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Experimental system for testing a superconducting motor at temperatures close to 15 K
Integrating superconducting elements in an electric motor can greatly increase its power density. By doing so,
lighter and more powerful machines can be produced for applications such as aviation, wind turbines and marine
propulsion. Superconducting tapes can be stacked and magnetised to produce powerful trapped-flux magnets.
The experimental setup was designed to allow measurements in a low temperature environment, providing
tightness for the rotating part.
We report on the design and construction of the setup and results from its first operation. The temperatures
achieved during the experimental measurements reached 15 K, close to the actual operational temperatures of a
liquid hydrogen cooled motor. The application of hydrogen onboard an aircraft is highly advantageous due to the
possibility of its application as both coolant and fuel. Examination of the operation of the trapped-flux magnets at
such temperatures is crucial for the understanding of the behavior of fully superconducting motors for future
applications
Phage Display Technology in Biomaterials Engineering: Progress and Opportunities for Applications in Regenerative Medicine
This work was supported by national funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the scope of the project PTDC/EBB-BIO/114523/2009 and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Operational Competitiveness Programme “COMPETE” (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-014758). The authors are also thankful for the financial support of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the strategic funding of UID/ BIO/04469/2013 unit and RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and the European Union under the Marie Curie Career Integration Grant SuprHApolymers (PCIG14-GA-2013-631871)
Evaluating estuarine nursery use and life history patterns of Pomatomus saltatrix in eastern Australia
Estuaries provide important nursery habitats for juvenile fish, but many species move between estuarine and coastal habitats throughout their life. We used otolith chemistry to evaluate the use of estuaries and the coastal marine environment by juvenile Pomatomus saltatrix in eastern Australia. Otolith chemical signatures of juveniles from 12 estuaries, spanning 10° of latitude, were characterised using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Based upon multivariate otolith elemental signatures, fish collected from most estuaries could not be successfully discriminated from one another. This was attributed to the varying influence of marine water on otolith elemental composition in fish from all estuaries. Using a reduced number of estuarine groups, the multivariate juvenile otolith elemental signatures and univariate Sr:Ca ratio suggest that between 24 and 52% of adult P. saltatrix had a juvenile period influenced by the marine environment. Elemental profiles across adult (age-1) otoliths highlighted a variety of life history patterns, not all consistent with a juvenile estuarine phase. Furthermore, the presence of age-0 juveniles in coastal waters was confirmed from historical length-frequency data from coastal trawls. Combining multiple lines of evidence suggests considerable plasticity in juvenile life history for P. saltatrix in eastern Australia through their utilisation of both estuarine and coastal nurseries. Knowledge of juvenile life history is important for the management of coastal species of commercial and recreational importance such as P. saltatrix.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
De Novo Assembly of the Dirofilaria immitis Genome by Long-Read Nanopore-Based Sequencing Technology on an Adult Worm from a Canine Cardiopulmonary Dirofilariosis Case
Dirofilaria immitis is a zoonotic parasitic nematode that infects domestic and wild canids, among its vertebrate hosts. The genetic analysis of D. immitis nowadays transcends the need for genetic taxonomy of nematodes, such as the study of resistance to macrocyclic lactone. We expanded the use of long-read nanopore-based sequencing technology on nematodes by performing genomic de novo assembly of a D. immitis specimen retrieved from a canine cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis case using the ONT MinION platform, followed by the study of macrocyclic lactone resistance. The assembled genome of D. immitis consists of 110 contigs with an N50 of 3687191. The genome size is 87899012 and contains a total of 9741 proteins; 6 ribosomal RNAs, with three belonging to the small subunit (18S) and three to the large subunit (28S); and 73 tRNAs. Subsequent analysis of six loci previously characterized as being associated to macrocyclic lactone resistance selection pressure showed that four have a genotype associated with either some loss of efficacy or the resistance phenotype. Considering the zoonotic potential of D. immitis, the identification of a resistant parasite alerts for the overuse of macrocyclic lactone in the region, which poses a potential risk to both veterinary and human public health. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: This work was supported by national funds through the Fundação para a Ciência e Tec-nologia (FCT, Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) under projects UIDB/04750/2020, LA/P/0064/2020, UIDB/CVT/00772/2020, and LA/P/0059/2020
An accurate test for homogeneity of odds ratios based on Cochran's Q-statistic
Background: A frequently used statistic for testing homogeneity in a meta-analysis of K independent studies is Cochran's Q. For a standard test of homogeneity the Q statistic is referred to a chi-square distribution with K - 1 degrees of freedom. For the situation in which the effects of the studies are logarithms of odds ratios, the chi-square distribution is much too conservative for moderate size studies, although it may be asymptotically correct as the individual studies become large. Methods: Using a mixture of theoretical results and simulations, we provide formulas to estimate the shape and scale parameters of a gamma distribution to t the distribution of Q. Results: Simulation studies show that the gamma distribution is a good approximation to the distribution for Q. Conclusions: : Use of the gamma distribution instead of the chi-square distribution for Q should eliminate inaccurate inferences in assessing homogeneity in a meta-analysis. (A computer program for implementing this test is provided.) This hypothesis test is competitive with the Breslow-Day test both in accuracy of level and in power
Characterisation of mechanical and thermal properties in flax fabric reinforced geopolymer composites
This paper presents the mechanical and thermal properties of flax fabric reinforced fly ash based geopolymer composites. Geopolymer composites reinforced with 2.4, 3.0 and 4.1 wt% woven flax fabric in various layers were fabricated using a hand lay-up technique and tested for mechanical properties such as flexural strength, flexural modulus, compressive strength, hardness, and fracture toughness. All mechanical properties were improved by increasing the flax fibre contents, and showed superior mechanical properties over a pure geopolymer matrix. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies were carried out to evaluate the composition and fracture surfaces of geopolymer and geopolymer/flax composites. The thermal behaviour of composites was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the results showed significant degradation of flax fibres at 300 °C
Listeria monocytogenes encodes a functional ESX-1 secretion system whose expression is detrimental to in vivo infection
Bacterial pathogenicity deeply depends on the ability to secrete virulence factors that bind specific targets on host cells and manipulate host responses. The Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is a human foodborne pathogen that remains a seriThis work was supported for the DC lab by national funds through FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia/MEC Ministerio da Educacao e Ciencia and co-funded by FEDER funds within the partnership agreement PT2020 related with the research unit number
Comparison of three tests of homogeneity of odds ratios in multicenter trials with unequal sample sizes within and among centers
Production of electrospun fast-dissolving drug delivery systems with therapeutic eutectic systems encapsulated in gelatin
Fast-dissolving delivery systems (FDDS) have received increasing attention in
the last years. Oral drug delivery is still the preferred route for the administration of
pharmaceutical ingredients. Nevertheless, some patients, e.g. children or elderly people, have
difficulties in swallowing solid tablets. In this work, gelatin membranes were produced by
electrospinning, containing an encapsulated therapeutic deep-eutectic solvent (THEDES)
composed by choline chloride/mandelic acid, in a 1:2 molar ratio. A gelatin solution (30% w/
v) with 2% (v/v) of THEDES was used to produce electrospun fibers and the experimental
parameters were optimized. Due to the high surface area of polymer fibers, this type of
construct has wide applicability. With no cytotoxicity effect, and showing a fast-dissolving
release profile in PBS, the gelatin fibers with encapsulated THEDES seem to have promising
applications in the development of new drug delivery systems.The research leading to these results has received
funding from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
(FCT) through the projects ENIGMA - PTDC/EQU-EPR/
121491/2010 and UID/CTM/50025/2013, LAQVREQUIMTE:
UID/QUI/50006/2013, UCIBIO-REQUIMTE:
UID/Multi/04378/2013 (co-financed by the ERDF under the
PT2020 Partnership Agreement [POCI-01-0145-FEDER-
007728]) and by FEDER through the COMPETE 2020
Programme. Marta Martins is grateful for financial support
from FCT through the grant BIM/PTDC/EQUEPR/121491/
2010/ENIGMA. This research has also received funding from
the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/
2007-2013) under grant agreement number REGPOTCT2012-316331-POLARIS and from the project BNovel
smart and biomimetic materials for innovative regenerative medicine approaches^ RL1 - ABMR - NORTE-01-0124- FEDER-000016) co-financed by North Portugal Regional
Operational Programme (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), under the
National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through
the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Search for CP violation in D0 and D+ decays
A high statistics sample of photoproduced charm particles from the FOCUS
(E831) experiment at Fermilab has been used to search for CP violation in the
Cabibbo suppressed decay modes D+ to K-K+pi+, D0 to K-K+ and D0 to pi-pi+. We
have measured the following CP asymmetry parameters: A_CP(K-K+pi+) = +0.006 +/-
0.011 +/- 0.005, A_CP(K-K+) = -0.001 +/- 0.022 +/- 0.015 and A_CP(pi-pi+) =
+0.048 +/- 0.039 +/- 0.025 where the first error is statistical and the second
error is systematic. These asymmetries are consistent with zero with smaller
errors than previous measurements.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
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