X-ray method to study temperature-dependent stripe domains in MnAs/GaAs(001)

MnAs films grown on GaAs (001) exhibit a progressive transition between hexagonal (ferromagnetic) and orthorhombic (paramagnetic) phases at wide temperature range instead of abrupt transition during the first-order phase transition. The coexistence of two phases is favored by the anisotropic strain arising from the constraint on the MnAs films imposed by the substrate. This phase coexistence occurs in ordered arrangement alternating periodic terrace steps. We present here a method to study the surface morphology throughout this transition by means of specular and diffuse scattering of soft x-rays, tuning the photon energy at the Mn 2p resonance. The results show the long-range arrangement of the periodic stripe-like structure during the phase coexistence and its period remains constant, in agreement with previous results using other techniques.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Applied Physics Letter

Incomplete Entanglement: consequences for the QZE

We show that the Quantum Zeno Effect prevails even if the entanglement with the measuring probe is not complete. The dynamics towards the asymptotic regime as a function of $N$, the number of measurements, reveals surprising results: the transition probability, for some values of the coupling to the measuring probe, may decrease much faster than the normal QZE

Pupillary activity in areas of interest from visual stimuli for neonatal pain assessment

This paper compares the pupillary activity index to traditional eye-tracking metrics like the fixation count and duration in assessing neonatal pain. It explores the benefits of incorporating pupillary activity measures to improve methods that lead to an understanding of cognitive processing and performance evaluation. The estimation of cognitive load using pupil diameter typically involves measures relative to a baseline. Instead, we conducted an eye-tracking study using the Low/High Index of Pupillary Activity to evaluate healthcare experts and non-experts analyzing the faces with and without pain from a dataset of newborn faces. This data was recorded by the Tobii TX300 eye-tracking system in a closed room with controlled lighting. Our contribution is to introduce the LHIPA calculation considering the areas of interest segments of the pupil diameter signal. The results suggest that the visual attention reflected by the traditional metrics may not correspond directly to the respective cognitive load for both sample groups of participants

Experimental Evaluation Of The Pathogenicity Of Different Strains Of Schistosoma Mansoni

The pathogenesis of three different Schistosoma mansoni strains from the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais (BH strain) and São Paulo (SJ and SD strains) was evaluated in experimentally infected mice. Observations of the most severe clinical cases among local patients treated (SD strain) in the city of Campinas (São Paulo, Brazil) formed the basis of this study. Mice were used as definitive hosts and were infected with cercariae from Biomphalaria tenagophila (SJ and SD strains) and Biomphalaria glabrata (BH strains). The parameters analyzed were as follows: number of S. mansoni eggs in mice feces; number of granulomas per tissue area in liver, spleen, lungs, pancreas, and ascending colon; measurements of hepatic and intestinal granulomas; number of adult worms; and measurements of trematode eggs. The comparison among the three strains indicated that the SD strain, isolated in Campinas, presented a higher worm recovery relative to the number of penetrating cercariae. In addition, when compared to the SJ and BH strains, the SD strain demonstrated similar pathogenicity to the BH strain, with a greater quantity of granulomas in the viscera, as well as larger granulomas and eggs. Furthermore, a greater quantity of trematode eggs was also shed in the feces. © 2012 Antônio Aurélio Euzébio et al.2012Chieffi, P.P., Waldman, E.A., Aspectos particulares do comportamento epidemiológico da esquistossomose mansônica no Estado de São Paulo (1988) Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 4, pp. 257-275Paraense, W.L., Corrêa, L.R., Sobre a ocorrência de duas raças biológicas do Schistosoma mansoni no Brasil (1963) Ciência e Cultura, 15, pp. 245-246Magalhães, L.A., Carvalho, J.F., Estudo morfológico de Schistosoma mansoni pertencentes às linhagens de Belo Horizonte (BH) e de São José dos Campos (SP) (1973) Revista de Saúde Pública, 7, pp. 289-294Paraense, W.L., Corrêa, L.R., Observations on two biological races of Schistosoma mansoni (1981) Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 76 (3), pp. 287-291. , 2-s2.0-0019593327Lemos Neto, R.C., Magalhães, L.A., Piedrabuena, A.E., Some aspects concerning the study of strains of Schistosoma mansoni Sambon, 1907, originating from the States of Minas Gerais and São Paulo, Brazil (1978) Revista de Saude Publica, 12 (3), pp. 277-290. , 2-s2.0-0018018745Magalhães, L.A., Alcântara, F.G., Carvalho, J.F., Distribuição de lesões esquistossomóticas extra-hepáticas em camundongos infectados pelas linhagens BH e SJ de Schistosoma mansoni (1975) Revista de Saúde Pública, 13, pp. 326-334Magalhães, L.A., Carvalho, J.F., Sobre o comportamento de duas linhagens de Schistosoma mansoni Sambon, 1907. Proposição para método de estudo quantitative (1976) Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, 10, pp. 169-194Santos, N.R., (1967) Esquistossomose Mansônica Autóctone No Vale Do Médio Paraíba, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil: Contribuição Para O Estudo da Zona Endêmica [Ph.D. Thesis], , São Paulo, Brasil School of Medicine, University of São PauloPiza, J.T., Ramos, A.S., Os focos autóctones da esquistossomose no Estado de São Paulo Arquivos de Higiene e Saúde Pública, 25 (86), pp. 261-271Freitas, A.R.R., Oliveira, A.C.P., Schistosomal myelopathy and the relevance of Schistosomiasis in a low-prevalence area Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Schistosomiasis 2002 Recife, BrazilFreitas, A.R.R., Yokoda, J.C.R., Santos, A.M., Reis, R.D., Neumann, M.M.A.G.L., Yamanaka, A., Approach to hepatic alterations in Schistosomiasis in areas of low prevalence by ultrasonography using WHO standardization Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Schistosomiasis 2002 Recife, BrazilMagalhães, L.A., Technic of viability evaluation of Schistosoma mansoni 's cercariae penetration in Mus musculus (1969) Hospital, 75 (5), pp. 1663-1666. , 2-s2.0-0014514454Katz, N., Chaves, A., Pellegrino, J., A simple device for quantitative stool thick-smear technique in Schistosomiasis mansoni (1972) Revista Do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo, 14 (6), pp. 397-400. , 2-s2.0-0015423525Yolles, T.K., Moore, D.U., De Ginsti, D.L., Ripson, C.A., Meleney, H.E., A technique for the perfusion of laboratory animals for the recovery of Schistosomes (1947) Journal of Parasitology, 33, pp. 419-426Institute, S., (2006) SAS System for Windows Versão 9. 01, , Cory, NC, USASaoud, M.F.A., The infectivity and pathogenicity of geographical strains of Schistosoma mansoni (1966) Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 60 (5), pp. 585-600. , 2-s2.0-0013993940Bina, J.C., Prata, A., Schistosomiasis in hyperendemic area of Taquarendi. I- Schistosoma mansoni infection and severe clinikal forms (2003) Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, 36 (2), pp. 211-216Zanotti-Magalhães, E.M., Magalhães, L.A., Carvalho, J.F., Relação entre a patogenicidade do Schistosoma mansoni em camundongos e a susceptibilidade do molusco vetor. II. Número de ovos nas fezes e número e tamanho dos granulomas nas vísceras (1993) Revista de Saúde Pública, 27, pp. 412-420Zanotti-Magalhães, E.M., Magalhães, L.A., Carvalho, J.F., Relação entre a patogenicidade do Schistosoma mansoni em camundongos e a susceptibilidade do molusco vetor. III. Mortalidade, pesos corporal e das vísceras (1995) Revista de Saúde Pública, 29, pp. 265-270Yoshioka, L., Zanotti-Magalhaes, E.M., Magalhães, L.A., Linhares, A.X., Schistosoma mansoni: A study of pathogenesis of Santa Rosa strain (Campinas, SP, Brasil) in mice (2002) Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, 35 (3), pp. 203-207. , 2-s2.0-0036580395De Abreu Ferrari, T.C., Involvement of central nervous system in the schistosomiasis (2004) Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 99 (5), pp. 59-62Stadecker, M.J., The development of granulomas in schistosomiasis: Genetic backgrounds, regulatory pathways, and specific egg antigen responses that influence the magnitude of disease (1999) Microbes and Infection, 1 (7), pp. 505-510. , 2-s2.0-0032717153 10.1016/S1286-4579(99)80089-

Analysis of maize photosyntheis parameters and whole plant oxidative damage under long-term drought.

We test if maize maintain yield under long-term drought throught improvement of photosyntheis (A) coupled with up-regulation of the antioxidant system induced by increase in levels of abscisic acid (ABA). Four maize genotypes with constrasting drought tolerance: BRS1010 and 2B710 (sensitive) and DKB 390 and BRS1055 (tolerant) in two soil water levels, field capacity (FC) and water deficit (WD) were used. WD was applied at the pre-flowering stage for 12 days, and oxidative damage was measured as malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation in whole plant. Plants from tolerant genotypes DKB390 and BRS1055 showed higher A and had no signal of oxidative damage compared to sensitive genotypes 2B710 and BRS1010 under WD, resulting in a higher yield attributes. For our surprising, it was dissociated from up-regulation of the antioxidant system ABA-mediated. In turn, plants from two sensitive genotypes under WD showed compared to FC consistent reduction of A due to mesophyll conductance (gm) limitation. Only WD plants from sensitive genotype BRS1010 presented leaf ABA levels increased related to its counterparts under FC; however, due to the inactivation of catalase activity the oxidative damage control was not effective, resulting a hardly MDA acumulation in both leaves and roots. The maize tolerance under long-term drought is linked to scape of gm decline

Ethanol Production, Current Facts, Future Scenarios, and Techno-Economic Assessment of Different Biorefinery Configurations

Currently, the continuous depletion of non-renewable resources of fuels and chemicals has promoted the research and development of different alternatives for the replacement of fossil resources as the feedstock of fuels and chemicals. At present, one of the most important biofuels in the current economy, is bioethanol, contributing to 65% of the total biofuels production. The production of bioethanol is an attractive alternative because it would be produced using indigenous and native raw material, therefore, the socioeconomic impact mainly in developing countries would be measured by the economic incomes and increase the quality of life of small and middle farmers. The first-generation ethanol production from sugarcane, corn, or beet sugar is broadly implemented at an industrial scale. However, the second-generation ethanol (2GE) is currently still in development stages, looking for different alternatives according to each region under study. The 2GE is also subject of diverse opinions about its economic viability and its real impact on the environment, especially due to the CO2 footprint. Consequently, this chapter has presented an overview of 2GE production, the possibilities of co-production of molecules of high value-added, and their economic and environmental assessment, including CO2 release, water consumption, solid residues disposal, and economic analysis to determine the best bioethanol based biorefinery configuration