An Experimental Study on the Pressure Range of Fire Cupping Method

Background: Standardized procedures for the clinical application of fire cupping methods have not been established. In particular, the pressure parameters have not been fully characterized and described. Therefore, using various materials, this study investigated the pressure range exerted during fire cupping therapy. Methods: In this study, 3 differently sized (small, medium, large) glass and bamboo cups were used in the cotton ball fire cupping procedure to measure the pressure inside the cup applied to a human skin model. The pressure in each cup was measured 15 times for a total of 90 measurements. Results: A small bamboo cup had the minimum overall pressure (-305.4 mmHg), whereas the large glass cup exerted the maximum pressure (-401.3 mmHg), followed by the medium glass cup, large bamboo cup, small glass cup, and medium bamboo cup. The average pressure exerted by the cotton ball method for all cups ranged from -348.715 mmHg to -358.694 mmHg (95% confidence interval). Overall, the glass cups had a greater pressure than the bamboo cups in all groups (p < 0.001). Among the glass cups used, the larger the size of the cup, the higher the average pressure detected (-381.947 mmHg to -391.973 mmHg; p < 0.05). Conclusion: Large glass cups which are widely used in clinical practice, when used in the fire cupping method exerted pressure ranging from -381.947 mmHg to -391.973 mmHg (95% CI).

Biodiversity of Parasitoids Present in Agroforestry in Brazil

The aim of this study is to report the parasitoids collected on many substrates in the agroforestry area in Brazil. The experimental study was carried out in an agroforestry area in the south of Goiás, Brazil. Traps made of metal containers. They served as baits to attract flies: fish, bovine kidneys, human feces and chicken viscera deposited inside metal containers, on a layer of sand. This sand was sieved after the pupae were extracted and subsequently placed individually in small glass containers to obtain flies and parasitoids. From 745 pupae of dipteran collected 684 parasitoids emerged from 111 pupae. The most frequent species in this study was Aphaereta sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Alysiinae) 52.6%. The total percentage of parasitism obtained at work was 14.9%. Brachymeria podagrica Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) was the species that presented the highest percentage of parasitism with 55.0%, parasitizing Ophyra aenescens L. (Diptera: Muscidae) on human feces substrate

Modulated segregation of a bidisperse granular mixture due to recirculation currents

A bidisperse medium of large sand particles and small glass beads is mixed in a cylindrical vessel that is put in rotational motion around an eccentric static rod. The subsequent segregation occurring in the system is investigated primarily at the free-surface where the large particles concentration globally increases towards a limit value while oscillating. In order to gain deeper understanding of the intrinsic mechanisms causing the segregation, we also explore the dynamics in the bulk. Average residual bulk displacements fields both vertically and orthoradially could then be measured and show a secondary flow that counteracts the segregation process.

Capillary-driven indentation of a microparticle into a soft, oil-coated substrate

The contact between a small glass microsphere and an oil-coated soft PDMS substrate is investigated using confocal microscopy.

On the Finds of Metal Crosses at the Medieval Burial Ground of Gorzuvity (The Southern Coast of Crimea)

Introduction. In 2018, the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted excavations of a burial ground (Artek, Gurzuf, Yalta district). The first researcher of this monument was A.L. Jacobson, and he discovered ten inventory-free graves. In 2018, more than twenty graves both with funeral inventory and non-inventory ones were discovered at the burial ground. Analysis and Results. Among the archaeological material, metal crosses from grave 7A deserve special attention. One is a bronze breast cross with a circular decor, the second one is an iron cross with a curved, elongated lower branch. The wire earrings, small metal bells-buttons, small glass beads found in the grave are known at many archaeological sites in a wide time range. Fragments of tiles from the burial belong to technological groups 1, 2, 4 that can be dated from the 8th to the 12th (13th?) centuries. The search for analogies and the comparative analysis make it impossible to unambiguously determine the time of the bronze cross. It can be dated only in a wide chronological range – the 6th – 11th centuries, not excluding the 12th century, the iron cross most likely dates to the 9th – 10th centuries. In the aggregate of items, burial 7A can be tentatively dated broadly from the 8th century to the 11th century. Perhaps, using natural science methods that are currently being conducted, we will be able to clarify the date of burial 7A. The particular interest of the considered subjects of the Christian cult lies precisely in their ordinary and standard nature; they demonstrate the uniformization of the Byzantine material culture in the very wide territory from Egypt to Crimea. The burial ground of Gorzuvity demonstrates the byzantinization of the local barbarian population both in the material culture and in the burial rite. The finds of crosses in burial 7A fit well into the Byzantine context and are another clear confirmation of the evolution and chronology of the spread of Christianity in Crimea.

Modelling in vitro mycelial growth, sporulation and spore germination of Pseudocercospora musae under different illuminance levels

ABSTRACTBanana is one of the most produced fruits in the world. Many diseases infect the culture and yellow sigatoka is one of the most important. Light may interfere in the pre-penetration parameters of the fungus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the action of light on aspects of the life cycle of the causal agent. The action of light was tested in vitro on the mycelial growth, sporulation and germination of the fungus. For the mycelial growth 10 colonies were transferred to each Petri plate, by evaluating the green weight of a plate at each moment, in mg, at zero, 15, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days of cultivation according to different illuminance levels. Under the same conditions, the sporulation was also quantified at 5, 7, 11, 13 and 14 days. For germination, equal volumes of a spore suspension were placed in small glass containers, which then were set in mini-shades (different illuminances). Every 1h, lacto-phenol was added to a glass from each environment paralyzing the growth, at the same time, illuminance measurements were made with a light meter. The data obtained from sporulation (linear relation) and germination (positive exponential behavior) were significant for the illuminance levels tested.Significance and Impact of the StudyYellow Sigatoka disease, caused by Pseudocercospora musae, is still one of the most importante banana diseases in Brazil. Its control demands the use of fungicides. New environmental-friendly control methods should be developed. Therefore, the behaviour of both fungus and plant-fungus interaction should be known. We modelled the in vitro behaviour of P. musae in function of light intensity. Our results can help to develop shading strategies to control yellow Sigatoka.