Light with tunable non-Markovian phase imprint

We introduce a simple and flexible method to generate spatially non-Markovian light with tunable coherence properties in one and two dimensions. The unusual behavior of this light is demonstrated experimentally by probing the far field and recording its diffraction pattern after a double slit: In both cases we observe instead of a central intensity maximum a line or cross shaped dark region, whose width and profile depend on the non-Markovian coherence properties. Since these properties can be controlled and easily reproduced in experiment, the presented approach lends itself to serve as a testbed to gain a deeper understanding of non-Markovian processes

A Simple Non-Markovian Computational Model of the Statistics of Soccer Leagues: Emergence and Scaling effects

We propose a novel algorithm that outputs the final standings of a soccer league, based on a simple dynamics that mimics a soccer tournament. In our model, a team is created with a defined potential(ability) which is updated during the tournament according to the results of previous games. The updated potential modifies a teams' future winning/losing probabilities. We show that this evolutionary game is able to reproduce the statistical properties of final standings of actual editions of the Brazilian tournament (Brasileir\~{a}o). However, other leagues such as the Italian and the Spanish tournaments have notoriously non-Gaussian traces and cannot be straightforwardly reproduced by this evolutionary non-Markovian model. A complete understanding of these phenomena deserves much more attention, but we suggest a simple explanation based on data collected in Brazil: Here several teams were crowned champion in previous editions corroborating that the champion typically emerges from random fluctuations that partly preserves the gaussian traces during the tournament. On the other hand, in the Italian and Spanish leagues only a few teams in recent history have won their league tournaments. These leagues are based on more robust and hierarchical structures established even before the beginning of the tournament. For the sake of completeness, we also elaborate a totally Gaussian model (which equalizes the winning, drawing, and losing probabilities) and we show that the scores of the "Brasileir\~{a}o" cannot be reproduced. Such aspects stress that evolutionary aspects are not superfluous in our modeling. Finally, we analyse the distortions of our model in situations where a large number of teams is considered, showing the existence of a transition from a single to a double peaked histogram of the final classification scores. An interesting scaling is presented for different sized tournaments.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figure

Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of the Loin of Grazing Lambs From Different Production Systems

The international sheep market is supplied mainly from New Zealand and Australia, where there are advanced production systems and marketing organisations, and where the product is exported mainly in the form of carcasses and cuts. In Brazil, the farmers should aim to produce a younger animal, with an adequate fat level at an optimum stage of muscle development, in order to gain market share The proportions of muscle, bone and fat largely determine the value of the carcass, and the breed and age of animal, in addition to other factors such as feeding systems, cause variation in the proportions (Purchas et al., 1991). Grazing systems may be considered in Brazil due to reduced production costs. Measuring M. longissimus (the loin muscle) traits is a way of evaluating carcass quality because this muscle is one of the most important commercial cuts and represents total carcass characteristics. The objective of this study was to determine qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the loin of lambs on different production systems

Práticas para Produção da Soja em Rondônia.

O presente trabalho deverá subsidiar ações da assistência técnica e de agentes financeiros (Banco da Amazônia, Banco do Brasil e outras instituições que financiam a cultura na região), assegurando uma exploração racional e econômica da cultura.bitstream/item/100454/1/CT-54-soja.pd

Physical, thermal, and antibacterial effects of active essential oils with potential for biomedical applications loaded onto cellulose acetate/polycaprolactone wet-spun microfibers

New approaches to deal with the growing concern associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria are emerging daily. Essential oils (EOs) are natural antimicrobial substances with great potential to mitigate this situation. However, their volatile nature, in their liquid-free form, has restricted their generalized application in biomedicine. Here, we propose the use of cellulose acetate (CA)/polycaprolactone (PCL) wet-spun fibers as potential delivery platforms of selected EOs to fight infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Twenty EOs were selected and screened for their minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), using the antibiotic ampicillin as positive control. The cinnamon leaf oil (CLO), cajeput oil (CJO), and the clove oil (CO) were the most effective EOs, against the Gram-positive (MIC < 22.38 mg/mL) and the Gram-negative (MIC < 11.19 mg/mL) bacteria. Uniform microfibers were successfully wet-spun from CA/PCL with an averaged diameter of 53.9 ± 4.5 µm, and then modified by immersion with CLO, CJO and CO at 2 × MIC value. EOs incorporation was confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. However, while microfibers contained ampicillin at MIC (control) after the 72 h modification, the CLO, CO and CJO-loaded fibers registered ≈ 14%, 66%, and 76% of their MIC value, respectively. Data showed that even at small amounts the EO-modified microfibers were effective against the tested bacteria, both by killing bacteria more quickly or by disrupting more easily their cytoplasmic membrane than ampicillin. Considering the amount immobilized, CLO-modified fibers were deemed the most effective from the EOs group. These results indicate that CA/PCL microfibers loaded with EOs can be easily produced with increased antibacterial action, envisioning their use as scaffolding materials for the treatment of infections.Authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), FEDER funds by means of Portugal 2020 Competitive Factors Operational Program (POCI) and the Portuguese Government(OE) for funding the project PEPTEX with reference PTDC/CTM-TEX/28074/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028074).Authors also acknowledge project UID/CTM/00264/2020 of Centre for Textile Science and Technology (2C2T),funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES. SEM studies were performed at the Materials CharacterizationServices of the University of Minho (SEMAT/UM)

Application of Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) atmospheric pressure plasma for pretreatment of medical textiles

Conventional pretreatment by wet chemistry and/or low-pressure plasma have several drawbacks [1]. Atmospheric plasma is an alternative and cost-competitive method to low-pressure plasma and wet chemical pretreatments, allowing continuous and uniform processing of fibers, substrates and films surfaces, improving its functionalization performance [2]. This technology has been studied in the field of the R&D project - PLASMAMED. The main objective of this project is to produce a new generation of coatings containing nanoparticles (NPs) and enzybiotics, with controllable antibacterial activity, on medical textiles, with special emphasis in antimicrobial dressing for pressure injury and hernia meshes. To achieve this goal, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) atmospheric pressure plasma was used as a pretreatment sustainable alternative. In this sense, medical-grade 100% polyester (PES) fabrics were pretreated by atmospheric plasma technology, where various processing conditions were tested. Different treatment speeds and discharges powers were tested, as well as the application of various gases (such as helium, oxygen and nitrogen) and a corona treatment (air), with a carrier gas (argon). The characterization of these pretreated textiles was carried out by contact angle (CA), through the sessile drop technique, with 3 µL water droplets on the surface of the textile. In general, contact angles exhibit a significant decrease (between 40º and 60º for all studied gases), when compared with the standard values for substrate without treatment (around 120º). Therefore, plasma pretreatment significantly improved the hydrophilicity of these fabrics (Figure 1), which reveals to be an advantage for the further functionalization step

Elastase-2, a tissue alternative pathway for angiotensin II generation, plays a role in circulatory sympathovagal balance in mice

In vitro and ex vivo experiments indicate that elastase-2 (ELA-2), a chymotrypsin-serine protease elastase family member 2A, is an alternative pathway for angiotensin II (Ang II) generation. However, the role played by ELA-2 in vivo is unclear. We examined ELA-2 knockout (ELA-2KO) mice compared to wild-type (WT) mice and determined whether ELA-2 played a role in hemodynamics [arterial pressure (AP) and heart rate (HR)], cardiocirculatory sympathovagal balance and baroreflex sensitivity. The variability of systolic arterial pressure (SAP) and pulse interval (PI) for evaluating autonomic modulation was examined for time and frequency domains (spectral analysis), whereas a symbolic analysis was also used to evaluate PI variability. In addition, baroreflex sensitivity was examined using the sequence method. Cardiac function was evaluated echocardiographically under anesthesia. The AP was normal whereas the HR was reduced in ELA-2KO mice (425 ± 17 vs. 512 ± 13 bpm from WT). SAP variability and baroreflex sensitivity were similar in both strains. The LF power from the PI spectrum (33.6 ± 5 vs. 51.8 ± 4.8 nu from WT) and the LF/HF ratio (0.60 ± 0.1 vs. 1.45 ± 0.3 from WT) were reduced, whereas the HF power was increased (66.4 ± 5 vs. 48.2 ± 4.8 nu from WT) in ELA-2KO mice, indicating a shift toward parasympathetic modulation of HR. Echocardiographic examination showed normal fractional shortening and an ejection fraction in ELA-2KO mice; however, the cardiac output, stroke volume, and ventricular size were reduced. These findings provide the first evidence that ELA-2 acts on the sympathovagal balance of the heart, as expressed by the reduced sympathetic modulation of HR in ELA-2KO mice