Accidental Ear Burns Following Anaesthesia in Mice

Homoeothermic heating systems are frequently used to prevent the occurrence of hypothermia during mice anaesthesia. The burn hazard is a relatively frequent but not well document post-operative situation in small animal practice. This paper reports a case of ear burns following anaesthesia in ICR (CD-1) mice

La evaluación de la actitud de los futuros profesionales hacia la Estadística: un análisis multivariante.

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar las actitudes de los alumnos (futuros profesionales) con respecto a la Unidad Curricular de Estadística, en una muestra de 108 alumnos pertenecientes a la Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão de Bragança (Portugal). Este estudio se aplicó a alumnos de los Cursos de áreas de estudio de ciencias empresariales e ingeniería. Se identificaron las actitudes positivas o negativas de los alumnos hacia la Estadística, en los diferentes componentes de la actitud estudiados y que se basaron en: afectivo, cognitivo, valor y dificultad. Se aplicó una encuesta mediante un cuestionario, con una escala de actitudes hacia la Estadística. Para el análisis de los datos se tomó como base un análisis descriptivo y también una técnica estadística multivariante, el Análisis Factorial. Los resultados indican una actitud positiva de los encuestados hacia la Estadística, a nivel global. En los diferentes componentes, se verificaron actitudes favorables en los componentes afectivos, cognitivo y valor. El componente dificultad presenta una actitud desfavorable. Se cree que el presente estudio puede servir de referencia para comparar otras áreas de estudio, pudiendo incluso servir de base comparativa para otros estudios que se puedan realizar en contextos y momentos diferentes

Spontaneous emission between an unusual pair of plates

We compute the modification in the spontaneous emission rate for a two-level atom when it is located between two parallel plates of different nature: a perfectly conducting plate $(\epsilon\to \infty)$ and an infinitely permeable one $(\mu\to \infty)$. We also discuss the case of two infinitely permeable plates. We compare our results with those found in the literature for the case of two perfectly conducting plates.Comment: latex file 4 pages, 4 figure

Dynamical Casimir effect with Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions

We derive the radiation pressure force on a non-relativistic moving plate in 1+1 dimensions. We assume that a massless scalar field satisfies either Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions (BC) at the instantaneous position of the plate. We show that when the state of the field is invariant under time translations, the results derived for Dirichlet and Neumann BC are equal. We discuss the force for a thermal field state as an example for this case. On the other hand, a coherent state introduces a phase reference, and the two types of BC lead to different results.Comment: 12 page

A roadmap for lifting restrictive measures for COVID-19

After more than one year of the pandemic, we now know that no single preventive measure affords fully effective control of virus transmission. Therefore, it is vital to combine different approaches to quickly identify the cases, trace their contacts, constantly reduce the risk of transmission, promptly respond to outbreaks or community transmission and monitor the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants. The updated Strategic Framework presented sets out tools that were used to restore, in a phased approach, normality to life in Portugal on 11 March 2021. Immediate short-term government responses are needed to save lives and livelihoods. However, the crisis could also provide valuable lessons for longer-term resilience of systems that support well-being over time, such as social connections and social capital, opening up new ways of working and living, and reinforcing the capacity of public services and social safety nets to react in times of crisis. Should COVID-19 move to being an endemic or seasonal disease such as influenza, the lessons learned from the response to the pandemic will be helpful in successful containing and preventing new waves of COVID-19.The authors would like to thank S Marques and B Monteiro for the table design and formatting. AA holds a PhD Grant (Ref. 2020.09390.BD), co-funded by the FCT and the Fundo Social Europeu (FSE) Program

Corrosion and tribocorrosion behaviour of titanium nitride thin films grown on titanium under different deposition times

Ti and its alloys exhibit combination of unique properties for biomedical applications, however their poor tribo-electrochemical behaviour is a major concern. Therefore, TiN coatings were deposited on cp-Ti (grade 4) by sputtering technique aiming the improvement of its tribocorrosion behaviour. The properties of the coated samples, using different TiN deposition times, were characterized by using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, FIB-SEM, and nanoindentation. The corrosion behaviour was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization in 9 g/L NaCl solution at body temperature. Tribocorrosion tests were employed under open circuit potential by using a ball-on-plate tribometer with 1 N normal load, 3 mm total stroke length, 1 Hz frequency, and 1800 s sliding duration. The results suggested that the TiN coatings deposited during 80 min presented better corrosion and tribocorrosion behaviour as compared to the bare metal and TiN coatings deposited during 30 min.This work is supported by FCT with the reference project UID/EEA/04436/2013, COMPETE 2020 with the code POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006941, and M-ERA-NET/0001/2015 (FAPESP proc. #2015/50.280-5) project. I. Caha grateful for financial support through PhD grant under NORTE-08-5369-FSE-000012 project. The authors would also like to acknowledge Dr. Paulo Ferreira and Dr. Enrique Carbo-Argibay (International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory) for the provision of FIB facilities, and Prof. Grata Minas (Universidade do Minho) for the provision of profilometry

Ultrasensitive organic phototransistors with multispectral response based on thin-film/single-crystal bilayer structures

We report on highly efficient organic phototransistors (OPTs) based on thin-film/single-crystal planar bilayer junctions between 5,6,11,12-tetraphenyltetracene (rubrene) and [ 6,6]-phenyl-C-61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM). The OPTs show good field-effect characteristics in the dark, with high hole-mobility (4-5cm(2) V-1 s(-1)), low-contact resistance (20 k Omega cm), and low-operating voltage (<= 5V). Excellent sensing capabilities allow for light detection in the 400-750 nm range, with photocurrent/dark current ratio as high as 4 x 10(4), responsivity on the order of 20AW(-1) at 27 mu Wcm(-2), and an external quantum efficiency of 52 000%. Photocurrent generation is attributed to enhanced electron and hole transfer at the interface between rubrene and PC61BM, and fast response times are observed as a consequence of the high-mobility of the interfaces. The optoelectronic properties exhibited in these OPTs outperform those typically provided by a-Si based devices, enabling future applications where multifunctionality in a single-device is sought. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC

Early Rehospitalization Post-Kidney Transplant Due to Infectious Complications: Can We Predict the Patients at Risk?

INTRODUCTION: Rehospitalization early post-kidney transplant is common and has a negative impact in morbidity, graft survival, and health costs. Infection is one the most common causes, and identifying the risk factors for early readmission due to infectious complications may guide a preventive program and improve outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, characterize the population, and identify the risk factors associated with early readmission for infectious complications post-kidney transplantation. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of all the kidney transplants performed during 2015. The primary outcome was readmission in the first 3 months post-transplant due to infectious causes defined by clinical and laboratory parameters. RESULTS: We evaluated 141 kidney transplants; 71% of subjects were men, with an overall mean age of 50.8 ± 15.4 years. Prior to transplant, 98% of the patients were dialysis dependent and 2% underwent pre-emptive living donor kidney transplant. The global readmission rate was 49%, of which 65% were for infectious complications. The most frequent infection was urinary tract infection (n = 28, 62%) and the most common agent detected by blood and urine cultures was Klebsiella pneumonia (n = 18, 40%). The risk factors significantly associated with readmission were higher body mass index (P = .03), diabetes mellitus (P = .02), older donor (P = .007), and longer cold ischemia time (P = .04). There were 3 graft losses, but none due to infectious complications. CONCLUSION: There was a high incidence of early rehospitalization due to infectious complications, especially urinary tract infections to nosocomial agents. The risk factors identified were similar to other series.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A clonal Plasmodium falciparum population in an isolated outbreak of malaria in the Republic of Cabo Verde

We present the first parasitological, molecular and longitudinal analysis of an isolated outbreak of malaria. This outbreak occurred on Santiago Island (Republic of Cabo Verde), a region where malaria is hypoendemic and controlled, and thus the population is considered non-immune. Blood samples were collected from the inhabitants over 1 month and during cross-sectional surveys in the following year. The presence and nature of the parasites was determined by PCR. Plasmodium falciparum was the only species detected. Genetic analysis revealed that the circulating parasites were genetically homogeneous, and probably clonal. Gametocytes were found throughout this period. Our data suggest that this represented a focal outbreak, resulting in the infection of at least 40% of the villagers with a clonal parasite line. Thus, P. falciparum infections can persist for at least 1 year in a substantial proportion (10%) of the hosts. Implications for malaria control and the interpretation of epidemiological data are discussed