First results of the Fermilab high-brightness RF photoinjector

A collaboration has been formed between FNAL, UCLA, INFN Milano, the University of Rochester, and DESY to develop the technology of an RF photoinjector, followed by a superconducting cavity, to produce high bunch charge (8 nC) with low normalized emittance (< 20 mm {center_dot} mrad) in trains of 800 bunches separated by 1{micro}s. The activities of the collaboration fall into two categories: (1) the development of Injector II for the TeSLA/TTF accelerator [1]. This photoinjector (TTF RF Gun)was tested at Fermilab in September and October 1998 and installed at DESY in November 1998; (2) the installation at the A0 Hall of Fermilab of a modified version of the TTF photoinjector, for photoinjector R&D and to study novel applications of high-brightness, pulsed electrons beams. This photoinjector (A0 RF Gun) produced its first beam in March 1999. This paper presents a summary of the tests done at Fermilab on the TTF Injector II and the first results obtained on the new Fermilab photoinjector

Design and implementation of 3D printer for Mechanical Engineering Courses

Nowadays 3D printing is a hot topic and this was specially observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, this project has the objective to present the design and implementation of a 3D printer, which fits the Mechanical Engineering Courses requisites. The founded solution follows the Delta architecture and it was called Delta MAPL. This paper will summarize all important definitions and knowledge to build a 3D printer such as, 3D printers technologies and architectures, expose the developed project involving mechanic and electric project, project cost, programming and slicer, calibration, printing parameters, and will also expose de results through implementation of the project, 3D printing tests, and also the documentation with all design parts, codes and printing parameters. Therefore, 3D printer is very useful and involving many fields of Mechanical Engineering knowledge, thus 3D printing develops not only knowledge in mechanic, electric, sensors and actuators and material properties, but also creativity and problem-solving that are so important for all engineering students

Let me Google that for you:a time series analysis of seasonality in internet search trends for terms related to foot and ankle pain

BACKGROUND: The analysis of internet search traffic may present the opportunity to gain insights into general trends and patterns in information seeking behaviour related to medical conditions at a population level. For prevalent and widespread problems such as foot and ankle pain, this information has the potential to improve our understanding of seasonality and trends within these conditions and their treatments, and may act as a useful proxy for their true incidence/prevalence characteristics. This study aimed to explore seasonal effects, general trends and relative popularity of internet search terms related to foot and ankle pain over the past decade. METHODS: We used the Google Trends tool to obtain relative search engine traffic for terms relating to foot and ankle pain and common treatments from Google search and affiliated pages for major northern and southern hemisphere English speaking nations. Analysis of overall trends and seasonality including summer/winter differences was carried out on these terms. RESULTS: Searches relating to general foot pain were on average 3.4 times more common than those relating to ankle pain, and twice as common as searches relating to heel pain. Distinct seasonal effects were seen in the northern hemisphere, with large increases in search volumes in the summer months compared to winter for foot (p = 0.004, 95 % CI [22.2–32.1]), ankle (p = 0.0078, 95 % CI [20.9–35.5]), and heel pain (p = 0.004, 95 % CI [29.1–45.6]). These seasonal effects were reflected by data from Australia, with the exception of ankle pain. Annual seasonal effects for treatment options were limited to terms related to foot surgery and ankle orthoses (p = 0.031, 95 % CI [3.5–20.9]; p = 0.004, 95 % CI [7.6–25.2] respectively), again increasing in the summer months. CONCLUSIONS: A number of general trends and annual seasonal effects were found in time series internet search data for terms relating to foot and ankle pain. This data may provide insights into these conditions at population levels. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13047-015-0074-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

An MLSA-based online scheme for the rapid identification of Stenotrophomonas isolates

An online scheme to assign Stenotrophomonas isolates to genomic groups was developed using the multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), which is based on the DNA sequencing of selected fragments of the housekeeping genes ATP synthase alpha subunit (atpA), the recombination repair protein (recA), the RNA polymerase alpha subunit (rpoA) and the excision repair beta subunit (uvrB). This MLSA-based scheme was validated using eight of the 10 Stenotrophomonas species that have been previously described. The environmental and nosocomial Stenotrophomonas strains were characterised using MLSA, 16S rRNA sequencing and DNA-DNA hybridisation (DDH) analyses. Strains of the same species were found to have greater than 95% concatenated sequence similarity and specific strains formed cohesive readily recognisable phylogenetic groups. Therefore, MLSA appeared to be an effective alternative methodology to amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprint and DDH techniques. Strains of Stenotrophomonas can be readily assigned through the open database resource that was developed in the current study (www.steno.lncc.br/)

Incidence of Listeria monocytogenes in different food products commercialized in Portugal

Several types of food products on sale in Portugal, were examined for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. Secondary enrichments, in Fraser broth, were analysed by the mini-Vidas LMO, enzyme-linked fluorescent immunoassay technique. Positive samples were confirmed by isolation on Oxford and PALCAM selective agars followed by biochemical characterization. Of 1035 samples, 72 (7.0%) were positive for L. monocytogenes, the majority being from raw products (milk, meat, fish, flour) although some heat-processed or fermented foods (ready-to-eat) were also positive. In Portugal, a predilection for fresh cheese was indicated as a potential risk for consumers

Survey sampling for fisheries monitoring in Brazil: implementation and analysis

Informações sobre as descargas pesqueiras realizadas em 2011 ao longo da costa de São Paulo foram utilizadas com o objetivo de avaliar e comparar os métodos de amostragem em campanhas voltadas para o monitoramento pesqueiro. Espera-se com isto um conjunto de dados consistentes, além de uma importante redução de custos. As estimativas da captura total para o estado de São Paulo e por municípios foram relativamente acuradas (alta precisão e baixo viés). A captura estimada por mês, por categoria de pescado e por ambos (domínios não considerados no desenho amostral) demonstraram que quanto maior é o nível de detalhamento menos precisas e mais enviesadas tornam-se as estimativas de captura. Quando comparada com as capturas reais para 2011, a ordem de importância das categorias de pescado baseada nas capturas estimadas alterou-se ligeiramente em algumas posições após o quinto lugar. Houve uma pequena redução de custos devido à amostragem em comparação com a metodologia censitária atualmente em uso no estado de São Paulo (máxima de 15,4%). Os resultados demonstraram que os custos do monitoramento pesqueiro são diretamente proporcionais ao nível de detalhamento e à qualidade dos dados requeridos.Census of fishing data about the landings carried out along the São Paulo coast during 2011 was used to evaluate and compare the survey sampling for fisheries monitoring, expecting reliable results along with an important cost reduction. Estimates of total catch for the São Paulo State as a whole and by municipality were relatively accurate (high precision and low bias). Estimated catch by month, by fish categories and both (factors not considered in the sampling design) demonstrated that, as the level of required detail increased, the catch estimates became more biased and less precise. However, when comparing to the 2011 true catches, the order of importance of fish categories based on estimated catches changed slightly in some positions after the fifth place. There was a minor cost reduction due to the sampling in comparison with the census methodology currently in use (15.4% at most). The results demonstrated that fisheries monitoring costs are directly proportional to the required level of details and data quality

Leishmania braziliensis prostaglandin F2α synthase impacts host infection

BACKGROUND: Prostaglandins (PG) are lipid mediators derived from arachidonic acid metabolism. They are involved in cellular processes such as inflammation and tissue homeostasis. PG production is not restricted to multicellular organisms. Trypanosomatids also synthesize several metabolites of arachidonic acid. Nevertheless, their biological role in these early-branching parasites and their role in host-parasite interaction are not well elucidated. Prostaglandin F2α synthase (PGF2S) has been observed in the Leishmania braziliensis secreted proteome and in L. donovani extracellular vesicles. Furthermore, we previously reported a positive correlation between L. braziliensis PGF2S (LbrPGF2S) expression and pathogenicity in mice. METHODS: LbrPGF2S gene expression and PGF2α synthesis in promastigotes were detected and quantified by western blotting and EIA assay kit, respectively. To investigate LbrPGF2S localization in amastigotes during bone marrow-derived macrophage infection, parasites expressing mCherry-LbrPGF2S were generated and followed by time-lapse imaging for 48 h post-infection. PGF2S homolog sequences from Leishmania and humans were analyzed in silico using ClustalW on Geneious v6 and EMBOSS Needle. RESULTS: Leishmania braziliensis promastigotes synthesize prostaglandin F2α in the presence of arachidonic acid, with peak production in the stationary growth phase under heat stress. LbrPGF2S is a cytoplasmic protein enriched in the secretory site of the parasite cell body, the flagellar pocket. It is an enzyme constitutively expressed throughout promastigote development, but overexpression of LbrPGF2S leads to an increase of infectivity in vitro. The data suggest that LbrPGF2S may be released from intracellular amastigotes into the cytoplasm of bone marrow-derived macrophages over a 48-hour infection period, using time-lapse microscopy and mCherry-PGF2S (mChPGF2S)-expressing parasites. CONCLUSIONS: LbrPGF2S, a parasite-derived protein, is targeted to the host cell cytoplasm. The putative transfer of this enzyme, involved in pro-inflammatory lipid mediator synthesis, to the host cell suggests a potential role in host-parasite interaction and may partially explain the increased pathogenicity associated with overexpression of LbrPGF2S in L. braziliensis. Our data provide valuable insights to help understand the importance of parasite-derived lipid mediators in pathogenesis

Facial nerve paralysis after impacted lower third molar surgery: A literature review and case report

Facial nerve paralisys (FNP) is the most commom cranial nerve disorders and it results in a characteristic facial distortion that is determined in part by the nerves branches involved. With multiples etiologies, these included trauma, tumor formation, idiopathic conditions, cerebral infarct, pseudobulbar palsy and viruses. FNP during dental treatment is very rare and can be associated with the injection of local anesthetic, prolonged attempt to remove a mandibular third molar and subsequent infection. We report a case of a 21 years-old black woman who developed a Bell?s palsy after an impacted third molar surgery under local anaesthesia, present a FNP classificated like a grade IV by the House-Brackmann?s grading system. The treatment was based of prescription of a citidine and uridine complex (NÚCLEO CMP tm) one tablet twice per day and a close follow up. Three months later that had begining the treatment, the patient recovery her normal facial muscle activity

Excitation-wavelength-dependent small polaron trapping of photoexcited carriers in α-Fe_2O_3

Small polaron formation is known to limit ground-state mobilities in metal oxide photocatalysts. However, the role of small polaron formation in the photoexcited state and how this affects the photoconversion efficiency has yet to be determined. Here, transient femtosecond extreme-ultraviolet measurements suggest that small polaron localization is responsible for the ultrafast trapping of photoexcited carriers in haematite (α-Fe_2O_3). Small polaron formation is evidenced by a sub-100 fs splitting of the Fe 3p core orbitals in the Fe M_(2,3) edge. The small polaron formation kinetics reproduces the triple-exponential relaxation frequently attributed to trap states. However, the measured spectral signature resembles only the spectral predictions of a small polaron and not the pre-edge features expected for mid-gap trap states. The small polaron formation probability, hopping radius and lifetime varies with excitation wavelength, decreasing with increasing energy in the t_(2g) conduction band. The excitation-wavelength-dependent localization of carriers by small polaron formation is potentially a limiting factor in haematite’s photoconversion efficiency

Incidence of Listeria spp. in domestic refrigerators in Portugal

The main objectives of this study were to determine the incidence of Listeria spp. in Portuguese domestic refrigerators and to evaluate some of the hygienic practices in the domestic environment that might contribute to the persistence of the organisms. It was found that L. monocytogenes was present in 3 domestic refrigerators of the 86 investigated. L. grayi and L. innocua were also isolated from 4 and 1 refrigerators, respectively. Overall, the information obtained from our survey demonstrates the need for consumer education in Portugal regarding safe food handling practices. For the refrigerators investigated, ≈71% were operating at a temperature higher than 6.1ºC, 87% were cleaned only monthly or less frequently, and only 8% were cleaned with appropriate proprietary cleaning products available in supermarkets