The contribution of the major planet search surveys to EChO target selection

The EChO core science will be based on a three tier survey, each with increasing sensitivity, in order to study the population of exo-planets from super-Earths to Jupiter-like planets, in the very hot to temperate zones (temperatures of 300 K - 3000 K) of F to M-type host stars. To achieve a meaningful outcome an accurate selection of the target sample is needed. In this paper we analyse the targets, suitable for EChO observations, expected to result from a sample of present and forthcoming detection surveys. Exoplanets currently known are already sufficient to provide a large and diverse sample. However we expect the results from these surveys to increase the sample of smaller planets that will allow us to optimize the EChO sample selection.Comment: Submitted to Experimental Astronom

Designed β-hairpin peptides with defined tight turn stereochemistry

The conformational analysis of two synthetic octapeptides, Boc-Leu-Val-Val-D-Pro-L-Ala-Leu-Val-Val-OMe (1) and Boc-Leu-Val-Val-D-Pro-D-Ala-Leu-Val-Val-OMe (2) has been carried out in order to investigate the effect of β-turn stereochemistry on designed β-hairpin structures. Five hundred megahertz 1H NMR studies establish that both peptides 1 and 2 adopt predominantly β-hairpin conformations in methanol solution. Specific nuclear Overhauser effects provide evidence for a type II′ β-turn conformation for the D-Pro-L-Ala segment in 1, while the NMR data suggest that the type I D-Pro-D-Ala β-turn conformation predominates in peptide 2. Evidence for a minor conformation in peptide 2, in slow exchange on the NMR time scale, is also presented. Interstrand registry is demonstrated in both peptides 1 and 2. The crystal structure of 1 reveals two independent molecules in the crystallographic asymmetric unit, both of which adopt β-hairpin conformations nucleated by D-Pro-L-Ala type II′ β-turns and are stabilized by three cross-strand hydrogen bonds. CD spectra for peptides 1 and 2 show marked differences, presumably as a consequence of the superposition of spectral bands arising from both β-turn and β-strand conformations

Corticosterone Regulates Both Naturally Occurring and Cocaine‐Induced Dopamine Signaling by Selectively Decreasing Dopamine Uptake

Stressful and aversive events promote maladaptive reward‐seeking behaviors such as drug addiction by acting, in part, on the mesolimbic dopamine system. Using animal models, data from our laboratory and others show that stress and cocaine can interact to produce a synergistic effect on reward circuitry. This effect is also observed when the stress hormone corticosterone is administered directly into the nucleus accumbens (NAc), indicating that glucocorticoids act locally in dopamine terminal regions to enhance cocaine\u27s effects on dopamine signaling. However, prior studies in behaving animals have not provided mechanistic insight. Using fast‐scan cyclic voltammetry, we examined the effect of systemic corticosterone on spontaneous dopamine release events (transients) in the NAc core and shell in behaving rats. A physiologically relevant systemic injection of corticosterone (2 mg/kg i.p.) induced an increase in dopamine transient amplitude and duration (both voltammetric measures sensitive to decreases in dopamine clearance), but had no effect on the frequency of transient release events. This effect was compounded by cocaine (2.5 mg/kg i.p.). However, a second experiment indicated that the same injection of corticosterone had no detectable effect on the dopaminergic encoding of a palatable natural reward (saccharin). Taken together, these results suggest that corticosterone interferes with naturally occurring dopamine uptake locally, and this effect is a critical determinant of dopamine concentration specifically in situations in which the dopamine transporter is pharmacologically blocked by cocaine

Quality assurance for CMS Tracker LV and HV Power Supplies

This work describes the quality assurance measurements that have been carried out on about 2000 Power Supply Units produced in CAEN technology for the CMS Silicon Tracker Detector. The automate procedure and the characteristics of the dedicated Test Fixture developed for this activity are described in details. Magnetic field tolerance and radiation hardness of Tracker power supply units is also discussed at length

Fruits and vegetables consumption and depressive symptoms: A population-based study in Peru.

OBJECTIVES: Among different factors, diet patterns seem to be related to depression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the consumption of fruits and/or vegetables and depressive symptoms. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A secondary data analysis was conducted using information from a population-based survey from 25 regions from Peru. The outcome was the presence of depressive symptoms according to the Patient Health Questionnaire (cutoff ≥15 to define major depressive syndrome); whereas the exposure was the self-reported consumption of fruits and/or vegetables (in tertiles and using WHO recommendation ≥5 servings/day). The association of interest was evaluated using Poisson regression models controlling for the complex-sample survey design and potential confounders. Data from 25,901 participants were analyzed, mean age 44.2 (SD: 17.7) and 13,944 (54.0%) women. Only 910 (3.8%; 95%CI: 3.5%-4.2%) individuals reported consuming ≥5 servings of fruits and/or vegetables/day; whereas 819 (2.8%; 95%CI: 2.5%-3.1%) had depressive symptoms. Those in the lowest tertile of fruits and/or vegetables consumption had greater prevalence of depressive symptoms (PR = 1.88; 95%CI: 1.39-2.55) than those in the highest tertile. This association was stronger with fruits (PR = 1.92; 95%CI: 1.46-2.53) than vegetables (PR = 1.42; 95%CI: 1.05-1.93) alone. CONCLUSIONS: An inverse relationship between consumption of fruits and/or vegetables and depressive symptoms is reported. Less than 5% of subjects reported consuming the amount of fruits and vegetables recommended by the WHO. There is a need to implement strategies to promote better diet patterns with potential impact on mental health

Exploring resonantly produced mixed sterile neutrino dark matter models

An unidentified 3.55 keV X-ray line in stacked spectra of galaxies and clusters raises the interesting possibility that it originates from the decay of sterile neutrino dark matter. In this work, we explore mixed sterile neutrino dark matter models that combine cold dark matter and warmer sterile neutrino dark matter produced through lepton number-driven active-to-sterile neutrino transformation. We analyze the sensitivity of the sterile neutrino spectra on active-sterile mixing and on initial neutrino lepton numbers. Furthermore, we assess the viability of these models with estimates of the number of subhalos formed as the host sites of satellite galaxies.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figure

Drawing a river:Utilizing the Power of Metaphors in Interviews With Children and Young People

In the field of qualitative health research on children, scholars have called for the inclusion of children’s perspectives. Still, health care research on children appears to be characterized by an exclusionary approach that stems from a conception of disability and sickness as equivalent to a lack of agency. This article responds to the call to include children’s perspectives. It presents the Double-view (Dovi)-river interview, which is a drawing- and metaphor-based interview method that enables ambiguous and multi-layered life course narratives. Based on two steps – (1) a life course interview conducted while drawing a river of the child’s life and (2) revisiting and unfolding the child’s stories – the method allows for an arts-based, joint exploration of life experiences. Inspired by childhood studies as well as a poststructuralist epistemology, the article discusses and proposes ways to challenge power relations between the adult interviewer and the child interviewee. It is argued that the method can also challenge the predominant deficit view and the dichotomous understanding of children’s experiences of their life and capabilities that characterize much health care practice and health research, by focusing both on challenges and opportunities. Doing so enables a more nuanced and appreciative approach to children. We draw on empirical examples from a study with children with disabilities. However, we suggest that the method’s potential for enabling articulation of the complex and ambiguous can inspire qualitative research and health care practice more broadly

From social context and resilience to performance through job satisfaction: A multilevel study over time

Giving the crucial role of organizational context in shaping individual attitudes and behaviors at work, in this research we studied the effects of collective work-unit Perceptions of Social Context (PoSC) on individual work resilience and two key individual outcomes: job satisfaction and job performance as rated by the supervisor. We theorized that collective PoSC act as antecedents of individual variables, and that individual job satisfaction mediates the relationship between collective PoSC and job performance, and between work resilience and job performance over time. A sample of 305 white-collar employees, clustered in 67 work-units, participated in the study. Hierarchical linear modeling highlighted that collective PoSC are significant related to individual work resilience. Moreover, results showed that individual job satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between collective PoSC and individual job performance and the relationship between individual work resilience and individual job performance. At a practical level, results suggest that interventions on collective PoSC may increase work resilience, job satisfaction and job performance over time at the individual level

Antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of quercetin against clinical isolates of Staphyloccocus aureus and Staphylococcus saprophyticus with resistance profile

The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial and antibiofilm properties of quercetin against clinical isolates of Staphyloccocus aureus and Staphylococcus saprophyticus with resistance profile. The antibacterial activity of quercetin was performed by the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) through the microdilution method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). The percentage of inhibition of Staphylococcus spp. biofilm, after treatment with sub-inhibitory concentrations of quercetin (MIC/2 and MIC/4), was evaluated by the violet crystal assay. Quercetin showed an antimicrobial activity against clinical isolates of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) (MIC = 250 µg/ml), methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) (MIC = 500 µg/ml), vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA) (MIC = 125 and 150 µg/ml), S. saprophyticus resistant to oxacillin (MIC = 62.5 to 125 µg/ml), vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) and S. saprophyticus resistant to oxacillin and vancomycin (MIC = 500 to 1000 µg/ml). At MIC/2 and MIC/4 the quercetin inhibit 46.5 ± 2.7% and 39.4 ± 4.3% of the S. aureus biofilm, respectively, and 51.7 ± 5.5% and 46.9 ± 5.5% of the S. saprophyticus biofilm, respectively. According to the results of this study, it was noticed that the quercetin presented an antibacterial activity against strains of Staphylococcus spp. with resistance profile and also inhibited the bacterial biofilm production even in sub-inhibitory concentrations

Accessible technologies for kinetic and kinematic analysis of people with disabilities: a literature review/ Tecnologias acessíveis para análise cinética e cinemática da pessoa com deficiência: uma revisão da literatura

Locomotion is the process by which a being moves from one place to another, including stopping, changing speed, changes in direction and adaptation to changes in terrain. Human walking follows a pattern, and it is one of the forms of locomotion that most calls the attention of researchers. Its variation among a group may indicate pathological conditions that influence the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with low mobility. The objective of this article is to carry out a review for the development of a low-cost instrumented treadmill that can assist in the rehabilitation, treatment and follow-up of patients with stroke, and for that, a search of articles related to the topic was carried out in databases such as ScienceDirect, PubMed and others. The results obtained were satisfactory and enabled the creation of a good database. It was possible to conclude that there is a diversity of existing resources and that it is up to the professionals to direct their choice to the one that suits them best