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Scedosporium apiospermum is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause pulmonary infections in both immunosuppressive and immunocompetent patients. Cytokines are molecules that mediate the immune response to promote or eliminate fungal infections. In this work, we evaluated the cytokines profile in the lung and serum of mice infected with Scedosporium apiospermum. We found early production of IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α cytokines in the lung of infected mice during the first 5 days of infection. We suggest that release of pro-inflammatory cytokines could play a role in the control of fungal invasion.

Neste trabalho, iremos apresentar os resultados do nosso projeto de intervenção acerca do gênero notícia, realizado durante o Programa de Residência Pedagógica, no Instituto Federal de Pernambuco (IFPE), no ano de 2019. A proposta consistiu na produção de notícias, com base na sequência didática de gêneros da Escola de Genebra. O objetivo principal é verificar os impactos dessa metodologia na produção textual dos alunos, a partir de um processo de avaliação formativa, comparando as produções iniciais e finais. Tomamos como critérios de análise: a adequação ao tema e ao gênero, os indícios de autoria, a informatividade, a articulação e a progressão textual e a adequação linguístico-gramatical. Os resultados indicam que houve um progresso efetivo dos alunos em relação à estruturação do gênero e à compreensão de sua função social, mostrando que a metodologia genebrina é um caminho eficaz para o letramento a partir dos gêneros.

Introduction Niemann-Pick C (NPC) is an autosomal recessive disease due to defective NPC1 or NPC2 proteins resulting in endo-lysosomal storage of unesterified cholesterol in the central nervous system and liver. Acute liver disease in the newborn period may be self-limited or fatal. 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (2HPBCD) is a cholesterol-binding agent that reduces lysosomal cholesterol storage. We have enrolled 3 infants 0–6 months old with direct hyperbilirubinemia due to NPC1 or NPC2 liver disease in a Phase I/II open label clinical trial of intravenous 2HPBCD. Methods Infants received intravenous 2HPBCD twice a week for 6 weeks, followed by monthly infusion for 6-months. Primary outcome measure was reduction of plasma (3β,5α,6β-trihydroxy-cholan-24-oyl) glycine (TCG), a bile acid generated from cholesterol sequestered in lysosome. Results Three participants completed this protocol. A fourth patient received intravenous 2HPBCD under an emergency investigational new drug study but later expired from her underlying condition. The three protocol patients are living and have improved liver enzymes and TCG. No patient has experienced a drug-related adverse event. Conclusion Intravenous 2HPBCD was tolerated in three infants with liver disease due to NPC.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most significant current public health crisis.We conducted a retrospective case series, including patients under 18 years of age admitted to respiratory triage and hospitalized with COVID-19 infection in two hospital centers. Epidemiological, clinical, laboratory and radiological findings were documented. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). For the analysis, patients were classified into three groups: no comorbidities, immunocompromised, and with chronic disease.Fifty-four patients with COVID-19 were identified: 40 (74.1%) were admitted through respiratory triage. Of these, 28 (70%) were hospitalized, and 14 (25.9%) were already in the hospital. In addition, 26 (48.1%) presented comorbidities. A mild clinical course was observed in 14 cases (53.7%). The mean age was 6 years, with an interquartile range from 11 months to 13 years. The male sex was more frequent, representing 59.3%. Fever was the most common symptom in 74% of the patients. Lymphopenia was observed in 28.6%, and 69.3% had elevated C-reactive protein. Ground glass injuries were documented in 30.9% of COVID-19 cases; 11.1% of the patients required mechanical ventilation and vasopressor treatment.Fever was the main symptom, and mild infection was the principal presentation. In hospitalized patients with some comorbidity and COVID-19, the disease was more severe, with a high percentage of mortality.La pandemia de COVID-19 es la mayor crisis de salud pública actual.Análisis de una serie de casos retrospectiva de pacientes menores de 18 años que ingresaron al triaje respiratorio y de pacientes hospitalizados con COVID-19 en dos centros hospitalarios. Se registraron variables epidemiológicas, clínicas, de laboratorio y radiológicas. El diagnóstico de COVID-19 fue confirmado por reacción en cadena de la polimerasa con transcriptasa inversa en tiempo real (RT-PCR). Para el análisis, los pacientes se clasificaron en tres grupos: sin comorbilidad, inmunocomprometidos y con enfermedad crónica.Se identificaron 54 pacientes con COVID-19, de los cuales 40 (74.1%) ingresaron por el triaje respiratorio y, de estos, 28 (70%) fueron hospitalizados y 14 (25.9%) ya estaban hospitalizados; 26 pacientes (48.1%) presentaban comorbilidad. El curso clínico leve se observó con mayor frecuencia, en 14 casos (53.7%). La mediana de edad fue de 6 años (rango intercuartílico: 11 meses a 13 años). El sexo masculino fue más frecuente, con el 59.3%. La fiebre fue el síntoma más común, en el 74% de los pacientes. Se observó linfocitopenia en el 28.6%, y el 69.3% presentaron elevación de la proteína C reactiva. Las lesiones en vidrio esmerilado se documentaron en el 30.9% de los casos y el 11.1% de los pacientes requirieron ventilación mecánica y tratamiento vasopresor.La fiebre fue el síntoma principal y la presentación leve de la enfermedad fue la más frecuente. En los pacientes hospitalizados con alguna comorbilidad e infectados por COVID-19, la gravedad de la enfermedad fue mayor, con un alto porcentaje de mortalidad.

The Corporation of Science and Technology for the Development of the Maritime and Fluvial Shipbuilding Industry COTECMAR has been using for more than 4 years the process of electric arc thermal projection with commercial materials such as 530AS, 560AS and 140MXC to mitigate corrosion phenomena and wear of the different devices that make up the boats. The problem lies in mixing these materials (140MXC-530AS and 140MXC-560AS) to produce dissimilar coatings, making it more difficult to optimize the process, whose problem lies in the parameterization of the arc-beam thermal imaging equipment. In the first phase of the project, a Taguchi L9 (34-2) model (fractional factorial orthogonal arrangement) was used to produce the coatings, taking into account the projection parameters of the equipment such as current (A), voltage (V) Primary air pressure (Pp) and secondary air pressure (Ps), which were considered as input variables or experiments for the optimization process. Subsequently the coatings were characterized by techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and microhardness to take these data as attributes or output of results in order to obtain the minimization of the size of the projected particles (corrosion) and the microhardness maximization of the coatings (wear). Symbolic regression was used as a technique for obtaining the mathematical models (objective functions), which was done through the "Eureqa Formulize-Desktop" program, because it is considered very complex the modeling of all input variables by conventional mathematical methods. The adaptation of the NSGA-II Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm was performed through a structured programming in "Matlab", being able to verify that the optimal Pareto fronts obtained in the runs with this Algorithm meet the requirements of the objective functions which are related with the attributes of the selected coatings.

Las flores de calabaza son conocidas por su beneficio para la salud. Son una buena fuente de nutrientes esenciales, vitaminas y minerales, su comercialización es limitada debido a daños poscosecha. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto de secado en lecho fluidizado sobre la cinética de humedad, actividad de agua, color y las propiedades térmicas de la flor de calabaza. El secado se realizó a 50 y 70 ºC. Los resultados al final del proceso mostraron diferencias significativas en el análisis de color, mientras que en la humedad y actividad de agua no fueron significativas a 110 min de secado. Las propiedades térmicas mostraron una disminución debido principalmente a la pérdida de agua de la flor de calabaza durante el secado. Las propiedades fisicoquímicas y térmicas del secado de flores de calabaza ayudan a encontrar las mejores condiciones para obtener un producto de alta calidad y mayor estabilidad durante el almacenamiento.

Storytelling provides a platform to learn, publish and share your science. Framing information into a compelling story can be a useful tool to disseminate your data and share your passion for science, to make a greater impact with your research and to advance your career. Rafael Luna uses his own experiences to illustrate the power of storytelling as a tool to share your science and advance your career.

To assess the health-related quality of life of children and adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD). This is a cross-sectional study carried out with 97 male and female patients aged 5 to 18 years with clinical and laboratory diagnosis of SCD, seen at the Hematology and Hemotherapy Hospital of Pernambuco. The Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM questionnaires, version 4.0 – child/adolescent report – were applied. Most patients were female (76.3%), had sickle cell anemia (89.7%) and mixed race (59.8%). There was a significant association in the psychosocial domain between age groups 5 to 7 (72.10) and 8 to 12 years (p≤0.05), the latter of which had the worst quality of life score (65.36). There were significant differences between sexes only in patients aged 13 to 18 years for physical functioning and for the overall mean of the domains. The means in both cases were higher in female patients than in male ones (70.89 x 56.88 for physical functioning and 71.72 x 59.77 for the overall mean of the domains). Poor quality of life was observed among children and adolescents with SCD, with negative impacts according to age and sex. Analizar la calidad de vida relacionada a la salud de niños y adolescentes con enfermedad falciforme (EF). Este es um estudio transversal realizado con 97 pacientes de entre 5 y 18 años con diagnóstico clínico y de laboratorio de EF, de ambos sexos, atendidos en el Hospital de Hematología y Hemoterapia de Pernambuco, Brasil. Se aplicaron los cuestionarios del Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, versión 4.0 - Informe del niño / adolescente. La mayoría de los pacientes fueron de sexo femenino (76,3%), presentaban anemia de células falciformes (89,7%) y pertenecian a un grupo etnico mixto (59,8%). Hubo una asociación significativa en la dimensión psicosocial entre el grupo de edad de 5 a 7 años (72,10) y el de 8 a 12 años (p≤0,05) – este último presentó una peor puntuación de calidad de vida (65,36). En cuanto al sexo, las únicas diferencias significativas se dieron en el grupo de edad de 13 a 18 años en la variable dimensión física y en la media de las dimensiones, siendo los promedios en ambos casos superiores en mujeres que en hombres (70,89 vs. 56,88 en la dimensión física y 71,72 vs. 59,77 en la media de las dimensiones). La calidad de vida de los niños y adolescentes con EF se encuentra deteriorada y perjudicada, pudiendo haber interferencias negativas según la edad y el sexo. Analisar a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde de crianças e adolescentes com doença falciforme (DF). Trata-se de um estudo transversal realizado com 97 pacientes na faixa etária entre cinco e 18 anos com diagnóstico clínico e laboratorial de DF, de ambos os sexos, atendidos no Hospital de Hematologia e Hemoterapia de Pernambuco. Foram aplicados os questionários Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, versão 4.0 - relato da criança/adolescente. A maioria dos pacientes era do sexo feminino (76,3%), apresentava anemia falciforme (89,7%) e de etnia parda (59,8%). Houve associação significativa na dimensão psicossocial entre a faixa etária 5 a 7 (72,10) e de 8 a 12 anos (p≤0,05), esta última com um pior score de qualidade de vida (65,36). Em relação ao sexo, as únicas diferenças significativas ocorreram na faixa etária de 13 a 18 anos na variável de dimensão física e na média das dimensões, sendo as médias nos dois casos mais elevadas no sexo feminino do que no masculino (70,89 x 56,88 na dimensão física e 71,72 x 59,77 na média das dimensões). A qualidade de vida das crianças e dos adolescentes com DF encontra-se prejudicada, podendo haver interferências negativas de acordo com a faixa etária e o sexo.

The 9H-xanthene derivatives, like PW2, displayed a wide spectrum of bioactivities. Herein, we reported a rapid and simple synthetic route for compounds containing the xanthenic moiety in their structure and amides. The efficient preparation of novel 1,8-dioxo-2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-octahydro-1-xanthen-9-yl- acetic acid alkyl esters by multicomponent tandem Michael-cyclization reactions starting from cyclohexanediones and alkynes is described. Iodine and cerium (IV) ammonium nitrate were used for the oxidative aromatization step proving a series of 1,8-mono and dialkoxy-alkyl-xanthenyl-9-yl acetic acid esters in good yields. The proposed mechanism for the oxidative aromatization involves several organic transformations. The final step was the incorporation of an amide to mimic the PW2 structure that was prepared by hydrolysis of the esters, followed by the amide formation using N,N-dimethyl-1,3- propandiamine, and benzylamine. Fil: Forastieri, Pamela Soledad. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Química Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Química Rosario; Argentina Fil: Luna, Liliana Edith. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Química Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Química Rosario; Argentina Fil: Cravero, Raquel Maria. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Química Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Química Rosario; Argentina Fil: Labadie, Guillermo Roberto. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Química Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Química Rosario; Argentina

In this chapter, we present and evaluate exact methods and lower and upper bounding procedures for a class of territory design problems. Most territory design problems, as the one studied in this chapter, consider requirements of compactness, contiguity, and balance with respect to one or more activity measures, for example, number of customers and sales volume in the case of commercial territories, voting potential equality in the case of political territories, workload balance when designing service territories, etc. To obtain solutions with compact territories, a minisum objective function equivalent to the objective function of the p-median problem is used. The exact solution methods presented here use different relaxations of integer linear programming formulations of the problem. Additionally, two methodologies to obtain upper bounds (feasible solutions) are presented. The first one uses the relaxation of an integer quadratic programming formulation. The second methodology obtains feasible solutions using a primal heuristic within the framework of a subgradient optimization algorithm to solve a Lagrangian dual that also provides lower bounds for the optimal solution. Instances obtained from the literature are used to evaluate and compare the different methodologies presented.

Objective: This study analyzes dental surgeons’ knowledge and clinical practice regarding sickle cell disease (SCD) at Family Health Units in Recife, northeastern Brazil. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a representative sample of dentists using a standardized questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results: Out of 132 eligible dental surgeons, 124 (93.9%) were interviewed. Most of them were women (81.5%), aged between 28 and 39 years (53.2%), with more than 15 years of experience (52.4%). A percentage of 89.5% knew the definition and oral manifestations (53.2%) of the disease, but only 17.7% knew the dental care protocol. It was verified that 13.6% of the dentists who knew how to conduct the treatment had acquired this knowledge during their undergraduate studies. Conclusion: Regarding clinical practice, 71.8% said they would treat patients with SCD; however, 67.7% had never done that. Most dentists felt confident of performing dental procedures (82%) and their major difficulty was their lack of knowledge about the disease (57.1%). The findings suggest the need for the implementation of public policies for improving the qualification of dental surgeons who work in primary healthcare, thus minimizing risks during the dental care of SCD patients.

O objetivo deste trabalho e investigar a nocao de generos construida pela Olimpiada de Lingua Portuguesa Escrevendo o Futuro (OLPEF), observando como se da o processo de apropriacao e de reelaboracao dos pressupostos bakhtinianos acerca dos generos do discurso, tidos como uma das principais balizas teoricas desse Programa. A analise e centrada nos documentos dedicados ao genero cronica, por nos escolhido, dentre os outros explorados pela OLPEF, devido a sua constituicao discursiva ambivalente, jornalistica e literaria. Para tanto, sao considerados documentos relativos a 5a edicao da OLPEF, realizada em 2016: textos publicitarios, Caderno do Professor e outros textos de cunho pedagogico na medida em que tratam dos objetos de nossa pesquisa, os generos e a cronica. Esse estudo esta alicercado nos escritos de Bakhtin e de estudiosos contemporâneos de suas obras, bem como incursiona na proposta teorico-metodologica da Escola de Genebra, por tambem ser referendada pela OLPEF como um de seus pilares. Os resultados apontam para uma oscilacao teorica nas concepcoes apresentadas sobre genero e para uma sobreposicao da perspectiva genebrina frente aos preceitos bakhtinianos no tratamento dado a cronica.

The presence of dangerous pollutants in different water sources has restricted the availability of this natural resource. Thus, the development of new low-cost and environmentally-friendly technologies is currently required to ensure access to clean water. Various approaches to the recovery of contaminated water have been considered, including the generation of biomaterials with adsorption capacity for dangerous compounds. Research on bioadsorbents has boomed in recent years, as they constitute one of the most sustainable options for water treatment thanks to their abundance and high cellulose content. Thanks to the vast amount of information published to date, the present review addresses the current status of different biosorbents and the principal processes and characterization methods involved, focusing on base biomaterials such as fruits and vegetables, grains and seeds, and herbage and forage. In comparison to other reviews, this work reports more than 60 adsorbents obtained from agricultural wastes. The removal efficiencies and/or maximum adsorption capacities for heavy metals, industrial contaminants, nutrients and pharmaceuticals are presented as well. In addition to the valuable information provided in the literature investigation, challenges and perspectives concerning the implementation of bioadsorbents are discussed in order to comprehensively guide selection of the most suitable biomaterials according to the target contaminant and the available biowastes.

We consider the concept of the Hausdorff analyticity for functions ranged in real algebras and the corresponding notion of the Hausdorff derivative. Both apply to the real algebra $$\mathbb {H}$$ of Hamilton’s quaternions. The main aim of the work is to compare them with the well-known classes of $$\mathbb {H}$$ -valued functions which have their own definitions of the derivative.

In this work, we evaluate the effect of the novel symmetric multicycle rapid thermal annealing (SMRTA) process on both Mg ion implanted and non-implanted thick unintentionally doped GaN drift layers for vertical power devices. The typical p-type behavior and restoration of implant damage are observed in implanted samples, but on non-implanted samples a reduction in background carrier concentration and associated reduction in leakage current and increase in breakdown voltage is observed. This indicates that the capping/annealing process itself is not detrimental to the crystal, and the annihilation of native point defects in the process has beneficial effects for device structures.

The availability of high quality, free-standing GaN substrates enables new device applications in III-nitrides, especially for vertical device structures. With the introduction of these native substrates, the properties of nitrides are no longer dominated by defects introduced by heteroepitaxial growth. However, additional materials challenges are coming to the forefront that need to be understood and surmounted in order to allow homoepitaxial devices to achieve their full potential. In this paper, 2 μm of UID GaN are grown simultaneously by MOCVD on three commercially sourced 2″ HVPE wafers. By doing so, the substrates are exposed to the exact same growth conditions and the influence of the substrate can be unambiguously identified. The results are presented in regards to the effects of the substrates on epitaxial film morphology, uniformity, impurity incorporation, substrate/epitaxy interface, and electrical properties.

Recent advances in SiC substrate quality and in the development of high aspect ratio reactive ion etching of SiC microstructures [1] have increased SiC fabrication feasibility and its potential for adaption in scalable optoelectronics [2] and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). SiC is a wide band gap semiconductor that is suitable for high-power, high-temperature, highly reactive and mechanically strenuous environments. While the ability of SiC to withstand extreme conditions is desirable for harsh applications, it is this same durability that instigates restrictions or difficulties in SiC processing that are not present for Si; however, such process challenges do not outweigh the benefits of SiC. This work specifically tackles the processing challenges for SiC MEMS based on semiconductor-on-insulator structures. The importance of this topic can be viewed through the success of silicon-on-insulator (SOI); SOI wafers expanded the versatility of Si technology by enabling devices with increased switching speed and increased radiation hardness [3] as well as a platform for MEMS devices [4]. In the same vein, silicon carbide-on-insulator (SiCOI) wafers cast an even wider net, enabling SiC MEMS technology that leverages standard Si-based bulk micromachining processes [5] to produce unique device performance [6] and releasable microstructures [7]. However, in progressing towards monolithic SiC MEMS, feasible SiC wafer bonding techniques along with deep etching of high aspect ratio SiC microstructures is still needed to level the playing field between Si and SiC processing capabilities. In this work, the use of Si is avoided entirely and a high-yield wafer bonding and etch process of SiC/Insulator/SiC stacks is presented. The replacement of Si with SiC as a handle wafer allows for the design of all SiC-based MEMS devices for high shock resistant and temperature applications. The fabrication process begins with a thorough cleaning of 4H-SiC wafers followed by SiO2 deposition with a tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) precursor via low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) at 750 °C. The oxide covered wafers were annealed to 1100 °C for 2 hours to densify and outgas the oxide. The SiO2 (up to 4 µm) on the Si-face was then chemically mechanically polished down to a final thickness of 3 µm thickness and a root-mean squared (RMS) roughness < 0.5 nm suitable for bonding (Figure 1). Prior to bonding, the wafers undergo additional cleaning processes to ensure a clean bonding interface. Direct wafer bonding of the Si faces of two SiC wafers was achieved in a class-100 cleanroom using a modified plasma bonding technique. The bonding was initiated by applying a local force to the center of the aligned wafers; the bond then propagates from the center to the wafer edge. Additionally, a post bond anneal at 1100 °C was used to achieve fusion strength. The bonded SiC wafers were electroplated with 1.7 - 2 μm Ni hard mask [1] and then diced into 10 mm x 10 mm coupons for anti-bosch etch experiments to produce deep SiC trenches [8]. An anti-bosch process describes a recipe that alternates between two SF6/O2 segments; one segment is designed to etch SiC, while the other segment is designed to remove sidewall passivation. This is contrary to the well-established Bosch process for Si which uses one segment to etch Si and the other to passivate the sidewalls. The anti-bosch process for SiC was designed to etch through the device layer and stop on the buried oxide; after which, the hard mask and seed metals were removed. Lastly, the etched microstructures were released with vapor hydrofluoric acid (HF). Figure 2 summarizes the process flow and Figure 3 shows the etch results achieved on 4H-SiC and 4H-SiC/SiO2/4H-SiC samples. The efficacy of the outlined process is demonstrated through successful actuation of fabricated structures (Figure 4). Overall, this work demonstrates a process for effective SiC wafer bonding and SiC etching in the presence of buried oxide in order to fabricate high-aspect ratio SiC MEMS. [1] L.E. Luna, et al. ECS J. Solid State Sci. Technol. 6, p. 207 (2017). [2] J.D. Caldwell, et al. Nano Lett. 13, p. 3690 (2013). [3] G.K. Celler and S. Cristoloveanu, J. Appl. Phys. 93, p. 4955 (2003). [4] E. Cook, et al. Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Workshop, June 2018. [5] R. Candler, et al. IEEE Transactions on Advanced Packaging 23, p. 227 (2003). [6] H-I. Kuo, et al. Proceedings of Transducers, Boston, MA, p. 742 (2003) [7] H.A. Moghadam, A. A. Orouji, A. Dideban, Semicond. Sci. Technol. 27, 015001 (2012). [8] L.E. Luna, et al. J. Micromech. Microeng. 27, 095004 (2017). Figure 1

Quantum technology is a field of significant interest that will benefit many applications including communications and sensing. SiC is a promising material for quantum applications such as quantum memories, due to point defects, specifically VSi, in the material, which result in long spin coherence times. We have found that no VSiare present in our epitaxially grown unintentionally and nitrogen-doped 4H-SiC with electron concentrations ranging from 1014to 1018cm-3. We create these vacancies using electron irradiation, in concentrations from single defects to ensembles. To utilize the defect luminescence for realistic applications, we have fabricated the SiC into photonic crystal arrays. We present the processing steps required to create photonic crystal cavities in SiC and subsequent challenges.

We study Gleason’s problem, rational functions and spaces of regular functions in the setting of split-quaternions. There are two natural symmetries in the algebra of split-quaternions. The first symmetry allows to define positive matrices with split-quaternionic entries, and also reproducing Hilbert spaces of regular functions. The second leads to reproducing kernel Krein spaces.

The atomic-level resolution of scanning transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is used for structural characterization of nanomaterials, but the resolution afforded by TEM also enables electronic characterization of defects in these materials through electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). Here, the power of EELS is harnessed to characterize the local band gap of inclusion defects in hexagonal silicon carbide nanowires with a high density of stacking faults. The band gaps we extract from the EELS data align within 0.1 eV of expected values for hexagonal silicon carbide and stacking faults within hexagonal silicon carbide. These experiments show that individual cubic phase inclusions in hexagonal silicon carbide significantly alter the local electronic structure, in particular, the band gap, in contrast to the polarizability tensor that retains the characteristic signature of the global hexagonal crystal structure.

Dynamic adsorption of a zwitterionic-type surfactant cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine on limestone cores at oil reservoir conditions, i.e., under 2000 psi pressure, 130 °C temperature, and in the presence of seawater with 30 800 ppm NaCl, has been studied through core-flood displacement tests and in the absence of oil, at an injection rate of 120 cm3·h–1 up to 60 pore volumes (PV). The amount of adsorbed surfactant has been determined from mass balance by calculating its concentration through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The normalized surfactant concentrations (NSC) have been used in terms of the PV, and then they are obtained the corresponding dynamic adsorption curves. Dynamic adsorption isotherm curves of the zwitterionic surfactant diluted in seawater showed a steep rise between 1 and 3 pore volumes (PV), and the saturation conditions were kept up to 60 PV. An average surfactant adsorption of 0.1138 ± 0.0126 mg·g–1 was determined. Quantum theoretical studies show that the electronic e...

In this study, a hybrid heuristic is proposed for the Manufacturing Cell Formation Problem considering part processing sequence. The hybrid heuristic is based on a GRASP heuristic and then it uses ...

Non-albicans Candida species have acquired relevance in the last decades as a cause of serious disease. The virulence factors and antifungal susceptibility of these rare pathogens remain largely unrecognized. We examined a total of 50 yeast isolates corresponding to 11 different infrequently isolated yeast species for their in vitro enzymatic profile and susceptibility pattern as first-line antifungals. We found aspartyl protease activity for 100% of the isolates tested as well as variable DNAse, hemolysin, phospholipase and esterase activities. All strains had low MICs for amphotericin B and showed a variable response to fluconazole (0.125–32 µg/mL) and the echinocandins tested (0.25–> 8 µg/mL).

The pale summer sedge caddisfly, Limnephilus hyalinus Hagen, 1861 (Limnephilidae, the Northern Caddisflies), is widespread in North America. Genome skimming by Illumina sequencing allowed assembly ...