The population density of Lymnaea columella (Say, 1817) (Mollusca, Lymnaeidae) an intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica (Linnaeus, 1758), in the Caparaó microregion, ES, Brazil.

The aim of this study was to monitor the population density of Lymnaea columella, an intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica, in various aquatic habitats and in drinking water in the area of the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Espírito Santo, on Caparaó Microregion, municipality of Alegre, state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Monthly samplings were performed at certain points between drainage areas and drinking water in cattle and goat production systems during the years 2010 to 2013. The mean temperature, precipitation and the frequency of samples of L.

Bird and ant synergy increases the seed dispersal effectiveness of an ornithochoric shrub.

Seed dispersal may involve different vectors of dispersal in two or more sequential phases (i.e., diplochory).

Lung transplantation: overall approach regarding its major aspects.

Lung transplantation is a well-established treatment for patients with advanced lung disease. The evaluation of a candidate for transplantation is a complex task and involves a multidisciplinary team that follows the patient beyond the postoperative period. Currently, the mean time on the waiting list for lung transplantation in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, is approximately 18 months.

STEM-EDX tomography of bimetallic nanoparticles: A methodological investigation.

This paper presents an investigation of the limitations and optimisation of energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) tomography within the scanning transmission electron microscope, focussing on application of the technique to characterising the 3D elemental distribution of bimetallic AgAu nanoparticles. The detector collection efficiency when using a standard tomography holder is characterised using a tomographic data set from a single nanoparticle and compared to a standard low background double tilt holder. Optical depth profiling is used to investigate the angles and origin of detector shadowing as a function of specimen field of view.

Theoretical Design and Experimental Realization of Quasi Single Electron Enhancement in Plasmonic Catalysis.

By a combination of theoretical and experimental design, we probed the effect of a quasi-single electron on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-mediated catalytic activities of Ag nanoparticles. Specifically, we started by theoretically investigating how the E-field distribution around the surface of a Ag nanosphere was influenced by static electric field induced by one, two, or three extra fixed electrons embedded in graphene oxide (GO) next to the Ag nanosphere. We found that the presence of the extra electron(s) changed the E-field distributions and led to higher electric field intensities.

Controlling Size, Morphology, and Surface Composition of AgAu Nanodendrites in 15 s for Improved Environmental Catalysis under Low Metal Loadings.

In this work, a simple but powerful method for controlling the size and surface morphology of AgAu nanodendrites is presented. Control of the number of Ag nanoparticle seeds is found to provide a fast and effective route by which to manipulate the size and morphology of nanoparticles produced via a combined galvanic replacement and reduction reaction. A lower number of Ag nanoparticle seeds leads to larger nanodendrites with the particles' outer diameter being tunable in the range of 45-148 nm.

Relative effects of nutrient emission from intensive cage aquaculture on the semiarid reservoir water quality.

The effects of cage aquaculture on freshwater ecosystems are determined by multiple farming and environmental variables, and thus, the assessment of a wide range of abiotic and biotic variables enables better understanding of the impacts generated by this nutrient source. This study was carried out at Castanhão reservoir located in the State of Ceará, which is the largest Brazilian producer of Nile tilapia in cage systems, wherein about 8000 reservoirs provide a vast area to expand not only this important socio-economic but also pollution-prone activity. Nutrient mass budget, water quality monitoring, hydrodynamic characterization, and elemental/stable isotopic composition of end-member products were measured in cage aquaculture and other reservoir areas in order to determine the relative effects on reservoir conditions.

Effects of Stretching and Strengthening Exercises, With and Without Manual Therapy, on Scapular Kinematics, Function, and Pain in Individuals With Shoulder Impingement: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of an exercise protocol, with and without manual therapy, on scapular kinematics, function, pain, and mechanical sensitivity in individuals with shoulder impingement syndrome.

Background: Stretching and strengthening exercises have been shown to effectively decrease pain and disability in individuals with shoulder impingement syndrome.

The Fault in Their Shapes: Investigating the Surface-Plasmon-Resonance-Mediated Catalytic Activities of Silver Quasi-Spheres, Cubes, Triangular Prisms, and Wires.

The surface-plasmon-resonance (SPR)-mediated catalytic activities of Ag and Au nanoparticles have emerged a relatively new frontier in catalysis in which visible light can be employed as an eco-friendly energy input to drive chemical reactions. Although this phenomenon has been reported for a variety of transformations, the effect of the nanoparticle shape and crystalline structure on the activities remains unclear. In this paper, we investigated the SPR-mediated catalytic activity of Ag quasi-spheres, cubes, triangular prisms, and wires toward the oxidation of p-aminothiophenol to p,p'-dimercaptoazobenzene by activated O2.

Developing Cost-Effective Field Assessments of Carbon Stocks in Human-Modified Tropical Forests.

Across the tropics, there is a growing financial investment in activities that aim to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, such as REDD+. However, most tropical countries lack on-the-ground capacity to conduct reliable and replicable assessments of forest carbon stocks, undermining their ability to secure long-term carbon finance for forest conservation programs. Clear guidance on how to reduce the monetary and time costs of field assessments of forest carbon can help tropical countries to overcome this capacity gap.

Topographical pressure pain sensitivity maps of the shoulder region in individuals with subacromial pain syndrome.

Background: Topographical pain maps (TPM) are useful tools to assess deep tissue sensitivity in musculoskeletal pain conditions. There is evidence suggesting bilateral sensitivity in subacromial pain syndrome (SAPS), although it is not widely accepted. No previous study has investigated TPM of the shoulder in SAPS.

Nonsurgical periodontal therapy to treat a case of severe periodontitis: A 12-year follow-up.

Background And Overview: This case report describes the successful treatment of a severe chronic periodontitis case by nonsurgical therapy and a strict maintenance program over a 12-year period.

Case Description: A 38-year-old man concerned about the protrusion of his maxillary incisors was referred for periodontal treatment. The teeth in the maxillary arch had generalized severe chronic periodontitis.

Surface Segregated AgAu Tadpole-Shaped Nanoparticles Synthesized Via a Single Step Combined Galvanic and Citrate Reduction Reaction.

New AgAu tadpole nanocrystals were synthesized in a one-step reaction involving simultaneous galvanic replacement between Ag nanospheres and AuCl4(-)(aq.) and AuCl4(-)(aq.) reduction to Au in the presence of citrate.

Psychological criteria for contraindication in lung transplant candidates: a five-year study.

Lung transplantation presents a wide range of challenges for multidisciplinary teams that manage the care of the recipients. Transplant teams should perform a thorough evaluation of transplant candidates, in order to ensure the best possible post-transplant outcomes. That is especially true for the psychologist, because psychological issues can arise at any point during the perioperative period.

The development of a risk score for unplanned removal of peripherally inserted central catheter in newborns.

Objective: to develop a risk score for unplanned removal of peripherally inserted central catheter in newborns.

Method: prospective cohort study conducted in a neonatal intensive care unit with newborn babies who underwent 524 catheter insertions. The clinical characteristics of the newborn, catheter insertion and intravenous therapy were tested as risk factors for the unplanned removal of catheters using bivariate analysis.

Surgical Techniques to Increase the Apicocoronal Dimension of the Attached Gingiva: A 1-Year Comparison Between the Free Gingival Graft and the Modified Apically Repositioned Flap.

The attached gingiva is a desirable anatomical element for the maintenance of gingival health. The free gingival graft (FGG) and the modified apically repositioned flap (MARF) are predictable surgical techniques often employed to increase the zone of attached gingiva. This randomized study compared the FGG and the MARF in increasing the zone of attached gingiva in contralateral sides of 15 patients 1 year posttreatment.

Portal dosimetry in wedged beams.

Portal dosimetry using electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) is often applied to verify high-energy photon beam treatments. Due to the change in photon energy spectrum, the resulting dose values are, however, not very accurate in the case of wedged beams if the pixel-to-dose conversion for the situation without wedge is used. A possible solution would be to consider a wedged beam as another photon beam quality requiring separate beam modeling of the dose calculation algorithm.

Stents for bronchial stenosis after lung transplantation: should they be removed?

Background: Airway complications after lung transplantation are the major cause of morbidity, affecting up to 33% of all cases. Bronchial stenosis is the most common complication. The use of stents has been established as the most effective therapy; however, their removal is recommended after 3-6 months of use.

Probing the Catalytic Activity of Reduced Graphene Oxide Decorated with Au Nanoparticles Triggered by Visible Light.

Hybrid materials in which reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is decorated with Au nanoparticles (rGO-Au NPs) were obtained by the in situ reduction of GO and AuCl4(-)(aq) by ascorbic acid. On laser excitation, rGO could be oxidized as a result of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) excitation in the Au NPs, which generates activated O2 through the transfer of SPR-excited hot electrons to O2 molecules adsorbed from air. The SPR-mediated catalytic oxidation of p-aminothiophenol (PATP) to p,p'-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) was then employed as a model reaction to probe the effect of rGO as a support for Au NPs on their SPR-mediated catalytic activities.

Linking canopy leaf area and light environments with tree size distributions to explain Amazon forest demography.

Forest biophysical structure - the arrangement and frequency of leaves and stems - emerges from growth, mortality and space filling dynamics, and may also influence those dynamics by structuring light environments. To investigate this interaction, we developed models that could use LiDAR remote sensing to link leaf area profiles with tree size distributions, comparing models which did not (metabolic scaling theory) and did allow light to influence this link. We found that a light environment-to-structure link was necessary to accurately simulate tree size distributions and canopy structure in two contrasting Amazon forests.

Hyperdominance in Amazonian forest carbon cycling.

While Amazonian forests are extraordinarily diverse, the abundance of trees is skewed strongly towards relatively few 'hyperdominant' species. In addition to their diversity, Amazonian trees are a key component of the global carbon cycle, assimilating and storing more carbon than any other ecosystem on Earth. Here we ask, using a unique data set of 530 forest plots, if the functions of storing and producing woody carbon are concentrated in a small number of tree species, whether the most abundant species also dominate carbon cycling, and whether dominant species are characterized by specific functional traits.

Controlling the Selectivity of the Surface Plasmon Resonance Mediated Oxidation of p-Aminothiophenol on Au Nanoparticles by Charge Transfer from UV-excited TiO2.

Although catalytic processes mediated by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) excitation have emerged as a new frontier in catalysis, the selectivity of these processes remains poorly understood. Here, the selectivity of the SPR-mediated oxidation of p-aminothiophenol (PATP) employing Au NPs as catalysts was controlled by the choice of catalysts (Au or TiO2-Au NPs) and by the modulation of the charge transfer from UV-excited TiO2 to Au. When Au NPs were employed as catalyst, the SPR-mediated oxidation of PATP yielded p,p-dimercaptobenzene (DMAB).