Development Of Disease Caused By The Parasite, Perkinsus-Marinus And Defense-Related Hemolymph Factors In 3 Populations Of Oysters From The Chesapeake Bay, Usa

The development of infection caused by the protozoan parasite, Perkinsus marinus (Dermo) and some specific potential defense-related cellular and humoral components in oysters collected from three geographic areas, Deepwater Shoal of James River (DW), Wachapreague (WP), and Mobjack Bay (MJ) were examined over time. Oysters were maintained in estuarine water (salinity = 20 ppt) or in water at a salinity similar to the ambient salinity of the collection sites. Oysters were sampled at the initiation of the experiment (day 0), day 35, and day 100 to determine defense-related parameters and disease prevalence and intensity. All populations experienced a significant increase in P. marinus infection prevalence and intensity from the initiation of the experiment to the termination of the study. Oyster mortality differed between oyster populations. None of the DW oysters perished while cumulative mortalities for WP at 32 ppt and 20 ppt and MJ oysters were respectively, 23, 25, and 35%. The experimental oyster populations demonstrated significant differences with respect to cellular and humoral defense-related variables. As the study progressed, the mean number of total hemocytes declined in the WP and MJ populations and increased in the DW population. The percentage of granulocytes in DW oysters was consistently higher than other populations. DW oysters also had the highest concentrations of protein and lysozyme. This pattern persisted throughout the experimental period. Oyster condition index significantly decreased during the course of the study in all populations except the DW oysters at 10 ppt. Results suggest that the increase of hemocyte number and higher percentage of granulocytes, and lysozyme concentration in DW oysters may have contributed to the high (100%) survival rate of this population. Salinity may have affected disease development. Disease prevalence and intensity tended to be lower in the WP oysters maintained at low salinity than those maintained at high salinity. In the DW population, unexpectedly, oysters maintained at 20 ppt had lower infection prevalence and intensity than oysters maintained at 10 ppt. Salinity induced, to some extent, changes in certain hemolymph components: lysozyme concentration tended to be higher in oysters maintained at low salinity than those maintained at high salinity. Increase in percentage of granulocytes was also observed in WP oysters after transferring to a salinity lower than ambient salinity

Bilateral Waveform Similarity Overlap-and-Add Based Packet Loss Concealment for Voice over IP

This paper invested a bilateral waveform similarity overlap-and-add algorithm for voice packet lost. Since Packet lost will cause the semantic misunderstanding, it has become one of the most essential problems in speech communication. This investment is based on waveform similarity measure using overlap-and-Add algorithm and provides the bilateral information to enhance the speech signal reconstruction. Traditionally, it has been improved that waveform similarity overlap-and-add (WSOLA) technique is an effective algorithm to deal with packet loss concealment (PLC) for real-time time communication. WSOLA algorithm is widely applied to deal with the length adaptation and packet loss concealment of speech signal. Time scale modification of audio signal is one of the most essential research topics in data communication, especially in voice of IP (VoIP). Herein, the proposed the bilateral WSOLA (BWSOLA) that is derived from WSOLA. Instead of only exploitation one direction speech data, the proposed method will reconstruct the lost voice data according to the preceding and cascading data. The related algorithms have been developed to achieve the optimal reconstructing estimation. The experimental results show that the quality of the reconstructed speech signal of the bilateral WSOLA is much better compared to the standard WSOLA and GWSOLA on different packet loss rate and length using the metrics PESQ and MOS. The significant improvement is obtained by bilateral information and proposed method. The proposed bilateral waveform similarity overlap-and-add (BWSOLA) outperforms the traditional approaches especially in the long duration data loss

The demography of worker and male size in bumblebee colonies

Trabalho final de mestrado integrado em Medicina (Pediatria), apresentado á Faculdade de Medicina de CoimbraIntrodução: Nas unidades de cuidados intensivos a necessidade de transmitir grandes quantidades de informação de forma rigorosa é crítica e a forma como essa transmissão é realizada tem impacto nos resultados da unidade. A utilização de Checklists tipo mnemónica permite condensar grandes quantidades de informação, de fácil memorização, optimizando a comunicação entre profissionais de saúde e contribuindo para a redução do risco de erro por omissão. Objectivos: Avaliar o impacto da aplicação de uma Checklist tipo mnemónica num Serviço de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos. Material e Métodos: Definiu-se a Checklist REVÊ E AVALIA-TE: RE – Resumo; V – Ventilação mecânica; E – Entubação endotraqueal; A – Água/Alimentação; V – Vias centrais; L – Lesões cutâneas; I – Informação social; A – Analgesia/Sedação; T – Trombose venosa profunda. Foram definidos dois períodos: um período pré-implementação da Checklist (PPreC) e um período pós-implementação da Checklist (PPosC) e foram comparados relativamente a parâmetros de registo no diário clínico, de qualidade e de efectividade. Resultados: Foram analisados 261 diários clínicos; 129 diários no PPreC (53 crianças internadas) e 132 diários no PPosC (69 crianças internadas). Verificou-se uma melhoria significativa na percentagem de registo em 21 dos 27 parâmetros definidos para a Checklist. Verificou-se também uma melhoria significativa relativa a: TET, água/alimentação, vias centrais, úlceras, informação social e TVP, merecendo destaque os parâmetros: posição do TET (PPreC 4,8%; PPosC 71,4%; p<0,001), presença de cateter central (PPreC 38%; PPosC 87,1%; p<0,001), dias de cateter (PPreC 16,9%; PPosC 78%; p<0,001), úlceras de pressão (PPreC 8%; 5 PPosC 66,7%; p<0,045), factores de risco de TVP (PPreC 0,8%; PPosC 40,9%; p<0,001) e informação social (PPreC 1,6%; PPosC 40,9%; p<0,001). Relativamente aos parâmetros: reposicionamento do TET e duração da analgesia/sedação não se verificou melhoria. Houve uma melhoria significativa na percentagem de registos com volume corrente <7ml/kg (PPreC 70,4%; PPosC 100%; p= 0,005) e com cateter venoso central com menos de 10 dias, atingindo 96,9% em PPosC com uma diferença entre os dois períodos de 30,2%; p=0,002. Conclusão: Concluiu-se que a aplicação de uma Checklist permitiu uma melhoria na qualidade do registo de informação no diário clínico e que pode ter impacto na melhoria dos cuidados de saúde prestados num Serviço de Cuidados Intensivos PediátricosIntroduction: In Pediatric Intensive Care Units the nedd to accurately transmit large amounts of information is critical and how that transmition is carried out has impacto on the unit’s results. The use of Checklists mnemonic like allows to condensate large amounts of information, easy to remembre, optimizes the communication between health care providers and helps reducing the risk of error by omission. Objective: To evaluate application’s impact of a Checklist mnemonic like in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. Material and Methods: definition of the Checklist REVÊ E AVALIA-TE: RE - Summary; V – Mechanical ventilation; E – Endotracheal intubation; A – Fluids/Nutrition; V – central pathways; L – Skin lesions; I – Social information; A – Analgesia/Sedation; T – Deep Vein Thrombosis. Two periods were defined: a pre-implementation period (PPreC) and a post-implementation period (PPosC) and were compared regarding recording parameters in clinical notes, quality and effectiveness. Results: 261 clinical notes were analyzed; 129 in PPreC (53 children admitted) and 132 in PPosC (69 children admitted). There was a significant improvement in the percentage of registering in 21 of the 27 parameters of the Checklist. There was also a significant improvement in: TET, fluid/nutrition, central catheter, ulcers, social information and DVT, with highligh for: ET Position (4.8% PPreC; 71.4% PPosC; p<0.001), central catheter (PPreC 38%; PPosC 87.1%; p <0.001), catheter days (16.9% PPreC; 7 78% PPosC; p<0.001), pressure ulcers (PPreC 8%; PPosC 66.7%; p<0.045), DVT risk factors (PPreC 0.8%; PPosC 40.9%; p<0.001) and social information (1.6% PPreC; 40.9%PPosC; p <0.001). There were no improvment in ET repositioning and analgesia/sedation duration. There was a significant improvement in the clinical notes regarding tidal volume<7 ml/Kg (PPreC 70.4 % ; PPosC 100%; p=0.005 ) and central venous catheter under 10 days, reaching 96.9% in PPosC with a difference between the two periods of 30.2%; p=0.002. The implementation of the Checklist allowed an improvement in the information’s record quality in the clinical notes and it may have impact on improving health care in Pediatric Intensive Care Uni

Effective Dynamic Range in Measurements with Flash Analog-to-Digital Convertor

Flash Analog to Digital Convertor (FADC) is frequently used in nuclear and particle physics experiments, often as the major component in big multi-channel systems. The large data volume makes the optimization of operating parameters necessary. This article reports a study of a method to extend the dynamic range of an 8-bit FADC from the nominal $\rm{2^8}$ value. By comparing the integrated pulse area with that of a reference profile, good energy reconstruction and event identification can be achieved on saturated events from CsI(Tl) crystal scintillators. The effective dynamic range can be extended by at least 4 more bits. The algorithm is generic and is expected to be applicable to other detector systems with FADC readout.Comment: 19 pages, 1 table, 10 figure

On Vanishing Theorems For Vector Bundle Valued p-Forms And Their Applications

Let $F: [0, \infty) \to [0, \infty)$ be a strictly increasing $C^2$ function with $F(0)=0$. We unify the concepts of $F$-harmonic maps, minimal hypersurfaces, maximal spacelike hypersurfaces, and Yang-Mills Fields, and introduce $F$-Yang-Mills fields, $F$-degree, $F$-lower degree, and generalized Yang-Mills-Born-Infeld fields (with the plus sign or with the minus sign) on manifolds. When $F(t)=t, \frac 1p(2t)^{\frac p2}, \sqrt{1+2t} -1,$ and $1-\sqrt{1-2t},$ the $F$-Yang-Mills field becomes an ordinary Yang-Mills field, $p$-Yang-Mills field, a generalized Yang-Mills-Born-Infeld field with the plus sign, and a generalized Yang-Mills-Born-Infeld field with the minus sign on a manifold respectively. We also introduce the $E_{F,g}-$energy functional (resp. $F$-Yang-Mills functional) and derive the first variational formula of the $E_{F,g}-$energy functional (resp. $F$-Yang-Mills functional) with applications. In a more general frame, we use a unified method to study the stress-energy tensors that arise from calculating the rate of change of various functionals when the metric of the domain or base manifold is changed. These stress-energy tensors, linked to $F$-conservation laws yield monotonicity formulae. A "macroscopic" version of these monotonicity inequalities enables us to derive some Liouville type results and vanishing theorems for $p-$forms with values in vector bundles, and to investigate constant Dirichlet boundary value problems for 1-forms. In particular, we obtain Liouville theorems for $F-$harmonic maps (e.g. $p$-harmonic maps), and $F-$Yang-Mills fields (e.g. generalized Yang-Mills-Born-Infeld fields on manifolds). We also obtain generalized Chern type results for constant mean curvature type equations for $p-$forms on $\Bbb{R}^m$ and on manifolds $M$ with the global doubling property by a different approach. The case $p=0$ and $M=\mathbb{R}^m$ is due to Chern.Comment: 1. This is a revised version with several new sections and an appendix that will appear in Communications in Mathematical Physics. 2. A "microscopic" approach to some of these monotonicity formulae leads to celebrated blow-up techniques and regularity theory in geometric measure theory. 3. Our unique solution of the Dirichlet problems generalizes the work of Karcher and Wood on harmonic map

Gamma rays from dark matter annihilation in the Draco and observability at ARGO

The CACTUS experiment recently observed a gamma ray excess above 50 GeV from the direction of the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Considering that Draco is dark matter dominated the gamma rays may be generated through dark matter annihilation in the Draco halo. In the framework of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model we explore the parameter space to account for the gamma ray signals at CACTUS. We find that the neutralino mass is constrained to be approximately in the range between 100 GeV ~ 400 GeV and a sharp central cuspy of the dark halo profile in Draco is necessary to explain the CACTUS results. We then discuss further constraints on the supersymmetric parameter space by observations at the ground based ARGO detector. It is found that the parameter space can be strongly constrained by ARGO if no excess from Draco is observed above 100 GeV.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure

Geometric Quantization of Topological Gauge Theories

We study the symplectic quantization of Abelian gauge theories in $2+1$ space-time dimensions with the introduction of a topological Chern-Simons term.Comment: 13 pages, plain TEX, IF/UFRJ/9