The relation between SAR and the electromagnetic field distribution for heterogeneous exposure conditions

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Dynamic plate osteosynthesis for fracture stabilization: how to do it

Plate osteosynthesis is one treatment option for the stabilization of long bones. It is widely accepted to achieve bone healing with a dynamic and biological fixation where the perfusion of the bone is left intact and micromotion at the fracture gap is allowed. The indications for a dynamic plate osteosynthesis include distal tibial and femoral fractures, some midshaft fractures, and adolescent tibial and femoral fractures with not fully closed growth plates. Although many lower limb shaft fractures are managed successfully with intramedullary nails, there are some important advantages of open-reduction-and-plate fixation: the risk of malalignment, anterior knee pain, or nonunion seems to be lower. The surgeon performing a plate osteosynthesis has the possibility to influence fixation strength and micromotion at the fracture gap. Long plates and oblique screws at the plate ends increase fixation strength. However, the number of screws does influence stiffness and stability. Lag screws and screws close to the fracture site reduce micromotion dramatically

Statistical evaluation of the flux cross-calibration of the XMM-Newton EPIC cameras

The second XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue, 2XMM, provides the ideal data base for performing a statistical evaluation of the flux cross-calibration of the XMM-Newton European Photon Imaging Cameras (EPIC). We aim to evaluate the status of the relative flux calibration of the EPIC cameras on board XMM-Newton (MOS1, MOS2, and pn) and investigate the dependence of the calibration on energy, position in the field of view of the X-ray detectors, and lifetime of the mission. We compiled the distribution of flux percentage differences for large samples of 'good quality' objects detected with at least two of the EPIC cameras. The mean offset of the fluxes and dispersion of the distributions was then found by Gaussian fitting. Count rate to flux conversion was performed with a fixed spectral model. The impact on the results of varying this model was investigated. Excellent agreement was found between the two EPIC MOS cameras to better than 4% from 0.2 keV to 12.0 keV. MOS cameras register 7-9% higher flux than pn below 4.5 keV and 10-13% flux excess above 4.5 keV. No evolution of the flux ratios is seen with time, except at energies below 0.5 keV, where we found a strong decrease in the MOS to pn flux ratio with time. This effect is known to be due to a gradually degrading MOS redistribution function. The flux ratios show some dependence on distance from the optical axis in the sense that the MOS to pn flux excess increases with off-axis angle. Furthermore, in the 4.5-12.0 keV band there is a strong dependence of the MOS to pn excess flux on the azimuthal-angle. These results strongly suggest that the calibration of the Reflection Grating Array (RGA) blocking factors is incorrect at high energies. Finally, we recommend ways to improve the calculation of fluxes in future versions of XMM-Newton source catalogues.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables. Abridged Abstract. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

CULTURA e Língua Pomeranas: um Estudo de Caso em uma Escola do Ensino Fundamental no Município de Santa Maria de Jetibá Espírito Santo Brasil

Esta pesquisa analisa, em uma escola de ensino fundamental do município de Santa Maria de Jetibá, estado do Espírito Santo Brasil: a) como diferentes sujeitos, que ali interagem, veem e promovem sua cultura, em especial a língua pomerana; e b) avaliam-se aspectos do Programa de Educação Escolar Pomerana PROEPO , para verificar sua contribuição para a manutenção da língua materna pomerana. Traça-se brevemente a história da imigração pomerana, bem como as produções acadêmicas referentes à educação desse povo em terras capixabas, e prestam-se informações sobre a educação atual do município, a língua pomerana e o PROEPO. O estudo se beneficiou de discussões sobre abordagens qualitativas de educação para a realização de estudo de caso, para a análise de documentos, observação participante, aplicação de questionários, realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas e diário de campo. Trabalharam-se conceitos, como: língua (GERALDI, 2010; BOURDIEU, 1996) cultura (BRANDÃO, 2002; CANCLINI, 2009; FREIRE & FAUNDEZ,1985) bilinguismo, educação bilíngue, direitos linguísticos, política linguística e sociolinguística educacional (BORTONI-RICARDO, 2004, 2005; CALVET, 2002, 2007; OLIVEIRA, 2000, 2007; HAMEL, 2003). Os resultados obtidos evidenciam que 95% dos alunos são descendentes pomeranos e, desses, 90% são bilíngues pomerano-português. Os usos da língua pomerana predominam no seio familiar entre os sujeitos mais velhos; quando se trata das gerações mais novas, ocorre o bilinguismo. Em outros domínios sociais, como igrejas, escolas, comércio e festas, o português é mais recorrente. No ambiente escolar, o português é a língua oficial, ainda que isso não signifique a anulação da língua materna pomerana que é também ofertada como disciplina específica. Os pais ressaltam a importância de ambas as línguas na vida dos filhos e defendem o bilinguismo para a manutenção do pomerano. Atribui-se ao PROEPO o mérito da manutenção desta língua de imigração, ao mesmo tempo em que os sujeitos da pesquisa externam preocupação quanto ao repasse da língua para as futuras gerações, bem como a ampliação de debates sobre a difusão da língua pomerana em outras esferas sociais. Impactos sobre a perda da língua para o povo tradicional pomerano ainda são conjecturas, mas podem significar destruição de conhecimentos e saberes tradicionais, transmitidos entre as gerações até os dias atuais

Slaughter performance and meat quality of Milanino chickens reared according to a specific free-range program

ABSTRACT The study aimed to characterize meat quality traits of Milanino chickens reared according to a specific free-range farming program. A total of 120 birds was reared straight-run in outdoor pens (8 m2/bird) from 35 d of life and fed ad libitum a low (16%) protein diet. At 180 d of age, 20 birds (10 birds/sex) were slaughtered, and carcass weight data were recorded. After processing, carcasses were refrigerated at 4°C for 24 hours. Then, the right breast and thigh with skin were collected and color parameters, pH, water-holding capacity (WHC), and chemical composition were determined. The left breast and thigh were stored at −20°C until cooking loss and tenderness evaluation. Milanino was confirmed to be a heavy breed with a sexual dimorphism in relation to adult body weight. A high general carcass yield was recorded. Milanino meat was characterized by high protein and low fat contents compared with the standard broiler meat. Differences in meat composition were recorded according to the sex: females presented higher values of dry matter (breast and thigh), protein (breast), and fat (breast and thigh) contents. The meat with skin presented an intense luminosity, and this trait was higher in the females. The muscle color was characterized by high redness and yellowness indices with differences according to the sex: Higher yellowness index was observed in female carcasses, while higher redness index was detected in male breast samples. The pH muscle values were similar to those reported in other autochthonous breeds. WHC values did not show variation between sexes. In contrast, cooking loss values recorded in thigh samples were lower in males compared to females. The degree of tenderness of Milanino meat was not affected by the sex. However, the potential loss of water and the toughness in Milanino meat were low compared to other local chicken breed meat. The present results support the breeding of Milanino chickens for meat production according to its specific straight-run free-range system

Factors associated with positive blood cultures in outpatients with suspected bacteremia

Blood cultures are routinely taken in outpatients with fever and suspected bacterial infections. However, in the majority of cases, they are not informative and of limited value for clinical decision making. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate factors associated with positive blood cultures in outpatients presenting to an outpatient clinic and emergency room. This was a case-control study of all outpatients with positive blood cultures from January 1, 2006 to October 31, 2007 and matched control patients with negative blood cultures in the same time period. Microbiology results and medical charts were reviewed to determine factors associated with positive blood cultures. The presence of a systemic inflammation response syndrome (SIRS) (OR 2.7, 95% Cl 1.0-7.2) and increased C-reactive protein (CRP) (OR 1.1 per 10mg/l, 95% Cl 1.0-1.2) were the most powerful predictive values for the development of positive blood cultures. In positive cases serum albumin was lower (35mg/l versus 39mg/l) than in controls. SIRS, increasing CRP and low albumin were associated with positive blood cultures in outpatients. With simple clinical assessment and few laboratory tests indicative of infection, it is possible to define a group at higher risk for bacteremia in outpatient