Extensive Rhodolith Beds Cover the Summits of Southwestern Atlantic Ocean Seamounts

Calcium carbonate production by marine organisms is an essential process in the global budget of CO32-, and coralline reefs are the most important benthic carbonate producers. Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are well recognized as the most important carbonate builders in the tropical Brazilian continental shelf, forming structural reefs and extensive rhodolith beds. However, the distribution of CCA beds, as well as their role in CO32- mineralization in mesophotic communities and isolated carbonate banks, is still poorly known. To characterize the bottom features of several seamount summits in the Southwestern Atlantic (SWA), side-scan sonar records, remotely operated vehicle imagery, and benthic samples with mixed-gas scuba diving were acquired during two recent research cruises (March 2009 and February 2011). The tops of several seamounts within this region are relatively shallow (similar to 60 m), flat, and dominated by rhodolith beds (Vitoria, Almirante Saldanha, Davis, and Jaseur seamounts, as well as the Trindade Island shelf). On the basis of abundance, dimensions, vitality, and growth rates of CCA nodules, a mean CaCO3 production was estimated, ranging from 0.4 to 1.8 kg m(-2) y(-1) with a total production reaching 1.5 x 10(-3) Gt y(-1). Our results indicate that these SWA seamount summits provide extensive areas of shallow reef area and represent 0.3% of the world's carbonate banks. The importance of this habitat has been highly neglected, and immediate management needs must be fulfilled in the short term to ensure long-term persistence of the ecosystem services provided by these offshore carbonate realms.

Plasticity of stomatal distribution pattern and stem tracheid dimensions in Podocarpus lambertii: an ecological study

Leaf and wood plasticity are key elements in the survival of widely distributed plant species. Little is known, however, about variation in stomatal distribution in the leaf epidermis and its correlation with the dimensions of conducting cells in wood. This study aimed at testing the hypothesis that Podocarpus lambertii, a conifer tree, possesses a well-defined pattern of stomatal distribution, and that this pattern can vary together with the dimensions of stem tracheids as a possible strategy to survive in climatically different sites. Leaves and wood were sampled from trees growing in a cold, wet site in south-eastern Brazil and in a warm, dry site in north-eastern Brazil. Stomata were thoroughly mapped in leaves from each study site to determine a spatial sampling strategy. Stomatal density, stomatal index and guard cell length were then sampled in three regions of the leaf: near the midrib, near the leaf margin and in between the two. This sampling strategy was used to test for a pattern and its possible variation between study sites. Wood and stomata data were analysed together via principal component analysis. The following distribution pattern was found in the south-eastern leaves: the stomatal index was up to 25 higher in the central leaf region, between the midrib and the leaf margin, than in the adjacent regions. The inverse pattern was found in the north-eastern leaves, in which the stomatal index was 10 higher near the midrib and the leaf margin. This change in pattern was accompanied by smaller tracheid lumen diameter and length. Podocarpus lambertii individuals in sites with higher temperature and lower water availability jointly regulate stomatal distribution in leaves and tracheid dimensions in wood. The observed stomatal distribution pattern and variation appear to be closely related to the placement of conducting tissue in the mesophyll.

Anderson-like Transition for a Class of Random Sparse Models in d >= 2 Dimensions

We show that the Kronecker sum of d >= 2 copies of a random one-dimensional sparse model displays a spectral transition of the type predicted by Anderson, from absolutely continuous around the center of the band to pure point around the boundaries. Possible applications to physics and open problems are discussed briefly.

Two versions of the threshold contact model in two dimensions

Two versions of the threshold contact process ordinary and conservative - are studied on a square lattice. In the first, particles are created on active sites, those having at least two nearest neighbor sites occupied, and are annihilated spontaneously. In the conservative version, a particle jumps from its site to an active site. Mean-field analysis suggests the existence of a first-order phase transition, which is confirmed by Monte Carlo simulations. In the thermodynamic limit, the two versions are found to give the same results. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis of Stress Distribution on Different Bony Ridges With Different Lengths of Morse Taper Implants and Prosthesis Dimensions

This finite element analysis (FEA) compared stress distribution on different bony ridges rehabilitated with different lengths of morse taper implants, varying dimensions of metal-ceramic crowns to maintain the occlusal alignment. Three-dimensional FE models were designed representing a posterior left side segment of the mandible: group control, 3 implants of 11 mm length; group 1, implants of 13 mm, 11 mm and 5 mm length; group 2, 1 implant of 11 mm and 2 implants of 5 mm length; and group 3, 3 implants of 5 mm length. The abutments heights were 3.5 mm for 13- and 11-mm implants (regular), and 0.8 mm for 5-mm implants (short). Evaluation was performed on Ansys software, oblique loads of 365N for molars and 200N for premolars. There was 50% higher stress on cortical bone for the short implants than regular implants. There was 80% higher stress on trabecular bone for the short implants than regular implants. There was higher stress concentration on the bone region of the short implants neck. However, these implants were capable of dissipating the stress to the bones, given the applied loads, but achieving near the threshold between elastic and plastic deformation to the trabecular bone. Distal implants and/or with biggest occlusal table generated greatest stress regions on the surrounding bone. It was concluded that patients requiring short implants associated with increased proportions implant prostheses need careful evaluation and occlusal adjustment, as a possible overload in these short implants, and even in regular ones, can generate stress beyond the physiological threshold of the surrounding bone, compromising the whole system.

Cost-effectiveness and budget impact of saxagliptine as additional therapy to metformin for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 in the Brazilian private health system

Cost-effectiveness and budget impact of saxagliptine as additional therapy to metformin for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 in the Brazilian private health system Objectives: To compare costs and clinical benefits of three additional therapies to metformin (MF) for patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). Methods: A discrete event simulation model seas built to estimate the cost-utility ratio (cost per quality-adjusted life years [QALY)) of saxagliptine as an additional therapy to MF when compared to rosiglitazone or pioglitazone. A budget impact model (BIM) was built to simulate the economic impact of saxagliptine use in the context of the Brazilian private health system. Results: The acquiring medication costs for the hypothetical patient group analyzed in a time frame of three years, were R$ 10,850,185, R$ 14,836,265 and R$ 14,679,099 for saxagliptine, pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, respectively. Saxagliptine showed lower costs and greater effectiveness in both comparisons, with projected savings for the first three years of R$ 3,874 and R$ 3,996, respectively. The BIM estimated cumulative savings of R$ 417,958 with the repayment of saxagliptine in three years from the perspective of a health plan with 1,000,000 covered individuals. Conclusion: From the perspective of private paying source, the projection is that adding saxagliptine with MF save costs when compared with the addition of rosiglitazone or pioglitazone in patients with DM2 that have not reached the HbA1c goal with metformin monotherapy. The BIM of including saxagliptine in the reimbursement lists of health plans indicated significant savings on the three-year horizon.

Describing some of the Dimensions that comprise the Profile of the Faculty Staff of Statistics Departments in Brazil

Statistics is a required course in virtually all undergraduate programs in Brazilian universities. In addition, undergraduate programs in Statistics are offered in many public universities. However, despite the importance of this science, there are no systematic studies in the national literature regarding the characterization of the faculty staff, which is responsible for the teaching of statistics in the country. In this context, this paper presents a description of the faculty members of undergraduate courses in Statistics. This description was based on a descriptive sample, related to aspects of their education and scientific production. A prediction of future demand for PhDs in Statistics to fill the vacancies is also provided based on the retirement of faculty members in undergraduate courses in Statistics in the country.

An analytic method to compute the stress dependence on the dimensions and its influence in the characteristics of triple gate devices

Triple-gate devices are considered a promising solution for sub-20 nm era. Strain engineering has also been recognized as an alternative due to the increase in the carriers mobility it propitiates. The simulation of strained devices has the major drawback of the stress non-uniformity, which cannot be easily considered in a device TCAD simulation without the coupled process simulation that is time consuming and cumbersome task. However, it is mandatory to have accurate device simulation, with good correlation with experimental results of strained devices, allowing for in-depth physical insight as well as prediction on the stress impact on the device electrical characteristics. This work proposes the use of an analytic function, based on the literature, to describe accurately the strain dependence on both channel length and fin width in order to simulate adequately strained triple-gate devices. The maximum transconductance and the threshold voltage are used as the key parameters to compare simulated and experimental data. The results show the agreement of the proposed analytic function with the experimental results. Also, an analysis on the threshold voltage variation is carried out, showing that the stress affects the dependence of the threshold voltage on the temperature. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cosmetic Orbital Inferomedial Decompression: Quantifying the Risk of Diplopia Associated With Extraocular Muscle Dimensions

Purpose: To quantify the risk of new diplopia in inferomedial orbital decompression performed for cosmetic reasons. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 114 patients with Graves orbitopathy who underwent an inferomedial orbital decompression. No patient had diplopia in any of the gaze positions or optic neuropathy. A single coronal slice 9 mm posterior to the lateral orbital rim was employed to quantify the muscular index of the extraocular recti and of the superior complex. A control group of 56 patients imaged for other reasons were also measured. After surgery the oculomotor status of all patients who complained of diplopia and of 51 patients free of diplopia was measured with the prism and cover test in the primary and secondary gaze positions. Results: The rate of new-onset diplopia was 14.0% (16 patients). Eye deviations were confirmed in 14 patients. Of these, 10 had significant strabismus that warranted surgical or prism treatment. Most patients had esotropia associated with small vertical deviations. The size of the medial and inferior recti was significantly associated with the development of diplopia. The estimated odds for the appearance of diplopia in patients with muscle enlargement was 12.76 (medial rectus) and 5.21 (inferior rectus). Small-angle deviations were also detected in 27.4% of patients who did not experience diplopia. Conclusions: Medial and inferior recti enlargement is a strong predictor of new-onset diplopia. A large number of patients who do not report diplopia also present with small-angle deviations. (Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg 2012;28:204-207)

Gingival Papilla Dimensions in Anterosuperior Regions Adjacent to Single-Tooth Implants

This study compared the dimensions of gingival papillae in anterosuperior areas presenting at natural teeth (teeth sites) or single-tooth implants adjacent to natural teeth (implant-tooth sites) by analyzing determined distances. A total of 45 teeth and 46 implant-tooth sites were carefully selected. Clinical evaluation consisted of visual and quantitative analyses with millimeter grids on radiographs. Implant-tooth sites showed a smaller gingival papilla dimension than tooth sites (P < .01). Both evaluated distances (contact point to bone crest and between the roots of adjacent teeth or implant platform to root of adjacent tooth) in all groups significantly influenced the presence/absence of gingival papillae (P < .01). (Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent 2012;32:93-100.)

Obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions correlate to specific gray matter volumes in treatment-naive patients

Background: Clinical and sociodemographic findings have supported that OCD is heterogeneous and composed of multiple potentially overlapping and stable symptom dimensions. Previous neuroimaging investigations have correlated different patterns of OCD dimension scores and gray matter (GM) volumes. Despite their relevant contribution, some methodological limitations, such as patient's previous medication intake, may have contributed to inconsistent findings. Method: Voxel-based morphometry was used to investigate correlations between regional GM volumes and symptom dimensions severity scores in a sample of 38 treatment-naive OCD patients. Several standardized instruments were applied, including an interview exclusively developed for assessing symptom dimensions severity (DY-BOCS). Results: Scores on the "aggression" dimension were positively correlated with GM volumes in lateral parietal cortex in both hemispheres and negatively correlated with bilateral insula, left putamen and left inferior OFC. Scores on the "sexual/religious" dimension were positively correlated with GM volumes within the right middle lateral OFC and right DLPFC and negatively correlated with bilateral ACC. Scores on the "hoarding" dimension were positively correlated with GM volumes in the left superior lateral OFC and negatively correlated in the right parahippocampal gyrus. No significant correlations between GM volumes and the "contamination" or "symmetry" dimensions were found. Conclusions: Building upon preexisting findings, our data with treatment-naive OCD patients have demonstrated distinct GM substrates implicated in both cognitive and emotion processing across different OCS dimensions. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of adenotonsillectomy on hard palate dimensions

Objective: To evaluate hard palate width and height in mouth-breathing children pre- and post-adenotonsillectomy. Methods: We evaluated 44 children in the 3-6 year age bracket, using dental study casts in order to determine palatal height, intercanine width, and intermolar width. The children were divided into two groups: nasal breathing (n = 15) and mouth breathing (n = 29). The children in the latter group underwent adenotonsillectomy. The study casts were obtained prior to adenotonsillectomy, designated time point 1(11), at 13 months after adenotonsillectomy (T2), and at 28 months after adenotonsillectomy (13). Similar periods of observation were obtained for nasal breathing children. Results: At T1, there was a significantly lower intercanine width in mouth breathing children; intermolar width and palate height were similar between groups. After surgery, there was a significant increase in all the analyzed parameters in both groups, probably due to facial growth. Instead, the increase in intercanine width was substantially more prominent in mouth breathing children than in nasal breathing children, and the former difference failed in significance after the procedure. Conclusions: There were no significant differences between the nasal-breathing and mouth-breathing children in terms of intermolar width and palatal height prior to or after tonsillectomy. Although intercanine width was initially narrower in the mouth-breathing children, it showed normalization after the surgical procedure. These results confirm that the restoration of nasal breathing is central to proper occlusal development. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The importance of vertical and horizontal dimensions of the sediment matrix in structuring nematodes across spatial scales

Intensive surveys have been conducted to unravel spatial patterns of benthic infauna communities. Although it has been recognized that benthic organisms are spatially structured along the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the sediment, little is known on how these two dimensions interact with each other. In this study we investigated the interdependence between the vertical and horizontal dimensions in structuring marine nematodes assemblages. We tested whether the similarity in nematode species composition along the horizontal dimension was dependent on the vertical layer of the sediment. To test this hypothesis, three-cm interval sediment samples (15 cm depth) were taken independently from two bedforms in three estuaries. Results indicated that assemblages living in the top layers are more abundant, species rich and less variable, in terms of species presence/absence and relative abundances, than assemblages living in the deeper layers. Results showed that redox potential explained the greatest amount (12%) of variability in species composition, more than depth or particle size. The fauna inhabiting the more oxygenated layers were more homogeneous across the horizontal scales than those from the reduced layers. In contrast to previous studies, which suggested that reduced layers are characterized by a specific set of tolerant species, the present study showed that species assemblages in the deeper layers are more causal (characterized mainly by vagrant species). The proposed mechanism is that at the superficial oxygenated layers, species have higher chances of being resuspended and displaced over longer distances by passive transport, while at the deeper anoxic layers they are restricted to active dispersal from the above and nearby sediments. Such restriction in the dispersal potential together with the unfavorable environmental conditions leads to randomness in the presence of species resulting in the high variability between assemblages along the horizontal dimension.

Utilization of fringe projection technique for evaluation of wound dimensions and of healing progress.

Background: The methods used for evaluating wound dimensions, especially the chronic ones, are invasive and inaccurate. The fringe projection technique with phase shift is a non-invasive, accurate and low-cost optical method. Objective: The aim is to validate the technique through the determination of dimensions of objects of known topography and with different geometries and colors to simulate the wounds and tones of skin color. Taking into account the influence of skin wound optical factors, the technique will be used to evaluate actual patients’ wound dimensions and to study its limitations in this application. Methods: Four sinusoidal fringe patterns, displaced ¼ of period each, were projected onto the objects surface. The object dimensions were obtained from the unwrapped phase map through the observation of the fringe deformations caused by the object topography and using phase shift analysis. An object with simple geometry was used for dimensional calibration and the topographic dimensions of the others were determined from it. After observing the compatibility with the data and validating the method, it was used for measuring the dimensions of real patients’ wounds. Results and Conclusions: The discrepancies between actual topography and dimensions determined with Fringe Projection Technique and for the known object were lower than 0.50 cm. The method was successful in obtaining the topography of real patient’s wounds. Objects and wounds with sharp topographies or causing shadow or reflection are difficult to be evaluated with this technique.