Photon-number-resolving segmented avalanche-photodiode detectors

We investigate the feasibility and performance of photon-number-resolved photodetection employing avalanche photodiodes (APDs) with low dark counts. The main idea is to split n photons over m modes such that every mode has no more than one photon, which is detected alongside propagation by an APD. We characterize performance by evaluating the purities of positive-operator-valued measurements (POVMs), in terms of APD number and photon loss.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, submitted for publicatio

Inserção feminina e de deficientes na engenharia

Resumo simples produzido pelos alunos da Faculdade Araguaia no ano de 2017, em parceria com os professores, e aprovado pela Coordenação de cada curso

Antimicrobial action of ozonated water and photodynamic therapy with sonic activation in root canals infected with Enterococcus faecalis

New protocols are constantly being tested in the search for complete disinfection of root canals without the undesirable effects of sodium hypochlorite. This study evaluated the antimicrobial effect of ozonated water and photodynamic therapy (PDT) with s

Avanços na cirurgia de trauma abdominal: uma análise comparativa entre abordagens minimamente invasivas e abordagens abertas

Este artigo revisa as recentes evoluções nas abordagens cirúrgicas para a doença inflamatória intestinal (DII), destacando o impacto e os benefícios das técnicas minimamente invasivas, como a cirurgia laparoscópica e robótica. Fornecemos uma visão abrangente dos principais estudos que comparam as intervenções cirúrgicas convencionais e modernas em termos de eficácia, segurança, recuperação do paciente e qualidade de vida. Os resultados indicam que as técnicas minimamente invasivas podem proporcionar melhorias significativas nos resultados dos pacientes, incluindo recuperação mais rápida, menor dor pós-operatória, menor tempo de internação e melhor qualidade de vida. No entanto, a implementação dessas técnicas apresenta desafios, incluindo a necessidade de treinamento especializado e a gestão de custos associados. Este artigo ressalta a importância de mais pesquisas para otimizar a implementação dessas técnicas e para esclarecer o seu papel na gestão da DII

A standardized protocol for blood and cerebrospinal fluid collection and processing for biomarker research in ataxia

The European Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3/Machado-Joseph Disease Initiative (ESMI) is a consortium established with the ambition to set up the largest European longitudinal trial-ready cohort of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3/Machado Joseph disease (SCA3/MJD), the most common autosomal dominantly inherited ataxia worldwide. A major focus of ESMI has been the identification of SCA3/MJD biomarkers to enable future interventional studies. As biosample collection and processing variables significantly impact the outcomes of biomarkers studies, biosampling procedures standardization was done previously to study visit initiation. Here, we describe the ESMI consensus biosampling protocol, developed within the scope of ESMI, that ultimately might be translated to other neurodegenerative disorders, particularly ataxias, being the first step to protocol harmonization in the field

BeaverCube: Coastal Imaging with VIS/LWIR CubeSats

BeaverCube is a student-built 3U CubeSat that has two main objectives: one science objective and one technology objective. The science goal of BeaverCube is to demonstrate that it is possible to develop and apply platforms that can leverage statistical relationships between temperature and co-varying bio-optical properties, such as light absorption by colored dissolved organic matter. The technology goal of BeaverCube is to demonstrate electrospray propulsion for CubeSats, enabling more coordinated and targeted science missions among multiple spacecraft. The science objective for BeaverCube involves measuring temperature and color, which are key oceanographic properties, through a low-cost platform. Temperature and salinity are used to determine the density of watermasses. This is then used to physically classify them. Thermohaline circulation is a part of large-scale ocean circulation that is driven by global density gradients created by surface heat and freshwater fluxes. Thermohaline circulation plays an important role in supplying heat to the polar regions; it influences the rate of sea ice formation near the poles, which in turn affects other aspects of the climate system, such as the albedo, and thus solar heating, at high latitudes. Small- and meso-scale ocean features such as fronts and eddies canal so be identified and tracked solely using sea surface temperature properties. BeaverCube will track warm core rings on the Northeastern section of the US coast, one of the regions in the world that is heating the fastest due to climate change. Wide geospatial coverage with near-simultaneous measurements of thermal and bio-optical ocean properties by a CubeSat has the potential to address many important oceanographic questions for both basic science and Naval applications. The majority of space-borne optical oceanographic parameters observed from CubeSats rely on atmospheric corrections to provide useful data. BeaverCube will both obtain data and help determine to what extent supplemental data will still be required for atmospheric corrections. BeaverCube will make sea surface and cloud top temperature measurements using three cameras: one visible and two FLIR Boson LWIR cameras. In-situ measurements will be coordinated with an array of ocean buoys to support calibration and validation. The student team successfully tested the LWIR camera on a high-altitude balloon launch in November 2019 to an altitude of 110,000 feet, demonstrating the imaging functionality in a near-space environment. The technology goal for BeaverCube is to demonstrate the operation of the Tiled Ionic Liquid Electrospray (TILE2) propulsion technology from Accion Systems, Inc. for orbital maneuvering. BeaverCube will be deployed in Low Earth Orbit from the International Space Station. The plan is to change the altitude of BeaverCube by 480 meters using 50 micro-Newtons of thrust, detected by an onboard GPS receiver. With a goal of launching in late 2020 or early 2021, BeaverCube passed Critical Design Review in Spring 2020, with subsystems designed and procured, including components from AAC Clyde Space (power), ISIS (ADCS), Near Space Launch (BlackBox with GlobalStar simplex radio and NovAtel GPS), and others (OpenLST radio and Raspberry Pi based C&DH board). Assembly and integration prior to environmental testing are planned for late summer 2020

Changes in leaf functional traits with leaf age: when do leaves decrease their photosynthetic capacity in Amazonian trees?

Most leaf functional trait studies in the Amazon basin do not consider ontogenetic variations (leaf age), which may influence ecosystem productivity throughout the year. When leaf age is taken into account, it is generally considered discontinuous, and leaves are classified into age categories based on qualitative observations. Here, we quantified age-dependent changes in leaf functional traits such as the maximum carboxylation rate of ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) (Vcmax), stomatal control (Cgs%), leaf dry mass per area and leaf macronutrient concentrations for nine naturally growing Amazon tropical trees with variable phenological strategies. Leaf ages were assessed by monthly censuses of branch-level leaf demography; we also performed leaf trait measurements accounting for leaf chronological age based on days elapsed since the first inclusion in the leaf demography, not predetermined age classes. At the tree community scale, a nonlinear relationship between Vcmax and leaf age existed: young, developing leaves showed the lowest mean photosynthetic capacity, increasing to a maximum at 45 days and then decreasing gradually with age in both continuous and categorical age group analyses. Maturation times among species and phenological habits differed substantially, from 8 ± 30 to 238 ± 30 days, and the rate of decline of Vcmax varied from −0.003 to −0.065 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1 day−1. Stomatal control increased significantly in young leaves but remained constant after peaking. Mass-based phosphorus and potassium concentrations displayed negative relationships with leaf age, whereas nitrogen did not vary temporally. Differences in life strategies, leaf nutrient concentrations and phenological types, not the leaf age effect alone, may thus be important factors for understanding observed photosynthesis seasonality in Amazonian forests. Furthermore, assigning leaf age categories in diverse tree communities may not be the recommended method for studying carbon uptake seasonality in the Amazon, since the relationship between Vcmax and leaf age could not be confirmed for all trees

Characterization of Lifestyle inSpinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 andAssociation with Disease Severity

Background: Lifestyle could influence the course of hereditary ataxias, but representative data are missing. Objective: The objective of this study was to characterize lifestyle in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) and investigate possible associations with disease parameters. Methods: In a prospective cohort study, data on smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, physiotherapy, and body mass index (BMI) were collected from 243 patients with SCA3 and 119 controls and tested for associations with age of onset, disease severity, and progression. Results: Compared with controls, patients with SCA3 were less active and consumed less alcohol. Less physical activity and alcohol abstinence were associated with more severe disease, but not with progression rates or age of onset. Smoking, BMI, or physiotherapy did not correlate with disease parameters. Conclusion: Differences in lifestyle factors of patients with SCA3 and controls as well as associations of lifestyle factors with disease severity are likely driven by the influence of symptoms on behavior. No association between lifestyle and disease progression was detected. © 2021 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder SocietyFunding agencies: This publication is an outcome of the European Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3/Machado-Joseph disease initiative (ESMI), an EU Joint Programme–Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) project (see www.jpnd.eu). The project is supported through the following funding organizations under the aegis of JPND: Germany, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (funding codes 01ED1602A/B); The Netherlands, The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development; Portugal, Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT); United Kingdom, Medical Research Council. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant 643417. At the US sites, this work was in part supported by the National Ataxia Foundation and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Grant R01 NS080816. P.G. is supported by the National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals (UCLH) Biomedical Research Centre. P.G. receives also support from the North Thames Clinical Research Network (CRN). P.G. and H.G.M. work at University College London Hospitals/University College London, which receives a proportion of funding from the Department of Health’s National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centres funding scheme. P.G. received funding from CureSCA3 in support of H.G.M.’s work. This work was moreover supported, in part, by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) No. 441409627, as part of the Progression chart of Spastic ataxias (PROSPAX) consortium under the frame of the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP RD), under the EJP RD COFUND-EJP N 825575 (to M.S., B.v.W,) and Grant 779257 “Solve-RD” from the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program to M.S

The frequency of non-motor symptoms in SCA3 and their association with disease severity and lifestyle factors

BACKGOUND: Non-motor symptoms (NMS) are a substantial burden for patients with SCA3. There are limited data on their frequency, and their relation with disease severity and activities of daily living is not clear. In addition, lifestyle may either influence or be affected by the occurrence of NMS. OBJECTIVE: To characterize NMS in SCA3 and investigate possible associations with disease severity and lifestyle factors. METHODS: In a prospective cohort study, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of NMS in 227 SCA3 patients, 42 pre-ataxic mutation carriers, and 112 controls and tested for associations with SARA score, activities of daily living, and the lifestyle factors alcohol consumption, smoking and physical activity. RESULTS: Sleep disturbance, restless legs syndrome, mild cognitive impairment, depression, bladder dysfunction and pallhypesthesia were frequent among SCA3 patients, while mainly absent in pre-ataxic mutation carriers. Except for restless legs syndrome, NMS correlated significantly with disease severity and activities of daily living. Alcohol abstinence was associated with bladder dysfunction. Patients with higher physical activity showed less cognitive impairment and fewer depressive symptoms, but these differences were not significant. CONCLUSION: This study revealed a clear association between disease severity and NMS, likely driven by the progression of the widespread neurodegenerative process. Associations between lifestyle and NMS can probably be attributed to the influence of NMS on lifestyle