Energy Analysis of Poly-hydroxybutirate (PHB) Drying Using a Combined Microwave/Rotating Pulsed Fluidized Bed (MW/RPFB) Dryer

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)The aim of this study was to investigate the drying kinetics and energy efficiency of a combined microwave/rotating pulsed fluidized bed (MW/RPFB) dryer to dry particles of poly-hydroxybutirate (PHB). In order to analyze the effects of microwaves and hot air conditions on the drying kinetics of PHB and energy efficiency, an experimental design technique was applied. Drying energy efficiencies were in the range of 1230%, and an estimated value of 10.5% was found for pure convective drying of PHB in an RPFB with the same final moisture content.317795801Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Standardizing Care of Neuro-oncology Patients Using a Customized Electronic Medical Record Toolkit

Objective: To develop and implement a customized toolkit within the electronic medical record (EMR) to standardize care of patients with brain tumors. Patients and Methods: We built a customized structured clinical documentation support toolkit to capture standardized data at office visits. We detail the process by which this toolkit was conceptualized and developed. Toolkit development was a physician-led process to determine a work flow and necessary elements to support best practices as defined by the neuro-oncology clinical team. Results: We have developed in our EMR system a customized work flow for clinical encounters with neuro-oncology patients. In addition to providing a road map for clinical care by our neuro-oncology team, the toolkit is designed to maximize discrete data capture. Several hundred fields of discrete data are captured through the toolkit in the context of our routine office visits. We describe the characteristics of patients seen at our clinic, the adoption of the toolkit, current initiatives supported by the toolkit, and future applications. Conclusion: The EMR can be effectively structured to standardize office visits and improve discrete data capture. This toolkit can be leveraged to support quality improvement and practice-based research initiatives at the point of care in a neuro-oncology practice

Alterações do nível pressórico e fatores de risco em graduandos de enfermagem Alteraciones del nível de la presión y factores de riesgo en profesionales graduandos en enfermería Risk factors and alterations in blood pressure levels in undergraduate nursing students

Objetivos: Identificar possíveis alterações do nível presóricoem graduandos de Enfermagem da Universidade Federal de São Paulo; Identificar fatores de risco para hipertensão arterial sistêmica; Verificar a associação entre os níveis pressóricos e os fatores de risco para hipertensão arterial sistêmica. Métodos: Estudo de corte transversal, desenvolvido entre novembro de 2006 a maio de 2007. A amostra foi composta por 120 graduandos de enfermagem da Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Foi aplicado um questionário específico sobre fatores de risco para hipertensão arterial e aferição da pressão arterial. O Teste de Fischer foi usado para determinar possíveis associações. Resultados: Dos graduandos, 92,5% apresentaram níveis pressóricos normais, 4,2% eram hipertensos e 3,3% com pressão limítrofe. Notou-se o aparecimento de alguns fatores de risco para hipertensão arterial e doença cardiovascular. Conclusão: De acordo com os resultados, deve-se atentar para mudanças de hábito e estilo de vida mais saudável desses futuros enfermeiros.<br>Objetivos: Medir la presión arterial para identificar posibles alteraciones en profesionales graduandos en Enfermería; identificar factores de riesgo para hipertensión arterial; verificar la asociación entre los niveles de presión y los factores de riesgo para hipertensión arterial. Métodos: Estudio de corte transversal, desarrollado entre noviembre de 2006 y mayo de 2007. La muestra fue compuesta por 120 graduandos de enfermería de la Universidad Federal de Sao Paulo. Fue aplicado un cuestionario específico sobre factores de riesgo para hipertensión arterial y para evaluar la presión arterial. La Prueba de Fischer fue usada para determinar posibles asociaciones. Resultados: 92,5% de los graduandos presentaron niveles de presión normal, 4,2% eran hipertensos y 3,3% tenían presión limítrofe. Se notó el aparecimiento de algunos factores de riesgo para hipertensión arterial y enfermedad cardiovascular. Conclusión: De acuerdo con los resultados, se deben cambiar hábitos y estilo de vida de modo que sean más saludables para los futuros enfermeros.<br>Objectives: To identify risk factors and alterations in blood pressure levels in undergraduate nursing students and to examine the associations between the risk factors and blood pressure levels. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between November 2006 and May 2007. The sample consisted of 120 undergraduate nursing students from the Federal University of São Paulo. A specific questionnaire on risk factors for high blood pressure was used. Blood pressure measures were taken and recorded. Fisher's exact test was used to determine associations between risk factors and high blood pressure. Results: The majority of participants (92.5%) had normal blood pressure levels. A few students had high (4.2%) or borderline (3.3%) blood pressure levels. Students had some of the risk factors for high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. Conclusion: There is a need to emphasize lifestyle changes among those future nurses

Search for TeV Gamma-Ray Emission from Point-like Sources in the Inner Galactic Plane with a Partial Configuration of the HAWC Observatory

A survey of the inner Galaxy region of Galactic longitude l in [+15, +50] degree and latitude b in [-4,+4] degree is performed using one-third of the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory operated during its construction phase. To address the ambiguities arising from unresolved sources in the data, we use a maximum likelihood technique to identify point source candidates. Ten sources and candidate sources are identified in this analysis. Eight of these are associated with known TeV sources but not all have differential fluxes compatible with previous measurements. Three sources are detected with significances $>5\,\sigma$ after accounting for statistical trials, and are associated with known TeV sources

SEARCH for TeV GAMMA-RAY EMISSION from POINT-LIKE SOURCES in the INNER GALACTIC PLANE with A PARTIAL CONFIGURATION of the HAWC OBSERVATORY

A survey of the inner Galaxy region of Galactic longitude l ∈[+15,+50] and latitude b ∈ [-4, +4] is performed using one-third of the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory, operated during ts construction phase. To address the ambiguities arising from unresolved sources in the data, we use a maximum likelihood technique to identify point source candidates. Ten sources and candidate sources are identified in this analysis. Eight of these are associated with known TeV sources but not all have ifferential fluxes that are compatible with previous measurements. Three sources are detected with significances &gt;5 sigma; after accounting for statistical trials, and are associated with known TeV sources

Observation of the Crab Nebula with the HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory

The Crab Nebula is the brightest TeV gamma-ray source in the sky and has been used for the past 25 years as a reference source in TeV astronomy, for calibration and verification of new TeV instruments. The High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC), completed in early 2015, has been used to observe the Crab Nebula at high significance across nearly the full spectrum of energies to which HAWC is sensitive. HAWC is unique for its wide field of view, nearly 2 sr at any instant, and its high-energy reach, up to 100 TeV. HAWC's sensitivity improves with the gamma-ray energy. Above ∼1 TeV the sensitivity is driven by the best background rejection and angular resolution ever achieved for a wide-field ground array. We present a time-integrated analysis of the Crab using 507 live days of HAWC data from 2014 November to 2016 June. The spectrum of the Crab is fit to a function of the form φ(E)= φ0(E/E0)-α-β In(E/E0). The data is well fitted with values of α = 2.63 ±0.03, β = 0.15 ±0.03, and log10(φ0cm2s TeV)=-12.60±0.02 when E 0 is fixed at 7 TeV and the fit applies between 1 and 37 TeV. Study of the systematic errors in this HAWC measurement is discussed and estimated to be ±50% in the photon flux between 1 and 37 TeV. Confirmation of the Crab flux serves to establish the HAWC instrument's sensitivity for surveys of the sky. The HAWC all-sky survey will be the deepest survey of the northern sky ever conducted in the multi-TeV band

Use of quantitative molecular diagnostic methods to investigate the effect of enteropathogen infections on linear growth in children in low-resource settings: longitudinal analysis of results from the MAL-ED cohort study

Summary: Background: Enteropathogen infections in early childhood not only cause diarrhoea but contribute to poor growth. We used molecular diagnostics to assess whether particular enteropathogens were associated with linear growth across seven low-resource settings. Methods: We used quantitative PCR to detect 29 enteropathogens in diarrhoeal and non-diarrhoeal stools collected from children in the first 2 years of life obtained during the Etiology, Risk Factors, and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) multisite cohort study. Length was measured monthly. We estimated associations between aetiology-specific diarrhoea and subclinical enteropathogen infection and quantity and attained length in 3 month intervals, at age 2 and 5 years, and used a longitudinal model to account for temporality and time-dependent confounding. Findings: Among 1469 children who completed 2 year follow-up, 35 622 stool samples were tested and yielded valid results. Diarrhoeal episodes attributed to bacteria and parasites, but not viruses, were associated with small decreases in length after 3 months and at age 2 years. Substantial decrements in length at 2 years were associated with subclinical, non-diarrhoeal, infection with Shigella (length-for-age Z score [LAZ] reduction −0·14, 95% CI −0·27 to −0·01), enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (−0·21, −0·37 to −0·05), Campylobacter (−0·17, −0·32 to −0·01), and Giardia (−0·17, −0·30 to −0·05). Norovirus, Cryptosporidium, typical enteropathogenic E coli, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi were also associated with small decrements in LAZ. Shigella and E bieneusi were associated with the largest decreases in LAZ per log increase in quantity per g of stool (−0·13 LAZ, 95% CI −0·22 to −0·03 for Shigella; −0·14, −0·26 to −0·02 for E bieneusi). Based on these models, interventions that successfully decrease exposure to Shigella, enteroaggregative E coli, Campylobacter, and Giardia could increase mean length of children by 0·12–0·37 LAZ (0·4–1·2 cm) at the MAL-ED sites. Interpretation: Subclinical infection and quantity of pathogens, particularly Shigella, enteroaggregative E coli, Campylobacter, and Giardia, had a substantial negative association with linear growth, which was sustained during the first 2 years of life, and in some cases, to 5 years. Successfully reducing exposure to certain pathogens might reduce global stunting. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation