Carotenoid compounds in grapes and their relationship to plant water status

The aim of this work was to study the relationship between carotenoid contents in grapevine berries and plant water status. For this purpose, a black grapevine variety, Vitis vinifera L. cv. Touriga Nacional, was studied. The experiments were carried out in the same Douro vineyards, with plants of the same age, in two different water retention soils. A higher water retention capacity soil, soil A, and a lower water retention capacity soil, soil B, were both in a 1.2 m deep silt-loam schist-derived soil. The training system was the double cordon trained and spur pruned. A first range was nonirrigated (NI) and a second one was irrigated (I), 60% of evapotranspiration (ET0). For soil B, a 30% of ET0 treatment was also applied. The plant water status was estimated by predawn leaf water potential. The effects of plant water status on berry growth were studied by measurement of the berry weight and total soluble solids (°Brix). The carotenoid profile was quantitatively determined by high-performance liquid chromatography/diode array. Carotenoids determined were â-carotene, lutein, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, and luteoxanthin. The comparison between irrigated and nonirrigated grapes was followed from 2 weeks before veraison until the ripe stage. Results showed that at harvest time, berries exposed to the NI had a lower weight than those exposed to the irrigated treatment (60% of ET0), 0.89 vs 1.36 g/berry and 0.94 vs 1.34 g/berry, for soils A and B, respectively. The irrigated treatment contributed to a higher sugar concentration in both soils. However, depending on the soil water retention capacity, the carotenoid contents were different in soils A and B. For soil A, the total carotenoid content was similar for both NI and I treatments. However, with regard to soil B, in irrigated treatment, levels of carotenoids were approximately 60% lower than those found for the NI. It seems to be possible to produce higher weight berries (with higher sugar levels) with similar carotenoid contents. On the other hand, soil characteristics had a larger influence than irrigation on the concentration of carotenoids in grapes, resulting in an important viticultural parameter to take into account in aroma precursor formation

Finite element analysis of pectus carinatum surgical correction via a minimally invasive approach

Pectus carinatum (PC) is a chest deformity caused by a disproportionate growth of the costal cartilages compared to the bony thoracic skeleton, pulling the sternum towards, which leads to its protrusion. There has been a growing interest on using the 'reversed Nuss' technique as a minimally invasive procedure for PC surgical correction. A corrective bar is introduced between the skin and the thoracic cage and positioned on top of the sternum highest protrusion area for continuous pressure. Then, it is fixed to the ribs and kept implanted for about 2-3 years. The purpose of this work was to (a) assess the stresses distribution on the thoracic cage that arise from the procedure, and (b) investigate the impact of different positioning of the corrective bar along the sternum. The higher stresses were generated on the 4th, 5th and 6th ribs backend, supporting the hypothesis of pectus deformities correction-induced scoliosis. The different bar positioning originated different stresses on the ribs' backend. The bar position that led to lower stresses generated on the ribs backend was the one that also led to the smallest sternum displacement. However, this may be preferred, as the risk of induced scoliosis is lowered.This work was financially supported by the Potuguese Foundation for Science and Techrnology (FCT) under the R&D project PTDC/SAU-BEB/103368/2008 and the fellowship SFRH/BPD/46851/2008

Virtual simulation of the postsurgical cosmetic outcome in patients with pectus excavatum

Pectus excavatum is the most common congenital deformity of the anterior chest wall, in which several ribs and the sternum grow abnormally. Nowadays, the surgical correction is carried out in children and adults through Nuss technic. This technic has been shown to be safe with major drivers as cosmesis and the prevention of psychological problems and social stress. Nowadays, no application is known to predict the cosmetic outcome of the pectus excavatum surgical correction. Such tool could be used to help the surgeon and the patient in the moment of deciding the need for surgery correction. This work is a first step to predict postsurgical outcome in pectus excavatum surgery correction. Facing this goal, it was firstly determined a point cloud of the skin surface along the thoracic wall using Computed Tomography (before surgical correction) and the Polhemus FastSCAN (after the surgical correction). Then, a surface mesh was reconstructed from the two point clouds using a Radial Basis Function algorithm for further affine registration between the meshes. After registration, one studied the surgical correction influence area (SCIA) of the thoracic wall. This SCIA was used to train, test and validate artificial neural networks in order to predict the surgical outcome of pectus excavatum correction and to determine the degree of convergence of SCIA in different patients. Often, ANN did not converge to a satisfactory solution (each patient had its own deformity characteristics), thus invalidating the creation of a mathematical model capable of estimating, with satisfactory results, the postsurgical outcome.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal (FCT) through the Postdoc grant referenced SFRH/BPD/46851/2008 and R&D project referenced PTDC/SAU-BEB/103368/2008

Tensor Perturbations in Quantum Cosmological Backgrounds

In the description of the dynamics of tensor perturbations on a homogeneous and isotropic background cosmological model, it is well known that a simple Hamiltonian can be obtained if one assumes that the background metric satisfies Einstein classical field equations. This makes it possible to analyze the quantum evolution of the perturbations since their dynamics depends only on this classical background. In this paper, we show that this simple Hamiltonian can also be obtained from the Einstein-Hilbert lagrangian without making use of any assumption about the dynamics of the background metric. In particular, it can be used in situations where the background metric is also quantized, hence providing a substantial simplification over the direct approach originally developed by Halliwell and Hawking.Comment: 24 pages, JHEP forma

Pectus Excavatum postsurgical outcome based on preoperative soft body dynamics simulation

Pectus excavatum is the most common congenital deformity of the anterior chest wall, in which an abnormal formation of the rib cage gives the chest a caved-in or sunken appearance. Today, the surgical correction of this deformity is carried out in children and adults through Nuss technic, which consists in the placement of a prosthetic bar under the sternum and over the ribs. Alth ough this technique has been shown to be safe and reliable, not all patients have achieved adequate cosmetic outcome. This often leads to psyc hological problems and social stress, before and after the surgical correction. This paper targets this particular problem by presenting a method to predict the patient surgical outcome based on pre-surgical imagiologic information and chest skin dynamic modulation. The proposed approach uses the patient pre-surgical thoracic CT scan and anatomical-surg ical references to perform a 3D segmentation of the left ribs, right ribs, sternum and skin. The technique encompasses three steps: a) approximation of the cartilages, between the ribs and the sternum, trough b-spline interpolation; b) a volu metric mass spring model that connects two layers - inner skin layer based on the outer pleura contour and the outer su rface skin; and c) displacement of the sternum according to the prosthetic bar position. A dynamic model of the skin around the chest wall region was generated, capable of simulating the effect of the movement of the prosthetic bar along the sternum. The results were compared and validated with patient postsurgical skin surface acquired with Polhemus FastSCAN system.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologi

Logic-based schedulability analysis for compositional hard real-time embedded systems

This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of ACM for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in SIGBED Review, VOL.12, ISS.1, http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2752801.2752808Over the past decades several approaches for schedu- lability analysis have been proposed for both uniprocessor and multi-processor real-time systems. Although different techniques are employed, very little has been put forward in using formal specifications, with the consequent possibility for misinterpretations or ambiguities in the problem statement. Using a logic based approach to schedulability analysis in the design of hard real-time systems eases the synthesis of correct-by- construction procedures for both static and dynamic verification processes. In this paper we propose a novel approach to schedulability analysis based on a timed temporal logic with time durations. Our approach subsumes classical methods for uniprocessor scheduling analysis over compositional resource models by providing the developer with counter-examples, and by ruling out schedules that cause unsafe violations on the system. We also provide an example showing the effectiveness of our proposal.This work was partially supported by National Funds through FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) and by ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through COMPETE (Operational Programme ’Thematic Fac- tors of Competitiveness’), within projects Ref. FCOMP-01- 0124-FEDER-022701 (CISTER), FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER- 015006 (VIPCORE) and FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-020486 (AVIACC)

Lesão do esmalte após remoção de adesivo ortodontico por pedra de Arkansas e pontas laminadas de carbeto de tungsténio

Objectives: The main aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two different methods to remove orthodontic composite adhesives from enamel concerning the surface damage and remnant composite adhesive on the surfaces. Methods: Human molars were stored in buffer solution at room temperature before bonding the brackets. Teeth were ultrasonically cleaned in distilled water before bonding procedure. Ninety two brackets were randomly bonded to the buccal surface of twenty three molars using a composite-based adhesive system. After 15 days, the orthodontic composite adhesives were removed by using Arkansas' stone or multi-blade tungsten burs. After debonding process, the remnant composite adhered to the tooth as well as the teeth surfaces were analyzed by photographic images at x40 magnification concerning the (ARI) adhesive remnant or (SRI) surface roughness index. Also, enamel surfaces were inspected by field emission guns scanning electron microscopy (FEGSEM) before bonding and after bracket detachment. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS® Statistics vs.18.0, considering a significance level of 0.05 to one-way ANOVA. Tukey's test was used for multiple comparisons and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the association between categorical variables. Results: ARI results revealed no statistically significant differences between the two methods of bracket removal (p=0.283). Considering SRI, statistically significant differences were detected between the two procedures (p<0.001) considering all worn surfaces revealed lower surface roughness after removal of adhesive by Arkansas stone than that recorded on worn surfaces after removal using tungsten carbide burs. Conclusion: The removal of orthodontic adhesive promoted less damage on enamel surfaces by using Arkansas stone at low rotation. Nevertheless, finishing procedures can decrease the roughness on enamel without additional damage.Objetivos: O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a eficácia de dois métodos diferentes de remocâo do compósito utilizado na adesão de brackets, após a realizacão do tratamento ortodôntico. Métodos: Foram utilizados 92 brackets colados em 23 molares previamente selecionados de acordo com os critérios de inclusão/exclusão. Uma vez removidos os brackets, foram então utilizados os dois métodos de remocão de compósito: a) pedras de Arkansas; b) brocas multilaminadas de tungsténio, ambas utilizadas em contra-ângulo (baixa rotacão). Uma vez removido o compósito, foram analisadas e quantificadas as possíveis lesões advindas do procedimento. A área de compósito remanescente foi calculada em todos os dentes. A aná- lise estatística foi realizada utilizando o SPSS® Statistics vs.18.0, considerando um nível de significância de 0,05 para teste ANOVA. O teste de Tukey foi utilizado para comparações múltiplas e Qui-quadrado para análise entre variáveis categóricas. Resultados: Após a remocão do compósito com cada um dos métodos verificou-se que, relativamente ao índice adesivo remanescente (IAR), não existiam diferença estatisticamente significativa (p=0,283) entre métodos de remoção. Entretanto, diferenças em relação ao índice de rugosidade de superfície (IRS) foram estatisticamente significativas (p<0,001) com resultados a favor do método utilizando pedras de Arkansas. Conclusão: Menor dano ao esmalte foi promovido pela remocão de adesivo ortodóntico com uso da pedra de Arkansas. Entretanto, polimento adicional diminui a rugosidade da superfície sem danos adicionais ao esmalte.This work has been supported by FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia – Portugal) in the scope of the project UID/ EEA/04436/ 2013 NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000018 - HAMaBIC

Thoracic wall reconstruction using ultrasound images to model/bend the thoracic prosthesis for correction of pectus excavatum

Pectus excavatum is the most common congenital deformity of the anterior thoracic wall. The surgical correction of such deformity, using Nuss procedure, consists in the placement of a personalized convex prosthesis into sub-sternal position to correct the deformity. The aim of this work is the CT-scan substitution by ultrasound imaging for the pre-operative diagnosis and pre-modeling of the prosthesis, in order to avoid patient radiation exposure. To accomplish this, ultrasound images are acquired along an axial plane, followed by a rigid registration method to obtain the spatial transformation between subsequent images. These images are overlapped to reconstruct an axial plane equivalent to a CT-slice. A phantom was used to conduct preliminary experiments and the achieved results were compared with the corresponding CT-data, showing that the proposed methodology can be capable to create a valid approximation of the anterior thoracic wall, which can be used to model/bend the prosthesis.Fundação para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT

Variations of the soft tissue thicknesses external to the ribs in pectus excavatum patients

BACKGROUND: Surgical repair of pectus excavatum (PE) has become more popular due to improvements in the minimally invasive Nuss procedure. The pre-surgical assessment of PE patients requires Computerized Tomography (CT), as the malformation characteristics vary from patient to patient. OBJECTIVE: This work aims to characterize soft tissue thickness (STT) external to the ribs among PE patients. It also presents a comparative analysis between the anterior chest wall surface before and after surgical correction. METHODS: Through surrounding tissue segmentation in CT data, STT values were calculated at different lines along the thoracic wall, with a reference point in the intersection of coronal and median planes. The comparative analysis between the two 3D anterior chest surfaces sets a surgical correction influence area (SCIA) and a volume of interest (VOI) based on image processing algorithms, 3D surface algorithms, and registration methods. RESULTS: There are always variations between left and right side STTs (2.54 ± 2.05 mm and 2.95 ± 2.97 mm for female and male patients, respectively). STTs are dependent on age, sex, and body mass index of each patient. On female patients, breast tissue induces additional errors in bar manual conception. The distances starting at the deformity's largest depression point at the SCIA are similar in all directions. Some diverging measures and outliers were found, being difficult to find similar characteristics between them, especially in asymmetric patients. CONCLUSION: The Nuss procedure metal bar must be modeled according to each patient's special characteristics. The studied relationships between STT and chest surface could represent a step forward to eliminate the CT scan from PE pre-surgical evaluation.This work was supported by "Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia" (FCT), Portugal, through the R&D project referenced PTDC/SAU-BEB/103368/2008 and the fellowships referenced SFRH/BD/74276/2010, SFRH/BD/68270/2010 and SFRH/BPD/46851/2008

Integrating fungicide and biocontrol foliar spray on maize grain yield and fumonisin content.

The adoption of biocontrol is low in maize production, although it has been reported reduction in fumonisin levels when combined with fungicides. The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of Streptomyces araujoniae (BC1) and Bacillus sp. (BC2) combined or not with the fungicide azoxystrobin+ciproconazol (FG), on grain yield, Fusarium verticillioides incidence and fumonisin (B1 and B2) content. Maize plants were sprayed two times, at V9 and R1 with Water, BC1, BC2, Fungicide alone or in different combinations two by two. All plants were inoculated with F. verticillioides. Upon harvest, treatments were evaluated for total yield, F. verticillioides grain contamination (blotter test) and total fumonisin (B1+B2) contents. FG (V9) + BC1 (R1) resulted in increased yield in three out of four field trials, while all other treatments increased yield in only two. All treatments except FG (V9 + R1) reduced F. verticillioides incidence. None of the treatments reduced fumonisin levels, but FG (V9 + R1), BC1 (V9) + FG (R1) and BC1 (V9) + BC1 (R1) resulted in higher mycotoxin content compared to the control. FG (V9) + BC1 (R1) increased yield, reduced grain contamination and didn?t contribute to higher fumonisin levels compared to control. Therefore, it can contribute to qualitative and quantitative maize grain yield improvement