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Background: Antibiotic-loaded spacers are often used during two-stage exchange for periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) both for its mechanical properties and as a means of local antibiotic delivery. Purpose: The main goal of this study is to compare the efficacy of different options of antibiotic(s) in spacers concerning the rate of positive cultures at the second stage. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated two-stage exchange procedures for infected hip or knee arthroplasty performed between 2012 and 2018 in which adequate (at least four deep tissue samples) culture results in both stages were available. The type of spacer and antibiotics used, in addition to several other patient, infection and treatment-related variables, were registered and correlated to microbiological findings in the second stage. Results: Fifty-eight cases were included with a 19.0 % (11/58) overall rate of positive cultures during reimplantation. With a mean follow-up of 46 months, failure rate was significantly higher at 63.6 % (7/11) in cases with positive cultures at reimplantation compared to 4.3 % (2/47) for those with negative cultures during reimplantation (p< 0.001). The need for additional surgeries was also significantly higher (odds ratio (OR) 122.67, confidence interval (CI) 95 % 11.30–1331.32, p< 0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed antibiotics in the spacers were the main independent prognostic risk factor associated with positive cultures at the second stage with an advantage for combined antibiotics. Monotherapy is associated with failure with an OR of 16.99. Longer time between surgeries did not have statistical significance (p= 0.05), and previous surgical treatment for PJI, presence of difficult-to-treat microorganism(s), duration of systemic antibiotic therapy or even treatment within a dedicated septic team were not shown to be independent risk factors. Among combined antibiotic spacers, there were no significant differences between the rate of positive cultures during the second stage, comparing commercially available vancomycin/gentamicin spacers to hand-mixed vancomycin/meropenem manufactured spacers (8.3 % [2/24] vs. 15.0 % [3/20], p= 0.68). Conclusions: Results show that combined antibiotic therapy spacers are advantageous when compared to gentamicin monotherapy as they produce significantly lower rates of subsequent positive cultures during the second stage. Hand-mixed high-dose vancomycin/meropenem spacers seem to perform just as well as prefabricated commercially available vancomycin/gentamicin options. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic level III.

The potential alkali-silica reactivity (ASR) of volcanic aggregates, especially basalts, remains a source of debate in the scientific community. When evaluating the potentially deleterious character of this type of aggregate, different laboratory testing methods may produce contradictory data; this is particularly evident when using the accelerated mortar bar test (AMBT). In order to better understand such discrepancies, this study applied several methods of characterizing potential aggregate alkali reactivity, including the accelerated mortar bar test (AMBT), petrographic characterization, and the concrete prism test (CPT). Moreover, this study assessed volcanic aggregate samples from sites around the world, including the Azores, Brazil, Canada, the Canary and Hawaiian Islands, Iceland, Japan, Mozambique, New Zealand, Norway, and Turkey. The results obtained contribute to accurately assessing the potential alkali reactivity of volcanic aggregates and enhance the understanding of their different behaviours.

To create an international recommendation concerning the release of alkalis, test method AAR-8 was developed within the scope of RILEM TC 258-AAA activities. The first round robin test was performed using five aggregate types, and further investigation was conducted as RRT2, leading to the final version of the AAR-8 recommendation. Five aggregates with different mineralogies and origins were immersed in specific volumes of NaOH or KOH solutions with excess calcium hydroxide maintained 38 °C and 60 °C respectively. Samples of the immersion test solution were removed at intervals of 2, 6, 13, 26, and 52 weeks by pipetting and chemically analyzed for NaOH or KOH test solutions. The amount of alkali released was expressed in grams of Na2O, K2O, and Na2Oe per kilogram of the respective aggregate. The results obtained are presented. Based on the data, several changes to the original version of the test method are proposed.

Introduction: Debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR) is known to be effective in treating acute periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). However, deciding to perform additional surgery in the early postoperative period may be challenging as there is the concern of adding morbidity and clinical presentation is often subtle. We mean to assess the impact of early DAIR on final functional outcome.Methods: A case-control comparison was performed between patients that underwent DAIR for suspected PJI between 2010-2016 and controls randomly selected (1:2 ratio) from a list of primary joint replacements. Patients were matched for anatomic site, age, gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, body mass index and follow-up time. The outcome of surgical treatment and complications were assessed and Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) or Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) were performed.Results: Thirty-eight cases were included at a mean follow-up of 42 months. Infection was not confirmed in one patient. There was one infection related-death and three other cases of treatment failure that required a two-stage revision. Overall success rate was 89.2%. There were no significant patient reported differences regarding final functional outcome between both groups: pain 91±6 vs. 87±13; other symptoms 90±8 vs. 90±9; activities of day living 86±8 vs. 85±14; sport 63±13 vs. 57±16; quality of life 78±17 vs. 76±16.Discussion: These findings support that DAIR for suspected acute PJI is safe, effective and causes no impact on final functional results. Thus, a low threshold for assuming infection and subsequent DAIR may safely be adopted in the early postoperative period.

Introduction: Prosthetic infection is a devastating complication of arthroplasty and carries significant economic burden. The objective of this study was to analyze the economic impact of prosthetic hip and knee infection in Portuguese National Health System.Material and Methods: Case-control study carried out from January 2014 to December 2015. The mean costs of primary arthroplasties and prosthetic revision surgeries for non-infectious reasons were compared with the costs of prosthetic infections treated with debridement and preservation of the prosthesis or with two-stage exchange arthroplasty.The reimbursement for these cases was also evaluated and compared with its real costs.Results:A total of 715 primary arthroplasties, 35 aseptic revisions, 16 surgical debridements and 15 revisions for infectious reasons were evaluated. The cost of primary arthroplasties was 3,230€ in the hips and 3,618€ in the knees. The cost of aseptic revision was 6,089€ in the hips and 7,985€ in the knees. In the cases treated with debridement and implant retention the cost was 5,528€ in the hips and 4,009€ in the knees. In cases of infections treated with a two-stage revision the cost was 11,415€ and 13,793€ for hips and knees, respectively.Conclusion: As far as we know this is the first study that analyzes the economic impact of prosthetic infection in the Portuguese context. Although direct compensation for treating infected cases is much lower than calculated costs, infected cases push the overall hospital case-mix-index upwards thus increasing financial compensation for the entire cohort of treated patients. This knowledge will allow for more informed decisions about health policies in the future.

The purpose of this work was to investigate the influence of the hot pressing variables, namely pressure, time and temperature, on the microstructure, density and hardness in a sterling silver alloy. Powders were hot pressed under different combinations of pressures (25MPa, 35MPa and 45MPa), times (10 min, 30 min and 60 min) and temperatures (250 ºC, 300 ºC, 400 ºC, 500 ºC and 700 ºC). The microstructures of hot pressed compacts were analyzed by the means of SEM/EDS and optical microscopy. The density and hardness of specimens were assessed. The microstructure of all specimens consisted in Cu-rich precipitates of different sizes dispersed in a Ag-rich matrix. Of the variables that were examined, only temperature produced significant (p

Debido a las preocupaciones ambientales y sanitarias, se están desarrollando aleaciones alternativas para soldadura sin plomo. Entre ellas se ha estudiado el sistema Sn-Zn-Al, que revela propiedades prometedoras. En este trabajo se evalúa la presencia de bismuto, en el rango de 0 a 8 % en peso, en relación con las interacciones químicas entre soldadura y substrato y con las fases de equilibrio presentes en la superficie de contacto. Se han estudiado las fases formadas en la superficie de contacto entre el substrato de cobre y una soldadura fundida sin plomo en función del tiempo de mantenimiento y de la composición de la aleación. Se ha evaluado el efecto del contenido en bismuto sobre las temperaturas de transformación de una aleación de base Sn-9Zn-1Al mediante Calorimetría de Barrido Diferencial (DSC). Se ha determinado el rango de solidificación para cada aleación, lo que es una característica importante en relación con la aplicación de estos materiales en la industria de la electrónica. Se ha llevado a cabo la identificación de las fases de equilibrio y su composición química mediante microscopía electrónica de barrido (SEM/EDS). También se han evaluado los perfiles de la composición química y el espesor de la interfase de reacción.

Wave propagation problems can be solved using a variety of methods. However, in many cases, the joint use of different numerical procedures to model different parts of the problem may be advisable and strategies to perform the coupling between them must be developed. Many works have been published on this subject, addressing the case of electromagnetic, acoustic, or elastic waves and making use of different strategies to perform this coupling. Both direct and iterative approaches can be used, and they may exhibit specific advantages and disadvantages. This work focuses on the use of iterative coupling schemes for the analysis of wave propagation problems, presenting an overview of the application of iterative procedures to perform the coupling between different methods. Both frequency- and time-domain analyses are addressed, and problems involving acoustic, mechanical, and electromagnetic wave propagation problems are illustrated.

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (allo-HSCT) is the only curative therapy for many hematologic malignancies, whereby the Graft-versus-Leukemia (GVL) effect plays a pivotal role in controlling relapse. However, the success of GVL is hindered by Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD), where donor T cells attack healthy tissues in the recipient. The ability of natural regulatory T cells (Treg) to suppress immune responses has been exploited as a therapeutical option against GVHD. Still, it is crucial to evaluate if the ability of Treg to suppress GVHD does not compromise the benefits of GVL. Initial studies in animal models suggest that Treg can attenuate GVHD while preserving GVL, but results vary according to tumor type. Human trials using Treg as GVHD prophylaxis or treatment show promising results, emphasizing the importance of infusion timing and Treg/Tcon ratios. In this review, we discuss strategies that can be used aiming to enhance GVL post-Treg infusion and the proposed mechanisms for the maintenance of the GVL effect upon the adoptive Treg transfer. In order to optimize the therapeutic outcomes of Treg administration in allo-HSCT, future efforts should focus on refining Treg sources for infusion and evaluating their specificity for antigens mediating GVHD while preserving GVL responses.

Abstract Measurement of body core temperature (Tcore) is paramount to determining the thermoregulatory strain of athletes. However, standard measurement procedures of Tcore are not practical for extended use outside the laboratory environment. Therefore, determining the factors that predict Tcore during a self‐paced run is crucial for creating more effective strategies to minimize the heat‐induced impairment of endurance performance and reduce the occurrence of exertional heatstroke. The aim of this study was to identify the factors predicting Tcore values attained at the end of a 10 km time trial (end‐Tcore) under environmental heat stress. Initially, we extracted data obtained from 75 recordings of recreationally trained men and women. Next, we ran hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses to understand the predictive power of the following variables: wet‐bulb globe temperature, average running speed, initial Tcore, body mass, differences between Tcore and skin temperature (Tskin), sweat rate, maximal oxygen uptake, heart rate and change in body mass. Our data indicated that Tcore increased continuously during exercise, attaining 39.6 ± 0.5°C (mean ± SD) after 53.9 ± 7.5 min of treadmill running. This end‐Tcore value was primarily predicted by heart rate, sweat rate, differences between Tcore and Tskin, wet‐bulb globe temperature, initial Tcore, running speed and maximal oxygen uptake, in this order of importance (β power values corresponded to 0.462, −0.395, 0.393, 0.327, 0.277, 0.244 and 0.228, respectively). In conclusion, several factors predict Tcore in athletes subjected to self‐paced running under environmental heat stress. Moreover, considering the conditions investigated, heart rate and sweat rate, two practical (non‐invasive) variables, have the highest predictive power.

The ability of companies to react to changes imposed by the market can be aided by to information acquisition and knowledge generation. Big data technologies, crowdsourcing, and Online Social Networks (OSN) are used for knowledge generation. These technologies have assumed a significant position in agribusiness in recent decades. This work investigates how social network analysis can promote agribusiness to provide a basis for future applications and evaluations. We adopted a hybrid systematic mapping to conduct the investigation. Two hundred twenty-three works that propose solutions for agribusiness were found and categorized. Results showed the most used OSN is Twitter and revealed an increase in the number of studies in this area. The information obtained indicates how social media monitoring can complement traditional decision-making methods in managing and regulating agricultural systems. However, more studies in agribusiness using data analysis tools on social networks are required, considering the importance of social networks on marketing strategies. Based on our results, we discuss some challenges and research directions.

Several cases of alkali-silica reaction involving granitic aggregates have been diagnosed in damaged concrete structures in Portugal. Nonetheless, this kind of rock is usually regarded as slow/late reactive or even non-reactive to alkalis. Granitic rocks are widely exploited in Northern and Central Portugal, representing almost half of the produced aggregates in this country. Project IMPROVE rose from the need to accurately diagnose the potential reactivity of granites to alkalis. The study involved about forty granites collected from different regions in Portugal, from which the results of eight samples are being presented in this paper. The tests carried out include the petrographic analyses of the aggregates and mortar and concrete expansion tests. It was concluded that the content of microcrystalline quartz correlates better with the results of AAR-4.1 than with the other expansion tests.

Background: The access to pediatric rheumatology (PR) services in Portugal is not well described. The primary objective of this study was to identify barriers to PR referrals and explore alternative referral patterns among family doctors and pediatricians. Methods: A web-based survey was emailed to family doctors and pediatricians practicing in Portugal to investigate issues related to access to PR care. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed. Results: A total of 292 responses were obtained, with 24.7% from pediatricians and 75.3% from family doctors. Only 12% claimed to have received specific education on PR. Nearly 70% worked within one hour of a PR center. Twenty-eight percent had referred a patient to PR at least once, and 9.3% considered referring to PR at least once but ultimately did not. Many referred patients to other specialties, primarily pediatrics, adult rheumatology, and pediatric orthopedics. Pediatricians encountered a greater variety of rheumatic diseases. Fifty-five percent had no opinion on the support provided by PR centers, while 24% found it sufficient. Having specific training in PR, being a pediatrician, and being a specialist were associated with higher referral rates to PR. Discrepancies in regional access to PR were documented. The most highly rated measure for improving PR referrals was promoting education. Conclusion: The main barriers to PR referrals in Portugal are primarily the lack of education in PR, along with uneven national coverage and greater distances to some PR centers. Pediatricians appear to have better education, more experience, and higher referral rates to PR. The current alternatives for referral are pediatrics, adult rheumatology, and pediatric orthopedics. Addressing educational fragmentation was the most significant and rewarding inconsistency to overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia remains a major therapeutic challenge, requiring a better characterization of the molecular determinants underlying disease progression and resistance to treatment. Here, using a phospho-flow cytometry approach we show that adult diagnostic B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia specimens display PI3K/Akt pathway hyperactivation, irrespective of their BCR-ABL status and despite paradoxically high basal expression of PTEN, the major negative regulator of the pathway. Protein kinase CK2 is known to phosphorylate PTEN thereby driving PTEN protein stabilization and concomitant PTEN functional inactivation. In agreement, we found that adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia samples show significantly higher CK2 kinase activity and lower PTEN lipid phosphatase activity than healthy controls. Moreover, the clinical-grade CK2 inhibitor CX-4945 (Silmitasertib) reversed PTEN levels in leukemia cells to those observed in healthy controls, and promoted leukemia cell death without significantly affecting normal bone marrow cells. Our studies indicate that CK2-mediated PTEN posttranslational inactivation, associated with PI3K/Akt pathway hyperactivation, are a common event in adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and suggest that CK2 inhibition may constitute a valid, novel therapeutic tool in this malignancy.

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has emerged as a promising therapeutic tool to improve balance and optimize rehabilitation strategies. However, current literature shows the methodological heterogeneity of tDCS protocols and results, hindering any clear conclusions about the effects of tDCS on postural control. Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of tDCS on postural control, and identify the most beneficial target brain areas and the effect on different populations. Methods: Two independent reviewers selected randomized tDCS clinical-trials studies from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and reference lists of retrieved articles published between 1998 and 2017. Most frequently reported centre of pressure (COP) variables were selected for meta-analysis. Other postural control outcomes were discussed in the review. Results: Thirty studies were included in the systematic review, and 11 were submitted to a meta-analysis. A reduction of COP displacement area has been significantly achieved by tDCS, evidencing an improvement in balance control. Individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) and healthy young adults are mostly affected by stimulation. The analysis of the impact of tDCS over different brain areas revealed a significant effect after primary motor cortex (M1) stimulation, however, with no clear results after cerebellar stimulation due to divergent results among studies. Conclusions: tDCS appears to improve balance control, more evident in healthy and CP subjects. Effects are observed when primary MI is stimulated. Cerebellar stimulation should be better investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.11), a heme-containing homodimeric protein, is a hydrogen peroxide-scavenging enzyme, playing an important role in plants in order to protect them from oxidative stress, thus adverting cellular damage. Several ascorbate peroxidase isoenzymes have been reported but the understanding of their physiological role still depends on a better knowledge of their precise localisation within plant organs. Immunocytochemistry techniques were performed in order to elucidate the peroxisomal and cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase distribution within tissues of leaves and sprouts of potato plants. The peroxisomal isoenzyme was found to have a broad distribution in sprouts, but a differential one in leaves, being restricted to the spongy parenchyma. This differential expression may be associated to the mesophyll asymmetry and the diverse physiological processes that occur in it. The cytosolic isoenzyme was not detected in leaves under the used conditions, probably because it is present in low amounts in these tissues. The results obtained in sprouts were at least curious: cytosolic ascorbate was found to be adjacent to the amyloplasts. Given these results, it is possible to state that apart from their similarity, these two isoenzymes reside in different organelles and seem to take part in different physiological processes as suggested by their organ- and tissue-specific distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case study of 12 years-old boy with a preliminary diagnosis of a pre-eruptive radiolucency lesion (PEIR) on the distal surface of tooth is presented. Topics include examines that pre-eruptive intracoronal radiolucency is characterized by a well circumscribed radiolucent area within the dentine of unerupted teeth and close to the amelodentinal junction.

The Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission (cnen) has been making a constant effort to keep up to date with international standards and national needs to strengthen the status of radiological protection of the country. The guidelines related to radiation therapy facilities have been revised in the last five years in order to take into consideration the most relevant aspects of the growing technology as well as to mitigate the accidents or incidents observed in practice. Hence, clinical dosimeters have gained special importance in this matter. In the present work, we discuss the effectiveness of regulation and inspections to the enforcement of instrument calibration accuracy for the improvement of patient dosimetry and quality control. As a result, we observed that the number of calibrated instruments, mainly well chambers, is increasing each year. The same behavior is observed for instruments employed in technologically advanced radiation treatments such as intensity modulated radiotherapy, volumetric therapy and stereotatic radiosurgery. We ascribe this behavior to the new regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying remote sensing technology to map and monitor agriculture and its impacts can greatly contribute for the proper development of this activity, promoting efficient food, fiber and energy production. For that, not only remote sensing images are needed, but also ground truth information, which is a key factor for the development and improvement of methodologies using remote sensing data. While a variety of images are current available, inclusive cost-free images, field reference data is scarcer. For agricultural applications, especially in tropical regions such as Brazil, where the agriculture is very dynamic and diverse (recent agricultural frontiers, crop rotations, multiple cropping systems, several management practices, etc.), and cultivated over a vast territory, this task is not trivial. One way of boosting the researches in agricultural remote sensing is to stimulate people to share their data, and to foster different groups to use the same dataset, so distinct methods can be properly compared. In this context, our group created the LEM Benchmark Database (a project funded by the ISPRS Scientific Initiative project - 2017) from the Luiz Eduardo Magalhães (LEM) municipality, Bahia State, Brazil. The database contains a set of pre-processed multitemporal satellite images (Landsat-8/OLI, Sentinel-2/MSI and SAR band-C Sentinel-1) and shapefiles of agricultural fields with their correspondent monthly land use classes, covering the period of one Brazilian crop year (2017–2018). In this paper we present the first results obtained with this database.

Abstract We evaluated the influence of a 32-day camping in Antarctica on physical performance and exercise-induced thermoregulatory responses. In Brazil, before and after the Antarctic camping, the volunteers performed an incremental exercise at temperate conditions and, two days later, an exercise heat stress protocol (45-min running at 60% of maximum aerobic speed, at 31°C and 60% of relative humidity). In Antarctica, core temperature was assessed on a day of fieldwork, and average values higher than 38.5°C were reported. At pre- and post-Antarctica, physiological (whole-body and local sweat rate, number of active sweat glands, sweat gland output, core and skin temperatures) and perceptual (thermal comfort and sensation) variables were measured. The Antarctic camping improved the participants’ performance and induced heat-related adaptations, as evidenced by sweat redistribution (lower in the chest but higher in grouped data from the forehead, forearm, and thigh) and reduced skin temperatures in the forehead and chest during the exercise heat stress protocol. Notwithstanding the acclimatization, the participants did not report differences of the thermal sensation and comfort. In conclusion, staying in an Antarctic camp for 32 days improved physical performance and elicited physiological adaptations to heat due to the physical exertion-induced hyperthermia in the field.

ObjectiveThis study compared clinical, echocardiographic, and prognostic characteristics among patients with aortic dissection (AD) with (HypHist) and without (No-HypHist) hypertension history and evaluated the association of blood pressure (BP) at presentation with 1-year mortality, left ventricular (LV) remodeling and renal dysfunction.MethodsWe investigated clinical and echocardiographic characteristics and 1-year mortality among 367 patients with AD (81% HypHist, 66% Type-A) from three Brazilian centers.ResultsPatients with No-HypHist were more likely to have Marfan syndrome, bicuspid aortic valve, to undergo surgical therapy, were less likely to have LV hypertrophy and concentricity, and had similar mortality compared with HypHist patients. Adjusted restricted cubic spline analysis showed that systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) at presentation had a J-curve association with mortality among patients with No-HypHist, but did not associate with death among patients with HypHist (p for interaction = 0.001 for SBP and = 0.022 for DBP). Conversely, the association between SBP at presentation and mortality was influenced by previous use of antihypertensive medications in the HypHist group (p for interaction = 0.002). Results of multivariable logistic regression analysis comprising the whole sample showed direct associations of SBP and DBP at presentation with LV hypertrophy (p = 0.009) and LV concentricity (p = 0.015), respectively, and an inverse association between pulse pressure at presentation and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)

Background This study compared left ventricular (LV) characteristics between patients with type‐A and type‐B aortic dissection (AD) and evaluated the ability of LV remodeling phenotypes (hypertrophy, concentricity, or geometric patterns) to predict mortality in both AD types. Methods and Results We evaluated 236 patients with type A and 120 patients with type B who had echocardiograms within 60 days before or after AD diagnosis (median [25th, 75th percentiles] time difference between echocardiogram and AD diagnosis=1 [0, 6] days) from 3 centers. Patients were stratified according to LV phenotypes, and early (90‐day) and late (1‐year) mortality after AD diagnosis were assessed. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, patients with type A had higher and lower odds of concentric and eccentric hypertrophy (odds ratio [OR], 2.56; 95% CI, 1.50–4.36; P

The monitoring of agricultural activities at a regular basis is crucial to assure that the food production meets the world population demands, which is increasing yearly. Such information can be derived from remote sensing data. In spite of topic’s relevance, not enough efforts have been invested to exploit modern pattern recognition and machine learning methods for agricultural land-cover mapping from multi-temporal, multi-sensor earth observation data. Furthermore, only a small proportion of the works published on this topic relates to tropical/subtropical regions, where crop dynamics is more complicated and difficult to model than in temperate regions. A major hindrance has been the lack of accurate public databases for the comparison of different classification methods. In this context, the aim of the present paper is to share a multi-temporal and multi-sensor benchmark database that can be used by the remote sensing community for agricultural land-cover mapping. Information about crops in situ was collected in Luís Eduardo Magalhães (LEM) municipality, which is an important Brazilian agricultural area, to create field reference data including information about first and second crop harvests. Moreover, a series of remote sensing images was acquired and pre-processed, from both active and passive orbital sensors (Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2/MSI, Landsat-8/OLI), correspondent to the LEM area, along the development of the main annual crops. In this paper, we describe the LEM database (crop field boundaries, land use reference data and pre-processed images) and present the results of an experiment conducted using the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data.

Ao refletir sobre a experiência através de espelhos, esse texto pensa a relação entre sujeito e imagem a partir dos conceitos de utopia e de heterotopia. Ao longo dos parágrafos, ele parte de exemplos cotidianos para se confrontar com os casos em que os direitos da imagem encontram situações limite, nomeadamente a partir de algumas reflexões de Michel Focault. Levantam-se aqui ao menos duas hipóteses importantes: a de que uma imagem utópica da existência traz perigos que não se podem menosprezar, e uma segunda sobre a possibilidade de uma alternativa capaz de rearranjar esses riscos em torno da experiência estética. Pretende-se com isso fomentar o debate ligado à discussão sobre nossa capacidade de dar conta das imagens que transmitimos para nós mesmos.

The present study presents a procedure to assess the property of symmetry by comparing the acquisition of conditional relations that are consistent and inconsistent with this property in a capuchin monkey (Sapajus spp.). One young male monkey underwent arbitrary matching-to-sample training. The experiment had four phases: Phase 1.1 (establishing A1B1 and A2B2 relations), Phase 1.2 (reinforcing B1A1 and B2A2 relations, consistent with the property of symmetry), Phase 2.1 (establishing A3B3 and A4B4 relations), and Phase 2.2 (reinforcing B3A4 and B4A3 relations, inconsistent with the property of symmetry). A comparison between Phase 1.2 (consistent) and Phase 2.2 (inconsistent) showed faster acquisition of consistent relations (B1A1 and B2A2) than inconsistent relations (B3A4 and B4A3). The results suggest that the established conditional discriminations may have the property of symmetry and confirm the potential of comparative analysis between the acquisition of conditional discriminations as a promising procedure to evaluate equivalence class formation in nonhuman subjects.

Antarctic climate is challenging, since the cold, wind and sensory monotony are stressful stimuli to individuals. Moreover, camp activities and heavy clothes may contribute to increase physiological strain. Thus, we aimed to characterise the physiological demand of a 24-day period in the Antarctic field and then to evaluate the effect of this expedition on the aerobic fitness in individuals with heterogeneous initial aerobic fitness (as determined by estimating maximum oxygen consumption – V̊O2MAX). Before and after the 24-day period in Antarctica, 7 researchers and 2 mountaineers were subjected to incremental tests to estimate their V̊O2MAX. Field effort was characterised by measuring heart rate (HR). During the field trips, their HR remained 33.4% of the recording time between 50–60% HRMAX, 22.3% between 60–70% HRMAX, and only 1.4% between 80 and 90% HRMAX. The changes in estimated V̊O2MAX during the expedition depended on the pre-expedition aerobic fitness. The post-expedition V̊O2MAX increased by 5.9% and decreased by 14.3%in individuals with lower (researchers) and higher (mountaineers) initial V̊O2MAX, respectively. We concluded that physical effort in the Antarctic field is characterised as predominantly of low- to moderate-intensity. This effort represented an effective training load for individuals with lower initial V̊O2MAX, but not for those with higher V̊O2MAX.

Abstract Introduction The dynamic range of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid β (Aβ1–42) measurement does not parallel to cognitive changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cognitively normal (CN) subjects across different studies. Therefore, identifying novel proteins to characterize symptomatic AD samples is important. Methods Proteins were profiled using a multianalyte platform by Rules Based Medicine (MAP‐RBM). Due to underlying heterogeneity and unbalanced sample size, we combined subjects (344 AD and 325 CN) from three cohorts: Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Penn Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research of the University of Pennsylvania, and Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis. We focused on samples whose cognitive and amyloid status was consistent. We performed linear regression (accounted for age, gender, number of apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 alleles, and cohort variable) to identify amyloid‐related proteins for symptomatic AD subjects in this largest ever CSF–based MAP‐RBM study. ANOVA and Tukey's test were used to evaluate if these proteins were related to cognitive impairment changes as measured by mini‐mental state examination (MMSE). Results Seven proteins were significantly associated with Aβ1–42 levels in the combined cohort (false discovery rate adjusted P < .05), of which lipoprotein a (Lp(a)), prolactin (PRL), resistin, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have consistent direction of associations across every individual cohort. VEGF was strongly associated with MMSE scores, followed by pancreatic polypeptide and immunoglobulin A (IgA), suggesting they may be related to staging of AD. Discussion Lp(a), PRL, IgA, and tissue factor/thromboplastin have never been reported for AD diagnosis in previous individual CSF–based MAP‐RBM studies. Although some of our reported analytes are related to AD pathophysiology, other's roles in symptomatic AD samples worth further explorations.

Esse artigo analisa a aderência do gerenciamento de resíduos sólidos (GRS) em condomínios construídos por meio do Programa Minha Casa Minha Vida às diretrizes da Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos (PNRS). A investigação foi realizada em oito conjuntos habitacionais na cidade de Salvador/BA por meio de análise documental, visitas técnicas e realização de entrevistas. Os condomínios investigados apresentam condições favoráveis à implantação do GRS conforme preconizado na PNRS, porque estão sendo implantados em grande número, são organizados na forma de condomínios, agrupam pessoas com renda per capita semelhantes e possuem áreas que podem ser usadas para implantação de práticas de manejo sustentável de resíduos como a compostagem. No entanto, verificou-se a existência de condições inadequadas de manejo e/ou desvio de função do Abrigo de Resíduo (AR) existente. Portanto, conclui-se que não há aderência do GRS às premissas da PNRS nos condomínios estudados, apesar das condições favoráveis.

O presente artigo trabalha com dois autores que oferecem importantes contribuições para seus respectivos campos de estudo. Porém algo mais os aproxima: pretendemos apresentar os parentescos possíveis entre a Filosofia da Ciência desenvolvida por Thomas S. Kuhn e a Filosofia da Linguagem de Ludwig Wittgenstein. Cumpre, de início, apresentar rapidamente os conceitos fundamentais da Filosofia de Wittgenstein, notadamente ao que se refere a segunda parte de seus trabalhos, e dados biográficos que são relevantes para o entendimento de sua obra. De maneira sumária, fazer o mesmo sobre os trabalhos de Kuhn (restringindo-os ao período que se estende até 1969, quando, oficialmente revê os conceitos da Estrutura das Revoluções Científicas) para, finalmente, dadas as condições precedentes, fazer aparecer aproximações deste com os trabalhos de Wittgenstein.

Systemic disorders affecting an individual can cause gait impairments. Successful acquisition and evaluation of features representing such impairments make it possible to estimate the severity of those disorders, which is important information for monitoring patients’ health evolution. However, current state-of-the-art systems perform the acquisition and evaluation of these features in specially equipped laboratories, typically limiting the periodicity of evaluations. With the objective of making health monitoring easier and more accessible, this paper presents a system that performs automatic detection and classification of gait impairments, based on the acquisition and evaluation of biomechanical gait features using a single 2D video camera. The system relies on two different types of features to perform classification: (i) feet-related features, such as step length, step length symmetry, fraction of foot flat during stance phase, normalized step count, speed; and (ii) body-related features, such as the amount of movement while walking, center of gravity shifts and torso orientation. The proposed system uses a support vector machine to decide whether the observed gait is normal or if it belongs to one of three different impaired gait groups. Results show that the proposed system outperforms existing markerless 2D video-based systems, with a classification accuracy of 98.8%.

O recobrimento de ligas metálicas com cerâmicas bioativas visa acelerar a formação óssea ao redor do implante, contribuindo para a sua estabilização. Neste trabalho estudou-se a fase cerâmica de hidroxiapatita depositada pelo processo sol-gel em chapas da liga metálica Ti-6Al-4V. A camada de recobrimento foi caracterizada por microscopia eletrônica de varredura, por difração de raios X e sua adesão ao substrato foi avaliada pelo teste de cisalhamento O teste de citocompatibilidade mostrou que o processo de recobrimento por sol-gel não promoveu morte celular significativamente maior que o controle (p > 0,05). Além disso, hastes femorais removidas de pacientes (explantes) foram adequadamente recobertas utilizando-se o processo sol-gel.The coating of metallic alloys with bioactive ceramics aims to accelerate bone formation around the implant, contributing to its fixation. In this paper, the deposition of hydroxyapatite ceramic on Ti-6Al-4V alloy sheets by the sol-gel method was studied. The coating layer was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and its adhesion to substrate was evaluated by shear testing. The citocompatibility test shows that the sol-gel coating did not provoke the cell death significantly higher than the control (p > 0.05). Moreover, femoral stems removed from patient (explants) were adequately coated using the sol-gel process.

O trabalho avaliou a sobrevivência de Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028 em carnes bovinas, moída crua e resfriada (2 ºC), através do tratamento com radiação gama (Co60), utilizando doses de 0; 1,5; 2,5 e 3,5 kGy. Além do fator dose de radiação foram avaliadas as influências do emprego de vácuo e de dois teores de gordura da carne bovina moída: baixo (2-4%) e alto (11-13%), bem como a interação dos fatores, na redução ou eliminação da bactéria patogênica inoculada. Os resultados demonstraram que os teores de gordura da carne e o emprego de vácuo não influenciaram significativamente a sobrevivência da Salmonella. A dose de radiação gama influenciou a inativação de Salmonella de forma dose dependente até 2,5 kGy, com reduções de 4 ciclos logarítmicos. A dose de 2,5 kGy é suficiente para exercer um controle efetivo de Salmonella em carne bovina moída independentemente do seu teor de gordura e da presença de oxigênio.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral blood Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) levels have been proposed as biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but previous studies on levels of ApoE in blood remain inconsistent. This meta-analysis was designed to re-examine the potential role of peripheral ApoE in AD diagnosis and its potential value as a candidate biomarker. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, and BIOSIS previews for case-control studies measuring ApoE levels in serum or plasma from AD subjects and healthy controls. The pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to estimate the association between ApoE levels and AD risk. RESULTS: Eight studies with a total of 2250 controls and 1498 AD cases were identified and analyzed. The pooled WMD from a random-effect model of AD participants compared with the healthy controls was -5.59 mg/l (95% CI: [-8.12, -3.06]). The overall pattern in WMD was not varied by characteristics of study, including age, country, assay method, publication year, and sample type. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis supports a lowered level of blood ApoE in AD patients, and indicates its potential value as an important risk factor for AD. Further investigation employing standardized assay for ApoE measurement are still warranted to uncover the precise role of ApoE in the pathophysiology of AD.

O objetivo deste trabalho é descrever e analisar colonização do Aedes albopictus, cuja presença foi detectada na região de São José do Rio Preto em 1991, jã colonizada pelo Aedes aegypti. A partir de informações obtidas em medidas de densidade larvária pela Superintendência de Controle de Endemias (SUCEN), analisou-se: ano e mês de oconência, município, composição e localização das amostras lanúrias, tipo de recipiente, número médio de laivas e índice de Breteau. Até dezembro de 1994 a presença do As. albopictus fora constatada em 34 municípios. A colonização da região pelo mosquito ainda é reduzida, apresentando algumas diferenças em relação ao Ae. aegypti: maior proporção no peridomicílio, ocupando recipientes em proporções diferentes. O número médio de larvas de As. albopictus sofreu influência da presença de larvas da outra espécie. Apresentou comportamento sazonal semelhante ao do Ae. aegypti e avançou no sentido leste para oeste.

O presente trabalho é uma revisão de literatura, no qual foram analisados doze artigos contendo definição, características e os cuidados com as feridas malignas cutâneas. O objetivo foi identificar na literatura quais aspectos estão sendo abordados sobre estas lesões, decorrentes da infiltração de células malignas através do epitélio alterando a integridade epidérmica. Essas feridas possuem características próprias, que são a hemorragia, o odor, infecção e exudato. Os apósitos utilizados no tratamento tópico incluem o metronidazol gel, alginato de cálcio, carvão ativado e hidrogel. Constatamos que, muitas vezes, o tratamento não leva à cicatrização da ferida, uma vez que esta depende do câncer primário. Porém, a cicatrização não é a principal meta do cuidado, mas o controle dos sintomas, visando a uma melhor qualidade de vida aos portadores destas lesões.

Two clinical cases of endocrinologic emergency are presented: myxedema coma and thyrotoxic crisis. These are very severe situations with a high mortality rate. In myxedema coma it reaches 50% and in thyrotoxic crisis the range is between 25 and 30%. These entities are not the always present in mind because of their rarity. Consequently, they may well be undiagnosed. In our cases, the myxedema coma was initially diagnosed as brainstem stroke, and the hyperthyroidism was taken for concealed malignant tumor. The management of both situations is briefly commented.