Vital Sensory Kit For Use With Telemedicine In Developing Countries

In many developing countries, a large percentage of the population lacks access to adequate healthcare. This is especially true in India where close to 70% of the population lives in rural areas and has little to no access to hospitals or clinics. People living in rural India often times cannot afford to pay to see a doctor should they need to make the journey to a hospital. Telemedicine, a breakthrough in the past couple decades, has broken down the barrier between the patient and the physician. It has slowly been implemented in India to make doctors more available to patients through the use of video conferences and other forms of communication. A compact and affordable kit has been developed that will be used to take a patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose concentration and oxygen saturation. Our most novel contribution is the non-invasive glucose sensor that will use a near-infrared LED and photodiode in the patient’s earlobe. Currently millions of diabetics do this by pricking their finger. By wirelessly sending data results from the vital sign kit, the first essential part of a treatment can be carried out via wireless communication, saving the doctor and patient time and money

Optical realization of nonlinear quantum dynamics

In a cavity filled with a Kerr medium it is possible to generate the superposition of coherent states, i.e. Schroodinger cat states may be realized in this system. We show that such a medium may be mimicked by the propagation of a conveniently shaped Gaussian beam in a GRIN device. This is attained by introducing a second order correction to the paraxial propagation of the beam. An additional result is that a Gaussian beam propagating in GRIN media, may split into two Gaussian beams

Etude de la structure des fructanes d'Agave tequilana et de nouvelles fructanases d'origine microbienne

Le Mexique se caractérise par la présence sur son territoire de nombreuses espèces d’agave qui peuvent être cultivées ou non. En particulier l’Agave tequilana Weber var. azul a une grande importance économique, car elle constitue la principale matière première pour l’élaboration de la tequila. Les agaves durant leur développement, qui dure plusieurs années, accumulent des réserves de sucres constitués par des fructanes. \ud Actuellement, l’optimisation de l’hydrolyse des fructanes d’agave est surtout importante pour l’industrie de la tequila. Elle permettra d’améliorer les rendements d’extraction des sucres. La méthode classique d’hydrolyse des fructanes est constituée principalement d’un procédé de cuisson des agaves crus. L’utilisation d’enzymes spécifiques pour réaliser ce même procédé d’hydrolyse suscite un récent intérêt industriel, parce qu’il permettrait une réduction de la consommation d’énergie. Les fructanes d’agave présentent des structures complexes, les résidus de fructose sont reliés par des liaisons osidiques de type β (2→1) et β (2→6), et la structure est fortement branchée. Il est nécessaire de comprendre les changements de structure des fructanes en fonction de l’étape de croissance des plantes, pour connaître la variabilité naturelle du substrat utilisé pour l’hydrolyse. D’autre part, il est important de découvrir de nouvelles enzymes susceptibles d’hydrolyser de manière spécifique les fructanes d’agave, et les caractériser biochimiquement, pour arriver à une meilleure connaissance de l’intéraction enzyme-substrat qui permettra le développement de nouvelles applications industrielles possibles pour les fructanes d’Agave tequilana. \ud Dans ce travail, la première partie est consacrée à la détermination de la composition en sucres solubles et à la caractérisation de la structure des fructanes d’Agave tequilana présents dans des plantes d’âges différents. Puis, dans la deuxième partie, la purification et la caractérisation biochimique d’une fructanase isolée d’une souche de levure Kluyveromyces marxianus obtenue à partir du procédé de fermentation du mezcal (boisson d’agave distillée) a été étudiée. L’activité de cette enzyme a été comparée à un cocktail enzymatique commercial le fructozyme®. Finalement, dans une troisième partie, des levures isolées de la fermentation de différents types de mezcal ont été criblées et ont permis la sélection de souches capables de dégrader spécifiquement les fructanes d’Agave.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mexico has a high diversity of Agave plants, which could be cultivated or not. The most economically important is Agave tequilana Weber var. azul, because it is the raw material for the tequila elaboration process. As agaves grow, they accumulate reserve sugars as fructans. \ud Actually, optimizing the A. tequilana fructans hydrolysis, in order to increase the sugar yield, is important to the tequila industry. Traditionally, agaves are cooked to hydrolyze the fructans. However, using enzymes for hydrolysis may reduce energy consumption and increase sugar yields.The fructans of A. tequilana have a complex structure, composed of fructose chains with β (2→1) and β (2→6) linkages with branching points. It is important to understand how the structure of these molecules changes as a function of plant growth, in order to know the natural variability of the substrate that must be hydrolysed. It is also necessary to find new enzymes for the efficient hydrolysis of A. tequilana fructans, and to characterize them biochemically for a better understanding of the enzyme-substrate interaction.\ud The present work has three parts that focuses separately on each of these needs: First, characterizing the water soluble carbohydrates and the structure of the A. tequilana fructans as a function of the plant’s growth (age). Second, purifying and biochemically characterizing a fructanase from Kluyveromyces marxianus yeast isolated from the fermentation of mezcal, and comparing it to a commercial cocktail (Fructozyme®). Third, a screening of enzymes from yeasts used to ferment mezcal, in order to determine their ability to hydrolyze A. tequilana fructans. \ud \u

Comparative of Lignocellulosic Ethanol Production by Kluyveromyces marxianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The world faces a progressive depletion of its energy resources, mainly fossil fuels based on non-renewable resources. At the same time, the consumption of energy grows at high rates, and the intensive use of fossil fuels has led to an increase in the generation of gaseous pollutants released into the atmosphere, which has caused changes in the global climate. The lignocellulosic bioethanol is considered as a promising alternative for use as fuel ethanol. However, one of the main problems in producing ethanol is toxic compounds generated during hydrolysis of lignocellulosic wastes; these compounds cause a longer lag phase and irreversible cell damage to the microorganisms used in the fermentation step. These conditions of fermentation affect the productivity and the economic feasibility of the lignocellulosic ethanol production process. In this context, many efforts had been carried out to improve the capacity of volumetric ethanol productivity of the yeast. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is commonly employed in industrial ethanol production. However non-Saccharomyces yeast as Kluyveromyces marxianus can produce alcohols at similar or higher levels than S. cerevisiae and on inhibitory conditions

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Use in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis: A Literature Review

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapies have been growing in popularity in research due to their anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and regenerative properties. Many ongoing clinical trials are investigating the safety and efficacy of MSC therapies to treat osteoarthritis, also known as “wear and tear” arthritis. As the average life expectancy increases, with age people are more prone to developing this disease, therefore, increasing its prevalence. This condition is progressive and will lead to functional decline, decreased quality of life, and increased medical costs. Our focus is to discuss the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell injections in alleviating pain, improving functionality, and slowing the disease progression of osteoarthritis in adults. We systematically reviewed studies through multiple databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, AccessMedicine, and Iceberg using the search terms mesenchymal stem cells, osteoarthritis, stem cell therapy, and degenerative joint disease. We limited searches to 2018 and newer, studies in English, and human trials. A total of 20 studies that met the criteria out of 65 full-text studies were included in this review. Clinical outcomes such as pain, functionality, and tissue regeneration were assessed using WOMAC, KOOS, and other validated clinical outcome scales, and resonance imaging were used for disease progression rating. Studies reviewing mesenchymal stem cell injections in arthritic joints have shown positive clinical outcomes with results showing pain level, joint function and regeneration. To realize stem cell injections outside of studies, long-term and larger-scale randomized clinical trials are required to strengthen the interpretations and validity of current studies

Entangled Bessel beams

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) entanglement is investigated in the Bessel-Gauss (BG) basis. Having a readily adjustable radial scale, BG modes provide a more favourable basis for OAM entanglement over Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) modes. The OAM bandwidth in terms of BG modes can be increased by selection of particular radial modes and leads to a flattening of the spectrum. The flattening of the spectrum allows for higher entanglement. We demonstrate increased entanglement in terms of BG modes by performing a Bell-type experiment and violating the appropriate Clauser Horne Shimony Holt (CHSH) inequality. In addition, we reconstruct the quantum state of BG modes entangled in high-dimensions.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Tunable two-dimensional hexagonal phase array in domain-engineered z-cut lithium niobate crystal

An optical phase array with tunable phase step is demonstrated. The phase array consists of a 2-dimensional hexagonal lattice of inverted ferroelectric domains fabricated on a z-cut lithium niobate substrate. The electro-optically tunable phase step is obtained by the application of an external electric field along the z axis of the crystal via transparent electrodes. Theoretical analysis and experimental results are presented showing that a tunable and flexible adaptive optical illuminator device can be realized by combining the electro-optic tunability with the Talbot effect. Generation of a multiplicity of light pattern is shown

Long-Term Consequences for Offspring of Paternal Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

Background. Recent studies have reported an increase in the prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. However, few have focused how diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome together in parents can influence on obesity and metabolic disturbances in offspring. Objective. To know the risk obesity and metabolic disturbance in children, adolescents, and young adults whose parents have diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. Methods. A comparative survey was made in healthy children of parents with diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome compared with offspring of healthy parents. We performed anthropometry and evaluated blood pressure, glucose, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides levels in plasma. We registered parent antecedents to diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome and investigated the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and metabolic disturbances in offspring. Results. We studied 259 subjects of 7 to 20 years of age. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 27% and 37%, respectively. The highest proportion of BMI >95th of the entire group was found in offspring with both diabetic parents. Glucose and total cholesterol levels were lower in the group with healthy parents compared with the group with diabetic mother and metabolic syndrome but with healthy father. HDL cholesterol was higher in the group with both healthy parents than in the group with diabetic mother and metabolic syndrome but healthy father. Conclusions. The offspring of parents with diabetes plus metabolic syndrome showed higher proportion of variables related to metabolic syndrome compared with healthy parents