Analysis of the electrical conductivity in milking fractions as a mean for detecting and characterizing mastitis in goats

The aim of the work was to study the effect of milking fraction on electrical conductivity of milk (EC) to improve its use in dairy goat mastitis detection using automatic EC measurements during milking. The experiment was carried out on a group of 84 Murciano-Granadina goats (28 primiparous and 56 multiparous). Goats were in the fourth month of lactation. A linear mixed model was used to analyse the relationship between EC or somatic cell count (SCC) of gland milk and parity, mammary gland health status, analysed fraction (first 100 mL=F-1; machine milk=F-2; and stripping milk=F-3) and their first order interactions. Additionally, the mastitis detection characteristics (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value) of SCC and EC were studied at different thresholds.All factors considered were significant for EC and SCC. EC decreased significantly as milking progressed (from F-1 to F-3) in both healthy and infected glands. EC was not significantly different between healthy and infected glands in F-1 and F-2 fractions, but EC of healthy glands (5.01 mS/cm) was significantly lower than in infected glands (5.03 mS/cm) at F-3.Mastitis detection characteristics of EC did not differ amongst studied fractions. The small significant difference of EC between healthy and infected glands obtained in F-3 fraction did not yield better sensitivity results compared to F-1 and F-2. The best EC mastitis detection characteristics were obtained at 5.20 mS/cm threshold (sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 50%). The best SCC mastitis detection characteristics were obtained at 300,000 cells/mL threshold and F-3 fraction (sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 65%).It was concluded that mastitis detection characteristics of EC were similar in the three milking fractions analysed, being slightly better for SCC in F-3 fraction. As shown in previous studies, there are no factors other than the mammary gland health status that affect milk EC and should be considered in the algorithms for mastitis detection to improve the results. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of occlusal splint thickness on electrical masticatory muscle activity during rest and clenching

The extent of separation between the maxillary and mandibular teeth in the fabrication of interocclusal splints designed to achieve efficiency and muscle relaxation is controversial and undefined in the literature. Based on this premise, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of interocclusal splint thicknesses of 3 and 6 millimeters on the electrical activity of the anterior temporal and masseter muscles during rest and dental clenching. Twenty asymptomatic individuals (10 males and 10 females) were selected using the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC). Electromyography (EMG) was performed both with and without the 3- and 6-mm splints using the Bio EMG software package, which recorded values given in microvolts (mu V). The results, which were assessed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) to a 5% significance level (p < 0.05), showed increased electrical activity of the masticatory muscles during dental clenching compared with at rest, with greater activity in the masseter muscle. The electrical activity did not differ according to the thickness of the splints or between males and females. We can conclude that both splint thicknesses are effective in treating muscle hyperactivity given their similar clinical behavior for asymptomatic individuals.

Gastric motility evaluated by electrogastrography and alternating current biosusceptometry in dogs

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

Electrical and mechanical effects of hyoscine butylbromide on the human stomach: a non-invasive approach

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

(1-x)PMN-xPT ceramics prepared by conventional and modified columbite route: Effect on electrical properties

This study aims to demonstrate how the chemical homogeneity of B cations affects the microstructure and electrical responses of (1-x) PMN-xPT ceramics. Two methodologies were employed to synthesize three different compositions, with x assuming the values 0.10, 0.28, and 0.35. If compared to conventional method, the Ti-modified columbite route, which is characterized by higher B cation homogeneity, leads to PMN-PT powders and ceramics with lower content of PNT pyrochlore phase and, for 0.65PMN-0.35PT composition, minor amount of tetragonal phase is found. Conclusively, PMN-PT ceramics obtained by modified route favors B cations homogeneity, enhancing the dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties.

Effect of lithium additive on the microstructure and electrical responses of 0.9PMN-0.1PT ceramics

Structural effects of lithium additive on 0.9PMN-0.1PT powders prepared by Ti-modified columbite route were studied. The substitution of Li+ ions for Mg2+ ions in the B-site sub-lattice of 0.9PMN-0.1PT perovskite structure was explained in terms of lead and oxygen vacancies generation originated as consequence of the ionic compensation of negatively charged Li'(Mg) sites. The rise in mass transport as consequence of the increasing of Pb2+ and O2- vacancies produces more agglomerated particles during the powder synthesis and changes the mechanical characteristics between grain and grain boundary of sintered ceramic. The relation between K-m and T-m values, the difference between ionic radii of B cation and the molar volume were used to explain the changes in the relaxor behavior and diffusiveness of phase transition as function of lithium doping, which are corroborated by the results obtained through the ferroelectric characterization.

Interface Formation and Electrical Transport in SnO2:Eu3+/GaAs Heterojunction Deposited by Sol-Gel Dip-Coating and Resistive Evaporation

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Body sway and sensory motor coupling adaptation in children: Effects of distance manipulation

The purpose of this investigation was to examine coupling between visual information and body sway in children and young adults at various distances from a moving room front wall. Sixty children (from 4 to 14 years old) and 10 young adults stood upright inside a moving room that was oscillated at .2 and .5 Hz, at distances of .25, .5, 1, and 1.5 m from a front wall. Visual information induced body sway in all participants in all conditions. Young children swayed more than older participants, whether the moving room was oscillated or not. Coupling between visual information and body sway became stronger and the room movement influence became weaker with age. Up to the age of 10, coupling strength between visual information and body sway and the room movement influence were distance dependent. Postural control development appears to be dependent on how children reweight the contribution of varying sensory cues available in environment in order to control body sway. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Model Coupling Vibrational and Rotational Motion for the DNA Molecule

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

The influence of an abdominal support for a dental stool in the distributions and electrical activity of the longissimus and the superior trapezius muscle in dentists

This study evaluated the influence an abdominal support attached to a traditional stool, of those used by dentists, has on the body's distribution of the electrical activity of the superior trapezius and the longissimus thoracic muscles of dental students during the execution of a clinical procedure. The results showed no significant difference in the body's distribution in the seat and backrest, but did reveal there was a weight discharge of 3.1 +/- 1.9% of dentist's body weight in the abdominal support. The 9 o'clock position proved to be the best position to perform clinical procedures. It was also observed that the position was closer to the body's axis.

Effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation, laser therapy and LED therapy on the masticatory system and the impact on sleep variables in cerebral palsy patients: a randomized, five arms clinical trial

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Strength of the trilinear Higgs boson coupling in technicolor models

We discuss the strength of the trilinear Higgs boson coupling in technicolor (or composite) models in a model independent way. The coupling is determined as a function of a very general ansatz for the technicolor self-energy, and turns out to be equal or smaller than the one of the Standard Model Higgs boson depending on the dynamics of the theory. (c) 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Lambda c(+), Sigma(c), and Lambda(b) hypernuclei in the quark-meson coupling model

Charmed (and bottom) hypernuclei are studied in the quark-meson coupling (QMC) model. This completes systematic studies of charmed (Lambda(c)(+), Sigma(c), Xi(c)), and Lambda(b) hypernuclei in the QMC model. Effects of the Pauli blocking due to the underlying quark structure of baryons, and the Sigma(c)N-Lambda(c)N channel coupling are phenomenologically taken into account at the hadronic level in the same way as those included for strange hypernuclei. Our results suggest that the Sigma(c)(++) and Xi(c)(+) hypernuclei are very unlikely to be formed. while the Lambda(c)(+), Xi(c)(0) and Lambda(b) hypernuclei are quite likely to be formed. For the Sigma(c)(+) hypernuclei, the formation probability is non-zero, though small. A detailed analysis is also made about the phenomenologically introduced Pauli blocking and channel coupling effects for the Sigma(c)(0) hypernuclei.

Cooper pair dispersion relation for weak to strong coupling

Cooper pairing in two dimensions is analyzed with a set of renormalized equations to determine its binding energy for any fermion number density and all coupling assuming a,generic pairwise residual interfermion interaction. Also considered are Cooper pairs (CP's) with nonzero center-of-mass momentum (CMM) and their binding energy is expanded analytically in powers of the CMM up to quadratic terms. A Fermi-sea-dependent linear term in the CMM dominates the pair excitation energy in weak coupling (also called the BCS regime) while the more familiar quadratic term prevails in strong coupling (the Bose regime). The crossover, though strictly unrelated to BCS theory per se, is studied numerically as it is expected to play a central role in a model of superconductivity as a Bose-Einstein condensation of CPs where the transition temperature vanishes for all dimensionality d less than or equal to 2 for quadratic dispersion, but is nonzero for all d greater than or equal to 1 for linear dispersion.

Low-energy direct muon transfer from H to Ne10+, S16+ and Ar18+ using the two-state close-coupling approximation to the Faddeev-Hahn-type equation

We perform a three-body calculation of direct muon-transfer rates from thermalized muonic hydrogen isotopes to bare nuclei Ne10+, S16+ and Ar18+ employing integro-differential Faddeev-Hahn-type equations in configuration space with a two-state close-coupling approximation scheme. All Coulomb potentials including the strong final-state Coulomb repulsion are treated exactly. A long-range polarization potential is included in the elastic channel to take into account the high polarizability of the muonic hydrogen. The transfer rates so-calculated are in good agreement with recent experiments. We find that the muon is captured predominantly in the n = 6, 9 and 10 states of muonic Ne10+, S16+ and Ar18+, respectively.