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Ensuring Access to Safe and Nutritious Food for All Through the Transformation of Food Systems
Sensitivity analysis for ReaxFF reparameterization using the Hilbert-Schmidt independence criterion
We apply a global sensitivity method, the Hilbert-Schmidt independence
criterion (HSIC), to the reparameterization of a Zn/S/H ReaxFF force field to
identify the most appropriate parameters for reparameterization. Parameter
selection remains a challenge in this context as high dimensional optimizations
are prone to overfitting and take a long time, but selecting too few parameters
leads to poor quality force fields. We show that the HSIC correctly and quickly
identifies the most sensitive parameters, and that optimizations done using a
small number of sensitive parameters outperform those done using a higher
dimensional reasonable-user parameter selection. Optimizations using only
sensitive parameters: 1) converge faster, 2) have loss values comparable to
those found with the naive selection, 3) have similar accuracy in validation
tests, and 4) do not suffer from problems of overfitting. We demonstrate that
an HSIC global sensitivity is a cheap optimization pre-processing step that has
both qualitative and quantitative benefits which can substantially simplify and
speedup ReaxFF reparameterizations.Comment: author accepted manuscrip
The impact of innovative technologies in construction activities on concrete debris recycling in China : a system dynamics-based analysis
As construction activities become more intensive in developing countries, increasing improperly managed construction and demolition waste (CDW) brings serious environmental impacts. Recycling is a beneficial way to dispose of CDW that reduces environmental impact and brings economic benefits, especially for concrete. China is the country that generates the most CDW in the world, but its domestic recycling rate is much lower than that of developed countries. While the efficient technologies in developed regions have helped them to achieve a well-established recycling industry, whether these innovative technologies can be used to improve the concrete debris recycling targets in developing regions is unclear. This study examines whether innovations currently widely used in construction activities and materials can have a positive effect on the recycling of End-of-Life concrete materials in China. Results from modeling system dynamics imply that the introduction of innovative technologies in the recycling system of concrete debris can probably contribute to CO2 reduction (3.6% reduction) and economic benefits (2.6 times increase, but mainly from landfill charges and fines) from 2022 to 2030. Prefabrication and 3D printing significantly impact recycled concrete production and CDW recycling, and they are recommended as a priority for promotion. In contrast, carbonation is not suggested for application due to its minor role. Nevertheless, since the market share of innovative technologies and the basic CDW recycling rates are currently low in China, fluctuations in their usage are hardly to have a substantial positive impact. We suggest that financial support from the government is needed for upcycling by recyclers and technology providers to improve the base recycling rate in order for innovative technologies to make an effective contribution to the sustainable construction industry, creating a win–win situation for both the economy and the environment of the recycling system
Construction of radon chamber to expose active and passive detectors
In this research and development, we present the design and manufacture of a radon chamber
(PUCP radon chamber), a necessary tool for the calibration of passive detectors, verification
of the operation of active radon monitors as well as diffusion chamber calibration used in
radon measurements in air, and soils. The first chapter is an introduction to describe radon
gas and national levels of radon concentration given by many organizations. Parameters that
influence the calibration factor of the LR 115 type 2 film detector are studied, such as the
energy window, critical angle, and effective volumes. Those are strongly related to the etching
processes and counting of tracks all seen from a semi-empirical approach studied in the second
chapter. The third chapter presents a review of some radon chambers that have been reported
in the literature, based on their size and mode of operation as well as the radon source they use.
The design and construction of the radon chamber are presented, use of uranium ore (autunite)
as a chamber source is also discussed. In chapter fourth, radon chamber characterization
is presented through leakage lambda, homogeneity of radon concentration, regimes-operation
modes, and the saturation concentrations that can be reached. Procedures and methodology
used in this work are contained in the fifth chapter and also some uses and applications of the
PUCP radon chamber are presented; the calibration of cylindrical metallic diffusion chamber
based on CR-39 chips detectors taking into account overlapping effect; transmission factors of
gaps and pinhole for the same diffusion chambers are determined; permeability of glass fiber
filter for 222Rn is obtained after reach equilibrium through Ramachandran model and taking
into account a partition function as the rate of track density. The results of this research have
been published in indexed journals. Finally, the conclusion and recommendations that reflect
the fulfillment aims of this thesis are presented
Basis, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Uveal Melanoma
Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy with a strong tendency to metastasize. The prognosis is poor once metastasis occurs. The treatment remains challenging for metastatic UM, even though our understanding of UM has advanced. Risk factors for developing UM include ages, skin colors, and genetic mutations. Many therapies that have applied to cutaneous melanoma have little or no success in UM. Various forms and combinations of radiotherapy, phototherapy, and local resection are utilized for advanced cases. The treatment aims to preserve the eye and useful vision and prevent metastases. This chapter aims to introduce the current study for UM
Norsk rå kumelk, en kilde til zoonotiske patogener?
The worldwide emerging trend of eating “natural” foods, that has not been
processed, also applies for beverages. According to Norwegian legislation, all
milk must be pasteurized before commercial sale but drinking milk that has
not been heat-treated, is gaining increasing popularity. Scientist are warning
against this trend and highlights the risk of contracting disease from milkborne
microorganisms. To examine potential risks associated with drinking
unpasteurized milk in Norway, milk- and environmental samples were
collected from dairy farms located in south-east of Norway. The samples
were analyzed for the presence of specific zoonotic pathogens; Listeria
monocytogenes, Campylobacter spp., and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia
coli (STEC). Cattle are known to be healthy carriers of these pathogens, and
Campylobacter spp. and STEC have a low infectious dose, meaning that
infection can be established by ingesting a low number of bacterial cells. L.
monocytogenes causes one of the most severe foodborne zoonotic diseases,
listeriosis, that has a high fatality rate. All three pathogens have caused milk
borne disease outbreaks all over the world, also in Norway.
During this work, we observed that the prevalence of the three examined
bacteria were high in the environment at the examined farms. In addition, 7%
of the milk filters were contaminated by STEC, 13% by L. monocytogenes and
4% by Campylobacter spp. Four of the STEC isolates detected were eaepositive,
which is associated with the capability to cause severe human
disease. One of the eae-positive STEC isolates were collected from a milk
filter, which strongly indicate that Norwegian raw milk may contain potential
pathogenic STEC.
To further assess the possibilities of getting ill by STEC after consuming raw
milk, we examined the growth of the four eae-positive STEC isolates in raw milk at different temperatures. All four isolates seemed to have ability to multiply in raw milk at 8°C, and one isolate had significant growth after 72 hours. Incubation at 6°C seemed to reduce the number of bacteria during the
first 24 hours before cell death stopped. These findings highlight the
importance of stable refrigerator temperatures, preferable < 4°C, for storage
of raw milk.
The L. monocytogenes isolates collected during this study show genetic
similarities to isolates collected from urban and rural environmental
locations, but different clones were predominant in agricultural
environments compared to clinical and food environments. However, the
results indicate that the same clone can persist in a farm over time, and that
milk can be contaminated by L. monocytogenes clones present in farm
environment.
Despite testing small volumes (25 mL) of milk, we were able to isolate both
STEC and Campylobacter spp. directly from raw milk. A proportion of 3% of
the bulk tank milk and teat milk samples were contaminated by
Campylobacter spp. and one STEC was isolated from bulk tank milk. L
monocytogenes was not detected in bulk tank milk, nor in teat milk samples.
The agricultural evolvement during the past decades have led to larger
production units and new food safety challenges. Dairy cattle production in
Norway is in a current transition from tie-stall housing with conventional
pipeline milking systems, to modern loose housing systems with robotic
milking. The occurrence of the three pathogens in this project were higher in
samples collected from farms with loose housing compared to those with tiestall
housing.
Pasteurization of cow’s milk is a risk reducing procedure to protect
consumers from microbial pathogens and in most EU countries, commercial
distribution of unpasteurized milk is legally restricted. Together, the results
presented in this thesis show that the animal housing may influence the level
of pathogenic bacteria in the raw milk and that ingestion of Norwegian raw
cow’s milk may expose consumers to pathogenic bacteria which can cause
severe disease, especially in children, elderly and in persons with underlying
diseases. The results also highlight the importance of storing raw milk at low
temperatures between milking and consumption.Å spise mat som er mindre prosessert og mer «naturlig» er en pågående
trend i Norge og i andre deler av verden. Interessen for å drikke melk som
ikke er varmebehandlet, såkalt rå melk, er også økende. I Norge er det påbudt
å pasteurisere melk før kommersielt salg for å beskytte forbrukeren mot
sykdomsfremkallende mikroorganismer. Fagfolk advarer mot å drikke rå
melk, og påpeker risikoen for å bli syk av patogene bakterier som kan finnes i
melken.
I denne avhandlingen undersøker vi den potensielle risikoen det medfører å
drikke upasteurisert melk fra Norge. I tillegg til å samle inn tankmelk- og
speneprøver fra melkegårder i sørøst Norge, samlet vi også miljøprøver fra
de samme gårdene for å kartlegge forekomst og for å identifisere potensielle
mattrygghetsrisikoer i melkeproduksjonen. Alle prøvene ble analysert for de
zoonotiske sykdomsfremkallende bakteriene Listeria monocytogenes,
Campylobacter spp., og Shiga toksin-produserende Escherichia coli (STEC).
Kyr kan være friske smittebærere av disse bakteriene, som dermed kan
etablere et reservoar på gårdene. Bakteriene kan overføres fra gårdsmiljøet
til melkekjeden og dermed utfordre mattryggheten. Disse bakteriene har
forårsaket melkebårne sykdomsutbrudd over hele verden, også i Norge.
Campylobacter spp. og STEC har lav infeksiøs dose, som vil si at man kan bli
syk selv om man bare inntar et lavt antall bakterieceller. L. monocytogenes
kan gi sykdommen listeriose, en av de mest alvorlige matbårne zoonotiske
sykdommene vi har i den vestlige verden.
Resultater fra denne oppgaven viser en høy forekomst av de tre patogenene i
gårdsmiljøet. I tillegg var 7% av melkefiltrene vi testet positive for STEC, 13%
positive for L. monocytogenes og 4% positive for Campylobacter spp.. Fire av
STEC isolatene bar genet for Intimin, eae, som er ansett som en viktig
virulensfaktor som øker sjansen for alvorlig sykdom. Ett av de eae-positive
isolatene ble funnet i et melkefilter, noe som indikerer at norsk rå melk kan
inneholde patogene STEC. For å videre vurdere risikoen for å bli syk av STEC
fra rå melk undersøkte vi hvordan de fire eae-positive isolatene vokste i rå
melk lagret ved forskjellige temperaturer. For alle isolatene økte antall
bakterier etter lagring ved 8°C, og for et isolat var veksten signifikant. Etter
lagring ved 6°C ble antallet bakterier redusert de første 24 timene, deretter
stoppet reduksjonen i antall bakterier. Disse resultatene viser hvor viktig det
er å ha stabil lav lagringstemperatur for rå melk, helst < 4°C.
L. monocytogenes isolatene som ble samlet inn fra melkegårdene viste
genetiske likheter med isolater samlet inn fra urbane og rurale miljøer rundt
omkring i Norge. Derimot var kloner som dominerte i landbruksmiljøet
forskjellige fra kliniske isolater og isolater fra matproduksjonslokaler. Videre
så man at en klone kan persistere på en gård over tid og at melk kan
kontamineres av L. monocytogenes kloner som er til stede i gårdsmiljøet.
Til tross for små testvolum av tankmelken (25 mL) fant vi både STEC og
Campylobacter spp. i melkeprøvene. 3% av tankmelkprøvene og
speneprøvene var positive for Campylobacter spp. og ett STEC isolat ble
funnet i tankmelk. L. monocytogenes ble ikke funnet direkte i melkeprøvene.
Landbruket i Norge er i stadig utvikling der besetningene blir større, men
færre. Melkebesetningene er midt i en overgang der tradisjonell oppstalling
med melking på bås byttes ut med løsdriftssystemer og melkeroboter.
Forekomsten av de tre patogenene funnet i denne studien var høyere i
besetningene med løsdrift sammenliknet med besetningene som hadde
melkekyrne oppstallet på bås.
Pasteurisering er et viktig forebyggende tiltak for å beskytte konsumenter fra
mikrobielle patogener, og i de fleste EU-land er kommersielt salg av rå melk
juridisk begrenset. Denne studien viser at oppstallingstype kan påvirke
nivåene av patogene bakterier i gårdsmiljøet og i rå melk. Inntak av rå melk
kan eksponere forbruker for patogene bakterier som kan gi alvorlig sykdom,
spesielt hos barn, eldre og personer med underliggende sykdommer.
Resultatene underbygger viktigheten av å pasteurisere melk for å sikre
mattryggheten, og at det er avgjørende å lagre rå melk ved kontinuerlig lave
temperaturer for å forebygge vekst av zoonotiske patogener
Anuário científico da Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa - 2021
É com grande prazer que apresentamos a mais recente edição (a 11.ª) do Anuário Científico da Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa. Como instituição de ensino superior, temos o compromisso de promover e incentivar a pesquisa científica em todas as áreas do conhecimento que contemplam a nossa missão. Esta publicação tem como objetivo divulgar toda a produção científica desenvolvida pelos Professores, Investigadores, Estudantes e Pessoal não Docente da ESTeSL durante 2021. Este Anuário é, assim, o reflexo do trabalho árduo e dedicado da nossa comunidade, que se empenhou na produção de conteúdo científico de elevada qualidade e partilhada com a Sociedade na forma de livros, capítulos de livros, artigos publicados em revistas nacionais e internacionais, resumos de comunicações orais e pósteres, bem como resultado dos trabalhos de 1º e 2º ciclo. Com isto, o conteúdo desta publicação abrange uma ampla variedade de tópicos, desde temas mais fundamentais até estudos de aplicação prática em contextos específicos de Saúde, refletindo desta forma a pluralidade e diversidade de áreas que definem, e tornam única, a ESTeSL. Acreditamos que a investigação e pesquisa científica é um eixo fundamental para o desenvolvimento da sociedade e é por isso que incentivamos os nossos estudantes a envolverem-se em atividades de pesquisa e prática baseada na evidência desde o início dos seus estudos na ESTeSL. Esta publicação é um exemplo do sucesso desses esforços, sendo a maior de sempre, o que faz com que estejamos muito orgulhosos em partilhar os resultados e descobertas dos nossos investigadores com a comunidade científica e o público em geral. Esperamos que este Anuário inspire e motive outros estudantes, profissionais de saúde, professores e outros colaboradores a continuarem a explorar novas ideias e contribuir para o avanço da ciência e da tecnologia no corpo de conhecimento próprio das áreas que compõe a ESTeSL. Agradecemos a todos os envolvidos na produção deste anuário e desejamos uma leitura inspiradora e agradável.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Neuroanatomical and gene expression features of the rabbit accessory olfactory system. Implications of pheromone communication in reproductive behaviour and animal physiology
Mainly driven by the vomeronasal system (VNS), pheromone
communication is involved in many species-specific fundamental innate socio-sexual behaviors such as mating and
fighting, which are essential for animal reproduction and survival. Rabbits are a unique model for studying
chemocommunication due to the discovery of the rabbit mammary pheromone, but paradoxically there has been a
lack of knowledge regarding its VNS pathway. In this work, we aim at filling this gap by approaching the system
from an integrative point of view, providing extensive anatomical and genomic data of the rabbit VNS, as well as
pheromone-mediated reproductive and behavioural studies. Our results build strong foundation for further
translational studies which aim at implementing the use of pheromones to improve animal production and welfare
Dispersive formalism for the nuclear structure correction to the decay rate
We analyze the axial -box diagram for nuclei and
provide a dispersion representation of the nuclear-structure correction
including its energy-dependent part. We also summarize
useful isospin rotation formula and representations in nuclear theory that
could facilitate the calculation of the parity-odd nuclear structure function
. They provide a rigorous theory framework for the future,
high-precision calculation of the nuclear structure correction
necessary for the extraction of the
Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element from superallowed nuclear
decays.Comment: Version accepted by Physical Review
EVALUACIÓN ANALGÉSICA PERIOPERATORIA DEL ACETAMINOFÉN EN PERRAS SOMETIDAS A OVARIOHISTERECTOMÍA ELECTIVA
Tesis de doctorado que evalúa el efecto analgésico del acetaminofén en perras ovarihisterectomizadas.La administración de analgésicos antiinflamatorios no esteroidales (AINES) para el control del
dolor post-quirúrgico en perros es una práctica común, debido a sus efectos analgésicos,
antiinflamatorios y antipiréticos. En el presente trabajo se realizaron dos estudios. En el
experimento 1, el objetivo fue evaluar la analgesia post-operatoria del acetaminofén
(paracetamol) a través de la utilización de las escalas de reconocimiento clínico del dolor
DIVAS (Escala Dinámica e Interactiva Analógica Visual) y UMPS (Escala de la Universidad
de Melbourne), en perras sometidas a ovariohisterectomía electiva. Además de valorar la
seguridad y eficacia clínica del uso del acetaminofén en perros mediante pruebas de
funcionamiento hepático y renal en el post-operatorio inmediato. Para ello, se utilizaron 30
perras de diferentes razas que fueron asignadas aleatoriamente a uno de los tres grupos de
tratamiento: acetaminofén [GACET; n=10, 15 mg kg-1 intravenoso (IV)], carprofeno (GCARP;
n=10, 4 mg kg-1 IV) y meloxicam (GMELOX; n=10, 0.2 mg kg-1 IV). Todos los tratamientos se
administraron 30 minutos antes de la cirugía y posterior a esta durante 48 horas. En este período
el acetaminofén se administró por vía oral cada 8 horas (15 mg kg-1); el carprofeno (4 mg kg-1)
y el meloxicam (0.1 mg kg-1) se administraron por vía IV cada 24 horas. Durante el
postoperatorio, los sistemas de puntuación del dolor DIVAS y UMPS fueron medidos a las 1,
2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 36 y 48 horas post-cirugía. Para evaluar la seguridad clínica de los
tratamientos, se recolectaron muestras de sangre de la vena yugular para realizar la medición de
enzimas ALT, AST, ALP, y los metabolitos bilirrubina directa, bilirrubina indirecta, bilirrubina
total, creatinina, urea, albúmina y glucosa. Esto fue realizado en T0 (pre-anestesia; TBASAL), 48
y 96 horas después de la cirugía (T48, T96). Los resultados indican que en la evaluación clínica
del dolor de todos los grupos de estudio, hubo una reducción gradual en la percepción del mismo
durante el postoperatorio en ambos sistemas de puntuación; no obstante, también fue observado
que ninguna escala difirió significativamente entre los tres grupos de tratamiento (P>0.05) en
cada momento de evaluación durante las 48 horas post-cirugía. En cuanto a los parámetros
bioquímico séricos, sólo la ALT aumentó significativamente en T96 en el GACET y GCARP con
respecto a los valores basales (P<0.01). El resto de los analitos séricos evaluados se mantuvo
en rangos normales. En el experimento 2 bajo el mismo diseño experimental de tratamientos
administrados, el objetivo fue evaluar el efecto analgésico perioperatorio del acetaminofén
2
administrado pre y post-quirúrgicamente en perras sometidas a ovariohisterectomía electiva a
través de la medición del índice de la actividad del tono parasimpático (PTA). Este parámetro
hemodinámico fue medido 60 minutos antes de la cirugía (TBASAL) y durante el transquirúrgico
en la aplicación de estímulos nociceptivos: colocación de las pinzas de campo backhouse
(TPINZ), incisión de piel y abordaje quirúrgico primario (TINC), ligadura y extracción de pedículo
ovárico izquierdo (TOVI) y derecho (TOVD), ligadura y transfixión del cuello uterino (TLIGUT),
sección quirúrgica del cuello uterino (TCUT), reconstrucción de peritoneo y planos anatómicos
musculares (TMUSC) y sutura de piel (TSUT). Durante el postoperatorio, el índice PTA fue
valorado a las 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 36 y 48 horas, en los mismos tiempos en que fueron
evaluadas las escalas de reconocimiento de dolor DIVAS y UMPS. Los resultados obtenidos en
la medición del índice PTA basal para GACET fue 65 ± 8, para GCARP 65 ± 7 y para GMELOX 62 ±
5. Durante los diferentes tiempos transquirúrgicos, los valores promedio de índice PTA indican
que GACET (76 ± 14) y GMELOX (72 ± 18) muestran tendencia a manifestar mayores niveles en
comparación con GCARP (62 ± 13) desde el inicio del procedimiento quirúrgico sin que esto
pudiera comprobarse estadísticamente, ya que no hubo diferencias significativas entre grupos
de tratamiento ni entre los tiempos quirúrgicos evaluados (P>0.05). En el postoperatorio, el
índice PTA fue de 65 ± 9 en el GACET, 63 ± 8 en el GCARP y 65 ± 8 en el GMELOX. Los resultados
tampoco mostraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas con los valores basales o entre
los tratamientos (P>0.05). El índice PTA postoperatorio mostró una sensibilidad del 40%,
especificidad del 98.46% y valor predictivo negativo del 99.07% con respecto a la escala
validada de UMPS. En conclusión, el acetaminofén puede considerarse una herramienta para el
tratamiento efectivo del dolor perioperatorio agudo en perros, ya que mostró la misma eficacia
clínica que el meloxicam y el carprofeno para la analgesia postquirúrgica en perras sometidas a
ovariohisterectomía electiva. Además, la evidencia del uso de este medicamento no condujo a
reacciones adversas o cambios en los parámetros evaluados, lo que indica su seguridad clínica.
Finalmente, destacar que el índice PTA representa una medición objetiva del comfort y
analgesia postoperatoria, por lo que es una herramienta que podría ayudar a predecir las
respuestas hemodinámicas asociadas con el dolor
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