Dynamics of active membranes with internal noise

We study the time-dependent height fluctuations of an active membrane containing energy-dissipating pumps that drive the membrane out of equilibrium. Unlike previous investigations based on models that neglect either curvature couplings or random fluctuations in pump activities, our formulation explores two new models that take both of these effects into account. In the first model, the magnitude of the nonequilibrium forces generated by the pumps is allowed to fluctuate temporally. In the second model, the pumps are allowed to switch between "on" and "off" states. We compute the mean squared displacement of a membrane point for both models, and show that they exhibit distinct dynamical behaviors from previous models, and in particular, a superdiffusive regime specifically arising from the shot noise.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

PEDAGOGICAL CONCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF YOUTH AND ADULT EDUCATION TEACHERS IN THE INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

Background: Youth and Adult Education (YAE) is a teaching modality in Brazil aimed at people who have not had access to mainstream school or not completed their schooling. Objective of the study was to characterise the pedagogical practices of teachers in the mainstream classroom and special education, working with students with intellectual disabilities at YAE. Method: Qualitative descriptive approach. Observations in classrooms and interviews with teachers. Data consolidated by content analysis and arranged in themes. Results: Teachers have difficulty meeting the student’s specific needs and developing pedagogical resources and strategies to promote access to knowledge. Conclusions: Need exists for greater collaboration between regular and special education teachers to organize the pedagogical planning enabling more assertive pedagogical practices. Article visualizations

Computed tomography angiography for the interventional cardiologist

WOS:000339902400002In recent years, coronary CT angiography (CCTA) has become a widely adopted technique, not only due to its high diagnostic accuracy, but also to the fact that CCTA provides a comprehensive evaluation of the total (obstructive and non-obstructive) coronary atherosclerotic burden. More recently, this technique has become mature, with a large body of evidence addressing its prognostic validation. In addition, CT angiography has moved from the field of `imagers' and clinicians and entered the interventional cardiology arena, aiding in the planning of both coronary and structural heart interventions, being transcatheter aortic valve implantation one of its most successful examples. It is therefore of utmost importance that interventional cardiologists become familiar with image interpretation and up-to-date regarding several CTA features, taking advantage of this information in planning the procedure, ultimately leading to improvement in patient outcomes. On the other hand, the increasing use of CCTA as a gatekeeper for invasive coronary angiography is expected to lead to an increase in the ratio of interventional to diagnostic procedures and significant changes in the daily cath-lab routine. In a foreseeable future, cath-labs will probably offer an invasive procedure only to patients expected to undergo an intervention, perhaps becoming in this change true interventional-labs.publishersversionpublishe

Visualization by scanning SQUID microscopy of the intermediate state in the superconducting Dirac semimetal PdTe2{}_2

The Dirac semimetal PdTe${}_2$ becomes superconducting at a temperature $T_{c}=1.6$~K. Thermodynamic and muon spin rotation experiments support type-I superconductivity, which is unusual for a binary compound. A key property of a type-I superconductor is the intermediate state which presents a coexistence of superconducting and normal domains (flux structures) at magnetic fields lower than the thermodynamic critical field $H_{c}$. By means of scanning SQUID microscopy (SSM) we observe flux structures in the superconducting state of PdTe${}_2$. The flux structures are strongly history dependent with a transition from round shapes to laminar shapes as the magnetic field is more and more increased. The field amplitudes measured at the surface are indicative for the presence of Landau branching. The domain wall width in the intermediate state has been determined.Comment: 8 pages 5 figure

Avaliação de cultivares de Coffea arabica L. ao parasitismo de Meloidogyne exigua.

Os nematóides podem causar grandes danos em cafezais no Brasil, dependendo da espécie e do tipo de solo. A espécie Meloidogyne exigua é a mais disseminada nas regiões cafeeiras, especialmente em lavouras mais velhas do Sul de Minas Gerais. As áreas com nematóides mostram redução tanto no desenvolvimento das plantas como na produção. Dentre as medidas de controle do nematóide, a que tem-se mostrado mais adequada é o uso de cultivares resistentes. O objetivo deste ensaio foi avaliar o comportamento de diferentes cultivares de Coffea arabica L. quando inoculados com M. exigua, visando a identificação de fontes de resistência. O ensaio foi instalado no setor de Nematologia da UFLA /Lavras-MG, em casa de vegetação, sob delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições e três plantas por parcela. Foram avaliadas 22 cultivares, utilizando-se a cultivar Acaiá 474/19 e IAPAR 59, como padrões de suscetibilidade e de resistência, respsctivamente. Cada planta foi inoculada 80 dias após transplantio com 5000 ovos de M. exigua e avaliadas 40 e 120 dias após inoculação quanto ao número de galhas por grama de raiz. A cultivar IAPAR 59 confirmou ser imune, já que nenhuma galha foi observada em seu sistema radicular. As cultivares Catucaí Vermelho 785/15 e Acauã apresentaram segregação sendo algumas plantas resistentes e outras de reduzida susceptibilidade. As cultivares Catucaí Vermelho 36/6, Siriema, Soledade, Bem-te-vi Amarelo, Catucaí Vermelho 20/15- cv 395, Catucaí Amarelo 3-5, Cultivar oriunda de Franca, Catucaí Vermelho 36/6- cv 470, Catucaí Amarelo 24/137, Sabiá Tardio, Catucaí Amarelo 2SL- cv 446, Catucaí Amarelo 3 SM, Catucaí Amarelo 20/15- 479, Icatu IAC 2944, IBC-Palma II, Canário, Catucaí Açu Vermelho, IBC-Palma I e Acaiá-IAC 474/19 foram classificadas como susceptíveis, embora tivessem apresentado na primeira avaliação baixos índices de infestação, quando comparadas a cultivar Acaiá-IAC 474/19, o que indica a possibilidade de diferentes níveis de susceptibilidade entre as mesmas

Omnidirectional conformal patch antenna at S-band with 3D printed technology

A conformal patch array antenna with omnidirectional pattern in the azimuth plane at Sband is presented. A theoretical study of the generated ripple in the omnidirectional radiation pattern according to the number of faces that conform the array has been computed. A six-faced regular prism 3D structure has been chosen following a maximum 3 dB ripple criteria in the omnidirectional radiation pattern. A rectangular microstrip patch fed by a microstrip line has been designed as single radiating element. An equal power divider has been designed as feeding network in microstrip technology to feed each radiating element. Several prototypes have been manufactured and measured to validate the theoretical and simulated results. The entire conformal array has been assembled on a hexagonal regular prism manufactured in PolyLactic Acid (PLA) material using a 3D printer. In spite of the complexity of the proposed antenna structure, the used manufacturing processes, such as microstrip and 3D printing, allows to perform a low cost, low weight and compact final antenna. A higher radiated field ripple than the expected one is generated due to small deviations between experimental and theoretical critical parameters such as the feeding network performance or the 3 dB beam-width of the single element radiation pattern. A maximum ripple value of 4 dB has been experimentally obtained in the omnidirectional radiating pattern.This work has been supported by the Spanish Government, Ref. TEC2013-47106-C3-2-R (Project TECOAMP) and Madrid Region Government, Ref. S2013/ICE-3000 (Project SPADERADAR)

Effect of Parathion-Methyl on Amazonian fish and freshwater invertebrates: a comparison of sensitivity with temperate data.

Parathion-methyl is an organophosphorous insecticide that is widely used in agricultural production sites in the Amazon. The use of this pesticide might pose a potential risk for the biodiversity and abundance of fish and invertebrate species inhabiting aquatic ecosystems adjacent to the agricultural fields. Due to a lack of toxicity data for Amazonian species, safe environmental concentrations used to predict the ecological risks of parathion-methyl in the Amazon are based on tests performed with temperate species, although it is unknown whether the sensitivity of temperate species is representative for those of Amazonian endemic species

Ascariasis, Amebiasis and Giardiasis in Mexican children : distribution and geographical, environmental and socioeconomic risk factors

The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the geographical distribution of Ascariasis, Amebiasis and Giardiasis, and to identify specific geographical, socioeconomic and environmental factors that are associated with the incidence of these infections in Mexican children. We made use of publicly available data that was reported by federal organizations in Mexico for the year 2010. The contribution of geographical, socioeconomic and environmental factors to the incidence of infections was assessed by a multivariable regression model using a backwards selection procedure. A. lumbricoides incidence was associated with mean minimum temperature of the state, the state-wide rate of households without access to piped water and toilet, explaining 77% of the incidence of A. lumbricoides infections. Mean minimum precipitation in the state, the rate of households without access to a toilet, piped water and sewage system best explained (73%) the incidence of E. histolytica infections. G. lamblia infections were only explained by the latitude of the state (11%). In addition to the well-known socioeconomic factors contributing to the incidence of A. lumbricoides and E. histolytica we found that temperature and precipitation were associated with higher risk of infection

Validation of the Spanish Version of the Lucidity and Consciousness in Dreams Scale

Lucid dreaming, a specific phenomenon of dream consciousness, refers to the experience being aware that one is dreaming. The primary aim of this research was to validate a Spanish version of the Lucidity and Consciousness in Dreams scale (LuCiD). A secondary aim was to explore whether meditation experience and mindfulness trait were related to LuCiD scores. Data from 367 Spanish men (34.6%) and women (65.4%) who completed LuCiD, the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were examined. From the total sample, 40.3% indicated some experience with formal meditation (meditators), while 59.7% did not have any meditation experience (non-meditators). A random subsample of 101 participants, who completed LuCiD for a second time after a period of 10-15days, was used for test-retest reliability analysis. The LuCiD scale comprises 28 items distributed across eight factors: insight, control, thought, realism, memory, dissociation, negative emotion, and positive emotion. Factor structure, reliability by both internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and construct and concurrent validity were tested. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the original eight-factor model, showing goodness of fit in contrast to a single-factor model. Item 15 was deleted from the Dissociation factor as it performed poorly (i.e., skewness and kurtosis, non-normal distribution of responses, and corrected item-total correlation under 0.40). The scale showed adequate values of internal consistency (between alpha=0.65 for Memory and alpha=0.83 for Positive Emotion) and test-retest reliability by significant Pearson correlations (p < 0.001) for each factor. The scores of meditators were higher for the LuCiD scale Insight and Dissociation factors, in contrast to those of non-meditators. The Observing facet of mindfulness was positively associated with all LuCiD factors, except Realism and Positive Emotion, and the Acting with Awareness facet showed a negative correlation with the LuCiD factor Realism. Finally, positive and negative affects was associated with the LuCiD factors Positive Emotion and Negative Emotion. This study provides a valid and reliable measure for exploring lucidity and consciousness in dreams for a Spanish population, Moreover, the results suggest a relationship with meditation experience, mindfulness trait, and positive and negative affect.</p