An investigation of a two-stage nonlinear vibration isolation system

This paper investigates the most desirable configuration of a two-stage nonlinear vibration isolation system, in which the isolators contain hardening geometric stiffness nonlinearity and linear viscous damping. The force transmissibility of the system is used as the measure of the effectiveness of the isolation system. The hardening nonlinearity is achieved by placing horizontal springs onto the suspended and intermediate masses, which are supported by vertical springs. It is found that nonlinearity in the upper stage has very little effect and thus serves little purpose. The nonlinearity in the lower stage, however, has a profound effect, and can significantly improve the effectiveness of the isolation system. Further, it is found that it is desirable to have high damping in the upper stage and very low damping in the lower stage. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Search for supersymmetry in events with opposite-sign dileptons and missing transverse energy using an artificial neural network

In this paper, a search for supersymmetry (SUSY) is presented in events with two opposite-sign isolated leptons in the final state, accompanied by hadronic jets and missing transverse energy. An artificial neural network is employed to discriminate possible SUSY signals from a standard model background. The analysis uses a data sample collected with the CMS detector during the 2011 LHC run, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.98 fb-1 of proton-proton collisions at the center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. Compared to other CMS analyses, this one uses relaxed criteria on missing transverse energy (EÌ̧T>40 GeV) and total hadronic transverse energy (HT>120 GeV), thus probing different regions of parameter space. Agreement is found between standard model expectation and observations, yielding limits in the context of the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model and on a set of simplified models. © 2013 CERN.

Propriedades e mecanismos de cintilação dos materiais 'GD''AL''O IND.3' e ('GD''LU')'AL''O IND.3' dopados com 'EU POT. 3+', 'TB POT. 3+' e 'PR POT. 3+'

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Distribution of phlebotomine fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) across an urban-rural gradient in an area of endemic visceral leishmaniasis in northern Brazil

The number of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases has increased over the past 10 years in Brazil, especially in the North and Northeast regions of the country. The aim of this study was to evaluate the urbanisation of VL vectors in Barcarena, Pará, an area in northern Brazil where VL is endemic. Sandflies were captured using Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps along an urban-rural gradient. The CDC traps were installed inside hen houses at a height of 150 cm. A total of 5,089 sandflies were collected and 11 species were identified. The predominant species was Lutzomyia longipalpis (rate of 95.15%), which suggests its participation in the transmission of VL. A total of 1,451 Lu. longipalpis females were dissected and no Leishmania infections were detected. Most of the sandflies were captured at the border of a forest (88.25%) and no flies were captured in the urban area, which suggests that transmission is still restricted to rural sites. However, the fact that a specimen was collected in an intermediate area indicates that urbanisation is a real possibility and that vector monitoring is important.

Luxation injuries in primary teeth: a retrospective study in children assisted at an emergency service

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to analyze luxation injuries in children between the ages of 0 and 5 years treated at an emergency service department. A total of 1,703 records, corresponding to a period of 10 years at the Emergency Center of the Baby Clinic at Londrina State University, Brazil, were analyzed. The age, gender, etiologic factors, type of injury, injured teeth, treatment and time interval between injury and treatment were determined for each patient. Of the examined records, 409 patients met the study criteria and included a total of 679 injured teeth. Statistical analyses were carried out using the chi-square test with the level of significance set at 5%. Trauma incidence was higher in boys (57.0%) and in children less than two years of age (40.3%). Falling while walking or running was the most predominant etiologic factor (37.7%), and the most prevalent type of injury was subluxation (32.6%). Luxation injuries decreased with increasing age (p = 0.045). Treatment usually occurred within the first 1-15 days and was significantly associated with the type of trauma (p = 0.041). "Monitor only" was the treatment most frequently observed (74.0%). In conclusion, more luxation injuries were found in younger children, predominantly in boys. Falls resulting from walking or running were the etiologic factor most observed, with subluxation as the most common type of trauma. Treatment usually occurred within the first 15 days after the injury. Despite the severity of these injuries, "monitor only" was the eligible treatment.

Measurement of the muon charge asymmetry in inclusive pp -> W plus X production at root s=7 TeV and an improved determination of light parton distribution functions

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Deproteinized Bovine Bone Mineral or Autologous Bone at Dehiscence Type Defects at Implants Installed Immediately into Extraction Sockets: An Experimental Study in Dogs

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

Search for displaced supersymmetry in events with an electron and a muon with large impact parameters

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

An Efficient Scheduling Scheme For On-Demand Lightpath Reservations In Reconfigurable WDM Optical Networks

We propose an efficient scheduling scheme that optimizes advance-reserved lightpath services in reconfigurable WDM networks. A re-optimization approach is devised to reallocate network resources for dynamic service demands while keeping determined schedule unchanged.

Acetaminophen as an Oral Toxicant for Nile Monitor Lizards (Varanus niloticus) and Burmese Pythons (Python molurus bivittatus)

Context. Invasive species are a growing global problem. Biological invasions can result in numerous harmful impacts on local ecologies, and non-native herpetofauna are frequently ignored. Nile monitor lizards (Varanus niloticus) and Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus, recently reassessed as Python bivittatus bivittatus), have become established in southern Florida. Both are large, semi-aquatic predators that pose serious threats to a variety of threatened and endangered species, as well as to the unique ecology of the area. Aims. Acetaminophen (CAS#103-90-2), a lethal oral toxicant for the invasive brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) on Guam, was investigated as a possible toxicant in juvenile Burmese pythons and Nile monitors. Methods. Dead neonatal mouse (DNM) baits containing 0, 10, 20, or 40 mg acetaminophen were force-fed to Nile monitors, whereas DNM containing doses of 0, 20, 40, or 80 mg were freely consumed by Burmese pythons. Subjects were frequently observed post-treatment for general condition and position, with special attention paid to activity (if any), behaviour, respiration, bleeding, emesis, ataxia, and mortality. Key results. In Nile monitors, acetaminophen doses of 10, 20, or 40 mg resulted in 0, 50 and 100% mortality, respectively. In Burmese pythons, doses of 20, 40, or 80 mg resulted in 14.3, 85.7 and 100% mortality, respectively. No mortality was observed in control individuals of either species. A negative correlation between dosage (mg kg–1) and time-to-death was observed in both species. Dosages ranging from 522 to 2438 mg kg–1 and 263 to 703 mg kg–1 were uniformly lethal to monitors and pythons, respectively. Neither species exhibited signs of pain or discomfort following acetaminophen treatment. Conclusions. Acetaminophen is an effective toxicant in juvenile Nile monitors and Burmese pythons. Further investigation into acetaminophen toxicity in adults of these species is merited. Implications. Although further investigation into adult lethal dosages and strategies to optimize bait deployment while minimizing secondary hazards is required, acetaminophen may have a role to play in the control of these invasive species in Florida.

Crystallization conditions and controls on trace element residence in the main minerals from the Pedra Branca Syenite, Brazil: An electron microprobe and LA-ICPMS study

Major and trace-element microanalyses of the main minerals from the 610 Ma Pedra Branca Syenite, southeast Brazil, allow inferences on intensive parameters of magmatic crystallization and on the partition of trace-elements among these minerals, with important implications for the petrogenetic evolution of the pluton. Two main syenite types make up the pluton, a quartz-free syenite with tabular alkali feldspar (laminated silica-saturated syenite, LSS, with Na-rich augite + phlogopite + hematite + magnetite + titanite + apatite) and a quartz-bearing syenite (laminated silica-oversaturated syenite, LSO, with scarce corroded plagioclase plus diopside + biotite +/- hornblende + ilmenite magnetite +/- titanite + apatite). Both types share a remarkable enrichment in incompatible elements as K, Ba, Sr, P and LREE. Apatite saturation temperatures of similar to 1060-1090 degrees C are the best estimates of liquidus, whereas the pressure of emplacement, based on Al-in-hornblende barometry, is estimated as 3.3 to 4.8 khan Although both units crystallized under oxidizing conditions, oxygen fugacity was probably higher in LSS, as shown by higher mg# of the mafic minerals and higher hematite contents in Hem-Ilm(ss). In contrast with the Ca-bearing alkali-feldspar from LSO, which hosts most of the whole-rock Sr and Pb, virtually Ca-free alkali-feldspar from LSS hosts similar to 50% of whole-rock Sr and similar to 80% of Pb, the remainder of these elements being shared by apatite, pyroxene and titanite. This contrast reflects a strong crystal-chemical control, whereby a higher proportion of an element with similar ratio and charge (Ca2+) enhances the residence of Sr and Pb in the M-site of alkali feldspar. The more alkaline character of the LSS magma is inferred to have inhibited zircon saturation; Zr + Hf remained in solution until late in the crystallization, and were mostly accommodated in the structure of Ca-Na pyroxene and titanite, which are one order of magnitude richer in these elements compared to the same minerals in LSO, where most of Zr and Hf are inferred to reside in zircon. The REE, Th and U reside mostly in titanite and apatite; D(REE)Tit/Ap raises steadily from 1 to 6 from La to Tb then remains constant up to Lu in the LSO sample; these values are about half as much in the LSS sample, where lower contents of incompatible elements in titanite are attributed to its greater modal abundance and earlier crystallization. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stability of dental implants after irradiation with an 830-nm low-level laser: a double-blind randomized clinical study

Little is known about the benefits of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on improvement of stability of dental implants. The aim of this randomized clinical study was to assess the LLLT effect on implants stability by means of resonance frequency analysis (RFA). Thirty implants were distributed bilaterally in the posterior mandible of eight patients. At the experimental side, the implants were submitted to LLLT (830 nm, 86 mW, 92.1 J/cm(2), 0.25 J, 3 s/point, at 20 points), and on the control side, the irradiation was simulated (placebo). The first irradiation was performed in the immediate postoperative period, and it was repeated every 48 h in the first 14 days. The initial implant stability quotient (ISQ) of the implants was measured by means of RFA. New ISQ measurements were made after 10 days, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks. The initial ISQ values ranged from 65-84, with a mean of 76, undergoing a significant drop in stability from the 10th day to the 6th week in the irradiated group, and presenting a gradual increase from the 6th to the 12th week. The highest ISQ values were observed on the 10th day in the irradiated group, and the lowest in the 6th week in both groups. Under the conditions of this study, no evidence was found of any effect of LLLT on the stability of the implants when measured by RFA. Since high primary stability and good bone quality are of major relevancy for a rigid bone-implant interface, additional LLLT may have little impact macroscopically.

A detailed description of an economical setup for electroporation of chick embryos in ovo

One of the challenges of the postgenomic era is characterizing the function and regulation of specific genes. For various reasons, the early chick embryo can easily be adopted as an in vivo assay of gene function and regulation. The embryos are robust, accessible, easily manipulated, and maintained in the laboratory. Genomic resources centered on vertebrate organisms increase daily. As a consequence of optimization of gene transfer protocols by electroporation, the chick embryo will probably become increasingly popular for reverse genetic analysis. The challenge of establishing chick embryonic electroporation might seem insurmountable to those who are unfamiliar with experimental embryological methods. To minimize the cost, time, and effort required to establish a chick electroporation assay method, we describe and illustrate in great detail the procedures involved in building a low-cost electroporation setup and the basic steps of electroporation

Periosteal Distraction Osteogenesis and Barrier Membrane Application: An Experimental Study in the Rat Calvaria

Background: Distraction of the periosteum results in the formation of new bone in the gap between the periosteum and the original bone. We postulate that the use of a barrier membrane would be beneficial for new bone formation in periosteal distraction. Methods: To selectively influence the contribution of the periosteum, a distraction plate with perforations was used alone or covered by a collagen barrier membrane. All animals were subjected to a 7-day latency period and a 10-day distraction period with a rate of 0.1 mm/day. Four animals per group with or without a barrier membrane were sacrificed at 2, 4, and 6 weeks after the end of the distraction. The height of new bone generated relative to the areas bound by the parent bone and the periosteum was determined by histomorphometric methods. Results: New bone was found in all groups. At the periphery of the distraction plate, significant differences in bone height were found between the hinge and the distraction screw for the group without barrier membrane at 2 weeks (0.39 ± 0.19 mm) compared to 4 weeks (0.84 ± 0.44 mm; P = 0.002) and 6 weeks (1.06 ± 0.39 mm; P = 0.004). Differences in maximum bone height with and without a barrier membrane were observed laterally to the distraction plate at 2 weeks (1.22 ± 0.64 versus 0.55 ± 0.14 mm; P = 0.019) and 6 weeks (1.61 ± 0.56 versus 0.73 ± 0.33 mm; P = 0.003) of the consolidation period. Conclusion: Within the limitations of the present study, the application of a barrier membrane may be considered beneficial for new bone formation induced by periosteal distraction.

Response and long-term control of bone metastases after peptide receptor radionuclide therapy with (177)Lu-octreotate

Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is an efficient treatment for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP NETs), with outstanding overall response rates and survival. However, little is known about the particular efficacy regarding bone metastasis (BM).