Comparative study of osteoarthritis induced by monoiodoacetate and papain in rabbit temporomandibular joints: macroscopic and microscopic analysis

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic, progressive, degenerative pathology. Inducing OA in an animal model is useful for studying the pathology and testing the effectiveness of new treatments. The object of the present study was to determine the macroscopic and microscopic changes occurring in rabbit temporomandibular joints (TMJ) at 15, 30 and 45 days after induction of OA by monoiodoacetate (MIA) and papain. Materials and methods: Twenty two male rabbits were used in the experiment, divided into three groups: a control group (n = 4) and two experimental groups, MIA (n = 9) and papain (n = 9). The progress of the disease was analysed at 15, 30 and 45 days after induction of OA. Morphological and histological analyses were carried out of the joint disc and the mandibular condyle. Results: The most evident changes were expressed in the condyle and disc of joints with OA induced by MIA. The condyles presented deformation, fissures and loss of joint surface, the chondrocytes lost their morphology and organisation. In more advanced stages there was loss of the mid zone of the joint disc. Conclusions: The effects of papain were associated with condyle deformation, disorientation of the chondrocytes in the middle layer, and proliferation in deep zones; there was also an increase in the extracellular matrix. Both inductors generated changes in the TMJ and its joint surfaces; MIA was more effective and coincided more closely with the classic signs of the evolution of OA

Deterministically Computing Reduction Numbers of Polynomial Ideals

We discuss the problem of determining reduction number of a polynomial ideal I in n variables. We present two algorithms based on parametric computations. The first one determines the absolute reduction number of I and requires computation in a polynomial ring with (n-dim(I))dim(I) parameters and n-dim(I) variables. The second one computes via a Grobner system the set of all reduction numbers of the ideal I and thus in particular also its big reduction number. However,it requires computations in a ring with n.dim(I) parameters and n variables.Comment: This new version replaces the earlier version arXiv:1404.1721 and it has been accepted for publication in the proceedings of CASC 2014, Warsaw, Polna

Entanglement Purification of Any Stabilizer State

We present a method for multipartite entanglement purification of any stabilizer state shared by several parties. In our protocol each party measures the stabilizer operators of a quantum error-correcting code on his or her qubits. The parties exchange their measurement results, detect or correct errors, and decode the desired purified state. We give sufficient conditions on the stabilizer codes that may be used in this procedure and find that Steane's seven-qubit code is the smallest error-correcting code sufficient to purify any stabilizer state. An error-detecting code that encodes two qubits in six can also be used to purify any stabilizer state. We further specify which classes of stabilizer codes can purify which classes of stabilizer states.Comment: 11 pages, 0 figures, comments welcome, submitting to Physical Review

Mosquito Ovitraps IoT Sensing System (MOISS): Internet of Things-based System for Continuous, Real-Time and Autonomous Environment Monitoring

The monitoring of environmental parameters is indispensable for controlling mosquito populations. The abundance of mosquitoes mainly depends on climate conditions, weather and water (i.e., physicochemical parameters). Traditional techniques for immature mosquito surveillance are based on remote sensing and weather stations as primary data sources for environmental variables, as well as water samples which are collected in the field by environmental health agents to characterize water quality impacts. Such tools may lead to misidentifications, especially when comprehensive surveillance is required. Innovative methods for timely and continuous monitoring are crucial for improving the mosquito surveillance system, thus, increasing the efficiency of mosquitoes' abundance models and providing real-time prediction of high-risk areas for mosquito infestation and breeding. Here, we illustrate the design, implementation, and deployment of a novel IoT -based environment monitoring system using a combination of weather and water sensors with a real-time connection to the cloud for data transmission in Madeira Island, Portugal. The study provides an approach to monitoring some environmental parameters, such as weather and water, that are related to mosquito infestation at a fine spatiotemporal scale. Our study demonstrates how a combination of sensor networks and clouds can be used to create a smart and fully autonomous system to support mosquito surveillance and enhance the decision-making of local environmental agents

Isolamento e caracterização de bactérias presentes em explantes cultivados in vitro do clone FDR5865 de seringueira.

A seringueira é a fonte natural da borracha e sua cultura é explorada mundialmente. É uma planta alógama, suas sementes são recalcitrantes e a propagação vegetativa é o método mais recomendado. Com o preço elevado do petróleo, a borracha sintética, apesar de ser mais barata que a natural, fica menos competitiva, além disso, tem-se a pressão pelo uso de produtos naturais. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar isolados bacterianos oriundos de explantes de seringueira cultivados in vitro e testar a sua sensibilidade à antibióticos. Após desinfestação segmentos nodais do clone FDR5865 foram inoculados em meio de cultura WPM e mantidos em sala de crescimento. Após 30 dias, o material que apresentou contaminação bacteriana visível foi selecionado e os contaminantes foram purificados utilizando o método de esgotamento por estrias. Posteriormente, os isolados foram testados quanto a sua sensibilidade à antibióticos e caracterizados morfologicamente. Foram encontrados dois tipos de bactérias, que foram nomeadas de isolados 1 e 2, estas foram caracterizadas como Gram negativas e apresentaram forma de cocos. O isolado 1 foi a mais resistente, apresentando resistência a 19 dos 20 antibióticos testados. Este trabalho tem caráter pioneiro, visto que a utilização de explantes de plantas oriundas do campo é pouco relatada na literatura e apresenta um grau de dificuldade muito maior do que a utilização de material provindo de casa de vegetação