficie era homogenea e que, por outro lado, a sua penetracao atraves dos poros do papel cessou apos tres deposicoes. Depois da terceira camada verificou-se a formacao de um filme continuo de quitosano sobre a superficie do papel. Estes resultados mostram que este derivado de quitosano fluorescente pode ser utilizado como marcador na optimizacao e compreensao de mecanismos de deposicao de quitosano em papel e outros substratos. Depois de conhecida a distribuicao do quitosano nas folhas de papel, estudou-se o efeito do revestimento de quitosano e do seu derivado soluvel em agua nas propriedades finais do papel. As propriedades morfologicas, mecânicas, superficiais, opticas, assim como a permeabilidade ao ar e ao vapor de agua, a aptidao a impressao e o envelhecimento do papel, foram exaustivamente avaliadas. De uma forma geral, os revestimentos com quitosano e com o seu derivado soluvel em agua tiveram um impacto positivo nas propriedades finais do papel, que se mostrou ser dependente do numero de camadas depositadas. Os resultados tambem mostraram que os papeis revestidos com o derivado soluvel em agua apresentaram melhores propriedades opticas, aptidao a impressao e melhores resultados em relacao ao envelhecimento do que os papeis revestidos com quitosano. Assim, o uso de derivados de quitosano soluveis em agua em processos de revestimento de papel representa uma estrategia bastante interessante e sustentavel para o desenvolvimento de novos materiais funcionais ou na melhoria das propriedades finais dos papeis. Por fim, tendo como objectivo valorizar os residuos e fraccoes menos nobres da quitina e do quitosano provenientes da industria transformadora, estes polimeros foram convertidos em poliois viscosos atraves de uma reaccao simples de oxipropilacao. Este processo tem tambem conotacao "verde" uma vez que nao requer solvente, nao origina subprodutos e nao exige nenhuma operacao especifica (separacao, purificacao, etc) para isolar o produto da reaccao. As amostras de quitina e quitosano foram pre-activadas com KOH e depois modificadas com um excesso de oxido de propileno (PO) num reactor apropriado. Em todos os casos, o produto da reaccao foi um liquido viscoso composto por quitina ou quitosano oxipropilados e homopolimero de PO. Estas duas fraccoes foram separadas e caracterizadas.
Espectroscopia infravermelha de núcleos ativos de galáxias: resultados adicionais

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez Ardila, A.; Viegas, S.; Pastoria, M. G.

2003-08-01

Apresentamos resultados parciais de um levantamento espectroscópico na região do infravermelho próximo (NIR) realizado em 30 núcleos ativos de galáxias (AGN), incluindo vários objetos selecionados do catálogo PG com z de até 0.55. O objetivo é estudar a natureza do contínuo observado e as condições físicas do gas emissor. Todas as fontes de tipo 1 apresentam uma mudança na inclinação do contínuo na região de 1.2mm, associada ao término da contribuição do contínuo emitido pelo AGN e ao início da contribuição do contínuo emitido pela poeira quente atribuída ao tórus que rodeia a fonte central. O índice espectral associado à segunda contribuição varia apreciavelmente de objeto para objeto. Este resultado é comparado com distribuições espectrais de energia preditas por modelos de toroides para testar a validez do modelo unificado. A partir das linhas de FeII observado nos espectros deriva-se, pela primeira vez nessa região espectral, um template empírico de FeII para estudar a intensidade e a origem dessa emissão. A intensidade do FeII é estudada em conjunto com aquela da região visível e comparada às predições de modelos teóricos que incluem fluorescência de Lya, excitação colisional e auto-fluorescência como mecanismos dominantes de exitação. Encontra-se que os dois primeiros processos dominam na formação do espectro de FeII observado. Indicadores de avermelhamento, entre eles Brg/Pab, Pab/Pag, Pab/Pad e [FeII] 1.257/1.644 mm são utilizados para mapear a distribuição de poeira nas regiões emissoras de linhas. Encontra-se valores de extinção Av~3 associados ao último indicador e valores significativamente menores (Av~1.5) para os restantes, o que sugere que o [FeII] se forma em uma região separada da maior parte do gás emissor de linhas estreitas.
Diferentes Metodologias Aplicadas ao Ensino de Astronomia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albrecht, E.; Voelzke, M. R.

2007-08-01

Espera-se que o educando ao final da educação básica, adquira uma compreensão atualizada das hipóteses, modelos e formas de investigação sobre a origem e evolução do Universo em que vive. O presente trabalho tem como principal objetivo compreender dentre três práticas pedagógicas adotadas no Ensino de Astronomia, na terceira série do Ensino Médio, da Escola Estadual Colônia dos Pescadores, qual melhor cumpre o papel de formação e aprendizagem para vida. A pesquisa preliminar foi através de um questionário onde o intuito foi diagnosticar o conhecimento já existente acerca do tema em questão. O questionário é composto de vinte questões dissertativas e objetivas, onde os educandos das três turmas envolvidas o responderam. Este trabalho utiliza as seguintes metodologias: a tradicional, onde o professor é um repassador de informações, fazendo uso exclusivo de lousa e giz; a segunda também de forma tradicional, porém com auxílio de multimídia para desenvolvimento das aulas e aterceira sob forma de seminários, elaborados e apresentados pelos educandos, no qual o educador faz apenas as intervenções necessárias. Ao final do trabalho os alunos responderão novamente o questionário inicial para diagnosticar dentre as três metodologias utilizadas qual apresentou melhor resultado. Os resultados preliminares obtidos, já podem ser observados e, dos 119 alunos entrevistados, as respostas obtidas são as mais diversas e evidenciam que a grande maioria nunca teve em sua vida escolar o tema Astronomia. Ao serem questionados se já haviam estudado Astronomia as respostas foram: turma A: sim 43%; turma B: sim: 21%; turma C: sim: 24%. Porém quando questionados a respeito do significado de Astronomia observou-se que: turma A: 100% de acertos; turma B: 64% acertos; turma C: 84% de acertos, demonstrando claramente a aprendizagem em diferentes esferas, não dependendo unicamente da escola. Até o presente momento, verificou-se que há interesse em estudar o tema Astronom! ia entre os educandos.

Experience of health professionals in care of the homeless population with tuberculosis.

PubMed

Alecrim, Tatiana Ferraz de Araújo; Mitano, Fernando; Reis, Amanda Alessandra Dos; Roos, Cristine Moraes; Palha, Pedro Fredemir; Protti-Zanatta, Simone Teresinha

2016-01-01

Analyzing statements of health professionals from a Street Clinic regarding care of a homeless population with tuberculosis. This is a qualitative research, conducted in the central region of São Paulo at three basic health units in the period of November to December 2014. A semi-structured interview guideline was implemented for data collection and all interviews were recorded using a digital recorder. Six health professionals were interviewed. According to the Discourse Analysis perspective, three discursive segments emerged: experiences on care in the streets; weaknesses inherent to the treatment process; and incentives as a means of maintaining sick people in treatment. Caring for a the homeless population with tuberculosis constitutes a new and challenging experience. It involves difficulties in dealing with the reality of a miserable social context, a lack and inadequacy of services, as well as care limitations for treatment and treatment dropout, which reinforces multiresistance. However, the investigated Street Clinic teams seek to expand access to health and social care services to this population. Analisar os discursos dos profissionais de saúde do Consultório na Rua em relação ao cuidado à pessoa em situação de rua com tuberculose. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, realizada na região central do município de São Paulo, em três Unidades Básicas de Saúde, no período de novembro a dezembro de 2014. Utilizou-se de um roteiro de entrevista semiestruturada para a coleta de dados e todas as entrevistas foram gravadas com recurso a um gravador digital. Foram entrevistados seis profissionais de saúde. Segundo a perspectiva da Análise de Discurso, emergiram três blocos discursivos: experiência sobre o cuidar na rua; fragilidades inerentes ao processo de tratamento e incentivos como meio para a permanência do sujeito doente no tratamento. Cuidar da pessoa com tuberculose e em situação de rua constitui uma experiência nova e desafiadora, implica dificuldades em lidar com a realidade de um contexto social miserável, falta e inadequação de serviços, bem como limitações do cuidado para a cura e abandono do tratamento, podendo reforçar a multirresistência. Contudo, as equipes de Consultório na Rua investigadas buscam ampliar o acesso aos serviços de saúde e assistência social a essa população.
Study of heat and salt transport processes in the Espinheiro Channel (Ria de Aveiro)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaz, Nuno Alexandre Firmino

O principal objectivo deste trabalho consistiu no estudo da dinâmica termohalina do Canal do Espinheiro em funcao de dois forcamentos principais: mare e caudal fluvial, usando duas abordagens distintas: trabalho experimental e modelacao numerica. A propagacao da mare e o caudal fluvial do Rio Vouga sao determinantes no estabelecimento da estrutura horizontal da salinidade ao longo do canal. A estrutura termica horizontal ao longo do canal e, em grande parte, determinada pela variacao sazonal da temperatura da agua do Rio Vouga, bem como, pela variacao sazonal das condicoes meteorologicas devido a reduzida profundidade. Foi observada a formacao de fortes gradientes de salinidade (relacionados com a formacao de frentes estuarinas) numa regiao a cerca de 7-8 km da embocadura do canal, observando-se a sua migracao numa regiao de aproximadamente 1 km, dependendo do regime de mare. O balanco entre o transporte de sal de natureza advectiva e difusiva foi calculado, revelando que junto a embocadura os processos fisicos que mais contribuem para o transporte de sal sao a circulacao residual e o aprisionamento da agua em canais secundarios. Junto a foz do Rio Vouga os termos devidos a descarga fluvial e a circulacao gravitacional dominam o transporte de sal. Foi calibrado e validado um modelo numerico (Mohid, em modo 2D e 3D), sendo posteriormente utilizado para estudar a hidrologia do canal. Foi concedida particular atencao ao estudo da hidrologia em condicoes extremas de caudal fluvial e de mare. Os resultados da modelacao numerica permitiram numa primeira fase avaliar o bom desempenho do Mohid na reproducao dos escoamentos barotropicos na Ria de Aveiro, bem como na evolucao temporal das propriedades termohalinas da agua. Sob condicoes de caudal fluvial reduzido, a dinâmica do canal e essencialmente dominada pela mare. Com o aumento do caudal fluvial, a influencia da agua doce estende-se para jusante, estratificando a coluna de agua. As simulacoes 3D do Canal do Espinheiro foram efectuadas para periodos marcadamente diferentes de caudal fluvial e de mare. O modelo reproduziu qualitativamente/quantitativamente as observacoes de alturas de agua, velocidade e distribuicoes longitudinais de salinidade e temperatura sob um regime fraco a medio de caudal fluvial. Sob condicoes de caudal fluvial elevado, os resultados mostram que o modelo subestima a estratificacao. Este estudo contribuiu para o aumento do conhecimento da dinâmica do Canal do Espinheiro, bem como para o desenvolvimento de um sistema numerico capaz de reproduzir e prever os processos de transporte de sal e calor. None
Tribosystems based on multilayered micro/nanocrystalline CVD diamond coatings =

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shabani, Mohammadmehdi

A combinacao das caracteristicas do diamante microcristalino (MCD) e nanocristalino (NCD), tais como elevada adesao do MCD e a baixa rugosidade superficial e baixo coeficiente de atrito do NCD, e ideal para aplicacoes tribologicas exigentes. Deste modo, o presente trabalho centrou-se no desenvolvimento de revestimentos em multicamada MCD/NCD. Filmes com dez camadas foram depositados em amostras de cerâmicos de Si3N4 pela tecnica de deposicao quimica em fase vapor assistida por filamento quente (HFCVD). A microestrutura, qualidade do diamante e adesao foram investigadas usando tecnicas como SEM, AFM, espectroscopia Raman, DRX, indentacao Brale e perfilometria otica 3D. Diversas geometrias para aplicacoes distintas foram revestidas: discos e esferas para testes tribologicos a escala laboratorial, e para testes em servico, aneis de empanques mecânicos e pastilhas de corte para torneamento. Nos ensaios tribologicos esfera-sobre-plano em movimento reciproco, sob 10-90% de humidade relativa (RH), os valores medios dos coeficientes de atrito maximo e em estado estacionario sao de 0,32 e 0,09, respetivamente. Em relacao aos coeficientes de desgaste, observou-se um valor minimo de cerca de 5,2x10-8 mm3N-1m-1 para valores intermedios de 20-25% de RH. A humidade relativa tem um forte efeito sobre o valor da carga critica que triplica a partir de 40 N a 10% RH para 120 N a 90% de RH. No intervalo de temperaturas 50-100 °C, as cargas criticas sao semelhantes as obtidas em condicoes de baixa RH ( 10-25%). A vida util das ferramentas com revestimento de dez camadas alternadas MCD/NCD e 24 mum de espessura total no torneamento de um composito de matriz metalica Al- 15 vol% Al2O3 (Al-MMC) e melhor do que a maioria das ferramentas de diamante CVD encontradas na literatura, e semelhante a maioria das ferramentas de diamante policristalino (PCD). A formacao de cratera ocorre por desgaste sucessivo das varias camadas, atrasando a delaminacao total do revestimento de diamante do substrato, ao contrario do que acontece com os revestimentos monocamada. Os aneis de empanque testados com biodiesel apresentaram coeficientes de desgaste (4,1x10-10 mm3N-1m-1) duas ordens de grandeza menores do que em ensaios esfera-sobre-plano em movimento reciproco (k = 5,0x10-8 mm3N-1m-1), mas nao foi possivel obter vedacao completa devido a sobreaquecimento do fluido. Esta condicao foi obtida com agua sob pressao, para condicoes P.V na gama 0,72-5,3 MPa.ms-1. Um coeficiente de atrito em estado estacionario de 0,04 e um valor de coeficiente de desgaste de 6,0x10-10 mm3N-1m-1, caracteristico de um regime desgaste ultra-suave, revelam o alto desempenho deste tribossistema.
Tendências de teses e dissertações sobre ensino de astronomia no Brasil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bretones, P. S.; Megid Neto, J.

2003-08-01

Neste trabalho são apresentados os resultados de uma pesquisa do tipo estado da arte sobre teses e dissertações defendidas no Brasil e relativas ao ensino de Astronomia. Teve por objetivo identificar essa produção e conhecer as principais tendências da pesquisa nesse campo. O procedimento inicial consistiu de um levantamento bibliográfico junto ao Centro de Documentação em Ensino de Ciências (CEDOC) da Faculdade de Educação da UNICAMP e ao Banco de Teses da CAPES disponível na Internet. Foram localizadas 13 dissertações de mestrado e 3 teses de doutorado, as quais foram estudadas em função dos seguintes aspectos: instituição, ano de defesa, nível escolar abrangido no estudo, foco temático do estudo e gênero de trabalho acadêmico. Deste conjunto de pesquisas, 13 (81,3%) delas foram defendidas a partir da segunda metade dos anos 90, indicando uma preocupação mais recente com temas relativos ao ensino de Astronomia no conjunto da produção acadêmica em programas de pós-graduação no Brasil. Verificou-se que 43,7% dos trabalhos foram produzidas na USP e 18,8% na UNICAMP. Quanto ao nível escolar abrangido nos estudos, predominaram os estudos direcionados ao Ensino Fundamental de 5a a 8a séries (62,5%). No que diz respeito ao foco temático das pesquisas, as principais tendências voltaram-se: 56,3% para Conteúdo e Método; 43,8% para Concepções do Professor; 37,5% para Currículo e Programas; 37,5% para Recursos Didáticos. Quanto ao gênero de trabalho acadêmico, verificou-se que 43,8% são de Pesquisa Experimental e 31,3% de Pesquisa de Análise de Conteúdo. Estudos de revisão bibliográfica como este visam colaborar com a divulgação ampla da produção acadêmica em determinada área, traçando algumas de suas tendências. Ao mesmo tempo possibilita, a partir de investigações decorrentes, apontar as suas contribuições para o ensino e sinalizar com necessidades a serem supridas por futuras pesquisas.
Implementing apportionment strategy to identify costs in a multidisciplinary clinic.

PubMed

Ferraz, Renato Ribeiro Nogueira; Neri, Anna Sofia Costa; Barbosa, Estela Capelas; Silva, Marcus Vinícius Cesso da

2017-01-01

To present the implementation of an apportionment strategy proportional to the productive areas of a multidisciplinary clinic, defining the minimum values to be passed monthly to health professionals who work there. A study of the clinic structure was carried out, in which the area of occupation of each service was defined. Later the cost was prorated, allocating a value to each room, proportional to the space occupied. The apportionment implementation allowed the clinic managers to visualize the cost of each room, providing a value base for formation of a minimum amount necessary to be passed monthly to each professional, as a form of payment for rent of using their facilities. The risk of financial loss of the clinic was minimized due to variation of its productivity, as well as the conditions of transference at the time of hiring by professionals were clear, promoting greater confidence and safety in contract relations. Apresentar a implantação de uma estratégia de rateio proporcional às áreas produtivas de uma clínica multidisciplinar, definindo valores mínimos a serem repassados mensalmente aos profissionais de saúde que as ocupam. Estudo da estrutura da clínica, no qual foi definida, em metros quadrados, a área de ocupação de cada serviço. Em seguida, o custo foi rateado, alocando um valor a cada sala, proporcional ao espaço ocupado. A implantação do rateio possibilitou aos gestores da clínica estudada visualizar o custo de cada sala, fornecendo uma base de valor para formação de um valor mínimo necessário a ser repassado mensalmente para cada profissional, como forma de pagamento pelo aluguel de utilização de suas instalações. Minimizou-se o risco de prejuízo da clínica pela variação de sua produtividade, bem como ficaram claras as condições de repasse no momento de contratação do aluguel pelos profissionais, promovendo maior confiança e segurança na relação contratual.
Robotic Transversus Abdominis Release (TAR): is it possible to offer minimally invasive surgery for abdominal wall complex defects?

PubMed

Amaral, Maria Vitória França DO; Guimarães, José Ricardo; Volpe, Paula; Oliveira, Flávio Malcher Martins DE; Domene, Carlos Eduardo; Roll, Sérgio; Cavazzola, Leandro Totti

2017-01-01

We describe the preliminary national experience and the early results of the use of robotic surgery to perform the posterior separation of abdominal wall components by the Transversus Abdominis Release (TAR) technique for the correction of complex defects of the abdominal wall. We performed the procedures between 04/2/2015 and 06/15/2015 and the follow-up time was up to six months, with a minimum of two months. The mean surgical time was five hours and 40 minutes. Two patients required laparoscopic re-intervention, since one developed hernia by peritoneal migration of the mesh and one had mesh extrusion. The procedure proved to be technically feasible, with a still long surgical time. Considering the potential advantages of robotic surgery and those related to TAR and the results obtained when these two techniques are associated, we conclude that they seem to be a good option for the correction of complex abdominal wall defects. RESUMO Descrevemos a experiência preliminar nacional na utilização da cirurgia robótica para realizar a separação posterior de componentes da parede abdominal pela técnica transversus abdominis release (TAR) na correção de defeitos complexos da parede abdominal e seus resultados precoces. As cirurgias foram realizadas entre 02/04/2015 e 15/06/2015 e o tempo de acompanhamento dos resultados foi de até seis meses, com tempo mínimo de dois meses. O tempo cirúrgico médio foi de cinco horas e 40 minutos. Dois pacientes necessitaram reintervenção por laparoscopia, pois um desenvolveu hérnia por migração peritoneal da tela e um teve escape da tela. A cirurgia provou ser factível do ponto de vista técnico, com um tempo cirúrgico ainda elevado. Tendo em vista as vantagens potenciais da cirurgia robótica e aquelas relacionadas ao TAR e os resultados obtidos ao se associar essas duas técnicas, conclui-se que elas parecem ser uma boa opção para a correção de defeitos complexos da parede abdominal.
Biofunctionality and immunocompatibility of starch-based biomaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marques, Alexandra Margarida Pinto

A procura de novos biomateriais que desempenhem funcoes especificas sem, no entanto, desencadearem respostas negativas nos hospedeiros constitui um desafio permanente e actual nesta area. Biomateriais degradaveis foram uma das solucoes propostas e actualmente em aplicacao mas, embora possuam vantagens inegaveis, tambem apresentam alguns problemas nomeadamente no que diz respeito aos seus produtos de degradacao e respectivos efeitos negativos consequentes. Outros biomateriais, entre os quais polimeros de origem natural, foram propostos considerando que os seus produtos de degradacao poderao ser incorporados nas vias metabolicas normais evitando efeitos secundarios no hospedeiro. Ate ao momento, e apesar de todos os esforcos e do grande numero de dispositivos biomedicos desenvolvidos, o biomaterial ideal para uma aplicacao especifica ainda nao foi encontrado. Estudos com polimeros biodegradaveis a base de amido demonstraram que estes materiais possuem propriedades promissoras abrindo novas perspectivas para a sua possivel aplicacao numa variedade de aplicacoes biomedicas. Assim, de modo a demonstrar que estes materiais tem de facto potencial para serem utilizados em, por exemplo, substituicao ossea, sistemas de libertacao controlada, cimentos osseos e engenharia de tecidos, seria imperativo avaliar com maior profundidade a resposta biologica desencadeada pelos mesmos. Para tal foi delineado um plano de trabalhos com tres objectivos principais: i) avaliar a citocompatibilidade dos polimeros e compositos a base de amido com monitorizacao da citotoxicidade e analise da adesao e proliferacao celulares nas suas superficies. Foi dada particular atencao a osteoblastos considerando uma possivel aplicacao ortopedica para estes materiais; ii) estabelecer modelos in vitro para analisar e prever, tanto quanto possivel, uma situacao real de resposta inflamatoria; iii) validar os resultados in vitro com um modelo in vivo ja estabelecido em outros trabalhos de analise da resposta inflamatoria a biomateriais. Em resumo, os estudos de citocompatibilidade e imunocompatibilidade demonstraram que os polimeros e compositos a base de milho sao biomateriais promissores. Em comparacao com os biomateriais degradaveis actualmente em uso, possuem propriedades capazes de induzir um comportamento semelhante, ou mesmo melhor, em termos de citotoxicidade. Estes dados foram reconfirmados com a adesao e proliferacao de celulas do tipo osteoblastos na superficie de alguns dos materiais a base de amido, que demonstraram ser comparaveis as observadas no PLLA, evidenciando a possibilidade de usar esses materiais em aplicacoes ortopedicas. As conclusoes retiradas dos estudos in vitro e in vivo de imunocompatibilidade reforcam as observacoes das experiencias de citocompatibilidade e em conjunto, evidenciam a possibilidade de utilizacao dos biomateriais a base de amido, com fraca capacidade de desencadear uma reaccao inflamatoria, em aplicacoes biomedicas. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).
Intraoperative body temperature control: esophageal thermometer versus infrared tympanic thermometer.

PubMed

Poveda, Vanessa de Brito; Nascimento, Ariane de Souza

2016-01-01

To verify the correlation between temperature measurements performed using an infrared tympanic thermometer and an esophageal thermometer during the intraoperative period. A longitudinal study of repeated measures was performed including subjects aged 18 years or older undergoing elective oncologic surgery of the digestive system, with anesthesia duration of at least 1 hour. Temperature measurements were performed simultaneously by a calibrated esophageal thermometer and by a calibrated infrared tympanic thermometer, with laboratory reading precision of ±0.2ºC. The operating room temperature remained between 19 and 21ºC. The study included 51 patients, mostly men (51%), white (80.4%). All patients were kept warm by a forced-air heating system, for an average of 264.14 minutes (SD = 87.7). The two temperature measurements showed no different behavior over time (p = 0.2205), however, tympanic measurements were consistently 1.24°C lower (p<0.0001). The tympanic thermometer presented reliable results but reflected lower temperatures than the esophageal thermometer. Verificar a correlação entre as medidas de temperatura realizadas por meio de um termômetro timpânico por infravermelho e por um termômetro esofágico, durante o período intraoperatório. Realizou-se um estudo longitudinal, de medidas repetidas, incluindo sujeitos com idade igual ou superior a 18 anos, submetidos à cirurgia oncológica eletiva do sistema digestório, com duração da anestesia de, no mínimo, 1 hora. As medidas de temperatura eram realizadas, ao mesmo tempo, por meio de um termômetro esofágico calibrado e por termômetro timpânico por infravermelho calibrado, com precisão de leitura em laboratório de ±0,2ºC. A temperatura da sala operatória permaneceu entre 19 e 21ºC. Foram incluídos 51 pacientes, em sua maioria homens (51%), brancos (80,4%). Todos os pacientes foram aquecidos com o sistema de ar forçado aquecido, em média por 264,14 minutos (DP = 87,7). As duas medidas de temperatura não tiveram comportamento diferente ao longo do tempo (p = 0,2205), mas a medida timpânica foi consistentemente menor em 1,24°C (p < 0,0001). O termômetro timpânico apresentou resultados confiáveis, mas refletiu temperaturas mais baixas do que o termômetro esofágico.
Imagens do céu ontem e hoje - um multimídia interativo de astronomia e uma nova exposição no MAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caretta, C. A.; Lima, F. P.; Requeijo, F.; Vieira, G. G.; Alves, F.; Valente, M. E. A.; de Almeida, R.; de Garcia, G. C.; Quixadá, A. C.

2003-08-01

"Imagens do Céu Ontem e Hoje" é o título de uma nova exposição que está sendo inaugurada no Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins (MCT), que inclui experimentos interativos, maquetes, réplicas e 8 terminais de computador com um multimídia interativo sobre Astronomia para consulta dos visitantes. O multimídia apresenta um conteúdo bastante extenso, que engloba quase todos os temas em Astronomia, consistindo numa fonte de divulgação e pesquisa para um público que vai das crianças até estudantes universitários. O conteúdo está distribuído em mais de 500 páginas de texto divididas em 4 módulos: "O Universo", "Espectroscopia", "Telescópios" e "Observando o Céu". Cada módulo é subdividido em 5 seções, em média, cada uma iniciada por uma animação que ilustra os temas a serem abordados na seção. Ao final da animação, uma lista de temas é apresentada sob o título "Saiba Mais". Para exemplificar, o módulo "O Universo" contém as seguintes seções: "O Universo visto pelo homem", "Conhecendo o Sistema Solar", "Indo além do Sistema Solar", "Nossa Galáxia, a Via-Láctea" e "Indo mais além, a imensidão do Universo". A seção "Conhecendo o Sistema Solar", por sua vez, tem os seguintes temas: "A origem do Sistema Solar", "O Sol", "Os planetas", "Satélites, asteróides, cometas e outros bichos..." e "O Sistema Solar em números". Cada texto é repleto de imagens, quadros, desenhos, esquemas, etc, além de passatempos ao final de cada seção, incluindo jogos interativos, quadrinhos e curiosidades, que auxiliam o aprendizado de forma divertida. Apresentamos neste trabalho as idéias gerais que permearam a produção da exposição, e uma viagem pelo multimídia para exemplificar sua estrutura e conteúdo. O multimídia será posteriormente disponibilizado para o público externo pela página eletrônica do MAst e/ou por intermédio de uma publicação comercial.
Clinical and sociodemographic variables associated with diabetes-related distress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Zanchetta, Flávia Cristina; Trevisan, Danilo Donizetti; Apolinario, Priscila Peruzzo; Silva, Juliana Bastoni da; Lima, Maria Helena de Melo

2016-01-01

To evaluate the relation between diabetes-related distress and the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. A cross-sectional study based on a secondary analysis of data collected at a specialized care outpatient center in Brazil. Participants completed a questionnaire on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and the Brazilian version of the Diabetes Distress Scale (B-DDS). About 31% of the 130 eligible patients reported diabetes distress, and the mean B-DDS score was 2.6. Multiple regression analysis showed the B-DDS score was positively correlated with marital status (p=0.0230), use of diet and physical activities for diabetes management (p=0.0180), and use of insulin therapy (p=0.0030). The "emotional burden", "regimen-related distress", and "interpersonal distress" domains from B-DDS were associated with the use of insulin therapy (p=0.0010), marital status (p=0.0110), and the presence of three or more comorbidities (p=0.0175). These findings suggest the clinical and sociodemographic variables are relatively weak predictors of diabetes-related distress. The highest scores in the B-DDS were observed in the emotional burden domain, indicating the presence of diabetes distress among the participants of the study. Avaliar a relação entre o estresse relacionado ao diabetes e as características clínicas e sociodemográficas de pacientes com diabetes mellitus do tipo 2. Estudo transversal com base na análise secundária de dados coletados em um ambulatório de atendimento terciário no Brasil. Os participantes preencheram um questionário sobre as características sociodemográficas e clínicas, e a versão brasileira da Diabetes Distress Scale (B-DDS). Aproximadamente 31% dos 130 pacientes elegíveis relataram estresse relacionado ao diabetes, e a média do escore da B-DDS foi de 2,6. O modelo de regressão múltipla mostrou que a pontuação B-DDS foi positivamente correlacionada com o estado civil (p=0,0230), realização de dieta e atividades físicas (p=0,0180), e uso de insulina (p=0,0030). Os domínios da B-DDS "carga emocional", "estresse relacionado ao regime terapêutico" e "estresse nas relações interpessoais" foram associados a uso de insulina (p=0,0010), estado civil (p=0,0110) e presença de três ou mais comorbidades (p=0,0175). Estes resultados sugerem que as variáveis clínicas e sociodemográficas são preditores relativamente fracos para o estresse relacionado ao diabetes. No domínio "carga emocional", foi observada a maior pontuação da B-DDS, indicando a presença do estresse relacionado ao diabetes entre os pacientes deste estudo.
Factors associated with the implementation of programs for drug abuse prevention in schools.

PubMed

Pereira, Ana Paula Dias; Paes, Ângela Tavares; Sanchez, Zila M

2016-08-04

To analyze if characteristics of managers, schools, and curriculum are associated with the implementation of programs for drug abuse prevention in elementary and high schools. Cross-sectional study, with random sample of 263 school managers. Data were collected between 2012 and 2013 by a program that sends forms via internet. A closed self-filling questionnaire was applied online. Statistical analysis included Chi-square tests and logistic regression models. The outcome variable was the presence of program for drug abuse prevention inserted in the daily life and educational program of the school. The explanatory variables were divided into: demographic data of the manager; characteristics of the school and of the curriculum; health education; and drug use in the school. We found that 42.5% (95%CI 36.1-49.1) of the evaluated schools had programs for drug abuse prevention. With the multiple logistic regression model, we observed that the more time the manager has worked with education, the chance of the school having a program increased at about 4.0%. Experimenting with innovative teaching techniques also increased at about six times the chance of the school developing a program for drug abuse prevention. The difficulties in the implementation of the programs were more present in state and municipal schools, when compared with private schools, due to, for instance: lack of teaching materials, lack of money, and competing demands for teaching other subjects. The implementation of programs for drug abuse prevention in the city of Sao Paulo is associated with the experience of the manager in education and with the teaching strategies of the school. Analisar se características dos dirigentes, das escolas e do currículo escolar estão associadas à implantação de programas de prevenção ao uso de drogas nas escolas do ciclo fundamental II e médio. Estudo transversal, com amostra aleatória sistemática de 263 dirigentes escolares. Os dados foram coletados nos anos de 2012 e 2013 por meio de um programa de envio de formulários pela internet. Aplicou-se questionário fechado, de autopreenchimento on-line. A análise estatística incluiu testes Qui-quadrado e modelos de regressão logística. A variável desfecho foi a presença de programa de prevenção ao uso de drogas inserido no cotidiano e no programa pedagógico da escola. As variáveis explicativas foram divididas em: dados demográficos do dirigente; características da escola e do currículo; educação em saúde; e consumo de drogas na escola. Constatou-se que 42,5% (IC95% 36,1-49,1) das escolas avaliadas possuíam programa de prevenção ao uso de drogas. Com o modelo de regressão logística múltipla, observou-se que, a cada ano de atuação do dirigente na educação, a chance de a escola ter um programa aumentava em aproximadamente 4,0%. O fato de experimentar técnicas de ensino inovadoras também aumentou em cerca de seis vezes a chance de a escola desenvolver um programa de prevenção ao uso de drogas. As dificuldades na implantação dos programas foram mais presentes nas redes estadual e municipal, quando comparadas à rede privada, destacando-se: a falta de material didático, a falta de dinheiro e as demandas concorrentes para ensino de outras disciplinas. A implantação de programas de prevenção ao uso de drogas no município de São Paulo está associada à experiência do dirigente escolar na educação e nas estratégias de ensino da escola.
Espectroscopia multi-objeto e imageamento de Abell 586 com GMOS - o estado dinâmico de um aglomerado de galáxias com arcos gravitacionais

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cypriano, E. S.; Sodré, L., Jr.; Kneib, J.-P.; Campusano, L.

2003-08-01

Nesse trabalho é apresentado um estudo do conteúdo de massa do aglomerado de galáxias A586 (z = 0.171) bem como sua distribuição espacial. Isso foi feito a partir de dados de espectroscopia multi-objeto e imageamento obtidos com o instrumento GMOS acoplado ao telescópio Gemini-Norte. A massa desse aglomerado foi estudada a partir da posição dos seus arcos gravitacionais (lentes fortes), da medida estatística da distorção na forma das galáxias de fundo (lentes fracas) e através da dispersão de velocidades de uma amostra de cerca de 30 galáxias pertencentes ao aglomerado (teorema do virial). Os dois primeiros métodos não dependem do estado dinâmico do aglomerado, enquanto que o terceiro sim. Desse modo, comparando seus resultados pode-se estimar o grau de relaxamento desse sistema. Dados de raios X presentes na literatura também serão incluídos nessa análise. Nossos resultados preliminares a partir das técnicas de lentes fracas, mostram que, supondo que a distribuição de massa desse aglomerado seja a de uma esfera isotérmica, espera-se que ele apresente uma dispersão de velocidades de 1330+/-78 km s-1, em contradicao com medidas similares feitas por Dahle et al. 2002 que encontram valores tão altos quanto 1680 km s-1. Já o estudo dinâmico resultou numa dispersão de velocidades de ~950 km s-1.
Looking for the Coldest Atmospheres: a Search for Planetary Mass Companions around T and Y Brown Dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fontanive, Clemence

2017-08-01

We propose to obtain WFC3/IR imaging of the very coolest brown dwarfs (T < 800 K) to search for substellar and planetary-mass companions to these objects. Companions discovered by this program would likely be analogues of the 250 K brown dwarf WISE 0855 and would provide vital benchmark objects for theoretical models, closing the gap in mass and temperature between brown dwarfs and planets. Finding such an object as a member of a binary system would be even more valuable as it would allow for the measurement of dynamical masses. We recently placed the first constraints to date on the binary frequency for brown dwarfs with spectral types >T8. This program will triple our current sample size, a requirement in order to confirm our current results and compare substellar binary properties for various spectral type and age populations. The WFC3/IR plate will allow us to probe near equal-mass binaries down to separations of 0.2 (2-3 AU for the typical distances of our targets). True cool companions should show strong absorption around 1.4 um as a result of the deep water absorption band observed at that wavelength in substellar spectra. We therefore propose observations in the WFC3 F127M and F139M filters which will allow us to robustly identify bona fide candidates and distinguish them from background stars based on this spectral feature. Most of our targets lack suitable NGS AO guide stars or LGS AO tip-tilt stars to be observed with ground-based telescopes, and the 1.4 um water band is often unobservable from the ground due to telluric water absorption. WFC3 on HST is thus the only instrument suitable for these observations.
Adolescentes: comportamento e risco cardiovascular

PubMed Central

da Costa, Ivelise Fhrideraid Alves Furtado; Medeiros, Carla Campos Muniz; da Costa, Fernanda Dayenne Alves Furtado; de Farias, Camilla Ribeiro Lima; Souza, Diogo Rodrigues; Adriano, Wellington Sabino; Simões, Mônica Oliveira da Silva; Carvalho, Danielle Franklin

2017-01-01

Resumo Contexto Os benefícios para a saúde decorrentes da prática regular de atividade física estão bem documentados. Entretanto, são raros os estudos associando essa prática ao comportamento sedentário e ao risco cardiovascular em adolescentes. Objetivos Pretende-se avaliar a prática de atividade física, o comportamento sedentário e a associação com o risco cardiovascular mensurado pelo escore Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PDAY). Métodos Estudo transversal desenvolvido nas escolas públicas estaduais de Campina Grande, PB, Brasil, com 576 adolescentes de 15 a 19 anos, incluindo variáveis socioeconômicas, demográficas, de estilo de vida e clínicas. Os dados foram coletados através de formulário validado, antropometria, aferição da pressão arterial e exames laboratoriais. Foram utilizadas medidas descritivas, teste do qui-quadrado de Pearson e regressão logística binomial. Trabalhou-se com o SPSS 22.0 se adotou intervalo de confiança de 95%. Resultados A idade média foi de 16,8 anos. A maioria dos adolescentes era do sexo feminino (66,8%), não branco (78.7%) e pertencente às classes C, D e (69,1%). Quanto ao sedentarismo e à insuficiência de atividade física, as prevalências foram de 78,1% e 60,2%, respectivamente. De acordo com o escore PDAY, 10,4% dos adolescentes apresentaram alto risco cardiovascular; 31,8% risco intermediário; e 57,8%, risco baixo. Verificou-se que PDAY esteve associado ao sexo e à adiposidade abdominal. Conclusões Ficou comprovado que adiposidade abdominal e sexo masculino representam importantes fatores de risco cardiovascular em adolescentes. Considerando-se a presença de um fator de risco modificável, medidas preventivas voltadas ao estilo de vida são essenciais. PMID:29930648
Confirming Planetary Mass Candidate Companions in Ophiuchus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fontanive, Clemence

2016-10-01

We propose for follow-up observations to confirm common proper motion for two candidate planetary mass companions, identified as part of our GO 12944 (PI Allers) search for companions to the youngest ( 0.5 Myr) brown dwarfs in the nearby Ophiuchus star-forming region. If confirmed to be co-moving, these would be among the lowest mass planetary mass companions imaged to date, with estimated masses <5 Jupiter Masses and would be vital benchmark objects for evolutionary models at these young ages. With our multi-band optical and IR photometric approach based on the SpT-Q relation seen for Ophiuchus brown dwarfs (Allers in prep.), we have already estimated the spectral type of our candidate companions. This approach distinguishes substellar objects from background interlopers based on the strength of the 1.4 um water feature robustly observed in MLTY objects but not in reddened background stars - both our candidates show clear evidence of absorption at 1.4 um. If confirmed, these candidate companions would significantly increase the census of young planetary mass companions around extremely young brown dwarfs. These candidate companions are too faint to be observed with ground-based laser guide star adaptive optics (LGS AO) nor is the 1.4 um water feature observable from the ground for such faint objects due to telluric absorption, thus HST is the only telescope in the world suitable for these observations.
Uma Comparação entre Técnicas de Propagação de Erros em Astrofísica: Monte Carlo x Bootstrap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zabot, Alexandre; Baptista, Raymundo

2005-07-01

Neste trabalho é feito um estudo comparativo entre dois algoritmos numéricos usados para propagação de erros em dados experimentais. Um deles é conhecido por Método de Monte carlo e o outro por Método de Bootstrap. Recentemente, Dhullon & Watson argüiram que a aplicação do método de Monte Carlo introduz ruído nos dados, e propuseram então a utilização do Bootstrap como alternativa capaz de produzir resultados superiores. O objetivo deste trabalho é testar a validade dessa afirmação. As duas técnicas foram aplicadas a três problemas diferentes: o ajsute de modelos de emissão LTE simples e atmosfera estelar a espectros estelares observados e o ajuste de curvas de luz de eclipses de Variáveis Cataclísmicas para a detemrinação da distribuição radial de brilho dos seus discos de acréscimo. Os métodos foram testados quanto à sua robusteza, ou seja, a capacidade de prover resultados coerentes enre si. Além disso, as soluções dos métodos foram comparadas. Os resultados indicam que não existe evidência de superioridade de um métodos em relação ao outro.
Identificabilidade e estabilidade dos parâmetros no método Grade of Membership (GoM): considerações metodológicas e práticas

PubMed Central

Guedes, Gilvan Ramalho; Caetano, André Junqueira; Machado, Carla Jorge; Brondízio, Eduardo Sonewend

2011-01-01

O método Grade of Membership (GoM) tem sido cada vez mais utilizado por demógrafos brasileiros e tem a vantagem de possuir um parâmetro que mensura a heterogeneidade individual, com base nas correlações não-observáveis entre as categorias de resposta das variáveis de interesse, gerando um medida do grau de pertencimento de cada indivíduo a perfis extremos. Alguns autores, contudo, chamam atenção para questões importantes na calibragem dos modelos finais que utilizam o programa GoM versão 3.4, como o problema de identificabilidade – soluções múltiplas para parâmetros estimados. Neste artigo, é sugerido um procedimento capaz de identificar um modelo final com solução única que descreva os tipos puros mais fidedignos à base de dados, em uma tentativa de otimização. Para ilustrar esse processo, utilizou-se uma base de dados correspondente a um levantamento econômico e sociodemográfico de uma população de pequenos agricultores residentes ao longo da Rodovia Transamazônica, no Estado do Pará. Também identificou-se a existência de instabilidade nos parâmetros estimados pelo programa GoM 3.4, sendo proposto um método de estabilização de seus valores. Com esses procedimentos combinados, os usuários do programa GoM 3.4 poderão descrever sua base de dados de forma mais adequada e responder às críticas sobre questões de identificabilidade e estabilidade dos modelos resultantes. Essas soluções empíricas são relevantes por afetarem cálculos de prevalência e de incidência de eventos de interesse, além de trazerem consequências importantes sobre o ponto e o momento corretos para intervenções de políticas públicas ou de planejamento prospectivo em análises de projeção. PMID:21709732
Dissecção aórtica de tipo B de Stanford: relato de caso e revisão de literatura

PubMed Central

Michaelis, Wilson; Santos, Antônio Lacerda; Yokohama, Rogério Akira; Andretta, Marianne Ariely; Delazari, Mariana Vieira; Vieira, Luciano; Seguro, Erick Fernando; Sarquis, Lucas Mansano

2017-01-01

Resumo O complexo tratamento de dissecção da aorta ainda apresenta controvérsias devido à gravidade do caso e à necessidade de individualização da terapêutica. A gravidade relaciona-se ao difícil diagnóstico pelas queixas inespecíficas e pelas graves complicações inerentes à evolução da doença (ruptura aórtica, síndrome de má perfusão, dissecção retrógrada, dor ou hipertensão refratária). Este relato apresenta um homem de 61 anos, tabagista e hipertenso mal controlado, que evoluiu para dissecção aórtica de tipo B de Stanford. Foi abordado através de técnica endovascular com uso de endoprótese com stent para tratamento do caso após falha do tratamento medicamentoso. O tratamento endovascular mostrou-se uma ferramenta eficaz para o tratamento definitivo, com boa taxa de sobrevida ao final do primeiro ano após o procedimento.
Charge Gain, Voltage Gain, and Node Capacitance of the SAPHIRA Detector Pixel by Pixel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pastrana, Izabella M.; Hall, Donald N. B.; Baker, Ian M.; Jacobson, Shane M.; Goebel, Sean B.

2018-01-01

The University of Hawai`i Institute for Astronomy has partnered with Leonardo (formerly Selex) in the development of HgCdTe linear mode avalanche photodiode (L-APD) SAPHIRA detectors. The SAPHIRA (Selex Avalanche Photodiode High-speed Infra-Red Array) is ideally suited for photon-starved astronomical observations, particularly near infrared (NIR) adaptive optics (AO) wave-front sensing. I have measured the stability, and linearity with current, of a 1.7-um (10% spectral bandpass) infrared light emitting diode (IR LED) used to illuminate the SAPHIRA and have then utilized this source to determine the charge gain (in e-/ADU), voltage gain (in uV/ADU), and node capacitance (in fF) for each pixel of the 320x256@24um SAPHIRA. These have previously only been averages over some sub-array. Determined from the ratio of the temporal averaged signal level to variance under constant 1.7-um LED illumination, I present the charge gain pixel-by-pixel in a 64x64 sub-array at the center of the active area of the SAPHIRA (analyzed separately as four 32x32 sub-arrays) to be about 1.6 e-/ADU (σ=0.5 e-/ADU). Additionally, the standard technique of varying the pixel reset voltage (PRV) in 10 mV increments and recording output frames for the same 64x64 subarray found the voltage gain per pixel to be about 11.7 uV/ADU (σ=0.2 uV/ADU). Finally, node capacitance was found to be approximately 23 fF (σ=6 fF) utilizing the aforementioned charge and voltage gain measurements. I further discuss the linearity measurements of the 1.7-um LED used in the charge gain characterization procedure.
Telescópio de patrulhamento solar em 12 GHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utsumi, F.; Costa, J. E. R.

2003-08-01

O telescópio de patrulhamento solar é um instrumento dedicado à observação de explosões solares com início de suas operações em janeiro de 2002, trabalhando próximo ao pico de emissão do espectro girossincrotrônico (12 GHz). Trata-se de um arranjo de três antenas concebido para a detecção de explosões e determinação em tempo real da localização da região emissora. Porém, desde sua implementação em uma montagem equatorial movimentada por um sistema de rotação constante (15 graus/hora) o rastreio apresentou pequenas variações de velocidade e folgas nas caixas de engrenagens. Assim, tornou-se necessária a construção de um sistema de correção automática do apontamento que era de fundamental importância para os objetivos do projeto. No segundo semestre de 2002 empreendemos uma série de tarefas com o objetivo de automatizar completamente o rastreio, a calibração, a aquisição de dados, controle de ganhos, offsets e transferência dos dados pela internet através de um projeto custeado pela FAPESP. O rastreio automático é realizado através de um inversor que controla a freqüência da rede de alimentação do motor de rastreio podendo fazer micro-correções na direção leste-oeste conforme os radiômetros desta direção detectem uma variação relativa do sinal. Foi adicionado também um motor na direção da declinação para correção automática da variação da direção norte-sul. Após a implementação deste sistema a precisão do rastreio melhorou para um desvio máximo de 30 segundos de arco, o que está muito bom para este projeto. O Telescópio se encontra em funcionamento automático desde março de 2003 e já conta com várias explosões observadas após a conclusão desta fase de automação. Estamos apresentando as explosões mais intensas do período e com as suas respectivas posições no disco solar.

Percepção astronómica de um grupo de alunos do ensino médio de uma escola da rede estadual de São Paulo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Oliveria, E. F.; Voelzke, M. R.

2009-03-01

Sendo a Astronomia uma das cièncias mais antigas da humanidade, e considerando sua importáncia histórica e cultural, é de extrema releváncia que tópicos relacionados a ela sejam tratados nas escolas. Embora os Parámetros Curriculares Nacionais do Ensino Médio (PCN-EM) e as Orientaçiacute;es Complementares aos Parámetros (PCN+) apontem a importáncia de uma abordagem significativa de conceitos relacionados à Astronomia nas aulas de Física, muitos estudantes terminam o Ensino Médio (EM) sem compreender a razão de certos acontecimentos de origem celeste, ainda que estes façam parte de seu cotidiano e sejam alvos da curiosidade natural dos jovens. Da observação dessa curiosidade em alunos de uma escola pública paulista, na cidade de Suzano, surgiu o interesse em investigar os conhecimentos básicos em Astronomia dos alunos do Ensino Médio desta escola, constituindo-se este como principal objetivo desta pesquisa. Para tanto foi elaborado um questionário de múltipla escolha aplicado inicialmente a 34 alunos do primeiro ano e, posteriormente, a mais 310, distribuídos entre as très séries do Ensino Médio dos períodos matutino e noturno. Dessa forma, observou-se que 73,9% dos estudantes identificaram o Sol como sendo uma estrela, 67,1% mostraram compreender a sucessão entre dia e noite e 52,3% relacionaram o Big Bang à origem do Universo. Em contrapartida, apenas 34,5% relacionaram as estaçíes do ano à inclinação do eixo de rotação da Terra, 21,3% indicaram a influència gravitacional simultánea da Lua e do Sol como responsável pelo fenòmeno das marés, 24,5% indicaram corretamente quais são os objetos celestes mais próximos da Terra, 36,1% identificaram ano-luz como uma medida de distáncia e 34,2% reconheceram as estrelas cadentes como meteoros, evidenciando-se assim o pequeno discernimento dos estudantes quanto aos fenòmenos e termos astronòmicos do cotidiano. Além disso, foram comparadas as respostas de alun! os de diferentes séries e períodos, observando-se, dentre ou tras coi sas, que os estudantes do terceiro ano apresentam um percentual de acertos semelhante ao dos alunos do primeiro, caracterizando que a abordagem de tópicos relacionados à astronomia no Ensino Médio não tem contribuído de forma significativa para uma maior compreensão dos fenòmenos e conceitos.
Perfil farmacoterapêutico de pacientes obesos no pós-operatório de cirurgia bariátrica

PubMed Central

Kovaleski, Elenara Simoni; Schroeder, Helena; Krause, Mauricio; Dani, Caroline; Bock, Patrícia Martins

2016-01-01

Resumo Contexto A obesidade pode estar relacionada a doenças como diabetes, hipertensão arterial e dislipidemia. A cirurgia bariátrica é um dos tratamentos mais eficazes, levando à diminuição de peso e comorbidades. Objetivo Avaliar o perfil metabólico e farmacoterapêutico de pacientes obesos após cirurgia bariátrica. Métodos Trata-se de um estudo observacional transversal retrospectivo, realizado em um hospital localizado na cidade de Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. Foram avaliados 70 prontuários de pacientes que realizaram cirurgia bariátrica, nos períodos de antes de 2 meses e mais de 6 meses após a cirurgia bariátrica. A análise estatística foi realizada no programa SPSS 17.0®. Resultados A pressão arterial inicial foi de 130/85 mmHg, passando para 120/80 mmHg (p < 0,01). Com relação ao perfil metabólico antes de dois meses, o HDL foi de 34 mg/dL, o colesterol total foi de 195,07 ± 40,17 mg/dL, o LDL foi de 118,22 ± 41,28 mg/dL, os triglicerídeos foram de 141,09 ± 43,39 mg/dL, e a glicemia de jejum foi de 90 mg/dL. Após 6 meses de cirurgia, os valores passaram para 43 mg/dL, 133,67 ± 28,14 mg/dL, 65,53 ± 24,3 mg/dL, 104,41 ± 29,6 mg/dL, e 77 mg/dL, respectivamente (p < 0,01). Com relação ao uso de medicamentos, 41% utilizaram anti-hipertensivos, 39% utilizaram hipolipemiantes, 10% utilizaram hipoglicemiantes orais e 97% utilizaram suplementos antes dos 2 meses de cirurgia. Após os 6 meses, os percentuais foram alterados para 21%, 19%, 9% e 99%, respectivamente. Conclusões O estudo mostra o sucesso da cirurgia bariátrica em pacientes obesos com comorbidades, revelando melhora no perfil metabólico e redução na utilização de medicamentos para tratamento de comorbidades. PMID:29930588
Diferentes metodologias aplicadas ao ensino de astronomia no Ensino Médio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albrecht, E.; Voelzke, M. R.

2009-03-01

O presente trabalho de intervenção foi realizado junto à Escola Estadual Colònia dos Pescadores na cidade de Caraguatatuba, com très turmas do terceiro ano do Ensino Médio, envolvendo 119 alunos com idades entre 16 e 19 anos. A fase inicial foi composta de um questionário de vinte questíes dissertativas e objetivas, aplicado pelo professor titular da sala, que era o mesmo nas très turmas, para diagnosticar nos educandos os conceitos prévios sobre Astronomia e, partindo destes realizar um trabalho de intervenção nas classes envolvidas utilizando, em cada uma, metodologias diferentes: (A) sob forma de seminários, elaborados e apresentados pelos educandos, no qual o educador faz apenas as intervençíes necessárias; (B) de forma tradicional, com auxílio de multimídias para desenvolvimento das aulas e a terceira (C) tradicional, fazendo uso exclusivo de lousa e giz. Ao final do trabalho os alunos responderam novamente o questionário inicial para diagnosticar dentre as très metodologias utilizadas qual apresentou melhores aplicaçíes, os resultados iniciais foram comparados com os finais. Quando questionados a respeito do significado de Astronomia observou-se inicialmente que os acertos na turma A foram de 100%, turma B: 64%, turma C: 84%, após a intervenção os acertos foram: 100%, 97% e 85% respectivamente, demonstrando que houve um avanço significativo na turma B, a turma A manteve seu índice e a turma C evoluiu, porém não tanto quanto a B. Quando interrogados sobre quantos planetas vocè acha que existem em nosso Sistema Solar? os acertos foram: turma A: 39%, turma B: 48% e turma C: 46%, após o desenvolvimento do trabalho os acertos foram 94%, 97% e 90% respectivamente. Dentro das respostas obtidas observa-se que a metodologia tradicional com o auxílio de multimeios, aplicada na turma B, demonstrou melhores resultados, sendo a mais significativa. Outra conclusão muito importante é que apesar de o tema Astronomia ser amplamente recomendado, este não é ensinado, nem no Ensino Fundamental, nem no Ensino Médio.
The role of physical exercise in obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Andrade, Flávio Maciel Dias de; Pedrosa, Rodrigo Pinto

2016-01-01

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common clinical condition, with a variable and underestimated prevalence. OSA is the main condition associated with secondary systemic arterial hypertension, as well as with atrial fibrillation, stroke, and coronary artery disease, greatly increasing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Treatment with continuous positive airway pressure is not tolerated by all OSA patients and is often not suitable in cases of mild OSA. Hence, alternative methods to treat OSA and its cardiovascular consequences are needed. In OSA patients, regular physical exercise has beneficial effects other than weight loss, although the mechanisms of those effects remain unclear. In this population, physiological adaptations due to physical exercise include increases in upper airway dilator muscle tone and in slow-wave sleep time; and decreases in fluid accumulation in the neck, systemic inflammatory response, and body weight. The major benefits of exercise programs for OSA patients include reducing the severity of the condition and daytime sleepiness, as well as increasing sleep efficiency and maximum oxygen consumption. There are few studies that evaluated the role of physical exercise alone for OSA treatment, and their protocols are quite diverse. However, aerobic exercise, alone or combined with resistance training, is a common point among the studies. In this review, the major studies and mechanisms involved in OSA treatment by means of physical exercise are presented. In addition to systemic clinical benefits provided by physical exercise, OSA patients involved in a regular, predominantly aerobic, exercise program have shown a reduction in disease severity and in daytime sleepiness, as well as an increase in sleep efficiency and in peak oxygen consumption, regardless of weight loss. RESUMO A apneia obstrutiva do sono (AOS) é uma condição clínica comum, possuindo prevalência variável e subestimada. Principal condição associada à hipertensão arterial sistêmica secundária, associa-se ainda à fibrilação atrial, acidente vascular encefálico e doença arterial coronariana, aumentando a morbidade e mortalidade cardiovascular. O tratamento da AOS com pressão positiva contínua em vias aéreas não é tolerado por todos os pacientes e, muitas vezes, não é indicado para formas leves. Daí, métodos alternativos de tratamento da AOS e de suas consequências cardiovasculares são necessários. A prática usual de exercícios físicos promove benefícios adicionais à redução do peso em pacientes com AOS; contudo, os mecanismos ainda são incertos. Entre as adaptações fisiológicas proporcionadas pelo exercício físico nessa população destacam-se o aumento do tônus da musculatura dilatadora das vias aéreas superiores e do tempo do estágio do sono de ondas lentas e a redução do acúmulo cervical de líquido, da resposta inflamatória sistêmica e do peso corpóreo. Os principais benefícios de programas de exercício físico para essa população incluem a redução da gravidade da AOS e da sonolência diurna e o aumento da eficiência do sono e consumo máximo de oxigênio. Poucos estudos avaliaram o papel do exercício físico realizado de forma isolada no tratamento da AOS, além de existirem muitas diferenças relacionadas aos protocolos de exercício utilizados. Entretanto, o emprego de exercícios aeróbios isolados ou combinados aos exercícios resistidos é um ponto comum entre os estudos. Nessa revisão, os principais estudos e mecanismos envolvidos no tratamento da AOS por meio da realização de exercícios físicos são apresentados. Além dos benefícios clínicos sistêmicos proporcionados pelo exercício físico, pacientes com AOS submetidos a um programa regular de exercícios predominantemente aeróbicos, apresentam redução da gravidade da doença e da sonolência diurna, aumento da eficiência do sono e do pico de consumo de oxigênio, independentemente da perda de peso.
Initial performance results for high-aspect ratio gold MEMS deformable mirrors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández, Bautista; Kubby, Joel

2009-02-01

The fabrication and initial performance results of high-aspect ratio 3-dimensional Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Deformable Mirrors (DM) for Adaptive Optics (AO) will be discussed. The DM systems were fabricated out of gold, and consist of actuators bonded to a continuous face sheet, with different boundary conditions. DM mirror displacements vs. voltage have been measured with a white light interferometer and the corresponding results compared to Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations. Interferometer scans of a DM have shown that ~9.4um of stroke can be achieved with low voltage, thus showing that this fabrication process holds promise in the manufacturing of future MEMS DM's for the next generation of extremely large telescopes.
Contagem de fontes de radio na direção de aglomerados ricos de galaxias

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreazza, C. M.; Andernach, H.

A contagem de fontes de rádio, na direção de aglomerados ricos de galáxias, deve fornecer uma distribuçãto acima da média do campo devido aos efeitos do meio. No entanto, a distribução de radiofontes de alguns aglomerados, investigada por vários autores no passado, mostrou, em alguns casos, uma deficência de fontes fracas. Neste trabalho, analisamos os levantamentos em 2.7 GHz (Reuter e Andernach 1990, 1990A&AS...82..279R; Loiseau et al. 1988, 1988A&AS...75...67L) e o catálogo 6CII em 151 MHz (Hales et al. 1988, 1988MNRAS.234..919H). Nosso estudio da distribução de radiofontes, na direção de aglomerados ricos de galáxias, nestas duas frequências, mostra um excesso de fontes fortes somente nas regiões centrais dos aglomerados. Este resultado pode ser explicado devido à evidência de confinamento das radiofontes pelo gás, do meio intra-aglomerado, e devido aos processos de colisão, coalescência e canibalismo de galáxias.
Um enfoque antropológico para o ensino de astronomia no nível médio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, G. B.; Jafelice, L. C.

2003-08-01

Há uma enorme carência de materiais didático-pedagógicos em astronomia para professores do ensino médio, sobretudo materiais que explorem também aspectos humanísticos. A origem do Universo é um bom exemplo desta constatação central. Embora tal origem teve explicações culturais diversas, os professores não têm informações sobre isso e muito menos material que trabalhe diferentes visões de mundo e treinamento que os capacite a abordá-las devidamente. Conseqüentemente o ensino de astronomia costuma ser tecnicista e dissociado do aspecto humano que alimenta o grande interesse e curiosidade que esses temas despertam. Aqui apresentamos propostas visando contribuir para reverter esse quadro e trabalhamos distintas visões de Universo: espontâneas, autóctones e científicas. Desenvolvemos práticas, materiais instrucionais e textos para viabilizar a adoção de um enfoque antropológico para o ensino de astronomia no nível médio, no qual as culturas humanística e científica sejam integradas de uma maneira contextualizada e eficaz para aquele ensino. Estas propostas foram aplicadas em um curso de treinamento para professores da rede pública de diferentes disciplinas. A receptividade dos professores à abordagem proposta e os resultados alcançados foram muito estimulantes. Destes, destacamos: produção de roteiros de atividades; desenvolvimento de práticas didático-pedagógicas específicas (e.g., encenação de mitos; dança primordial guarani; "criação" de constelações e interpretações pluriculturais; etc.); e sugestões concretas para a efetiva realização de um ensino interdisciplinar contextualizado, onde questões cosmogônicas servem de mote para iniciar tal ensino. Discutimos estes resultados e como o enfoque adotado pode instrumentalizar os professores para leituras de mundo que incluem naturalmente aspectos culturais, sociais e históricos associados aos temas estudados. (PPGECNM/UFRN; PRONEX/FINEP; NUPA/USP; Temáticos/FAPESP)
New tools for subsurface imaging of 3D seismic Node data in hydrocarbon exploration =

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benazzouz, Omar

A aquisicao de dados sismicos de reflexao multicanal 3D/4D usando Ocean Bottom NODES de 4 componentes constitui atualmente um sector de importancia crescente no mercado da aquisicao de dados reflexao sismica marinha na industria petrolifera. Este tipo de dados permite obter imagens de sub-superficie de alta qualidade, com baixos niveis de ruido, banda larga, boa iluminacao azimutal, offsets longos, elevada resolucao e aquisicao de tanto ondas P como S. A aquisicao de dados e altamente repetitiva e portanto ideal para campanhas 4D. No entanto, existem diferencas significativas na geometria de aquisicao e amostragem do campo de ondas relativamente aos metodos convencionais com streamers rebocados a superficie, pelo que e necessario desenvolver de novas ferramentas para o processamento deste tipo de dados. Esta tese investiga tres aspectos do processamento de dados de OBSs/NODES ainda nao totalmente resolvidos de forma satisfatoria: a deriva aleatoria dos relogios internos, o posicionamento de precisao dos OBSs e a implementacao de algoritmos de migracao prestack 3D em profundidade eficientes para obtencao de imagens precisas de subsuperficie. Foram desenvolvidos novos procedimentos para resolver estas situacoes, que foram aplicados a dados sinteticos e a dados reais. Foi desenvolvido um novo metodo para deteccao e correccao de deriva aleatoria dos relogios internos, usando derivadas de ordem elevada. Foi ainda desenvolvido um novo metodo de posicionamento de precisao de OBSs usando multilateracao e foram criadas ferramentas de interpolacao/extrapolacao dos modelos de velocidades 3D de forma a cobrirem a extensao total area de aquisicao. Foram implementados algoritmos robustos de filtragem para preparar o campo de velocidades para o tracado de raios e minimizar os artefactos na migracao Krichhoff pre-stack 3D em profundidade. Os resultados obtidos mostram um melhoramento significativo em todas as situacoes analisadas. Foi desenvolvido o software necessario para o efeito e criadas solucoes computacionais eficientes. As solucoes computacionais desenvolvidas foram integradas num software standard de processamento de sismica (SPW) utilizado na industria, de forma a criar, conjuntamente com as ferramentas ja existentes, um workflow de processamento integrado para dados de OBS/NODES, desde a aquisicao e controle de qualidade a producao dos volumes sismicos migrados pre-stack em profundidade.
Estudo da região HII galática NGC 2579

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riffel, R.; Copetti, M. V. F.

2003-08-01

Desde a descoberta dos gradientes de abundância química em galáxias espirais, as regiões HII galáticas têm sido intensamente estudadas com o objetivo de determinar a forma do gradiente de abundância química na Via-Láctea. Entretanto, a forma do gradiente galático continua controversa e existem muitas regiões HII que continuam inexploradas. A região HII galática NGC 2579 é um objeto que aparece em imagens Ha, como uma pequena mancha brilhante de aproximadamente 2 segundos de arco de diâmetro a 20 segundos de arco ao leste de RCW 20, sendo NGC 2579 muitas vezes confundida com esta última. Apesar de seu alto brilho superficial, NGC 2579 é um objeto pouco estudado provavelmente por problemas de identificação deste objeto. Como parte de um projeto de reavaliação dos gradientes de abundância química das regiões HII na Via-Láctea, estamos realizando um estudo extensivo das propriedades físicas básicas como temperatura eletrônica, densidade eletrônica e composição química da região HII galática NGC 2579. Analisamos dados espectrofotométricos de fenda longa na faixa de 3700Å a 7750Å obtidos com o telescópio de 1.52 m do ESO, Chile, em 2002. Determinamos a temperatura eletrônica usando a razão entre as linhas do [OIII] (l4959+l5007/l4363) e a densidade eletrônica pela razão entre as linhas do [SII] (l6716/l6731). As abundâncias químicas do O, N, Cl, S, Ne e He foram determinadas. Realizamos um estudo de imagens fotométricas nas bandas UBVRI obtidas em 2000 no observatório astronômico San Pedro Mártir, México, para identificar e classificar as estrelas ionizantes de NGC 2579 e determinar a distância deste objeto.
Taking care of the newborn dying and their families: Nurses' experiences of neonatal intensive care.

PubMed

Almeida, Fabiane de Amorim; Moraes, Mariana Salim de; Cunha, Mariana Lucas da Rocha

2016-06-01

To understand the experiences of nurses when caring for dying newborns and their families in the NICU; and redeem their perceptions about acting before the death and grieving process. A descriptive exploratory study with a qualitative approach, developed with nine nurses at the ICU of a hospital in São Paulo (SP), Brazil. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the Collective Subject Discourse (CSD). Caring for newborns who are dying and their families is very difficult for nurses, due to the intense involvement. They seek strategies to deal with the situation and, before the newborn's death, despite the suffering, express the feeling of accomplishment. Facing death and grief triggers mechanisms that emerge life references, coming across painful issues. Learning to deal with these questions is a daily challenge for nurses of the NICU. Compreender as experiências vivenciadas por enfermeiros ao cuidar de neonatos que estão morrendo e seus familiares na UTIN; e resgatar as suas percepções sobre a atuação diante do processo de morte e luto. Estudo descritivo exploratório, de abordagem qualitativa, desenvolvido com nove enfermeiras da UTIN de um hospital de São Paulo (SP), Brasil. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista semi-estruturada e analisados pela técnica do Discurso de Sujeito Coletivo (DSC). Cuidar de neonatos que estão morrendo e suas famílias é muito difícil para as enfermeiras, devido ao intenso envolvimento. Buscam estratégias para lidar com a situação e, diante do óbito do neonato, apesar do sofrimento, manifestam o sentimento de dever cumprido. Enfrentar a morte e o luto aciona mecanismos que afloram referências de vida, deparando-se com questões dolorosas. Aprender a lidar com essas questões é um desafio diário para os enfermeiros de UTIN.
Observações espectroscópicas da candidata a pós-AGB IRAS 19386+0155

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz-Martins, S.; Pereira, C. B.

2003-08-01

Nesse trabalho apresentamos a análise fotosférica da estrela candidata a pós-AGB IRAS 19386+0155. Com os dados obtidos no espectrógrafo FEROS foram determinados os parâmetros atmosféricos e abundâncias fotosféricas utilizando o código MOOG. A análise do espectro mostrou que IRAS 19386+0155 possui os seguintes parâmetros atmosféricos : Teff = 6800K, log g = 1.4, [M/H] = -1.5 e Vt = 8.4 km/s. O padrão de abundância obtido para os elementos mais leves (Carbono, Nitrogênio e Oxigênio) e elementos a (Magnésio, Silício e Cálcio) foi inferior ao solar (log C = 7.74, log N = 7.28, Log O = 8.43, log Mg = 7.14, log Si = 7.54 e log Ca = 5.91). Uma inspeção visual do espectro ISO deste objeto revela a presença de poeira fria na forma de silicatos cristalinos. Embora as bandas mais marcantes de silicatos amorfos (em 10 mm e 18mm) não sejam observadas, a emissão em 21 mm, presente em algumas pós-AGBs também não está presente. O espectro ISO parece revelar um meio rico em oxigênio, mas a forma da distribuição de energia no infravermelho não obedece ao padrão apresentado por outras pós-AGBs. Nossos resultados nos levam a sugerir que IRAS 19386+0155 talvez faça parte de um sistema binário, uma vez que outras pós-AGBs que são membros de sistemas binários apresentam padrão de abundância semelhante.
Physical Biologycal Interactions Controlling Larvae Dispersion: Application to Regions in the Neighbourhood of the Estuaries of North Portugal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almeida, Martinho Marta

Um modelo numerico tridimensional oceânico foi usado para estudar a influencia das condicoes fisicas na dispersao e recrutamento de larvas com migracao vertical diaria (MVD) activa na plataforma continental noroeste de Portugal. As primeiras simulacoes foram forcadas por mares e verificou-se que a interaccao entre MVD e correntes de mare nao e importante para o transporte de larvas na plataforma continental oeste portuguesa. O trabalho realizado com forcamento de mares incrementou o presente conhecimento da dinâmica da mare na regiao. A analise da variacao vertical dos parâmetros das elipses de mare mostra uma separacao clara entre os harmonicos diurnos e semi-diurnos, e entre a circulacao oceânica quase barotropica e as correntes com dependencia vertical na plataforma. Desprezando a interaccao entre MVD e as mares o proximo passo foi a construcao e validacao dum modelo realistico forcado por fluxos atmosfera-oceano, capaz de reproduzir as correntes dominantes, geradas pelo vento, na plataforma continental. Na configuracao criada a MVD das larvas foi simulada com quatro cenarios de distribuicao e migracao vertical. Foram feitas duas simulacoes, uma para o final do Inverno e outra para a Primavera, abrangendo os meses de Fevereiro a Abril e Abril a Junho de 2002. Estes periodos foram escolhidos pois exibem diferentes regimes de vento, nao favoravel e favoravel ao afloramento costeiro. Os resultados mostram que as particulas com MVD sofreram maior retencao na plataforma continental interna durante condicoes de afloramento do que em qualquer outra combinacao de cenario de migracao e regime de vento. Na costa noroeste da Peninsula Iberica, que nao exibe irregularidades topograficas que poderiam criar areas de concentracao e retencao, a MVD pode constituir um mecanismo importante para evitar a dispersao de larvas em direccao ao mar aberto. None
Ensino de Astronomia no Ensino Médio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albrecht, E.; Voelzke, M. R.

2008-09-01

O presente trabalho de intervenção foi realizado junto a Escola Estadual Colônia dos Pescadores na cidade de Caraguatatuba, com três turmas do terceiro ano do Ensino Médio, envolvendo 119 alunos, 40 na turma A, 40 na turma B e 39 na turma C. A fase inicial foi composta de um questionário de vinte questões dissertativas e objetivas para diagnosticar nos educandos os conceitos prévios sobre Astronomia e, partindo destes realizar uma interferência nas classes envolvidas utilizando metodologias diferentes sendo elas: a tradicional, onde o professor é um repassador de informações, fazendo uso exclusivo de lousa e giz; a segunda também de forma tradicional, porém com auxílio de multimídia para desenvolvimento das aulas e a terceira sob forma de seminários, elaborados e apresentados pelos educandos, no qual o educador faz apenas as intervenções necessárias. Ao final do trabalho as mesmas turmas da fase inicial orientadas pelo mesmo professor responderam novamente ao questionário proposto para diagnosticar dentre as três metodologias utilizadas qual apresentou melhores resultados, sendo os iniciais comparados com os finais. Quando questionados a respeito do significado de Astronomia observou-se inicialmente que os acertos na turma A foram de 100%,turma B: 64%, turma C: 84%, após a intervenção os acertos foram: 100%, 97% e 85% respectivamente, demonstrando claramente uma absorção de conhecimentos. Quando interrogados sobre quantos planetas você acha que existem em nosso Sistema Solar? os acertos foram: turma A: 39%, turma B: 48% e turma C: 46%, após o desenvolvimento do trabalho os acertos foram 94%, 97% e 90% respectivamente.Dentro das respostas obtidas observa-se que a metodologia tradicional com o auxílio de multimeios, aplicada na turma B, demonstrou melhores resultados, foi a mais significativa.
Risk factors for postpartum urinary incontinence.

PubMed

Leroy, Lígia da Silva; Lúcio, Adélia; Lopes, Maria Helena Baena de Moraes

2016-04-01

To investigate the risk factors for postpartum urinary incontinence (UI) and its characteristics. This was a case-control study with 344 puerperal women (77 cases and 267 controls) with up to 90 days postpartum. In a single session, participants were given a questionnaire with sociodemographic and clinical data and two others that assessed urine leakage, leakage situations, and type of UI. Stress UI was present in 45.5% of the women, incidents of urine leakage several times a day in 44.2%, of which 71.4% were in small amounts and 57.1% when coughing or sneezing. In 70.1% of cases, UI began during pregnancy and remained through the postpartum period. After running a binary logistic regression model, the following factors remained in the final model: UI during pregnancy (OR 12.82, CI 95% 6.94 - 23.81, p<0.0001), multiparity (OR 2.26, CI 95% 1.22 - 4.19, p=0.009), gestational age at birth greater or equal to 37 weeks (OR 2.52, CI 95% 1.16 - 5.46, p=0.02) and constipation (OR 1.94, CI 95% 1.05 - 5.46, p=0.035). Most often, UI first appeared during pregnancy and remained through the postpartum period. Urinary incontinence during pregnancy, multiparity, gestational age at birth greater or equal to 37 weeks, and constipation were presented as risk factors. In the studied group, stress UI was more frequent. Investigar os fatores de risco para a incontinência urinária (IU) no puerpério e as suas características. Trata-se de estudo caso-controle com 344 puérperas (77 casos e 267 controles), com até 90 dias pós-parto. Foi aplicado, em um único momento, um questionário para os dados sociodemográficos e clínicos, e dois outros para avaliar a perda urinária, situações de perda e o tipo de IU. Apresentaram IU de esforço 45,5%, perda urinária diversas vezes ao dia 44,2%, sendo 71,4% em pequena quantidade e 57,1% ao tossir ou espirrar. Em 70,1% dos casos a IU iniciou-se na gestação e permaneceu no puerpério. Ao ajustar-se um modelo de regressão logística binária, apenas IU na gestação (OR 12,82, IC 95% 6,94 - 23,81, p<0,0001), multiparidade (OR 2,26, IC 95% 1,22 - 4,19, p=0,009), idade gestacional no parto maior ou igual a 37 semanas (OR 2,52, IC 95% 1,16 - 5,46, p=0,02) e constipação (OR 1,94, IC 95% 1,05 - 5,46, p=0,035) permaneceram no modelo final. A IU iniciou-se frequentemente na gestação e permaneceu no puerpério. A presença de IU na gestação, multiparidade, idade gestacional no parto maior ou igual a 37 semanas e constipação foram fatores de risco. No grupo estudado a IU de esforço foi a mais frequente.
Como os Alunos do Ensino Médio da Rede Estadual de São Paulo obtém Conhecimentos Astronômicos?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Cunha, W. S.; Voelzke, M. R.; Amaral, L. H.

2005-08-01

Atualmente vivencia-se um mundo globalizado onde os computadores e a internet permitiram um acesso rápido e seguro a todo tipo de informação e conhecimento. O presente trabalho visa analisar a maneira pela qual alunos de segundo grau da rede estadual da cidade de São Paulo obtiveram, caso tenham, conhecimentos básicos de astronomia quanto aos fenômenos celestes que os rodeiam, tais como a sucessão dos dias e das estações do ano, além de questioná~los sobre fatos genéricos tais como: o que vem a ser o Sol, o Big Bang, o que ocasionou a extinção dos dinossauros. Para tanto foi elaborado um formulário constando de questões de múltipla escolha, o qual foi aplicado no primeiro colegial diurno da Escola Estadual Guilherme de Almeida. Num espaço amostral de 44 alunos constatou-se que 41% dos alunos adquiriram seus conhecimentos astronômicos na escola e 59% através da mídia em geral. Neste mesmo espaço amostral apenas 11% dos alunos usaram computadores na escola, 41% na residência, 5% no trabalho e 43% não utilizaram. O presente estudo revelou também que para 50% dos alunos o professor jamais utilizou um programa de computador a respeito de astronomia ou fez alguma apresentação sobre o tema. Embora em sua fase inicial este estudo revela claramente que a maioria dos alunos não obtém na escola seus conhecimentos astronômicos, estes provém de fontes não especificamente didático-pedagógicas tais como filmes e revistas populares que não raramente geram conhecimentos incompletos e em muitos casos inclusive falhos.
Uma Visão do Universo Segundo um Grupo de Alunos do Ensino Médio de São Paulo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elias, D. S.; Araújo, M.; Amaral, L. H.; Voelzke, M. R.; Araújo, M.

2005-08-01

A astronomia, embora seja uma ciência popular, com inúmeras descobertas de interesse público, ainda é apresentada desconsiderando-se os aspectos históricos e científicos relacionados ao seu desenvolvimento, sendo geralmente veiculada nos meios de comunicação de maneira pouco esclarecedora e não raro com imprecisões. Neste trabalho analisou-se a concepção de um grupo de estudantes de Ensino Médio sobre conceitos de astronomia, visando identificar sua visão de mundo a respeito do Universo, envolvendo idéias sobre espaço e tempo. Para issso, foi aplicado um questionário em três escolas da grande São Paulo em um espaço amostral de 270 alunos. Constatou-se que, embora o ensino de astronomia esteja previsto nos PCNEM, os resultados obtidos na pesquisa mostram que há grande deficiência no conhecimento dos temas investigados. Nesse sentido, verificou-se que apenas 20% dos alunos eram capazes de relacionar a sucessão das semanas com as fases da lua, enquanto 28% associaram as estações do ano à inclinação do eixo de rotação da Terra. Por outro lado, somente 23% dos alunos tinham noções das distâncias entre os objetos celestes próximos da Terra e 56% conseguiram relacionar o Big Bang com a origem do Universo. Finalmente, constatou-se que 37% reconheciam o ano-luz como uma unidade de distância e 60% reconheciam o Sol como sendo uma estrela. Apesar de 60% dos alunos indicarem que a escola é a principal fonte para aquisição dos conhecimentos de astronomia, conclui-se que seus conceitos nessa área ainda são inadequados, havendo necessidade de ampliação e aprimoramento da abordagem desses conteúdos nos ambientes escolares.
Health and innovation: economic dynamics and Welfare State in Brazil.

PubMed

Gadelha, Carlos Augusto Grabois; Braga, Patrícia Seixas da Costa

2016-11-03

The effective enforcement of the access to healthcare as fundamental right requires an important theoretical and political effort at linking the often contradictory economic and social dimensions of development. This study suggests the need for a systemic view of policies related to the industrial base and innovation in health and the construction of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS). The authors investigate the relations between health, innovation, and development, seeking to show and update the political, economic, and social determinants of the recent Brazilian experience with the Health Economic-Industrial Complex (HEIC). They discuss how the agenda for innovation and domestic industrial production in health gained a central place in the project for construction of the SUS. The article thus seeks to link inherent issues from the agenda for development, production, and innovation to social policy in healthcare, as observed in recent years, and based on this analysis, points to political and conceptual challenges for implementing the SUS, especially as regards strengthening its technological and industrial base. As a byproduct, the article develops an analytical and factual focus on the consolidation of the HEIC in Brazil, both as a dynamic vector of industrial development, generating investment, income, employment, and innovations, and as a decisive element for reducing vulnerability and structural dependence in health. The authors aim to show that strengthening the SUS and orienting it to social needs is an essential part of building a social Welfare State in Brazil. Resumo: A efetivação da saúde como um direito fundamental exige importante esforço, teórico e político, de articulação das dimensões econômicas e sociais, por vezes contraditórias, do desenvolvimento. Este trabalho indica a necessidade de um olhar sistêmico das políticas relacionadas à base produtiva e de inovação em saúde e à construção do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Investiga as relações entre saúde, inovação e desenvolvimento, buscando mostrar e atualizar os determinantes políticos, econômicos e sociais da experiência brasileira recente relacionada ao Complexo Econômico-Industrial da Saúde (CEIS). Mostra como a agenda da inovação e da produção nacional em saúde ganhou centralidade no projeto de construção do SUS. O artigo procura, assim, articular questões inerentes à agenda do desenvolvimento, da produção e da inovação com a política social em saúde, tal como observado nos últimos anos e, valendo-se de sua análise, aponta desafios políticos e conceituais para a efetivação do SUS, em especial no que se refere ao fortalecimento de sua base tecnológica e produtiva. Como desdobramento, desenvolve um enfoque analítico e factual que relaciona a consolidação do CEIS no Brasil tanto como um vetor dinâmico do desenvolvimento industrial, gerando investimento, renda, emprego e inovações, quanto como elemento decisivo para a redução da vulnerabilidade e da dependência estrutural em saúde. Procura mostrar que seu fortalecimento e direcionamento para as necessidades sociais é parte essencial da construção de um Estado de Bem-Estar Social no Brasi.
Determinants of infant mortality in the Jequitinhonha Valley and in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil.

PubMed

Leal, Maria do Carmo; Bittencourt, Sonia Duarte de Azevedo; Torres, Raquel Maria Cardoso; Niquini, Roberta Pereira; Souza, Paulo Roberto Borges de

2017-03-02

This study aims to identify the social and demographic determinants, in addition to the determinants of reproductive health and use of health services, associated with infant mortality in small and medium-sized cities of the North, Northeast and Southeast regions of Brazil. This is a case-control study with 803 cases of death of children under one year and 1,969 live births (controls), whose mothers lived in the selected cities in 2008. The lists of the names of cases and controls were extracted from the Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade (SIM - Mortality Information System) and the Sistema de Informação sobre Nascidos Vivos (SINASC - Live Birth Information System) and supplemented by data obtained by the research of "active search of death and birth". Data was collected in the household using a semi-structured questionnaire, and the analysis was carried out using multiple logistic regression. The final model indicates that the following items are positively and significantly associated with infant mortality: family working in agriculture, mother having a history of fetal and infant losses, no prenatal or inadequate prenatal, and not being associated to the maternity hospital during the prenatal period. We have observed significant interactions to explain the occurrence of infant mortality between race and socioeconomic score and between high-risk pregnancy and pilgrimage for childbirth. The excessive number of home deliveries and pilgrimage for childbirth indicates flaws in the line of maternity care and a lack of collaboration between the levels of outpatient and hospital care. The study reinforces the need for an integrated management of the health care networks, leveraging the capabilities of cities in meeting the needs of pregnancy, delivery and birth with quality. Identificar os determinantes sociais, demográficos, da saúde reprodutiva e de utilização dos serviços de saúde associados ao óbito infantil em municípios de pequeno e médio porte das regiões Norte, Nordeste e Sudeste do Brasil. Trata-se de um estudo caso-controle com 803 casos de óbito de menores de um ano e 1.969 nascidos vivos (controles), cujas mães residiam em 2008 nos municípios selecionados. As listas nominais dos casos e do controles foram extraídas do Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade e do Sistema de Informação sobre Nascidos Vivos e completadas por dados obtidos pela pesquisa de "busca ativa de óbito e nascimento". A coleta de dados foi realizada em domicílio por meio de questionário semiestruturado, e a análise, por meio de regressão logística múltipla. O modelo final indicou que estão associadas positivamente e significativamente ao óbito infantil: a família trabalhar na agricultura, a mãe ter tido história de perdas fetais e infantis, não ter feito pré-natal ou ter tido um pré-natal inadequado e não estar vinculada à maternidade durante o pré-natal. Foram observadas interações significativas para explicar a ocorrência do óbito infantil entre cor de pele e escore socioeconômico e entre gestação classificada como de risco e peregrinação para o parto. O número excessivo de partos domiciliares e de peregrinação para o parto indica falhas na linha de cuidado da gestante e desarticulação entre os níveis de atenção ambulatorial e hospitalar. O estudo reforça a necessidade de uma gestão integrada das redes de atenção à saúde, potencializando as capacidades municipais em atender, com qualidade, à gestação, ao parto e ao nascimento.
Assessment of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness as an Early Marker Of Vascular Damage In Hypertensive Children.

PubMed

Baroncini, Liz Andréa Villela; Sylvestre, Lucimary de Castro; Baroncini, Camila Varotto; Pecoits, Roberto

2017-05-01

The increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) correlates with the presence of atherosclerosis in adults and describes vascular abnormalities in both hypertensive children and adolescents. To assess CIMT as an early marker of atherosclerosis and vascular damage in hypertensive children and adolescents compared with non-hypertensive controls and to evaluate the influence of gender, age, and body mass index (BMI) on CIMT on each group. Observational cohort study. A total of 133 hypertensive subjects (male, n = 69; mean age, 10.5 ± 4 years) underwent carotid ultrasound exam for assessment of CIMT. One hundred and twenty-one non-hypertensive subjects (male, n = 64; mean age, 9.8 ± 4.1 years) were selected as controls for gender, age (± 1 year), and BMI (± 10%). There were no significant difference regarding gender (p = 0.954) and age (p = 0.067) between groups. Hypertensive subjects had higher BMI when compared to control group (p = 0.004), although within the established range of 10%. Subjects in the hypertensive group had higher CIMT values when compared to control group (0.46 ± 0.05 versus 0.42 ± 0.05 mm, respectively, p < 0.001; one-way ANOVA). Carotid IMT values were not significantly influenced by gender, age, and BMI when analyzed in both groups separately (Student's t-test for independent samples). According to the adjusted determination coefficient (R²) only 11.7% of CIMT variations were accounted for by group variations, including age, gender, and BMI. Carotid intima-media thickness was higher in hypertensive children and adolescents when compared to the control group. The presence of hypertension increased CIMT regardless of age, gender, and BMI. O aumento da espessura médio-intimal carotídea (EMIC) correlaciona-se com a presença de aterosclerose em adultos e descreve anormalidades vasculares em crianças e adolescentes hipertensos. Avaliar a EMIC como marcador precoce de aterosclerose e dano vascular em crianças e adolescentes hipertensos em comparação com um grupo controle e avaliar a influência do sexo, idade e índice de massa corporal (IMC) sobre a EMIC em cada grupo. Estudo observacional de coorte. Um total de 133 indivíduos hipertensos (sexo masculino, n = 69; idade média 10.5 ± 4 anos) foi submetido à ultrassonografia das artérias carótidas para avaliação da EMIC. Cento e vinte e um indivíduos saudáveis (sexo masculino, n = 64; idade média, 9.8 ± 4.1 anos) foram selecionados como controles para as seguintes características: sexo, idade (± 1ano) e IMC (±10%). Não houve diferenças significativas entre os grupos com relação ao sexo (p = 0,954) e idade (p = 0,067). Os indivíduos hipertensos apresentaram maior IMC (p = 0,004), porém dentro da faixa estabelecida de até 10%. Os indivíduos hipertensos apresentaram maiores valores de EMIC quando comparados ao grupo-controle (0,46 ± 0,05 versus 0,42 ± 0,05 mm, respectivamente, p < 0.001; ANOVA com um parâmetro). Os valores da EMIC não foram influenciados por sexo, idade e IMC quando analisados em ambos os grupos separadamente (Teste t de Student para amostras independentes). De acordo com o coeficiente de determinação (R²) ajustado, apenas 11.7% das variações da EMIC são devidas às variações em cada grupo, incluindo idade, sexo e IMC. A espessura médio-intimal das carótidas apresentou-se aumentada em crianças e adolescentes hipertensos quando comparados ao grupo controle. A presença de hipertensão aumentou a EMIC independentemente de idade, sexo e IMC.
Training Extract Historian AFSC: 791X2.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-09-01

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On efeito do achatamento nos pontos de equilíbrio e na dinâmica de sistemas coorbitais

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mourão, D. C.; Winter, O. C.; Yokoyama, T.

2003-08-01

Neste trabalho analisamos o efeito do achatamento do corpo principal nos pontos de equilíbrio lagrangianos e na configuração de órbitas girino-ferradura. Enfatizamos os sistemas coorbitais de satélites de Saturno, pois se encontram em relativa proximidade com o planeta, em que o efeito do achatamento se torna mais evidente. O estudo é dividido em três etapas independentes. Na primeira fase analisamos as equações de movimento do problema restrito de três corpos considerando o efeito do achatamento, e através do balanceamento de forças buscamos a nova configuração dos pontos de equilíbrio lagrangianos. Concluímos, nesta etapa, que os pontos de equilíbrio estáveis apresentam um pequeno deslocamento definido pelo parâmetro de achatamento, não podendo ser mais representados por triângulos eqüiláteros. Aplicamos este resultado aos satélites coorbitais de Tetis e Dione, encontrando as posições de equilíbrio levemente deslocadas em relação ao caso sem achatamento. Na segunda fase visamos o sistema Saturno-Jano-Epimeteu, que por se tratar de um sistema de massas comparáveis, optamos por desenvolver as equações de Yoder et al (Icarus 53, pág 431-443, 1983), que permitem determinar os pontos de equilíbrio e a amplitude de oscilação angular das órbitas girino-ferradura para o problema não-restrito de três corpos, porém, no nosso estudo consideramos o efeito do achatamento do corpo principal nestas equações. Encontramos que a distância angular entre satélites, quando em posição de equilíbrio estável, diminui quanto maior for o parâmetro de achatamento do corpo principal. Além disso, a órbita de transição girino-ferradura possui largura angular menor em relação ao caso sem achatamento. Por fim, realizamos integrações numéricas para os casos reais de coorbitais de Saturno comparando com os resultados analíticos. Nestas integrações simulamos diversas órbitas girino-ferradura com diferentes parâmetros de achatamento, utilizando condições iniciais corrigidas para a presença do achatamento.
On Ensino da Astronomia no Ensino Médio sob Diferentes Abordagens Metodológicas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voelzke, Marcos Rincon; Albrecht, Evonir

2011-12-01

O presente trabalho, sobre a intervenção de metodologias de ensino, foi desenvolvido na Escola Estadual Colônia dos Pescadores, na cidade de Caraguatatuba - SP, em três turmas do terceiro ano do Ensino Médio, perfazendo um total de 119 educandos, entre 16 e 19 anos. Antes de iniciar-se a intervenção, um questionário de vinte perguntas objetivas e dissertativas foi desenvolvido, aplicado pelo professor da classe, que ministrou as aulas correspondentes. Este questionário foi o mesmo em todas as três classes com o objetivo de diagnosticar o conhecimento prévio dos alunos sobre Astronomia. Começando a intervenção nas turmas, o professor envolvido usou três diferentes metodologias de ensino: (A) em forma de seminários, elaborados e apresentados pelos alunos, nos quais o professor fazia apenas as intervenções necessárias, (B) na forma tradicional, com a ajuda de multimídia para o desenvolvimento das aulas e a terceira (C) a tradicional, fazendo uso exclusivo de lousa e giz. No final do trabalho os alunos responderam o mesmo questionário novamente, de modo que os três métodos utilizados puderam ser comparados. Os resultados apresentados após a intervenção foram melhores que os resultados iniciais indicando a ocorrência de uma aprendizagem significativa. Quando os estudantes foram inicialmente questionados sobre quantos planetas existem no nosso sistema solar, a classe A obteve 39% de respostas certas, a classe B 48% e a classe C 46%, mas após o desenvolvimento das atividades, as classes obtiveram respectivamente 94%, 97 % e 90% de aproveitamento. No término do bimestre, foi sugerido aos educandos que elaborassem uma história em quadrinhos, a qual serviu para averiguar se os conceitos inicialmente observados foram alterados e se novos foram agregados. A análise das histórias foi dividida em três partes: Criatividade; Temas abordados; Emprego correto dos conceitos estudados. Ao final quatorze histórias foram confeccionadas. O aprendizado foi tão significativo que os alunos produzira m histórias em quadrinhos, com informações muito ricas. Outro dado muito importante é que, apesar da Astronomia ser um tema amplamente recomendado, não é ensinado nem em escolas de ensino fundamental nem no ensino médio.
A 1.5k x 1.5k class photon counting HgCdTe linear avalanche photo-diode array for low background space astronomy in the 1-5micron infrared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Donald

Under a current award, NASA NNX 13AC13G "EXTENDING THE ASTRONOMICAL APPLICATION OF PHOTON COUNTING HgCdTe LINEAR AVALANCHE PHOTODIODE ARRAYS TO LOW BACKGROUND SPACE OBSERVATIONS" UH has used Selex SAPHIRA 320 x 256 MOVPE L-APD HgCdTe arrays developed for Adaptive Optics (AO) wavefront (WF) sensing to investigate the potential of this technology for low background space astronomy applications. After suppressing readout integrated circuit (ROIC) glow, we have placed upper limits on gain normalized dark current of 0.01 e-/sec at up to 8 volts avalanche bias, corresponding to avalanche gain of 5, and have operated with avalanche gains of up to several hundred at higher bias. We have also demonstrated detection of individual photon events. The proposed investigation would scale the format to 1536 x 1536 at 12um (the largest achievable in a standard reticule without requiring stitching) while incorporating reference pixels required at these low dark current levels. The primary objective is to develop, produce and characterize a 1.5k x 1.5k at 12um pitch MOVPE HgCdTe L-APD array, with nearly 30 times the pixel count of the 320 x 256 SAPHIRA, optimized for low background space astronomy. This will involve: 1) Selex design of a 1.5k x 1.5k at 12um pitch ROIC optimized for low background operation, silicon wafer fabrication at the German XFab foundry in 0.35 um 3V3 process and dicing/test at Selex, 2) provision by GL Scientific of a 3-side close-buttable carrier building from the heritage of the HAWAII xRG family, 3) Selex development and fabrication of 1.5k x 1.5k at 12 um pitch MOVPE HgCdTe L-APD detector arrays optimized for low background applications, 4) hybridization, packaging into a sensor chip assembly (SCA) with initial characterization by Selex and, 5) comprehensive characterization of low background performance, both in the laboratory and at ground based telescopes, by UH. The ultimate goal is to produce and eventually market a large format array, the L-APD equivalent of the Teledyne H1RG and H2RG, able to achieve sub-electron read noise and count 1 - 5 um photons with high quantum efficiency and low dark count rate while preserving their Poisson statistics and noise.
Fístula arteriovenosa após termoablação com laser endovenoso 1470 nm: relato de caso

PubMed Central

de Araujo, Walter Junior Boim; Guimarães, Adriano Carvalho; Moreira, Ricardo Herkenhoff

2016-01-01

Resumo O tratamento tradicional da insuficiência da veia safena magna (VSM) inclui a ligadura alta na junção safeno-femoral combinada com a fleboextração. No entanto, a morbidade associada à insatisfação do paciente com esse tratamento tem conduzido ao desenvolvimento de técnicas alternativas, e a termoablação com laser endovenoso (EVLT) tornou-se uma alternativa minimamente invasiva à cirurgia. A formação de fístula arteriovenosa (FAV) durante o EVLT é extremamente rara. Neste estudo, relatamos um caso de identificação ecográfica de FAV entre um segmento da veia safena acessória lateral e a artéria femoral superficial. Optou-se inicialmente pela realização de duas tentativas de compressão com transdutor linear, sem sucesso, e alternativamente o procedimento cirúrgico foi realizado sem intercorrência e com resolução da FAV. Esse relato de caso evidencia a importância do seguimento de vigilância ecográfica após o EVLT tanto para o controle da efetividade do método como para o diagnóstico e tratamento precoce de suas complicações. PMID:29930599
Civil liability of the ophthalmologist in the São Paulo Court of Appeals.

PubMed

Braga, Isabel de Fátima Alvim; Vieira, Kelly de Oliveira; Martins, Thiago Gonçalves Dos Santos

2017-01-01

To conduct a data survey on the subject of medical claims involving civil liability in ophthalmology at the São Paulo Court of Appeals. A case law research was carried out on the São Paulo Court of Appeals website searching for the keyword "ophthalmologist" for all years until 2016. Of the 65 cases found, 29 were selected. There has been an increase in the number of claims in ophthalmology, especially in surgical procedures on the anterior chamber of the eye. Most lower court judgments were for defendant. The study suggested the need for specialists to exercise the required amount of care when treating the patients, so that they may understand the risks inherent to the procedure. Despite the increase in claims, most decisions were favorable for the physician. Realizar um levantamento de dados sobre a temática dos processos envolvendo responsabilidade civil em sede da Oftalmologia no Tribunal de Justiça do Estado de São Paulo. Foi realizada uma pesquisa jurisprudencial por palavra-chave no site do Tribunal de Justiça do Estado de São Paulo com o seguinte termo de pesquisa "oftalmologista" para todos os anos até 2016. Foram encontrados 65 processos, dos quais 29 foram selecionados. Observou-se tendência ao aumento de processos na área, e predominância de processos em procedimentos oftalmológicos cirúrgicos em câmara anterior do olho. A maioria das sentenças de primeira instância foi improcedente. O estudo aponta para a necessidade de atenção dos especialistas para com o paciente, no sentido de que ele compreenda os riscos inerentes ao procedimento. Apesar do aumento de processos, a maioria permanece favorável ao médico.
A fonte ionizante do disco de acreção no núcleo de NGC1097

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, R. N.; Storchi-Bergmann, T.

2003-08-01

Observações em raios-X revelam o "coração" dos núcleos ativos de galáxias, pois esse tipo de radiação provém das suas regiões mais internas, próximas ao buraco negro central. Neste trabalho apresentamos observações em raios-X da região central da galáxia NGC1097, que hospeda um buraco negro supermassivo e um disco de acreção cuja emissão vem sendo observada há dez anos através da linha de emissão Ha larga (10000 km/s) e de duplo pico. As observações em raios-X - que foram obtidas com o Telescópio Chandra - foram combinadas com observações no ultravioleta obtidas com o Telescópio Espacial Hubble e são usadas para estudar as características da fonte central que ioniza o disco de acreção. A distribuição espectral de energia é comparada com a predita por modelos, em particular o de uma estrutura "ADAF" ("advection dominated accretion flow") na parte interna do disco. Tal estrutura produz um espectro de emissão de linhas estreitas tipo LINER, como observado em NGC1097 e em rádio-galáxias que apresentam linhas de Balmer largas de duplo pico. Apresentamos também uma comparação entre outros LINERs com linhas de emissão largas de duplo pico, disponíveis na literatura ou nos arquivos do Chandra e do Telescópio Espacial Hubble e discutimos as correspondentes implicações para modelos da fonte central.
Estudo comparativo entre estrelas centrais de nebulosas planetárias deficientes em hidrogênio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcolino, W. L. F.; de Araújo, F. X.

2003-08-01

Apresentamos neste trabalho o resultado de um estudo das principais características espectrais das estrelas centrais de nebulosas planetárias (ECNP) deficientes em hidrogênio. A origem e a evolução dessas estrelas ainda constitui um problema em aberto na evolução estelar. Geralmente esses objetos são divididos em [WCE], [WCL] e [WELS]. Os tipos [WCE] e [WCL] apresentam um espectro típico de uma estrela Wolf-Rayet carbonada de população I e as [WELS] apresentam linhas fracas de carbono e oxigênio em emissão. Existem evidências que apontam a seguinte sequência evolutiva : [WCL] = > [WCE] = > [WELS] = > PG 1159 (pré anã-branca). No entanto, tal cenário apresenta falhas como por exemplo a falta de ECNP entre os tipos [WCL] e [WCE]. Baseados em uma amostra de 24 objetos obtida no telescópio de 1.52m em La Silla, Chile (acordo ESO/ON), ao longo do ano 2000, apresentamos os resultados da comparação das larguras equivalentes de diversas linhas relevantes entre os tipos [WCL], [WCE] e [WELS]. Verificamos que nossos dados estão de acordo com a sequência evolutiva. Baseado nas linhas de C IV, conseguimos dividir pela primeira vez as [WELS] em dois grupos principais. Além disso, os dados reforçam a afirmação de que as [WCE] são as estrelas que possuem a maior temperatura entre as ECNP deficientes em hidrogênio. Discutimos ainda, a escassez de dados disponíveis na literatura e a necessidade da obtenção de parametros físicos para estes objetos.
Comparative study between kidney transplantation with deceased donor expanded criteria and donor standard criteria in a single center in Brazil.

PubMed

Mota, Luana Soriano; Oliveira, Claudia Maria Costa de; Pinheiro, Francisco Martho Leal; Santos, Larissa Costa de Oliveira; Nóbrega, Danilo Gonçalves; Fernandes, Paula Fbc; Costa, Alda Angélica de Melo; Silva, Sônia Leite da

2016-01-01

Kidney transplants with expanded criteria donor have been associated with improved patient survival compared to those who remain on dialysis. To compare renal function and survival of the kidney graft of deceased donor with expanded criteria and standard criteria over a year in a single transplant center. 255 kidney transplant recipients with deceased donor were included in the study between the years 2011 to 2013 and they were separated into two groups according to the type of donor (expanded criteria donor - ECD - and standard criteria donor - SCD). 231 deceased donor transplants (90.6%) were performed with standard criteria donor (SCD) and 24 (9.4%) with expanded criteria donor (ECD). There was no difference in the prevalence of delayed graft function - DGF - (62.9% vs. 70.8%; p = 0.44). Expanded criteria donor group had lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at the end of the 1st year (56.8 ± 26.9 vs. 76.9 ± 23.7; p = 0.001). Patient survival was significantly lower in the ECD group, but the graft survival was not different after death-censored analysis. The ECD group was associated with significantly lower levels of GFR during the first year of transplant and a lower patient survival at the 1st year when compared to the SCD. A aceitação dos rins com critério expandido de doação tem sido associada com melhor sobrevida do paciente em comparação àqueles que permanecem em terapia dialítica. Comparar a função renal e a sobrevida do enxerto renal de doador falecido critério expandido com os de doador falecido critério padrão ao longo de um ano em um único centro de transplantes. Foram incluídos 255 receptores de transplante renal com doador falecido, realizados entre os anos de 2011 a 2013, sendo divididos em dois grupos segundo o tipo de doador (critério expandido - DCE - ou padrão -DCP). Foram avaliados 231 receptores com doador critério ideal (90,6%) e 24 com doador critério expandido (9,4%). Não houve diferença na prevalência de função retardada do enxerto - DGF - (62,9% no DCP vs. 70,8% no DCE; p = 0,44) nos dois grupos. Os transplantes com DCE apresentaram uma taxa de filtração glomerular (TFG) significativamente inferior aos 12 meses (56,8 ± 26,9 vs. 76,9 ± 23,7; p = 0,001). A sobrevida dos pacientes em 1 ano foi significativamente inferior no grupo de DCE, mas não houve diferença na sobrevida dos enxertos após exclusão de perdas por óbito com rim funcionante. O grupo com DCE associou-se com níveis significativamente mais baixos de TFG ao longo do primeiro ano de transplante, bem como uma menor sobrevida dos pacientes em 1 ano, quando comparado ao grupo com doador padrão.
Datação do disco galáctico pela nucleocosmocronologia do [Th/Eu

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

del Peloso, E. F.; da Silva, L.; Arany-Prado, L. I.

2003-08-01

A nucleocosmocronologia emprega abundâncias de nuclídeos radioativos na datação de escalas de tempo astrofísicas. O 232Th é um nuclídeo radioativo com meia-vida de 14 Gano, enquanto que os dois isótopos mais abundantes do Eu são estáveis. O decaimento radioativo do Th modifica as razões de abundâncias [Th/Eu], fornecendo assim um meio de sondar a escala de formação das populações estelares. O objetivo deste trabalho é averiguar a possibilidade de estimar uma idade para o disco Galáctico através da nucleocosmocronologia do [Th/Eu] e investigar o nível de incerteza associado a esta estimativa. Para tanto, foi selecionada uma amostra de 20 estrelas anãs ou subgigantes de tipos espectrais F5 a G9, com -1,00 £ [Fe/H] £ +0,30 e idade(Gano) £ 13. As abundâncias de Th e Eu foram obtidas por síntese espectral das linhas localizadas em 4019,1 Å e 4129,7 Å, respectivamente. Uma comparação destas abundâncias com outros resultados da literatura demonstra que nossos valores apresentam dispersão 2 a 3 vezes menor que qualquer trabalho anterior. Os parâmetros atmosféricos e abundâncias dos elementos que contaminam as regiões espectrais destas linhas foram determinados por nós, de maneira totalmente autoconsistente, através de análise espectral detalhada diferencial em relação ao Sol. As idades estelares individuais foram determinadas através de curvas isócronas teóricas no diagrama HR. Foi realizada, então, uma análise cronológica dos gráficos [Th/Eu] vs. [Fe/H] e [Th/Eu] vs. idade. Os dados estelares foram comparados a curvas calculadas para 3 idades do disco Galáctico - 9, 12, 15 Gano - e foi estudada a sensibilidade à idade assumida no cálculo do ajuste destas curvas aos dados. Estas curvas foram calculadas com base num modelo analítico de evolução química da Galáxia que leva em consideração a formação de refugos, que são compostos pelos remanescentes da evolução estelar, pelos resíduos da formação de estrelas de baixa massa (planetas, cometas, etc.) e por quaisquer outros objetos de massa não-estelar. A formação de resíduos tem o efeito indireto de diluir o meio interestelar, levando a um enriquecimento mais lento deste e a um bom ajuste de diversos vínculos da evolução química da Galáxia, como a distribuição de anãs-G e a relação idade-metalicidade. Os efeitos da destruição do Th por reações fotonucleares em interiores estelares também foram considerados.
Needs of family caregivers in home care for older adults.

PubMed

Bierhals, Carla Cristiane Becker Kottwitz; Santos, Naiana Oliveira Dos; Fengler, Fernanda Laís; Raubustt, Kamila Dellamora; Forbes, Dorothy Anne; Paskulin, Lisiane Manganelli Girardi

2017-04-06

to reveal the felt and normative needs of primary family caregivers when providing instrumental support to older adults enrolled in a Home Care Program in a Primary Health Service in the South of Brazil. using Bradshaw's taxonomy of needs to explore the caregiver's felt needs (stated needs) and normative needs (defined by professionals), a mixed exploratory study was conducted in three steps: Descriptive quantitative phase with 39 older adults and their caregiver, using a data sheet based on patient records; Qualitative exploratory phase that included 21 caregiver interviews, analyzed by content analysis; Systematic observation, using an observation guide with 16 caregivers, analyzed by descriptive statistics. the felt needs were related to information about instrumental support activities and subjective aspects of care. Caregivers presented more normative needs related to medications care. understanding caregivers' needs allows nurses to plan interventions based on their particularities. identificar as necessidades sentidas e normativas dos cuidadores familiares principais no apoio instrumental a idosos registrados em um Programa de Atenção Domiciliar em uma Unidade Básica de Saúde no Sul do Brasil. usando a Taxonomia de Necessidades de Bradshaw para explorar as necessidades sentidas (necessidades declaradas) e normativas (definidas por profissionais), desenvolveu-se um estudo exploratório misto em três etapas: Etapa descritiva quantitativa, envolvendo 39 idosos e seus cuidadores, com a ajuda de um folha de dados baseada no prontuário do paciente; Etapa exploratória qualitativa, baseada em entrevistas com 21 cuidadores, analisadas mediante a análise de conteúdo; Observação sistemática, aplicando um roteiro de observação a 16 cuidadores, com análise estatística descritiva. as necessidades sentidas estavam relacionadas a informações sobre atividades de apoio instrumental e aspectos subjetivos do cuidado. Os cuidadores apresentaram maior número de necessidades normativas associadas ao cuidado com as medicações. compreender as necessidades dos cuidadores permite aos enfermeiros planejar intervenções baseadas em suas particularidades. descubrir las necesidades sentidas y normativas de los cuidadores primarios familiares en la prestación de apoyo instrumental a ancianos registrados en un Programa de Atención Domiciliaria en una Unidad Básica de Salud en el sur de Brasil. usando la Taxonomía de Necesidades de Bradshaw para explorar las necesidades sentidas (necesidades declaradas) y normativas (definidas por profesionales), fue desarrollado un estudio exploratorio mixto en tres etapas: Etapa descriptiva cuantitativa, involucrando 39 ancianos y sus cuidadores, mediante una hoja de datos basada en el archivo del paciente; Etapa exploratoria cualitativa, basada en entrevistas con 21 cuidadores, analizadas mediante el análisis de contenido; Observación sistemática, aplicando un manual de observación a 16 cuidadores, con análisis estadístico descriptivo. las necesidades sentidas estaban relacionadas a informaciones sobre actividades de apoyo instrumental y aspectos subjetivos de la atención. Los cuidadores presentaron mayor número de necesidades normativas asociadas al cuidado con medicaciones. comprender las necesidades de los cuidadores permite a los enfermeros planificar intervenciones basadas en sus particularidades.
Application of botulinum toxin to treat sialorrhea in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients: a literature review.

PubMed

Oliveira, Ademar Francisco de; Silva, Gêssyca Adryene de Menezes; Almeida, Débora Milenna Xavier

2016-01-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the degeneration of motor neurons, which are the central nervous system cells that control voluntary muscle movements. The excessive salivation (sialorrhea) is present in approximately 50% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases. Thus, some alternative therapeutic methods are sought, such as anticholinergic drugs and surgery. Recently the use of botulinum toxin applied at a midpoint of the salivary glands, often guided by ultrasound, have demonstrated positive results. The objective was to review the literature to demonstrate an alternative method to treatments of sialorrhea in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In recent studies, the efficacy of botulinum toxin is confirmed, although new applications are required. Since the side effects are negligible, this is an alternative to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and other patients with diseases that present sialorrhea. RESUMO Esclerose lateral amiotrófica é uma doença neurodegenerativa progressiva e fatal, caracterizada pela degeneração dos neurônios motores, as células do sistema nervoso central que controlam os movimentos voluntários dos músculos. A salivação excessiva (sialorreia) está presente em cerca de 50% dos casos de esclerose lateral amiotrófica. Dessa forma, surgem medidas terapêuticas alternativas como drogas anticolinérgicas e cirurgia, e recentemente, o uso da toxina botulínica, aplicada em um ponto central das glândulas salivares, muitas vezes guiado por ultrassonografia, demostrou resultados positivos. Objetivou-se revisar a literatura no intuito de demonstrar um método alternativo aos tratamentos de sialorreia em pacientes com esclerose lateral amiotrófica. Em estudos recentes, a eficácia do tratamento com toxina botulínica foi confirmada e, mesmo requerendo novas aplicações, os efeitos colaterais são ínfimos. Ela surge então como alternativa não só ao tratamento de esclerose lateral amiotrófica, mas também para outros pacientes com doenças que apresentem a sialorreia.
Humanization in the Intensive Care: perception of family and healthcare professionals.

PubMed

Luiz, Flavia Feron; Caregnato, Rita Catalina Aquino; Costa, Márcia Rosa da

2017-01-01

Understanding perceptions of family members and healthcare professionals about humanization at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to direct it to an educational action. Exploratory descriptive and qualitative study conducted in an ICU level 3 of a public hospital in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, with fourteen subjects, eight family members and six healthcare professionals. Data collection carried out through semi-structured interviews and focus group. Content Analysis was used. Emerged categories were: welcoming; communication; ethical and sensible professionalism; unfavorable aspects; perception on humanization; and religiosity/spirituality. Although the subjects have expressed their perceptions about humanization in different ways, both groups pointed out the same needs and priorities to improve humanization in Intensive Care. From the results, we created a reflective manual of humanizing assistance practices for professionals, a board to facilitate communication of these professionals with patients and a guideline book for family members. Compreender as percepções de familiares e profissionais de saúde sobre humanização na Unidade Terapia Intensiva (UTI) para direcionar a uma ação educativa. Estudo exploratório-descritivo qualitativo, realizado em uma UTI nível III de um hospital público de Porto Alegre/RS com 14 sujeitos, sendo oito familiares e seis profissionais de saúde. Coleta de dados realizada por meio de: entrevistas semiestruturadas e grupo focal. Utilizou-se Análise de Conteúdo. As categorias emergidas foram: acolhida; comunicação; profissionalismo ético e sensível; aspectos desfavoráveis; percepção sobre humanização; e religiosidade/espiritualidade. Apesar dos sujeitos expressarem de maneiras distintas suas percepções sobre humanização, os dois grupos comparados elencaram iguais necessidades e prioridades para o aprimoramento da humanização na Terapia Intensiva. A partir dos resultados, criou-se um Manual Reflexivo de práticas assistenciais humanizadoras para os profissionais, um tabuleiro para facilitar a comunicação destes profissionais com os usuários e um guia de orientações aos familiares.
Care production for tuberculosis cases:analysis according to the elements of the Chronic Care Model.

PubMed

Silva, Daiane Medeiros da; Farias, Hérika Brito Gomes de; Villa, Tereza Cristina Scatena; Sá, Lenilde Duarte de; Brunello, Maria Eugênia Firmino; Nogueira, Jordana de Almeida

2016-04-01

To analyze the care provided to tuberculosis cases in primary health care services according to the elements of the Chronic Care Model. Cross-sectional study conducted in a capital city of the northeastern region of Brazil involving 83 Family Health Strategy professionals.A structured tool adapted to tuberculosis-related care in Brazil was applied.Analysis was based on the development of indicators with capacity to produce care varying between limited and optimum. The organization of care for tuberculosis and supported self-care presented reasonable capacity.In the coordination with the community, the presence of the community agent presented optimum capacity.Partnership with organizations of the community and involvement of experts presented limited capacity.The qualification of professionals, the system for scheduling and monitoring tuberculosis in the community, and the clinical information system presented basic capacity. The capacity of the primary health care services to produce tuberculosis-related care according to the elements of the Chronic Care Model is still limited.Overcoming the fragmentation of care and prioritizing a systemic operation between actions and services of the health care network remains as a major challenge. Analisar,segundo os elementos doChronicCareModel,a produção do cuidado aos casos de tuberculose nos serviços de Atenção Primária à Saúde. Estudo transversal, realizado em capital do nordeste brasileiro, envolvendo 83 profissionais da Estratégia Saúde da Família. Aplicou-se um instrumento estruturado, adaptado para atenção à tuberculose no Brasil. A análise pautou-se na construção de indicadores, cujacapacidade para produção de cuidados variou entre limitada a ótima. A organização da atenção à tuberculose e o autocuidado apoiado apresentaram capacidade razoável. Na articulação com a comunidade, a presençadoagente comunitário de saúde apresentou capacidade ótima. A parceria com organizações da comunidade e o envolvimento de especialistas obtiveram capacidade limitada. A capacitação dos profissionais, o sistema de agendamento e monitoramento da tuberculose na comunidade e o sistema de informação clínica alcançaram capacidade básica. A capacidade dos serviços da Atenção Primária à Saúde para produção do cuidado aos casos de tuberculose,segundo os elementos doChronicCareModel,ainda é limitada.Superar a fragmentação do cuidado e priorizar um funcionamento sistêmico entre ações e serviços da rede de atenção à saúde é ainda um grande desafio.
Association between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Porto, Fernanda; Sakamoto, Yuri Saho; Salles, Cristina

2017-04-01

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated to cardiovascular risk factors. However, the association between OSA and cardiovascular disease is still controversial. The objective of the present study was to verify the association between OSA and myocardial infarction (MI). This is a systematic review of the literature performed through electronic data sources MEDLINE/PubMed, PubMed Central, Web of Science and BVS -Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (Virtual Health Library). The descriptors used were: 'obstructive sleep apnea' AND 'polysomnography' AND 'myocardial infarction' AND 'adults NOT 'treatment.' The present work analysed three prospective studies, selected from 142 articles. The studies followed a total sample of 5,067 OSA patients, mostly composed by male participants. All patients underwent night polysomnography, and all studies found an association between OSA and fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular outcomes. Thus, we were able to observe that 644 (12.7%) of the 5,067 patients suffered MI or stroke, or required a revascularization procedure, and 25.6% of these cardiovascular events were fatal. MI was responsible for 29.5% of all 644 analysed outcomes. There is an association between OSA and MI, in male patients, and apnea and hypopnea index (AHI) are the most reliable markers. Resumo A apneia obstrutiva do sono (AOS) tem sido associada a fatores de risco cardiovascular, porém a relação entre a AOS e doença cardiovascular ainda é controversa. O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar a associação entre AOS e infarto do miocárdio (IM). Revisão sistemática de literatura por meio das fontes de dados eletrônicas MEDLINE/PubMed, PubMed Central, Web of Science e Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS). Os descritores utilizados foram: "obstructive sleep apnea" AND "polysomnography" AND "myocardial infarction" AND "adults" NOT "treatment".O presente trabalho analisou três estudos prospectivos, selecionados dentre 142 artigos encontrados. Os estudos acompanharam uma amostra total de 5.067 pacientes diagnosticados com AOS, composta majoritariamente por participantes do sexo masculino. Todos os pacientes realizaram polissonografia noturna, e todas as pesquisas encontraram associação entre AOS e desfechos cardiovasculares fatais e não fatais. Assim, foi possível observar que 644 (12,7%) dos 5.067 pacientes sofreram IM ou acidente vascular cerebral, ou precisaram de procedimento de revascularização, sendo que 25,6% desses eventos cardiovasculares foram fatais. O IM foi responsável por 29,5% do total de 644 desfechos analisados. Existe associação entre AOS e IM, no sexo masculino, sendo o índice de apneia e hipopneia (IAH) um dos marcadores mais fidedignos.
Tratamento endovascular de aneurisma de tronco braquiocefálico em paciente com síndrome de Ehlers-Danlos tipo IV

PubMed Central

Belczak, Sergio Quilici; Klajner, Rafael Kogan; Ogawa, Lara Cote; Lucato, Laís Leite; Zeque, Bruna Stecca; de Macedo, Felipe Basso; da Silva, Ingredy Tavares; Atihe, Luís Felipe

2016-01-01

Resumo A síndrome de Ehlers-Danlos é uma doença genética que acarreta alteração na síntese de colágeno, causando extrema fragilidade do tecido conjuntivo. Tal fragilidade predispõe a uma série de doenças vasculares, como dissecções, aneurismas e pseudoaneurismas. Os autores relatam o histórico de um indivíduo de 19 anos com aneurisma de tronco braquiocefálico que foi submetido ao tratamento endovascular com implante de stents revestidos. O caso evoluiu com complicação do sítio de punção, que também foi tratada em caráter de emergência pela técnica endovascular com o implante de stent revestido.
Windows of opportunities and technological innovation in the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry.

PubMed

Tigre, Paulo Bastos; Nascimento, Caio Victor Machado França do; Costa, Laís Silveira

2016-11-03

The Brazilian pharmaceutical industry is heavily dependent on external sources of inputs, capital, and technology. However, the emergence of technological opportunities and the development of biotechnology and the decline of the patent boom and resulting advances by generic drugs have opened windows of opportunities for the local industry. The article examines the Brazilian industry's innovative behavior vis-à-vis these opportunities, showing that although the industry as a whole invests little in innovation, a few large Brazilian companies have expanded their market share and stepped up their investments in research and development, supported by public policies for innovation. Resumo: A indústria farmacêutica brasileira caracteriza-se pela grande dependência de fontes externas de insumos, capital e tecnologia. O surgimento de oportunidades tecnológicas, associadas ao desenvolvimento da biotecnologia e ao fim do boom das patentes com o consequente avanço dos medicamentos genéricos, entretanto, vem abrindo janelas de oportunidades para a indústria local. Este artigo examina o comportamento inovador da indústria brasileira à luz dessas oportunidades, revelando que, embora o conjunto da indústria mantenha baixos níveis de investimentos em inovação, um pequeno grupo de grandes empresas nacionais vem ampliando sua participação no mercado e intensificando seus investimentos em pesquisa e desenvolvimento, apoiados por políticas públicas de inovação.
Um Breve Balanço dos Estudos em Astronomia e Educação no Brasil no Período de 2010 a 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goncalves, Erica de Oliveira; Kern, C.

2014-10-01

No Brasil, as pesquisas em ensino de astronomia para a Educação Básica vem ganhando destaque. Posto como importante área do conhecimento para estudantes e professores, os estudos em astronomia conquistam espaços nos documentos oficiais da educação e nos currículos escolares. Diante desse cenário, fez-se, neste trabalho, um mapeamento no banco de dados da Biblioteca Digital Brasileira de Teses e Dissertações , com base nas palavras-chave "astronomia" e "educação" no período de 2010 a 2013. Para compor o que aqui denominamos de balanço da área de estudo, foram selecionados trabalhos e analisados os títulos, os resumos, as considerações finais e as referências, bem como identificamos as fontes epistemológicas correntes nas pesquisas de pós-graduação no período supracitado. Identificou-se, na maior parte dos trabalhos pesquisados, referenciais teóricos relacionados & agrave; área de física, ciências e astronomia que envolvem discussões sobre currículo e práticas pedagógicas vinculados ao ensino de astronomia no ensino fundamental e médio da Educação Bãsica e nos cursos de formação de professores.
Resposta do detector de ondas gravitacionais Mario Schenberg ao "ringdown" de buraco negros

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, C. A.; Aguiar, O. D.; Magalhães, N. S.

2003-08-01

Acredita-se que quando duas estrelas de nêutrons coalescem, elas, eventualmente, formam um buraco negro com massa igual a soma das massas dos objetos originais. Durante a formação do buraco negro, o espaço-tempo em torno do sistema sofre perturbações que se propagam na forma de radiação gravitacional. A forma de onda associada a radiação gravitacional, durante este estágio, aproxima-se a uma senóide exponencialmente amortecida. Este tipo de sinal é conhecido como "ringdown", e seu comportamento e parametrização são muito bem conhecidos. Neste trabalho, simulamos computacionalmente sinais provenientes do "ringdown" de buracos negros, com a finalidade de testar o desempenho do detector de ondas gravitacionais Mario Schenberg em observá-los, quando entrar em funcionamento. Este primeiro teste teórico ajudou-nos a criar estratégias de detecção de sinais imersos no ruído instrumental. Calculamos a relação sinal-ruído como uma função da frequência, bem como sua integral dentro da faixa de sensibilidade do detector. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que o detector Schenberg terá sensibilidade suficiente para detectar este tipo de sinal, proveniente de fontes astrofísicas localizadas dentro de um raio de ~100kpc.
Hypertriglyceridemic Waist Phenotype and Changes in the Fasting Glycemia and Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents Over One-Year Follow-Up Period.

PubMed

Costa, Priscila Ribas de Farias; Assis, Ana Marlúcia Oliveira; Cunha, Carla de Magalhães; Pereira, Emile Miranda; Jesus, Gabriela Dos Santos de; Silva, Lais Eloy Machado da; Alves, Wilanne Pinheiro de Oliveira

2017-07-01

The hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTW) phenotype is defined as the simultaneous presence of increased waist circumference (WC) and serum triglycerides (TG) levels and it has been associated with cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents. The objective was to evaluate the influence of HTW phenotype in the fasting glycemia and blood pressure in children and adolescents over one-year follow-up period. It is a cohort study involving 492 children and adolescents from 7 to 15 years old, both genders, who were submitted to anthropometric, biochemical and clinical evaluation at the baseline, and also after 6 and 12 months of follow-up. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) models were calculated to evaluate the longitudinal influence of the HTW phenotype in the glycemia and blood pressure over one-year. It was observed a prevalence of 10.6% (n = 52) of HTW phenotype in the students. The GEE models identified that students with HTW phenotype had an increase of 3.87 mg/dl in the fasting glycemia mean (CI: 1.68-6.05) and of 3.67mmHg in the systolic blood pressure (SBP) mean (CI: 1.55-6.08) over one-year follow-up, after adjusting for confounding variables. The results of this study suggest that HTW phenotype is a risk factor for longitudinal changes in glycemia and SBP in children and adolescents over one-year follow-up period. O fenótipo de cintura hipertrigliceridêmica (CHT) é definido como a presença simultânea de circunferência de cintura (CC) e níveis séricos de triglicérides (TG) aumentados e tem sido associado com risco cardiometabólico em crianças e adolescentes. Avaliar a influência do fenótipo CHT na glicemia de jejum e na pressão arterial em crianças e adolescentes em um período de acompanhamento de um ano. Trata-se de um estudo de coorte envolvendo 492 crianças e adolescentes de 7 a 15 anos de ambos os sexos, que foram submetidos à avaliação antropométrica, bioquímica e clínica no início e também após 6 e 12 meses de seguimento. Os modelos de Equação de Estimulação Generalizada (GEE) foram calculados para avaliar a influência longitudinal do fenótipo CHT na glicemia e na pressão arterial ao longo de um ano. Foi observada uma prevalência de 10,6% (n = 52) do fenótipo CHT nos estudantes. Os modelos GEE identificaram que os estudantes com fenótipo CHT apresentaram aumento de 3,87 mg/dl na média de glicemia em jejum (IC: 1,68-6,05) e de 3,67 mmHg na pressão arterial sistólica media (PAS) (IC: 1,55-6,08) depois de um ano de acompanhamento, após ajuste para variáveis de confusão. Os resultados deste estudo sugerem que o fenótipo CHT é um fator de risco para alterações longitudinais da glicemia e da PAS em crianças e adolescentes em um período de um ano de seguimento.
Value of the Qrs-T Angle in Predicting the Induction of Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias in Patients with Chagas Disease.

PubMed

Zampa, Hugo Bizetto; Moreira, Dalmo Ar; Ferreira Filho, Carlos Alberto Brandão; Souza, Charles Rios; Menezes, Camila Caldas; Hirata, Henrique Seichii; Armaganijan, Luciana Vidal

2014-10-28

Background: The QRS-T angle correlates with prognosis in patients with heart failure and coronary artery disease, reflected by an increase in mortality proportional to an increase in the difference between the axes of the QRS complex and T wave in the frontal plane. The value of this correlation in patients with Chagas heart disease is currently unknown. Objective: Determine the correlation of the QRS-T angle and the risk of induction of ventricular tachycardia / ventricular fibrillation (VT / VF) during electrophysiological study (EPS) in patients with Chagas disease. Methods: Case-control study at a tertiary center. Patients without induction of VT / VF on EPS were used as controls. The QRS-T angle was categorized as normal (0-105º), borderline (105-135º) or abnormal (135-180º). Differences between groups for continuous variables were analyzed with the t test or Mann-Whitney test, and for categorical variables with Fisher's exact test. P values < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Of 116 patients undergoing EPS, 37.9% were excluded due to incomplete information / inactive records or due to the impossibility to correctly calculate the QRS-T angle (presence of left bundle branch block and atrial fibrillation). Of 72 patients included in the study, 31 induced VT / VF on EPS. Of these, the QRS-T angle was normal in 41.9%, borderline in 12.9% and abnormal in 45.2%. Among patients without induction of VT / VF on EPS, the QRS-T angle was normal in 63.4%, borderline in 14.6% and abnormal in 17.1% (p = 0.04). When compared with patients with normal QRS-T angle, those with abnormal angle had a fourfold higher risk of inducing ventricular tachycardia / ventricular fibrillation on EPS [odds ratio (OR) 4; confidence interval (CI) 1.298-12.325; p = 0.028]. After adjustment for other variables such as age, ejection fraction (EF) and QRS size, there was a trend for the abnormal QRS-T angle to identify patients with increased risk of inducing VT / VF during EPS (OR 3.95; CI 0.99-15.82; p = 0.052). The EF also emerged as a predictor of induction of VT / VF: for each point increase in EF, there was a 4% reduction in the rate of sustained ventricular arrhythmia on EPS. Conclusions: Changes in the QRS-T angle and decreases in EF were associated with an increased risk of induction of VT / VF on EPS.Fundamento: O ângulo QRS-T mostra correlação com prognóstico em pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca e doença coronariana, traduzido por um aumento na mortalidade proporcional ao aumento na diferença entre os eixos do complexo QRS e da onda T no plano frontal. Até hoje, nenhuma informação a este respeito foi obtida em pacientes com cardiopatia chagásica. Objetivo: Correlacionar o ângulo QRS-T com a indução de taquicardia ventricular / fibrilação ventricular (TV / FV) em chagásicos durante estudo eletrofisiológico (EEF). Métodos: Estudo caso-controle em centro terciário. Pacientes sem indução de TV / FV ao EEF foram utilizados como controles. O ângulo QRS-T foi categorizado como normal (0-105º), limítrofe (105-135º) e anormal (135-180º). As diferenças entre os grupos foram analisadas pelo teste t ou teste de Mann-Whitney para variáveis contínuas, e teste exato de Fisher ou qui-quadrado para variáveis categóricas. Valores de p < 0,05 foram considerados significativos. Resultados: De 116 pacientes submetidos ao EEF, 37,9% foram excluídos por estarem com dados incompletos / prontuários inativos ou pela impossibilidade de se calcular corretamente o ângulo QRS-T (presença de bloqueio de ramo esquerdo e fibrilação atrial). De 72 pacientes incluídos, 31 induziram TV / FV ao EEF. Destes, o ângulo QRS-T se encontrava normal em 41,9%, limítrofe em 12,9% e anormal em 45,2%. No grupo de pacientes sem indução de TV / FV, o ângulo QRS-T se encontrava normal em 63,4%, limítrofe em 14,6% e anormal em 17,1% (p = 0,04). Quando comparados aos pacientes com ângulo QRS-T normal, o risco de indução de TV / FV nos pacientes com ângulo anormal foi quatro vezes maior [odds ratio (OR) 4; intervalo de confiança (IC) 1,298-12,325; p = 0,028). Após ajuste para outras variáveis como idade, fração de ejeção (FE) e tamanho do QRS, houve tendência do ângulo QRS-T anormal em identificar pacientes com maior risco de indução de TV / FV (OR 3,95; IC 0,99-15,82; p = 0,052). A FE também se evidenciou como preditora de indução de TV / FV: um ponto de aumento na FE reduziu em 4% a taxa de indução de arritmia ventricular sustentada ao EEF. Conclusões: Alterações no ângulo QRS-T e redução na FE estiveram associadas a um aumento no risco de indução de TV / FV ao EEF.

Scientific evidence of dockworker illness to nursing clinical reasoning.

PubMed

Almeida, Marlise Capa Verde de; Cezar-Vaz, Marta Regina

2016-04-01

To identify scientific evidence of occupational illness of dockworkers published in the literature. systematic review of the literature, developed according to the Cochrane method. The databases searched were: Cochrane, LILACS, MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL and SciELO. Studies from 1988 to 2014 were selected. The data were analyzed according to the level of evidence and Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology. We included 14 studies, in which 11 (78.6%) were from international journals. The year of 2012 showed greater number of studies. All studies were classified as: Level of Evidence 4, highlighting lung cancer, musculoskeletal and ischemic diseases, causal link in chemical risks. The development of preventive measures should especially include chemical exposure of workers applying the clinical reasoning of nurses' environmental knowledge to care for illnesses. Identificar evidências científicas de adoecimento ocupacional do trabalhador portuário publicadas na literatura. Revisão sistemática da literatura, construída conforme o método Cochrane. As bases de dados pesquisadas foram Cochrane, LILACS, MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL e SciELO. Foram selecionados artigos publicados de 1988 a 2014. Os dados foram analisados conforme o Nível de Evidência e Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology. Foram selecionadas 14 publicações, das quais 11 (78,6%) de revistas internacionais. O ano de 2012 reuniu maior número de publicações no período de estudo. Todas as publicações pertenciam ao Nível de Evidência 4, destacando o câncer pulmonar, doenças osteomusculares e isquêmicas, com nexo causal nos riscos químicos. A elaboração de medidas preventivas deve prever especialmente a exposição química do trabalhador, aplicando ao raciocínio clínico do enfermeiro um conhecimento ambiental para a assistência aos adoecimentos.
Compilação de dados atômicos e moleculares do UV ao IV próximo para uso em síntese espectral

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coelho, P.; Barbuy, B.; Melendez, J.; Allen, D. M.; Castilho, B.

2003-08-01

Espectros sintéticos são utéis em uma grande variedade de aplicações, desde análise de abundâncias em espectros estelares de alta resolução ao estudo de populações estelares em espectros integrados. A confiabilidade de um espectro sintético depende do modelo de atmosfera adotado, do código de formação de linhas e da qualidade dos dados atômicos e moleculares que são determinantes no cálculo das opacidades da fotosfera. O nosso grupo no departamento de Astronomia no IAG tem utilizado espectros sintéticos há mais de 15 anos, em aplicações voltadas principalmente para a análise de abundâncias de estrelas G, K e M e populações estelares velhas. Ao longo desse tempo, as listas de linhas vieram sendo construídas e atualizadas continuamente, e alguns acréscimos recentes podem ser citados: Castilho (1999, átomos e moléculas no UV), Schiavon (1998, bandas moleculares de TiO) e Melendez (2001, átomos e moléculas no IV próximo). Com o intuito de calcular uma grade de espectros do UV ao IV próximo para uso no estudo de populações estelares velhas, se fazia necessário compilar e homogeneizar as diversas listas em apenas uma lista atômica e uma molecular. Nesse processo, a nova lista compilada foi correlacionada com outras bases de dados (NIST, Kurucz Database, O' Brian et al. 1991) para atualização dos parâmetros que caracterizam a transição atômica (comprimento de onda, log gf e potencial de excitação). Adicionalmente as constantes de interação C6 foram calculadas segundo a teoria de Anstee & O'Mara (1995) e artigos posteriores. As bandas moleculares de CH e CN foram recalculadas com o programa LIFBASE (Luque & Crosley 1999). Nesse poster estão detalhados os procedimentos citados acima, as comparações entre espectros calculados com as novas listas e espectros observados em alta resolução do Sol e de Arcturus, e uma análise do impacto decorrente da utilização de diferentes modelos de atmosfera no espectro sintético. Ao final, temos uma lista de linhas atômicas com mais de 24.000 linhas e uma lista molecular com as moléculas CN, CH, OH, NH, MgH, C2, TiO Gama, CO, FeH, adequadas ao estudo de estrelas G, K e M e populações estelares velhas.
Avaliação do conhecimento de pacientes diabéticos sobre medidas preventivas do pé diabético em Maringá (PR)

PubMed Central

Carlesso, Guilherme Pereira; Gonçalves, Mariana Helena Barboza; Moreschi, Dorival

2017-01-01

Resumo Contexto O atual envelhecimento da população tem gerado maior predominância de doenças crônicas, como o diabetes, a qual está associada a um risco elevado de complicações crônicas e agudas. Entre essas, o pé diabético (PD) destaca-se por possuir alta incidência e grande poder mutilador. Objetivo Avaliar o conhecimento da população diabética das Unidades Básicas de Saúde (UBS) de Maringá (PR) sobre a prevenção do PD. Métodos Estudo descritivo, quantitativo, tipo inquérito por entrevista. A população estudada foi composta por 80 portadores de diabetes, cadastrados em UBS de Maringá (PR). A coleta de dados buscou levantar dados sociodemográficos e epidemiológicos, bem como as atitudes de controle do diabetes e do autocuidado para prevenção do PD. Resultados Do total de entrevistados, nove não realizavam qualquer tipo de exame para controle do diabetes e a renda mensal predominante foi de até um salário mínimo. O grau de escolaridade e a renda mensal não se mostraram relevantes em relação ao conhecimento de cuidados preventivos do PD e nem uma maior adesão a hábitos de vida saudáveis. O cuidado com o PD tende a melhorar à medida que exista uma compreensão mais clara dos fatores que conduzem à perda do membro e um crescente consenso sobre a gestão de vários aspectos clínicos do cuidado com o pé. Conclusão Existe uma falta de aprendizado das medidas preventivas, mesmo nos pacientes com algum nível de instrução, o que induz a uma prática deficiente de cuidados.
Controle orbital de satélites artificiais com propulsão e uso de gravidade lunar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres, K. S.; de Almeida Prado, A. F. B.

2003-08-01

A redução do custo de combustível de uma manobra é atualmente a grande prioridade de todos os programas espaciais existentes no mundo. As manobras assistidas pela gravidade são uma ótima forma de se contornar o problema pois proporcionam economias com vasto impacto no custo final da missão. Neste trabalho é feito um estudo particular do controle orbital de um satélite artificial da Terra usando a gravidade da Lua. O objetivo é estudar uma técnica econômica para uma mudança de plano de um satélite que está em órbita em volta da Terra. A idéia principal desta abordagem é enviar primeiramente o veículo espacial em direção à Lua usando uma manobra mono-impulsiva para que assim o campo gravitacional da Lua possa fazer a mudança de plano desejada (sem custo de combustível) e só então retornar o veículo aos valores iniciais de semi-eixo e excentricidade usando uma manobra bi-impulsiva tipo Hohmann. Para tanto, é assumido que a espaçonave inicia em uma órbita circular coplanar à órbita da lua em torno da Terra e a meta é colocá-la em uma órbita similar que difere da órbita inicial somente pela inclinação. São usadas equações analíticas baseadas na abordagem Patched Conics para se calcular a variação na velocidade, momento angular, energia e inclinação do veículo espacial que realiza esta manobra. Várias simulações são feitas para se avaliar as economias de combustível envolvidas.
STRATEGIES IN SEARCH FOR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.

PubMed

Freitas, Denise de

2015-01-01

Internationalization is the process which integrates universal, intercultural or global dimension in a program, in this case, postgraduate. It can be understood as the process of increasing participation in international operations. To offer design and motivational logistics on how to run a process of international scientific relationship. It is necessary to develop several different aspects to be reached internationalization: to know the fundamentals of internationalization; to have international vision; to promote strategy for internationalization; to know the characteristics of an institutional center of internationalization; and to understand the institutional advantages of internationalization. Internationalization is essential to aerate the Brazilian postgraduate and not mischaracterize or weakens the process. On the contrary, it contributes to increase its vitality and capacity for innovation. Today is not possible to imagine science without internationalization. A internacionalização é o processo no qual se integra dimensão universal, intercultural ou global em um programa, no caso, de pós-graduação. Ela pode ser compreendida como o processo de participação crescente em operações internacionais. Apresentar concepção logística e motivacional de como executar um processo de relações científicas internacionais. É necessário o desenvolvimento de vários e diferentes aspectos para ser alcançada a internacionalização: conhecer os grandes eixos da internacionalização; ter visão internacional; promover estratégia para a internacionalização; saber das características de um centro institucional de internacionalização; e conhecer as vantagens institucionais da internacionalização. A internacionalização é imprescindível para arejar a pós-graduação brasileira e não a descaracteriza, menospreza ou enfraquece. Ao contrário, contribui para aumentar sua vitalidade e capacidade de inovação. Na atualidade não dá para imaginar a ciência sem internacionalização.
Observações das explosões cósmicas de raios gama GRB021004 e GRB021211 com o satélite HETE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braga, J.; Ricker, G.; Hurley, K.; Lamb, D.; Grew, G.; et al.

2003-08-01

O High Energy Transient Explorer (HETE) é o primeiro satélite inteiramente dedicado ao estudo das explosões cósmicas de raios gama (ECRGs). Lançado em 9 de outubro de 2000, o HETE possui instrumentação capaz de observar as ECRGs desde o UV até raios gama e localizá-las com precisão de ~ 1-10 minutos de arco. As localizações das ECRGs detectadas são disseminadas rapidamente (em alguns segundos) pela Internet através de uma rede de estações de recepção ao longo do equador. A participação brasileira nesse projeto se dá através da montagem e operação de uma estação de recepção em Natal, RN, e da participação na equipe científica da missão. Neste trabalho são apresentados resultados da observação pelo HETE de duas ECRGs: GRB 021004 e GRB 021211. A GRB021004 foi detectada em raios gama pelo HETE em 4 de outubro de 2002 e localizada em raios-X em apenas 48 s, quando a emissão de raios gama ainda estava se processando. A explosão, relativamente brilhante e longa, durou aproximadamente 100 s. Um transiente óptico de magnitude 15 foi detectado no local da explosão nove minutos após o evento, e observações realizadas após 7 horas determinaram um desvio para o vermelho de absorção de 1,6. O GRB021004 foi o burst mais bem observado até o momento e suas observações em vários comprimentos de onda têm sido fundamentais para o aprimoramento dos modelos de ECRGs. O GRB21211, um burst brilhante e rico em raios-X, foi detectado em 11 de dezembro de 2002 e localizado em raios-X em 22 s após o início do evento. A duração do burst foi de 2,3 s em altas energias (85 a 400 keV) e de 8,5 s em baixas energias (2 a 10 keV). Caso essa explosão não tivesse sido rapidamente localizada pelo HETE, ela teria sido classificada como "opticamente escura", já que o transiente óptico decaiu rapidamente de R < 14 a R»19 dentro dos primeiros 20 minutos e já estava mais fraco do que R»23 depois de 24 horas da ocorrência do burst. Serão discutidas as implicações desse resultado nos modelos de afterglows de ECRGs.
Local probe studies on lattice distortions and electronic correlations in manganites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopes, Armandina Maria Lima

Nesta tese apresenta-se um estudo experimental das distorcoes locais e correlacoes electronicas em oxidos magneticos com magnetoresistencia colossal. A tecnica de sonda local - Correlacao Angular Perturbada - e utilizada em amostras caracterizadas quanto as suas propriedades macroscopicas nomeadamente propriedades estruturais, magneticas e electricas, tendo em vista a obtencao de informacao microscopica relevante via gradiente de campo electrico e campo magnetico hiperfino, focando em particular os seguintes aspectos: -Distorcoes de rede e agregados de polaroes no sistema LaMnO3+Delta. E apresentado um estudo dos gradientes de campo electrica e campo magnetico hiperfino em amostras representativas do sistema LaMnO3+Delta, correlacionando estas propriedades locais com a caracterizacao das propriedades macroscopicas, efectuada nas mesmas amostras. Desta forma, foi possivel estudar a natureza microscopica das distorcoes polaronicas. Foi dada especial atencao ao composto com composicao LaMnO3.12 uma vez que este e um sistema padrao de uma manganite ferromagnetica-isoladora que apresenta uma transicao estrutural romboedrica (R)-ortorrombica (O) perto da temperatura ambiente. O estudo revelou que agregados de distorcoes locais sobrevivem ate 776 K, na fase de estrutura media mais simetrica (romboedrica), onde, por simetria, os octaedros MnO6 deveriam ser regulares. Estas distorcoes sao semelhantes as observadas no sistema LaMnO3 onde os octaedros MnO6 apresentam uma distorcao Jahn-Teller colectiva. Com a diminuicao da temperatura observa-se um aumento continuo destes agregados. Abaixo de uma temperatura critica estas distorcoes relaxam acomodando-se numa estrutura com reduzidas distorcoes Jahn-teller. Verificou-se tambem que a transicao estrutural (macroscopica) pode ser entendida como uma transicao de percolacao dos ambientes microscopicos. -Coexistencia das ordens electrica e magnetica no sistema Pr1-xCaxMnO3. E apresentado o primeiro estudo de gradiente de campo electrico no sistema Pr1-xCaxMnO3. Este estudo foi efectuado numa larga gama de temperaturas permitindo estudar localmente as diversas transicoes que este sistema apresenta. Em particular, na regiao do diagrama de fases onde existe ordenamento de carga e orbital (0.32
Estudo espectral em raios-X duros de fontes do tipo Z com o HEXTE/RXTE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Amico, F.; Heindl, W. A.; Rothschild, R. E.

2003-08-01

Apresentam-se os resultados de um estudo espectral em raios-X de fontes do tipo Z. As fontes do tipo Z são binárias de raios-X de baixa massa (BXBM) com campo magnético intermediário (B~109G). Esta classe de fontes é composta por apenas 6 fontes Galácticas (a saber: ScoX-1, 9, 7, CygX-2, 5 e 0). A nossa análise se concentra na faixa de raios-X duros (E ~ 20keV), até cerca de 200keV, faixa ótima de operação do telescópio "High Energy X-ray Timing Experiment" (HEXTE), um dos três telescópios de raios-X à bordo do Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). Nossa motivação para tal estudo, uma busca de caudas em raios-X duros em fontes do tipo Z, foi o pouco conhecimento sobre a emissão nesta faixa de energia das referidas fontes quando comparadas, por exemplo, as fontes do tipo atoll (também BXBM). Apresentam-se a análise/redução de dados e explicita-se a maneira como o HEXTE mede o ru1do de fundo. Especial atenção é direcionada a este item devido a localização das fontes do tipo Z e também ao problema de contaminação por fontes próximas. Com exceção de ScoX-1, nenhuma cauda em raios-X duros foi encontrada para as outras fontes, a despeito de resultados de detecção dessas caudas em algumas fontes pelo satélite BeppoSAX. As interpretações deste resultado serão apresentadas. Do ponto de vista deste estudo, nós deduzimos que a produção de caudas de raios-X duros em fontes do tipo Z é um processo disparado quando, pelo menos, uma condição é satisfeita: o brilho da componente térmica do espectro precisa estar acima de um certo valor limiar de ~4´1036ergs-1.
Usina de ciências: um espaço pedagógico para aprendizagens múltiplas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, V. A. F.; Poppe, P. C. R.; Orrico, A. C. P.; Pereira, M. G.

2003-08-01

Entendemos que o Ensino de Astronomia é especialmente apropriado para motivar os alunos e aprofundar conteúdos em diversas áreas do conhecimento, pois envolve temas ligados à Física, Matemática, Química, Computação, Tratamento de Imagens e Instrumentação de Alta Precisão, além daqueles pertinentes as áreas de Geografia, História e Antropologia. Contudo, apesar do caráter interdisciplinar que esta ciência possui, a realidade atual é que a maioria dos professores em sala de aula não foram devidamente capacitados, durante o período de formação acadêmica, para ministrar conteúdos de Astronomia nos atuais Ensinos Fundamental e Médio. Neste trabalho, discutiremos de maneira ampla, num primeiro momento, a realidade do atual ensino de ciências praticado no Estado da Bahia, apontando por dependência administrativa, o crescimento e a redução do número de escolas, da taxa de analfabetismo por faixa etária, da escolarização, do atendimento, da aprovação, reprovação e abandono, de equipamentos e laboratórios e o grau de formação dos nossos atuais professores em pleno exercício de atividade docente. Num segundo momento, discutiremos o papel do Observatório Astronômico Antares/UEFS dentro desse contexto, ou seja, suas ações implementadas ao longo dos últimos anos e em particular, o recente projeto de extensão Ensino e Difusão de Astronomia, financiado pela Fundação Vitae, que procura traduzir no lúdico, no brincar de ciências, um espaço pedagógico para aprendizagens múltiplas. Neste, o papel do professor multiplicador associado ao laboratório de kits didáticos, de fácil construção e manipulação (alguns dos quais serão mostrados), perfazem os principais veículos para o desenvolvimento de conhecimentos, atitudes, habilidades e valores que preparam os nossos alunos para a carreira técnico-científica e para sua participação crítica e criativa na Sociedade.
Conhecimento Científico e Cotidiano em Astronomia: Uma Investigação com Alunos da Educação Básica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vieira, J. B.; Longhini, M. D.

2011-12-01

Este texto apresenta resultados de uma investigação que teve como objetivo, investigar como os conhecimentos científicos e do cotidiano relacionados a essa área de conhecimento apresentam na escola de Educação Básica, especialmente, em alunos do Ensino Médio prestes a deixar Educação Básica. Para realização da pesquisa, utilizamos como recurso metodológico a aplicação de um questionário estruturado contendo 47 questões, organizadas em duas categorias: Conhecimento Cotidiano e Conhecimento Científico. As questões da categoria “Conhecimento Cotidiano” possuíam afirmações relacionadas a crendices, contos populares, especulações e temáticas do gênero, as quais, geralmente, estão fora do círculo de discussão da comunidade científica, talvez por não serem consideradas como objeto de estudo da ciência. As questões da categoria “Conhecimento Científico” são relacionadas a conteúdos específicos de Astronomia, as quais são compartilhadas pela comunidade científica e aceitas, pelo menos provisoriamente, como possuindo fundamentação científica. Concluímos que, possuem ainda concepções de temas Astronômicos persistentes à mudança, por exemplo, fases da Lua relacionadas à melhor período para corte de cabelo e também para plantio; estrela cadente e ocasião perfeita para se fazer um pedido. Entretanto, podemos observar no que diz respeito a mitos e superstições, que quase não existe influência destes entre os alunos. Portanto, ao trabalharmos com os alunos determinados conceitos científicos, é importante lembrarmos que o professor não opera no vazio; os alunos são sujeitos de saberes, práticas e, dessa forma constroem e reconstroem saberes. Cabe ao professor ouvir os estudantes reconstruindo junto deles conceitos científicos. Acreditamos que o ensino de Ciências na Educação Básica deve lidar criticamente com o conhecimento cotidiano e científico e, assim, efetivar a Ciência como disciplina educativa, formativa e libertadora.
Astronomia para/com crianças carentes em Limeira

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bretones, P. S.; Oliveira, V. C.

2003-08-01

Em 2001, o Instituto Superior de Ciências Aplicadas (ISCA Faculdades de Limeira) iniciou um projeto pelo qual o Observatório do Morro Azul empreendeu uma parceria com o Centro de Promoção Social Municipal (CEPROSOM), instituição mantida pela Prefeitura Municipal de Limeira para atender crianças e adolescentes carentes. O CEPROSOM contava com dois projetos: Projeto Centro de Convivência Infantil (CCI) e Programa Criança e Adolescente (PCA), que atendiam crianças e adolescentes em Centros Comunitários de diversas áreas da cidade. Esses projetos têm como prioridades estabelecer atividades prazerosas para as crianças no sentido de retirá-las das ruas. Assim sendo, as crianças passaram a ter mais um tipo de atividade - as visitas ao observatório. Este painel descreve as várias fases do projeto, que envolveu: reuniões de planejamento, curso de Astronomia para as orientadoras dos CCIs e PCAs, atividades relacionadas a visitas das crianças ao Observatório, proposta de construção de gnômons e relógios de Sol nos diversos Centros Comunitários de Limeira e divulgação do projeto na imprensa. O painel inclui discussões sobre a aprendizagem de crianças carentes, relatos que mostram a postura das orientadoras sobre a pertinência do ensino de Astronomia, relatos do monitor que fez o atendimento no Observatório e o que o número de crianças atendidas representou para as atividades da instituição desde o início de suas atividades e, em particular, em 2001. Os resultados são baseados na análise de relatos das orientadoras e do monitor do Observatório, registros de visitas e matérias da imprensa local. Conclui com uma avaliação do que tal projeto representou para as Instituições participantes. Para o Observatório, em particular, foi feita uma análise com relação às outras modalidades de atendimentos que envolvem alunos de escolas e público em geral. Também é abordada a questão do compromisso social do Observatório na educação do público em questão.
Gastric wall changes after intragastric balloon placement: a preliminary experience.

PubMed

Périssé, Luís Gustavo Santos; Ecbc-Rj, Paulo Cézar Marques Périssé; Ribeiro, Kelson Ferreira

2016-01-01

: to evaluate the thickness of the gastric wall at the time of intra gastric balloon (IGB) placement, at the time of its withdrawal and one month after withdrawal. : fifteen morbidly obese patients underwent the introduction of IGB under general anesthesia. In all patients, there was infusion of 500ml of distilled water in the balloon for the test. Measurements of the thickness of the gastric wall were made in the antrum, body and proximal body, using a radial echoendoscope with a frequency of 12MHz and maximum zoom, and its own balloon inflated with 5ml of distilled water. : the presence of IGB led to increased wall thickness of the gastric body by expanding the muscle layer. These changes were apparently transient, since 30 days after the balloon withdrawal there was a tendency to return of the wall thickness values observed before the balloon insertion. : the use of intragastric balloon for the treatment of obesity determines transient increase in the wall thickness of the gastric body caused by expanded muscle layer. avaliar a espessura da parede gástrica no momento do posicionamento do balão intragástrico (BIG), no momento de sua retirada e um mês após a retirada. quinze pacientes obesos mórbidos foram submetidos à introdução de BIG sob anestesia geral. Em todos os pacientes foi feita infusão de 500 ml de água destilada e o balão foi insuflado com 5ml de água destilada. As medidas da espessura da parede gástrica foram feitas no antro, corpo e corpo alto utilizando-se um ecoendoscópio radial com frequência de 12MHz e zoom máximo. a presença do BIG levou ao aumento da espessura da parede do corpo gástrico pelo aumento de espessura da sua camada muscular. Estas alterações são aparentemente transitórias já que após 30 dias da retirada do balão existiu uma tendência de retorno da espessura da parede aos valores observados antes do seu posicionamento. a utilização do balão intragástrico para tratamento da obesidade determina aumento transitório da espessura da parede do corpo gástrico causado pelo aumento da camada muscular.
Immediate reconstruction with autologous fat grafting: influence in breast cancerregional recurrence.

PubMed

Stumpf, Camile Cesa; Biazus, Jorge Villanova; Zucatto, Fernando Schuh Ângela Erguy; Cericatto, Rodrigo; Cavalheiro, José Antônio Crespo; Damin, Andrea Pires Souto; Melo, Márcia Portela

2017-01-01

to evaluate local and systemic recurrence of breast cancer in patients submitted to autologous fat grafting in the immediate reconstruction after conservative surgery for breast cancer. this is a historical cohort study comparing 167 patients submitted to conservative surgery without reconstruction (conservative surgery group) with 27 patients submitted to conservative treatment with immediate graft reconstruction, following the Coleman's technique (lipofilling group). All patients had invasive carcinoma and were operated by a single surgeon from 2004 to 2011. The postoperative follow-up time was 36 months. the overall incidence of local recurrence was 2.4%. No patient in the lipofilling group had local recurrence during the study period. For systemic recurrence, the rates obtained were 3.7% (one patient) for the fat grafting group and 1.8% (three patients) for the conservative surgery group without reconstruction. there was no significant difference for local or systemic recurrence in the groups studied. Immediate autologous fat grafting appears to be a safe procedure. avaliar recorrência local e sistêmica do câncer de mama em pacientes submetidas ao enxerto autólogo de gordura na reconstrução imediata após cirurgia conservadora para o câncer de mama. estudo de coorte histórica em que foram comparadas 167 pacientes submetidas à cirurgia conservadora sem reconstrução com 27 pacientes submetidas ao tratamento conservador com reconstrução imediata do enxerto, seguindo técnica de Coleman. Todas as pacientes eram portadoras de carcinoma invasor e foram operadas por um único cirurgião, no período de 2004 a 2011. O tempo de acompanhamento pós-operatório foi 36 meses. a incidência global de recidiva local foi 2,4%. Nenhuma paciente do grupo de lipoenxertia apresentou recorrência local durante o período do estudo. Para recorrência sistêmica, as taxas obtidas foram de 3,7% (uma paciente) para o grupo lipoenxertia e 1,8% (três pacientes) para grupo da cirurgia conservadora sem reconstrução. não houve diferença significativa para recorrência local ou sistêmica nos grupos estudados. O enxerto autólogo imediato de gordura parece ser um procedimento seguro.
Abundância química de simbióticas na direção do bojo galáctico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luna, G. J. M.; Costa, R. D. D.

2003-08-01

O estudo da distribuição de metalicidades de gigantes K no Bojo indica um largo intervalo com valores entre 0.1 a 10 vezes o valor solar. As razões elementais Ca/Fe, Si/Fe, Mg/Fe são típicas de estrelas do halo, apontando para um processo rápido de enriquecimento, via estrelas masssivas (SN's tipo II). No entanto, este cenário não combina com os resultados derivados de nebulosas planetárias do bojo tais como os de Ratag et al. (1992, A&A,255,270), Cuisinier et al.(2000, A&A,353, 543), Escudero e Costa (2001, A&A,380, 300),que obtêm abundâncias análogas às do disco. Neste cenário, o estudo de estrelas simbióticas possibilita uma abordagem particularmente apropriada para o problema das abundâncias químicas de estrelas de massa intermediária em estágios avançados da evoluçao estelar. Apresentamos aqui os resultados da determinacão das abundâncias do grupo do CNO numa extensa amostra de simbióticas do bojo. Aliás, com a disponibilidade de espectros no visível determinamos também abundâncias de Ar, Ne, S e He, fundamentais para analisar os processos de enriquecimento químico ocorridos ao longo da evolução estelar, bem como a evolução química do meio interestelar. Com os espectros UV do satelite IUE obtivemos abundâncias de C, necessárias no estudo da evolução dos sistemas. As relaçoes C/N-O/N mostram que o material nebular é produto do vento da componente gigante e não dos eventos de nova que às vezes acontecem nestes sistemas, como foi mostrado por Nussbaumer et al (1988,A&A,198,179). As abundâncias de Ar, S, Ne e O são compativeis com resultados de fontes no disco e bojo, seguindo o gradiente proposto por muitos autores na literatura a partir de diferentes objetos como cefeidas, nebulosas planetárias e anãs G. (CAPES,FAPESP,CNPq)
Observações no âmbito dos "additional programs" do satélite COROT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janot Pacheco, E.

2003-08-01

O satélite Fraco-europeu COROT fará fotometria de altissima precisão (pretende-se atingir uma parte em um milhão), grande campo (3x3 graus) e por longos períodos, de duas regiões pré-determinadas do céu, com 10 graus de raio. Suas finalidades básicas serão estudos em sismologia estelar e a procura de exoplanetas. A comunidade astronômica brasileira participará dessa missão espacial, com direitos iguais aos dos parceiros europeus. Isso se deve a que o satélite utilizará a estação de recepção de dados de Natal (INPE), 5 a 6 brasileiros participarão das equipes de software e cientistas do país atuarão na fase de pré-lançamento. Apresentamos nesta comunicação sugestões para a preparação de propostas de observações com COROT, no âmbito dos Programas Adicionais, que contemplam outros projetos que não de sismologia ou exoplanetas. As últimas definições técnicas e decisões tomadas na 4th Corot Week de junho último serão igualmente apresentadas, em particular quanto às regiões de observação escolhidas e quanto aos procedimentos a seguir para se propor observações.
Resultados a longo prazo da angioplastia de artérias renais com stent na doença aterosclerótica: revisão sistemática

PubMed Central

Siqueira, Daniel Emilio Dalledone; Guillaumon, Ana Terezinha

2017-01-01

Resumo A doença renovascular aterosclerótica é a principal causa de hipertensão secundária. A história natural da doença demonstra taxas de progressão de 4 a 12% ao ano. Entre os métodos de tratamento existe a angioplastia com stent de artérias renais; porém, poucos estudos clínicos demonstraram seus resultados a longo prazo. Esta revisão sistemática da literatura se propõe a apresentar os resultados a longo prazo (acima de 24 meses) da angioplastia com stent de artérias renais na doença aterosclerótica em relação à função renal e aos níveis pressóricos no controle da hipertensão. Foi realizada uma ampla pesquisa, utilizando os termos apropriados, nas bases de dados LILACS, EMBASE, SCIELO, Cochrane Library e MEDLINE. De um total de 2.170 referências, apenas sete artigos contemplavam todos os critérios de inclusão. Conclui-se que, a longo prazo, há uma estabilização da função renal, redução dos níveis pressóricos e diminuição do número de classes de medicamentos anti-hipertensivos. PMID:29930639
Weathering resistance of thin plasma polymer films on pre-coated steel =

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serra, Ricardo Gil Henriques

O trabalho apresentado teve origem no projecto de investigacao “Tailored Thin Plasma Polymers Films for Surface Engineering of Coil Coated Steel”, financiado pelo Programa Europeu ECSC Steel Research. Sistemas de aco galvanizado pre-pintado em banda a base de poliester e poliuretano foram submetidos a um processo de polimerizacao por plasma onde um filme fino foi depositado de modo a modificar as propriedades de superficie. Foram usados reactores de catodo oco, microondas e radio frequencia para a deposicao do polimero fino. Os sistemas preparados foram analisados de modo a verificar a influencia do processo de polimerizacao por plasma na alteracao das propriedades barreira dos sistemas pre-pintados em banda. Foi estudado o efeito dos diferentes passos do processo de polimerizacao por plasma, bem como o efeito de diferentes variaveis operatorias. A mistura precursora foi variada de modo a modificar as propriedades da superficie de modo a poder vir a obter maior hidrofobicidade, maior resistencia a marcas digitais, bem como maior facilidade de limpeza. Os testes foram conduzidos em solucao de NaCl 0,5 M. Para o trabalho foram usadas tecnicas de analise da morfologia da superficie como Microscopia de Forca Atomica e Microscopia Electronica de Varrimento. As propriedades electroquimicas dos sistemas foram estudadas por Espectroscopia de Impedancia Electroquimica. A estrutura dos filmes gerados no processo de polimerizacao por plasma foi caracterizada por Microscopia de Transmissao Electronica. A modificacao das propriedades opticas devido ao processo de polimerizacao por plasma foi tambem obtida.
Terapia fibrinolítica sistêmica no tromboembolismo pulmonar

PubMed Central

Ceresetto, José Manuel; Marques, Marcos Arêas

2017-01-01

Resumo O tromboembolismo pulmonar permanece como um grande desafio terapêutico para os médicos especialistas, pois, apesar de todo investimento e desenvolvimento em seu diagnóstico, profilaxia e tratamento, essa condição continua sendo a principal causa de morte evitável em ambiente hospitalar. Ainda restam muitas dúvidas em relação a qual perfil de paciente vai se beneficiar de fato da terapia fibrinolítica sistêmica, sem ficar exposto a um grande risco de sangramento. A estratificação de risco e a avaliação do prognóstico do evento, através de escores clínicos de insuficiência ventricular direita, marcadores de dilatação e disfunção do ventrículo direito e avaliação da massa trombótica, associados ou de forma isolada, são ferramentas que podem auxiliar na identificação do paciente que irá se beneficiar dessa terapia. Os únicos consensos em relação à terapia fibrinolítica no tratamento do tromboembolismo pulmonar são: não deve ser indicada de forma rotineira; nenhum dos escores ou marcadores, isoladamente, devem justificar seu uso; e os pacientes com instabilidade hemodinâmica são os mais beneficiados. Além disto, deve-se avaliar cada caso em relação ao risco de sangramento, especialmente no sistema nervoso central. PMID:29930636
Collective strategy for facing occupational risks of a nursing team.

PubMed

Loro, Marli Maria; Zeitoune, Regina Célia Gollner

2017-03-09

To socialize an educational action through the process of group discussion and reflection, with the aim to increase the care of nursing workers in facing occupational risks. A qualitative descriptive study using the Convergent Care Research modality with nursing staff working in an emergency department of a hospital in the northwest region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data collection was carried out through educational workshops and information was processed using content analysis, resulting in two thematic categories: A look at the knowledge and practices about occupational risks in nursing; and adherence to protective measures by the nursing team against occupational risks. Twenty-four (24) workers participated in the study. When challenged to critically look at their actions, the subjects found that they relate the use of safety devices to situations in which they are aware of the patient's serological status. Subjects' interaction, involvement and co-responsibility in the health education process were determinant for their reflection on risky practices. They also had the potential to modify unsafe behaviors. Socializar uma ação educativa, por meio de um processo de discussão e reflexão em grupo, com vistas a ampliar o cuidado dos trabalhadores de enfermagem frente aos riscos ocupacionais. Estudo qualitativo, descritivo na modalidade Pesquisa Convergente Assistencial, com trabalhadores da equipe de enfermagem que atuavam no pronto atendimento de um hospital da região noroeste do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de oficinas educativas, e o tratamento das informações, por análise de conteúdo, resultando em duas categorias temáticas: Um olhar direcionado a saberes e práticas sobre riscos ocupacionais na enfermagem e Adesão às medidas de proteção pela equipe de enfermagem frente aos riscos ocupacionais. Integraram o estudo 24 trabalhadores. Ao serem desafiados a olhar criticamente sobre seu fazer, os sujeitos constataram que vinculam o uso dos dispositivos de segurança a situações em que conhecem o status sorológico do paciente. A interação, o envolvimento e a corresponsabilização dos sujeitos no processo de educação em saúde foram determinantes para a reflexão das práticas de risco, bem como tiveram potencial para modificar comportamentos inseguros. Socializar una acción educativa a través de un proceso de discusión y reflexión grupal, con el fin de ampliar el cuidado de los trabajadores de enfermería en relación a los riesgos ocupacionales. Estudio cualitativo, descriptivo en modalidad de Investigación Convergente Asistencial, con trabajadores del equipo de enfermería que actuaban en el servicio de urgencia de un hospital de la región noroeste del estado de Rio Grande del Sur. La recolección de datos se realizó a través de talleres educativos y el tratamiento de las informaciones por análisis de contenidos, lo que resultó en dos categorías temáticas: una mirada dirigida a los saberes y las prácticas relacionadas a riesgos ocupacionales y la adhesión a las medidas de protección por el equipo de enfermería para los riesgos ocupacionales. El estudio incluyó 24 trabajadores a los que cuando se presentó el desafío de observar su críticamente sus acciones, constataron que relacionan el uso de los dispositivos de seguridad a las situaciones en que el status serológico de los pacientes es ya conocido. La interacción, el involucramiento y la corresponsabilidad de los sujetos en el proceso de educación en salud son determinantes para la reflexión sobre las practicas riesgosas y tienen potencial para modificar comportamientos inseguros.
TOTAL COST OF HOSPITALIZATION OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING ELECTIVE LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY RELATED TO NUTRITIONAL STATUS.

PubMed

Menezes, Francisco Julimar Correia de; Menezes, Lara Gadelha Luna de; Silva, Guilherme Pinheiro Ferreira da; Melo-Filho, Antônio Aldo; Melo, Daniel Hardy; Silva, Carlos Antonio Bruno da

2016-01-01

In the Western world, the population developed an overweight profile. The morbidly obese generate higher cost to the health system. However, there is a gap in this approach with regard to individuals above the eutrofic pattern, who are not considered as morbidly obese. To correlate nutritional status according to BMI with the costs of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a public hospital. Data were collected from medical records about: nutritional risk assessment, nutricional state and hospital cost in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Were enrolled 814 procedures. Average age was 39.15 (±12.16) years; 47 subjects (78.3%) were women. The cost was on average R$ 6,167.32 (±1830.85) to 4.06 (±2.76) days of hospitalization; 41 (68.4%) presented some degree of overweight; mean BMI was 28.07 (±5.41) kg/m²; six (10%) individuals presented nutritional risk ≥3. There was a weak correlation (r=0.2) and not significant (p <0.08) between the cost of hospitalization of the sample and length of stay; however, in individuals with normal BMI, the correlation was strong (r=0,57) and significant (p<0.01). Overweight showed no correlation between cost and length of stay. However, overweight individuals had higher cost of hospitalization than those who had no complications, but with no correlation with nutritional status. Compared to those with normal BMI, there was a strong and statistically significant correlation with the cost of hospital stay, stressing that there is normal distribution involving adequate nutritional status and success of the surgical procedure with the consequent impact on the cost of hospitalization. No mundo ocidental, a população desenvolveu um perfil de excesso de peso corporal. Os obesos mórbidos geram custo mais alto para o sistema de saúde. Entretanto, observa-se um hiato no tocante aos indivíduos acima do eutrofismo, mas não considerados obesos mórbidos. Correlacionar estado nutricional, segundo o IMC, com custo de internação de colecistectomias videolaparoscópicas. Coleta de dados dos prontuários sobre: avaliação de risco nutricional, estado nutricional e custo de internação de pacientes submetidos à colecistectomia videolaparoscópica eletiva no período de janeiro de 2012 a dezembro de 2014. Foram analisados 814 procedimentos. A idade média foi de 39,15 (±12,16) anos; 47 (78,3%) eram mulheres. O custo de internação foi, em média, de R$ 6.167,32 (±1.830,85) para 4,06 (±2,76) dias de internação. Quarenta e um (68,4%) pacientes apresentavam algum grau de sobrepeso; o IMC médio foi 28,07 (±5,41) kg/m²; seis (10%) indivíduos apresentavam risco nutricional ≥3. Houve correlação fraca (r=0,2) e não significativa (p<0,08) entre o custo de hospitalização e o tempo de permanência. No entanto, em indivíduos com IMC normal, a correlação foi forte (r=0,57) e significante (p<0,01). Sobrepeso não demonstrou correlação entre custo e tempo de internação. Entretanto, os indivíduos com sobrepeso apresentaram custo maior de internação em relação aos que não tiveram intercorrência, mas sem correlação com o estado nutricional. Em relação aos com IMC normal, houve correlação forte e estatisticamente significante com o custo para tempo de internação, reforçando que há provável distribuição normal envolvendo estado nutricional adequado e sucesso do procedimento cirúrgico com consequente impacto no custo de internação.

Um Projeto de Intervenção nos Espaços de Exposições do Planetário do Parque do Ibirapuera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elias, D. S.; Amaral, L. H.; de Araújo, C. F., Jr.; Matsuura, O. T.; Voelzke, M. R.

2005-08-01

Cada vez mais a humanidade, em sua imensa maioria, está alheia às próprias conquistas. A insatisfação com esta realidade tem levado muitos pesquisadores, instituições, empresas e governos a procurar formas alternativas de acompanhar e transmitir todo este acervo científico cultural à sociedade, buscando a melhoria da qualidade da divulgação científica e contribuindo para o processo de cultura e alfabetização científica. Não há tempo nem espaço nos limitados planos curriculares do ensino médio e mesmo nos programas de ensino que propiciem a cultura científica e o acompanhamento do vertiginoso progresso científico e tecnológico atual. Neste sentido, a educação formal escolar precisa ser complementada ou acrescida de uma educação informal, extra-escolar, que possa oferecer à sociedade o que a escola não pode oferecer. A interação do público com museus, feiras de ciências, planetários, exposições científicas e/ou culturais é de grande importância para a aquisição e difusão de conhecimentos relacionados ao mundo científico. Reconhecidamente como um modelo de alfabetização científica esses ambientes promovem uma interação social capaz de propiciar de forma efetiva uma melhor relação ensino-aprendizagem com o público. Partindo desta realidade a Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul e a Escola Municipal de Astronomia (EMA) vêm desenvolvendo um projeto de intervenção no espaço em torno do Planetário do Parque do Ibirapuera com o objetivo de se implantar um ambiente de aprendizagem motivador e desafiador que promova a popularização de conteúdos relacionados à astronomia, astrofísica e cosmologia. Busca-se, também, a aproximação e interação do público com exposições que estão sendo implementadas no planetário. Considerando que se trata de um projeto de mestrado em fase inicial o objetivo do presente trabalho é apresentar a concepção básica e os critérios que estão sendo utilizados do ponto de vista pedagógico para as indicações dos objetos e experimentos que serão expostos, procurando formas de construir, expor e apresen! tá-los d e maneira mais eficiente em termos de uma aprendizagem significativa. (Apoio: Fundação Vitae, CNPq)
Projeto observatórios virtuais: educação através de telescópios robóticos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santana, P. H. S.; Shida, R. Y.

2003-08-01

O principal objetivo do projeto Observatórios Virtuais é o ensino na área de ciências através de atividades práticas desenvolvidas em colaboração entre instituições de pesquisa em astronomia e escolas de ensino médio e fundamental. Este ano deverá ser concluída a implantação do programa piloto de estudos, pesquisas e observação astronômica direta, com utilização em tempo real de telescópios robóticos, que assim funcionarão como "observatórios virtuais". O objetivo pedagógico das atividades práticas baseadas nas imagens atronômicas é desenvolver as habilidades e competências dos alunos no uso do método científico. Para isso, serão realizados projetos interdisciplinares, a partir de observações astronômicas, já que a astronomia é uma área interdisciplinar por excelência. Essas atividades terão níveis diferenciados de complexidade, que podem ser adequados aos vários graus do ensino e realidades regionais. Será dada ênfase ao desenvolvimento e aplicação em São Paulo, onde atua a equipe do IAG/USP. Como resultados apresentados no presente trabalho, temos a criação de um software em português para o processamento de imagens obtidas através de CCDs e a elaboração de material para as atividades educacionais relacionadas.
Curva de rotação óptica de ESO-LV 5100550

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carvalho, D. B.; Soares, D. S. L.

2003-08-01

ESO-LV 5100550 é o membro mais fraco do par de galáxias austral SBG 357 (Soares et al. 1995). É classificada no catálogo RC3 como uma espiral ordinária de tipo inicial (early-type); porém, uma análise morfológica sugere que ela tenha uma grande barra. O objetivo do estudo é determinar sua cinemática de tal modo que possamos inferir mais a respeito de sua dinâmica, provavelmente perturbada, já que se espera que esteja sob forte influência da companheira ESO-LV 5100560. Apresentarei resultados parciais determinados a partir de espectros obtidos com o instrumento Double Spectrograph montado no telescópio Hale do Monte Palomar, EUA. As observações foram realizadas por D.S.L. Soares, P.M.V. Veiga e T.E. Nordgren, em 1998. Foram tomados espectros de fenda longa posicionada sobre a linha dos nodos do disco e ao longo da suposta barra. Os dados foram reduzidos com uso do pacote IRAF. Obtivemos o perfil de velocidades radiais na linha de visada ao longo das fendas e calculamos o desvio para o vermelho cosmológico do sistema, com base no espectro central. Determinamos as curvas de rotação deprojetadas, com base em cálculos para os valores teóricos esperados das componentes de velocidades puramente circulares em um disco inclinado. A inclinação do disco, dado fundamental nesta deprojeção, foi estimada através da média das elipticidades das isofotas mais externas.
Efeitos do binarismo não resolvido na determinação da função de massa de aglomerados

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerber, L. O.; Santiago, B. X.

2003-08-01

Através de simulações numéricas buscamos quantificar os efeitos que o binarismo não resolvido causa na determinação da função de massa (MF) de aglomerados estelares. Geramos diagramas cor-magnitude (CMDs) artificiais simulando uma população única, caracterizada por estrelas de mesma idade e composição quí mica, com uma fração de binárias não resolvidas e distribuição em massa das estrelas dada por uma MF do tipo lei de potência. A presença de pares de estrelas não resolvidos faz com que a MF obtida da função de luminosidade (LF) tenha a têndencia de ser mais plana do que a MF que gerou o CMD artificial. Propomos um tratamento de correção para tal efeito. Outro efeito relacionado diz respeito ao alargamento do CMD, que apresenta-se como um indicador do número total de estrelas no domí nio de baixas massas (m < 0.6M¤). Todos os resultados acima possuem uma forte dependência com os erros fotométricos e estão baseados na hipótese de que ambas estrelas do par não resolvido são sorteadas de uma mesma MF de forma independente. O objetivo final é aplicarmos o tratamento aqui desenvolvido para implementarmos a análise da nossa amostra de aglomerados ricos da Grande Nuvem de Magalhães.
Brachial insertion of fully implantable venous catheters for chemotherapy: complications and quality of life assessment in 35 patients.

PubMed

Fonseca, Igor Yoshio Imagawa; Krutman, Mariana; Nishinari, Kenji; Yazbek, Guilherme; Teivelis, Marcelo Passos; Bomfim, Guilherme André Zottele; Cavalcante, Rafael Noronha; Wolosker, Nelson

2016-01-01

To prospectively evaluate the perioperative safety, early complications and satisfaction of patients who underwent the implantation of central catheters peripherally inserted via basilic vein. Thirty-five consecutive patients with active oncologic disease requiring chemotherapy were prospectively followed up after undergoing peripheral implantation of indwelling venous catheters, between November 2013 and June 2014. The procedures were performed in the operating room by the same team of three vascular surgeons. The primary endpoints assessed were early postoperative complications, occurring within 30 days after implantation. The evaluation of patient satisfaction was based on a specific questionnaire used in previous studies. In all cases, ultrasound-guided puncture of the basilic vein was feasible and the procedure successfully completed. Early complications included one case of basilic vein thrombophlebitis and one case of pocket infection that did not require device removal. Out of 35 patients interviewed, 33 (94.3%) would recommend the device to other patients. Implanting brachial ports is a feasible option, with low intraoperative risk and similar rates of early postoperative complications when compared to the existing data of the conventional technique. The patients studied were satisfied with the device and would recommend the procedure to others. Avaliar prospectivamente segurança perioperatória, complicações precoces e grau de satisfação de pacientes submetidos ao implante de cateteres centrais de inserção periférica pela veia basílica. Foram acompanhados prospectivamente e submetidos ao implante de cateteres de longa permanência de inserção periférica, entre novembro de 2013 e junho de 2014, 35 pacientes consecutivos com doença oncológica ativa necessitando de quimioterapia. Os procedimentos foram realizados em centro cirúrgico por uma mesma equipe composta por três cirurgiões vasculares. Os desfechos primários avaliados foram as complicações pós-operatórias precoces, ocorridas em até 30 dias após o implante. A avaliação do grau de satisfação foi realizada com base na aplicação de um questionário específico já utilizado em estudos prévios. Em todos os casos, a punção ecoguiada da veia basílica foi possível, e o procedimento foi concluído com sucesso. As complicações precoces observadas incluíram um caso de tromboflebite de basílica e um de infecção de bolsa, ambos tratados clinicamente sem necessidade de retirada do dispositivo. Dos 35 pacientes interrogados, 33 (94,3%) recomendariam o dispositivo para outras pessoas. A implantação do port braquial é uma opção factível, com baixo risco intraoperatório e taxas semelhantes de complicações pós-operatórias imediatas quando comparada a dados já existentes da técnica convencional. Os pacientes estudados apresentaram-se satisfeitos com o dispositivo e recomendariam o procedimento para outras pessoas.
Assessment of the responsiveness of a public health service from the perspective of older adults.

PubMed

Melo, Denise da Silva; Martins, René Duarte; Jesus, Renata Patrícia Freitas Soares de; Samico, Isabella Chagas; Santo, Antônio Carlos Gomes do Espírito

2017-06-26

To assess the quality of health care of older adults using as a parameter the assessment of the responsiveness of the service. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in a reference unit of the Brazilian Unified Health System at the outpatient level. The sample was probabilistic and had 385 older adults; data collection occurred in 2014. The domains assessed were: choice, autonomy, confidentiality, dignity, communication, physical facilities, and fast service. To this end, we used Pearson correlation test and Fisher's exact test. The domains of dignity, confidentiality, and communication reached the highest level of adequate responsiveness. On the other hand, freedom of choice and fast service received the worst assessments. Participation in decision-making regarding treatment was significantly lower among the older adults who had no education. In addition, the older adults that self-reported as black receive a lower quality of care regarding clear explanation and respected privacy in the appointment, when compared to users of any other race. Although most domains studied have receive a positive assessment, we have found a need for an equal care by the health professionals, regardless of race, education level, or any other adjective characteristic of older adults, users of public health services. Avaliar a qualidade da atenção à saúde da população idosa usando como parâmetro a avaliação da responsividade do serviço. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, de corte transversal, realizado em uma unidade de referência do Sistema Único de Saúde em nível ambulatorial. A amostra foi probabilística composta por 385 idosos e a coleta de dados ocorreu em 2014. Foram avaliados os domínios: escolha, autonomia, confidencialidade, dignidade, comunicação, instalações físicas e atendimento rápido. Para tanto, foram utilizados o teste de correlação de Pearson e o teste de Fisher. Os domínios dignidade, confidencialidade e comunicação atingiram o maior nível de responsividade adequada. Por outro lado, a liberdade de escolha e o atendimento rápido receberam as piores avaliações. A participação na tomada de decisões a respeito do tratamento foi significativamente menor entre os idosos que não frequentaram a escola. Além disso, os idosos que se autodeclararam negros receberam um atendimento de menor qualidade no que diz respeito à explicação clara e a privacidade respeitada mediante consulta, quando comparados aos usuários de outra raça. Apesar de a maioria dos domínios estudados receberem uma avaliação positiva, evidenciou-se a necessidade de um atendimento igualitário por parte dos profissionais de saúde, independentemente de raça, nível de escolaridade ou qualquer outra característica adjetiva referente aos usuários idosos atendidos nos serviços de saúde públicos.
A pictorial presentation of 3.0 Chicago Classification for esophageal motility disorders.

PubMed

Herbella, Fernando Augusto; Armijo, Priscila Rodrigues; Patti, Marco Giuseppe

2016-01-01

High resolution manometry changed several esophageal motility paradigms. The 3.0 Chicago Classification defined manometric criteria for named esophageal motility disorders. We present a pictorial atlas of motility disorders. Achalasia types, esophagogastric junction obstruction, absent contractility, distal esophageal spasm, hypercontractile esophagus (jackhammer), ineffective esophageal motility, and fragmented peristalsis are depicted with high-resolution manometry plots. RESUMO A manometria de alta resolução mudou vários paradigmas da motilidade digestiva. A Classificação de Chicago, na versão 3.0, definiu critérios manométricos para as doenças da motilidade esofagiana. O presente artigo é um atlas das dismotilidades descritas. Tipos de acalásia, obstrução ao nível da junção esofagogástrica, contrações ausentes, espasmo esofagiano distal, esôfago hipercontrátil, motilidade esofagiana ineficaz e peristalse fragmentada são mostradas em traçados de manometria de alta resolução.
Trombose venosa profunda e vírus chicungunha

PubMed Central

Marques, Marcos Arêas; Adami de Sá, Fernanda Penza; Lupi, Otília; Brasil, Patricia; von Ristow, Arno

2017-01-01

Resumo Algumas infecções virais sistêmicas podem estar relacionadas ao desenvolvimento de trombose venosa profunda e/ou embolia pulmonar. Essa associação já está bem descrita em pacientes com infeções pelo vírus da imunodeficiência humana (HIV), hepatite C ou influenza. Recentemente introduzido no continente americano, o vírus chicungunha, agente etiológico da febre de chicungunha, ainda não tem essa relação bem sedimentada, mas com o aumento progressivo de sua incidência e pelo fato dessa infecção causar, muitas vezes, uma restrição severa da locomoção por poliartralgia e uma possível lesão endotelial direta, casos de tromboembolismo venoso podem começar a ser descritos. Neste relato de caso, descrevemos um paciente que desenvolveu trombose de veia poplítea direita durante internação para tratamento de febre por infecção por vírus chicungunha e poliartralgia severa. PMID:29930626
Propriedades de estruturas temporais rápidas submilimétricas durante uma grande explosão solar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raulin, J.-P.; Kaufmann, P.; Gimenez de Castro, C. G.; Pacini, A. A.; Makhmutov, V.; Levato, H.; Rovira, M.

2003-08-01

Apresentamos novas propriedades de variações rápidas da emissão submilimétrica durante uma das maiores explosões solares do ciclo solar 23. Os dados analisados neste estudo foram obtidos com o Telescópio Solar Submilimétrico (SST), que observa o Sol em 212 GHz e 405 GHz, e comparados com emissões em Raios-X duros e Raios-gama (fótons de energia > 10 MeV), que foram obtidas pelo experimento GRS do Yohkoh. Aplicamos diferentes metodologias para detectar e caracterizar, ao longo do evento, os pulsos submilimétricos (duração de 50-300 ms) detectados acima de uma componente mais lenta (alguns minutos). Os resultados mostram que durante a fase impulsiva, num instante próximo ao tempo do máximo do evento, houve um aumento da ocorrência de maiores e de mais rápidas estruturas temporais. Também identificamos uma boa correlação com as emissões em raios-X e raios-gama (até a faixa de energia 10-100 MeV), indicando que os pulsos rápidos submilimétricos refletiram injeções primárias de energia durante o evento.O espectro do fluxo desses pulsos é crescente com a freqüência entre 212 and 405 GHz, na maioria dos casos, ao contrário do observado para a componente gradual. As posições calculadas para as estruturas rápidas são discretas, compactas e localizadas em toda a área da região ativa, o que é previsto nos modelos de explosões solares decorrentes de instabilidades múltiplas em diferentes pequenas regiões. Por outro lado, a posição calculada para a componente lenta é estável durante a fase impulsiva. Assim, a comparação entre as características do espectro de fluxo e da localização da emissão, para os pulsos rápidos e para a componente gradual, sugere que as respectivas emissões são de natureza diferente.
Otimização de procedimento de manobra para indução de reentrada de um satélite retornável

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulz, W.; Suarez, M.

2003-08-01

Veículos espaciais que retornam à Terra passam por regimes de velocidade e condições de vôo distintos. Estas diferenças dificultam sua concepção aerodinâmica e o planejamento de seu retorno. A partir de uma proposta de um veículo orbital retornável (satélite SARA, em desenvolvimento no IAE/CTA) para realização de experimentos científicos e tecnológicos em ambiente de baixa gravidade, surge a necessidade de realizarem-se estudos considerando-se os aspectos relativos à sua aerodinâmica. Após o lançamento, o veículo deve permanecer em órbita pelo tempo necessário para a condução de experimentos, sendo depois direcionado à Terra e recuperado em solo. A concepção aerodinâmica é de importância para o vôo em suas diversas fases e deve considerar aspectos relativos à estabilização Aerodinâmica e ao arrasto atmosférico, sendo este último de importância crucial na análise do aquecimento a ser enfrentado. A manobra de retorno inclui considerações sobre as condições atmosféricas e dinâmica de reentrada, devendo ser calculada de forma mais precisa possível. O trabalho proposto avalia estudos da dinâmica de vôo de um satélite recuperável considerando aspectos relativos à determinação orbital com GPS, técnica utilizada com sucesso na CONAE, e seu comportamento aerodinâmico em vôo balístico de retorno, com ênfase em sua fase de reentrada atmosférica. Busca-se otimizar a manobra de reentrada de tal forma que a utilização do sistema GPS garanta minimizar a área de impacto com o solo.
Análise sobre o Conhecimento de um Grupo de Alunos do Ensino Médio da Rede Estadual de São Paulo sobre Termos e Fenômenos Astronômicos do Cotidiano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Oliveira, E. F.; Voelzke, M. R.; Amaral, L. H.

2007-08-01

Embora os Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais do Ensino Médio (PCN-EM) e as orientações complementares a esses Parâmetros (PCN+) apontem a importância de uma abordagem significativa de conceitos relacionados à astronomia nas aulas de Física, muitos estudantes terminam o Ensino Médio (EM) sem compreender a razão de certos acontecimentos de origem celeste, ainda que estes façam parte de seu cotidiano. Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar os conhecimentos básicos em astronomia dos alunos de EM da escola estadual Batista Renzi, bem como investigar os meios através dos quais estes conhecimentos foram adquiridos. Para tanto foi elaborado um questionário de múltipla escolha aplicado a 310 alunos distribuídos entre as três séries do EM dos períodos matutino e noturno. Dessa forma, observou-se que apenas 34,5% relacionaram as estações do ano à inclinação do eixo de rotação da Terra, 21,3% indicaram a influência gravitacional da Lua e do Sol como responsáveis pelo fenômeno das marés, 24,5% indicaram corretamente quais são os objetos celestes mais próximos da Terra, 36,1% identificaram ano-luz como uma medida de distância e 34,2% reconheceram uma estrela cadente como meteoro. Em contrapartida, 67,1% compreendiam a sucessão entre dia e noite, 73,9% identificaram o Sol como estrela e 52,3% relacionaram o Big Bang à origem do Universo. Além disso, foram comparadas as respostas de alunos de diferentes séries e períodos, observando-se, dentre outras coisas, que os estudantes do terceiro ano apresentam um percentual de acertos semelhante ao dos alunos do primeiro, caracterizando que a abordagem de tópicos relacionados à astronomia no EM não tem contribuído para uma maior compreensão dos fenômenos e conceitos.
Damage to the Left Precentral Gyrus Is Associated With Apraxia of Speech in Acute Stroke.

PubMed

Itabashi, Ryo; Nishio, Yoshiyuki; Kataoka, Yuka; Yazawa, Yukako; Furui, Eisuke; Matsuda, Minoru; Mori, Etsuro

2016-01-01

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a motor speech disorder, which is clinically characterized by the combination of phonemic segmental changes and articulatory distortions. AOS has been believed to arise from impairment in motor speech planning/programming and differentiated from both aphasia and dysarthria. The brain regions associated with AOS are still a matter of debate. The aim of this study was to address this issue in a large number of consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients. We retrospectively studied 136 patients with isolated nonlacunar infarcts in the left middle cerebral artery territory (70.5±12.9 years old, 79 males). In accordance with speech and language assessments, the patients were classified into the following groups: pure form of AOS (pure AOS), AOS with aphasia (AOS-aphasia), and without AOS (non-AOS). Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping analysis was performed on T2-weighted images or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images. Using the Liebermeister method, group-wise comparisons were made between the all AOS (pure AOS plus AOS-aphasia) and non-AOS, pure AOS and non-AOS, AOS-aphasia and non-AOS, and pure AOS and AOS-aphasia groups. Of the 136 patients, 22 patients were diagnosed with AOS (7 patients with pure AOS and 15 patients with AOS-aphasia). The voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping analysis demonstrated that the brain regions associated with AOS were centered on the left precentral gyrus. Damage to the left precentral gyrus is associated with AOS in acute to subacute stroke patients, suggesting a role of this brain region in motor speech production. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.
AoS28D, a proline-Xaa carboxypeptidase secreted by Aspergillus oryzae.

PubMed

Salamin, Karine; Eugster, Philippe J; Jousson, Olivier; Waridel, Patrice; Grouzmann, Eric; Monod, Michel

2017-05-01

Prolyl peptidases of the MEROPS S28 family are of particular interest because they are key enzymes in the digestion of proline-rich peptides. A BLAST analysis of the Aspergillus oryzae genome revealed sequences coding for four proteases of the S28 family. Three of these proteases, AoS28A, AoS28B, and AoS28C, were previously characterized as acidic prolyl endopeptidases. The fourth protease, AoS28D, showed high sequence divergence with other S28 proteases and belongs to a phylogenetically distinct cluster together with orthologous proteases from other Aspergillus species. The objective of the present paper was to characterize AoS28D protease in terms of substrate specificity and activity. AoS28D produced by gene overexpression in A. oryzae and in Pichia pastoris was a 70-kDa glycoprotein with a 10-kDa sugar moiety. In contrast with other S28 proteases, AoS28D did not hydrolyze internal Pro-Xaa bonds of several tested peptides. Similarly, to human lysosomal Pro-Xaa carboxypeptidase, AoS28D demonstrated selectivity for cleaving C-terminal Pro-Xaa bonds which are resistant to carboxypeptidases of the S10 family concomitantly secreted by A. oryzae. Therefore, AoS28D could act in synergy with these enzymes during sequential degradation of a peptide from its C-terminus.
Scale of attitudes toward alcohol - Spanish version: evidences of validity and reliability.

PubMed

Ramírez, Erika Gisseth León; Vargas, Divane de

2017-08-03

validate the Scale of attitudes toward alcohol, alcoholism and individuals with alcohol use disorders in its Spanish version. methodological study, involving 300 Colombian nurses. Adopting the classical theory, confirmatory factor analysis was applied without prior examination, based on the strong historical evidence of the factorial structure of the original scale to determine the construct validity of this Spanish version. To assess the reliability, Cronbach's Alpha and Mc Donalid's Omega coefficients were used. the confirmatory factor analysis indicated the good fit of the scale model in a four-factor distribution, with a cut-off point at 3.2, demonstrating 66.7% of sensitivity. the Scale of attitudes toward alcohol, alcoholism and individuals with alcohol use disorders in Spanish presented robust psychometric qualities, affirming that the instrument possesses a solid factorial structure and reliability and is capable of precisely measuring the nurses' atittudes towards the phenomenon proposed. validar a Escala de atitudes frente ao álcool, ao alcoolismo e a pessoas com transtornos relacionados ao uso do álcool, versão espanhola. estudo metodológico, realizado com 303 enfermeiros colombianos. Seguindo a teoria clássica, foi aplicada a análise fatorial confirmatória sem exploração preliminar, com base na forte evidência histórica da estrutura fatorial do instrumento original para a validação de construto desta versão em espanhol. Para a avaliação da confiabilidade foram utilizados os coeficientes de Alfa de Cronbach e Ômega de Mc Donald. a análise fatorial confirmatória indicou o bom ajuste do modelo da escala na distribuição de quatro fatores, compreendendo 48 itens em sua versão espanhola. Os índices de confiabilidade foram satisfatórios, com ponto de corte observado em 3,2, demonstrando sensibilidade de 66,7%. a Escala de atitudes frente ao álcool, ao alcoolismo e a pessoas com transtornos relacionados ao uso do álcool no idioma espanhol, apresentou qualidades psicométricas robustas, afirmando que se trata de um instrumento com estrutura fatorial e confiabilidade sólidas, capaz de medir com precisão as atitudes dos enfermeiros frente ao fenômeno proposto. validar la Escala de actitudes frente al alcohol, al alcoholismo y a la persona con trastornos relacionados al uso de alcohol en su versión española. estudio de tipo metodológico, realizado con 303 enfermeros colombianos. Siguiendo la teoría clásica, se utilizó análisis factorial confirmatoria sin exploración previa, con base en la fuerte evidencia histórica de la estructura factorial del instrumento original para determinar la validez de constructo de esta versión en español. La confiabilidad se evaluó por los coeficientes de Alfa de Cronbach y Omega de Mc Donald. el análisis factorial confirmatorio indicó buen ajuste del modelo de la escala en la distribución de cuatro factores, comportando 48 ítems en su versión en español. Los índices de confiabilidad fueron satisfactorios, con un punto de corte observado en 3,2, mostrando sensibilidad del 66,7%. la Escala de actitudes frente al alcohol, al alcoholismo y a la persona con trastornos relacionados al uso de alcohol en idioma español presentó cualidades psicométricas robustas, afirmando que se trata de un instrumento con estructura factorial y confiabilidad sólidas, capaz de medir con precisión las actitudes de los enfermeros frente al fenómeno propuesto.
Blood Pressure Treatment Adherence and Control after Participation in the ReHOT.

PubMed

Jesus, Nathália Silva de; Nogueira, Armando da Rocha; Pachu, Cacilda Oliveira; Luiz, Ronir Raggio; Oliveira, Glaucia Maria Moraes de

2016-11-01

Lack of adherence to pharmacological treatment is one of the main causes of low control rates in hypertension. To verify treatment adherence and associated factors, as well as blood pressure (BP) control in participants of the Resistant Hypertension Optimal Treatment (ReHOT) clinical trial. Cross-sectional study including all 109 patients who had completed the ReHOT for at least 6 months. We excluded those participants who failed to respond to the new recruitment after three phone contact attempts. We evaluated the BP control by ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM; controlled levels: 24-hour systolic and diastolic BP < 130 x 80 mmHg) and analyzed the patients' treatment adherence using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) questionnaire validated by Bloch, Melo, and Nogueira (2008). The statistical analysis was performed with the software IBM SPSS statistics 21.0. We tested the normality of the data distribution with kurtosis and skewness. The variables tested in the study are presented with descriptive statistics. Comparisons between treatment adherence and other variables were performed with Student's t test for independent variables and Pearson's chi-square or Fisher's exact test. To conduct analyses among patients considering adherence to treatment and BP control, we created four groups: G0, G1, G2, and G3. We considered a 5% significance level in all tests. During the ReHOT, 80% of the patients had good BP control and treatment adherence. Of 96 patients reevaluated in the present study, only 52.1% had controlled hypertension when assessed by ABPM, while 31.3% were considered adherent by the MMAS. Regarding other ABPM measures, we observed an absence of a nocturnal dip in 64.6% of the patients and a white-coat effect and false BP control in 23% and 12.5%, respectively. Patients' education level showed a trend towards being a determinant factor associated with lack of adherence (p = 0.05). Resistant hypertension and number of medications were significantly associated with BP control assessed by ABPM (p = 0.009 and p = 0.001, respectively). Resistant hypertension was also significantly associated with group G0 (patients with no control or adherence, p = 0.012). There was a decrease in BP control and adherence measured by the MMAS after participation of at least 6 months in the ReHOT clinical trial. A falta de adesão ao tratamento medicamentoso da hipertensão arterial sistêmica (HAS) é uma das principais causas das baixas taxas de controle da doença. Verificar a adesão e fatores relacionados a ela, além do controle pressórico de pacientes que participaram do ensaio clínico Resistant Hypertension Optimal Treatment (ReHOT). Estudo transversal que incluiu todos os 109 pacientes que concluíram o ReHOT há pelo menos 6 meses. Foram excluídos aqueles que não responderam ao novo recrutamento após três tentativas de contato telefônico. Foi realizada avaliação do controle pressórico através de monitorização ambulatorial da pressão arterial (MAPA; PA controlada: pressão arterial [PA] sistólica e diastólica de 24 horas < 130 x 80 mmHg) e avaliação da adesão através de respostas ao questionário Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) validado por Bloch, Melo e Nogueira (2008). A análise estatística foi realizada com o programa IBM SPSS statistics 21.0. Para verificar a normalidade da distribuição dos dados, utilizamos testes de curtose e assimetria. As variáveis relacionadas ao objeto de estudo são apresentadas por meio de estatística descritiva. Comparações entre a adesão ao tratamento e demais variáveis foi realizada com o teste t de Student para variáveis independentes e teste do qui-quadrado de Pearson ou exato de Fisher. Para a análise entre pacientes considerando a adesão ao tratamento e controle da PA, foram criados quatro grupos: G0, G1, G2 e G3. Em todos os testes estatísticos consideramos um nível de significância de 5%. Durante o ReHOT, 80% dos pacientes apresentaram controle pressórico e adesão ao tratamento. Do total de 96 pacientes reavaliados, apenas 52,1% foram identificados como tendo HAS controlada através da avaliação da MAPA e 31,3% apresentaram adesão pelo MMAS. Quando consideradas outras medidas da MAPA, verificou-se que 64,6% dos pacientes não apresentavam descenso noturno e 23% e 12,5% apresentavam efeito do avental branco e falso controle da PA, respectivamente. A escolaridade apresentou tendência a ser um fator determinante de falta de adesão (p = 0,05). O número de medicamentos e a HAS resistente (HAR) tiveram uma relação significativa com o controle da PA medida por MAPA (p = 0,009 e p = 0,001, respectivamente). A HAR teve relação significativa com o grupo G0 (sem controle e sem adesão, p = 0,012). Houve redução do controle da PA e da adesão pelo MMAS após pelo menos 6 meses de participação no ensaio clínico ReHOT.
Self-referencing thermometry in the nanoscale =

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brites, Carlos Antonio Delgado Sousa

Na ultima decada emergiu uma linha de investigacao muito activa em termometros nao invasivos e precisos que possam determinar temperatura a escala nanometrica. Esta investigacao foi fortemente estimulada pelas numerosas solicitacoes da nanotecnologia e da biomedicina, por exemplo. Uma das abordagens mais promissoras propoe o uso de ioes trivalentes de lantanideos que apresenta propriedades fotoluminescentes que dependem da temperatura. Neste trabalho demonstra-se que esta tecnica combina as vantagens de te um limite de deteccao de 0.5 graus com sensibilidade ate 4.5 % K-1. Este termometro molecular pode ser processado em filmes finos ou nanoparticulas, abrindo os campos de aplicacao a diferentes utilizacoes. As nanoparticulas de silica produzidas sao caracterizadas na presenca e na ausencia de ioes lantanideos. Sem o metal, as nanoparticulas de APTES/TEOS demonstram ser luminescentes sob excitacao UV sem necessidade de utilizar qualquer tratamento termico. O rendimento quantico de emissao depende apenas da proporcao dos silanos e pode atingir o valor de 0.15 +/- 0.02. A co-dopagem destas nanoparticulas com Eu3+ e Tb3+ permite obter sondas com resposta raciometrica, com a possibilidade de ajustar a gama de temperaturas de operacao e a sensibilidade, via desenho inteligente da matriz de suporte e dos ligandos de beta-dicetona que estao coordenados ao iao metalico. Quando processados como filmes, este termometro permite o mapeamento de temperaturas com resolucao espacial 1.8 mum. A racionalizacao da dependencia de temperatura e uma ferramenta util para desenvolver termometros que operam em gamas de temperatura especificos (e.g. gama de temperatura fisiologica, 290-340 K) com sensibilidade acima de 0.5 % K-1. A combinacao de esforcos de um grande numero de diversas disciplinas ira previsivelmente permitir o surgimento de termometros moleculares novos e sofisticados, preenchendo os principais requisitos das nanociencias.
Peculiaridades observadas no espectro da estrela magnética HD 190073 - candidata a estrela do tipo Ae de Herbig

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franco, G. A. P.; Pogodin, M. A.; Lopes, D. F.

2003-08-01

Apresentaremos os resultados de uma investigação espectroscópica cooperativa da estrela magnética HD 190073. As observações foram conduzidas no Observatório do Pico dos Dias (LNA/MCT), European Southern Observatory (ESO, Chile), e Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO, Ucrânia), entre 1998 e 2002. Discutiremos em detalhe um dos padrões mais marcantes do espectro desse objeto - as multicomponentes em absorção das linhas Ca ii K e H. De acordo com nossos resultados, a estrutura complexa desse perfil permaneceu constante durante várias decadas (dos anos 30 até os anos 80) após o que apresentou mudanças marcantes nos anos 90. Essa variabilidade apresenta óbvia contradição com a interpretação tradicional desse fenômeno como o resultado de espalhamento ressonante atuando seletivamente sobre o vento estelar em distâncias diferentes. Propomos uma explicação alternativa com base em uma topologia especí fica do campo magnético estelar. Essa hipótese permite, também, explicar uma série de outras peculiaridades observadas no envoltório de HD 190073, tais como: (a) a baixa velocidade de rotação pode ser o resultado da interação entre a magnetosfera estelar e um disco equatorial hipotético; (b) o gás circumstelar acumulado em loops magnéticos em latitudes intermediárias pode estimular a formação de regiões gasosas densas a distâncias intermediárias da estrela, onde linhas em emissão com perfil simples são formadas.
A Concepção de Universo entre Alunos do Ensino Médio de São Paulo e suas Fontes de Aquisição

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araújo, M. A. A.; Elias, D. C. N.; Amaral, L. H.; Araújo, M. S. T.; Voelzke, M. R.

2006-08-01

Nesse trabalho procurou-se identificar por meio de um questionário as concepções de Universo, de espaço e tempo que sustentam a visão de mundo de um grupo de 270 estudantes de Ensino Médio, pertencentes a três escolas de São Paulo. As questões relacionadas aos conhecimentos prévios dos estudantes permitiram constatar que há pouco conhecimento acerca dos temas investigados, destacando-se que apenas 20% dos alunos foram capazes de relacionar as semanas com as fases da lua, enquanto 28% associaram as estações do ano à inclinação do eixo de rotação da Terra e 23% tinham noções das distâncias entre objetos celestes próximos da Terra. Enquanto 56% conseguiram relacionar o Big Bang com a origem do Universo, verificou-se que 37% reconheciam ano-luz como unidade de distância e 60% concebiam o Sol como uma estrela. No que se refere às fontes de aquisição que proporcionaram esses conhecimentos, apesar de 60% dos alunos indicarem a escola como principal fonte dos conhecimentos de Ast! ronomia, verificou-se claramente que para a maioria dos alunos seus conceitos ainda são inadequados, havendo necessidade de aprimoramento da abordagem desses conteúdos, pois apesar de popular, a Astronomia ainda é veiculada de maneira pouco esclarecedora e com imprecisões. Nesse contexto, são discutidas algumas possíveis contribuições que podem ser dadas para o ensino de Astronomia pelo uso das ferramentas computacionais nas escolas.
Piezoresponse force microscopy of ferroelectric relaxors =

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiselev, Dmitry

Nesta tese, ferroelectricos relaxor (I dont know uf the order is correct) de base Pb das familias (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 (PLZT), Pb(Mg1/3,Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT), Pb(Zn1/3,Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PZN-PT) foram investigados e analisados. As propriedades ferroelectricas e dielectricas das amostras foram estudadas por metodos convencionais de macro e localmente por microscopia de forca piezoelectrica (PFM). Nos cerâmicos PLZT 9.75/65/35 o contraste da PFM a escala nanometrica foi investigado em funcao do tamanho e orientacao dos graos. Apurou-se que a intensidade do sinal piezoelectrico das nanoestruturas diminui com o aumento da temperatura e desaparece a 490 K (La mol. 8%) e 420 K (9,5%). Os ciclos de histerese locais foram obtidos em funcao da temperatura. A evolucao dos parâmetros macroscopicos e locais com a temperatura de superficie sugere um forte efeito de superficie nas transicoes de fase ferroelectricas do material investigado. A rugosidade da parede de dominio e determinada por PFM para a estrutura de dominio natural existente neste ferroelectrico policristalino. Alem disso, os dominios ferroelectricos artificiais foram criados pela aplicacao de pulsos electricos a ponta do condutor PFM e o tamanho de dominio in-plane foi medido em funcao da duracao do pulso. Todas estas experiencias levaram a conclusao de que a parede de dominio em relaxors do tipo PZT e quase uma interface unidimensional. O mecanismo de contraste na superficie de relaxors do tipo PLZT e medido por PFMAs estruturas de dominio versus evolucao da profundidade foram estudadas em cristais PZN-4,5%PT, com diferentes orientacoes atraves da PFM. Padroes de dominio irregulares com tamanhos tipicos de 20-100 nm foram observados nas superficies com orientacao das amostras unpoled?. Pelo contrario, os cortes de cristal exibem dominios regulares de tamanho micron normal, com os limites do dominio orientados ao longo dos planos cristalograficos permitidos. A existencia de nanodominios em cristais com orientacao esta provisoriamente (wrong Word) atribuida a natureza relaxor de PZN-PT, onde pequenos grupos polares podem formar-se em coindicoes de zero-field-cooling (ZFC). Estes nanodominios sao considerados como os nucleos do estado de polarizacao oposta e podem ser responsaveis pelo menor campo coercitivo para este corte de cristal em particular. No entanto, a histerese local piezoeletrica realizada pelo PFM a escala nanometrica indica uma mudanca de comportamento de PZN-PT semelhante para ambas as orientacoes cristalograficas investigadas. A evolucao das estruturas de dominio com polimento abaixo da superficie do cristal foi investigada. O dominio de ramificacoes e os efeitos de polarizacao de triagem apos o polimento e as medicoes de temperatura tem sido estudados pela PFM e pela analise SEM. Alem disso, verificou-se que a intensidade do sinal piezoelectrico a partir das estruturas de nanodominio diminui com o aumento da temperatura, acabando por desaparecer aos 430 K (orientacao ) e 470 K (orientacao ). Esta diferenca de temperatura nas transicoes de fase local em cristais de diferentes orientacoes e explicada pelo forte efeito de superficie na transicao da fase ferroeletrica em relaxors. A comutacao da polarizacao em relaxor ergodico e nas fases ferroelectricas do sistema PMN-PT foram realizadas pela combinacao de tres metodos, Microscopia de Forca Piezoelectrica, medicao de um unico ponto de relaxamento eletromecânico e por ultimo mapeamento de espectroscopia de tensao. A dependencia do comportamento do relaxamento na amplitude e tempo da tensao de pulso foi encontrada para seguir um comportamento logaritmico universal com uma inclinacao quase constante. Este comportamento e indicativo da progressiva populacao dos estados de relaxamento lento, ao contrario de uma relaxacao linear na presenca de uma ampla distribuicao do tempo de relaxamento. O papel do comportamento de relaxamento, da nao-linearidade ferroelectrica e da heterogeneidade espacial do campo na ponta da sonda de AFM sobre o comportamento do ciclo de histerese e analisada em detalhe. Os ciclos de histerese para ergodica PMN- 10%PT sao mostrados como cineticamente limitados, enquanto que no PMN, com maior teor de PT, sao observados verdadeiros ciclos de histerese ferroelectrica com vies de baixa nucleacao.
Primary Mitral Valve Regurgitation Outcome in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis 1 Year After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: Echocardiographic Evaluation.

PubMed

Florentino, Thiago Marinho; Bihan, David Le; Abizaid, Alexandre Antonio Cunha; Cedro, Alexandre Vianna; Corrêa, Amably Pessoa; Santos, Alexandre Roginski Mendes Dos; Souza, Alexandre Costa; Bignoto, Tiago Costa; Sousa, José Eduardo Moraes Rego; Sousa, Amanda Guerra de Moraes Rego

2017-07-10

Mitral valve regurgitation (MR), present in up to 74% of the patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), can be a negative prognostic factor when moderate or severe. The outcome of MR after percutaneous transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and predictors associated with that outcome have not been well established in the literature. To assess the outcome of primary MR in patients submitted to TAVI and to identify associated factors. Observational study of patients with symptomatic severe AS submitted to TAVI from January 2009 to April 2015 at two specialized centers. Echocardiographic outcome was assessed with data collected before and 1 year after TAVI. Of the 91 patients with MR submitted to TAVI and followed up for at least 12 months, 67 (73.6%) had minimum/mild MR before the procedure and 24 (26.4%) had moderate/severe MR. Of those with minimum/mild MR, 62 (92.5%) had no change in the MR grade (p < 0.001), while 5 (7.5%) showed worsening. Of those with moderate/severe MR, 8 (33.3%) maintained the same grade and 16 (66.7%) improved it (p = 0.076). Patients with moderate/severe MR who improved MR grade had lower EuroSCORE II (p = 0.023) and STS morbidity (p = 0.027) scores, as compared to those who maintained the MR grade. MR grades change after TAVI. This study suggests a trend towards improvement in moderate/severe MR after TAVI, which was associated with lower preoperative risk scores. A insuficiência valvar mitral (IM), presente em até 74% dos pacientes com estenose aórtica (EA) grave, pode representar um fator prognóstico negativo quando moderada ou importante. A evolução da IM após implante percutâneo de valva aórtica transcateter (TAVI) e preditores associados a essa evolução não estão bem estabelecidos na literatura. Avaliar a evolução da IM primária em pacientes submetidos ao TAVI e identificar fatores associados a essa evolução. Realizou-se um estudo observacional em pacientes com EA grave sintomática, submetidos ao TAVI no período de janeiro de 2009 a abril de 2015 em dois centros especializados. Foram avaliados desfechos ecocardiográficos com dados antes e 1 ano após a intervenção. Dos 91 pacientes com IM que realizaram TAVI e tinham acompanhamento de pelo menos 12 meses, 67 (73,6%) apresentavam IM mínima ou discreta antes da realização do procedimento e 24 (26,4%), IM moderada ou grave. Entre os com IM mínima ou discreta, 62 (92,5%) não apresentaram mudança no grau de refluxo (p < 0,001) e 5 (7,5%) tiveram piora. Entre os com IM moderada ou grave, 8 (33,3%) permaneceram na mesma classe e 16 (66,7%) tiveram melhora (p = 0,076). Pacientes com IM moderada ou grave que melhoraram o grau de insuficiência apresentavam menores valores de EuroSCORE II (p = 0,023) e STS morbidade (p = 0,027), quando comparados aos que continuaram na mesma classe. Observou-se mudança significativa no grau de IM após realização de TAVI. Este estudo sugere uma tendência de melhora da IM moderada ou grave após TAVI, o que se associou a escores de risco pré-operatórios menos elevados.

ASSESSMENT FORM - NEW IMPROVEMENT OF ACTIONS: CONCENTRATION AND RESEARCH AREAS / CURRICULUM STRUCTURE / FUNDRAISING.

PubMed

Calderon, Iracema Mp

2015-01-01

This review aims to develop a critical and current analysis of the basic structure of a Postgraduate program for proposing improvement actions and new evaluation criteria. To examine the items that are areas of concentration (AC), research lines (LP), research projects (PP), curricular structure and fundraising were consulted the Area Document, the 2013 Evaluation Report and the Assessment Sheets of Medicine III programs, evaluated in the 2010-2012 period. Consistency is recommended especially among AC, LP and PP, with genuine link between activities and permanent teachers skills and based on structured curriculum in the education of the student. The Program Proposal interfere, and much, in qualifying a program. The curriculum should provide subsidy to the formation of the researcher, through the core subjects, and development of PP, being the concept of disciplines to support lines and research projects. Fundraise should be set out in research projects and in the CV-Lattes. The area recommended that at least 40-50% of permanent teachers present fundraising and the minimum 20-25% of these teachers to have productivity scholarship PQ / CNPq during the triennium. It is necessary to promote wide discussion and find a consensus denominator for these issues. The actions should contribute to the improvement of evaluation forms and certainly for the qualification of the programs but graduate. Essa revisão tem como objetivo elaborar uma análise crítica e atual da estrutura básica de um programa de Pós-Graduação para a proposição de ações de aperfeiçoamento e novos critérios de avaliação. Para analisarem-se os itens áreas de concentração (AC), linhas de pesquisa (LP), projetos de pesquisa (PP), estrutura curricular e captação de recursos/fomentos foram consultados o documento de área, o relatório de avaliação 2013 e as fichas de avaliação dos programas da Medicina III, avaliados no triênio 2010-2012. A coerência é recomendada especialmente entre AC, LP e PP, com substancial vínculo entre atividades e competências do corpo de docentes permanentes e embasamento da grade curricular na formação do aluno. A Proposta do Programa interfere, e muito, na qualificação de um programa. A estrutura curricular deverá dar subsídio à formação do pesquisador, por meio das disciplinas nucleares, e ao desenvolvimento dos PP, de competência das disciplinas de apoio às linhas e aos projetos de pesquisa. Os fomentos devem ser indicados nos projetos de pesquisa e no CV-Lattes dos beneficiados/responsáveis pelos projetos. A área recomenda que, no mínimo, 40 a 50% dos docentes permanentes apresentem captação de recursos e que o mínimo de 20 a 25% desses docentes tenham bolsa de produtividade PQ/CNPq durante o triênio. Há que se promover ampla discussão e encontrar um denominador de consenso para essas questões. As ações deverão contribuir para o aprimoramento das fichas de avaliação e, certamente, para a qualificação dos programas de pós-graduação.
Gestational Protein Restriction Increases Cardiac Connexin 43 mRNA levels in male adult rat offspring.

PubMed

Rossini, Kamila Fernanda; Oliveira, Camila Andrea de; Rebelato, Hércules Jonas; Esquisatto, Marcelo Augusto Marreto; Catisti, Rosana

2017-07-01

The dietary limitation during pregnancy influences the growth and development of the fetus and offspring and their health into adult life. The mechanisms underlying the adverse effects of gestational protein restriction (GPR) in the development of the offspring hearts are not well understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of GPR on cardiac structure in male rat offspring at day 60 after birth (d60). Pregnant Wistar rats were fed a normal-protein (NP, 17% casein) or low-protein (LP, 6% casein) diet. Blood pressure (BP) values from 60-day-old male offspring were measured by an indirect tail-cuff method using an electro sphygmomanometer. Hearts (d60) were collected for assessment of connexin 43 (Cx43) mRNA expression and morphological and morphometric analysis. LP offspring showed no difference in body weight, although they were born lighter than NP offspring. BP levels were significantly higher in the LP group. We observed a significant increase in the area occupied by collagen fibers, a decrease in the number of cardiomyocytes by 104 µm2, and an increase in cardiomyocyte area associated with an increased Cx43 expression. GPR changes myocardial levels of Cx43 mRNA in male young adult rats, suggesting that this mechanism aims to compensate the fibrotic process by the accumulation of collagen fibers in the heart interstitium. A limitação dietética durante a gravidez influencia o crescimento e desenvolvimento do feto e da prole e sua saúde na vida adulta. Os mecanismos subjacentes dos efeitos adversos da restrição proteica gestacional (RPG) no desenvolvimento dos corações da prole não são bem compreendidos. Avaliar os efeitos da RPG sobre a estrutura cardíaca em filhotes machos de ratas aos 60 dias após o nascimento (d60). Ratos fêmeas Wistar grávidas foram alimentadas com uma dieta de proteína normal (PN, 17% caseína) ou de baixa proteína (BP, caseína 6%). Os valores de pressão arterial (PA) de descendentes do sexo masculino de 60 dias de idade foram medidos por meio de um método indireto de manguito de cauda usando um eletro esfigmomanômetro. Os corações (d60) foram coletados para avaliação da expressão de RNAm da conexina 43 (Cx43) e análise morfológica e morfométrica. A prole BP não mostrou diferença no peso corporal, embora tenha nascido mais leve do que a prole PN. Os níveis de PA foram significativamente mais altos no grupo BP. Observou-se um aumento significativo na área ocupada pelas fibras colágenas, diminuição do número de cardiomiócitos em 104 µm2 e aumento da área de cardiomiócitos associada ao aumento da expressão de Cx43. A RPG altera os níveis miocárdicos de RNAm de Cx43 em ratos adultos jovens, sugerindo que este mecanismo visa compensar o processo fibrótico pelo acúmulo de fibras de colágeno no interstício cardíaco.
Plasma Total Antioxidant Capacity and Cardiometabolic Risk in Non-Obese and Clinically Healthy Young Adults.

PubMed

Costa, Jamille Oliveira; Vásquez, Cecília M Passos; Santana, Gleiciane de Jesus; Silva, Natanael de Jesus; Braz, Juciene de Matos; Jesus, Amélia M Ribeiro de; Silva, Danielle Góes da; Cunha, Luana Celina Seraphim; Barbosa, Kiriaque Barra Ferreira

2017-07-10

The oxidative biomarkers play an important role in the genesis of cardiometabolic risk-related processes. To investigate the total antioxidant capacity of plasma and its association with cardiometabolic risk in non-obese and clinically healthy young adults. University students of the state of Sergipe, Brazil, aged between 18 and 25 years, were recruited for this study from May of 2013 and October of 2014. Anthropometric, clinical and biochemical parameters were measured and analyzed using protocols which were previously standardized and described in the literature. The measurement of plasma total antioxidant capacity was based on the ability that all the antioxidants present in the sample (plasma) have to inhibit the oxidation of the oxidizable substrate ABTS (2,2`- Azino-di-[3-ethylbenzthiazoline sulphonate]) to ABTS•+ by metmyoglobin. Approximately 25% of the sample presented more than one component of cardiometabolic risk. Low HDL-cholesterol was the most prevalent component. Compared to absence of components, the subjects with at least one component presented greater body weight and waist circumference, higher levels of diastolic blood pressure and fasting glucose, greater total cholesterol/HDL-c ratio, and lower levels of HDL-c (p < 0.05). Fasting glycemia was the only parameter which was associated with total antioxidant capacity (R2 = 0.10; β = 0.17; p = 0.001). The plasma total antioxidant capacity was not able to predict the cardiometabolic risk components due possibly to the establishment of compensatory mechanisms that become activated in physiological conditions. Os biomarcadores oxidativos exercem um importante papel na gênese dos processos relacionados ao risco cardiometabólico. Investigar a capacidade antioxidante total do plasma e sua associação com risco cardiometabólico em adultos jovens, não obesos e clinicamente saudáveis. Estudantes universitários do estado de Sergipe, Brasil, com idade entre 18 e 25 anos, foram recrutados entre maio de 2013 e outubro de 2014. Parâmetros antropométricos, clínicos e bioquímicos foram medidos e analisados usando protocolos previamente padronizados e descritos na literatura. A medida da capacidade antioxidante total do plasma baseou-se na capacidade de todos os antioxidantes presentes na amostra (plasma) em inibir a oxidação do substrato oxidável ABTS (2,2-Azino-bis-(3-etilbenzotiazolina-6-sulfonato) a ABTS•+ pela metamioglobina. Aproximadamente 25% da amostra apresentaram mais de um componente do risco cardiometabólico. Valores baixos de HDL foram o componente mais prevalente. Em comparação à ausência de componentes, os indivíduos com pelo menos um componente apresentou valores mais altos de peso corporal, circunferência da cintura, pressão sanguínea diastólica, glicemia de jejum e razão colesterol total/HDL-c, e valores mais baixos de HDL-c (p < 0,05). A glicemia de jejum foi o único parâmetro que se associou com a capacidade antioxidante total (R2 = 0,10; β = 0,17; p = 0,001). A capacidade antioxidante total não foi capaz de predizer os componentes do risco cardiometabólico possivelmente devido ao estabelecimento de mecanismos compensatórios que se tornam ativados em condições fisiológicas.
Learning of Unknown Environments in Goal-Directed Guidance and Navigation Tasks: Autonomous Systems and Humans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidal, Joao Vasco Silvestres

Este trabalho expoe um estudo teorico e experimental das propriedades anisotropicas magnetoeletricas (ME) em diferentes compositos contendo monocristais piezoeletricos (PE), maioritariamente sem chumbo na sua composicao, com vista a diversas aplicacoes multifuncionais. Uma descricao linear do efeito ME em termos de campos eletricos, magneticos e elasticos e constantes materiais e apresentada. Um modelo fenomenologico quasi-estatico e usado para ilustrar a relacao entre as constantes materiais, sua anisotropia e os coeficientes MEs transversais de tensao e carga. Subsequentemente, este modelo e empregue para estimar o maximo coeficiente ME direto de tensao expectavel numa serie de compositos tri-camadas de Metglas/Piezocristal/Metglas em funcao da orientacao do cristal PE. Demonstra-se assim como os efeitos MEs sao fortemente dependentes da orientacao cristalina, o que suporta a possibilidade de se gerarem coeficientes MEs de tensao elevados em compositos contendo monocristais PEs sem chumbo como o niobato de litio (LiNbO3; LNO), tantalato de litio (LiTaO3), ortofosfato de galio (GaPO4; GPO), quartzo (SiO2), langatato (La3Ga5.5Ta0.5O14) e langasite (La3Ga5SiO14) atraves da otimizacao da orientacao cristalina. Uma tecnica experimental dinâmica de lock-in para a medicao da impedância e efeito ME direto e exposta. O formalismo descritivo desta tecnica, assim como um arranjo experimental desenvolvido para o efeito sao apresentados. O esquema e caracteristicas deste, assim como diferentes formas de reduzir o ruido e a indesejavel inducao mutua sao exploradas. Um estudo comparativo do efeito ME direto em compositos tri-camadas de Metglas e monocristais de LNO e PMN-PT conectados de forma simples e exposto. Embora o PMN-PT possua piezocoeficientes de carga muito superiores aos do LNO, o coeficiente ME direto de tensao demonstrou-se comparavel entre ambos os compositos devido a uma muito menor permitividade dieletrica do LNO. Calculos teoricos indicam ainda que as propriedades MEs poderao ser significativamente melhoradas (ate 500 V/(cm.Oe)) atraves da otimizacao do ângulo de corte do LNO, espessura relativa entre camadas ferroeletrica/ferromagnetica e uma melhor colagem entre o Metglas e o LNO. Vantagens da utilizacao do material ferroeletrico LNO em compositos MEs sao discutidas. Num estudo subsequente, as propriedades dinâmicas anisotropicas de impedância e MEs em compositos tri-camadas de Metglas e monocristais PEs sem chumbo de LNO e GPO sao exploradas. Medicoes foram realizadas em funcao do corte de cristal, magnitude e orientacao do campo magnetico de polarizacao e frequencia do campo de modulacao. Coeficientes MEs altamente intensos em certos modos de ressonância sao explorados, e a sua relacao com as propriedades materiais dos cristais e geometria dos compositos e investigada. Um coeficiente ME de ate 249 V/(cm.Oe) foi aqui observado num composito com um cristal de LNO com corte 41ºY a 323.1 kHz. Mostramos assim que compositos multicamadas contendo cristais sem chumbo de LNO e GPO podem exibir efeitos MEs anisotropicos relativamente elevados. Demonstramos tambem que o controlo da orientacao dos cristais PEs pode em principio ser usado na obtencao de propriedades MEs anisotropicas desejaveis para qualquer aplicacao. Caracteristicas unicas como elevada estabilidade quimica, piezoeletricidade linear e robusteza termica abrem verdadeiras perspetivas para a utilizacao de compositos baseados no LNO e GPO em diversas aplicacoes. Eventualmente, compositos bi-camadas contendo lâminas PEs com bidominios de LNO com corte 127ºY foram estudados tanto teoricamente como experimentalmente. Estas lâminas de LNO possuem uma estrutura de bidominios com vetores de polarizacao espontânea opostos ao longo da direcao da sua espessura (i.e. uma estrutura de macrodominios ferroeletricos "head-to-head" ou "tail-to-tail") Medicoes de impedância, efeito ME e densidade de ruido magnetico equivalente foram realizadas nos compositos operando sob condicoes quasi-estaticas e de ressonância. Coeficientes MEs de ate 578 V/(cm.Oe) foram obtidos a ca. 30 kHz sob ressonâncias de dobramento usando cristais PEs com 0.5 mm de espessura. Medicoes de densidade de ruido magnetico equivalente demosntraram valores de ate 153 pT/Hz1/2 a 1 kHz (modo quasi-estatico) e 524 fT/Hz1/2 sob condicoes de ressonância. E de esperar que uma otimizacao adicional das tecnicas de fabrico, geometria dos compositos e circuitos de detencao possa permitir reduzir estes valores ate pelo menos 10 pT/Hz1/2 e 250 fT/Hz1/2, respetivamente, e a frequencia de ressonância em pelo menos duas ordens de grandeza. Estes sistemas poderao assim no futuro ser usados em sensores vetoriais de campo magnetico simples e sensiveis, passivos e estaveis e operaveis a elevadas temperaturas. None
Phonemic verbal fluency task in adults with high-level literacy.

PubMed

Opasso, Patrícia Romano; Barreto, Simone Dos Santos; Ortiz, Karin Zazo

2016-01-01

To establish normative parameters for the F-A-S form of the phonemic verbal fluency test, in a population of Brazilian Portuguese speaking adults with high-level literacy. The sample comprised 40 male and female volunteers aged 19 to 59 years, and at least 8 years of formal education. Volunteers were first submitted to the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Clock Drawing cognitive screening tests, then to the F-A-S Verbal Phonemic Fluency Test; in this test, examinees were given 60 seconds to generate as many words as possible beginning with each of the three test letters. The means for number of words beginning the letters F, A and S and for total number of words beginning with either letter generated per minute corresponded to 15.3, 14.4, 13.9 and 43.5, respectively. Reference values obtained from young adults with high levels of literacy submitted to the F-A-S Verbal Phonemic Fluency Test in this study were similar to those reported in the international literature. These reference values can be used for clinical assessment of language disorder and neuropsychological evaluation. Obter parâmetros de normalidade na tarefa de fluência verbal fonêmica, versão F-A-S, em uma população de alto letramento de adultos falantes do português brasileiro. A amostra foi constituída por 40 voluntários, de ambos os sexos, com idade entre 19 e 59 anos, e com mais de 8 anos de estudo. Todos os voluntários foram inicialmente submetidos ao Miniexame do Estado Mental e ao Teste do Desenho do Relógio, para fins de rastreio cognitivo, e, então, ao Teste de Fluência Verbal Fonêmica F-A-S. Neste último, os indivíduos foram orientados a produzirem o maior número de palavras que conseguissem, iniciadas com cada uma das três letras ditas pelo examinador, em um intervalo de 60 segundos cada. As médias das palavras produzidas com as letras F-A-S foram as seguintes: "F" = 15,3 palavras por minuto; "A" = 14,4 palavras por minuto; e "S" = 13,9 palavras por minuto. A média do total de palavras emitidas iniciada com todas as letras do teste foi de 43,5 palavras. Foram obtidos valores de referência para o Teste de Fluência Verbal Fonêmica F-A-S para indivíduos adultos jovens de alto grau de letramento semelhantes aos de estudos internacionais. Tais valores podem ser utilizados na avaliação clínica de transtornos da linguagem e na avaliação neuropsicológica.
Analysis of astronomy knowledge of the students in the Federal Institute Sao Paulo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moraes, A. C.; Voelzke, M. R.

2014-08-01

Este trabalho é parte integrante da pesquisa de mestrado acadêmico em ensino de ciências. Nele, busca-se apresentar os resultados da pesquisa realizada entre os 106 alunos do curso superior de tecnologia em automação industrial do Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de São Paulo campus Cubatão, divididos em cinco turmas, duas no período matutino e três no período noturno. A análise dos resultados deste pré questionárioconstatou a falta de conhecimento básico dos discentes, sobre assuntos relacionados à astronomia, o que pode ser atribuído ao ineficiente processo de aprendizado pelo qual eles passaram tanto no ensino médio como no ensino fundamental, em escolas municipais, estaduais e particulares onde estudaram. No ensino de astronomia, têm-se diagnosticado constantemente diversas dificuldades conceituais tanto por parte de alunos como de professores de todas as áreas e níveis de ensino e poucos de fato a compreendem (ALBRECHT; VOELZKE, 2010). Demonstra-se as duas etapas concluídas do trabalho. A primeira etapa indica a análise dos conhecimentos prévios sobre conceitos astronômicos, através do questionário com 25 perguntas. A fim de corrigir as falhas constatadas, experimentalmente ministrou-se, externo ao conteúdo programático, um curso básico em astronomia, com diferentes estratégias de ensino, tais como, utilização de aulas expositivas dialogadas, recursos audiovisuais e palestras, para corrigir as dificuldades diagnosticadas. Essas estratégias de ensino se comprovaram adequadas às necessidades dos alunos e os conceitos foram finalmente compreendidos. Ao término do curso, completado o interstício de 120 dias, para caracterizar que houve a aprendizagem significativa, realizou-se uma nova pesquisa, quando, exatamente os mesmos 106 alunos responderam as mesmas 25 questões aplicadas na primeira etapa. Constata-se na segunda etapa, após análise, que em todas as questões, houve maior compreensão dos assuntos abordados e os alunos obtiveram uma melhora significativa no aprendizado dos conceitos relacionados à astronomia. Nota-se que a astronomia está presente e é elemento importante dos parâmetros curriculares nacionais e que há muito interesse por parte dos alunos com relação ao tema. Diante dos resultados obtidos no pós-curso, pode-se afirmar que o curso básico em astronomia, realizado na própria escola, mas externo ao conteúdo programático, proporcionou uma integração entre os alunos, estreitando os laços de amizade e do conhecimento entre eles não importando a turma ou o período pois a dificuldade inicial foi vencida por todos, com muita dedicação e comprometimento entre todos; hoje estes alunos podem seguramente continuar estudando estes conceitos de astronomia. ALBRECHT, E.; VOELZKE, M. R.Teaching of Astronomy and scientific literacy. Journal of Science Education, v. 11, n. 1, p.35-38, 2010.
The Shadow of a Gnomon Along a Year: Routine Observations and Teaching of Apparent Motion of the Sun and the Four Seasons. (Spanish Title: La Sombra de un Gnomon lo Largo de un Año: Observaciones de Rutina y la Enseñanza del Movimiento Aparente del Sol y Las Cuatro Estaciones.) A Sombra de um Gnômon ao Longo de um Ano: Observações Rotineiras e o Ensino do Movimento Aparente do Sol E das Quatro Estações

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trogello, Anderson Giovani; Danhoni Neves, Marcos Cesar; de Carvalho Rutz da Silva, Sani

2013-12-01

Many misconceptions are recognized among the various groups of students, especially in the elementary school. Among them, the apparent motion of the Sun, in spite of its daily occurrence, is subject to varied interpretations. Thus, the observation and recording of the motion of the stars in the celestial vault is a necessary task for astronomy education. The work presented here proposes the presentation of the results of observations of the apparent movement of the sun by marking the shadow of a vertical gnomon by the students in a class of sixth graders of elementary rural school of Paraná. The project itself was conducted in four stages, on dates near the March equinox, the June solstice, the September equinox and the December solstice. In addition, lectures were developed in the classroom. Such methods sought to build concepts around the apparent movement of the Sun and the alternation of the seasons. Given the results of the activities, an evaluation was applied and the data demonstrated a desired student learning such as: the recognition of the cardinal points, the description of the apparent solar motion and the occurrence of the seasons and their alternation from astronomical observations at naked eye. Muchos conceptos aternativos son conocidos entre los distintos grupos de alumnos, sobre todo en la educación básica. Entre ellos, el movimiento aparente del Sol, por más cotidiano que sea, se presta a interpretaciones variadas. Por lo tanto, observar y registrar el movimiento de las estrellas en la bóveda celeste se torna una tarea necesaria para la educación en astronomía. El trabajo que aquí se presenta propone la presentación de los resultados de la observación del movimiento aparente del sol a través de la marcación de la sombra del gnomon vertical a cargo de los estudiantes en una división de sexto grado de de la escuela primaria rural de Paraná. El proyecto en sí se llevó a cabo en cuatro etapas, en fechas cercanas al equinoccio de marzo, al solsticio de junio, al equinoccio de septiembre y al solsticio de diciembre. Además, se dictaron clases teóricas en la sala de aula. Estos métodos buscaron construir conceptos en torno al movimiento aparente del Sol y la sucesión de las estaciones. Teniendo en cuenta los resultados de las actividades se aplicó una evaluación cuyos datos demuestran la existencia de un aprendizaje deseado por los estudiantes en cuanto a: el reconocimiento de los puntos cardinales, la descripción del movimiento solar aparente y la aparición de las estaciones y su alternancia a partir de observaciones astronómicas visuales sin instrumentos. Muitas concepções alternativas são reconhecidas entre os diversos grupos de estudantes, em especial nos da educação básica. Dentre elas, o movimento aparente do Sol, por mais quotidiano que seja, proporciona variadas interpretações. Deste modo, observar e registrar o movimento dos astros na abóboda celeste é uma tarefa necessária ao ensino de Astronomia. O trabalho que ora se apresenta propõe a apresentação dos resultados da observação do movimento aparente do Sol por intermédio da marcação da sombra de um gnômon vertical por alunos de uma turma do sexto ano do ensino fundamental de uma escola do campo do Paraná. O projeto em si ocorreu em quatro etapas, em datas próximas do equinócio de março, do solstício de junho, do equinócio de setembro e do solstício de dezembro. Além disso, foram desenvolvidas aulas teóricas em sala de aula. Tais métodos buscaram construir conceitos em torno da movimentação aparente do Sol e da alternância das estações do ano. Diante dos resultados provenientes das atividades desenvolvidas foi aplicada uma avaliação e os dados demonstraram um aprendizado desejado dos alunos quanto: ao reconhecimento dos pontos cardeais; à descrição do movimento solar aparente e a ocorrência das estações do ano e sua alternância a partir de observações astronômicas a olho nu.
Modulation of the relationship between spring AO and the subsequent winter ENSO by the preceding November AO.

PubMed

Chen, Shangfeng; Chen, Wen; Yu, Bin

2018-05-02

Previous studies indicated that the spring Arctic Oscillation (AO) exerts significant influences on the subsequent winter El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This analysis suggests that the spring AO-ENSO linkage is highly modulated by its preceding November AO. When November and the subsequent spring AO indices are in phase, the spring AO has a pronounced influence on ENSO. However, when the November and spring AO indices are out of phase, the spring AO-ENSO connection disappears. Modulation of the November AO on the spring AO-ENSO connection is mainly through the constructive and destructive superposition of the November and spring AO associated sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the tropical central-eastern Pacific in spring and summer, as well as the SST anomalies developed further in the tropical Pacific via the positive air-sea feedback.
Percepção Astronômica de Alunos do Ensino Médio da Rede Estadual de São Paulo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Oliveira, E. F.; Voelzke, M. R.; Amaral, L. H.

2005-08-01

Embora a astronomia seja uma das ciências mais antigas da humanidade e muitos dos conceitos astronômicos serem populares, principalmente nesta época de alta globalização do conhecimento por intermédio de eficientes meios de comunicação e de obtenção da informação, notadamente através da internet, observa-se que uma parcela significativa dos estudantes encontra-se à margem dessas informações. O presente trabalho visa analisar o nível de conhecimento básico dos alunos de Ensino Médio da rede estadual da cidade de Suzano quanto aos fenômenos astronômicos que os rodeiam, tais como a sucessão dos dias e das estações do ano, além de questioná-los sobre fatos genéricos tais como: quais são os astros que se encontram mais próximos do planeta Terra, o que vem a ser o Sol, o Big Bang, um ano-luz, uma estrela cadente, a estrela de Bélem e o que ocasionou a extinção dos dinossauros. Para tanto foi elaborado um formulário constando de questões de múltipla escolha, o qual foi aplicado no primeiro colegial noturno da Escola Estadual Batista Renzi. Num espaço amostral de 34 alunos constatou-se que apenas 29,4% compreendiam a sucessão dos dias da semana, que apenas 20,6% explicaram corretamente as estações do ano, que apenas 20,6% tinham idéia de quais são os objetos celestes mais próximos da Terra, em contraposição 67,6% sabiam classificar corretamente o Sol como estrela, 55,9% relacionavam o Big Bang à origem do universo, apenas 20,6% identificavam um ano-luz como unidade de distância, 32,4% reconheciam uma estrela cadente como meteoro, 41,2% consideravam a estrela de Belém como um cometa e 50,0% explicaram corretamente a extinção dos dinossauros. A presente análise será expandida para as demais classes de primeiro colegial, não somente do período noturno, mas também do diurno da Escola Estadual Batista Renzi, bem como o formulário será devidamente ampliado. Já nesta primeira fase nota-se claramente o pequeno discernimento de eventos astronômicos dos alunos e principalmente a grande confusão sobre o significado correto de termos astronômicos populares.
Smoking control: challenges and achievements.

PubMed

Silva, Luiz Carlos Corrêa da; Araújo, Alberto José de; Queiroz, Ângela Maria Dias de; Sales, Maria da Penha Uchoa; Castellano, Maria Vera Cruz de Oliveira

2016-01-01

Smoking is the most preventable and controllable health risk. Therefore, all health care professionals should give their utmost attention to and be more focused on the problem of smoking. Tobacco is a highly profitable product, because of its large-scale production and great number of consumers. Smoking control policies and treatment resources for smoking cessation have advanced in recent years, showing highly satisfactory results, particularly in Brazil. However, there is yet a long way to go before smoking can be considered a controlled disease from a public health standpoint. We can already perceive that the behavior of our society regarding smoking is changing, albeit slowly. Therefore, pulmonologists have a very promising area in which to work with their patients and the general population. We must act with greater impetus in support of health care policies and social living standards that directly contribute to improving health and quality of life. In this respect, pulmonologists can play a greater role as they get more involved in treating smokers, strengthening anti-smoking laws, and demanding health care policies related to lung diseases. RESUMO O tabagismo é o fator de risco mais prevenível e controlável em saúde e, por isso, precisa ter a máxima atenção e ser muito mais enfocado por todos os profissionais da saúde. O tabaco é um produto de alta rentabilidade pela sua grande produção e pelo elevado número de consumidores. As políticas de controle e os recursos terapêuticos para o tabagismo avançaram muito nos últimos anos e têm mostrado resultados altamente satisfatórios, particularmente no Brasil. Entretanto, ainda resta um longo caminho a ser percorrido para que se possa considerar o tabagismo como uma doença controlada sob o ponto de vista da saúde pública. Já se observam modificações do comportamento da sociedade com relação ao tabagismo, mas ainda em escala muito lenta, de modo que os pneumologistas têm nesse setor um campo muito promissor para atuar junto a seus pacientes e a população em geral. É preciso atuar com maior ímpeto em prol das políticas de saúde e das normas de convívio social que contribuem diretamente para melhorar a saúde e a vida. Nesse aspecto, os pneumologistas podem ter um papel de maior destaque na medida em que se envolvam com o tratamento dos fumantes, a aplicação da lei antifumo e as políticas de saúde relacionadas às doenças respiratórias.
Solar Physics Topics in High School: Analysis of a Course with Practical Activities at Dietrich Schiel Observatory. (Spanish Title: Temas de Física Solar Para Estudiantes de Escuelas Secundarias: un Análisis de un Curso con Enfoque Práctico en el Observatorio Dietrich Schiel.) Tópicos de Física Solar no Ensino Médio: Análise de um Curso com Atividades Práticas no Observatório Dietrich Schiel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calbo Aroca, Silvia; Donizete Colombo, Pedro, Jr.; Celestino Silva, Cibelle

2012-12-01

This work analyses results obtained in a solar physics course for high school students promoted at the Dietrich Schiel Observatory of the University of São Paulo (USP). The course was elaborated by the authors with the intention of investigating student's concepts about the Sun, teaching topics of modern physics related to the Sun and providing students with knowledge about our star as well. The methodology of data gathering consisted of audio and video records of classes and of semi-structured interviews, and analysis of answers to written questionnaires. The results showed that most high school students conceived the Sun as made of fire, while sunspots were thought to be holes in the Sun. Even though some students did know that a spectrum is formed using a prism or diffraction grating, most of them ignored the nature of the observed spectral lines. Through the course, this topic was developed by means of a practical approach with solar and lamp spectra observations. The results obtained in the course point to the importance of science centers as partners in formal education. In this specific case, the Solar Room at the Dietrich Schiel Observatory is as a favorable environment for teaching modern physics in high school. Este artículo analiza los resultados obtenidos en un curso sobre la física solar, auspiciado por el Observatorio Dietrich Schiel de la USP para estudiantes de las escuelas secundarias. El curso fue diseñado por los autores con la intención de investigar las concepciones sobre el sol, enseñar temas relacionados con la física moderna del Sol y conocimientos generales sobre el astro rey. La metodología utilizada para la recolección de datos consistió en grabar, en audio y video, las clases, las entrevistas semi-estructuradas y las respuestas a los cuestionarios escritos. Los resultados mostraron que la mayoría de los participantes conciben el Sol como constituido por fuego y las manchas solares en la superficie solar como agujeros. Aunque algunos estudiantes sabían que un espectro puede estar formado por un prisma o red de difracción, la mayor parte de ellos desconocía la naturaleza de las líneas espectrales. A lo largo del curso, esta cuestión fue trabajada con un enfoque práctico mediante la observación del espectro solar y de las lámparas durante clases expositivas/dialogadas. Los resultados obtenidos en el curso mustran la importancia de los centros de ciencia como un apoyo en la educación formal. En este caso en particular, la Sala Solar del Observatorio Dietrich Schiel se destaca como un entorno favorable para la enseñanza de la física moderna en la escuela secundaria. Este trabalho analisa resultados obtidos em um curso sobre física solar para alunos do ensino médio promovido pelo Observatório Dietrich Schiel da USP. O curso foi elaborado pelos autores com a intenção de investigar concepções sobre o Sol, ensinar tópicos de física moderna relacionados ao Sol e conhecimentos gerais sobre o astro rei. A metodologia de coleta de dados consistiu em gravação em áudio e vídeo das aulas e das entrevistas semi-estruturadas, e respostas a questionários escritos. Os resultados mostraram que a maioria dos participantes concebeu o Sol como constituído por fogo e as manchas solares como buracos na superfície solar. Embora alguns alunos soubessem que um espectro pode ser formado por um prisma ou rede de difração, a maior parte deles desconhecia a natureza das linhas espectrais. Ao longo do curso, este tema foi trabalhado com uma abordagem prática com observação do espectro solar e de lâmpadas e em aulas expositivo-dialogadas. Os resultados obtidos no curso apontam para a importância dos centros de ciências como parceiros da educação formal. Neste caso específico, a Sala Solar do Observatório Dietrich Schiel é um ambiente propício para o ensino de física moderna no ensino médio.
A proposed contents astronomy for basic education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albrecht, E.; Voelzke, M. R.

2014-08-01

A Astronomia é um tema que sempre exerceu fascínio sobre as pessoas de um modo geral. Conhecer e estudar o que há nos “céus”, além de nossos olhos, continua sendo instigador e de grande interesse. Baseado nestas justificativas desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa de Doutorado, na qual, o objetivo principal foi investigar sobre a presença dos conteúdos de Astronomia nas Propostas Curriculares da região Sul do Brasil, a saber, os estados de Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul e Santa Catarina e, posterior comparação com os Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais (PCN) que trazem propostas de conteúdos para toda a Educação Básica brasileira. Tal investigação pautou-se na abordagem de caráter qualitativo e utilizouse para tal da Análise de Conteúdos (Bardin, 2011), que possibilitou a construção de quatro categorias, nas quais os conteúdos astronômicos foram agrupados: Terra, Sistema Solar, Via Láctea e Universo. Após a leitura, coleta de dados, construção de categorias, observou-se a dicotomia na apresentação destes conteúdos. As propostas curriculares analisadas foram as de Geografia, Ciências e Física dos estados do Paraná (2008), Rio Grande do Sul (2009) e de Santa Catarina (1998), responsáveis pelo trabalho com Astronomia nestes estados. No Ensino Fundamental, a proposta curricular do estado do Paraná apresenta conteúdos ligados à Astronomia desde o sexto ano até o nono ano, como conteúdo do primeiro bimestre, o que também é apresentado na proposta curricular do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, porém, este, não divide os conteúdos por bimestre e nem por ano, mas por ciclos, sexto e sétimo anos como primeiro ciclo e oitavo e nono anos como segundo ciclo, deixando livre para o professor estruturar sua sequência de conteúdos. A proposta curricular de Santa Catarina não apresenta estes conteúdos de maneira explícita, não divide dos conteúdos nem por ano, nem por série, traz uma sequência de conteúdos para serem trabalhados ao longo dos quatro anos, nos quais, aparecem timidamente alguns conteúdos de Astronomia. Para o Ensino Médio, as propostas curriculares do Paraná e de Santa Catarina parecem que se repetem, apresentando apenas o conteúdo Gravitação Universal, na primeira série do Ensino Médio, já a proposta curricular do Rio Grande do Sul, traz uma sequência que é proposta nos PCN (Brasil, 1998; 1999; 2002), na qual aparece o tema em questão, porém, em todos os anos, em todas as propostas, não há um detalhamento do que, de como trabalhar os conteúdos. O detalhamento facilita a prática pedagógica, pois, conteúdos simples como as Estações do Ano, Fases da Lua, sequer são citados nas propostas curriculares pesquisadas. Outro aspecto observado é que os conteúdos de um modo geral não trazem uma sequência e não primam por partir do entorno do aluno, daquilo que ele conhece para estruturar novos conceitos. Tais aspectos dificultam o fazer pedagógico, pois, por ser uma região com características culturais semelhantes, era esperado que as propostas fossem mais próximas, o! que facilitaria em muito, por exemplo, transferências dentro de um mesmo estado ou interestaduais. Pautando-se no que foi observado, na falta de especificidade dos conteúdos, clareza, sequência dos conteúdos e propostas de trabalho é proposto uma sequência de conteúdos de Astronomia, com materiais e recursos, pois, como apontado por Langhi e Nardi (2009), é necessário fornecer além da informação, do conteúdo, o como fazer. Tal proposta não visa estabelecer-se como regra, mas como suporte ao professor para facilitar sua prática pedagógica e tornar o trabalho com Astronomia presente nas escolas brasileiras. Bardin, L. Análise de conteúdo. Tradução Luís Antero Reto, Augusto Pinheiro. São Paulo: Edições 70, 2011. 279 p. Langhi, R; Nardi, R. Ensino da astronomia no Brasil: educação formal, informal, não-formal e divulgação científica. Revista Brasileira de Ensino de Física, v. 31, n. 4, p. 4402-1 a 4402-11, 2009.
Biosynthesis of allene oxides in Physcomitrella patens

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The moss Physcomitrella patens contains C18- as well as C20-polyunsaturated fatty acids that can be metabolized by different enzymes to form oxylipins such as the cyclopentenone cis(+)-12-oxo phytodienoic acid. Mutants defective in the biosynthesis of cyclopentenones showed reduced fertility, aberrant sporophyte morphology and interrupted sporogenesis. The initial step in this biosynthetic route is the conversion of a fatty acid hydroperoxide to an allene oxide. This reaction is catalyzed by allene oxide synthase (AOS) belonging as hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) to the cytochrome P450 family Cyp74. In this study we characterized two AOS from P. patens, PpAOS1 and PpAOS2. Results Our results show that PpAOS1 is highly active with both C18 and C20-hydroperoxy-fatty acid substrates, whereas PpAOS2 is fully active only with C20-substrates, exhibiting trace activity (~1000-fold lower kcat/KM) with C18 substrates. Analysis of products of PpAOS1 and PpHPL further demonstrated that both enzymes have an inherent side activity mirroring the close inter-connection of AOS and HPL catalysis. By employing site directed mutagenesis we provide evidence that single amino acid residues in the active site are also determining the catalytic activity of a 9-/13-AOS – a finding that previously has only been reported for substrate specific 13-AOS. However, PpHPL cannot be converted into an AOS by exchanging the same determinant. Localization studies using YFP-labeled AOS showed that PpAOS2 is localized in the plastid while PpAOS1 may be found in the cytosol. Analysis of the wound-induced cis(+)-12-oxo phytodienoic acid accumulation in PpAOS1 and PpAOS2 single knock-out mutants showed that disruption of PpAOS1, in contrast to PpAOS2, results in a significantly decreased cis(+)-12-oxo phytodienoic acid formation. However, the knock-out mutants of neither PpAOS1 nor PpAOS2 showed reduced fertility, aberrant sporophyte morphology or interrupted sporogenesis. Conclusions Our study highlights five findings regarding the oxylipin metabolism in P. patens: (i) Both AOS isoforms are capable of metabolizing C18- and C20-derived substrates with different specificities suggesting that both enzymes might have different functions. (ii) Site directed mutagenesis demonstrated that the catalytic trajectories of 9-/13-PpAOS1 and PpHPL are closely inter-connected and PpAOS1 can be inter-converted by a single amino acid exchange into a HPL. (iii) In contrast to PpAOS1, PpAOS2 is localized in the plastid where oxylipin metabolism takes place. (iv) PpAOS1 is essential for wound-induced accumulation of cis(+)-12-oxo phytodienoic acid while PpAOS2 appears not to be involved in the process. (v) Knock-out mutants of neither AOS showed a deviating morphological phenotype suggesting that there are overlapping functions with other Cyp74 enzymes. PMID:23194461
A atuação do Observatório Nacional registrada nos relatórios ministeriais 1889 a 1930

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, T.

2003-08-01

O período republicano até 1930 foi marcante na história do Observatório Nacional. Diversas reformas levaram a instituição a três ministérios diferentes e mudaram a ênfase do seu trabalho. A tão aguardada mudança para uma nova sede, em São Cristóvão, em 1920, não foi suficiente para que a instituição acompanhasse o ritmo tomado pela astronomia no mundo e se firmasse como ambiente de pesquisa. Uma análise simplificada poderia caracterizar um período de produção científica insignificante, dado o distanciamento da instituição dos novos rumos da astrofísica e da rápida inovação dos instrumentos, além do pequeno volume de publicações. Era uma época em que ainda não existiam os mecanismos formais de apoio e avaliação da atividade científica. Esse trabalho procura identificar a real atividade do Observatório no conteúdo dos Relatórios Ministeriais que, ao final de cada ano, apresentava as atividades, sucessos e problemas enfrentados pela instituição. Questões como instrumental e recursos humanos necessários; entraves burocráticos e financeiros; e articulações com outros observatórios se complementaram entre si ao longo desses anos para definir o perfil institucional e alguns aspectos fundamentais para a construção da astronomia no país. É possível concluir que a ênfase em serviços geográficos e de meteorologia, ao lado da inadequação dos instrumentos e do local, quase fizeram desaparecer a pesquisa em astronomia. Porém, vale destacar a sobrevivência de alguns trabalhos, como, por exemplo, variação de latitude e observação de estrelas duplas que mantiveram importante intercâmbio com outros grupos de pesquisa, demonstrando o constante esforço dos astrônomos e das diretorias em defesa da atividade científica.
Transient hyperphosphatemia: a benign laboratory disorder in a boy with Gitelman syndrome.

PubMed

Skalova, Sylva; Kutilek, Stepan

2016-01-01

Transient hyperphosphatasemia of infancy and early childhood (THI) is characterized by transiently increased activity of serum alkaline phosphatase (S-ALP), predominantly its bone or liver isoform, in children under five years of age. There are no signs of metabolic bone disease or hepatopathy corresponding with the increased S-ALP. THI is benign disorder, rather laboratory than clinical disorder, which is usually accidentally detected in both healthy and sick children. When encountered in a child with either chronic bone, liver or kidney disease, it might concern the physician. We present a three year old boy with genetically confirmed Gitelman syndrome where THI was detected accidentally during periodic check-up. S-ALP peaked to 41.8 µkat/L, there were neither laboratory or clinical signs of liver or bone disease; the S-ALP dropped to normal value of 4 µkat/L 60 days later. Therefore, the patient fulfilled the criteria for THI. There were no further increases in S-ALP. Resumo A hiperfosfatasemia transitória benigna da infância (HTBI) é caracterizada por elevação transitória da atividade da fosfatase alcalina sérica (S-ALP), predominantemente em sua isoforma óssea ou hepática, em crianças com menos de cinco anos de idade. Não há sinais de patologia óssea metabólica ou hepatopatia correspondentes ao aumento da S-ALP. A HTBI é um distúrbio benigno, mais laboratorial que clínico, normalmente detectado acidentalmente em crianças saudáveis e acometidas por alguma patologia. Quando encontrada em crianças com doença crônica óssea, hepática ou renal, maiores preocupações são justificadas. O presente relato descreve o caso de um menino de três anos de idade com síndrome de Gitelman geneticamente confirmada, em que a HTBI foi detectada acidentalmente durante um exame periódico. A S-ALP atingiu o pico de 41,8 µkat/L, sem sinais laboratoriais ou clínicos de doença hepática ou óssea. O valor de S-ALP caiu para o nível normal de 4 µkat/L 60 dias mais tarde. Portanto, o paciente satisfazia os critérios para HTBI. Não houve outros aumentos na S-ALP.
Reconstrução tridimensional de arcos magnéticos por tomografia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simões, P. J. A.; Costa, J. E. R.

2003-08-01

Uma explosão solar é uma variação súbita do brilho que ocorre nas regiões ativas da atmosfera solar. Estas regiões são constituídas por um plasma magnetizado com intensa indução magnética e em cenários bem complexos como visto recentemente através de experimentos embarcados em satélites operando instrumentos em raios X moles e ultra-violeta distante. A energia magnética, que pode ser armazenada por um período de horas até dias em configurações magnéticas estressadas, é subitamente lançada na atmosfera solar e transferida para partículas como elétrons, prótons e núcleos pesados, que são acelerados e/ou aquecidos, produzindo radiação eletromagnética. A proposta final deste projeto é determinar as características espaciais de alta resolução da emissão e polarização girossincrotrônica de explosões solares em ambientes complexos de campos magnéticos. Os recentes resultados da emissão difusa em EUV apresentado pelos satélites TRACE e SOHO dos arcos magnéticos conectando as diferentes polaridades magnéticas sobre as regiões ativas possibilitam novas abordagens sobre o papel do campo magnético na emissão em rádio. Nesta etapa apresentamos os resultados da reconstrução da geometria tridimensional das linhas de força destes arcos utilizando técnicas tomográficas, a partir de imagens de alta resolução espacial obtidas pelo instrumento EIT (Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope), além da modelagem das induções magnéticas por um campo dipolar e as densidades de partículas aceleradas. Utilizamos para a reconstrução geométrica, imagens tomadas em vários ângulos dos arcos devido à rotacão solar. Com estes resultados, daremos continuidade ao projeto, com os cálculos da transferência radiativa nos modos ordinário e extraordinário de propagação da radiação girossincrotrônica de explosões solares.
Spin-Transfer-Torque Nano-Oscillators: Fabrication, Characterization and Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, Jose Diogo Teixeira Barbosa

Este trabalho aborda algumas propriedades magneticas e estruturais de nanoparticulas de oxidos e oxidos-hidroxidos de ferro crescidos em matrizes hibridas orgânicas-inorgânicas. As matrizes hibridas, denominadas di-ureasils e obtidas pelo processo sol-gel, sao compostas por uma rede siliciosa ligada covalentemente por pontes ureia a cadeias orgânicas de diferente peso molecular. A estrutura local dos di-ureasils nao dopados esta modelada como grupos de dominios siliciosos com dimensoes nanometricas, estruturalmente correlacionados no seio de uma matriz rica em polimero. Neste trabalho mostra-se que os di-ureasils permitem o crescimento controlado de oxidos e oxidos-hidroxidos de ferro, incluindo a magnetite, maguemite, oxihidroxinitrato de ferro e ferrihidrite. O crescimento das nanoparticulas de ferrihidrite da-se em condicoes acidas a superficie dos dominios siliciosos, junto aos grupos carbonilo, que funcionam como pontos de nucleacao. Desse modo da-se uma nucleacao heterogenea, onde o tamanho das nanoparticulas depende da concentracao de ferro (entre 1 e 6% em massa), sendo a concentracao de particulas constante. As propriedades magneticas das nanoparticulas de ferrihidrite revelam a existencia de interaccoes antiferromagneticas e de momentos descompensados. A contribuicao destas duas componentes nas curvas de magnetizacao em funcao do campo magnetico pode ser separada usando um metodo aqui proposto, o que permite um adequado estudo da evolucao do momento magnetico com a temperatura. O estudo das propriedades magneticas dinâmicas das particulas de ferrihidrite, atraves de susceptibilidade ac, medidas de relaxacao e medidas de efeito Mossbauer, permitiu estudar a evolucao das interaccoes dipolares em funcao da concentracao de ferro, bem como determinar a distribuicao de barreiras de energia de anisotropia no caso em que essas interaccoes sao desprezaveis. E apresentado um novo metodo para comparacao desta distribuicao com a distribuicao de tamanhos, que permitiu concluir que os momentos magneticos descompensados estao aleatoriamente distribuidos em volume. Usando baixas concentracoes de agua, foi possivel crescer fases de oxihidroxinitrato de ferro com diferentes graus de cristalinidade, sendo algumas precursoras da ferrihidrite (como observado noutros trabalhos) e sendo outras novas fases. O crescimento de nanoparticulas de maguemite e magnetite acontece apos incorporacao de ioes de Fe2+ e Fe3+ seguidos de tratamento basico e termico. Estes sistemas apresentam propriedades magneticas tipicas de nanoparticulas superparamagneticas sem interaccoes dipolares. As propriedades magneticas dependem criticamente da existencia de grupos isocianato livres, que actuarao como pontos de nucleacao. None
Structural and Magnetic Studies on Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Hybrid Matrices =

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Nuno Joao de Oliveira

Este trabalho aborda algumas propriedades magneticas e estruturais de nanoparticulas de oxidos e oxidos-hidroxidos de ferro crescidos em matrizes hibridas orgânicas-inorgânicas. As matrizes hibridas, denominadas di-ureasils e obtidas pelo processo sol-gel, sao compostas por uma rede siliciosa ligada covalentemente por pontes ureia a cadeias orgânicas de diferente peso molecular. A estrutura local dos di-ureasils nao dopados esta modelada como grupos de dominios siliciosos com dimensoes nanometricas, estruturalmente correlacionados no seio de uma matriz rica em polimero. Neste trabalho mostra-se que os di-ureasils permitem o crescimento controlado de oxidos e oxidos-hidroxidos de ferro, incluindo a magnetite, maguemite, oxihidroxinitrato de ferro e ferrihidrite. O crescimento das nanoparticulas de ferrihidrite da-se em condicoes acidas a superficie dos dominios siliciosos, junto aos grupos carbonilo, que funcionam como pontos de nucleacao. Desse modo da-se uma nucleacao heterogenea, onde o tamanho das nanoparticulas depende da concentracao de ferro (entre 1 e 6% em massa), sendo a concentracao de particulas constante. As propriedades magneticas das nanoparticulas de ferrihidrite revelam a existencia de interaccoes antiferromagneticas e de momentos descompensados. A contribuicao destas duas componentes nas curvas de magnetizacao em funcao do campo magnetico pode ser separada usando um metodo aqui proposto, o que permite um adequado estudo da evolucao do momento magnetico com a temperatura. O estudo das propriedades magneticas dinâmicas das particulas de ferrihidrite, atraves de susceptibilidade ac, medidas de relaxacao e medidas de efeito Mossbauer, permitiu estudar a evolucao das interaccoes dipolares em funcao da concentracao de ferro, bem como determinar a distribuicao de barreiras de energia de anisotropia no caso em que essas interaccoes sao desprezaveis. E apresentado um novo metodo para comparacao desta distribuicao com a distribuicao de tamanhos, que permitiu concluir que os momentos magneticos descompensados estao aleatoriamente distribuidos em volume. Usando baixas concentracoes de agua, foi possivel crescer fases de oxihidroxinitrato de ferro com diferentes graus de cristalinidade, sendo algumas precursoras da ferrihidrite (como observado noutros trabalhos) e sendo outras novas fases. O crescimento de nanoparticulas de maguemite e magnetite acontece apos incorporacao de ioes de Fe2+ e Fe3+ seguidos de tratamento basico e termico. Estes sistemas apresentam propriedades magneticas tipicas de nanoparticulas superparamagneticas sem interaccoes dipolares. As propriedades magneticas dependem criticamente da existencia de grupos isocianato livres, que actuarao como pontos de nucleacao. None
Evolução temporal de discos circunstelares em estrelas Be

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandes, M. V. M.; Leister, N. V.; Levenhagen, R. S.

2003-08-01

A pesquisa do mecanismo que leva uma estrela do tipo Be a perder massa e formar um envelope circunstelar, nomeado como fenômeno Be, é uma questão em aberto, intrigante, e que adquire contornos interessantes em face às informações espectroscópicas de alta resolução. Nesta última década, consolida-se a idéia de que a forma destes envelopes é de tipo discóide, obedecendo a uma lei Kepleriana de velocidades, e mais ainda, recentemente há evidências de que a distribuição de matéria nestes discos pode assumir um caráter de anel. Medidas de algumas dimensões de discos circunstelares puderam ser obtidas pela análise de espectros de alta resolução e alta relação sinal-ruído para as estrelas Be: alpha Eri (HD 10144, B3Vpe), omicron And (HD 217675, B6IIIpe), e eta Cen (HD el972, B1.5Vne), no período dos anos de 1991 a 2001. Alguns modelos clássicos de envelope predizem uma distribuição de massa que decresce suavemente a partir da superfície estelar. Entretanto, considerando que a separação de picos de emissão em perfis de linhas do HeI e H-alpha, alargados por efeitos cinemáticos, é função do raio estelar e da velocidade rotacional projetada (vsini); nossos resultados sugerem a presença de um anel de matéria circunstelar, que aparece logo após a ejeção do material fotosférico, imediatamente acima da superfície estelar, e que se expande para raios maiores ao longo do tempo, eventualmente desconectando-se da superfície por uma região de densidade de matéria mínima. Tais interpretações revivem a idéia de que anéis de matéria circunstelar podem ser os responsáveis por algumas variabilidades em perfis de linhas de emissão, como as variações V/R.
Functional analysis of aldehyde oxidase using expressed chimeric enzyme between monkey and rat.

PubMed

Itoh, Kunio; Asakawa, Tasuku; Hoshino, Kouichi; Adachi, Mayuko; Fukiya, Kensuke; Watanabe, Nobuaki; Tanaka, Yorihisa

2009-01-01

Aldehyde oxidase (AO) is a homodimer with a subunit molecular mass of approximately 150 kDa. Each subunit consists of about 20 kDa 2Fe-2S cluster domain storing reducing equivalents, about 40 kDa flavine adenine dinucleotide (FAD) domain and about 85 kDa molybdenum cofactor (MoCo) domain containing a substrate binding site. In order to clarify the properties of each domain, especially substrate binding domain, chimeric cDNAs were constructed by mutual exchange of 2Fe-2S/FAD and MoCo domains between monkey and rat. Chimeric monkey/rat AO was referred to one with monkey type 2Fe-2S/FAD domains and a rat type MoCo domain. Rat/monkey AO was vice versa. AO-catalyzed 2-oxidation activities of (S)-RS-8359 were measured using the expressed enzyme in Escherichia coli. Substrate inhibition was seen in rat AO and chimeric monkey/rat AO, but not in monkey AO and chimeric rat/monkey AO, suggesting that the phenomenon might be dependent on the natures of MoCo domain of rat. A biphasic Eadie-Hofstee profile was observed in monkey AO and chimeric rat/monkey AO, but not rat AO and chimeric monkey/rat AO, indicating that the biphasic profile might be related to the properties of MoCo domain of monkey. Two-fold greater V(max) values were observed in monkey AO than in chimeric rat/monkey AO, and in chimeric monkey/rat AO than in rat AO, suggesting that monkey has the more effective electron transfer system than rat. Thus, the use of chimeric enzymes revealed that 2Fe-2S/FAD and MoCo domains affect the velocity and the quantitative profiles of AO-catalyzed (S)-RS-8359 2-oxidation, respectively.

A Novel Strategy to Inhibit Hedgehog Signaling and Control Growth of Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

M TIME PPC1 Volume of Spheroid Ctrl (respective media) .2% DMSO 10 uM Free Curcumin 20 uM Free Curcumin 10 uM Tagged Curcumin 20 uM Tagged... Curcumin FIGURE 6 Ctrl media 10uM FC 20uM FC 20uM TC 10uM TC 2% DMSO PC3 t0 Div 8 FIGURE 7 Phospho-p65 NFκB subunit expression decreased In
Sepsis in a university hospital: a prospective study for the cost analysis of patients' hospitalization.

PubMed

Barreto, Maynara Fernanda Carvalho; Dellaroza, Mara Solange Gomes; Kerbauy, Gilselena; Grion, Cintia Magalhães Carvalho

2016-04-01

To estimate the cost of hospitalization of patients with severe sepsis or septic shock admitted or diagnosed in the Urgent and Emergency sector at a university hospital and followed until the clinical outcome. An epidemiological, prospective, observational study conducted in a public hospital in southern Brazil for the period of one year (August 2013 to August 2014). Sepsis notification forms, medical records and data of the cost sector were used for the collection of clinical and epidemiological data. The sample comprised 95 patients, resulting in a total high cost of hospitalization (R$ 3,692,421.00), and an average of R$ 38,867.60 per patient. Over half of the total value of the treatment of sepsis (R$ 2,215,773.50) was assigned to patients who progressed to death (59.0%). The higher costs were related to discharge, diagnosis of severe sepsis, the pulmonary focus of infection and the age group of up to 59 years. The high cost of the treatment of sepsis justifies investments in training actions and institution of protocols that can direct preventive actions, and optimize diagnosis and treatment in infected and septic patients. Estimar o custo da internação de pacientes com sepse grave ou choque séptico admitidos ou diagnosticados no setor de Urgências e Emergências de um hospital universitário e seguidos até o desfecho clínico. Estudo epidemiológico, prospectivo e observacional, realizado em um hospital público do sul do Brasil, no período de 1 ano (agosto de 2013 a agosto de 2014). A coleta dos dados clínico-epidemiológicos utilizou fichas de notificação de sepse, prontuários e dados do setor de custos. Foi realizada análise de tendência central, dispersão e quartis dos custos das internações. Amostra composta por 95 pacientes que totalizaram elevado custo da internação (R$ 3.692.421,00), com média de R$ 38.867,60 por paciente. Mais da metade do valor total do tratamento da sepse (R$ 2.215.773,50) destinou-se a pacientes que evoluíram a óbito (59,0%). Os maiores custos foram relacionados à alta, ao diagnóstico de sepse grave, ao foco infeccioso pulmonar e à faixa etária até os 59 anos. O elevado custo com o tratamento da sepse justificam investimentos em ações de capacitação e instituição de protocolos que possam direcionar ações preventivas, otimizar o diagnóstico e a terapêutica em pacientes infectados e séptico.
Production and characterization of two major Aspergillus oryzae secreted prolyl endopeptidases able to efficiently digest proline-rich peptides of gliadin.

PubMed

Eugster, Philippe J; Salamin, Karine; Grouzmann, Eric; Monod, Michel

2015-12-01

Prolyl endopeptidases are key enzymes in the digestion of proline-rich proteins. Fungal extracts rich in prolyl endopeptidases produced by a species such as Aspergillus oryzae used in food fermentation would be of particular interest for the development of an oral enzyme therapy product in patients affected by intolerance to gluten. Two major A. oryzae secreted prolyl endopeptidases of the MEROPS S28 peptidase family, AoS28A and AoS28B, were identified when this fungus was grown at acidic pH in a medium containing soy meal protein or wheat gliadin as the sole source of nitrogen. AoS28B was produced by 12 reference A. oryzae strains used in food fermentation. AoS28A was secreted by six of these 12 strains. This protease is the orthologue of the previously characterized Aspergillus fumigatus (AfuS28) and Aspergillus niger (AN-PEP) prolyl endopeptidases which are encoded by genes with a similar intron-exon structure. Large amounts of secreted AoS28A and AoS28B were obtained by gene overexpression in A. oryzae. AoS28A and AoS28B are endoproteases able to cleave N-terminally blocked proline substrates. Both enzymes very efficiently digested the proline-rich 33-mer of gliadin, the most representative immunotoxic peptide deriving from gliadin, with some differences in terms of specificity and optimal pH. Digestion of the gliadin peptide in short peptides with both enzymes was found to occur from its N terminus.
Surgical adverse outcome reporting as part of routine clinical care.

PubMed

Kievit, J; Krukerink, M; Marang-van de Mheen, P J

2010-12-01

In The Netherlands, health professionals have created a doctor-driven standardised system to report and analyse adverse outcomes (AO). The aim is to improve healthcare by learning from past experiences. The key elements of this system are (1) an unequivocal definition of an adverse outcome, (2) appropriate contextual information and (3) a three-dimensional hierarchical classification system. First, to assess whether routine doctor-driven AO reporting is feasible. Second, to investigate how doctors can learn from AO reporting and analysis to improve the quality of care. Feasibility was assessed by how well doctors reported AO in the surgical department of a Dutch university hospital over a period of 9 years. AO incidence was analysed per patient subgroup and over time, in a time-trend analysis of three equal 3-year periods. AO were analysed case by case and statistically, to learn lessons from past events. In 19,907 surgical admissions, 9189 AOs were reported: one or more AO in 18.2% of admissions. On average, 55 lessons were learnt each year (in 4.3% of AO). More AO were reported in P3 than P1 (OR 1.39 (1.23-1.57)). Although minor AO increased, fatal AO decreased over time (OR 0.59 (0.45-0.77)). Doctor-driven AO reporting is shown to be feasible. Lessons can be learnt from case-by-case analyses of individual AO, as well as by statistical analysis of AO groups and subgroups (illustrated by time-trend analysis), thus contributing to the improvement of the quality of care. Moreover, by standardising AO reporting, data can be compared across departments or hospitals, to generate (confidential) mirror information for professionals cooperating in a peer-review setting.
Surgical adverse outcome reporting as part of routine clinical care

PubMed Central

Krukerink, M; Marang-van de Mheen, P J

2010-01-01

Background In The Netherlands, health professionals have created a doctor-driven standardised system to report and analyse adverse outcomes (AO). The aim is to improve healthcare by learning from past experiences. The key elements of this system are (1) an unequivocal definition of an adverse outcome, (2) appropriate contextual information and (3) a three-dimensional hierarchical classification system. Objectives First, to assess whether routine doctor-driven AO reporting is feasible. Second, to investigate how doctors can learn from AO reporting and analysis to improve the quality of care. Methods Feasibility was assessed by how well doctors reported AO in the surgical department of a Dutch university hospital over a period of 9 years. AO incidence was analysed per patient subgroup and over time, in a time-trend analysis of three equal 3-year periods. AO were analysed case by case and statistically, to learn lessons from past events. Results In 19 907 surgical admissions, 9189 AOs were reported: one or more AO in 18.2% of admissions. On average, 55 lessons were learnt each year (in 4.3% of AO). More AO were reported in P3 than P1 (OR 1.39 (1.23–1.57)). Although minor AO increased, fatal AO decreased over time (OR 0.59 (0.45–0.77)). Conclusions Doctor-driven AO reporting is shown to be feasible. Lessons can be learnt from case-by-case analyses of individual AO, as well as by statistical analysis of AO groups and subgroups (illustrated by time-trend analysis), thus contributing to the improvement of the quality of care. Moreover, by standardising AO reporting, data can be compared across departments or hospitals, to generate (confidential) mirror information for professionals cooperating in a peer-review setting. PMID:20430928
A Prediction of the Damping Properties of Hindered Phenol AO-60/polyacrylate Rubber (AO-60/ACM) Composites through Molecular Dynamics Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Da-Wei; Zhao, Xiu-Ying; Zhang, Geng; Li, Qiang-Guo; Wu, Si-Zhu

2016-05-01

Molecule dynamics (MD) simulation, a molecular-level method, was applied to predict the damping properties of AO-60/polyacrylate rubber (AO-60/ACM) composites before experimental measures were performed. MD simulation results revealed that two types of hydrogen bond, namely, type A (AO-60) -OH•••O=C- (ACM), type B (AO-60) - OH•••O=C- (AO-60) were formed. Then, the AO-60/ACM composites were fabricated and tested to verify the accuracy of the MD simulation through dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). DMTA results showed that the introduction of AO-60 could remarkably improve the damping properties of the composites, including the increase of glass transition temperature (Tg) alongside with the loss factor (tan δ), also indicating the AO-60/ACM(98/100) had the best damping performance amongst the composites which verified by the experimental.
The Possible Pre- and Post-UVA Radiation Protective Effect of Amaranth Oil on Human Skin Fibroblast Cells.

PubMed

Wolosik, Katarzyna; Zareba, Ilona; Surazynski, Arkadiusz; Markowska, Agnieszka

2017-07-01

The health effects of Amaranth Oil (AO) are attributed to its specific chemical composition. That makes it an outstanding natural product for the prevention and treatment of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation-related pathologies such as sunburn, photoaging, photoimmunosuppression, and photocarcinogenesis. Most of the studies are taken on animal model, and there is a lack of research on the endogenous effect of AO on fibroblast level, where UVA takes it harmful place. The aim of this study was evaluation if AO can protect or abolish UVA exposure effect on human skin fibroblast. The 0.1% AO, 0.25% AO, and 0.5% AO concentration and irradiation for 15 min under UVA-emitting lamp were studied in various condition. In all experiments, the mean values for six assays ± standard deviations were calculated. Pretreatment with various concentrations of AO was tested. The highest concentration of AO where cell survival was observed was 0.5%. Cytotoxicity assays provided evidence for pre- and post-UVA protective effect of 0.1% AO among three tested concentrations. The results also provide evidence that UVA has inhibitory effect on collagen biosynthesis in confluent skin fibroblast, but presence of 0.1% AO abolishes pre- and post-UVA effect comparing to other used AO concentration. The assessment results on DNA biosynthesis show the significant abolished post-UVA effect when 0.1% and 0.5% of AO were added. AO gives pre- and post-UVA protection in low concentration. This provides the evidence for using it not as a main protective factor against UV but as one of the combined components in cosmetic formulation. The recommended Amaranth Oil (AO) concentration in cosmetic formulation is between 0.1 and 5%Pretreatment with various concentrations of AO suggests to use the highest 0.5% concentration of AO in human skin fibroblast culturesThe 0.1% of AO in fibroblast cultures, protects and abolishes effect of ultraviolet A (UVA) exposureUVA has inhibitory effect on collagen biosynthesis in skin fibroblast, but presence of 0.1% AO abolishes pre- and post-UVA effectThe abolished post-UVA effect occurs when 0.1% and 0.5% of AO were added on DNA biosynthesis. Abbreviations used: AO: Amaranth Oil.
Improving the temperature characteristics and catalytic efficiency of a mesophilic xylanase from Aspergillus oryzae, AoXyn11A, by iterative mutagenesis based on in silico design.

PubMed

Li, Xue-Qing; Wu, Qin; Hu, Die; Wang, Rui; Liu, Yan; Wu, Min-Chen; Li, Jian-Fang

2017-12-01

To improve the temperature characteristics and catalytic efficiency of a glycoside hydrolase family (GHF) 11 xylanase from Aspergillus oryzae (AoXyn11A), its variants were predicted based on in silico design. Firstly, Gly 21 with the maximum B-factor value, which was confirmed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation on the three-dimensional structure of AoXyn11A, was subjected to site-saturation mutagenesis. Thus, one variant with the highest thermostability, AoXyn11A G21I , was selected from the mutagenesis library, E. coli/Aoxyn11A G21X (X: any one of 20 amino acids). Secondly, based on the primary structure multiple alignment of AoXyn11A with seven thermophilic GHF11 xylanases, AoXyn11A Y13F or AoXyn11A G21I-Y13F , was designed by replacing Tyr 13 in AoXyn11A or AoXyn11A G21I with Phe. Finally, three variant-encoding genes, Aoxyn11A G21I , Aoxyn11A Y13F and Aoxyn11A G21I-Y13F , were constructed by two-stage whole-plasmid PCR method, and expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115, respectively. The temperature optimum (T opt ) of recombinant (re) AoXyn11A G21I-Y13F was 60 °C, being 5 °C higher than that of reAoXyn11A G21I or reAoXyn11A Y13F , and 10 °C higher than that of reAoXyn11A. The thermal inactivation half-life (t 1/2 ) of reAoXyn11A G21I-Y13F at 50 °C was 240 min, being 40-, 3.4- and 2.5-fold longer than those of reAoXyn11A, reAoXyn11A G21I and reAoXyn11A Y13F . The melting temperature (T m ) values of reAoXyn11A, reAoXyn11A G21I , reAoXyn11A Y13F and reAoXyn11A G21I-Y13F were 52.3, 56.5, 58.6 and 61.3 °C, respectively. These findings indicated that the iterative mutagenesis of both Gly21Ile and Tyr13Phe improved the temperature characteristics of AoXyn11A in a synergistic mode. Besides those, the catalytic efficiency (k cat /K m ) of reAoXyn11A G21I-Y13F was 473.1 mL mg -1 s -1 , which was 1.65-fold higher than that of reAoXyn11A.
Estimated costs of advanced lung cancer care in a public reference hospital.

PubMed

Knust, Renata Erthal; Portela, Margareth Crisóstomo; Pereira, Claudia Cristina de Aguiar; Fortes, Guilherme Bastos

2017-08-17

To estimate the direct medical costs of advanced non-small cell lung cancer care. We assessed a cohort of 277 patients treated in the Brazilian National Cancer Institute in 2011. The costs were estimated from the perspective of the hospital as a service provider of reference for the Brazilian Unified Health System. The materials and procedures used were identified and quantified, per patient, and we assigned to them monetary values, consolidated in phases of the assistance defined. The analyses had a descriptive character with costs in Real (R$). Overall, the cohort represented a cost of R$2,473,559.91, being 71.5% related to outpatient care and 28.5% to hospitalizations. In the outpatient care, costs with radiotherapy (34%) and chemotherapy (22%) predominated. The results pointed to lower costs in the initial phase of treatment (7.2%) and very high costs in the maintenance phase (61.6%). Finally, we identified statistically significant differences of average cost by age groups, education levels, physical performance, and histological type. This study provides a current, useful, and relevant picture of the costs of patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated in a public hospital of reference and it provides information on the magnitude of the problem of cancer in the context of public health. The results confirm the importance of radiation treatment and hospitalizations as the main components of the cost of treatment. Despite some losses of follow-up, we assess that, for approximately 80% of the patients included in the study, the estimates presented herein are satisfactory for the care of the disease, from the perspective of a service provider of reference of the Brazilian Unified Health System, as it provides elements for the management of the service, as well as for studies that result in more rational forms of resource allocation. Estimar os custos médicos diretos da assistência ao câncer de pulmão não pequenas células avançado. Foi avaliada uma coorte de 277 pacientes matriculados no Instituto Nacional do Câncer em 2011. Os custos foram estimados sob a perspectiva do hospital como prestador de serviços de referência para o SUS. Insumos e procedimentos utilizados foram identificados e quantificados, por paciente, sendo a eles atribuídos valores monetários, consolidados por fases da assistência definidas. As análises tiveram caráter descritivo com custos em reais (R$). Em termos globais, a coorte representou um custo de R$2.473.559,91, sendo 71,5% relacionados à atenção ambulatorial e 28,5% as internações. Na atenção ambulatorial, predominaram os custos com radioterapia (34%) e quimioterapia (22%). Os resultados apontaram para custos menores na fase inicial de tratamento (7,2%) e custos muito elevados na fase de manutenção (61,6%). Por fim, identificaram-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas das médias dos custos por faixas etárias, níveis de escolaridade, desempenho físico e tipo histológico. Este estudo fornece um retrato atual, útil e relevante sobre os custos de pacientes com câncer de pulmão não pequenas células assistidos em um hospital público de referência e provê elementos sobre a magnitude do problema do câncer no âmbito da saúde pública. Os resultados ratificam a importância do tratamento radioterápico e das internações como principais componentes de custo do tratamento. Apesar de algumas perdas de seguimento avalia-se que, para cerca de 80% dos pacientes incluídos no estudo, as estimativas aqui apresentadas sejam satisfatoriamente fidedignas ao cuidado da doença, sob a perspectiva de um prestador de referência do SUS, fornecendo elementos para a gestão do serviço, bem como para estudos que redundem em formas mais racionais de alocação de recursos.
Identification and functional characterisation of an allene oxide synthase from grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. Sauvignon blanc).

PubMed

Dumin, Walftor; Rostas, Michael; Winefield, Christopher

2018-06-01

Jasmonic acid (JA) is known to be an important phytohormone that orchestrates plant defence mechanisms against a range of herbivores and pathogens. Studies have suggested allene oxide synthase (AOS; E.C 4.2.1.92), the first committed step in JA biosynthesis, is essential for JA biosynthesis, yet clear evidence of its role as a biosynthetic regulatory point is lacking, in the main due to conflicting results derived from transgenic studies. However other studies lend support to a biosynthetic regulatory role for AOS. These studies have suggested that certain amino acid substitutions can increase the biosynthetic capacity of the enzyme and consequently improve pathogen tolerance in plants. To explore the role of AOS in Grapevine we isolated and functionally characterised this enzyme for the first time from Vitis vinifera L. Sauvignon blanc. The cloned AOS consisted of a single 1563 bp open reading frame. Comparative sequence analysis showed that the cloned gene (VvAOS) was highly conserved compared to those from other species. Complementation of an Arabidopsis AOS null mutant (aos) with VvAOS recovered the male sterile mutant phenotype and confirmed its function. Transcript analysis showed that VvAOS was wound responsive in leaves and was detectable in most tissues, with the highest levels of transcript in the mesocarp (pulp) of mature berries. Sub-cellular localisation of the VvAOS protein indicated that VvAOS is associated with the chloroplast membrane. Unexpectedly high levels of VvAOS transcript in complemented aos lines did not lead to predicted increases in JA. We have functionally characterised the sole AOS from Grapevine. Patterns of transcript accumulation in grapevine suggest roles in growth, development as well as an important role for JA in fruit ripening. Expression of VvAOS in Arabidopsis suggest complex epigenetic interactions between transgenic and endogenous AOS alleles, providing a possible explanation for why transgenic studies of AOS have delivered conflicting data pointing to a questionable role of AOS as a key regulatory point in JA biosynthesis.
Apple fruit copper amine oxidase isoforms: peroxisomal MdAO1 prefers diamines as substrates, whereas extracellular MdAO2 exclusively utilizes monoamines.

PubMed

Zarei, Adel; Trobacher, Christopher P; Cooke, Alison R; Meyers, Ashley J; Hall, J Christopher; Shelp, Barry J

2015-01-01

4-Aminobutyrate (GABA) accumulates in apple fruit during controlled atmosphere storage. A potential source of GABA is the polyamine putrescine, which can be oxidized via copper-containing amine oxidase (CuAO), resulting in the production 4-aminobutanal/Δ(1)-pyrroline, with the consumption of O2 and release of H2O2 and ammonia. Five putative CuAO genes (MdAO genes) were cloned from apple (Malus domestica Borkh. cv. Empire) fruit, and the deduced amino acid sequences found to contain the active sites typically conserved in CuAOs. Genes encoding two of these enzymes, MdAO1 and MdAO2, were highly expressed in apple fruit and selected for further analysis. Amino acid sequence analysis predicted the presence of a C-terminal peroxisomal targeting signal 1 tripeptide in MdAO1 and an N-terminal signal peptide and N-glycosylation site in MdAO2. Transient expression of green fluorescent fusion proteins in Arabidopsis protoplasts or onion epidermal cells revealed a peroxisomal localization for MdAO1 and an extracellular localization for MdAO2. The enzymatic activities of purified recombinant MdAO1 and MdAO2 were measured continuously as H2O2 production using a coupled reaction. MdAO1 did not use monoamines or polyamines and displayed high catalytic efficiency for 1,3-diaminopropane, putrescine and cadaverine, whereas MdAO2 exclusively utilized aliphatic and aromatic monoamines, including 2-phenylethylamine and tyramine. Together, these results indicate that MdAO1 may contribute to GABA production via putrescine oxidation in the peroxisome of apple fruit under controlled atmosphere conditions. MdAO2 seems to be involved in deamination of 2-phenylethylamine, which is a step in the biosynthesis of 2-phenylethanol, a contributor to fruit flavor and flower fragrance. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Suppression of Plant Immune Responses by the Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi NCPPB 3335 Type III Effector Tyrosine Phosphatases HopAO1 and HopAO2

PubMed Central

Castañeda-Ojeda, María Pilar; Moreno-Pérez, Alba; Ramos, Cayo; López-Solanilla, Emilia

2017-01-01

The effector repertoire of the olive pathogen P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi NCPPB 3335 includes two members of the HopAO effector family, one of the most diverse T3E families of the P. syringae complex. The study described here explores the phylogeny of these dissimilar members, HopAO1 and HopAO2, among the complex and reveals their activities as immune defense suppressors. Although HopAO1 is predominantly encoded by phylogroup 3 strains isolated from woody organs of woody hosts, both HopAO1 and HopAO2 are phylogenetically clustered according to the woody/herbaceous nature of their host of isolation, suggesting host specialization of the HopAO family across the P. syringae complex. HopAO1 and HopAO2 translocate into plant cells and show hrpL-dependent expression, which allows their classification as actively deployed type III effectors. Our data also show that HopAO1 and HopAO2 possess phosphatase activity, a hallmark of the members of this family. Both of them exert an inhibitory effect on early plant defense responses, such as ROS production and callose deposition, and are able to suppress ETI responses induced by the effectorless polymutant of P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (DC3000D28E) in Nicotiana. Moreover, we demonstrate that a ΔhopAO1 mutant of P. savastanoi NCPBB 3335 exhibits a reduced fitness and virulence in olive plants, which supports the relevance of this effector during the interaction of this strain with its host plants. This work contributes to the field with the first report regarding functional analysis of HopAO homologs encoded by P. syringae or P. savastanoi strains isolated from woody hosts. PMID:28529516
Attenuation of midinfrared free electron laser energy with eyewear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joos, Karen M.; Gabella, William

2005-04-01

Purpose: To determine the attenuation of free electron laser (FEL) energy at several wavelengths through microscope objective and eyeglass lenses. Materials and Methods: The FEL at wavelengths of 2.3 um, 2.5 um, 3.0 um, 3.5 um, 4.0 um, 4.5 um, 5.0 um, 6.45 um, 7.0 um, 7.5 um, and 8.0 um was telescoped using a 500 mm nominal focal length lens and a 200 mm focal length lens. The beam had a final spot of about 3 mm and was passed through a 3 mm aperture and onto the 8 mm active area of a J9LP Molectron detector. The eyeglass sample was placed 3 cm in front of the detector. Energy readings were averaged over multiple pulses. Results: Attenuation varied greatly with wavelength and sample from a low attenuation of 0.46 dB, 90% transmission, for short wavelengths through common glass to greater than 60 dB attenuation (transmission at the detector noise level) for IR safe glass by Aura, Inc. Conclusion: Only the designated laser safety goggles effectively attenuate free electron laser energy at 2.3 um and 2.5 um. A microscope objective lens, polycarbonate, and silica glass eyewear is capable of effectively attenuating FEL energy at wavelengths greater than 4.5 um, but the polycarbonate lenses demonstrated material damage.
Simulation of DKIST solar adaptive optics system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marino, Jose; Carlisle, Elizabeth; Schmidt, Dirk

2016-07-01

Solar adaptive optics (AO) simulations are a valuable tool to guide the design and optimization process of current and future solar AO and multi-conjugate AO (MCAO) systems. Solar AO and MCAO systems rely on extended object cross-correlating Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors to measure the wavefront. Accurate solar AO simulations require computationally intensive operations, which have until recently presented a prohibitive computational cost. We present an update on the status of a solar AO and MCAO simulation tool being developed at the National Solar Observatory. The simulation tool is a multi-threaded application written in the C++ language that takes advantage of current large multi-core CPU computer systems and fast ethernet connections to provide accurate full simulation of solar AO and MCAO systems. It interfaces with KAOS, a state of the art solar AO control software developed by the Kiepenheuer-Institut fuer Sonnenphysik, that provides reliable AO control. We report on the latest results produced by the solar AO simulation tool.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale for use in French-speaking populations.

PubMed

Angers, Magalie; Svotelis, Amy; Balg, Frederic; Allard, Jean-Pascal

2016-04-01

The Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale (AOS) is a self-administered score specific for ankle osteoarthritis (OA) with excellent reliability and strong construct and criterion validity. Many recent randomized multicentre trials have used the AOS, and the involvement of the French-speaking population is limited by the absence of a French version. Our goal was to develop a French version and validate the psychometric properties to assure equivalence to the original English version. Translation was performed according to American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2000 guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation. Similar to the validation process of the English AOS, we evaluated the psychometric properties of the French version (AOS-Fr): criterion validity (AOS-Fr v. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index [WOMAC] and SF-36 scores), construct validity (AOS-Fr correlation to single heel-lift test), and reliability (AOS-Fr test-retest). Sixty healthy individuals tested a prefinal version of the AOS-Fr for comprehension, leading to modifications and a final version that was approved by C. Saltzman, author of the AOS. We then recruited patients with ankle OA for evaluation of the AOS-Fr psychometric properties. Twenty-eight patients with ankle OA participated in the evaluation. The AOS-Fr showed strong criterion validity (AOS:WOMAC r = 0.709 and AOS:SF-36 r = -0.654) and construct validity (r = 0.664) and proved to be reliable (test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.922). The AOS-Fr is a reliable and valid score equivalent to the English version in terms of psychometric properties, thus is available for use in multicentre trials.
The influence of emotional stress on Doppler-derived aortic peak velocity in boxer dogs.

PubMed

Pradelli, D; Quintavalla, C; Crosta, M C; Mazzoni, L; Oliveira, P; Scotti, L; Brambilla, P; Bussadori, C

2014-01-01

Subaortic stenosis (SAS) is a common congenital heart disease in Boxers. Doppler-derived aortic peak velocity (AoPV) is a diagnostic criterion for the disease. To investigate the influence of emotional stress during echocardiographic examination on AoPV in normal and SAS-affected Boxers. To evaluate the effects of aortic root diameters on AoPV in normal Boxers. DOGS: Two hundred and fifteen normal and 19 SAS-affected Boxers. The AoPV was recorded at the beginning of echocardiographic examination (T0), and when the emotional stress of the dog was assumed to decrease based on behavioral parameters and heart rate (T1). AoPV0-AoPV1 was calculated. In normal dogs, stroke volume index was calculated at T0 and T1. Aortic root diameters were measured and their relationship with AoPV and AoPV0-AoPV1 was evaluated. In normal dogs, AoPV was higher at T0 (median, 1.95 m/s; range, 1.60-2.50 m/s) than at T1 (median, 1.76 m/s; range, 1.40-2.20 m/s; P < .0001; reduction 9.2%). The stroke volume index at T0 also was greater than at T1 (P < .0001). Weak negative correlations were detected between aortic root size and aortic velocities. In SAS-affected dogs, AoPV0 was higher than AoPV1 (P < .0001; reduction 7.3%). Aortic peak velocity was affected by emotional stress during echocardiographic examination both in SAS-affected and normal Boxers. In normal Boxers, aortic root size weakly affected AoPVs, but did not affect AoPV0-AoPV1. Stroke volume seems to play a major role in stress-related AoPV increases in normal Boxers. Emotional stress should be taken into account when screening for SAS in the Boxer breed. Copyright © 2014 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
Measuring the quality of life in hypertension according to Item Response Theory.

PubMed

Borges, José Wicto Pereira; Moreira, Thereza Maria Magalhães; Schmitt, Jeovani; Andrade, Dalton Francisco de; Barbetta, Pedro Alberto; Souza, Ana Célia Caetano de; Lima, Daniele Braz da Silva; Carvalho, Irialda Saboia

2017-05-04

To analyze the Miniquestionário de Qualidade de Vida em Hipertensão Arterial (MINICHAL - Mini-questionnaire of Quality of Life in Hypertension) using the Item Response Theory. This is an analytical study conducted with 712 persons with hypertension treated in thirteen primary health care units of Fortaleza, State of Ceará, Brazil, in 2015. The steps of the analysis by the Item Response Theory were: evaluation of dimensionality, estimation of parameters of items, and construction of scale. The study of dimensionality was carried out on the polychoric correlation matrix and confirmatory factor analysis. To estimate the item parameters, we used the Gradual Response Model of Samejima. The analyses were conducted using the free software R with the aid of psych and mirt. The analysis has allowed the visualization of item parameters and their individual contributions in the measurement of the latent trait, generating more information and allowing the construction of a scale with an interpretative model that demonstrates the evolution of the worsening of the quality of life in five levels. Regarding the item parameters, the items related to the somatic state have had a good performance, as they have presented better power to discriminate individuals with worse quality of life. The items related to mental state have been those which contributed with less psychometric data in the MINICHAL. We conclude that the instrument is suitable for the identification of the worsening of the quality of life in hypertension. The analysis of the MINICHAL using the Item Response Theory has allowed us to identify new sides of this instrument that have not yet been addressed in previous studies. Analisar o Miniquestionário de Qualidade de Vida em Hipertensão Arterial (MINICHAL) por meio da Teoria da Resposta ao Item. Estudo analítico realizado com 712 pessoas com hipertensão arterial atendidas em 13 unidades de atenção primária em saúde de Fortaleza, CE, em 2015. As etapas da análise pela Teoria da Resposta ao Item foram: avaliação da dimensionalidade, estimação dos parâmetros dos itens e construção da escala. O estudo da dimensionalidade foi realizado sobre a matriz de correlação policórica e análise fatorial confirmatória. Para a estimação dos parâmetros dos itens, foi utilizado o Modelo de Resposta Gradual de Samejima. As análises foram conduzidas no software livre R com o auxílio dos pacotes psych e mirt. A análise permitiu a visualização dos parâmetros dos itens e suas contribuições individuais na mensuração do traço latente, gerando mais informação, permitindo a construção de uma escala com um modelo interpretativo que demonstra a evolução da piora da qualidade de vida em cinco níveis. Quanto aos parâmetros dos itens, houve bom desempenho daqueles referentes ao estado somático, pois apresentaram melhor poder de discriminar os indivíduos com pior qualidade de vida. Os itens relacionados ao estado mental foram os que contribuíram com menor quantidade de informação psicométrica no MINICHAL. Conclui-se que o instrumento é indicado para a identificação da deterioração da qualidade de vida em hipertensão arterial. A análise do MINICHAL pela Teoria da Resposta ao Item permitiu identificar novas facetas desse instrumento ainda não abordadas em estudos anteriores.
Analysis of an acyl-CoA binding protein in Aspergillus oryzae that undergoes unconventional secretion.

PubMed

Kwon, Hee Su; Kawaguchi, Kouhei; Kikuma, Takashi; Takegawa, Kaoru; Kitamoto, Katsuhiko; Higuchi, Yujiro

2017-11-04

Acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) plays important roles in the metabolism of lipids in eukaryotic cells. In the industrially important filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae, although we have previously demonstrated that the A. oryzae ACBP (AoACBP) localizes to punctate structures and exhibits long-range motility, which is dependent on autophagy-related proteins, the physiological role of AoACBP remains elusive. Here, we describe identification and characterization of another ACBP from A. oryzae; we named this ACBP as AoAcb2 and accordingly renamed AoACBP as AoAcb1. The deduced amino acid sequence of AoAcb2 lacked a signal peptide. Phylogenetic analysis classified AoAcb2 into a clade that was same as the ACBP Acb1 of the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but was different from that of AoAcb1. In contrast to punctate localization of AoAcb1, AoAcb2 was found to be dispersedly distributed in the cytoplasm, as was previously observed for the S. cerevisiae Acb1. Since we could not generate an Aoacb2 disruptant, we created an Aoacb2 conditional mutant that exhibited less growth under Aoacb2-repressed condition, suggesting that Aoacb2 is an essential gene for growth. Moreover, we observed that A. oryzae AoAcb2, but not A. oryzae AoAcb1, was secreted under carbon-starved condition, suggesting that AoAcb2 might be secreted via the unconventional protein secretion (UPS) pathway, just like S. cerevisiae Acb1. We also demonstrated that the unconventional secretion of AoAcb2 was dependent on the t-SNARE AoSso1, but was independent of the autophagy-related protein AoAtg1, suggesting that the unconventional secretion of AoAcb2, unlike that of S. cerevisiae Acb1, via the UPS pathway, is not regulated by the autophagy machinery. Thus, the filamentous fungus A. oryzae harbors two types of ACBPs, one of which appears to be essential for growth and undergoes unconventional secretion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Subcellular localization of acyl-CoA binding protein in Aspergillus oryzae is regulated by autophagy machinery.

PubMed

Kawaguchi, Kouhei; Kikuma, Takashi; Higuchi, Yujiro; Takegawa, Kaoru; Kitamoto, Katsuhiko

2016-11-04

In eukaryotic cells, acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) is important for cellular activities, such as in lipid metabolism. In the industrially important fungus Aspergillus oryzae, the ACBP, known as AoACBP, has been biochemically characterized, but its physiological function is not known. In the present study, although we could not find any phenotype of AoACBP disruptants in the normal growth conditions, we examined the subcellular localization of AoACBP to understand its physiological function. Using an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged AoACBP construct we showed that AoACBP localized to punctate structures in the cytoplasm, some of which moved inside the cells in a microtubule-dependent manner. Further microscopic analyses showed that AoACBP-EGFP co-localized with the autophagy marker protein AoAtg8 tagged with red fluorescent protein (mDsRed). Expression of AoACBP-EGFP in disruptants of autophagy-related genes revealed aggregation of AoACBP-EGFP fluorescence in the cytoplasm of Aoatg1, Aoatg4 and Aoatg8 disruptant cells. However, in cells harboring disruption of Aoatg15, which encodes a lipase for autophagic body, puncta of AoACBP-EGFP fluorescence accumulated in vacuoles, indicating that AoACBP is transported to vacuoles via the autophagy machinery. Collectively, these results suggest the existence of a regulatory mechanism between AoACBP localization and autophagy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A possible cause of the AO polarity reversal from winter to summer in 2010 and its relation to hemispheric extreme summer weather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otomi, Yuriko; Tachibana, Yoshihiro; Nakamura, Tetsu

2013-04-01

In 2010, the Northern Hemisphere, in particular Russia and Japan, experienced an abnormally hot summer characterized by record-breaking warm temperatures and associated with a strongly positive Arctic Oscillation (AO), that is, low pressure in the Arctic and high pressure in the midlatitudes. In contrast, the AO index the previous winter and spring (2009/2010) was record-breaking negative. The AO polarity reversal that began in summer 2010 can explain the abnormally hot summer. The winter sea surface temperatures (SST) in the North Atlantic Ocean showed a tripolar anomaly pattern—warm SST anomalies over the tropics and high latitudes and cold SST anomalies over the midlatitudes—under the influence of the negative AO. The warm SST anomalies continued into summer 2010 because of the large oceanic heat capacity. A model simulation strongly suggested that the AO-related summertime North Atlantic oceanic warm temperature anomalies remotely caused blocking highs to form over Europe, which amplified the positive summertime AO. Thus, a possible cause of the AO polarity reversal might be the "memory" of the negative winter AO in the North Atlantic Ocean, suggesting an interseasonal linkage of the AO in which the oceanic memory of a wintertime negative AO induces a positive AO in the following summer. Understanding of this interseasonal linkage may aid in the long-term prediction of such abnormal summer events.

A possible cause of the AO polarity reversal from winter to summer in 2010 and its relation to hemispheric extreme hot summer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tachibana, Yoshihiro; Otomi, Yuriko; Nakamura, Tetsu

2013-04-01

In 2010, the Northern Hemisphere, in particular Russia and Japan, experienced an abnormally hot summer characterized by record-breaking warm temperatures and associated with a strongly positive Arctic Oscillation (AO), that is, low pressure in the Arctic and high pressure in the midlatitudes. In contrast, the AO index the previous winter and spring (2009/2010) was record-breaking negative. The AO polarity reversal that began in summer 2010 can explain the abnormally hot summer. The winter sea surface temperatures (SST) in the North Atlantic Ocean showed a tripolar anomaly pattern—warm SST anomalies over the tropics and high latitudes and cold SST anomalies over the midlatitudes—under the influence of the negative AO. The warm SST anomalies continued into summer 2010 because of the large oceanic heat capacity. A model simulation strongly suggested that the AO-related summertime North Atlantic oceanic warm temperature anomalies remotely caused blocking highs to form over Europe, which amplified the positive summertime AO. Thus, a possible cause of the AO polarity reversal might be the "memory" of the negative winter AO in the North Atlantic Ocean, suggesting an interseasonal linkage of the AO in which the oceanic memory of a wintertime negative AO induces a positive AO in the following summer. Understanding of this interseasonal linkage may aid in the long-term prediction of such abnormal summer events.
Gel pillow designed specifically for obstructive sleep apnea treatment with continuous positive airway pressure.

PubMed

Salvaggio, Adriana; Lo Bue, Anna; Isidoro, Serena Iacono; Romano, Salvatore; Marrone, Oreste; Insalaco, Giuseppe

2016-01-01

To determine whether the use of a gel pillow with side cutouts designed to accommodate a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask and reduce head temperature improves the efficacy of and adherence to auto-CPAP therapy. Twenty-three consecutive CPAP-naïve patients with obstructive sleep apnea were enrolled in the study. Patients were given an auto-CPAP machine with an appropriate CPAP mask and were instructed to use CPAP for 15 nights. They were instructed to sleep with their own pillow (the control pillow) from nights 1 to 5 and with either a foam pillow or a gel pillow, both of which had side cutouts, for 5 consecutive nights each, in random order. After night 15, auto-CPAP machine data were downloaded and patients rated their satisfaction with each pillow on a visual analog scale. Twenty-two patients completed the protocol. The pressures administered, residual apnea-hypopnea index, air leaks, and mean duration of CPAP use did not differ among the periods during which each pillow was used. Patients were significantly more satisfied with the gel pillow than with the control pillow and the foam pillow (p = 0.022 and p = 0.004, respectively), their level of satisfaction with the gel pillow correlating significantly with excessive daytime sleepiness (r2 = 0.19; p = 0.0443). Among obstructive sleep apnea patients treated with nasal CPAP, the use of a gel pillow with side cutouts appears to have no impact on treatment effectiveness. Nevertheless, such patients seem to prefer a gel pillow over other types of pillows. Determinar se o uso de um travesseiro de gel com recortes laterais para acomodar a máscara de continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP, pressão positiva contínua nas vias aéreas) e diminuir a temperatura em torno da cabeça melhora a eficácia do tratamento com auto-CPAP e a adesão dos pacientes ao tratamento. Foram incluídos no estudo 23 pacientes consecutivos com apneia obstrutiva do sono que nunca haviam recebido tratamento com CPAP. Os pacientes receberam um aparelho de auto-CPAP com uma máscara apropriada e foram instruídos a usar CPAP durante 15 noites. Foram também instruídos a dormir com seu próprio travesseiro (o travesseiro controle) nas 5 primeiras noites e com um travesseiro de espuma ou um travesseiro de gel, ambos com recortes laterais, durante 5 noites consecutivas cada, em ordem aleatória. Depois da 15ª noite, os dados registrados nos aparelhos de auto-CPAP foram baixados e os pacientes determinaram seu grau de satisfação com cada travesseiro por meio de uma escala visual analógica. Vinte e dois pacientes completaram o protocolo. Não houve diferenças entre os períodos durante os quais cada travesseiro foi usado quanto às pressões administradas, índice de apneia-hipopneia residual, vazamentos de ar e média de duração da CPAP. Os pacientes ficaram significativamente mais satisfeitos com o travesseiro de gel do que com o travesseiro controle e o travesseiro de espuma (p = 0,022 e p = 0,004, respectivamente), com correlação entre o grau de satisfação com o travesseiro de gel e a sonolência diurna excessiva (r2 = 0,19; p = 0,0443). Em pacientes com apneia obstrutiva do sono tratados com CPAP nasal, o uso de um travesseiro de gel com recortes laterais aparentemente não tem nenhum impacto na eficácia do tratamento. No entanto, esses pacientes aparentemente preferem um travesseiro de gel a outros tipos de travesseiros.
Functional analysis of fructosyl-amino acid oxidases of Aspergillus oryzae.

PubMed

Akazawa, Shin-Ichi; Karino, Tetsuya; Yoshida, Nobuyuki; Katsuragi, Tohoru; Tani, Yoshiki

2004-10-01

Three active fractions of fructosyl-amino acid oxidase (FAOD-Ao1, -Ao2a, and -Ao2b) were isolated from Aspergillus oryzae strain RIB40. N-terminal and internal amino acid sequences of FAOD-Ao2a corresponded to those of FAOD-Ao2b, suggesting that these two isozymes were derived from the same protein. FAOD-Ao1 and -Ao2 were different in substrate specificity and subunit assembly; FAOD-Ao2 was active toward N(epsilon)-fructosyl N(alpha)-Z-lysine and fructosyl valine (Fru-Val), whereas FAOD-Ao1 was not active toward Fru-Val. The genes encoding the FAOD isozymes (i.e., FAOAo1 and FAOAo2) were cloned by PCR with an FAOD-specific primer set. The deduced amino acid sequences revealed that FAOD-Ao1 was 50% identical to FAOD-Ao2, and each isozyme had a peroxisome-targeting signal-1, indicating their localization in peroxisomes. The genes was expressed in Escherichia coli and rFaoAo2 showed the same characteristics as FAOD-Ao2, whereas rFaoAo1 was not active. FAOAo2 disruptant was obtained by using ptrA as a selective marker. Wild-type strain grew on the medium containing Fru-Val as the sole carbon and nitrogen sources, but strain Delta faoAo2 did not grow. Addition of glucose or (NH(4))(2)SO(4) to the Fru-Val medium did not affect the assimilation of Fru-Val by wild-type, indicating glucose and ammonium repressions did not occur in the expression of the FAOAo2 gene. Furthermore, conidia of the wild-type strain did not germinate on the medium containing Fru-Val and NaNO(2) as the sole carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, suggesting that Fru-Val may also repress gene expression of nitrite reductase. These results indicated that FAOD is needed for utilization of fructosyl-amino acids as nitrogen sources in A. oryzae.
Into the blue: AO science with MagAO in the visible

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Close, Laird M.; Males, Jared R.; Follette, Katherine B.; Hinz, Phil; Morzinski, Katie; Wu, Ya-Lin; Kopon, Derek; Riccardi, Armando; Esposito, Simone; Puglisi, Alfio; Pinna, Enrico; Xompero, Marco; Briguglio, Runa; Quiros-Pacheco, Fernando

2014-08-01

We review astronomical results in the visible (λ<1μm) with adaptive optics. Other than a brief period in the early 1990s, there has been little astronomical science done in the visible with AO until recently. The most productive visible AO system to date is our 6.5m Magellan telescope AO system (MagAO). MagAO is an advanced Adaptive Secondary system at the Magellan 6.5m in Chile. This secondary has 585 actuators with < 1 msec response times (0.7 ms typically). We use a pyramid wavefront sensor. The relatively small actuator pitch (~23 cm/subap) allows moderate Strehls to be obtained in the visible (0.63-1.05 microns). We use a CCD AO science camera called "VisAO". On-sky long exposures (60s) achieve <30mas resolutions, 30% Strehls at 0.62 microns (r') with the VisAO camera in 0.5" seeing with bright R < 8 mag stars. These relatively high visible wavelength Strehls are made possible by our powerful combination of a next generation ASM and a Pyramid WFS with 378 controlled modes and 1000 Hz loop frequency. We'll review the key steps to having good performance in the visible and review the exciting new AO visible science opportunities and refereed publications in both broad-band (r,i,z,Y) and at Halpha for exoplanets, protoplanetary disks, young stars, and emission line jets. These examples highlight the power of visible AO to probe circumstellar regions/spatial resolutions that would otherwise require much larger diameter telescopes with classical infrared AO cameras.
Asparagus IRX9, IRX10, and IRX14A Are Components of an Active Xylan Backbone Synthase Complex that Forms in the Golgi Apparatus1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Zeng, Wei; Picard, Kelsey L.; Song, Lili; Wu, Ai-Min; Farion, Isabela M.; Zhao, Jia; Ford, Kris; Bacic, Antony

2016-01-01

Heteroxylans are abundant components of plant cell walls and provide important raw materials for the food, pharmaceutical, and biofuel industries. A number of studies in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) have suggested that the IRREGULAR XYLEM9 (IRX9), IRX10, and IRX14 proteins, as well as their homologs, are involved in xylan synthesis via a Golgi-localized complex termed the xylan synthase complex (XSC). However, both the biochemical and cell biological research lags the genetic and molecular evidence. In this study, we characterized garden asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) stem xylan biosynthesis genes (AoIRX9, AoIRX9L, AoIRX10, AoIRX14A, and AoIRX14B) by heterologous expression in Nicotiana benthamiana. We reconstituted and partially purified an active XSC and showed that three proteins, AoIRX9, AoIRX10, and AoIRX14A, are necessary for xylan xylosyltranferase activity in planta. To better understand the XSC structure and its composition, we carried out coimmunoprecipitation and bimolecular fluorescence complementation analysis to show the molecular interactions between these three IRX proteins. Using a site-directed mutagenesis approach, we showed that the DxD motifs of AoIRX10 and AoIRX14A are crucial for the catalytic activity. These data provide, to our knowledge, the first lines of biochemical and cell biological evidence that AoIRX9, AoIRX10, and AoIRX14A are core components of a Golgi-localized XSC, each with distinct roles for effective heteroxylan biosynthesis. PMID:26951434
A Influência da Escola e da Mídia na Obtenção dos Conhecimentos Astronômicos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Cunha, W. S.; Voelzke, M. R.; Amaral, L. H.

2006-08-01

O universo em que vivemos possui segredos jamais imaginados pelo homem, fruto da pequena proporção que ocupamos diante de um cosmos infinito. A astronomia funciona como um instrumento que sacia a sede humana em desvendar esses segredos, estudando as galáxias, quasares, pulsares além da existência de todos os elementos que preenchem o espaço cósmico, o vácuo, não mais vazio como se pensou em outros tempos. A mídia explora esse campo de forma mística e também científica. A difusão adequada e dentro dos padrões educacionais vigentes, de conceitos astronômicos, se faz necessária, devido sua presença nos conteúdos escolares, centros de ciência e na mídia, de modo geral. A reforma do Currículo Básico da Escola Pública da maioria dos Estados brasileiros introduziu conceitos astronômicos desde a pré-escola até o Ensino Médio. Num estudo realizado com 1.032 alunos do Ensino Médio de seis escolas estaduais, revelou-se através da aplicação de um questionário que abordava conheciment os básicos em astronomia, como estes foram adquiridos e qual era a infra-estrutura oferecida pela escola: para 66,2% dos entrevistados o professor já fez alguma apresentação a respeito de astronomia. O presente estudo revelou também que 44,5% dos alunos entrevistados adquiriram seus conhecimentos astronômicos na escola, 28,1% através da televisão e 27,4% afirmaram que seus conhecimentos foram obtidos através de outros tipos de mídia (internet, filmes e revistas). Embora o estudo revele claramente que há certo equilíbrio na forma em que os alunos obtiveram seus conhecimentos astronômicos, a mídia ainda explora e muitas vezes desperta o interesse pela astronomia com assuntos que não fazem parte de nosso cotidiano como, por exemplo, o homem na Lua, os projetos espaciais e a primeira viagem de um astronauta brasileiro no espaço. Porém, em certos casos, a mídia pode promover conhecimentos incompletos ou mesmo equivocados sobre os conceitos que envolvam a astronomia, como por exemplo a propagação do som no vácuo observado na maioria dos filmes de f icção científica ou da existência das estações do ano em função da distância da Terra ao Sol, em conformidade com o questionário aplicado.
Audiovisual spoken word training can promote or impede auditory-only perceptual learning: prelingually deafened adults with late-acquired cochlear implants versus normal hearing adults

PubMed Central

Bernstein, Lynne E.; Eberhardt, Silvio P.; Auer, Edward T.

2014-01-01

Training with audiovisual (AV) speech has been shown to promote auditory perceptual learning of vocoded acoustic speech by adults with normal hearing. In Experiment 1, we investigated whether AV speech promotes auditory-only (AO) perceptual learning in prelingually deafened adults with late-acquired cochlear implants. Participants were assigned to learn associations between spoken disyllabic C(=consonant)V(=vowel)CVC non-sense words and non-sense pictures (fribbles), under AV and then AO (AV-AO; or counter-balanced AO then AV, AO-AV, during Periods 1 then 2) training conditions. After training on each list of paired-associates (PA), testing was carried out AO. Across all training, AO PA test scores improved (7.2 percentage points) as did identification of consonants in new untrained CVCVC stimuli (3.5 percentage points). However, there was evidence that AV training impeded immediate AO perceptual learning: During Period-1, training scores across AV and AO conditions were not different, but AO test scores were dramatically lower in the AV-trained participants. During Period-2 AO training, the AV-AO participants obtained significantly higher AO test scores, demonstrating their ability to learn the auditory speech. Across both orders of training, whenever training was AV, AO test scores were significantly lower than training scores. Experiment 2 repeated the procedures with vocoded speech and 43 normal-hearing adults. Following AV training, their AO test scores were as high as or higher than following AO training. Also, their CVCVC identification scores patterned differently than those of the cochlear implant users. In Experiment 1, initial consonants were most accurate, and in Experiment 2, medial consonants were most accurate. We suggest that our results are consistent with a multisensory reverse hierarchy theory, which predicts that, whenever possible, perceivers carry out perceptual tasks immediately based on the experience and biases they bring to the task. We point out that while AV training could be an impediment to immediate unisensory perceptual learning in cochlear implant patients, it was also associated with higher scores during training. PMID:25206344
Audiovisual spoken word training can promote or impede auditory-only perceptual learning: prelingually deafened adults with late-acquired cochlear implants versus normal hearing adults.

PubMed

Bernstein, Lynne E; Eberhardt, Silvio P; Auer, Edward T

2014-01-01

Training with audiovisual (AV) speech has been shown to promote auditory perceptual learning of vocoded acoustic speech by adults with normal hearing. In Experiment 1, we investigated whether AV speech promotes auditory-only (AO) perceptual learning in prelingually deafened adults with late-acquired cochlear implants. Participants were assigned to learn associations between spoken disyllabic C(=consonant)V(=vowel)CVC non-sense words and non-sense pictures (fribbles), under AV and then AO (AV-AO; or counter-balanced AO then AV, AO-AV, during Periods 1 then 2) training conditions. After training on each list of paired-associates (PA), testing was carried out AO. Across all training, AO PA test scores improved (7.2 percentage points) as did identification of consonants in new untrained CVCVC stimuli (3.5 percentage points). However, there was evidence that AV training impeded immediate AO perceptual learning: During Period-1, training scores across AV and AO conditions were not different, but AO test scores were dramatically lower in the AV-trained participants. During Period-2 AO training, the AV-AO participants obtained significantly higher AO test scores, demonstrating their ability to learn the auditory speech. Across both orders of training, whenever training was AV, AO test scores were significantly lower than training scores. Experiment 2 repeated the procedures with vocoded speech and 43 normal-hearing adults. Following AV training, their AO test scores were as high as or higher than following AO training. Also, their CVCVC identification scores patterned differently than those of the cochlear implant users. In Experiment 1, initial consonants were most accurate, and in Experiment 2, medial consonants were most accurate. We suggest that our results are consistent with a multisensory reverse hierarchy theory, which predicts that, whenever possible, perceivers carry out perceptual tasks immediately based on the experience and biases they bring to the task. We point out that while AV training could be an impediment to immediate unisensory perceptual learning in cochlear implant patients, it was also associated with higher scores during training.
A review of astronomical science with visible light adaptive optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Close, Laird M.

2016-07-01

We review astronomical results in the visible (λ<1μm) with adaptive optics. Other than a brief period in the early 1990s, there has been little (<1 paper/yr) night-time astronomical science published with AO in the visible from 2000-2013 (outside of the solar or Space Surveillance Astronomy communities where visible AO is the norm, but not the topic of this invited review). However, since mid-2013 there has been a rapid increase visible AO with over 50 refereed science papers published in just 2.5 years (visible AO is experiencing a rapid growth rate very similar to that of NIR AO science from 1997-2000 Close 2000). Currently the most productive small (D < 2 m) visible light AO telescope is the UV-LGS Robo-AO system (Baranec, et al. 2016) on the robotic Palomar D=1.5 m telescope (currently relocated to the Kitt Peak 1.8m; Salama et al. 2016). Robo-AO uniquely offers the ability to target >15 objects/hr, which has enabled large (>3000 discrete targets) companion star surveys and has resulted in 23 refereed science publications. The most productive large telescope visible AO system is the D=6.5m Magellan telescope AO system (MagAO). MagAO is an advanced Adaptive Secondary Mirror (ASM) AO system at the Magellan 6.5m in Chile (Morzinski et al. 2016). This ASM secondary has 585 actuators with < 1 msec response times (0.7 ms typically). MagAO utilizes a 1 kHz pyramid wavefront sensor. The relatively small actuator pitch ( 22 cm/subap) allows moderate Strehls to be obtained in the visible (0.63-1.05 microns). Long exposures (60s) achieve <30mas resolutions, 30% Strehls at 0.62 microns (r') with the VisAO camera in 0.5" seeing with bright R <= 9 mag stars. These capabilities have led to over 22 MagAO refereed science publications in the visible. The largest (D=8m) telescope to achieve regular visible AO science is SPHERE/ZIMPOL. ZIMPOL is a polarimeter fed by the 1.2 kHz SPHERE ExAO system (Fusco et al. 2016). ZIMPOL's ability to differentiate scattered polarized light from starlight allows the sensitive detection of circumstellar disks, stellar surfaces, and envelopes of evolved AGB stars. Here we review the key steps to having good performance in the visible and review the exciting new AO visible science opportunities and science results in the fields of: exoplanet detection; circumstellar and protoplanetary disks; young stars; AGB stars; emission line jets; and stellar surfaces. The recent rapid increase in the scientific publications and power of visible AO is due to the maturity of the next-generation of AO systems and our new ability probe circumstellar regions with very high (10-30 mas) spatial resolutions that would otherwise require much larger (>10m) diameter telescopes in the infrared.
Acridine Orange/exosomes increase the delivery and the effectiveness of Acridine Orange in human melanoma cells: A new prototype for theranostics of tumors.

PubMed

Iessi, Elisabetta; Logozzi, Mariantonia; Lugini, Luana; Azzarito, Tommaso; Federici, Cristina; Spugnini, Enrico Pierluigi; Mizzoni, Davide; Di Raimo, Rossella; Angelini, Daniela F; Battistini, Luca; Cecchetti, Serena; Fais, Stefano

2017-12-01

Specifically targeted drug delivery systems with low immunogenicity and toxicity are deemed to increase efficacy of cancer chemotherapy. Acridine Orange (AO) is an acidophilic dye with a strong tumoricidal action following excitation with a light source at 466 nm. However, to date the clinical use of AO is limited by the potential side effects elicited by systemic administration. The endogenous nanocarrier exosomes have been recently introduced as a natural delivery system for therapeutic molecules. In this article, we show the outcome of the administration to human melanoma cells of AO charged Exosomes (Exo-AO), in both monolayer and spheroid models. The results showed an extended drug delivery time of Exo-AO to melanoma cells as compared to the free AO, improving the cytotoxicity of AO. This study shows that Exo-AO have a great potential for a real exploitation as a new theranostic approach against tumors based on AO delivered through the exosomes.
Consensus on updating immunizations in patients with primary immunodeficiencies

PubMed

2018-04-01

Las inmunodeficiencias primarias (IDP) constituyen un grupo de enfermedades hereditarias que afectan el número y/o la función de los distintos componentes del sistema inmune. Su prevalencia es de 1:1000-2000 nacimientos. Comprenden defectos de la inmunidad adaptativa, defectos de la inmunidad innata, inmunodeficiencias con fenotipos característicos, trastornos de la regulación inmune, síndromes autoinflamatorios, defectos de los fagocitos y del sistema del complemento y defectos considerados fenocopias de IDP. La vacunación con vacunas inactivadas es segura y puede ser efectiva en muchas inmunodeficiencias; las vacunas vivas atenuadas pueden no ser protectoras en ciertas IDP o presentarse como enfermedad vacunal asociada a la inmunización, lo que conlleva una alta morbimortalidad. Con el objetivo de actualizar las recomendaciones de vacunas en pacientes con IDP, el Comité Nacional de Infectología y el Grupo de Trabajo de Inmunología trabajaron sobre las vacunas que podían indicarse a estos pacientes, convivientes y el equipo de salud.
DKIST Adaptive Optics System: Simulation Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marino, Jose; Schmidt, Dirk

2016-05-01

The 4 m class Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), currently under construction, will be equipped with an ultra high order solar adaptive optics (AO) system. The requirements and capabilities of such a solar AO system are beyond those of any other solar AO system currently in operation. We must rely on solar AO simulations to estimate and quantify its performance.We present performance estimation results of the DKIST AO system obtained with a new solar AO simulation tool. This simulation tool is a flexible and fast end-to-end solar AO simulator which produces accurate solar AO simulations while taking advantage of current multi-core computer technology. It relies on full imaging simulations of the extended field Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (WFS), which directly includes important secondary effects such as field dependent distortions and varying contrast of the WFS sub-aperture images.
Syndromes dominated by apraxia of speech show distinct characteristics from agrammatic PPA

PubMed Central

Duffy, Joseph R.; Strand, Edythe A.; Machulda, Mary M.; Senjem, Matthew L.; Lowe, Val J.; Jack, Clifford R.; Whitwell, Jennifer L.

2013-01-01

Objective: We assessed whether clinical and imaging features of subjects with apraxia of speech (AOS) more severe than aphasia (dominant AOS) are more similar to agrammatic primary progressive aphasia (agPPA) or to primary progressive AOS (PPAOS). Methods: Sixty-seven subjects (PPAOS = 18, dominant AOS = 10, agPPA = 9, age-matched controls = 30) who all had volumetric MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, F18-fluorodeoxyglucose and C11-labeled Pittsburgh compound B (PiB)-PET scanning, as well as neurologic and speech and language assessments, were included in this case-control study. AOS was classified as either type 1, predominated by sound distortions and distorted sound substitutions, or type 2, predominated by syllabically segmented prosodic speech patterns. Results: The dominant AOS subjects most often had AOS type 2, similar to PPAOS. In contrast, agPPA subjects most often had type 1 (p = 0.01). Both dominant AOS and PPAOS showed focal imaging abnormalities in premotor cortex, whereas agPPA showed widespread involvement affecting premotor, prefrontal, temporal and parietal lobes, caudate, and insula. Only the dominant AOS and PPAOS groups showed midbrain atrophy compared with controls. No differences were observed in PiB binding across all 3 groups, with the majority being PiB negative. Conclusion: These results suggest that dominant AOS is more similar to PPAOS than agPPA, with dominant AOS and PPAOS exhibiting a clinically distinguishable subtype of progressive AOS compared with agPPA. PMID:23803320
Católicos, fidelidade conjugal e AIDS: entre a cruz da doutrina moral e as espadas do cotidiano sexual dos adeptos1

PubMed Central

Rios, Luis Felipe; de Aquino, Francisca Luciana; Muñoz-Laboy, Miguel; Oliveira, Cinthia; Parker, Richard

2009-01-01

Neste artigo discutimos a visão da Igreja Católica sobre sexualidade na interface com a epidemia do HIV/AIDS. Nossa reflexão está embasada em pesquisa etnográfica que envolveu dois meses de observação participante do cotidiano de católicos de um bairro popular da Região Metropolitana do Recife, além de contar com entrevistas a onze dos leigos engajados nos serviços religiosos da igreja do bairro e a oito sacerdotes que realizam seus trabalhos religiosos em outras localidades. Nelas abordamos diferentes temáticas relacionadas ao enfrentamento da epidemia da AIDS. Nesse contexto, conjugalidade e fidelidade se afiguram como importantes analisadores de como aqueles lidam com a epidemia, em uma variedade de re-descrições práticas e de re-interpretações conceptuais das assertivas do discurso moral religioso – ainda que, muitos impasses permaneçam em aberto em termos das prerrogativas da Igreja e seus possíveis rebatimentos na saúde sexual dos adeptos. PMID:21765650
Selective inhibition of alpha1B-adrenergic receptor expression and function using a phosphorothioate antisense oligodeoxynucleotide.

PubMed

Gonzalez-Cabrera, P J; Iversen, P L; Liu, M F; Scofield, M A; Jeffries, W B

1998-06-01

To investigate alpha1B-adrenoceptor function, we developed a phosphorothioate antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (AO) to inhibit the expression of the alpha1B-adrenoceptor subtype in DDT1 MF2 cells. We measured the cellular uptake of the AO and its effect on alpha1B-adrenoceptor mRNA expression, protein density, and coupling to phospholipase C. Cells treated with either a control oligodeoxynucleotide (CO) or medium alone served as control groups. Confocal microscopy demonstrated that DDT1 MF2 cells internalized carboxyfluorescein-labeled (FAM) AO within 30 min. Analysis of cellular lysates showed that approximately 50% of the intracellular FAM-AO was present as an intact 18-mer for up to 48 hr. Incubation of cells with AO for 48 hr decreased alpha1B-adrenoceptor density ([3H]prazosin Bmax) versus control groups by 12% (1 microM AO) and 72% (10 microM AO). In time course experiments, AO (10 microM) reduced alpha1B-adrenoceptor density by 28, 64, and 68% versus controls after 24, 48, and 72 hr of exposure, respectively. alpha1B-Adrenoceptor mRNA concentration (measured by RT-PCR) was reduced by 25% in cells treated for 48 hr with 10 microM AO versus controls. AO pretreatment (10 microM, 48 hr) reduced the maximum response to agonist-stimulated [3H]inositol phosphate accumulation. The maximal response of the full agonist norepinephrine was reduced by 30% after AO treatment, and by 73% for the partial agonist naphazoline. In contrast, AO did not affect histamine-stimulated total [3H]inositol phosphate accumulation. Thus, AO effectively reduced alpha1B-adrenoceptor subtype expression and function in vitro, suggesting a potential to selectively inhibit alpha1B-adrenoceptor function in vivo.
Learning about the Sky from the Environment: An Experience Working Along One Year with Students of Elementary Education. (Spanish Title: Aprendiendo sobre EL Cielo Desde el Entorno: Una Experiencia Trabajando Durante un Año Junto a Estudiantes del Primario.) Aprendendo sobre o Céu a Partir do Entorno: Uma Experiência de Trabalho ao Longo de um Ano com Alunos de Ensino Fundamental

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longhini, Marcos Daniel; Gomide, Hanny Angeles

2014-12-01

Research developed with 95 students of the 6th year of elementary education in a public school of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. It was a continuous work from February to December 2013, which led the students to participate in activities of observation of the environment, specifically the sky, analyzing the changes occurred. We focused on the study of variations in temperature, rainfall, day length, variations in the size of the shadows and changes in the aspect of the Moon. Our focus of analysis targeted the discussion of the knowledge that these students had about the topics indicated and as they entered the stage during the implementation of the proposal. The results showed a limited perception that students have of their environment, however, lately expanded due to the undertaken activities, especially in relation to the Moon. Working with systematic measure procedures reveals the careful handling of data so that they become understandable to students, and working with the shadows points towards the students first understand how shadows are formed, and then apply this knowledge to Astronomy. Finally, we conclude that the lived process consisted of an initial step of a work that should be encouraged for the subsequent years of training of these students. Proyecto de investigación desarrollado con 95 alumnos del sexto año de primaria en una escuela pública de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. Fue un trabajo continuo, de febrero a diciembre de 2013, que llevó a los estudiantes a participar en actividades de observación de su entorno, entre ellas, el cielo, analizando los cambios ocurridos. Nos centramos en el estudio de las variaciones en la temperatura, las precipitaciones, la duración del día, las variaciones en el tamaño de las sombras y los cambios en los aspectos de la Luna. Nuestro foco de análisis se centró en discutir el conocimiento que estos estudiantes tenían sobre los temas indicados al inicio y término de la propuesta. Los resultados mostraron una percepción limitada que los estudiantes tienen de su alrededor la cual, sin embargo, se expandió debido a las actividades llevadas a cabo, sobre todo en relación con la Luna. Trabajar con medidas sistemáticas revela el manejo cuidadoso de los datos para que sean comprensibles para los estudiantes, así como el trabajo con las sombras para que comprendan primero como se forman estas para después trabajarlas en Astronomía. Por último, llegamos a la conclusión de que el proceso desarrollado consistió en una etapa inicial de una obra que debe ser profundizado en los años posteriores de la formación de estos estudiantes. Projeto de pesquisa desenvolvido com 95 alunos do 6º ano do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola pública estadual de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. Foi um trabalho contínuo, de fevereiro a dezembro de 2013, o qual levou os alunos a participarem de atividades de observação do entorno, dentre ele, o céu, analisando as mudanças ocorridas. Focamos no estudo das variações de temperaturas, chuvas, duração do dia, variações do tamanho das sombras e mudanças nos aspectos da Lua. Nosso foco de análise centrou-se em discutir os conhecimentos que os referidos alunos tinham acerca dos temas indicados no início e ao término da implementação da proposta. Os resultados mostraram a percepção limitada que os estudantes possuem de seu entorno, todavia, ampliada em função das atividades desenvolvidas, principalmente no que se refere à Lua. O trabalho com medidas sistemáticas revela o cuidado no tratamento dos dados para que eles se tornem compreensíveis aos alunos, assim como o trabalho com as sombras sinaliza para que os alunos primeiramente compreendam como as sombras são formadas para depois trabalhar isso em Astronomia. Por fim, concluímos que o processo vivido constituiu-se em uma etapa inicial de um trabalho que deve ser estimulado para os anos subsequentes da formação desses alunos.
Integrality of care: challenges for the nurse practice.

PubMed

Sousa, Solange Meira de; Bernardino, Elizabeth; Crozeta, Karla; Peres, Aida Maris; Lacerda, Maria Ribeiro

2017-01-01

to understand the role of the nurse in the collegiate management model of a teaching hospital, in the integrality of care perspective. a single case study with multiple units of analysis, with the theoretical proposition "integrality of care is a result of the care offered to the user by multiple professionals, including the nurse". Data were obtained in a functional unit of a teaching hospital through interviews with 13 nurses in a non-participant observation and document analysis. from the analytical categories emerged subcategories that allowed understanding that the nurse promotes integrality of care through nursing management, team work and integration of services. the theoretical proposition was confirmed and it was verified that the nursing management focus on attending to health care needs and is a strategy to provide integrality of care. apreender a atuação do enfermeiro no modelo de gestão colegiada de um hospital de ensino na perspectiva do cuidado integral. estudo de caso único de múltiplas unidades de análise, com a proposição teórica "o cuidado integral resulta dos vários cuidados oferecidos ao usuário pelos vários profissionais, dentre esses o enfermeiro". Os dados foram obtidos em uma unidade funcional de um hospital de ensino por meio de entrevistas com 13 enfermeiros, observação não participante e análise de documentos. a partir das categorias analíticas, emergiram subcategorias que possibilitaram apreender que o enfermeiro promove o cuidado integral por meio do gerenciamento de enfermagem, do trabalho em equipe e da integração entre os serviços. ratificou-se a proposição teórica e constatou-se que o gerenciamento de enfermagem volta-se para o atendimento das necessidades de saúde e é uma estratégia para o cuidado integral.
Validation of the adherence questionnaire for Brazilian chronic kidney disease patients under hemodialysis.

PubMed

Lins, Silvia Maria de Sá Basilio; Leite, Josete Luzia; Godoy, Simone de; Fuly, Patrícia Dos Santos Claro; Araújo, Silvia Teresa Carvalho de; Silva, Ítalo Rodolfo

2017-01-01

To validate the evaluation questionnaire on adherence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients under hemodialysis. We verified the following psychometric properties of the instrument: reliability (stability and internal consistency) and validity (face, content, and construct). The intraclass correlation coefficient reached a value of 0.98 for the adherence questions and 0.91 for the perception questions. Regarding the kappa of the 14 questions examined, 12 had a value > 0.8, whereas the Cronbach's alpha had a value of 0.57. Experts ensured the face and content validity of the instrument, giving it an overall content validity index of 0.96. Construct validity, analyzed by Mann-Whitney test, was achieved as all domains showed a significant association with p<0.01. We verified, by the presented results, that the instrument has been validated for use in Brazil. Validar o questionário de avaliação sobre a adesão do portador de doença renal crônica em hemodiálise. Foram verificadas as seguintes propriedades psicométricas do instrumento: confiabilidade (estabilidade e consistência interna) e validade (de face, de conteúdo e de construto). O coeficiente de correlação intraclasse atingiu valor de 0,98 para as questões de adesão e 0,91 para as questões de percepção. Quanto ao kappa das 14 questões analisadas, 12 obtiveram um valor > 0,8. Já o alfa de Cronbach obteve valor de 0,57. Os especialistas asseguraram a validade de face e de conteúdo do instrumento, conferindo-lhe um índice de validade de conteúdo global de 0,96. A validade de construto, analisada por meio do teste de Mann-Whitney, foi alcançada na medida em que todos os domínios apresentaram uma associação significativa com p < 0,01. Verifica-se, pelos resultados apresentados, que o instrumento foi validado para uso no Brasil.
Slips, lapses and mistakes inthe use of equipment by nurses in an intensive care unit.

PubMed

Ribeiro, Gabriella da Silva Rangel; Silva, Rafael Celestino da; Ferreira, Márcia de Assunção; Silva, Grazielle Rezende da

2016-01-01

Toidentify the occurrence of errors in the use of equipment by nurses working in intensive careandanalyzing them in the framework of James Reason's theory of human error. Qualitative field study in the intensive care unit of a federal hospital in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Observation and interviews were conductedwith eight nurses, from March to December 2014. Content analysis was used for the interviews, as well as the description of the scenes observed. Lapses of memory and attention were identified in the handling of infusion pumps, as well as planning failures during the programming of monitors. Errors cause adverse events that compromise patient safety. The authors propose creation of an instrument for daily checking of equipment, with checks throughout the work process in the programming of infusion pumps and monitors, in order to reduce failures and memory lapses. Identificar a ocorrência de erros na utilização de equipamentos por enfermeiros que atuam na terapia intensiva, analisando-os à luz da teoria do erro humano de James Reason. Pesquisa de campo, qualitativa, na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva de um hospital federal do Rio de Janeiro. Realizou-se observação e entrevista com oito enfermeiros, de março a dezembro de 2014. Aplicou-se análise de conteúdo nas entrevistas e descrição densa nas cenas observadas. Identificaram-se falhas de memória e de atenção no manuseio das bombas infusoras e falhas de planejamento durante a programação dos monitores. Os erros causam eventos adversos que comprometem a segurança do paciente. Propõe-se um instrumento de verificação diária dos equipamentos, com checagens ao longo do processo de trabalho da programação das bombas infusoras e monitores, no intuito de reduzir as falhas e esquecimentos.
BSSDATA - um programa otimizado para filtragem de dados em radioastronomia solar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinon, A. R. F.; Sawant, H. S.; Fernandes, F. C. R.; Stephany, S.; Preto, A. J.; Dobrowolski, K. M.

2003-08-01

A partir de 1998, entrou em operação regular no INPE, em São José dos Campos, o Brazilian Solar Spectroscope (BSS). O BSS é dedicado às observações de explosões solares decimétricas com alta resolução temporal e espectral, com a principal finalidade de investigar fenômenos associados com a liberação de energia dos "flares" solares. Entre os anos de 1999 e 2002, foram catalogadas, aproximadamente 340 explosões solares classificadas em 8 tipos distintos, de acordo com suas características morfológicas. Na análise detalhada de cada tipo, ou grupo, de explosões solares deve-se considerar a variação do fluxo do sol calmo ("background"), em função da freqüência e a variação temporal, além da complexidade das explosões e estruturas finas registradas superpostas ao fundo variável. Com o intuito de realizar tal análise foi desenvolvido o programa BSSData. Este programa, desenvolvido em linguagem C++, é constituído de várias ferramentas que auxiliam no tratamento e análise dos dados registrados pelo BSS. Neste trabalho iremos abordar as ferramentas referentes à filtragem do ruído de fundo. As rotinas do BSSData para filtragem de ruído foram testadas nos diversos grupos de explosões solares ("dots", "fibra", "lace", "patch", "spikes", "tipo III" e "zebra") alcançando um bom resultado na diminuição do ruído de fundo e obtendo, em conseqüência, dados onde o sinal torna-se mais homogêneo ressaltando as áreas onde existem explosões solares e tornando mais precisas as determinações dos parâmetros observacionais de cada explosão. Estes resultados serão apresentados e discutidos.

Atomic layer deposition of metal oxide by non-aqueous sol-gel chemistry =

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marichy, Catherine

O trabalho apresentado neste manuscrito foi desenvolvido no ambito do programa doutoral intitulado “Deposicao de Camadas Atomicas (ALD) de oxido de metais por sol-gel nao-aquoso”. O objectivo deste trabalho foi a preparacao de hetero-estruturas funcionais por ALD e a sua caracterizacao. Foi desenvolvido um novo processo de deposicao de oxido de estanho a temperatura baixa-moderada, utilizando um metodo ALD nao-aquoso, o qual foi aplicado com sucesso ao revestimento controlado das paredes internas e externas de nanotubos de carbono. Uma vez que a preparacao de nanomateriais funcionais requer uma elevada exatidao do processo de deposicao, foi demonstrada a deposicao precisa de filmes que se adaptem a forma do substrato ou de filmes nano-estruturados constituidos por particulas em varios substratos. Alem disso, foram depositados com grande exatidao varios oxidos de metal em nanotubos de carbono e demonstrou-se a possibilidade de ajustar o revestimento feito por ALD atraves do controlo da funcionalizacao da superficie do substrato nano-estruturado de carbono. As hetero-estruturas obtidas foram posteriormente aplicadas como sensores de gases. O melhoramento verificado na sensibilidade foi atribuido a formacao de heterojuncoes p-n entre o filme de oxido de metais e o suporte. O trabalho desenvolvido tendo como objetivo o controlo do revestimento por ALD atraves da funcionalizacao da superficie do suporte e certamente de interesse para o design de hetero-estruturas funcionais baseadas em substratos de carbono. De facto, durante o ultimo periodo do programa de doutoramento, este conceito foi alargado a funcionalizacao e revestimento com oxidos de metal de fibras de carbono preparadas por “electrospinning”, de forma a melhorar a estabilidade e a atividade eletrocatalitica de catalisadores a base de Pt. Este trabalho foi realizado maioritariamente na Universidade de Aveiro mas tambem na Universidade Nacional de Seul e beneficiou de varias colaboracoes internacionais devido a natureza multidisciplinar da area de investigacao em que esta inserido.
A cosmologia no ensino da geografia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, S. C.; Chiaradia, A. P. M.

2003-08-01

O principal objetivo deste trabalho é auxiliar o professor de Geografia em sala de aula no ensino de tópicos relacionados com a Cosmologia. A idéia deste trabalho surgiu quando foi constatado que o professor de Geografia tem dificuldades de ensinar este tópico. Esta constatação foi feita por uma das autoras ao lecionar este tópico no ensino fundamental e em discussões com outros professores de Geografia. Da mesma maneira que ocorria desde os tempos mais antigos, os alunos têm muito interesse em conhecer os fenômenos que ocorrem no Cosmo, porém os livros didáticos de Geografia utilizados em sala de aula não são ricos em informações sobre este assunto. Assim, o professor de Geografia tem poucas informações para discutir este assunto em sala de aula e não dá a devida importância para este tópico. Então, foi desenvolvido um material de apoio para professores de Geografia sobre a origem do Universo, sua evolução e seu possível futuro evolutivo segundo as mais recentes teorias, com base em perguntas feitas pelos alunos de ensino fundamental e as informações trazidas nos livros didáticos Não cabe a este material inovar e tão pouco trazer uma metodologia de ensino de Cosmologia. Neste material o professor de Geografia pode encontrará um banco de informações, que constitui no estabelecimento de conceitos, teorias e hipóteses, sobre a Cosmologia, em linguagem simples e de fácil entendimento. Para desenvolvê-lo, foram feitas pesquisas não exaustivas em livros e revistas científicas, compilação e discussão em forma cronológica das teorias aceitas sobre modelos cosmológicos. Portanto, este material será apresentado neste trabalho.
Espectroscopia de candidatos a remanescentes de aglomerados abertos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavani, D. B.; Bica, E.; Ahumada, A. V.; Clariá, J. J.

2003-08-01

A pesquisa sobre remanescentes de aglomerados abertos tem despertado grande interesse. Seguindo esta tendência encontramos estudos teóricos e observacionais. Os primeiros baseiam-se em simulações numéricas buscando determinar fração de binárias e distâncias galatocêntricas, tempo de vida e conteúdo estelar. Estes estão relacionados à função inicial de massa e densidade de estrelas, ou seja, se ricos ou pobremente povoados, compactos ou esparsos. No caso observacional procuram-se identificar os remanescentes considerando-se que trazem estas assinaturas de seus percursores. No presente estudo empregamos espectroscopia para analisar oito concentrações pobremente povoadas, previamente classificadas como aglomerados abertos, sendo sete compactas e uma esparsa. As observações foram obtidas através do telescópio de 2,15 m do CASLEO em San Juan, Argentina, em turnos entre 2001 e 2003. Utilizamos uma câmara CCD contendo um chip Tektronics de 1024X1024 pixeis aliado a um espectrógrafo REOSC. O domínio espectral vai de 3700 a 7000 Å. As reduções foram realizadas no Observatório Astronômico de Córdoba (Argentina) usando pacotes IRAF padrões. Determinamos idades, avermelhamentos e tipos espectrais através de comparações com biblioteca de estrelas e de aglomerados. Em alguns casos nossos espectros estavam dominados por estrelas individuais às quais determinamos seus tipos espectrais. Aos oito objetos adicionamos mais cinco da literatura recente analisados via espectro ou diagrama cor-magnitude. O histograma resultante contém idades típicas entre 0.5 e 3 Ganos. Considerando que predominantemente estes objetos encontram-se na vizinhança solar e, portanto, não cruzaram muitas vezes o plano Galático esperamos que a diferença no tempo necessário para dissolução destes prováveis remanescentes seja em função de diferentes massas iniciais.
The Illness Experience: Palliative Care Given the impossibility of Healing.

PubMed

Dantas, Margarida Maria Florêncio; Amazonas, Maria Cristina Lopes de Almeida

2016-06-01

This paper presents a reflection about being terminally ill and the various ways that the subject has at its disposal to deal with this event. The objective is to understand the experience of palliation for patients undergoing no therapeutic possibilities of cure. The methodology of this study has the instruments to semi-structured interview, the participant observation and the field diary, and the Descriptive Analysis of Foucault's inspiration how the narratives of the subjects were perceived. The Results of paper there was the possibility of looking at the experience of illness through the eyes of a subject position assumed by the very sick. As conclusion we have than when choosing palliative care, the terminally ill opts for a way to feel more comfortable and resists the impositions of the medical model of prolonging life. O presente trabalho traz uma reflexão a respeito do ser um doente terminal e das várias maneiras que o sujeito tem a seu dispor para lidar com esse acontecimento. Nosso objetivo foi compreender a experiência da paliação por sujeitos doentes sem possibilidades terapêuticas de cura. A metodologia deste estudo teve como instrumentos a Entrevista Narrativa, a Observação Participante e o Diário de Campo, sendo a Análise Descritiva de inspiração foucaultiana o modo como as narrativas dos sujeitos foram percebidas. O resultado do estudo mostrou a possibilidade de olhar a experiência do adoecer através da ótica de uma posição de sujeito assumida pelo próprio enfermo. E concluímos que ao escolher os cuidados paliativos, o doente terminal opta por um modo de se sentir mais confortável e resiste às imposições do modelo médico de prolongamento da vida.
Modulating Endoplasmic Reticulum-Golgi Cargo Receptors for Improving Secretion of Carrier-Fused Heterologous Proteins in the Filamentous Fungus Aspergillus oryzae

PubMed Central

Hoang, Huy-Dung; Maruyama, Jun-ichi

2014-01-01

Filamentous fungi are excellent hosts for industrial protein production due to their superior secretory capacity; however, the yield of heterologous eukaryotic proteins is generally lower than that of fungal or endogenous proteins. Although activating protein folding machinery in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) improves the yield, the importance of intracellular transport machinery for heterologous protein secretion is poorly understood. Here, using Aspergillus oryzae as a model filamentous fungus, we studied the involvement of two putative lectin-like cargo receptors, A. oryzae Vip36 (AoVip36) and AoEmp47, in the secretion of heterologous proteins expressed in fusion with the endogenous enzyme α-amylase as the carrier. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that mDsRed-tagged AoVip36 localized in the Golgi compartment, whereas AoEmp47 showed localization in both the ER and the Golgi compartment. Deletion of AoVip36 and AoEmp47 improved heterologous protein secretion, but only AoVip36 deletion had a negative effect on the secretion of α-amylase. Analysis of ER-enriched cell fractions revealed that AoVip36 and AoEmp47 were involved in the retention of heterologous proteins in the ER. However, the overexpression of each cargo receptor had a different effect on heterologous protein secretion: AoVip36 enhanced the secretion, whereas AoEmp47 promoted the intracellular retention. Taken together, our data suggest that AoVip36 and AoEmp47 hinder the secretion of heterologous proteins by promoting their retention in the ER but that AoVip36 also promotes the secretion of heterologous proteins. Moreover, we found that genetic deletion of these putative ER-Golgi cargo receptors significantly improves heterologous protein production. The present study is the first to propose that ER-Golgi transport is a bottleneck for heterologous protein production in filamentous fungi. PMID:25362068
Anaerobic metabolism during short all-out efforts in tethered running: Comparison of energy expenditure and mechanical parameters between different sprint durations for testing.

PubMed

Sousa, Filipe Antônio Barros; Vasque, Rubens Eduardo; Gobatto, Claudio Alexandre

2017-01-01

This study's aims to verify the energy expenditure, metabolic distress and usefulness to evaluate the anaerobic constructs for different all-out durations in running efforts. Twelve active male underwent four testing sessions, one for familiarization and three performing one all-out (AO) tethered running sprint lasting 30s, 20s or 10s. Oxygen consumption, excess post exercise oxygen consumption, and lactate production were retained to analyse metabolic function, together with mechanical power and work as performance parameters. Paired results were compared via one-way ANOVA for repeated measures (Tukey-HSD post-hoc), effect sizes and ICC for absolute agreement. Statistical significance was accepted at p ≤ 0.05. Despite total and energy expenditure from oxidative pathway being significantly higher for longer durations (p < 0.001; ES > 0.7), glycolytic energy expenditure presented an agreement between AO30s and AO20s (ICC-A = 0.63*), while the paired comparisons to AO10s have presented significant differences (p < 0.01; ES > 1.0). Phosphagen energy expenditure were similar between all-out durations (p = 0.12; ICC-A = 0.62*; ES < 0.5). Maximum mechanical power was higher in AO10s than in AO30s (p = 0.03; ES = 0.6), not being different between AO10s and AO20s (p = 0.67; ICC-A = 0.88*; ES = 0.2) and between AO20s and AO30s (p = 0.18; ICC-A = 0.56*; ES = 0.4). In addition, agreement between work in the first ten seconds was confirmed via ICC only between AO10s and AO20s (p = 0.50; ICC-A = 0.86*; ES = 0.3), but not for the other paired comparisons (p < 0.1; ICC < 0.45; ES > 0.5). AO20s is a better alternative to estimate anaerobic power and capacity in one single test, with similar oxidative demand than AO30s.
Genome mining and motif truncation of glycoside hydrolase family 5 endo-β-1,4-mannanase encoded by Aspergillus oryzae RIB40 for potential konjac flour hydrolysis or feed additive.

PubMed

Tang, Cun-Duo; Shi, Hong-Ling; Tang, Qing-Hai; Zhou, Jun-Shi; Yao, Lun-Guang; Jiao, Zhu-Jin; Kan, Yun-Chao

2016-11-01

Two novel glycosyl hydrolase family 5 (GH5) β-mannanases (AoMan5A and AoMan5B) were identified from Aspergillus oryzae RIB40 by genome mining. The AoMan5A contains a predicted family 1 carbohydrate binding module (CBM-1), located at its N-terminal. The AoMan5A, AoMan5B and truncated mutant AoMan5AΔCL (truncating the N-terminal CBM and linker of AoMan5A) were expressed retaining the N-terminus of the native protein in Pichia pastoris GS115 by pPIC9K M . The specific enzyme activity of the purified reAoMan5A, reAoMan5B and reAoMan5AΔCL towards locust bean gum at pH 3.6 and 40°C for 10min, was 8.3, 104.2 and 15.8U/mg, respectively. The temperature properties of the reAoMan5AΔCL were improved by truncating CBM. They can degrade the pretreated konjac flour and produce prebiotics. In addition, they had excellent stability under simulative gastric fluid and simulative prilling process. All these properties make these recombinant β-mannanases potential additives for use in the food and feed industries. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Up-Regulated Expression of AOS-LOXa and Increased Eicosanoid Synthesis in Response to Coral Wounding

PubMed Central

Lõhelaid, Helike; Teder, Tarvi; Tõldsepp, Kadri; Ekins, Merrick; Samel, Nigulas

2014-01-01

In octocorals, a catalase–like allene oxide synthase (AOS) and an 8R-lipoxygenase (LOX) gene are fused together encoding for a single AOS-LOX fusion protein. Although the AOS-LOX pathway is central to the arachidonate metabolism in corals, its biological function in coral homeostasis is unclear. Using an acute incision wound model in the soft coral Capnella imbricata, we here test whether LOX pathway, similar to its role in plants, can contribute to the coral damage response and regeneration. Analysis of metabolites formed from exogenous arachidonate before and after fixed time intervals following wounding indicated a significant increase in AOS-LOX activity in response to mechanical injury. Two AOS-LOX isoforms, AOS-LOXa and AOS-LOXb, were cloned and expressed in bacterial expression system as active fusion proteins. Transcription levels of corresponding genes were measured in normal and stressed coral by qPCR. After wounding, AOS-LOXa was markedly up-regulated in both, the tissue adjacent to the incision and distal parts of a coral colony (with the maximum reached at 1 h and 6 h post wounding, respectively), while AOS-LOXb was stable. According to mRNA expression analysis, combined with detection of eicosanoid product formation for the first time, the AOS-LOX was identified as an early stress response gene which is induced by mechanical injury in coral. PMID:24551239
Compact MEMS-based adaptive optics: optical coherence tomography for clinical use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Diana C.; Olivier, Scot S.; Jones, Steven M.; Zawadzki, Robert J.; Evans, Julia W.; Choi, Stacey S.; Werner, John S.

2008-02-01

We describe a compact MEMS-based adaptive optics (AO) optical coherence tomography (OCT) system with improved AO performance and ease of clinical use. A typical AO system consists of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor and a deformable mirror that measures and corrects the ocular and system aberrations. Because of limitations on current deformable mirror technologies, the amount of real-time ocular-aberration compensation is restricted and small in previous AO-OCT instruments. In this instrument, we incorporate an optical apparatus to correct the spectacle aberrations of the patients such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. This eliminates the tedious process of using trial lenses in clinical imaging. Different amount of spectacle aberration compensation was achieved by motorized stages and automated with the AO computer for ease of clinical use. In addition, the compact AO-OCT was optimized to have minimum system aberrations to reduce AO registration errors and improve AO performance.
The Adaptive Optics Summer School Laboratory Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ammons, S. M.; Severson, S.; Armstrong, J. D.; Crossfield, I.; Do, T.; Fitzgerald, M.; Harrington, D.; Hickenbotham, A.; Hunter, J.; Johnson, J.; Johnson, L.; Li, K.; Lu, J.; Maness, H.; Morzinski, K.; Norton, A.; Putnam, N.; Roorda, A.; Rossi, E.; Yelda, S.

2010-12-01

Adaptive Optics (AO) is a new and rapidly expanding field of instrumentation, yet astronomers, vision scientists, and general AO practitioners are largely unfamiliar with the root technologies crucial to AO systems. The AO Summer School (AOSS), sponsored by the Center for Adaptive Optics, is a week-long course for training graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the underlying theory, design, and use of AO systems. AOSS participants include astronomers who expect to utilize AO data, vision scientists who will use AO instruments to conduct research, opticians and engineers who design AO systems, and users of high-bandwidth laser communication systems. In this article we describe new AOSS laboratory sessions implemented in 2006-2009 for nearly 250 students. The activity goals include boosting familiarity with AO technologies, reinforcing knowledge of optical alignment techniques and the design of optical systems, and encouraging inquiry into critical scientific questions in vision science using AO systems as a research tool. The activities are divided into three stations: Vision Science, Fourier Optics, and the AO Demonstrator. We briefly overview these activities, which are described fully in other articles in these conference proceedings (Putnam et al., Do et al., and Harrington et al., respectively). We devote attention to the unique challenges encountered in the design of these activities, including the marriage of inquiry-like investigation techniques with complex content and the need to tune depth to a graduate- and PhD-level audience. According to before-after surveys conducted in 2008, the vast majority of participants found that all activities were valuable to their careers, although direct experience with integrated, functional AO systems was particularly beneficial.
Patterns of poststroke brain damage that predict speech production errors in apraxia of speech and aphasia dissociate.

PubMed

Basilakos, Alexandra; Rorden, Chris; Bonilha, Leonardo; Moser, Dana; Fridriksson, Julius

2015-06-01

Acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) is a motor speech disorder caused by brain damage. AOS often co-occurs with aphasia, a language disorder in which patients may also demonstrate speech production errors. The overlap of speech production deficits in both disorders has raised questions on whether AOS emerges from a unique pattern of brain damage or as a subelement of the aphasic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to determine whether speech production errors in AOS and aphasia are associated with distinctive patterns of brain injury. Forty-three patients with history of a single left-hemisphere stroke underwent comprehensive speech and language testing. The AOS Rating Scale was used to rate speech errors specific to AOS versus speech errors that can also be associated with both AOS and aphasia. Localized brain damage was identified using structural magnetic resonance imaging, and voxel-based lesion-impairment mapping was used to evaluate the relationship between speech errors specific to AOS, those that can occur in AOS or aphasia, and brain damage. The pattern of brain damage associated with AOS was most strongly associated with damage to cortical motor regions, with additional involvement of somatosensory areas. Speech production deficits that could be attributed to AOS or aphasia were associated with damage to the temporal lobe and the inferior precentral frontal regions. AOS likely occurs in conjunction with aphasia because of the proximity of the brain areas supporting speech and language, but the neurobiological substrate for each disorder differs. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.
Adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in fundus imaging, a review and update.

PubMed

Zhang, Bing; Li, Ni; Kang, Jie; He, Yi; Chen, Xiao-Ming

2017-01-01

Adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO) has been a promising technique in funds imaging with growing popularity. This review firstly gives a brief history of adaptive optics (AO) and AO-SLO. Then it compares AO-SLO with conventional imaging methods (fundus fluorescein angiography, fundus autofluorescence, indocyanine green angiography and optical coherence tomography) and other AO techniques (adaptive optics flood-illumination ophthalmoscopy and adaptive optics optical coherence tomography). Furthermore, an update of current research situation in AO-SLO is made based on different fundus structures as photoreceptors (cones and rods), fundus vessels, retinal pigment epithelium layer, retinal nerve fiber layer, ganglion cell layer and lamina cribrosa. Finally, this review indicates possible research directions of AO-SLO in future.
Adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in fundus imaging, a review and update

PubMed Central

Zhang, Bing; Li, Ni; Kang, Jie; He, Yi; Chen, Xiao-Ming

2017-01-01

Adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO) has been a promising technique in funds imaging with growing popularity. This review firstly gives a brief history of adaptive optics (AO) and AO-SLO. Then it compares AO-SLO with conventional imaging methods (fundus fluorescein angiography, fundus autofluorescence, indocyanine green angiography and optical coherence tomography) and other AO techniques (adaptive optics flood-illumination ophthalmoscopy and adaptive optics optical coherence tomography). Furthermore, an update of current research situation in AO-SLO is made based on different fundus structures as photoreceptors (cones and rods), fundus vessels, retinal pigment epithelium layer, retinal nerve fiber layer, ganglion cell layer and lamina cribrosa. Finally, this review indicates possible research directions of AO-SLO in future. PMID:29181321
Cellular localization and detergent dependent oligomerization of rice allene oxide synthase-1.

PubMed

Yoeun, Sereyvath; Kim, Jeong-Il; Han, Oksoo

2015-01-01

Allene oxide synthase-1 from Oryza sativa (OsAOS1) localizes to the chloroplast, but lacks a putative chloroplast targeting sequence typically found in dicot AOS. Here, kinetic parameters and the oligomerization state/subunit composition of OsAOS1 were characterized in vitro in the absence or presence of detergent micelles. The catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(m)) of OsAOS1 reached a maximum near the critical micelle concentration for polyoxyethylene 10 tridecyl ether. Native gel analysis showed that OsAOS1 exists as a multimer in the absence of detergent micelles. The multimeric form of OsAOS1 was stably cross-linked in the absence of detergents, while only monomeric OsAOS1 was detected in the presence of detergent micelles. Gel filtration analysis indicated that the oligomeric state of OsAOS1 depends strongly on the detergents and that the monomer becomes the predominant form in the presence of detergent micelles. These data suggest that the detergent-dependent oligomeric state of OsAOS1 is an important factor for the regulation of its catalytic efficiency.
Electrical stimulation attenuates morphological alterations and prevents atrophy of the denervated cranial tibial muscle.

PubMed

Bueno, Cleuber Rodrigo de Souza; Pereira, Mizael; Favaretto, Idvaldo Aparecido; Bortoluci, Carlos Henrique Fachin; Santos, Thais Caroline Pereira Dos; Dias, Daniel Ventura; Daré, Letícia Rossi; Rosa, Geraldo Marco

2017-01-01

To investigate if electrical stimulation through Russian current is able to maintain morphology of the cranial tibial muscle of experimentally denervated rats. Thirty-six Wistar rats were divided into four groups: the Initial Control Group, Final Control Group, Experimental Denervated and Treated Group, Experimental Denervated Group. The electrostimulation was performed with a protocol of Russian current applied three times per week, for 45 days. At the end, the animals were euthanized and histological and morphometric analyses were performed. Data were submitted to statistical analysis with a significance level of p<0.05. The Experimental Denervated Group and the Experimental Denervated and Treated Group had cross-sectional area of smaller fiber compared to the Final Control Group. However, there was significant difference between the Experimental Denervated Group and Experimental Denervated and Treated Group, showing that electrical stimulation minimized muscle atrophy. The Experimental Denervated and Treated Group and Initial Control Group showed similar results. Electrical stimulation through Russian current acted favorably in maintaining morphology of the cranial tibial muscle that was experimentally denervated, minimizing muscle atrophy. Investigar se a estimulação elétrica pela corrente russa é capaz de manter a morfologia do músculo tibial cranial de ratos desnervados experimentalmente. Foram utilizados 36 ratos Wistar, distribuídos em quatro grupos: Grupo Controle Inicial, Grupo Controle Final, Grupo Experimental Desnervado Tratado, Grupo Experimental Desnervado. A eletroestimulação foi realizada com um protocolo de corrente russa aplicada três vezes por semanas, durante 45 dias. Ao final, os animais foram eutanasiados e, em seguida, foram realizadas as análises histológica e morfométrica. Os dados foram submetidos à análise estatística, com nível de significância de p<0,05. Os Grupos Experimental Desnervado e o Grupo Experimental Desnervado Tratado apresentaram área de secção transversal da fibra menor quando comparados ao Grupo Controle Final. Entretanto, constatou-se diferença significativa entre o Grupo Experimental Desnervado e o Grupo Experimental Desnervado Tratado, mostrando que a estimulação elétrica minimizou atrofia muscular. Ainda, observou-se que o Grupo Experimental Desnervado Tratado apresentou resultados semelhantes ao Grupo Controle Inicial. A estimulação elétrica por meio da corrente russa foi favorável na manutenção da morfologia do músculo tibial cranial desnervado experimentalmente, minimizando a atrofia muscular.
SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY IN PATIENTS WITH MORBID OBESITY AND HIV.

PubMed

Pinto, José Máximo Costa; Lima, Marianna Gomes Cavalcanti Leite de; Almeida, Ana Luiza Melo Cavalcanti de; Sousa, Marcelo Gonçalves

It is estimated that there are nearly 40 million people with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide. Due to the advent of antiretroviral drugs, it has been observed increasing in obesity and metabolic rates among patients undergoing treatment. Thus, numerous surgical therapies for weight loss are proposed for continuous improvement in health of patients with HIV, being the vertical gastrectomy an option for intact intestinal transit. To evaluate the applicability of the vertical gastrectomy in patients with morbid obesity and HIV. Was conducted a systematic review of the literature, in the electronic databases Scopus, Pubmed, Cinahl, Scielo, Cochrane and Lilacs, from 1998 to 2015. MeSH headings used in data collection were "Gastrectomy" and "Morbid obesity" being combined with the descriptor "HIV". Were found 2148 articles in Scopus, 1234 in PubMed and 784 in Cinahl. The articles were analyzed by the Jadad Quality Scale, being reduced to 40 articles, subsequently reassessed using an elaborated form by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP), reaching 12 articles in the end. It was found that vertical gastrectomy constitutes a safe and effective method, with low mortality and low rate of postoperative complications, being recommended as surgical technique in patients with obesity, HIV and comorbidities. Estima-se que haja quase 40 milhões de pessoas com o vírus da imunodeficiência adquirida (HIV) no mundo. Com o advento dos antirretrovirais, observou-se aumento da obesidade e de taxas metabólicas nos pacientes em tratamento. Assim, inúmeras terapias cirúrgicas para a perda de peso estão sendo estudadas para a melhoria contínua da saúde dos pacientes com HIV, sendo a gastrectomia vertical uma opção de trânsito íntegro. Avaliar a aplicabilidade da gastrectomia vertical em pacientes com obesidade mórbida e HIV. Foi realizada revisão sistemática de literatura, de artigos publicados nas bases eletrônicas de dados Scopus, Pubmed, Cinahl, Scielo, Cochrane e Lilacs, no período de 1998 a 2015. Os descritores do MeSH utilizados na coleta dos dados foram "Gastrectomia" e "Obesidade mórbida", sendo combinados com o descritor "HIV". Foram encontrados 2.148 artigos na Scopus, 1.234 no Pubmed e 784 na Cinahl. Os artigos foram analisados pela Escala de Qualidade de Jadad, reduzindo para um total de 40 artigos, os quais foram posteriormente reavaliados, utilizando um formulário elaborado pelo Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP), chegando ao montante de 12 artigos ao final. Verificou-se que a gastrectomia vertical constitui método seguro e eficaz, apresentando baixa morbimortalidade e baixo índice de complicações pós-operatórias, sendo técnica cirúrgica segura para uso em pacientes com obesidade, HIV e comorbidades.
Mechanical behaviour of AlSiC nano composites produced by ball milling and spark plasma sintering =

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchheim, Claudia Sofia de Andrade Redondo Murilhas

Neste trabalho foram produzidos nanocompositos de AlSiC misturando aluminio puro com nano particulas de SiC com diâmetro de 45 - 55 nm, usando, de forma sequencial, a tecnica da metalurgia do po e a compactacao por "Spark Plasma Sintering". O composito obtido apresentava graos com 100 nm de diâmetro, encontrandose as particulas de SiC localizadas, principalmente, nas fronteiras de grao. O nanocomposito sob a forma de provetes cilindricos foi submetido a testes de compressao uniaxial e a testes de nanoindentacao para analisar a influencia das nanoparticulas de SiC, da fracao volumica de acido estearico e do tempo de moagem, nas propriedades mecânicas do material. Para efeitos de comparacao, utilizouse o comportamento mecânico do Al puro processado em condicoes similares e da liga de aluminio AA1050O. A tensao limite de elasticidade do nanocomposito com 1% Vol./Vol. de SiC e dez vezes superior a do AA1050. O refinamento de grao a escala nano constitui o principal mecanismo de aumento de resistencia mecânica. Na realidade, o Al nanocristalino sem reforco de particulas de SiC, apresenta uma tensao limite de elasticidade sete vezes superior a da liga AA1050O. A adicao de 0,5 % Vol./Vol. e de 1 % Vol./Vol. de SiC conduzem, respetivamente, ao aumento da tensao limite de elasticidade em 47 % e 50%. O aumento do tempo de moagem e a adicao de acido estearico ao po durante a moagem conduzem apenas a um pequeno aumento da tensao de escoamento. A dureza do material medida atraves de testes de nanoindentacao confirmaram os dados anteriores. A estabilidade das microestruturas do aluminio puro e do nanocomposito AlSiC, foi testada atraves de recozimento de restauracao realizado as temperaturas de 150 °C e 250 °C durante 2 horas. Aparentemente, o tratamento termico nao influenciou as propriedades mecânicas dos materiais, excepto do nanocomposito com 1 % Vol./Vol. de SiC restaurado a temperatura de 250 °C, para o qual se observou uma reducao da tensao limite de elasticidade na ordem dos 13 %. No aluminio nanocristalino, a tensao de escoamento e controlada pelo efeito de HallPetch. As particulas de SiC, sao segregadas pelas fronteiras do grao e nao contribuem para o aumento de resistencia mecânica segundo o mecanismo de Orowan. Alternativamente, as nanoparticulas de SiC constituem um reforco das fronteiras do grao, impedindo o seu escorregamento e estabilizando a nanoestrutura. Deste modo, as propriedades mecânicas do aluminio nanocristalino e do nanocomposito de AlSiC poderao estar relacionadas com a facilidade ou dificuldade do escorregamento das fronteiras de grao, embora nao seja apresentada prova explicita deste mecanismo a temperatura ambiente.
Um supressor de fundo térmico para a câmara infravermelha CamIV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jablonski, F.; Laporte, R.

2003-08-01

O ângulo sólido subtendido pelos pixels na câmara infravermelha do NexGal (CamIV) que operamos no OPD/LNA contém contribuições provenientes do sistema de coleta de fluxo propriamente dito - sendo esta a parte que interessa para as medidas astronômicas - e contribuições da obstrução central, sistema de suporte do espelho secundário e região exterior à pupila de entrada do telescópio. Estas últimas contribuições são devi-das à emissão de corpo negro à temperatura ambiente e aumentam exponencialmente para comprimentos de onda maiores que 2 micra (banda K, no infravermelho próximo). Embora a resultante pode ser quantificada e subtraída dos sinais relevantes, sua variância se adiciona à variância do sinal, e pode ser facilmente a contribuição domi-nante para a incerteza final das medidas, tornando ineficiente o processo de extração de informação e degradando a sensibilidade da câmara. A maneira clássica de resolver esse problema em sistemas ópticos que operam no infravermelho, onde os efeitos da emissão térmica do ambiente são importantes, é restringir o ângulo sólido subtendido pelos pixels individuais exclusivamente aos raios provenientes do sistema óptico. Para tanto, projeta-se uma imagem real, bastante reduzida, da pupila de entrada do sistema óptico num anteparo que transmita para o sistema de imageamento só o que interessa, bloqueando as contribuições das bordas externas à pupila de entrada, obstrução central do telescópio e sistema de suporte. Como a projeção é realizada em ambiente criogênico, a contribuição térmica espúria é efetivamente eliminada. Nós optamos por um sistema do tipo Offner para implementar na prática esta função. Trata-se de um sistema baseado em espelhos esféricos, bastante compacto e ajustado por construção. A opção por espelhos do mesmo material que o sistema de suporte (Alumínio) minimiza a dilatação diferencial, crítica nesse tipo de aplicação. Apresentamos as soluções detalhadas do projeto óptico-mecânico, bem como uma análise de flexões e desempenho em termos de qualidade de imagem.
Educational topics for school from the perspective of professionals in the Mobile Emergency Service.

PubMed

Mota, Larissa Larie; Andrade, Selma Regina de

2016-06-01

To systematize, with professionals from the Mobile Emergency Care Service of Santa Catarina municipality, the main issues for the development of an educational tool of attention to the emergency room, dedicated to the school-age population. Qualitative study, conducted through meetings in the focus group format, with 19 professionals who develop their activities in the city Emergency Mobile Emergency Service. Data were categorized and analyzed using thematic analysis technique. The contents discussed at the meetings were grouped into four thematic categories: The Mobile Emergency Service and the school: education and health promotion for children; As the Mobile Emergency Care Service works: What is important to know ?; Something's wrong, what now? and; We are nearly finished, give your opinion. The specific issues arising from the meetings contributed to the production of an educational tool on the activities of the Mobile Emergency Service, which may be used by the School Health Program to promote health education in the care area to the emergency room with the population schoolchildren. Sistematizar, junto aos profissionais do Serviço de Atendimento Móvel de Urgência de um município catarinense, os principais temas para a elaboração de um instrumento educativo sobre atenção às urgências, dedicado à população em idade escolar. Estudo qualitativo, realizado por meio de encontros no formato de grupo focal, com 19 profissionais que desenvolvem suas atividades no Serviço de Atendimento Móvel de Urgência municipal. Os dados foram categorizados e analisados com a técnica de análise temática. Os conteúdos debatidos nos encontros foram agrupados em quatro categorias temáticas: O Serviço de Atendimento Móvel de Urgência e a escola: educação e promoção da saúde para as crianças; Como o Serviço de Atendimento Móvel de Urgência funciona: o que é importante saber?; Tem algo errado, e agora? e; Estamos quase concluindo, dê sua opinião. Os temas específicos resultantes dos encontros contribuíram para a produção de um instrumento educacional sobre as atividades do Serviço de Atendimento Móvel de Urgência, que poderá ser utilizado pelo Programa Saúde na Escola para promover educação em saúde na área de atenção às urgências junto à população em idade escolar.
Effects of auriculotherapy on labour pain: a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Mafetoni, Reginaldo Roque; Shimo, Antonieta Keiko Kakuda

2016-01-01

Assessing the effects of auriculotherapy in pain control and its outcomes on the duration of labour. This is a randomized, controlled, double-blind trial with preliminary data. Thirty pregnant women with gestational age ≥ 37 weeks, cervical dilatation ≥ 4 cm and two or more contractions in 10 minutes were selected and randomly divided into three groups: auriculotherapy, placebo and control. Auriculotherapy was applied using crystal beads on four strategic points. No statistical significance was found between the groups with regard to pain; however, the women from the auriculotherapy group had lower intensity and less perception of pain at 30, 60 and 120 minutes of treatment. The average duration of labour was shorter in the auriculotherapy group (248.7 versus placebo 414.8 versus control 296.3 minutes); caesarean section rates were higher in the placebo group (50%) and the same in the other groups (10%). Mothers who received auriculotherapy presented a tendency for greater pain control and shorter labour duration; however, caesarean section rates in this group were similar to the control group. This trial precedes a larger study in progress. Registration of Brazilian Clinical Trials: RBR-47hhbj. Avaliar os efeitos da auriculoterapia no controle da dor e seus desfechos na duração do trabalho de parto. Trata-se de um ensaio controlado, randomizado e duplo-cego, com dados preliminares. Foram selecionadas 30 parturientes com idade gestacional ≥ 37 semanas, dilatação cervical ≥ 4 cm e duas ou mais contrações em 10 minutos, divididas aleatoriamente em três grupos: auriculoterapia, placebo ou controle. A auriculoterapia foi aplicada com microesferas de cristais em quatro pontos estratégicos. Não houve significância estatística entre os grupos com relação à dor; no entanto, as mulheres do grupo de auriculoterapia, apresentaram menor intensidade e menor percepção da dor aos 30, 60 e 120 minutos do tratamento. A média de duração do trabalho de parto foi menor no grupo de auriculoterapia (248,7 versus placebo 414,8 versus controle 296,3 minutos); a taxa de cesárea foi maior no grupo placebo (50%) e igual nos outros (10%). As parturientes que receberam auriculoterapia apresentaram tendência a um maior controle da dor e menor duração do trabalho de parto, porém a taxa de cesárea neste grupo foi semelhante à do grupo controle. Este ensaio precede um estudo maior, em andamento. Registro Brasileiro de Ensaio Clínico: RBR-47hhbj.

MISSE Scattered Atomic Oxygen Characterization Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, Bruce A.; deGroh, Kim K.; Miller, Sharon K.

2006-01-01

An experiment designed to measure the atomic oxygen (AO) erosion profile of scattered AO was exposed to Low Earth Orbital (LEO) AO for almost four years as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment 1 and 2 (MISSE 1 and 2). The experiment was flown in MISSE Passive Experiment Carrier 2 (PEC 2), Tray 1, attached to the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS) Quest Airlock. The experiment consisted of an aperture disk lid of Kapton H (DuPont) polyimide coated on the space exposed surface with a thin AO durable silicon dioxide film. The aperture lid had a small hole in its center to allow AO to enter into a chamber and impact a base disk of aluminum. The AO that scattered from the aluminum base could react with the under side of the aperture lid which was coated sporadically with microscopic sodium chloride particles. Scattered AO erosion can occur to materials within a spacecraft that are protected from direct AO attack but because of apertures in the spacecraft the AO can attack the interior materials after scattering. The erosion of the underside of the Kapton lid was sufficient to be able to use profilometry to measure the height of the buttes that remained after washing off the salt particles. The erosion pattern indicated that peak flux of scattered AO occurred at and angle of approximately 45 from the incoming normal incidence on the aluminum base unlike the erosion pattern predicted for scattering based on Monte Carlo computational predictions for AO scattering from Kapton H polyimide. The effective erosion yield for the scattered AO was found to be a factor of 0.214 of that for direct impingement on Kapton H polyimide.
Sonographic aorta/IVC cross-sectional area index for evaluation of dehydration in children.

PubMed

Kwon, Hyuksool; Jung, Jae Yun; Lee, Jin Hee; Kwak, Young Ho; Kim, Do Kyun; Jung, Jin Hee; Chang, Ik Wan; Kim, Kyuseok

2016-09-01

Current studies have not found sufficient evidence to encourage the use of ultrasound for assessing dehydration in children. We introduce a new sonographic parameter, the "aorta/inferior vena cava (IVC) cross-sectional area index" (Ao/IVCA) measured just inferior to the xiphoid process, for the effective evaluation of dehydration in children. This is a prospective, observational study. We enrolled children who presented to the pediatric emergency department (PED) between May 2014 and January 2015. We measured the maximum diameter of the aorta from inner wall to inner wall, and the long and short axis diameters of IVC using a convex array transducer. Ao/IVCA was calculated and compared with aorta/IVC maximal diameter index (Ao/IVCD) and the clinical dehydration scale (CDS). A total of 34 children were enrolled. We found a statistically significant correlation between Ao/IVCA and CDS (R(2) = 0.30; P <.001). Ao/IVCD did not correlate significantly with CDS (R(2) = 0.08; P =.11). The ability of Ao/IVCA and Ao/IVCD to predict CDS ≥1 was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for Ao/IVCA was larger than that for Ao/IVCD (0.87 vs 0.75, P= .04). The cut-off value of Ao/IVCA that yielded the maximum value of Youden index was 1.81 (sensitivity: 72%, specificity: 89%). Ao/IVCA might be a promising index for the assessment of dehydration. The diagnostic performance of Ao/IVCA for dehydration might be higher than that of the method that uses the maximum diameter of IVC and the aorta. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Formulation of polylactide-co-glycolic acid nanospheres for encapsulation and sustained release of poly(ethylene imine)-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymers complexed to oligonucleotides

PubMed Central

Sirsi, Shashank R; Schray, Rebecca C; Wheatley, Margaret A; Lutz, Gordon J

2009-01-01

Antisense oligonucleotides (AOs) have been shown to induce dystrophin expression in muscles cells of patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and in the mdx mouse, the murine model of DMD. However, ineffective delivery of AOs limits their therapeutic potential. Copolymers of cationic poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) and non-ionic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) form stable nanoparticles when complexed with AOs, but the positive surface charge on the resultant PEG-PEI-AO nanoparticles limits their biodistribution. We adapted a modified double emulsion procedure for encapsulating PEG-PEI-AO polyplexes into degradable polylactide-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanospheres. Formulation parameters were varied including PLGA molecular weight, ester end-capping, and sonication energy/volume. Our results showed successful encapsulation of PEG-PEI-AO within PLGA nanospheres with average diameters ranging from 215 to 240 nm. Encapsulation efficiency ranged from 60 to 100%, and zeta potential measurements confirmed shielding of the PEG-PEI-AO cationic charge. Kinetic measurements of 17 kDa PLGA showed a rapid burst release of about 20% of the PEG-PEI-AO, followed by sustained release of up to 65% over three weeks. To evaluate functionality, PEG-PEI-AO polyplexes were loaded into PLGA nanospheres using an AO that is known to induce dystrophin expression in dystrophic mdx mice. Intramuscular injections of this compound into mdx mice resulted in over 300 dystrophin-positive muscle fibers distributed throughout the muscle cross-sections, approximately 3.4 times greater than for injections of AO alone. We conclude that PLGA nanospheres are effective compounds for the sustained release of PEG-PEI-AO polyplexes in skeletal muscle and concomitant expression of dystrophin, and may have translational potential in treating DMD. PMID:19351396
Importance of SERCA2a on early isolated diastolic dysfunction induced by supravalvular aortic stenosis in rats

PubMed Central

Silveira, C.F.S.M.P.; Campos, D.H.S.; Freire, P.P.; Deus, A.F.; Okoshi, K.; Padovani, C.R.; Cicogna, A.C.

2017-01-01

Cardiac remodeling is defined as changes in shape and function of the heart in response to aggression (pressure overload). The sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase cardiac isoform 2a (SERCA2a) is a known factor that influences function. A wide spectrum of studies report a decrease in SERCA2a in heart failure, but none evaluate it's the role in early isolated diastolic dysfunction in supravalvular aortic stenosis (AoS). Our hypothesis was that SERCA2a participates in such dysfunction. Thirty-day-old male Wistar rats (60-80 g) were divided into AoS and Sham groups, which were submitted to surgery with or without aorta clipping, respectively. After 6 weeks, the animals were submitted to echocardiogram and functional analysis by isolated papillary muscle (IPM) in basal condition, hypoxia, and SERCA2a blockage with cyclopiazonic acid at calcium concentrations of 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 mM. Western-blot analyses were used for SERCA2a and phospholamban detection. Data analysis was carried out with Student's t-test and ANOVA. AoS enhanced left atrium and E and A wave ratio, with preserved ejection fraction. Basal condition in IPM showed similar increases in developed tension (DT) and resting tension (RT) in AoS, and hypoxia was similar between groups. After cyclopiazonic acid blockage, final DT was equally decreased and RT was similar between groups, but the speed of relaxation was decreased in the AoS group. Western-blot was uniform in all evaluations. The hypothesis was confirmed, since functional parameters regarding SERCA2a were changed in the AoS group. PMID:28423119
Wavefront sensorless adaptive optics versus sensor-based adaptive optics for in vivo fluorescence retinal imaging (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahl, Daniel J.; Zhang, Pengfei; Jian, Yifan; Bonora, Stefano; Sarunic, Marinko V.; Zawadzki, Robert J.

2017-02-01

Adaptive optics (AO) is essential for achieving diffraction limited resolution in large numerical aperture (NA) in-vivo retinal imaging in small animals. Cellular-resolution in-vivo imaging of fluorescently labeled cells is highly desirable for studying pathophysiology in animal models of retina diseases in pre-clinical vision research. Currently, wavefront sensor-based (WFS-based) AO is widely used for retinal imaging and has demonstrated great success. However, the performance can be limited by several factors including common path errors, wavefront reconstruction errors and an ill-defined reference plane on the retina. Wavefront sensorless (WFS-less) AO has the advantage of avoiding these issues at the cost of algorithmic execution time. We have investigated WFS-less AO on a fluorescence scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (fSLO) system that was originally designed for WFS-based AO. The WFS-based AO uses a Shack-Hartmann WFS and a continuous surface deformable mirror in a closed-loop control system to measure and correct for aberrations induced by the mouse eye. The WFS-less AO performs an open-loop modal optimization with an image quality metric. After WFS-less AO aberration correction, the WFS was used as a control of the closed-loop WFS-less AO operation. We can easily switch between WFS-based and WFS-less control of the deformable mirror multiple times within an imaging session for the same mouse. This allows for a direct comparison between these two types of AO correction for fSLO. Our results demonstrate volumetric AO-fSLO imaging of mouse retinal cells labeled with GFP. Most significantly, we have analyzed and compared the aberration correction results for WFS-based and WFS-less AO imaging.
Evaluating Burning Mouth Syndrome as a Comorbidity of Atypical Odontalgia: The Impact on Pain Experiences.

PubMed

Tu, Trang T H; Miura, Anna; Shinohara, Yukiko; Mikuzuki, Lou; Kawasaki, Kaoru; Sugawara, Shiori; Suga, Takayuki; Watanabe, Takeshi; Watanabe, Motoko; Umezaki, Yojiro; Yoshikawa, Tatsuya; Motomura, Haruhiko; Takenoshita, Miho; Toyofuku, Akira

2018-06-01

This study aimed (1) to investigate the differences in clinical characteristics of patients between 2 groups, those who have atypical odontalgia (AO) only and those who have AO with burning mouth syndrome (BMS), and (2) to assess the influence of psychiatric comorbidity factors on patients' experiences. Medical records and psychiatric referral forms of patients visiting the Psychosomatic Dentistry Clinic of Tokyo Medical and Dental University between 2013 and 2016 were reviewed. The final sample included 2 groups of 355 patients: those who have AO only (n = 272) and those who have AO with BMS (AO-BMS; n = 83). Clinicodemographic variables (gender, age, comorbid psychiatric disorders, and history of headache or sleep disturbances) and pain variables (duration of illness, pain intensity, and severity of accompanying depression) were collected. Initial pain assessment was done using the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, and depressive state was determined using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. The average age, female ratio, and sleep disturbance prevalence in the AO-only group were significantly lower than those in AO-BMS group. AO-BMS patients rated overall pain score and present pain intensity significantly higher than did the AO-only patients (P = 0.033 and P = 0.034, respectively), emphasizing sharp (P = 0.049), hot-burning (P = 0.000), and splitting (P = 0.003) characteristics of pain. Patients having comorbid psychiatric disorders had a higher proportion of sleep disturbance in both groups and a higher proportion of depressive state in the AO-only group. AO-BMS patients have different epidemiological characteristics, sleep quality, and pain experiences compared to AO-only patients. The presence of psychiatric comorbidities in both groups may exacerbate sleep quality. We suggest that BMS as a comorbid oral disorder in AO patients contributes to a more intensively painful experience. © 2017 The Authors. Pain Practice published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of World Institute of Pain.
Exploring exposure to Agent Orange and increased mortality due to bladder cancer.

PubMed

Mossanen, Matthew; Kibel, Adam S; Goldman, Rose H

2017-11-01

During the Vietnam War, many veterans were exposed to Agent Orange (AO), a chemical defoliant containing varying levels of the carcinogen dioxin. The health effects of AO exposure have been widely studied in the VA population. Here we review and interpret data regarding the association between AO exposure and bladder cancer (BC) mortality. Data evaluating the association between AO and BC is limited. Methods characterizing exposure have become more sophisticated over time. Several studies support the link between AO exposure and increased mortality due to BC, including the Korean Veterans Health Study. Available data suggest an association with exposure to AO and increased mortality due to BC. In patients exposed to AO, increased frequency of cystoscopic surveillance and potentially more aggressive therapy for those with BC may be warranted but utility of these strategies remains to be proven. Additional research is required to better understand the relationship between AO and BC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Compact MEMS-based Adaptive Optics Optical Coherence Tomography for Clinical Use

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, D; Olivier, S; Jones, S

2008-02-04

We describe a compact MEMS-based adaptive optics (AO) optical coherence tomography system with improved AO performance and ease of clinical use. A typical AO system consists of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor and a deformable mirror that measures and corrects the ocular and system aberrations. Because of the limitation on the current deformable mirror technologies, the amount of real-time ocular-aberration compensation is restricted and small in the previous AO-OCT instruments. In this instrument, we proposed to add an optical apparatus to correct the spectacle aberrations of the patients such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. This eliminated the tedious process of themore » trial lenses in clinical imaging. Different amount of spectacle aberration compensation was achieved by motorized stages and automated with the AO computer for ease of clinical use. In addition, the compact AO-OCT was optimized to have minimum system aberrations to reduce AO registration errors and improve AO performance.« less
Preparation of high-content hexagonal boron nitride composite film and characterization of atomic oxygen erosion resistance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yu; Li, Min; Gu, Yizhuo; Wang, Shaokai; Zhang, Zuoguang

2017-04-01

Space aircrafts circling in low earth orbit are suffered from highly reactive atomic oxygen (AO). To shield AO, a flexible thin film with 80 wt.% hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and h-BN/epoxy film were fabricated through vacuum filtration and adding nanofibrillated cellulose fibers. H-BN nanosheets were hydroxylated for enhancing interaction in the films. Mass loss and erosion yield at accumulated AO fluence about 3.04 × 1020 atoms/cm2 were adopted to evaluate the AO resistance properties of the films. A carpet-like rough surface, chemical oxidations and change in crystal structure of h-BN were found after AO treatment, and the degrading mechanism was proposed. The mass loss and erosion yield under AO attack were compared between h-BN film and h-BN/epoxy film, and the comparison was also done for various types of shielding AO materials. Excellent AO resistance property of h-BN film is shown, and the reasons are analyzed.
Positive family history of aortic dissection dramatically increases dissection risk in family members.

PubMed

Ma, Wei-Guo; Chou, Alan S; Mok, Salvior C M; Ziganshin, Bulat A; Charilaou, Paris; Zafar, Mohammad A; Sieller, Richard S; Tranquilli, Maryann; Rizzo, John A; Elefteriades, John A

2017-08-01

Although family members of patients with aortic dissection (AoD) are believed to be at higher risk of AoD, the prognostic value of family history (FH) of aortic dissection (FHAD) in family members of patients with AoD has not been studied rigorously. We seek examine how much a positive FHAD increases the risk of developing new aortic dissection (AoD) among first-degree relatives. Patients with AoD at our institution were analyzed for information of FHAD. Positive FHAD referred to that AoD occurred in index patient and one or more first-degree relatives. Negative FHAD was defined as the condition in which only one case of AoD (the index patient) occurred in the family. The age at AoD, exposure years in adulthood before AoD, and annual probability of AoD among first-degree relatives were compared between patients with negative and positive FHADs. FHAD was positive in 32 and negative in 68 among the 100 AoD patients with detailed family history information. Mean age at dissection was 59.9±14.7years. Compared to negative FHAD, patients with positive FHAD dissected at significantly younger age (54.7±16.8 vs 62.4±13.0years, p=0.013), had more AoD events in first-degree relatives (2.3±0.6 vs 1.0±0.0, p<0.001), and shorter exposure years per AoD event (18.3±6.7 vs 43.1±8.5, p<0.001). Annual probability of AoD per first-degree relative was 2.77 times higher in patients with positive than negative FHADs (0.0100±0.0057 vs 0.0036±0.0014, p<0.001). A positive FHAD confers a significantly increased risk of developing aortic dissection on family members, with a higher annual probability of aortic dissection, a shorter duration of "exposure time" before dissection occurs and a lower mean age at time of dissection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
[Effect of acidic oligosaccharides on P-selectin of pulmonary hypertensive rats induced by monocrotaline].

PubMed

Feng, Z; Hu, Y; An, N N; Feng, W J; Hu, T; Mao, Y J

2018-02-12

Objective: To observe the effects of acidic oligosaccharides (AOS) on P-selectin levels in the serum and the pulmonary arteries of pulmonary hypertensive rats induced by monocrotaline. Methods: Sixty healthy adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group ( n =10), model group ( n =10), Alprostadil group ( n =10), low-dose AOS group (AOS-L, n =10), medium-dose AOS group (AOS-M, n =10) and high-dose AOS group (AOS-H, n =10). The rat model of pulmonary arterial hypertension was made by a single intraperitoneal injection of monocrotaline(60 mg/kg). Five weeks after injection, pulmonary arterial (PA) acceleration time (PAT) and ejection time (ET) were measured by color Doppler ultrasound. Then, the Alprostadil group was treated by Alprostadil 5 μg·kg(-1)·d(-1)intraperitoneally. Acidic oligosaccharides was administered by intraperitoneal injection to rats in the AOS-L group(5 kg(-1)·d(-1)), AOS-M group (10 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1))and AOS-H group (20 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)). Control group and model group were given normal saline instead. At the end of experiments, the death rate was recorded and PAT/ET was measured. We calculated the right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI) of all rats sacrificed under anesthesia. Precision-cut lung slices were stained with HE for observation of the structure of middle and small arteries. The expression level of P-selectin in serum and pulmonary arterial tissues were detected by ELISA and Western blot respectively. Results: AOS significantly increased the level of PAT/ET ( P <0.01), and attenuated RVHI ( P <0.01). AOS significantly improved intima-media proliferation in small-to medium-sized pulmonary arteries, and attenuated perivascular inflammation. AOS and Alprostadil significantly down-regulated the protein expression of P-selectin in serum and pulmonary arteries ( P <0.01). Conclusion: In this rat model of monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension, AOS decreased the expressions of P-selectin in serum and pulmonary arteries in a dose-dependent manner.
Prevalence of abdominal obesity in Spanish children and adolescents. Do we need waist circumference measurements in pediatric practice?

PubMed

Schröder, Helmut; Ribas, Lourdes; Koebnick, Corinna; Funtikova, Anna; Gomez, Santiago F; Fíto, Montserat; Perez-Rodrigo, Carmen; Serra-Majem, Lluis

2014-01-01

Evidence indicates that central adiposity has increased to a higher degree than general adiposity in children and adolescents in recent decades. However, waist circumference is not a routine measurement in clinical practice. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of abdominal obesity based on waist circumferences (WC) and waist to height ratio (WHtR) in Spanish children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years. Further, the prevalence of abdominal obesity (AO) among normal and overweight individuals was analyzed. Data were obtained from a study conducted from 1998 to 2000 in a representative national sample of 1521 children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years (50.0% female) in Spain. WC and WHtR measurements were obtained in addition to BMI. AO was defined as WHtR ≥0.50 (WHtR-AO), sex and age specific WC≥90(th) percentile (WC-AO1), and sex and age specific WC cut-off values associated with high trunk fat measured by by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (WC-AO2). IOTF- based overweight and obsity prevalence was 21.5% and 6.6% in children and 17.4% and 5.2% in adolescents, respectively. Abdominal obesity (AO) was defined as WHtR≥0.50 (WHtR-AO), sex- and age-specific WC≥90th percentile (WC-AO1), and sex- and age-specific WC cut-off values associated with high trunk fat measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (WC-AO2). The respective prevalence of WHtR-AO, WC-AO1, and WC-AO2 was 21.3% (24.6% boys; 17.9% girls), 9.4% (9.1% boys; 9.7% girls), and 26.8% (30.6% boys;22.9% girls) in children and 14.3% (20.0% boys; 8.7% girls), 9.6% (9.8% boys; 9.5% girls), and 21.1% (28.8% boys; 13.7% girls) in adolescents. The prevalence of AO in Spanish children and adolescents is of concern. The high proportion of AO observed in young patients who are normal weight or overweight indicates a need to include waist circumference measurements in routine clinical practice.
Prevalence of Abdominal Obesity in Spanish Children and Adolescents. Do We Need Waist Circumference Measurements in Pediatric Practice?

PubMed Central

Schröder, Helmut; Ribas, Lourdes; Koebnick, Corinna; Funtikova, Anna; Gomez, Santiago F.; Fíto, Montserat; Perez-Rodrigo, Carmen; Serra-Majem, Lluis

2014-01-01

Background Evidence indicates that central adiposity has increased to a higher degree than general adiposity in children and adolescents in recent decades. However, waist circumference is not a routine measurement in clinical practice. Objective This study aimed to determine the prevalence of abdominal obesity based on waist circumferences (WC) and waist to height ratio (WHtR) in Spanish children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years. Further, the prevalence of abdominal obesity (AO) among normal and overweight individuals was analyzed. Design Data were obtained from a study conducted from 1998 to 2000 in a representative national sample of 1521 children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years (50.0% female) in Spain. WC and WHtR measurements were obtained in addition to BMI. AO was defined as WHtR ≥0.50 (WHtR-AO), sex and age specific WC≥90th percentile (WC-AO1), and sex and age specific WC cut-off values associated with high trunk fat measured by by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (WC-AO2). Results IOTF- based overweight and obsity prevalence was 21.5% and 6.6% in children and 17.4% and 5.2% in adolescents, respectively. Abdominal obesity (AO) was defined as WHtR≥0.50 (WHtR-AO), sex- and age-specific WC≥90th percentile (WC-AO1), and sex- and age-specific WC cut-off values associated with high trunk fat measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (WC-AO2). The respective prevalence of WHtR-AO, WC-AO1, and WC-AO2 was 21.3% (24.6% boys; 17.9% girls), 9.4% (9.1% boys; 9.7% girls), and 26.8% (30.6% boys;22.9% girls) in children and 14.3% (20.0% boys; 8.7% girls), 9.6% (9.8% boys; 9.5% girls), and 21.1% (28.8% boys; 13.7% girls) in adolescents. Conclusion The prevalence of AO in Spanish children and adolescents is of concern. The high proportion of AO observed in young patients who are normal weight or overweight indicates a need to include waist circumference measurements in routine clinical practice. PMID:24475305
SMILES/AOS: acousto-optical spectrometer for high resolution submillimeter-wave spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazuray, L.; Barthès, J.-C.; Bayle, F.; Castel, D.; Claviere, P.; Delbru, F.; Doittau, P.-O.; Gladin, L.; Guilleux, P.; Halbout, S.; Lavielle, D.; Varin, J.-L.; de Zotti, S.; Rosolen, C.; Ozeki, H.

2017-11-01

An acousto-optical spectrometer (AOS) is employed in order to meet scientific mission objectives of submillimeter-wave limb-emission sounder (SMILES) to be aboard the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) of International space station (ISS). AOS is developed by ASTRIUM for the Japanese space agency (NASDA). The capability of multi channel detection with AOS is suitable for observing multi-chemical species in a wide frequency region. Low noise of the AOS enables us to obtain the spectra with a very high sensitivity. Several technical concerns relating to important instrumental characteristics of AOS are discussed and expected performance of the design are overviewed.
MagAO: status and science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morzinski, Katie M.; Close, Laird M.; Males, Jared R.; Hinz, Phil M.; Esposito, Simone; Riccardi, Armando; Briguglio, Runa; Follette, Katherine B.; Pinna, Enrico; Puglisi, Alfio; Vezilj, Jennifer; Xompero, Marco; Wu, Ya-Lin

2016-07-01

"MagAO" is the adaptive optics instrument at the Magellan Clay telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. MagAO has a 585-actuator adaptive secondary mirror and 1000-Hz pyramid wavefront sensor, operating on natural guide stars from R-magnitudes of -1 to 15. MagAO has been in on-sky operation for 166 nights since installation in 2012. MagAO's unique capabilities are simultaneous imaging in the visible and infrared with VisAO and Clio, excellent performance at an excellent site, and a lean operations model. Science results from MagAO include the first ground-based CCD image of an exoplanet, demonstration of the first accreting protoplanets, discovery of a new wide-orbit exoplanet, and the first empirical bolometric luminosity of an exoplanet. We describe the status, report the AO performance, and summarize the science results. New developments reported here include color corrections on red guide stars for the wavefront sensor; a new field stop stage to facilitate VisAO imaging of extended sources; and eyepiece observing at the visible-light diffraction limit of a 6.5-m telescope. We also discuss a recent hose failure that led to a glycol coolant leak, and the recovery of the adaptive secondary mirror (ASM) after this recent (Feb. 2016) incident.
Advanced orbiting systems test-bedding and protocol verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noles, James; De Gree, Melvin

1989-01-01

The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) has begun the development of a set of protocol recommendations for Advanced Orbiting Systems (SOS). The AOS validation program and formal definition of AOS protocols are reviewed, and the configuration control of the AOS formal specifications is summarized. Independent implementations of the AOS protocols by NASA and ESA are discussed, and cross-support/interoperability tests which will allow the space agencies of various countries to share AOS communication facilities are addressed.
First closed-loop visible AO test results for the advanced adaptive secondary AO system for the Magellan Telescope: MagAO's performance and status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Close, Laird M.; Males, Jared R.; Kopon, Derek A.; Gasho, Victor; Follette, Katherine B.; Hinz, Phil; Morzinski, Katie; Uomoto, Alan; Hare, Tyson; Riccardi, Armando; Esposito, Simone; Puglisi, Alfio; Pinna, Enrico; Busoni, Lorenzo; Arcidiacono, Carmelo; Xompero, Marco; Briguglio, Runa; Quiros-Pacheco, Fernando; Argomedo, Javier

2012-07-01

The heart of the 6.5 Magellan AO system (MagAO) is a 585 actuator adaptive secondary mirror (ASM) with <1 msec response times (0.7 ms typically). This adaptive secondary will allow low emissivity and high-contrast AO science. We fabricated a high order (561 mode) pyramid wavefront sensor (similar to that now successfully used at the Large Binocular Telescope). The relatively high actuator count (and small projected ~23 cm pitch) allows moderate Strehls to be obtained by MagAO in the “visible” (0.63-1.05 μm). To take advantage of this we have fabricated an AO CCD science camera called "VisAO". Complete “end-to-end” closed-loop lab tests of MagAO achieve a solid, broad-band, 37% Strehl (122 nm rms) at 0.76 μm (i’) with the VisAO camera in 0.8” simulated seeing (13 cm ro at V) with fast 33 mph winds and a 40 m Lo locked on R=8 mag artificial star. These relatively high visible wavelength Strehls are enabled by our powerful combination of a next generation ASM and a Pyramid WFS with 400 controlled modes and 1000 Hz sample speeds (similar to that used successfully on-sky at the LBT). Currently only the VisAO science camera is used for lab testing of MagAO, but this high level of measured performance (122 nm rms) promises even higher Strehls with our IR science cameras. On bright (R=8 mag) stars we should achieve very high Strehls (>70% at H) in the IR with the existing MagAO Clio2 (λ=1-5.3 μm) science camera/coronagraph or even higher (~98% Strehl) the Mid-IR (8-26 microns) with the existing BLINC/MIRAC4 science camera in the future. To eliminate non-common path vibrations, dispersions, and optical errors the VisAO science camera is fed by a common path advanced triplet ADC and is piggy-backed on the Pyramid WFS optical board itself. Also a high-speed shutter can be used to block periods of poor correction. The entire system passed CDR in June 2009, and we finished the closed-loop system level testing phase in December 2011. Final system acceptance (“pre-ship” review) was passed in February 2012. In May 2012 the entire AO system is was successfully shipped to Chile and fully tested/aligned. It is now in storage in the Magellan telescope clean room in anticipation of “First Light” scheduled for December 2012. An overview of the design, attributes, performance, and schedule for the Magellan AO system and its two science cameras are briefly presented here.
Basic Concepts of Astronomy: a Methodological Proposal. (Spanish Title: Conceptos Básicos de Astronomía: Una Propuesta Metodológica.) Conceitos Básicos de Astronomia: Uma Proposta Metodológica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darroz, Luiz Marcelo; Heineck, Renato; Samudio Pérez, Carlos Ariel

2011-12-01

In this report, the development of a methodological proposal which approaches basic concepts of astronomy-grounded pedagogically on Meaningful Learning is described. The proposal, which consists of four meetings, was developed by teachers and academics of the course of Professor in Physics of the University of Passo Fundo (UPF), through an extension course to a group of highschool students of a public school of the town of Passo Fundo, RS. The work was focused into basic concepts of astronomy. The signs of Meaningful Learning have been obtained by means of research and evaluation tools that were applied at the end of each meeting. The evaluation of the proposal has been conducted by means of a final questionnaire which was answered by the participants at the end ofthe development of activities. By means of the results obtained from the different instruments, and the comments made by the participants during the activities and by means of the high rates of approval obtained in the final questionnaire, we think that the proposal reached the established goals and it may be repeated with the certainty of success. En este relato se describe una propuesta de desarrollo metodológico que aborda conceptos básicos de astronomía fundamentada pedagógicamente en el Aprendizaje Significativo. La propuesta que comprende cuatro encuentros, fue desarrollada por profesores y académicos del curso de Licenciatura en Física de la Universidad de Passo Fundo (UPF), a través de un curso de extensión para un grupo de Liceo del 6º año de una Escuela Pública de la ciudad de Passo Fundo/RS. El trabajo tuvo como eje principal los "conceptos básicos de astronomía". Los indicios de Aprendizaje Significativo fueron obtenidos por instrumentos de pesquisa y evaluación, siempre aplicados después de cada encuentro. La evaluación de la propuesta fue hecha a través de un cuestionario final y contestado por los participantes al finalizar el desarrollo de actividades. Por los resultados obtenidos en diferentes momentos, por los comentarios efectuados por los participantes durante las actividades y por los altos índices de aprobación al final de la etapa, consideramos que la propuesta atingió los objetivos establecidos y puede ser repetida con certeza de éxito. Neste relato, descreve-se o desenvolvimento de uma proposta metodológica que aborda conceitos básicos de astronomia fundamentada pedagogicamente na Aprendizagem Significativa. A proposta, que compreende quatro encontros, foi desenvolvida por professores e acadêmicos do curso de Licenciatura em Física da Universidade de Passo Fundo (UPF), através de um curso de extensão, a um grupo de dez estudantes do ensino médio de uma escola pública da cidade de Passo Fundo, RS. O trabalho centrou-se em conceitos básicos de astronomia. Os indícios da aprendizagem significativa foram obtidos por instrumentos de pesquisa e avaliação aplicados ao término de cada encontro. A avaliação da proposta foi efetuada através de um questionário final respondido pelos participantes ao término do desenvolvimento das atividades. Pelos resultados obtidos nos diferentes instrumentos, pelos comentários efetuados pelos participantes durante as atividades e pelos altos índices de aprovação alcançados no questionário final, consideramos que a proposta atingiu os objetivos estabelecidos e pode ser repetida com convicção de sucesso.
Persistent Depressive Symptoms are Independent Predictors of Low-Grade Inflammation Onset Among Healthy Individuals.

PubMed

Franco, Fábio Gazelato de Mello; Laurinavicius, Antonio Gabriele; Lotufo, Paulo A; Conceição, Raquel D; Morita, Fernando; Katz, Marcelo; Wajngarten, Maurício; Carvalho, José Antonio Maluf; Bosworth, Hayden B; Santos, Raul Dias

2017-06-29

Depressive symptoms are independently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among individuals with non-diagnosed CVD. The mechanisms underlying this association, however, remain unclear. Inflammation has been indicated as a possible mechanistic link between depression and CVD. This study evaluated the association between persistent depressive symptoms and the onset of low-grade inflammation. From a database of 1,508 young (mean age: 41 years) individuals with no CVD diagnosis who underwent at least two routine health evaluations, 134 had persistent depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory - BDI ≥ 10, BDI+) and 1,374 had negative symptoms at both time points (BDI-). All participants had been submitted to repeated clinical and laboratory evaluations at a regular follow-up with an average of 26 months from baseline. Low-grade inflammation was defined as plasma high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (CRP) concentrations > 3 mg/L. The outcome was the incidence of low-grade inflammation evaluated by the time of the second clinical evaluation. The incidence of low-grade inflammation was more frequently observed in the BDI+ group compared to the BDI- group (20.9% vs. 11.4%; p = 0.001). After adjusting for sex, age, waist circumference, body mass index, levels of physical activity, smoking, and prevalence of metabolic syndrome, persistent depressive symptoms remained an independent predictor of low-grade inflammation onset (OR = 1.76; 95% CI: 1.03-3.02; p = 0.04). Persistent depressive symptoms were independently associated with low-grade inflammation onset among healthy individuals. Sintomas depressivos estão associados de forma independente ao risco aumentado de doença cardiovascular (DCV) em indivíduos com DCV não diagnosticada. Os mecanismos subjacentes a essa associação, entretanto, não estão claros. Inflamação tem sido indicada como um possível elo mecanicista entre depressão e DCV. Este estudo avaliou a associação entre sintomas depressivos persistentes e o início de inflamação de baixo grau. De um banco de dados de 1.508 indivíduos jovens (idade média: 41 anos) sem diagnóstico de DCV submetidos a pelo menos duas avaliações de saúde de rotina, 134 tinham sintomas depressivos persistentes (Inventário de Depressão de Beck - BDI ≥10, BDI+) e 1.374 não apresentavam sintomas em nenhuma das ocasiões (BDI-). Todos os participantes foram submetidos a repetidas avaliações clínicas e laboratoriais em seguimento regular, cuja média foi de 26 meses desde a condição basal. Definiu-se inflamação de baixo grau como concentração plasmática de proteína C reativa (PCR) ultrassensível > 3 mg/L. O desfecho foi a incidência de inflamação de baixo grau por ocasião da segunda avaliação clínica. A incidência de inflamação de baixo grau foi maior no grupo BDI+ em comparação ao grupo BDI- (20,9% vs. 11,4%; p = 0,001). Após ajuste para sexo, idade, circunferência abdominal, índice de massa corporal, níveis de atividade física, tabagismo e prevalência de síndrome metabólica, os sintomas depressivos persistentes continuaram sendo um preditor independente de início de inflamação de baixo grau (OR = 1,76; IC 95%: 1,03-3,02; p = 0,04). Sintomas depressivos persistentes foram independentemente associados com início de inflamação de baixo grau em indivíduos saudáveis.
Isolation and Characterization of an Agaro-Oligosaccharide (AO)-Hydrolyzing Bacterium from the Gut Microflora of Chinese Individuals

PubMed Central

Li, Miaomiao; Li, Guangsheng; Zhu, Liying; Yin, Yeshi; Zhao, Xiaoliang; Xiang, Charlie; Yu, Guangli; Wang, Xin

2014-01-01

Agarose (AP) from red algae has a long history as food ingredients in East Asia. Agaro-oligosaccharides (AO) derived from AP have shown potential prebiotic effects. However, the human gut microbes responsible for the degradation of AO and AP have not yet been fully investigated. Here, we reported that AO and AP can be degraded and utilized at various rates by fecal microbiota obtained from different individuals. Bacteroides uniformis L8 isolated from human feces showed a pronounced ability to degrade AO and generate D-galactose as its final end product. PCR-DGGE analysis showed B. uniformis to be common in the fecal samples, but only B. uniformis L8 had the ability to degrade AO. A synergistic strain, here classified as Escherichia coli B2, was also identified because it could utilize the D-galactose as the growth substrate. The cross-feeding interaction between B. uniformis L8 and E. coli B2 led to exhaustion of the AO supply. Bifidobacterium infantis and Bifidobacterium adolescentis can utilize one of the intermediates of AO hydrolysis, agarotriose. Growth curves indicated that AO was the substrate that most favorably sustained the growth of B. uniformis L8. In contrast, κ-carrageenan oligosaccharides (KCO), guluronic acid oligosaccharides (GO), and mannuronic acid oligosaccharides (MO) were found to be unusable to B. uniformis L8. Current results indicate that B. uniformis L8 is a special degrader of AO in the gut microbiota. Because B. uniformis can mitigate high-fat-diet-induced metabolic disorders, further study is required to determine the potential applications of AO. PMID:24622338

Patterns of Post-Stroke Brain Damage that Predict Speech Production Errors in Apraxia of Speech and Aphasia Dissociate

PubMed Central

Basilakos, Alexandra; Rorden, Chris; Bonilha, Leonardo; Moser, Dana; Fridriksson, Julius

2015-01-01

Background and Purpose Acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) is a motor speech disorder caused by brain damage. AOS often co-occurs with aphasia, a language disorder in which patients may also demonstrate speech production errors. The overlap of speech production deficits in both disorders has raised questions regarding if AOS emerges from a unique pattern of brain damage or as a sub-element of the aphasic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to determine whether speech production errors in AOS and aphasia are associated with distinctive patterns of brain injury. Methods Forty-three patients with history of a single left-hemisphere stroke underwent comprehensive speech and language testing. The Apraxia of Speech Rating Scale was used to rate speech errors specific to AOS versus speech errors that can also be associated with AOS and/or aphasia. Localized brain damage was identified using structural MRI, and voxel-based lesion-impairment mapping was used to evaluate the relationship between speech errors specific to AOS, those that can occur in AOS and/or aphasia, and brain damage. Results The pattern of brain damage associated with AOS was most strongly associated with damage to cortical motor regions, with additional involvement of somatosensory areas. Speech production deficits that could be attributed to AOS and/or aphasia were associated with damage to the temporal lobe and the inferior pre-central frontal regions. Conclusion AOS likely occurs in conjunction with aphasia due to the proximity of the brain areas supporting speech and language, but the neurobiological substrate for each disorder differs. PMID:25908457
Isolation and characterization of an agaro-oligosaccharide (AO)-hydrolyzing bacterium from the gut microflora of Chinese individuals.

PubMed

Li, Miaomiao; Li, Guangsheng; Zhu, Liying; Yin, Yeshi; Zhao, Xiaoliang; Xiang, Charlie; Yu, Guangli; Wang, Xin

2014-01-01

Agarose (AP) from red algae has a long history as food ingredients in East Asia. Agaro-oligosaccharides (AO) derived from AP have shown potential prebiotic effects. However, the human gut microbes responsible for the degradation of AO and AP have not yet been fully investigated. Here, we reported that AO and AP can be degraded and utilized at various rates by fecal microbiota obtained from different individuals. Bacteroides uniformis L8 isolated from human feces showed a pronounced ability to degrade AO and generate D-galactose as its final end product. PCR-DGGE analysis showed B. uniformis to be common in the fecal samples, but only B. uniformis L8 had the ability to degrade AO. A synergistic strain, here classified as Escherichia coli B2, was also identified because it could utilize the D-galactose as the growth substrate. The cross-feeding interaction between B. uniformis L8 and E. coli B2 led to exhaustion of the AO supply. Bifidobacterium infantis and Bifidobacterium adolescentis can utilize one of the intermediates of AO hydrolysis, agarotriose. Growth curves indicated that AO was the substrate that most favorably sustained the growth of B. uniformis L8. In contrast, κ-carrageenan oligosaccharides (KCO), guluronic acid oligosaccharides (GO), and mannuronic acid oligosaccharides (MO) were found to be unusable to B. uniformis L8. Current results indicate that B. uniformis L8 is a special degrader of AO in the gut microbiota. Because B. uniformis can mitigate high-fat-diet-induced metabolic disorders, further study is required to determine the potential applications of AO.
A possible cause of the AO polarity reversal from winter to summer in 2010 and its relation to hemispheric extreme summer weather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otomi, Y.; Tachibana, Y.; Nakamura, T.

2012-12-01

In 2010, the Northern Hemisphere, in particular Russia, Europe and Japan, experienced an abnormally hot summer characterized by record-breaking warm temperatures and associated with a strongly positive Arctic Oscillation (AO). In contrast, in winter 2009/2010, the continent suffered from anomalously cold weather associated with a record-breaking negative AO. The winter-to-summer of the AO index during 2009/2010 evolved as follows: a strongly negative wintertime AO index continued until May, after which it abruptly changed, becoming strongly positive in July and continuing so until the beginning of August. The abrupt change of the AO index from strongly negative to strongly positive in 2010 thus corresponded to the change from the abnormally cold winter of 2009/2010 to the abnormally hot summer of 2010, which shows that the AO index is a good indicator of abnormal weather on a planetary-scale, and that extra-seasonal prediction of the AO is a key to long-term forecasting. In this study, we therefore aimed to examine the cause of the 2010 change in the AO index from strongly negative to strongly positive. We suggest that an oceanic memory of the strongly negative wintertime AO may have influenced the strongly positive summertime AO. The winter sea surface temperatures (SST) in the North Atlantic Ocean showed a tripolar anomaly pattern which is warm SST anomalies over the tropics and high latitudes and cold SST anomalies over the midlatitudes. The strongly negative wintertime AO would cause the warm SST anomaly in this region. The warm SST anomalies continued into summer 2010 because of the large oceanic heat capacity. In May and June, the heat flux anomaly changed from downward to upward in the tropics, and in July and August, the center of the upward anomaly moved westward. The area of the upward heat flux anomaly coincided with the area of the warm SST anomaly from May to August. The numerical model experiment showed that the tripolar SST pattern resulted in an anomalous height and wind pattern that caused a blocking high over Europe. The observed wave activity flux also seems to emanate from Europe. This midlatitude atmospheric response implies that strengthening of the positive geopotential anomalies over Europe was associated with the Atlantic tripolar SST anomaly. The positive geopotential anomaly in the area of the polar jet stream caused eastward propagation of Rossby waves, and the exceeding amplification of Rossby waves might have led to the formation of blocking anticyclones. As a consequence of these interactions, the positive AO pressure pattern can continue for a long time. Thus, a possible cause of the AO polarity reversal might be the "memory" of the negative winter AO in the North Atlantic Ocean, suggesting an interseasonal linkage of the AO in which the oceanic memory of a wintertime negative AO induces a positive AO in the following summer. Understanding of this interseasonal linkage may aid in the long-term prediction of such abnormal summer events. If this reversal pattern recurs, it might be possible to predict the summertime AO from the wintertime AO. Main parts of this study were published in Climatic Dynamics by Otomi et al, (2012).
BME Estimation of Residential Exposure to Ambient PM10 and Ozone at Multiple Time Scales

PubMed Central

Yu, Hwa-Lung; Chen, Jiu-Chiuan; Christakos, George; Jerrett, Michael

2009-01-01

Background Long-term human exposure to ambient pollutants can be an important contributing or etiologic factor of many chronic diseases. Spatiotemporal estimation (mapping) of long-term exposure at residential areas based on field observations recorded in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System often suffer from missing data issues due to the scarce monitoring network across space and the inconsistent recording periods at different monitors. Objective We developed and compared two upscaling methods: UM1 (data aggregation followed by exposure estimation) and UM2 (exposure estimation followed by data aggregation) for the long-term PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm) and ozone exposure estimations and applied them in multiple time scales to estimate PM and ozone exposures for the residential areas of the Health Effects of Air Pollution on Lupus (HEAPL) study. Method We used Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) analysis for the two upscaling methods. We performed spatiotemporal cross-validations at multiple time scales by UM1 and UM2 to assess the estimation accuracy across space and time. Results Compared with the kriging method, the integration of soft information by the BME method can effectively increase the estimation accuracy for both pollutants. The spatiotemporal distributions of estimation errors from UM1 and UM2 were similar. The cross-validation results indicated that UM2 is generally better than UM1 in exposure estimations at multiple time scales in terms of predictive accuracy and lack of bias. For yearly PM10 estimations, both approaches have comparable performance, but the implementation of UM1 is associated with much lower computation burden. Conclusion BME-based upscaling methods UM1 and UM2 can assimilate core and site-specific knowledge bases of different formats for long-term exposure estimation. This study shows that UM1 can perform reasonably well when the aggregation process does not alter the spatiotemporal structure of the original data set; otherwise, UM2 is preferable. PMID:19440491
Objective age of acquisition norms for a set of 286 words in Russian: relationships with other psycholinguistic variables.

PubMed

Grigoriev, Andrei; Oshhepkov, Ivan

2013-12-01

Normative data on the objective age of acquisition (AoA) for 286 Russian words are presented in this article. In addition, correlations between the objective AoA and subjective ratings, name agreement, picture name agreement, imageability, familiarity, word frequency, and word length are provided, as are correlations between the objective AoA and two measures of exemplar dominance (exemplar generation frequency and the number of times an exemplar was named first). The correlations between the aforementioned variables are generally consistent with the correlations reported in other normative studies. The objective AoA data are highly correlated with the subjective AoA ratings, whereas the correlations between the objective AoA and other psycholinguistic variables are moderate. The correlations between the objective AoA of Russian words and similar data for other languages are moderately high. The complete word norms may be downloaded from supplementary material.
Age of acquisition predicts naming and lexical-decision performance above and beyond 22 other predictor variables: an analysis of 2,342 words.

PubMed

Cortese, Michael J; Khanna, Maya M

2007-08-01

Age of acquisition (AoA) ratings were obtained and were used in hierarchical regression analyses to predict naming and lexical-decision performance for 2,342 words (from Balota, Cortese, Sergent-Marshall, Spieler, & Yap, 2004). In the analyses, AoA was included in addition to the set of predictors used by Balota et al. (2004). AoA significantly predicted latency performance on both tasks above and beyond the standard predictor set. However, AoA was more strongly related to lexical-decision performance than to naming performance. Finally, the previously reported effect of imageability on naming latencies by Balota et al. was not significant with AoA included as a factor. These results are consistent with the idea either that AoA has a semantic/lexical locus or that AoA effects emerge primarily in situations in which the input-output mapping is arbitrary.
AATA AOS evaluation : transfer and on-time performance study : before and after AOS implementation, October 1996 - May 1999

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

This study develops, using data before AOS in 1996 and 1997 and after AOS in 1998 and 1999, implementation data on AATAs on-time performance and vehicle-to-vehicle timing of transfers at four major transfer location. Systematic evaluation of on-ti...
The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme AO Project: Progress and Upgrades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jovanovic, Nemanja; Martinache, F.; Guyon, O.; Clergeon, C.; Garrel, V.

2013-01-01

The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme AO (SCExAO) instrument consists of a high performance Phase Induced Amplitude Apodisation (PIAA) coronagraph combined with an extreme Adaptive Optics (AO) system operating in the near-infrared (H band). The extreme AO system driven by the 2000 element deformable mirror will allow for Strehl ratios>90% to be achieved in the H-band when it goes closed loop. This makes the SCExAO instrument a powerful platform for high contrast imaging down to angular separations of the order of 1 λ/D. In this paper we report on the recent progress in regards to the development of the instrument, which includes the addition of a visible bench that makes use of the light at shorter wavelengths not currently utilized by SCExAO and closing the loop on the tip/tilt wavefront sensor. We will also discuss two exciting guest instruments which will expand the capabilities of SCExAO over the next few years; namely CHARIS which is a integral field spectrograph as well as VAMPIRES, a visible aperture masking experiment based on polarimetric analysis of circumstellar disks.
Acridine orange as a biosensitive photovoltaic material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharifi, Faranak; Bauld, Reg; Fanchini, Giovanni

2013-10-01

Acridine orange (AO), a biosensitive molecule that is customarily used for labeling nucleic acids including DNA and RNA, is here investigated as a cost effective, water soluble, and photoactive material for the fabrication of potentially biosensitive organic photovoltaics. The electronic energy levels of AO are determined using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The effect of anticrystallization agents, as well as low-temperature annealing, on the work function of AO is investigated: amorphous AO films are shown to possess a significantly higher work function than microcrystalline AO films and the work function also increases by annealing. Photo-induced processes in AO films are investigated by considering the changes of the KPFM signal under illumination. We demonstrate that acridine orange is able to photogenerate electron-hole pairs at rates comparable to the most commonly used solar-grade photovoltaic materials, including polythiophenes. In addition, the effect of the morphology of different types of AO thin films spun from different solvents is studied in bilayer photovoltaic devices fabricated from stacks of AO and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester thin films.
Discovery and analysis of an active long terminal repeat-retrotransposable element in Aspergillus oryzae.

PubMed

Jie Jin, Feng; Hara, Seiichi; Sato, Atsushi; Koyama, Yasuji

2014-01-01

Wild-type Aspergillus oryzae RIB40 contains two copies of the AO090005001597 gene. We previously constructed A. oryzae RIB40 strain, RKuAF8B, with multiple chromosomal deletions, in which the AO090005001597 copy number was found to be increased significantly. Sequence analysis indicated that AO090005001597 is part of a putative 6,000-bp retrotransposable element, flanked by two long terminal repeats (LTRs) of 669 bp, with characteristics of retroviruses and retrotransposons, and thus designated AoLTR (A. oryzae LTR-retrotransposable element). AoLTR comprised putative reverse transcriptase, RNase H, and integrase domains. The deduced amino acid sequence alignment of AoLTR showed 94% overall identity with AFLAV, an A. flavus Tf1/sushi retrotransposon. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR showed that AoLTR gene expression was significantly increased in the RKuAF8B, in accordance with the increased copy number. Inverse PCR indicated that the full-length retrotransposable element was randomly integrated into multiple genomic locations. However, no obvious phenotypic changes were associated with the increased AoLTR gene copy number.
Determination of the LD50 of acridine orange via intravenous administration in mice in preparation for clinical application to cancer therapy.

PubMed

Nakamura, Tomoki; Kusuzaki, Katsuyuki; Matsubara, Takao; Matsumine, Akihiko; Asanuma, Kunihiro; Satonaka, Haruhiko; Uchida, Atsumasa; Sudo, Akihiro

2014-01-01

We undertook studies to determine the lethal dose 50 (LD50) of acridine orange (AO) using mice in order to confirm the safety of intravenous administration of AO. We used 40 mice and AO was administered once intravenously. General behavior and mortality were continuously observed for 14 days. At the end of the experiment, all animals were sacrificed for subsequent studies. The LD50 for AO in male and female mice was determined to be 32 mg/kg and 36 mg/kg, respectively. Histopathological abnormalities were observed in only one mouse which died three days after the administration of AO. The other nine mice which died immediately after the administration of AO had no pathological findings in major organs. The clinical use of AO can be kept at 1.0 mg/kg or below and, therefore, intravenous administration of AO might be safe for use as cancer therapy. Copyright © 2014 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.
SCExAO as a precursor to an ELT exoplanet direct imaging instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jovanovic, Nemanja; Guyon, Olivier; Martinache, Frantz; Clergeon, Christophe; Singh, Garima; Vievard, Sebastien; Kudo, Tomoyuki; Garrel, Vincent; Norris, Barnaby; Tuthill, Peter; Stewart, Paul; Huby, Elsa; Perrin, Guy; Lacour, Sylvestre

2013-12-01

The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme AO (SCExAO) instrument consists of a high performance Phase Induced Amplitude Apodisation (PIAA) coronagraph combined with an extreme Adaptive Optics (AO) system operating in the near-infrared (H band). The extreme AO system driven by the 2000 element deformable mirror will allow for Strehl ratios>90% to be achieved in the H-band when it goes closed loop. This makes the SCExAO instrument a powerful platform for high contrast imaging down to angular separations of the order of 1 lambda/D and an ideal testbed for exploring coronagraphic techniques for ELTs. In this paper we report on the recent progress in regards to the development of the instrument, which includes the addition of a visible bench that makes use of the light at shorter wavelengths not currently utilized by SCExAO and closing the loop on the tip/tilt wavefront sensor. We will also discuss several exciting guest instruments which will expand the capabilities of SCExAO over the next few years; namely CHARIS which is a integral field spectrograph as well as VAMPIRES, a visible aperture masking experiment based on polarimetric analysis of circumstellar disks. In addition we will elucidate the unique role extreme AO systems will play in enabling high precision radial velocity spectroscopy for the detection of small companions.
MagAO: Status and on-sky performance of the Magellan adaptive optics system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morzinski, Katie M.; Close, Laird M.; Males, Jared R.; Kopon, Derek; Hinz, Phil M.; Esposito, Simone; Riccardi, Armando; Puglisi, Alfio; Pinna, Enrico; Briguglio, Runa; Xompero, Marco; Quirós-Pacheco, Fernando; Bailey, Vanessa; Follette, Katherine B.; Rodigas, T. J.; Wu, Ya-Lin; Arcidiacono, Carmelo; Argomedo, Javier; Busoni, Lorenzo; Hare, Tyson; Uomoto, Alan; Weinberger, Alycia

2014-07-01

MagAO is the new adaptive optics system with visible-light and infrared science cameras, located on the 6.5-m Magellan "Clay" telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. The instrument locks on natural guide stars (NGS) from 0th to 16th R-band magnitude, measures turbulence with a modulating pyramid wavefront sensor binnable from 28×28 to 7×7 subapertures, and uses a 585-actuator adaptive secondary mirror (ASM) to provide at wavefronts to the two science cameras. MagAO is a mutated clone of the similar AO systems at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) at Mt. Graham, Arizona. The high-level AO loop controls up to 378 modes and operates at frame rates up to 1000 Hz. The instrument has two science cameras: VisAO operating from 0.5-1μm and Clio2 operating from 1-5 μm. MagAO was installed in 2012 and successfully completed two commissioning runs in 2012-2013. In April 2014 we had our first science run that was open to the general Magellan community. Observers from Arizona, Carnegie, Australia, Harvard, MIT, Michigan, and Chile took observations in collaboration with the MagAO instrument team. Here we describe the MagAO instrument, describe our on-sky performance, and report our status as of summer 2014.
Nitric oxide mediates alginate oligosaccharides-induced root development in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

PubMed

Zhang, Yunhong; Liu, Hang; Yin, Heng; Wang, Wenxia; Zhao, Xiaoming; Du, Yuguang

2013-10-01

Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS), which are marine oligosaccharides, are involved in regulating plant root growth, but the promotion mechanism for AOS remains unclear. Here, AOS (10-80 mg L(-1)) were found to induce the generation of nitric oxide (NO) in the root system of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), which promoted the formation and elongation of wheat roots in a dose-dependent manner. NO inhibitors suggested that nitrate reductase (NR), rather than nitric oxide synthase (NOS), was essential for AOS-induced root development. Further studies confirmed that AOS-induced NO generation in wheat roots by up-regulating the gene expression and enzyme activity of NR at the post-transcriptional level. The anatomy and RT-PCR results showed that AOS accelerated the division and growth of stele cells, leading to an increase in the ratio of stele area to root transverse area. This could be inhibited by the NR inhibitor, sodium tungstate, which indicated that NO catalyzed by the NR was involved in AOS regulation of root development. Taken together, in the early stage of AOS-induced root development, NO generation was a novel mechanism by which AOS regulated plant growth. The results also showed that this marine resource could be widely used for crop development. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Developing a consensus framework and risk profile for agents of opportunity in academic medical centers: implications for public health preparedness.

PubMed

Farmer, Brenna M; Nelson, Lewis S; Graham, Margaret E; Bendzans, Carly; McCrillis, Aileen M; Portelli, Ian; Zhang, Meng; Goldberg, Judith; Rosenberg, Sheldon D; Goldfrank, Lewis R; Tunik, Michael

2010-12-01

Agents of opportunity (AO) in academic medical centers (AMC) are defined as unregulated or lightly regulated substances used for medical research or patient care that can be used as "dual purpose" substances by terrorists to inflict damage upon populations. Most of these agents are used routinely throughout AMC either during research or for general clinical practice. To date, the lack of careful regulations for AOs creates uncertain security conditions and increased malicious potential. Using a consensus-based approach, we collected information and opinions from staff working in an AMC and 4 AMC-affiliated hospitals concerning identification of AO, AO attributes, and AMC risk and preparedness, focusing on AO security and dissemination mechanisms and likely hospital response. The goal was to develop a risk profile and framework for AO in the institution. Agents of opportunity in 4 classes were identified and an AO profile was developed, comprising 16 attributes denoting information critical to preparedness for AO misuse. Agents of opportunity found in AMC present a unique and vital gap in public health preparedness. Findings of this project may provide a foundation for a discussion and consensus efforts to determine a nationally accepted risk profile framework for AO. This foundation may further lead to the implementation of appropriate regulatory policies to improve public health preparedness. Agents of opportunity modeling of dissemination properties should be developed to better predict AO risk.
Argemone oil, an edible oil adulterant, induces systemic immunosuppression in Balb/c mice in an oral 28 days repeated dose toxicity study.

PubMed

Mandal, Payal; Tewari, Prachi; Kumar, Sachin; Yadav, Sarika; Ayanur, Anjaneya; Chaturvedi, Rajnish K; Das, Mukul; Tripathi, Anurag

2018-05-01

Consumption of edible oils contaminated with Argemone oil (AO) leads to a clinical condition called "Epidemic dropsy". Earlier studies have reported that metabolism and oxidative stress primarily contributes to AO toxicity, however, the involvement of immune system has not been assessed so far. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to systematically assess the effect of AO exposure on the function of immune system in Balb/c mice. The repeated exposure of AO for 28 days caused prominent regression of spleen and thymus; severe inflammatory changes in spleen depicted by the loss of distinct follicles, increased megakaryocyte infiltration, and enhanced expression levels of inflammatory markers (iNOS & COX-2). At the functional level, AO exposure significantly abrogated the mixed lymphocyte reaction and mitogen-stimulated lymphoproliferative activity of T and B cells, which is reflective of profound lymphocyte dysfunction upon antigen exposure. In concordance with the loss in functional activity of lymphocytes in AO exposed animals, it was found the AO altered the relative percentage of CD3 + , CD4 + , and CD28  +  T cells. Further, there was a marked decrease in the relative distribution of cells with prominent MHC I and CD1d expression in AO exposed splenocytes. Moreover, reduced levels of immune stimulatory cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-6), and increased levels of immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10 were detected in the serum of AO treated mice. Along with T and B cells, AO exposure also affected the phenotype and activation status of macrophages suggesting the inclination towards "alternative activation of macrophages". Altogether, these functional changes in the immune cells are contributing factors in AO induced immunosuppression. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Association between aortoseptal angle in Golden Retriever puppies and subaortic stenosis in adulthood.

PubMed

Belanger, M C; Côté, E; Beauchamp, G

2014-01-01

Predicting subaortic stenosis (SAS) in adult Golden Retriever dogs (GRs) by evaluating them as puppies is hampered by the progressive expression of the SAS phenotype in youth. In some children who develop SAS as adults, an abnormal aortoseptal angle (AoSA) precedes development of stenosis. To determine the normal AoSA in young adult GRs using echocardiography; to assess the value of AoSA in GR puppies for predicting development of the SAS phenotype. Forty-eight 2- to 6-month-old GR puppies. Prospective study. Puppies were recruited from clients and breeders. Puppies were evaluated with a physical examination and an echocardiogram, and this evaluation was repeated when they were 12-18-month-old adults. Puppies were classified as unaffected (WNL) or affected (SAS) retroactively, based on their results as adults. In WNL young adult GRs, mean ± SD AoSA was 152.3 ± 6.5°. Mean ± SD AoSA in SAS puppies (144.9 ± 8.6°) was significantly different from mean AoSA in WNL puppies (155.7 ± 8.8°, P < .01). No puppy with AoSA >160° had the SAS phenotype as a young adult; 93% (75.7-99.1%) of puppies with AoSA <145° had the SAS phenotype as young adults. Peak LVOT velocity increased significantly between evaluations (P < .0001) whereas AoSA did not (P = .45). A steep AoSA in GR puppies is associated with the SAS phenotype in young adulthood. Some GR puppies have an abnormal AoSA that persists in young adulthood and is detectable before peak LVOT velocity reaches levels consistent with SAS. Copyright © 2014 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
Layer-by-layer films and colloidal dispersions of graphene oxide nanosheets for efficient control of the fluorescence and aggregation properties of the cationic dye acridine orange.

PubMed

Hansda, Chaitali; Chakraborty, Utsav; Hussain, Syed Arshad; Bhattacharjee, Debajyoti; Paul, Pabitra Kumar

2016-03-15

Chemically derived graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets have received great deal of interest for technological application such as optoelectronic and biosensors. Aqueous dispersions of GO become an efficient template to induce the association of cationic dye namely Acridine Orange (AO). Interactions of AO with colloidal GO was governed by both electrostatic and π-π stacking cooperative interactions. The type of dye aggregations was found to depend on the concentration of GO in the mixed ensemble. Spectroscopic calculations revealed the formation of both H and J-type dimers, but H-type aggregations were predominant. Preparation of layer-by-layer (LbL) electrostatic self-assembled films of AO and GO onto poly (allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) coated quartz substrate is also reported in this article. UV-Vis absorption, steady state and time resolve fluorescence and Raman spectroscopic techniques have been employed to explore the detail photophysical properties of pure AO, AO/GO mixed solution and AO/GO LbL films. Scanning electron microscopy was also used for visual evidence of the synthesized nanodimensional GO sheets. The fluorescence quenching of AO in the presence of GO in aqueous solution was due to the interfacial photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from photoexcited AO to GO i.e. GO acts as an efficient quenching agent for the fluorescence emission of AO. The quenching is found to be static in nature. Raman spectroscopic results also confirmed the interaction of AO with GO and the electron transfer. The formation of AO/GO complex via very fast excited state electron transfer mechanism may be proposed as to prepare GO-based fluorescence sensor for biomolecular detection without direct labeling the biomolecules by fluorescent probe. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Layer-by-layer films and colloidal dispersions of graphene oxide nanosheets for efficient control of the fluorescence and aggregation properties of the cationic dye acridine orange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansda, Chaitali; Chakraborty, Utsav; Hussain, Syed Arshad; Bhattacharjee, Debajyoti; Paul, Pabitra Kumar

2016-03-01

Chemically derived graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets have received great deal of interest for technological application such as optoelectronic and biosensors. Aqueous dispersions of GO become an efficient template to induce the association of cationic dye namely Acridine Orange (AO). Interactions of AO with colloidal GO was governed by both electrostatic and π-π stacking cooperative interactions. The type of dye aggregations was found to depend on the concentration of GO in the mixed ensemble. Spectroscopic calculations revealed the formation of both H and J-type dimers, but H-type aggregations were predominant. Preparation of layer-by-layer (LbL) electrostatic self-assembled films of AO and GO onto poly (allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) coated quartz substrate is also reported in this article. UV-Vis absorption, steady state and time resolve fluorescence and Raman spectroscopic techniques have been employed to explore the detail photophysical properties of pure AO, AO/GO mixed solution and AO/GO LbL films. Scanning electron microscopy was also used for visual evidence of the synthesized nanodimensional GO sheets. The fluorescence quenching of AO in the presence of GO in aqueous solution was due to the interfacial photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from photoexcited AO to GO i.e. GO acts as an efficient quenching agent for the fluorescence emission of AO. The quenching is found to be static in nature. Raman spectroscopic results also confirmed the interaction of AO with GO and the electron transfer. The formation of AO/GO complex via very fast excited state electron transfer mechanism may be proposed as to prepare GO-based fluorescence sensor for biomolecular detection without direct labeling the biomolecules by fluorescent probe.
Importance of Different Grades of Abdominal Obesity on Testosterone Level, Erectile Dysfunction, and Clinical Coincidence.

PubMed

Fillo, Juraj; Levcikova, Michaela; Ondrusova, Martina; Breza, Jan; Labas, Peter

2017-03-01

The aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of different grades of abdominal obesity (AO) on the prevalence of testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS), erectile dysfunction (ED), and metabolic syndrome (MetS). In a cross-sectional descriptive study, a total of 216 males underwent a complete urological, internal, and hormonal evaluation. Males were divided according to waist circumference into five groups: less than 94 cm (Grade [G] 0), 94 to 101 cm (G1), 102 to 109 cm (G2), 110 to 119 cm (G3), and more than 120 cm (G4). Incidence of ED, TDS, and MetS was compared in these groups and in participants without AO. Some degree of ED was identified in 74.7% of males with AO. In G1, there were 61% of males with ED, in G2 68%, in G3 83%, and in G4 87%. A strong correlation between testosterone (TST) level and AO was identified. Ninety-eight out of 198 (49.5%) males with AO and 1/18 (5.5%) males without AO had TDS. There were significant differences between individual groups. In the group of males with AO G4 (more than 120 cm), 87.1% had TDS. MetS was diagnosed in 105/198 (53.0%) males with AO, but in G4, 83.9% of males with AO had MetS. Males older than 40 years of age with AO have a higher incidence of ED, TDS, and MetS. Dividing males into five groups according to waist circumference seems to be reasonable. With growing AO, there were significantly more males with ED, TDS, and MetS.

Agreement in Cone Density Derived from Gaze-Directed Single Images Versus Wide-Field Montage Using Adaptive Optics Flood Illumination Ophthalmoscopy

PubMed Central

Chew, Avenell L.; Sampson, Danuta M.; Kashani, Irwin; Chen, Fred K.

2017-01-01

Purpose We compared cone density measurements derived from the center of gaze-directed single images with reconstructed wide-field montages using the rtx1 adaptive optics (AO) retinal camera. Methods A total of 29 eyes from 29 healthy subjects were imaged with the rtx1 camera. Of 20 overlapping AO images acquired, 12 (at 3.2°, 5°, and 7°) were used for calculating gaze-directed cone densities. Wide-field AO montages were reconstructed and cone densities were measured at the corresponding 12 loci as determined by field projection relative to the foveal center aligned to the foveal dip on optical coherence tomography. Limits of agreement in cone density measurement between single AO images and wide-field AO montages were calculated. Results Cone density measurements failed in 1 or more gaze directions or retinal loci in up to 58% and 33% of the subjects using single AO images or wide-field AO montage, respectively. Although there were no significant overall differences between cone densities derived from single AO images and wide-field AO montages at any of the 12 gazes and locations (P = 0.01–0.65), the limits of agreement between the two methods ranged from as narrow as −2200 to +2600, to as wide as −4200 to +3800 cones/mm2. Conclusions Cone density measurement using the rtx1 AO camera is feasible using both methods. Local variation in image quality and altered visibility of cones after generating montages may contribute to the discrepancies. Translational Relevance Cone densities from single AO images are not interchangeable with wide-field montage derived–measurements. PMID:29285417
Echocardiographic predictors of survival in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.

PubMed

Sargent, Julia; Muzzi, Ruthnea; Mukherjee, Rajat; Somarathne, Sharlene; Schranz, Katherine; Stephenson, Hannah; Connolly, David; Brodbelt, David; Fuentes, Virginia Luis

2015-03-01

To evaluate vena contracta and other echocardiographic measures of myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) severity in a multivariable analysis of survival in dogs. 70 dogs diagnosed with MMVD from stored echocardiographic images that met study inclusion criteria. Left heart dimensions were measured as well as mitral regurgitant jet area/left atrial area (JAR), early mitral filling velocity (Evel), extent of mitral valve prolapse in right and left views (ProlR, ProlL), Prol indexed to aortic diameter (ProlR:Ao, ProlL:Ao), presence of a flail leaflet (FlailR, FlailL), and mitral regurgitation vena contracta diameter (VCR, VCL) indexed to aortic diameter (VCR:Ao, VCL:Ao). Follow-up from referring veterinarians was obtained by questionnaire or telephone to determine survival times. Inter- and intra-observer agreement was evaluated with Bland-Altman plots and weighted Kappa analysis. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves, logrank tests and Cox's proportional hazards. Logrank analysis showed VCL:Ao, VCR:Ao, FlailL, ProlR:Ao, ProlL:Ao, left ventricular internal dimension in diastole indexed to aortic diameter (LVIDD:Ao) >2.87, left atrium to aorta ratio (LA/Ao) >1.6, and Evel >1.4 m/s were predictors of cardiac mortality. In a multivariable analysis, the independent predictors of cardiac mortality were Evel >1.4 m/s [hazard ratio (HR) 5.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5-10.3], FlailL (HR 3.1, 95% CI 1.3-7.9), and ProlR:Ao (HR 2.8, 95% CI 1.3-6.3). Echocardiographic measures of mitral regurgitation severity and mitral valve pathology provide valuable prognostic information independent of chamber enlargement in dogs with MMVD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Estimation of pulmonary artery pressure in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension by quantitative analysis of magnetic resonance images.

PubMed

Murray, T I; Boxt, L M; Katz, J; Reagan, K; Barst, R J

1994-01-01

The use of magnetic resonance (MR) images for estimating mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) was tested by comparing main pulmonary artery (MPA) and middescending thoracic aorta (AO) caliber in 12 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) with measurements made in eight other patients who were observed for diseases other than heart disease (controls). The ratio MPA/AO and the ratios of vessel caliber normalized to body surface area (MPAI and AOI, respectively) were computed. The PAP was obtained in all PPH patients and compared with caliber measurements. The PPH MPA (3.6 +/- 0.8 cm) was significantly larger than the control MPA (2.9 +/- 0.3 cm, p = 0.02); the PPH MPAI (2.8 +/- 0.7 cm/M2) was significantly greater than the control MPA (1.7 +/- 0.2 cm/M2, p < 0.0001). Control AO (2.2 +/- 0.3 cm) was significantly greater than PPH AO (1.6 +/- 0.4 cm, p < 0.0001); there was no significant difference between control AOI (1.3 +/- 0.2 cm/M2) and PPH AOI (1.2 +/- 0.2 cm/M2, p = 0.25). The PPH MPA/AO (2.3 +/- 0.6) was significantly greater than the control MPA/AO (1.3 +/- 0.1, p < 0.0001); overlap between MPA in the two groups was eliminated by indexing values to AO caliber (MPA/AO). Among PPH patients there was strong correlation between PAP and MPA/AO (PAP = 24 x MPA/AO + 3.7, r = 0.7, p < 0.01). Increased MPA/AO denotes the presence of pulmonary hypertension and may be used to estimate PAP.
Natural variation of potato allene oxide synthase 2 causes differential levels of jasmonates and pathogen resistance in Arabidopsis

PubMed Central

Pajerowska-Mukhtar, Karolina M.; Mukhtar, M. Shahid; Guex, Nicolas; Halim, Vincentius A.; Rosahl, Sabine; Somssich, Imre E.

2008-01-01

Natural variation of plant pathogen resistance is often quantitative. This type of resistance can be genetically dissected in quantitative resistance loci (QRL). To unravel the molecular basis of QRL in potato (Solanum tuberosum), we employed the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana for functional analysis of natural variants of potato allene oxide synthase 2 (StAOS2). StAOS2 is a candidate gene for QRL on potato chromosome XI against the oömycete Phytophthora infestans causing late blight, and the bacterium Erwinia carotovora ssp. atroseptica causing stem black leg and tuber soft rot, both devastating diseases in potato cultivation. StAOS2 encodes a cytochrome P450 enzyme that is essential for biosynthesis of the defense signaling molecule jasmonic acid. Allele non-specific dsRNAi-mediated silencing of StAOS2 in potato drastically reduced jasmonic acid production and compromised quantitative late blight resistance. Five natural StAOS2 alleles were expressed in the null Arabidopsis aos mutant under control of the Arabidopsis AOS promoter and tested for differential complementation phenotypes. The aos mutant phenotypes evaluated were lack of jasmonates, male sterility and susceptibility to Erwinia carotovora ssp. carotovora. StAOS2 alleles that were associated with increased disease resistance in potato complemented all aos mutant phenotypes better than StAOS2 alleles associated with increased susceptibility. First structure models of ‘quantitative resistant’ versus ‘quantitative susceptible’ StAOS2 alleles suggested potential mechanisms for their differential activity. Our results demonstrate how a candidate gene approach in combination with using the homologous Arabidopsis mutant as functional reporter can help to dissect the molecular basis of complex traits in non model crop plants. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00425-008-0737-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. PMID:18431595
Impact of ao-dake-humi, Japanese traditional bamboo foot stimulator, on lower urinary tract symptoms, constipation and hypersensitivity to cold: a single-arm prospective pilot study.

PubMed

Minagawa, Tomonori; Saitou, Tetsuichi; Suzuki, Toshiro; Domen, Takahisa; Yokoyama, Hitoshi; Ishikawa, Masakuni; Hirakata, Shiro; Nagai, Takashi; Nakazawa, Masaki; Ogawa, Teruyuki; Ishizuka, Osamu

2016-12-09

Ao-dake-humi is a traditional Japanese bamboo foot stimulator consisting of a half-pipe-shaped step made of bamboo used to stimulate the foot by stepping on it, and is commonly used to promote general health among the elderly in Japan. However, its efficacy has not been reported in the scientific literature. This study was performed to investigate the role of ao-dake-humi focusing on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), constipation, and hypersensitivity to cold (HC). Participants with LUTS, constipation, or HC were enrolled in this study. Ao-dake-humi was used twice a day for 28 days. Before and 28 days after starting ao-dake-humi use, international prostate symptom score (IPSS), quality-of-life (QoL) score, and overactive bladder symptom score (OABSS) were measured to evaluate the efficacy of ao-dake-humi on LUTS. To evaluate the objective efficacy of ao-dake-humi on LUTS, a frequency-volume chart (FVC) was plotted in LUTS patients for 3 days. A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the efficacy of ao-dake-humi on constipation (VAS-constipation) and HC (VAS-HC) in the participants with constipation or HC. A total of 24 participants were enrolled in this study. Twenty-one participants had LUTS, 11 had constipation, and 17 participants had HC. IPSS, especially storage-subscore, QoL score and OABSS, decreased significantly after use of ao-dake-humi. The use of ao-dake-humi increased maximal bladder capacity, resulting in a significant decrease in urinary frequency as determined from the FVC. In accordance with the results of VAS-constipation and VAS-HC, both constipation and HC were significantly relieved after ao-dake-humi use. The results of this prospective pilot study indicated that ao-dake-humi is safe and has therapeutic efficacy in cases of LUTS, constipation and HC. The possibility of using ao-dake-humi as physical neuromodulation therapy was shown in the management of LUTS, constipation and HC. UMIN000019333 (UMIN-CTR, Registered October-15-2015) retrospectively registered.
The Variable Internal Structure of the Mycoplasma penetrans Attachment Organelle Revealed by Biochemical and Microscopic Analyses: Implications for Attachment Organelle Mechanism and Evolution.

PubMed

Distelhorst, Steven L; Jurkovic, Dominika A; Shi, Jian; Jensen, Grant J; Balish, Mitchell F

2017-06-15

Although mycoplasmas have small genomes, many of them, including the HIV-associated opportunist Mycoplasma penetrans , construct a polar attachment organelle (AO) that is used for both adherence to host cells and gliding motility. However, the irregular phylogenetic distribution of similar structures within the mycoplasmas, as well as compositional and ultrastructural differences among these AOs, suggests that AOs have arisen several times through convergent evolution. We investigated the ultrastructure and protein composition of the cytoskeleton-like material of the M. penetrans AO with several forms of microscopy and biochemical analysis, to determine whether the M. penetrans AO was constructed at the molecular level on principles similar to those of other mycoplasmas, such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Mycoplasma mobile We found that the M. penetrans AO interior was generally dissimilar from that of other mycoplasmas, in that it exhibited considerable heterogeneity in size and shape, suggesting a gel-like nature. In contrast, several of the 12 potential protein components identified by mass spectrometry of M. penetrans detergent-insoluble proteins shared certain distinctive biochemical characteristics with M. pneumoniae AO proteins, although not with M. mobile proteins. We conclude that convergence between M. penetrans and M. pneumoniae AOs extends to the molecular level, leading to the possibility that the less organized material in both M. pneumoniae and M. penetrans is the substance principally responsible for the organization and function of the AO. IMPORTANCE Mycoplasma penetrans is a bacterium that infects HIV-positive patients and may contribute to the progression of AIDS. It attaches to host cells through a structure called an AO, but it is not clear how it builds this structure. Our research is significant not only because it identifies the novel protein components that make up the material within the AO that give it its structure but also because we find that the M. penetrans AO is organized unlike AOs from other mycoplasmas, suggesting that similar structures have evolved multiple times. From this work, we derive some basic principles by which mycoplasmas, and potentially all organisms, build structures at the subcellular level. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.
AO 0235+164 and Surrounding Field: Surprising HST Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burbidge, E. M.; Beaver, E. A.; Cohen, Ross D.; Junkkarinen, V. T.; Lyons, R. W.

1996-01-01

Results obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope on the highly variable radio, x-ray, and gamma-ray emitting QSO (or BL Lac object) AO 0235 + 164 are presented and analyzed. WFPC2 images were obtained in 1994 June, when AO 0235 + 164 was bright (m approx. 17), and the results are described in Sec. 3. After subtraction of the PSF of the QSO, hereafter called AO following the nomenclature of Yanny et al. (1989), the companion object named A, 2 sec south of AO, is discovered not to be an elliptical galaxy as hypothesized earlier, but to be an AGN object, with a central UV-bright point-source nucleus and faint surrounding nebulosity extending to AO. The second companion object 1.3 sec east of AO discovered by Yanny et al. (1989) and named object Al, appears more like a normal spiral galaxy. We have measured the positions, luminosities, and colors of some 30 faint objects in the field around AO 0235 + 16; most are extended and may be star-forming galaxies in a loose group or cluster. Our most surprising result of the HST observations comes from FOS spectra obtained in 1995 July, discussed in Sec. 4. Because of a positioning error of the telescope and AO's faintness at that time (m approx. 20), object A was observed instead of the intended target AO. Serendipitously, we discovered A to have broad deep BALQSO-type absorptions of C IV, Si IV, N V shortward of broad emissions. A is thus ejecting high velocity, highly ionized gas into the surrounding IGM. We discuss in Sec. 5 the relationship of the objects in the central 10 sec X 1O sec region around AO, where redshifts z(sub e) = 0.94, z(sub a) = 0.524, 0.851 in AO, (sub e) = 0.524 and Z(sub BAL)=0.511 in A, are found. We hypothesize that some of the 30 faint objects in the 77 sec. x 77 sec. field may be part of a large star-forming region at z approx. 0.5, as suggested for a few objects by Yanny et al. (1989). The proximity of two highly active extragalactic objects, AO 0235+164 and its AGN companion A, is remarkable and one of the authors (EMB) suggests it may require consideration of a non-cosmological component of redshift in AO 0235+164.
Resistance of uveal melanoma to the interstrand cross-linking agent mitomycin C is associated with reduced expression of CYP450R

PubMed Central

Gravells, P; Hoh, L; Canovas, D; Rennie, I G; Sisley, K; Bryant, H E

2011-01-01

Background: Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular tumour of adults, frequently metastasising to the liver. Hepatic metastases are difficult to treat and are mainly unresponsive to chemotherapy. To investigate why UM are so chemo-resistant we explored the effect of interstrand cross-linking agents mitomycin C (MMC) and cisplatin in comparison with hydroxyurea (HU). Methods: Sensitivity to MMC, cisplatin and HU was tested in established UM cell lines using clonogenic assays. The response of UM to MMC was confirmed in MTT assays using short-term cultures of primary UM. The expression of cytochrome P450 reductase (CYP450R) was analysed by western blotting, and DNA cross-linking was assessed using COMET analysis supported by γ-H2AX foci formation. Results: Both established cell lines and primary cultures of UM were resistant to the cross-linking agent MMC (in each case P<0.001 in Student's t-test compared with controls). In two established UM cell lines, DNA cross-link damage was not induced by MMC (in both cases P<0.05 in Students's t-test compared with damage induced in controls). In all, 6 out of 6 UMs tested displayed reduced expression of the metabolising enzyme CYP450R and transient expression of CYP450R increased MMC sensitivity of UM. Conclusion: We suggest that reduced expression of CYP450R is responsible for MMC resistance of UM, through a lack of bioactivation, which can be reversed by complementing UM cell lines with CYP450R. PMID:21386838
High resolution observations using adaptive optics: Achievements and future needs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sankarasubramanian, K.; Rimmele, T.

2008-06-01

Over the last few years, several interesting observations were obtained with the help of solar Adaptive Optics (AO). In this paper, few observations made using the solar AO are enlightened and briefly discussed. A list of disadvantages with the current AO system are presented. With telescopes larger than 1.5 m expected during the next decade, there is a need to develop the existing AO technologies for large aperture telescopes. Some aspects of this development are highlighted. Finally, the recent AO developments in India are also presented.
Apraxia of speech: an overview.

PubMed

Ogar, Jennifer; Slama, Hilary; Dronkers, Nina; Amici, Serena; Gorno-Tempini, Maria Luisa

2005-12-01

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a motor speech disorder that can occur in the absence of aphasia or dysarthria. AOS has been the subject of some controversy since the disorder was first named and described by Darley and his Mayo Clinic colleagues in the 1960s. A recent revival of interest in AOS is due in part to the fact that it is often the first symptom of neurodegenerative diseases, such as primary progressive aphasia and corticobasal degeneration. This article will provide a brief review of terminology associated with AOS, its clinical hallmarks and neuroanatomical correlates. Current models of motor programming will also be addressed as they relate to AOS and finally, typical treatment strategies used in rehabilitating the articulation and prosody deficits associated with AOS will be summarized.
Design of active orthoses for a robotic gait rehabilitation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villa-Parra, A. C.; Broche, L.; Delisle-Rodríguez, D.; Sagaró, R.; Bastos, T.; Frizera-Neto, A.

2015-09-01

An active orthosis (AO) is a robotic device that assists both human gait and rehabilitation therapy. This work proposes portable AOs, one for the knee joint and another for the ankle joint. Both AOs will be used to complete a robotic system that improves gait rehabilitation. The requirements for actuator selection, the biomechanical considerations during the AO design, the finite element method, and a control approach based on electroencephalographic and surface electromyographic signals are reviewed. This work contributes to the design of AOs for users with foot drop and knee flexion impairment. However, the potential of the proposed AOs to be part of a robotic gait rehabilitation system that improves the quality of life of stroke survivors requires further investigation.
Agent Orange exposure and risk of death in Korean Vietnam veterans: Korean Veterans Health Study.

PubMed

Yi, Sang-Wook; Ryu, So-Yeon; Ohrr, Heechoul; Hong, Jae-Seok

2014-12-01

Agent Orange (AO) was a mixture of phenoxy herbicides, containing several dioxin impurities including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Various military herbicides, including AO, were sprayed by the US military and allied forces for military purposes during the Vietnam War. This study was performed to identify the associations between the AO exposure and mortality in Korean Vietnam veterans. From 1 January 1992 to 31 December 2005, 180 639 Korean Vietnam veterans were followed up for vital status and cause of death. The AO exposure index was based on the proximity of the veteran's unit to AO-sprayed areas, using a geographical information system-based model. The adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated by Cox's proportional hazard model. The mortality from all causes of death was elevated with AO exposure. The deaths due to all sites of cancers combined and some specific cancers, including cancers of the stomach, small intestine, liver, larynx, lung, bladder and thyroid gland, as well as chronic myeloid leukaemia, were positively associated with AO exposure. The deaths from angina pectoris, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and liver disease including liver cirrhosis were also increased with an increasing AO exposure. Overall, this study suggests that AO/TCDD exposure may account for mortality from various diseases even several decades after exposure. Further research is needed to better understand the long-term effects of AO/TCDD exposure on human health. © The Author 2014; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.
Dermal carotenoid level and kinetics after topical and systemic administration of antioxidants: enrichment strategies in a controlled in vivo study.

PubMed

Darvin, Maxim E; Fluhr, Joachim W; Schanzer, Sabine; Richter, Heike; Patzelt, Alexa; Meinke, Martina C; Zastrow, Leonhard; Golz, Karin; Doucet, Olivier; Sterry, Wolfram; Lademann, Juergen

2011-10-01

High doses of sun-emitted UV-radiation induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) as major pro-oxidants thus inducing premature skin aging. The best prevention of the destructive action of free radicals in human skin is textile coverings, topical sunscreens and the development of a high antioxidative protective network. The effects of topical, systemic and combined application of antioxidants (AO) were investigated on human skin in vivo. Topical application of creams and systemic incorporation of tablets both containing AO was investigated in vivo by resonance Raman spectroscopy. Topical, systemic and combined AO-treatments induced a statistically significant increase of AO levels in human skin while placebo did not show any changes. The highest accumulation was induced by the combination of topical and systemic AO. Carotenoid-tablets combined with placebo-cream induced less carotenoid accumulation than carotenoid-tablets alone. Carotenoid levelling after the end of treatment lasted for around 2 weeks following the topical application of AOs, and up to 5 weeks after systemic administration, depending on the BMI of volunteers. Topically applied AO are stored in the SC for a short time only due to the rapid AO-depletion by desquamation, textile contact, washing and environmental stress. In contrast to topical application, the systemically applied carotenoids are stored in the body fat tissue and slowly released onto the skin surface with sweat and sebum. The combined topical and systemic application of AO represents an optimal form of protection of the AO-network. Copyright © 2011 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Preparation and characterization of highly water-soluble magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles via surface double-layered self-assembly method of sodium alpha-olefin sulfonate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Honghong; Qin, Li; Feng, Ying; Hu, Lihua; Zhou, Chunhua

2015-06-01

A kind of double-layered self-assembly sodium alpha-olefin sulfonate (AOS) capped Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4-AOS-MN) with highly water-solubility was prepared by a wet co-precipitation method with a pH of 4.8. The resulting Fe3O4-AOS-MN could be dispersed into water to form stable magnetic fluid without other treatments. The result of X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the Fe3O4-AOS-MN maintained original crystalline structure and exhibited a diameter of about 7.5 nm. The iron oxide phase of nanoparticles determined by Raman spectroscopy is Fe3O4. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis confirmed that the Fe3O4-AOS-MN with spherical morphology were uniformly dispersed in water. FT-IR spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) verified the successful preparation of Fe3O4-AOS-MN capped with double-layered self-assembled AOS. The corresponding capacities of monolayer chemical absorption and the second-layer self-assembly absorption were respectively 4.07 and 14.71 wt% of Fe3O4-MN, which were much lower than those of other surfactants. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) test result showed Fe3O4-AOS-MN possessed superparamagnetic behavior with the saturation magnetization value of about 44.45 emu/g. The blocking temperature TB of Fe3O4-AOS-MN capped with double-layered AOS is 170 K.
Adaptive optics program update at TMT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, C.; Ellerbroek, B.

2016-07-01

The TMT first light AO facility consists of the Narrow Field Infra-Red AO System (NFIRAOS), the associated Laser Guide Star Facility (LGSF) and the AO Executive Software (AOESW). Design, fabrication and prototyping activities of the TMT first light AO systems and their components have significantly ramped up in Canada, China, France, and in the US. NFIRAOS is an order 60 x 60 laser guide star (LGS) multi-conjugate AO (MCAO) system, which provides uniform, diffraction-limited performance in the J, H, and K bands over 34 x 34 arc sec fields with 50 per cent sky coverage at the galactic pole, as required to support the TMT science cases. NFIRAOS includes two deformable mirrors, six laser guide star wavefront sensors, one high order Pyramid WFS for natural guide star AO, and up to three low-order, IR, natural guide star on-instrument wavefront sensors (OIWFS) and four on-detector guide windows (ODGW) within each client instrument. The first light LGSF system includes six sodium lasers to generate the NFIRAOS laser guide stars. In this paper, we will provide an update on the progress in designing, prototyping, fabricating and modeling the TMT first light AO systems and their AO components over the last two years. TMT is continuing with detailed AO modeling to support the design and development of the first light AO systems and components. Major modeling topics studied during the last two years include further studies in the area of pyramid wavefront sensing, high precision astrometry, PSF reconstruction for LGS MCAO, LGSF wavefront error budget and sophisticated low order mode temporal filtering.
The Influence of Abdominal and Ectopic Fat Accumulation on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness: A Chongqing Study.

PubMed

Yi, Xu; Liu, Yu-Hui; Zhou, Xin-Fu; Wang, Yan-Jiang; Deng, Juan; Liu, Juan; He, Hong-Bo; Xu, Zhi-Qiang

2018-04-16

To investigate the effects of abdominal obesity (AO) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with or without AO on carotid arteries by determining carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). A total of 2745 Chinese Han adults (aged between 40 and 50 years old) were recruited and divided into 4 groups: (1) NW-no NAFL group: the normal body weight without NAFLD (n = 1888); (2) AO-no NAFL group: AO without NAFLD (n = 259); (3) NW-with NAFL group: NAFLD without AO (n = 93); and (4) AO-with NAFL group: AO with NAFLD (n = 505). The CIMT rate of each group was compared among 4 groups and the regression analysis was further used to correct confounders. We found that the NW-with NAFL group had a significantly higher CIMT rate than the AO-no NAFL group ([.87 ± .31] versus [.72 ± .29] P < .01) and the AO-with NAFL group ([.87 ± .31] versus [.79 ± .26], P < .01). The ectopic liver fat accumulation may increase the risk of atherosclerosis. Therefore, screening NAFLD in the population with normal weight may be beneficial for the prevention of atherosclerosis at an early stage. Copyright © 2018 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Effect of accessory ostia on maxillary sinus ventilation: a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study.

PubMed

Zhu, Jian Hua; Lee, Heow Pueh; Lim, Kian Meng; Gordon, Bruce R; Wang, De Yun

2012-08-15

We evaluated, by CFD simulation, effects of accessory ostium (AO) on maxillary sinus ventilation. A three-dimensional nasal model was constructed from an adult CT scan with two left maxillary AOs (sinus I) and one right AO (sinus II), then compared to an identical control model with all AOs sealed (sinuses III and IV). Transient simulations of quiet inspiration and expiration at 15 L/min, and nasal blow at 48 L/min, were calculated for both models using low-Reynolds-number turbulent analysis. At low flows, ventilation rates in sinuses with AOs (I ≈ 0.46 L/min, II ≈ 0.54 L/min), were both more than a magnitude higher than sinuses without AOs (II I ≈ 0.019 L/min, IV ≈ 0.020 L/min). Absence of AO almost completely prevented sinus ventilation. Increased ventilation of sinuses with AOs is complex. Under high flow conditions mimicking nose blowing, in sinuses II, III, and IV, the sinus flow rate increased. In contrast, the airflow direction through sinus I reversed between inspiration and expiration, while it remained almost constant throughout the respiration cycle in sinus II. CFD simulation demonstrated that AOs markedly increase maxillary sinus airflow rates and alter sinus air circulation patterns. Whether these airflow changes impact maxillary sinus physiology or pathophysiology is unknown. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Proton conductivity in ampullae of Lorenzini jelly

PubMed Central

Josberger, Erik E.; Hassanzadeh, Pegah; Deng, Yingxin; Sohn, Joel; Rego, Michael J.; Amemiya, Chris T.; Rolandi, Marco

2016-01-01

In 1678, Stefano Lorenzini first described a network of organs of unknown function in the torpedo ray—the ampullae of Lorenzini (AoL). An individual ampulla consists of a pore on the skin that is open to the environment, a canal containing a jelly and leading to an alveolus with a series of electrosensing cells. The role of the AoL remained a mystery for almost 300 years until research demonstrated that skates, sharks, and rays detect very weak electric fields produced by a potential prey. The AoL jelly likely contributes to this electrosensing function, yet the exact details of this contribution remain unclear. We measure the proton conductivity of the AoL jelly extracted from skates and sharks. The room-temperature proton conductivity of the AoL jelly is very high at 2 ± 1 mS/cm. This conductivity is only 40-fold lower than the current state-of-the-art proton-conducting polymer Nafion, and it is the highest reported for a biological material so far. We suggest that keratan sulfate, identified previously in the AoL jelly and confirmed here, may contribute to the high proton conductivity of the AoL jelly with its sulfate groups—acid groups and proton donors. We hope that the observed high proton conductivity of the AoL jelly may contribute to future studies of the AoL function. PMID:27386543
Expression of Allene Oxide Synthase Determines Defense Gene Activation in Tomato1

PubMed Central

Sivasankar, Sobhana; Sheldrick, Bay; Rothstein, Steven J.

2000-01-01

Allene oxide synthase (AOS; hydroperoxide dehydratase; EC 4.2.1.92) catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis of jasmonic acid from lipoxygenase-derived hydroperoxides of free fatty acids. Using the AOS cDNA from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), in which the role of jasmonic acid in wound-induced defense gene activation has been best described, we examined the kinetics of AOS induction in response to wounding and elicitors, in parallel with that of the wound-inducible PIN II (proteinase inhibitor II) gene. AOS was induced in leaves by wounding, systemin, 12-oxophytodienoic acid, and methyl jasmonate. The levels of AOS mRNA started declining by 4 h after induction, whereas the levels of PIN II mRNA continued to increase up to 20 h after induction. Salicylic acid inhibited AOS and PIN II expression, and the addition of 12-oxophytodienoic acid or methyl jasmonate did not prevent the inhibition of PIN II expression in the presence of salicylic acid. Ethylene induced the expression of AOS, but the presence of ethylene alone did not produce an optimal induction of PIN II. The addition of silver thiosulfate, an ethylene action inhibitor, prevented the wound-induced expression of both AOS and PIN II. Products of hydroperoxide lyase affected neither AOS nor PIN II, but induced expression of prosystemin. Based on these results, we propose an updated model for defense gene activation in tomato. PMID:10759530
Adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy.

PubMed

Roorda, Austin; Duncan, Jacque L

2015-11-01

This review starts with a brief history and description of adaptive optics (AO) technology, followed by a showcase of the latest capabilities of AO systems for imaging the human retina and an extensive review of the literature on where AO is being used clinically. The review concludes with a discussion on future directions and guidance on usage and interpretation of images from AO systems for the eye.

Revisiting Age-of-Acquisition Effects in Spanish Visual Word Recognition: The Role of Item Imageability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Maximiliano A.; Cuetos, Fernando; Davies, Rob; Burani, Cristina

2013-01-01

Word age-of-acquisition (AoA) affects reading. The mapping hypothesis predicts AoA effects when input--output mappings are arbitrary. In Spanish, the orthography-to-phonology mappings required for word naming are consistent; therefore, no AoA effects are expected. Nevertheless, AoA effects have been found, motivating the present investigation of…
Retinal imaging using adaptive optics technology☆

PubMed Central

Kozak, Igor

2014-01-01

Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effect of wave front distortions. Retinal imaging using AO aims to compensate for higher order aberrations originating from the cornea and the lens by using deformable mirror. The main application of AO retinal imaging has been to assess photoreceptor cell density, spacing, and mosaic regularity in normal and diseased eyes. Apart from photoreceptors, the retinal pigment epithelium, retinal nerve fiber layer, retinal vessel wall and lamina cribrosa can also be visualized with AO technology. Recent interest in AO technology in eye research has resulted in growing number of reports and publications utilizing this technology in both animals and humans. With the availability of first commercially available instruments we are making transformation of AO technology from a research tool to diagnostic instrument. The current challenges include imaging eyes with less than perfect optical media, formation of normative databases for acquired images such as cone mosaics, and the cost of the technology. The opportunities for AO will include more detailed diagnosis with description of some new findings in retinal diseases and glaucoma as well as expansion of AO into clinical trials which has already started. PMID:24843304
Scythe regulates apoptosis through modulating ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of the Xenopus elongation factor XEF1AO

PubMed Central

Minami, Ryosuke; Shimada, Masumi; Yokosawa, Hideyoshi; Kawahara, Hiroyuki

2007-01-01

Scythe was originally identified as a novel Reaper-binding anti-apoptotic protein, although the mechanisms of its functions remain largely obscure. Our previous analysis revealed that Scythe can bind to a proteasomal subunit via N-terminal domains and that the domains are required for appropriate development of Xenopus embryos. In the present study, we show evidence that the N-terminus of Scythe interacts with XEF1AO, a maternal form of Xenopus laevis EF1A that was suggested to be a potential inducer of apoptosis in vertebrates, and that the binding enhances the poly-ubiquitin modification and subsequent degradation of XEF1AO. Scythe is required for degradation of XEF1AO, since immunodepletion of Scythe from embryonic extracts stabilized XEF1AO significantly. Furthermore, we show that apoptosis induced by accumulation of XEF1AO can be suppressed by co-expression of the full-length form of Scythe. These observations indicate that the proteolytic regulation of XEF1AO, mediated through Scythe, is essential to prevent inappropriate accumulation of XEF1AO and resulting apoptotic events during the course of Xenopus development. PMID:17428197
Uveal melanoma hepatic metastases mutation spectrum analysis using targeted next-generation sequencing of 400 cancer genes.

PubMed

Luscan, A; Just, P A; Briand, A; Burin des Roziers, C; Goussard, P; Nitschké, P; Vidaud, M; Avril, M F; Terris, B; Pasmant, E

2015-04-01

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common malignant tumour of the eye. Diagnosis often occurs late in the course of disease, and prognosis is generally poor. Recently, recurrent somatic mutations were described, unravelling additional specific altered pathways in UM. Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) can now be applied to an accurate and fast identification of somatic mutations in cancer. The aim of the present study was to characterise the mutation pattern of five UM hepatic metastases with well-defined clinical and pathological features. We analysed the UM mutation spectrum using targeted NGS on 409 cancer genes. Four previous reported genes were found to be recurrently mutated. All tumours presented mutually exclusive GNA11 or GNAQ missense mutations. BAP1 loss-of-function mutations were found in three UMs. SF3B1 missense mutations were found in the two UMs with no BAP1 mutations. We then searched for additional mutation targets. We identified the Arg505Cys mutation in the tumour suppressor FBXW7. The same mutation was previously described in different cancer types, and FBXW7 was recently reported to be mutated in UM exomes. Further studies are required to confirm FBXW7 implication in UM tumorigenesis. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying UM tumorigenesis holds the promise for novel and effective targeted UM therapies. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.
Undercutting Studies of Protected Kapton. H Exposed to In-Space and Ground-Based Atomic Oxygen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, Aaron; Banks, Bruce A.; Waters, Deborah L.

2006-01-01

This study is part of a Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) sequence to characterize the performance of prospective spacecraft materials when subjected to the synergistic effects of the space environment. Atomic oxygen (AO) is the most prevalent species in low earth orbit (LEO). In this environment AO is mainly responsible for the erosion of hydrocarbons and halocarbon polymers. The AO erosion rates of Kapton (DuPont) H are known and well documented. Hence, it is customary to compare the AO erosion yields of candidate materials to the commonly accepted standard of this polyimide. The purpose of this study was to provide characterization of AO degradation of SiO(x) protected Kapton H film, which was subject during MISSE 2 to undercutting erosion beneath microscopic defects in the protective film, and compare the degradation resulting from hyperthermal ram (approx.4.5 eV) LEO AO to the degradation resulting from exposure to thermal ground-based (approx.0.04 eV) AO.
Telephone interventions for adherence to colpocytological examination.

PubMed

Lima, Thais Marques; Nicolau, Ana Izabel Oliveira; Carvalho, Francisco Herlânio Costa; Vasconcelos, Camila Teixeira Moreira; Aquino, Priscila de Souza; Pinheiro, Ana Karina Bezerra

2017-02-06

to test the effects of behavioral and educational intervention by telephone on adherence of women with inappropriate periodicity to colpocytological examination. quasi-experimental study with a sample of 524 women, selected with the following inclusion criteria: be aged between 25 and 64 years, have initiated sexual activity, have inappropriate periodicity of examination and have mobile or landline phone. The women were divided into two groups for application of behavioral and educational intervention by telephone. It was used an intervention script according to the principles of Motivational Interviewing. on comparing the results before and after the behavioral and educational interventions, it was found that there was a statistically significant change (p = 0.0283) with increase of knowledge of women who participated in the educational intervention. There was no change in the attitude of women of any of the groups and there was an increase of adherence to colpocytological examination in both groups (p < 0.0001), with greater adherence of women participating in the behavioral group (66.8%). the behavioral and educational interventions by phone were effective in the adherence of women to colpocytological examination, representing important strategies for permanent health education and promotion of care for the prevention of cervical cancer. testar os efeitos de intervenção comportamental e educativa por telefone na adesão das mulheres com periodicidade inadequada ao exame colpocitológico. estudo quase-experimental, com amostra constituída por 524 mulheres selecionadas conforme os critérios de inclusão: estar na faixa etária entre 25 e 64 anos, ter iniciado atividade sexual, estar com a periodicidade do exame inadequada e possuir telefone móvel ou fixo. As mulheres foram divididas em dois grupos para aplicação da intervenção comportamental e educativa por telefone. Utilizou-se um roteiro de intervenção segundo os preceitos da Entrevista Motivacional. ao comparar antes e depois das intervenções comportamental e educativa constatou-se que houve uma mudança estatisticamente significativa (p = 0,0283) no aumento do conhecimento das mulheres que participaram da intervenção educativa; não houve mudança comprovada na atitude das mulheres de nenhum dos grupos e houve um aumento da adesão ao exame colpocitológico nos dois grupos (p < 0,0001), com maior adesão das mulheres que participaram do grupo comportamental (66,8%). as intervenções comportamentais e educativas por telefone foram eficazes na adesão das mulheres ao exame colpocitológico, representando estratégias importantes para educação permanente em saúde, promovendo a atenção para a prevenção do câncer cérvico-uterino. comprobar los efectos de intervención comportamental y educativa por teléfono en la adhesión de las mujeres, con periodicidad inadecuada, al examen de citología vaginal. estudio casi experimental, con muestra constituida por 524 mujeres seleccionadas conforme a los siguientes criterios de inclusión: estar en el intervalo etario entre 25 y 64 años, haber iniciado actividad sexual, estar con la periodicidad del examen inadecuada y poseer teléfono móvil o fijo. Las mujeres fueron divididas en dos grupos para aplicación de la intervención comportamental y educativa por teléfono. Se utilizó una guía de intervención según los preceptos de la Entrevista Motivacional. al comparar antes y después de la intervención comportamental y educativa se constató que hubo un cambio estadísticamente significativo (p = 0,0283) en el aumento del conocimiento de las mujeres que participaron de la intervención educativa; no hubo cambio comprobado en la actitud de las mujeres de ninguno de los grupos y hubo un aumento de la adhesión al examen de citología vaginal en los dos grupos (p < 0,0001), con mayor adhesión de las mujeres que participaron del grupo comportamental (66,8%). las intervenciones comportamentales y educativas por teléfono fueron eficaces en obtener la adhesión de las mujeres al examen de citología vaginal, representando estrategias importantes para una educación permanente en salud y promoviendo la atención para la prevención del cáncer del cuello uterino.
Simple motor tasks independently predict extubation failure in critically ill neurological patients.

PubMed

Kutchak, Fernanda Machado; Rieder, Marcelo de Mello; Victorino, Josué Almeida; Meneguzzi, Carla; Poersch, Karla; Forgiarini, Luiz Alberto; Bianchin, Marino Muxfeldt

2017-01-01

To evaluate the usefulness of simple motor tasks such as hand grasping and tongue protrusion as predictors of extubation failure in critically ill neurological patients. This was a prospective cohort study conducted in the neurological ICU of a tertiary care hospital in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Adult patients who had been intubated for neurological reasons and were eligible for weaning were included in the study. The ability of patients to perform simple motor tasks such as hand grasping and tongue protrusion was evaluated as a predictor of extubation failure. Data regarding duration of mechanical ventilation, length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay, mortality, and incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia were collected. A total of 132 intubated patients who had been receiving mechanical ventilation for at least 24 h and who passed a spontaneous breathing trial were included in the analysis. Logistic regression showed that patient inability to grasp the hand of the examiner (relative risk = 1.57; 95% CI: 1.01-2.44; p < 0.045) and protrude the tongue (relative risk = 6.84; 95% CI: 2.49-18.8; p < 0.001) were independent risk factors for extubation failure. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores (p = 0.02), Glasgow Coma Scale scores at extubation (p < 0.001), eye opening response (p = 0.001), MIP (p < 0.001), MEP (p = 0.006), and the rapid shallow breathing index (p = 0.03) were significantly different between the failed extubation and successful extubation groups. The inability to follow simple motor commands is predictive of extubation failure in critically ill neurological patients. Hand grasping and tongue protrusion on command might be quick and easy bedside tests to identify neurocritical care patients who are candidates for extubation. Avaliar a utilidade de tarefas motoras simples, tais como preensão de mão e protrusão da língua, para predizer extubação malsucedida em pacientes neurológicos críticos. Estudo prospectivo de coorte realizado na UTI neurológica de um hospital terciário em Porto Alegre (RS). Pacientes adultos que haviam sido intubados por motivos neurológicos e que eram candidatos ao desmame foram incluídos no estudo. O estudo avaliou se a capacidade dos pacientes de realizar tarefas motoras simples como apertar as mãos do examinador e pôr a língua para fora seria um preditor de extubação malsucedida. Foram coletados dados referentes ao tempo de ventilação mecânica, tempo de internação na UTI, tempo de internação hospitalar, mortalidade e incidência de pneumonia associada à ventilação mecânica. Foram incluídos na análise 132 pacientes intubados que haviam recebido ventilação mecânica durante pelo menos 24 h e que passaram no teste de respiração espontânea. A regressão logística mostrou que a incapacidade dos pacientes de apertar a mão do examinador (risco relativo = 1,57; IC95%: 1,01-2,44; p < 0,045) e de pôr a língua para fora (risco relativo = 6,84; IC95%: 2,49-18,8; p < 0,001) foram fatores independentes de risco de extubação malsucedida. Houve diferenças significativas entre os pacientes nos quais a extubação foi malsucedida e aqueles nos quais a extubação foi bem-sucedida quanto à pontuação obtida no Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (p = 0,02), pontuação obtida na Escala de Coma de Glasgow no momento da extubação (p < 0,001), abertura dos olhos em resposta ao comando (p = 0,001), PImáx (p < 0,001), PEmáx (p = 0,006) e índice de respiração rápida e superficial (p = 0,03). A incapacidade de obedecer a comandos motores simples é preditora de extubação malsucedida em pacientes neurológicos críticos. Preensão de mão e protrusão da língua em resposta ao comando podem ser testes rápidos e fáceis realizados à beira do leito para identificar pacientes neurológicos críticos que sejam candidatos à extubação.
Psycholinguistic and motor theories of apraxia of speech.

PubMed

Ziegler, Wolfram

2002-11-01

This article sketches the relationships between modern conceptions of apraxia of speech (AOS) and current models of neuromotor and neurolinguistic disorders. The first section is devoted to neurophysiological perspectives of AOS, and its relation to dysarthrias and to limb apraxia is discussed. The second section introduces the logogen model and considers AOS in relation to supramodal aspects of aphasia. In the third section, AOS with the background of psycholinguistic models of spoken language production, including the Levelt model and connectionist models, is discussed. In the fourth section, the view of AOS as a disorder of speech motor programming is discussed against the background of theories from experimental psychology. The final section considers two models of speech motor control and their relation to AOS. The article discusses the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches.
Simpler Adaptive Optics using a Single Device for Processing and Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zovaro, A.; Bennet, F.; Rye, D.; D'Orgeville, C.; Rigaut, F.; Price, I.; Ritchie, I.; Smith, C.

The management of low Earth orbit is becoming more urgent as satellite and debris densities climb, in order to avoid a Kessler syndrome. A key part of this management is to precisely measure the orbit of both active satellites and debris. The Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University have been developing an adaptive optics (AO) system to image and range orbiting objects. The AO system provides atmospheric correction for imaging and laser ranging, allowing for the detection of smaller angular targets and drastically increasing the number of detectable objects. AO systems are by nature very complex and high cost systems, often costing millions of dollars and taking years to design. It is not unusual for AO systems to comprise multiple servers, digital signal processors (DSP) and field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), with dedicated tasks such as wavefront sensor data processing or wavefront reconstruction. While this multi-platform approach has been necessary in AO systems to date due to computation and latency requirements, this may no longer be the case for those with less demanding processing needs. In recent years, large strides have been made in FPGA and microcontroller technology, with todays devices having clock speeds in excess of 200 MHz whilst using a < 5 V power supply. AO systems using a single such device for all data processing and control may present a far simpler, cheaper, smaller and more efficient solution than existing systems. A novel AO system design based around a single, low-cost controller is presented. The objective is to determine the performance which can be achieved in terms of bandwidth and correction order, with a focus on optimisation and parallelisation of AO algorithms such as wavefront measurement and reconstruction. The AO system consists of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor and a deformable mirror to correct light from a 1.8 m telescope for the purpose of imaging orbiting satellites. The microcontroller or FPGA interfaces directly with the wavefront sensor detector and deformable mirror. Wavefront slopes are calculated from each detector frame and converted into actuator commands to complete the closed loop AO control system. A particular challenge of this system is to optimise the AO algorithms to achieve a high rate (> 1kHz) with low latency (< 1ms) to achieve a good AO correction. As part of the Space Environment Cooperative Research Centre (SERC) this AO system design will be used as a demonstrator for what is possible with ground based AO corrected satellite imaging and ranging systems. The ability to directly and efficiently interface the wavefront sensor and deformable mirror is an important step in reducing the cost and complexity of an AO system. It is hoped that in the future this design can be modified for use in general AO applications, such as in 1-3 m telescopes for space surveillance, or even for amateur astronomy.
Serious game development as a strategy for health promotion and tackling childhood obesity.

PubMed

Dias, Jéssica David; Mekaro, Marcelo Shinyu; Cheng Lu, Jennifer Kaon; Otsuka, Joice Lee; Fonseca, Luciana Mara Monti; Zem-Mascarenhas, Silvia Helena

2016-08-15

to develop and assess a serious game on healthy eating and physical activity to promote health and tackle childhood obesity. a descriptive, applied and methodological study.For the development of the game, the following steps were taken: conceptualization, pre-production with the development of the game documentation, prototyping, production and assessment of thecomputer and health experts. a prototype has been developed up to beta version. The game was positively assessed both in terms of gameplay and mechanics, and in relation to the content presented, standing out as a powerful strategy for health promotion. The information from the assessment phase contributed to the settings in the software in order to make it available in the future for the target population of this research. The greatest advantage of the proposed game is the fact that it is an open educational resource. the expert assessments showed that the game has great educational potential and it is considered suitable for future application to the target audience.The serious game can become a technological teaching resource available for use in schools and health facilities, and can also be reused for the production of other educational games by accessing its source code. desenvolver e avaliar um serious game (Jogo sério) sobre alimentação saudável e exercício físico para promoção da saúde e auxílio ao enfrentamento da obesidade infantil. estudo descritivo, aplicado e metodológico. Para o desenvolvimento do jogo, foram percorridas as seguintes etapas: conceituação, pré-produção com desenvolvimento da documentação do jogo, prototipagem, produção e avaliação de especialistas de computação e saúde. desenvolveu-se um protótipo até a versão beta. O jogo foi avaliado positivamente tanto em relação à jogabilidade e mecânica, quanto em relação ao conteúdo apresentado, destacando-se como uma estratégia potente para a promoção de saúde. As informações oriundas da fase de avaliação serviram de subsídio para adequações no software com a finalidade de disponibilizá-lo futuramente à população alvo da pesquisa. O grande diferencial do jogo proposto é o fato do mesmo ser um recurso educacional aberto. as avaliações com especialistas demonstraram que o jogo tem grande potencial educacional e considerado adequado para a aplicação futura com o público-alvo. O serious game pode ser um recurso didático tecnológico acessível para uso em escolas e unidades de saúde, além de poder ser reutilizado para a produção de outros jogos educacionais através do acesso de seu código fonte. desarrollar y evaluar un serious game (Juego serio) sobre alimentación saludable y ejercicio físico para la promoción de la salud y ayudar en el enfrentamiento de la obesidad infantil. estudio descriptivo, aplicado y metodológico. Para el desarrollo del juego, se iniciaron los siguientes pasos: conceptualización, pre-producción con el desarrollo de la documentación del juego, creación de prototipos, producción y evaluación por expertos informáticos y en salud. un prototipo se ha desarrollado hasta la versión beta. El juego se evaluó positivamente tanto en términos de jugabilidad y mecánica como en relación con el contenido presentado, destacándose como una poderosa estrategia para la promoción de la salud. La información de la fase de evaluación contribuyó a los ajustes en el software con el fin de que esté disponible en el futuro para la población objetivo de esa investigación. La gran vantaja del juego propuesto es el hecho de que es un recurso educativo abierto. las evaluaciones de los expertos mostraron que el juego tiene un gran potencial educativo y es considerado adecuado para la aplicación futura para el público objetivo. El serious game puede convertirse en un recurso para la enseñanza tecnológica disponible para uso en las escuelas y en los centros de salud, y también puede ser reutilizado para la producción de otros juegos educativos mediante el acceso a su código fuente.
Effects of indacaterol versus tiotropium on exercise tolerance in patients with moderate COPD: a pilot randomized crossover study.

PubMed

Berton, Danilo Cortozi; Santos, Álvaro Huber Dos; Bohn, Ivo; Lima, Rodrigo Quevedo de; Breda, Vanderléia; Teixeira, Paulo José Zimermann

2016-01-01

To compare a once-daily long-acting β2 agonist (indacaterol 150 µg) with a once-daily long-acting anticholinergic (tiotropium 5 µg) in terms of their effects on exercise endurance (limit of tolerance, Tlim) in patients with moderate COPD. Secondary endpoints were their effects on lung hyperinflation, exercise-related dyspnea, and daily-life dyspnea. This was a randomized, single-blind, crossover pilot study involving 20 patients (mean age, 60.9 ± 10.0 years; mean FEV1, 69 ± 7% of predicted). Spirometric parameters, Transition Dyspnea Index scores, Tlim, and exertional dyspnea were compared after three weeks of each treatment (with a one-week washout period between treatments). Nineteen patients completed the study (one having been excluded because of COPD exacerbation). Improvement in Tlim from baseline tended to be greater after treatment with tiotropium than after treatment with indacaterol (96 ± 163 s vs. 8 ± 82 s; p = 0.06). Tlim significantly improved from baseline after treatment with tiotropium (having increased from 396 ± 319 s to 493 ± 347 s; p = 0.010) but not after treatment with indacaterol (having increased from 393 ± 246 to 401 ± 254 s; p = 0.678). There were no differences between the two treatments regarding improvements in Borg dyspnea scores and lung hyperinflation at "isotime" and peak exercise. There were also no significant differences between treatments regarding Transition Dyspnea Index scores (1.5 ± 2.1 vs. 0.9 ± 2.3; p = 0.39). In patients with moderate COPD, tiotropium tends to improve Tlim in comparison with indacaterol. No significant differences were observed between the two treatments regarding their effects on lung hyperinflation, exercise-related dyspnea, and daily-life dyspnea. Future studies, including a larger number of patients, are required in order to confirm our findings and explore mechanistic explanations. (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01693003 [http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/]). Comparar um β2-agonista de longa duração administrado uma vez por dia (indacaterol 150 µg) a um anticolinérgico de longa duração administrado uma vez por dia (tiotrópio 5 µg) quanto a seus efeitos na resistência ao exercício (limite de tolerância, Tlim) em pacientes com DPOC moderada. Os desfechos secundários foram seus efeitos na hiperinsuflação pulmonar, na dispneia causada pelo exercício e na dispneia na vida diária. Estudo piloto randomizado cruzado e simples cego com 20 pacientes (média de idade: 60,9 ± 10,0 anos; média do VEF1: 69 ± 7% do previsto). Parâmetros espirométricos, pontuação no Transition Dyspnea Index, Tlim e dispneia aos esforços foram comparados após três semanas de cada tratamento (com uma semana de intervalo entre os tratamentos). Dezenove pacientes completaram o estudo - um foi excluído por causa de exacerbação da DPOC. A melhora no Tlim tendeu a ser maior com tiotrópio do que com indacaterol (96 ± 163 s vs. 8 ± 82 s; p = 0,06). Em comparação com os valores basais, o Tlim melhorou significativamente com tiotrópio (aumentando de 396 ± 319 s para 493 ± 347 s; p = 0,010), mas não com indacaterol (aumentando de 393 ± 246 para 401 ± 254 s; p = 0,678). Não houve diferença entre os tratamentos quanto à melhora na pontuação na escala de dispneia de Borg e na insuflação pulmonar no "isotempo" e no pico do exercício. Também não houve diferenças significativas entre os tratamentos quanto à pontuação no Transition Dyspnea Index (1,5 ± 2,1 vs. 0,9 ± 2,3; p = 0,39). Em pacientes com DPOC moderada, o tiotrópio tende a melhorar o Tlim em comparação com o indacaterol. Não houve diferenças significativas entre os tratamentos quanto a seus efeitos na insuflação pulmonar, na dispneia durante o exercício e na dispneia na vida diária. São necessários mais estudos, com um número maior de pacientes, para confirmar nossos achados e explorar explicações mecanicistas. (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01693003 [http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/]).
[The genetic background for the eye malformations anophthalmia and microphthalmia].

PubMed

Roos, Laura Sønderberg; Grønskov, Karen; Jensen, Hanne; Tümer, Zeynep

2012-03-12

Anophthalmia and microphthalmia (AO/MO) are rare congenital eye malformations, in which the eyeball is apparently absent or smaller than normal, which causes various degrees of visual impairment. Over 200 different AO/MO-related syndromes have been described, but the genetic background is unknown in many cases. The aim of this article is to give an overview of AO/MO, focusing on the genetic background. It is illustrated that the future identification of new AO/MO related genes will benefit in the genetic counseling of AO/MO patients, and in the understanding of eye development and congenital eye malformations.
Antioxidant-spotting in micelles and emulsions.

PubMed

Aliaga, Carolina; López de Arbina, Amaia; Pastenes, Camila; Rezende, Marcos Caroli

2018-04-15

A simple protocol is described for locating the site of action of an antioxidant (AO) in a micro-heterogeneous mixture, based on the pattern of the reactivity curve towards the AO of a series of 4-alkanoyl TEMPO radicals. The resulting cut-off curves yield information regarding the hydrophobic microenvironment surrounding the reactive AO group, and its accessibility by the probe. Convex curves are an indication of an AO located in a more hydrophilic environment, while concave plots originate from AOs in a more hydrophobic location in the micro-heterogeneous system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Psychometric properties of the Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale for screening abuse of older adults.

PubMed

Dantas, Raquel Batista; Oliveira, Graziella Lage; Silveira, Andréa Maria

2017-04-10

Adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale to identify risk of domestic violence against older adults in Brazil. The instrument was adapted and validated in a sample of 151 older adults from a geriatric reference center in the municipality of Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais, in 2014. We collected sociodemographic, clinical, and abuse-related information, and verified reliability by reproducibility in a sample of 55 older people, who underwent re-testing of the instrument seven days after the first application. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed for all variables, with a significance level of 5%. The construct validity was analyzed by the principal components method with a tetrachoric correlation matrix, the reliability of the scale by the weighted Kappa (Kp) statistic, and the internal consistency by the Kuder-Richardson estimator formula 20 (KR-20). The average age of the participants was 72.1 years (DP = 6.96; 95%CI 70.94-73.17), with a maximum of 92 years, and they were predominantly female (76.2%; 95%CI 69.82-83.03). When analyzing the relationship between the scores of the Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale, categorized by presence (score > 3) or absence (score < 3) of vulnerability to abuse, with clinical and health conditions, we found statistically significant differences for self-perception of health (p = 0.002), depressive symptoms (p = 0.000), and presence of rheumatism (p = 0.003). There were no statistically significant differences between sexes. The Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale acceptably evaluated validity in the transcultural adaptation process, demonstrating dimensionality coherent with the original proposal (four factors). In the internal consistency analysis, the instrument presented good results (KR-20 = 0.69) and the reliability via reproducibility was considered excellent for the global scale (Kp = 0.92). The Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale proved to be a valid instrument with good psychometric capacity for screening domestic abuse against older adults in Brazil. Adaptar e avaliar as propriedades psicométricas da Escala Triagem de Vulnerabilidade ao Abuso (Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale - VASS) para identificar risco de violência doméstica contra idosos no Brasil. O instrumento foi adaptado e validado em uma amostra de 151 idosos de um centro de referência do idoso, do município de Belo Horizonte, MG, em 2014. Foram coletadas informações sociodemográficas, clínicas e relacionadas a abusos. A confiabilidade via reprodutibilidade foi verificada em uma amostra de 55 idosos, submetidos ao reteste do instrumento sete dias após a primeira aplicação. Foram realizadas análises descritivas e comparativas para todas as variáveis, com nível de significância de 5%. A validade de construto foi analisada pelo método de componentes principais com matriz de correlação tetracórica, a confiabilidade da escala pela estatística Kappa ponderado (Kp) e a consistência interna pelo estimador Kuder-Richardson fórmula 20 (KR-20). A idade média dos participantes foi 72,1 anos (DP = 6,96; IC95% 70,94-73,17), com máxima de 92 anos, e o sexo foi predominantemente feminino (76,2%; IC95% 69,82-83,03). Ao analisar a relação entre os escores da Escala Triagem de Vulnerabilidade ao Abuso, categorizados em presença (índice > 3) ou ausência (índice < 3) de vulnerabilidade para abuso, com condições clínicas e de saúde, encontramos diferenças estatisticamente significantes para autopercepção de saúde (p = 0,002), sintomas depressivos (p = 0,000) e presença de reumatismo (p = 0,003). Em relação ao sexo, não houve diferença estatisticamente significante. A Escala Triagem de Vulnerabilidade ao Abuso comportou-se de forma aceitável na avaliação da validade no processo de adaptação transcultural, demonstrando dimensionalidade coerente com a proposta original (quatro fatores). Na análise da consistência interna, o instrumento apresentou bons resultados (KR-20 = 0,69) e a confiabilidade via reprodutibilidade foi considerara excelente para a escala global (Kp = 0,92). A Escala Triagem de Vulnerabilidade ao Abuso mostra-se como instrumento válido e com boas capacidades psicométricas para o rastreio de abuso doméstico contra idosos no contexto brasileiro.
Adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy

PubMed Central

Roorda, Austin; Duncan, Jacque L.

2016-01-01

This review starts with a brief history and description of adaptive optics (AO) technology, followed by a showcase of the latest capabilities of AO systems for imaging the human retina and an extensive review of the literature on where AO is being used clinically. The review concludes with a discussion on future directions and guidance on usage and interpretation of images from AO systems for the eye. PMID:26973867
Assessing the Treatment Effects in Apraxia of Speech: Introduction and Evaluation of the Modified Diadochokinesis Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurkmans, Joost; Jonkers, Roel; Boonstra, Anne M.; Stewart, Roy E.; Reinders-Messelink, Heleen A.

2012-01-01

Background: The number of reliable and valid instruments to measure the effects of therapy in apraxia of speech (AoS) is limited. Aims: To evaluate the newly developed Modified Diadochokinesis Test (MDT), which is a task to assess the effects of rate and rhythm therapies for AoS in a multiple baseline across behaviours design. Methods: The…
A rethinking on the benefits and drawbacks of common antioxidants and a proposal to look for the antioxidants in allium products as ideal agents: a review.

PubMed

Augusti, K T; Jose, Regi; Sajitha, G R; Augustine, Paul

2012-01-01

This review article on the beneficial uses of Allium antioxidants tries to give some answers to the recent doubts raised by Singh et al. (Ind J Clin Biochem 25(3):225-243, 2010) against the claim of some researchers that Antioxidants (AOs) are miraculous molecules. Many people still believe that vitamins like A, C and E are the only true AOs that play important role in the corrections of metabolic derangements in life style diseases and hence all their faults are attributed to the failures of AOs as a class. This is quite unfair as there are many other natural AOs that do equal or even better AO action than the vitamins. Such is the case with the Allium S-alkyl sulfoxide aminoacids and their breakdown products viz, the various poly sulfides and their oxides e.g. allicin and ajoene type compounds which trap electrons mainly. It is true that antioxidant vitamins and β-carotene a precursor of Vitamin A bring about problems as prooxidant or as agents that block some metabolic pathways and gene expression. Again the argument that AOs cannot improve the level of antioxidant enzymes like SOD, catalase and glutathione Px is also not universal. Actually allium AOs can even spare the use of antioxidant vitamins in the body and enhance the action of antioxidant enzymes and supply of ATP and other nutrients to the tissues as the former are good vasodialators and promoters of membrane permeability. The use of AOs should be selective and moderate. Allium AOs satisfy the role of ideal AOs based on many of their invivo and invitro actions reported by the author and others. Their metabolits can regenerate them and recycle them for a sufficient time in the body. They have non antioxidant effects also such as antiplatelet, fibrinolytic, antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, antiageing actions etc. Plant derived AOs may be more beneficial and better tolerated in their partially purified forms rather than in their absolutely purified forms as the accompanying principles have some protective and regulatory effects in general. This and other aspects of allium AOs are discussed in the paper.
Cloning and Functional Analysis of the Promoter of an Ascorbate Oxidase Gene from Gossypium hirsutum

PubMed Central

Xin, Shan; Tao, Chengcheng; Li, Hongbin

2016-01-01

Apoplastic ascorbate oxidase (AO) plays significant roles in plant cell growth. However, the mechanism of underlying the transcriptional regulation of AO in Gossypium hirsutum remains unclear. Here, we obtained a 1,920-bp promoter sequence from the Gossypium hirsutum ascorbate oxidase (GhAO1) gene, and this GhAO1 promoter included a number of known cis-elements. Promoter activity analysis in overexpressing pGhAO1::GFP-GUS tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) showed that the GhAO1 promoter exhibited high activity, driving strong reporter gene expression in tobacco trichomes, leaves and roots. Promoter 5’-deletion analysis demonstrated that truncated GhAO1 promoters with serial 5’-end deletions had different GUS activities. A 360-bp fragment was sufficient to activate GUS expression. The P-1040 region had less GUS activity than the P-720 region, suggesting that the 320-bp region from nucleotide -720 to -1040 might include a cis-element acting as a silencer. Interestingly, an auxin-responsive cis-acting element (TGA-element) was uncovered in the promoter. To analyze the function of the TGA-element, tobacco leaves transformed with promoters with different 5’ truncations were treated with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Tobacco leaves transformed with the promoter regions containing the TGA-element showed significantly increased GUS activity after IAA treatment, implying that the fragment spanning nucleotides -1760 to -1600 (which includes the TGA-element) might be a key component for IAA responsiveness. Analyses of the AO promoter region and AO expression pattern in Gossypium arboreum (Ga, diploid cotton with an AA genome), Gossypium raimondii (Gr, diploid cotton with a DD genome) and Gossypium hirsutum (Gh, tetraploid cotton with an AADD genome) indicated that AO promoter activation and AO transcription were detected together only in D genome/sub-genome (Gr and Gh) cotton. Taken together, these results suggest that the 1,920-bp GhAO1 promoter is a functional sequence with a potential effect on fiber cell development, mediated by TGA-element containing sequences, via the auxin-signaling pathway. PMID:27597995
Cloning and Functional Analysis of the Promoter of an Ascorbate Oxidase Gene from Gossypium hirsutum.

PubMed

Xin, Shan; Tao, Chengcheng; Li, Hongbin

2016-01-01

Apoplastic ascorbate oxidase (AO) plays significant roles in plant cell growth. However, the mechanism of underlying the transcriptional regulation of AO in Gossypium hirsutum remains unclear. Here, we obtained a 1,920-bp promoter sequence from the Gossypium hirsutum ascorbate oxidase (GhAO1) gene, and this GhAO1 promoter included a number of known cis-elements. Promoter activity analysis in overexpressing pGhAO1::GFP-GUS tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) showed that the GhAO1 promoter exhibited high activity, driving strong reporter gene expression in tobacco trichomes, leaves and roots. Promoter 5'-deletion analysis demonstrated that truncated GhAO1 promoters with serial 5'-end deletions had different GUS activities. A 360-bp fragment was sufficient to activate GUS expression. The P-1040 region had less GUS activity than the P-720 region, suggesting that the 320-bp region from nucleotide -720 to -1040 might include a cis-element acting as a silencer. Interestingly, an auxin-responsive cis-acting element (TGA-element) was uncovered in the promoter. To analyze the function of the TGA-element, tobacco leaves transformed with promoters with different 5' truncations were treated with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Tobacco leaves transformed with the promoter regions containing the TGA-element showed significantly increased GUS activity after IAA treatment, implying that the fragment spanning nucleotides -1760 to -1600 (which includes the TGA-element) might be a key component for IAA responsiveness. Analyses of the AO promoter region and AO expression pattern in Gossypium arboreum (Ga, diploid cotton with an AA genome), Gossypium raimondii (Gr, diploid cotton with a DD genome) and Gossypium hirsutum (Gh, tetraploid cotton with an AADD genome) indicated that AO promoter activation and AO transcription were detected together only in D genome/sub-genome (Gr and Gh) cotton. Taken together, these results suggest that the 1,920-bp GhAO1 promoter is a functional sequence with a potential effect on fiber cell development, mediated by TGA-element containing sequences, via the auxin-signaling pathway.
Reference intervals of aortic pulse wave velocity assessed with an oscillometric device in healthy children and adolescents from Argentina.

PubMed

Alejandro, Díaz; Yanina, Zócalo; Daniel, Bia; Franco, Sabino; Victoria, Rodríguez; Edmundo, Cabrera FIscher

2018-03-09

Age-related reference intervals (RIs) of aortic pulse wave velocity (Ao-PWV) obtained from a large healthy population are lacking in South America. The aims of this study were to determine Ao-PWV RIs in a cohort of healthy children and adolescents from Argentina and to generate year-to-year percentile curves. Ao-PWV was measured in 1000 healthy subjects non-exposed to traditional cardiovascular risk factors (Age: 10-22 y. o., 56% males). First, we evaluated if RIs for males and females were necessaries (correlation and covariate analysis). Second, mean (M) and standard deviation (SD) age-related equations were obtained for cf-PWV, using parametric regression methods based on fractional polynomials. Third, age-specific (year to year) percentiles curves (for all, males and females children and adolescents) were generated using the standard normal distribution. They were, age-specific 1st, 2.5th, 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th, 97.5th and 99th percentile curves and values. After covariate analysis (i.e., adjusting by age, jugulum-symphysis distance, body weight and height), specific RIs for males and females of children and adolescents were evidenced as necessaries. The equations were For all subjects: Ao-PWV_Mean = 4.98 + 12.86x10 -5 Age 3 . Ao-PWV_SD = 0.47 + 21.00x10 -6 Age 3 . For girls: Ao-PWV_Mean = 5.07 + 10.23x10 -5 Age 3 . Ao-PWV_SD = 0.50 + 10.00x10 -6 Age 3 . For boys: Ao-PWV_Mean = 4.87 + 15.81x10 -5 Age 3 . Ao-PWV_SD = 0.46 + 22.34x10 -6 Age 3 . Our study provides the largest database to-date concerning Ao-PWV in healthy children and adolescents in Argentina. Age-related equations (M and SD values) for Ao-PWV are reported by the first time. Specific RIs and percentiles of Ao-PWV are now available according to age and sex for an Argentinian population.

Variability of age at onset in siblings with familial Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Gómez-Tortosa, Estrella; Barquero, M Sagrario; Barón, Manuel; Sainz, M Jose; Manzano, Sagrario; Payno, Maria; Ros, Raquel; Almaraz, Carmen; Gómez-Garré, Pilar; Jiménez-Escrig, Adriano

2007-12-01

Variability of age at onset (AO) of Alzheimer disease (AD) among members of the same family is important as a biological clue and because of its clinical effects. To evaluate which clinical variables influence the discrepancy in AO among affected relatives with familial AD. Clinical genetic project of Spanish kindred with AD conducted by 4 academic hospitals in Madrid, Spain. Age at onset of AD in 162 families and discrepancy in AO in intragenerational and intergenerational affected pairs were analyzed in relation to age, sex, maternal or paternal transmission, pattern of inheritance, and apolipoprotein E genotype. Maternal transmission of AD was significantly more frequent than paternal transmission (P < .001). In 27% of the affected individuals, AO occurred before the patient was 65 years old. Discrepancy in AO among siblings was within 5 years in 44% of the families, 6 to 10 years in 29%, and more than 10 years in 27% (range, 0-22). This discrepancy was independent of the sex of the sibling pairs and was significantly lower with maternal transmission of AD (P = .02). Segregation analysis showed no differences in the inheritance pattern between families with low (< or =5 years) or high (>5 years) AO discrepancy. Age at onset in carriers of the apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele was slightly younger. However, among siblings, an extra apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele was not consistently associated with earlier onset of AD. Eighty percent of patients, independent of sex or mode of transmission, were already affected at their parents' reported AO. There is a wide discrepancy in AO in affected siblings that is not clearly explained by a single clinical variable or apolipoprotein E genotype. The interaction of many factors probably determines AO in each affected individual. However, maternal transmission of AD seems to result in a similar AO in offspring, and the risk of developing dementia after the parent's reported AO decreases significantly.
Reference values of aortic pulse wave velocity in the elderly.

PubMed

Alecu, Cosmin; Labat, Carlos; Kearney-Schwartz, Anna; Fay, Renaud; Salvi, Paolo; Joly, Laure; Lacolley, Patrick; Vespignani, Hervé; Benetos, Athanase

2008-11-01

Increased aortic pulse wave velocity (AoPWV) is an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. There are, however, no generally accepted limits for defining the normal or reference values. The aim of the present study was to define reference values for AoPWV. AoPWV was assessed using applanation tonometry (PulsePen device) in a community living ambulatory population of 455 individuals aged 60-75 years. AoPWV was studied in a group of 206 individuals without hypertension or diabetes, called the 'reference-values group' (RVG), and in a group of 249 individuals with hypertension or diabetes, called the hypertension-diabetes group (HDG). The 95th percentile of the samples was used to determine the upper limit of AoPWV reference values. Mean AoPWV was 8.7+/-2.3 m/s in the RVG and 10.2+/-2.5 m/s in the hypertension-diabetes group (P<0.0001). In the RVG, median AoPWV in the three age subgroups was 8.0 m/s (7.6-8.5) in the 60-64-, 8.0 m/s (7.5-9.0) in the 65-69- and 9.0 m/s (7.9-9.5) in the 70-75-year-old group (NS among groups). In the entire RVG, the upper bounds of the 75th and the 95th percentile of the sample's AoPWV were 10 and 13 m/s, respectively, with no difference between sexes. In elderly individuals of 60-75 years, an AoPWV value below 10 m/s, measured with the PulsePen device, can be considered as a normal value. Values of 10-13 m/s can be considered as 'high normal' or 'borderline', whereas an AoPWV above 13 m/s is frankly elevated. This study provides, for the first time in the elderly, reference values of AoPWV.
Effects of mixing on resolved and unresolved scales on stratospheric age of air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietmüller, Simone; Garny, Hella; Plöger, Felix; Jöckel, Patrick; Cai, Duy

2017-06-01

Mean age of air (AoA) is a widely used metric to describe the transport along the Brewer-Dobson circulation. We seek to untangle the effects of different processes on the simulation of AoA, using the chemistry-climate model EMAC (ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry) and the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS). Here, the effects of residual transport and two-way mixing on AoA are calculated. To do so, we calculate the residual circulation transit time (RCTT). The difference of AoA and RCTT is defined as aging by mixing. However, as diffusion is also included in this difference, we further use a method to directly calculate aging by mixing on resolved scales. Comparing these two methods of calculating aging by mixing allows for separating the effect of unresolved aging by mixing (which we term aging by diffusion in the following) in EMAC and CLaMS. We find that diffusion impacts AoA by making air older, but its contribution plays a minor role (order of 10 %) in all simulations. However, due to the different advection schemes of the two models, aging by diffusion has a larger effect on AoA and mixing efficiency in EMAC, compared to CLaMS. Regarding the trends in AoA, in CLaMS the AoA trend is negative throughout the stratosphere except in the Northern Hemisphere middle stratosphere, consistent with observations. This slight positive trend is neither reproduced in a free-running nor in a nudged simulation with EMAC - in both simulations the AoA trend is negative throughout the stratosphere. Trends in AoA are mainly driven by the contributions of RCTT and aging by mixing, whereas the contribution of aging by diffusion plays a minor role.
Contemporary experience with surgical treatment of aortic valve disease in children.

PubMed

Khan, Muhammad S; Samayoa, Andres X; Chen, Diane W; Petit, Christopher J; Fraser, Charles D

2013-09-01

Surgical treatment of aortic valve (AoV) disease in childhood involves complex decisions particularly in very small patients. There is no consensus regarding the optimum surgical option. The objective of this review was to analyze a contemporary experience of AoV surgery in a large children's hospital. A retrospective review of children (aged ≤ 18 years) undergoing AoV repair or replacement from June 1995 to December 2011 was carried out. A total of 285 AoV operations (97 repairs, 188 replacements) were performed on 241 patients. Hospital survival for repair was 98% and for replacements was 97%. At follow-up of repairs, there were 16 (17%) reoperations and 3 (3%) late deaths. Follow-up of AoV replacements demonstrated 31 (16%) reoperations (homograft 27, autograft 3, mechanical 1) and 8 (4%) late deaths (homograft 5, autograft 2, mechanical 1). Freedom from reintervention or death (FRD) was found to be lower in repairs for infants (P = .048) and truncal valves (P < .05). For AoV replacements, infants and patients who had concomitant CHD or homografts (P < .0001) had lower FRD. Cox regression analysis for AoV replacements identified infants and homograft root replacements at a higher risk for death/reoperation. AoV repairs and replacements were generally found to be associated with low death and reoperation rates at long-term follow-up. Infants had a lower freedom from reintervention or death after either an AoV repair or replacement, although truncal valve repairs and AoV replacement in patients with concomitant CHD were associated with lower valve survival. Among the valve options, homograft root replacement had a higher risk of death/reoperation and lowest freedom from reintervention or death. Copyright © 2013 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
Three Weeks of Anti-orthostatic Suspension had no Effect on Immune Status in a Specific-Pathogen-Free Enfvironment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Tae Young; Chang, Geun Uck; Kim, Kyu-Sung; Heo, Min-Jeong; Jung, Ah-Yeoun; Kim, Young Hyo

2015-09-01

Anti-Orthostatic Suspension (AOS) is a well-known murine ground-based model of simulated microgravity. However, because no commercial equipment is available for AOS in Specific-Pathogen-Free (SPF) laboratories no previous study has been conducted to examine the effect of AOS on allergic immunity. Accordingly, we developed an AOS cage suitable for SPF conditions, and evaluate its reliability and the effect of 3 weeks of AOS on immunity in a mouse model. An AOS cage were developed using stainless steel components. Fourteen female BALB/c mice were allocated to Group A (control group, n=7) or Group B (AOS, n=7). Body weights and thickness of posterior thigh muscles were measured before and after 3 weeks of AOS, and serum IgE and the titers of cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, and IFN- γ) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were compared, as were lung histologic findings. The SPF condition was successfully maintained. No significant difference in weight gain was observed between groups A (0.9 ±1.0 g) and B (0.8 ±1.1 g, P>0.05) after the 3-week experimental period. The mean thickness of posterior thigh muscles in Group B was significantly lower than in Group A (0.7 ±0.2 versus -0.4 ±0.3 mm, P =0.001). However, group serum IgE titers, and IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, and IFN- γ titers in BAL fluid were non-significantly different. No intergroup difference was found by histopathologic examinations of lungs. In conclusion, using AOS equipment in a SPF laboratory, immune status was not found to be significantly affected by 3 weeks AOS in healthy mice.
SoAx: A generic C++ Structure of Arrays for handling particles in HPC codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Homann, Holger; Laenen, Francois

2018-03-01

The numerical study of physical problems often require integrating the dynamics of a large number of particles evolving according to a given set of equations. Particles are characterized by the information they are carrying such as an identity, a position other. There are generally speaking two different possibilities for handling particles in high performance computing (HPC) codes. The concept of an Array of Structures (AoS) is in the spirit of the object-oriented programming (OOP) paradigm in that the particle information is implemented as a structure. Here, an object (realization of the structure) represents one particle and a set of many particles is stored in an array. In contrast, using the concept of a Structure of Arrays (SoA), a single structure holds several arrays each representing one property (such as the identity) of the whole set of particles. The AoS approach is often implemented in HPC codes due to its handiness and flexibility. For a class of problems, however, it is known that the performance of SoA is much better than that of AoS. We confirm this observation for our particle problem. Using a benchmark we show that on modern Intel Xeon processors the SoA implementation is typically several times faster than the AoS one. On Intel's MIC co-processors the performance gap even attains a factor of ten. The same is true for GPU computing, using both computational and multi-purpose GPUs. Combining performance and handiness, we present the library SoAx that has optimal performance (on CPUs, MICs, and GPUs) while providing the same handiness as AoS. For this, SoAx uses modern C++ design techniques such template meta programming that allows to automatically generate code for user defined heterogeneous data structures.
The impact of climate change on the expansion of Ixodes persulcatus habitat and the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis in the north of European Russia

PubMed Central

Tokarevich, Nikolay K.; Tronin, Andrey A.; Blinova, Olga V.; Buzinov, Roman V.; Boltenkov, Vitaliy P.; Yurasova, Elena D.; Nurse, Jo

2011-01-01

Background The increase in tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) incidence is observed in recent decades in a number of subarctic countries. The reasons of it are widely discussed in scientific publications. The objective of this study was to understand if the climate change in Arkhangelsk Oblast (AO) situated in the north of European subarctic zone of Russia has real impact on the northward expansion of Ixodid ticks and stipulates the increase in TBE incidence. Methods This study analyzes: TBE incidence in AO and throughout Russia, the results of Ixodid ticks collecting in a number of sites in AO, and TBE virus prevalence in those ticks, the data on tick bite incidence in AO, and meteorological data on AO mean annual air temperatures and precipitations. Results It is established that in recent years TBE incidence in AO tended to increase contrary to its apparent decrease nationwide. In last 10 years, there was nearly 50-fold rise in TBE incidence in AO when compared with 1980–1989. Probably, the increase both in mean annual air temperatures and temperatures during tick active season resulted in the northward expansion of Ixodes Persulcatus, main TBE virus vector. The Ixodid ticks expansion is confirmed both by the results of ticks flagging from the surface vegetation and by the tick bite incidence in the population of AO locations earlier free from ticks. Our mathematical (correlation and regression) analysis of available data revealed a distinct correlation between TBE incidence and the growth of mean annual air temperatures in AO in 1990–2009. Conclusion Not ruling out other factors, we conclude that climate change contributed much to the TBE incidence increase in AO. PMID:22028678
Aerobic biodegradation of amphoteric amine-oxide-based surfactants: Effect of molecular structure, initial surfactant concentration and pH.

PubMed

Ríos, Francisco; Lechuga, Manuela; Fernández-Serrano, Mercedes; Fernández-Arteaga, Alejandro

2017-03-01

The present study was designed to provide information regarding the effect of the molecular structure of amphoteric amine-oxide-based surfactants and the initial surfactant concentration on their ultimate biodegradation. Moreover, given this parameter's pH-dependence, the effect of pH was also investigated. Three amine-oxide-based surfactants with structural differences in their hydrophobic alkyl chain were tested: Lauramine oxide (AO-R 12 ), Myristamine oxide (AO-R 14 ) and Cocamidopropylamine oxide (AO-Cocoamido). We studied the ultimate biodegradation using the Modified OECD Screening Test at initial surfactant concentrations ranged from 5 to 75 mg L -1 and at pH levels from 5 to 7.4. The results demonstrate that at pH 7.4, amine-oxide-based surfactants are readily biodegradable. In this study, we concluded that ω-oxidation can be assumed to be the main biodegradation pathway of amine-oxides and that differences in the biodegradability between them can be explained by the presence of an amide group in the alkyl chain of AO-Cocoamido; the CN fission of the amide group slows down their mineralization process. In addition, the increase in the concentration of the surfactant from 5 to 75 mg L -1 resulted in an increase in the final biodegradation of AO-R 12 and AO-R 14 . However, in the case of AO-Cocoamido, a clear relationship between the concentration and biodegradation cannot be stated. Conversely, the biodegradability of AO-R 12 and AO-R 14 was considerably lower in an acid condition than at a pH of 7.4, whereas AO-Cocoamido reached similar percentages in acid conditions and at a neutral pH. However, microorganisms required more time to acclimate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Minimal clinically important difference and the effect of clinical variables on the ankle osteoarthritis scale in surgically treated end-stage ankle arthritis.

PubMed

Coe, Marcus P; Sutherland, Jason M; Penner, Murray J; Younger, Alastair; Wing, Kevin J

2015-05-20

There is much debate regarding the best outcome tool for use in foot and ankle surgery, specifically in patients with ankle arthritis. The Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale (AOS) is a validated, disease-specific score. The goals of this study were to investigate the clinical performance of the AOS and to determine a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for it, using a large cohort of 238 patients undergoing surgery for end-stage ankle arthritis. Patients treated with total ankle arthroplasty or ankle arthrodesis were prospectively followed for a minimum of two years at a single site. Data on demographics, comorbidities, AOS score, Short Form-36 results, and the relationship between expectations and satisfaction were collected at baseline (preoperatively), at six and twelve months, and then yearly thereafter. A linear regression analysis examined the variables affecting the change in AOS scores between baseline and the two-year follow-up. An MCID in the AOS change score was then determined by employing an anchor question, which asked patients to rate their relief from symptoms after surgery. Surgical treatment of end-stage ankle arthritis resulted in a mean improvement (and standard deviation) of 31.2 ± 22.7 points in the AOS score two years after surgery. The MCID of the AOS change score was a mean of 28.0 ± 17.9 points. The change in AOS score was significantly affected by the preoperative AOS score, smoking, back pain, and age. Patients undergoing arthroplasty or arthrodesis for end-stage ankle arthritis experienced a mean improvement in AOS score that was greater than the estimated MCID (31.2 versus 28.0 points). Copyright © 2015 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.
O que bilíngues bimodais têm a nos dizer sobre desenvolvimento bilíngue?

PubMed Central

de Quadros, Ronice Müller; Lillo-Martin, Diane; Pichler, Deborah Chen

2013-01-01

O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar o que as pesquisas que estamos desenvolvendo com crianças ouvintes, filhas de pais surdos, adquirindo Língua Brasileira de Sinais (Libras) e Português e Língua de Sinais Americana (ASL) e Inglês (Lillo-Martin et al. 2010) têm a nos dizer sobre desenvolvimento bilíngue. Os dados deste estudo fazem parte de um banco de dados de interações espontâneas coletadas longitudinalmente, alternando contextos de aquisição da Libras e do português como língua alvo, no Brasil e dados coletados longitudinalmente. nos mesmos contextos, de crianças adquirindo ASL e inglês1. Além disso, há também dados do estudo experimental com testes aplicados nos dois pares de línguas que se agregam ao presente estudo. Uma visão geral dos estudos desenvolvidos sobre a aquisição bilíngue bimodal por crianças ouvintes, filhas de pais surdos, será apresentada e, então, serão expostos alguns aspectos linguísticos deste tipo de aquisição, considerando as discussões sobre aquisição bilíngue a partir da pesquisa realizada. PMID:24431480
Telephone system operations evaluation : before AOS implementation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

This study provides a detailed baseline analysis of telephone system performance before AOS : implementation. By the time of the preparation of this report, the phone system component of : AOS had not been implemented.
Adaptive optics at the Subaru telescope: current capabilities and development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guyon, Olivier; Hayano, Yutaka; Tamura, Motohide; Kudo, Tomoyuki; Oya, Shin; Minowa, Yosuke; Lai, Olivier; Jovanovic, Nemanja; Takato, Naruhisa; Kasdin, Jeremy; Groff, Tyler; Hayashi, Masahiko; Arimoto, Nobuo; Takami, Hideki; Bradley, Colin; Sugai, Hajime; Perrin, Guy; Tuthill, Peter; Mazin, Ben

2014-08-01

Current AO observations rely heavily on the AO188 instrument, a 188-elements system that can operate in natural or laser guide star (LGS) mode, and delivers diffraction-limited images in near-IR. In its LGS mode, laser light is transported from the solid state laser to the launch telescope by a single mode fiber. AO188 can feed several instruments: the infrared camera and spectrograph (IRCS), a high contrast imaging instrument (HiCIAO) or an optical integral field spectrograph (Kyoto-3DII). Adaptive optics development in support of exoplanet observations has been and continues to be very active. The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme-AO (SCExAO) system, which combines extreme-AO correction with advanced coronagraphy, is in the commissioning phase, and will greatly increase Subaru Telescope's ability to image and study exoplanets. SCExAO currently feeds light to HiCIAO, and will soon be combined with the CHARIS integral field spectrograph and the fast frame MKIDs exoplanet camera, which have both been specifically designed for high contrast imaging. SCExAO also feeds two visible-light single pupil interferometers: VAMPIRES and FIRST. In parallel to these direct imaging activities, a near-IR high precision spectrograph (IRD) is under development for observing exoplanets with the radial velocity technique. Wide-field adaptive optics techniques are also being pursued. The RAVEN multi-object adaptive optics instrument was installed on Subaru telescope in early 2014. Subaru Telescope is also planning wide field imaging with ground-layer AO with the ULTIMATE-Subaru project.
A multispectroscopic and molecular docking investigation of the binding interaction between serum albumins and acid orange dye

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naveenraj, Selvaraj; Solomon, Rajadurai Vijay; Mangalaraja, Ramalinga Viswanathan; Venuvanalingam, Ponnambalam; Asiri, Abdullah M.; Anandan, Sambandam

2018-03-01

The interaction of Acid Orange 10 (AO10) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated comparatively with that of human serum albumin (HSA) using multispectroscopic techniques for understanding their toxic mechanism. Further, density functional theory calculations and docking studies have been carried out to gain more insights into the nature of interactions existing between AO10 and serum albumins. The fluorescence results suggest that AO10 quenched the fluorescence of BSA through the combination of static and dynamic quenching mechanism. The same trend was followed in the interaction of AO10 with HSA. In addition to the type of quenching mechanism, the fluorescence spectroscopic results suggest that the binding occurs near the tryptophan moiety of serum albumins and the binding. AO10 has more binding affinity towards BSA than HSA. An AO10-Trp model has been created to explicitly understand the Csbnd Htbnd π interactions from Bader's quantum theory of atoms in molecules analysis which confirmed that AO10 bind more strongly with BSA than that of HSA due to the formation of three hydrogen bonds with BSA whereas it forms two hydrogen bonds in the case of HSA. These obtained results provide an in-depth understanding of the interaction of the acid azo dye AO10 with serum albumins. This interaction study provides insights into the underlying reasons for toxicity of AO10 relevant to understand its effect on bovids and humans during the blood transportation process.
Cytochrome P450-Dependent Metabolism of Oxylipins in Tomato. Cloning and Expression of Allene Oxide Synthase and Fatty Acid Hydroperoxide Lyase1

PubMed Central

Howe, Gregg A.; Lee, Gyu In; Itoh, Aya; Li, Lei; DeRocher, Amy E.

2000-01-01

Allene oxide synthase (AOS) and fatty acid hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) are plant-specific cytochrome P450s that commit fatty acid hydroperoxides to different branches of oxylipin metabolism. Here we report the cloning and characterization of AOS (LeAOS) and HPL (LeHPL) cDNAs from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Functional expression of the cDNAs in Escherichia coli showed that LeAOS and LeHPL encode enzymes that metabolize 13- but not 9-hydroperoxide derivatives of C18 fatty acids. LeAOS was active against both 13S-hydroperoxy-9(Z),11(E),15(Z)-octadecatrienoic acid (13-HPOT) and 13S-hydroperoxy-9(Z),11(E)-octadecadienoic acid, whereas LeHPL showed a strong preference for 13-HPOT. These results suggest a role for LeAOS and LeHPL in the metabolism of 13-HPOT to jasmonic acid and hexenal/traumatin, respectively. LeAOS expression was detected in all organs of the plant. In contrast, LeHPL expression was predominant in leaves and flowers. Damage inflicted to leaves by chewing insect larvae led to an increase in the local and systemic expression of both genes, with LeAOS showing the strongest induction. Wound-induced expression of LeAOS also occurred in the def-1 mutant that is deficient in octadecanoid-based signaling of defensive proteinase inhibitor genes. These results demonstrate that tomato uses genetically distinct signaling pathways for the regulation of different classes of wound responsive genes. PMID:10859201
Partial degradation of levofloxacin for biodegradability improvement by electro-Fenton process using an activated carbon fiber felt cathode.

PubMed

Gong, Yuexiang; Li, Jiuyi; Zhang, Yanyu; Zhang, Meng; Tian, Xiujun; Wang, Aimin

2016-03-05

Solutions of 500 mL 200 mg L(-1) fluoroquinolone antibiotic levofloxacin (LEVO) have been degraded by anodic oxidation (AO), AO with electrogenerated H2O2 (AO-H2O2) and electro-Fenton (EF) processes using an activated carbon fiber (ACF) felt cathode from the point view of not only LEVO disappearance and mineralization, but also biodegradability enhancement. The LEVO decay by EF process followed a pseudo-first-order reaction with an apparent rate constant of 2.37×10(-2)min(-1), which is much higher than that of AO or AO-H2O2 processes. The LEVO mineralization also evidences the order EF>AO-H2O2>AO. The biodegradability (BOD5/COD) increased from 0 initially to 0.24, 0.09, and 0.03 for EF, AO-H2O2 and AO processes after 360 min treatment, respectively. Effects of several parameters such as current density, initial pH and Fe(2+) concentration on the EF degradation have also been examined. Three carboxylic acids including oxalic, formic and acetic acid were detected, as well as the released inorganic ions NH4(+), NO3(-) and F(-). At last, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to identify about eight aromatic intermediates formed in 60 min of EF treatment, and a plausible mineralization pathway for LEVO by EF treatment was proposed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Inhibition of selenocysteine tRNA[Ser]Sec aminoacylation provides evidence that aminoacylation is required for regulatory methylation of this tRNA

PubMed Central

Kim, Jin Young; Carlson, Bradley A.; Xu, Xue-Ming; Zeng, Yu; Chen, Shawn; Gladyshev, Vadim N.; Lee, Byeong Jae; Hatfield, Dolph L.

2011-01-01

There are two isoforms of selenocysteine (Sec) tRNA[Ser]Sec that differ by a single methyl group, Um34. The non-Um34 isoform supports the synthesis of a subclass of selenoproteins, designated housekeeping, while the Um34 isoform supports the expression of another subclass, designated stress-related selenoproteins. Herein, we investigated the relationship between tRNA[Ser]Sec aminoacylation and Um34 synthesis which is the last step in the maturation of this tRNA. Mutation of the discriminator base at position 73 in tRNA[Ser]Sec dramatically reduced aminoacylation with serine, as did an inhibitor of seryl-tRNA synthetase, SB-217452. Although both the mutation and the inhibitor prevented Um34 synthesis, neither precluded the synthesis of any other of the known base modifications on tRNA[Ser]Sec following microinjection and incubation of the mutant tRNA[Ser]Sec transcript, or the wild type transcript along with inhibitor, in Xenopus oocytes. The data demonstrate that Sec tRNA[Ser]Sec must be aminoacylated for Um34 addition. The fact that selenium is required for Um34 methylation suggests that Sec must be attached to its tRNA for Um34 methylation. This would explain why selenium is essential for the function of Um34 methylase and provides further insights into the hierarchy of selenoprotein expression. PMID:21624347
Te Ao Kori as Expressive Movement in Aotearoa New Zealand Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE): A Narrative Account

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Legge, Maureen

2011-01-01

A unique aspect of Aotearoa/New Zealand physical education is the inclusion of Maori culture in the form of te ao kori. Te ao kori translates to mean the world of movement and is represented by the interpretation of indigenous movement, games and pastimes. Participation in te ao kori means the sports-based normative frame of reference for physical…
Considerations for point-of-care diagnostics: evaluation of acridine orange staining and postprocessing methods for a three-part leukocyte differential test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powless, Amy J.; Conley, Roxanna J.; Freeman, Karan A.; Muldoon, Timothy J.

2017-03-01

There exists a broad range of techniques that can be used to classify and count white blood cells in a point-of-care (POC) three-part leukocyte differential test. Improvements in lenses, light sources, and cameras for image-based POC systems have renewed interest in acridine orange (AO) as a contrast agent, whereby subpopulations of leukocytes can be differentiated by colorimetric analysis of AO fluorescence emission. We evaluated the effect on test accuracy using different AO staining and postprocessing methods in the context of an image-based POC colorimetric cell classification scheme. Thirty blood specimens were measured for percent cell counts using our POC system and a conventional hematology analyzer for comparison. Controlling the AO concentration used during whole-blood staining, the incubation time with AO, and the colorimetric ratios among the three population of leukocytes yielded a percent deviation of 0.706%, -1.534%, and -0.645% for the lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes, respectively. Overall, we demonstrated that a redshift in AO fluorescence was observed at elevated AO concentrations, which lead to reproducible inaccuracy of cell counts. This study demonstrates there is a need for a strict control of the AO staining and postprocessing methods to improve test accuracy in these POC systems.
Preventive Effect of Cashew-Derived Protein Hydrolysate with High Fiber on Cerebral Ischemia

PubMed Central

Thukham-mee, Wipawee; Wannanon, Panakaporn; Tiamkao, Somsak

2017-01-01

This study aimed to determine the protective effect of cashew nut-derived protein hydrolysate with high dietary fiber (AO) in cerebral ischemic rats induced by the occlusion of right middle cerebral artery (Rt.MCAO). Acute toxicity was determined and data showed that LD50 of AO > 5000 mg/kg BW. To determine the cerebroprotective effect of AO, male Wistar rats were orally given AO at doses of 2, 10, and 50 mg/kg for 14 days and subjected to Rt.MCAO. Brain infarction volume, neurological score, spatial memory, serum lipid profiles, and C-reactive protein together with the brain oxidative stress status were assessed. All doses of AO significantly decreased brain infarction in cortex, hippocampus, and striatum together with the decreased oxidative stress status. The improvement of spatial memory and serum C-reactive protein were also observed in MCAO rats which received AO at all doses. In addition, the decreased serum cholesterol, TG, and LDL but increased HDL were observed in MCAO rats which received high dose of AO. Taken all together, AO is the potential protectant against cerebral ischemia. The improvement of oxidative stress, inflammation, and dyslipidemia might play roles in the actions. However, further researches are required to understand the precise underlying mechanism. PMID:29457029
Maintenance of the catalog of artificial objects in space.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khutorovskij, Z. N.

1994-01-01

The catalog of artificial objects in space (AOS) is useful for estimating the safety of space flights, for constructing temporal and spatial models of the flux of AOS, for determining when and where dangerous AOS will break up, for tracking inoperative instruments and space stations, for eliminating false alarms that are triggered by observations of AOS in the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System and in the Anti-Missile system, etc. At present, the Space Surveillance System (located in the former USSR) automatically maintains a catalog consisting of more than 5000 AOS with dimensions of at least 10 cm. The orbital parameters are continuously updated from radar tracking data. The author describes the software which is used to process the information. He presents some of the features of the system itself, including the number of objects in various stages of the tracking process, the orbital parameters of AOS which break up, and how the fragments are detected, the accuracy of tracking and predicting the orbits of the AOS, and the accuracy with which we can estimate when and where an AOS will break up. As an example, the author presents the results of determination of the time when the orbiting complex Salyut-7 - Kosmos-1686 will break up, and where it will impact.

Feedforward and feedback control in apraxia of speech: effects of noise masking on vowel production.

PubMed

Maas, Edwin; Mailend, Marja-Liisa; Guenther, Frank H

2015-04-01

This study was designed to test two hypotheses about apraxia of speech (AOS) derived from the Directions Into Velocities of Articulators (DIVA) model (Guenther et al., 2006): the feedforward system deficit hypothesis and the feedback system deficit hypothesis. The authors used noise masking to minimize auditory feedback during speech. Six speakers with AOS and aphasia, 4 with aphasia without AOS, and 2 groups of speakers without impairment (younger and older adults) participated. Acoustic measures of vowel contrast, variability, and duration were analyzed. Younger, but not older, speakers without impairment showed significantly reduced vowel contrast with noise masking. Relative to older controls, the AOS group showed longer vowel durations overall (regardless of masking condition) and a greater reduction in vowel contrast under masking conditions. There were no significant differences in variability. Three of the 6 speakers with AOS demonstrated the group pattern. Speakers with aphasia without AOS did not differ from controls in contrast, duration, or variability. The greater reduction in vowel contrast with masking noise for the AOS group is consistent with the feedforward system deficit hypothesis but not with the feedback system deficit hypothesis; however, effects were small and not present in all individual speakers with AOS. Theoretical implications and alternative interpretations of these findings are discussed.
Feedforward and Feedback Control in Apraxia of Speech: Effects of Noise Masking on Vowel Production

PubMed Central

Mailend, Marja-Liisa; Guenther, Frank H.

2015-01-01

Purpose This study was designed to test two hypotheses about apraxia of speech (AOS) derived from the Directions Into Velocities of Articulators (DIVA) model (Guenther et al., 2006): the feedforward system deficit hypothesis and the feedback system deficit hypothesis. Method The authors used noise masking to minimize auditory feedback during speech. Six speakers with AOS and aphasia, 4 with aphasia without AOS, and 2 groups of speakers without impairment (younger and older adults) participated. Acoustic measures of vowel contrast, variability, and duration were analyzed. Results Younger, but not older, speakers without impairment showed significantly reduced vowel contrast with noise masking. Relative to older controls, the AOS group showed longer vowel durations overall (regardless of masking condition) and a greater reduction in vowel contrast under masking conditions. There were no significant differences in variability. Three of the 6 speakers with AOS demonstrated the group pattern. Speakers with aphasia without AOS did not differ from controls in contrast, duration, or variability. Conclusion The greater reduction in vowel contrast with masking noise for the AOS group is consistent with the feedforward system deficit hypothesis but not with the feedback system deficit hypothesis; however, effects were small and not present in all individual speakers with AOS. Theoretical implications and alternative interpretations of these findings are discussed. PMID:25565143
Solar Adaptive Optics.

PubMed

Rimmele, Thomas R; Marino, Jose

Adaptive optics (AO) has become an indispensable tool at ground-based solar telescopes. AO enables the ground-based observer to overcome the adverse effects of atmospheric seeing and obtain diffraction limited observations. Over the last decade adaptive optics systems have been deployed at major ground-based solar telescopes and revitalized ground-based solar astronomy. The relatively small aperture of solar telescopes and the bright source make solar AO possible for visible wavelengths where the majority of solar observations are still performed. Solar AO systems enable diffraction limited observations of the Sun for a significant fraction of the available observing time at ground-based solar telescopes, which often have a larger aperture than equivalent space based observatories, such as HINODE. New ground breaking scientific results have been achieved with solar adaptive optics and this trend continues. New large aperture telescopes are currently being deployed or are under construction. With the aid of solar AO these telescopes will obtain observations of the highly structured and dynamic solar atmosphere with unprecedented resolution. This paper reviews solar adaptive optics techniques and summarizes the recent progress in the field of solar adaptive optics. An outlook to future solar AO developments, including a discussion of Multi-Conjugate AO (MCAO) and Ground-Layer AO (GLAO) will be given. Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.12942/lrsp-2011-2.
Auditory Masking Effects on Speech Fluency in Apraxia of Speech and Aphasia: Comparison to Altered Auditory Feedback

PubMed Central

Haley, Katarina L.

2015-01-01

Purpose To study the effects of masked auditory feedback (MAF) on speech fluency in adults with aphasia and/or apraxia of speech (APH/AOS). We hypothesized that adults with AOS would increase speech fluency when speaking with noise. Altered auditory feedback (AAF; i.e., delayed/frequency-shifted feedback) was included as a control condition not expected to improve speech fluency. Method Ten participants with APH/AOS and 10 neurologically healthy (NH) participants were studied under both feedback conditions. To allow examination of individual responses, we used an ABACA design. Effects were examined on syllable rate, disfluency duration, and vocal intensity. Results Seven of 10 APH/AOS participants increased fluency with masking by increasing rate, decreasing disfluency duration, or both. In contrast, none of the NH participants increased speaking rate with MAF. In the AAF condition, only 1 APH/AOS participant increased fluency. Four APH/AOS participants and 8 NH participants slowed their rate with AAF. Conclusions Speaking with MAF appears to increase fluency in a subset of individuals with APH/AOS, indicating that overreliance on auditory feedback monitoring may contribute to their disorder presentation. The distinction between responders and nonresponders was not linked to AOS diagnosis, so additional work is needed to develop hypotheses for candidacy and underlying control mechanisms. PMID:26363508
Efficient mineralization of antibiotic ciprofloxacin in acid aqueous medium by a novel photoelectro-Fenton process using a microwave discharge electrodeless lamp irradiation.

PubMed

Wang, Aimin; Zhang, Yanyu; Zhong, Huihui; Chen, Yu; Tian, Xiujun; Li, Desheng; Li, Jiuyi

2018-01-15

In this study, a novel photoelectro-Fenton (PEF) process using microwave discharge electrodeless lamp (MDEL) as a UV irradiation source was developed for the removal of antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP) in water. Comparative degradation of 200mgL -1 CIP was studied by direct MDEL photolysis, anodic oxidation (AO), AO in presence of electrogenerated H 2 O 2 (AO-H 2 O 2 ), AO-H 2 O 2 under MDEL irradiation (MDEL-AO-H 2 O 2 ), electro-Fenton (EF) and MDEL-PEF processes. Higher oxidation power was found in the sequence: MDEL photolysis < AO < AO-H 2 O 2 < MDEL-AO-H 2 O 2 < EF < MDEL-PEF. Effects of current density, pH, initial Fe 2+ concentration and initial CIP concentration on TOC removal in MDEL-PEF process were examined, and the optimal conditions were ascertained. The releases of three inorganic ions (F - , NH 4 + and NO 3 - ) and two carboxylic acids (oxalic and formic acids) were qualified. Seven aromatic intermediates mainly generated from hydroxylation, dealkylation and defluorination of CIP were detected by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS technology. Therefore, plausible degradation sequences for CIP degradation in MDEL-PEF process including all detected products were proposed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A Multivariate Model for Prediction of Obstructive Coronary Disease in Patients with Acute Chest Pain: Development and Validation.

PubMed

Correia, Luis Cláudio Lemos; Cerqueira, Maurício; Carvalhal, Manuela; Ferreira, Felipe; Garcia, Guilherme; Silva, André Barcelos da; Sá, Nicole de; Lopes, Fernanda; Barcelos, Ana Clara; Noya-Rabelo, Márcia

2017-04-01

Currently, there is no validated multivariate model to predict probability of obstructive coronary disease in patients with acute chest pain. To develop and validate a multivariate model to predict coronary artery disease (CAD) based on variables assessed at admission to the coronary care unit (CCU) due to acute chest pain. A total of 470 patients were studied, 370 utilized as the derivation sample and the subsequent 100 patients as the validation sample. As the reference standard, angiography was required to rule in CAD (stenosis ≥ 70%), while either angiography or a negative noninvasive test could be used to rule it out. As predictors, 13 baseline variables related to medical history, 14 characteristics of chest discomfort, and eight variables from physical examination or laboratory tests were tested. The prevalence of CAD was 48%. By logistic regression, six variables remained independent predictors of CAD: age, male gender, relief with nitrate, signs of heart failure, positive electrocardiogram, and troponin. The area under the curve (AUC) of this final model was 0.80 (95% confidence interval [95%CI] = 0.75 - 0.84) in the derivation sample and 0.86 (95%CI = 0.79 - 0.93) in the validation sample. Hosmer-Lemeshow's test indicated good calibration in both samples (p = 0.98 and p = 0.23, respectively). Compared with a basic model containing electrocardiogram and troponin, the full model provided an AUC increment of 0.07 in both derivation (p = 0.0002) and validation (p = 0.039) samples. Integrated discrimination improvement was 0.09 in both derivation (p < 0.001) and validation (p < 0.0015) samples. A multivariate model was derived and validated as an accurate tool for estimating the pretest probability of CAD in patients with acute chest pain. Atualmente, não existe um modelo multivariado validado para predizer a probabilidade de doença coronariana obstrutiva em pacientes com dor torácica aguda. Desenvolver e validar um modelo multivariado para predizer doença arterial coronariana (DAC) com base em variáveis avaliadas à admissão na unidade coronariana (UC) devido a dor torácica aguda. Foram estudados um total de 470 pacientes, 370 utilizados como amostra de derivação e os subsequentes 100 pacientes como amostra de validação. Como padrão de referência, a angiografia foi necessária para descartar DAC (estenose ≥ 70%), enquanto a angiografia ou um teste não invasivo negativo foi utilizado para confirmar a doença. Foram testadas como preditoras 13 variáveis basais relacionadas à história médica, 14 características de desconforto torácico e oito variáveis relacionadas ao exame físico ou testes laboratoriais. A prevalência de DAC foi de 48%. Por regressão logística, seis variáveis permaneceram como preditoras independentes de DAC: idade, gênero masculino, alívio com nitrato, sinais de insuficiência cardíaca, e eletrocardiograma e troponina positivos. A área sob a curva (area under the curve, AUC) deste modelo final foi de 0,80 (intervalo de confiança de 95% [IC95%] = 0,75 - 0,84) na amostra de derivação e 0,86 (IC95% = 0,79 - 0,93) na amostra de validação. O teste de Hosmer-Lemeshow indicou uma boa calibração em ambas as amostras (p = 0,98 e p = 0,23, respectivamente). Em comparação com o modelo básico contendo eletrocardiograma e troponina, o modelo completo ofereceu um incremento na AUC de 0,07 tanto na amostra de derivação (p = 0,0002) quanto na de validação (p = 0,039). A melhoria na discriminação integrada foi de 0,09 nas amostras de derivação (p < 0,001) e validação (p < 0,0015). Um modelo multivariado foi derivado e validado como uma ferramenta acurada para estimar a probabilidade pré-teste de DAC em pacientes com dor torácica aguda.
Visuomotor Tracking Abilities of Speakers With Apraxia of Speech or Conduction Aphasia

PubMed Central

Robin, Donald A.; Jacks, Adam; Hageman, Carlin; Clark, Heather C.; Woodworth, George

2008-01-01

This investigation examined the visuomotor tracking abilities of persons with apraxia of speech (AOS) or conduction aphasia (CA). In addition, tracking performance was correlated with perceptual judgments of speech accuracy. Five individuals with AOS and four with CA served as participants, as well as an equal number of healthy controls matched by age and gender. Participants tracked predictable (sinusoidal) and unpredictable signals using jaw and lip movements transduced with strain gauges. Tracking performance in participants with AOS was poorest for predictable signals, with decreased kinematic measures of cross-correlation and gain ratio and increased target-tracker difference. In contrast, tracking of the unpredictable signal by participants with AOS was performed as well as for other groups (e.g. participants with CA, healthy controls). Performance of the subjects with AOS on the predictable tracking task was found to strongly correlate with perceptual judgments of speech. These findings suggest that motor control capabilities are impaired in AOS, but not in CA. Results suggest that AOS has its basis in motor programming deficits, not impaired motor execution. PMID:18558428
Mammalian monoamine-oxidizing enzymes, with special reference to benzylamine oxidase in human tissues.

PubMed

Lewinsohn, R

1984-01-01

A review is presented of the monoamine-oxidizing enzymes with special reference to the activity of benzylamine oxidase (BzAO) in human tissues. Methods of study of amine oxidases, properties (chiefly of BzAO) and some problems concerning substrate and inhibitor specificity and multiple forms of monoamine oxidase (MAO) are surveyed. The substrate specificity of human plasma BzAO is compared with that of amine-oxidizing enzymes in plasma or serum of other species. Correlations of plasma BzAO and platelet MAO activity with clinical findings are discussed. The distribution of amine oxidase activities in solid human tissues is reviewed, in particular BzAO in blood vessels and richly-vascularized tissues, as well as kinetic constants and altered patterns of activity of BzAO in human atherosclerosis. Activities of the amine oxidases in non-vascular smooth muscle, in cultured cells, and in various tissues related to human gestation, are discussed. The present knowledge of BzAO is discussed in terms of its possible clinical relevance to several human disease states, and the importance of the enzyme in the human body.
Identification of the Niche and Phenotype of the First Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells

PubMed Central

Ivanovs, Andrejs; Rybtsov, Stanislav; Anderson, Richard A.; Turner, Marc L.; Medvinsky, Alexander

2014-01-01

Summary In various vertebrate species, the dorsal aorta (Ao) is the site of specification of adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). It has been observed that the upregulation of essential hematopoietic transcription factors and the formation of specific intra-aortic hematopoietic cell clusters occur predominantly in the ventral domain of the Ao (AoV). In the mouse, the first HSCs emerge in the AoV. Here, we demonstrate that in the human embryo the first definitive HSCs also emerge asymmetrically and are localized to the AoV, which thus identifies a functional niche for developing human HSCs. Using magnetic cell separation and xenotransplantations, we show that the first human HSCs are CD34+VE-cadherin+CD45+C-KIT+THY-1+Endoglin+RUNX1+CD38−/loCD45RA−. This population harbors practically all committed hematopoietic progenitors and is underrepresented in the dorsal domain of the Ao (AoD) and urogenital ridges (UGRs). The present study provides a foundation for analysis of molecular mechanisms underpinning embryonic specification of human HSCs. PMID:24749070
Surgical site infection in patients submitted to heart transplantation.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Jussara Aparecida Souza do Nascimento; Ferretti-Rebustini, Renata Eloah de Lucena; Poveda, Vanessa de Brito

2016-08-29

to analyze the occurrence and predisposing factors for surgical site infection in patients submitted to heart transplantation, evaluating the relationship between cases of infections and the variables related to the patient and the surgical procedure. retrospective cohort study, with review of the medical records of patients older than 18 years submitted to heart transplantation. The correlation between variables was evaluated by using Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test. the sample consisted of 86 patients, predominantly men, with severe systemic disease, submitted to extensive preoperative hospitalizations. Signs of surgical site infection were observed in 9.3% of transplanted patients, with five (62.5%) superficial incisional, two (25%) deep and one (12.5%) case of organ/space infection. There was no statistically significant association between the variables related to the patient and the surgery. there was no association between the studied variables and the cases of surgical site infection, possibly due to the small number of cases of infection observed in the sample investigated. analisar a ocorrência e os fatores predisponentes para infecção de sítio cirúrgico em pacientes submetidos a transplante cardíaco e verificar a relação entre os casos de infecção e as variáveis referentes ao paciente e ao procedimento cirúrgico. estudo de coorte retrospectivo, com exame dos prontuários médicos de pacientes maiores de 18 anos, submetidos a transplante cardíaco. A correlação entre variáveis foi realizada por meio dos testes exato de Fischer e de Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon. a amostra foi constituída por 86 pacientes, predominantemente homens, com doença sistêmica grave, submetidos a internações pré-operatórias extensas. Apresentaram sinais de infecção do sítio cirúrgico 9,3% dos transplantados, sendo cinco (62,5%) incisionais superficiais, duas (25%) profundas e um (12,5%) caso de infecção de órgão/espaço. Não houve associação estatisticamente significante entre as variáveis relacionadas ao paciente e ao procedimento cirúrgico. não houve associação entre as variáveis estudadas e os casos de infecção do sítio cirúrgico, possivelmente relacionado ao pequeno número de casos de infecção presentes na amostra investigada. analizar la incidencia y los factores predisponentes para la infección del sitio quirúrgico en pacientes sometidos a trasplante cardíaco, evaluando la relación entre los casos de infección y las variables relacionadas al paciente y al procedimiento quirúrgico. estudio retrospectivo de cohortes, con una revisión de las historias clínicas de los pacientes mayores de 18 años, sometidos a trasplante cardíaco. La correlación entre las variables se evaluó mediante la prueba exacta de Fisher y la prueba de Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon. la muestra quedó conformada por 86 pacientes, predominantemente hombres, con enfermedad sistémica grave, sometidos a extensas hospitalizaciones preoperatorias. Se observó la infección del sitio quirúrgico en el 9,3% de los pacientes trasplantados, con cinco (62,5%) infecciones incisionales superficiales, dos (25%) profundas y un (12,5%) caso de infección órgano/espacio. No hubo asociación estadísticamente significativa entre las variables relacionadas al paciente y a la cirugía. no hubo asociación entre las variables estudiadas y los casos de infección del sitio quirúrgico, posiblemente debido al pequeño número de casos de infección observados en la muestra investigada.
Thermodynamics of Anharmonic Systems: Uncoupled Mode Approximations for Molecules

DOE PAGES

Li, Yi-Pei; Bell, Alexis T.; Head-Gordon, Martin

2016-05-26

The partition functions, heat capacities, entropies, and enthalpies of selected molecules were calculated using uncoupled mode (UM) approximations, where the full-dimensional potential energy surface for internal motions was modeled as a sum of independent one-dimensional potentials for each mode. The computational cost of such approaches scales the same with molecular size as standard harmonic oscillator vibrational analysis using harmonic frequencies (HO hf). To compute thermodynamic properties, a computational protocol for obtaining the energy levels of each mode was established. The accuracy of the UM approximation depends strongly on how the one-dimensional potentials of each modes are defined. If the potentialsmore » are determined by the energy as a function of displacement along each normal mode (UM-N), the accuracies of the calculated thermodynamic properties are not significantly improved versus the HO hf model. Significant improvements can be achieved by constructing potentials for internal rotations and vibrations using the energy surfaces along the torsional coordinates and the remaining vibrational normal modes, respectively (UM-VT). For hydrogen peroxide and its isotopologs at 300 K, UM-VT captures more than 70% of the partition functions on average. By con trast, the HO hf model and UM-N can capture no more than 50%. For a selected test set of C2 to C8 linear and branched alkanes and species with different moieties, the enthalpies calculated using the HO hf model, UM-N, and UM-VT are all quite accurate comparing with reference values though the RMS errors of the HO model and UM-N are slightly higher than UM-VT. However, the accuracies in entropy calculations differ significantly between these three models. For the same test set, the RMS error of the standard entropies calculated by UM-VT is 2.18 cal mol -1 K -1 at 1000 K. By contrast, the RMS error obtained using the HO model and UM-N are 6.42 and 5.73 cal mol -1 K -1, respectively. For a test set composed of nine alkanes ranging from C5 to C8, the heat capacities calculated with the UM-VT model agree with the experimental values to within a RMS error of 0.78 cal mol -1 K -1 , which is less than one-third of the RMS error of the HO hf (2.69 cal mol -1 K -1) and UM-N (2.41 cal mol -1 K -1) models.« less
STS-40 Exp. No. 192 urine monitoring system (UMS) on OV-102's middeck

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

STS-40 Experiment No. 192, Fluid-Electrolyte Regulation During Space Flight, urine monitoring system (UMS) is set up on the middeck of Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, at the side hatch. The UMS is attached to OV-102's waste collection system (WCS). The urine specimen tray with sample tubes appears to the right of the UMS equipment.
AO Images of Asteroids, Inverting their Lightcurves, and SSA

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

telescopes, we have recently obtained images of Main- Belt asteroids with adaptive optics (AO) on the Keck-II 10 meter telescope, the world’s largest...telescopes, we have recently obtained images of Main- Belt asteroids with adaptive optics (AO) on the Keck-II 10 meter telescope, the world’s largest...AO Images of Asteroids , Inverting their Lightcurves, and SSA Jack Drummond a and Julian Christoub,c aStarfire Optical Range, Directed Energy
ARTS BETA testing report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccune, M. C.

1981-01-01

The advanced real time system (ARTS) was tested utilizing existing commercial system hardware and software which has been operating under advanced operating system (AOS) for several years in a multitasking, multiprocessing, and multiple computer environment. Experiences with ARTS in terms of compatibility with AOS, ease of transmission between AOS and ARTS, and functional areas of ARTS which were tested are discussed. Relative and absolute performance of ARTS versus AOS as measured in the system environment are also presented.
Host-guest interaction between Acridine orange molecules and AFI or CHA zeolite crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yanping; Fu, Ling; Xu, Xintong; Li, Irene Ling; Ruan, Shuangchen; Jian, Dunliang; Zhai, Jianpang

2017-02-01

Acridine orange (AO) molecules were incorporated in AlPO4-5, SAPO-5 and SAPO-47 single crystals by vapor-phase diffusion method. Polarized absorption spectra show that AO molecules are well aligned by the one-dimensional channel systems of AlPO4-5 and SAPO-5 matrices. While the orientation of AO molecules in SAPO-47 crystals is diverse owing to the three-dimensional cage structure of chabazite (structure code CHA). The absorption peak and emission peak of AO/SAPO-5 blue shift compared with that of AO/AlPO4-5 because the channel environment changes from non-polar medium to polar medium when Si substituted in the framework of AlPO4-5. The greater blue shift in absorption band and emission band of AO/SAPO-47 are expected to originate from the polar channel medium and smaller channel size of SAPO-47.
Test-based age-of-acquisition norms for 44 thousand English word meanings.

PubMed

Brysbaert, Marc; Biemiller, Andrew

2017-08-01

Age of acquisition (AoA) is an important variable in word recognition research. Up to now, nearly all psychology researchers examining the AoA effect have used ratings obtained from adult participants. An alternative basis for determining AoA is directly testing children's knowledge of word meanings at various ages. In educational research, scholars and teachers have tried to establish the grade at which particular words should be taught by examining the ages at which children know various word meanings. Such a list is available from Dale and O'Rourke's (1981) Living Word Vocabulary for nearly 44 thousand meanings coming from over 31 thousand unique word forms and multiword expressions. The present article relates these test-based AoA estimates to lexical decision times as well as to AoA adult ratings, and reports strong correlations between all of the measures. Therefore, test-based estimates of AoA can be used as an alternative measure.
Recombinant expression, purification, and characterization of an acyl-CoA binding protein from Aspergillus oryzae.

PubMed

Hao, Qing; Liu, Xiaoguang; Zhao, Guozhong; Jiang, Lu; Li, Ming; Zeng, Bin

2016-03-01

To characterize biochemically the lipid metabolism-regulating acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) from the industrially-important fungus Aspergillus oryzae. A full-length cDNA encoding a candidate ACBP from A. oryzae (AoACBP) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli as a maltose-binding protein (MBP) fusion protein. The MBP-AoACBP protein was purified by an amylose resin chromatography column. SDS-PAGE showed that MBP-AoACBP has an estimated molecular weight of 82 kDa. Microscale thermophoresis binding assay showed that the recombinant AoACBP displayed much greater affinity for palmitoyl-CoA (K d = 80 nM) than for myristoyl-CoA (K d = 510 nM), thus demonstrating the preference of AoACBP for long-chain acyl-CoA. The data support the identification of AoACBP as a long-chain ACBP in A. oryzae.
Adaptive Optics Technology for High-Resolution Retinal Imaging

PubMed Central

Lombardo, Marco; Serrao, Sebastiano; Devaney, Nicholas; Parravano, Mariacristina; Lombardo, Giuseppe

2013-01-01

Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effects of optical aberrations. The direct visualization of the photoreceptor cells, capillaries and nerve fiber bundles represents the major benefit of adding AO to retinal imaging. Adaptive optics is opening a new frontier for clinical research in ophthalmology, providing new information on the early pathological changes of the retinal microstructures in various retinal diseases. We have reviewed AO technology for retinal imaging, providing information on the core components of an AO retinal camera. The most commonly used wavefront sensing and correcting elements are discussed. Furthermore, we discuss current applications of AO imaging to a population of healthy adults and to the most frequent causes of blindness, including diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. We conclude our work with a discussion on future clinical prospects for AO retinal imaging. PMID:23271600
MEMS- and LC-adaptive optics at the Naval Research Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Restaino, S. R.; Wilcox, C. C.; Martinez, T.; Andrews, J. R.; Santiago, F.; Payne, D. M.

2012-06-01

Adaptive Optics (AO) is an ensemble of techniques that aims at the remedial of the deleterious effects that the Earth's turbulent atmosphere induces on both imagery and signal gathering in real time. It has been over four decades since the first AO system was developed and tested. During this time important technological advances have changed profoundly the way that we think and develop AO systems. The use of Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) devices and Liquid Crystal Devices (LCD) has revolutionized these technologies making possible to go from very expensive, very large and power consuming systems to very compact and inexpensive systems. These changes have rendered AO systems useful and applicable in other fields ranging from medical imaging to industry. In this paper we will review the research efforts at the Naval research Laboratory (NRL) to develop AO systems based on both MEMs and LCD in order to produce more compact and light weight AO systems.
Requirements Modeling with the Aspect-oriented User Requirements Notation (AoURN): A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mussbacher, Gunter; Amyot, Daniel; Araújo, João; Moreira, Ana

The User Requirements Notation (URN) is a recent ITU-T standard that supports requirements engineering activities. The Aspect-oriented URN (AoURN) adds aspect-oriented concepts to URN, creating a unified framework that allows for scenario-based, goal-oriented, and aspect-oriented modeling. AoURN is applied to the car crash crisis management system (CCCMS), modeling its functional and non-functional requirements (NFRs). AoURN generally models all use cases, NFRs, and stakeholders as individual concerns and provides general guidelines for concern identification. AoURN handles interactions between concerns, capturing their dependencies and conflicts as well as the resolutions. We present a qualitative comparison of aspect-oriented techniques for scenario-based and goal-oriented requirements engineering. An evaluation carried out based on the metrics adapted from literature and a task-based evaluation suggest that AoURN models are more scalable than URN models and exhibit better modularity, reusability, and maintainability.

Speckle statistics in adaptive optics images at visible wavelengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stangalini, Marco; Pedichini, Fernando; Ambrosino, Filippo; Centrone, Mauro; Del Moro, Dario

2016-07-01

Residual speckles in adaptive optics (AO) images represent a well known limitation to the achievement of the contrast needed for faint stellar companions detection. Speckles in AO imagery can be the result of either residual atmospheric aberrations, not corrected by the AO, or slowly evolving aberrations induced by the optical system. In this work we take advantage of new high temporal cadence (1 ms) data acquired by the SHARK forerunner experiment at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), to characterize the AO residual speckles at visible waveleghts. By means of an automatic identification of speckles, we study the main statistical properties of AO residuals. In addition, we also study the memory of the process, and thus the clearance time of the atmospheric aberrations, by using information Theory. These information are useful for increasing the realism of numerical simulations aimed at assessing the instrumental performances, and for the application of post-processing techniques on AO imagery.
In vitro investigation of head and neck cancer stem cell proportions and their changes following X-ray irradiation as a function of HPV status.

PubMed

Reid, Paul; Wilson, Puthenparampil; Li, Yanrui; Marcu, Loredana G; Staudacher, Alexander H; Brown, Michael P; Bezak, Eva

2017-01-01

Some head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) have a distinct aetiology, which depends on the presence of oncogenic human papilloma virus (HPV). Also, HNSCC contains cancer stem cells (CSCs) that have greater radioresistance and capacity to change replication dynamics in response to irradiation compared to non-clonogenic cells. Since there is limited data on CSCs in HNSCC as a function of HPV status, better understanding of their radiobiology may enable improved treatment outcome. Baseline and post-irradiation changes in CSC proportions were investigated by flow cytometry in a HPV-negative (UM-SCC-1) and a HPV-positive (UM-SCC-47) HNSCC cell line, using fluorescent staining with CD44/ALDH markers. CSC proportions in both irradiated and unirradiated cultures were compared for the two cell lines at various times post-irradiation. To assess repopulation of CSCs, untreated cultures were depleted of CD44+/ALDH+ cells and re-cultured for 3 weeks before flow cytometry analysis. CSC proportions in untreated cell lines were 0.57% (UM-SCC-1) and 2.87% (UM-SCC-47). Untreated cell lines depleted of CD44+/ALDH+ repopulated this phenotype to a mean of 0.15% (UM-SCC-1) and 6.76% (UM-SCC-47). All UM-SCC-47 generations showed elevated CSC proportions after irradiation, with the most significant increase at 2 days post-irradiation. The highest elevation in UM-SCC-1 CSCs was observed at 1 day post-irradiation in the 2nd generation and at 3 days after irradiation in the 3rd generation. When measured after 10 days, only the 3rd generation of UM-SCC-1 showed elevated CSCs. CSC proportions in both cell lines were elevated after exposure and varied with time post irradiation. UM-SCC-47 displayed significant plasticity in repopulating the CSC phenotype in depleted cultures, which was not seen in UM-SCC-1.
Agent of opportunity risk mitigation: people, engineering, and security efficacy.

PubMed

Graham, Margaret E; Tunik, Michael G; Farmer, Brenna M; Bendzans, Carly; McCrillis, Aileen M; Nelson, Lewis S; Portelli, Ian; Smith, Silas; Goldberg, Judith D; Zhang, Meng; Rosenberg, Sheldon D; Goldfrank, Lewis R

2010-12-01

Agents of opportunity (AO) are potentially harmful biological, chemical, radiological, and pharmaceutical substances commonly used for health care delivery and research. AOs are present in all academic medical centers (AMC), creating vulnerability in the health care sector; AO attributes and dissemination methods likely predict risk; and AMCs are inadequately secured against a purposeful AO dissemination, with limited budgets and competing priorities. We explored health care workers' perceptions of AMC security and the impact of those perceptions on AO risk. Qualitative methods (survey, interviews, and workshops) were used to collect opinions from staff working in a medical school and 4 AMC-affiliated hospitals concerning AOs and the risk to hospital infrastructure associated with their uncontrolled presence. Secondary to this goal, staff perception concerning security, or opinions about security behaviors of others, were extracted, analyzed, and grouped into themes. We provide a framework for depicting the interaction of staff behavior and access control engineering, including the tendency of staff to "defeat" inconvenient access controls. In addition, 8 security themes emerged: staff security behavior is a significant source of AO risk; the wide range of opinions about "open" front-door policies among AMC staff illustrates a disparity of perceptions about the need for security; interviewees expressed profound skepticism concerning the effectiveness of front-door access controls; an AO risk assessment requires reconsideration of the security levels historically assigned to areas such as the loading dock and central distribution sites, where many AOs are delivered and may remain unattended for substantial periods of time; researchers' view of AMC security is influenced by the ongoing debate within the scientific community about the wisdom of engaging in bioterrorism research; there was no agreement about which areas of the AMC should be subject to stronger access controls; security personnel play dual roles of security and customer service, creating the negative perception that neither role is done well; and budget was described as an important factor in explaining the state of security controls. We determined that AMCs seeking to reduce AO risk should assess their institutionally unique AO risks, understand staff security perceptions, and install access controls that are responsive to the staff's tendency to defeat them. The development of AO attribute fact sheets is desirable for AO risk assessment; new funding and administrative or legislative tools to improve AMC security are required; and security practices and methods that are convenient and effective should be engineered.
OPERA, an automatic PSF reconstruction software for Shack-Hartmann AO systems: application to Altair

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jolissaint, Laurent; Veran, Jean-Pierre; Marino, Jose

2004-10-01

When doing high angular resolution imaging with adaptive optics (AO), it is of crucial importance to have an accurate knowledge of the point spread function associated with each observation. Applications are numerous: image contrast enhancement by deconvolution, improved photometry and astrometry, as well as real time AO performance evaluation. In this paper, we present our work on automatic PSF reconstruction based on control loop data, acquired simultaneously with the observation. This problem has already been solved for curvature AO systems. To adapt this method to another type of WFS, a specific analytical noise propagation model must be established. For the Shack-Hartmann WFS, we are able to derive a very accurate estimate of the noise on each slope measurement, based on the covariances of the WFS CCD pixel values in the corresponding sub-aperture. These covariances can be either derived off-line from telemetry data, or calculated by the AO computer during the acquisition. We present improved methods to determine 1) r0 from the DM drive commands, which includes an estimation of the outer scale L0 2) the contribution of the high spatial frequency component of the turbulent phase, which is not corrected by the AO system and is scaled by r0. This new method has been implemented in an IDL-based software called OPERA (Performance of Adaptive Optics). We have tested OPERA on Altair, the recently commissioned Gemini-North AO system, and present our preliminary results. We also summarize the AO data required to run OPERA on any other AO system.
VizieR Online Data Catalog: Robo-AO Kepler planetary candidate survey. II. (Baranec+, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranec, C.; Ziegler, C.; Law, N. M.; Morton, T.; Riddle, R.; Atkinson, D.; Schonhut, J.; Crepp, J.

2016-10-01

We selected targets that we had not previously observed from the KOI Catalog based on the Q1-Q12 Kepler data (Rowe et al. 2015, Cat. J/ApJS/217/16). These targets were added to the Robo-AO intelligent observing queue and observed during the summer of 2013. We obtained high angular resolution images of 956 Kepler planet candidate host stars with the Robo-AO robotic laser AOs system over the course of 19 nights between 2013 July 21 and 2013 October 25, detailed in Table5. We also include 13 images from 2012 (2012 July 16-September 13) that required additional confirmation of the KOI position in the Robo-AO field of view. All the observations were performed in a queue-scheduled mode in combination with other science programs using the Robo-AO autonomous laser AO system mounted on the robotic 1.5m telescope at Palomar Observatory (exposure time: 90s; observation wavelengths: 600-950nm; FWHM resolution: 0.12''-0.15''; field of view: 44''*44''; pixel scale: 43.1mas/pix; detector format: 10242 pixels; targets observed/hour: 20). We obtained images of 50 KOIs with the NIRC2 instrument behind the Keck II AO system that were previously observed with Robo-AO and had evidence of a companion. Observations were conducted on 2013 June 25, 2013 August 24 and 25, 2014 August 17, and 2015 July 25 in the K, Ks, or Kp filters, and in the narrow mode of NIRC2 (9.952mas/pixel). (4 data files).
East Asian winter temperature variation associated with the combined effects of AO and WP pattern

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Hye-Jin; Ahn, Joong-Bae

2016-04-01

The combined effects of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Western Pacific (WP) teleconnection pattern on the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) over the last 56 years (1958/59-2013/2014) were investigated using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data (Park and Ahn, 2015). The study results revealed that the effect of the AO on winter temperature in East Asia could be changed depending on the phases of the WP pattern in the North Pacific. The negative relationship between the EAWM and the AO increased when the AO and WP were in-phase with each other. Hence, when winter negative (positive) AO was accompanied by negative (positive) WP, negative (positive) temperature anomalies were dominant across the entire East Asia region. Conversely, when the AO and WP were of-of-phase, the winter temperature anomaly in East Asia did not show distinct changes. Furthermore, from the perspective of stationary planetary waves, the zonal wavenumber-2 patterns of sea level pressure and geopotential height at 500hPa circulation strengthened when the AO and WP were in-phase but were not significant for the out-of-phase condition. It explained the possible mechanism of the combined effects of the AO and WP on the circulation related to EAWM. Reference Park, H.-J., and J.-B. Ahn (2015) Combined effect of the Arctic Oscillation and the Western Pacific pattern on East Asia winter temperature, Clim. Dyn. DOI:10.1007/s00382-015-2763-2. Acknowledgements This work was funded by the Korea Meteorological Administration Research and Development Program under grant KMIPA2015-2081.
Anodic Oxidation in Aluminum Electrode by Using Hydrated Amorphous Aluminum Oxide Film as Solid Electrolyte under High Electric Field.

PubMed

Yao, Manwen; Chen, Jianwen; Su, Zhen; Peng, Yong; Zou, Pei; Yao, Xi

2016-05-04

Dense and nonporous amorphous aluminum oxide (AmAO) film was deposited onto platinized silicon substrate by sol-gel and spin coating technology. The evaporated aluminum film was deposited onto the AmAO film as top electrode. The hydrated AmAO film was utilized as a solid electrolyte for anodic oxidation of the aluminum electrode (Al) film under high electric field. The hydrated AmAO film was a high efficiency electrolyte, where a 45 nm thick Al film was anodized completely on a 210 nm thick hydrated AmAO film. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and breakdown phenomena of a dry and hydrated 210 nm thick AmAO film with a 150 nm thick Al electrode pad were studied in this work. Breakdown voltage of the dry and hydrated 210 nm thick AmAO film were 85 ± 3 V (405 ± 14 MV m(-1)) and 160 ± 5 V (762 ± 24 MV m(-1)), respectively. The breakdown voltage of the hydrated AmAO film increased about twice, owing to the self-healing behavior (anodic oxidation reaction). As an intuitive phenomenon of the self-healing behavior, priority anodic oxidation phenomena was observed in a 210 nm thick hydrated AmAO film with a 65 nm thick Al electrode pad. The results suggested that self-healing behavior (anodic oxidation reaction) was occurring nearby the defect regions of the films during I-V test. It was an effective electrical self-healing method, which would be able to extend to many other simple and complex oxide dielectrics and various composite structures.
A estabilidade dos PAHS em função da energia da radiação interestelar nas faixas UV e raios-X

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinotti, R.; Costa, R. K.; Boechat-Roberty, H. M.; Lago, A.; Souza, G. B.

2003-08-01

A nebulosa CRL 618, uma proto-nebulosa planetária cuja nuvem molecular espessa envolve uma estrela B0, contém uma grande quantidade de C2H2 e CH4. Estas moléculas são consideradas os tijolos da criação de grandes moléculas carbonadas como os Hidrocarbonetos Policíclicos Aromáticos (PAHs). Esta nebulosa, por estar exposta a intensos campos de UV e Raios-X, é uma região de fotodissociação molecular que propicia a formação de novas moléculas, confirmada pela presença de C4H2 e C6H6 (Benzeno), que é a unidade básica dos PAHs. Atribui-se a esta família de moléculas orgânicas duas propriedades fundamentais, a resistência para sobreviver ao campo de radiação UV interestelar e a geração das bandas de emissão não identificadas (UIR) observadas no infravermelho. No entanto, alguns autores questionam a resistência dos PAHs ao campo de radiação UV interestelar. Empregando a técnica de Espectrometria de Massas por Tempo de Vôo, no modo de coincidência fotoelétron-fotoíon, estudamos a ionização e fragmentação das seguintes moléculas: Benzeno, Benzeno deuterado, Naftaleno, Antraceno e Fenantreno. Utilizamos uma fonte de Hélio monocromática em 21,21 eV (584,5 Å) e a radiação Síncroton do Laboratório Nacional de Luz Síncroton (LNLS) em diferentes energias nas proximidades da borda do C 1s ( 290 eV). Comprovamos a estabilidade dos PAHs sob ação de UV (21,21 eV), onde eles apresentam um baixo nível de fotodissociação, produzindo fragmentos ionizados com rendimento total na ordem de 5 por cento em relação ao íon molecular pai. Entretanto, em altas energias, na faixa de Raios-X, a quebra destas moléculas torna-se mais intensa, com a produção de muitos fragmentos. Como uma das rotas de fragmentação do Naftaleno é [(C10H8) = > (C6H6+) + (C4H2) + (e-)], e como temos as evidências observacionais da existência do C4H2 e C6H6 na nebulosa CRL 618, sugerimos que este ambiente também possui o Naftaleno.
Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Everolimus-Eluting Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold.

PubMed

Meneguz-Moreno, Rafael Alexandre; Costa, José de Ribamar; Moscoso, Freddy Antônio Britto; Staico, Rodolfo; Tanajura, Luiz Fernando Leite; Centemero, Marinella Patrizia; Chaves, Auréa Jacob; Abizaid, Andrea Claudia Leão de Sousa; Sousa, Amanda Guerra de Moraes Rego E; Abizaid, Alexandre Antonio Cunha

2017-02-01

Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) were developed to improve the long-term results of percutaneous coronary intervention, restoring vasomotion. To report very late follow-up of everolimus-eluting Absorb BVS (Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, USA) in our center. Observational retrospective study, in a single Brazilian center, from August 2011 to October 2013, including 49 patients submitted to Absorb BVS implantation. Safety and efficacy outcomes were analyzed in the in-hospital and very late follow-up phases (> 2 years). All 49 patients underwent a minimum follow-up of 2.5 years and a maximum of 4.6 years. Mean age was 56.8 ± 7.6 years, 71.4% of the patients were men, and 26.5% were diabetic. Regarding clinical presentation, the majority (94%) had stable angina or silent ischemia. Device success was achieved in 100% of cases with 96% overall procedure success rate. Major adverse cardiovascular events rate was 4% at 30 days, 8.2% at 1 year, and 12.2% at 2 years, and there were no more events until 4.6 years. There were 2 cases of thrombosis (1 subacute and 1 late). In this preliminary analysis, Absorb BVS showed to be a safe and effective device in the very late follow-up. Establishing the efficacy and safety profiles of these devices in more complex scenarios is necessary. Os suportes vasculares bioabsorvíveis (SVB) foram desenvolvidos com o intuito de melhorar os resultados da intervenção coronária percutânea a longo prazo, restabelecendo-se a vasomotricidade. Reportar o seguimento muito tardio do implante do SVB eluidor de everolimus Absorb® (Abbot Vascular, Santa Clara, EUA) em nosso centro. Estudo observacional, retrospectivo, em um único centro brasileiro, que incluiu 49 pacientes submetidos ao implante do SVB Absorb® entre agosto/2011 e outubro/2013. Foram analisados os desfechos de segurança e eficácia na fase hospitalar e bastante tardia (> 2 anos). Todos os 49 pacientes completaram um seguimento mínimo de 2,5 anos, sendo o máximo de 4,6 anos. A média de idade foi 56,8 ± 7,6 anos, sendo 71,4% da população estudada do sexo masculino e 26,5% composta por diabéticos. Considerando a apresentação clínica, a grande maioria (94%) tinha angina estável ou isquemia silenciosa. Obteve-se sucesso do dispositivo em 100% dos casos e do procedimento, em 96%. A taxa de eventos cardiovasculares maiores foi de 4% aos 30 dias, de 8,2% em 1 ano, e de 12,2% em 2 anos, sem mais eventos até 4,6 anos. Houve 2 casos de trombose (1 subaguda e 1 tardia) até o último seguimento. Nesta análise preliminar, o uso do SVB Absorb® mostrou-se seguro e eficaz no seguimento bastante tardio. Faz-se necessário estabelecer o perfil de eficácia e segurança destes dispositivos em cenários de maior complexidade.
Study of factors affecting growth and cold acclimation of Vitis callus cultures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deng, L.

1987-01-01

In vitro grape tissue culture initiation, growth, and cold acclimation were studied. Factors involved were genotypes, media, plant growth regulators, age, light, temperature, antioxidant, clearing and adsorbing agents, sucrose level, osmotic potential, ABA, chilling and freezing treatments. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 1 ..mu..M 2,4-d + 0.1 uM Ba, MS containing 1 uM 2,4-D, and woody plant medium containing 1 uM 2,4-D + 0.1 uM BA produced abundant callus tissue for most grape genotypes; either WPM or MS containing 1 uM BA stimulated shoot growth in all the 12 genotypes tested. Adding 1 uM abscisic acid (ABA) to themore » B5 medium with 1 uM 2,4-D and 0.5 uM BA enhanced growth and quality of Chancellor callus. /sup 3/H-ABA was taken up actively by callus tissue at 12 days after subculture, but by 20 d this effect disappeared. When /sup 14/C-sucrose was added to the medium. /sup 14/C level of cells reached a plateau after 48 h; this plateau was higher if ABA was also present in the medium. Cells on media containing ABA were larger in size, lighter in color, and more loosely connected.« less
Experimental results for correlation-based wavefront sensing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Poyneer, L A; Palmer, D W; LaFortune, K N

2005-07-01

Correlation wave-front sensing can improve Adaptive Optics (AO) system performance in two keys areas. For point-source-based AO systems, Correlation is more accurate, more robust to changing conditions and provides lower noise than a centroiding algorithm. Experimental results from the Lick AO system and the SSHCL laser AO system confirm this. For remote imaging, Correlation enables the use of extended objects for wave-front sensing. Results from short horizontal-path experiments will show algorithm properties and requirements.
Ascending aorta dilatation in patients with bicuspid aortic valve stenosis: a prospective CMR study.

PubMed

Rossi, Alexia; van der Linde, Denise; Yap, Sing Chien; Lapinskas, Thomas; Kirschbaum, Sharon; Springeling, Tirza; Witsenburg, Maarten; Cuypers, Judith; Moelker, Adriaan; Krestin, Gabriel P; van Dijk, Arie; Johnson, Mark; van Geuns, Robert-Jan; Roos-Hesselink, Jolien W

2013-03-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the natural progression of aortic dilatation and its association with aortic valve stenosis (AoS) in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Prospective study of aorta dilatation in patients with BAV and AoS using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Aortic root, ascending aorta, aortic peak velocity, left ventricular systolic and diastolic function and mass were assessed at baseline and at 3-year follow-up. Of the 33 enrolled patients, 5 needed surgery, while 28 patients (17 male; mean age: 31 ± 8 years) completed the study. Aortic diameters significantly increased at the aortic annulus, sinus of Valsalva and tubular ascending aorta levels (P < 0.050). The number of patients with dilated tubular ascending aortas increased from 32 % to 43 %. No significant increase in sino-tubular junction diameter was observed. Aortic peak velocity, ejection fraction and myocardial mass significantly increased while the early/late filling ratio significantly decreased at follow-up (P < 0.050). The progression rate of the ascending aorta diameter correlated weakly with the aortic peak velocity at baseline (R (2) = 0.16, P = 0.040). BAV patients with AoS showed a progressive increase of aortic diameters with maximal expression at the level of the tubular ascending aorta. The progression of aortic dilatation correlated weakly with the severity of AoS.
The redox state of the apoplast influences the acclimation of photosynthesis and leaf metabolism to changing irradiance

PubMed Central

Karpinska, Barbara; Zhang, Kaiming; Rasool, Brwa; Pastok, Daria; Morris, Jenny; Verrall, Susan R.; Hedley, Pete E.

2017-01-01

Abstract The redox state of the apoplast is largely determined by ascorbate oxidase (AO) activity. The influence of AO activity on leaf acclimation to changing irradiance was explored in wild‐type (WT) and transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tobaccum) lines containing either high [pumpkin AO (PAO)] or low [tobacco AO (TAO)] AO activity at low [low light (LL); 250 μmol m−2 s−1] and high [high light (HL); 1600 μmol m−2 s−1] irradiance and following the transition from HL to LL. AO activities changed over the photoperiod, particularly in the PAO plants. AO activity had little effect on leaf ascorbate, which was significantly higher under HL than under LL. Apoplastic ascorbate/dehydroascorbate (DHA) ratios and threonate levels were modified by AO activity. Despite decreased levels of transcripts encoding ascorbate synthesis enzymes, leaf ascorbate increased over the first photoperiod following the transition from HL to LL, to much higher levels than LL‐grown plants. Photosynthesis rates were significantly higher in the TAO leaves than in WT or PAO plants grown under HL but not under LL. Sub‐sets of amino acids and fatty acids were lower in TAO and WT leaves than in the PAO plants under HL, and following the transition to LL. Light acclimation processes are therefore influenced by the apoplastic as well as chloroplastic redox state. PMID:28369975
Acridine Orange as a Novel Photosensitizer for Photodynamic Therapy in Glioblastoma.

PubMed

Osman, Hany; Elsahy, Deena; Saadatzadeh, M Reza; Pollok, Karen E; Yocom, Steven; Hattab, Eyas M; Georges, Joseph; Cohen-Gadol, Aaron A

2018-06-01

Photodynamic therapy combines the effects of a chemical agent with the physical energy from light or radiation to result in lysis of cells. Acridine orange (AO) is a molecule with fluorescence properties that has been demonstrated to possess photosensitizing properties. The objective of this study was to investigate the photodynamic effect of AO on glioblastoma cell viability and growth. Glioblastoma cells (N = 8000 cells/well at 0 hours) were exposed to AO followed by white unfiltered light-emitting diode light. Cultures were exposed to either 10 or 30 minutes of light. The cell number per well was determined at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours after exposure. A dramatic cytocidal effect of AO after exposure to 10 minutes of white light was observed. There was almost complete eradication of glioblastoma cells over a 72-hour period. Although AO or light alone exhibited some effect on cell growth, it was not as pronounced as the combination of AO and light. This is the first study to our knowledge to demonstrate the photodynamic effect of AO in glioblastoma cells. These data support the need for further studies to characterize and evaluate whether this striking cytotoxic effect can be achieved in vivo. The combination of AO and exposure to white unfiltered light-emitting diode light may have potential future applications in management of glioblastoma. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
[Degradation of Acid Orange 7 with Persulfate Activated by Silver Loaded Granular Activated Carbon].

PubMed

Wang, Zhong-ming; Huang, Tian-yin; Chen, Jia-bin; Li, Wen-wei; Zhang, Li-ming

2015-11-01

Granular activated carbon with silver loaded as activator (Ag/GAC) was prepared using impregnation method. N2 adsorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were adopted to characterize the Ag/GAC, showing that silver was successfully loaded on granular activated carbon. The oxidation degradation of acid orange 7 (AO7) by the Ag/GAC activated by persulfate (PS) was investigated at ambient temperature. The influences of factors such as Ag loading, PS or Ag/GAC dosages and initial pH on the degradation of AO7 were evaluated. The results demonstrated that the degradation rate of AO7 could reach more than 95.0% after 180 min when the Ag loading content, PS/AO7 molar ratio, the Ag/GAC dosage were 12.7 mg x g(-1), 120: 1, 1.0 g x L(-1), respectively. The initial pH had significant effect on the AO7 degradation, with pH 5.0 as the optimal pH for the degradation of AO7. The possible degradation pathway was proposed for the AO7 degradation by using UV-visible spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GG/MS). The azo bond and naphthalene ring in the AO7 were destroyed during the degradation, with phthalic acid and acetophenone as the main degradation products.
Treatment of toe nail fungus infection using an AO Q-switched eye-safe erbium glass laser at 1534nm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, Michael J.; Myers, Jeffrey A.; Roth, Franziska; Guo, Baoping; Hardy, Christopher R.; Myers, Sean; Carrabba, Angelo; Trywick, Carmen; Bryant, Stewart; Griswold, John Robert; Mazzochi, Aggie

2013-03-01

We report on "eye-safe" erbium glass laser operating at Short-Wave Infra-Red (SWIR) region at 1534nm, to treat Onychomycosis or toenail fungus. Infected toenails of 12 patients were treated over a 3 month period using both long pulse and Q-switched laser output pulses. Our results compared favorably to Neodymium Yittrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser fungus treatment studies as reported in literature. Nd:YAG laser devices, operating in the Near Infra- Red, (NIR) region at 1064nm, have recently become an effective alternative treatment to traditional oral medications used to treat nail fungal infections. Conventional nail infection treatments employ medications such as allylamines, azoles and other classes of antifungal drugs that are unpopular due to numerous side-affects and drug interactions. Side effects of these drugs include headache, itching, loss of sense of taste, nausea, diarrhea, heart failure and even potential death from liver failure [1,2,3]. The effectiveness of conventional oral antifungal medications varies. In addition, antifungal prescription drugs are administered for long periods ranging from 6 weeks to 18 months. Nd:YAG antifungal laser treatment reports claim high success rates (65-95%) in eradicating toenail fungus and without adverse side-affects. Multiple laser treatments are administered over a 3 to 6 month period [4,5,6,7]. Our initial treatments performed with the Er:glass laser on toenail fungus patients required only 1 to 2 treatments for cure. This same SWIR laser was used in experiments to treat Athlete's Foot fungal infections. The 1534nm Er:glass laser emission has been found to be well optimized for dermatological treatments due high transmission properties of human skin in the SWIR region. Increased depth of tissue penetration is well-tolerated and provides for effective treatment of various skin conditions. [8,9,10,11] "Eye-safe" Class I lasers provide for practical skin and nail tissue treatment without the need for eye-protection goggles. Laser safety filters may inhibit a practitioner's vision and ability to distinguish skin and nail regions exhibiting different colors and textures. The laser is "eye-safe" due to the fact that Megawatt peak power Q-switched lasers operating at 1.54um in the narrow spectral window between 1.4um and 1.6um are approximately 8000 times more eye-safe than other laser devices operating in the visible and near infrared. Long-pulse or free running lasers operating in this wavelength range are 2000 times more eye-safe [12].
Friction testing of a new ligature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mantel, Alison R.

Objective. To determine if American Orthodontics' (AO) new, experimental ligature demonstrates less friction in vitro when compared to four other ligatures on the market. Methods. Four brackets were mounted on a custom metal fixture allowing an 0.018-in stainless steel wire attached to an opposite fixture with one bracket to be passively centered in the bracket slot. The wire was ligated to the bracket using one of five types of ligatures including the low friction test ligatures (AO), conventional ligatures (AO), Sili-Ties(TM) Silicone Infused Ties (GAC), SynergyRTM Low-Friction Ligatures (RMO), and SuperSlick ligatures (TP Orthodontics). Resistance to sliding was measured over a 7 mm sliding distance using a universal testing machine (Instron) with a 50 Newton load cell and a crosshead speed of 5 mm/min. The initial resistance to sliding (static) was determined by the peak force needed to initiate movement and the kinetic resistance to sliding was taken as the force at 5 mm of wire/bracket sliding. Fifteen unique tests were run for each ligature group in both dry and wet (saliva soaked for 24 hours with one drop prior to testing) conditions. Results. In the dry state, the SuperSlick ligature demonstrated more static friction than all of the other ligatures, while SuperSlick and Sili-Ties demonstrated more kinetic friction than the AO conventional, AO experimental and Synergy ligatures. In the wet condition, SuperSlick and the AO experimental ligature demonstrated the least static friction, followed by the AO conventional and Sili-Ties. The most static friction was observed with the Synergy ligatures. In the wet condition, the SuperSlick, AO experimental and AO conventional exhibited less kinetic friction than the Sili-Ties and Synergy ligatures. Conclusions. AO's experimental ligature exhibits less friction in the wet state than conventional ligatures, Sili-Ties and Synergy and is comparable to the SuperSlick ligature. These preliminary results suggest that the AO experimental ligature and the SuperSlick ligature create less friction, but direct conclusions regarding in vivo performance cannot be made and randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to determine if these ligatures have clinical significance in treatment efficiency.
Cotton Ascorbate Oxidase Promotes Cell Growth in Cultured Tobacco Bright Yellow-2 Cells through Generation of Apoplast Oxidation

PubMed Central

Li, Rong; Xin, Shan; Tao, Chengcheng; Jin, Xiang; Li, Hongbin

2017-01-01

Ascorbate oxidase (AO) plays an important role in cell growth through the modulation of reduction/oxidation (redox) control of the apoplast. Here, a cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) apoplastic ascorbate oxidase gene (GhAO1) was obtained from fast elongating fiber tissues. GhAO1 belongs to the multicopper oxidase (MCO) family and includes a signal peptide and several transmembrane regions. Analyses of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) and enzyme activity showed that GhAO1 was expressed abundantly in 15-day post-anthesis (dpa) wild-type (WT) fibers in comparison with fuzzless-lintless (fl) mutant ovules. Subcellular distribution analysis in onion cells demonstrated that GhAO1 is localized in the cell wall. In transgenic tobacco bright yellow-2 (BY-2) cells with ectopic overexpression of GhAO1, the enhancement of cell growth with 1.52-fold increase in length versus controls was indicated, as well as the enrichment of both total ascorbate in whole-cells and dehydroascorbate acid (DHA) in apoplasts. In addition, promoted activities of AO and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR) in apoplasts and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) in whole-cells were displayed in transgenic tobacco BY-2 cells. Accumulation of H2O2, and influenced expressions of Ca2+ channel genes with the activation of NtMPK9 and NtCPK5 and the suppression of NtTPC1B were also demonstrated in transgenic tobacco BY-2 cells. Finally, significant induced expression of the tobacco NtAO gene in WT BY-2 cells under indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) treatment appeared; however, the sensitivity of the NtAO gene expression to IAA disappeared in transgenic BY-2 cells, revealing that the regulated expression of the AO gene is under the control of IAA. Taken together, these results provide evidence that GhAO1 plays an important role in fiber cell elongation and may promote cell growth by generating the oxidation of apoplasts, via the auxin-mediated signaling pathway. PMID:28644407
Ambient occlusion - A powerful algorithm to segment shell and skeletal intrapores in computed tomography data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titschack, J.; Baum, D.; Matsuyama, K.; Boos, K.; Färber, C.; Kahl, W.-A.; Ehrig, K.; Meinel, D.; Soriano, C.; Stock, S. R.

2018-06-01

During the last decades, X-ray (micro-)computed tomography has gained increasing attention for the description of porous skeletal and shell structures of various organism groups. However, their quantitative analysis is often hampered by the difficulty to discriminate cavities and pores within the object from the surrounding region. Herein, we test the ambient occlusion (AO) algorithm and newly implemented optimisations for the segmentation of cavities (implemented in the software Amira). The segmentation accuracy is evaluated as a function of (i) changes in the ray length input variable, and (ii) the usage of AO (scalar) field and other AO-derived (scalar) fields. The results clearly indicate that the AO field itself outperforms all other AO-derived fields in terms of segmentation accuracy and robustness against variations in the ray length input variable. The newly implemented optimisations improved the AO field-based segmentation only slightly, while the segmentations based on the AO-derived fields improved considerably. Additionally, we evaluated the potential of the AO field and AO-derived fields for the separation and classification of cavities as well as skeletal structures by comparing them with commonly used distance-map-based segmentations. For this, we tested the zooid separation within a bryozoan colony, the stereom classification of an ophiuroid tooth, the separation of bioerosion traces within a marble block and the calice (central cavity)-pore separation within a dendrophyllid coral. The obtained results clearly indicate that the ideal input field depends on the three-dimensional morphology of the object of interest. The segmentations based on the AO-derived fields often provided cavity separations and skeleton classifications that were superior to or impossible to obtain with commonly used distance-map-based segmentations. The combined usage of various AO-derived fields by supervised or unsupervised segmentation algorithms might provide a promising target for future research to further improve the results for this kind of high-end data segmentation and classification. Furthermore, the application of the developed segmentation algorithm is not restricted to X-ray (micro-)computed tomographic data but may potentially be useful for the segmentation of 3D volume data from other sources.
Astronomy, Art and Mythology in a Public Elementary School in Itaocara/rj. (Spanish Title: Astronomía, Arte y Mitologia en el Ensino Fundamental en Una Escuela de la Red Estatal en ITAOCARA/RJ.) Astronomia, Arte e Mitologia no Ensino Fundamental em Escola da Rede Estadual em ITAOCARA/RJ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira Bernardes, Adriana; Ramos dos Santos, Arleidimar

2008-12-01

Volunteer advisors at Itaocara Astronomy Club Marcos Pontes(CAIMP), in their majority high school students, introduced students at Teotônio Brandão Vilela Elementary School to basic concepts in Astronomy, Physics, and Mythology. Computer Science, Arts, puppetry, and educational videos were used to stimulate students to share their feelings and test their knowledge of the concepts presented. The work done by the volunteers helped boost the student's self-esteem and improved their oral skills by applying their knowledge of Physics and Astronomy in Lab experiments. The main goals of the CAIMP are the possibility of including astronomy in Elementary school curricula and developing an interdisciplinary work involving Astronomy, Arts, and Mythology. Through tests and reports, the students who participated in the Brazilian Astronomy Olympics, showed an increase in their knowldge of the sujects presented during the volunteer work. Durante el curso de un trabajo voluntario con estudiantes de nivel primario (1 º a 4 º grado), los guías de Astronomía miembros del CAIMP (Club de Astronomía de Itaocara "Marcos Puentes"), en su mayoría estudiantes secundarios, desarrollaron un trabajo de introducción a las Ciencias y Astronomía con alumnos del colegio estatal Teotônio Vilela Brandão. A través de talleres de informática, artes, videos educativos y teatro de títeres, los estudiantes pudieron expresar sus conocimientos y emociones frente a las leyendas mitológicas con las que se inició el trabajo de introducción. La labor desarrollada por los guías con los alumnos promovió la integración entre las aulas del colegio haciéndolos participar en actividades con el fin de estimular su expresión verbal y aumentar su autoestima. Trabajando diversas formas de expresión, los alumnos pudieron realizar experimentos y conocer algunos conceptos de Física y Astronomía al mismo tiempo que adquirían autonomía para la libre expresión de sus sentimientos y de los conocimientos recibidos. El trabajo en sí ha mostrado además de la posibilidad de la inclusión de la Astronomía en la Educación Primaria, la posibilidad de un trabajo interdisciplinario en los niveles iniciales incluyendo Astronomía, Arte y Mitología. Los resultados presentados por los estudiantes en las Olimpiadas promovidas en la escuela y por la OBA (Olimpiada Brasilera de Astronomía) permitieron verificar un creciente aprendizaje y estimulo hacia las materias científicas, comprobados por la apropiada expresión de los conceptos adquiridos de astronomía y presentados en evaluaciones o en informes obtenidos de ellos mismos, sus familias y profesores. Desenvolvendo um trabalho voluntário junto aos alunos do ensino fundamental no 1º ciclo (1ª a 4ª série), os monitores de Astronomia membros do CAIMP (Clube de Astronomia de Itaocara Marcos Pontes), que eram em sua maioria alunos do ensino médio, desenvolveram um trabalho de aproximação entre os alunos do Colégio Estadual Teotônio Brandão Vilela e os temas envolvendo Ciências e Astronomia. Através de oficinas de informática, artes, vídeos educativos e teatros de fantoches, os alunos puderam expressar seus conhecimentos e emoções diante das lendas mitológicas com as quais começaram a ter contato. O trabalho desenvolvido pelos monitores junto aos alunos proporcionou a integração entre as turmas do colégio e os levou a participação em atividades de maneira a estimular sua oralidade e aumentar sua auto-estima. Trabalhando várias formas de expressões, os alunos puderam realizar seus experimentos e conhecer alguns conceitos de Física e Astronomia, enquanto adquiriam autonomia para se expressarem de acordo com seus sentimentos e conhecimentos adquiridos. O trabalho em si mostrou além da possibilidade de inserção de Astronomia no Ensino Fundamental, a possibilidade de realização de um trabalho interdisciplinar nas séries iniciais envolvendo Astronomia, Arte e Mitologia. Os resultados apresentados pelos alunos nas Olimpíadas promovidas na escola e pela OBA (Olimpíada Brasileira de Astronomia) possibilitaram a verificação de uma crescente aprendizagem e estímulo ao conhecimento de temas científicos, que foi comprovado diante da apropriação dos conceitos de Astronomia adquiridos e apresentados em resultados como avaliações, ou ainda, diante dos relatos obtidos dos mesmos, suas famílias e professores.

Camões e a cosmogonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, J. M.

2003-08-01

Os Lusíadas, escrito por Luis de Camões em 1572, é um poema épico renascentista e a visão Cosmogônica do autor é apresentada, principalmente, no último canto do poema, quando Tétis mostra ao Gama a Máquina do Mundo. A Cosmogonia de Camões neste poema reflete uma visão de uma época de transição, que ainda não incorporou os elementos da revolução Copernicana. É uma visão Grego- Ptolomaica e também medieval. O poeta guia-se pela tradução e notas feita por Pedro Nunes, inventor do Nonio, do Tratado da Esfera "De Sphaera" do Astrônomo Inglês John Holywood, mais conhecido pelo nome latinizado de Johannes Sacrobosco. Outra provável fonte de Camões, de acordo com Luciano Antonio Pereira da Silva em Astronomia de os Lusíadas, é o "Theoricae novae Planetarum" (1460) do astrólogo Alemão Jorge Purbáquio (1423 - 1461). A Astronomia de Os Lusíadas representa a ciência do tempo de Camões. Camões nunca emprega a palavra constelação e seu catálogo é bastante completo. A Máquina do Mundo tem a Terra no centro. Em redor, em círculos concêntricos, a lua (Diana), Mercúrio, Vênus, o Sol (Febo), Marte, Júpiter e Saturno. Envolvendo estes astros tem o firmamento seguido pelo "Céu Áqueo" ou cristalino, depois o 1o Móbil, esfera que arrasta todas as outras consigo. Este trabalho, multidisciplinar, serve tanto para ensinar aos alunos da Física como das Ciências Humanas, a concepção de mundo do renascimento de uma forma belamente poética em versos decassílabos Este trabalho também ajuda na apreciação do maior clássico da língua portuguesa e mostra como as Ciências e as artes, em geral, estão correlacionadas e refletem a visão de mundo da época em que foi produzida.
Sobre a largura da última superfície de espalhamento

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nobre, M. A. S.; Pires, N.; Lima, J. A. S.

2003-08-01

De acordo com o modelo do "Big-Bang", no universo primordial a matéria estava em equilíbrio térmico com a radiação. Com a expansão a temperatura da radiação cai. Quando a temperatura chega em torno dos 4.000K, os espalhamentos diminuem, começando a recombinação dos prótons e elétrons em Hidrogênio neutro (era conhecida como da recombinação). Ao final da recombinação, os fótons se propagam livremente sofrendo, em princípio, somente os efeitos do "redshift" cosmológico. Esses fótons nos alcançam hoje como a radiação cósmica de fundo (RCF), e parecem vir de uma superfície esférica ao nosso redor, tal que o raio dela é a distância que ele viajou desde seu último espalhamento na época da recombinação. Naturalmente, esse processo não ocorreu abruptamente, implicando na existência de uma largura no espaço dos "redshifts" que deve depender do modelo cosmológico específico e dos processos físicos considerados. Neste trabalho analisamos os efeitos de diferentes modelos - a saber, aqueles com decaimento do vácuo L(t), criação de matéria, quintessência e gás de Chaplygin - sobre a última superfície de espalhamento da RCF, em particular sua largura e a função visibilidade, que determina a probabilidade de um fóton ter tido seu último espalhamento num "redshift" z. No caso particular dos modelos com decaimento do vácuo, existe uma forte dependência da função visibilidade com L(t). Tais efeitos poderão ser testados através da análise dos resultados de experimentos mais precisos que estão atualmente em andamento, como por exemplo, o WMAP.
Ensino de gravitação clássica no nível médio: uma proposta de abordagem e resultados preliminares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medeiros, G. C. M.; Jafelice, L. C.

2003-08-01

O ensino de gravitação clássica é comumente realizado de maneira formal e descontextualizado da experiência com a força-peso e da história do tema. Fustigados por anos de experiência de ensino no assunto, nem sempre com bons resultados, propomos uma abordagem ancorada nos eixos: a) contextualização histórica; e b) reconhecimento do peso como a força de atração gravitacional. O primeiro eixo integra o tema no desenvolvimento cultural do ser humano, praticando a interdisciplinaridade. O segundo eixo embasa construtivamente a abordagem, levando o aluno a realizar experiências e a vivenciar o reconhecimento de uma força universal. A abordagem foi construída através das etapas: 1) análise crítica do tema em livros didáticos; 2) elaboração de um curso para professores das várias disciplinas do ensino médio, identificando conexões para a prática da interdisciplinaridade; 3) elaboração de material didático; e 4) avaliação da eficácia da abordagem. No trabalho discutimos em detalhe as quatro etapas. Como resultados, adiantamos que: tabulamos a abordagem de gravitação nos livros didáticos, ainda muito tradicional e carecedora de atividades criativas que poderiam melhor explorar esse assunto; mapeamos, junto aos professores, padrões de conceitos espontâneos e erros associados ao tema; e, no curso, adaptamos e testamos a eficiência de materiais instrucionais existentes e criamos outros novos (e.g., para trabalhar excentricidades das órbitas planetárias), além disto elaboramos roteiros e figuras para tratamentos qualitativo e quantitativo da lei da gravitação universal. As avaliações feitas pelos professores foram muito animadoras. O espaço da presente reunião será aproveitado para socializar a proposta e os resultados obtidos e para submeter o projeto à análise crítica. (PPGECNM/UFRN; PRONEX/FINEP; NUPA/USP; Temáticos/FAPESP)
Sunspots and the Newcomb-Benford Law. (Spanish Title: Manchas Solares y la Ley de Newcomb-Benford.) Manchas Solares e a Lei de Newcomb-Benford

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, Mauro A.; Lyra, Cássia S.

2008-12-01

The Newcomb-Benford's Law (LNB) of first digits is introduced to high school students in an extracurricular activity through the study of sunspots. The LNB establishes that the first digits of various sets of data describing natural occurrences are not distributed uniformly, but according to a logarithmic distribution of probability. The LNB is counter-intuitive and is a good example of how mathematics applied to the study of natural phenomena can provide surprising and unexpected results serving also as a motivating agent in the study of physical sciences. En este trabajo se describe una actividad extracurricular donde se presenta a los estudiantes la ley de los primeros dígitos de Newcomb-Benford (LNB) con el estudio de manchas solares. La LNB establece que los primeros dígitos de algunos tipos de dados de ocurrencia natural no están distribuidos en manera uniforme, pero sí de acuerdo con una distribución logarítmica de probabilidad. La LNB es contra-intuitiva y es un excelente ejemplo de como las matemáticas aplicadas al estudio de fenómenos naturales pueden sorprender al estudiante, sirviendo también como elemento motivador en la educación de ciencias y de matemáticas. Este trabalho descreve uma atividade extracurricular na qual a lei dos primeiros dígitos de Newcomb-Benford (LNB) é introduzida a estudantes através do estudo de manchas solares. A LNB estabelece que os primeiros dígitos de vários tipos de conjunto de dados de ocorrência natural não são distribuídos de maneira uniforme, mas sim de acordo com uma distribuição logarítmica de probabilidade. A LNB é contra-intuitiva e é um ótimo exemplo de como a matemática aplicada ao estudo de fenômenos naturais pode fornecer resultados surpreendentes e inesperados, servindo também como um agente motivador no ensino de ciências e matemática.
Falls in long-term care institutions for elderly people: protocol validation.

PubMed

Baixinho, Cristina Rosa Soares Lavareda; Dixe, Maria Dos Anjos Coelho Rodrigues; Henriques, Maria Adriana Pereira

2017-01-01

To validate the content of a fall management risk protocol in long-term institutions for elderly people. Methodological, quanti-qualitative study using the Delphi technique. The tool, based on the literature, was sent electronically to obtain consensus among the 14 experts that meet the defined inclusion criteria. The 27 indicators of the protocol are organized in three dimensions: prepare for the institutionalization (IRA=.88); manage the risk of falls throughout the institutionalization (IRA=.9); and lead the communication and formation (IRA=1), with a CVI=.91. Two rounds were performed to get a consensus superior to 80% in every item. The values obtained in the reliability test (>0.8) show that the protocol can be used to meet the intended goal. The next step is the clinic validation of the protocol with residents of long-term care institutions for elderly people. Validar o conteúdo de um protocolo para a gestão do risco de queda em Instituições de Longa Permanência para Idosos. Estudo metodológico, de abordagem quantiqualitativa, utilizando a técnica de Delphi. O instrumento, construído com base na literatura, foi enviado por via electrónica, para obter consenso entre os 14 peritos que respeitam os critérios de inclusão definidos. Os 27 indicadores do protocolo estão organizados em três dimensões: Preparar a Institucionalização (IRA=,88); Gerir o Risco de Queda ao longo da Institucionalização (IRA=,9) e Liderar a comunicação e formação (IRA=1), com um CVI=,91. Foram efetuadas duas rodadas para se obter consenso superior a 80% em todos os itens. Os valores obtidos no teste de fidedignidade (>0,8) atestam que o protocolo pode ser utilizado para atingir o fim que se pretende. A próxima etapa é a validação clínica do protocolo com idosos residentes em Instituições de Longa Permanência para Idosos.
Prevalence and factors associated with minor psychiatric disorders in hospital housekeeping workers.

PubMed

Marconato, Cintia da Silva; Magnago, Ana Carolina de Souza; Magnago, Tânia Solange Bosi de Souza; Dalmolin, Graziele de Lima; Andolhe, Rafaela; Tavares, Juliana Petri

2017-06-12

Investigating the prevalence and factors associated with minor psychiatric disorders (MPDs) in Hospital housekeeping workers. A cross-sectional study carried out in 2013 with workers from the cleaning service of a public university hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data were collected through a form containing sociodemographic, occupational, habits and health variables. The Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 was used in order to evaluate MPDs. The study population consisted of 161 workers. The overall prevalence of suspected MPD was 29.3%. The chances of suspected MPDs were higher in workers with Effort-Reward Imbalance, those who did not have time or who occasionally had time for leisure activities, and those taking medications. The prevalence of MPDs was similar to that found in the literature for health workers. Therefore, we consider it important to include these workers in institutional programs for continuing health education. Investigar a prevalência e os fatores associados aos Distúrbios Psíquicos Menores (DPMs) em trabalhadores do Serviço Hospitalar de Limpeza. Estudo transversal, realizado em 2013, com trabalhadores do serviço de limpeza de um hospital universitário público do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Os dados foram coletados por meio de um formulário contendo variáveis sociodemográficas, laborais, hábitos e saúde. Para avaliação dos DPMs utilizou-se do Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20. A população do estudo foi composta pelos 161 trabalhadores. A prevalência global para suspeição de DPM foi de 29,3%. As chances de suspeição de DPMs foram maiores nos trabalhadores em Desequilíbrio Esforço-Recompensa, nos que não tinham ou às vezes tinham tempo para o lazer e naqueles que faziam uso de medicação. A prevalência de DPMs assemelhou-se à encontrada na literatura em trabalhadores da área saúde. Portanto, considera-se importante a inclusão desses trabalhadores em programas institucionais de educação permanente em saúde.
Análise dos fatores de risco relacionados às amputações maiores e menores de membros inferiores em hospital terciário

PubMed Central

de Jesus-Silva, Seleno Glauber; de Oliveira, João Pedro; Brianezi, Matheus Henrique Colepicolo; Silva, Melissa Andreia de Moraes; Krupa, Arturo Eduardo; Cardoso, Rodolfo Souza

2017-01-01

Resumo Contexto As amputações dos membros inferiores, sejam definidas como maiores ou menores, são um grave problema de saúde, com altos índices de morbimortalidade e de relevante impacto social. Diferentes características clínicas dos pacientes parecem estar relacionadas aos diferentes tipos de amputação realizados. Objetivos Analisar os fatores de risco presentes em pacientes submetidos a amputações de membros inferiores em hospital terciário. Métodos Estudo retrospectivo, transversal, envolvendo 109 pacientes submetidos a amputação de membro inferior em um período de 31 meses, através da análise de gênero e idade, 15 dados clínicos e cinco parâmetros laboratoriais presentes no momento da admissão. Os dados foram submetidos a estatística descritiva e comparativa através do teste t de Student não pareado (para variáveis numéricas), e dos testes de Mann-Whitney e exato de Fisher (para variáveis categóricas). Resultados Das 109 amputações realizadas, 59 foram maiores e 50 menores. A maioria dos pacientes era do gênero masculino (65%), e a média de idade foi de 65 anos (mín. 39, máx. 93). Dentre os fatores de risco observados, idade avançada, acidente vascular encefálico, isquemia, sepse e níveis baixos de hemoglobina e hematócrito estavam estatisticamente mais relacionados às amputações maiores (p < 0,05). Diabetes melito, neuropatia e pulsos distais palpáveis foram fatores mais associados às amputações menores. Conclusões Os níveis das amputações de membros inferiores estão relacionados a diferentes fatores de risco. Os quadros isquêmicos mais graves e de maior morbidade estiveram associados a amputações maiores, enquanto a neuropatia e perfusão preservada, mais relacionados às amputações menores. PMID:29930618
Survey infravermelho do braço espiral de scuttum e da barra no centro galáctico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amôres, E. B.; Lépine, J. R. D.

2003-08-01

O survey infravermelho consiste de observações utilizando a CAMIV no telescópio de 60 cm do LNA. Nosso principal objetivo é melhor caracterizar a população estelar dos braços espirais e de uma estrutura existente no centro galáctico que acreditamos ser devido à existência de uma barra, cujas extremidades estariam localizadas em longitudes galácticas l~23° e l~14°. As observações realizadas em vários filtros (imagens J, H e K) são particularmente importantes nas direções que tangenciam os braços espirais, desta forma, comparamos uma direção que atravessa um braço a uma direção próxima que não passa pelo braço, sendo que ambas possuem a mesma contribuição de contagens foreground. Nas missões realizadas até o presente, observamos a região na direção tangencial ao braço de Scuttum, com observações de l = 30.04° até l = 31.04°, a cada intervalo de longitude de 0.1°, para latitude galáctica de 0.0°, 0.25°, 0.50°. Para as regiões que acreditamos serem as extremidades da barra, observamos as faixas de longitude compreendidas entre -15° £ l £ -13° e 24° £ l £ 22° a cada intervalo de 0.25°, para latitude galáctica de 0.0° e 0.25°. As observações nos filtros J e H foram feitas com tempo de integração de 60s, na banda K, as observações foram feitas utilizando o filtro C1 com tempo de integração de aproximadamente 210 s (12x15s). Elaboramos diagramas cor-cor e cor-magnitude onde podemos verificar a existência de regiões com diferentes contagens e população estelar à medida que um braço espiral é atravessado.
Speech planning happens before speech execution: online reaction time methods in the study of apraxia of speech.

PubMed

Maas, Edwin; Mailend, Marja-Liisa

2012-10-01

The purpose of this article is to present an argument for the use of online reaction time (RT) methods to the study of apraxia of speech (AOS) and to review the existing small literature in this area and the contributions it has made to our fundamental understanding of speech planning (deficits) in AOS. Following a brief description of limitations of offline perceptual methods, we provide a narrative review of various types of RT paradigms from the (speech) motor programming and psycholinguistic literatures and their (thus far limited) application with AOS. On the basis of the review of the literature, we conclude that with careful consideration of potential challenges and caveats, RT approaches hold great promise to advance our understanding of AOS, in particular with respect to the speech planning processes that generate the speech signal before initiation. A deeper understanding of the nature and time course of speech planning and its disruptions in AOS may enhance diagnosis and treatment for AOS. Only a handful of published studies on apraxia of speech have used reaction time methods. However, these studies have provided deeper insight into speech planning impairments in AOS based on a variety of experimental paradigms.
Action observation with kinesthetic illusion can produce human motor plasticity.

PubMed

Nojima, Ippei; Koganemaru, Satoko; Kawamata, Toshio; Fukuyama, Hidenao; Mima, Tatsuya

2015-06-01

After watching sports, people often feel as if their sports skills might have been improved, even without any actual training. On some occasions, this motor skill learning through observation actually occurs. This phenomenon may be due to the fact that both action and action observation (AO) can activate shared cortical areas. However, the neural basis of performance gain through AO has not yet been fully clarified. In the present study, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation to investigate whether primary motor cortex (M1) plasticity is a physiological substrate of AO-induced performance gain and whether AO itself is sufficient to change motor performance. The excitability of M1, especially that of its intracortical excitatory circuit, was enhanced after and during AO with kinesthetic illusion but not in interventions without this illusion. Moreover, behavioral improvement occurred only after AO with kinesthetic illusion, and a significant correlation existed between the performance gain and the degree of illusion. Our findings indicated that kinesthetic illusion is an essential component of the motor learning and M1 plasticity induced by AO, and this insight may be useful for the strategic rehabilitation of stroke patients. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Use of focus measure operators for characterization of flood illumination adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy image quality

PubMed Central

Alonso-Caneiro, David; Sampson, Danuta M.; Chew, Avenell L.; Collins, Michael J.; Chen, Fred K.

2018-01-01

Adaptive optics flood illumination ophthalmoscopy (AO-FIO) allows imaging of the cone photoreceptor in the living human retina. However, clinical interpretation of the AO-FIO image remains challenging due to suboptimal quality arising from residual uncorrected wavefront aberrations and rapid eye motion. An objective method of assessing image quality is necessary to determine whether an AO-FIO image is suitable for grading and diagnostic purpose. In this work, we explore the use of focus measure operators as a surrogate measure of AO-FIO image quality. A set of operators are tested on data sets acquired at different focal depths and different retinal locations from healthy volunteers. Our results demonstrate differences in focus measure operator performance in quantifying AO-FIO image quality. Further, we discuss the potential application of the selected focus operators in (i) selection of the best quality AO-FIO image from a series of images collected at the same retinal location and (ii) assessment of longitudinal changes in the diseased retina. Focus function could be incorporated into real-time AO-FIO image processing and provide an initial automated quality assessment during image acquisition or reading center grading. PMID:29552404
Effects of atomic oxygen on titanium dioxide thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimosako, Naoki; Hara, Yukihiro; Shimazaki, Kazunori; Miyazaki, Eiji; Sakama, Hiroshi

2018-05-01

In low earth orbit (LEO), atomic oxygen (AO) has shown to cause degradation of organic materials used in spacecrafts. Similar to other metal oxides such as SiO2, Al2O3 and ITO, TiO2 has potential to protect organic materials. In this study, the anatese-type TiO2 thin films were fabricated by a sol-gel method and irradiated with AO. The properties of TiO2 were compared using mass change, scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmittance spectra and photocatalytic activity before and after AO irradiation. The results indicate that TiO2 film was hardly eroded and resistant against AO degradation. AO was shown to affects only the surface of a TiO2 film and not the bulk. Upon AO irradiation, the TiO2 films were slightly oxidized. However, these changes were very small. Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 was still maintained in spite of slight decrease upon AO irradiation, which demonstrated that TiO2 thin films are promising for elimination of contaminations outgassed from a spacecraft's materials.
Anaerobic digestion of amine-oxide-based surfactants: biodegradation kinetics and inhibitory effects.

PubMed

Ríos, Francisco; Lechuga, Manuela; Fernández-Arteaga, Alejandro; Jurado, Encarnación; Fernández-Serrano, Mercedes

2017-08-01

Recently, anaerobic degradation has become a prevalent alternative for the treatment of wastewater and activated sludge. Consequently, the anaerobic biodegradability of recalcitrant compounds such as some surfactants require a thorough study to avoid their presence in the environment. In this work, the anaerobic biodegradation of amine-oxide-based surfactants, which are toxic to several organisms, was studied by measuring of the biogas production in digested sludge. Three amine-oxide-based surfactants with structural differences in their hydrophobic alkyl chain were tested: Lauramine oxide (AO-R 12 ), Myristamine oxide (AO-R 14 ) and Cocamidopropylamine oxide (AO-cocoamido). Results show that AO-R 12 and AO-R 14 inhibit biogas production, inhibition percentages were around 90%. AO-cocoamido did not cause inhibition and it was biodegraded until reaching a percentage of 60.8%. Otherwise, we fitted the production of biogas to two kinetic models, to a pseudo first-order model and to a logistic model. Production of biogas during the anaerobic biodegradation of AO-cocoamido was pretty good adjusted to the logistics model. Kinetic parameters were also determined. This modelling is useful to predict their behaviour in wastewater treatment plants and under anaerobic conditions in the environment.
Waffle mode error in the AEOS adaptive optics point-spread function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makidon, Russell B.; Sivaramakrishnan, Anand; Roberts, Lewis C., Jr.; Oppenheimer, Ben R.; Graham, James R.

2003-02-01

Adaptive optics (AO) systems have improved astronomical imaging capabilities significantly over the last decade, and have the potential to revolutionize the kinds of science done with 4-5m class ground-based telescopes. However, provided sufficient detailed study and analysis, existing AO systems can be improved beyond their original specified error budgets. Indeed, modeling AO systems has been a major activity in the past decade: sources of noise in the atmosphere and the wavefront sensing WFS) control loop have received a great deal of attention, and many detailed and sophisticated control-theoretic and numerical models predicting AO performance are already in existence. However, in terms of AO system performance improvements, wavefront reconstruction (WFR) and wavefront calibration techniques have commanded relatively little attention. We elucidate the nature of some of these reconstruction problems, and demonstrate their existence in data from the AEOS AO system. We simulate the AO correction of AEOS in the I-band, and show that the magnitude of the `waffle mode' error in the AEOS reconstructor is considerably larger than expected. We suggest ways of reducing the magnitude of this error, and, in doing so, open up ways of understanding how wavefront reconstruction might handle bad actuators and partially-illuminated WFS subapertures.
Control algorithms and applications of the wavefront sensorless adaptive optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Liang; Wang, Bin; Zhou, Yuanshen; Yang, Huizhen

2017-10-01

Compared with the conventional adaptive optics (AO) system, the wavefront sensorless (WFSless) AO system need not to measure the wavefront and reconstruct it. It is simpler than the conventional AO in system architecture and can be applied to the complex conditions. Based on the analysis of principle and system model of the WFSless AO system, wavefront correction methods of the WFSless AO system were divided into two categories: model-free-based and model-based control algorithms. The WFSless AO system based on model-free-based control algorithms commonly considers the performance metric as a function of the control parameters and then uses certain control algorithm to improve the performance metric. The model-based control algorithms include modal control algorithms, nonlinear control algorithms and control algorithms based on geometrical optics. Based on the brief description of above typical control algorithms, hybrid methods combining the model-free-based control algorithm with the model-based control algorithm were generalized. Additionally, characteristics of various control algorithms were compared and analyzed. We also discussed the extensive applications of WFSless AO system in free space optical communication (FSO), retinal imaging in the human eye, confocal microscope, coherent beam combination (CBC) techniques and extended objects.
Analysis of mirror neuron system activation during action observation alone and action observation with motor imagery tasks.

PubMed

Cengiz, Bülent; Vurallı, Doğa; Zinnuroğlu, Murat; Bayer, Gözde; Golmohammadzadeh, Hassan; Günendi, Zafer; Turgut, Ali Emre; İrfanoğlu, Bülent; Arıkan, Kutluk Bilge

2018-02-01

This study aimed to explore the relationship between action observation (AO)-related corticomotor excitability changes and phases of observed action and to explore the effects of pure AO and concurrent AO and motor imagery (MI) state on corticomotor excitability using TMS. It was also investigated whether the mirror neuron system activity is muscle-specific. Fourteen healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. EMG recordings were taken from the right first dorsal interosseous and the abductor digiti minimi muscles. There was a significant main effect of TMS timing (after the beginning of the movement, at the beginning of motor output state, and during black screen) on the mean motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude. Mean MEP amplitudes for AO combined with MI were significantly higher than pure AO session. There was a significant interaction between session and TMS timing. There was no significant main effect of muscle on MEP amplitude. The results indicate that corticomotor excitability is modulated by different phases of the observed motor movement and this modulation is not muscle-specific. Simultaneous MI and AO enhance corticomotor excitability significantly compared to pure AO.
Use of focus measure operators for characterization of flood illumination adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy image quality.

PubMed

Alonso-Caneiro, David; Sampson, Danuta M; Chew, Avenell L; Collins, Michael J; Chen, Fred K

2018-02-01

Adaptive optics flood illumination ophthalmoscopy (AO-FIO) allows imaging of the cone photoreceptor in the living human retina. However, clinical interpretation of the AO-FIO image remains challenging due to suboptimal quality arising from residual uncorrected wavefront aberrations and rapid eye motion. An objective method of assessing image quality is necessary to determine whether an AO-FIO image is suitable for grading and diagnostic purpose. In this work, we explore the use of focus measure operators as a surrogate measure of AO-FIO image quality. A set of operators are tested on data sets acquired at different focal depths and different retinal locations from healthy volunteers. Our results demonstrate differences in focus measure operator performance in quantifying AO-FIO image quality. Further, we discuss the potential application of the selected focus operators in (i) selection of the best quality AO-FIO image from a series of images collected at the same retinal location and (ii) assessment of longitudinal changes in the diseased retina. Focus function could be incorporated into real-time AO-FIO image processing and provide an initial automated quality assessment during image acquisition or reading center grading.
Objective age of acquisition for 223 Italian words: norms and effects on picture naming speed.

PubMed

Lotto, Lorella; Surian, Luca; Job, Remo

2010-02-01

The present study provides a set of objective age of acquisition (AoA) norms for 223 Italian words that may be useful for conducting cross-linguistic studies or experiments on Italian language processing. The data were collected by presenting children from the ages of 2 to 11 with a normed picture set (Lotto, Dell'Acqua, & Job, 2001). Following the study of Morrison, Chappell, and Ellis (1997), we report two measures of objective AoA. Both measures strongly correlated with each other, and they also showed a good correlation with the rated AoA provided by adult participants. Furthermore, we assessed the relationship between the AoA measures and other variables used in psycholinguistic experiments. Regression analyses showed that familiarity, typicality, and word frequency were significant predictors of AoA. AoA, but not word frequency, was found to determine naming latencies. Finally, we present a path model in which AoA is a mediator in predicting speed in picture naming. The norms and the picture set can also be downloaded from http://dpss.psy.unipd.it/files/strumenti.php and from http://brm.psychonomic-journals.org/content/supplemental.
Calibration results using highly aberrated images for aligning the JWST instruments to the telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Koby Z.; Acton, D. Scott; Gallagher, Ben B.; Knight, J. Scott; Dean, Bruce H.; Jurling, Alden S.; Zielinski, Thomas P.

2016-07-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) project is an international collaboration led by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD. JWST is NASA's flagship observatory that will operate nearly a million miles away from Earth at the L2 Lagrange point. JWST's optical design is a three-mirror anastigmat with four main optical components; 1) the eighteen Primary Mirror Segment Assemblies (PMSA), 2) a single Secondary Mirror Assembly (SMA), 3) an Aft-Optics Subsystem (AOS) consisting of a Tertiary Mirror and Fine Steering Mirror, and 4) an Integrated Science Instrument Module consisting of the various instruments for JWST. JWST's optical system has been designed to accommodate a significant amount of alignment capability and risk with the PMSAs and SMA having rigid body motion available on-orbit just for alignment purposes. However, the Aft-Optics Subsystem (AOS) and Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) are essentially fixed optical subsystems within JWST, and therefore the cryogenic alignment of the AOS to the ISIM is critical to the optical performance and mission success of JWST. In support of this cryogenic alignment of the AOS to ISIM, an array of fiber optic sources, known as the AOS Source Plate Assembly (ASPA), are placed near the intermediate image location of JWST (between the secondary and tertiary mirrors) during thermal vacuum ground-test operations. The AOS produces images of the ASPA fiber optic sources at the JWST focal surface location, where they are captured by the various science instruments. In this manner, the AOS provides an optical yardstick by which the instruments within ISIM can evaluate their relative positions to and the alignment of the AOS to ISIM can be quantified. However, since the ASPA is located at the intermediate image location of the JWST three-mirror anastigmat design, the images of these fiber optic sources produced by the AOS are highly aberrated with approximately 2-3μm RMS wavefront error consisting mostly of 3rd-order astigmatism and coma. This is because the elliptical tertiary mirror of the AOS is used off of its ideal foci locations without the compensating wavefront effects of the JWST primary and secondary mirrors. Therefore, the PSFs created are highly asymmetric with relatively complex structure and the centroid and encircled energy analyses traditionally used to locate images are not sufficient for ensuring the AOS to ISIM alignment. A novel approach combining phase retrieval and spatial metrology was developed to both locate the images with respect to the AOS and provide calibration information for eventual AOS to ISIM alignment verification. During final JWST OTE and ISIM (OTIS) testing, only a single thru-focus image will be collected by the instruments. Therefore, tools and processes were developed to perform single-image phase retrieval on these highly aberrated images such that any single image of the ASPA source can provide calibrated knowledge of the instruments' position relative to the AOS. This paper discusses the results of the methodology, hardware, and calibration performed to ensure that the AOS and ISIM are aligned within their respective tolerances at JWST OTIS testing.
Three-frequency Nd:YAG laser for dental treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadlecová, Martina; Dostálová, Tat'jana; Jelínková, Helena; Němec, Michal; Å ulc, Jan; Fibrich, Martin; Bradna, Pavel; Nejezchleb, Karel; Kapitch, Nickalai; Å koda, Václav

2018-02-01

In the last decade, lasers found a number of indications in dentistry. However, there is still one problem: the narrow spectrum of usefulness for individual radiation wavelengths. The aim of our study is to demonstrate the use of a compact three-frequency pulsed Nd-YAG laser for more than one treatment, namely disinfection, coagulation, selective ablation, and soft tissue removal. The laser wavelengths and the maximal energies achieved were the following: 1.06 um, 1.32 um, 1.44 um and 830 mJ, 425 mJ, and 200 mJ, respectively. It has been found that all of the investigated wavelengths exhibit disinfection properties. Moreover, radiation of 1.06 um wavelength removes soft tissue and exhibits also coagulation properties. Radiation of 1.44 um is most useful for selective ablation of initial caries and disinfection, and 1.32 um radiation can be used for precise ablation when higher energy is applied.

Recovery Act: Novel Kerf-Free PV Wafering that provides a low-cost approach to generate wafers from 150um to 50um in thickness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fong, Theodore E.

2013-05-06

The technical paper summarizes the project work conducted in the development of Kerf-Free silicon wafering equipment for silicon solar wafering. This new PolyMax technology uses a two step process of implantation and cleaving to exfoliate 50um to 120um wafers with thicknesses ranging from 50um to 120um from a 125mm or 156mm pseudo-squared silicon ingot. No kerf is generated using this method of wafering. This method of wafering contrasts with the current method of making silicon solar wafers using the industry standard wire saw equipment. The report summarizes the activity conducted by Silicon Genesis Corporation in working to develop this technologymore » further and to define the roadmap specifications for the first commercial proto-type equipment for high volume solar wafer manufacturing using the PolyMax technology.« less
Cost study : before, during and after AOS implementation (October 1996 - May 1999)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

This study compared AATA operating costs over two different time periods: before and during AOS installation. While neither additional operating costs nor operating costs savings were traceable to AOS at this time, the implications of this report, wh...
Influence of Atomic Oxygen Exposure on Friction Behavior of 321 Stainless Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Yang, J.; Ye, Z.; Dong, S.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, Z.

Atomic oxygen (AO) exposure testing has been conducted on a 321 stainless steel rolled 1 mm thick sheet to simulate the effect of AO environment on steel in low Earth orbit (LEO). An atomic oxygen exposure facility was employed to carry out AO experiments with the fluence up to ~1021 atom/cm2. The AO exposed specimens were evaluated in air at room temperature using a nanoindenter and a tribological system. The exposed surfaces were analyzed usign XPS technique.
Prevalence and underdiagnosis of airway obstruction among middle-aged adults in northern France: The ELISABET study 2011-2013.

PubMed

Quach, Alexandre; Giovannelli, Jonathan; Chérot-Kornobis, Natalie; Ciuchete, Alina; Clément, Guillaume; Matran, Régis; Amouyel, Philippe; Edmé, Jean-Louis; Dauchet, Luc

2015-12-01

Airway obstruction (AO), mainly due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults, is a major cause of mortality and poor quality of life. However, few data are available for France. This study was designed to calculate the prevalence AO among middle-aged adults in northern France, explore the associated risk factors and evaluate the underdiagnosis. The Enquête Littoral Souffle Air Biologie Environnement (ELISABET) was a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of 3276 adults aged from 40 to 64 in two urban areas in northern France (Lille and Dunkirk). Participants filled out a questionnaire and performed spirometry testing, without a reversibility test. The age-standardized estimated prevalence [95% confidence interval] of AO was 16.0% [13.9; 17.9] in Lille and 13.7% [11.7; 15.7] in Dunkirk with the Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) definition and 10.8% [9.2; 12.5] and 9.5% [7.9; 11.2] respectively with the lower limit of normal calculated with the Global Lung Initiative (GLI) 2012 equations. AO was associated with age, male gender, tobacco consumption and low body mass index. The underdiagnosis rate was greater than 70%. Previously undiagnosed participants with AO displayed more respiratory symptoms compared with participants without AO and less than participants with previously diagnosed AO. The prevalence of AO in northern France ranged from 9.5 to 16.0%, depending on the centre and definition used. The high underdiagnosis rate observed here suggests that greater efforts should be made to identify individuals presenting with the symptoms and/or risk factors associated with AO. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Agent Orange and long-term outcomes after radical prostatectomy.

PubMed

Ovadia, Aaron E; Terris, Martha K; Aronson, William J; Kane, Christopher J; Amling, Christopher L; Cooperberg, Matthew R; Freedland, Stephen J; Abern, Michael R

2015-07-01

To investigate the association between Agent Orange (AO) exposure and long-term prostate cancer (PC) outcomes. Data from 1,882 men undergoing radical prostatectomy for PC between 1988 and 2011 at Veterans Affairs Health Care Facilities were analyzed from the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital database. Men were stratified by AO exposure (binary). Associations between AO exposure and biopsy and pathologic Gleason sum (GS) and pathologic stage were determined by logistic regression models adjusted for preoperative characteristics. Hazard ratios for biochemical recurrence (BCR), secondary treatment, metastases, and PC-specific mortality were determined by Cox models adjusted for preoperative characteristics. There were 333 (17.7%) men with AO exposure. AO-exposed men were younger (median 59 vs. 62 y), had lower preoperative prostate-specific antigen levels (5.8 vs. 6.7 ng/ml), lower clinical category (25% vs. 38% palpable), and higher body mass index (28.2 vs. 27.6 kg/m(2)), all P<0.01. Biopsy GS, pathologic GS, positive surgical margins, lymph node positivity, and extracapsular extension did not differ with AO exposure. At a median follow-up of 85 months, 702 (37.4%) patients had BCR, 603 (32.2%) patients received secondary treatment, 78 (4.1%) had metastases, and 39 (2.1%) died of PC. On multivariable analysis, AO exposure was not associated with BCR, secondary treatment, metastases, or PC mortality. AO exposure was not associated with worse preoperative characteristics such as elevated prostate-specific antigen levels or biopsy GS nor with BCR, secondary treatment, metastases, or PC death. Thus, as data on AO-exposed men mature, possible differences in PC outcomes observed previously are no longer apparent. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Auditory Perceptual Learning for Speech Perception Can be Enhanced by Audiovisual Training.

PubMed

Bernstein, Lynne E; Auer, Edward T; Eberhardt, Silvio P; Jiang, Jintao

2013-01-01

Speech perception under audiovisual (AV) conditions is well known to confer benefits to perception such as increased speed and accuracy. Here, we investigated how AV training might benefit or impede auditory perceptual learning of speech degraded by vocoding. In Experiments 1 and 3, participants learned paired associations between vocoded spoken nonsense words and nonsense pictures. In Experiment 1, paired-associates (PA) AV training of one group of participants was compared with audio-only (AO) training of another group. When tested under AO conditions, the AV-trained group was significantly more accurate than the AO-trained group. In addition, pre- and post-training AO forced-choice consonant identification with untrained nonsense words showed that AV-trained participants had learned significantly more than AO participants. The pattern of results pointed to their having learned at the level of the auditory phonetic features of the vocoded stimuli. Experiment 2, a no-training control with testing and re-testing on the AO consonant identification, showed that the controls were as accurate as the AO-trained participants in Experiment 1 but less accurate than the AV-trained participants. In Experiment 3, PA training alternated AV and AO conditions on a list-by-list basis within participants, and training was to criterion (92% correct). PA training with AO stimuli was reliably more effective than training with AV stimuli. We explain these discrepant results in terms of the so-called "reverse hierarchy theory" of perceptual learning and in terms of the diverse multisensory and unisensory processing resources available to speech perception. We propose that early AV speech integration can potentially impede auditory perceptual learning; but visual top-down access to relevant auditory features can promote auditory perceptual learning.
Auditory Perceptual Learning for Speech Perception Can be Enhanced by Audiovisual Training

PubMed Central

Bernstein, Lynne E.; Auer, Edward T.; Eberhardt, Silvio P.; Jiang, Jintao

2013-01-01

Speech perception under audiovisual (AV) conditions is well known to confer benefits to perception such as increased speed and accuracy. Here, we investigated how AV training might benefit or impede auditory perceptual learning of speech degraded by vocoding. In Experiments 1 and 3, participants learned paired associations between vocoded spoken nonsense words and nonsense pictures. In Experiment 1, paired-associates (PA) AV training of one group of participants was compared with audio-only (AO) training of another group. When tested under AO conditions, the AV-trained group was significantly more accurate than the AO-trained group. In addition, pre- and post-training AO forced-choice consonant identification with untrained nonsense words showed that AV-trained participants had learned significantly more than AO participants. The pattern of results pointed to their having learned at the level of the auditory phonetic features of the vocoded stimuli. Experiment 2, a no-training control with testing and re-testing on the AO consonant identification, showed that the controls were as accurate as the AO-trained participants in Experiment 1 but less accurate than the AV-trained participants. In Experiment 3, PA training alternated AV and AO conditions on a list-by-list basis within participants, and training was to criterion (92% correct). PA training with AO stimuli was reliably more effective than training with AV stimuli. We explain these discrepant results in terms of the so-called “reverse hierarchy theory” of perceptual learning and in terms of the diverse multisensory and unisensory processing resources available to speech perception. We propose that early AV speech integration can potentially impede auditory perceptual learning; but visual top-down access to relevant auditory features can promote auditory perceptual learning. PMID:23515520
Apneic oxygenation reduces hypoxemia during endotracheal intubation in the pediatric emergency department.

PubMed

Vukovic, Adam A; Hanson, Holly R; Murphy, Shelley L; Mercurio, Danielle; Sheedy, Craig A; Arnold, Donald H

2018-04-18

Apneic oxygenation (AO) has been evaluated in adult patients as a means of reducing hypoxemia during endotracheal intubation (ETI). While less studied in pediatric patients, its practice has been largely adopted. Determine association between AO and hypoxemia in pediatric patients undergoing ETI. Observational study at an urban, tertiary children's hospital emergency department. Pediatric patients undergoing ETI were examined during eras without (January 2011-June 2011) and with (August 2014-March 2017) apneic oxygenation. The primary outcome was hypoxemia, defined as pulse oximetry (SpO 2 ) < 90%. The χ 2 and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests examined differences between cohorts. Multivariable regression models examined adjusted associations between covariates and hypoxemia. 149 patients were included. Cohorts were similar except for greater incidence of altered mental status in those receiving AO (26% vs. 7%, p = 0.03). Nearly 50% of the pre-AO cohort experienced hypoxemia during ETI, versus <25% in the AO cohort. Median [IQR] lowest SpO 2 during ETI was 93 (69, 99) for pre-AO and 100 [95, 100] for the AO cohort (p < 0.001). In a multivariable logistic regression model, hypoxemia during ETI was associated with AO (aOR 0.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1-0.8), increased age (for 1 year, aOR 0.8, 95% CI 0.7-1.0), lowest SpO 2 before ETI (for 1% increase, aOR 0.9, 95% CI 0.8-1.0), and each additional intubation attempt (aOR 4.0, 95% CI 2.2-7.2). Apneic oxygenation is an easily-applied intervention associated with decreases in hypoxemia during pediatric ETI. Nearly 50% of children not receiving AO experienced hypoxemia. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Comparison of the Impact of the Arctic Oscillation and East Atlantic - West Russia Teleconnection on Interannual Variation in East Asian Winter Temperatures and Monsoon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lim, Young-Kwon; Kim, Hae-Dong

2014-01-01

The large-scale impacts of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and the East Atlantic/West Russia (EA/WR) teleconnection on the East Asian winter climate anomalies are compared for the past 34 winters focusing on 1) interannual monthly to seasonal temperature variability, 2) East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM), and 3) the Siberian high (SH) and cold surge. Regression analysis reveals warming by AO and EA/WR over mid-latitude East Asia during their positive phase and vice versa. The EA/WR impact is found to be comparable to the AO impact in affecting the East Asian temperature and monsoon. For example, warm (cold) months over mid-latitude East Asia during the positive (negative) AO are clearly seen when the AO and EA/WR are in the same phase. Near zero correlation is found between temperature and the AO phase when both teleconnections are in an opposite phase. The well-known negative relationship between SH and the AO phase is observed significantly more often when the AO is in the same phase with the EA/WR. Also, the indices of EAWM, cold surge, and SH are found to be more highly negative-correlated with the EA/WR rather than with the AO. The advective temperature change and associated circulation demonstrate that the anomalous large-scale field including the SH over the mid-latitude Asian inland is better represented by the EA/WR, influencing the East Asian winter climates. These results suggest that the impact of EA/WR should be considered more important than previously thought for a better understanding of East Asian winter temperature and monsoon variability.
PEDOT as a Flexible Organic Electrode for a Thin Film Acoustic Energy Harvester.

PubMed

Kim, Younghoon; Na, Jongbeom; Park, Chihyun; Shin, Haijin; Kim, Eunkyoung

2015-08-05

An efficient thin film acoustic energy harvester was explored using flexible poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT) films as electrodes in an all-organic triboelectric generator (AO-TEG). A thin film AO-TEG structured as PEDOT/Kapton//PET/PEDOT was prepared by the solution casting polymerization(SCP) on the dielectric polymer films. As-prepared AO-TEG showed high flexibility and durability due to the strong adhesion between the electrodes and the dielectric polymer. The short-circuit current density (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc), and maximum power density (Pw) reached 50 mA/m(2), 700 V, and 12.9 W/m(2) respectively. The output current density decreased with the increase in the electrode resistance (Re), but the energy loss in the organic electrodes was negligible. The AO-TEG could light up 180 LEDs instantaneously upon touching of the AO-TEG with a palm (∼120 N). With the flexible structure, the AO-TEG was worn as clothes and generated electricity to light LEDs upon regular human movement. Furthermore, the AO-TEG was applicable as a thin film acoustic energy harvester, which used music to generate electricity enough for powering of 5 LEDs. An AO-TEG with a PEDOT electrode (Re = 200 Ω) showed instantaneous peak-to-peak voltage generation of 11 V under a sound pressure level (SPL) of 90-100 dB. The harvested acoustic energy through the AO-TEG was 350 μJ from the 4 min playing of the same single song. This is the first demonstration of a flexible triboelectric generator (TEG) using an organic electrode for harvesting acoustic energy from ambient environment.
Causes of skill in seasonal predictions of the Arctic Oscillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Arun; Chen, Mingyue

2017-11-01

Based on an analysis of hindcasts from a seasonal forecast system, complemented by the analysis of a large ensemble of AMIP simulations, possible causes for skillful prediction of the winter Arctic Oscillation (AO) on a seasonal time-scale are analyzed. The possibility that the recent increase in AO skill could be due to model improvements, or due to changes in the persistence characteristics of the AO, is first discounted. The analysis then focuses on exploring the possibility that the recent increase in prediction skill in AO may be due to sampling variations or could have physical causes. Temporal variations in AO skill due entirely to sampling alone cannot be discounted as this is a fundamental constraint on verifications over a short time-series. This notion is supported from theoretical considerations, and from the analysis of the temporal variations in the perfect model skill where substantial variations in skill due to sampling alone are documented. As for the physical causes, the analysis indicates possible links in the prediction skill of AO with the SST forcing from the tropics, particularly related to the SST variations associated with the Trans-Niño Index (TNI). Interannual and low frequency variations in the TNI could have contributed to similar temporal variations in AO skill. For example, a dominance of central Pacific El Niño events after 2000 (a reflection of low-frequency variations in TNI) coincided with an increase in the prediction skill of AO. The analysis approach and results provide an avenue for further investigations; for example, model simulations forced with the SST pattern associated with the TNI, to establish or reaffirm causes for AO skill.
Use of ultrasound measurement of the inferior vena cava diameter as an objective tool in the assessment of children with clinical dehydration.

PubMed

Chen, Lei; Kim, Yunie; Santucci, Karen A

2007-10-01

Bedside ultrasonography (US) measurement of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and aorta (Ao) may be useful in objectively assessing children with dehydration. The objectives of this study were 1) to compare the IVC and Ao diameters (IVC/Ao) ratio of dehydrated children with controls and 2) to compare the IVC/Ao ratio before and after intravenous (i.v.) rehydration in children with dehydration. This prospective observational study was performed in an urban pediatric emergency department. Children between 6 months and 16 years of age with clinical evidence of dehydration were enrolled. Bedside US measurements of the IVC and Ao were taken before and immediately after i.v. fluids were administered. An age-, gender-, and weight-matched control without dehydration was enrolled for each subject. The IVC/Ao ratios of subjects and controls were compared using Wilcoxon signed rank test, as were the ratios before and after i.v. hydration for each subject. Thirty-six pairs of subjects and matched controls were enrolled. The IVC/Ao ratios in the subjects were lower as compared with controls (mean of 0.75 vs. 1.01), with a mean difference of 0.26 (95% confidence interval = 0.18 to 0.35). In subjects, the IVC/Ao ratios were significantly lower before i.v. hydration (mean of 0.75 vs. 1.09), with a mean difference of 0.34 (95% confidence interval = 0.29 to 0.39). As measured by bedside US measurement, the IVC/Ao ratio is lower in children clinically assessed to be dehydrated. Furthermore, it increases with administration of i.v. fluid boluses.
Towards reducing the impacts of unwanted movements on identification of motion intentions.

PubMed

Li, Xiangxin; Chen, Shixiong; Zhang, Haoshi; Samuel, Oluwarotimi Williams; Wang, Hui; Fang, Peng; Zhang, Xiufeng; Li, Guanglin

2016-06-01

Surface electromyogram (sEMG) has been extensively used as a control signal in prosthesis devices. However, it is still a great challenge to make multifunctional myoelectric prostheses clinically available due to a number of critical issues associated with existing EMG based control strategy. One such issue would be the effect of unwanted movements (UMs) that are inadvertently done by users on the performance of movement classification in EMG pattern recognition based algorithms. Since UMs are not considered in training a classifier, they would decay the performance of a trained classifier in identifying the target movements (TMs), which would cause some undesired actions in control of multifunctional prostheses. In this study, the impact of UMs was systemically investigated in both able-bodied subjects and transradial amputees. Our results showed that the UMs would be unevenly classified into all classes of the TMs. To reduce the impact of the UMs on the performance of a classifier, a new training strategy that would categorize all possible UMs into a new movement class was proposed and a metric called Reject Ratio that is a measure of how many UMs is rejected by a trained classifier was adopted. The results showed that the average Reject Ratio across all the participants was greater than 91%, meanwhile the average classification accuracy of TMs was above 99% when UMs occurred. This suggests that the proposed training strategy could greatly reduce the impact of UMs on the performance of the trained classifier in identifying the TMs and may enhance the robustness of myoelectric control in clinical applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Analysis of the Revised Trauma Score (RTS) in 200 victims of different trauma mechanisms.

PubMed

Alvarez, Bruno Durante; Razente, Danilo Mardegam; Lacerda, Daniel Augusto Mauad; Lother, Nicole Silveira; VON-Bahten, Luiz Carlos; Stahlschmidt, Carla Martinez Menini

2016-01-01

to analyze the epidemiological profile and mortality associated with the Revised Trauma Score (RTS) in trauma victims treated at a university hospital. we conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study of trauma protocols (prospectively collected) from December 2013 to February 2014, including trauma victims admitted in the emergency room of the Cajuru University Hospital. We set up three groups: (G1) penetrating trauma to the abdomen and chest, (G2) blunt trauma to the abdomen and chest, and (G3) traumatic brain injury. The variables we analyzed were: gender, age, day of week, mechanism of injury, type of transportation, RTS, hospitalization time and mortality. we analyzed 200 patients, with a mean age of 36.42 ± 17.63 years, and 73.5% were male. The mean age was significantly lower in G1 than in the other groups (p <0.001). Most (40%) of the visits occurred on weekends and the most common pre-hospital transport service (58%) was the SIATE (Emergency Trauma Care Integrated Service). The hospital stay was significantly higher in G1 compared with the other groups (p <0.01). Regarding mortality, there were 12%, 1.35% and 3.95% of deaths in G1, G2 and G3, respectively. The median RTS among the deaths was 5.49, 7.84 and 1.16, respectively, for the three groups. the majority of patients were young men. RTS was effective in predicting mortality in traumatic brain injury, however failing to predict it in patients suffering from blunt and penetrating trauma. analisar o perfil epidemiológico e a mortalidade associada ao escore de trauma revisado (RTS) em vítimas de trauma atendidas em um hospital universitário. estudo transversal descritivo de protocolos de trauma (coletados prospectivamente) de dezembro de 2013 a fevereiro de 2014, incluindo vítimas de trauma admitidas na sala de emergência do Hospital Universitário Cajuru. Três grupos foram criados: (G1) trauma penetrante em abdome e tórax, (G2) trauma contuso em abdome e tórax, e (G3) trauma cranioencefálico. As variáveis analisadas foram: sexo, idade, dia da semana, mecanismo de trauma, tipo de transporte, RTS, tempo de internamento e mortalidade. analisou-se 200 pacientes, com média de idade de 36,42 ± 17,63 anos, sendo 73,5% do sexo masculino. A média de idade no G1 foi significativamente menor do que nos demais grupos (p <0,001). A maioria (40%) dos atendimentos ocorreu nos finais de semana e o serviço de transporte pré-hospitalar mais frequente (58%) foi o SIATE (Serviço Integrado de Atendimento ao Trauma em Emergência). O tempo de internamento foi significativamente maior no G1, em comparação aos demais grupos (p <0,01). Quanto à mortalidade, houve 12%, 1,35% e 3,95% de óbitos nos grupos G1, G2 e G3, respectivamente. A mediana do RTS entre os óbitos foi 5,49, 7,84 e 1,16, respectivamente, para os três grupos. a maioria dos pacientes eram homens jovens. O RTS mostrou-se efetivo na predição de mortalidade no trauma cranioencefálico, entretanto falhou ao analisar pacientes vítimas de trauma contuso e penetrante.
MISSE 6 Stressed Polymers Experiment Atomic Oxygen Erosion Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

deGroh, Kim K.; Banks, Bruce A.; Mitchell, Gianna G.; Yi, Grace T.; Guo, Aobo; Ashmeade, Claire C.; Roberts, Lily M.; McCarthy, Catherine E.; Sechkar, Edward A.

2013-01-01

Polymers and other oxidizable materials used on the exterior of spacecraft in the low Earth orbit (LEO) space environment can be eroded away by reaction with atomic oxygen (AO). For spacecraft design, it is important to know the LEO AO erosion yield, Ey (volume loss per incident oxygen atom), of materials susceptible to AO erosion. The Stressed Polymers Experiment was developed and flown as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment 6 (MISSE 6) to compare the AO erosion yields of stressed and non-stressed polymers to determine if erosion is dependent upon stress while in LEO. The experiment contained 36 thin film polymer samples that were exposed to ram AO for 1.45 years. This paper provides an overview of the Stressed Polymers Experiment with details on the polymers flown, the characterization techniques used, the AO fluence, and the erosion yield results. The MISSE 6 data are compared to data for similar samples flown on previous MISSE missions to determine fluence or solar radiation effects on erosion yield.
Prediction of the Arctic Oscillation in Boreal Winter by Dynamical Seasonal Forecasting Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kang, Daehyun; Lee, Myong-In; Im, Jungho; Kim, Daehyun; Kim, Hye-Mi; Kang, Hyun-Suk; Schubert, Siegfried D.; Arribas, Alberto; MacLachlan, Craig

2014-01-01

This study assesses the skill of boreal winter Arctic Oscillation (AO) predictions with state-of-the-art dynamical ensemble prediction systems (EPSs): GloSea4, CFSv2, GEOS-5, CanCM3, CanCM4, and CM2.1. Long-term reforecasts with the EPSs are used to evaluate how well they represent the AO and to assess the skill of both deterministic and probabilistic forecasts of the AO. The reforecasts reproduce the observed changes in the large-scale patterns of the Northern Hemispheric surface temperature, upper level wind, and precipitation associated with the different phases of the AO. The results demonstrate that most EPSs improve upon persistence skill scores for lead times up to 2 months in boreal winter, suggesting some potential for skillful prediction of the AO and its associated climate anomalies at seasonal time scales. It is also found that the skill of AO forecasts during the recent period (1997-2010) is higher than that of the earlier period (1983-1996).
Prediction of the Arctic Oscillation in Boreal Winter by Dynamical Seasonal Forecasting Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kang, Daehyun; Lee, Myong-In; Im, Jungho; Kim, Daehyun; Kim, Hye-Mi; Kang, Hyun-Suk; Shubert, Siegfried D.; Arriba, Albertom; MacLachlan, Craig

2013-01-01

This study assesses the prediction skill of the boreal winter Arctic Oscillation (AO) in the state-of-the-art dynamical ensemble prediction systems (EPSs): the UKMO GloSea4, the NCEP CFSv2, and the NASA GEOS-5. Long-term reforecasts made with the EPSs are used to evaluate representations of the AO, and to examine skill scores for the deterministic and probabilistic forecast of the AO index. The reforecasts reproduce the observed changes in the large-scale patterns of the Northern Hemispheric surface temperature, upper-level wind, and precipitation according to the AO phase. Results demonstrate that all EPSs have better prediction skill than the persistence prediction for lead times up to 3-month, suggesting a great potential for skillful prediction of the AO and the associated climate anomalies in seasonal time scale. It is also found that the deterministic and probabilistic forecast skill of the AO in the recent period (1997-2010) is higher than that in the earlier period (1983-1996).
Cardiovascular and hormonal (aldosterone) responses in a rat model which mimics responses to weightlessness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Musacchia, X. J.; Steffen, J. M.

1984-01-01

Cardiovascular responses and fluid/electrolyte shifts seen during spaceflight have been attributed to cephalad redistribution of vascular fluid. The antiorthostatic (AO) rat (suspended, head-down tilt of 15-20 deg) is used to model these responses. This study documents that elevated blood pressures in AO rats are sustained for periods of up to seven days, compared with presuspension values. Increased blood pressures in AO rats suggests a specific response to AO positioning, potentially relatable to a cephalad fluid shift. To assess a role for hormonal regulation of sodium excretion, serum aldosterone levels were measured. Circulating aldosterone concentrations were seen to increase approximately 100 percent during seven days of AO suspension, concurrently with a pronounced natriuresis. These results suggest that aldosterone may not be involved in the long term regulation of increased Na(+) excretion in AO animals. These studies continue to show the usefulness of models for the development of animal protocols for space flight.
Synergism and Physicochemical Properties of Anionic/Amphoteric Surfactant Mixtures with Nonionic Surfactant of Amine Oxide Type

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blagojević, S. M.; Pejić, N. D.; Blagojević, S. N.

2017-12-01

The physicochemical properties of initial formulation, that is anionic/amphoteric surfactants mixture SLES/AOS/CAB (sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), α-olefin sulfonates (AOS) and cocamidopropyl betaine (CAB) at ratio 80 : 15 : 5) with nonionic surfactant of amine oxide type (lauramine oxide (AO)) in various concentration (1-5%) were studied. To characterize the surfactants mixture, the critical micelle concentration (CMC), surface tension (γ), foam volume, biodegradability and irritability were determined. This study showed that adding of AO in those mixtures lowered both γ and CMC as well as enhanced SLES/AOS/CAB foaming properties, but did not significantly affect biodegradability and irritability of initial formulation. Moreover, an increase in AO concentration has a meaningful synergistic effect on the initial formulation properties. All those results indicates that a nonionic surfactant of amine oxide type significantly improves the performance of anionic/amphoteric mixed micelle systems, and because of that anionic/amphoteric/nonionic mixture can be used in considerably lower concentrations as a cleaning formulation.
The TMT Adaptive Optics Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellerbroek, Brent

2011-09-01

We provide an overview of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) AO program, with an emphasis upon the progress made since the first AO4ELT conference held in 2009. The first light facility AO system for TMT is the Narrow Field Infra-Red AO System (NFIRAOS), which will provide diffraction-limited performance in the J, H, and K bands over 18-30 arc sec diameter fields with 50% sky coverage at the galactic pole. This is accomplished with order 60x60 wavefront sensing and correction, two deformable mirrors conjugate to ranges of 0 and 11.2 km, 6 sodium laser guide stars in an asterism with a diameter of 70 arc sec, and three low order (tip/tilt or tip/tilt focus), infra-red natural guide star (NGS) wavefront sensors deployable within a 2 arc minute diameter patrol field. The first light LGS asterism is generated by the Laser Guide Star Facility (LGSF), which initially incorporates 6 20-25W class laser systems mounted to the telescope elevation journal, a mirror-based beam transfer optics system, and a 0.4m diameter laser launch telescope located behind the TMT secondary mirror. Future plans for additional AO capabilities include a mid infra-red AO (MIRAO) system to support science instruments in the 4-20 micron range, a ground-layer AO (GLAO) system for wide-field spectroscopy, a multi-object AO (MOAO) system for multi-object integral field unit spectroscopy, and extreme AO (ExAO) for high contrast imaging. Significant progress has been made in developing the first-light AO architecture since 2009. This includes the adoption of a new NFIRAOS opto-mechanical design consisting of two off-axis parabola (OAP) relays in series, which eliminates field distortion and also significantly simplifies the designs of the LGS wavefront sensors, optical source simulators, and turbulence generator subsystem. The design of the LGSF has also been interated, and has been simplfied by the relocation of the (smaller, gravity invarient) laser systems to the telescope elevation journal. Protoyping activities continue for laser systems, wavefront sensing detectors, and deformable mirrors; work on the associated detector and deformable mirror electronics has also been initiated. AO Performance estimates and error budgets have been further detailed. Some of the modeling topics which have received particular attention include turbulence (Cn2) profile estimation from LGS WFS measurements, sodium layer range tracking, PSF reconstruction for multi-conjugate AO, LGS fratricide, astrometry at the galactic center, and further optimizing sky coverage and the peformance of the tip/tilt and low-order NGS mode control loops. Finally, experiments and field tests continue at the University of British Columbia LIDAR facility to measure the spatial and temporal variability of the sodium layer, and to characterize the sodium coupling efficiency of candidate laser systems for TMT.

Tertiary treatment of a municipal wastewater toward pharmaceuticals removal by chemical and electrochemical advanced oxidation processes.

PubMed

Moreira, Francisca C; Soler, J; Alpendurada, M F; Boaventura, Rui A R; Brillas, Enric; Vilar, Vítor J P

2016-11-15

This study focuses on the degradation of pharmaceuticals from a municipal wastewater after secondary treatment by applying various advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and electrochemical AOPs (EAOPs) like UVC, H 2 O 2 /UVC, anodic oxidation (AO), AO with electrogenerated H 2 O 2 (AO-H 2 O 2 ), AO-H 2 O 2 /UVC and photoelectro-Fenton (PEF) using either UVC radiation (PEF-UVC) or UVA radiation (PEF-UVA). The municipal wastewater after secondary treatment was spiked with 5.0 mg L -1 of trimethoprim (TMP) antibiotic. The efficiency of processes to remove TMP followed the order UVC < AO-H 2 O 2 < PEF-UVA < AO ≈ PEF-UVC < AO-H 2 O 2 /UVC < PEF-UVA (pH = 2.8) < H 2 O 2 /UVC ≈ PEF-UVC (pH = 2.8), using neutral pH, except when identified. While the UVC radiation alone led to a very low TMP removal, the H 2 O 2 /UVC process promoted a very high TMP degradation due to the production of hydroxyl radicals (OH) by H 2 O 2 cleavage. In the AO-H 2 O 2 /UVC process, the electrogeneration of H 2 O 2 can avoid the risks associated with the transportation, storage and manipulation of this oxidant and, furthermore, OH at the anode surface are also formed. Nevertheless, low contents of H 2 O 2 were detected mainly at the beginning of the reaction, leading to a lower initial reaction rate when compared with the H 2 O 2 /UVC system. In the PEF-UVC, the addition of iron at neutral pH led to the visible formation of insoluble iron oxides that can filter the light. At pH 2.8, the iron remained dissolved, thereby promoting the Fenton's reaction and increasing the organics removal. The UVA-driven processes showed limited efficiency when compared with those using UVC light. For all processes with H 2 O 2 electrogeneration, the active chlorine species can be scavenged by the H 2 O 2 , diminishing the efficiency of the processes. This can explain the lower efficiency of AO-H 2 O 2 when compared with AO. Moreover, the degradation of the MWWTP effluent spiked with 18 pharmaceuticals in μg L -1 during AO process was assessed as well as the influence of the following operational variables on the process efficiency: (i) H 2 O 2 concentration on H 2 O 2 /UVC, (ii) current density on AO, AO-H 2 O 2 , AO-H 2 O 2 /UVC, PEF-UVC and PEF-UVA, and (iii) pH on PEF-UVA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Aortic root dilation in kidney transplant recipients.

PubMed

Obremska, Marta; Boratyńska, Maria; Szymczak, Maciej; Zyśko, Dorota; Płonek, Tomasz; Goździk, Anna; Klinger, Marian

2018-05-30

INTRODUCTION Aortic root (AoR) dilation is associated with cardiac damage and higher cardiovascular risk. Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in patients after kidney transplantation (KTx ). OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of enlarged AoR diameter in KTx recipients. Patients with bicuspid aortic valve, significant valvular disease, or evidence of connective tissue disorder were excluded. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 87 KTx recipients were divided into 2 groups depending on immunosuppressive regimen: 41 patients receiving mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (mTORi) and 46 patients treated with calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs). In all patients, echocardiography was performed, laboratory and clinical markers of cardiovascular risk were assessed, and the AoR diameter was calculated. RESULTS There were no differences between groups in age, sex, body surface area, body mass index, frequency of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, time after replacement therapy, creatinine levels, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. In the CNI group, the observed and calculated AoR diameters were similar (P = 0.8). In the mTORi group, the observed AoR diameter was higher than the calculated one (P = 0.002). The concentric and eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy was similar in both groups (P = 0.12 and P = 0.69, respectively). In the stepwise regression analysis, the AoR diameter was associated with body surface area and mTORi treatment. CONCLUSIONS KTx recipients have a high prevalence of AoR dilation. Immunosuppressive regimen based on mTORi increases the incidence of AoR enlargement.
A Spaceflight Experiment to Determine the Effect of Chamfered Sample Holders on Atomic Oxygen Erosion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Girish, Kshama; Banks, Bruce A.; De Groh, Kim K.

2017-01-01

The exteriors of low Earth orbit (LEO) spacecraft are subjected to many environmental threats that can cause the surface materials to degrade. One of these threats is atomic oxygen (AO), which is formed by photo dissociation of molecular oxygen by energetic UV radiation. Atomic oxygen exposure can result in oxidative erosion of polymers leading to structural or thermal failure of spacecraft components. The amount of AO erosion expected during a mission can be calculated by knowing the AO erosion yield (Ey, volume loss per incident atom) of the material and the AO fluence expected for the mission. The Ey can be determined through dehydrated mass loss measurements of test samples if one knows the AO fluence, density, and exposure area. Such measurements have been made as part of flight experiments, including the Materials International Space Station Experiment 2 (MISSE 2) Polymers Experiment. The MISSE 2 Polymers Experiment sample holders had chamfered circular apertures that controlled the exposure area, but also allowed some additional AO to scatter from the chamfered edges onto the samples thus causing some samples to erode thru and peel at their perimeter due to this scattering effect. By modeling the scattered AO flux one can predict the actual total AO fluence, and hence more accurate sample Ey. Sample holders with different chamfered-perimeter to exposed-area ratios have been designed for future spaceflight experiments that allow a more accurate determination of the Ey for large area polymers, representative of their use on spacecraft surfaces.
Interfacial charge-induced polarization switching in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Pb(Zr,Ti)O{sub 3} bi-layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Yu Jin; Park, Min Hyuk; Jeon, Woojin

2015-12-14

Detailed polarization switching behavior of an Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Pb(Zr,Ti)O{sub 3} (AO/PZT) structure is examined by comparing the phenomenological thermodynamic model to the experimental polarization–voltage (P-V) results. Amorphous AO films with various thicknesses (2–10 nm) were deposited on the polycrystalline 150-nm-thick PZT film. The thermodynamic calculation showed that the transition from the ferroelectric-like state to the paraelectric-like state with increasing AO thickness occurs at ∼3 nm thickness. This paraelectric-like state should have exhibited a negative capacitance effect without permanent polarization switching if no other adverse effects are involved. However, experiments showed typical ferroelectric-like hysteresis loops where the coercive voltage increased with the increasingmore » AO thickness, which could be explained by the carrier injection through the thin AO layer and trapping of the carriers at the AO/PZT interface. The fitting of the experimental P-V loops using the thermodynamic model considering the depolarization energy effect showed that trapped charge density was ∼±0.1 Cm{sup −2} and critical electric field at the Pt electrode/AO interface, at which the carrier transport occurs, was ∼±10 MV/cm irrespective of the AO thickness. Energy band model at each electrostatic state along the P-V loop was provided to elucidate correlation between macroscopic polarization and internal charge state of the stacked films.« less
Beyond the Blur: Construction and Characterization of the First Autonomous AO System, and, An AO Survey of Magnetar Proper Motions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tendulkar, Shriharsh Prakash

Adaptive optics (AO) corrects distortions created by atmospheric turbulence and delivers diffraction-limited images on ground-based telescopes. The vastly improved spatial resolution and sensitivity has been utilized for studying everything from the magnetic fields of sunspots upto the internal dynamics of high-redshift galaxies. This thesis about AO science from small and large telescopes is divided into two parts: Robo-AO and magnetar kinematics. In the first part, I discuss the construction and performance of the world's first fully autonomous visible light AO system, Robo-AO, at the Palomar 60-inch telescope. Robo-AO operates extremely efficiently with an overhead < 50s, typically observing about 22 targets every hour. We have performed large AO programs observing a total of over 7,500 targets since May 2012. In the visible band, the images have a Strehl ratio of about 10% and achieve a contrast of upto 6 magnitudes at a separation of 1‧‧. The full-width at half maximum achieved is 110-130 milli-arcsecond. I describe how Robo-AO is used to constrain the evolutionary models of low-mass pre-main-sequence stars by measuring resolved spectral energy distributions of stellar multiples in the visible band, more than doubling the current sample. I conclude this part with a discussion of possible future improvements to the Robo-AO system. In the second part, I describe a study of magnetar kinematics using high-resolution near-infrared (NIR) AO imaging from the 10-meter Keck II telescope. Measuring the proper motions of five magnetars with a precision of upto 0.7 milli-arcsecond/yr -1, we have more than tripled the previously known sample of magnetar proper motions and proved that magnetar kinematics are equivalent to those of radio pulsars. We conclusively showed that SGR 1900+14 and SGR 1806-20 were ejected from the stellar clusters with which they were traditionally associated. The inferred kinematic ages of these two magnetars are 6 +/- 1.8 kyr and 650 +/-3 00 yr respectively. These ages are a factor of three to four times greater than their respective characteristic ages. The calculated braking index is close to unity as compared to three for the vacuum dipole model and 2.5--2.8 as measured for young pulsars. I conclude this section by describing a search for NIR counterparts of new magnetars and a future promise of polarimetric investigation of a magnetars' NIR emission mechanism.
Association of gestational age with the option of pregnancy termination for fetal abnormalities incompatible with neonatal survival.

PubMed

Westphal, Flavia; Fustinoni, Suzete Maria; Pinto, Vânia Lopes; Melo, Patrícia de Souza; Abrahão, Anelise Riedel

2016-01-01

To identify the profile of women seen in a Fetal Medicine unit, diagnosed with fetal abnormality incompatible with neonatal survival in their current pregnancy, and to check the association of gestational age upon diagnosis with the option of pregnancy termination. This is a retrospective cohort study carried out in the Fetal Medicine Outpatients Clinic of a university hospital, in the city of São Paulo (SP), Brazil, using medical records of pregnant women with fetus presenting abnormalities incompatible with neonatal survival. The sample comprised 94 medical records. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 19, was used for the data statistical analysis. The population of the study included young adult women, who had complete or incomplete high school education, employed, with family income of one to three minimum wages, single, nonsmokers, who did not drink alcoholic beverages or used illicit drugs. Women with more advanced gestational age upon fetal diagnosis (p=0.0066) and/or upon admission to the specialized unit (p=0.0018) presented a lower percentage of termination of pregnancy. Due to characteristics different from those classically considered as of high gestational risk, these women might not be easily identified during the classification of gestational risk, what may contribute to a late diagnosis of fetal diseases. Early diagnosis enables access to specialized multiprofessional care in the proper time for couple's counseling on the possibility of requesting legal authorization for pregnancy termination. Identificar o perfil de mulheres atendidas em um serviço de Medicina Fetal, que receberam diagnóstico de anomalia fetal incompatível com a sobrevida neonatal na gestação atual, e verificar a associação da idade gestacional no diagnóstico com a opção pela interrupção da gravidez. Trata-se de um estudo de coorte retrospectivo, realizado no ambulatório de Medicina Fetal de um hospital universitário da cidade de São Paulo (SP), com prontuários de mulheres com fetos portadores de anomalias incompatíveis com a sobrevida neonatal na gestação atual. A amostra constituiu-se de 94 prontuários. Para análise estatística dos dados, utilizou-se o programa Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), versão 19. A população foi de mulheres adultas jovens, com escolaridade compatível com o Ensino Médio completo/incompleto, empregadas, com renda familiar entre um e três salários mínimo, solteiras, que não faziam uso de tabaco, bebidas alcoólicas ou de drogas ilícitas. Verificou-se que mulheres com maior idade gestacional na ocasião do diagnóstico fetal (p=0,0066) e/ou na chegada ao serviço especializado (p=0,0018) apresentaram menor percentual de interrupção gestacional. Por apresentarem características diferentes daquelas classicamente consideradas de alto risco gestacional, é possível que essas mulheres não tenham sido facilmente identificadas durante a classificação de risco gestacional, o que pode ter colaborado para o diagnóstico tardio de patologias fetais. O diagnóstico precoce possibilita acesso à assistência multiprofissional especializada em tempo adequado para aconselhamento do casal sobre a possibilidade de solicitação de autorização judicial para a interrupção gestacional.
Brazilian guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of cystic fibrosis.

PubMed

Athanazio, Rodrigo Abensur; Silva Filho, Luiz Vicente Ribeiro Ferreira da; Vergara, Alberto Andrade; Ribeiro, Antônio Fernando; Riedi, Carlos Antônio; Procianoy, Elenara da Fonseca Andrade; Adde, Fabíola Villac; Reis, Francisco José Caldeira; Ribeiro, José Dirceu; Torres, Lídia Alice; Fuccio, Marcelo Bicalho de; Epifanio, Matias; Firmida, Mônica de Cássia; Damaceno, Neiva; Ludwig-Neto, Norberto; Maróstica, Paulo José Cauduro; Rached, Samia Zahi; Melo, Suzana Fonseca de Oliveira

2017-01-01

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by dysfunction of the CFTR gene. It is a multisystem disease that most often affects White individuals. In recent decades, various advances in the diagnosis and treatment of CF have drastically changed the scenario, resulting in a significant increase in survival and quality of life. In Brazil, the current neonatal screening program for CF has broad coverage, and most of the Brazilian states have referral centers for the follow-up of individuals with the disease. Previously, CF was limited to the pediatric age group. However, an increase in the number of adult CF patients has been observed, because of the greater number of individuals being diagnosed with atypical forms (with milder phenotypic expression) and because of the increase in life expectancy provided by the new treatments. However, there is still great heterogeneity among the different regions of Brazil in terms of the access of CF patients to diagnostic and therapeutic methods. The objective of these guidelines was to aggregate the main scientific evidence to guide the management of these patients. A group of 18 CF specialists devised 82 relevant clinical questions, divided into five categories: characteristics of a referral center; diagnosis; treatment of respiratory disease; gastrointestinal and nutritional treatment; and other aspects. Various professionals working in the area of CF in Brazil were invited to answer the questions devised by the coordinators. We used the PubMed database to search the available literature based on keywords, in order to find the best answers to these questions. RESUMO A fibrose cística (FC) é uma doença genética autossômica recessiva caracterizada pela disfunção do gene CFTR. Trata-se de uma doença multissistêmica que ocorre mais frequentemente em populações descendentes de caucasianos. Nas últimas décadas, diversos avanços no diagnóstico e tratamento da FC mudaram drasticamente o cenário dessa doença, com aumento expressivo da sobrevida e qualidade de vida. Atualmente, o Brasil dispõe de um programa de ampla cobertura para a triagem neonatal de FC e centros de referência distribuídos na maior parte desses estados para seguimento dos indivíduos. Antigamente confinada à faixa etária pediátrica, tem-se observado um aumento de pacientes adultos com FC tanto pelo maior número de diagnósticos de formas atípicas, de expressão fenotípica mais leve, assim como pelo aumento da expectativa de vida com os novos tratamentos. Entretanto, ainda se observa uma grande heterogeneidade no acesso aos métodos diagnósticos e terapêuticos para FC entre as diferentes regiões brasileiras. O objetivo dessas diretrizes foi reunir as principais evidências científicas que norteiam o manejo desses pacientes. Um grupo de 18 especialistas em FC elaborou 82 perguntas clínicas relevantes que foram divididas em cinco categorias: características de um centro de referência; diagnóstico; tratamento da doença respiratória; tratamento gastrointestinal e nutricional; e outros aspectos. Diversos profissionais brasileiros atuantes na área da FC foram convidados a responder as perguntas formuladas pelos coordenadores. A literatura disponível foi pesquisada na base de dados PubMed com palavras-chave, buscando-se as melhores respostas às perguntas dos autores.
Histone deacetylase inhibitors induce growth arrest and differentiation in uveal melanoma

PubMed Central

Landreville, Solange; Agapova, Olga A.; Matatall, Katie A.; Kneass, Zachary T.; Onken, Michael D.; Lee, Ryan S.; Bowcock, Anne M.; Harbour, J. William

2011-01-01

Purpose Metastasis is responsible for the death of most cancer patients, yet few therapeutic agents are available which specifically target the molecular events that lead to metastasis. We recently showed that inactivating mutations in the tumor suppressor gene BAP1 are closely associated with loss of melanocytic differentiation in uveal melanoma and metastasis (UM). The purpose of this study was to identify therapeutic agents that reverse the phenotypic effects of BAP1 loss in UM. Experimental Design In silico screens were performed to identify therapeutic compounds predicted to differentiate UM cells using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis and Connectivity Map databases. Valproic acid, trichostatin A, LBH-589 and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid were evaluated for their effects on UM cells using morphologic evaluation, MTS viability assays, BrdU incorporation, flow cytometry, clonogenic assays, gene expression profiling, histone acetylation and ubiquitination assays, and a murine xenograft tumorigenicity model. Results HDAC inhibitors induced morphologic differentiation, cell cycle exit, and a shift to a differentiated, melanocytic gene expression profile in cultured UM cells. Valproic acid inhibited the growth of UM tumors in vivo. Conclusions These findings suggest that HDAC inhibitors may have therapeutic potential for inducing differentiation and prolonged dormancy of micrometastatic disease in UM. PMID:22038994
Mathematisches Bewusstsein

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaenders, Rainer; Kvasz, Ladislav

Wenn jemand sagt, dass ein Bus um 9 Uhr abfährt - weiß man es dann? Angenommen, man ist darüber unterrichtet, dass die Busse unter der Woche immer zur vollen Stunde abfahren - von 7 Uhr morgens bis 7 Uhr abends, weiß man es dann mit dem Wissen um diese allgemeine Regel besser, dass der Bus um 9 Uhr abfährt? Macht es einen Unterschied, ob man den Fahrplan erstellt, den Bus lenkt oder nur mitfährt, um sich dieser Tatsache bewusst zu sein?
VizieR Online Data Catalog: YSOs in California Molecular Cloud (Lada+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lada, C. J.; Lewis, J. A.; Lombardi, M.; Alves, J.

2018-01-01

The CMC was observed by the all-sky Planck observatory and by the Herschel Space Observatory as part of the "Auriga-California" program (Harvey et al. 2013, Cat J/ApJ/764/133). The Herschel data we used consisted of observations obtained in parallel mode simultaneously using the PACS and SPIRE instruments. For the purposes of this study we use Herschel observations made in the PACS 160um band, and the SPIRE 250um, 350um and 500um bands. (1 data file).
78 FR 25666 - Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-02

...) sensor blockage. The existing AD also provides for optional terminating action for the AFM revision, which involves replacing AoA sensor conic plates with AoA sensor flat plates. Since we issued that AD, we have determined that the replacement of AoA sensor conic plates is necessary to address the...
Highly efficient acousto-optic diffraction in Sn2P2S6 crystals.

PubMed

Martynyuk-Lototska, I Yu; Mys, O G; Grabar, A A; Stoika, I M; Vysochanskii, Yu M; Vlokh, R O

2008-01-01

We have studied the acousto-optic (AO) diffraction in Sn2P2S6 crystals and found that they manifest high values of an AO figure of merit. The above crystals may therefore be used as highly efficient materials in different AO applications.
Program Assessment: Getting to a Practical How-To Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardiner, Lorraine R.; Corbitt, Gail; Adams, Steven J.

2010-01-01

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International's assurance of learning (AoL) standards require that schools develop a sophisticated continuous-improvement process. The authors review various assessment models and develop a practical, 6-step AoL model based on the literature and the authors' AoL-implementation…
SCExAO: First Results and On-Sky Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Currie, Thayne; Guyon, Olivier; Martinache, Frantz; Clergeon, Christophe; McElwain, Michael; Thalmann, Christian; Jovanovic, Nemanja; Singh, Garima; Kudo, Tomoyuki

2014-01-01

We present new on-sky results for the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics imager (SCExAO) verifying and quantifying the contrast gain enabled by key components: the closed-loop coronagraphic low-order wavefront sensor (CLOWFS) and focal plane wavefront control (``speckle nulling''). SCExAO will soon be coupled with a high-order, Pyramid wavefront sensor which will yield > 90% Strehl ratio and enable 106-107 contrast at small angular separations allowing us to image gas giant planets at solar system scales. Upcoming instruments like VAMPIRES, FIRST, and CHARIS will expand SCExAO's science capabilities.
Acousto-Optic Applications for Multichannel Adaptive Optical Processor

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-06-01

AO cell and the two- channel line-scan camera system described in Subsection 4.1. The AO material for this IntraAction AOD-70 device was flint glass (n...Single-Channel 1.68 (flint glass ) 60,.0 AO Cell Multichannel 2.26 (TeO 2) 20.0 AO Cell Beam splitter 1.515 ( glass ) 50.8 Multichannel correlation was...Tone Intermodulation Dynamic Ranges of Longitudinal TeO2 Bragg Cells for Several Acoustic Power Densities 4-92 f f2 f 3 1 t SOURCE: Reference 21 TR-92
Review of Research On Angle-of-Attack Indicator Effectiveness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le Vie, Lisa R.

2014-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted a literature review to determine the potential benefits of a display of angle-of-attack (AoA) on the flight deck of commercial transport that may aid a pilot in energy state awareness, upset recovery, and/or diagnosis of air data system failure. This literature review encompassed an exhaustive list of references available and includes studies on the benefits of displaying AoA information during all phases of flight. It also contains information and descriptions about various AoA indicators such as dial, vertical and horizontal types as well as AoA displays on the primary flight display and the head up display. Any training given on the use of an AoA indicator during the research studies or experiments is also included for review
An Analysis of Fundamental Waffle Mode in Early AEOS Adaptive Optics Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makidon, Russell B.; Sivaramakrishnan, Anand; Perrin, Marshall D.; Roberts, Lewis C., Jr.; Oppenheimer, Ben R.; Soummer, Rémi; Graham, James R.

2005-08-01

Adaptive optics (AO) systems have significantly improved astronomical imaging capabilities over the last decade and are revolutionizing the kinds of science possible with 4-5 m class ground-based telescopes. A thorough understanding of AO system performance at the telescope can enable new frontiers of science as observations push AO systems to their performance limits. We look at recent advances with wave-front reconstruction (WFR) on the Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS) 3.6 m telescope to show how progress made in improving WFR can be measured directly in improved science images. We describe how a ``waffle mode'' wave-front error (which is not sensed by a Fried geometry Shack-Hartmann wave-front sensor) affects the AO point-spread function. We model details of AEOS AO to simulate a PSF that matches the actual AO PSF in the I band and show that while the older observed AEOS PSF contained several times more waffle error than expected, improved WFR techniques noticeably improve AEOS AO performance. We estimate the impact of these improved WFRs on H-band imaging at AEOS, chosen based on the optimization of the Lyot Project near-infrared coronagraph at this bandpass. Based on observations made at the Maui Space Surveillance System, operated by Detachment 15 of the US Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate.
Robust Multi-Frame Adaptive Optics Image Restoration Algorithm Using Maximum Likelihood Estimation with Poisson Statistics.

PubMed

Li, Dongming; Sun, Changming; Yang, Jinhua; Liu, Huan; Peng, Jiaqi; Zhang, Lijuan

2017-04-06

An adaptive optics (AO) system provides real-time compensation for atmospheric turbulence. However, an AO image is usually of poor contrast because of the nature of the imaging process, meaning that the image contains information coming from both out-of-focus and in-focus planes of the object, which also brings about a loss in quality. In this paper, we present a robust multi-frame adaptive optics image restoration algorithm via maximum likelihood estimation. Our proposed algorithm uses a maximum likelihood method with image regularization as the basic principle, and constructs the joint log likelihood function for multi-frame AO images based on a Poisson distribution model. To begin with, a frame selection method based on image variance is applied to the observed multi-frame AO images to select images with better quality to improve the convergence of a blind deconvolution algorithm. Then, by combining the imaging conditions and the AO system properties, a point spread function estimation model is built. Finally, we develop our iterative solutions for AO image restoration addressing the joint deconvolution issue. We conduct a number of experiments to evaluate the performances of our proposed algorithm. Experimental results show that our algorithm produces accurate AO image restoration results and outperforms the current state-of-the-art blind deconvolution methods.
The Performance of the Robo-AO Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics System at the Kitt Peak 2.1 m Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jensen-Clem, Rebecca; Duev, Dmitry A.; Riddle, Reed; Salama, Maïssa; Baranec, Christoph; Law, Nicholas M.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Ramprakash, A. N.

2018-01-01

Robo-AO is an autonomous laser guide star adaptive optics (AO) system recently commissioned at the Kitt Peak 2.1 m telescope. With the ability to observe every clear night, Robo-AO at the 2.1 m telescope is the first dedicated AO observatory. This paper presents the imaging performance of the AO system in its first 18 months of operations. For a median seeing value of 1.″44, the average Strehl ratio is 4% in the i\\prime band. After post processing, the contrast ratio under sub-arcsecond seeing for a 2≤slant i\\prime ≤slant 16 primary star is five and seven magnitudes at radial offsets of 0.″5 and 1.″0, respectively. The data processing and archiving pipelines run automatically at the end of each night. The first stage of the processing pipeline shifts and adds the rapid frame rate data using techniques optimized for different signal-to-noise ratios. The second “high-contrast” stage of the pipeline is eponymously well suited to finding faint stellar companions. Currently, a range of scientific programs, including the synthetic tracking of near-Earth asteroids, the binarity of stars in young clusters, and weather on solar system planets are being undertaken with Robo-AO.
Novel Combination of Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells with Low Temperature Processed Compact TiO2 Layer via Anodic Oxidation.

PubMed

Du, Yangyang; Cai, Hongkun; Wen, Hongbin; Wu, Yuxiang; Huang, Like; Ni, Jian; Li, Juan; Zhang, Jianjun

2016-05-25

In this work, a facile and low temperature processed anodic oxidation approach is proposed for fabricating compact and homogeneous titanium dioxide film (AO-TiO2). In order to realize morphology and thickness control of AO-TiO2, the theory concerning anodic oxidation (AO) is unveiled and the influence of relevant parameters during the process of AO such as electrolyte ingredient and oxidation voltage on AO-TiO2 formation is observed as well. Meanwhile, we demonstrate that the planar perovskite solar cells (p-PSCs) fabricated in ambient air and utilizing optimized AO-TiO2 as electron transport layer (ETL) can deliver repeatable power conversion efficiency (PCE) over 13%, which possess superior open-circuit voltage (Voc) and higher fill factor (FF) compared to its counterpart utilizing conventional high temperature processed compact TiO2 (c-TiO2) as ETL. Through a further comparative study, it is indicated that the improvement of device performance should be attributed to more effective electron collection from perovskite layer to AO-TiO2 and the decrease of device series resistance. Furthermore, hysteresis effect about current density-voltage (J-V) curves in TiO2-based p-PSCs is also unveiled.

Visible AO Observations at Halpha for Accreting Young Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Close, L. M.; Follette, K.; Males, J. R.; Morzinski, K.; Rodigas, T. J.; Hinz, P.; Wu, Y.-L.; Apai, D.; Najita, J.; Puglisi, A.; Esposito, S.; Riccardi, A.; Bailey, V.; Xompero, M.; Briguglio, R.; Weinberger, A.

2014-01-01

We utilized the new high-order (250-378 mode) Magellan Adaptive Optics system (MagAO) to obtain very high-resolution science in the visible with MagAO's VisAO CCD camera. In the good-median seeing conditions of Magellan (0.5-0.7'') we find MagAO delivers individual short exposure images as good as 19 mas optical resolution. Due to telescope vibrations, long exposure (60s) r' (0.63μm) images are slightly coarser at FWHM = 23-29 mas (Strehl ~ 28%) with bright (R < 9 mag) guide stars. These are the highest resolution filled-aperture images published to date. Images of the young (~ 1 Myr) Orion Trapezium θ1 Ori A, B, and C cluster members were obtained with VisAO. In particular, the 32 mas binary θ1 Ori C 1 C 2 was easily resolved in non-interferometric images for the first time. Relative positions of the bright trapezium binary stars were measured with ~ 0.6-5 mas accuracy. In the second commissioning run we were able to correct 378 modes and achieved good contrasts (Strehl>20% on young transition disks at Hα). We discuss the contrasts achieved at Hα and the possibility of detecting low mass (~ 1-5 Mjup) planets (past 5AU) with our new SAPPHIRES survey with MagAO at Hα.
The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme AO project: an XAO4ELT precursor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinache, F.

2011-09-01

A diffraction-limited 30-meter telescope theoretically provides a 10 mas resolution limit in the near infrared. Modern coronagraphs like the Vortex, the 8OPM and the PIAA offer the means to take full advantage of this angular resolution allowing to explore at high contrast, the innermost parts of nearby planetary systems to within a fraction of an astronomical unit: an unprecedented capability that will revolutionize our understanding of planet formation across the habitable zone. A precursor of such a system is the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme AO project. SCExAO combines a high performance PIAA-based coronagraph downstream Subaru's AO188 AO system and a 1024-actuator MEMS DM. SCExAO employs advanced wavefront control schemes that make high contrast detection possible at 1 λ/D, providing for a few cases, the possibility to detect the light reflected by exoplanets. Moderate-high contrast detection in the super-resolution regime (<λ/D) is also possible using well calibrated closure quantities like closure-phase for a non-redundant (masked) aperture and its extension for to arbitrary apertures (Kernel-phase). Lessons learned from SCExAO's incremental deployment plan during its first 2011 engineering campaign provides insights that will guide future development of high contrast instrumentation on an ELT.
Robust Multi-Frame Adaptive Optics Image Restoration Algorithm Using Maximum Likelihood Estimation with Poisson Statistics

PubMed Central

Li, Dongming; Sun, Changming; Yang, Jinhua; Liu, Huan; Peng, Jiaqi; Zhang, Lijuan

2017-01-01

An adaptive optics (AO) system provides real-time compensation for atmospheric turbulence. However, an AO image is usually of poor contrast because of the nature of the imaging process, meaning that the image contains information coming from both out-of-focus and in-focus planes of the object, which also brings about a loss in quality. In this paper, we present a robust multi-frame adaptive optics image restoration algorithm via maximum likelihood estimation. Our proposed algorithm uses a maximum likelihood method with image regularization as the basic principle, and constructs the joint log likelihood function for multi-frame AO images based on a Poisson distribution model. To begin with, a frame selection method based on image variance is applied to the observed multi-frame AO images to select images with better quality to improve the convergence of a blind deconvolution algorithm. Then, by combining the imaging conditions and the AO system properties, a point spread function estimation model is built. Finally, we develop our iterative solutions for AO image restoration addressing the joint deconvolution issue. We conduct a number of experiments to evaluate the performances of our proposed algorithm. Experimental results show that our algorithm produces accurate AO image restoration results and outperforms the current state-of-the-art blind deconvolution methods. PMID:28383503
A Mirror Therapy-Based Action Observation Protocol to Improve Motor Learning After Stroke.

PubMed

Harmsen, Wouter J; Bussmann, Johannes B J; Selles, Ruud W; Hurkmans, Henri L P; Ribbers, Gerard M

2015-07-01

Mirror therapy is a priming technique to improve motor function of the affected arm after stroke. To investigate whether a mirror therapy-based action observation (AO) protocol contributes to motor learning of the affected arm after stroke. A total of 37 participants in the chronic stage after stroke were randomly allocated to the AO or control observation (CO) group. Participants were instructed to perform an upper-arm reaching task as fast and as fluently as possible. All participants trained the upper-arm reaching task with their affected arm alternated with either AO or CO. Participants in the AO group observed mirrored video tapes of reaching movements performed by their unaffected arm, whereas participants in the CO group observed static photographs of landscapes. The experimental condition effect was investigated by evaluating the primary outcome measure: movement time (in seconds) of the reaching movement, measured by accelerometry. Movement time decreased significantly in both groups: 18.3% in the AO and 9.1% in the CO group. Decrease in movement time was significantly more in the AO compared with the CO group (mean difference = 0.14 s; 95% confidence interval = 0.02, 0.26; P = .026). The present study showed that a mirror therapy-based AO protocol contributes to motor learning after stroke. © The Author(s) 2014.
An ethical leadership program for nursing unit managers.

PubMed

Jeon, Sang Hee; Park, Mihyun; Choi, Kyungok; Kim, Mi Kyoung

2018-03-01

The aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of an ethical leadership program (ELP) on ethical leadership, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and job outcomes of nursing unit managers (UMs) and to examine changes in staff nurses' perception about UMs' EL, OCB, job outcomes, and ethical work environments (EWEs) post-ELP. A quasi-experimental (pre- and post-test design) study conducted six-month intervention (ELP) using self-reported UM survey (n=44), and staff nurses (n=158) were randomly extracted by two steps. The Korean version of Ethical Leadership at Work for UMs' self-ethical leadership, the Ethical Leadership Scale for staff nurses' perceived ethical leadership, a 19-item OCB scale, and six dimensions of the medium-sized Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II for job outcomes and EWEs were administered at baseline and post-intervention. UMs' ethical leadership scores differed significantly over time in people orientation (p=0.041) and concern for ethical leadership sustainability (p=0.002) adjusting for UM experience duration and nursing unit type. Total mean and level of power-sharing of ethical leadership among UMs with <5years of UM experience improved significantly over time. Of staff nurses' perception changes about UMs' ethical leadership, OCB, job outcomes, and EWEs, significant improvement over time appeared only in EWEs' work influence level (p=0.007). This study provides useful information for clinical ELP development and examining the program's effect on leadership skills and followers' outcomes. Program facilitation relies on practical training methods, participant motivation, and assessment outcome designs by controlling clinical confounding factors. Findings have implications as an attempt for intervention to promote competencies related to ethical leadership of nursing unit managers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Laminar flow assisted anisotropic bacteria absorption for chemotaxis delivery of bacteria-attached microparticle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huh, Keon; Oh, Darong; Son, Seok Young; Yoo, Hyung Jung; Song, Byeonghwa; Cho, Dong-il Dan; Seo, Jong-Mo; Kim, Sung Jae

2016-12-01

The concepts of microrobots has been drawn significant attentions recently since its unprecedented applicability in nanotechnology and biomedical field. Bacteria attached microparticles presented in this work are one of pioneering microrobot technology for self-propulsion or producing kinetic energy from ambient for their motions. Microfluidic device, especially utilizing laminar flow characteristics, were employed for anisotropic attachment of Salmonella typhimurium flagellated chemotactic bacteria to 30 um × 30 um and 50 um × 50 um microparticles that made of biodegradable polymer. Any toxic chemicals or harmful treatments were excluded during the attachment process and it finished within 100 s for the anisotropic attachment. The attachments were directly confirmed by fluorescent intensity changes and SEM visualization. Chemotaxis motions were tracked using aspartate and the maximum velocity of the bacteria-attached microrobot was measured to be 5 um/s which is comparable to prior state of art technologies. This reusable and scalable method could play a key role in chemotaxis delivery of functional microparticles such as drug delivery system.
Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulations on the Disintegration of PVDF, FP-POSS, and Their Composite during Atomic Oxygen Impact.

PubMed

Zeng, Fanlin; Peng, Chao; Liu, Yizhi; Qu, Jianmin

2015-07-30

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is a kind of important piezoelectric polymer used in spacecraft industry. But the atomic oxygen (AO) is the most abundant element in the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment. AO collision degradation is an important issue in the application of PVDF on spacecrafts. To investigate the erosion behaviors of PVDF during AO impacts and how to improve the stability of PVDF against AO impacts, the temperature evolution, mass loss, and erosion yields of neat PVDF, neat polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes compound (3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)8Si8O12 (FP-POSS) and the PVDF/FP-POSS composite under AO impacts, as well as some key disintegrated structures and separated chemical compositions, were researched using the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and the reactive ReaxFF force field. The simulation erosion yield result of PVDF is very close to the experiment results, which shows our simulations are reliable. The results of the temperature evolution, mass loss, and erosion yield of three materials show that the antierosion performance of PVDF is not outstanding. However, incorporating FP-POSS into PVDF matrix enhances the stability of PVDF against AO impact greatly and reduces the temperature rise, mass loss, and the erosion yield of PVDF rapidly. A detailed analysis on the flight chemical compositions and key snapshots of the structures reveals that the erosion process on PVDF and PVDF/FP-POSS is continuous and should be derived from the same PVDF matrix in two materials. In contrast, the erosion process on FP-POSS is stepped. The erosion will not take place until the number of AO reaches a specific value. There is a barrier for the erosion of high-energy AO because of the stable cagelike Si-O frame in FP-POSS molecules. This should be chiefly responsible for the high stability of FP-POSS and the reinforcement mechanism of FP-POSS on PVDF against AO impacts. This work is helpful for people to understand the erosion details of PVDF and POSS and provides valuable information to design effective protective structure for PVDF against AO impacts in LEO environment.
PHOTOMETRIC PROPERTIES FOR SELECTED ALGOL-TYPE BINARIES. II. AO SERPENTIS AND V338 HERCULIS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Y.-G.; Dai, H.-F.; Hu, S.-M.

2010-04-15

We present the first multiband photometry for the semidetached eclipsing binary AO Serpentis, observed on seven nights between 2009 April and July at the Weihai Observatory of Shandong University. By using the 2003 version of the Wilson-Devinney code, the photometric solutions of AO Ser and a similar object V338 Her were (re)deduced. The spectral types and orbital periods are A2 and P = 0.8793 days for AO Ser, F1V and P = 1.3057 days for V338 Her. The results reveal that two binaries are low mass ratio systems, whose secondary components fill their Roche lobes. The fill-out factors of themore » primary components are f = 58.6% for AO Ser and f = 54.2% for V338 Her, respectively. From the O - C curves of AO Ser and V338 Her, it is discovered that secular period changes with cyclic variations exist. The periods and semiamplitudes are 17.32({+-}0.01) yr and 0.0051({+-}0.0001) days for AO Ser, 29.07({+-}0.04) yr and 0.0116({+-}0.0015) days for V338 Her, respectively. This kind of cyclic oscillation may be attributed to either the light-time effect via an assumed third body or perhaps cyclic magnetic activity on the secondary component. For AO Ser, the long-term period decreases at a rate of dP/dt = -5.35({+-}0.03) x 10{sup -7} days yr{sup -1}, which may be caused by mass and angular momentum loss from the system. Considering the period decreasing, the fill-out factor of the primary for AO Ser will increase and it will finally fill its Roche lobe. Meanwhile, the secular period increase rate for V338 Her is dP/dt = +1.44({+-}0.24) x 10{sup -7} days yr{sup -1}, indicating that mass transfers from the less massive component to the more massive component. This will also cause the fill-out factor of the primary to increase. When the primaries fill their Roche lobes, AO Ser and V338 Her may evolve into contact stars, as predicted by the theory of thermal relaxation oscillations.« less
A new class of fatty acid allene oxide formed by the DOX-P450 fusion proteins of human and plant pathogenic fungi, C. immitis and Z. tritici[S

PubMed Central

Oliw, Ernst H.; Aragó, Marc; Chen, Yang; Jernerén, Fredrik

2016-01-01

Linoleate dioxygenase-cytochrome P450 (DOX-CYP) fusion enzymes are common in pathogenic fungi. The DOX domains form hydroperoxy metabolites of 18:2n-6, which can be transformed by the CYP domains to 1,2- or 1,4-diols, epoxy alcohols, or to allene oxides. We have characterized two novel allene oxide synthases (AOSs), namely, recombinant 8R-DOX-AOS of Coccidioides immitis (causing valley fever) and 8S-DOX-AOS of Zymoseptoria tritici (causing septoria tritici blotch of wheat). The 8R-DOX-AOS oxidized 18:2n-6 sequentially to 8R-hydroperoxy-9Z,12Z-octadecadienoic acid (8R-HPODE) and to an allene oxide, 8R(9)-epoxy-9,12Z-octadecadienoic acid, as judged from the accumulation of the α-ketol, 8S-hydroxy-9-oxo-12Z-octadecenoic acid. The 8S-DOX-AOS of Z. tritici transformed 18:2n-6 sequentially to 8S-HPODE and to an α-ketol, 8R-hydroxy-9-oxo-12Z-octadecenoic acid, likely formed by hydrolysis of 8S(9)-epoxy-9,12Z-octadecadienoic acid. The 8S-DOX-AOS oxidized [8R-2H]18:2n-6 to 8S-HPODE with retention of the 2H-label, suggesting suprafacial hydrogen abstraction and oxygenation in contrast to 8R-DOX-AOS. Both enzymes oxidized 18:1n-9 and 18:3n-3 to α-ketols, but the catalysis of the 8R- and 8S-AOS domains differed. 8R-DOX-AOS transformed 9R-HPODE to epoxy alcohols, but 8S-DOX-AOS converted 9S-HPODE to an α-ketol (9-hydroxy-10-oxo-12Z-octadecenoic acid) and epoxy alcohols in a ratio of ∼1:2. Whereas all fatty acid allene oxides described so far have a conjugated diene impinging on the epoxide, the allene oxides formed by 8-DOX-AOS are unconjugated. PMID:27282156
Coronary microvascular dysfunction and diastolic load correlate with cardiac troponin T release measured by a highly sensitive assay in patients with nonischemic heart failure.

PubMed

Takashio, Seiji; Yamamuro, Megumi; Izumiya, Yasuhiro; Sugiyama, Seigo; Kojima, Sunao; Yamamoto, Eiichiro; Tsujita, Kenichi; Tanaka, Tomoko; Tayama, Shinji; Kaikita, Koichi; Hokimoto, Seiji; Ogawa, Hisao

2013-08-13

This study investigated factors associated with cardiac troponin T (cTnT) release from failing myocardium. Persistent and modest elevation of serum cTnT is frequently observed in heart failure (HF) patients free of coronary artery disease, although the mechanisms underlying this finding remain unclear. We evaluated serum cTnT levels in the aortic root (Ao) and coronary sinus (CS) using a highly sensitive assay in 90 nonischemic HF patients and 47 non-HF patients. Transcardiac cTnT and plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) release were described as the differences between CS and Ao cTnT levels [ΔcTnT (CS-Ao)] and BNP levels [ΔBNP (CS-Ao)], respectively. Coronary flow reserve (CFR) was measured in 68 HF patients using an intracoronary Doppler guidewire. ΔcTnT (CS-Ao) levels were available in 76 HF patients and 28 non-HF patients (84% vs. 60%; p = 0.001), and higher in HF patients than non-HF patients (p < 0.001). Among HF patients, log[ΔcTnT (CS-Ao)] correlated with log[ΔBNP (CS-Ao)] (r = 0.368, p = 0.001), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (r = 0.253, p = 0.03) and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) (r = 0.321, p = 0.005). Multivariate regression analysis identified LVEDP as an independent parameter that correlated with ΔcTnT (CS-Ao). ΔcTnT (CS-Ao) levels were available in 58 HF patients who were evaluated for CFR. Coronary microvascular dysfunction, diagnosed by CFR <2.0, was observed in 18 HF patients. ΔcTnT (CS-Ao) was higher in patients with coronary microvascular dysfunction (4.8 [2.0 to 8.1] ng/l) than those without (2.0 [1.2 to 4.6] ng/l; p = 0.04). cTnT release from failing myocardium correlated with diastolic load and coronary microvascular dysfunction in nonischemic HF patients. Copyright © 2013 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Use of bedside ultrasound to assess degree of dehydration in children with gastroenteritis.

PubMed

Chen, Lei; Hsiao, Allen; Langhan, Melissa; Riera, Antonio; Santucci, Karen A

2010-10-01

Prospectively identifying children with significant dehydration from gastroenteritis is difficult in acute care settings. Previous work by our group has shown that bedside ultrasound (US) measurement of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and the aorta (Ao) diameter ratio is correlated with intravascular volume. This study was designed to validate the use of this method in the prospective identification of children with dehydration by investigating whether the IVC/Ao ratio correlated with dehydration in children with acute gastroenteritis. Another objective was to investigate the interrater reliability of the IVC/Ao measurements. A prospective observational study was carried out in a pediatric emergency department (PED) between November 2007 and June 2009. Children with acute gastroenteritis were enrolled as subjects. A pair of investigators obtained transverse images of the IVC and Ao using bedside US. The ratio of IVC and Ao diameters (IVC/Ao) was calculated. Subjects were asked to return after resolution of symptoms. The difference between the convalescent weight and ill weight was used to calculate the degree of dehydration. Greater than or equal to 5% difference was judged to be significant. Linear regression was performed with dehydration as the dependent variable and the IVC/Ao as the independent variable. Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the degree of agreement between observers. A total of 112 subjects were enrolled. Seventy-one subjects (63%) completed follow-up. Twenty-eight subjects (39%) had significant dehydration. The linear regression model resulted in an R² value of 0.21 (p < 0.001) and a slope (B) of 0.11 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.08 to 0.14). An IVC/Ao cutoff of 0.8 produced a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 56% for the diagnosis of significant dehydration. Forty-eight paired measurements of IVC/Ao ratios were made. The Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.76. In this pilot study the ratio of IVC to Ao diameters, as measured by bedside US, was a marginally accurate measurement of acute weight loss in children with dehydration from gastroenteritis. The technique demonstrated good interrater reliability. © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.
Unique Spectroscopy and Imaging of Terrestrial Planets with JWST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villanueva, Geronimo Luis; JWST Mars Team

2017-06-01

In this talk, I will present the main capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for performing observations of terrestrial planets, using Mars as a test case. The distinctive vantage point of JWST at the Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2) will allow sampling the full observable disk, permitting the study of short-term phenomena, diurnal processes (across the East-West axis) and latitudinal processes between the hemispheres (including seasonal effects) with excellent spatial resolutions (0.07 arcsec at 2 um). Spectroscopic observations will be achievable in the 0.7-5 um spectral region with NIRSpec at a maximum resolving power of 2700, and with 8000 in the 1-1.25 um range. Imaging will be attainable with NIRCam at 4.3 um and with two narrow filters near 2 um, while the nightside will be accessible with several filters in the 0.5 to 2 um. Such a powerful suite of instruments will be a major asset for the exploration and characterization of Mars, and terrestrial planets in general. Some science cases include the mapping of the water D/H ratio, investigations of the Martian mesosphere via the characterization of the non-LTE CO2 emission at 4.3 um, studies of chemical transport via observations of the O2 nightglow at 1.27 um, high cadence mapping of the variability dust and water ice clouds, and sensitive searches for trace species and hydrated features on the planetary surface.
Development and External Validation of a Prognostic Nomogram for Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

PubMed Central

Valpione, Sara; Moser, Justin C.; Parrozzani, Raffaele; Bazzi, Marco; Mansfield, Aaron S.; Mocellin, Simone; Pigozzo, Jacopo; Midena, Edoardo; Markovic, Svetomir N.; Aliberti, Camillo; Campana, Luca G.; Chiarion-Sileni, Vanna

2015-01-01

Background Approximately 50% of patients with uveal melanoma (UM) will develop metastatic disease, usually involving the liver. The outcome of metastatic UM (mUM) is generally poor and no standard therapy has been established. Additionally, clinicians lack a validated prognostic tool to evaluate these patients. The aim of this work was to develop a reliable prognostic nomogram for clinicians. Patients and Methods Two cohorts of mUM patients, from Veneto Oncology Institute (IOV) (N=152) and Mayo Clinic (MC) (N=102), were analyzed to develop and externally validate, a prognostic nomogram. Results The median survival of mUM was 17.2 months in the IOV cohort and 19.7 in the MC cohort. Percentage of liver involvement (HR 1.6), elevated levels of serum LDH (HR 1.6), and a WHO performance status=1 (HR 1.5) or 2–3 (HR 4.6) were associated with worse prognosis. Longer disease-free interval from diagnosis of UM to that of mUM conferred a survival advantage (HR 0.9). The nomogram had a concordance probability of 0.75 (SE .006) in the development dataset (IOV), and 0.80 (SE .009) in the external validation (MC). Nomogram predictions were well calibrated. Conclusions The nomogram, which includes percentage of liver involvement, LDH levels, WHO performance status and disease free-interval accurately predicts the prognosis of mUM and could be useful for decision-making and risk stratification for clinical trials. PMID:25780931
VizieR Online Data Catalog: A dust model for bet Pic from 0.58 to 870um (Ballering+, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballering, N. P.; Su, K. Y. L.; Rieke, G. H.; Gaspar, A.

2016-08-01

β Pic was imaged with the HST/STIS CCD in coronagraphic (50CORON) mode under program GO-12551 (PI: Apai), and the results of these observations were published in Apai et al. (2015ApJ...800..136A). The instrument bandpass is set by the response of the CCD and centered at 0.58um. We searched the HST archive and found previously unpublished observations of β Pic with the WFC3 instrument in the IR channel (filter F110W at ~1.16um) from program GO-11150 (PI: Graham). The Spitzer/MIPS observations of β Pic were taken under the Spitzer Guaranteed Time Observing Program 90 (PI: M. Werner). The data at all three bands (24, 70, and 160um) are published here for the first time. Two sets of 24um observations were obtained. The first set was obtained on 2004 March 20, the second set of data was obtained on 2004 April 11. Two sets of 70um observations were obtained. The first set was obtained on 2004 April 12. The second set was obtained on 2005 April 4. Herschel/PACS 70um scan map observations of β Pic (PI G. Olofsson, observation IDs 1342186612 and 1342186613) were published by Vandenbussche et al. (2010A&A...518L.133V). We used the ALMA 870um continuum image previously published by Dent et al. (2014Sci...343.1490D). (1 data file).
Mitochondria-localized phospholipase A2, AoPlaA, in Aspergillus oryzae displays phosphatidylethanolamine-specific activity and is involved in the maintenance of mitochondrial phospholipid composition.

PubMed

Kotani, Shohei; Izawa, Sho; Komai, Noriyuki; Takayanagi, Ayumi; Arioka, Manabu

2016-11-01

In mammals, cytosolic phospholipases A 2 (cPLA 2 s) play important physiological roles by releasing arachidonic acid, a precursor for bioactive lipid mediators, from the biological membranes. In contrast, fungal cPLA 2 -like proteins are much less characterized and their roles have remained elusive. AoPlaA is a cPLA 2 -like protein in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae which, unlike mammalian cPLA 2 , localizes to mitochondria. In this study, we investigated the biochemical and physiological functions of AoPlaA. Recombinant AoPlaA produced in E. coli displayed Ca 2+ -independent lipolytic activity. Mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated that AoPlaA displayed PLA 2 activity to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), but not to other phospholipids, and generated 1-acylated lysoPE. Catalytic site mutants of AoPlaA displayed almost no or largely reduced activity to PE. Consistent with PE-specific activity of AoPlaA, AoplaA-overexpressing strain showed decreased PE content in the mitochondrial fraction. In contrast, AoplaA-disruption strain displayed increased content of cardiolipin. AoplaA-overexpressing strain, but not its counterparts overexpressing the catalytic site mutants, exhibited retarded growth at low temperature, possibly because of the impairment of the mitochondrial function caused by excess degradation of PE. These results suggest that AoPlaA is a novel PE-specific PLA 2 that plays a regulatory role in the maintenance of mitochondrial phospholipid composition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Adaptive-optics SLO imaging combined with widefield OCT and SLO enables precise 3D localization of fluorescent cells in the mouse retina.

PubMed

Zawadzki, Robert J; Zhang, Pengfei; Zam, Azhar; Miller, Eric B; Goswami, Mayank; Wang, Xinlei; Jonnal, Ravi S; Lee, Sang-Hyuck; Kim, Dae Yu; Flannery, John G; Werner, John S; Burns, Marie E; Pugh, Edward N

2015-06-01

Adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO) has recently been used to achieve exquisite subcellular resolution imaging of the mouse retina. Wavefront sensing-based AO typically restricts the field of view to a few degrees of visual angle. As a consequence the relationship between AO-SLO data and larger scale retinal structures and cellular patterns can be difficult to assess. The retinal vasculature affords a large-scale 3D map on which cells and structures can be located during in vivo imaging. Phase-variance OCT (pv-OCT) can efficiently image the vasculature with near-infrared light in a label-free manner, allowing 3D vascular reconstruction with high precision. We combined widefield pv-OCT and SLO imaging with AO-SLO reflection and fluorescence imaging to localize two types of fluorescent cells within the retinal layers: GFP-expressing microglia, the resident macrophages of the retina, and GFP-expressing cone photoreceptor cells. We describe in detail a reflective afocal AO-SLO retinal imaging system designed for high resolution retinal imaging in mice. The optical performance of this instrument is compared to other state-of-the-art AO-based mouse retinal imaging systems. The spatial and temporal resolution of the new AO instrumentation was characterized with angiography of retinal capillaries, including blood-flow velocity analysis. Depth-resolved AO-SLO fluorescent images of microglia and cone photoreceptors are visualized in parallel with 469 nm and 663 nm reflectance images of the microvasculature and other structures. Additional applications of the new instrumentation are discussed.
Progression of Local Glaucomatous Damage Near Fixation as Seen with Adaptive Optics Imaging.

PubMed

Hood, Donald C; Lee, Dongwon; Jarukasetphon, Ravivarn; Nunez, Jason; Mavrommatis, Maria A; Rosen, Richard B; Ritch, Robert; Dubra, Alfredo; Chui, Toco Y P

2017-07-01

Deep glaucomatous defects near fixation were followed over time with an adaptive optics-scanning light ophthalmoscope (AO-SLO) to better understand the progression of these defects and to explore the use of AO-SLO in detecting them. Six eyes of 5 patients were imaged with an AO-SLO from 2 to 4 times for a range of 14.6 to 33.6 months. All eyes had open-angle glaucoma with deep defects in the superior visual field (VF) near fixation as defined by 10-2 VFs with 5 or more points less than -15 dB; two of the eyes had deep defects in the inferior VF as well. AO-SLO images were obtained around the temporal edge of the disc. In 4 of the 6 eyes, the edge of the inferior-temporal disc region of the retinal nerve fiber (RNF) defect seen on AO-SLO moved closer to fixation within 10.6 to 14.7 months. In 4 eyes, RNF bundles in the affected region appeared to lose contrast and/or disappear. Progressive changes in RNF bundles associated with deep defects on 10-2 VFs can be seen within about 1 year with AO-SLO imaging. These changes are well below the spatial resolution of the 10-2 VF. On the other hand, subtle thinning of regions with RNF bundles is not easy to see with current AO-SLO technology, and may be better followed with OCT. AO-SLO imaging may be useful in clinical trials designed to see very small changes in deep defects.
Fine structure in diabetic retinopathy lesions as observed by adaptive optics imaging. A qualitative study.

PubMed

Bek, Toke

2014-12-01

Diabetic retinopathy is diagnosed by fundus photography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanning. However, adaptive optics (AO) imaging can be expected to add new aspects to the knowledge of diabetic retinopathy because photographic resolution is improved by reducing the influence of optical aberrations on retinal imaging. Nineteen patients with diabetes mellitus were subjected to fundus photography, OCT scanning and AO imaging. The fundus photographs were scaled to the same magnification as that of the AO image, and qualitative aspects of AO images of each retinopathy lesion observed on fundus photographs and OCT scans were assessed. All red lesions on fundus photographs appeared on AO images as dark hyporeflective elements, but it could not be verified whether lesions represented haemorrhages or microaneurysms. The smallest of these lesions were circular with a size corresponding to that of blood cells. Hard exudates had irregular surfaces with buddings of various sizes protruding from the lesions. Areas of retinal oedema observed by fundus imaging and OCT scanning resulted in blurring of AO images, but cystoid spaces observed by OCT could be seen on AO images to have a sharp delimitation with a darker hyporeflective rim at the internal lining of the cyst wall. AO imaging may potentially assist in detecting diabetic retinopathy at an earlier stage, may help elucidating the pathophysiology of the diseases and may be used for evaluating the effects of clinical interventions on diabetic retinopathy and other retinal vascular diseases. © 2014 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Atractylenolide I restores HO-1 expression and inhibits Ox-LDL-induced VSMCs proliferation, migration and inflammatory responses in vitro

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Weifeng, E-mail: liwf@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Zhi, Wenbing; Liu, Fang

Pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is characterized by the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and inflammatory lesions. The aim of this study is to elucidate the effect of atractylenolide I (AO-I) on smooth muscle cell inflammation, proliferation and migration induced by oxidized modified low density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL). Here, We found that atractylenolide I inhibited Ox-LDL-induced VSMCs proliferation and migration in a dose-dependent manner, and decreased the production of inflammatory cytokines and the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in VSMCs. The study also identified that AO-I prominently inhibited p38-MAPK and NF-κB activation. More importantly, the specific heme oxygenase-1more » (HO-1) inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) IX partially abolished the beneficial effects of atractylenolide I on Ox-LDL-induced VSMCs. Furthermore, atractylenolide I blocked the foam cell formation in macrophages induced by Ox-LDL. In summary, inhibitory roles of AO-I in VSMCs proliferation and migration, lipid peroxidation and subsequent inflammatory responses might contribute to the anti-atherosclerotic property of AO-I. - Highlights: • AO-I inhibited Ox-LDL-induced VSMCs proliferation and migration. • AO-I alleviated inflammatory response via inhibiting TNF-α, IL-6 and NO production. • AO-I restored HO-1 expression and down-regulated PCNA expression. • MCP-1 overexpression is potentially regulated by NF-κB and p38 MAPK pathway. • AO-I possesses strong anti-lipid peroxidation effect.« less
Pulmonary atelectasis and survival in advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma.

PubMed

Bulbul, Yilmaz; Eris, Bulent; Orem, Asim; Gulsoy, Ayhan; Oztuna, Funda; Ozlu, Tevfik; Ozsu, Savas

2010-08-01

Atelectasis was reported as a favorable prognostic sign of pulmonary carcinoma; however, the underlying mechanism in those patients is not known. In this study, we aimed to investigate prospectively the potential impact of atelectasis and/or obstructive pneumonitis (AO) on survival and the relation between atelectasis and some laboratory blood parameters. The study was conducted on 87 advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Clinical and laboratory parameters of patients at first presentation were recorded, and patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of AO in thorax computed tomography (CT). Survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier and univariate Cox's regression analyses. Laboratory parameters that might be related with prolonged survival in atelectasis were compared using chi-square, Student's t, and Mann-Whitney U tests. Of the patients, 54% had stage IV disease, and AO was detected in 48.3% of all cases. Overall median survival was 13.2 months for all cases, 10.9 months for patients without AO, and 13.9 months for patients with AO (P=0.067). Survival was significantly longer in stage III patients with AO (14.5 months versus 9.2 months, P=0.032), but not in stage IV patients. Patients with AO in stage III had significantly lower platelet counts (P=0.032) and blood sedimentation rates than did those with no AO (P=0.045). We concluded that atelectasis and/or obstructive pneumonitis was associated with prolonged survival in locally advanced NSCLC. There was also a clear association between atelectasis and/or obstructive pneumonitis and platelets and blood sedimentation rate.

Pulmonary atelectasis and survival in advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Atelectasis was reported as a favorable prognostic sign of pulmonary carcinoma; however, the underlying mechanism in those patients is not known. In this study, we aimed to investigate prospectively the potential impact of atelectasis and/or obstructive pneumonitis (AO) on survival and the relation between atelectasis and some laboratory blood parameters. The study was conducted on 87 advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Clinical and laboratory parameters of patients at first presentation were recorded, and patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of AO in thorax computed tomography (CT). Survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier and univariate Cox's regression analyses. Laboratory parameters that might be related with prolonged survival in atelectasis were compared using chi-square, Student's t, and Mann-Whitney U tests. Of the patients, 54% had stage IV disease, and AO was detected in 48.3% of all cases. Overall median survival was 13.2 months for all cases, 10.9 months for patients without AO, and 13.9 months for patients with AO (P = 0.067). Survival was significantly longer in stage III patients with AO (14.5 months versus 9.2 months, P = 0.032), but not in stage IV patients. Patients with AO in stage III had significantly lower platelet counts (P = 0.032) and blood sedimentation rates than did those with no AO (P = 0.045). We concluded that atelectasis and/or obstructive pneumonitis was associated with prolonged survival in locally advanced NSCLC. There was also a clear association between atelectasis and/or obstructive pneumonitis and platelets and blood sedimentation rate. PMID:20636252
Steering UTC (AOS) and UTC (PL) by TA (PL)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

UTC. • A second time-transfer technique ( TWSTFT ) will be introduced at AOS. 38th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval (PTTI) Meeting 387 • AOS will...Deviation TWSTFT – Two-Way Satellite Time and Frequency Transfer UTC – Coordinated Universal Time UTC (i) – Realization of UTC by laboratory i
Adaptive optics for peripheral vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosén, R.; Lundström, L.; Unsbo, P.

2012-07-01

Understanding peripheral optical errors and their impact on vision is important for various applications, e.g. research on myopia development and optical correction of patients with central visual field loss. In this study, we investigated whether correction of higher order aberrations with adaptive optics (AO) improve resolution beyond what is achieved with best peripheral refractive correction. A laboratory AO system was constructed for correcting peripheral aberrations. The peripheral low contrast grating resolution acuity in the 20° nasal visual field of the right eye was evaluated for 12 subjects using three types of correction: refractive correction of sphere and cylinder, static closed loop AO correction and continuous closed loop AO correction. Running AO in continuous closed loop improved acuity compared to refractive correction for most subjects (maximum benefit 0.15 logMAR). The visual improvement from aberration correction was highly correlated with the subject's initial amount of higher order aberrations (p = 0.001, R 2 = 0.72). There was, however, no acuity improvement from static AO correction. In conclusion, correction of peripheral higher order aberrations can improve low contrast resolution, provided refractive errors are corrected and the system runs in continuous closed loop.
Hg(II) adsorption using amidoximated porous acrylonitrile/itaconic copolymers prepared by suspended emulsion polymerization.

PubMed

Ji, Chunnuan; Qu, Rongjun; Chen, Hou; Liu, Xiguang; Sun, Changmei; Ma, Caixia

2016-01-01

Initially, porous acrylonitrile/itaconic acid copolymers (AN/IA) were prepared by suspended emulsion polymerization. Successively, the cyano groups in AN/IA copolymers were converted to amidoxime (AO) groups by the reaction with hydroxylamine hydrochloride. The structures of the AN/IA and amidoximated AN/IA (AO AN/IA) were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and porous structural analysis. The adsorption properties of AO AN/IA for Hg(II) were investigated. The results show that AO AN/IA has mesopores and macropores, and surface area of 11.71 m(2) g(-1). It was found that AO AN/IA has higher affinity for Hg(II), with the maximum adsorption capacity of 84.25 mg g(-1). The AO AN/IA also can effectively remove Hg(II) from different binary metal ion mixture systems. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics were studied in detail. The adsorption equilibrium can quickly be achieved in 4 h determined by an adsorption kinetics study. The adsorption process is found to belong to the second-order model, and can be described by the Freundlich model.
Research on adaptive optics image restoration algorithm based on improved joint maximum a posteriori method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Lijuan; Li, Yang; Wang, Junnan; Liu, Ying

2018-03-01

In this paper, we propose a point spread function (PSF) reconstruction method and joint maximum a posteriori (JMAP) estimation method for the adaptive optics image restoration. Using the JMAP method as the basic principle, we establish the joint log likelihood function of multi-frame adaptive optics (AO) images based on the image Gaussian noise models. To begin with, combining the observed conditions and AO system characteristics, a predicted PSF model for the wavefront phase effect is developed; then, we build up iterative solution formulas of the AO image based on our proposed algorithm, addressing the implementation process of multi-frame AO images joint deconvolution method. We conduct a series of experiments on simulated and real degraded AO images to evaluate our proposed algorithm. Compared with the Wiener iterative blind deconvolution (Wiener-IBD) algorithm and Richardson-Lucy IBD algorithm, our algorithm has better restoration effects including higher peak signal-to-noise ratio ( PSNR) and Laplacian sum ( LS) value than the others. The research results have a certain application values for actual AO image restoration.
Regeneration of acid orange 7-exhausted granular activated carbons with microwave irradiation.

PubMed

Quan, Xie; Liu, Xitao; Bo, Longli; Chen, Shuo; Zhao, Yazhi; Cui, Xinyi

2004-12-01

An investigation was performed for the regeneration of three granular activated carbons (GACs) exhausted with acid orange 7 (AO7). The three GACs were made from different materials, i.e. coconut shells, almond nucleus and coal. The AO7 adsorption process was carried out in a continuous-flow adsorption column. After adsorption, the AO7-saturated GAC was dried at 120 degrees C, then regenerated in a quartz reactor by 2450 MHz microwave (MW) irradiation at 850 W for 5 min. The efficacy of this procedure was analyzed by determining the rates and amounts of AO7 adsorbed in successive adsorption-MW regeneration cycles. Effects of this regeneration on the structural properties, surface chemistry and the AO7 adsorption capacities of GAC samples were examined. It was found that after several adsorption-MW regeneration cycles, the adsorption rates and capacities of GACs could maintain relatively high levels, even higher than those of virgin GACs, as indicated by AO7 breakthrough curves and adsorption isotherms. The improvement of GAC adsorption properties resulted from the modification of pore size distribution and surface chemistry by MW irradiation.
3D printed phantoms of retinal photoreceptor cells for evaluating adaptive optics imaging modalities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kedia, Nikita; Liu, Zhuolin; Sochol, Ryan; Hammer, Daniel X.; Agrawal, Anant

2018-02-01

Adaptive optics-enabled optical coherence tomography (AO-OCT) and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO) devices can resolve retinal cones and rods in three dimensions. To evaluate the improved resolution of AO-OCT and AO-SLO, a phantom that mimics retinal anatomy at the cellular level is required. We used a two-photon polymerization approach to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) photoreceptor phantoms modeled on the central foveal cones. By using a femtosecond laser to selectively photocure precise locations within a liquid-based photoresist via two-photon absorption, we produced high-resolution phantoms with μm-level dimensions similar to true anatomy. In this work, we present two phantoms to evaluate the resolution limits of an AO imaging system: one that models only the outer segments of the photoreceptor cells at varying retinal eccentricities and another that contains anatomically relevant features of the full-length photoreceptor. With these phantoms we are able to quantitatively estimate transverse resolution of an AO system and produce images that are comparable to those found in the human retina.
The promoting effects of alginate oligosaccharides on root development in Oryza sativa L. mediated by auxin signaling.

PubMed

Zhang, Yunhong; Yin, Heng; Zhao, Xiaoming; Wang, Wenxia; Du, Yuguang; He, Ailing; Sun, Kegang

2014-11-26

Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS), which are marine oligosaccharides, are involved in regulating plant root growth, but the promotion mechanism for AOS remains unclear. Here, AOS (10-80 mg/L) induced the expression of auxin-related gene (OsYUCCA1, OsYUCCA5, OsIAA11 and OsPIN1) in rice (Oryza sativa L.) tissues to accelerate auxin biosynthesis and transport, and reduced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) oxidase activity in rice roots. These changes resulted in the increase of 37.8% in IAA concentration in rice roots, thereby inducing the expression of root development-related genes, promoting root growth in a dose-dependent manner, which were inhibited by auxin transport inhibitor 2,3,5-triiodo benzoic acid (TIBA) and calcium-chelating agent ethylene glycol bis (2-aminoethyl) tetraacetic acid (EGTA). AOS also induced calcium signaling generation in rice roots. Those results indicated that auxin mediated AOS regulation of root development, and calcium signaling may act mainly in the upstream of auxin in the regulation of AOS on rice root development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Protective effects of Althaea officinalis L. extract in 6-hydroxydopamine-induced hemi-Parkinsonism model: behavioral, biochemical and histochemical evidence.

PubMed

Rezaei, Maryam; Alirezaei, Masoud

2014-05-01

It is well known that Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in humans. In this regard, the neuroprotective effect of Althaea officinalis (AO) has already been reported. Therefore, this study examined whether administration of AO extract would improve behavioral, biochemical and structural abnormalities in an experimental animal model of PD in rats. For this purpose, we induced hemi-Parkinsonism by unilateral intranigral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA, 8 μg/5 μl saline-ascorbate). The rats were pretreated i.p. with AO extract (10 mg/kg) started 6 days before surgery and continued until the 3rd day post-surgery. Regarding oxidative stress, brain MDA concentration (as a lipid peroxidation marker) increased significantly in the 6-OHDA-administered group in comparison with rats pretreated with AO extract. It was found that AO treatment attenuated rotational behavior in the 6-OHDA-administered group and protected the neurons of substantia nigra pars compacta against 6-OHDA toxicity. Overall, AO extract administration indicated neuroprotective effects against 6-OHDA-induced hemi-Parkinsonism in rats.
In situ measurement of atomic oxygen flux using a silver film sensor onboard "TianTuo 1" nanosatellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Yun; Chen, Xiaoqian; Sheng, Tao

2016-01-01

Research into the measurement of atomic oxygen (AO) flux in a low Earth orbit (LEO) is highly significant for the development of spacecraft surface materials as well as for enhancing the reliability of space instruments. In the present study, we studied a silver film resistance method for AO flux measurement and we established a quantitative calculation model. Moreover, we designed a silver film sensor for space flight tests with a mass of about 100 g and a peak power consumption of less than 0.2 W. The effect of AO on the silver film was demonstrated in a ground-based simulation experiment and compared with the Kapton-mass-loss method. For the space flight test, the AO flux was estimated by monitoring the change in the resistance in the linear part of the silver/AO reaction regime. Finally, the sensor was carried onboard our nanosatellite ;TianTuo 1; to obtain in situ measurements of the AO flux during a 476 km sun synchronous orbit. The result was critically compared with theoretical predictions, which validated the design of this sensor.
The gut microbiota metabolism of pomegranate or walnut ellagitannins yields two urolithin-metabotypes that correlate with cardiometabolic risk biomarkers: Comparison between normoweight, overweight-obesity and metabolic syndrome.

PubMed

Selma, María V; González-Sarrías, Antonio; Salas-Salvadó, Jordi; Andrés-Lacueva, Cristina; Alasalvar, Cesarettin; Örem, Asım; Tomás-Barberán, Francisco A; Espín, Juan C

2018-06-01

Urolithins are microbial metabolites produced after consumption of ellagitannin-containing foods such as pomegranates and walnuts. Parallel to isoflavone-metabolizing phenotypes, ellagitannin-metabolizing phenotypes (urolithin metabotypes A, B and 0; UM-A, UM-B and UM-0, respectively) can vary among individuals depending on their body mass index (BMI), but correlations between urolithin metabotypes (UMs) and cardiometabolic risk (CMR) factors are unexplored. We investigated the association between UMs and CMR factors in individuals with different BMI and health status. UM was identified using UPLC-ESI-qToF-MS in individuals consuming pomegranate or nuts. The associations between basal CMR factors and the urine urolithin metabolomic signature were explored in 20 healthy normoweight individuals consuming walnuts (30 g/d), 49 healthy overweight-obese individuals ingesting pomegranate extract (450 mg/d) and 25 metabolic syndrome (MetS) patients consuming nuts (15 g-walnuts, 7.5 g-hazelnuts and 7.5 g-almonds/d). Correlations between CMR factors and urolithins were found in overweight-obese individuals. Urolithin-A (mostly present in UM-A) was positively correlated with apolipoprotein A-I (P ≤ 0.05) and intermediate-HDL-cholesterol (P ≤ 0.05) while urolithin-B and isourolithin-A (characteristic from UM-B) were positively correlated with total-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol (P ≤ 0.001), apolipoprotein B (P ≤ 0.01), VLDL-cholesterol, IDL-cholesterol, oxidized-LDL and apolipoprotein B:apolipoprotein A-I ratio (P ≤ 0.05). In MetS patients, urolithin-A only correlated inversely with glucose (P ≤ 0.05). Statin-treated MetS patients with UM-A showed a lipid profile similar to that of healthy normoweight individuals while a poor response to lipid-lowering therapy was observed in MB patients. UMs are potential CMR biomarkers. Overweight-obese individuals with UM-B are at increased risk of cardiometabolic disease, whereas urolithin-A production could protect against CMR factors. Further research is warranted to explore these associations in larger cohorts and whether the effect of lipid-lowering drugs or ellagitannin-consumption on CMR biomarkers depends on individuals' UM. NCT01916239 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01916239) and ISRCTN36468613 (http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN36468613). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.
Utility of Acridine Orange staining for detection of bacteria from positive blood cultures.

PubMed

Neeraja, M; Lakshmi, V; Padmasri, C; Padmaja, K

2017-08-01

The diagnostic performance of AO stain was evaluated for the detection of bacteria and or fungi from positive blood cultures. The sensitivity of Gram stain (GS) was 98.26% while Acridine Orange (AO) stain proved to be more sensitive (100%) with a Positive and Negative Predictive Value of 100% each. The specificity of both the stains was 100%. Overall agreement between the two stains was 98.23% (688/700). The organisms that were missed by GS and positive by AO were Candida species (Sutton, 2006) and Gram negative bacilli (GNB) (Sutton, 2006). Sensitivity of GS was 82.35% and AO was 100% among mixed cultures. Immediate reporting of the results of AO stain would have a significant impact on clinical management of patients with serious blood stream infections. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Adaptive optics for confocal laser scanning microscopy with adjustable pinhole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, Han Woong; van Royen, Martin E.; van Cappellen, Wiggert A.; Houtsmuller, Adriaan B.; Verhaegen, Michel; Schitter, Georg

2016-04-01

The pinhole plays an important role in confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) for adaptive optics (AO) as well as in imaging, where the size of the pinhole denotes a trade-off between out-of-focus rejection and wavefront distortion. This contribution proposes an AO system for a commercial CLSM with an adjustable square pinhole to cope with such a trade-off. The proposed adjustable pinhole enables to calibrate the AO system and to evaluate the imaging performance. Experimental results with fluorescence beads on the coverslip and at a depth of 40 μm in the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell spheroid demonstrate that the proposed AO system can improve the image quality by the proposed calibration method. The proposed pinhole intensity ratio also indicates the image improvement by the AO correction in intensity as well as resolution.
Impact of 1p/19q Codeletion and Histology on Outcomes of Anaplastic Gliomas Treated With Radiation Therapy and Temozolomide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Speirs, Christina K.; Simpson, Joseph R.; Robinson, Clifford G.

Purpose: Anaplastic gliomas represent a heterogeneous group of primary high-grade brain tumors, and the optimal postoperative treatment remains controversial. In this report, we present our institutional data on the clinical outcomes of radiation therapy (RT) plus temozolomide (RT + TMZ) for anaplastic gliomas, stratified by histology and 1p/19q codeletion. Methods and Materials: A single-institution retrospective review was conducted of patients with supratentorial anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO), mixed anaplastic oligoastrocytoma (AOA), and anaplastic astrocytoma (AA). After surgery, RT was delivered at a median total dose of 60 Gy (range, 31.6-63 Gy) in daily fractions. All patients received standard concurrent TMZ, with or without adjuvant TMZ. Histological/molecular subtypesmore » were defined as codeleted AO/AOA, non-codeleted AO/AOA, and AA. Results: From 2000 to 2012, 111 cases met study criteria and were evaluable. Codeleted AO/AOA had superior overall survival (OS) to non-codeleted AO/AOA (91% vs 68% at 5 years, respectively, P=.02), whereas progression-free survival (PFS) was not significantly different (70% vs 46% at 5 years, respectively, P=.10). AA had inferior OS to non-codeleted AO/AOA (37% vs 68% at 5 years, respectively, P=.007) and inferior PFS (27% vs 46%, respectively, P=.03). On multivariate analysis, age, performance status, and histological or molecular subtype were independent predictors for both PFS and OS. Compared to historical controls, RT + TMZ provided comparable OS to RT with procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine (RT + PCV) for codeleted AO/AOA, superior OS to RT alone for non-codeleted AO/AOA, and similar OS to RT alone for AA. Conclusions: RT + TMZ may be a promising treatment for both codeleted and non-codeleted AO/AOA, but its role for AA remains unclear.« less
[Cloning and expression regulation of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase cDNA from Alpinia officinarum].

PubMed

Zhang, Chun-Rong; Yang, Quan; Chen, Hu-Biao; Pang, Yu-Xin; Tang, Xiao-Min; Cheng, Xuan-Xuan; Wu, Wen-Ya; Chen, Shi-Min

2012-11-01

The rhizome of Alpinia officinarum is a widely used Chinese herbal medicine. The essential oil in A. officinarum rhizome is mainly composed of 1, 8-cineole and other monoterpenes, as the major bioactive ingredients. In plants, monoterpenes are synthesized through the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway in the plastids, and 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR) is an enzyme catalyzing a committed step of the MEP pathway. In the present study, the full-length cDNA encoding DXR was cloned from the rhizome of A. officinarum, using homology-based RT-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) techniques. The new cDNA was designated as AoDXR and submitted to GenBank to be assigned with an accession number HQ874658. The full-length cDNA of AoDXR was 1 670 bp containing a 1 419 bp open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 472 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 51.48 kDa and an isoelectric point of 6.15. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that AoDXR showed extensive homology with DXRs from other plant species and contained a conserved plastids transit peptide, a Pro-rich region and two highly conserved NADPH-binding motifs in its N-terminal region characterized by all plant DXRs. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that AoDXR belonged to angiosperm DXRs. The structural modeling of AoDXR showed that AoDXR had the typical V-shaped structure of DXR proteins. The tissue expression pattern analysis indicated that AoDXR expressed strongly in leaves, weak in rhizomes of A. officinarum. Exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) could enhance the expression of AoDXR and the production of 1, 8-cineole in A. officinarum rhizomes. The cloning and characterization of AoDXR will be helpful to reveal the molecular regulation mechanism of monoterpene biosynthesis in A. officinarum and provides a candidate gene for metabolic engineering in improving the medicinal quality of A. officinarum rhizome.
Space environmental effects on LDEF composites: A leading edge coated graphite epoxy panel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

George, Pete E.; Dursch, Harry W.; Hill, Sylvester G.

1993-01-01

The electronics module cover for the leading edge (Row D 9) experiment M0003-8 was fabricated from T300 graphite/934 epoxy unidirectional prepreg tape in a (O(sub 2), +/- 45, O(sub 2), +/- 45, 90, 0)(sub s) layup. This 11.75 in x 16.75 in panel was covered with thermal control coatings in three of the four quadrants with the fourth quadrant uncoated. The composite panel experienced different thermal cycling extremes in each quadrant due to the different optical properties of the coatings and bare composite. The panel also experienced ultraviolet (UV) and atomic oxygen (AO) attack as well as micrometeoroid and space debris impacts. An AO reactivity of 0.99 x 10(exp -24) cm(sup 3)/atom was calculated for the bare composite based on thickness loss. The white urethane thermal control coatings (A276 and BMS 1060) prevented AO attack of the composite substrate. However, the black urethane thermal control coating (Z306) was severely eroded by AO, allowing some AO attack of the composite substrate. An interesting banding pattern on the AO eroded bare composite surface was investigated and found to match the dimensions of the graphite fiber tow widths as prepregged. Also, erosion depths were greater in the darker bands. Five micrometeoroid/space debris impacts were cross sectioned to investigate possible structural damage as well as impact/AO interactions. Local crushing and delaminations were found to some extent in all of the impacts. No signs of coating undercutting were observed despite the extensive AO erosion patterns seen in the exposed composite material at the impact sites. An extensive microcrack study was performed on the panel along with modeling of the thermal environment to estimate temperature extremes and thermal shock. The white coated composite substrate displayed almost no microcracking while the black coated and bare composite showed extensive microcracking. Significant AO erosion was seen in many of the cracks in the bare composite.
Prevalence and Related Risk Factors of Overweight and Obesity among the Adult Population in the Balearic Islands, a Mediterranean Region

PubMed Central

Coll, Josep L.; Bibiloni, Maria del Mar; Salas, Rogelio; Pons, Antoni; Tur, Josep A.

2015-01-01

Objective To assess the prevalence and risk factors of overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) by BMI and abdominal obesity (AO) by waist-to-height ratio, (WHtR) among the Balearic Islands' adult population. Methods Cross-sectional nutritional survey carried out in the Balearic Islands (2009-2010). A random sample (n = 1,081) of young (18-35 years) and middle-aged adults (36-55 years) were interviewed and anthropometrically measured. OW (BMI 25.0-29.9 kg/m2) and OB (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) were defined according to WHO criteria. AO was defined as WHtR ≥ 0.5. Socio-economic and lifestyle determinants were considered. Results The overall prevalence of OW/OB and AO was 29.4% (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 26.9-32.3%), 11.2% (95% CI 9.5-13.2%) and 33.1% (95% CI 30.4-36.0%), respectively. Men showed higher prevalence of OW (35.9%, 95% CI 31.6-40.5%) and AO (37.9%, 95% CI 33.6-42.5%) than women (OW 24.9%, 95% CI 21.7-28.4%; AO 29.7%, 95%CI 26.2-33.4%). Overall prevalence of OB was 11.8% (95% CI 9.1-15.1%) in men and 10.8% (95% CI 8.6-13.5%) in women. Age and no leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) were main risk factors associated with OW/OB and AO. Living with at least one child at home and to be married in men as well as to be unemployed, to be born in South America, and a low level of education in women were associated with AO. Conclusions Men showed higher prevalence of OW and AO than women. In both sexes, age is the main risk factor associated with OW/OB and AO; in men also the absence of LTPA plays a significant role. PMID:26159577
Psychiatric diagnoses in patients with burning mouth syndrome and atypical odontalgia referred from psychiatric to dental facilities

PubMed Central

Takenoshita, Miho; Sato, Tomoko; Kato, Yuichi; Katagiri, Ayano; Yoshikawa, Tatsuya; Sato, Yusuke; Matsushima, Eisuke; Sasaki, Yoshiyuki; Toyofuku, Akira

2010-01-01

Background Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and atypical odontalgia (AO) are two conditions involving chronic oral pain in the absence of any organic cause. Psychiatrically they can both be considered as “somatoform disorder”. From the dental point of view, however, the two disorders are quite distinct. BMS is a burning or stinging sensation in the mouth in association with a normal mucosa whereas AO is most frequently associated with a continuous pain in the teeth or in a tooth socket after extraction in the absence of any identifiable cause. Because of the absence of organic causes, BMS and AO are often regarded as psychogenic conditions, although the relationship between oral pain and psychologic factors is still unclear. Some studies have analyzed the psychiatric diagnoses of patients with chronic oral pain who have been referred from dental facilities to psychiatric facilities. No study to date has investigated patients referred from psychiatric facilities to dental facilities. Objective To analyze the psychiatric diagnoses of chronic oral pain patients, diagnosed with BMS and AO, and referred from psychiatric facilities to dental facilities. Study design Psychiatric diagnoses and disease conditions of BMS or AO were investigated in 162 patients by reviewing patients’ medical records and referral forms. Psychiatric diagnoses were categorized according to the International Statistical Classification of Disease and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision. Results The proportion of F4 classification (neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders) in AO patients was significantly higher than in BMS patients. BMS patients were more frequently given a F3 classification (mood/affective disorders). However, 50.8% of BMS patients and 33.3% of AO patients had no specific psychiatric diagnoses. Conclusion Although BMS and AO are both chronic pain disorders occurring in the absence of any organic cause, the psychiatric diagnoses of patients with BMS and AO differ substantially. PMID:21127687
Quantifying the effect of mixing on the mean age of air in CCMVal-2 and CCMI-1 models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietmüller, Simone; Eichinger, Roland; Garny, Hella; Birner, Thomas; Boenisch, Harald; Pitari, Giovanni; Mancini, Eva; Visioni, Daniele; Stenke, Andrea; Revell, Laura; Rozanov, Eugene; Plummer, David A.; Scinocca, John; Jöckel, Patrick; Oman, Luke; Deushi, Makoto; Kiyotaka, Shibata; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Garcia, Rolando; Morgenstern, Olaf; Zeng, Guang; Stone, Kane Adam; Schofield, Robyn

2018-05-01

The stratospheric age of air (AoA) is a useful measure of the overall capabilities of a general circulation model (GCM) to simulate stratospheric transport. Previous studies have reported a large spread in the simulation of AoA by GCMs and coupled chemistry-climate models (CCMs). Compared to observational estimates, simulated AoA is mostly too low. Here we attempt to untangle the processes that lead to the AoA differences between the models and between models and observations. AoA is influenced by both mean transport by the residual circulation and two-way mixing; we quantify the effects of these processes using data from the CCM inter-comparison projects CCMVal-2 (Chemistry-Climate Model Validation Activity 2) and CCMI-1 (Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative, phase 1). Transport along the residual circulation is measured by the residual circulation transit time (RCTT). We interpret the difference between AoA and RCTT as additional aging by mixing. Aging by mixing thus includes mixing on both the resolved and subgrid scale. We find that the spread in AoA between the models is primarily caused by differences in the effects of mixing and only to some extent by differences in residual circulation strength. These effects are quantified by the mixing efficiency, a measure of the relative increase in AoA by mixing. The mixing efficiency varies strongly between the models from 0.24 to 1.02. We show that the mixing efficiency is not only controlled by horizontal mixing, but by vertical mixing and vertical diffusion as well. Possible causes for the differences in the models' mixing efficiencies are discussed. Differences in subgrid-scale mixing (including differences in advection schemes and model resolutions) likely contribute to the differences in mixing efficiency. However, differences in the relative contribution of resolved versus parameterized wave forcing do not appear to be related to differences in mixing efficiency or AoA.
Unit 5, STA. 50+00+RB, Orner Building, First U.M. Church Rectory, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 5, STA. 50+00+RB, Orner Building, First U.M. Church Rectory, & First U.M. Church-context - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

VizieR Online Data Catalog: 24um excesses in clusters & membership of NGC2244 (Meng+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, H. Y. A.; Rieke, G. H.; Su, K. Y. L.; Gaspar, A.

2017-09-01

We re-measured the Spitzer/MIPS 24um photometry for all the clusters except for a few noted in Appendix A. We obtained the 24um data from the Spitzer Heritage Archive between 2004 Jan 28 and 2008 Oct 23. (3 data files).
Comprehensive thermoelectric properties of n- and p-type 78a/o Si - 22a/o Ge alloy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raag, V.

1978-01-01

The time and temperature dependence of the thermoelectric properties on n- and p-type 78 a/o Si - 22 a/o Ge alloy are presented in detail for the range of temperatures of zero to 1000 C and operating times up to twelve years. The mechanisms responsible for the time dependence of the properties are discussed and mathematical models used in the derivation of the property values from experimental data are presented. The thermoelectric properties for each polarity type of the alloy are presented as a function of temperature for various operating times.
SCExAO: First Results and On-Sky Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Currie, Thayne; Guyon, Olivier; Martinache, Frantz; Clergeon, Christophe; McElwain, Michael; Thalmann, Christian; Jovanovic, Nemanja; Singh, Garima; Kudo, Tomoyuki

2013-01-01

We present new on-sky results for the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics imager (SCExAO) verifying and quantifying the contrast gain enabled by key components: the closed-loop coronagraphic low-order wavefront sensor (CLOWFS) and focal plane wavefront control ("speckle nulling"). SCExAO will soon be coupled with a high-order, Pyramid wavefront sensor which will yield greater than 90% Strehl ratio and enable 10(exp 6) -10(exp 7) contrast at small angular separations allowing us to image gas giant planets at solar system scales. Upcoming instruments like VAMPIRES, FIRST, and CHARIS will expand SCExAO's science capabilities.
VizieR Online Data Catalog: X-ray AGNs with Subaru/FMOS NIR observations (Suh+, 2015)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suh, H.; Hasinger, G.; Steinhardt, C.; Silverman, J. D.; Schramm, M.

2016-03-01

We performed NIR spectroscopic observations for the AGN sources with the FMOS high-resolution spectrographs on the Subaru telescope; in J-short (0.92-1.12um), J-long (1.11-1.35um), H-short (1.40-1.60um), and H-long (1.60-1.80um) coverage with a spectral resolution of R~2200. The data span the 2012 Mar 25-2013 Oct 24 period. In addition to NIR spectra, we use existing optical spectroscopy (see section 3.2). (2 data files).
Protective effect of topical application of α-tocopherol and/or N-acetyl cysteine on argemone oil/alkaloid-induced skin tumorigenesis in mice.

PubMed

Pal, Anu; Alam, Shamshad; Singhal, Jaya; Kumar, Rahul; Ansari, Kausar M; Das, Mukul

2013-01-01

Since bioantioxidants in plasma of Epidemic Dropsy patients [a condition caused by consumption of adulterated mustard oil with argemone oil (AO)] were found to be significantly decreased, the beneficial effect of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and α-tocopherol (TOCO) against AO- or sanguinarine (SANG)-induced tumorigenicity was undertaken in mice. Topical application of TOCO and NAC either alone or in combination showed significant protection against AO/TPA- and SANG/TPA-induced skin tumorigenicity. Histopathological findings suggest that papillomatous growth in AO/TPA- and SANG/TPA-treated animals were substantially protected following topical application of TOCO or NAC. Further, treatment of TOCO and NAC either alone or in combination to AO/TPA- or SANG/TPA-induced mice significantly decreased lipid peroxidation, along with significant revival in glutathione (GSH) content and activities of tyrosinase, histidase, catalase, SOD, GSH peroxidase, and GSH reductase in skin. In vitro studies showed that TOCO and/or NAC significantly decreased the AO and SANG induced cell proliferation and activation of ERK, p38, JNK MAPKs and NF-κB signaling in HaCaT cells. In summary, TOCO and NAC may be useful in preventing the tumorigenic response of AO and SANG probably by acting as scavenger of free radicals and inhibiting MAPKs and NF-κB signaling.
Performance verification of adaptive optics for satellite-to-ground coherent optical communications at large zenith angle.

PubMed

Chen, Mo; Liu, Chao; Rui, Daoman; Xian, Hao

2018-02-19

Although there is an urgent demand, it is still a tremendous challenge to use the coherent optical communication technology to the satellite-to-ground data transmission system especially at large zenith angle due to the influence of atmospheric turbulence. Adaptive optics (AO) is a considerable scheme to solve the problem. In this paper, we integrate the adaptive optics (AO) to the coherent laser communications and the performances of mixing efficiency as well as bit-error-rate (BER) at different zenith angles are studied. The analytical results show that the increasing of zenith angle can severely decrease the performances of the coherent detection, and increase the BER to higher than 10 -3 , which is unacceptable. The simulative results of coherent detection with AO compensation indicate that the larger mixing efficiency and lower BER can be performed by the coherent receiver with a high-mode AO compensation. The experiment of correcting the atmospheric turbulence wavefront distortion using a 249-element AO system at large zenith angles is carried out. The result demonstrates that the AO system has a significant improvement on satellite-to-ground coherent optical communication system at large zenith angle. It also indicates that the 249-element AO system can only meet the needs of coherent communication systems at zenith angle smaller than 65̊ for the 1.8m telescope under weak and moderate turbulence.
Speech motor programming in apraxia of speech: evidence from a delayed picture-word interference task.

PubMed

Mailend, Marja-Liisa; Maas, Edwin

2013-05-01

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is considered a speech motor programming impairment, but the specific nature of the impairment remains a matter of debate. This study investigated 2 hypotheses about the underlying impairment in AOS framed within the Directions Into Velocities of Articulators (DIVA; Guenther, Ghosh, & Tourville, 2006) model: The retrieval hypothesis states that access to the motor programs is impaired, and the damaged programs hypothesis states that the motor programs themselves are damaged. The experiment used a delayed picture-word interference paradigm in which participants prepare their response and auditory distracters are presented with the go signal. The overlap between target and distracter words was manipulated (i.e., shared sounds or no shared sounds), and participants' reaction times (RTs) were measured. Participants included 5 speakers with AOS (4 with concomitant aphasia), 2 speakers with aphasia without AOS, and 9 age-matched control speakers. The control speakers showed no effects of distracter type or presence. The speakers with AOS had longer RTs in the distracter condition compared to the no-distracter condition. The speakers with aphasia without AOS were comparable to the control group in their overall RTs and RT pattern. Results provide preliminary support for the retrieval hypothesis, suggesting that access to motor programs may be impaired in speakers with AOS. However, the possibility that the motor programs may also be damaged cannot be ruled out.
Effects of Optical Blur Reduction on Equivalent Intrinsic Blur

PubMed Central

Valeshabad, Ali Kord; Wanek, Justin; McAnany, J. Jason; Shahidi, Mahnaz

2015-01-01

Purpose To determine the effect of optical blur reduction on equivalent intrinsic blur, an estimate of the blur within the visual system, by comparing optical and equivalent intrinsic blur before and after adaptive optics (AO) correction of wavefront error. Methods Twelve visually normal individuals (age; 31 ± 12 years) participated in this study. Equivalent intrinsic blur (σint) was derived using a previously described model. Optical blur (σopt) due to high-order aberrations was quantified by Shack-Hartmann aberrometry and minimized using AO correction of wavefront error. Results σopt and σint were significantly reduced and visual acuity (VA) was significantly improved after AO correction (P ≤ 0.004). Reductions in σopt and σint were linearly dependent on the values before AO correction (r ≥ 0.94, P ≤ 0.002). The reduction in σint was greater than the reduction in σopt, although it was marginally significant (P = 0.05). σint after AO correlated significantly with σint before AO (r = 0.92, P < 0.001) and the two parameters were related linearly with a slope of 0.46. Conclusions Reduction in equivalent intrinsic blur was greater than the reduction in optical blur due to AO correction of wavefront error. This finding implies that VA in subjects with high equivalent intrinsic blur can be improved beyond that expected from the reduction in optical blur alone. PMID:25785538
Awareness of Aging: Theoretical Considerations on an Emerging Concept

PubMed Central

Diehl, Manfred; Wahl, Hans-Werner; Barrett, Anne E.; Brothers, Allyson F.; Miche, Martina; Montepare, Joann M.; Westerhof, Gerben J.; Wurm, Susanne

2014-01-01

Humans are able to reflect on and interpret their own aging. Thus, as individuals grow older, calendar age may become increasingly a subjective variable. This theoretical paper proposes the concept of Awareness of Aging (AoA) as a superordinate construct that can serve an integrative function in developmental research on subjective aging. It is argued that the AoA construct can incorporate the theoretical components of other existing concepts by acknowledging that judgments of subjective aging tend to be made on an awareness continuum ranging from pre-conscious/implicit to conscious/explicit. We also argue that processes of AoA are inherently self-related processes and that AoA is a particular aspect of self-awareness that results in specific aging-related self-knowledge. Over time, aging individuals incorporate this self-knowledge into their self-concept and personal identity. We provide theoretical evidence showing that although all major theories of adult development and aging draw on phenomena related to AoA, the explicit incorporation of aging-related awareness processes has been missing. We also provide an overarching framework to illustrate in a heuristic way how AoA in combination and interaction with other influences affects developmental outcomes. Finally, we argue that attention to AoA-related processes has a number of societal and applied implications and thereby addresses issues of applied developmental psychology. PMID:24958998
Dietary supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid-rich oils protects against visible-light-induced retinal damage in vivo.

PubMed

Deng, Qianchun; Wang, Yong; Wang, Chengtao; Ji, Baoping; Cong, Renhuai; Zhao, Lei; Chen, Peng; Zang, Xixi; Lu, Feng; Han, Fei; Huang, Fenghong

2018-04-25

The effects of administering omega-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-rich oils on visible-light-induced retinal damage were investigated in rabbits. The mole percentages of α-linolenic acid in sea buckthorn berry oil, sea buckthorn oil (SO), sea buckthorn seed oil and flaxseed oil (FO) were 2.12%, 12.98%, 31.56% and 55.41%, respectively. Algal oil (AO) contains 33.34% docosahexaenoic acid. SO has the highest total phenolic content (63.42 ± 0.59 mg SAE per 100 g) amongst these oils. The administration of SO, FO and AO provided structural and functional protection to the retina. In the retina, we observed a significant increase in the levels of DHA in the AO group compared with the normal group. The mechanism of retinal protection by SO, FO and AO involves up-regulating the expression of nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 and haem oxygenase-1. The levels of interleukin-1 β, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-8, and cyclooxygenase 2 in the retina were significantly reduced with AO treatment. The administration of AO resulted in the down-regulation of nuclear factor kappa B mRNA expression. In addition, the treatment with AO significantly attenuated the light-induced apoptosis and angiogenesis in the retina. These results suggest that dietary ω-3 PUFA-rich oils protect against visible-light-induced retinal damage.
Effects of optical blur reduction on equivalent intrinsic blur.

PubMed

Kord Valeshabad, Ali; Wanek, Justin; McAnany, J Jason; Shahidi, Mahnaz

2015-04-01

To determine the effect of optical blur reduction on equivalent intrinsic blur, an estimate of the blur within the visual system, by comparing optical and equivalent intrinsic blur before and after adaptive optics (AO) correction of wavefront error. Twelve visually normal subjects (mean [±SD] age, 31 [±12] years) participated in this study. Equivalent intrinsic blur (σint) was derived using a previously described model. Optical blur (σopt) caused by high-order aberrations was quantified by Shack-Hartmann aberrometry and minimized using AO correction of wavefront error. σopt and σint were significantly reduced and visual acuity was significantly improved after AO correction (p ≤ 0.004). Reductions in σopt and σint were linearly dependent on the values before AO correction (r ≥ 0.94, p ≤ 0.002). The reduction in σint was greater than the reduction in σopt, although it was marginally significant (p = 0.05). σint after AO correlated significantly with σint before AO (r = 0.92, p < 0.001), and the two parameters were related linearly with a slope of 0.46. Reduction in equivalent intrinsic blur was greater than the reduction in optical blur after AO correction of wavefront error. This finding implies that visual acuity in subjects with high equivalent intrinsic blur can be improved beyond that expected from the reduction in optical blur alone.
Severe maternal morbidity: a case-control study in Maranhao, Brazil

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Maternal mortality and morbidity are among the top public health priorities in Brazil, being quite high, especially among the most disadvantage women. A case control study was developed to identify risk factors for severe maternal morbidity in Sao Luis, one of the poorest Brazilian State Capitals. Methods The case–control study was carried out between 01/03/2009 and 28/02/2010 in two public high-risk maternities facilities and in two intensive care units (ICUs) for referral of obstetric cases. All cases hospitalized due to complications during gestation period, childbirth or up to 42 days of puerperium and who fulfilled any of Mantel's and/or Waterstone's criteria were identified. Two controls per case were randomly selected among patients of the same clinics discharged for other reasons. Data were obtained through a structured interview as well as from medical charts and prenatal cards and included sociodemographic variables, clinical and obstetric histories, behavioral factors and exposure to stress factors during pregnancy, pre-natal assistance and obstetric complication and childbirth care. Results In the final model of the unconditional logistic regression analysis, being older than 35 years (OR=3.11; 95% CI:1.53-6.31), previous hypertension (OR=2.52; 95% CI:1.09-5.80), history of abortion (OR=1.61; 95% CI:0.97-2.68), 4–5 pre-natal consultations (OR=1.78; 95% CI:1.05-3.01) and 1–3 pre-natal consultations (OR=1.89; 95% CI:1.03-3.49) were independently associated with severe maternal morbidity. Conclusions The results corroborate the importance of reproductive healthcare, of identifying a high-risk pregnancy and of a qualified and complete prenatal care to prevent severe morbid events. Resumo Introdução A mortalidade e morbidade maternas estão entre os tópicos prioritários da Saúde Pública brasileira, especialmente na população de menor nível socioeconômico. Um estudo caso-controle foi desenvolvido para identificar os fatores de risco para morbidade materna grave em São Luís, capital de um dos estados mais pobres do Brasil. Método Estudo caso-controle realizado em duas maternidades públicas de alto risco e duas UTIs de referência aos casos obstétricos entre 01/03/2009 e 28/02/2010. Foram incluídas todas as pacientes internadas por complicação do período grávido-puerperal e que preenchiam os critérios de Waterstone e/ou Mantel para morbidade materna grave. Foram selecionados para cada caso, dois controles por sorteio aleatório dentre as pacientes internadas no mesmo período e mesma maternidade que o caso. As informações de domínio sociodemográfico, clínico, obstétrico, comportamental, exposição a eventos estressores na gestação, assistência ao pré-natal, intercorrências obstétricas e atenção ao parto, foram obtidas por meio de entrevista estruturada. As variáveis foram analisadas por modelo de regressão logística múltipla não condicional, baseado em modelo hierarquizado a priori. Resultados Foram identificados como fatores de risco para morbidade materna grave: idade >35 anos (OR=3,11; IC 95%:1,53-6,31), hipertensão prévia à gestação (OR=2,52; IC 95%:1,09-5,80), antecedente de aborto (OR=1,61; IC 95%:0,97-2,68), ter realizado 4–5 consultas pré-natais (OR=1,78; IC 95%:1,05-3,01) ou 1–3 consultas (OR=1,89; IC 95%:1,03-3,49). Conclusão Os resultados do estudo corroboram a importância da assistência à saúde reprodutiva e o pré-natal completo e qualificado na prevenção de eventos mórbidos graves durante o ciclo grávido-puerperal. PMID:23399443
Factors influencing the missed nursing care in patients from a private hospital.

PubMed

Hernández-Cruz, Raúl; Moreno-Monsiváis, María Guadalupe; Cheverría-Rivera, Sofía; Díaz-Oviedo, Aracely

2017-07-10

to determine the factors that influence the missed nursing care in hospitalized patients. descriptive correlational study developed at a private hospital in Mexico. To identify the missed nursing care and related factors, the MISSCARE survey was used, which measures the care missed and associated factors. The care missed and the factors were grouped in global and dimension rates. For the analysis, descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation and simple linear regression were used. Approval for the study was obtained from the ethics committee. the participants were 71 nurses from emergency, intensive care and inpatient services. The global missed care index corresponded to M=7.45 (SD=10.74); the highest missed care index was found in the dimension basic care interventions (M=13.02, SD=17.60). The main factor contributing to the care missed was human resources (M=56.13, SD=21.38). The factors related to the care missed were human resources (rs=0.408, p<0.001) and communication (rs=0.418, p<0.001). the nursing care missed is mainly due to the human resource factor; these study findings will permit the strengthening of nursing care continuity. determinar os fatores que influenciam o cuidado de enfermagem omitido em pacientes hospitalizados. estudo descritivo correlacional, desenvolvido em um hospital particular do México. Para identificar o cuidado omitido e fatores relacionados, utilizou-se o instrumento MISSCARE, que mede o cuidado omitido e os fatores associados. O cuidado omitido e os fatores foram agrupados em índices globais e por dimensões. Para fins de análise, foi utilizada estatística descritiva, correlação de Spearman e regressão linear simples. O estudo recebeu aprovação de comité de ética. participaram 71 enfermeiras dos serviços de urgências, terapia intensiva e hospitalização. O índice global de cuidado omitido mostrou um coeficiente M=7,45 (DE=10,74); o índice com maior cuidado omitido correspondeu à dimensão de intervenções de cuidado básico (M=13,02, DE=17,60). O principal fator que contribuiu ao cuidado omitido foi o de recursos humanos (M=56,13, DE=21,38). Os fatores relacionados ao cuidado omitido foram os recursos humanos (rs=0,408, p<0,001) e comunicação (rs=0,418, p<0,001). o cuidado omitido de enfermagem atribui-se principalmente ao fator de recursos humanos; com base nos resultados deste estudo pode-se fortalecer a continuidade do cuidado de enfermagem. determinar los factores que influyen en el cuidado de enfermería perdido en pacientes hospitalizados. estudio descriptivo correlacional, se realizó en un hospital privado de México. Para identificar el cuidado perdido y factores relacionados se utilizó el instrumento MISSCARE que mide el cuidado perdido y los factores asociados. El cuidado perdido y los factores se agruparon en índices globales y por dimensiones. Para el análisis se utilizó estadística descriptiva, correlación de Spearman y regresión lineal simple. El estudio fue aprobado por el comité de ética. participaron 71 enfermeras de los servicios de urgencias, terapia intensiva y hospitalización. El índice global de cuidado perdido mostró una M=7,45 (DE=10,74); el índice con mayor cuidado perdido correspondió a la dimensión de intervenciones de cuidado básico (M=13,02, DE=17,60). El principal factor que contribuyó en el cuidado perdido, fue el de recursos humanos (M=56,13, DE=21,38). Los factores relacionados con el cuidado perdido fueron los de recursos humanos (rs=0,408, p<0,001) y comunicación (rs=0,418, p<0,001). el cuidado perdido de enfermería se atribuye principalmente al factor de recurso humano; los hallazgos de este estudio permitirán fortalecer la continuidad en el cuidado de enfermería.
[Comparative study of sleep patterns in nurses working day and night shifts].

PubMed

De Martino, Milva Maria Figueiredo

2002-08-01

To compare sleep patterns in nurses working day and night shifts in a hospital in Campinas (SP), Brazil. Fifty-nine nurses between 23 and 59 years of age participated in the study. For day shift workers, the pattern of nocturnal sleep was examined; for night shift workers, nocturnal and diurnal sleep patterns were examined. During 1 week, participants filled out a sleep diary right after waking up. The following items were assessed: time going to bed, falling asleep, and waking up; sleep latency; duration in hours of nocturnal and diurnal sleep; naps; quality of sleep; mode of waking up; and comparison between the sleep recorded in the diary with the usual sleep. Personal and professional information was also collected. Day shift workers went to bed at 23h36min, and night workers at 23h52min (P > 0.05). The nurses working a day schedule woke up earlier (7h3min) than those working a night schedule when they slept at night (8h30min) (P
Evaluation of the telephone intervention in the promotion of diabetes self-care: a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Fernandes, Bárbara Sgarbi Morgan; Reis, Ilka Afonso; Torres, Heloisa de Carvalho

2016-08-29

to evaluate the effectiveness of the telephone intervention for promoting self-care related to physical activity and following a diet plan in users with diabetes, compared to conventional monitoring of users over a six-month period. this was a randomized clinical trial, which included 210 users with diabetes, linked to eight Primary Health Units of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The experimental group (104 members) received six telephone interventions over the six-month monitoring; the control group (106 members) received conventional monitoring. To evaluate the self-care practices related to physical activity and following a healthy eating plan, in both groups, the self-care questionnaire was applied before the intervention and at three and six months after its start. the mean effect of self-care scores in the experimental group was 1.03 to 1.78 higher than the control group, with progressive and significant improvement (p<0.001). the results indicate that the telephone intervention had a beneficial effect on diabetes self-care. The primary identifier of the clinical trials registry was: RBR-8wx7qb. avaliar a efetividade da intervenção telefônica na promoção do autocuidado relacionado à atividade física e ao seguimento de um plano alimentar, em usuários com diabetes, quando comparada ao acompanhamento convencional dos usuários, durante o período de seis meses. trata-se de um ensaio clínico randomizado, no qual participaram 210 usuários com diabetes, vinculados a oito Unidades Básicas de Saúde de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. O grupo-experimental (104 usuários) recebeu seis intervenções telefônicas em seis meses de acompanhamento; o grupo-controle (106 usuários) recebeu acompanhamento convencional. Para avaliar as práticas de autocuidado, relacionada à atividade física e ao seguimento do plano alimentar saudável, em ambos os grupos, aplicou-se o questionário de autocuidado antes das intervenções, três e seis meses após o seu início. o efeito médio dos escores de autocuidado no grupo-experimental a pontuação foi de 1,03 a 1,78 maior do que o grupo-controle, apresentando melhora progressiva e significativa (valor-p<0,001). os resultados apontam que a intervenção telefônica tem efeito benéfico sobre o autocuidado em diabetes. O registro clínico obteve identificador primário: RBR-8wx7qb. evaluar la efectividad de la intervención telefónica en la promoción del autocuidado relacionado a la actividad física y al seguimiento de un plan alimentario, en usuarios con diabetes, cuando comparada al acompañamiento convencional de los usuarios, durante el período de seis meses. se trata de un ensayo clínico aleatorio, en el cual participaron 210 usuarios con diabetes, vinculados a ocho Unidades Básicas de la Salud de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. El grupo experimental (104 usuarios) recibió seis intervenciones telefónicas en seis meses de acompañamiento; el grupo control (106 usuarios) recibió acompañamiento convencional. Para evaluar las prácticas de autocuidado, relacionadas a la actividad física y al seguimiento del plan alimentario saludable, en los dos grupos, se aplicó el cuestionario de autocuidado antes de las intervenciones, tres y seis meses después de su inicio. el efecto promedio de los puntajes de autocuidado en el grupo experimental fue de 1,03 a 1,78 mayor que el grupo control, presentando mejoría progresiva y significativa (valor-p<0,001). los resultados apuntan que la intervención telefónica tiene efecto benéfico sobre el autocuidado en diabetes. El registro clínico obtuvo identificador primario: RBR-8wx7qb.
Maternal and neonatal factors related to prematurity.

PubMed

Oliveira, Laura Leismann de; Gonçalves, Annelise de Carvalho; Costa, Juvenal Soares Dias da; Bonilha, Ana Lucia de Lourenzi

2016-01-01

To identify maternal and neonatal factors associated with prematurity in the municipality of Porto Alegre. This was a population-based case-control study. The cases were newborns under 37 weeks of gestation and the controls were newborns over 37 weeks. The data came from the records of 19,457 births in the city of Porto Alegre in the year 2012 from the Information System on Live Births of the Municipal Health Department. The analysis was carried outand adjusted by a Logistic Regression according to a hierarchical model. The variables studied were allocated into three hierarchy levels: sociodemographic variables; reproductive history; and gestational and birth factors. There were 767 cases allocated and 1,534 controls in a design of a case for two controls (1:2) by simple randomization. In the final model, a statistically significant association was found for prematurity for the following variables: mother's age under 19 years old (OR=1.32; CI 95%: 1.02-1.71) or over 34 years old (OR=1.39; CI 95%: 1.12-1.72); inadequate maternal schooling for age (OR=2.11; CI 95%: 1.22-3.65); multiple pregnancies (OR=1.14; CI 95%: 1.01-1.29); C-section (OR=1.15; CI 95%: 1.03-1.29); birth weights under 2,500g (OR=4.04; CI 95%: 3.64-4.49); Apgar score at five minutes between zero and three (OR=1.47; CI 95%: 1.12-1.91); and inadequate prenatal care (OR=1.18; CI 95%: 1.02-1.36). The present study showed the most immediate consequence of prematurity for newborns by evidencing its association with worse Apgar scores and low birth weight. The following factors were also shown as possible more distal determinants of prematurity: mother's age; inadequate maternal education; multiple gestation; inadequate prenatal care; and C-section. Identificar fatores maternos e neonatais associados à prematuridade no município de Porto Alegre. Estudo do tipo caso-controle de base populacional. Os casos foram recém-nascidos com menos de 37 semanas de gestação, e os controles foram os recém-nascidos com 37 semanas ou mais. Os dados provieram dos registros de 19.457 nascimentos do município de Porto Alegre, no ano de 2012, no Sistema de Informações sobre Nascidos Vivos da Secretaria Municipal da Saúde. Foi realizada análise ajustada mediante Regressão Logística segundo modelo hierárquico. As variáveis estudadas foram alocadas em três níveis de hierarquia: variáveis sociodemográficas; história reprodutiva; fatores gestacionais e de nascimento. Foram alocados 767 casos e 1.534 controles, em um desenho de um caso para dois controles (1:2), mediante randomização simples. No modelo final, foi encontrada associação estatisticamente significante para prematuridade para as seguintes variáveis: idade materna menor que 19 anos (OR=1,32; IC 95%: 1,02 - 1,71) e maior que 34 anos (OR=1,39; IC 95%: 1,12 - 1,72); escolaridade materna inadequada para a idade (OR=2,11; IC 95%: 1,22 - 3,65); gravidez múltipla (OR=1,14; IC 95%: 1,01 - 1,29); cesariana (OR=1,15; IC 95%: 1,03 - 1,29); peso ao nascer menor a 2.500g (OR=4,04; IC 95%: 3,64 - 4,49); Índice de Apgar no 5° minuto de zero a três (OR=1,47; IC 95%: 1,12 - 1,91) e pré-natal inadequado (OR=1,18; IC 95%: 1,02 - 1,36). O presente estudo evidenciou as consequências mais imediatas da prematuridade para os recém-nascidos ao revelar sua associação com piores escores de Apgar e baixo peso ao nascimento. Mostrou como possíveis determinantes mais distais de prematuridade: idade materna, educação materna inadequada, gestação múltipla, pré-natal inadequado e realização de cesariana.
The Diagnosis and Understanding of Apraxia of Speech: Why Including Neurodegenerative Etiologies May Be Important

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duffy, Joseph R.; Josephs, Keith A.

2012-01-01

Purpose: To discuss apraxia of speech (AOS) as it occurs in neurodegenerative disease (progressive AOS [PAOS]) and how its careful study may contribute to general concepts of AOS and help refine its diagnostic criteria. Method: The article summarizes our current understanding of the clinical features and neuroanatomical and pathologic correlates…
Center for Adaptive Optics | AO Summer School

Science.gov Websites

School on Adaptive Optics Sponsored by: Center for Adaptive Optics The AO Summer School instruction is Adaptive Optics and their implementation. Our Summer School is intended to facilitate and encourage previous summer school web pages. Please contact us, if you would like more information on AO Summer School
Utility of Serum Creatinine, Creatine Kinase and Urinary Myoglobin in Detecting Acute Renal Failure due to Rhabdomyolysis in Trauma and Electrical Burns Patients.

PubMed

Bhavsar, Preetish; Rathod, Kirtikumar Jagdish; Rathod, Darshana; Chamania, C S

2013-02-01

Rhabdomyolysis due to trauma and burns is an important cause of acute renal failure (ARF) secondary to myoglobinuria. To prevent morbidity and mortality from ARF due to rhabdomyolysis, early detection of ARF by monitoring the biochemical parameters such as serum creatinine, serum creatine kinase (CK), and urinary myoglobin (UM) can be helpful. The aims of the study were (1) to detect ARF due to rhabdomyolysis using serum creatinine, serum CK, and UM in trauma and electrical burn patients (2) to compare utility of these parameters in early prediction of ARF in patients of rhabdomyolysis. A total of 50 patients with trauma and electrical burns were included in the study. Serum creatinine, serum CK, and UM measurements were done at the time of admission and after 48 h. Diagnosis of ARF was made in the patients by Rifle's criteria. The presence of significant elevation of creatinine, serum CK, and UM at the time of admission and after 48 h was compared in patients developing ARF by Fisher's exact test. Fifteen of the 50 patients developed ARF as per the defined criteria. Of these, 9 patients (60 %) had raised level of serum creatinine above 1.4 mg% at admission and 14 patients (93.33 %) had CK level >1250 U/L at admission, whereas UM was positive in 6 (40 %) patients. Serum creatinine was significantly raised in all of the 15 ARF patients (100 %) after 48 h of admission and serum CK was raised in 14 of the 15 ARF patients (93.33 %). UM was negative in all the patients after 48 h of admission. Statistical analysis showed that rise in serum CK on admission was significantly increased in patients developing ARF as compared with serum creatinine and UM (P < 0.0001). On admission, CK is a better predictor of ARF due to rhabdomyolysis than creatinine and UM. Initial creatinine is a better predictor of ARF due to rhabdomyolysis than UM. UM assay is not a good investigation for early prediction of ARF in rhabdomyolysis.
Validity of the Water Hammer Formula for Determining Regional Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity: Comparison of One-Point and Two-Point (Foot-to-Foot) Measurements Using a Multisensor Catheter in Human.

PubMed

Hanya, Shizuo

2013-01-01

Lack of high-fidelity simultaneous measurements of pressure and flow velocity in the aorta has impeded the direct validation of the water-hammer formula for estimating regional aortic pulse wave velocity (AO-PWV1) and has restricted the study of the change of beat-to-beat AO-PWV1 under varying physiological conditions in man. Aortic pulse wave velocity was derived using two methods in 15 normotensive subjects: 1) the conventional two-point (foot-to-foot) method (AO-PWV2) and 2) a one-point method (AO-PWV1) in which the pressure velocity-loop (PV-loop) was analyzed based on the water hammer formula using simultaneous measurements of flow velocity (Vm) and pressure (Pm) at the same site in the proximal aorta using a multisensor catheter. AO-PWV1 was calculated from the slope of the linear regression line between Pm and Vm where wave reflection (Pb) was at a minimum in early systole in the PV-loop using the water hammer formula, PWV1 = (Pm/Vm)/ρ, where ρ is the blood density. AO-PWV2 was calculated using the conventional two-point measurement method as the distance/traveling time of the wave between 2 sites for measuring P in the proximal aorta. Beat-to-beat alterations of AO-PWV1 in relationship to aortic pressure and linearity of the initial part of the PV-loop during a Valsalva maneuver were also assessed in one subject. The initial part of the loop became steeper in association with the beat-to-beat increase in diastolic pressure in phase 4 during the Valsalva maneuver. The linearity of the initial part of the PV-loop was maintained consistently during the maneuver. Flow velocity vs. pressure in the proximal aorta was highly linear during early systole, with Pearson's coefficients ranging from 0.9954 to 0.9998. The average values of AO-PWV1 and AO-PWV2 were 6.3 ± 1.2 and 6.7 ± 1.3 m/s, respectively. The regression line of AO-PWV1 on AO-PWV2 was y = 0.95x + 0.68 (r = 0.93, p <0.001). This study concluded that the water-hammer formula (one-point method) provides a reliable and conventional estimate of beat-to-beat aortic regional pulse wave velocity consistently regardless of the changes in physiological states in human clinically. (English Translation of J Jpn Coll Angiol 2011; 51: 215-221).

Validity of the Water Hammer Formula for Determining Regional Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity: Comparison of One-Point and Two-Point (Foot-to-Foot) Measurements Using a Multisensor Catheter in Human

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background: Lack of high-fidelity simultaneous measurements of pressure and flow velocity in the aorta has impeded the direct validation of the water-hammer formula for estimating regional aortic pulse wave velocity (AO-PWV1) and has restricted the study of the change of beat-to-beat AO-PWV1 under varying physiological conditions in man. Methods: Aortic pulse wave velocity was derived using two methods in 15 normotensive subjects: 1) the conventional two-point (foot-to-foot) method (AO-PWV2) and 2) a one-point method (AO-PWV1) in which the pressure velocity-loop (PV-loop) was analyzed based on the water hammer formula using simultaneous measurements of flow velocity (Vm) and pressure (Pm) at the same site in the proximal aorta using a multisensor catheter. AO-PWV1 was calculated from the slope of the linear regression line between Pm and Vm where wave reflection (Pb) was at a minimum in early systole in the PV-loop using the water hammer formula, PWV1 = (Pm/Vm)/ρ, where ρ is the blood density. AO-PWV2 was calculated using the conventional two-point measurement method as the distance/traveling time of the wave between 2 sites for measuring P in the proximal aorta. Beat-to-beat alterations of AO-PWV1 in relationship to aortic pressure and linearity of the initial part of the PV-loop during a Valsalva maneuver were also assessed in one subject. Results: The initial part of the loop became steeper in association with the beat-to-beat increase in diastolic pressure in phase 4 during the Valsalva maneuver. The linearity of the initial part of the PV-loop was maintained consistently during the maneuver. Flow velocity vs. pressure in the proximal aorta was highly linear during early systole, with Pearson’s coefficients ranging from 0.9954 to 0.9998. The average values of AO-PWV1 and AO-PWV2 were 6.3 ± 1.2 and 6.7 ± 1.3 m/s, respectively. The regression line of AO-PWV1 on AO-PWV2 was y = 0.95x + 0.68 (r = 0.93, p <0.001). Conclusion: This study concluded that the water-hammer formula (one-point method) provides a reliable and conventional estimate of beat-to-beat aortic regional pulse wave velocity consistently regardless of the changes in physiological states in human clinically. (*English Translation of J Jpn Coll Angiol 2011; 51: 215-221) PMID:23825494
Assessing the treatment effects in apraxia of speech: introduction and evaluation of the Modified Diadochokinesis Test.

PubMed

Hurkmans, Joost; Jonkers, Roel; Boonstra, Anne M; Stewart, Roy E; Reinders-Messelink, Heleen A

2012-01-01

The number of reliable and valid instruments to measure the effects of therapy in apraxia of speech (AoS) is limited. To evaluate the newly developed Modified Diadochokinesis Test (MDT), which is a task to assess the effects of rate and rhythm therapies for AoS in a multiple baseline across behaviours design. The consistency, accuracy and fluency of speech of 24 adults with AoS and 12 unaffected speakers matched for age, gender and educational level were assessed using the MDT. The reliability and validity of the instrument were considered and outcomes compared with those obtained with existing tests. The results revealed that MDT had a strong internal consistency. Scores were influenced by syllable structure complexity, while distinctive features of articulation had no measurable effect. The test-retest and intra- and inter-rater reliabilities were shown to be adequate, and the discriminant validity was good. For convergent validity different outcomes were found: apart from one correlation, the scores on tests assessing functional communication and AoS correlated significantly with the MDT outcome measures. The spontaneous speech phonology measure of the Aachen Aphasia Test (AAT) correlated significantly with the MDT outcome measures, but no correlations were found for the repetition subtest and the spontaneous speech articulation/prosody measure of the AAT. The study shows that the MDT has adequate psychometric properties, implying that it can be used to measure changes in speech motor control during treatment for apraxia of speech. The results demonstrate the validity and utility of the instrument as a supplement to speech tasks in assessing speech improvement aimed at the level of planning and programming of speech. © 2012 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
Combined Effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation and the Arctic Oscillation on Sea Surface Temperature in the Alborán Sea

PubMed Central

Báez, José C.; Gimeno, Luis; Gómez-Gesteira, Moncho; Ferri-Yáñez, Francisco; Real, Raimundo

2013-01-01

We explored the possible effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO) on interannual sea surface temperature (SST) variations in the Alborán Sea, both separately and combined. The probability of observing mean annual SST values higher than average was related to NAO and AO values of the previous year. The effect of NAO on SST was negative, while that of AO was positive. The pure effects of NAO and AO on SST are obscuring each other, due to the positive correlation between them. When decomposing SST, NAO and AO in seasonal values, we found that variation in mean annual SST and mean winter SST was significantly related to the mean autumn NAO of the previous year, while mean summer SST was related to mean autumn AO of the previous year. The one year delay in the effect of the NAO and AO on the SST could be partially related to the amount of accumulated snow, as we found a significant correlation between the total snow in the North Alborán watershed for a year with the annual average SST of the subsequent year. A positive AO implies a colder atmosphere in the Polar Regions, which could favour occasional cold waves over the Iberian Peninsula which, when coupled with precipitations favoured by a negative NAO, may result in snow precipitation. This snow may be accumulated in the high peaks and melt down in spring-summer of the following year, which consequently increases the runoff of freshwater to the sea, which in turn causes a diminution of sea surface salinity and density, and blocks the local upwelling of colder water, resulting in a higher SST. PMID:23638005
Review of adaptive optics OCT (AO-OCT): principles and applications for retinal imaging [Invited

PubMed Central

Pircher, Michael; Zawadzki, Robert J

2017-01-01

In vivo imaging of the human retina with a resolution that allows visualization of cellular structures has proven to be essential to broaden our knowledge about the physiology of this precious and very complex neural tissue that enables the first steps in vision. Many pathologic changes originate from functional and structural alterations on a cellular scale, long before any degradation in vision can be noted. Therefore, it is important to investigate these tissues with a sufficient level of detail in order to better understand associated disease development or the effects of therapeutic intervention. Optical retinal imaging modalities rely on the optical elements of the eye itself (mainly the cornea and lens) to produce retinal images and are therefore affected by the specific arrangement of these elements and possible imperfections in curvature. Thus, aberrations are introduced to the imaging light and image quality is degraded. To compensate for these aberrations, adaptive optics (AO), a technology initially developed in astronomy, has been utilized. However, the axial sectioning provided by retinal AO-based fundus cameras and scanning laser ophthalmoscope instruments is limited to tens of micrometers because of the rather small available numerical aperture of the eye. To overcome this limitation and thus achieve much higher axial sectioning in the order of 2-5µm, AO has been combined with optical coherence tomography (OCT) into AO-OCT. This enabled for the first time in vivo volumetric retinal imaging with high isotropic resolution. This article summarizes the technical aspects of AO-OCT and provides an overview on its various implementations and some of its clinical applications. In addition, latest developments in the field, such as computational AO-OCT and wavefront sensor less AO-OCT, are covered. PMID:28663890
Nitrite reductase activity of rat and human xanthine oxidase, xanthine dehydrogenase, and aldehyde oxidase: evaluation of their contribution to NO formation in vivo.

PubMed

Maia, Luisa B; Pereira, Vânia; Mira, Lurdes; Moura, José J G

2015-01-27

Nitrite is presently considered a NO "storage form" that can be made available, through its one-electron reduction, to maintain NO formation under hypoxia/anoxia. The molybdoenzymes xanthine oxidase/dehydrogenase (XO/XD) and aldehyde oxidase (AO) are two of the most promising mammalian nitrite reductases, and in this work, we characterized NO formation by rat and human XO/XD and AO. This is the first characterization of human enzymes, and our results support the employment of rat liver enzymes as suitable models of the human counterparts. A comprehensive kinetic characterization of the effect of pH on XO and AO-catalyzed nitrite reduction showed that the enzyme's specificity constant for nitrite increase 8-fold, while the Km(NO2(-)) decrease 6-fold, when the pH decreases from 7.4 to 6.3. These results demonstrate that the ability of XO/AO to trigger NO formation would be greatly enhanced under the acidic conditions characteristic of ischemia. The dioxygen inhibition was quantified, and the Ki(O2) values found (24.3-48.8 μM) suggest that in vivo NO formation would be fine-tuned by dioxygen availability. The potential in vivo relative physiological relevance of XO/XD/AO-dependent pathways of NO formation was evaluated using HepG2 and HMEC cell lines subjected to hypoxia. NO formation by the cells was found to be pH-, nitrite-, and dioxygen-dependent, and the relative contribution of XO/XD plus AO was found to be as high as 50%. Collectively, our results supported the possibility that XO/XD and AO can contribute to NO generation under hypoxia inside a living human cell. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism of XO/AO-catalyzed nitrite reduction was revised.
Haemodynamic responses to dehydration in the resting and exercising human leg.

PubMed

Pearson, James; Kalsi, Kameljit K; Stöhr, Eric J; Low, David A; Barker, Horace; Ali, Leena; González-Alonso, José

2013-06-01

Dehydration and hyperthermia reduces leg blood flow (LBF), cardiac output ([Formula: see text]) and arterial pressure during whole-body exercise. It is unknown whether the reductions in blood flow are associated with dehydration-induced alterations in arterial blood oxygen content (C aO2) and O2-dependent signalling. This study investigated the impact of dehydration and concomitant alterations in C aO2 upon LBF and [Formula: see text]. Haemodynamics, arterial and femoral venous blood parameters and plasma [ATP] were measured at rest and during one-legged knee-extensor exercise in 7 males in four conditions: (1) control, (2) mild dehydration, (3) moderate dehydration, and (4) rehydration. Relative to control, C aO2 and LBF increased with dehydration at rest and during exercise (C aO2: from 199 ± 1 to 208 ± 2, and 202 ± 2 to 210 ± 2 ml L(-1) and LBF: from 0.38 ± 0.04 to 0.77 ± 0.09, and 1.64 ± 0.09 to 1.88 ± 0.1 L min(-1), respectively). Similarly, [Formula: see text] was unchanged or increased with dehydration at rest and during exercise, whereas arterial and leg perfusion pressures declined. Following rehydration, C aO2 declined (to 193 ± 2 mL L(-1)) but LBF remained elevated. Alterations in LBF were unrelated to C aO2 (r (2) = 0.13-0.27, P = 0.48-0.64) and plasma [ATP]. These findings suggest dehydration and concomitant alterations in C aO2 do not compromise LBF despite reductions in plasma [ATP]. While an additive or synergistic effect cannot be excluded, reductions in LBF during exercise with dehydration may not necessarily be associated with alterations in C aO2 and/or intravascular [ATP].
Review of adaptive optics OCT (AO-OCT): principles and applications for retinal imaging [Invited].

PubMed

Pircher, Michael; Zawadzki, Robert J

2017-05-01

In vivo imaging of the human retina with a resolution that allows visualization of cellular structures has proven to be essential to broaden our knowledge about the physiology of this precious and very complex neural tissue that enables the first steps in vision. Many pathologic changes originate from functional and structural alterations on a cellular scale, long before any degradation in vision can be noted. Therefore, it is important to investigate these tissues with a sufficient level of detail in order to better understand associated disease development or the effects of therapeutic intervention. Optical retinal imaging modalities rely on the optical elements of the eye itself (mainly the cornea and lens) to produce retinal images and are therefore affected by the specific arrangement of these elements and possible imperfections in curvature. Thus, aberrations are introduced to the imaging light and image quality is degraded. To compensate for these aberrations, adaptive optics (AO), a technology initially developed in astronomy, has been utilized. However, the axial sectioning provided by retinal AO-based fundus cameras and scanning laser ophthalmoscope instruments is limited to tens of micrometers because of the rather small available numerical aperture of the eye. To overcome this limitation and thus achieve much higher axial sectioning in the order of 2-5µm, AO has been combined with optical coherence tomography (OCT) into AO-OCT. This enabled for the first time in vivo volumetric retinal imaging with high isotropic resolution. This article summarizes the technical aspects of AO-OCT and provides an overview on its various implementations and some of its clinical applications. In addition, latest developments in the field, such as computational AO-OCT and wavefront sensor less AO-OCT, are covered.
ADAPTIVE OPTICS IMAGING OF FOVEAL SPARING IN GEOGRAPHIC ATROPHY SECONDARY TO AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

PubMed

Querques, Giuseppe; Kamami-Levy, Cynthia; Georges, Anouk; Pedinielli, Alexandre; Capuano, Vittorio; Blanco-Garavito, Rocio; Poulon, Fanny; Souied, Eric H

2016-02-01

To describe adaptive optics (AO) imaging of foveal sparing in geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration. Flood-illumination AO infrared (IR) fundus images were obtained in four consecutive patients with GA using an AO retinal camera (rtx1; Imagine Eyes). Adaptive optics IR images were overlaid with confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope near-IR autofluorescence images to allow direct correlation of en face AO features with areas of foveal sparing. Adaptive optics appearance of GA and foveal sparing, preservation of functional photoreceptors, and cone densities in areas of foveal sparing were investigated. In 5 eyes of 4 patients (all female; mean age 74.2 ± 11.9 years), a total of 5 images, sized 4° × 4°, of foveal sparing visualized on confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope near-IR autofluorescence were investigated by AO imaging. En face AO images revealed GA as regions of inhomogeneous hyperreflectivity with irregularly dispersed hyporeflective clumps. By direct comparison with adjacent regions of GA, foveal sparing appeared as well-demarcated areas of reduced reflectivity with less hyporeflective clumps (mean 14.2 vs. 3.2; P = 0.03). Of note, in these areas, en face AO IR images revealed cone photoreceptors as hyperreflective dots over the background reflectivity (mean cone density 3,271 ± 1,109 cones per square millimeter). Microperimetry demonstrated residual function in areas of foveal sparing detected by confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope near-IR autofluorescence. Adaptive optics allows the appreciation of differences in reflectivity between regions of GA and foveal sparing. Preservation of functional cone photoreceptors was demonstrated on en face AO IR images in areas of foveal sparing detected by confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope near-IR autofluorescence.
Jasmonate-dependent modifications of the pectin matrix during potato development function as a defense mechanism targeted by Dickeya dadantii virulence factors.

PubMed

Taurino, Marco; Abelenda, Jose A; Río-Alvarez, Isabel; Navarro, Cristina; Vicedo, Begonya; Farmaki, Theodora; Jiménez, Pedro; García-Agustín, Pilar; López-Solanilla, Emilia; Prat, Salomé; Rojo, Enrique; Sánchez-Serrano, José J; Sanmartín, Maite

2014-02-01

The plant cell wall constitutes an essential protection barrier against pathogen attack. In addition, cell-wall disruption leads to accumulation of jasmonates (JAs), which are key signaling molecules for activation of plant inducible defense responses. However, whether JAs in return modulate the cell-wall composition to reinforce this defensive barrier remains unknown. The enzyme 13-allene oxide synthase (13-AOS) catalyzes the first committed step towards biosynthesis of JAs. In potato (Solanum tuberosum), there are two putative St13-AOS genes, which we show here to be differentially induced upon wounding. We also determine that both genes complement an Arabidopsis aos null mutant, indicating that they encode functional 13-AOS enzymes. Indeed, transgenic potato plants lacking both St13-AOS genes (CoAOS1/2 lines) exhibited a significant reduction of JAs, a concomitant decrease in wound-responsive gene activation, and an increased severity of soft rot disease symptoms caused by Dickeya dadantii. Intriguingly, a hypovirulent D. dadantii pel strain lacking the five major pectate lyases, which causes limited tissue maceration on wild-type plants, regained infectivity in CoAOS1/2 plants. In line with this, we found differences in pectin methyl esterase activity and cell-wall pectin composition between wild-type and CoAOS1/2 plants. Importantly, wild-type plants had pectins with a lower degree of methyl esterification, which are the substrates of the pectate lyases mutated in the pel strain. These results suggest that, during development of potato plants, JAs mediate modification of the pectin matrix to form a defensive barrier that is counteracted by pectinolytic virulence factors from D. dadantii. © 2013 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Confocal Adaptive Optics Imaging of Peripapillary Nerve Fiber Bundles: Implications for Glaucomatous Damage Seen on Circumpapillary OCT Scans.

PubMed

Hood, Donald C; Chen, Monica F; Lee, Dongwon; Epstein, Benjamin; Alhadeff, Paula; Rosen, Richard B; Ritch, Robert; Dubra, Alfredo; Chui, Toco Y P

2015-04-01

To improve our understanding of glaucomatous damage as seen on circumpapillary disc scans obtained with frequency-domain optical coherence tomography (fdOCT), fdOCT scans were compared to images of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber (RNF) bundles obtained with an adaptive optics-scanning light ophthalmoscope (AO-SLO). The AO-SLO images and fdOCT scans were obtained on 6 eyes of 6 patients with deep arcuate defects (5 points ≤-15 db) on 10-2 visual fields. The AO-SLO images were montaged and aligned with the fdOCT images to compare the RNF bundles seen with AO-SLO to the RNF layer thickness measured with fdOCT. All 6 eyes had an abnormally thin (1% confidence limit) RNF layer (RNFL) on fdOCT and abnormal (hyporeflective) regions of RNF bundles on AO-SLO in corresponding regions. However, regions of abnormal, but equal, RNFL thickness on fdOCT scans varied in appearance on AO-SLO images. These regions could be largely devoid of RNF bundles (5 eyes), have abnormal-appearing bundles of lower contrast (6 eyes), or have isolated areas with a few relatively normal-appearing bundles (2 eyes). There also were local variations in reflectivity of the fdOCT RNFL that corresponded to the variations in AO-SLO RNF bundle appearance. Relatively similar 10-2 defects with similar fdOCT RNFL thickness profiles can have very different degrees of RNF bundle damage as seen on fdOCT and AO-SLO. While the results point to limitations of fdOCT RNFL thickness as typically analyzed, they also illustrate the potential for improving fdOCT by attending to variations in local intensity.
High-resolution imaging of retinal nerve fiber bundles in glaucoma using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy.

PubMed

Takayama, Kohei; Ooto, Sotaro; Hangai, Masanori; Ueda-Arakawa, Naoko; Yoshida, Sachiko; Akagi, Tadamichi; Ikeda, Hanako Ohashi; Nonaka, Atsushi; Hanebuchi, Masaaki; Inoue, Takashi; Yoshimura, Nagahisa

2013-05-01

To detect pathologic changes in retinal nerve fiber bundles in glaucomatous eyes seen on images obtained by adaptive optics (AO) scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO SLO). Prospective cross-sectional study. Twenty-eight eyes of 28 patients with open-angle glaucoma and 21 normal eyes of 21 volunteer subjects underwent a full ophthalmologic examination, visual field testing using a Humphrey Field Analyzer, fundus photography, red-free SLO imaging, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, and imaging with an original prototype AO SLO system. The AO SLO images showed many hyperreflective bundles suggesting nerve fiber bundles. In glaucomatous eyes, the nerve fiber bundles were narrower than in normal eyes, and the nerve fiber layer thickness was correlated with the nerve fiber bundle widths on AO SLO (P < .001). In the nerve fiber layer defect area on fundus photography, the nerve fiber bundles on AO SLO were narrower compared with those in normal eyes (P < .001). At 60 degrees on the inferior temporal side of the optic disc, the nerve fiber bundle width was significantly lower, even in areas without nerve fiber layer defect, in eyes with glaucomatous eyes compared with normal eyes (P = .026). The mean deviations of each cluster in visual field testing were correlated with the corresponding nerve fiber bundle widths (P = .017). AO SLO images showed reduced nerve fiber bundle widths both in clinically normal and abnormal areas of glaucomatous eyes, and these abnormalities were associated with visual field defects, suggesting that AO SLO may be useful for detecting early nerve fiber bundle abnormalities associated with loss of visual function. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Characterization of a novel Aspergillus oryzae tannase expressed in Pichia pastoris.

PubMed

Koseki, Takuya; Ichikawa, Kyotaro; Sasaki, Katsuto; Shiono, Yoshihito

2018-05-31

We report the characterization of tannase-encoding gene, AotanB, from Aspergillus oryzae and its recombinant enzyme expressed in Pichia pastoris. The gene except for the signal sequence was cloned into a vector pPICZαA and the recombinant protein was secreted into the medium as an active enzyme. Recombinant AoTanB highly expressed in the incubation at 18°C compared to 30°C. Purified recombinant protein exhibited smeared band with molecular mass of approximately 90-120 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The recombinant protein yielded molecular mass of 65 kDa after N-deglycosylation. Purified recombinant enzyme had a pH and a temperature optima of 6.0 and 30-35°C, respectively, and was stable up to 40°C. Recombinant AoTanB was able to release gallic acid from natural substrates, such as (-)-catechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin gallate, (-)-gallochatechin gallate, and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate. The enzyme also hydrolyzed ethyl protocatechuate. Meanwhile, no activity was detected toward ethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate. The activity of recombinant AoTanB was lower toward natural substrates compared to that of AoTanA from A. oryzae. The lower catalytic efficiency (k cat /K m value) toward ethyl protocatechuate was due to a combination of increased K m and considerably decreased k cat . Kinetic analysis of the recombinant AoTanB showed that k cat values toward natural substrates decreased compared to those of recombinant AoTanA. Therefore, recombinant AoTanB showed a decrease in catalytic efficiency (k cat /K m value) compared to recombinant AoTanA was due to considerably lower k cat value. Copyright © 2018 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Occupational exposures to solvents and metals are associated with fixed airflow obstruction.

PubMed

Alif, Sheikh M; Dharmage, Shyamali C; Benke, Geza; Dennekamp, Martine; Burgess, John A; Perret, Jennifer L; Lodge, Caroline J; Morrison, Stephen; Johns, David P; Giles, Graham G; Gurrin, Lyle C; Thomas, Paul S; Hopper, John L; Wood-Baker, Richard; Thompson, Bruce R; Feather, Iain H; Vermeulen, Roel; Kromhout, Hans; Walters, E Haydn; Abramson, Michael J; Matheson, Melanie C

2017-11-01

Objectives This study investigated the associations between occupational exposures to solvents and metals and fixed airflow obstruction (AO) using post-bronchodilator spirometry. Methods We included 1335 participants from the 2002-2008 follow-up of the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study. Ever-exposure and cumulative exposure-unit (EU) years were calculated using the ALOHA plus job exposure matrix (JEM). Fixed AO was defined as post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) <0.7 and FEV 1 /FVC
Effect of Different Movement Speed Modes on Human Action Observation: An EEG Study.

PubMed

Luo, Tian-Jian; Lv, Jitu; Chao, Fei; Zhou, Changle

2018-01-01

Action observation (AO) generates event-related desynchronization (ERD) suppressions in the human brain by activating partial regions of the human mirror neuron system (hMNS). The activation of the hMNS response to AO remains controversial for several reasons. Therefore, this study investigated the activation of the hMNS response to a speed factor of AO by controlling the movement speed modes of a humanoid robot's arm movements. Since hMNS activation is reflected by ERD suppressions, electroencephalography (EEG) with BCI analysis methods for ERD suppressions were used as the recording and analysis modalities. Six healthy individuals were asked to participate in experiments comprising five different conditions. Four incremental-speed AO tasks and a motor imagery (MI) task involving imaging of the same movement were presented to the individuals. Occipital and sensorimotor regions were selected for BCI analyses. The experimental results showed that hMNS activation was higher in the occipital region but more robust in the sensorimotor region. Since the attended information impacts the activations of the hMNS during AO, the pattern of hMNS activations first rises and subsequently falls to a stable level during incremental-speed modes of AO. The discipline curves suggested that a moderate speed within a decent inter-stimulus interval (ISI) range produced the highest hMNS activations. Since a brain computer/machine interface (BCI) builds a path-way between human and computer/mahcine, the discipline curves will help to construct BCIs made by patterns of action observation (AO-BCI). Furthermore, a new method for constructing non-invasive brain machine brain interfaces (BMBIs) with moderate AO-BCI and motor imagery BCI (MI-BCI) was inspired by this paper.
Carbonate-activated hydrogen peroxide oxidation process for azo dye decolorization: Process, kinetics, and mechanisms.

PubMed

Li, Yang; Li, Lei; Chen, Zi-Xi; Zhang, Jie; Gong, Li; Wang, Yi-Xuan; Zhao, Han-Qing; Mu, Yang

2018-02-01

Advanced oxidation processes offer effective solutions in treating wastewater from various industries. This study is the first time to investigate the potential of carbonate-activated hydrogen peroxide (CAP) oxidation process for the removal of organic pollutant from highly alkaline wastewaters. Azo dye acid orange 7 (AO7) was selected as a model pollutant. The influences of various parameters on AO7 decolorization by the CAP oxidation were evaluated. Furthermore, the active species involved in AO7 degradation were explored using scavenger experiments and electron spin resonance analysis. Additionally, AO7 degradation products by the CAP oxidation were identified to elucidate possible transformation pathways. Results showed that the CAP oxidation had better AO7 decolorization performance compared to bicarbonate-activated hydrogen peroxide method. The AO7 decolorization efficiency augmented from 3.70 ± 0.76% to 54.27 ± 2.65% when carbonate concentration was increased from 0 to 50 mM at pH 13.0, and then changed slightly with further increasing carbonate concentration to 70 mM. It increased almost linearly from 5.95 ± 0.32% to 94.03 ± 0.39% as H 2 O 2 concentration was increased from 5 to 50 mM. Moreover, trace amount of Co(II) could facilitate AO7 decolorization by the CAP reaction. Superoxide and carbonate radicals might be the main reactive oxygen species involved in the CAP process. Finally, a possible degradation pathway of AO7 by the CAP oxidation was proposed based on the identified products. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
To Model Chemical Reactivity in Heterogeneous Emulsions, Think Homogeneous Microemulsions.

PubMed

Bravo-Díaz, Carlos; Romsted, Laurence Stuart; Liu, Changyao; Losada-Barreiro, Sonia; Pastoriza-Gallego, Maria José; Gao, Xiang; Gu, Qing; Krishnan, Gunaseelan; Sánchez-Paz, Verónica; Zhang, Yongliang; Dar, Aijaz Ahmad

2015-08-25

Two important and unsolved problems in the food industry and also fundamental questions in colloid chemistry are how to measure molecular distributions, especially antioxidants (AOs), and how to model chemical reactivity, including AO efficiency in opaque emulsions. The key to understanding reactivity in organized surfactant media is that reaction mechanisms are consistent with a discrete structures-separate continuous regions duality. Aggregate structures in emulsions are determined by highly cooperative but weak organizing forces that allow reactants to diffuse at rates approaching their diffusion-controlled limit. Reactant distributions for slow thermal bimolecular reactions are in dynamic equilibrium, and their distributions are proportional to their relative solubilities in the oil, interfacial, and aqueous regions. Our chemical kinetic method is grounded in thermodynamics and combines a pseudophase model with methods for monitoring the reactions of AOs with a hydrophobic arenediazonium ion probe in opaque emulsions. We introduce (a) the logic and basic assumptions of the pseudophase model used to define the distributions of AOs among the oil, interfacial, and aqueous regions in microemulsions and emulsions and (b) the dye derivatization and linear sweep voltammetry methods for monitoring the rates of reaction in opaque emulsions. Our results show that this approach provides a unique, versatile, and robust method for obtaining quantitative estimates of AO partition coefficients or partition constants and distributions and interfacial rate constants in emulsions. The examples provided illustrate the effects of various emulsion properties on AO distributions such as oil hydrophobicity, emulsifier structure and HLB, temperature, droplet size, surfactant charge, and acidity on reactant distributions. Finally, we show that the chemical kinetic method provides a natural explanation for the cut-off effect, a maximum followed by a sharp reduction in AO efficiency with increasing alkyl chain length of a particular AO. We conclude with perspectives and prospects.
Characteristics of a nationwide cohort of patients presenting with isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH).

PubMed

Bonomi, Marco; Vezzoli, Valeria; Krausz, Csilla; Guizzardi, Fabiana; Vezzani, Silvia; Simoni, Manuela; Bassi, Ivan; Duminuco, Paolo; Di Iorgi, Natascia; Giavoli, Claudia; Pizzocaro, Alessandro; Russo, Gianni; Moro, Mirella; Fatti, Letizia; Ferlin, Alberto; Mazzanti, Laura; Zatelli, Maria Chiara; Cannavò, Salvo; Isidori, Andrea M; Pincelli, Angela Ida; Prodam, Flavia; Mancini, Antonio; Limone, Paolo; Tanda, Maria Laura; Gaudino, Rossella; Salerno, Mariacarolina; Francesca, Pregnolato; Maghnie, Mohamad; Maggi, Mario; Persani, Luca

2018-01-01

Isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) is a rare disorder with pubertal delay, normal (normoosmic-IHH, nIHH) or defective sense of smell (Kallmann syndrome, KS). Other reproductive and non-reproductive anomalies might be present although information on their frequency are scanty, particularly according to the age of presentation. Observational cohort study carried out between January 2008 and June 2016 within a national network of academic or general hospitals. We performed a detailed phenotyping of 503 IHH patients with: (1) manifestations of hypogonadism with low sex steroid hormone and low/normal gonadotropins; (2) absence of expansive hypothalamic/pituitary lesions or multiple pituitary hormone defects. Cohort was divided on IHH onset (PPO, pre-pubertal onset or AO, adult onset) and olfactory function: PPO-nIHH ( n = 275), KS ( n = 184), AO-nIHH ( n = 36) and AO-doIHH (AO-IHH with defective olfaction, n = 8). 90% of patients were classified as PPO and 10% as AO. Typical midline and olfactory defects, bimanual synkinesis and familiarity for pubertal delay were also found among the AO-IHH. Mean age at diagnosis was significantly earlier and more frequently associated with congenital hypogonadism stigmata in patients with Kallmann's syndrome (KS). Synkinesis, renal and male genital tract anomalies were enriched in KS. Overweight/obesity are significantly associated with AO-IHH rather than PPO-IHH. Patients with KS are more prone to develop a severe and complex phenotype than nIHH. The presence of typical extra-gonadal defects and familiarity for PPO-IHH among the AO-IHH patients indicates a common predisposition with variable clinical expression. Overall, these findings improve the understanding of IHH and may have a positive impact on the management of patients and their families. © 2018 European Society of Endocrinology.
High-speed adaptive optics for imaging of the living human eye

PubMed Central

Yu, Yongxin; Zhang, Tianjiao; Meadway, Alexander; Wang, Xiaolin; Zhang, Yuhua

2015-01-01

The discovery of high frequency temporal fluctuation of human ocular wave aberration dictates the necessity of high speed adaptive optics (AO) correction for high resolution retinal imaging. We present a high speed AO system for an experimental adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO). We developed a custom high speed Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor and maximized the wavefront detection speed based upon a trade-off among the wavefront spatial sampling density, the dynamic range, and the measurement sensitivity. We examined the temporal dynamic property of the ocular wavefront under the AOSLO imaging condition and improved the dual-thread AO control strategy. The high speed AO can be operated with a closed-loop frequency up to 110 Hz. Experiment results demonstrated that the high speed AO system can provide improved compensation for the wave aberration up to 30 Hz in the living human eye. PMID:26368408
Space Environmental Effects on Coated Tether Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gittemeier, Keith A.; Hawk, Clark W.; Finckenor, Miria M.; Watts, Ed

2005-01-01

The University of Alabama in Huntsville s Propulsion Research Center has teamed with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to research the effects of atomic oxygen (AO) bombardment on coated tether materials. Tethers Unlimited Inc. has provided several candidate tether materials with various coatings for AO exposure in MSFC s Atomic Oxygen Beam Facility. Additional samples were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation at MSFC. AO erodes most organic materials, and ultraviolet radiation embrittles polymers. This test series was performed to determine the effect of AO and UV on the mechanical integrity of tether materials that were treated with AO-protective coatings, such as polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) or metallization. Both TUI's Multi-Application Survivable Tether (MAST) Experiment and Marshall Space Flight Center s Momentum Exchange Electrodynamic Reboost (MXER) programs will benefit from this research by helping to determine tether materials and coatings that give the longest life with the lowest mass penalty.
Status and Plans for Finalization of SRT's Contribution to AIRS Version-7 and Version-7 AO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel; Blaisdell, John; Iredell, Lena; Kouvaris, Louis C.

2017-01-01

Version-6.46 temperature profiles, water vapor profiles, and especially total O3, are very much compared to Version-6. With minor tweaking, Version-6.46 is a good candidate for use in Version-7. JPL Version-6.4.6 and Version-6.4.6 AO monthly mean products agree extremely well with each other. Version-6.4.6 AO is accurate enough that there is not necessarily a need to process both Version-7 and Version-7 AO data sets. Single day comparisons show Version-6.46 CrIS/ATMS and Version-6.46 AIRS/AMSU products agree extremely well with each other. We need to demonstrate agreement of Version-6.46 CrIS/ATMS and Version-6.46 AO products on a monthly mean basis for different months and years. CrIS/ATMS and AIRS/AMSU monthly mean comparisons showed excellent agreement using a previous version.

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