Synthesis of molybdenum oxide nanoparticles by nanosecond laser ablation

Phothermal therapy (PTT) is one of the most promising techniques to treat cancer. Finding the ideal PTT agent nanomaterial has remained a challenge and has brought the interest of several researchers. In this work, we report the synthesis of molybdenum oxide (MoOx) nanoparticles (NPs), which exhibit absorption in the biological optical window ~840 nm, by using the laser ablation of solids in liquids (LASL) technique with nanosecond (ns) pulses. A Nd:YAG laser was used to synthesize the NPs in deionized (DI) water, free of surfactants or additives, which were optically characterized by absorption spectroscopy and TEM-EDX microscopy. Semi spherical NPs with a suitable average size and shape for potential use as PTT agents were obtained by laser ablation and ablation + fragmentation. The calculated band gap is 3.1 eV, which corresponds to MoO3. Micro-Raman spectroscopy studies determined that these NPs are composed of amorphous molybdenum oxide hydrates (MoO3 · xH2O)

Hierarchical Model for the Evolution of Cloud Complexes

The structure of cloud complexes appears to be well described by a "tree structure" representation when the image is partitioned into "clouds". In this representation, the parent-child relationships are assigned according to containment. Based on this picture, a hierarchical model for the evolution of Cloud Complexes, including star formation, is constructed, that follows the mass evolution of each sub-structure by computing its mass exchange (evaporation or condensation) with its parent and children, which depends on the radiation density at the interphase. For the set of parameters used as a reference model, the system produces IMFs with a maximum at too high mass (~2 M_sun) and the characteristic times for evolution seem too long. We show that these properties can be improved by adjusting model parameters. However, the emphasis here is to illustrate some general properties of this nonlinear model for the star formation process. Notwithstanding the simplifications involved, the model reveals an essential feature that will likely remain if additional physical processes are included. That is: the detailed behavior of the system is very sensitive to variations on the initial and external conditions, suggesting that a "universal" IMF is very unlikely. When an ensemble of IMFs corresponding to a variety of initial or external conditions is examined, the slope of the IMF at high masses shows variations comparable to the range derived from observational data. (Abridged)Comment: Latex, 29 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

A case of pericardial effusion: Aid of bedside ultrasound in clinical decision making

Background: In life-threatening conditions, such as cardiac tamponade, we need to recognize signs of impending decompensation in a timely manner. Point of care ultrasound is non-invasive and is readily available, particularly in a resource limited setting. In this case, we present a patient with worsening pericardial effusion and the importance of bedside cardiac ultrasound. Case presentation: A 76-year-old male with stage IV adenocarcinoma of the lung was admitted for worsening dysphagia for 3 days and decreased oral intake. He was normotensive but was tachycardic with muffled heart sounds. CT of the chest demonstrated a significant pericardial effusion. Bedside ultrasound to evaluate the extent of pericardial effusion revealed significant circumferential effusion, right systolic atrial collapse, and non-variable IVC, signs of pre-tamponade physiology. Given these findings, cardiology was emergently consulted who recommended transfer to a higher level of care facility. Thus, point of care ultrasound helped in making an immediate decision prior to clinical decompensation of the patient. Conclusion: Point of care ultrasound can help in making critical decisions in resource-limited settings. In this patient, a large effusion with pre-tamponade physiology was identified on bedside ultrasound. Early recognition during bedside ultrasound can help reach a diagnosis before clinical deterioration. Our case highlights the importance of point of care ultrasound as a tool to reinforce critical thinking and help expedite rational decision-making processes

The Fractal Dimension of Projected Clouds

The interstellar medium seems to have an underlying fractal structure which can be characterized through its fractal dimension. However, interstellar clouds are observed as projected two-dimensional images, and the projection of a tri-dimensional fractal distorts its measured properties. Here we use simulated fractal clouds to study the relationship between the tri-dimensional fractal dimension (D_f) of modeled clouds and the dimension resulting from their projected images. We analyze different fractal dimension estimators: the correlation and mass dimensions of the clouds, and the perimeter-based dimension of their boundaries (D_per). We find the functional forms relating D_f with the projected fractal dimensions, as well as the dependence on the image resolution, which allow to estimatethe "real" D_f value of a cloud from its projection. The application of these results to Orion A indicates in a self-consistent way that 2.5 < D_f < 2.7 for this molecular cloud, a value higher than the result D_per+1 = 2.3 some times assumed in literature for interstellar clouds.Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in ApJ. Minor change

Bilateral attentional advantage on elementary visual tasks

We examined interactions between and within the left and right visual hemifields using elementary visual tasks. Each trial required identifying a letter at fixation and then either discriminating the orientation of (experiment I) or detecting (experiment 2) peripheral Gabor targets. On half the trials Gabor distracters were presented between the Gabor targets, and were either restricted to one lateral hemifield (unilateral condition) or presented across the left and right hemifields (bilateral condition). Orientation discrimination and detection each exhibited bilateral superiority only when distracters were present. The results confirm bilateral superiority in attentional selection, even on these most elementary visual tasks. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Modelo analítico para sistema de descarga de calor en techos

En el presente trabajo, se propone un modelo analítico que describe el comportamiento térmico de un sistema de descarga de calor en techo. Para validarlo, se empleó un prototipo experimental al cual se le realizó una prueba con exposición al sol y se comparó los resultados medidos con los calculados por un modelo analítico propuesto por lo autores. Se encontró variaciones de error entre los datos tomados en la prueba experimental y en el modelo analítico de 6.5 ºC como máximo para la placa de aluminio (o almacenadora de calor) y de 4.6 ºC como máximo para la temperatura en la superficie del vidrio. Se considera que el modelo analítico propuesto puede ser empleado para conocer el comportamiento de un sistema de descarga de calor en techos definiendo las dimensiones del sistema para las condiciones ambientales del lugar donde se va a utilizar.Fil: Hernández G., Víctor. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Fernández Z., José. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Morillón Galvez, David. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Mesa, Nestor Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales; Argentin

Seroprevalencia de pestivirus de rumiantes en ovinos reproductores de una empresa de la sierra central del Perú

The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) and Border Disease virus (BDV) in breeding sheep from a large cooperative farm in the Central highlands of Peru. Blood samples from apparently healthy sheep of 4 years old, both sexes (female = 165; male = 165) were collected for antibodies detection against BVDV and BDV using the virus neutralization test. The 2.1 ± 1.5% (7/330) and 28.5 ± 4.9% (94/330) of breeding sheep had antibodies against BVDV and BDV respectively, with antibodies titers of 1:2 and 1:16. There was significant association between sex and presence of antibodies against BDV (females: 53.3 ± 7.6%; males: 3.6 ± 2.9%) (p\u3c0.05)