Cadmium-free quantum dots in aqueous solution: potential for fingermark detection, synthesis and an application to the detection of fingermarks in blood on non-porous surfaces

The use of quantum dots (QDs) in the area of fingermark detection is currently receiving a lot of attention in the forensic literature. Most of the research efforts have been devoted to cadmium telluride (CdTe) quantum dots often applied as powders to the surfaces of interests. Both the use of cadmium and the nano size of these particles raise important issues in terms of health and safety. This paper proposes to replace CdTe QDs by zinc sulphide QDs doped with copper (ZnS:Cu) to address these issues. Zinc sulphide-copper doped QDs were successfully synthesized, characterized in terms of size and optical properties and optimized to be applied for the detection of impressions left in blood, where CdTe QDs proved to be efficient. Effectiveness of detection was assessed in comparison with CdTe QDs and Acid Yellow 7 (AY7, an effective blood reagent), using two series of depletive blood fingermarks from four donors prepared on four non-porous substrates, i.e. glass, transparent polypropylene, black polyethylene and aluminium foil. The marks were cut in half and processed separately with both reagents, leading to two comparison series (ZnS:Cu vs. CdTe, and ZnS:Cu vs. AY7). ZnS:Cu proved to be better than AY7 and at least as efficient as CdTe on most substrates. Consequently, copper-doped ZnS QDs constitute a valid substitute for cadmium-based QDs to detect blood marks on non-porous substrates and offer a safer alternative for routine use.

Concomitant Cisplatin and Hyperfractionated Radiotherapy in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: Ten-year Follow-up of a Randomized Phase III Trial (SAKK 10/94)

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S): To analyze the long-term outcome of treatment with concomitant cisplatin and hyperfractionated radiotherapy in locally advanced head and neck cancer compared with hyperfractionated radiotherapy alone. MATERIALS/METHODS: From July 1994 to July 2000 a total of 224 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were randomized to either hyperfractionated radiotherapy (median dose 74.4 Gy; 1.2 Gy twice daily) or the same radiotherapy combined with two cycles of concomitant cisplatin (20mg/m2 for 5 consecutive days of weeks 1 and 5). The primary endpoint was time to any treatment failure; secondary endpoints were locoregional failure, metastatic failure, overall survival, and late toxicity assessed according to RTOG criteria. The trial was registered at the National Institutes of Health (www.clinicaltrials.gov; identifier number: NCT00002654). RESULTS: Median follow-up was 9.5 years (range, 0.1 - 15.4 years). Median time to any treatment failure was not significantly different between treatment arms (p = 0.19). Locoregional control (p\0.05), distant metastasis-free survival (p = 0.02) and cancer specific survival (p = 0.03) were significantly improved in the combined treatment arm, with no difference in late toxicity between treatment arms. However, overall survival was not significantly different (p = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS: After long-term follow-up combined treatment with cisplatin and hyperfractionated, radiotherapy maintained an improved locoregional control, distant metastasis-free survival, and cancer specific survival as compared to hyperfractionated radiotherapy alone with no difference in late toxicity.

Association of calcemia and serum vitamin D with 24H-urinary calcium excretion in a swiss population-based study

Background: Elevated urinary calcium excretion is associated with reduced bone mineral density. Population-based data on urinary calcium excretion are scarce. We explored the association of serum calcium and circulating levels of vitamin D (including 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3) with urinary calcium excretion in men and women in a population-based study. Methods: We used data from the "Swiss Survey on Salt" conducted between 2010 and 2012 and including people aged 15 years and over. Twenty-four hour urine collection, blood analysis, clinical examination and anthropometric measures were collected in 11 centres from the 3 linguistic regions of Switzerland. Vitamin D was measured centrally using liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry. Hypercalciuria was defined as urinary calcium excretion >0.1 mmol/kg/24h. Multivariable linear regression was used to explore factors associated with 24-hour urinary calcium excretion (mmol/24h) squared root transformed, taken as the dependant variable. Vitamin D was divided into monthspecific tertiles with the first tertile having the lowest value and the third tertile having the highest value. Results: The 669 men and 624 women had mean (SD) age of 49.2 (18.1) and 47 (17.9) years and a prevalence of hypercalciuria of 8.9% and 8.0%, respectively. In adjusted models, the association of urinary calcium excretion with protein-corrected serum calcium was (β coefficient } standard error, according to urinary calcium squared root transformed) 1.125 } 0.184 mmol/L per square-root (mmol/24h) (P<0.001) in women and 0.374 } 0.224 (P=0.096) in men. Men in the third month-specific vitamin D tertile had higher urinary calcium excretion than men in the first tertile (0.170 } 0.05 nmol/L per mmol/24h, P=0.001) and the corresponding association was 0.048 } 0.043, P= 0.272 in women. Conclusion: About one in eleven person has hypercalciuria in the Swiss population. The positive association of serum calcium with urinary calcium excretion was steeper in women than in men, independently of menopausal status. Circulating vitamin D was associated positively with urinary calcium excretion only in men. The reasons underlying the observed sex differences in the hormonal control of urinary calcium excretion need to be explored in further studies.

Pain, frailty and comorbidity on older men: the CHAMP study.

Intrusive pain is likely to have a serious impact on older people with limited ability to respond to additional stressors. Frailty is conceptualised as a functional and biological pattern of decline accumulating across multiple physiological systems, resulting in a decreased capacity to respond to additional stressors. We explored the relationship between intrusive pain, frailty and comorbid burden in 1705 community-dwelling men aged 70 or more who participated in the baseline phase of the CHAMP study, a large epidemiological study of healthy ageing based in Sydney, Australia. 9.4% of men in the study were frail (according to the commonly-used Cardiovascular Health Study frailty criteria).Using a combination of self-report and clinical measures, we found an association between frailty and intrusive pain that remained after accounting for demographic characteristics, number of comorbidities, self-reported depressed mood and arthritis (adjusted odds ratio 1.7 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-2.7), p=0.0149). The finding that adjusting for depressed mood, but not a history of arthritis, attenuated the relationship between frailty and intrusive pain points to a key role for central mechanisms. Additionally, men with the highest overall health burden (frail plus high comorbid burden) were most likely to report intrusive pain (adjusted odds ratio 3.0 (95% CI 1.6-5.5), p=0.0004). These findings provide support for the concept that intrusive pain is an important challenge for older men with limited capacity to respond to additional physical stressors. To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore specifically the relationship between pain and frailty.

Pitfalls in colour photography of choroidal tumours.

Colour imaging of fundus tumours has been transformed by the development of digital and confocal scanning laser photography. These advances provide numerous benefits, such as panoramic images, increased contrast, non-contact wide-angle imaging, non-mydriatic photography, and simultaneous angiography. False tumour colour representation can, however, cause serious diagnostic errors. Large choroidal tumours can be totally invisible on angiography. Pseudogrowth can occur because of artefacts caused by different methods of fundus illumination, movement of reference blood vessels, and flattening of Bruch's membrane and sclera when tumour regression occurs. Awareness of these pitfalls should prevent the clinician from misdiagnosing tumours and wrongfully concluding that a tumour has grown.

[10 lettres autographes signées de Jules Barbier à Henri Heugel, 1888]

Autour du ballet d'Ambroise Thomas, "La Tempête". - 11 juillet : Lui fait part des difficultés de toutes sortes qu'il a mesurées après sa rencontre avec le directeur de l'Opéra, "difficultés basées surtout sur la question des appointements qui, trop modestes, diminueraient l'artiste et, trop forts, grèveraient inutilement le budget du théâtre". - 30 juillet : au sujet d'un rendez-vous. - 3 août : Souhaite connaître les chiffres des primes qu'il a touchées pour "Néron". - 26 septembre : Évoque la partition de "Miranda" (dont le titre allait se changer en "La Tempête") : "merveille de grâce, de couleur, d'élégance, de légèreté, de distinction, de poésie et de sentiment". - 29 septembre : L'informe qu'ils iront dîner chez Thomas la semaine suivante à Argenteuil. - 25 octobre : Regrette de n'avoir pu retenir la personne que Heugel lui avait recommandée (concours de chant?), laquelle avait de nombreuses concurrentes. - 3 novembre : Au sujet de Mademoiselle Van Zandt qui ne doit pas manquer l'occasion de reparaître devant le public parisien. - 8 décembre : Au sujet de la Patti qui va reprendre son rôle le lundi suivant. - 20 et 21 décembre : au sujet d'un rendez-vous avec Thomas remis à la semaine suivante. - Comporte l'argument manuscrit (2 f.) du ballet dans la NLAS-224 (4)

Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology

Obesity is heritable and predisposes to many diseases. To understand the genetic basis of obesity better, here we conduct a genome-wide association study and Metabochip meta-analysis of body mass index (BMI), a measure commonly used to define obesity and assess adiposity, in up to 339,224 individuals. This analysis identifies 97 BMI-associated loci (P < 5 × 10(-8)), 56 of which are novel. Five loci demonstrate clear evidence of several independent association signals, and many loci have significant effects on other metabolic phenotypes. The 97 loci account for ∼2.7% of BMI variation, and genome-wide estimates suggest that common variation accounts for >20% of BMI variation. Pathway analyses provide strong support for a role of the central nervous system in obesity susceptibility and implicate new genes and pathways, including those related to synaptic function, glutamate signalling, insulin secretion/action, energy metabolism, lipid biology and adipogenesis.

Simulação do risco de deficit hídrico em regiões de expansão do cultivo de cana-de-açúcar no Brasil

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar o risco de deficit hídrico para a cultura da cana-de-açúcar em diferentes regiões brasileiras, com foco nas áreas de expansão. Para tanto, utilizou-se o modelo CSM-Canegro, para simular a produtividade da cana-planta de 12 meses, em 30 localidades. A partir dos valores estimados de produtividades potencial e atingível (produtividade sem irrigação), definiram-se as classes de risco de deficit hídrico de acordo com os níveis de eficiência climática, dada pela razão entre essas produtividades. O modelo simulou o efeito dos diferentes tipos de solo e datas de plantio sobre a produtividade, o que possibilitou caracterizar o risco de deficit hídrico associado à cultura. A região de maior risco é Petrolina, PE, enquanto as regiões de menor risco são as similares a Recife, PE, e Araguaína, TO.

Reguladores de crescimento na frutificação efetiva e qualidade de frutos partenocárpicos de atemoia 'Gefner'

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos de reguladores de crescimento vegetal sobre a frutificação efetiva e a qualidade de frutos partenocárpicos de atemoia 'Gefner'. O experimento foi realizado em pomar de atemoia 'Gefner', em Homestead, Flórida, EUA. Utilizou-se um delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso, com quatro tratamentos, cinco repetições e seis flores por parcela. Os tratamentos foram compostos por: T1, ácido naftaleno acético a 450 mg L-1 e ácido giberélico a 1.000 mg L-1; T2, promalina a 100 mg L-1 e ácido giberélico a 1.000 mg L-1; T3, ácido giberélico a 1.000 mg L-1; e T4, polinização artificial (testemunha). Foram avaliados a frutificação efetiva, o crescimento e a qualidade dos frutos. A aplicação dos ácidos naftaleno acético e giberélico a flores de atemoia 'Gefner' proporcionou elevada frutificação efetiva, semelhante à da polinização artificial. A aplicação do ácido giberélico, associado ou não ao ácido naftaleno ou à promalina, resulta na produção de frutos de atemoia 'Gefner' mais tardios e menores do que os oriundos da polinização artificial, mas com boa proporção de polpa, excelente teor de sólidos solúveis e, principalmente, frutos sem sementes (partenocárpicos).

Relações empíricas entre características dendrométricas da Caatinga brasileira e dados TM Landsat 5

O objetivo deste trabalho foi ajustar modelos para estimar características dendrométricas da Caatinga brasileira a partir de dados do sensor TM do Landsat 5. Medidas de diâmetro e altura das árvores foram obtidas de 60 parcelas de inventário (400 m2), em dois municípios do Estado de Sergipe. A área basal e o volume de madeira foram estimados com uso de equação alométrica e de fator de forma (f = 0,9). As variáveis explicativas foram obtidas do sensor TM, após correção radiométrica e geométrica, tendo-se considerado, na análise, seis bandas espectrais, com resolução espacial de 30 m, além dos índices de razão simples (SR), de vegetação por diferença normalizada (NDVI) e de vegetação ajustado ao solo (Savi). Na escolha das melhores variáveis explicativas, foram considerados coeficiente de determinação (R2), raiz do erro quadrático médio (RMSE) e critério bayesiano de informação (CBI). A área basal por hectare não apresentou correlação significativa com nenhuma das variáveis explicativas utilizadas. Os melhores modelos foram ajustados à altura média das árvores por parcela (R2 = 0,4; RMSE = 13%) e ao volume de madeira por hectare (R2 = 0,6; RMSE = 42%). As métricas derivadas do sensor TM do Landsat 5 têm grande potencial para explicar variações de altura média das árvores e do volume de madeira por hectare, em remanescentes de Caatinga situados no Nordeste brasileiro.

Aspectos fisiológicos e bioquímicos da germinação de sementes de alface em diferentes temperaturas

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os padrões eletroforéticos das proteínas resistentes ao calor e a atividade da enzima endo-β-mananase durante a germinação de sementes de alface, em alta temperatura. Sementes de oito cultivares de alface foram submetidas aos testes de germinação, primeira contagem e emergência em duas temperaturas, 20 e 35ºC. Foram calculados o índice de velocidade de germinação (IVG) e o índice de velocidade de emergência (IVE). Avaliou-se, também, a expressão das proteínas resistentes ao calor e da enzima endo-β-mananase, para todos os tratamentos. Utilizou-se o delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, em arranjo fatorial 2x8, com duas temperaturas e oito cultivares. A maior germinação é observada a 35ºC na cultivar Everglades, considerada termotolerante. Os padrões de proteínas resistentes ao calor em sementes de alface apresentam bandas específicas na cultivar Everglades, a 35ºC. A atividade da enzima endo-β-mananase é maior na cultivar Everglades, nessa temperatura. Essa cultivar tem potencial para utilização em programas de melhoramento de alface com vistas à tolerância a altas temperaturas durante a germinação.

Farelo integral de arroz parboilizado submetido a armazenamento prolongado para alimentação de codornas de corte

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a estabilidade oxidativa do farelo integral de arroz parboilizado (FIAP) durante o armazenamento e os efeitos do seu uso na alimentação de codornas de corte. Foram utilizados 245 animais com sete dias de idade, de ambos os sexos, distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com cinco tratamentos, em arranjo fatorial 2x2+1, e sete repetições de sete aves. Avaliaram-se os seguintes tratamentos: dieta controle, sem adição de FIAP; e níveis de inclusão, na dieta controle, de 10 e 20% de FIAP armazenado por 180 dias (FIAPA) ou de FIAP novo (FIAPN). Houve oxidação lipídica do FIAP durante o armazenamento, e o índice de acidez foi de 4,25 e 63,50 (% em ácido oleico) e o de peróxido foi de 15,64 e 38,28 meq kg-1 para FIAPN e FIAPA, respectivamente. A inclusão do FIAP resultou em menor digestibilidade da matéria seca e do nitrogênio e em maior valor de energia metabolizável da ração, em comparação à ração controle. A inclusão de 20% de FIAPA resultou em menor energia metabolizável da ração do que a adição do FIAPN. As inclusões não influenciaram desempenho, características da carcaça, pesos relativos do fígado e do pâncreas, e crescimento e qualidade óssea. O FIAPA, mesmo com rancidez, pode ser utilizado na alimentação de codornas de corte em níveis de até 20% de inclusão.