Shaping the laser control landscape of a hydrogen transfer reaction by vibrational strong coupling. A direct optimal control approach.

Controlling molecular reactivity by shaped laser pulses is a long-standing goal in chemistry. Here, we suggest a direct optimal control approach that combines external pulse optimization with other control parameters arising in the upcoming field of vibro-polaritonic chemistry for enhanced controllability. The direct optimal control approach is characterized by a simultaneous simulation and optimization paradigm, meaning that the equations of motion are discretized and converted into a set of holonomic constraints for a nonlinear optimization problem given by the control functional. Compared with indirect optimal control, this procedure offers great flexibility, such as final time or Hamiltonian parameter optimization. A simultaneous direct optimal control theory will be applied to a model system describing H-atom transfer in a lossy Fabry-Pérot cavity under vibrational strong coupling conditions. Specifically, optimization of the cavity coupling strength and, thus, of the control landscape will be demonstrated.

Dry matter productivity and bromatological quality of ryegrass genotypes cultivated in southern Brazil / [Produtividade de matéria seca e qualidade bromatológica de genótipos de azevém cultivados no Sul do Brasil]

The goal of this work was to assess the biomass production and bromatological quality of ryegrass genotypes in ten municipalities of the Western and North Plateau regions of the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The cultivars La Estanzuela 284 (diploid), Bar HQ, Barjumbo, INIA Escorpio, Potro, and Winter Star (tetraploids) were compared, distributed in a randomized block design, in which the municipalities constituted the blocks, with three replications. The cuts were performed when the plants reached 30cm, leaving a residue of 10cm. In three cuts, the cultivars Barjumbo and Bar HQ were the most productive, exceeding 4.6 t ha-1 of dry matter. In the places in which five cuts were performed, the production of these cultivars exceeded 7.3 t ha-1, placing them again ahead of the others. The average crude protein content in three cuts was greater than 25% in all cultivars. There was no difference between the genotypes in the content of neutral detergent fiber and total digestible nutrients. There was a significant correlation between quantitative and qualitative productive variables. The assessed cultivars represented good options for composing short-term or long-term winter-feeding systems, adjusted to the integration with annual crops or warm-season pastures.(AU)

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a produção de biomassa e qualidade bromatológica de genótipos de azevém, em dez municípios das regiões Oeste e Planalto Norte Catarinense, Estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil. Foram comparados os cultivares La Estanzuela 284 (diploide), Bar HQ, Barjumbo, INIA Escorpio, Potro e Winter Star (tetraploides), distribuídos em um delineamento blocos casualizados, em que os municípios constituíram os blocos, com três repetições. Os cortes foram realizados quando as plantas atingiram 30cm, deixando um resíduo de 10cm. Sob três cortes, os cultivares Barjumbo e Bar HQ foram os mais produtivos, ultrapassando 4,6 t ha-1 de matéria seca. Nos locais em que ocorreram cinco cortes, a produção destes cultivares superou 7,3 t ha-1, posicionando-os novamente à frente dos demais. O teor médio de proteína bruta em três cortes foi superior a 25% em todos os cultivares. Não houve diferença entre os genótipos no teor de fibra detergente neutro e de nutrientes digestíveis totais. Verificou-se correlação significativa entre variáveis produtivas quantitativas e qualitativas. Os cultivares testados representam boas opções para compor sistemas forrageiros hiberno-primaveris de curta ou longa duração, ajustando-se à integração com lavouras ou pastagens anuais de estação quente.(AU)

Do symptoms of sleepiness and insomnia in US veterans with obstructive sleep apnea vary by age?

INTRODUCTION: The influence of aging on the clinical presentation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is not well characterized in US veterans. Our aims were to (1) examine age and established predictors of sleepiness and insomnia symptoms in veterans with OSA and (2) determine if the relationship between predictors of the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) and insomnia severity index (ISI) depended on age. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of veterans diagnosed with OSA at the Miami VA in 2014. On polysomnography (PSG) night, questionnaires were completed querying socio-demographics, insomnia (ISI), sleepiness (ESS), and self-reported sleep duration. Regression modeling was performed to explore association of variables with (1) ESS and (2) ISI. Analyses were performed in two steps: (1) variables were tested for main effects and (2) product of age and each variable found to have an association at a significance level of p < 0.10 with primary outcome were entered separately to test for interaction. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 483 veterans (93% male, age 52 ± 13 years, 41% black, 34% Hispanic). Having a regular bed partner, higher weighted medical comorbidities, chronic pain diagnosis, and shorter sleep duration were associated with ESS. Age did not moderate the relationship between these variables and ESS. Younger age, Hispanic ethnicity, higher educational level, shorter sleep duration, mood, and pain diagnoses were each associated with the ISI. Furthermore, an age-sleep duration interaction term was associated with the ISI (b = - 0.03; p = 0.005). For all participants, there was an inverse relationship between sleep duration and ISI. However, for any sleep duration, older veterans reported lower levels of insomnia than younger veterans. DISCUSSION: Older veterans with OSA may report lower ISI scores. Alternative assessment methods for comorbid insomnia among older individuals with OSA may be needed.

Characterisation of the epithermal neutron irradiation facility at the Portuguese research reactor using MCNP.

The radiation field at the epithermal beamline and irradiation chamber installed at the Portuguese Research Reactor (RPI) at the Campus Tecnológico e Nuclear of Instituto Superior Técnico was characterised in the context of Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) applications. Radiographic films, activation foils and thermoluminescence dosimeters were used to measure the neutron fluence and photon dose rates in the irradiation chamber. A fixed-source MCNPX model of the beamline and chamber was developed and compared to measurements in the first step towards planning a new irradiation chamber. The high photon background from the reactor results in the saturation of the detector and the current facility configuration yields an intrinsic insensitivity to various elements of interest for PGNAA. These will be addressed in future developments.

Final analysis and results of the Phase II SIMPLE dark matter search.

We report the final results of the Phase II SIMPLE measurements, comprising two run stages of 15 superheated droplet detectors each, with the second stage including an improved neutron shielding. The analyses include a refined signal analysis, and revised nucleation efficiency based on a reanalysis of previously reported monochromatic neutron irradiations. The combined results yield a contour minimum of σp=5.7×10(-3) pb at 35 GeV/c2 in the spin-dependent sector of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) proton interactions, the most restrictive to date for MW}≤60 GeV/c2 from a direct search experiment and overlapping, for the first time, with results previously obtained only indirectly. In the spin-independent sector, a minimum of 4.7×10(-6) pb at 35 GeV/c2 is achieved, with the exclusion contour challenging a significant part of the light mass WIMP region of current interest.

Influence of annealing conditions on the formation of regular lattices of voids and Ge quantum dots in an amorphous alumina matrix.

In this work, the influence of air pressure during the annealing of Ge quantum dot (QD) lattices embedded in an amorphous Al(2)O(3) matrix on the structural, morphological and compositional properties of the film is studied. The formation of a regularly ordered void lattice after performing a thermal annealing process is explored. Our results show that both the Ge desorption from the film and the regular ordering of the QDs are very sensitive to the annealing parameters. The conditions for the formation of a void lattice, a crystalline Ge QD lattice and a disordered QD lattice are presented. The observed effects are explained in terms of oxygen interaction with the Ge present in the film.

Insomnia characteristics and clinical correlates in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury: an exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: There is limited data on chronic insomnia in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans, in whom post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) often co-exist. Our aim was to compare sleep characteristics of three groups of OEF/OIF veterans: (1) healthy sleepers (HS), (2) those with insomnia associated with PTSD and mTBI (PTSD-mTBI), and (3) those with insomnia associated with PTSD alone. METHODS: Consecutive veterans with insomnia complaints (> 6 months) were recruited over 6 months from the Miami VA Post Deployment clinic. Participants completed a sleep disorders clinical interview, medical history, and questionnaires about insomnia, sleepiness, pain, fatigue, depression, PTSD, and health-related quality of life. They underwent polysomnography (PSG) with 2 weeks of actigraphy (ACT) and sleep diaries. RESULTS: There were no differences in demographics or most questionnaire responses between PTSD and PTSD-mTBI groups. Subjective daytime sleepiness was significantly greater in PTSD-mTBI subjects compared with HS and PTSD participants. Significant co-morbid sleep disorders were noted in insomnia patients. PSG and ACT wake after sleep onset was significantly shorter in PTSD-mTBI subjects as compared with PTSD participants. CONCLUSION: Insomnia patients with PTSD-mTBI were subjectively sleepier despite spending less time awake during the night than PTSD subjects, possibly as a consequence of head trauma.

Zolpidem urine excretion profiles and cross-reactivity with ELISA(®) kits in subjects using Zolpidem or Ambien(®) CR as a prescription sleep aid.

Zolpidem, a Schedule IV controlled substance under the Federal Controlled Substance Act, has a rapid onset of action and short elimination half-life, rendering it ideal as a sleep aid. The crossreactivity of two zolpidem ELISA kits was investigated using patients taking a known administration of zolpidem. Subjects provided urine samples before, 30 min after their prescribed dose, and upon waking. Specimens were screened for zolpidem by ELISA (Immunalysis and Neogen) and then confirmed and quantitated for zolpidem using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) confirmation in select ion monitoring mode. All samples were measured for creatinine and corrected accordingly. The ELISA screening results demonstrated that all samples, except one, screened positive by ELISA using both kits, even when the GC-MS data found no zolpidem in the patient's urine sample. The maximum concentrations of zolpidem ranged from 15 to 120 ng/mg creatinine. Two of the patients showed zolpidem concentrations of 10 ng/mg creatinine or above after 20 h post dose. The high variability and concentration range seen in these patients, all on similar doses, suggest wide variability in the metabolism of zolpidem.

First results of the Phase II SIMPLE dark matter search.

We report results of a 14.1 kg d measurement with 15 superheated droplet detectors of total active mass 0.208 kg, comprising the first stage of a 30 kg d Phase II experiment. In combination with the results of the neutron-spin sensitive XENON10 experiment, these results yield a limit of |a(p)|<0.32 for M(W)=50 GeV/c² on the spin-dependent sector of weakly interacting massive particle-nucleus interactions with a 50% reduction in the previously allowed region of the phase space, formerly defined by XENON, KIMS, and PICASSO. In the spin-independent sector, a limit of 2.3×10⁻5 pb at M(W)=45 GeV/c² is obtained.

The simple SDD.

We describe the fabrication and characterisation of the SIMPLE superheated droplet detector, a 10 g active mass device of C(2)ClF(5) in 1-3% weight concentrations currently employed in a direct search for spin-dependent astroparticle dark matter candidates.

Neutron spectrometry with large volume, heavy-loaded superheated droplet detectors: a simple spin-off.

SIMPLE is a superheated droplet detector (SDD) experiment designed to search for the evidence of spin-dependent weakly interacting neutralino dark matter (WIMPs). SDDs, a type of emulsion detector, consist of a uniform suspension of superheated liquid droplets in a compliant material such as a polymeric or aqueous gel. We report on the first neutron spectrometry experiments with SIMPLE SDDs, a spin-off of the neutron detector calibrations performed at the Portuguese Research Reactor. SIMPLE SDDs differ from most SDDs available commercially as they have a 10 times higher loading factor, containing 10(3) times more freon than their commercial counterparts and a 100 times larger volume. We have analysed the response of SIMPLE SDDs to two quasi-monochromatic neutron beams of energies 54 and 144 keV obtained with passive filters. Results show that the characteristic peaks in the fluence distribution of both filters could be determined and their energy position obtained using a simple thermodynamic relation.

Ultrastructural study of Entamoeba invadens encystation and excystation.

In the life cycle of Entamoeba species, the cyst and all the processes associated to it have been poorly studied. Entamoeba invadens, a serpent's parasite, has been commonly accepted as a model for the study of encystation and excystation. Here we analyzed through scanning and transmission electron microscopy the in vitro morphological differentiation of both processes. During encystation, the formation of an irregular net of fibrillar material on the surface of precysts was observed. In thin sections of cryofixed and cryosubstituted specimens, abundant vacuoles containing a microfibrillar material of similar appearance to the structural components of the cyst wall were found in the cytoplasm. Assays with a calcofluor probe on cryosections of encysting trophozoites and precysts showed the presence of fluorescent circular cytoplasmic structures. In the cyst stage, the fluorescence was located on the surface. During excystation, the detachment of the metacyst from the cyst wall was observed through scanning electron microscopy. Metacysts endocyting amorphous material which may correspond to cyst wall residues were commonly found. By transmission electron microscopy the formation of a crescent-shaped space between the plasma membrane and the cyst wall was observed. Abundant small electrondense bodies were found in the cytoplasm. Many of them were in close apposition to the plasma membrane and frequently some of them were seen projecting towards this newly formed space. Our results suggest that the microfibrillar content of the vacuoles corresponds to the cyst wall material, that the electrondense bodies may be involved in the excystation process, and that part of the cyst wall residues may be endocyted by the parasite.

Ultrastructural cytochemical observations of the cell coat of two Trichomonas vaginalis isolates with different degree of virulence.

The cell coat of two Trichomonas vaginalis isolates with different degree of virulence isolated in Mexico from symptomatic women was studied by cytochemical assays. The use of carbohydrate cell surface markers allowed us to visualize greater electron-dense deposits in the highly virulent T. vaginalis isolate than in the less virulent one. On the contrary, parasites treated with concanavalin A showed a heavy uniform electron-dense deposit on the cell surface that was similar in both isolates. When parasites were treated with cationized ferritin the amount of bounded particles on the cell surface was greater in the higher virulent isolate.

Pseudomonas syringae Hrp type III secretion system and effector proteins.

Pseudomonas syringae is a member of an important group of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens of plants and animals that depend on a type III secretion system to inject virulence effector proteins into host cells. In P. syringae, hrp/hrc genes encode the Hrp (type III secretion) system, and avirulence (avr) and Hrp-dependent outer protein (hop) genes encode effector proteins. The hrp/hrc genes of P. syringae pv syringae 61, P. syringae pv syringae B728a, and P. syringae pv tomato DC3000 are flanked by an exchangeable effector locus and a conserved effector locus in a tripartite mosaic Hrp pathogenicity island (Pai) that is linked to a tRNA(Leu) gene found also in Pseudomonas aeruginosa but without linkage to Hrp system genes. Cosmid pHIR11 carries a portion of the strain 61 Hrp pathogenicity island that is sufficient to direct Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas fluorescens to inject HopPsyA into tobacco cells, thereby eliciting a hypersensitive response normally triggered only by plant pathogens. Large deletions in strain DC3000 revealed that the conserved effector locus is essential for pathogenicity but the exchangeable effector locus has only a minor role in growth in tomato. P. syringae secretes HopPsyA and AvrPto in culture in a Hrp-dependent manner at pH and temperature conditions associated with pathogenesis. AvrPto is also secreted by Yersinia enterocolitica. The secretion of AvrPto depends on the first 15 codons, which are also sufficient to direct the secretion of an Npt reporter from Y. enterocolitica, indicating that a universal targeting signal is recognized by the type III secretion systems of both plant and animal pathogens.

Clonal and spontaneous origins of fluconazole resistance in Candida albicans.

The genotypes and susceptibilities to fluconazole of 78 strains of the human pathogenic yeast Candida albicans were compared. The strains comprised two sets of samples from Durham, N.C.: one from patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the other from healthy volunteers. For each strain, the MIC of fluconazole was determined by the standard National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards protocol. Genotypes were determined by PCR fingerprinting with five separate primers. The analysis revealed little evidence for genotypic clustering according to HIV status or body site. However, a small group of fluconazole-resistant strains isolated from patients infected with HIV formed a distinct cluster. In addition, two fluconazole-resistant strains were isolated from individuals who never took fluconazole, one from a patient infected with HIV and the other from a healthy person. The results suggest both clonal and spontaneous origins of fluconazole resistance in C. albicans.