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The 2009 Professional Development Schools National Conference recognized the North Florida Urban Professional Development School Partnership for its outstanding work in an urban education context and so named it one of the three recipients of the first-ever National Association for Professional Development Schools Award for Exemplary Professional Development School Achievement. This article describes, in the voice of the stakeholders, how the partnership developed its exemplary model. (Contains 3 figures and 3 tables.)

Abstract Background Increasing syphilis infection rates are a concerning issue worldwide. Blood donation screening is an opportunity to monitor the burden of asymptomatic infections, providing information on contemporary factors associated with infection and public health insights into transmission. Methods Blood donations collected at five Brazilian blood centers between January 2020 and February 2022 were screened with treponemal or non-treponemal assays according to local protocols, followed by alternate Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA); samples with reactive or indeterminate results in the alternate ELISA were further tested with the rapid plasma reagin (RPR), and categorized as RPR-positive or RPR-negative. RPR-positive donations were also grouped according to RPR titers (

El presente artículo analiza la influencia de las actividades físicas inclusivas en el desarrollo socioemocional de estudiantes con y sin discapacidades, con un enfoque en el contexto ecuatoriano. A partir de un análisis bibliográfico de estudios realizados entre 2015 y 2024, se identificaron los beneficios, barreras y estrategias asociadas con la implementación de estas actividades. Los resultados destacan que las actividades físicas inclusivas fomentan valores como la empatía, la tolerancia y la cooperación, al promover interacciones significativas entre estudiantes con capacidades diversas. Estas prácticas contribuyen al fortalecimiento del trabajo en equipo, la cohesión grupal y la autoestima de los estudiantes, especialmente aquellos con discapacidades, quienes experimentan un aumento en su autoeficacia y reconocimiento social. Sin embargo, se identificaron barreras importantes, como la falta de formación docente específica, carencias en infraestructura accesible y actitudes culturales que perpetúan prejuicios hacia los estudiantes con discapacidades. Además, se evidenció una limitada investigación en el contexto ecuatoriano, lo que dificulta la adaptación de estrategias internacionales a las realidades locales. El diseño universal para el aprendizaje (DUA) y la enseñanza colaborativa emergen como enfoques efectivos para superar estas limitaciones. Se concluye que las actividades físicas inclusivas son una herramienta poderosa para el desarrollo socioemocional y la construcción de comunidades escolares más inclusivas. Su implementación efectiva requiere superar barreras estructurales y culturales, además de promover políticas que prioricen la inclusión y la participación activa de toda la comunidad educativa.

Abstract Perinatal depression (PND) affects up to 20% of women and is associated with significant impairment and disability in affected women. In addition, perinatal depression is associated with broader public health and multigenerational consequences. Innovative approaches are needed to reduce the burden of perinatal depression through identification, tracking, and treatment of depressive symptoms during the perinatal period. This study is a randomized clinical trial comparing the relative efficacy of a multi-tiered system of care, Screening and Treatment of Anxiety and Depression (STAND) to perinatal care delivered by a reproductive psychiatrist in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. A sample of 167 individuals was randomized between week 28 of pregnancy and 6 months postpartum. A secondary aim compares the original online therapy intervention used in the first half of the study to a newer online therapy program used in the second half of the study for individuals assigned to the STAND treatment. The study measures, intervention groups, and analysis methods are described, as well as expected implications. The findings from this study may improve the methods for tracking symptom changes over time, monitoring treatment response, and providing personalized care for individuals with PND. As such, this study may improve the lives of patients with PND and their families and lower the related health care costs to society. Trial registration NCT: 9/24/2021 NCT direct link: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05056454?term=NCT05056454&rank=1&a=1 .

Abstract Over the last ten years, there has been considerable progress in using digital behavioral phenotypes, captured passively and continuously from smartphones and wearable devices, to infer depressive mood. However, most digital phenotype studies suffer from poor replicability, often fail to detect clinically relevant events, and use measures of depression that are not validated or suitable for collecting large and longitudinal data. Here, we report high-quality longitudinal validated assessments of depressive mood from computerized adaptive testing paired with continuous digital assessments of behavior from smartphone sensors for up to 40 weeks on 183 individuals experiencing mild to severe symptoms of depression. We apply a combination of cubic spline interpolation and idiographic models to generate individualized predictions of future mood from the digital behavioral phenotypes, achieving high prediction accuracy of depression severity up to three weeks in advance (R 2 ≥ 80%) and a 65.7% reduction in the prediction error over a baseline model which predicts future mood based on past depression severity alone. Finally, our study verified the feasibility of obtaining high-quality longitudinal assessments of mood from a clinical population and predicting symptom severity weeks in advance using passively collected digital behavioral data. Our results indicate the possibility of expanding the repertoire of patient-specific behavioral measures to enable future psychiatric research.

Online privacy is a topic that directly impacts individual freedom, and its protection is crucial to ensure security and individual liberties. It affects the safeguarding of personal information, freedom of expression, access to information, protection against surveillance, and protection against online manipulation. This work aims to address issues of online privacy and the balance between security and individual liberties. To achieve this, the neutrosophic COPRAS method was employed to evaluate strategies that involve the creation of specific regulations and policies to protect the online privacy of citizens. The study concluded that public-private collaboration and ongoing dialogue are essential for developing fair and effective solutions that benefit society as a whole.

El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar el papel de la microbiota intestinal en la progresión de la enfermedad de Parkinson, realizando una revisión bibliográfca. La enfermedad de Parkinson es una enfermedad neurodegenerativa que se produce por la degeneración de neuronas dopaminérgicas en la sustancia negra (pars compacta). La frecuencia de la enfermedad varía con la edad y el género, siendo más común en hombres mayores de 60 años. La causa principal de la muerte neuronal es desconocida y puede estar relacionada con procesos degenerativos como la disfunción mitocondrial, agregación de a-sinucleína, autofagia alterada, estrés del retículo endoplásmico (ER) o desregulación de la homeostasis del calcio intracelular. La microbiota intestinal es una parte integral del organismo humano y contribuye a muchos procesos fisiológicos, incluyendo la defensa inmunológica. La interacción entre la microbiota intestinal y el sistema nervioso central (SNC), se conoce como el eje microbiota-intestino-cerebro (MIC). La disbiosis intestinal, una alteración en la composición y función de la microbiota intestinal, se ha encontrado en personas con la enfermedad de Parkinson. Además, se ha demostrado que algunos compuestos producidos por la microbiota intestinal pueden tener propiedades antiinflamatorias y antioxidantes que podrían ser beneficiosas en esta enfermedad. También se ha encontrado una relación entre la microbiota intestinal y la producción de dopamina, un neurotransmisor clave que se encuentra disminuido en las personas con Parkinson.

Labor perfidy in Ecuador is a real current problem. There are irregularities in the labor sector that can affect the labor rights of workers, which perpetuates deception and ignorance on the part of those affected. Knowing the causes and consequences of labor perfidy allows projecting solutions to reduce its effect on the working society. The analysis of preliminary studies and surveys defines certain levels of indeterminacy in the answers obtained by a group of lawyers and workers. This integration between neutrosophic sets allows us to reflect, through the representation of neutrosophic statistics, the level of deterioration of the factors that intervene in the violation of labor rights. Consequently, the existing indeterminacy forces carry out the modeling of each element of the group studied to analyze the levels of associated deterioration in Ecuador. As a result, it is defined to propose strategies focused on restructuring regulations to mitigate their impact on the working society of Ecuador.

The right to receive social assistance for sickness is considered a right of every low-income citizen. Social security must ensure that people without access to health insurance have the option of this type of compensation. However, to access the monetary contribution for illness, a rigorous process is required to validate and approve it. In some cases, some people have been affected by the budget deficit that the locality presents, due to the non-payment of taxpayers. Therefore, the present study focuses on determining the causes of non-compliance with the monetary contribution for the illness that affect the violation of the right to receive a subsidy. For the modeling of the study, neutrosophic statistics are used to detect the existing uncertainties. Among the neutrosophic results, the implementation of mechanisms and ways to control the collections for the monetary contribution for illness is proposed, in addition to informing society and giving attention to those workers who are disabled.

BackgroundThe global burden of anxiety and depression has created an urgent need for scalable approaches to increase access to evidence-based mental health care. The Screening and Treatment for Anxiety and Depression (STAND) system of care was developed to meet this need through the use of internet-connected devices for assessment and provision of treatment. STAND triages to level of care (monitoring only, digital therapy with coaches, digital therapy assisted by clinicians in training, and clinical care) and then continuously monitors symptoms to adapt level of care. Triaging and adaptation are based on symptom severity and suicide risk scores obtained from computerized adaptive testing administered remotely. ObjectiveThis article discusses how the STAND system of care improves upon current clinical paradigms, and presents preliminary data on feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of STAND in a sample of US-based university students. MethodsUS-based university students were recruited and enrolled in an open trial of the STAND system of care. Participants were triaged based on initial symptom severity derived from a computerized adaptive test and monitored over 40 weeks on anxiety, depression, and suicide risk to inform treatment adaptation and evaluate preliminary effectiveness. ResultsNearly 5000 students were screened and 516 received care. Depression and anxiety severity scores improved across all tiers (P

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Brazilian hospitals use a protocol for weaning from noninvasive ventilation (NIV), how this ventilatory support is withdrawn, and whether there is consensus among the methods used by the institutions. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from December 2020 to February 2021, based on responses to an electronic questionnaire, filled out by physical therapists working in NICU in Brazilian hospitals about the routine of physical therapy and the use of NIV and its weaning. Results: A total of 93 answers to the electronic questionnaire met the study criteria: 52.7% were from public health institutions, with an average of 15 NICU beds (15.2±15.9), 85% of the physical therapists worked exclusively in the NICU, 34.4% of the NICU had 24-h physical therapy care, 66.7% of the units use the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) as ventilatory mode, and 72% the nasal prong as NIV interface; 90% of the NICU physical therapists answered that their NICU had no NIV weaning protocol, with various methods of weaning reported, the most cited being pressure weaning. Conclusions: Most Brazilian NICUs have no NIV weaning protocol. The most used method among institutions, with or without a protocol, is pressure weaning. Although most of the participating physical therapists work exclusively in NICU, many hospitals do not have the recommended workload, which can be one of the negative factors in the organization of protocols and in the progress of ventilatory weaning.

Introduction: Knowing the information regarding the panorama of lymphoma diagnosis in patients treated in the Brazilian Public Unified Health System from the last 10 years is a challenge for Strategic Health Planning. Objective: To characterize the Brazilian population with lymphoma treated in the Brazilian Public Unified Health System between 2008 and 2017 regarding staging, sex, residence site and mortality. Material and methods: A descriptive, retrospective, and longitudinal trial with secondary data from DataSUS (SIA/SUS and SIM/SUS) obtained from patients with ICD-10 C81−85. Results: There were 70,850 lymphoma cases between 2008 and 2017, of which 55% were male, the median age was 51 years, and 27% had Hodgkin Lymphoma. Most patients (56%) were treated outside the residence city. São Paulo State accounted for 25% of patients. Treatment initiation took more than 60 days in 27% of cases. A total of 45,601 deaths were due to lymphoma (12% Hodgkin Lymphoma and 88% Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma), with a median age 63 years, and were mainly males (55%). Staging data were inadequate in 23% of patients, and analysis was performed only on the valid records. Advanced disease was diagnosed in 58% of patients (60% male; 57% female) and was more common in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (62%) versus Hodgkin Lymphoma (49%). Discussion: Late diagnosis interferes with mortality rates. Health promotion and cancer prevention campaigns, especially targeting the male public, and training for early diagnosis and early treatment are needed. Conclusion: Effective measures for early diagnosis and treatment are urgently needed for lymphoma control.

In a constantly changing world, information stands as one of the most valuable assets for a manufacturing site. However, exchanging information is not a straightforward process among factories, and concerns regarding the trustability and validation of transactions between various stakeholders have emerged within the context of micro-factories. This work presents an architecture designed to enable information exchange among heterogeneous stakeholders, taking advantage of the cloud infrastructure. It was designed to enable the use of several tools, connected through a middleware system deployed on the cloud. To demonstrate the potential of this architecture, a platform was instantiated, and two use cases—designed to accurately represent real manufacturing sites—were implemented.

Background: The COVID-19 situation in Brazil is complex due to large differences in the shape and size of regional epidemics. Understanding these patterns is crucial to understand future outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 or other respiratory pathogens in the country. Methods: We tested 97,950 blood donation samples for IgG antibodies from March 2020 to March 2021 in 8 of Brazil’s most populous cities. Residential postal codes were used to obtain representative samples. Weekly age- and sex-specific seroprevalence were estimated by correcting the crude seroprevalence by test sensitivity, specificity, and antibody waning. Results: The inferred attack rate of SARS-CoV-2 in December 2020, before the Gamma variant of concern (VOC) was dominant, ranged from 19.3% (95% credible interval [CrI] 17.5–21.2%) in Curitiba to 75.0% (95% CrI 70.8–80.3%) in Manaus. Seroprevalence was consistently smaller in women and donors older than 55 years. The age-specific infection fatality rate (IFR) differed between cities and consistently increased with age. The infection hospitalisation rate increased significantly during the Gamma-dominated second wave in Manaus, suggesting increased morbidity of the Gamma VOC compared to previous variants circulating in Manaus. The higher disease penetrance associated with the health system’s collapse increased the overall IFR by a minimum factor of 2.91 (95% CrI 2.43–3.53). Conclusions: These results highlight the utility of blood donor serosurveillance to track epidemic maturity and demonstrate demographic and spatial heterogeneity in SARS-CoV-2 spread. Funding: This work was supported by Itaú Unibanco ‘Todos pela Saude’ program; FAPESP (grants 18/14389-0, 2019/21585-0); Wellcome Trust and Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellowship 204311/Z/16/Z; the Gates Foundation (INV- 034540 and INV-034652); REDS-IV-P (grant HHSN268201100007I); the UK Medical Research Council (MR/S0195/1, MR/V038109/1); CAPES; CNPq (304714/2018-6); Fundação Faculdade de Medicina; Programa Inova Fiocruz-CE/Funcap - Edital 01/2020 Number: FIO-0167-00065.01.00/20 SPU N°06531047/2020; JBS – Fazer o bem faz bem.

Abstract Background Mitochondrial genome copy number (MT-CN) varies among humans and across tissues and is highly heritable, but its causes and consequences are not well understood. When measured by bulk DNA sequencing in blood, MT-CN may reflect a combination of the number of mitochondria per cell and cell-type composition. Here, we studied MT-CN variation in blood-derived DNA from 19184 Finnish individuals using a combination of genome (N = 4163) and exome sequencing (N = 19034) data as well as imputed genotypes (N = 17718). Results We identified two loci significantly associated with MT-CN variation: a common variant at the MYB-HBS1L locus (P = 1.6 × 10−8), which has previously been associated with numerous hematological parameters; and a burden of rare variants in the TMBIM1 gene (P = 3.0 × 10−8), which has been reported to protect against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. We also found that MT-CN is strongly associated with insulin levels (P = 2.0 × 10−21) and other metabolic syndrome (metS)-related traits. Using a Mendelian randomization framework, we show evidence that MT-CN measured in blood is causally related to insulin levels. We then applied an MT-CN polygenic risk score (PRS) derived from Finnish data to the UK Biobank, where the association between the PRS and metS traits was replicated. Adjusting for cell counts largely eliminated these signals, suggesting that MT-CN affects metS via cell-type composition. Conclusion These results suggest that measurements of MT-CN in blood-derived DNA partially reflect differences in cell-type composition and that these differences are causally linked to insulin and related traits.

Objetivos: analizar las características sociales, educativas, síntomas, de los servicios de salud relacionados a la Covid-19 durante la pandemia en la población boliviana, 2020. Métodos: el tipo de estudio es ecológico, el universo es toda la población boliviana; Una población total de 11 633.371 habitantes, datos recabados por el Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) en el 2020, de los nueve departamentos del país, tanto del área urbana como rural, el cálculo de la muestra fue previamente determinada en la encuesta de hogares 2019 por parte del INE. Resultados: el estudio identificó que la tasa de contagio afectó más al área urbana (76,6%) que al área rural (23.4%); En relación al control y manejo de la covid-19 de la población de estudio, su resultado de prueba de laboratorio ha sido positivo (n=1092), que si necesito medicamentos para el tratamiento de la covid-19 (n=1220), en la mitad de la población encuestada, que si se siguió un protocolo para la covid-19 (n=1147). Conclusiones: se evidencia relación entre las características sociales, educativas y de atención y manejo en salud con la covid-19 de la población evaluada durante la pandemia del 2020, sin embargo, se requiere más investigación focalizada de las características ya mencionadas.

Abstract The impact of the data assimilation process of air temperature and relative humidity from surface meteorological stations and sounding at airports in the terminal area of Rio de Janeiro is evaluated using the Weather Research and Forecast Data Assimilation system. Synthetic data of temperature, relative humidity and wind are generated in the locations of airport sensors by applying a white-noise perturbation in the forecast data. Results show a positive overall impact of the assimilation process with the removal of part of the noise in the observation data but keeping the effect of local conditions in the later timesteps of the simulation. In addition, with the assimilation process there is a global reduction of the error between the analysis data and the observation data. In the future, a neural network will be trained to emulate the data assimilation process to speed-up the assimilation process in the WRF model.

Abstract Background The microbiota plays an important role in HIV pathogenesis in humans. Microbiota can impact health through several pathways such as increasing inflammation in the gut, metabolites of bacterial origin, and microbial translocation from the gut to the periphery which contributes to systemic chronic inflammation and immune activation and the development of AIDS. Unlike HIV-infected humans, SIV-infected vervet monkeys do not experience gut dysfunction, microbial translocation, and chronic immune activation and do not progress to immunodeficiency. Here, we provide the first reported characterization of the microbial ecosystems of the gut and genital tract in a natural nonprogressing host of SIV, wild vervet monkeys from South Africa. Results We characterized fecal, rectal, vaginal, and penile microbiomes in vervets from populations heavily infected with SIV from diverse locations across South Africa. Geographic site, age, and sex affected the vervet microbiome across different body sites. Fecal and vaginal microbiome showed marked stratification with three enterotypes in fecal samples and two vagitypes, which were predicted functionally distinct within each body site. External bioclimatic factors, biome type, and environmental temperature influenced microbiomes locally associated with vaginal and rectal mucosa. Several fecal microbial taxa were linked to plasma levels of immune molecules, for example, MIG was positively correlated with Lactobacillus and Escherichia/Shigella and Helicobacter, and IL-10 was negatively associated with Erysipelotrichaceae, Anaerostipes, Prevotella, and Anaerovibrio, and positively correlated with Bacteroidetes and Succinivibrio. During the chronic phase of infection, we observed a significant increase in gut microbial diversity, alterations in community composition (including a decrease in Proteobacteria/Succinivibrio in the gut) and functionality (including a decrease in genes involved in bacterial invasion of epithelial cells in the gut), and partial reversibility of acute infection-related shifts in microbial abundance observed in the fecal microbiome. As part of our study, we also developed an accurate predictor of SIV infection using fecal samples. Conclusions The vervets infected with SIV and humans infected with HIV differ in microbial responses to infection. These responses to SIV infection may aid in preventing microbial translocation and subsequent disease progression in vervets, and may represent host microbiome adaptations to the virus. Video Abstract

Recruiting, training and retaining scientists in computational biology is necessary to develop a workforce that can lead the quantitative biology revolution. Yet, African-American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native Americans, and women are severely underrepresented in computational biosciences. We established the UCLA Bruins-in-Genomics Summer Research Program to provide training and research experiences in quantitative biology and bioinformatics to undergraduate students with an emphasis on students from backgrounds underrepresented in computational biology. Program assessment was based on number of applicants, alumni surveys and comparison of post-graduate educational choices for participants and a control group of students who were accepted but declined to participate. We hypothesized that participation in the Bruins-in-Genomics program would increase the likelihood that students would pursue post-graduate education in a related field. Our surveys revealed that 75% of Bruins-in-Genomics Summer participants were enrolled in graduate school. Logistic regression analysis revealed that women who participated in the program were significantly more likely to pursue a Ph.D. than a matched control group (group x woman interaction term of p = 0.005). The Bruins-in-Genomics Summer program represents an example of how a combined didactic-research program structure can make computational biology accessible to a wide range of undergraduates and increase participation in quantitative biosciences.

La palta (Persea americana) es uno de los frutos con bastante abundancia en Bolivia, esto se debe a su capacidad de producirse en climas templados y cálidos, lo que trae consigo múltiples beneficios para la salud, pues hay evidencia cientifica que sugiere que la palta podría tener efectos para inhibir o destruir el desarrollo de múltiples microorganismos. Así mismo se pudo evidenciar que los extractos Clorofórmicos y Etanólicos de la semilla de la palta si tiene un efecto bacteriostático y bactericida contra cepas de M. tuberculosis, por inducir la liberación de radicales libres, sin embargo estos extractos también han demostrado tener eficacia contra otras cepas bacterianas, micóticas y parasitarias y algunos virus.

The ecology and environment of the microbes that inhabit the mammalian intestine undergoes several changes as the host ages. Here, we ask if the selection pressure experienced by a new strain colonizing the aging gut differs from that in the gut of young adults. Using experimental evolution in mice after a short antibiotic treatment, as a model for a common clinical situation, we show that a new colonizing E. coli strain rapidly adapts to the aging gut via both mutation accumulation and bacteriophage-mediated horizontal gene transfer (HGT). The pattern of evolution of E. coli in aging mice is characterized by a larger number of transposable element insertions and intergenic mutations compared to that in young mice, which is consistent with the gut of aging hosts harboring a stressful and iron limiting environment.

SARS-CoV-2 serologic surveys estimate the proportion of the population with antibodies against historical variants, which nears 100% in many settings. New approaches are required to fully exploit serosurvey data. Using a SARS-CoV-2 anti-Spike (S) protein chemiluminescent microparticle assay, we attained a semi-quantitative measurement of population IgG titers in serial cross-sectional monthly samples of blood donations across seven Brazilian state capitals (March 2021–November 2021). Using an ecological analysis, we assessed the contributions of prior attack rate and vaccination to antibody titer. We compared anti-S titer across the seven cities during the growth phase of the Delta variant and used this to predict the resulting age-standardized incidence of severe COVID-19 cases. We tested ~780 samples per month, per location. Seroprevalence rose to >95% across all seven capitals by November 2021. Driven by vaccination, mean antibody titer increased 16-fold over the study, with the greatest increases occurring in cities with the highest prior attack rates. Mean anti-S IgG was strongly correlated (adjusted R2 = 0.89) with the number of severe cases caused by Delta. Semi-quantitative anti-S antibody titers are informative about prior exposure and vaccination coverage and may also indicate the potential impact of future SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo presentar la reconstrucción de una experiencia en el marco de un proyecto de Extensión Universitaria sobre la promoción del Capital Social, formación ciudadana y desarrollo local, así como su análisis crítico, conocimientos y lecciones aprendidas mediante la sistematización de los hechos y actividades realizadas en el mismo a lo largo de cuatro años, en sus dos grandes ejes temáticos a) Gestión y promoción desde la Dirección de Extensión Universitaria de proyectos que mejoren condiciones de vida de la población, fortaleciendo el capital social y la construcción de ciudadanía en comunidades del estado Lara y b) Implementación dentro de proyectos específicos de Extensión las condiciones para la práctica de elementos propios de Capital Social como: formación de redes, generación de capacidades, difundir la aplicación de valores como la confianza, solidaridad, cooperación, además de promover conciencia cívica en sus participantes. Se presenta como resultados la reconstrucción ordenada de la experiencia y lecciones aprendidas en aspectos teóricos –conceptuales y metodológicos.

Bunching green onion is an Allium species that has been widely used in food flavorings and seasonings. This vegetable experiences a rapid loss of quality during storage due to physiological changes and microbial spoilage. In the current work, the single and combined effect of mild-heat treatment (55 °C for 60 s) and alginate edible coatings on the quality preservation of minimally processed bunching green onions was studied. Control and treated samples were stored at 4 °C for 15 days and examined periodically in terms of their respiration rate, weight loss, pH, soluble solids content, firmness, total polyphenol content, antioxidant activity, microbial count, decay ratio, and overall visual quality. The results showed that the combination of mild heat and alginate edible coatings was the most effective approach to slow down the respiration rate and the incidence of decay in the minimally processed bunching green onions. In addition, the treatments with alginate coating alone or combined with mild-heat treatment showed the best performance for maintaining the overall visual quality of the products during the storage.

Industrial environments are heterogeneous systems that create challenges of interoperability limiting the development of systems capable of working collaboratively from the point of view of machines and software. Additionally, environmental issues related to manufacturing systems have emerged during the last decades, related to sustainability problems faced in the world. Thus, the proposed work aims to present an interoperable solution based on events to reduce the complexity of integration, while creating energetic profiles for the machines to allow the optimization of their energy consumption. A publish/subscribe-based architecture is proposed, where the instantiation is based on Apache Kafka. The proposed solution was implemented in two robotic cells in the automotive industry, constituted by different hardware, which allowed testing the integration of different components. The energy consumption data was then sent to a Postgres database where a graphical interface allowed the operator to monitor the performance of each cell regarding energy consumption. The results are promising due to the system’s ability to integrate tools from different vendors and different technologies. Furthermore, it allows the possibility to use these developments to deliver more sustainable systems using more advanced solutions, such as production scheduling, to reduce energy consumption.

There is an intense and continuous growth of the world population living in cities. This increase in population means an increase in car traffic, an increase in new constructions and an increase in the production of waste that translates into an intensive use of land, particularly in terms of soil contaminants. Among other environmental contaminants, toxic metals, such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr) represent a public health problem. In this study the content of toxic metals in Lisbon’s (Portugal) soils was determined. The study was conducted over approximately a decade in six city locations, with a total of about 700 samples. Each site has different urban characteristics: traffic zone, residential area, urban park and mixed areas. The study allowed to verify the heterogeneity of metal content values in the city soils and their dependence on local traffic. Metal contents were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS). For each site the geo-accumulation index, pollution factor, degree of contamination, pollution load index and ecological risk factor were calculated. The mean concentrations of Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb in soils were 0.463, 44.0, 46.6 and 5.73 mg/kg of dry soil, respectively. In the last year of the study the values were 0.417, 51.5, 62.4 and 8.49 mg/kg of dry soil, respectively. Cd and Ni exceeded the typical content values of these metals in the earth’s crust, indicating their anthropogenic origin. The correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between Cr and Ni, Cd and Ni and Cd and Pb contents in the city soils. Regarding the results obtained in this long monitoring campaign, Lisbon’s soils can be considered as having low levels of pollution by these metals.

ABSTRACT One of the first steps to be taken in order to reduce sports injuries such as stress fractures is to have in-depth knowledge of the nature and extent of these pathological conditions. We present a case report of a stress fracture of the acetabular roof caused through motocross. This type of case is considered rare in the literature. The description of the clinical case is as follows. The patient was a 27-year-old male who started to have medical follow-up because of uncharacteristic pain in his left hip, which was concentrated mainly in the inguinal region of the left hip during motocross practice. After clinical investigation and complementary tests, he was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the acetabular roof.

In the last decade a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic with increased incidence and AIDS-related mortality has been reported in Northern Brazil from which molecular data are scarce. Also, apparently healthy, adult blood donors, recently diagnosed with HIV-1 represent important sentinel populations for molecular studies. This cross-sectional study describes HIV-1 subtypes in blood donors from three reference public blood centers located in three States in Northern Brazil. HIV-1 pol sequencing (protease/PR, reverse transcriptase/RT) was performed on plasma samples of HIV-1 positive donors from HEMOAM, Manaus, Amazonas (n = 198), HEMERON, Porto Velho, Rondônia (n = 20) and HEMORAIMA, Boa Vista, Roraima (n = 9) collected from 2011-2017. HIV-1 subtypes were identified by REGA, phylogenetic inference; recombinant viruses were characterized by SIMPLOT. Young, single, males predominated, around half was first-time donors. Syphilis co-infection was detected in 17% (39 out of 227), 8% (18 out of 227) was anti-HBc positive. Subtype B represented ≥ 90% in Amazonas, Rondônia and Roraima, subtype C (3.1%) was found in Amazonas and Rondônia; subtype F1 (0.9%) and BF1 recombinants (5.3%) were only detected in Amazonas. Subtype B sequences from Amazonas (n = 179), Rondônia (n = 18) and Roraima (n = 9) were combined with viral strains representative of the BPANDEMIC (n = 300) and BCARIBBEAN/BCAR (n = 200) lineages. The BPANDEMIC lineage predominated (78%) although BCAR lineages were frequent in Roraima (56%) and Amazonas (22%). Subtype C and subtype F1 sequences identified here clustered within Brazilian CBR and F1BR lineages, respectively. Twelve BF1 mosaics showed 11 different recombination profiles: six were singleton unique-recombinant-forms/URFs, one displays a CRF28/29_BF-like recombinant pattern and the remaining four BF1 isolates branched with other Brazilian BF1 viruses previously described and may represent putative new CRF_BF1 from Northern Brazil. Our study shows a highly homogeneous molecular pattern with prevalent subtype B, followed by BF1, and sporadic subtype C and F1 in blood donors from the Northern region. Surveillance studies are important to monitor HIV-1 diversity which can reveal patterns of viral dissemination, especially in a highly endemic, remote and geographically isolated region as Northern Brazil.

Loosening is a well-known complication of total hip arthroplasty. The accumulation of detritus resulting from mechanical wear forms inflammatory cells that have the function of phagocytizing this debris. Over the long term, these cells may give rise to a local granulomatous reaction. Here, we present a report on a case of pelvic pseudotumor subsequent to total hip arthroplasty, which is considered rare in the literature. The patient was a 48-year-old black man who started to be followed up medically eight months earlier because of uncharacteristic abdominal pains, dysuria and pollakiuria. He had undergone left total hip arthroplasty 17 years previously. Through clinical investigation and complementary examinations, an extra-articular granulomatous mass was diagnosed, constituting a pelvic pseudotumor.

One of the first steps to be taken in order to reduce lesions in sports, such as stress fractures, is to know the nature and extension of this pathology. What follows is a case report of segmental stress fracture of the tibia in recreational athletes, which is considered somewhat rare in the literature. Case report: a 40-year-old female patient who started to have follow-up medical checks due to unusual pain in her right leg, concentrated mainly on the proximal region of the knee and ankle, after a 10-km run for a period of one month. Segmental stress fracture of the tibia was diagnosed after clinical research and further examinations.

OBJETIVO: Comparar clínica e radiograficamente os resultados da correção do hálux valgo, através de duas técnicas de osteotomia de adição: uma utilizando-se da exostose ressecada e outra, mediante a fixação com placa para cunha de adição. MÉTODOS: Avaliamos 24 pés em 19 pacientes, com média de idade de 51,3 anos, portadores de hálux valgo, com seguimento médio de 50,1 meses. Submeteram-se à técnica de osteotomia de adição com exostose óssea (OAEO) 13 pés e à osteotomia de adição com placa para cunha de adição (OPCA) 11 pés. Foram avaliados no pré e pós operatório o escore AOFAS, os ângulos intermetatársicos 1 e 2, e ângulo de valgismo do hálux. RESULTADOS: Na técnica OAEO a média no pré-operatório do AOFAS foi 46,6 pontos, AIM 14º e AVH 32º, enquanto no pós-operatório AOFAS 81,3 pontos, AIM 9º e AVH 25ºcom 92,3% de resultados satisfatórios. Na técnica OPCA a média no pré-operatório do AOFAS foi 42,1 pontos, AIM 15º e AVH 29º, enquanto no pós-operatório AOFAS 77,4 pontos, AIM 11º e AMF 23º com 81,8% de resultados satisfatórios. CONCLUSÕES: Ambas as técnicas cirúrgicas mostraram-se eficazes no tratamento do hálux valgo, clínica e radiograficamente, sem diferença estatística entre elas. Nível de evidência III, Estudo retrospectivo comparativo.OBJECTIVE: To clinically and radiographically compare the results of treatment of hallux valgus, by two addition osteotomy techniques: one using resected exostosis, and the other using a plate fixation for addition wedge. METHODS: We evaluated 24 feet of 19 patients, mean age 51.3 years, affected by hallux valgus, with a mean follow-up of 50.1 months. 13 feet underwent addition osteotomy with resected exostosis (AORE) and 11 patients (11 feet) underwent addition osteotomy with plate (AOP). The AOFAS score, intermetatarsal 1 and 2 angles, and hallux valgus angle were evaluated before and after surgery. RESULTS: In the AORE technique, the mean preoperative AOFAS was 46.6, with IMA 14º and HVA 32o, while in the postoperative AOFAS it was 81.3, with IMA 9º and HVA 25º, and 92.3% satisfactory results. In the AOP technique, the mean preoperative AOFAS was 42.1, with IMA 15º and HVA 29º while in the postoperative AOFAS it was 77.4, with IMA 11º and HVA 23º and 81.8% of satisfactory results. CONCLUSIONS: Both techniques proved to be effective in the treatment of hallux valgus, both clinically and radiografically, with no statistical difference between them. Level of evidence III, Retrospective comparative study.

OBJETIVO: Analisar e apresentar os resultados de fraturas supracondilianas instáveis de úmero em crianças, tratadas cirurgicamente com redução e fixação percutânea com dois fios de Kirschner cruzados. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado estudo transversal com 20 crianças, considerando sexo, idade na época da fratura e no momento da análise, lateralidade, tipo e mecanismo de fratura, complicações pós-operatórias, variáveis radiográficas e clínicas. RESULTADOS: Observaram-se 10 fraturas à esquerda e 10 à direita. A idade na fratura variou de dois a 13 anos (média 5,9 anos ± 2,48). Três fraturas foram classificadas como tipo II e 17 do tipo III. O tempo de seguimento variou de quatro meses a três anos. O ângulo de Baumann variou de 69 a 100 (média 78,3), sendo observada a presença de cúbito varo em quatro pacientes (com valores variando de 84 a 100). Segundo os critérios de Flynn modificados, obtiveram-se 20 casos satisfatórios, 17 excelentes (85%), dois bons (10%) e um regular (5%). Dois pacientes apresentaram déficit da amplitude de movimento, dois parestesia no território cubital e uma criança apresentou neuropraxia transitória do nervo ulnar por seis semanas. CONCLUSÃO: A fixação percutânea com dois fios de Kirschner cruzados, quando realizada com visualização direta e isolamento do nervo ulnar, permite bons resultados.OBJECTIVE: To analyze and present the surgical results from unstable supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children, treated by means of reduction and percutaneous fixation using two crossed Kirschner wires. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 20 children, taking into consideration sex, age at the time of the fracture, age at the time of the assessment, side affected, type and mechanism of trauma, postoperative complications and radiographic and clinic variables. RESULTS: Ten fractures were observed in the left arm and ten in the right arm. The age at the time of the fracture ranged from 2 to 13 years (mean: 5.9 ± 2.48 years). Three fractures were classified as type II and 17 as type III. The length of follow-up ranged from four months to three years. Baumann's angle ranged from 69 to 100 (mean: 78.3) and cubitus varus was observed in four patients (values ranging from 84 to 100). According to the modified Flynn's criteria, 20 cases presented satisfactory outcomes: 17 excellent (85%), two good (10%) and one regular (5%). Two patients presented limited range of motion, two had paresthesia in the cubital region and one had transient neuropraxia of the ulnar nerve for six weeks. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous fixation with two crossed Kirschner wires leads to good results when carried out under direct viewing and with isolation of the ulnar nerve.

This study presents the fundamentals of a specialist system applied to the selection of real estate developments using as methodology the extraction of knowledge from specialists and a databank. We selected the most relevant parameters when choosing a real estate development and carried out a comprehensive typological study of Icaraí, Niterói/RJ

The Brazilian coastal zone presents a large extension and a variety of environments. Nevertheless, little is known about biological diversity and ecosystem dynamics. Environmental changes always occur; however, it is important to distinguish natural from anthropic variability. Under these scenarios, the aim of this work is to present a Data Mining methodology able to access the quality and health levels of the environmental conditions through the biological integrity concept. A ten-year time series of physical, chemical and biological parameters from an influenced upwelling area of Arraial do Cabo-RJ were used to generate a classification model based on association rules. The model recognizes seven different classes of water based on biological diversity and a new trophic index (PLIX). Artificial neural networks were evolved and optimized by genetic algorithms to forecast these indices, enabling environmental diagnostic to be made taking into account control mechanisms of topology, stability and complex behavioral properties of food web.A zona costeira brasileira apresenta grande extensão e variedade de ambientes. Contudo, pouco se sabe sobre sua diversidade biológica e o funcionamento dos ecossistemas. Como mudanças ambientais são constantes, é muito importante distinguir entre variabilidade natural e antrópica. Nesse cenário, o objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar a metodologia para o desenvolvimento de um Sistema Inteligente de Gerenciamento Integrado do Ecossistema Costeiro (SIGIEC) capaz de acessar o nível de qualidade e saúde ambiental através do conceito de Integridade Biológica. Foram usadas séries temporais de dez anos de parâmetros físicos, químicos e biológicos para extrair conhecimento e gerar modelos de regras de associação para classificar sete diferentes tipos de condições ambientais, analisadas através da diversidade biológica e um novo índice trófico (PLIX). Redes neurais artificiais foram otimizadas por algoritmos genéticos para fazer predições desses índices e apresenta-se um diagnóstico ambiental baseado na análise dos mecanismos de controle da topologia, estabilidade e propriedades do comportamento complexo de redes alimentares.

Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar o efeito de diferentes coberturas de plantas sobre a qualidade fisiológica de sementes de feijão em plantio direto no município de Diamantina - MG. O experimento foi instalado no Campus II da UFVJM, num Neossolo Quartzarênico Órtico típico, no delineamento em blocos casualizados, com dez tratamentos e quatro repetições. Os tratamentos constituíram-se de palhada dessecada e roçada de 1) Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk, 2) Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, 3) Panicum maximum cv. Tanzânia, 4) Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça, 5) Mucuna aterrina (mucuna preta), 6) Calopogonio muconoides cv. Calopogonio, 7) Dolichos lab lab (lab lab), 8) Cajanus cajan (guandu), 9) Cobertura natural e 10) Plantio convencional onde se efetuou o plantio de feijão cultivar Talismã. A qualidade fisiológica das sementes foi avaliada pelos testes de germinação (primeira contagem e contagem final); condutividade elétrica dos solutos; peso de 100 sementes; comprimento e peso das plântulas; índice de velocidade de germinação e teor de água das sementes de feijão. As gramíneas Panicum. maximum cv. Mombaça, Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, B. decumbens cv. Basilisk e P. maximum cv. Tanzânia produziram matéria seca em quantidade e uniformidade para maior conservação de água e proteção do solo para viabilizar o sistema plantio direto. A qualidade das sementes não foi afetada pelos manejos de solo utilizados e sim pelas condições climáticas na maturação.The objective this work was evaluate the effect of different coverings plants on the physiological quality seeds of bean in no-tillage system in Diamantina - MG. The experiment was installed in the Campus II of UFVJM, in a Neossolo Quartzarênico Órtico típico, in blocks randomized design, with ten treatments and four replicates. The treatments were constituted of control chemical and rubbed straw of 1) Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk, 2) Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, 3) Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania, 4) Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça, 5) Mucuna aterrina (black mucuna), 6) Calopogonio muconoides cv. Calopogonio, 7) Dolichos lab lab (lab lab), 8) Cajanus cajan (guandu), 9) Natural covering and 10) Conventional plantation where the bean plantation was made to cultivate Talisman. The physiological quality of the seeds was evaluated by the germination tests (first and final count); electric conductivity of the solute; weigh of 100 seeds; length and weight of the plants; index of germination speed and text of water of the bean seeds. The grass Panicum. maximum cv. Mombaça, Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, B. decumbens cv. Basilisk and P. maximum cv. Tanzania produced dry matter in amount and uniformity for larger conservation of water and protection of the soil to make possible the no-tillage system. The quality of the seeds was not affected by the used soil handlings but had the influence of the climatic conditions in the maturation.

OBJETIVO: Analisar aspectos radiográficos de pés tortos congênitos idiopáticos operados e confrontá-los com os resultados cirúrgicos obtidos. MÉTODOS:A amostra constitui-se de 68 pés tortos congênitos operados por liberações póstero-média e/ou lateral das partes moles. A idade no momento da cirurgia variou de seis a 24 meses e o tempo de seguimento do pós-operatório foi de um ano a 16 anos, com média de 4,87 anos. No momento da avaliação dos resultados foram realizadas radiografias dos pés em ântero-posterior e perfil com carga e traçados os ângulos talocalcaneano, talo-1º metatarsal e calcâneo-5º metatarsal. Analisou-se também a relação percentual de posteriorização da fíbula sobre a tíbia e a posição do navicular em relação ao tálus nos dois planos radiográficos. RESULTADOS: Houve 90,8% de resultados satisfatórios e 9,2% insatisfatórios. A média do ângulo talocalcaneano na incidência em ântero-posterior foi de 23,20º e, no perfil, de 23,26º, sem significância estatística com os resultados. O ângulo talo-1º metatarsal teve média de 4,84º e o calcâneo-5º metatarsal, média de 7,70º; ambos correlacionaram-se com os resultados (P = 0,003). O percentual de posteriorização da fíbula sobre a tíbia teve valor médio de 60,67% (P = 0,007). CONCLUSÕES: 1ª) os ângulos talo-1º metatarsal e calcâneo-5º metatarsal nas radiografias em ântero-posterior, quando maiores do que 10º e 12º, respectivamente, mostraram significância com os pés tortos que apresentaram resultados insatisfatórios; 2ª) quanto melhor o alinhamento do navicular em relação ao tálus, nas radiografias em ântero-posterior e no perfil, melhor foi o resultado; 3ª) a relação percentual de posteriorização da fíbula sobre a tíbia foi maior nos pés com resultados insatisfatórios; 4ª) o ângulo talocalcaneano na incidência em ântero-posterior e no perfil não se mostrou como bom parâmetro na avaliação dos resultados do tratamento do pé torto congênito idiopático.OBJECTIVE: To review radiographic aspects of idiopathic congenital clubfeet operated on and compare them to the surgical results achieved. METHODS: The sample include 68 congenital clubfeet that were operated on with posteromedial, and/or lateral release of the soft parts. The age at the time of surgery varied from 6 to 24 months, and post-operative follow-up lasted from 1 to 16 years, with a mean of 4.87 years. At the time of evaluating results, anteroposterior and profile X-rays with charge were made of the feet, and the talus-calcaneus, talus-first metatarsus, and calcaneus-fifth metatarsus angles were plotted. A review was also made of the percentage movement backwards of the fibula onto the tibia, and the relation of the tibia and the navicular position in relation to the talus in both radiographic plans. RESULTS: 90.8% satisfactory results and 9.2% unsatisfactory results were obtained. The mean talus-calcaneus angle in the anteroposterior X-ray was 23.20º, and it was 23.20º in the profile X-ray, with no statistical significance. The talus-first metatarsus angle presented a mean of 4.84º, and the calcaneus-fifth metatarsus angle had a mean of 7.70º, both correlating to the results (P = 0.003). The percentage movement backwards of the fibula onto the tibia had a mean value of 60.67% (P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: 1º) When they were wider than 10º and 12º, the respective angles of the talus-first metatarsus in the anteroposterior X-rays, and of the calcaneus-fifth metatarsus in anteroposterior X-rays were significant for those clubfeet that had unsatisfactory results; 2º) the better the navicular alignment in relation to the talus in anteroposterior X-rays and in profile X-rays, the better the results; 3º) the percent relation of the backwards movement of the fibula onto the tibial was higher in those feet with unsatisfactory results; 4º) in anteroposterior and in profile X-rays, the talus-calcaneus angle did not show to be a good parameter to evaluate the results of idiopathic congenital clubfoot treatment.

A variabilidade do nível do mar observado e a maré meteorológica na Baía de Paranaguá-PR foram analisadas, neste trabalho, com os dados maregráficos utilizados na Parte 1 e os dados meteorológicos de reanálise do "National Centers for Environmental Prediction" (NCEP) e do "National Center Atmospheric Research" (NCAR) pontos de grade no oceano, próximos ao local de estudo, referentes ao mesmo período. As componentes de alta freqüência contidas nos dados de reanálise foram retiradas com o filtro passa-baixa de Thompson, descrito na Parte 1, adaptado para intervalos de 6 horas. Analisou-se as influências das variáveis meteorológicas mais remotas, nas sobre-elevações e abaixamentos do nível do mar observado, utilizando dados de reanálise de pressão e vento. Conforme descrito na Parte 1, as séries foram analisadas, estatisticamente, no domínio do tempo e da freqüência. A série maregráfica filtrada de Cananéia (SP), utilizada para verificar a existência de correlação com a série de Paranaguá, confirmou os estudos de Mesquita (1997) para o litoral Sudeste. Essa correlação foi verificada devido à proximidade da estação de Cananéia ao ponto de grade relativo à pressão. A Rede Neural Artificial (RNA) desenvolvida na Parte 1 foi, então, utilizada com os dados de reanálise, mantendo-se a mesma arquitetura de rede com as máximas correlações entre as variáveis de entrada e saída, ajustando-se os parâmetros de taxa de aprendizado e momento para alcançar o melhor desempenho. Os resultados obtidos com ambas as fontes de dados foram comparados e a eficiência da rede foi semelhante à Parte 1 para as simulações de 6h e 12 h. Para as simulações de 18h e 24h, os resultados foram inferiores como os encontrados para a estação de superfície, sugerindo também, o desenvolvimento de outras arquiteturas de rede, visando melhorar as previsões para períodos maiores. Os resultados obtidos com os dados de reanálise sugerem a sua utilização na falta de estações meteorológicas convencionais próximas a estações maregráficas.The variability of the observed sea level and the meteorological tide in Paranaguá Bay-PR was analyzed with the tide gauge station time series used in the Part 1 and reanalysis data set of the "National Centers for Environmental Prediction" (NCEP) and the "National Center Atmospheric Research" (NCAR), on some grid points over the oceanic area, near the Bay to the same period. The Thompson low-pass filter was adapted for 6 hours intervals to remove the high frequency oscillations present in teh reanalysis data set. Remote influence of the meteorological variables, in the rises and lowing of the coastal sea level, are analyzed, statistically, in the time and the frequency domain according to the Part 1. Tide gauge station time series from Cananéia (SP), used to verify the correlation with Paranaguá data set, confirmed the Mesquita (1997) research to the southeastern coastal region. Correlation between the variability of the meteorological tide in both cities were made due to the point 1 is near Cananéia. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with the same architecture developed in Part 1 was applied to the reanalysis data. The maxima correlations between the input/output vectors were also used, adjusting the learning rate and momentum for improving the algorithm to reach the best performance. As the Part 1, the network performed very well at 6 and 12 time lag simulations. The results to 18 and 24 time lag simulations were lower than these ones presented to the surface station, than these ones, suggesting also, others ANN architectures to improve the predictions for larger periods. The results suggest the using of reanalysis data where the lack of conventional station is significant.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a produção de palhada e o efeito de diferentes plantas de cobertura sobre características do feijão, em sistema de plantio direto, em Diamantina, MG. O experimento foi instalado num Neossolo Quartzarênico Órtico típico, utilizando-se o delineamento em blocos ao acaso e três repetições. Os tratamentos constituíram-se de: Brachiaria decumbens, B. brizantha, Panicum maximum cv. Tanzânia, P. maximum cv. Mombaça, Mucuna aterrima, Calopogonio mucunoides cv. Calopogônio, Dolichos lab lab, Cajanus cajan, Crotalaria juncea, pousio e testemunha, sobre os quais foi cultivado feijão cv. Talismã. Avaliou-se a massa de matéria seca das plantas de cobertura e, no feijoeiro, estande de plantas, número de sementes, número de vagens, número de sementes por vagem, altura de plantas, peso de 100 sementes e produtividade. Não houve diferença significativa entre os tratamentos para as variáveis número de sementes, número de vagens, número de sementes por vagem e altura das plantas. Os maiores valores de peso de 100 sementes e de produtividade de feijão foram obtidos nas parcelas com as gramíneas P. maximum cv. Mombaça, B. brizantha, B. decumbens e P. maximum cv. Tanzânia, que também produziram quantidade suficiente de matéria seca para viabilizar o sistema de plantio direto de feijão.The objective of this work was to evaluate the straw production and the effect of different covering plants on some common bean characteristics, in no-tillage system, in Diamantina, MG, Brazil. A radomized block was used as experimental design, with three replications. Treatments were constituted of: Brachiaria decumbens, B. brizantha, Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania, P. maximum cv. Mombaça, Mucuna aterrima, Calopogonio mucunoides cv. Calopogônio, Dolichos lab lab, Cajanus cajan, Crotalaria juncea, fallow and control, on which common bean cultivar Talismã was planted. For covering, the weight of dry matter was evaluated and, for bean plants, the following data were analyzed: the final stand of plants, number of seeds, number of pods, number of seeds per bean, plants height, weight of 100 seeds and the yield of the culture. There was no significant difference among treatments for the variables number of seeds, number of beans, number of seeds per bean and plants height. The largest values of weight of 100 seeds and productivity of bean were obtained when cultivation was made in the no-tillage system on straw of P. maximum cv. Mombaça, B. brizantha, B. decumbens and P. maximum cv. Tanzania. These cover crops also produced sufficient amount of dry matter to make possible the no-tillage system.

Este trabalho propõe um modelo empírico para o sistema com histerese formado por um tipo de conexão elastomérica riser-plataforma, em águas profundas. A conexão tem o objetivo de minimizar os momentos fletores atuantes, possui grande complexidade e alta criticidade devido às conseqüências econômicas e ambientais decorrentes de sua falha. O elemento principal da junta é composto de material elastomérico com comportamento histerético não-linear. Além disso, o sistema composto por essa conexão também apresenta não-linearidades devido à ação das cargas dinâmicas e devido aos grandes deslocamentos. Redes Neurais TDNN e Recorrentes são investigadas por possuírem a habilidade de modelar comportamentos histeréticos nãolineares, bem como de sistemas dinâmicos. Verificou-se que o modelo de Redes Neurais Recorrentes apresenta os melhores resultados para o sistema estudado. Devem ser ressaltadas ainda as dificuldades adicionais ao processo de modelagem deste sistema relacionadas ao emprego dos dados reais.

Pathogenesis studies of SIV infection have not been performed to date in wild monkeys due to difficulty in collecting and storing samples on site and the lack of analytical reagents covering the extensive SIV diversity. We performed a large scale study of molecular epidemiology and natural history of SIVagm infection in 225 free-ranging AGMs from multiple locations in South Africa. SIV prevalence (established by sequencing pol, env, and gag) varied dramatically between infant/juvenile (7%) and adult animals (68%) (p

We used mouse models of pneumococcal colonization and disease combined with full genome sequencing to characterize three major drug resistant clones of S. pneumoniae that were recovered from the nasopharynx of PCV7-immunized children in Portugal. The three clones--serotype 6A (ST2191), serotype 15A (ST63) and serotype 19A (ST276) carried some of the same drug resistance determinants already identified in nasopharyngeal isolates from the pre-PCV7 era. The three clones were able to colonize efficiently the mouse nasopharyngeal mucosa where populations of these pneumococci were retained for as long as 21 days. During this period, the three clones were able to asymptomatically invade the olfactory bulbs, brain, lungs and the middle ear mucosa and established populations in these tissues. The virulence potential of the three clones was poor even at high inoculum (10(5) CFU per mouse) concentrations in the mouse septicemia model and was undetectable in the pneumonia model. Capsular type 3 transformants of clones 6A and 19A prepared in the laboratory produced lethal infection at low cell concentration (10(3) CFU per mouse) but the same transformants became impaired in their potential to colonize, indicating the importance of the capsular polysaccharide in both disease and colonization. The three clones were compared to the genomes of 56 S. pneumoniae strains for which sequence information was available in the public databank. Clone 15A (ST63) only differed from the serotype 19F clone G54 in a very few genes including serotype so that this clone may be considered the product of a capsular switch. While no strain with comparable degree of similarity to clone 19A (ST276) was found among the sequenced isolates, by MLST this clone is a single locust variant (SLV) of Denmark14-ST230 international clone. Clone 6A (ST2191) was most similar to the penicillin resistant Hungarian serotype 19A clone.

O estudos dos bens econômicos e suas relações, particularmente dos bens e meios de produção, aptos a produzirem lucro e renda conduzem à análise do poder econômico e ao poder em sentido geral, afetando, em muitas caves, a soberania do estado nacional.

The object of this study was to identify temperament patterns in the Finnish population, and to determine the relationship between these profiles and life habits, socioeconomic status, and health.A cluster analysis of the Temperament and Character Inventory subscales was performed on 3,761 individuals from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 and replicated on 2,097 individuals from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study. Clusters were formed using the k-means method and their relationship with 115 variables from the areas of life habits, socioeconomic status and health was examined.Four clusters were identified for both genders. Individuals from Cluster I are characterized by high persistence, low extravagance and disorderliness. They have healthy life habits, and lowest scores in most of the measures for psychiatric disorders. Cluster II individuals are characterized by low harm avoidance and high novelty seeking. They report the best physical capacity and highest level of income, but also high rate of divorce, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Individuals from Cluster III are not characterized by any extreme characteristic. Individuals from Cluster IV are characterized by high levels of harm avoidance, low levels of exploratory excitability and attachment, and score the lowest in most measures of health and well-being.This study shows that the temperament subscales do not distribute randomly but have an endogenous structure, and that these patterns have strong associations to health, life events, and well-being.

Two multidrug resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae - SV35-T23 (capsular type 23F) and SV36-T3 (capsular type 3) were recovered from the nasopharynx of two adult patients during an outbreak of pneumococcal disease in a New York hospital in 1996. Both strains belonged to the pandemic lineage PMEN1 but they differed strikingly in virulence when tested in the mouse model of IP infection: as few as 1000 CFU of SV36 killed all mice within 24 hours after inoculation while SV35-T23 was avirulent.Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of the two isolates was performed (i) to test if these two isolates belonging to the same clonal type and recovered from an identical epidemiological scenario only differed in their capsular genes? and (ii) to test if the vast difference in virulence between the strains was mostly - or exclusively - due to the type III capsule. WGS demonstrated extensive differences between the two isolates including over 2500 single nucleotide polymorphisms in core genes and also differences in 36 genetic determinants: 25 of which were unique to SV35-T23 and 11 unique to strain SV36-T3. Nineteen of these differences were capsular genes and 9 bacteriocin genes.Using genetic transformation in the laboratory, the capsular region of SV35-T23 was replaced by the type 3 capsular genes from SV36-T3 to generate the recombinant SV35-T3* which was as virulent as the parental strain SV36-T3* in the murine model and the type 3 capsule was the major virulence factor in the chinchilla model as well. On the other hand, a careful comparison of strains SV36-T3 and the laboratory constructed SV35-T3* in the chinchilla model suggested that some additional determinants present in SV36 but not in the laboratory recombinant may also contribute to the progression of middle ear disease. The nature of this determinants remains to be identified.

Stature is a classical and highly heritable complex trait, with 80%-90% of variation explained by genetic factors. In recent years, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified many common additive variants influencing human height; however, little attention has been given to the potential role of recessive genetic effects. Here, we investigated genome-wide recessive effects by an analysis of inbreeding depression on adult height in over 35,000 people from 21 different population samples. We found a highly significant inverse association between height and genome-wide homozygosity, equivalent to a height reduction of up to 3 cm in the offspring of first cousins compared with the offspring of unrelated individuals, an effect which remained after controlling for the effects of socio-economic status, an important confounder (χ(2) = 83.89, df = 1; p = 5.2 × 10(-20)). There was, however, a high degree of heterogeneity among populations: whereas the direction of the effect was consistent across most population samples, the effect size differed significantly among populations. It is likely that this reflects true biological heterogeneity: whether or not an effect can be observed will depend on both the variance in homozygosity in the population and the chance inheritance of individual recessive genotypes. These results predict that multiple, rare, recessive variants influence human height. Although this exploratory work focuses on height alone, the methodology developed is generally applicable to heritable quantitative traits (QT), paving the way for an investigation into inbreeding effects, and therefore genetic architecture, on a range of QT of biomedical importance.

Objectives Depression is a worldwide leading cause of morbidity and disability. Genetic studies have recently begun to elucidate its molecular aetiology. The authors investigated candidate genes of monoamine neurotransmission and early environmental risk factors for depressiveness in the genetically isolated population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (12 058 live births).Design The authors ascertained and subdivided the study sample (n=5225) based on measures of early development and of social environment, and examined candidate genes of monoamine neurotransmission, many of which have shown prior evidence of a gene–environment interaction for affective disorders, namely SLC6A4, TPH2, COMT, MAOA and the dopamine receptor genes DRD1–DRD5.Results and conclusion The authors observed no major genetic effects of the analysed variants on depressiveness. However, when measures of early development and of social environment were considered, some evidence of interaction was observed. Allelic variants of COMT interacted with high early developmental risk (p=0.005 for rs2239393 and p=0.02 for rs4680) so that the association with depression was detected only in individuals at high developmental risk group (p=0.0046 and β=0.056 for rs5993883–rs2239393–rs4680 risk haplotype CGG including Val158), particularly in males (p=0.0053 and β=0.083 for the haplotype CGG). Rs4274224 from DRD2 interacted with gender (p=0.017) showing a significant association with depressiveness in males (p=0.0006 and β=0.0023; p=0.00005 and β=0.069 for rs4648318–rs4274224 haplotype GG). The results support the role of genes of monoamine neurotransmission in the aetiology of depression conditional on environmental risk and sex, but not direct major effects of monoaminergic genes in this unselected population.

Tooth development is a highly heritable process which relates to other growth and developmental processes, and which interacts with the development of the entire craniofacial complex. Abnormalities of tooth development are common, with tooth agenesis being the most common developmental anomaly in humans. We performed a genome-wide association study of time to first tooth eruption and number of teeth at one year in 4,564 individuals from the 1966 Northern Finland Birth Cohort (NFBC1966) and 1,518 individuals from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). We identified 5 loci at P

INTRODUÇÃO: As síndromes hipertensivas gestacionais (SHG) caracterizam uma gestação de alto risco, ocorrendo em 10% a 22% das gestantes, e estando a ela relacionadas as intercorrências clínicas materno-fetais. OBJETIVOS: Este trabalho teve por objetivo geral realizar uma pesquisa bibliográfica sobre o efeito do tratamento fisioterapêutico na pré-eclampsia e, em específico, avaliar os efeitos do tratamento fisioterapêutico na diminuição da pressão arterial em gestantes que apresentam fatores de risco para desenvolverem a pré-eclampsia. METODOLOGIA: Foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica no período de outubro de 2005 a agosto de 2008, tendo como fonte de pesquisas bases de dados eletrônicos, tais como Bireme, Portal da Pesquisa (Capes) e biblioteca particular. RESULTADOS: Foram encontradas 21 referências, entre livros e periódicos nacionais e internacionais indexados com período de publicação entre 1998 e 2008. CONCLUSÃO: Foi verificado que a fisioterapia desempenha um papel importante no tratamento das SHG, principalmente naquelas gestantes que apresentam HAS antes da gestação, pois o exercício aeróbico contribui para que os níveis de pressão arterial sejam controlados, e também cabe ao fisioterapeuta orientar quanto a mudanças nos hábitos de vida, a fim de que os fatores de risco sejam diminuídos.