588 research outputs found
The antiquity of hydrocephalus: the first full palaeo-neuropathological description
The Pathology Museum of the University of Florence houses a rich collection of anatomical specimens and over a hundred waxworks portraying pathological conditions occurring in the nineteenth century, when the museum was established. Clinical and autopsy findings of these cases can still be retrieved from the original museum catalogue, offering a rare opportunity for retrospective palaeo-pathological diagnostics. We present a historical case of severe hydrocephalus backed by modern-day anthropological, radiological and molecular analyses conducted on the skeleton of an 18-month-old male infant deceased in 1831. Luigi Calamai (1796-1851), a wax craftsman of La Specola workshop in Florence, was commissioned to create a life-sized wax model of the child's head, neck and upper thorax. This artwork allows us to appreciate the cranial and facial alterations determined by 30 lb of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulated within the cerebral ventricular system. Based on the autopsy report, gross malformations of the neural tube, tumours and haemorrhage could be excluded. A molecular approach proved helpful in confirming sex. We present this case as the so-far most compelling case of hydrocephalus in palaeo-pathological research
Propagation of sound in a Bose Einstein condensate in an optical lattice
We study the propagation of sound waves in a Bose-Einstein condensate trapped
in a one-dimensional optical lattice. We find that the velocity of propagation
of sound wavepackets decreases with increasing optical lattice depth, as
predicted by the Bogoliubov theory. The strong interplay between nonlinearities
and the periodicity of the external potential raise new phenomena which are not
present in the uniform case. Shock waves, for instance, can propagate slower
than sound waves, due to the negative curvature of the dispersion relation.
Moreover, nonlinear corrections to the Bogoliubov theory appear to be important
even with very small density perturbations, inducing a saturation on the
amplitude of the sound signal
Two Weeks of High-Intensity Interval Training in Combination With a Non-thermal Diffuse Ultrasound Device Improves Lipid Profile and Reduces Body Fat Percentage in Overweight Women
This study evaluated the effectiveness of an innovative strategy which combined low-frequency ultra sound (LOFU) with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to improve physical fitness and promote body fat loss in overweight sedentary women. A placebo controlled, parallel group randomized experimental design was used to investigate the efficacy of a 2-week combined LOFU and HIIT program (3 sessions per week). Participants were allocated into either the Experimental HIIT group (HIITEXP, n = 10) or Placebo HIIT group (HIITPLA, n = 10). Baseline exercise testing (maximal oxygen uptake, lower limb strength and substrate oxidation test), dietary assessment, anthropometric measures and blood sampling were completed in week 1 and repeated in week 4 to determine changes following the program (Post-HIIT). During each training session, the HIITEXP and HIITPLA groups wore a non-thermal diffuse ultrasound belt. However, the belt was only switched on for the HIITEXP group. Delta change scores were calculated for body weight, body fat percentage (Fat%), muscle mass, V.O2max, hip and waist circumferences, and all lipid variables from Baseline to Post-HIIT. Statistical analysis was completed using a repeated-measures factorial analysis of variance by group (HIITPLA and HIITEXP) and time (Baseline and Post-HIIT). Results showed significant improvements in maximal oxygen uptake (HIITEXP; Baseline 24.7 ± 5.4 mL kgâ1 minâ1, Post-HIIT 28.1 ± 5.5 mL kgâ1 minâ1 and HIITPLA; Baseline 28.4 ± 5.9 mL kgâ1 minâ1, Post-HIIT 31.4 ± 5.5 mL kgâ1 minâ1) for both groups. Significant decreases in Fat% (HIITEXP; Baseline 32.7 ± 3.2%, Post-HIIT 28.9 ± 3.5% and HIITPLA; Baseline 28.9 ± 3.5%, Post-HIIT 28.9 ± 3.4% kg), waist circumference (HIITEXP; Baseline 95.8 ± 9.6 cm, Post-HIIT 89.3 ± 8.9 cm and HIITPLA; Baseline 104.3 ± 3.5 cm, Post-HIIT 103.6 ± 3.4 cm) and triglycerides (HIITEXP; â29.2%, HIITPLA; â6.7%) were observed in the HIITEXP group only. These results show that HIIT combined with LOFU was an effective intervention to improve body composition, lipid profile, and fitness. This combined strategy allowed overweight, sedentary women to achieve positive health outcomes in as little as 2 weeks
Phonon distributions of a single bath mode coupled to a quantum dot
The properties of an unconventional, single mode phonon bath coupled to a
quantum dot, are investigated within the rotating wave approximation. The
electron current through the dot induces an out of equilibrium bath, with a
phonon distribution qualitatively different from the thermal one. In selected
transport regimes, such a distribution is characterized by a peculiar selective
population of few phonon modes and can exhibit a sub-Poissonian behavior. It is
shown that such a sub-Poissonian behavior is favored by a double occupancy of
the dot. The crossover from a unequilibrated to a conventional thermal bath is
explored, and the limitations of the rotating wave approximation are discussed.Comment: 21 Pages, 7 figures, to appear in New Journal of Physics - Focus on
Quantum Dissipation in Unconventional Environment
A new tow maneuver of a damaged boat through a swarm of autonomous sea drones
Given the huge rising interest in autonomous drone swarms to be employed in actual marine applications, the present paper explores the possibility to recover a distressed vessel by means of the other agents belonging to the swarm itself. Suitable approaches and control strategies are developed and tested to find the highest performance algorithms. Different rules are exploited to obtain a correct behaviour in terms of swarm interaction, namely collective and coordinated, and individual. An innovative feedback control strategy is adopted and demonstrated its effectiveness. Extensive simulation runs have been conducted, whose results validate the approach
Dipole and Bloch oscillations of cold atoms in a parabolic lattice
The paper studies the dynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensate loaded into a 1D
parabolic optical lattice, and excited by a sudden shift of the lattice center.
Depending on the magnitude of the initial shift, the condensate undergoes
either dipole or Bloch oscillations. The effects of dephasing and of atom-atom
interactions on these oscillations are discussed.Comment: 3 pages, to appear in proceeding of LPHYS'05 conference (July 4-8,
2005, Kyoto, Japan
Produção orgĂąnica de diferentes cultivares de morangueiro cultivados em solo coberto com acĂculas de pĂnus e plĂĄstico preto na regiĂŁo de ChapecĂł, SC.
bitstream/item/60636/1/boletim-133.pd
A Guide to Perform 3D Histology of Biological Tissues with Fluorescence Microscopy
The analysis of histological alterations in all types of tissue is of primary importance in pathology for highly accurate and robust diagnosis. Recent advances in tissue clearing and fluorescence microscopy made the study of the anatomy of biological tissue possible in three dimensions. The combination of these techniques with classical hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining has led to the birth of three-dimensional (3D) histology. Here, we present an overview of the state-of-the-art methods, highlighting the optimal combinations of different clearing methods and advanced fluorescence microscopy techniques for the investigation of all types of biological tissues. We employed fluorescence nuclear and eosin Y staining that enabled us to obtain hematoxylin and eosin pseudo-coloring comparable with the gold standard H&E analysis. The computational reconstructions obtained with 3D optical imaging can be analyzed by a pathologist without any specific training in volumetric microscopy, paving the way for new biomedical applications in clinical pathology
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