Stigma consciousness and self-efficacy in infertile couples: correlation and gender differences

Introducción: La infertilidad es cada vez mayor en las sociedades occidentales y sus consecuencias son muy problemáticas una vez que los problemas individuales y familiares se detectan en las parejas infértiles (IC). Investigaciones recientes sugieren que el estigma consciente (SC) y la autoeficacia (ES) pueden verse afectadas en estas parejas. Hipótesis: H1 - existe una correlación significativamente negativa entre SC y SE en hombres infértiles (IM) y en mujeres infértiles (IW). H2-IW muestran niveles más altos de SC y más bajos niveles de SE en comparación con IM. Método: Los participantes - IC (n = 59) se reclutaron en la consulta de un hospital de infertilidad. Instrumentos: se empleó un cuestionario sociodemográfico, la versión portuguesa del cuestionario Adapted Stigma Consciousness Questionnaire and of the Infertility Self-efficacy Scale. Procedimiento – a) autorización del Comité ético del Hospital, b) consentimiento informado, c) entrevista con el investigador y aplicación del cuestionario, d) análisis estadístico de la correlación entre SC y SE y de las diferencias entre los hombres infértiles y las mujeres en la SC y SE. Resultados: Existe una correlación negativa significativa entre SC y SE en IM y en IW. En comparación con los demás valores, IW presenta niveles significativamente más altos de SC y significativamente más bajos niveles de SE.Introduction: Infertility is increasing in western societies and consequences are deeply problematic once family and individual psychological problems are detected in infertile couples (IC) and rise up during medical treatment. Recent research suggests that stigma consciousness (SC) and self-efficacy (SE) may be affected in these couples. Hypothesis: H1 - There is a significantly negative correlation between SC and SE in infertile men (IM) and in infertile women (IW). H2 – IW show higher levels of SC and lower levels of SE when compared with IM. Method: Participants - IC (n = 59) attending an infertility hospital consultation were recruited. Instruments – a Socio-demographic Questionnaire, the Portuguese versions of the Adapted Stigma Consciousness Questionnaire and of the Infertility Self-efficacy Scale. Procedure – a) authorization of the Hospital’s Ethical Committee, b) Informed Consent, c) interview with the researcher and questionnaires application, d) statistical analysis of the correlation between SC and SE and of the differences between infertile men and women on SC and SE. Results: There is a significant negative correlation between SC and SE both in IM and in IW. When compared with their partners, IW present significantly higher levels of SC and significantly lower levels of SE.peerReviewe

Glutaraldehyde exposed Pseudomonas fluorescens: a case of biofilm persistence?

From the assessment of the recovery capability of pseudomonas fluorescens atcc 13525t after exposure to several glutaraldehyde (gta) concentrations (100, 200 and 400 mg/l) and exposure times (1 and 2 hours), it was found that, for gta concentrations above 100 mg/l, whatever the exposure time, bacterial cells presented different growth patterns in solid media. after this statement, the recovered cells were initially characterized using api ne20 strips and species identification was obtained using the api database. the type culture and the cells obtained after treatment with concentrations below 200 mg/l were identified as p. fluorescens. conversely, the identification of cells exposed to higher concentrations of gta failed. the electrophoretic profiles of both the type culture and the cells exposed to gta were obtained by pcr, using the primer t3b. the results showed identical profiles for the type culture and the cells exposed to low gta concentrations, and a totally different pattern for cells exposed to gta concentrations above 200 mg/l. sequencing of the 16s rdna gene is under way in order to further clarify the differences observed. the p. fluorescens atcc 13525 (used as control) and the cells treated with 200 mg/l of gta during 2 hours were selected for further studies. a comparative study was carried out between the above referred cells in terms of morphological structure, surface properties, respiratory activity, biofilm formation ability and susceptibility to gta. the results showed that the cells treated with 200 mg/l of gta presented an elongated structure, were about 30 times less active in terms of respiratory activity and were more hydrophilic. concerning biofilm formation, both tested cells presented biofilm formation ability, but the gta treated cells produced about 2 times more mass of biofilm. however, this biofilm had a specific respiratory activity 3 times less than the one formed by the control culture. the biofilm behaviour immediately after exposure to 200 mg/l of gta during 2 hours, was similar for both situations studied, since a low biofilm removal and inactivation was achieved. however, 7 hours after gta exposure, only 55% of the biofilm formed by the control culture remained attached to the surface, while for the biofilms formed by the treated cells all the deposit remained attached to the surface. the results obtained in this work indicate that cells submitted to gta treatment may give rise to biofilms harder to remove and consequently more persistent, than non-treated cells. therefore, care must be taken in the selection and application of biocides in industrial biofilms

Combinated LM-SEM method for palynomorphs study

Apresenta-se método combinado de observação que permite o estudo do mesmo palinomorfo recorrendo aos microscópios óptico eelectrónico de varrimento. Muitas vezes, a simples observação dos palinomorfos ao microscópio óptico e/ou electrónico não são suficientes para identificar e caracteri-zar as diferentes formas. Acorrecta identificação e classificação são essenciais para a obtenção de resultados sistemáticos mais seguros, o que pode ser facilitado atravésda observação do mesmo palinomorfo recorrendo aos dois tipos de microscopia. Este método, inédito em Portugal, permite visualizar todos os detalhesmorfológicos dos palinomorfos e contribui para aumentar o número de táxones identificados.O estudo de palinomorfos é importante para a caracterização de paleoambientes, paleoclimas e biostratigrafia.Acombined Light Microscope and Scanning Electronic Microscope (LM-SEM) technique for observation and study of the samepalynomorph is presented. Usually, the simple observation of the palynomorphs at LM or SEM, currently, is not enough for the positive identification of the differentspecies. The correct identification of the different forms allows obtaining better systematic characterization of the palynomorphs through the observa-tion of the same specimen at LM and SEM. This method, new in Portugal, allows observe all the palynomorph morphologic details and contribute toincrease the number of identified taxa.The study of palynomorphs is important for the characterization of palaeoenvironments, palaeoclimates and biostratigraphy.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia por financiaras deslocações inseridas no projecto de doutoramento Ref. SFRH/BD/18754/2004

A closed loop brain-machine interface for epilepsy control using dorsal column electrical stimulation

Although electrical neurostimulation has been proposed as an alternative treatment for drug-resistant cases of epilepsy, current procedures such as deep brain stimulation, vagus, and trigeminal nerve stimulation are effective only in a fraction of the patients. Here we demonstrate a closed loop brain-machine interface that delivers electrical stimulation to the dorsal column (DCS) of the spinal cord to suppress epileptic seizures. Rats were implanted with cortical recording microelectrodes and spinal cord stimulating electrodes, and then injected with pentylenetetrazole to induce seizures. Seizures were detected in real time from cortical local field potentials, after which DCS was applied. This method decreased seizure episode frequency by 44% and seizure duration by 38%. We argue that the therapeutic effect of DCS is related to modulation of cortical theta waves, and propose that this closed-loop interface has the potential to become an effective and semi-invasive treatment for refractory epilepsy and other neurological disorders.We are grateful for the assistance from Jim Meloy for the design and production of the multielectrode arrays as well as setup development and maintenance, Laura Oliveira, Terry Jones, and Susan Halkiotis for administrative assistance and preparation of the manuscript. This work was funded by a grant from The Hartwell Foundation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Observation of an Excited Bc+ State

Using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.5 fb-1 recorded by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of s=7, 8, and 13 TeV, the observation of an excited Bc+ state in the Bc+π+π- invariant-mass spectrum is reported. The observed peak has a mass of 6841.2±0.6(stat)±0.1(syst)±0.8(Bc+) MeV/c2, where the last uncertainty is due to the limited knowledge of the Bc+ mass. It is consistent with expectations of the Bc∗(2S31)+ state reconstructed without the low-energy photon from the Bc∗(1S31)+→Bc+γ decay following Bc∗(2S31)+→Bc∗(1S31)+π+π-. A second state is seen with a global (local) statistical significance of 2.2σ (3.2σ) and a mass of 6872.1±1.3(stat)±0.1(syst)±0.8(Bc+) MeV/c2, and is consistent with the Bc(2S10)+ state. These mass measurements are the most precise to date

Measurement of the Bs0→J/ψηB_{s}^{0} \rightarrow J/\psi \eta lifetime

Using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $3 fb^{-1}$, collected by the LHCb experiment in $pp$ collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, the effective lifetime in the $B^0_s \rightarrow J/\psi \eta$ decay mode, $\tau_{\textrm{eff}}$, is measured to be $\tau_{\textrm{eff}} = 1.479 \pm 0.034~\textrm{(stat)} \pm 0.011 ~\textrm{(syst)}$ ps. Assuming $CP$ conservation, $\tau_{\textrm{eff}}$ corresponds to the lifetime of the light $B_s^0$ mass eigenstate. This is the first measurement of the effective lifetime in this decay mode.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2016-017.htm

Model-independent evidence for J/ψpJ/\psi p contributions to Λb0→J/ψpK−\Lambda_b^0\to J/\psi p K^- decays

The data sample of $\Lambda_b^0\to J/\psi p K^-$ decays acquired with the LHCb detector from 7 and 8~TeV $pp$ collisions, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb$^{-1}$, is inspected for the presence of $J/\psi p$ or $J/\psi K^-$ contributions with minimal assumptions about $K^- p$ contributions. It is demonstrated at more than 9 standard deviations that $\Lambda_b^0\to J/\psi p K^-$ decays cannot be described with $K^- p$ contributions alone, and that $J/\psi p$ contributions play a dominant role in this incompatibility. These model-independent results support the previously obtained model-dependent evidence for $P_c^+\to J/\psi p$ charmonium-pentaquark states in the same data sample.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures (including the supplemental section added at the end

Bose-Einstein correlations of same-sign charged pions in the forward region in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

Bose-Einstein correlations of same-sign charged pions, produced in protonproton collisions at a 7 TeV centre-of-mass energy, are studied using a data sample collected by the LHCb experiment. The signature for Bose-Einstein correlations is observed in the form of an enhancement of pairs of like-sign charged pions with small four-momentum difference squared. The charged-particle multiplicity dependence of the Bose-Einstein correlation parameters describing the correlation strength and the size of the emitting source is investigated, determining both the correlation radius and the chaoticity parameter. The measured correlation radius is found to increase as a function of increasing charged-particle multiplicity, while the chaoticity parameter is seen to decreas

Study of charmonium production in b -hadron decays and first evidence for the decay Bs0

Using decays to φ-meson pairs, the inclusive production of charmonium states in b-hadron decays is studied with pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb−1, collected by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. Denoting byBC ≡ B(b → C X) × B(C → φφ) the inclusive branching fraction of a b hadron to a charmonium state C that decays into a pair of φ mesons, ratios RC1C2 ≡ BC1 /BC2 are determined as Rχc0ηc(1S) = 0.147 ± 0.023 ± 0.011, Rχc1ηc(1S) =0.073 ± 0.016 ± 0.006, Rχc2ηc(1S) = 0.081 ± 0.013 ± 0.005,Rχc1 χc0 = 0.50 ± 0.11 ± 0.01, Rχc2 χc0 = 0.56 ± 0.10 ± 0.01and Rηc(2S)ηc(1S) = 0.040 ± 0.011 ± 0.004. Here and below the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic.Upper limits at 90% confidence level for the inclusive production of X(3872), X(3915) and χc2(2P) states are obtained as RX(3872)χc1 < 0.34, RX(3915)χc0 < 0.12 andRχc2(2P)χc2 < 0.16. Differential cross-sections as a function of transverse momentum are measured for the ηc(1S) andχc states. The branching fraction of the decay B0s → φφφ is measured for the first time, B(B0s → φφφ) = (2.15±0.54±0.28±0.21B)×10−6. Here the third uncertainty is due to the branching fraction of the decay B0s → φφ, which is used for normalization. No evidence for intermediate resonances is seen. A preferentially transverse φ polarization is observed.The measurements allow the determination of the ratio of the branching fractions for the ηc(1S) decays to φφ and p p asB(ηc(1S)→ φφ)/B(ηc(1S)→ p p) = 1.79 ± 0.14 ± 0.32

Study of J /ψ production in Jets

The production of J/ψ mesons in jets is studied in the forward region of proton-proton collisions using data collected with the LHCb detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The fraction of the jet transverse momentum carried by the J/ψ meson, z(J/ψ)≡pT(J/ψ)/pT(jet), is measured using jets with pT(jet)>20 GeV in the pseudorapidity range 2.5<η(jet)<4.0. The observed z(J/ψ)distribution for J/ψ mesons produced in b-hadron decays is consistent with expectations. However, the results for prompt J/ψ production do not agree with predictions based on fixed-order nonrelativistic QCD. This is the first measurement of the pT fraction carried by prompt J/ψ mesons in jets at any experiment