Critical analysis of autoregressive and fast Fourier transform markers of cardiovascular variability in rats and humans

The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in physiological and pathological conditions, and has been extensively evaluated by parametric and non-parametric spectral analysis. To compare the results obtained with fast Fourier transform (FFT) and the autoregressive (AR) method, we performed a comprehensive comparative study using data from humans and rats during pharmacological blockade (in rats), a postural test (in humans), and in the hypertensive state (in both humans and rats). Although postural hypotension in humans induced an increase in normalized low-frequency (LFnu) of systolic blood pressure, the increase in the ratio was detected only by AR. In rats, AR and FFT analysis did not agree for LFnu and high frequency (HFnu) under basal conditions and after vagal blockade. The increase in the LF/HF ratio of the pulse interval, induced by methylatropine, was detected only by FFT. In hypertensive patients, changes in LF and HF for systolic blood pressure were observed only by AR; FFT was able to detect the reduction in both blood pressure variance and total power. In hypertensive rats, AR presented different values of variance and total power for systolic blood pressure. Moreover, AR and FFT presented discordant results for LF, LFnu, HF, LF/HF ratio, and total power for pulse interval. We provide evidence for disagreement in 23% of the indices of blood pressure and heart rate variability in humans and 67% discordance in rats when these variables are evaluated by AR and FFT under physiological and pathological conditions. The overall disagreement between AR and FFT in this study was 43%.FINEPFAPESPZerbini Foundatio

Ladder type operators and recurrence relations for the radial wave functions of the N-th dimensional oscillators and hydrogenlike atoms

Using the method described in [11], we present some new ladder type operators and recurrence relations for the radial wave functions of the N-th dimensional isotropic harmonic oscillators and the hydrogenlike atoms

Qualidade sanitária e fisiológica de sementes de abóbora variedade menina Brasileira.

O trabalho teve como objetivos avaliar e correlacionar a qualidade sanitária e fisiológica de sementes de abóbora, variedade Menina Brasileira (Cucurbita moschata.). Foram avaliados dois lotes de sementes de abóbora produzidas no sistema agroecológico e quatro no sistema convencional, com e sem tratamento químico. Os lotes foram submetidos aos testes de sanidade, seguindo a metodologia do “Blotter test”, com congelamento, germinação e vigor (primeira contagem, índice de velocidade de germinação, envelhecimento acelerado e emergência de plântulas). Os resultados indicaram a separação dos lotes de diferentes origens a partir da qualidade sanitária e fisiológica, onde as maiores incidências de fungos foram observadas nos lotes agroecológicos e o maior potencial fisiológico foi observado nos lotes de origem convencional não tratados. Foram encontrados os fungos Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium cucumerinum, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium digitatum, Rhizopus stolonifer e Phoma terrestris. A qualidade sanitária não interferiu na qualidade fisiológica das sementes de abóbora, variedade Menina Brasileira

Demographics, social position, dental status and oral health-related quality of life in community-dwelling older adults

Purpose To identify demographic, socioeconomic and dental clinical predictors of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in elderly people. Methods Cross-sectional study involving 613 elderly people aged 65–74 years in Manaus, Brazil. Interviews and oral examinations were carried out to collect demographic characteristics (age and sex) and socioeconomic data (income and education), dental clinical measures (DMFT, need of upper and lower dentures) and OHRQoL (GOHAI questionnaire). Structural equation modelling was used to estimate direct and indirect pathways between the variables. Results Being older predicted lower schooling but higher income. Higher income was linked to better dental status, which was linked to better OHRQoL. There were also indirect pathways. Age and education were linked to OHRQoL, mediated by clinical dental status. Income was associated with dental clinical status via education, and income predicted OHRQoL via education and clinical measures. Conclusion Our findings elucidate the complex pathways between individual, environmental factors and clinical factors that may determine OHRQoL and support the application of public health approaches to improve oral health in older people

Diffuse source separation in CMB observations

We review issues and methods for diffuse component separation in the context of Cosmic Microwave Background observation

Heat transfer experimental and numerical study of a three-sided serpentine with the operating fluid directly contacting the PV cell back

The cooling methodologies of photovoltaic/thermal equipment are crucial not only to maintain optimal operating temperatures but also to improve the performance of the photovoltaic systems and prolong their lifespan. Traditional heat exchangers often require physical contact with the material to be cooled, posing challenges for specific projects. Therefore, this study introduces an innovative heat exchanger made of aluminum plate, allowing direct contact of the cooling liquid with the surface to be cooled. The thermal performance of the serpentine, coupled to a steel plate simulating a photovoltaic-thermal panel, was evaluated experimentally. CFD numerical simulations were conducted to analyze the thermal performance of the heat exchanger, providing valuable temperature profiles for single-phase flows. The outcomes showed that the simulated and experimental data agreed well. Particularly, when considering the outlet fluid temperature the mean absolute error between the simulated and experimental results was around 0.5 °C, with a relative error of aproximatelly 1.8 %. To evaluate the influence of the type of material that forms the serpentine, heat exchangers with two different polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) serpentines were numerically investigated. The PDMS serpentine provided a more heterogeneous steel plate temperature profile compared to the aluminum one; however, such an issue can be corrected with geometry modifications, such as a greater width and cross-sectional area. For all flow rates, the steel plate temperature using aluminum serpentine presented a lower average temperature than that with PDMS serpentine (an average of 6.3 % lower). The wide PDMS serpentine exhibited a better cooling performance than the narrow PDMS serpentine (an average of 92 %) since the heat transfer surface area was enhanced in the former case.The authors are grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) for partially financing the research through projects PTDC/EMETED/7801/2020 and 2022.03151.PTD (https://doi.org/10.54499/2022.03151.PTDC) and UIPD/50009/2020-FCT and UIDB/50009 – FCT. A.S. Moita also acknowledges FCT for partially financing her contract through CEECINST/00043/2021/CP2797/CT0005, https://doi.org/10.54499/CEECINST/00043/2021/CP2797/CT0005 and for supporting R. Souza's contract through pro gram LA/P/0083/2020 IN + -IST-ID. J.E. Pereira also acknowledges FCT for his PhD Fellowship (Ref. 2021.05830.BD). G. Nobrega was supported by the PRT/BD/153088/2021 doctoral grant financed by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), and with funds from MCTES/República Portuguesa, under MIT Portugal Program. R. Lima is grateful for partial financial sup port through the projects, UIDB/04077/2020, UIDP/04077/2020, UIDB/00532/2020 and LA/P/0045/2020 (ALiCE), also funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). E.M. Cardoso is grateful for the financial support from Conselho Na cional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (grants number 458702/2014–5 and 309848/2020–2) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (grants numbers 2013/15431–7, 2019/02566–8, 2019/13895–2, 2020/03907–0, 2022/03946–1 and 22/15765–1)

Plant vibration of american pepper cultivars for fruit production in protected environment with and without closed sides

The aim of this research was to evaluate plant vibration for fruit and seed production of american pepper in greenhouse with open and closed sides. The experiment was carried out at Fazenda Experimental da Unesp/FCA located in the municipality of São Manuel-SP. Six treatments were carried out, in a split plot design, two plots with plant vibration or without plant vibration and three subplots with cultivars ('Dirce', 'Dínamo' and 'Doce Comprida'). Plants were vibrated by shaking the wire where the stake was fixed, manually, for about 5 seconds, twice a day. Randomized block design with three replications were used. The same experiment was performed in two environments: with and without closed sides with screen. The traits evaluated were: mass of fruit and total and marketable number of fruits (no visible defects) per plant; percentage of marketable fruit; mass, diameter and length of the fruit; mass and number of seeds per fruit; and plant height. The fruit production was higher in the environment with sides closed, with 24 marketable fruits per plant whereas in the open environment, 7 marketable fruits. American pepper plant vibration did not affect production, length, diameter and average mass of the fruits. Exceptionally for the cultivar 'Doce Comprida', a higher seed production per fruit was obtained in open environment in the absence of plant vibration, in comparison to close environment, with average of 259 and 126 seeds per fruit, respectively. American pepper plant vibration did not affect production, length, diameter and average mass of marketable fruit