On the origin of the extremely different solubilities of polyethers in water

The solubilities of polyethers are surprisingly counter-intuitive. The best-known example is the difference between polyethylene glycol ([–CH2–CH2–O–]n) which is infinitely soluble, and polyoxymethylene ([–CH2–O–]n) which is completely insoluble in water, exactly the opposite of what one expects from the C/O ratios of these molecules. Similar anomalies exist for oligomeric and cyclic polyethers. To solve this apparent mystery, we use femtosecond vibrational and GHz dielectric spectroscopy with complementary ab initio calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the dynamics of water molecules solvating polyethers is fundamentally different depending on their C/O composition. The ab initio calculations and simulations show that this is not because of steric effects (as is commonly believed), but because the partial charge on the O atoms depends on the number of C atoms by which they are separated. Our results thus show that inductive effects can have a major impact on aqueous solubilities

The effect of assistive devices on gait patterns in Parkinson’s disease: preliminary results

Poster presented at the First international Congress of CiiEM “From Basic Sciences to Clinical Research”, 27-28 November 2015, Egas Moniz, Caparica, Portugal

The effect of assistive devices on gait patterns in Parkinson’s Disease: a pilot study

Poster presented at the 4th World Parkinson Congress. Portland, Oregon, 20-23 September 2016The purpose of the study is to assess the influence of six different assistive devices on gait patterns in people with Parkinson's disease.N/

The effect of assistive devices on gait patterns in Parkinson’s disease : a pilot study

Abstract of poster presented at the 2nd International Congress of CiiEM - Translational Research and Innovation in Human and Health Science. 11-13 June, 2017, Monte de Caparica, Portugalinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Um caso do Corno Cutâneo triquilémico

Trichilemmal horn or trichilemmal keratosis is a benign neoplasm, that occurs more frequently in females and in the age group over 50 years old. Clinically, it presents as a cutaneous horn and histologically shows trichilemmal keratinization at the base of the lesion.As an uncommon pathology, in this case report, we will present the case of a young man (14 years old), presenting a keratotic lesion on the forehead for eight months, which revealed the diagnosis of trichilemmal horn after lesion exeresis and anatomopathological analysis.O corno triquilemal ou ceratose triquilemal é uma neoplasia benigna, que ocorre com maior frequência no sexo feminino e na faixa etária acima de 50 anos. Clinicamente, apresenta-se como um corno cutâneo e histologicamente mostra ceratinização triquilemal na base da lesão. Como patologia incomum, neste relato de caso, apresentaremos o caso de um jovem (14 anos), apresentando lesão ceratótica na fronte com oito meses de evolução, cujo estudo anatomopatológico revelou o diagnóstico de corno triquilemal após exérese da lesão

Multicomponent complex formation between vinpocetine, cyclodextrins, tartaric acid and water-soluble polymers monitored by NMR and solubility studies

This work deals with multicomponent complex formation of vinpocetine (VP) with [beta]-cyclodextrin ([beta]CD), sulfobutyl ether [beta]-cyclodextrin (SBE[beta]CD) and tartaric acid (TA), in the presence or absence of water-soluble polymers, in aqueous solution. Complexation was monitored by phase-solubility and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) studies. TA demonstrated a synergistic effect on VP solubility, and in the complexation efficiency of [beta]CD and SBE[beta]CD. Additionally, water-soluble polymers increased even more the complexation efficiency of the CDs that was reflected by a 2.1-2.5 increase on KC values for VP-CD-TA-polymer multicomponent complexes. SBE[beta]CD was more effective in VP solubilization, as KC values of VP-SBE[beta]CD-TA multicomponent complexes were notably higher than in corresponding [beta]CD complexes. The large chemical shift displacements from protons located in the interior of the hydrophobic CD cavities (i.e., H-3 and H-5) coupled with significant chemical shift displacements of VP aromatic protons suggested that this moiety was included in the cavity of both [beta]CD and SBE[beta]CD. Two-dimensional rotating frame nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY) experiments were carried out in order to obtain information about the multicomponent complex geometry in solution. Inspection of ROESY spectra allowed the establishment of spatial proximities between all aromatic protons of VP and the internal protons of the CDs, confirming that the aromatic moiety of VP is included in CD cavities being deeply inserted in SBE[beta]CD multicomponent complexes, since additional interactions with the sulfobutyl side chains were evidenced.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T25-4DT2KX7-1/1/a543ba03bff16fe4ef579956893c94b

Asymptotic integral kernel for ensembles of random normal matrices with radial potentials

We use the steepest descents method to study the integral kernel of a family of normal random matrix ensembles with eigenvalue distribution P_{N}(z_{1},...,z_{N}) = Z_{N}^{-1} e^{-NSigma_{i=1}^{N}V_{alpha}(z_{i})} Pi_{1leqi<jleqN}|z_{i}-z_{j}|^{2} where V_{alpha}(z)=|z|^{alpha}, z in C and alpha in ]0,infty[. Asymptotic analysis with error estimates are obtained. A corollary of this expansion is a scaling limit for the n-point function in terms of the integral kernel for the classical Segal--Bargmann space

Nesting in the lizard Phyllopezus pollicaris (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) and a phylogenetic perspective on communal nesting in the family

Ninhadas comunais são encontradas em várias espécies de répteis. As hipóteses que explicam a evolução desse comportamento ainda são controversas, mas serão melhor compreendidas à medida que mais registros de ninhadas comunais forem descritos na literatura. Neste estudo, registramos duas ninhadas comunais de Phyllopezus pollicaris, incluindo a maior ninhada conhecida para a espécie. Este é o primeiro estudo a registrar ninhadas comunais para uma espécie de Squamata em uma região central do Cerrado. Além disso, também apresentamos fotografias das ninhadas, assim como medidas detalhadas e peso dos neonatos. As ninhadas foram encontradas durante a estação seca, em contraste com o padrão reprodutivo previamente descrito para a espécie na periferia do Cerrado. Nós também realizamos uma extensa revisão bibliográfica a respeito de ninhadas comunais na família Phyllodactylidae e apresentamos os resultados no contexto de uma árvore filogenética dos gêneros da família. Finalmente, sugerimos que estudar a correlação entre a evolução de ninhadas comunais e o investimento reprodutivo se tornará um campo de estudo fértil à medida que mais informações sobre ninhadas comunais estiverem disponíveis na literatura científica.Communal nesting occurs in many reptile species. The hypotheses that explain the evolution of such behaviours are still controversial, but will be better understood as more communal nesting records are described in the literature. We report the findings of two communal nests of Phyllopezus pollicaris, including the largest known nest for the species. Our study is the first to provide a communal nesting record for squamate species in a Cerrado core area. We provide nest photographs and detailed neonate measurements and weight. Nests were found during the dry season, in contrast with the reproduction pattern previously described for the species in the Cerrado periphery. We also conducted an extensive literature review seeking all available information on communal nesting information in Phyllodactylidae, and present this information in the context of a phylogenetic tree of phyllodactylid genera. We suggest that studying the correlation between communal nesting evolution and reproductive investment will become a fertile field as more information on lizard nesting becomes available in the literature

Development of a self-diagnostic system integrated into a cyber-physical system

CONTROLAR provides Bosch with an intelligent functional testing machine used to test the correct functioning of the car radios produced. During this process, the radios are submitted to several tests, raising the problem of how the machine detects errors in several radios consecutively, making it impossible to know if the device has a problem since it has no module to see if it works correctly. This article arises from the need to find a solution to solve this problem, which was to develop a self-diagnostic system that will ensure the reliability and integrity of the cyber-physical system, passing a detailed state of the art. The development of this system was based on the design of an architecture that combines the KDT methodology with a DSL to manage and configure the tests to integrate the self-diagnostic test system into a CPS. A total of 28 test cases were performed to cover all its functionalities. The results show that all test cases passed. Therefore, the system meets all the proposed objectives.This article is a result of the project POCI-01-0247-FEDER-040130, supported by Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization (COMPETE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)