Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at √s = 7TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 pb-1 of data collected in pp collisions at s = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV/c is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeVc is higher than 90% over the full η range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100GeV/c and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV/c. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab srl.

Effect of the number of screws on the stability of locking mandibular reconstruction plates

Atrophic mandible fractures are frequently a challenge to stabilize. This study evaluated, through mechanical testing in vitro, the number of locking screws that is sufficient to withstand loading when applied with a locking reconstruction plate in the fixation of atrophic mandible fractures. Polyurethane mandibles with a simulated linear fracture at the midline were used as substratum. Results show that resistance of the fixation is poor when one and two screws are used on each side of the fracture. Three screws on each side of the fracture significantly increases the resistance to displacement. However, no additional strength is added to the construct when more than three screws per side are used. © 2013 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Is characterizing the digital forensic facial reconstruction with hair necessary? A familiar assessors' analysis

Background: In the international scientific literature, there are few studies that emphasize the presence or absence of hair in forensic facial reconstructions. There are neither Brazilian studies concerning digital facial reconstructions without hair, nor research comparing recognition tests between digital facial reconstructions with hair and without hair. The miscegenation of Brazilian people is considerable. Brazilian people, and, in particular, Brazilian women, even if considered as Caucasoid, may present the hair in very different ways: curly, wavy or straight, blonde, red, brown or black, long or short, etc. For this reason, it is difficult to find a correct type of hair for facial reconstruction (unless, in real cases, some hair is recovered with the skeletal remains). Aims and methods: This study focuses on the performance of three different digital forensic facial reconstructions, without hair, of a Brazilian female subject (based on one international database and two Brazilian databases for soft facial-tissue thickness) and evaluates the digital forensic facial reconstructions comparing them to photographs of the target individual and nine other subjects, employing the recognition method. A total of 22 assessors participated in the recognition process; all of them were familiar with the 10 individuals who composed the face pool. Results and conclusions: The target subject was correctly recognized by 41% of the 22 examiners in the International Pattern, by 32% in the Brazilian Magnetic Resonance Pattern and by 32% in the Brazilian Fresh Cadavers Pattern. The facial reconstructions without hair were correctly recognized using the three databases of facial soft-tissue thickness. The observed results were higher than the results obtained using facial reconstructions with hair, from the same skull, which can indicate that it is better to not use hair, at least when there is no information concerning its characteristics. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tissue-engineered blood vessel substitute by reconstruction of endothelium using mesenchymal stem cells induced by platelet growth factors

Background: Cardiovascular diseases remain leaders as the major causes of mortality in Western society. Restoration of the circulation through construction of bypass surgical treatment is regarded as the gold standard treatment of peripheral vascular diseases, and grafts are necessary for this purpose. The great saphenous vein is often not available and synthetic grafts have their limitations. Therefore, new techniques to produce alternative grafts have been developed and, in this sense, tissue engineering is a promising alternative to provide biocompatible grafts. This study objective was to reconstruct the endothelium layer of decellularized vein scaffolds, using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and growth factors obtained from platelets. Methods: Fifteen nonpregnant female adult rabbits were used for all experiments. Adipose tissue and vena cava were obtained and subjected to MSCs isolation and tissue decellularization, respectively. MSCs were subjected to differentiation using endothelial inductor growth factor (EIGF) obtained from human platelet lysates. Immunofluorescence, histological and immunohistochemical analyses were employed for the final characterization of the obtained blood vessel substitute. Results: The scaffolds were successfully decellularized with sodium dodecyl sulfate. MSCs actively adhered at the scaffolds, and through stimulation with EIGF were differentiated into functional endothelial cells, secreting significantly higher quantities of von Willebrand factor (0.85 μg/mL; P < .05) than cells cultivated under the same conditions, without EIGF (0.085 μg/mL). Cells with evident morphologic characteristics of endothelium were seen at the lumen of the scaffolds. These cells also stained positive for fascin protein, which is highly expressed by differentiated endothelial cells. Conclusions: Taken together, the use of decellularized bioscaffold and subcutaneous MSCs seems to be a potential approach to obtain bioengineered blood vessels, in the presence of EIGF supplementation. © 2013 Society for Vascular Surgery.

Clinical similarities and histological diversity comparing fresh frozen onlay bone blocks allografts and autografts in human maxillary reconstruction

Background: In the absence of autologous bone for harvesting, fresh-frozen bone allografts turned into an alternative for bone reconstruction procedures. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to make a histological analysis of fresh-frozen onlay bone allografts (ALs), compared with autografts, in patients who needed maxillary reconstruction prior to dental implants placement. Materials and Methods: Twelve patients with bone deficiencies (width inferior to 4mm) in the sites where the implants were planned were enrolled in the study. From these, six were elected to be treated with autogenous (AT) bone grafts and six with fresh-frozen bone AL. This last group included the patients who had absence of a convenient amount of bone in donor sites. Each patient received from one to six graft blocks, totalling to 12 ATs and 17 ALs. Seven months after grafting procedures, biopsies of the grafts were made using 2-mm internal diameter trephine burs, and processed for histological analysis. One biopsy was retrieved from each patient. Results: Clinically, all grafts were found to be firm in consistency and well-incorporated to the receptor bed. Histological analysis showed a large amount of necrotic bone surrounded by few spots of new-formed bone in the AL group, suggesting low rate of graft remodeling. In the AT group, an advanced stage of bone remodeling was seen. Conclusions: Human fresh-frozen bone block AL showed clinical compatibility for grafting procedures, although associated to slow remodeling process. Further studies are needed to define, at long term, the remodeling process chronology the clinical longitudinal results for fresh-frozen bone AL. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Reconstruction of molecular networks involved in citokine-induced myotubes atrophy integrating microRNA and mRNA expression

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Genética) - IBB

Reconstruction of the Environmental Quality Fuzzy Index

In the world stage, the environmental condition has been a big public policies issue. A clear understanding of the parameters that determine the state of the environment is essential for estimation of the quality of life of the population, not least since ecosystems are highly complex. Consequently, definition of public policies demands the use of evaluation tools that can combine and quantify information in a clear way. The use of indicators and indices that are able to translate the complexity of environmental conditions in cities into simpler terms has been increasingly effective in decision-making, since they assist in general evaluation of the situation in question, identification of priority actions and anticipation of future trends. In an attempt to evaluate the environmental conditions of the Brazilian city, Sorocaba, an Environmental Quality Fuzzy Index (IFQAmb) was proposed. In this work this methodology is improved. After reviewing the IFQAmb methodology, a number of changes in the index are proposed. Additional variables are suggested, derived from a State Environment Department program whose objective is to grant municipalities the title of Municipio Verde e Azul (Green and Blue City). In addition, a new rule base is being drafted to enable consideration of all possibilities, since in the existing version the use of specific criteria eliminates a significant number of rules. The changes seek to define with clarity and precision the conceptual aspects and structure of the IFQAmb, so that it can provide an even more effective evaluation of environmental performance, guiding future actions in order to improve the living conditions of the population of Sorocaba.

Cartilage Reconstruction Using Self-anchoring Implant with Functional Gradient

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Automatic Orientation of Multi-Scale Terrestrial Images for 3D Reconstruction

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Reconstruction of the gravitational wave signal h(t) during the Virgo science runs and independent validation with a photon calibrator

The Virgo detector is a kilometer-scale interferometer for gravitational wave detection located near Pisa (Italy). About 13 months of data were accumulated during four science runs (VSR1, VSR2, VSR3 and VSR4) between May 2007 and September 2011, with increasing sensitivity. In this paper, the method used to reconstruct, in the range 10 Hz-10 kHz, the gravitational wave strain time series h(t) from the detector signals is described. The standard consistency checks of the reconstruction are discussed and used to estimate the systematic uncertainties of the h(t) signal as a function of frequency. Finally, an independent setup, the photon calibrator, is described and used to validate the reconstructed h(t) signal and the associated uncertainties. The systematic uncertainties of the h(t) time series are estimated to be 8% in amplitude. The uncertainty of the phase of h(t) is 50 mrad at 10 Hz with a frequency dependence following a delay of 8 mu s at high frequency. A bias lower than 4 mu s and depending on the sky direction of the GW is also present.

Description and performance of track and primary-vertex reconstruction with the CMS tracker

A description is provided of the software algorithms developed for the CMS tracker both for reconstructing charged-particle trajectories in proton-proton interactions and for using the resulting tracks to estimate the positions of the LHC luminous region and individual primary-interaction vertices. Despite the very hostile environment at the LHC, the performance obtained with these algorithms is found to be excellent. For t (t) over bar events under typical 2011 pileup conditions, the average track-reconstruction efficiency for promptly-produced charged particles with transverse momenta of p(T) > 0.9GeV is 94% for pseudorapidities of vertical bar eta vertical bar < 0.9 and 85% for 0.9 < vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.5. The inefficiency is caused mainly by hadrons that undergo nuclear interactions in the tracker material. For isolated muons, the corresponding efficiencies are essentially 100%. For isolated muons of p(T) = 100GeV emitted at vertical bar eta vertical bar < 1.4, the resolutions are approximately 2.8% in p(T), and respectively, 10 m m and 30 mu m in the transverse and longitudinal impact parameters. The position resolution achieved for reconstructed primary vertices that correspond to interesting pp collisions is 10-12 mu m in each of the three spatial dimensions. The tracking and vertexing software is fast and flexible, and easily adaptable to other functions, such as fast tracking for the trigger, or dedicated tracking for electrons that takes into account bremsstrahlung.

Scanning Electron Microscopy of Male Terminalia and Its Application to Species Recognition and Phylogenetic Reconstruction in the Drosophila saltans Group

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)