1,810 research outputs found
Evaluation of the postharvest quality of Cagaita fruits (Eugenia dysenterica DC.) coated with chitosan and associated with refrigeration
Cagaita fruits are subject to seasonality and perishability. This work aims to use scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics, texture, color and physical structure of cagaita fruits coated with different chitosan concentrations. The fruits were divided as follows: T0 (uncoated fruits), T1 (fruits coated with 1% (v/v) chitosan), T2 (fruits coated with 2% (v/v) chitosan) and T3 (fruits coated with 3% (v/v) chitosan). They were analyzed at 0, 10, 20 and 30 days of storage. Titratable acidity and soluble solids content showed no conservation of fruit characteristics; they showed better results for uncoated fruits, as well as weight loss, vitamin C and peak strain. The color of cagaita fruits confirmed ripening during storage regardless of treatment. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the film solution did not adhere, as desired, to the cell wall of fruits. As the results of fruits coated with 3% pectin were close to control, further studies should be carried out with higher coating percentages so that the fruit quality is maintained during storage.Keywords: Physical structure, film solution, quality, shelf life
Gamification and Adherence to Web-Based Mental Health Interventions: A Systematic Review
Background: Adherence to effective Web-based interventions for common mental disorders (CMDs) and well-being remains a critical issue, with clear potential to increase effectiveness. Continued identification and examination of âactiveâ technological components within Web-based interventions has been called for. Gamification is the use of game design elements and features in nongame contexts. Health and lifestyle interventions have implemented a variety of game features in their design in an effort to encourage engagement and increase program adherence. The potential influence of gamification on program adherence has not been examined in the context of Web-based interventions designed to manage CMDs and well-being.
Objective: This study seeks to review the literature to examine whether gaming features predict or influence reported rates of program adherence in Web-based interventions designed to manage CMDs and well-being.
Methods: A systematic review was conducted of peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) designed to manage CMDs or well-being and incorporated gamification features. Seven electronic databases were searched.
Results: A total of 61 RCTs met the inclusion criteria and 47 different intervention programs were identified. The majority were designed to manage depression using cognitive behavioral therapy. Eight of 10 popular gamification features reviewed were in use. The majority of studies utilized only one gamification feature (n=58) with a maximum of three features. The most commonly used feature was story/theme. Levels and game leaders were not used in this context. No studies explicitly examined the role of gamification features on program adherence. Usage data were not commonly reported. Interventions intended to be 10 weeks in duration had higher mean adherence than those intended to be 6 or 8 weeks in duration.
Conclusions: Gamification features have been incorporated into the design of interventions designed to treat CMD and well-being. Further research is needed to improve understanding of gamification features on adherence and engagement in order to inform the design of future Web-based health interventions in which adherence to treatment is of concern. Conclusions were limited by varied reporting of adherence and usage dat
Finite temperature phase diagram of a polarised Fermi condensate
The two-component Fermi gas is the simplest fermion system displaying
superfluidity, and as such finds applications ranging from the theory of
superconductivity to QCD. Ultracold atomic gases provide an exceptionally clean
realization of this system, where the interatomic interaction and the atom
species population are both independent, tuneable parameters. This allows one
to investigate the Fermi gas with imbalanced spin populations, which had
previously been experimentally elusive, and this prospect has stimulated much
theoretical activity. Here we show that the finite temperature phase diagram
contains a region of phase separation between the superfluid and normal states
that touches the boundary of second-order superfluid transitions at a
tricritical point, reminiscent of the phase diagram of He-He mixtures.
A variation of interaction strength then results in a line of tricritical
points that terminates at zero temperature on the molecular Bose-Einstein
condensate (BEC) side. On this basis, we argue that tricritical points will
play an important role in the recent experiments on polarised atomic Fermi
gases.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Manuscript extended and figures modified. For
final version, see Nature Physic
Direct Observation of the Superfluid Phase Transition in Ultracold Fermi Gases
Water freezes into ice, atomic spins spontaneously align in a magnet, liquid
helium becomes superfluid: Phase transitions are dramatic phenomena. However,
despite the drastic change in the system's behaviour, observing the transition
can sometimes be subtle. The hallmark of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) and
superfluidity in trapped, weakly interacting Bose gases is the sudden
appearance of a dense central core inside a thermal cloud. In strongly
interacting gases, such as the recently observed fermionic superfluids, this
clear separation between the superfluid and the normal parts of the cloud is no
longer given. Condensates of fermion pairs could be detected only using
magnetic field sweeps into the weakly interacting regime. The quantitative
description of these sweeps presents a major theoretical challenge. Here we
demonstrate that the superfluid phase transition can be directly observed by
sudden changes in the shape of the clouds, in complete analogy to the case of
weakly interacting Bose gases. By preparing unequal mixtures of the two spin
components involved in the pairing, we greatly enhance the contrast between the
superfluid core and the normal component. Furthermore, the non-interacting
wings of excess atoms serve as a direct and reliable thermometer. Even in the
normal state, strong interactions significantly deform the density profile of
the majority spin component. We show that it is these interactions which drive
the normal-to-superfluid transition at the critical population imbalance of
70(5)%.Comment: 16 pages (incl. Supplemental Material), 5 figure
Molecular evidence of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Ureaplasma parvum colonization in preterm infants during respiratory distress syndrome
BACKGROUND: Ureaplasma urealyticum and U. parvum have been associated with respiratory diseases in premature newborns, but their role in the pathogenesis of the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is unclear. The aim of this study was to detect, using molecular techniques, the role of Mycoplasma spp. and Ureaplasma spp. in respiratory secretion and blood specimens of preterm newborns with or without RDS and to evaluate the prevalence of perinatal U. urealyticum or U. parvum infection. The influence of chemotherapy on the clinical course was also evaluated. METHODS: Tracheal aspirate or nasopharingeal fluid samples from 50 preterm babies with (24) or without RDS (26) were analysed for detection of U. urealyticum and U. parvum by culture identification assay and PCR. Sequencing analysis of amplicons allowed us to verify the specificity of methods. Clarithromycin (10 mg kg(-1 )twice a day) was administered in ureaplasma-positive patients who presented clinical signs of RDS. RESULTS: 15/24 neonates with RDS (p < 0.001) and 4/26 without RDS were found PCR-positive for U. urealyticum or U. parvum. Culture identification assay was positive in 5/50 newborns, three of which with RDS. Sequencing analyses confirmed the specificity of these methods. Association of patent ductus arteriosus with ureaplasma colonization was more statistically significant (p = 0.0004) in patients with RDS than in those without RDS. CONCLUSION: Colonization of the lower respiratory tract by Ureaplasma spp. and particularly by U. parvum in preterm newborns was related to RDS. The routine use of molecular methods could be useful to screen candidate babies for etiologic therapy
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and autism spectrum disorders
ASDs (autism spectrum disorders) are a complex group of neurodevelopment disorders, still poorly understood, steadily rising in frequency and treatment refractory. Extensive research has been so far unable to explain the aetiology of this condition, whereas a growing body of evidence suggests the involvement of environmental factors. Phthalates, given their extensive use and their persistence, are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. They are EDs (endocrine disruptors) suspected to interfere with neurodevelopment. Therefore they represent interesting candidate risk factors for ASD pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of the primary and secondary metabolites of DEHP [di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate] in children with ASD. A total of 48 children with ASD (male: 36, female: 12; mean age: 11±5 years) and age- and sex-comparable 45 HCs (healthy controls; male: 25, female: 20; mean age: 12±5 years) were enrolled. A diagnostic methodology, based on the determination of urinary concentrations of DEHP metabolites by HPLC-ESI-MS (HPLC electrospray ionization MS), was applied to urine spot samples. MEHP [mono-(2-ethylhexenyl) 1,2-benzenedicarboxylate], 6-OH-MEHP [mono-(2-ethyl-6-hydroxyhexyl) 1,2-benzenedicarboxylate], 5-OH-MEHP [mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) 1,2-benzenedicarboxylate] and 5-oxo-MEHP [mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) 1,2-benzenedicarboxylate] were measured and compared with unequivocally characterized, pure synthetic compounds (>98%) taken as standard. In ASD patients, significant increase in 5-OH-MEHP (52.1%, median 0.18) and 5-oxo-MEHP (46.0%, median 0.096) urinary concentrations were detected, with a significant positive correlation between 5-OH-MEHP and 5-oxo-MEHP (rsâ=â0.668, P<0.0001). The fully oxidized form 5-oxo-MEHP showed 91.1% specificity in identifying patients with ASDs. Our findings demonstrate for the first time an association between phthalates exposure and ASDs, thus suggesting a previously unrecognized role for these ubiquitous environmental contaminants in the pathogenesis of autism
Birth weight in relation to endometrial and breast cancer risks in Swedish women
An examination of birth weight in a Swedish cohort study of 38â566 women showed no significant association between birth weight and endometrial cancer, but supported a protective role for low birth weight for premenopausal breast cancer
Large emissions from floodplain trees close the Amazon methane budget
Wetlands are the largest global source of atmospheric methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas. However, methane emission inventories from the Amazon floodplain, the largest natural geographic source of CH4 in the tropics, consistently underestimate the atmospheric burden of CH4 determined via remote sensing and inversion modelling, pointing to a major gap in our understanding of the contribution of these ecosystems to CH4 emissions. Here we report CH4 fluxes from the stems of 2,357 individual Amazonian floodplain trees from 13 locations across the central Amazon basin. We find that escape of soil gas through wetland trees is the dominant source of regional CH4 emissions. Methane fluxes from Amazon tree stems were up to 200 times larger than emissions reported for temperate wet forests6 and tropical peat swamp forests, representing the largest non-ebullitive wetland fluxes observed. Emissions from trees had an average stable carbon isotope value (ÎŽ13C) of â66.2â±â6.4 per mil, consistent with a soil biogenic origin. We estimate that floodplain trees emit 15.1â±â1.8 to 21.2â±â2.5 teragrams of CH4 a year, in addition to the 20.5â±â5.3 teragrams a year emitted regionally from other sources. Furthermore, we provide a âtop-downâ regional estimate of CH4 emissions of 42.7â±â5.6 teragrams of CH4 a year for the Amazon basin, based on regular vertical lower-troposphere CH4 profiles covering the period 2010â2013. We find close agreement between our âtop-downâ and combined âbottom-upâ estimates, indicating that large CH4 emissions from trees adapted to permanent or seasonal inundation can account for the emission source that is required to close the Amazon CH4 budget. Our findings demonstrate the importance of tree stem surfaces in mediating approximately half of all wetland CH4 emissions in the Amazon floodplain, a region that represents up to one-third of the global wetland CH4 source when trees are combined with other emission sources
Evidence-based radiography : a new methodology or the systematisation of an old practice?
Introduction: Evidence based radiography (EBR) is the logical development of
evidence based practice applied to radiography. The aim of this study was to
investigate the opinion of a cohort of Portuguese radiographers in Southern Portugal
working in public hospitals regarding evidence based practice (EBP), namely about the
levels of knowledge about EBR, how they access information and how they use it
within daily practice.
Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was applied to a sample of 40
radiographers in the Portuguese region of Algarve. This questionnaire was validated for
Portuguese speakers using the translation-retranslation method.
Results: The final response rate was 69% (40/58). Results suggest that most
radiographers trained EBR during their undergraduate training. Although, no
statistically significant correlations were found in the practice of EBR against participant
gender, age, training, career level, reading papers and workplace. The most frequent
reason to read papers is the âinterestâ to do so, and national professional journals are
read more often. It was found that radiographers that read scientific papers more
frequently know more about research (p=0.005), understand the importance of
research for the professional activity (p=0.023), and know more on how to conduct
research papers (p=0.034).
Conclusion: EBR within radiography is not yet well established, and radiographersâ
have varying viewpoints. Radiographers that read scientific papers more frequently
understand better the philosophy behind this concept but it is very important to deepen
the knowledge on this area.
Implications for Practice: When practicing radiography based on the best available
scientific knowledge, professionals are ensuring the best for patients and for
profession. To achieve this, and before taking any action, it is important to evaluate the
current situation, and this research presents a way to do so
BRAIN ABSCESS DUE TO Staphylococcus aureus OF CRYPTOGENIC SOURCE IN AN HIV-1 INFECTED PATIENT IN USE OF ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY
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