Thermal Characteristics of Polybia scutellaris Nests (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Using Computational Fluid Dynamics: A Possible Adaptation to Tropical Climates

Polybia scutellaris constructs huge nests characterized by numerous spinal projections on the surface. We investigated the thermal characteristics of P scutellaris nests in order to determine whether their nest temperature is homeothermically maintained and whether the spines play a role in the thermoregulation of the nests. In order to examine these hypotheses, we measured the nest temperature in a active nest and in an abandoned nest. The temperature in the active nest was almost stable at 27 degrees C, whereas that of the abandoned nest varied with changes in the ambient temperature, suggesting that nest temperature was maintained by the thermogenesis of colony individuals. In order to predict the thermal properties of the spines, a numerical simulation was employed. To construct a 3D-model of a P scutellaris nest, the nest architecture was simplified into an outer envelope and the surface spines, for both of which the initial temperature was set at 27 degrees C. The physical properties of the simulated nest were regarded to be those of wood since the nest of this species is constructed from plant materials. When the model was exposed to cool air (12 degrees C), the temperature was lower in the models with more spines. On the other hand, when the nest was heated (42 degrees C), the temperature increase was smaller in models with more spines. It is suggested that the spines act as a heat radiator, not as an insulator, against the changes in ambient temperature.

Enterohormonal changes after digestive adaptation: Five-year results of a surgical proposal to treat obesity and associated diseases

Background Recent physiological knowledge allows the design of bariatric procedures that aim at neuroendocrine changes instead of at restriction and malabsorption. Digestive adaptation is a surgical technique for obesity based in this rationale. Methods The technique includes a sleeve gastrectomy, an omentectomy and a jejunectomy that leaves initial jejunum and small bowel totaling at least 3 m (still within normal variation of adult human bowel length). Fasting ghrelin and resistin and fasting and postprandial GLP-1 and PYY were measured pre- and postoperatively. Results Patients: 228 patients with initial body mass index (BMI) varying from 35 to 51 kg/m(2); follow-up: I to 5 years; average EBMIL% was 79.7% in the first year; 77.7% in the second year; 71.6% in the third year; 68.9% in the fourth year. Patients present early satiety and major improvement in presurgical comorbidities, especially diabetes. Fasting ghrelin and resistin were significantly reduced (P<0.05); GLP-1 and PYY response to food ingestion was enhanced (P<0.05). Surgical complications (4.4%) were resolved without sequela and without mortality. There was neither diarrhea nor detected malabsorption. Conclusions Based on physiological and supported by evolutionary data, this procedure creates a proportionally reduced gastrointestinal (GI) tract that amplifies postprandial neuroendocrine responses. It leaves basic GI functions unharmed. It reduces production of ghrelin and resistin and takes more nutrients to be absorbed distally enhancing GLP-1 and PYY secretion. Diabetes was improved significantly without duodenal exclusion. The patients do not present symptoms nor need nutritional support or drug medication because of the procedure, which is safe to perform.

Health Related Quality of Life Assessment questionnaire for children aged 5 to 11 years with HIV/AIDS: cross-cultural adaptation for the Portuguese language

The objective of this study is to describe preliminary results from the cross-cultural adaptation of the Quality of Life Assessment Questionnaire, used to measure health related quality of life (HRQL) in Brazilian children aged between 5 and 11 with HIV/AIDS. The cross-cultural model evaluated the Concept, Item, Semantic and Measurement Equivalences (internal consistency and intra-observer reliability). Evaluation of the conceptual, item, semantic equivalences showed that the Portuguese version is pertinent for the Brazilian context. Four of seven domains showed internal consistency above 0.70 (α: 0.76-0.90) and five of seven revealed intra-observer reliability (ricc: 0.41-0.70). This first Portuguese version of the HRQL questionnaire can be understood as a valuable tool for assessing children's HRQL, but further studies with large samples and more robust analyses are recommended before use in the Brazilian context.

Cross-cultural adaptation, validation and reliability of the Body Area Scale for Brazilian adolescents

The aim of this study was to translate, validate and verify the reliability of the Body Area Scale (BAS). Participants were 386 teenagers, enrolled in a private school. Translation into Portuguese was conducted. The instrument was evaluated for internal consistency and construct validation analysis. Reproducibility was evaluated using the Wilcoxon test and the coefficient of interclass correlation. The BAS demonstrated good values for internal consistency (0.90 and 0.88) and was able to discriminate boys and girls according to nutritional state (p = 0.020 and p = 0.026, respectively). BAS scores correlated with adolescents' BMI (r = 0.14, p = 0.055; r = 0.23, p = 0.001) and WC (r =0.13, p = 0.083; r = 0.22, 0.002). Reliability was confirmed by the coefficient of inter-class correlation (0.35, p < 0.001; 0.60, p < 0.001) for boys and girls, respectively. The instrument performed well in terms of understanding and time of completion. BAS was successfully translated into Portuguese and presented good validity when applied to adolescents.

Self-medication: initial treatments used by patients seen in an ophthalmologic emergency room

OBJECTIVE: This study seeks to identify practices of self-medication in the treatment of ocular emergencies. We examine patients' use of both homemade preparations and manufactured products before seeking specialized care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analytic survey of consecutive patients seen in the ophthalmology emergency room of a teaching hospital. RESULTS: The sample included 561 subjects, 51.3% males and 48.7% females, with a mean age of 39.8 years. Prior to seeking emergency care, 40.5% reported self-medicating; 29.4% used a homemade preparation (13.9% referred to an industrialized product like boric acid as a homemade preparation), and 11.1% used a manufactured product. The most frequently used products included a boric acid solution (53.3%), a normal saline solution (35.7%), herbal infusions (6.1%) and breast milk (4.8%). Viral conjunctivitis was the most frequent diagnosis (24.4%), followed by the presence of a corneal foreign body (7.4%). No significant differences were found in the self-treatment of ocular injuries according to gender (p = 0.95), level of education (p = 0.21) or age (p = 0.14). In addition, self-medication practices were not related to the medically judged severity of the condition. CONCLUSION: Patients often attempt to treat conditions that require ophthalmologic emergency care by self-medicating with homemade or manufactured products. The most widely used products include boric acid, normal saline, leaf infusions and breast milk. This behavior occurs independently of educational level, gender, age or the nature of the ocular condition. Self-medication is a culturally driven practice that is used even in cases of acute ocular injuries.

Change and Aging Senescence as an Adaptation

Understanding why we age is a long-lived open problem in evolutionary biology. Aging is prejudicial to the individual, and evolutionary forces should prevent it, but many species show signs of senescence as individuals age. Here, I will propose a model for aging based on assumptions that are compatible with evolutionary theory: i) competition is between individuals; ii) there is some degree of locality, so quite often competition will be between parents and their progeny; iii) optimal conditions are not stationary, and mutation helps each species to keep competitive. When conditions change, a senescent species can drive immortal competitors to extinction. This counter-intuitive result arises from the pruning caused by the death of elder individuals. When there is change and mutation, each generation is slightly better adapted to the new conditions, but some older individuals survive by chance. Senescence can eliminate those from the genetic pool. Even though individual selection forces can sometimes win over group selection ones, it is not exactly the individual that is selected but its lineage. While senescence damages the individuals and has an evolutionary cost, it has a benefit of its own. It allows each lineage to adapt faster to changing conditions. We age because the world changes.

Combining Legendre's Polynomials and Genetic Algorithm in the Solution of Nonlinear Initial-Value Problems

This work develops a method for solving ordinary differential equations, that is, initial-value problems, with solutions approximated by using Legendre's polynomials. An iterative procedure for the adjustment of the polynomial coefficients is developed, based on the genetic algorithm. This procedure is applied to several examples providing comparisons between its results and the best polynomial fitting when numerical solutions by the traditional Runge-Kutta or Adams methods are available. The resulting algorithm provides reliable solutions even if the numerical solutions are not available, that is, when the mass matrix is singular or the equation produces unstable running processes.

The International Collaboration on Air Pollution and Pregnancy Outcomes: Initial Results

BACKGROUND: The findings of prior studies of air pollution effects on adverse birth outcomes are difficult to synthesize because of differences in study design. OBJECTIVES: The International Collaboration on Air Pollution and Pregnancy Outcomes was formed to understand how differences in research methods contribute to variations in findings. We initiated a feasibility study to a) assess the ability of geographically diverse research groups to analyze their data sets using a common protocol and b) perform location-specific analyses of air pollution effects on birth weight using a standardized statistical approach. METHODS: Fourteen research groups from nine countries participated. We developed a protocol to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for the association between particulate matter <= 10 mu m in aerodynamic diameter (PM(10)) and low birth weight (LBW) among term births, adjusted first for socioeconomic status (SES) and second for additional location-specific variables. RESULTS: Among locations with data for the PM(10) analysis, ORs estimating the relative risk of term LBW associated with a 10-mu g/m(3) increase in average PM(10) concentration during pregnancy, adjusted for SES, ranged from 0.63 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.30-1.35] for the Netherlands to 1.15 (95% CI, 0.61-2.18) for Vancouver, with six research groups reporting statistically significant adverse associations. We found evidence of statistically significant heterogeneity in estimated effects among locations. CONCLUSIONS: Variability in PM(10)-LBW relationships among study locations remained despite use of a common statistical approach. A more detailed meta-analysis and use of more complex protocols for future analysis may uncover reasons for heterogeneity across locations. However, our findings confirm the potential for a diverse group of researchers to analyze their data in a standardized way to improve understanding of air pollution effects on birth outcomes.

Simplified Mathematical Model for an Anaerobic Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor Treating Lipid-Rich Wastewater Subject to Rising Organic Loading Rates

This study proposes a simplified mathematical model to describe the processes occurring in an anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactor (ASBBR) treating lipid-rich wastewater. The reactor, subjected to rising organic loading rates, contained biomass immobilized cubic polyurethane foam matrices, and was operated at 32 degrees C +/- 2 degrees C, using 24-h batch cycles. In the adaptation period, the reactor was fed with synthetic substrate for 46 days and was operated without agitation. Whereas agitation was raised to 500 rpm, the organic loading rate (OLR) rose from 0.3 g chemical oxygen demand (COD) . L(-1) . day(-1) to 1.2 g COD . L(-1) . day(-1). The ASBBR was fed fat-rich wastewater (dairy wastewater), in an operation period lasting for 116 days, during which four operational conditions (OCs) were tested: 1.1 +/- 0.2 g COD . L(-1) . day(-1) (OC1), 4.5 +/- 0.4 g COD . L(-1) . day(-1) (OC2), 8.0 +/- 0.8 g COD . L(-1) . day(-1) (OC3), and 12.1 +/- 2.4 g COD . L(-1) . day(-1) (OC4). The bicarbonate alkalinity (BA)/COD supplementation ratio was 1:1 at OC1, 1:2 at OC2, and 1:3 at OC3 and OC4. Total COD removal efficiencies were higher than 90%, with a constant production of bicarbonate alkalinity, in all OCs tested. After the process reached stability, temporal profiles of substrate consumption were obtained. Based on these experimental data a simplified first-order model was fit, making possible the inference of kinetic parameters. A simplified mathematical model correlating soluble COD with volatile fatty acids (VFA) was also proposed, and through it the consumption rates of intermediate products as propionic and acetic acid were inferred. Results showed that the microbial consortium worked properly and high efficiencies were obtained, even with high initial substrate concentrations, which led to the accumulation of intermediate metabolites and caused low specific consumption rates.

The city of Maringa, PR. The initial plan and the "urban requalifications"

The city of Maringa, located in the Northwest of Parana State, Brazil, was part of an extensive area colonized by the Companhia de Terras Norte do Parana replaced by the Companhia Melhoramentos Norte do Parana. Starting from a modem project elaborated in midlles of 1940's, Maringa emerged quickly amid the forest. We analyzed the initial plan, the projects for the reformulation of the central area and the tendencies of the public actions in the urban area that turn for real estate promotion and disrespect the popular participation. In its regional scale, Maringa follows the same orientation of cities that are used by the The obsession for the modernity takes to the systematic construction of new spaces that substitute the memory and the urban history in projects that reconduct to the aestheticization and the spectacularization of the urban landscape of Maringa.

FLUCTUATIONS AND INITIAL STATE GRANULARITY IN HEAVY ION COLLISIONS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON OBSERVABLES FROM HYDRODYNAMICS

A comparison is made between results obtained using smooth initial conditions and event-by-event initial conditions in the hydrodynamical description of relativistic nuclear collisions. Some new results on directed flow are also included.

Azimuthal Anisotropy of pi(0) Production in Au plus Au Collisions at root s(NN)=200 GeV: Path-Length Dependence of Jet Quenching and the Role of Initial Geometry

We have measured the azimuthal anisotropy of pi(0) production for 1 < p(T) < 18 GeV/c for Au + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV. The observed anisotropy shows a gradual decrease for 3 less than or similar to p(T) less than or similar to 7-10 GeV/c, but remains positive beyond 10 GeV/c. The magnitude of this anisotropy is underpredicted, up to at least similar to 10 GeV/c, by current perturbative QCD (PQCD) energy-loss model calculations. An estimate of the increase in anisotropy expected from initial-geometry modification due to gluon saturation effects and fluctuations is insufficient to account for this discrepancy. Calculations that implement a path-length dependence steeper than what is implied by current PQCD energy-loss models show reasonable agreement with the data.

Enhanced Production of Direct Photons in Au plus Au Collisions at root s(NN)=200 GeV and Implications for the Initial Temperature

The production of e(+)e(-) pairs for m(e+e-) < 0.3 GeV/c(2) and 1< p(T) < 5 GeV/c is measured in p + p and Au + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV. An enhanced yield above hadronic sources is observed. Treating the excess as photon internal conversions, the invariant yield of direct photons is deduced. In central Au + Au collisions, the excess of the direct photon yield over p + p is exponential in transverse momentum, with an inverse slope T = 221 +/- 19(stat) +/- 19(syst) MeV. Hydrodynamical models with initial temperatures ranging from T(init) similar to 300-600 MeV at times of similar to 0.6-0.15 fm/c after the collision are in qualitative agreement with the data. Lattice QCD predicts a phase transition to quark gluon plasma at similar to 170 MeV.

FLUCTUATION OF THE INITIAL CONDITIONS AND ITS CONSEQUENCES ON SOME OBSERVABLES

We show effects of the event-by-event fluctuation of the initial conditions (IC) in hydrodynamic description of high-energy nuclear collisions on some observables. Such IC produce not only fluctuations in observables but, due to their bumpy structure, several non-trivial effects appear. They enhance production of isotropically distributed high-p(T) particles, making upsilon(2) smaller there. Also, they reduce upsilon(2) in the forward and backward regions where the global matter density is smaller, so where such effects become more efficacious. They may also produce the so-called ridge effect in the two large-p(T) particle correlation.

Importance of granular structure in the initial conditions for the elliptic flow

We show the effects of the granular structure of the initial conditions of a hydrodynamic description of high-energy nucleus-nucleus collisions on some observables, especially on the elliptic-flow parameter upsilon(2). Such a structure enhances production of isotropically distributed high-p(T) particles, making upsilon(2) smaller there. Also, it reduces upsilon(2) in the forward and backward regions where the global matter density is smaller and, therefore, where such effects become more efficacious.