Gravitational quantum switch on a superposition of spherical shells

The existence of states describing quantum superpositions of distinct spacetime geometries is a feature that is generally expected in theories of quantum gravity. Phenomenological models have recently been explored for the analysis of possible effects due to a superposition of geometries, including the occurrence of processes with indefinite order. In a gravitational quantum switch, in particular, the order of operations applied by two agents on a target system is entangled with the state of the geometry. We consider a model describing the superposition of geometries produced by distinct arrangements of spherical mass shells, and show that a protocol for the implementation of a gravitational quantum switch can be formulated in such a system. The geometries in superposition are identical in an exterior region outside a given radius, and differ within such a radius. The exterior region provides a classical frame from which the superposition of geometries in the interior region can be probed. One of the agents crosses the interior region and becomes entangled with the geometry, which is explored as a resource for the implementation of the quantum switch. Novel features of the protocol include the superposition of nonisometric geometries, the existence of a region with a definite geometry, and the fact that the agent that experiences the superposition of geometries is in free fall, preventing information on the global geometry to be obtained from within its laboratory.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures. References adde

Business Benefits Associated With Improving Fatigue Regulations for Cargo Pilots

The central idea of this research is to assess business-related factors in the Pilots ́ Fatigue Regulations and evaluate if a more flexible regulation would improve productivity of airline cargo pilots in Brazil. The results of the study have indicated that Brazilian Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) can create a regulatory environment that may lead up to 34,28% of improved productivity of pilots ́ availability in cargo operations, which may contribute for gains up to USD $3.6 million for an airline with cargo 70 pilots flying 16.500 hours per year. Aviation fatigue regulations are an extremely important subject in the aviation industry as they are a part of an evolution of operational processes within the Safety Management System (SMS). However, some restrictions in regulation may produce some business-related inefficiencies in terms of additional costs or revenue loss to airline companies. The research conducted revised the bibliography available with regards this subject of pilots ́ fatigue regulation in the USA and Brazil. The Group also compared important business-related indicators related to cargo pilots ́ operations in Brazil and calculated potential gains of a hypothetical scenario with an adjusted pilot ́s schedule in line with FAA CFR 177. At last, the research included evaluation of The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) records of events of cargo operations in the USA to compare if safety is impacted by fatigue in an environment of an optimized schedule of cargo pilot. A crucial finding of this research is that the proposed changes shall not impact current safety levels caused by fatigue of pilots

Internação compulsória de usuários de crack no Brasil: prós e contras

This study evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of compulsory hospitalization of crack users in Brazil through the opinions of managers, media and politicians involved in the debate. This is an argumentative work. A literature review considering favorable and unfavorable arguments and individual and social impact was held. The main arguments against compulsory hospitalization are related to disregarding patient autonomy, financial interests and hygienist policies; favorable arguments include the health regain of the dependent, and the protection of the person, his family and the society against damages resulting from the drug use. The compulsory hospitalization, in some cases, aims to protect, as it is indicated when the individual poses risks to himself and others; however, the health care is able to provide appropriate treatment through outpatient services, which have the structure to treat addiction without depriving the liberty of the patient.O presente trabalho visou avaliar as vantagens e desvantagens da internação compulsória dos usuários de crack no Brasil à luz das opiniões de gestores, mídia e políticos envolvidos no debate. Trata-se de um trabalho argumentativo. Para tanto, foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica considerando argumentos favoráveis e contrários e levando em consideração seu impacto sobre o indivíduo e a sociedade. Os principais argumentos contrários à internação compulsória versam sobre desrespeito à autonomia do paciente, interesses financeiros e políticas higienistas; os favoráveis incluem recuperar a saúde do dependente, e proteger o indivíduo, sua família e a sociedade contra os danos causados em virtude do uso de drogas. A internação compulsória, em alguns casos, tem caráter de proteção, visto que é indicada quando o indivíduo oferece riscos a si e a outros; contudo, a rede de assistência à saúde é capaz de fornecer tratamento adequado mediante serviços extra hospitalares, que possuem estrutura para tratar a dependência química sem privar a liberdade do paciente

Antibacterial activity of nitric oxide releasing silver nanoparticles

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are well known potent antimicrobial agents. Similarly, the free radical nitric oxide (NO) has important antibacterial activity, and due to its instability, the combination of NO and nanomaterials has been applied in several biomedical applications. The aim of this work was to synthesize, characterize and evaluate the antibacterial activity of a new NO-releasing AgNPs. Herein, AgNPs were synthesized by the reduction of silver ions (Ag+) by catechin, a natural polyphenol and potent antioxidant agent, derived from green tea extract. Catechin acts as a reducing agent and as a capping molecule on the surface of AgNPs, minimizing particle agglomeration. The as-synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by different techniques. The results showed the formation of AgNPs with average hydrodynamic size of 44 nm, polydispersity index of 0.21, and zeta potential of -35.9 mV. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the presence of the AgNP core and cathecin as capping agent. The low molecular weight mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA), which contain free thiol group, was added on the surface of catechin-AgNPs, leading to the formation of MSA-catechin-AgNPs (the NO precursor nanoparticle). Free thiol groups of MSA-catechin-AgNPs were nitrosated leading to the formation of S-nitroso-mercaptosuccinic acid (S-nitroso-MSA), the NO donor. The amount of 342 +/- 16 mu mol of NO was released per gram of S-nitroso-MSA-catechin-AgNPs. The antibacterial activities of catechin-AgNPs, MSA-catechinAgNPs, and S-nitroso-MSA-catechin-AgNPs were evaluated towards different resistant bacterial strains. The results demonstrated an enhanced antibacterial activity of the NO-releasing AgNP. For instance, the minimal inhibitory concentration values for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) incubated with AgNPs-catechin, AgNPs-catechin-MSA, and AgNPs-catechin-S-nitroso-MSA were found to be 62, 125 and 3 mu g/mL, respectively. While in the case of Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 700603) the minimum bactericidal concentration values for treatments with AgNPs-catechin, AgNPs-catechin-MSA, and AgNPs-catechin-Snitroso- MSA were found to be 1000, 500, and 125 mu g/mL, respectively. The antibacterial actions of the NO-releasing nanoparticle were superior in comparison with the antibacterial effects of AgNPs, in most of the tested antibiotic resistant bacteria strains. These results highlight the promising uses of NO-releasing AgNPs against resistant bacteria in several biomedical applications.Brazilian Network on Nanotoxicology (MCTI/CNPq)Laboratory of Nanostructure Synthesis and Biosystem Interactions-NANOBIOSS (MCTI)FONDECYTCONICYT REDESUniv Fed ABC, Ctr Nat & Human Sci, Santo Andre, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Exact & Earth Sci Dept, Diadema, SP, BrazilUniv La Frontera, Chem Engn Dept, Temuco, ChileUniv Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Trop Dis Lab, Campinas, SP, BrazilUniv Estadual Campinas, Biol Chem Lab, Inst Chem, Campinas, SP, BrazilLNNano CNPEM, Campinas, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Exact & Earth Sci Dept, Diadema, SP, BrazilBrazilian Network on Nanotoxicology (MCTI/CNPq): 552120/2011-1Laboratory of Nanostructure Synthesis and Biosystem Interactions-NANOBIOSS (MCTI): 402280-2013FONDECYT: 1130854CONICYT REDES: 140053Web of Scienc

Deriving high spatial-resolution coastal topography from sub-meter satellite stereo imagery

High spatial resolution coastal Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are crucial to assess coastal vulnerability and hazards such as beach erosion, sedimentation, or inundation due to storm surges and sea level rise. This paper explores the possibility to use high spatial-resolution Pleiades (pixel size = 0.7 m) stereoscopic satellite imagery to retrieve a DEM on sandy coastline. A 40-km coastal stretch in the Southwest of France was selected as a pilot-site to compare topographic measurements obtained from Pleiades satellite imagery, Real Time Kinematic GPS (RTK-GPS) and airborne Light Detection and Ranging System (LiDAR). The derived 2-m Pleiades DEM shows an overall good agreement with concurrent methods (RTK-GPS and LiDAR; correlation coefficient of 0.9), with a vertical Root Mean Squared Error (RMS error) that ranges from 0.35 to 0.48 m, after absolute coregistration to the LiDAR dataset. The largest errors (RMS error > 0.5 m) occurred in the steep dune faces, particularly at shadowed areas. This work shows that DEMs derived from sub-meter satellite imagery capture local morphological features (e.g., berm or dune shape) on a sandy beach, over a large spatial domain.French Space Agency (CNES) CNES through the TOSCA program FCT IF/00661/2014/CP1234 FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement FEDER, within the Compete 2020 UID/AMB/50017/2019info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nutrients, antinutrients, phenolic composition, and antioxidant activity of common bean cultivars and their potential for food applications

Phaseolus vulgaris L. is the most commonly consumed legume in the world, given its high vegetable protein content, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant properties. It also represents one of the most sustainable, low-carbon and sources of food available at present to man. This study aims to identify the nutrients, antinutrients, phenolic composition, and antioxidant profile of 10 common bean cultivars (Arikara yellow, butter, cranberry, red kidney, navy, pinto, black, brown eyed, pink eyed, and tarrestre) from two harvest years, thereby assessing the potential of each cultivar for specific applications in the food industry. Navy and pink eyed beans showed higher potential for enrichment of foodstuffs and gluten-free products due to their higher protein and amino acid contents. Additionally, red kidney, cranberry and Arikara yellow beans had the highest content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties, which can act as functional ingredients in food products, thus bringing health benefits. Our study highlights the potential of using specific bean cultivars in the development of nutrient-enriched food and as functional ingredients in diets designed for disease prevention and treatment.publishersversionpublishe

Benefits associated with improving fatigue regulations for cargo pilots

This study investigated the potential business benefits of improving fatigue regulations for cargo pilots in Brazil. The research objectives were to compare fatigue levels between cargo and passenger operations, identify regulatory inefficiencies for cargo operators, simulate proposed changes, and analyze cost scenarios. The experimental design involved a review of fatigue regulations in Brazil and the USA, analyzing pilot scheduling data, and the creation of hypothetical flexible scheduling scenarios for 70 pilots flying 16,500 hours annually. We reviewed NTSB data on fatigue-related incidents in US cargo operations with flexible regulations and from the fatigue program of LATAM Cargo. Comparisons between the USA and the rest of the world showed that the rate of accidents per number of cargo flights in the USA is below average, with most accidents not attributed to fatigue. The results indicated that aligning with the US CFR 117 could improve cargo pilot availability in Brazil by 34.28%, with a potential cost savings of up to $3.6 million for an airline of that size. This research highlights the importance of flexibility and adaptation in fatigue management and mental health programs for pilots in the aviation industry, particularly cargo operations. Introducing more flexible fatigue regulations for cargo pilots could lead to operational efficiencies and potential cost savings without compromising safety. Further research needs to explore the impacts of these changes on passenger operations and to gather feedback from pilots and unions regarding extended pilot schedules. The proposed regulatory changes focused on maximum duty time, flight hours, rest periods, and monthly/annual limits