A low-inductance, long-life, triggered spark gap switch for Blumlein-driven lasers

A low inductance, triggered spark gap switch suitable for a high-current fast discharge system has been developed. The details of the design and fabrication of this pressurized spark gap, which uses only commonly available materials are described. A transverse discharge Blumlein-driven N2 laser incorporating this device gives a peak output power of 700 kW with a FWHM of 3 ns and an efficiency of 0.51%, which is remarkably high for a pulsed nitrogen laser system.

101 more life skills games for children : learning, growing, getting along (ages 9 to 15).

Recurso para todo lo que se refiere a grupos de niños, ya sea en la escuela, en la guardería, o simplemente la hora de organizar una reunión de juego no estructurado. Los juegos son una manera ideal para ayudar a los niños a desarrollar habilidades sociales y emocionales. Cada juego tiene claramente especificados los objetivos, sugerencias de variaciones, y un conjunto de preguntas que ayudan al grupo a reflexionar sobre las cuestiones abordadas en el juego. Los juegos cuentan con la improvisación, la pantomima, juegos de rol, de relajación, de competencia y de cooperación. También hay de movimiento, de lenguaje y juegos de adivinanzas, juegos de corro que ayudan a niños de 9 a 15 años a entender los problemas y necesidades que surgen en la interacción diaria con otros niños.

101 life skills games for children : learning, growing, getting along (ages 6 to 12).

Recurso para todo lo que se refiere a grupos de niños, ya sea en la escuela, en la guardería, o simplemente la hora de organizar una reunión de juego no estructurado. Los juegos son una manera ideal para ayudar a los niños a desarrollar habilidades sociales y emocionales. Cada juego tiene claramente especificados los objetivos, sugerencias de variaciones, y un conjunto de preguntas que ayudan al grupo a reflexionar sobre las cuestiones abordadas en el juego. Los juegos cuentan con la improvisación, la pantomima, juegos de rol, de relajación, de competencia y de cooperación. También hay de movimiento, de lenguaje y juegos de adivinanzas, juegos de corro que ayudan a niños de 6 a 12 años a entender los problemas y necesidades que surgen en la interacción diaria con otros niños.

Sensory and instrumental analysis of medium and long shelf-life Charentais cantaloupe melons (Cucumis melo L.) harvested at different maturities

The flavour profiles of two genotypes of Charentais cantaloupe melons (medium shelf-life and long shelf-life), harvested at two distinct maturities (immature and mature fruit), were investigated. Dynamic headspace extraction (DHE), solid-phase extraction (SPE), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography–olfactometry/mass spectrometry (GC-O/MS) were used to determine volatile and semi-volatile compounds. Qualitative descriptive analysis (QDA) was used to assess the organoleptic impact of the different melons and the sensory data were correlated with the chemical analysis. There were significant, consistent and substantial differences between the mature and immature fruit for the medium shelf-life genotype, the less mature giving a green, cucumber character and lacking the sweet, fruity character of the mature fruit. However, maturity at harvest had a much smaller impact on the long shelf-life melons and fewer differences were detected. These long shelf-life melons tasted sweet, but lacked fruity flavours, instead exhibiting a musty, earthy character.

A real-time measurement system for long-life flood monitoring and warning applications

A flood warning system incorporates telemetered rainfall and flow/water level data measured at various locations in the catchment area. Real-time accurate data collection is required for this use, and sensor networks improve the system capabilities. However, existing sensor nodes struggle to satisfy the hydrological requirements in terms of autonomy, sensor hardware compatibility, reliability and long-range communication. We describe the design and development of a real-time measurement system for flood monitoring, and its deployment in a flash-flood prone 650 km2 semiarid watershed in Southern Spain. A developed low-power and long-range communication device, so-called DatalogV1, provides automatic data gathering and reliable transmission. DatalogV1 incorporates self-monitoring for adapting measurement schedules for consumption management and to capture events of interest. Two tests are used to assess the success of the development. The results show an autonomous and robust monitoring system for long-term collection of water level data in many sparse locations during flood events.

Providing extrinsic reward for test performance undermines long-term memory acquisition

Based on numerous studies showing that testing studied material can improve long-term retention more than restudying the same material, it is often suggested that the number of tests in education should be increased to enhance knowledge acquisition. However, testing in real-life educational settings often entails a high degree of extrinsic motivation of learners due to the common practice of placing important consequences on the outcome of a test. Such an effect on the motivation of learners may undermine the beneficial effects of testing on long-term memory because it has been shown that extrinsic motivation can reduce the quality of learning. To examine this issue, participants learned foreign language vocabulary words, followed by an immediate test in which one-third of the words were tested and one-third restudied. To manipulate extrinsic motivation during immediate testing, participants received either monetary reward contingent on test performance or no reward. After 1 week, memory for all words was tested. In the immediate test, reward reduced correct recall and increased commission errors, indicating that reward reduced the number of items that can benefit from successful retrieval. The results in the delayed test revealed that reward additionally reduced the gain received from successful retrieval because memory for initially successfully retrieved words was lower in the reward condition. However, testing was still more effective than restudying under reward conditions because reward undermined long-term memory for concurrently restudied material as well. These findings indicate that providing performance–contingent reward in a test can undermine long-term knowledge acquisition.

Optimal taxation with gradual learning of types

An important feature of life-cycle models is the presence of uncertainty regarding one’s labor income. Yet this issue, long recognized in different areas, has not received enough attention in the optimal taxation literature. This paper is an attempt to fill this gap. We write a simple 3 period model where agents gradually learn their productivities. In a framework akin to Mirrlees’ (1971) static one, we derive properties of optimal tax schedules and show that: i) if preferences are (weakly) separable, uniform taxation of goods is optimal, ii) if they are (strongly) separable capital income is to rate than others forms of investiment.

A newly recognized syndrome of marfanoid habitus; Long face; Hypotelorism; Long, thin nose; Long, thin hands and feet; and a specific pattern of language and learning disabilities

Here, we report on a newly recognized syndrome in a Brazilian family with three affected women, who had a Marfanoid habitus; long face; hypotelorism; long, thin nose; long, thin hands and feet; and language and learning disabilities. The disorder is compatible with autosomal dominant inheritance. (C) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Life strategies of some long-distance migratory catfish in relation to hydroelectric dams in the Amazon Basin

In this paper, we present evidence that the long-distance migratory catfish Brachyplatystoma filamentosum, B. flavicans, B. vaillantii, Goslinia platynema and Lithodoras dorsalis spawn in the headstreams of the Amazon river and its tributaries and that the estuary of the Amazon is the main nursery ground utilized by their alevins. The impact of hydroelectric dams on their populations are discussed in terms of interruption to fish migration routes up river and to larvae moving down river, provided that the hypothesis above holds. Ways of mitigating the impact are also considered. © 1991.

Brazilian network for the surveillance of maternal potentially life threatening morbidity and maternal near-miss and a multidimensional evaluation of their long term consequences

Background. It has been suggested that the study of women who survive life-threatening complications related to pregnancy (maternal near-miss cases) may represent a practical alternative to surveillance of maternal morbidity/mortality since the number of cases is higher and the woman herself is able to provide information on the difficulties she faced and the long-term repercussions of the event. These repercussions, which may include sexual dysfunction, postpartum depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, may persist for prolonged periods of time, affecting women's quality of life and resulting in adverse effects to them and their babies. Objective. The aims of the present study are to create a nationwide network of scientific cooperation to carry out surveillance and estimate the frequency of maternal near-miss cases, to perform a multicenter investigation into the quality of care for women with severe complications of pregnancy, and to carry out a multidimensional evaluation of these women up to six months. Methods/Design. This project has two components: a multicenter, cross-sectional study to be implemented in 27 referral obstetric units in different geographical regions of Brazil, and a concurrent cohort study of multidimensional analysis. Over 12 months, investigators will perform prospective surveillance to identify all maternal complications. The population of the cross-sectional component will consist of all women surviving potentially life-threatening conditions (severe maternal complications) or life-threatening conditions (the maternal near miss criteria) and maternal deaths according to the new WHO definition and criteria. Data analysis will be performed in case subgroups according to the moment of occurrence and determining cause. Frequencies of near-miss and other severe maternal morbidity and the association between organ dysfunction and maternal death will be estimated. A proportion of cases identified in the cross-sectional study will comprise the cohort of women for the multidimensional analysis. Various aspects of the lives of women surviving severe maternal complications will be evaluated 3 and 6 months after the event and compared to a group of women who suffered no severe complications in pregnancy. Previously validated questionnaires will be used in the interviews to assess reproductive function, posttraumatic stress, functional capacity, quality of life, sexual function, postpartum depression and infant development. © 2009 Cecatti et al.

Evaluation of the chemical composition and colour in long-life tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) dehydrated by combined drying methods

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Long-term sertraline treatment increases expression and decreases phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3B in platelets of patients with late-life major depression

Background: Abnormal regulation of glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta (GSK3B) activity has been implicated in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. Many pharmacological agents, including antidepressants, can modulate GSK3B. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of short-and long-term sertraline treatment on the expression and phosphorylation of GSK3B in platelets of patients with late-life major depression. Methods: Thirty-nine unmedicated elderly adults with major depressive disorder (MOD) were initially included in this study. The comparison group comprised 18 age-matched, healthy individuals. The expression of total and Ser-9 phosphorylated GSK3B (pGSK3B) was determined by Enzyme Immunometric Assay (EIA) in platelets of patients and controls at baseline, and after 3 and 12 months of sertraline treatments for patients only. During this period, patients were continuously treated with therapeutic doses of sertraline. GSK3B activity was indirectly estimated by calculating the proportion of inactive (phosphorylated) forms (pGSK3B) in relation to the total expression of the enzyme (i.e.. GSK3B ratio). Results: Depressed patients had significantly higher levels of pGSK3B as compared to controls (p < 0.001). Within the MDD group, after 3 months of sertraline treatment no significant changes were observed in GSK3B expression and phosphorylation state, as compared to baseline levels. However, after 12 months of treatment we found a significant increase in the expression of total GSK3B (p = 0.05), in the absence of any significant changes in pGSK3B (p = 0.12), leading to a significant reduction in GSK3B ratio (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that GSK3B expression was upregulated by the continuous treatment with sertraline, along with an increment in the proportion of active forms of the enzyme. This is compatible with an increase in overall GSK3B activity, which may have been induced by the long-term treatment of late-life depression with sertraline. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.