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Leukemia is the most common blood cancer, and its development starts at diverse points, leading to distinct subtypes that respond differently to therapy. This heterogeneity is rarely taken into account in therapies, so it is still essential to look for new specific drugs for leukemia subtypes or even for therapy-resistant cases. Naphthoquinones (NQ) are considered privileged structures in medicinal chemistry due to their plethora of biological activities, including antimicrobial and anticancer effects. Nitrogen-containing heterocycles such as 1,2,3-1H-triazoles have been identified as general scaffolds for generating glycosidase inhibitors. In the present study, the NQ and 1,2,3-1H-triazole cores have been combined to chemically synthesize 18 new 1,2-furanonaphthoquinones tethered to 1,2,3-1H-triazoles (1,2-FNQT). Their cytotoxicities were evaluated against four different leukemia cell lines, including MOLT-4 and CEM (lymphoid cell lines) and K562 and KG1 (myeloid cell lines), as well as normal human peripheral blood mononucleated cells (PBMCs). The new 1,2-FNQT series showed high cytotoxic potential against all leukemia cell lines tested, and some compounds (12o and 12p) showed even better results than the classical therapeutic compounds such as doxorubicin or cisplatin. Others compounds, such as 12b, are promising because of their high selectivity against lymphoblastic leukemia and their low activity against normal hematopoietic cells. The cells of lymphoid origin (MOLT and CEM) were generally more sensitive than the myeloid cell lines to this series of compounds, and most of the compounds that showed the highest cytotoxicity were similarly active against both cell lines. more...

It was shown recently that three different types of short-period internal wave (IW) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) signatures occur on the Iberian Shelf depending on parameters of surface active films. Large-scale modulation of film characteristics by currents associated with internal tidal waves can also produce a signature in ERS SAR images. On the western Iberian Shelf short-period IWs typically propagate in groups of packets that are believed to be generated by the evolution of internal tidal waves over the shelf. Here onshore propagating short-period IWs can exhibit different SAR signatures within the same wave packet according to their position relative to the phase of the internal tidal wave. These transitions of signature mode can be explained by large-scale variations of film parameters produced by the internal tidal waves. At low-to-moderate winds, leading waves in the IW packets usually exhibit double sign signatures, which evolve to negative sign signatures for the subsequent waves in the packets. At very low, near-threshold winds the IW signatures can be in the form of the double sign type undergoing transition to positive sign signatures when compared to the background behind the IW packet. This is a consequence of different threshold wind speeds for excitation of Bragg waves at different film pressures. An increase of unperturbed film pressure in the direction of the ranking order of solitons in a packet of short-period IWs, which is predicted by a theoretical model and in agreement with measurements of film elasticity, is demonstrated. Observations of SAR signature mode transitions are concluded to be consistent with previous model results, and a diagram describing mode transitions of the IW signatures in relation to film pressure and wind speed is presented. more...

Analysis of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of internal waves (IWs) on the Iberian shelf and classification of the IW surface signatures is presented. There are three types of IW signatures in the form of bright/dark, dark, and bright bands that correspond to positive/negative, negative, or positive variations of radar backscatter, respectively. Strong positive sign IW signatures occur at very low wind velocities (less than 2m/s). At winds higher than 2 m/s both positive/negative and negative signatures are observed for range-propagating IWs. For azimuth-propagating IWs, negative signatures prevail. Two groups of experiments carried out in the frame of the Multidisciplinary Oceanographic Research in the Eastern North Atlantic (MORENA) project on the Iberian shelf in August 1994 are described: (1) IW measurements simultaneous with ERS-1 SAR overpasses and (2) IW measurements, visual observations of the surface, and sampling of films from the sea surface. IW manifestations at low to moderate winds took the form of slicks locating over IW troughs; at the near-threshold wind velocity they were of the form of intensified decimeter-scale waves (antislicks) located over IW crests. Measurements of wave damping due to films collected from the slick and nonslick areas showed the concentration of surfactants and retrieved film elasticity to be higher in the slicks than in the nonslick areas. A theoretical model of the surface wave modulation by IWs is developed to include surface wave straining by the IW current and surface wave damping due to surfactant films. Pressure-area curves for real marine films are used in the model. The relation between the film and the straining effects on the surface wave spectrum in the IW field is shown to depend on film parameters, surface wave-length, and wind velocity. The model predicts strong damping of centimeter-scale waves over IW troughs mainly due to the film effect and intensification and depression of decimeter-scale waves due to both straining and film effects. Dependencies of the model spectrum variations as a function of wind velocity for range and azimuth propagating IWs are obtained, the negative sign contrast being shown to predominate for azimuth propagating IWs. Model variations of the spectrum of decimeter-scale waves are shown to be significantly sensitive to surfactants (film pressure), the negative sign contrasts due to films being superimposed on the straining effects, and these are eventually capable of suppressing the positive sign contrasts. It is concluded that the occurrence of the different classes of IW signatures in the SAR images can be explained by the action of surface-active films. more...

Analysis of ERS-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images over the Iberian shelf shows that they contain the signatures of large-scale banded structures with characteristic wavelengths of 10–20 km, parallel to the shelf break. Their consistency with the structure of internal tides leads to the conclusion that they are the surface manifestations of internal tidal waves. The effect of imaging of such large-scale phenomena by SAR operating in L, C and X bands cannot be explained by conventional hydrodynamic modulation models based on the effect of straining of surface wind waves due to the internal tidal currents. An alternative explanation is described by an analysis of modulation of centimeter- and decimeter-scale surface waves caused by the redistribution of surface-active substances by internal tidal currents. Model calculations of variations of the wind wave spectrum across the internal tide profile are presented; an empirical film pressure-area equation and the results of thermistor chain measurements of internal tidal waves in the study area were used in the modeling. The effect of additional modulation of short surface waves due to variations of wind velocity relative to the internal tidal current is also estimated. It is demonstrated that modulation of centimeter-decimeter wind waves in the presence of surfactant films is the dominant factor and can explain the effect of internal tidal wave imaging by SAR. more...

Potamotrygon limai, sp. nov., is described from the Jamari River, upper Madeira River system (Amazon basin), state of Rondônia, Brazil. This new species differs from congeners by presenting unique polygonal or concentric patterns formed by small whitish spots better defined over the posterior disc and tail-base regions. Potamotrygon limai, sp. nov., can be further distinguished from congeners in the same basin by other characters in combination, such as two to three rows of midtail spines converging to a single irregular row at level of caudal sting origin, proportions of head, tail and disc, patterns of dermal denticles on rostral, cranial and tail regions, among other features discussed herein. Potamotrygon limai, sp. nov., is most similar to, and occurs sympatrically with, P. scobina, and is distinguished from it by lacking ocellated spots on disc, by its characteristic polygonal pattern on posterior disc, a comparatively much shorter and broader tail, greater intensity of denticles on disc, more midtail spine rows at tail-base, and other features including size at maturity and meristic characters. Potamotrygon limai, sp. nov., is also distinguished from other species of Potamotrygon occurring in the Amazon region, except P. scobina, by presenting three angular cartilages (vs. two or one). This new species was discovered during a detailed taxonomic and morphological revision of the closely related species P. scobina, and highlights the necessity for thorough and all-embracing taxonomic studies, particularly in groups with pronounced endemism and morphological variability. more...

Satellite images of the Mozambique Channel (MC), collected by Synthetic Aperture Radars (SARs) from the Envisat and European Remote Sensing (ERS) satellites, reveal sea surface signatures of oceanic Internal Solitary Waves (ISWs). The MC has been expected to be a major hotspot for the generation of Internal Tides (ITs) in the ocean. New results now show that the Sofala bank (or shelf, located near 20°S, 36°E) is indeed a strong and previously unknown source for the generation of ITs and ISWs. The hotspot region is located between 20 and 21°S, where the barotropic tidal forcing and tidal transports are highest in the area, due to the particular nature of the bathymetry there. Two distinct types of ISWs are observed to travel offshore, away from the shelf-break, and their possible generation mechanisms are discussed. Mode 2 ISWs propagating in MC are also observed in SAR imagery. It is discussed that they may be generated by a tidal beam impinging the thermocline from below, in a similar process to some of the Mode 1 ISWs generated off the Sofala bank. ISW refraction patterns, often observed in SAR imagery in MC are presented, and a particular example is shown where ISWs and eddy-like features are seen to interact. The influence of these rotating features in the refraction patterns is briefly discussed. Finally, it is shown that large-scale atmospheric gravity waves of solitary-like form are also frequently observed in the region, and thus care must be taken when discriminating oceanic and atmospheric ISW signatures in SAR images, if a correct interpretation is to be made. more...

Direct numerical simulations of statistically steady homogeneous isotropic turbulence in viscoelastic fluids described by the FENE-P model, such as those laden with polymers, are presented. It is shown that the strong depletion of the turbulence dissipation reported by previous authors does not necessarily imply a depletion of the nonlinear energy cascade. However, for large relaxation times, of the order of the eddy turnover time, the polymers remove more energy from the large scales than they can dissipate and transfer the excess energy back into the turbulent dissipative scales. This is effectively a polymer-induced kinetic energy cascade which competes with the nonlinear energy cascade of the turbulence leading to its depletion. It is also shown that the total energy flux to the small scales from both cascade mechanisms remains approximately the same fraction of the kinetic energy over the turnover time as the nonlinear energy cascade flux in Newtonian turbulence. more...

The Douro is one of the longest rivers in the Iberian Peninsula and represents the most important freshwater input into the Atlantic Ocean in the northwestern Portuguese coast. In order to fill the gaps on the comprehension of the spatial variability of the Douro estuarine plume, an innovative methodology was applied to observe and characterize this plume and its spatial and temporal variability. Using images of normalized water-leaving radiance at 555 nm from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) in combination with long-term concurrent wind, tidal and river discharge data (2003-2011), this work evaluates the effect of the main drivers (river discharge, wind and tide) on the plume features. Expected strong relationships between river discharge and turbid levels were detected. A circular pattern is well distinct off Douro estuary when the flow exceeds 500 m3 s-1. Under upwelling favorable winds and high river discharge regime, an offshore expansion is observed. During southerly winds, there is a plume confinement to the coast. Easterlywinds produce a bulge formation with an offshore detachment from the coast while westerly winds tend to confine freshwater close to the shoreline and decrease the cross-shore advection. Under high river discharges, a remarkable tidal influence in the near-field regions is observed close to the coast and near the river mouth. more...

A simple and straightforward route for the synthesis of the title substituted oxadiazoles via reaction of arylamidoximes (I) with glycolate derivatives is developed.

The multi-component one-pot synthesis has received great importance because of its wide range of applications in pharmaceutical chemistry for the production of structural scaffolds and combinatorial libraries for drug discovery. In this context, three component coupling (3CC) reactions have proven remarkably successful in generating molecular complexities in a single step operation. 1 The 4amidotetrahydropyran ring system is a core structure in a number of natural products 2 and generally, are prepared via Prins cyclization using acid catalysis. However, the use of Ritter amidation to terminate Prins cyclization is scarce, hence an efficient and practical methodology for the Prins-Ritter type reaction would be of great importance for the preparation of structurally diverse tetrahydropyran derivatives for the drug discovery process. more...

One of the major routes of detoxification (removal of free radicals) in Aedes aegypti mosquitos is the kynurenine pathway. In this biochemical pathway, the most important reaction is the conversion of 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK), a harmful metabolite that leads to insect death, into xanthurenic acid, a nontoxic substance. This conversion is performed by the enzyme 3-hydroxy-kynurenine transaminase (HKT). 1 more...

We propose a topological approach suitable to establish a connection between thermodynamics and topology in the microcanonical ensemble. Indeed, we report on results that point to the possibility of describing {\it interacting classical spin systems} in the thermodynamic limit, including the occurrence of a phase transition, using topology arguments only. Our approach relies on Morse theory, through the determination of the critical points of the potential energy, which is the proper Morse function. Our main finding is to show that, in the context of the studied classical models, the Euler characteristic $\chi(E)$ embeds the necessary features for a correct description of several magnetic thermodynamic quantities of the systems, such as the magnetization, correlation function, susceptibility, and critical temperature. Despite the classical nature of the studied models, such quantities are those that do not violate the laws of thermodynamics [with the proviso that Van der Waals loop states are mean field (MF) artifacts]. We also discuss the subtle connection between our approach using the Euler entropy, defined by the logarithm of the modulus of $\chi(E)$ per site, and that using the {\it Boltzmann} microcanonical entropy. Moreover, the results suggest that the loss of regularity in the Morse function is associated with the occurrence of unstable and metastable thermodynamic solutions in the MF case. The reliability of our approach is tested in two exactly soluble systems: the infinite-range and the short-range $XY$ models in the presence of a magnetic field. In particular, we confirm that the topological hypothesis holds for both the infinite-range ($T_c \neq 0$) and the short-range ($T_c = 0$) $XY$ models. Further studies are very desirable in order to clarify the extension of the validity of our proposal. more...

Objectives Equisetum arvense has long been used in traditional medicines to treat different disorders, including bone pathologies. In this study a hydromethanolic extract of E. arvense was assessed for its effects on human osteoclastogenesis. Materials and methods Osteoclast precursors were maintained in non-stimulated and stimulated (presence of M-CSF and RANKL) conditions, or in co-cultures with osteoblasts. Cell cultures were treated with 0.00016–0.5 mg/ml of a hydromethanolic E. arvense extract. Results The extract did not affect spontaneous osteoclastogenesis. In osteoclast precursors committed to osteoclastogenesis (stimulated or co-cultured with osteoblasts), E. arvense caused dose-dependent inhibitory effect that became statistically significant at concentrations ≥0.004 mg/ml. This was observed using different osteoclast differentiation and activation markers. Cell response was associated with changes in relative contribution of MEK and NFkB signalling pathways, as well as PGE2 production. As there were differences in the response of osteoclast precursors maintained in the presence of inductive factors, or co-cultured with osteoblastic cells, it seems that E. arvense extract had the ability to modulate osteoclastogenesis, either by acting directly on osteoclast precursor cells, and/or via osteoblasts. Conclusions Equisetum appeared to have a negative effect on human osteoclastogenesis, which is in line with its putative beneficial role in pathophysiological conditions associated with increased osteoclastic activity, and might suggest potential utility for treatment with bone regeneration strategies. more...

Results of field experiments on radar imaging of surfactant films using satellite SAR (TerraSAR-X) co-located with Xband and Ka-band radar (scatterometer) measurements are described and analyzed. The experiments were performed using surfactant films with pre-measured physical parameters, the surface tension and the film elasticity, at low to moderate wind and at different radar incidence angles. Contrasts characterizing depression of radar backscatter in slicks have been obtained. Theoretical analysis of radar contrasts for low-to-moderate incidence angles has been carried out based on a hydrodynamic model of wind wave damping due to films and on a composite radar imaging model. The hydrodynamic model takes into account wave damping due to viscoelastic films, wind wave generation and a phenomenological term describing nonlinear limitation of the wind wave spectrum. The radar model takes into account Bragg scattering and specular scattering, the latter is usually negligible compared to the Bragg effect at moderate incidence angles (larger than 30-35 degrees), but is obtained to give noticeable contribution to radar backscattering at smaller incidence angles particularly for slick areas when cm-scale ripples is strongly depressed by films. Theoretical calculations of radar contrasts in slicks are compared with experiment. more...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cardiovascular effects of maxillary infiltration using 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 adrenaline, 4% articaine with 1:200,000 adrenaline, and 4% articaine with 1:100,000 adrenaline in different stages during restorative dental procedures.Twenty healthy patients randomly received 1.8 mL of the three local anaesthetics. Systolic blood pressure, average blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate were evaluated by the oscillometric and photoplethysmograph methods in seven stages during the appointment.Statistical analysis by ANOVA and Tukey tests of cardiovascular parameters did not show significant differences between the anaesthetic associations. There were significant differences for the parameters among different clinical stages.The variation of cardiovascular parameters was similar for lidocaine and articaine with both adrenaline concentrations and showed no advantage of one drug over the other. Cardiovascular parameters were influenced by the stages of the dental procedures, which showed the effect of anxiety during restorative dental treatment. more...

The region of the Middle East around the Red Sea (between 32° E and 44° E longitude and 12° N and 28° N latitude) is a currently undocumented hotspot for atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs). Satellite imagery shows evidence that this region is prone to relatively high occurrence of AGWs compared to other areas in the world, and reveals the spatial characteristics of these waves. The favorable conditions for wave propagation in this region are illustrated with three typical cases of AGWs propagating in the lower troposphere over the sea. Using weakly nonlinear long wave theory and the observed characteristic wavelengths we obtain phase speeds which are consistent with those observed and typical for AGWs, with the Korteweg-de Vries theory performing slightly better than Benjamin-Davis-Acrivos-Ono theory as far as phase speeds are concerned. ERS-SAR and Envisat-ASAR satellite data analysis between 1993 and 2008 reveals signatures consistent with horizontally propagating large-scale internal waves. These signatures cover the entire Red Sea and are more frequently observed between April and September, although they also occur during the rest of the year. The region's (seasonal) propagation conditions for AGWs, based upon average vertical atmospheric stratification profiles suggest that many of the signatures identified in the satellite images are atmospheric internal waves. more...

The Mascarene Plateau in the Western Indian Ocean is identified as a new internal solitary wave hotspot. Satellite SAR images show that powerful internal waves radiate both to the West and East from a central sill near 12.5° S, 61° E between the Saya de Malha and Nazareth Banks. To first order, the waves appear in tidally generated packets on both sides of the sill, and those on the western side have crest-lengths in excess of 350 km, amongst the longest yet recorded anywhere in the world’s oceans. The propagation characteristics of these internal waves are well described by first mode linear waves interacting with background shear taken from the westward-flowing South Equatorial Current (SEC), a large part of which flows through the sill in question. Analysis of the timings and locations of the packets indicates that both the westward- and eastward- travelling waves are generated from the western side of the sill at the predicted time of maximum tidal flow to the West. The linear generation mechanism is therefore proposed as the splitting of a large lee wave that forms on the western side of the sill, in a similar manner to that already identified for the shelf break generation of internal waves in the northern Bay of Biscay. While lee waves should form on either side of the sill in an oscillatory tidal flow, that on the western side would be expected to be much larger than that on the eastern side because of a superposition of the tidal flow and the steady westward flow of the SEC. The existence of a large lee wave at the right time in the tidal cycle is then finally confirmed by direct observations. Our study also confirms the existence of second mode internal waves that form on the western side of the sill and travel across the sill towards the East. more...

Potamotrygon tatianae sp. nov., is described from Río Madre de Díos, Peru, upper Rio Madeira basin. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by a unique combination of characters, including its dorsal color pattern formed by a relatively slender, highly convoluted, beige to dark brown vermicular pattern, a single row of dorsal tail spines, and a relatively longer tail posterior to caudal stings. Potamotrygon tatianae sp. nov., occurs sympatrically with other species of Potamotrygon (P. falkneri, P. orbignyi and P. motoro). From the similar species P. falkneri, P. tatianae sp. nov., is further distinguished by the absence of circular, reniform, and oval spots, by its proportionally much longer tail, by having dorsal tail spines in one irregular row, and by features of the ventral lateral-line canal, dermal denticles and neurocranium. From P. orbignyi, the new species is distinct by lacking a reticulate pattern on dorsal disc and by the presence of two angular cartilages. From P. motoro, P. tatianae sp. nov., is further separated by the lack of ocelli formed by strong black concentric rings, by the more flattened aspect of its head and disc, and by having smaller and more numerous teeth. The discovery of a new species that so closely resembles a congeneric form in color pattern, a feature highly variable within the latter, highlights the importance of examining large series of individuals and of detailed morphological analyses in revealing the potentially highly cryptic nature of the diversity within the family. Potamotrygon tatianae sp. nov., é descrita do Río Madre de Díos, Peru, alto da bacia do Río Madeira. Essa nova espécie é distinta de todas as espécies congenéricas por uma combinação única de caracteres, incluindo sua coloração dorsal formada por um padrão vermicular de cor bege a marrom escuro, relativamente delgado e altamente convoluto, uma única fileira mediana dorsal de espinhos sobre a cauda e uma cauda relativamente longa posteriormente aos ferrões caudais. Potamotrygon tatianae sp. nov., ocorre em simpatria com outras espécies de Potamotrygon (P. falkneri, P. orbignyi and P. motoro). Da espécie similar P. falkneri, P.tatianae sp. nov., é também distinguida pela ausência de manchas circulares, reniformes e ovais, por sua cauda proporcionalmente mais longa, por apresentar espinhos caudais em uma única fileira irregular e por caracteres dos canais ventrais da linha lateral, dentículos dérmicos e neurocrânio. De P. orbignyi, a nova espécie é distinguida pela ausência de um padrão reticulado no dorso do disco e pela presença de duas cartilagens angulares. De P. motoro, P. tatianae sp. nov., é separada pela ausência de ocelos formados por anéis negros concêntricos intensos, pelo aspecto mais achatado da cabeça e disco e pela presença de dentes menores e mais numerosos. A descoberta de uma espécie nova que é semelhante a uma outra espécie congenérica que possui um padrão de colorido dorsal semelhante, um caráter muito variável nesta espécie, ressalta a importância de examinar séries grandes de indivíduos e de análises morfológicas detalhadas para revelar a natureza potencialmente críptica da diversidade dentro da família. more...

In this study, the potential of MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) to describe variations of optically active substances over Alqueva artificial lake is investigated. Limnological laboratory analyses of the water samples collected monthly, from 2003 to 2006, are used in combination with MERIS. The water surface spectral reflectance is derived from Level1b MERIS data, using radiative transfer calculations to account for the atmospheric effects. The lake water spectral surface reflectance is combined with laboratory analyses of cyanobacteria total densities as well as chlorophyll a concentrations and empirical algorithms for both quantities are derived. The results obtained are compared with independent laboratory analyses from 2007, with good correlation coefficients obtained both for cyanobacteria (R = 0.93) and chlorophyll a(R = 0.80). The methodology proposed here has been developed to inexpensively monitor Alqueva Reservoir water quality in terms of cyanobacteria and chlorophyll a on a regular basis, and to provide useful information to the authorities. more...

Multidrug therapy (WHO/MDT) in multibacillary leprosy consists of treatment with rifampicin, dapsone and clofazimine. However, adverse effects can cause the patient to abandon treatment. We report on a patient who presented agranulocytosis and hemolytic anemia associated with this treatment regime. We also examined the importance of laboratory exams for diagnosis and follow-up of the patient, and for early detection of adverse effects,with a view to improving adhesion to treatment and contributing to the eradication of Hansen's disease as a public health issue. more...

A família Potamotrygonidae é um grupo monofilético de raias exclusivo de água doce, ocorrendo na maioria dos grandes rios neotropicais sulamericanos. A família apresenta-se numa situação taxonômica bastante confusa devido à elevada diversidade de coloração do disco, à escassez de um número maior de caracteres diagnósticos para a identificação de seus membros e a confusão na literatura em relação às espécies nominais. O padrão de coloração, usado como principal caráter na identificação das espécies se mostra inadequado para separar espécies semelhantes, pois existe uma enorme quantidade de padrões intermediários de coloração. Potamotrygom orbignyi (Castelnau, 1855), e espécies com padrões de colorido reticulado semelhantes, foram submetidas a uma análise taxonômica acurada, uma vez que os limites de P. orbignyi e o status taxonômico destas espécies nominais possivelmente relacionadas se encontravam incertos. Dessa maneira, com o intuito de resolver parte da problemática taxonômica dentro da família Potamotrygonidae, Potamotrygon orbignyi (Castelnau, 1855), Potamotrygon dumerilii (Castelnau, 1855), Potamotrygon reticulatus (Günther, 1880) e Potamotrygon humerosa Garman, 1913, que se encontram distribuídas na bacia Amazônica, na Venezuela (rio Orinoco), Colômbia, Guianas e Suriname, foram taxonomicamente analisadas. A análise taxonômica revelou baseada em um estudo morfológico detalhado, que Potamotrygon reticulatus e Potamotrygon dumerilii representam na verdade padrões de variação encontradas dentro de Potamotrygon orbignyi e tratadas por conseguinte como sinônimos desta. Além disso, as espécies nominais Potamotrygon humerosa e Potamotrygon marinae apresentaram um conjunto de caracteres que não permitiram incluí-las como sinônimos de Potamotrygon orbignyi, confirmando dessa maneira, como suspeitado por autores prévios, seu status de validade. The family Potamotrygonidae is a monophyletic group of rays exclusive of freshwater environment, occurring on the majority of South American neotropical rivers. It also presents an extremely confuse taxonomic situation due to its highly diverse disc coloration, the absence of a greater number of diagnostic characters to identify its members and the confusion on the literature involving its nominal species. The coloration pattern, used as the main character on the identification of species is not adequate to separate similar species since an enormous quantity of intermediate patterns exists. Potamotrygom orbignyi (Castelnau, 1855), and species with similar reticulate color patterns were submitted to an accurate taxonomical analysis, since the limits of P. orbignyi and the taxonomic status of the probable related nominal species were uncertain. In this way, with the intention to solve part of the taxonomic problematic inside the family Potamotrygonidae, Potamotrygon orbignyi (Castelnau, 1855), Potamotrygon dumerilii (Castelnau, 1855), Potamotrygon reticulatus (Günther, 1880) and Potamotrygon humerosa Garman, 1913, that are distributed in Amazonic basin, in Venezuela (río Orinoco), Colômbia, Guianas and Suriname, were taxonomically analyzed. The taxonomic analysis revealed, based on a detailed morphological study that Potamotrygon reticulatus and Potamotrygon dumerilii represent actually variation patterns found inside Potamotrygon orbignyi and treated consequently as synonyms. Besides this, the nominal species Potamotrygon humerosa and Potamotrygon marinae presented a set of characters that did not allow including them as synonyms of Potamotrygon orbignyi, confirming thus, as suspected by previous authors, their validity status. more...

This paper presents new results showing that the Sofala shelf in the Mozambique Channel (20°S, 36°E) is a previously unknown “hot spot” for the generation of internal tides and internal waves. We investigate available Envisat advanced synthetic aperture radar imagery of the region, which is capable of showing the surface signatures of the internal waves. This is complemented by modeling of the ray pathways of internal tidal energy propagation, and of the P. G. Baines (1982) barotropic body force, which drives the generation of internal tides near the shelf break. The hot spot region is localized between 20° and 21°S because of the particular nature of the bathymetry there. Farther north and south, the forcing is reduced and insufficient to generate internal solitary waves in the synthetic aperture radar images. The analysis reveals two distinct types of internal wave trains that are observed traveling oceanward away from the shelf break, and we suggest that these result from direct generation at the shelf break and from “local” generation at about 80 km from the shelf break, respectively, because of the surfacing of internal tidal rays at the thermocline. Finally, we have investigated seasonal differences in the wave patterns, which penetrate more extensively into the channel during the southern summer and appear slightly farther to the south during the southern winter. We also conclude that the local generation process is more likely to occur during the winter when the stratification is reduced. more...

[1] Synthetic Aperture Radar images revealed the two-dimensional propagation characteristics of short-period internal solitary waves in Race Point Channel in Massachusetts Bay. The images and in situ measurements of the flow in the channel are used to infer the likely generation mechanism of the waves. The solitary waves are generated during the ebb phase of the tide within the channel. On some occasions, two trains of internal waves are generated presumably at the same location but at slightly different phases of the ebb tide. The main characteristics of the (two-layer) flow are described based on the criticality of the Froude number. It is suggested that these two individual packets of waves result from flow passage through resonance (where the Froude number is one). One packet is generated as the flow passes through the transcritical regime during the acceleration phase of the (ebb) tidal current, and another packet is generated during the deceleration phase. Both packets propagate upstream when the tide slacks, but with slightly different propagation directions. more...

Signatures of rip currents can be identified in SAR images and aerial photographs of the near-shore. An area on the Portuguese West coast (bathymetry and wave climate of which are briefly described) was studied. An image corresponding to low wind speed conditions is shown, where a series of rip-like cell features are consistent with rip current morphology. A simple model is presented to explain the signatures, based on wind contrast due to the relative water motion within rip currents. The model is discussed for near-threshold wind conditions of Bragg wave excitation. more...

25 páginas, 6 figuras, The present review is focused on the mesoscale physical processes recognized in the Western Iberia Ecosystem, complementing earlier reviews dedicated to larger scales. Recent studies support the idea that the mesoscale processes, superimposed on the larger scale variability, are the major factor controlling the ecosystem functioning in the region. A complex structure of interleaved alongshore slope, shelf and coastal currents that interact with eddies, buoyant plumes, upwelling filaments and fronts, surface layer expressions of the subsurface circulation and internal waves is revealed by the latest research. All of these contribute in different ways to have an effect on the ecosystem. The supposedly less variable winter circulation also exhibits significant mesoscale activity, in the form of eddy shedding from the poleward slope current, intermittent upwelling events and transient nearshore poleward flows. The present incomplete knowledge of this complex system presents a number of challenges and questions that must be addressed if we are to arrive at a satisfactory understanding and predictive capability for the system as a whole, The authors acknowledge projects that supported this review, namely: PROFIT – PDCTE/CTA/50386/ 2003; ESA – AOPT-2423; SPOTIWAVE II – FCT – POCI/MAR/57836/2004; ATOMS – PDCTM/P/ MAR/15296/1999. This is a contribution to GLOBEC and EUR-OCEANS (EC FP6 NoE 511106). more...

Aims To assess the recanalization effects of post-myocardial infarction (MI) on left ventricular (LV) remodelling and contractility in relation to conservative therapy. Methods and results Thirty-six patients with occluded infarct-related artery between 12 h and 14 days post-anterior MI were randomized to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI group) or conservative therapy (no-PCI group). Magnetic resonance imaging was performed at enrolment and after 6 months. The left ventricle was divided into infarct, adjacent, and remote segments. There was no difference in relation to LV volume between groups at the 6 month follow-up. Change in LV ejection fraction was favourable to the PCI group: 5.00% vs. 20.76%, P ¼ 0.012. Change in circumferential shortening (Ecc) of the remote segments in the PCI group was significantly better than in the no-PCI group: 21.67 + 6.30% vs. 0.29 + 6.02%, P , 0.001. Infarct size and LV mass were similar between groups. Conclusions Late recanalization improved LV ejection fraction and myocardial contractility in late follow-up, but did not change the ventricular volumes. Improvement in the left ventricle global and regional contractility may benefit the long-term outcome in post-MI patients with sustained patency of the infarct-related artery. more...

This paper studies the behavior of the HEGY statistics for quarterly data, for seasonal autoregressive unit roots, when the analyzed time series is deterministic seasonal stationary but exhibits a change in the seasonal pattern. As a by-product we analyze also the HEGY test for the nonseasonal unit root, the data generation process being trend stationary too. Our results show that when the break magnitudes are finite the HEGY test statistics are not asymptotically biased towards the non-rejection of the seasonal and nonseasonal unit root hypotheses. However, the finite sample power properties may be substancially affected, the behavior of the tests depending on the type of the break. Hence, our results are also useful to understand and to predict this behavior under several circumstances. more...

Field experiments on remote sensing of organic slicks on the sea surface are carried out using Ka- and X-band radars, Optical Spectrum Analyzers and C-band ERS-2 SAR. Damping of wind waves due to films of different organic substances is studied in a wide wavelength (from decimeter to millimeter-scale) range, and is shown to be maximal for mm-scale waves. An effect of changing of Ka-band radar Doppler shifts in slicks is revealed in the experiments, the Doppler shift changes are shown to depend strongly on the film elasticity. Physical mechanisms and simple theoretical models of the effects of films on short wind waves are discussed. more...

This paper investigates the properties of Dickey-Fuller tests for seasonally unadjusted quarterly data when deterministic seasonality is present but it is neglected in the test regression. While for the random walk case the answer is straightforward, an extensive Monte Carlo study has to be performed for more realistic processes and testing strategies. The most important conclusion is that the common perception that deterministic seasonality has nothing to do with the long-run properties of the data is incorrect. Further numerical evidence on the shortcomings of the general-to-specific t-sig lag selection method is also presented. more...

A recent classification scheme for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) signatures of internal waves (IWs) has been proposed based on the analysis of ERS-1 SAR images of the Iberian shelf zone. According to this classification IWs which propagate with relatively low phase velocities (C/sub p//spl sim/0.5 m/s) display three different signatures depending on the parameters of surface-active films and wind speed. In particular, it is found that at very low wind speeds IWs display single positive backscatter signatures as a result of the image background falling to the noise floor at such low wind conditions. However, in different oceanic regions, the authors have observed predominant single positive signatures even when the background backscatter is well above the noise level. In this paper they report observations of IW signatures which mainly display positive backscatter variations on a background above the noise level. They seek for a common factor in the variety of observations from different oceanic regions, (such as the Strait of Gibraltar, Andaman Sea, Sulu Sea, Sea of Ball, Gulf of California, etc.) that may lead to an explanation of the phenomenon. One common factor associated with these SAR observations seems to be that they correspond to comparatively long IWs (their wavelength can be up to several kilometres) which are known to propagate with high phase velocities (C/sub p/>1 m/s). more...

This paper reveals bands of enhanced levels of near-surface chlorophyll in the central Bay of Biscay in remotely-sensed images from the SeaWiFS ocean colour sensor, and shows that these are most probably associated with the crests of internal tidal waves travelling away from the shelf break. We are able to explain this effect as likely to result from the uplifting of a subsurface chlorophyll maximum by the passing internal tides, to such a level as may be “seen” by the satellite sensor, and have quantified the effect with a simple model. We believe this is the first time that internal tidal waves have been reported as having a direct and observable effect in such remotely-sensed ocean colour images. more...

In 1988, 22 autochthonous cases from accidental exposure were registered in Forte Orange beach, Itamaracá Island, Pernambuco, Brazil. All cases occurred in middle-to-upper class individuals who were vacationing in the island. After the cases were identified, the major objective was to find breeding sites of schistosomiasis vectors and correlate the biological factors with the environmental conditions.The environmental characteristics of the beach before human occupation were obtained from several documents. Also, a one-year malacological survey was conducted with monthly collection of mollusks, and the determination of their infectivity rates.The malacological survey was able to identify 20 breeding sites of Biomphalaria glabrata and 28 capture station were set up. Snails were collected and examined each month throughout a whole year. The results show a seasonal variation in the mollusk population density associated with infection rates and types of breeding sites. The importance of this new epidemiological profile of schistosomiasis in the State of Pernambuco relies on the fact that it can be related with the drastic human interference on the environment. Ecological, environmental, and demographic factors as well as the epidemiological characteristics of the disease have social and economic repercussions. more...

Following recent work of Franses, Hylleberg and Lee (FHL), this paper analyses the consequences of fitting a deterministic seasonal model to a quarterly time series which can be (at least approximately) described by a seasonal unit root(s) model. Besides the distribution of the coefficient of determination, the empirical distributions of two commonly used statistics are also investigated through Monte Carlo experiments for small, moderately large and large samples. FHL's work is also extended allowing the possibility of residual autocorrelation corrections. The main conclusion that emerges from the results is that one should not try to measure the importance of deterministic seasonality nor test for its presence in the context of such (static) regression models, even when using some form of residual autocorrelation correction. A simple empirical application is provided to illustrate our results. more...

A method for remote determination of the presence of surfactants in the sea surface microlayer based on observations of internal wave (IW) signatures on satellite radar imagery is proposed. It is shown that small variations of surfactant concentration that occur on shelf zones caused by tidal flow can modulate the surface signatures of IWs, producing different signatures according to the local film concentration and wind speed. An analysis and classification of ERS SAR signatures of short-period IWs on the Iberian shelf is presented. more...

Potamotrygon limai, sp. nov., is described from the Jamari River, upper Madeira River system (Amazon basin), state of Rondonia, Brazil. This new species differs from congeners by presenting unique polygonal or concentric patterns formed by small whitish spots better defined over the posterior disc and tail-base regions. Potamotrygon limai, sp. nov., can be further distinguished from congeners in the same basin by other characters in combination, such as two to three rows of midtail spines converging to a single irregular row at level of caudal sting origin, proportions of head, tail and disc, patterns of dermal denticles on rostral, cranial and tail regions, among other features discussed herein. Potamotrygon limai, sp. nov., is most similar to, and occurs sympatrically with, P. scobina, and is distinguished from it by lacking ocellated spots on disc, by its characteristic polygonal pattern on posterior disc, a comparatively much shorter and broader tail, greater intensity of denticles on disc, more midtail spine rows at tail-base, and other features including size at maturity and meristic characters. Potamotrygon limai, sp. nov., is also distinguished from other species of Potamotrygon occurring in the Amazon region, except P. scobina, by presenting three angular cartilages (vs. two or one). This new species was discovered during a detailed taxonomic and morphological revision of the closely related species P. scobina, and highlights the necessity for thorough and all-embracing taxonomic studies, particularly in groups with pronounced endemism and morphological variability. more...

Schistosomiasis mansoni can be considered an important public health problem in Northeastern Brazil, in spite of the reduction in the prevalence of the hepatosplenic clinical forms which have been attributed to the large scale use of chemotherapy in this country. However, the rise in the prevalence rates and the spread of this endemic disease to new areas show that schistosomiasis is assuming its must cruel expression: less lethal but more greatly incapacitating in terms of irreversible physical and moral damage to human beings. The state of Pernambuco presents growing rates for schistosomiasis infection in humans. The epidemiological profile of this disease displays high and consistent prevalence rates (up to 80%) in rural areas, and new cases of acute infection on the coast, where schistosomiasis has recently been introduced. The reproduction and expansion of this endemic disease can be better understood on the basic of a conception of structural and historical causation. The disease construction process should be reconstructed in the light of biological as well as the social, political and cultural factors which are jointly responsible for the present endemic situation. Within that frame work, the historical and socioeconomic features that interact with the parasite and give rise to the present proportions of the schistosomiasis epidemic in Pernambuco are discussed. The mode of occupation and use of the land, unemployment, under-nutrition, migration, etc., raise the question of the growing difficulties confronting the control of the disease, both in rural areas where populations are extremely mobile as well as in the poorly organized urban population. Epidemiological investigation is fulfilling its role in its attempts to understand the complex relationships of an intrinsecally social nature of the health/disease process between health problems and the quality of life for the purpose of producing consistent disease control models. more...

In free shear flows a sharp and convoluted turbulent/nonturbulent (T/NT) interface separates the outer fluid region, where the flow is essentially irrotational, from the shear layer turbulent region. It was found recently that the entrainment mechanism is mainly caused by small scale (nibbling) motions (Westerweel et al. (2005)). The dynamics of this interface is crucial to understand important exchanges of enstrophy and scalars that can be conceived as a three-stage process of entrainment, dispersion and diffusion (Dimotakis (2005)). A thorough understanding of scalar mixing and transport is of indisputable relevance to control turbulent combustion, propulsion and contaminant dispersion (Stanley et al. (2002)). The present work uses several DNS of turbulent jets at Reynolds number ranging from Reλ = 120 to Reλ = 160 (da Silva & Taveira (2010)) and a Schmidt number Sc = 0.7 to analyze the scalar interface and turbulent mixing of a passive scalar. Specifically, we employ conditional statistics, denoted by I, in order to eliminate the intermittency that affects statistics close to the jet edge. The physical mechanisms behind scalar mixing near the T/NT interfaces, their scales and topology are investigated detail. Analysis of the instantaneous fields showed intense scalar gradient sheet-like structures along regions of persistent strain, in particular at the T/NT interface. The scalar gradient transport equation, at the jet edge, showed that almost all mixing mechanisms are taking place in a confined region, beyond which they become reduced to an almost in perfect balance between production and dissipation of scalar variance. At the T/NT interface transport mechanisms are the ones responsible for the growth in the scalar fluctuations to the entrained fluid, where convection plays a dominant role, smoothing scalar gradients inside the interface and boosting them as far as more...

An analysis of turbulence?radiation interaction (TRI) in statistically stationary (forced) homogeneous and isotropic turbulence is presented. A direct numerical simulation code was used to generate instantaneous turbulent scalar fields, and the radiative transfer equation?(RTE) was solved to provide statistical data relevant in TRI. The radiation intensity is non-Gaussian and is not spatially correlated with any of the other turbulence or radiation quantities. Its power spectrum exhibits a power-law region with a slope steeper than the classical ?5/3 law. The moments of the radiation intensity, Planck-mean and incident-mean absorption coefficients, and emission and absorption TRI correlations are calculated. The influence of the optical thickness of the medium, mean and variance of the temperature and variance of the molar fraction of the absorbing species is studied. Predictions obtained from the time-averaged RTE are also included. It was found that while turbulence yields an increase of the mean blackbody radiation intensity, it causes a decrease of the time-averaged Planck-mean absorption coefficient. The absorption coefficient self-correlation is small in comparison with the temperature self-correlation, and the role of TRI in radiative emission is more important than in radiative absorption. The absorption coefficient?radiation intensity correlation is small, which supports the optically thin fluctuation approximation, and justifies the good predictions often achieved using the time-averaged RTE. more...

The spectral eddy-viscosity and eddy-diffusivity closures derived from the eddy-damped quasinormal Markovian (EDQNM) theory, and one of its physical space counterparts, i.e., the structure function model [Metais and Lesieur, J. Fluid Mech. 239, 157 (1992)], are revisited to account for molecular viscosity and diffusivity effects. The subgrid-scale Schmidt number (usually set to Sct≈0.6) is analytically derived from the EDQNM theory and shown to be Reynolds number dependent, a property of utmost importance for flows involving scalar transport at moderate Reynolds numbers or during the transition to turbulence. A priori tests in direct numerical simulation of homogeneous isotropic turbulence [da Silva and Pereira, Phys. Fluids 19, 035106 (2007)] and in spatially evolving turbulent plane jets [da Silva and Metais, J. Fluid Mech. 473, 103 (2002)], as well as a posteriori (large eddy simulation) tests in a round jet are carried out and show that the present viscous structure function model improves the results... more...

One trend in large-eddy simulations (LES) involves the use of a transport equation for the subgrid-scale (SGS) kinetic energy. For problems involving active or passive scalar fields a SGS scalar variance transport equation is also used. The terms from these equations involve sub-filter scale quantities that are not accessible during LES and thus require modelling. By far the greatest challenge for modelling in these equations comes from the viscous and the molecular SGS dissipation terms that represent the final (dissipation) stages of the ‘energy cascade mechanism’ whereby the SGS kinetic energy and SGS scalar variance are dissipated through the action of the molecular viscosity and diffusivity, respectively. In this work direct numerical simulations (DNS) of statistically stationary (forced) homogeneous, isotropic turbulence are used to (i) analyse the topology and spatial localisation of the viscous and the molecular SGS dissipation terms, (ii) assess three models currently used for these terms and (ii... more...

The consistently increasing need of obtaining information and data about the trace element content in geological material as applied to exploration as well as the investigation of the weathering process of ores demands the utilization of the semiquantitative spectrographic procedures. These procedures provide such data both rapidly and at a relatively low cost. The laboratories of the Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais (C.P.R.M.), Brazil, use methods of semiquantitative spectrographic analysis to obtain this kind of information. The work is based upon the previous studies described by Oda and others and Grimes and Marranzino. more...

We report on a set of remote sensing observations providing evidence that internal solitary waves (ISWs) observed in the central region of the Bay of Biscay can propagate not only in the NE-SW direction as described in earlier papers, but also in the SW-NE direction, that is, in the opposite direction. Analysis of over 30 ERS SAR images of the Bay of Biscay suggests new possible generation sites for internal waves (in a region comprising 43-46/spl deg/N, 2-10/spl deg/W). The investigation of the generation sites is based on maps produced from the SAR imagery and on regions of critical slopes of the local topography. The amplitudes and energies of the ISWs that propagate in the SW-NE direction are comparable with those generated locally in the central Bay (and travelling in the opposite direction) that have been studied before. more...

Reveals bands of enhanced levels of near-surface chlorophyll in the central Bay of Biscay in remotely-sensed images from the SeaWiFS ocean colour sensor, and shows that these are most probably associated with the crests of internal tidal waves travelling away from the shelf break. We are able to explain this effect as likely to result from the uplifting of a subsurface chlorophyll maximum by the passing internal tides, to such a level as may be "seen" by the satellite sensor, and have quantified the effect with a simple model. We believe this is the first time that internal tidal waves have been reported as having a direct and observable effect in such remotely-sensed ocean colour images. more...