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Objectives: With this work, we evaluated the impact of the Lisbon Early ARthritis cliNic (LEARN) on untreated inflammatory arthritis clinical and patient-reported outcomes. Methods: A retrospective cohort study enrolled patients in LEARN since its inception. Patients were followed for 12 months and treated to achieve disease remission. Clinical, structural, and quality of life outcomes were assessed. The early arthritis module of the Portuguese Rheumatic Diseases Registry (Reuma.pt) is described. Results: We assessed 292 patients between 2015 and 2022. Mean symptom duration and DAS-28-4 V-ESR at baseline were 6.2 ± 3.5 months and 5.6 ± 1.3, respectively. Rheumatoid arthritis (56.4%; 40.1% seropositive) and psoriatic arthritis (12.4%) were the most common diagnoses. Most patients were treated with methotrexate (75.3%) combined with low-dose oral prednisolone (88.1%). At 12 months, a mean ΔDAS28-4 V-ESR improvement of 2.3 ± 0.4 was registered, with 29.5% and 48.9% of patients achieving remission (DAS28-4 V-ESR < 2.6) or low disease activity (DAS28-4 V-ESR < 3.2), respectively. Among RA patients only, these figures were 20.6% and 46.6%, respectively. A clinically meaningful functional improvement was observed in 72.1% of the patients. Structural progression was limited, affecting only 16.1% of the patients. Fatigue, anxiety, depression, and quality of life also improved substantially, translated by improvements in FACIT, HADS, EQ5D, and SF-36 scores. Conclusions: A structured, dedicated approach to patients with early arthritis resulted in good clinical, structural, and functional outcomes. Furthermore, our findings suggest the window of opportunity for early intervention may have implications for mental health and global well-being. Key Points • Patient assessment is facilitated by reliable electronic clinical records, such as the early arthritis module of the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register (Reuma.pt) which we describe here for the first time. • Inflammatory arthritis was confirmed in the majority of patients observed, but the time to first appointment was above the recommended. • Prompt start of conventional therapy allowed significant disease activity improvement and remission to be achieved in about one-third of the patients. • Key patient-reported outcomes elucidate disease impact and confirm the benefit of early treatment initiation, suggesting a window of opportunity also for mental health and global well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The local binding and migration behavior of the proton defect in cubic yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is studied by first-principles calculations and muon-spin spectroscopy (μSR) measurements. The calculations are based on density-functional theory (DFT) supplemented with a hybrid-functional approach with the proton defect embedded in quasi-random supercells of 10.3 mol% yttria content, where the yttrium–zirconium substitutional defects are charge compensated by oxygen vacancies. Representative migration pathways for the proton comprising both transfer and bond reorientation modes are analysed and linked to the underlying microstructure of the YSZ lattice. The μSR data show the evolution of the diamagnetic fraction corresponding to the muon-isotope analogue with an activation energy of diffusion equal to 0.17 eV. Comparisons between the calculations and the experiment allow an assessment of the character of the short-range migration of the proton particle in cubic YSZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B[e] supergiants (sgB[e]) are rare objects whose evolutionary stage remains uncertain. Observationally, they display strong Balmer emission lines, infrared excess, and intrinsic polarization, indicating a non-spherical circumstellar envelope. We present a study of the sgB[e] RMC 82, using new spectropolarimetric data complemented by photometry from the ultraviolet (UV) to the mid-infrared. Our two-component model comprises a slow, dense equatorial wind wherein dust grains form and a fast polar wind. We applied the hdust radiative transfer code and Bayesian statistics to infer the parameters from a grid of 3240 pre-computed models. The model accurately reproduces the spectral energy distribution and polarized spectrum, but struggles to match the H α emission. Our results suggest a large mass-loss rate of |$6.6 \times 10^{-6}\, \mathrm{{\rm M}_{\odot }\, yr^{-1}\, sr^{-1}}$|⁠. The dense wind is confined within an opening angle of 11°. The hottest dust grains are located at 277  R * with a temperature of 870 K. The dust grains are porous, with a density of 0.051  |$\rm {g\, cm^{-3}}$|⁠. The central star was found to be significantly hotter than previous estimates (T eff =  |$27\, 000$|  K). By comparing models with different components, we find that gas reprocesses a significant amount of UV radiation, shielding the dust. However, the dust also scatters UV photons back to the inner disc, increasing its temperature and H α emission. We conclude that self-consistent models, that account for the gas–dust interplay in the envelope, are essential for studying sgB[e] and similar objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical B emission (Be) stars are fast rotating, near-main-sequence B-type stars. The rotation and the presence of circumstellar discs profoundly modify the observables of active Be stars. Our goal is to infer stellar and disc parameters, as well as distance and interstellar extinction, using the currently most favoured physical models for these objects. We present BeAtlas , a grid of |$61\, 600$| non-local thermodynamic equilibrium radiative transfer models for Be stars, calculated with the hdust code. The grid was coupled with a Monte Carlo Markov chain (MCMC) code to sample the posterior distribution. We test our method on two well-studied Be stars, α Eri and β CMi, using photometric, polarimetric, and spectroscopic data as input to the code. We recover literature determinations for most of the parameters of the targets, in particular the mass and age of α Eri, the disc parameters of β CMi, and their distances and inclinations. The main discrepancy is that we estimate lower rotational rates than previous works. We confirm previously detected signs of disc truncation in β CMi and note that its inner disc seems to have a flatter density slope than its outer disc. The correlations between the parameters are complex, further indicating that exploring the entire parameter space simultaneously is a more robust approach, statistically. The combination of BeAtlas and Bayesian-MCMC techniques proves successful, and a powerful new tool for the field: The fundamental parameters of any Be star can now be estimated in a matter of hours or days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of operating fusion devices, such as tokamaks and stellarators, at high fields make high-temperature superconducting magnets necessary to realize a compact fusion power system. Superconducting stellarators, such as W7-X, have used standard low-temperature superconductor technology niobium-titanium. ARPA-E has recently funded a two-year project led by the startup Type One Energy and involving the Fusion Technology Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Plasma Science to design and fabricate the first non-planar high-temperature superconductor (HTS) rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) coil for a high-field stellarator based on the SPARC tokamak's VIPER cable concept. The design consists of a 1.5-turn non-planar REBCO coil supported by a pair of 3D printed stainless steel radial plates. The ultimate goals of the project are to determine if commercial REBCO tapes and additive manufacturing can be used to fabricate high field ( ⩾ 10 T ) non-planar coils with tight bending radii ( ≃ 100 m m ) and with a degradation of the critical current smaller than 20% with respect to the expected performance. In this work we present numerical analysis for non-planar coils (critical current, magnetic field map, Lorentz forces and quench aspects) at the operating conditions of 77 K and 20 K and the fabrication and testing in liquid nitrogen (77 K) of the first two non-planar demonstrators for stellarators based on a VIPER cable. The first demonstrator is a short NO n-planar V IP E R cab L e (cable demonstrator at which we will refer to as NOVEL) equipped with 100 HTS REBCO tapes and with a critical current of 5700 A at 77 K (self-field); the second is a M ult I ple turns (1.5-turns) NO n-pl AN ar coil (coil demonstrator at which we will refer to as MINOAN) equipped with 30 HTS tapes and with a critical current of 2100 A at 77 K (self-field). Both demonstrators were tested at 77 K (liquid nitrogen bath) and the results showed that—even after being bent into non-planar shapes with bend radii ≃ 100 m m —the degradation of the critical current I c was within 15%, meeting the expected goals of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate a combinatorial interpretation of the Padovan polynomial sequence, also addressing its polynomial extensions. We thus include the Tridovan polynomial sequence, Tetradovan polynomial sequences, leading up to the Z-dovan polynomial generalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, hyperbolic k-Perrin and k-Leonardo quaternions are defined. In this sense, bulletin, are evaluated as sequences of k-Perrin and k-Leonardo, their respective quaternions and thus the definition of hyperbolic quaternions. Thus, there are some algebraic properties around numbers, generating function, Binet's formula and properties inherent to these numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to detect molecularly the presence of co-infections by vector-borne agents (VBA) in ring-tailed coatis' (Nasua nasua) blood samples from Iguaçu National Park (INP), southern Brazil, and assess the phylogenetic positioning of the detected agents. DNA blood samples were submitted to molecular screening and characterization for Anaplasmataceae agents, Piroplasmids, Hepatozoon sp., hemotropic mycoplasmas, and Bartonella spp. In total, 42 (85.7%) coatis were positive for hemotropic Mycoplasma sp., 12 (24.5%) for Bartonella machadoae, 7 (14.3%) for Anaplasma sp. closely related to 'Candidatus Anaplasma brasiliensis', and 3 (6%) for Hepatozoon procyonis. The most prevalent co-infections observed was from bacterial VBA: while 18.3% were co-infected by hemotropic Mycoplasma sp. and Bartonella sp., 12.2% were co-infected by Anaplasma sp. and hemotropic Mycoplasma sp. Only two animals (4%) presented co-infections by three VBA (Bartonella sp., Anaplasma sp. and hemotropic Mycoplasma sp.). The coati is a wild carnivore found in INP, mainly in areas visited by tourists. These animals are frequently seen searching for food in garbage dumps or in tourists' belongings. The present study expands the host specificity range of B. machadoae, which has been isolated only from rodents until the present moment. Since the zoonotic potential and transmission routes of the detected VBA are not yet known, surveillance in this area is much needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cephalopods are universal to the world's oceans and prey to many fish species. On the northwest European shelf, integrated ecosystem assessments are rapidly evolving into the preferred method for holistically assessing stocks, but cephalopods appear to be an overlooked component, perhaps because their roles in ecosystems have seldom been quantified in recent years. We have analysed historical fish stomach records and revisited literature at local and regional level to determine the importance of cephalopods to the diets of 26 ecologically important finfish. We conclude that, in contrast to most other large marine ecosystems, cephalopods found in the Greater North Sea and the Celtic Seas regions appear to contribute only a small fraction to the diets of ecologically important finfish (found in the stomachs of ∼14% of specimens among some species, but generally only 1–3% in most species), though their role as predator may be important and require further investigation. Based on our findings, cephalopods may not represent a key component for integrated ecosystem assessments, though as squid populations have been shown to expand throughout the North Sea in recent years, regular monitoring is encouraged to identify the point where their inclusion into such models may be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an efficient computational approach to evaluate field-dependent entropy of magnetocaloric materials from ab-initio methods. The temperature dependence is reported for the entropy change, specific heat and magnetization for hcp Gd. To obtain optimal accuracy in the calculations, a mixed-scheme for magnetic Monte Carlo simulations is proposed and found to be superior to using pure quantum or classic statistics. It is demonstrated that lattice and magnetic contributions play a role in the entropy change and that the dominating contribution comes from the magnetic contribution. The total calculated entropy change agrees with measurements at room temperature. Demonstration of the accuracy of ab-initio theory, coupled to statistical methods, for accurate calculations of the total entropy variation associated with the magnetic transition of Gd. Reproduction of experimental data of entropy change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given an orthogonal polynomial sequence on the real line, another sequence of polynomials can be found by composing them with a Möbius transformation. In this work, we study the properties of such Möbius-transformed polynomials in a systematically way. We show that these polynomials are orthogonal on a given curve of the complex plane with respect to a particular kind of varying measure, and that they enjoy several properties common to the orthogonal polynomials on the real line. Moreover, many properties of the orthogonal polynomials can be easier derived from this approach, for example, we can show that the Hermite, Laguerre, Jacobi, Bessel and Romanovski polynomials are all related with each other by suitable Möbius transformations; also, the orthogonality relations for Bessel and Romanovski polynomials on the complex plane easily follows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Night work can lead to social jetlag (SJL), which can be briefly defined as the difference between social and biological time. In this sense, SJL has been viewed as a proxy for circadian misalignment. Studies have suggested that SJL may modify physiological processes, such as blood pressure, glucose metabolism, cortisol, and melatonin production. Therefore, we aimed to verify the correlation between SJL and nocturnal inhibition of melatonin production estimated by the concentration of its urinary metabolite (6-sulfatoximelatonin). The study included day workers (n = 9) and night workers (n = 13) from a public maternity hospital in the city of São Paulo. A questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic data, life habits, working conditions, and the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQshift) was used to assess chronotype. Urine was collected on workdays and days off to estimate the concentration of 6-sulfatoximelatonin (aMT6s), quantified by the ELISA method. We found SJL 13 times higher for night workers (10.6 h) than day workers (0.8 h). The excretion of aMT6s in night workers was statistically different on workdays as opposed to days off, with the lowest excretion on workdays, as expected. SJL was correlated with the aMT6s's delta between the night off and night on among night workers, indicating that the higher is the SJL, the lower is the melatonin production. As expected, social jetlag was higher among night workers, compared to day workers. Moreover, our findings showed that melatonin concentration is directly correlated with SJL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Whether melanoma in histological contiguity with a naevus [naevus‐associated melanoma (NAM)] is distinctly different from melanoma arising de novo remains unclear. Objectives: To determine whether the characteristics of de novo melanoma differ from NAM and are not due to naevus obliteration in thicker tumours. Methods: We conducted a multicentre retrospective study of de novo melanoma and NAM in seven referral centres in Europe, Australia and the USA between 2006 and 2015. Results: In a total of 9474 localized melanomas, de novo melanoma was associated with thicker tumours and body site differences compared with NAM. In the subset of T1 melanomas (n = 5307), similar body site differences were found in multivariate analysis by body site. When compared with NAM, de novo melanoma was more likely to affect older individuals (≥ 70 years) when located on the head/neck [odds ratio (OR) 4·65, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2·55–8·46], the trunk (OR 1·82, 95% CI 1·40–2·36) or the upper extremity (OR 1·69, 95% CI 1·14–2·50), was more likely to affect female patients when located on the lower extremities (OR 1·36, 95% CI 1·03–1·80), and was more likely to be of the nodular melanoma subtype (OR 2·23, 95% CI 1·14–4·35) when located on the trunk. De novo melanoma was less likely to have regression present compared with NAM. Conclusions: Clinicopathological and body site differences between de novo melanoma and NAM support the divergent pathway model of development. These differences were also found in thin melanomas, suggesting that de novo melanomas are different from NAM and their differences are not due to the obliteration of naevus remnants in thicker tumours. What is already known about this topic? Cutaneous melanoma appears de novo in approximately 70% of cases and has adjacent naevus remnants on histological examination [naevus‐associated melanoma (NAM)] in the remaining 30% of cases.Whether melanoma arising de novo is a biological type distinct from NAM remains unclear.Robust conclusions on the differences between de novo melanoma and NAM have been hindered by the possible obliteration of naevus in thicker melanomas. What does this study add? In 9474 patients with localized melanoma there were body site differences for de novo melanoma compared with NAM, supporting the divergent pathway model of melanoma development.In 5307 T1 melanomas there were similar body site associations for de novo melanoma and older age at diagnosis, female sex, the nodular subtype and absence of regression.These findings suggest that de novo melanomas are different from NAM and the differences are not due to the obliteration of naevus remnants in thicker tumours. Linked Comment: J. Wiggins and D. Polsky. Br J Dermatol 2021; 185:9–10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Significant weight loss and/or loss of appetite is a criterion of a depressive episode. While malnutrition is associated with many adverse health outcomes, the impact of malnutrition in late-life depression has hardly been examined. The present study aims to (1) evaluate the prevalence of malnutrition in depressed older inpatients, and (2) whether and which indices of malnutrition predict adverse health outcomes in late-life depression. Design: A prospective study at 6 months follow-up. Setting: A University-based psychiatric hospital. Participants: 105 older adults (psychiatric inpatients suffering from unipolar MDD). Measurements: Participants were evaluated according the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and anthropometric measures to assess their nutritional status. Multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between the MNA score as well as anthropometric measures with either falls or rehospitalization for any reason. Results: Based on the MNA score, 78 (74.3%) patients were at risk of malnutrition and 13 (12.4%) actually presented malnutrition. Malnutrition was associated with a higher age, frailty, lower body mass index, and smaller calf circumference. During follow-up, 21 (20%) patients fell, 27 (25.7%) were rehospitalized, and 3 died (2.9%). The MNA score was associated with adverse health outcomes, but a low calf circumference predicted falling (OR 4.93 [95% CI: 1.42–17.2], p=.012) and a higher calf circumference rehospitalization (OR 1.17 [95% CI: 1.01–1.35], p=.032). Conclusion: Malnutrition is prevalent in older depressed inpatients. In contrast to subjective proxies for malnutrition, which are common in depression, only objective measures of malnutrition predict adverse health outcomes such as falls and rehospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Microstructural features such as grain boundaries play a significant role in the macroscopic plastic response of polycrystalline metals. However, a quantitative link between plastic strain accumulation at grain boundaries and material response in plasticity dominated phenomena is still lacking. Objective: Here we seek to develop predictive relations between a material's granular microstructure and the accumulation of plastic strains at the microstructural level during plastic deformation. Methods: A single-input neural network approach was applied to predict the residual plastic strain fields at regions surrounding grain boundaries of an austenitic stainless steel. The neural network was trained on data obtained by applying a very-high resolution digital image correlation (DIC) experimental technique that allows the measurement of grain-scale strains aligned to the underlying microstructure obtained from electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) scans. Results: The neural-network-predicted and the DIC-measured strain fields showed good correlation for most of the tested cases. Best individual agreement was found when each microstructure was used to predict fields in its own case. However, best overall average predictions were seen when multiple samples were used for the network training. Conclusions: The results showed that the local geometrical angle between a grain boundary and the loading axes is in many cases a good predictor for the accumulation of strains at the given boundary. The expected limitations of this single parameter approach (grain boundary angle alone cannot be a good predictor for varying strains along a straight grain boundary, for example) were seen as the reason for the situations where predictions were not as good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A one dimensional, absolutely calibrated pinhole camera system was installed on the DIII-D tokamak to measure edge Lyman-alpha (Ly-α) emission from hydrogen isotopes, which can be used to infer neutral density and ionization rate profiles. The system is composed of two cameras, each providing a toroidal fan of 20 lines of sight, viewing the plasma edge on the inboard and outboard side of DIII-D. The cameras' views lie in a horizontal plane 77 cm below the midplane. At its tangency radius, each channel provides a radial resolution of ∼2 cm full width at half maximum (FWHM) with a total coverage of 22 cm. Each camera consists of a rectangular pinhole, Ly-α reflective mirror, narrow-band Ly-α transmission filter, and a 20 channel AXUV photodetector. The combined mirror and transmission filter have a FWHM of 5 nm, centered near the Ly-α wavelength of 121.6 nm and is capable of rejecting significant, parasitic carbon-III (C-III) emission from intrinsic plasma impurities. To provide a high spatial resolution measurement in a compact footprint, the camera utilizes advanced engineering and manufacturing techniques including 3D printing, high stability mirror mounts, and a novel alignment procedure. Absolutely calibrated, spatially resolved Ly-α brightness measurements utilize a bright, isolated line with low parasitic surface reflections and enable quantitative comparison to modeling to study divertor neutral leakage, main chamber fueling, and radial particle transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrared thermography of the lateral side portion of the udder was taken from 38 lactating cows in a 6-day experiment. Thermograms were analyzed using specific software with the use of eight different methods. The experiment was aimed at correlating the different methods with each other and with rectal temperature (RT), in order to suggest a method to assess udder side temperature, and also at creating regression equations to enable RT calculation through the use of thermographic data. All methods of analyzing thermograms were highly correlated; correlations between thermograms and RT were significant (P < 0.01) and above 0.840. The highest correlation was between RT and the maximum temperature obtained using a horizontal rectangle placed within the lateral (side) portion of the udder (maximum temperature in a horizontal rectangle (MHR), 0.897). With the exception of the average temperature of a horizontal rectangle, linear regression coefficients were significant (P < 0.05) and coefficients of determination were higher than 75.51%. We suggest the use of MHR to evaluate udder side temperature. The ease of accessing the side of the udder, the welfare advantages of non-invasive observations, and the high correlation with RT suggest the use of thermograms in the lateral portion of the udder to assess animals’ temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was recently proposed (P A Brandăo and S B Cavalcanti 2019 Phys. Rev. A 100 043822) that two small (Dirac) scatterers, one having gain and the other having loss, drastically modifies the spectral density of the scattered radiation field. Here, we extend this previous work by studying the scattering of stochastic radiation by two finite spheres having gain and loss, satisfying the parity-time symmetry condition, and verifying the spectral changes in frequency domain, i.e. the non-Hermitian Wolf effect. Under the Born approximation, we analytically found the specific frequencies where the spectral density of the scattered field vanishes and show that they depend on the gain and loss parameter γ of each material. This is evidence of a non-Hermitian Wolf effect, meaning that the spectrum can be tuned by the gain/loss properties of the system. We have also shown that there is a π/2 phase shift when compared to the Hermitian configuration (γ = 0). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Lupus is recognised as one of the closest star-forming regions, but the lack of trigonometric parallaxes in the pre-Gaia era hampered many studies on the kinematic properties of this region and led to incomplete censuses of its stellar population. Aims. We use the second data release of the Gaia space mission combined with published ancillary radial velocity data to revise the census of stars and investigate the 6D structure of the Lupus complex. Methods. We performed a new membership analysis of the Lupus association based on astrometric and photometric data over a field of 160 deg2 around the main molecular clouds of the complex and compared the properties of the various subgroups in this region. Results. We identified 137 high-probability members of the Lupus association of young stars, including 47 stars that had never been reported as members before. Many of the historically known stars associated with the Lupus region identified in previous studies are more likely to be field stars or members of the adjacent Scorpius-Centaurus association. Our new sample of members covers the magnitude and mass range from G ≃ 8 to G ≃ 18 mag and from 0.03 to 2.4 M⊙, respectively. We compared the kinematic properties of the stars projected towards the molecular clouds Lupus 1–6 and showed that these subgroups are located at roughly the same distance (about 160 pc) and move with the same spatial velocity. Our age estimates inferred from stellar models show that the Lupus subgroups are coeval (with median ages ranging from about 1 to 3 Myr). The Lupus association appears to be younger than the population of young stars in the Corona-Australis star-forming region recently investigated by our team using a similar methodology. The initial mass function of the Lupus association inferred from the distribution of spectral types shows little variation compared to other star-forming regions. Conclusions. In this paper, we provide an updated sample of cluster members based on Gaia data and construct the most complete picture of the 3D structure and 3D space motion of the Lupus complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of organic and inorganic trace minerals in diets fed to 1872, one-day-old male Ross 708 broiler chicks. Two sources of supplemental trace minerals (inorganic or organic) and four trace minerals levels (12.5%, 25.0%, 37.5% or 50.0%) plus a positive control containing inorganic minerals at 100% of recommended levels according to Brazilian industry standards, were used in the diets. 2. When analysed with mineral source as the main factor, broilers fed diets containing organic minerals had better feed conversion (FCR) throughout the trial, until 48 d of age (1.754 organic vs. 1.783 inorganic; P < 0.05), improved liveability at 48 d (95.8% organic vs. 93.6% inorganic; P < 0.05) and higher weight gain at 48 d (3.941 kg organic vs. 3.881 kg inorganic; P < 0.05) compared to the inorganic trace mineral diets. At lower dietary inclusion levels (12.5% and 25%) the organic mineral-fed birds had a four-point improvement in FCR (P < 0.05). 3. Feeding organic minerals improved tibial ash at 48 d from 49.5% to 51.25% (P < 0.05). The P and Ca in the tibia at 48 d were significantly (P < 0.05) higher for the birds fed organic minerals (Ca: 17.4% vs. 18.7%; P: 8.8% vs. 9.4%, respectively). The lower levels of trace minerals in feed reduced the mineral concentration of Zn, Cu and Mn in the faeces and, hence, in the litter (P < 0.05). 4. Feeding organic minerals promoted a small, but statistically significant, drop in pH of breast meat compared to inorganic minerals at 48 d (5.83 vs. 5.86, respectively; P < 0.05). The organic mineral diets reduced drip loss in breast meat compared to inorganic trace mineral supplementation at 32 d of age, but not in older birds (2.46% vs. 3.77%, respectively; P < 0.05). 5. Oxidation status, measured by superoxide dismutase activity in breast muscle at 48 d of age, significantly increased with mineral inclusion levels (P < 0.001), irrespective of source. 6. It was concluded that the use of organic minerals, even at low levels in the diet, is beneficial for broiler performance and reduces the excretion of minerals in litter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to update and deepen the theoretical discussions about Digital Heritage, the authors initiated a survey of the most recent technologies that improves the documentation of architectural buildings and sites. We intend to implement a digital workflow on the studies of buildings and sites that have a potential of protection in the Fluminense lowland of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is part of the activities of the conservation education at bachelor level in Architecture and Urbanism, and the course of the Postgraduate Program on heritage conservation of Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ). The main objective of the current scientific research is the identification of Brazilian researchers and the subjects that have been studied in the last five years in order to make a theoretical review through the systematization of topics, thematic axis, terms, concepts regarding the application of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the heritage documentation. We carried out a qualitative-quantitative mapping of the scientific production of twelve scientific events having occurred in Brazil and Latin America between 2013 and 2018. We detected 156 Brazilian researchers from all regions of the country that had researched about Digital heritage. The mapping of themes was compared to keywords index of CIPA-ICOMOS Symposium 2017 in order to identify points of contact and lack of studies in Brazil for planning the future research. The research group seek ways for better integration between national researchers, ways to get theoretical content up-to-date and to adopt more accurate documentation practices at undergraduate and postgraduate disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In‐row plant densities have not been studied for common beans with type II growth habit and contrasting reactions to white mould. Advanced breeding lines with partial resistance or susceptibility to white mould were combined with 4, 7, 10 or 13 plants m−1 and with or without fungicide at a constant between‐row spacing of 0.5 m in five sprinkler‐irrigated field trials conducted during the autumn–winter season in Brazil. White mould pressures in the trials covered the whole range from zero to moderate/high (46–60% of white mould severity index). In all trials, means of white mould incidence, severity and yield did not vary significantly between 7 and 13 plants m−1 for the partially resistant line, regardless of the fungicide levels. For the susceptible line, 13 plants m−1 increased white mould incidence and severity under moderate disease, regardless of the fungicide levels, and decreased yield compared with 10 plants m−1 when fungicide was applied twice under moderate/high disease pressure. For the susceptible line, 7 or 10 plants m−1 maximized yield in all trials, with or without fungicide applications. The results suggest that the current recommendation of 11–13 plants m−1 could be used for type II beans with partial resistance to white mould in either a conventional or organic system. For susceptible genotypes, 7–10 plants m−1 seems to be the most appropriate in‐row plant density. This study may improve the recommendation of in‐row plant density for type II beans cultivated under white mould pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HOLOS is the property of Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do norte - IFRN and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An array of flush-mounted and toroidally elongated Langmuir probes (henceforth called rail probes) have been specifically designed for the Alcator C-Mod’s vertical target plate divertor and operated over multiple campaigns. The “flush” geometry enables the tungsten electrodes to survive high heat flux conditions in which traditional “proud” tungsten electrodes suffer damage from melting. The toroidally elongated rail-like geometry reduces the influence of sheath expansion, which is an important effect to consider in the design and interpretation of flush-mounted Langmuir probes. The new rail probes successfully operated during C-Mod’s FY2015 and FY2016 experimental campaigns with no evidence of damage, despite being regularly subjected to heat flux densities parallel to the magnetic field exceeding ∼1 GW m−2 for short periods of time. A comparison between rail and proud probe data indicates that sheath expansion effects were successfully mitigated by the rail design, extending the use of these Langmuir probes to incident magnetic field line angles as low as 0.5°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analysed V-band photometry of the Be star ω CMa, obtained during the last four decades, during which the star went through four complete cycles of disc formation and dissipation. The data were simulated by hydrodynamic models based on a time-dependent implementation of the viscous decretion disc (VDD) paradigm, in which a disc around a fast-spinning Be star is formed by material ejected by the star and driven to progressively larger orbits by means of viscous torques. Our simulations offer a good description of the photometric variability during phases of disc formation and dissipation, which suggests that the VDD model adequately describes the structural evolution of the disc. Furthermore, our analysis allowed us to determine the viscosity α,as well as the net mass and angular momentum (AM) loss rates. We find that α is variable, ranging from 0.1 to 1.0, not only from cycle to cycle but also within a given cycle. Additionally, build-up phases usually have larger values of α than the dissipation phases. Furthermore, during dissipation the outward AM flux is not necessarily zero, meaning that ω CMa does not experience a true quiescence but, instead, switches between a high to a low AM loss rate during which the disc quickly assumes an overall lower density but never zero. We confront the average AM loss rate with predictions from stellar evolution models for fast-rotating stars, and find that our measurements are smaller by more than one order of magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HOLOS is the property of Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do norte - IFRN and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Be stars are main-sequence massive stars with emission features in their spectrum, which originates in circumstellar gaseous discs. Even though the viscous decretion disc model can satisfactorily explain most observations, two important physical ingredients, namely the magnitude of the viscosity (α) and the disc mass injection rate, remain poorly constrained. The light curves of Be stars that undergo events of disc formation and dissipation offer an opportunity to constrain these quantities. A pipeline was developed to model these events that use a grid of synthetic light curves, computed from coupled hydrodynamic and radiative transfer calculations. A sample of 54 Be stars from the OGLE survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) was selected for this study. Because of the way our sample was selected (bright stars with clear disc events), it likely represents the densest discs in the SMC. Like their siblings in the Galaxy, the mass of the disc in the SMC increases with the stellar mass. The typical mass and angular momentum loss rates associated with the disc events are of the order of ∼10−10 M⊙ yr−1 and ∼5 × 1036 g cm2 s−2, respectively. The values of α found in this work are typically of a few tenths, consistent with recent results in the literature and with the ones found in dwarf novae, but larger than current theory predicts. Considering the sample as a whole, the viscosity parameter is roughly two times larger at build-up (〈αbu〉 = 0.63) than at dissipation (〈αd〉 = 0.26). Further work is necessary to verify whether this trend is real or a result of some of the model assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An array of flush-mounted and toroidally elongated Langmuir probes (henceforth called rail probes) have been specifically designed for the Alcator C-Mod's vertical target plate divertor and operated over multiple campaigns. The "flush" geometry enables the tungsten electrodes to survive high heat flux conditions in which traditional "proud" tungsten electrodes suffer damage from melting. The toroidally elongated rail-like geometry reduces the influence of sheath expansion, which is an important effect to consider in the design and interpretation of flush-mounted Langmuir probes. The new rail probes successfully operated during C-Mod's FY2015 and FY2016 experimental campaigns with no evidence of damage, despite being regularly subjected to heat flux densities parallel to the magnetic field exceeding ∼1 GW m−2 for short periods of time. A comparison between rail and proud probe data indicates that sheath expansion effects were successfully mitigated by the rail design, extending the use of these Langmuir probes to incident magnetic field line angles as low as 0.5°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the ontogenetic growth of goat wethers (castrated male goats) of the Saanen and Swiss Alpine breeds based on a large range of intraspecific body mass (BM). The body parts and the chemical constituents of the empty body were described by the allometric function by using BM and the empty body mass (EBM) as the predictors for morphological traits and chemical composition, respectively. We fitted the allometric scaling function by applying the SAS NLMIXED procedure, but to evaluate assumptions regarding variances in morphological and compositional traits, we combined the scaling function with homoscedastic (MOD1), and the heteroscedastic exponential (MOD2) and power-of-the-mean (MOD3) variance functions. We also predicted the ontogenetic growth by using the traditional log-log transformation and back-transformed results into the arithmetic scale (MOD4). We obtained predictions from MOD4 in the arithmetic scale by a two-step process, and evaluated MOD1, MOD2 and MOD3 by a model selection framework, and compared MOD4 with MOD1, MOD2 and MOD3 based on goodness-of-fit measures. Based on information criteria for model selection, heterogeneous variance functions were more likely to describe 10 over 36 traits with a low level of model selection uncertainty. One trait was predicted by averaging the MOD1 and MOD2 variance functions; and nine traits were better described by averaging the MOD2 and MOD3 variance functions. The predictions for other 16 traits were averaged from MOD1, MOD2 and MOD3. However, MOD4 better described 11 traits according to the goodness-of-fit measures. Depending on the variable being analyzed, the body parts and the chemical amounts exhibited the three types of allometric behavior with respect to BM and EBM, that is, positive, negative and isometric ontogenetic growth. Reference BMs, that is, 20, 27, 35 and 45 kg, were used to compute the net protein and energy requirements based on the first derivative of the scaling function, and the results were presented in reference to the EBM and EBM0.75. Both the net protein and energy requirements scaled to EBM0.75 increased from 20 to 45 kg of BM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermography was used to study the propagation of fatigue cracks during cyclic loading of pre-cracked SAE keyhole polycarbonate specimens. A micro-bolometer infrared camera (FLIR A655sc) and a commercially available software program (DeltaTherm2) were employed. The stress intensity factors were determined using a hybrid thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) technique. The crack growth rate was determined via thermography using two different approaches. The first approach used the output of the crack-tip position from the developed TSA algorithm and the number of cycles between data sets. The second approach used temperature measurement as a new way to determine da/dN (crack growth rate) directly. As a result, da/dN vs ΔK (stress intensity factor range) graphs were plotted and fitted using Paris’ law. A comparison between the resultant da/dN vs ΔK curves and results found in the literature, as well as curves from the finite element method (FEM) simulations showed good agreement. The conclusion was that thermography is a very powerful tool that can detect, measure and monitor fatigue cracks in polycarbonate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim was to carry out phase 4 international field‐testing of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) breast reconstruction (BRECON) module. The primary objective was finalization of its scale structure. Secondary objectives were evaluation of its reliability, validity, responsiveness, acceptability and interpretability in patients with breast cancer undergoing mastectomy and reconstruction. Methods: The EORTC module development guidelines were followed. Patients were recruited from 28 centres in seven countries. A prospective cohort completed the QLQ‐BRECON15 before mastectomy and the QLQ‐BRECON24 at 4–8 months after reconstruction. The cross‐sectional cohort completed the QLQ‐BRECON24 at 1–5 years after reconstruction, and repeated this 2–8 weeks later (test–retest reliability). All participants completed debriefing questionnaires. Results: A total of 438 patients were recruited, 234 in the prospective cohort and 204 in the cross‐sectional cohort. A total of 414 reconstructions were immediate, with a comparable number of implants (176) and donor‐site flaps (166). Control groups comprised patients who underwent two‐stage implant procedures (72, 75 per cent) or delayed reconstruction (24, 25 per cent). Psychometric scale validity was supported by moderate to high item‐own scale and item‐total correlations (over 0·5). Questionnaire validity was confirmed by good scale‐to‐sample targeting, and computable scale scores exceeding 50 per cent, except nipple cosmesis (over 40 per cent). In known‐group comparisons, QLQ‐BRECON24 scales and items differentiated between patient groups defined by clinical criteria, such as type and timing of reconstruction, postmastectomy radiotherapy and surgical complications, with moderate effect sizes. Prospectively, sexuality and surgical side‐effects scales showed significant responsiveness over time (P < 0·001). Scale reliability was supported by high Cronbach's α coefficients (over 0·7) and test–retest (intraclass correlation more than 0·8). One item (finding a well fitting bra) was excluded based on high floor/ceiling effects, poor test–retest and weak correlations in factor analysis (below 0·3), thus generating the QLQ‐BRECON23 questionnaire. Conclusion: The QLQ‐BRECON23 is an internationally validated tool to be used alongside the EORTC QLQ‐C30 (cancer) and QLQ‐BR23 (breast cancer) questionnaires for evaluating quality of life and satisfaction after breast reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Archivos de Zootecnia is the property of Archivos de Zootecnia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The atomistic and electronic structures of isolated hydrogen states in BeO were studied byab initiocalculations and muonium spectroscopy (SR). Whereas standard density-functional theory with a semi-local GGA functional led to a detailed probing of all possible minimum-energy configurations of hydrogen further calculations with the hybrid HSE06 functional provided improved properties avoiding band-gap and self-interaction errors. Similarly to earlier findings for the other wide-gap alkaline-earth oxide, MgO, hydrogen in BeO is also predicted to be an amphoteric defect with the pinning level, E(), positioned in the mid-gap region. Both donor and acceptor levels were found too deep in the gap to allow for hydrogen to act as a source of free carriers. Whereas, hydrogen in its positively-charged state,, adopts exclusively hydroxide-bond OH configurations,andinstead show a preference to occupy cage-like interstitial sites in the lattice.in particular displays a multitude of minimum-energy configurations: its lowest-energy ground state resembles closely a trapped-atom state with a nearly spherical spin-density profile. In contrast to the strongly ionic MgO,in BeO was further found to stabilise in additional higher-energy elongated-bond OH configurations whose existence should be traced to a partial covalent character of the Be–O bonding. Calculations of the proton-electron hyperfine coupling for allstates showed that the ground-state interstitialconfiguration is dominated by an isotropic hyperfine interaction with a magnitude very close to the vacuum value, a finding corroborated by theSR-spectroscopy data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The structure of the inner parts of Be star disks (≲ 20 stellar radii) is well explained by the viscous decretion disk (VDD) model, which is able to reproduce the observable properties of most of the objects studied so far. The outer parts, on the other hand, are not observationally well-explored, as they are observable only at radio wavelengths. A steepening of the spectral slope somewhere between infrared and radio wavelengths was reported for several Be stars that were previously detected in the radio, but a convincing physical explanation for this trend has not yet been provided. Aims: We test the VDD model predictions for the extended parts of a sample of six Be disks that have been observed in the radio to address the question of whether the observed turndown in the spectral energy distribution (SED) can be explained in the framework of the VDD model, including recent theoretical development for truncated Be disks in binary systems. Methods: We combine new multi-wavelength radio observations from the Karl. G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) with previously published radio data and archival SED measurements at ultraviolet, visual, and infrared wavelengths. The density structure of the disks, including their outer parts, is constrained by radiative transfer modeling of the observed spectrum using VDD model predictions. In the VDD model we include the presumed effects of possible tidal influence from faint binary companions. Results: For 5 out of 6 studied stars, the observed SED shows strong signs of SED turndown between far-IR and radio wavelengths. A VDD model that extends to large distances closely reproduces the observed SEDs up to far IR wavelengths, but fails to reproduce the radio SED. Using a truncated VDD model improves the fit, leading to a successful explanation of the SED turndown observed for the stars in our sample. The slope of the observed SEDs in the radio is however not well reproduced by disks that are simply cut off at a certain distance. Rather, some matter seems to extend beyond the truncation radius, where it still contributes to the observed SEDs, making the spectral slope in the radio shallower. This finding is in agreement with our current understanding of binary truncation from hydrodynamical simulations, in which the disk does extend past the truncation radius. Therefore, the most probable cause for the SED turndown is the presence of binary companions that remain undetected for most of our sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-term birth is a preventable cause of perinatal mortality and severe morbidity. This review examined the association between maternal body mass index (BMI) and post-term birth at ≥42 and ≥41 weeks' gestation. Five databases, reference lists and citations were searched from May to November 2015. Observational studies published in English since 1990 were included. Linear and nonlinear dose-response meta-analyses were conducted by using random effects models. Sensitivity analyses assessed robustness of the results. Meta-regression and sub-group meta-analyses explored heterogeneity. Obesity classes were defined as I (30.0-34.9 kg m−2), II (35.0-39.9 kg m−2) and III (≥40 kg m−2; IIIa 40.0-44.9 kg m−2, IIIb ≥ 45.0 kg m−2). Searches identified 16,375 results, and 39 studies met the inclusion criteria ( n = 4,143,700 births). A nonlinear association between maternal BMI and births ≥42 weeks was identified; odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for obesity classes I-IIIb were 1.42 (1.27-1.58), 1.55 (1.37-1.75), 1.65 (1.44-1.87) and 1.75 (1.50-2.04) respectively. BMI was linearly associated with births ≥41 weeks: odds ratio is 1.13 (95% confidence interval 1.05-1.21) for each 5-unit increase in BMI. The strength of the association between BMI and post-term birth increases with increasing BMI. Odds are greatest for births ≥42 weeks among class III obesity. Targeted interventions to prevent the adverse outcomes associated with post-term birth should consider the difference in risk between obesity classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluated the optimization of natural flocculant in different conditions in a tubular photobioreactor using swine wastewater effluent as culture media in a pilot-scale microalgae production plant. This study aimed to assess the flocculation efficiency of Tanfloc SG via a central composite design (CCD), with varying Tanfloc SG concentration, biomass concentration and pH. Subsequently, the microalgaAcutodesmus obliquuswas cultivated in medium obtained from the recycled recovery of microalgae cells via flocculation with Tanfloc SG. Results showed that the recycled medium after flocculation with Tanfloc SG had a positive effect on the biomass and lipid production ofA. obliquus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a sufficient condition for a self-inversive polynomial to have a fixed number of roots on the complex unit circle. We also prove that these roots are simple when that condition is satisfied. This generalizes the condition found by Lakatos and Losonczi for all the roots of a self-inversive polynomial to lie on the complex unit circle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]