Hydrogen passivation of boron acceptors in as-grown boron-doped CVD diamond epilayers

A homoepitaxial boron-doped diamond single layer is investigated by means of Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and cathodoluminescence (CL). Both techniques are shown to be complementary. μ-FTIR mapping allows to determine the location of active boron while CL allows discernability between passivation and compensation. Hydrogen incorporation during chemical vapour deposition (CVD) growth is revealed to passivate boron acceptors. The obtained results highlight that plasma etching can induce a dissociation of B–H centres.4 page

Histoplasmosis pulmonar con diseminación al sistema nervioso central en una paciente inmunocompetente: a propósito de un caso y revisión de la literatura

La histoplasmosis diseminada es la forma más seria de enfermedad causada por el hongoHistoplasma capsulatum. El compromiso encefálico se ve en menos del 10% de los casos. Presentamos un caso de una paciente femenina de 43 años de edad, ingeniera química, cuyo único antecedente epidemiológico relevante fue el trabajar en un laboratorio de ingeniería bioquímica. Ingresa al Servicio de Urgencias por presentar tos con expectoración blanquecina, dolor torácico tipo punzada, fiebre, escalofríos y disnea de reposo. A la auscultación presenta: disminución del murmullo vesicular, sibilante y crepitante en el tercio inferior de ambos campos pulmonares. Examen neurológico conservado sin déficit focalizados. Se estudia la subpoblación de linfocitos, valor porcentual normal, con valor absoluto bajo. Relación CD4/CD8 elevada a expensa de CD4, células B elevadas, NK bajas. HIV-1 y HIV-2 de 4ta generación no reactivo. Biopsia de pulmón reporta histoplasmosis (coloración de Grocott-Gomori). Tratamiento médico con Itraconazol 200 mg 2 veces/día por 6 meses mejorando las condiciones de la paciente por lo cual es dada de alta. Dos meses después de haber iniciado el tratamiento reingresa la paciente en malas condiciones generales con acentuada palidez cutánea mucosa, tos, fiebre y disnea acentuada Trabajo ventilatorio acentuado con aleteo nasal y tiraje costal, a la auscultación murmullo vesicular disminuido en campo pulmonar izquierdo con sibilantes, crepitantes, roncus y bulosos. Se ingresa a la unidad de Cuidados Intensivos con el diagnostico de Sepsis punto de partida pulmonar, e histoplasmosis pulmonar. Se indica tratamiento con Anfotericina B liposomal por infusión intravenosa a dosis 1 mg/kg/día, por lo que recibió un total de 2,0 grs diario. La paciente se torna somnolienta con hemiparexia derecha y disartria, presentando posteriormente un cuadro convulsivo, papiledema bilateral y nistagmo vertical. Resonancia Magnética (RM) de cerebro contrastada con Gadolinio; se visualizan múltiples lesiones de ocupación de espacio dispersas en el parénquima cerebral, en la región parieto-temporal izquierda, región fronto-parieto-occipital bilateral, y región cerebelosa, con edema perilesional. Sufre deterioro clínico con empeoramiento respiratorio distrés por lo cual precisó intubación endotraqueal y ventilación mecánica. Desarrolló falla renal, hepática y coagulopatía. Falleció por falla multiorgánica a las dos semanas de su ingreso. La autopsia, en el material extraído de las lesiones en cerebro, con técnicas de PAS y Grocott, mostró la presencia de Histoplasma capsulatum. Conclusión La histoplasmosis es una causa poco frecuente de lesiones de masa cerebral en pacientes, la histoplasmosis cerebral debe ser una consideración de diagnóstico cuando los estudios de imagen muestran múltiples lesiones cerebrales, incluso en la ausencia de otras manifestaciones de histoplasmosis diseminada.AbstractDisseminated histoplasmosis is the most serious form of the disease caused by the fungusHistoplasma capsulatum. Brain involtment is less than 10 % of cases. We present the case of a female patient aged 43, a chemical engineer whose only relevant epidemiological background was working in a laboratory of biochemical engineering. She presented to the emergency department showing cough with whitish sputum, chest pain twinge type, fever, chills and dyspnea at rest. On auscultation shows: decreased breath sounds, wheezing and crackling in the lower third of both lung fields. Neurological examination focused preserved without deficit. Subpopulation of lymphocytes, average percentage value, with low absolute value. Elevated CD4/CD8 ratio at the expense of CD4, high B cells, NK casualties. HIV- 1 and HIV-2 nonreactive 4th Generation. Lung biopsy reports histoplasmosis (Grocott - Gomori staining). Medical treatment with itraconazole 200 mg 2 times / day for 6 months improved conditions for which patient is discharged. Two months after starting treatment the patient was readmitted in poor general condition with severe mucosal pallor , cough, fever and dyspnea accentuated ventilatory job accented with costal retractions and nasal flaring , the decreased breath sounds in the left lung field with wheezing auscultation rales, rhonchi and bullous . Admitted to the intensive care unit with the diagnosis of pulmonary sepsis, and pulmonary histoplasmosis. Being treated with liposomal amphotericin B by intravenous infusion at - doses 1 mg / kg / day, up to a total of 2.0 grams daily. The patient becomes drowsy, with dysarthria and right hemiparexia subsequently presenting a seizure disorder, bilateral papilledema and vertical nystagmus. Magnetic Brain Resonance(MBR) brain contrasted with Gadolinium MRI, showed multiple space occupying lesions scattered in the parieto-occipital region bilaterally, and the cerebellar region. The patient suffered clinical deterioration with worsening respiratory distress which required endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation, developed renal and hepatic failure and coagulopathy and died of multiple organ failure two weeks later. Autopsy on the material extracted from brain lesions, stained with PAS and Grocott, showed the presence of Histoplasma capsulatum .Conclusion Histoplasmosis is an uncommon cause of cerebral mass lesions in patients; cerebral histoplasmosis should be a consideration when diagnostic imaging studies show multiple brain lesions, even in the absence of other manifestations of disseminated histoplasmosi

Psychometric characteristics of a commuting-to-school behaviour questionnaire for families

The purposes of this study were: (a) to describe the patterns of modes of commuting to school (children) and to work (parents) separated by gender and age, (b) to validate the questions on children’s mode of commuting to and from school according to their parents, and (c) to analyse the reliability of a family questionnaire focused on commuting to school behaviours. A total of 611 parents (mean age: 43.28 ± 6.25 years old) from Granada (Spain) completed “Family commuting-to-school behaviour” questionnaire in two sessions separated by 14 days, (2016 and 2018). The validation between family and children’s questions was assessed using the Kappa and Spearman correlation coefficients, and the test–retest reliability within the family questions was assessed using the Kappa and the weighted Kappa. The children’s modes of commuting to school (mean age: 11.44 ± 2.77 years old) were mainly passive (57.7% to school) while parents’ modes of commuting to work were mainly active (71.6%). The validity of the mode of commuting was significant with high Kappa and Spearman coefficients. The test–retest reliability presented a good agreement for the mode of commuting to school in children, distance and time to school, and the mode of commuting to work in parents, while the questions on acceptable distance to walk or cycle to school showed a moderate to good agreement. The “Family commuting-to-school behaviour” questionnaire could be a useful tool to assess the mode of commuting of children, distance and time to school for researchers and practitioners

When the optimal is not the best: parameter estimation in complex biological models

Background: The vast computational resources that became available during the past decade enabled the development and simulation of increasingly complex mathematical models of cancer growth. These models typically involve many free parameters whose determination is a substantial obstacle to model development. Direct measurement of biochemical parameters in vivo is often difficult and sometimes impracticable, while fitting them under data-poor conditions may result in biologically implausible values. Results: We discuss different methodological approaches to estimate parameters in complex biological models. We make use of the high computational power of the Blue Gene technology to perform an extensive study of the parameter space in a model of avascular tumor growth. We explicitly show that the landscape of the cost function used to optimize the model to the data has a very rugged surface in parameter space. This cost function has many local minima with unrealistic solutions, including the global minimum corresponding to the best fit. Conclusions: The case studied in this paper shows one example in which model parameters that optimally fit the data are not necessarily the best ones from a biological point of view. To avoid force-fitting a model to a dataset, we propose that the best model parameters should be found by choosing, among suboptimal parameters, those that match criteria other than the ones used to fit the model. We also conclude that the model, data and optimization approach form a new complex system, and point to the need of a theory that addresses this problem more generally

Discards for Southern Hake Stock, a First Approach to Iberian Data

This document presents sampling levels obtained with Portuguese and Spanish Discard Sampling Programmes, both included in National Sampling Programmes, and some preliminary results for the Iberian Southern Hake discards. These programs consist on onboard-observer sampling schemes, with co-operative vessels, quasirandom selected, in the ICES Division VIIIc and IXa. The methodology used to estimate hake discards for Portugal and Spain since 2003 was based on the one proposed in the “Workshop on Discard Sampling Methodology and Raising Procedures” (PGCCDBS, Denmark, 2003). Spain presents results for the years 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003 and 2004. In the Portuguese Program, 2004 is the first year with an analysis of discard data. The number of trips sampled by the Spanish program for 2004 was 53, distributed by three trawl fleets- BACA trawl, Pair trawl and WHVO trawl. Portuguese onboard-observers sampled 40 trips distributed by Crustacean and Fish trawl fleets. The estimated percentages of discarded hake in relation to total catch were of 19,9 (C.V. = 22.6%) and 46,7 (C.V. = 72.1%) for the Spanish and Portuguese fleets respectively. The confidence interval for the Portuguese discard estimate is very large which denotes the very low precision of the obtained value. A co-operation in the analysis of this kind of data, between the two countries, could be the next step, since a standardisation of the methods would be of great importance for a realistic comparison of results obtained from both programs

Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8  TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum