Decoherence, pointer engineering and quantum state protection

We present a proposal for protecting states against decoherence, based on the engineering of pointer states. We apply this procedure to the vibrational motion of a trapped ion, and show how to protect qubits, squeezed states, approximate phase eigenstates and superpositions of coherent states.Comment: 1 figur

Silagem de leucena em tambores: tecnologia para pequenos produtores.

bitstream/item/68474/1/Silagem0001.pd

Methicillin/Oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as a hospital and public health threat in Brazil

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is an established nosocomial pathogen (HA-MRSA, hospital acquired MRSA), but has recently begun to appear in the community (CA-MRSA, community acquired MRSA). The cause of resistance to methicillin and all other β-lactam antibiotics is the mecA gene, which is situated on a mobile genetic element, the Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCCmec). Seven major variants of SCCmec, type I to VII are distinguished. HA-MRSA disseminated worldwide and causes the majority of S. aureus nosocomial infections with a limited number of clones disseminated including the Brazilian Epidemic Clone (BEC, ST239-MRSA-III). CA-MRSA isolates are susceptible to non-β-lactam antibiotics, usually isolated from healthy individuals which do not possess any unknown risk factors for MRSA infection and are associated with a larger clonal diversity compared with HA-MRSA. However, during recent years distinction between HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA is beginning to fade. Actually, knowledge about MRSA disseminating clones is required to implement any strategies to control the transmission of MRSA either within hospitals or in community. For this reason, rapid identification of strains is an important issue. The rate of HA-MRSA can be reduced substantially through the implementation of interventions strategies, even in settings where MRSA is endemic as in most Brazilian hospitals. However, these policies could be quite complicated in the light of an increasing CA-MRSA prevalence in healthcare facilities, considering that distinction between HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA has started to disappear

Systemic and intraperitoneal interleukin‐6 system during the first year of peritoneal dialysis

Perit Dial Int. 2006 Jan-Feb;26(1):53-63. Systemic and intraperitoneal interleukin-6 system during the first year of peritoneal dialysis. Pecoits-Filho R, Carvalho MJ, Stenvinkel P, Lindholm B, Heimbürger O. Division of Renal Medicine and Baxter Novum, Karolinska Institutet, K-56, Huddinge University Hospital, 141 86 Stockholm, Sweden. [email protected] Comment in: Perit Dial Int. 2006 Jan-Feb;26(1):35-7. Abstract OBJECTIVE: To investigate if intraperitoneal and systemic interleukin-6 (IL-6) and soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R) are related to each other and to peritoneal solute transport rate (PSTR). DESIGN: Longitudinal study in retrospectively selected patients. SETTING: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) unit of a university-based hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 31 PD patients on treatment with conventional glucose-based solutions participated in a longitudinal study. IL-6 and sIL-6R were measured in plasma and overnight effluent, both at baseline and after 12 +/- 2 months on PD. C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum albumin were used as surrogate markers of inflammation. PSTR of small solutes was evaluated using the dialysate-to-plasma ratio (D/P) of creatinine after a 4-hour dwell; PSTR of large solutes was evaluated using the 24-hour D/P ratio of albumin. RESULTS: D/P creat increased over time (0.67 +/- 0.15 vs 0.80 +/- 0.11, p or = median had higher (p or = median [24.7 (16.5 - 38.5) pg/mL] compared to patients with IL-6 < median [14.1 (10 - 25.7) pg/mL]. Neither CRP nor albumin changed over time on PD, although they were closely linked to plasma IL-6 levels. A strong positive correlation was found between D/P creat and dialysate IL-6 (rho = 0.77, p < 0.0001) at baseline, but not at 1 year. In contrast, there was a significant correlation between D/P creat and dialysate sIL-6R (rho = 0.39, p < 0.05) at 1 year, but not at baseline. At 1 year, 17 patients with increasing PSTR had higher increases in dialysate IL-6 (28 +/- 26 vs -21 +/- 78 pg/mL, p < 0.05) and levels of dialysate sIL-6R (693 +/- 392 vs 394 +/- 274 pg/mL, p = 0.05) compared to patients with stable PSTR (n = 11). Patients who had peritonitis presented higher baseline serum IL-6 concentration (6.8 +/- 1.0 pg/mL) compared with patients without peritonitis (4.0 +/- 0.6 pg/mL, p < 0.05). Finally, both at baseline and after 1 year, there were significant correlations between plasma and dialysate IL-6 (rho = 0.46, p < 0.05, and rho = 0.40, p < 0.05) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that, (1) intraperitoneal and systemic inflammation increase in PD patients during the first year of therapy; (2) intraperitoneal and systemic inflammation may be interrelated and the IL-6 system may be the link; (3) the IL-6 system (both intraperitoneal and systemic) is associated with PSTR, particularly in the early phase of PD treatment, in which small and large solute transport are linked. Signs of a transition between acute and chronic inflammation were observed in the follow-up evaluation. Inflammation may, at least in part, be responsible for the development of a high PSTR, and this could be one reason for the high mortality in patients with high PSTR. PMID: 16538876 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLIN

Ensaio de espécies florestais no planalto do Tapajós.

bitstream/item/28829/1/CPATU-BP11.pd

Third-order nonlinear optical properties of bismuth-borate glasses measured by conventional and thermally managed eclipse Z scan

Third-order nonlinearity one order of magnitude larger than silica is measured in bismuth-borate glasses presenting a fast response (&lt;200 fs). The results for the sign and magnitude of the nonlinearity were obtained using a combination of the eclipse Z scan with thermal nonlinearity managed Z scan, whereas the Kerr shutter technique was employed to obtain the electronic time response of the nonlinearity, all performed with 76 MHz repetition rate 150 fs pulses at 800 nm. Conventional Z scans in the picosecond regime at 532 and 1064 nm were also independently performed, yielding the values of the third-order nonlinear susceptibilities at those wavelengths. The results obtained for the femtosecond response, enhanced third-order nonlinearity of this glass (with respect to silica), place this glass system as an important tool in the development of photonics devices. Electro-optical modulators, optical switches, and frequency converters are some of the applications using second-order nonlinear properties of the Bi-glass based on the rectification model

Variabilidade entre isolados de Trichoderma spp. quanto à capacidade de inibir o crescimento de Cylindrocladium sp. em cultivo pareado.

bitstream/CENARGEN/29462/1/bp186.pd

Monteiro: cultivar de caupi de tegumento branco para cultivo irrigado.

bitstream/item/96140/1/CT850001.pd