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The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of incorporating different concentrations (1% and 2%) of Malvaviscus arboreus flower (FE) and leaf (LE) extracts as functional ingredients in goat milk yogurt. This study analyzed the impact of these formulations (YFE1%, YFE2%, YLE1%, and YLE2%) on the physicochemical, bioactive, antioxidant, rheological, textural, and sensory properties of goat yogurt over a 28-day storage period. Including FE and LE extracts significantly enhanced the yogurt’s antioxidant activity, reaching up to 10.17 µmol TEAC/g, and strengthened its ability to inhibit lipid oxidation during storage. This study also observed a reduction in the viability of lactic acid bacteria, particularly L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, suggesting that the extracts may have antimicrobial properties. Notably, using FE, especially at a concentration of 2% (YFE2%), improved both antioxidant and textural properties while reducing syneresis by the end of the storage period. Sensory evaluations showed positive results for YFE1% and YFE2% formulations. These findings suggest that FE has significant potential as a functional food ingredient. This research lays the groundwork for future studies exploring the integration of Malvaviscus arboreus-based ingredients into functional food products, opening new possibilities for innovation in this field.

Bacteria from genus Vibrio continue to be one of the most common threats to aquaculture sustainability. Vibrio spp. have been associated with infectious outbreaks in fish, shrimp, bivalves and even algae farms worldwide. Moreover, several Vibrio spp. are also pathogens that impact human health and are a threat to public health when transferred to consumers through contaminated seafood products. The use of bacteriophages is an evolving technology that could be applied in the treatment of Vibrio spp. either to protect aquaculture farms or to decontaminate seafood, namely bivalves during their depuration. In the present study, bacteriophages vB_VpS_LMAVpS1 (S1) vB_VpS_LMAVpVPP (VPP), vB_VpS_LMAVpSH (SH) and vB_VpS_LMAVpH (H) infecting V. parahaemolyticus were isolated and characterized. All phages presented fast adsorption rates and were able to control V. parahaemolyticus at all multiplicity of infections (MOIs) tested (MOI of 1, 10 and 100), with reductions of more than 4 log CFU/mL being recorded, but only in the presence of divalent cation calcium. The rate of emergence of phage-resistant mutants was very low (1.8 × 10−6 to 3.1 × 10−6). Bacterial phage resistance was not permanent and led to a loss of bacterial fitness. All four phages presented with lysins encoded in their genomes. The results presented provide valuable insights for future studies in the application of these bacteriophages in different scenarios to control, decontaminate or treat bacterial infections or contaminations of V. parahaemolyticus.

This study investigated the effects of fermenting plum pulp with Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis (BAL) on its physicochemical and bioactive properties, as well as the optimization of the freeze-drying (FD) process to develop a fruit-based probiotic delivery system. Fermentation significantly reduced the pH and total acidity of the pulp, achieving a cell viability of 11 log CFU/mL. The FD process was optimized using a factorial design, with maltodextrin concentration (3, 5, and 7%) and freezing temperature (−150, −100, and −50 °C) as variables. The P2 experiment, which used 7% maltodextrin and freezing at −150 °C, showed the best results in terms of yield (25.67%), cell viability (8 log CFU/g), and probiotic survival rate (97.66%). Samples P5, P6, and P7, prepared with 5% maltodextrin and freezing at −100 °C, exhibited the highest levels of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity (p < 0.05). During 28 days of storage, all samples maintained cell viability without significant logarithmic reduction. In summary, probiotic plum powders offer an excellent plant-based alternative for probiotic consumption, providing safe levels of beneficial bacteria and bioactive compounds with antioxidant action, meeting health and nutrition needs.

Over the past decade, an increasing number of studies have emphasized the importance of the host microbiome in influencing organismal health and development. Aligned with this understanding, our study aimed to investigate the potential association between the turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) phenotypic traits and the post-larval bacteriome. Turbot post-larvae were sampled from twenty randomly selected production cycles thirty days after hatching (DAH) across multiple post-larval production batches over a three-month period (April to June). Fish were selectively sampled based on five phenotypic traits, namely, normal, large, small, malformed, and depigmented. Our results showed that small-sized post-larvae had significantly higher bacterial phylogenetic diversity in their bacterial communities than all other phenotypes. A more in-depth compositional analysis also revealed specific associations between certain bacterial taxa and fish phenotypes. For example, the genera Aliivibrio and Sulfitobacter were enriched in small-sized post-larvae, while the family Micrococcaceae were predominantly found in larger post-larvae. Furthermore, genus Exiguobacterium was linked to depigmented larvae, and genus Pantoea was more prevalent in normal post-larvae. These observations underscore the importance of further research to understand the roles of these bacterial taxa in larval growth and phenotypic differentiation. Such insights could contribute to developing microbiome modulation strategies, which may enhance turbot post-larval health and quality and improve larviculture production.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common cause of hospital-acquired infections and exhibits a strong resistance to antibiotics. An alternative treatment option for bacterial infections is the use of bacteriophages (or phages). In this study, two distinct phages, VB_PaD_phPA-G (phPA-G) and VB_PaN_phPA-Intesti (phPA-Intesti), were used as single suspensions or in a phage cocktail to inactivate the planktonic cells and biofilms of P. aeruginosa. Preliminary experiments in culture medium showed that phage phPA-Intesti (reductions of 4.5–4.9 log CFU/mL) outperformed phPA-G (reductions of 0.6–2.6 log CFU/mL) and the phage cocktail (reduction of 4.2 log CFU/mL). Phage phPA-Intesti caused a maximum reduction of 5.5 log CFU/cm2 in the P. aeruginosa biofilm in urine after 4 h of incubation. The combination of phage phPA-Intesti and ciprofloxacin did not improve the efficacy of bacterial inactivation nor reduce the development of resistant mutants. However, the development of resistant bacteria was lower in the combined treatment with the phage and the antibiotic compared to treatment with the antibiotic alone. This phage lacks known toxins, virulence, antibiotic resistance, and integrase genes. Overall, the results suggest that the use of phage phPA-Intesti could be a potential approach to control urinary tract infections (UTIs), namely those caused by biofilm-producing and multidrug-resistant strains of P. aeruginosa.

Abstract Background Metagenomics is an expanding field within microbial ecology, microbiology, and related disciplines. The number of metagenomes deposited in major public repositories such as Sequence Read Archive (SRA) and Metagenomic Rapid Annotations using Subsystems Technology (MG-RAST) is rising exponentially. However, data mining and interpretation can be challenging due to mis-annotated and misleading metadata entries. In this study, we describe the Marine Metagenome Metadata Database (MarineMetagenomeDB) to help researchers identify marine metagenomes of interest for re-analysis and meta-analysis. To this end, we have manually curated the associated metadata of several thousands of microbial metagenomes currently deposited at SRA and MG-RAST. Results In total, 125 terms were curated according to 17 different classes (e.g., biome, material, oceanic zone, geographic feature and oceanographic phenomena). Other standardized features include sample attributes (e.g., salinity, depth), sample location (e.g., latitude, longitude), and sequencing features (e.g., sequencing platform, sequence count). MarineMetagenomeDB version 1.0 contains 11,449 marine metagenomes from SRA and MG-RAST distributed across all oceans and several seas. Most samples were sequenced using Illumina sequencing technology (84.33%). More than 55% of the samples were collected from the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. About 40% of the samples had their biomes assigned as ‘ocean’. The ‘Quick Search’ and ‘Advanced Search’ tabs allow users to use different filters to select samples of interest dynamically in the web app. The interactive map allows the visualization of samples based on their location on the world map. The web app is also equipped with a novel download tool (on both Windows and Linux operating systems), that allows easy download of raw sequence data of selected samples from their respective repositories. As a use case, we demonstrated how to use the MarineMetagenomeDB web app to select estuarine metagenomes for potential large-scale microbial biogeography studies. Conclusion The MarineMetagenomeDB is a powerful resource for non-bioinformaticians to find marine metagenome samples with curated metadata and stimulate meta-studies involving marine microbiomes. Our user-friendly web app is publicly available at https://webapp.ufz.de/marmdb/ .

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae can lead to severe clinical complications and even death. An alternative treatment option for infected patients is using bacteriophages. In the present study, we isolated phage VB_KPM_KP1LMA (KP1LMA) from sewage water using a K. pneumoniae strain as a host. Whole-genome analysis indicated that the genome was a double-stranded linear 176,096-bp long DNA molecule with 41.8% GC content and did not contain virulence or antibiotic resistance genes. The inactivation potential of phage KP1LMA was assessed in broth at an MOI of 1 and 10, and a maximum inactivation of 4.9 and 5.4 log CFU/mL, respectively, was observed after 9 h. The efficacy at an MOI of 10 was also assessed in urine to evaluate the phage’s performance in an acidic environment. A maximum inactivation of 3.8 log CFU/mL was observed after 9 h. The results suggest that phage KP1LMA could potentially control a UTI caused by this strain of K. pneumoniae, indicating that the same procedure can be used to control UTIs caused by other strains if new specific phages are isolated. Although phage KP1LMA has a narrow host range, in the future, efforts can be made to expand its spectrum of activity and also to combine this phage with others, potentially enabling its use against other K. pneumoniae strains involved in UTIs.

We demonstrate an integrated photonic platform comprising a refractive index (RI) sensor based on Photonic Molecule (PM) that effectively mitigates the influence of environmental perturbations using a differential measurement scheme while providing high quality-factor (Q) resonances. The RI sensor consists of a partially unclad microdisk resonator coupled to an external clad microring resonator fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. We report a RI sensitivity of 24 nm/RIU, achieving a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.7 × 10-3 refractive index units (RIU) with improved stability for an operation range of 0.15 RIU in a compact footprint of 40 × 40 μm2, representing an important solution for real-life applications in which measurement conditions are not easily controllable.

Live feed enrichments are often used in fish larvicultures as an optimized source of essential nutrients to improve larval growth and survival. In addition to this, they may also play an important role in structuring larval-associated microbial communities and may help improve their resistance to diseases. However, there is limited information available on how larval microbial communities and larviculture water are influenced by different live feed enrichments. In the present study, we investigated the effects of two commercial rotifer enrichments (ER) on turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) larval and post-larval gut-associated bacterial communities during larviculture production. We evaluated their effects on bacterial populations related to known pathogens and beneficial bacteria and their potential influence on the composition of bacterioplankton communities during larval rearing. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to assess the effects of different rotifer enrichments (ER1 and ER2) on the structural diversity of bacterial communities of the whole turbot larvae 10 days after hatching (DAH), the post-larval gut 30 DAH, and the larviculture water. Our results showed that different rotifer feed enrichments were associated with significant differences in bacterial composition of turbot larvae 10 DAH, but not with the composition of larval gut communities 30 DAH or bacterioplankton communities 10 and 30 DAH. However, a more in-depth taxonomic analysis showed that there were significant differences in the abundance of Vibrionales in both 10 DAH larvae and in the 30 DAH post-larval gut fed different RE diets. Interestingly, the ER1 diet had a higher relative abundance of specific amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) related to potential Vibrio-antagonists belonging to the Roseobacter clade (e.g., Phaeobacter and Ruegeria at 10 DAH and Sulfitobacter at 30 DAH). In line with this, the diet was also associated with a lower relative abundance of Vibrio and a lower mortality. These results suggest that rotifer diets can affect colonization by Vibrio members in the guts of post-larval turbot. Overall, this study indicates that live feed enrichments can have modulatory effects on fish bacterial communities during the early stages of development, which includes the relative abundances of pathogenic and antagonist taxa in larviculture systems.

Marine microbiomes are prolific sources of bioactive natural products of potential pharmaceutical value. This study inspected two culture collections comprising 919 host-associated marine bacteria belonging to 55 genera and several thus-far unclassified lineages to identify isolates with potentially rich secondary metabolism and antimicrobial activities. Seventy representative isolates had their genomes mined for secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (SM-BGCs) and were screened for antimicrobial activities against four pathogenic bacteria and five pathogenic Candida strains. In total, 466 SM-BGCs were identified, with antimicrobial peptide- and polyketide synthase-related SM-BGCs being frequently detected. Only 38 SM-BGCs had similarities greater than 70% to SM-BGCs encoding known compounds, highlighting the potential biosynthetic novelty encoded by these genomes. Cross-streak assays showed that 33 of the 70 genome-sequenced isolates were active against at least one Candida species, while 44 isolates showed activity against at least one bacterial pathogen. Taxon-specific differences in antimicrobial activity among isolates suggested distinct molecules involved in antagonism against bacterial versus Candida pathogens. The here reported culture collections and genome-sequenced isolates constitute a valuable resource of understudied marine bacteria displaying antimicrobial activities and potential for the biosynthesis of novel secondary metabolites, holding promise for a future sustainable production of marine drug leads.

Photothermal effects have been pointed out as prominent sources of forces in optomechanical systems, competing with the standard radiation pressure interactions. In this article, we derive a novel and accurate model for the prediction of photothermal forces and establish how some previous proposals can be complemented to yield precise results. As a proof-of-concept, we perform numerical and experimental tests on GaAs microdisk cavities and obtain striking agreement with our framework, revealing the importance of considering surface photothermal forces and the effects of multiple thermal modes in microphotonic devices.

Here the authors holistically examine prokaryote communities associated with diverse coral reef hosts, including sponges, nudibranchs, sea cucumbers, and corals. The results show that sponges have a relatively low diversity of prokaryotes, most of which are shared across a wide range of host taxa rather than being sponge-specific.

Miniaturized optical spectrometers have widespread applications. In this work, the authors have developed a silicon-photonics-based, thermally-tuned Fourier transform spectrometer that overcomes technological challenges in silicon integration that may enable robust, broadband portable spectrometry.

We developed a model for an active optomechanical cavity embedding a semiconductor optical gain medium in the presence of dispersive and dissipative optomechanical couplings. Radiation pressure drives the mechanical oscillation and the back-action occurs due to the mechanical modulation of the cavity loss rate. Our numerical analysis utilizing this model shows that, even in a wideband gain material, such mechanism couples the mechanical vibration with the laser relaxation oscillation, enabling an effect of self-pulsed laser emission. In order to investigate this effect, we propose a bullseye-shaped device with high confinement of both the optical and the mechanical modes at the edge of a disk combined with a dissipative structure in its vicinity. The dispersive interaction is promoted by the strong photoelastic effect while the dissipative mechanism is governed by the boundary motion mechanism, enhanced by near-field interaction with the absorptive structure. This hybrid optomechanical device is shown to lead sufficient coupling for the experimental demonstration of the self-pulsed emission.

We propose and demonstrate a method to compensate insertion losses in Si photonics devices based on ring resonators fabricated in SOI foundries, with no additional chip area used. It consists in the employment of Er:Al2O3 as the upper cladding layer on standard Si/SiO2 rings, requiring only one simple post-processing step. The method is modeled in detail, and simulation results for single-ring configurations and photonic molecules are discussed, where the potential for loss reduction is predicted for different design choices based on the quality factor. We experimentally verify the viability of the method, obtaining an output power increase of 1 dB when a single-ring resonator is pumped. This value is increased when the method is applied to devices based on photonic molecules, where a value of 2.6 dB has been measured. This is equivalent to a loss reduction potential higher than 3 dB for a photonic molecule designed to achieve a quality factor of 50000.

Purpose: Our main purpose was to explore how collective job crafting relates to the meaning of work and the meaning-making processes. Originality/value: We explored the job crafting model to study the meaning of work at the collective level. But, while most job crafting studies focus on the relation between workers and tasks, we focused on the collective meaning-making that emerges from workers actively adapting tasks, significance, and relationships in their jobs. As for the practitioners, we alert for a possible trapdoor through which job crafting can fall back into plain hierarchical job design if it is not actively and autonomously engaged by workers. Design/methodology/approach: We used basic qualitative research to combine interpretative analysis (aligned with our topic and theoretical model) and the possibility to look into an interaction scenario (aligned with our objectives). Data was collected though informants’ responses to a semi-structured interview and analyzed using content analysis. Findings: We found out that workers shared an understanding of the problems of work meanings and engage in a quest to make sense of their work lives both 1. At the organizational level - arranging work in unorthodox ways -; and 2. At the interpersonal level - adhering to specific roles to attach meaning to work. Our findings shed light on new aspects of the job crafting model, particularly, on the meaning of work centrality to the model in collective job crafting experiences. Objetivo: Nosso objetivo principal foi explorar como o job crafting coletivo se relaciona com o significado do trabalho e com o processo de construção desse significado. Originalidade/valor: Nós exploramos o modelo de job crafting para estudar o significado do trabalho no nível coletivo. Porém, enquanto a maioria dos estudos sobre job crafting se concentra na relação entre os trabalhadores e as tarefas, nós focalizamos a construção coletiva de significado que emerge quando os trabalhadores alteram ativamente as tarefas, sua significância e seus relacionamentos no trabalho. Quanto aos profissionais, nós alertamos para a possível armadilha através da qual o job crafting pode ser reduzido a um simples job design hierarquizado, caso não ocorra de forma ativa e autônoma pelos trabalhadores. Design/metodologia/abordagem: Nós usamos um estudo qualitativo básico para combinar análise interpretativa (alinhada ao tópico de estudo e modelo teórico escolhido) e a possibilidade de examinar um cenário de interação (alinhado aos nossos objetivos). Os dados foram coletados através das respostas dos informantes a uma entrevista semi-estruturada e analisados usando a técnica de análise de conteúdo. Resultados: Nós verificamos que os trabalhadores compartilham um entendimento sobre os problemas com os significados do trabalho e se engajam em uma missão para dar sentido às suas vidas profissionais tanto 1. No nível organizacional - arranjando o trabalho de maneiras não ortodoxas; e 2. No nível interpessoal - aderindo a papeis específicos para dar significado ao trabalho. Nossos achados lançam luz sobre novos aspectos do modelo de job crafting, particularmente sobre a centralidade do trabalho no modelo quando se trata de experiências de job crafting coletivo.

Presentation of papers from the Behavioral Finance Forum.

We have fabricated highly luminescent samples with erbium-doped amorphous silicon suboxide $(a\hbox{-SiO}_{x} \langle \hbox{Er}\rangle)$ layers on $\hbox{SiO}_{2}/\hbox{Si}$ substrates. The layers are designed to provide a resonance with large modal overlap with the active material and with low quality factor (Q-factor) at 1540 nm. Also, the structure has higher Q-factor resonances in the wavelength range between 800 and 1000 nm. Within this range, strong light emission from $a\hbox{-SiO}_{x}$ defect-related radiative centers and emission from the $\hbox{Er}^{3+}\,{}^{4}{ \rm I}_{11/2} - ^{4}{\rm I}_{15/2}$ optical transition (980 nm) are observed. A twofold and fourfold improvement in photoluminescence (PL) intensity are achieved in the wavelength ranges between 800 and 1000 nm and between 1500 and 1600 nm (region of $\hbox{Er}^{3+}\,{}^{4}{\rm I}_{13/2} - {}^{4}{\rm I}_{15/2}$ transition), respectively, when compared to the $a\hbox{-SiO}_{x} \langle \hbox{Er} \rangle$ active material deposited directly on Si substrate. The latter higher PL intensity enhancement is apparently caused by optical pumping at 980 nm (higher Q-factor) with subsequent emission from the ${}^{4}{\rm I}_{15/2}$ level in the low Q-factor resonance at 1540 nm. Further, five times increase of this emission at 1540 nm is obtained after optimized temperature annealing. The temperature-induced quenching in the PL intensity indicates distinct deactivation energies related to different types of Er centers which are more or less coupled to defects depending on the thermal treatment temperature

This paper is a summary of a lecture in which I presented some remarks on Gödel’s incompleteness theorems and their meaning for the foundations of physics. The entire lecture will appear elsewhere.

Phage therapy may represent a viable alternative to antibiotics to inactivate fish pathogenic bacteria. Its use, however, requires the awareness of novel kinetics phenomena not applied to conventional drug treatments. The main objective of this work was to isolate bacteriophages with potential to inactivate fish pathogenic bacteria, without major effects on the structure of natural bacterial communities of aquaculture waters. The survival was determined in marine water, through quantification by the soft agar overlay technique. The host specificity was evaluated by cross infection. The ecological impact of phage addition on the structure of the bacterial community was evaluated by DGGE of PCR amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments. The survival period varied between 12 and 91 days, with a higher viability for Aeromonas salmonicida phages. The phages of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and of A. salmonicida infected bacteria of different families with a high efficacy of plating. The specific phages of pathogenic bacteria had no detectable impact on the structure of the bacterial community. In conclusion, V. parahaemolyticus and A. salmonicida phages show good survival time in marine water, have only a moderated impact on the overall bacterial community structure and the desired specificity for host pathogenic bacteria, being potential candidates for therapy of fish infectious diseases in marine aquaculture systems.

This paper is a historical companion to a previous one, in which it was studied the so-called abstract Galois theory as formulated by the Portuguese mathematician José Sebastião e Silva (see da Costa, Rodrigues (2007)). Our purpose is to present some applications of abstract Galois theory to higher-order model theory, to discuss Silva's notion of expressibility and to outline a classical Galois theory that can be obtained inside the two versions of the abstract theory, those of Mark Krasner and of Silva. Some comments are made on the universal theory of (set-theoretic) structures.

Despite a highly debated subject abroad since the 1960s, mainly in the U.S., the literature about the time series properties of earnings is practically nonexistent in Brazil. Thus, this paper is designed to fill this gap by analyzing the time series behavior of quarterly earnings (operating and net) of a sample of 109 Brazilian listed companies during the period 1995 to 2008. To perform the study, we used five models of earnings forecasting that were previously estimated in the international literature, here called common-structure models, as well as using the Box and Jenkins (BJ) method to verify the possibility of finding a model appropriate to the conditions of the Brazilian market. Empirical evidence is provided showing that only operating earnings can be predicted. It is not possible to apply BJ method to predict net income, as it presents a random behavior, described by a random walk with drift. Also, it is not possible to identify any common-structure ARIMA model for all companies. A model should be identified individually for each company.

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has emerged in the clinical field as a potential alternative to antibiotics to treat microbial infections. No cases of microbial viability recovery or any resistance mechanisms against it are yet known. 5,10,15-tris(1-Methylpyridinium-4-yl)-20-(pentafluorophenyl)-porphyrin triiodide (Tri-Py+-Me-PF) was used as photosensitizer. Vibrio fischeri and recombinant Escherichia coli were the studied bacteria. To determine the bacterial recovery after treatment, Tri-Py+-Me-PF (5.0 µM) was added to bacterial suspensions and the samples were irradiated with white light (40 W m-2) for 270 minutes. Then, the samples were protected from light, aliquots collected at different intervals and the bioluminescence measured. To assess the development of resistance after treatment, bacterial suspensions were exposed to white light (25 minutes), in presence of 5.0 μM of Tri-Py+-Me-PF (99.99% of inactivation) and plated. After the first irradiation period, surviving colonies were collected from the plate and resuspended in PBS. Then, an identical protocol was used and repeated ten times for each bacterium. The results suggest that aPDT using Tri-Py+-Me-PF represents a promising approach to efficiently destroy bacteria since after a single treatment these microorganisms do not recover their viability and after ten generations of partially photosensitized cells neither of the bacteria develop resistance to the photodynamic process.

I discuss some questions of quantum physics, for instance the validity and limitations of the basic language of set theory to deal with problems related to elementary particles. I also present a sketch of a formalization of a “metaphysics of structures”, which might be useful for a kind of “ontic structural realism”, and briefly review the concept of quasi-truth, which underlies my way of understanding scientific theories and the scientific activity.

In view of the present state of development of non classical logic, especially of paraconsistent logic, a new stand regarding the relations between logic and ontology is defended In a parody of a dictum of Quine, my stand May be summarized as follows. To be is to be the value of a variable a specific language with a given underlying logic Yet my stand differs from Quine’s, because, among other reasons, I accept some first order heterodox logics as genuine alternatives to classical logic I also discuss some questions of non classical logic to substantiate my argument, and suggest that may position complements and extends some ideas advanced by L Apostel.

A viabilidade e a eficiência da implantação de um programa comunitário relativo à deficiência de desidrogenase de 6-fosfato de glicose foram investigadas em uma população brasileira (Bragança Paulista, SP). A comunidade foi abordada a partir dos seus doadores de sangue, examinando-se 4.621 indivíduos do sexo masculino e diagnosticando-se 80 portadores da alteração genética. O índice de positividade na amostra foi de 1,7%, a taxa de aceitação à orientação genética oferecida em caráter opcional atingiu 61% e a percentagem de assimilação satisfatória dos deficientes de desidrogenase de 6-fosfato de glicose quanto às informações fornecidas foi de 81%. A análise molecular demonstrou a presença quase que exclusiva na comunidade da variante A- ou Africana de desidrogenase de 6-fosfato de glicose, relativamente benigna do ponto de vista clínico. Com um baixo custo anual, foi possível diagnosticar e orientar de forma ética um número significativo de famílias com a deficiência de desidrogenase de 6-fosfato de glicose, além de iniciar a educação da comunidade a respeito do problema.This study tested the viability and efficiency of a glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency program in which a Brazilian community ¾ the town of Bragança Paulista, SP (Brazil) was involved. The screening was done among blood donors and the diagnosis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency was confirmed through enzymatic quantification and through electrophoresis of the enzyme. A total of 4,621 individuals were tested over a period of 36 months. A total of 80 individuals with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency were detected ¾ 1,7% of the samples examined. The acceptance rate to the optional genetic orientation got to 61% and the percentage of good assimilation concerning the offered information was 81%. The molecular analysis demonstrated the presence, almost exclusive, in the community of the A- or African variant, a benign mutation. With a verity low annual cost, it was possible not only to make diagnosis and to advise a significant number of families with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, but also to start the education of the community towards this problem.

Foram testadas a viabilidade e a eficiência de um programa comunitário de investigação em hemoglobinopatias, focalizando estudantes de primeiro e segundo graus, de Bragança Paulista, Estado de São Paulo, (Brasil). A triagem das hemoglobinopatias foi oferecida em caráter opcional, sendo realizada pela eletroforese de hemoglobinas e exames hematológicos complementares. Em um período de 24 meses foram examinados 1.118 estudantes e 53 parentes dos mesmos, em um total de 1.171 pessoas. Foram diagnosticados 47 indivíduos com alterações hereditárias da hemoglobina ( 4,0% da amostra examinada). A comunidade de estudantes mostrou razoável receptividade ao programa, com índice geral de aceitação à realização dos exames laboratoriais de 55,4%. A investigação despertou o interesse da comunidade, levando à implantação de um serviço especializado de diagnóstico, orientação e tratamento de hemoglobinopatias hereditárias na cidade onde a pesquisa foi realizada.

Photonic systems based on microring resonators have a fundamental constraint given by the strict relationship among free spectral range, total quality factor QT , and resonator size, intrinsically making filter spacing, photonic lifetime, and footprint interdependent. Here, we break this paradigm employing CMOS-compatible silicon-on-insulator photonic molecules based on coupled multiple inner ring resonators. The resonance wavelengths and their respective linewidths are controlled by the hybridization of the quasi-orthogonal photonic states. We demonstrate photonic molecules with doublet and triplet resonances with spectral splitting only achievable with single-ring orders of magnitude larger in footprint. In addition, this splitting is potentially controllable based on the coupling (bonds) between resonators. Finally, the spatial distribution of the hybrid states allows up to sevenfold QT enhancement.