Spin-phonon coupling in Gd(Co1/2Mn1/2)O3 perovskite

We have investigated the temperature-dependent Raman-active phonons and the magnetic properties of Gd(Co1/2Mn1/2)O3 perovskite ceramics in the temperature range from 40 K to 300 K. The samples crystallized in an orthorhombic distorted simple perovskite, whose symmetry belongs to the Pnma space group. The data reveals spin-phonon coupling near the ferromagnetic transition occurring at around 120 K. The correlation of the Raman and magnetization data suggests that the structural order influences the magnitude of the spin-phonon coupling.Comment: 3 Figures, suplementary materia

Mechanisms underlying gas exchange alterations in an experimental model of pulmonary embolism

The aim of the present study was to determine the ventilation/perfusion ratio that contributes to hypoxemia in pulmonary embolism by analyzing blood gases and volumetric capnography in a model of experimental acute pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolization with autologous blood clots was induced in seven pigs weighing 24.00 ± 0.6 kg, anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. Significant changes occurred from baseline to 20 min after embolization, such as reduction in oxygen partial pressures in arterial blood (from 87.71 ± 8.64 to 39.14 ± 6.77 mmHg) and alveolar air (from 92.97 ± 2.14 to 63.91 ± 8.27 mmHg). The effective alveolar ventilation exhibited a significant reduction (from 199.62 ± 42.01 to 84.34 ± 44.13) consistent with the fall in alveolar gas volume that effectively participated in gas exchange. The relation between the alveolar ventilation that effectively participated in gas exchange and cardiac output (V Aeff/Q ratio) also presented a significant reduction after embolization (from 0.96 ± 0.34 to 0.33 ± 0.17 fraction). The carbon dioxide partial pressure increased significantly in arterial blood (from 37.51 ± 1.71 to 60.76 ± 6.62 mmHg), but decreased significantly in exhaled air at the end of the respiratory cycle (from 35.57 ± 1.22 to 23.15 ± 8.24 mmHg). Exhaled air at the end of the respiratory cycle returned to baseline values 40 min after embolism. The arterial to alveolar carbon dioxide gradient increased significantly (from 1.94 ± 1.36 to 37.61 ± 12.79 mmHg), as also did the calculated alveolar (from 56.38 ± 22.47 to 178.09 ± 37.46 mL) and physiological (from 0.37 ± 0.05 to 0.75 ± 0.10 fraction) dead spaces. Based on our data, we conclude that the severe arterial hypoxemia observed in this experimental model may be attributed to the reduction of the V Aeff/Q ratio. We were also able to demonstrate that V Aeff/Q progressively improves after embolization, a fact attributed to the alveolar ventilation redistribution induced by hypocapnic bronchoconstriction.1197120

Reduced order models for control of fluids using the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm

In feedback flow control, one of the challenges is to develop mathematical models that describe the fluid physics relevant to the task at hand, while neglecting irrelevant details of the flow in order to remain computationally tractable. A number of techniques are presently used to develop such reduced-order models, such as proper orthogonal decomposition (POD), and approximate snapshot-based balanced truncation, also known as balanced POD. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses: for instance, POD models can behave unpredictably and perform poorly, but they can be computed directly from experimental data; approximate balanced truncation often produces vastly superior models to POD, but requires data from adjoint simulations, and thus cannot be applied to experimental data. In this paper, we show that using the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm (ERA) \citep{JuPa-85}, one can theoretically obtain exactly the same reduced order models as by balanced POD. Moreover, the models can be obtained directly from experimental data, without the use of adjoint information. The algorithm can also substantially improve computational efficiency when forming reduced-order models from simulation data. If adjoint information is available, then balanced POD has some advantages over ERA: for instance, it produces modes that are useful for multiple purposes, and the method has been generalized to unstable systems. We also present a modified ERA procedure that produces modes without adjoint information, but for this procedure, the resulting models are not balanced, and do not perform as well in examples. We present a detailed comparison of the methods, and illustrate them on an example of the flow past an inclined flat plate at a low Reynolds number.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figure

Determination of protein content in cooked foods consumed by toddlers aged 1-2 years in Sri Lanka

In early life, protein deficiency as well as heavy protein intake cause adverse conditions. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the protein adequacy of diets in 1-2-year-old toddlers in the Alawwa Medical Officer of Health (MOH) area, Kurunegala, Sri Lanka. Data on food consumption was obtained by 24-hour dietary recall method from selected caregivers (n=60) andcommonly consumed foods (n=30) were cooked using household preparation protocols practiced in the area. They were homogenized and analyzed for protein. The majority of toddlers among the selected population consumed rice-based meals (73%) as the main meal (cooked rice with vegetable accompaniments), while 27% preferred mixed diets (a mixture of vegetables, pulses, leafy vegetables and fish along with rice). A serving of commercial cereal products provided the highest estimateddaily intake (EDI) of protein (10.70 ± 0.40 g). The average EDI of protein of all categories of foods per portion (rice, vegetables, pulses, green leaves, fish, eggs, rice mixtures and cereal products) was 31.55 ± 0.88 g, contributing to the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 242.64% and 150.17% for 1-2 year toddlers as defined by the Department of Agriculture, United States (USDA) and Sri Lankan RDA defined by Medical Research Institute (MRI), respectively. In conclusion, the cooked foods prepared according to local recipes fulfilled the dietary requirements of protein for toddlers aged 1-2 years in the Alawwa MOH area following USDA and Sri Lankan nutrition guidelines. Keywords: Estimated Daily Intake, Protein, Recommended Dietary Allowance, Toddler

Augmented screwdrivers can increase the performance of orthopaedic surgeons compared with use of normal screwdrivers

Orthopaedic screws insertion can be trivialised as a simple procedure, however it is frequently performed poorly. Limited work exists defining how well surgeons insert screws or whether augmented screwdrivers can aid surgeons to reduce stripping rates and optimise tightness. We aimed to establish the performance of surgeons inserting screws and whether this be improved with screwdriver augmentation. 302 orthopaedic surgeons tightened 10 non-locking screws to what they determined to be optimum tightness into artificial bone sheets. The confidence in the screw purchase was given (1–10). A further 10 screws were tightened, using an augmented screwdriver that indicated when a predetermined optimum tightness was reached. The tightness for unstripped insertions under normal conditions and with the augmented screwdriver were 81% (95% CI 79–82%)(n = 1275) and 70% (95% CI 69–72%)(n = 2577) (p < 0.001). The stripping rates were 58% (95% CI 54–61%) and 15% (95% CI 12–17%) respectively (p < 0.001). The confidences when using the normal and augmented screwdrivers respectively were 7.2 and 7.1 in unstripped insertions and 6.2 and 6.5 in stripped insertions. Performance improved with an augmented screwdriver, both in reduced stripping rates and greater accuracy in detecting stripping. Augmenting screwdrivers to indicate optimum tightness offer potentially enormous clinical benefits by improving screw fixation

A Programmable look-up table-based interpolator with nonuniform sampling scheme

Interpolation is a useful technique for storage of complex functions on limited memory space: some few sampling values are stored on a memory bank, and the function values in between are calculated by interpolation. This paper presents a programmable Look-Up Table-based interpolator, which uses a reconfigurable nonuniform sampling scheme: the sampled points are not uniformly spaced. Their distribution can also be reconfigured to minimize the approximation error on specific portions of the interpolated function's domain. Switching from one set of configuration parameters to another set, selected on the fly from a variety of precomputed parameters, and using different sampling schemes allow for the interpolation of a plethora of functions, achieving memory saving and minimum approximation error. As a study case, the proposed interpolator was used as the core of a programmable noise generatoroutput signals drawn from different Probability Density Functions were produced for testing FPGA implementations of chaotic encryption algorithms. As a result of the proposed method, the interpolation of a specific transformation function on a Gaussian noise generator reduced the memory usage to 2.71% when compared to the traditional uniform sampling scheme method, while keeping the approximation error below a threshold equal to 0.000030518

Walking training improves systemic and local pathophysiological processes in intermittent claudication

Objective: This study examined the impact of submaximal walking training (WT) on local and systemic nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, inflammation, and oxidative stress in patients with intermittent claudication (IC). Methods: The study employed a randomised, controlled, parallel group design and was performed in a single centre. Thirty-two men with IC were randomly allocated to two groups: WT (n = 16, two sessions/week, 15 cycles of two minutes walking at an intensity corresponding to the heart rate obtained at the pain threshold interspersed by two minutes of upright rest) and control (CO, n = 16, two sessions/week, 30 minutes of stretching). NO bioavailability (blood NO and muscle nitric oxide synthase [eNOS]), redox homeostasis (catalase [CAT], superoxide dismutase [SOD], lipid peroxidation [LPO] measured in blood and muscle), and inflammation (interleukin-6 [IL-6], C-reactive protein [CRP], tumour necrosis factor α [TNF-α], intercellular adhesion molecules [ICAM], vascular adhesion molecules [VCAM] measured in blood and muscle) were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks. Results: WT statistically significantly increased blood NO, muscle eNOS, blood SOD and CAT, and muscle SOD and abolished the increase in circulating and muscle LPO observed in the CO group. WT decreased blood CRP, ICAM, and VCAM and muscle IL-6 and CRP and eliminated the increase in blood TNF-α and muscle TNF-α, ICAM and VCAM observed in the CO group. Conclusion: WT at an intensity of pain threshold improved NO bioavailability and decreased systemic and local oxidative stress and inflammation in patients with IC. The proposed WT protocol provides physiological adaptations that may contribute to cardiovascular health in these patients

COMPORTAMENTO HIDROLÓGICO DE ENCOSTA EM SUBSTRATO ROCHOSO GRANÍTICO SOB INFLUÊNCIA DE DESLIZAMENTO RASO - NOVA FRIBURGO, RIO DE JANEIRO

Tendo a água como principal agente deflagrador dos deslizamentos em regiões tropicais, este trabalho objetivou o estudo hidrológico de uma encosta com um cicatriz de deslizamento do tipo translacional raso, no evento extremo de chuva de Janeiro de 2011, Nova Friburgo-RJ. Para o entendimento da influência da água subterrânea na deflagração dos movimentos de massa, a área foi sondada e instrumenta, visando a caracterização física da encosta