Search for Active Neutrino Disappearance Using Neutral-Current Interactions in the MINOS Long-Baseline Experiment

We report the first detailed comparisons of the rates and spectra of neutral-current neutrino interactions at two widely separated locations. A depletion in the rate at the far site would indicate mixing between nu(mu) and a sterile particle. No anomalous depletion in the reconstructed energy spectrum is observed. Assuming oscillations occur at a single mass-squared splitting, a fit to the neutral- and charged-current energy spectra limits the fraction of nu(mu) oscillating to a sterile neutrino to be below 0.68 at 90% confidence level. A less stringent limit due to a possible contribution to the measured neutral-current event rate at the far site from nu(e) appearance at the current experimental limit is also presented.

Search for the rare decay K(L)->pi(0)pi(0)gamma

The KTeV E799 experiment has conducted a search for the rare decay K(L)->pi(0)pi(0)gamma via the topology K(L)->pi(0)pi(0)(D)gamma (where pi(0)(D)->gamma e(+)e(-)). Because of Bose statistics of the pi(0) pair and the real nature of the photon, the K(L)->pi(0)pi(0)gamma decay is restricted to proceed at lowest order by the CP conserving direct emission (DE) of an E2 electric quadrupole photon. The rate of this decay is interesting theoretically since chiral perturbation theory predicts that this process vanishes at level O(p(4)). Therefore, this mode probes chiral perturbation theory at O(p(6)). In this paper we report a determination of an upper limit of 2.43x10(-7) (90% CL) for K(L)->pi(0)pi(0)gamma. This is approximately a factor of 20 lower than previous results.

Search for lepton-flavor-violating decays of the neutral kaon

The Fermilab KTeV experiment has searched for lepton-flavor-violating decays of the K(L) meson in three decay modes. We observe no events in the signal region for any of the modes studied, and we set the following upper limits for their branching ratios at the 90% C.L.: BR(K(L)->pi(0)mu(+/-)e(-/+))< 7.6x10(-11); BR(K(L)->pi(0)pi(0)mu(+/-)e(-/+))< 1.7x10(-10); BR(pi(0)->mu(+/-)e(-/+))< 3.6x10(-10). This result represents a factor of 82 improvement in the branching ratio limit for K(L)->pi(0)mu(+/-)e(-/+) and is the first reported limit for K(L)->pi(0)pi(0)mu(+/-)e(-/+).

Influence of temperature and excitation procedure on the athermal behavior of Nd(3+)-doped phosphate glass: Thermal lens, interferometric, and calorimetric measurements

In this work, thermal and optical properties of the commercial Q-98 neodymium-doped phosphate glass have been measured at low temperature, from 50 to 300 K. The time-resolved thermal lens spectrometry together with the optical interferometry and the thermal relaxation calorimetry methods were used to investigate the glass athermal characteristics described by the temperature coefficient of the optical path length change, ds/dT. The thermal diffusivity was also determined, and the temperature coefficients of electronic polarizability, linear thermal expansion, and refractive index were calculated and used to explain ds/dT behavior. ds/dT measured via thermal lens method was found to be zero at 225 K. The results provided a complete characterization of the thermo-optical properties of the Q-98 glass, which may be useful for those using this material for diode-pumped solid-state lasers. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3234396]

A flow injection procedure based on solenoid micro-pumps for spectrophotometric determination of free glycerol in biodiesel

A flow system designed with solenoid micro-pumps is proposed for fast and greener spectrophotometric determination of free glycerol in biodiesel. Glycerol was extracted from samples without using organic solvents. The determination involves glycerol oxidation by periodate, yielding formaldehyde followed by formation of the colored (3,5-diacetil-1,4-dihidrolutidine) product upon reaction with acetylacetone. The coefficient of variation, sampling rate and detection limit were estimated as 1.5% (20.0 mg L(-1) glycerol, n =10), 34 h(-1), and 1.0 mg L(-1) (99.7% confidence level), respectively. A linear response was observed from 5 to 50 mg L(-1), with reagent consumption estimated as 345 mu g of KIO(4) and 15 mg of acetylacetone per determination. The procedure was successfully applied to the analysis of biodiesel samples and the results agreed with the batch reference method at the 95% confidence level. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A greener and highly sensitive flow-based procedure for carbaryl determination exploiting long pathlength spectrophotometry and photochemical waste degradation

An environmentally friendly analytical procedure with high sensitivity for determination of carbaryl pesticide in natural waters was developed. The flow system was designed with solenoid micro-pumps in order to improve mixing conditions and minimize reagent consumption as well as waste generation. A long pathlength (100 cm) flow cell based on a liquid core waveguide (LCW) was employed to increase the sensitivity in detection of the indophenol formed from the reaction between carbaryl and p-aminophenol (PAP). A clean-up step based on cloud-point extraction was explored to remove the interfering organic matter, avoiding the use of toxic organic solvents. A linear response was observed within the range 5-200 mu g L(-1) and the detection limit, coefficient of variation and sampling rate were estimated as 1.7 mu g L(-1) (99.7% confidence level), 0.7% (n=20) and 55 determinations per hour, respectively. The reagents consumption was 1.9 mu g of PAP and 5.7 mu g of potassium metaperiodate, with volume of 2.6 mL of effluent per determination. The proposed procedure was selective for the determination of carbaryl, without interference from other carbamate pesticides. Recoveries within 84% and 104% were estimated for carbaryl spiked to water samples and the results obtained were also in agreement with those found by a batch spectrophotometric procedure at the 95% confidence level. The waste of the analytical procedure was treated with potassium persulphate and ultraviolet irradiation, yielding a colorless residue and a decrease of 94% of total organic carbon. In addition, the residue after treatment was not toxic for Vibrio fischeri bacteria. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A flow-based procedure with solenoid micro-pumps for the spectrophotometric determination of uric acid in urine

The determination of uric acid in urine shows clinical importance, once it can be related to human organism dysfunctions, such as gout. An analytical procedure employing a multicommuted flow system was developed for the determination of uric acid in urine samples. Cu(II) ions are reduced by uric acid to Cu(I) that can be quantified by spectrophotometry in the presence of 2,2`-biquinoline 4,4`-dicarboxylic acid (BCA). The analytical response was linear between 10 and 100 mu mol L(-1) uric acid with a detection limit of 3.0 mu mol L(-1) (99.7% confidence level). Coefficient of variation of 1.2% and sampling rate of 150 determinations per hour were achieved. Per determination, 32 mu g of CuSO(4) and 200 mu g of BCA were consumed, generating 2.0 mL of waste. Recoveries from 91 to 112% were estimated and the results for 7 urine samples agreed with those obtained by the commercially available enzymatic kit for determination of uric acid. The procedure required 100-fold dilution of urine samples, minimizing sample consumption and interfering effects. In order to avoid the manual dilution step, on-line sample dilution was achieved by a simple system reconfiguration attaining a sampling rate of 95 h(-1). (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Green Chemistry-Sensitive Analytical Procedure for Photometric Determination of Orthophosphate in River and Tap Water by Use of a Simple LED-Based Photometer

In the current work a Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) procedure for photometric determination of orthophosphate in river water at mu g L-1 concentration level is described. The flow system module and the LED-based photometer were assembled together to constitute a compact unit in order to allow that a flow cell with optical path-length of 100mm was coupled to them. The photometric procedure based on the molybdenum blue method was implemented employing the multicommuted flow injection analysis approach, which provided facilities to allow reduction of reagent consumption and as well as waste generation. Aiming to prove the usefulness of the system, orthophosphate in river and tap waters was determined. Accuracy was ascertained by spiking samples with orthophosphate solution yielding recoveries ranging from 96% up to 107%. Other profitable features such as a wide linear response range between 10 to 800 mu g L-1 [image omitted]; a detection limit (3 sigma criterion) of 2.4 mu g L-1 [image omitted]; a relative standard deviation (n=7) of 2% using a typical water sample with concentration of 120 mu g L-1 [image omitted]; reagent consumption of 3.0mg ammonium molybdate, 0.3mg hydrazine sulfate, and 0.03mg stannous chloride per determination; a waste generation of 2.4mL per determination; and a sampling throughput of 20 determination per hours were also achieved.

An improved procedure for flow-based turbidimetric sulphate determination based on a liquid core waveguide and pulsed flows

An improved flow-based procedure is proposed for turbidimetric sulphate determination in waters. The flow system was designed with solenoid micro-pumps in order to improve mixing conditions and minimize reagent consumption as well as waste generation. Stable baselines were observed in view of the pulsed flow characteristic of the systems designed with solenoid micro-pumps, thus making the use of washing solutions unnecessary. The nucleation process was improved by stopping the flow prior to the measurement, thus avoiding the need of sulphate addition. When a 1-cm optical path flow cell was employed, linear response was achieved within 20-200 mg L(-1), described by the equation S = -0.0767 + 0.00438C (mg L(-1)), r = 0.999. The detection limit was estimated as 3 mg L(-1) at the 99.7% confidence level and the coefficient of variation was 2.4% (n = 20). The sampling rate was estimated as 33 determinations per hour. A long pathlength (100-cm) flow cell based on a liquid core waveguide was exploited to increase sensitivity in turbidimetry. Baseline drifts were avoided by a periodical washing step with EDTA in alkaline medium. Linear response was observed within 7-16 mg L(-1), described by the equation S = -0.865 + 0.132C (mg L(-1)), r = 0.999. The detection limit was estimated as 150 mu g L(-1) at the 99.7% confidence level and the coefficient of variation was 3.0% (n = 20). The sampling rate was estimated as 25 determinations per hour. The results obtained for freshwater and rain water samples were in agreement with those achieved by batch turbidimetry at the 95% confidence level. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

An improved flow-based procedure for microdetermination of total tannins in beverages with minimized reagent consumption

A flow system designed with solenoid micro-pumps is introduced for spectrophotometric determination of total tannins based on the Folin- Denis reaction. The procedure minimizes the main drawbacks related to the AOAC batch procedure, i.e. interferences from reducing species in the samples, high reagent consumption and waste generation, and low sampling rate. Linear response was observed for tannic acid concentrations in the range 2-100 mg L-1, with a detection limit (99.7% confidence level) of 0.3 mg L-1. The sampling rate and coefficient of variation (n = 10) were estimated as 75 measurements per hour and 1.1%, respectively. Results of determination of total tannin in tea, beer and wine samples were in agreement with those achieved by the batch reference procedure at the 95% confidence level. In comparison to the batch procedure, the reagent consumption and effluent generation were 83 and 60-fold lower, respectively.

A flow-based analytical procedure for salbutamol determination exploiting chemiluminescence in a liquid-core waveguide

Salbutamol is a bronchodilator whose use is restricted due to its anabolic effects. A flow-based procedure for salbutamol determination based on the inhibition of chemiluminescence of the luminol/hypochlorite system was developed. A flow cell constructed with a liquid-core waveguide was employed to constrain the emitted radiation, minimizing losses during transport to detector. Linear response was observed within 2.5 x 10(-6) and 1.0 x 10(-5) mol L-1 with a detection limit estimated as 1 x 10(-7) mol L-1 at the 99.7% confidence level. The coefficient of variation (n = 20), sampling rate, and luminol consumption per determination were estimated as 2.8%, 164 determinations h(-1), and 50 mu g, respectively. Results for pharmaceutical samples were in agreement with those obtained by reference procedures at the 95% confidence level.

Cardiovascular response during trigeminal ganglion compression for trigeminal neuralgia according to the use of local anesthetics

There are controversies about the use of local anesthetics during balloon compression for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) as a protective factor for cardiovascular events. The objective of this study was to investigate cardiovascular parameters (blood pressure and heart rate [HR]) of patients that underwent trigeminal balloon compression with local anesthetics compared to a control group (placebo). This is a randomized controlled study; 55 patients were randomized into two groups: study (deep sedation and trigeminal block with 0.8-mL lidocaine 2%) and control group (deep sedation and trigeminal injection of 0.8-mL saline). Blood pressure and HR were measured in five distinct moments: preoperative, during puncture for local anesthesia/placebo, during puncture with the catheter, during balloon compression, and final evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed with Pearson`s chi (2) and McNemar tests and the analysis of variance for repetitive measures. The means of systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP, respectively) were higher in the control group when compared to the study group at the evaluation during puncture with the catheter (p < 0.001) and balloon compression (p < 0.001 and p = 0.018 for DBP and SBP, respectively). There was an increase in the HR in the control group during the procedure (p = 0.017). The use of local anesthetics during the trigeminal balloon compression for TN can have a preventive role for the risk of cardiovascular events.

Use of Hyaluronidase to Prevent Perineal Trauma During Spontaneous Births: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-blind, Clinical Trial

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency and severity of perineal trauma during spontaneous birth with or without perineal injections of hyaluronidase (HAase). Methods: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial was conducted in a midwife-led, in-hospital birth center in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Primiparous women (N = 160) were randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 80) or control (n = 80) group. During the second stage of labor, women in the experimental group received an injection of 20.000 turbidity-reducing units of HAase in the posterior region of the perineum, and those in the control group received a placebo injection. The assessment of perineal outcome was performed by 2 independent nurse-midwives. A 1-tailed Fisher exact test was performed, and a P value < .025 was considered statistically significant. Results: Perineal integrity occurred in 34.2% of the experimental group and in 32.5% of the control group, which was not a statistically significant difference (P = .477). First-degree laceration was the most common trauma in the posterior region of the perineum in women in both groups (experimental = 56%, control = 42.6%). Severe perineal trauma occurred in 28.9% of the experimental group and 38.8% of the control group, which also was not a statistically significant difference (P =. 131). The depth of second-degree perineal lacerations in the experimental and control groups, measured by the Peri-Rule, was 1.9 cm and 2.3 cm, respectively. An episiotomy was performed in 11 women (experimental group = 3, control group = 8), and 4 (all in control group) had third-degree lacerations. Discussion: The use of injectable HAase did not increase the proportion of intact perineum and did not reduce the proportion of severe perineal trauma in our sample. J Midwifery Womens Health 2011; 56: 436-445 (C) 2011 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Effects of Varenicline in Adult Smokers: A Multinational, 24-Week, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Background: Prevalence rates of smoking are rising in developing countries. Previous trials evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of the smoking-cessation medication varenicline have used largely participants of Caucasian origin. Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of varenicline in populations of participants from Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East to investigate potential differences in the therapeutic response to varenicline. Methods: This multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at 42 centers in 11 countries (Latin America: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Venezuela; Africa: Egypt and South Africa; Middle East: Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). Participants were male and female smokers aged 18 to 75 years who were motivated to stop smoking; smoked >= 10 cigarettes/d, with no cumulative period of abstinence >3 months in the previous year; and who had no serious or unstable disease within the previous 6 months. Subjects were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive varenicline 1 mg or placebo, BID for 12 weeks, with a 12-week nontreatment follow-up. Brief smoking-cessation counseling was provided. The main outcome measures were carbon monoxide confirmed continuous abstinence rate (CAR) at weeks 9 to 12 and weeks 9 to 24. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded for tolerability assessment. Results: Overall, 588 subjects (varenicline, 390; placebo, 198) were randomized and treated. The mean (SD) ages of subjects in the varenicline and placebo groups were 43.1 (10.8) and 43.9 (10.8) years, respectively; 57.7% and 65.7% were male; and the mean (SD) weights were 75.0 (16.0) and 76.7 (16.3) kg (range, 40.0-130.0 and 45.6-126.0 kg). CAR at weeks 9 to 12 was significantly higher with varenicline than with placebo (53.59% vs 18.69%; odds ratio [OR] = 5.76; 95% CI, 3.74-8.88; P < 0.0001), and this rate was maintained during weeks 9 to 24 (39.74% vs 13.13%; OR = 4.78; 95% CI, 2.97-7.68; P < 0.0001). Nausea, headache, and insomnia were the most commonly reported AEs with varenicline and were reported numerically more frequently in the varenicline group compared with the placebo group. Serious AEs (SAEs) were reported in 2.8% of varenicline recipients compared with 1.0% in the placebo group, with 6 subjects reporting psychiatric SAEs compared with none in the placebo group. Conclusion: Based on these data, varenicline was apparently efficacious and generally well tolerated as a smoking-cessation aid in smokers from selected sites in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. ClinicalTrials. gov identifier: NCT00594204. (Clin Ther. 2011;33:465-477) (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier HS Journals, Inc.

Perineal Analgesia With an Ice Pack After Spontaneous Vaginal Birth: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial at the Amparo Maternal Birth Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Study participants included 114 nulliparous women divided into 3 groups (n = 38 per group): experimental (ice packs on the perineum), placebo (water packs at set temperature), and control (no treatment). Results: A numerical scale (0 to 10) was used for pain assessment. A comparison of the average pain at the beginning and after 20 minutes showed a significant reduction of pain (P < .001) in the 3 groups, and the experimental group had a lower average score for pain compared with the control group (1.6 versus 3.3, P = .032). Discussion: The use of ice packs for 20 minutes was effective for perineal pain relief after vaginal birth.