Greve de fome, alimentação forçada e responsabilidade profissional: alcance e considerações éticas

  The problem of hunger strike is far from simple and has been widely discussed from the most diverse philosophical traditions. This manifestation as a form of protest requires an interdisciplinary analysis comprising ethical, medical and legal considerations. Hunger strike implies a voluntary decision to deprive oneself of food in order to obtain the effective recognition of a right that has not been admitted or has been violated.  El problema de la huelga de hambre no es nada sencillo, y se ha discutido ampliamente desde las más diversas tradiciones filosóficas. Esta manifestación, como forma de protesta, requiere un análisis interdisciplinar que integre aspectos éticos, médicos y jurídicos. La huelga de hambre implica la decisión voluntaria de privarse de alimentos para obtener el reconocimiento efectivo de un derecho no admitido o vulnerado.  O problema da greve de fome não é nada fácil e tem sido amplamente discutido nas mais diversas tradições filosóficas. Essa manifestação como forma de protesto requer uma análise interdisciplinar que integre aspectos éticos, médicos e jurídicos. A greve de fome implica a decisão voluntária de privar-se de alimentos para obter o reconhecimento efetivo de um direito não admitido ou violado

Design and simulation of a high-gain organic operational amplifier for use in quantification of cholesterol in low-cost point-of-care devices

© The Institution of Engineering and Technology. This paper presents circuit design and simulations of a high gain organic Op-Amp, for use in quantification of real cholesterol, in the range of 1-9 mM. A 7-stage inverter chain is added onto the design so as to enhance the amplifier gain. The circuit adapts p-channel transistors only (PMOS) design architecture with saturated loads, simulated on a conventional platform, using appropriate OTFT model and associated parameters. The effect of variation in threshold voltage on circuit operation is also examined. For a supply voltage of ±15 V, the DC output voltage is found to be within an acceptable range of -1 V to -12.5 V, with a highest open loop gain of 83 dB. The closed loop gain is also in agreement with theoretical values, in the range of 1.5 dB to 39 dB, with corresponding bandwidths of 770 Hz to 275 Hz respectively. The latter gain of 39 dB and/or gain-bandwidth product of 10.63 kHz is currently the highest reported in the literature, for this lower supply voltage. The amplifier offers adequate quantification factor, with linear sensitivity of -0.7 V/mM. This paper is the first to adapt organic circuit designs in quantification of cholesterol, with promising outputs, for implementation in low-cost sensor systems

Inhibitory activity on type 2 diabetes and hypertension key-enzymes, and antioxidant capacity of Veronica persica phenolic-rich extracts

Veronica genus (Plantaginaceae) is broadly distributed in different habitats. In this study, the inhibitory activity of free soluble and conjugated phenolic extracts of Veronica persica on key enzymes associated to type 2 diabetes (\u3b1-glucosidase and \u3b1-amylase) and hypertension (angiotensin I converting enzyme, ACE) was assessed, as well as their antioxidant power. Our results showed that both the extracts inhibited \u3b1-amylase, \u3b1-glucosidase and ACE in a dose-dependent manner. In particular, free phenolic extract significantly (P<0.05) inhibited \u3b1-glucosidase (IC50 532.97 \ub5g/mL), whereas conjugated phenolic extract significantly (P<0.05) inhibited \u3b1-amylase (IC50 489.73 \ub5g/mL) and ACE (290.06 \ub5g/mL). The enzyme inhibitory activities of the extracts were not associated with their phenolic content. Anyway, the inhibition of \u3b1-amylase, \u3b1-glucosidase and ACE, along with the antioxidant capacity of the phenolic-rich extracts, could represent a putative mechanism through which V. persica exerts its antidiabetes and antihypertension effects

Physiology of breathlessness associated with pleural effusions

Purpose of review: Pleural effusions have a major impact on the cardiorespiratory system. This article reviews the pathophysiological effects of pleural effusions and pleural drainage, their relationship with breathlessness, and highlights key knowledge gaps. Recent findings: The basis for breathlessness in pleural effusions and relief following thoracentesis is not well understood. Many existing studies on the pathophysiology of breathlessness in pleural effusions are limited by small sample sizes, heterogeneous design and a lack of direct measurements of respiratory muscle function. Gas exchange worsens with pleural effusions and improves after thoracentesis. Improvements in ventilatory capacity and lung volumes following pleural drainage are small, and correlate poorly with the volume of fluid drained and the severity of breathlessness. Rather than lung compression, expansion of the chest wall, including displacement of the diaphragm, appears to be the principle mechanism by which the effusion is accommodated. Deflation of the thoracic cage and restoration of diaphragmatic function after thoracentesis may improve diaphragm effectiveness and efficiency, and this may be an important mechanism by which breathlessness improves. Effusions do not usually lead to major hemodynamic changes, but large effusions may cause cardiac tamponade and ventricular diastolic collapse. Patients with effusions can have impaired exercise capacity and poor sleep quality and efficiency. Summary: Pleural effusions are associated with abnormalities in gas exchange, respiratory mechanics, respiratory muscle function and hemodynamics, but the association between these abnormalities and breathlessness remains unclear. Prospective studies should aim to identify the key mechanisms of effusion-related breathlessness and predictors of improvement following pleural drainage

Multi-particle azimuthal correlations in p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

Measurements of multi-particle azimuthal correlations (cumulants) for charged particles in p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions are presented. They help address the question of whether there is evidence for global, flow-like, azimuthal correlations in the p-Pb system. Comparisons are made to measurements from the larger Pb-Pb system, where such evidence is established. In particular, the second harmonic two-particle cumulants are found to decrease with multiplicity, characteristic of a dominance of few-particle correlations in p-Pb collisions. However, when a $|\Delta \eta|$ gap is placed to suppress such correlations, the two-particle cumulants begin to rise at high-multiplicity, indicating the presence of global azimuthal correlations. The Pb-Pb values are higher than the p-Pb values at similar multiplicities. In both systems, the second harmonic four-particle cumulants exhibit a transition from positive to negative values when the multiplicity increases. The negative values allow for a measurement of $v_{2}\{4\}$ to be made, which is found to be higher in Pb-Pb collisions at similar multiplicities. The second harmonic six-particle cumulants are also found to be higher in Pb-Pb collisions. In Pb-Pb collisions, we generally find $v_{2}\{4\} \simeq v_{2}\{6\}\neq 0$ which is indicative of a Bessel-Gaussian function for the $v_{2}$ distribution. For very high-multiplicity Pb-Pb collisions, we observe that the four- and six-particle cumulants become consistent with 0. Finally, third harmonic two-particle cumulants in p-Pb and Pb-Pb are measured. These are found to be similar for overlapping multiplicities, when a $|\Delta\eta| > 1.4$ gap is placed.Comment: 25 pages, 11 captioned figures, 3 tables, authors from page 20, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/87

Multiplicity dependence of jet-like two-particle correlations in p-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02 TeV

Two-particle angular correlations between unidentified charged trigger and associated particles are measured by the ALICE detector in p-Pb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. The transverse-momentum range 0.7 $< p_{\rm{T}, assoc} < p_{\rm{T}, trig} <$ 5.0 GeV/$c$ is examined, to include correlations induced by jets originating from low momen\-tum-transfer scatterings (minijets). The correlations expressed as associated yield per trigger particle are obtained in the pseudorapidity range $|\eta|<0.9$. The near-side long-range pseudorapidity correlations observed in high-multiplicity p-Pb collisions are subtracted from both near-side short-range and away-side correlations in order to remove the non-jet-like components. The yields in the jet-like peaks are found to be invariant with event multiplicity with the exception of events with low multiplicity. This invariance is consistent with the particles being produced via the incoherent fragmentation of multiple parton--parton scatterings, while the yield related to the previously observed ridge structures is not jet-related. The number of uncorrelated sources of particle production is found to increase linearly with multiplicity, suggesting no saturation of the number of multi-parton interactions even in the highest multiplicity p-Pb collisions. Further, the number scales in the intermediate multiplicity region with the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions estimated with a Glauber Monte-Carlo simulation.Comment: 23 pages, 6 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 17, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/161

Актуальні питання реалізації іпотечних зобов'язань в нотаріальному процесі

Стаття присвячена теоретичному дослідженню важливості використання існуючих механізмів превентивної юстиції та дієвості правозахисної функції нотаріату. Доведено, що нотаріус як гарант превентивності правовідносин реалізує свої правозахисні функції не лише на стадії реалізації іпотечних зобовязань, шляхом вчинення виконавчого напису на борговому документі, а і на стадії узгодження та викладення всіх істотних умов договору. Ключові слова: нотаріат; правозахисна функція нотаріату; виконання зобовязань; превентивна юстиція.Статья посвящена теоретическому исследованию необходимости использования существующих механизмов превентивной юстиции и действенности правозащитной функции нотариата. Доказывается, что нотариус как гарант превентивности правоотношений реализует свои правозащитные функции не только на стадии реализации ипотечных обязательств, в связи с совершением исполнительной надписи на долговом документе, а и на стадии согласования и изложения всех существенных условий договора. Ключевые слова: нотариат; правозащитная функция нотариату; исполнение обязательств; превентивная юстиция.This article is dedicated into theoretical research of importance in using special mechanism of prevention justitia and acting law defender functions of notoriety. It is argued that notaries as a guaranty of prevention law relation realizes his law defender functions not only on the stage of realization ipothek obligations, making performance inscription on the duty document, but on the stage of consenting and stating all existence conditions of contract. Key words: notoriety, law defender function of notaries, making obligations, prevention justitia

K0S and Λ production in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−−√=2.76 TeV

The ALICE measurement of K0S and Λ production at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=2.76  TeV is presented. The transverse momentum (pT) spectra are shown for several collision centrality intervals and in the pT range from 0.4  GeV/c (0.6  GeV/c for Λ) to 12  GeV/c. The pT dependence of the Λ/K0S ratios exhibits maxima in the vicinity of 3  GeV/c, and the positions of the maxima shift towards higher pT with increasing collision centrality. The magnitude of these maxima increases by almost a factor of three between most peripheral and most central Pb-Pb collisions. This baryon excess at intermediate pT is not observed in pp interactions at s√=0.9  TeV and at s√=7  TeV. Qualitatively, the baryon enhancement in heavy-ion collisions is expected from radial flow. However, the measured pT spectra above 2  GeV/c progressively decouple from hydrodynamical-model calculations. For higher values of pT, models that incorporate the influence of the medium on the fragmentation and hadronization processes describe qualitatively the pT dependence of the Λ/K0S ratio