Combined heuristic with fuzzy system to transmission system expansion planning

A heuristic algorithm that employs fuzzy logic is proposed to the power system transmission expansion planning problem. The algorithm is based on the divide to conquer strategy, which is controlled by the fuzzy system. The algorithm provides high quality solutions with the use of fuzzy decision making, which is based on nondeterministic criteria to guide the search. The fuzzy system provides a self-adjusting mechanism that eliminates the manual adjustment of parameters to each system being solved. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Long-term effects of rapid maxillary expansion on nasal area and nasal airway resistance

Background: Rapid maxillary expansion (RME) may improve the nasal respiratory pattern This study was performed to evaluate the effect of RME on the nasal cavity by acoustic rhinometry and computed rhinomanometry and to determine nasal and maxillary width by posteroanterior cephalometric radiography, up to 30 months after the orthodontic procedure Methods: Twenty-seven children with oral breathing, ranging in age from 7 to 70 years, and with mixed dentition were selected The children had unior bilateral posterior crossbite involving deciduous canines and the first permanent molars All subjects were submitted to nasofibroscopy, acoustic rhinometry, and computed rhinomanometry and posteroanterior cephalometric radiography at four different tunes, i e, before expansion, immediately, 90 days and 30 months after expansion Results: The mean linear left-to-right nasal cavity lateral prominence and left-to-right jugal ponds cephalometric measures increased considerably after expansion and this increase was maintained throughout the period of evaluation There was an immediate significant decrease in nasal resistance, up to 90 days after RME, but the nasal resistance increased 30 months after the procedure The acoustic rhinometry results did not show any difference in values throughout time Conclusion: RME significantly increased nasal and maxillary width as measured by frontal cephalometry, but the nasal mucosal effects were more subtle Also, the influence of RME on nasal resistance was not stable, and nasal resistance values returned to close to the initial ones after 30 months (Am J Rhinol Allergy 24, 161-165, 2010, doi 10.2500/ajra.2010.24.3440)

Variation in Body Composition Determines Long-Term Blood Pressure Changes in Pre-Hypertension The MONICA/KORA (Monitoring Trends and Determinants on Cardiovascular Diseases/Cooperative Research in the Region of Augsburg) Cohort Study

Objectives We studied the relationship between changes in body composition and changes in blood pressure levels. Background The mechanisms underlying the frequently observed progression from pre-hypertension to hypertension are poorly understood. Methods We examined 1,145 subjects from a population-based survey at baseline in 1994/1995 and at follow-up in 2004/2005. First, we studied individuals pre-hypertensive at baseline who, during 10 years of follow-up, either had normalized blood pressure (PreNorm, n = 48), persistently had pre-hypertension (PrePre, n = 134), or showed progression to hypertension (PreHyp, n = 183). In parallel, we studied predictors for changes in blood pressure category in individuals hypertensive at baseline (n = 429). Results After 10 years, the PreHyp group was characterized by a marked increase in body weight (+5.71% [95% confidence interval (CI): 4.60% to 6.83%]) that was largely the result of an increase in fat mass (+17.8% [95% CI: 14.5% to 21.0%]). In the PrePre group, both the increases in body weight (+1.95% [95% CI: 0.68% to 3.22%]) and fat mass (+8.09% [95% CI: 4.42% to 11.7%]) were significantly less pronounced than in the PreHyp group (p < 0.001 for both). The PreNorm group showed no significant change in body weight (-1.55% [95% CI: -3.70% to 0.61%]) and fat mass (+0.20% [95% CI: -6.13% to 6.52%], p < 0.05 for both, vs. the PrePre group). Conclusions After 10 years of follow-up, hypertension developed in 50.1% of individuals with pre-hypertension and only 6.76% went from hypertensive to pre-hypertensive blood pressure levels. An increase in body weight and fat mass was a risk factor for the development of sustained hypertension, whereas a decrease was predictive of a decrease in blood pressure. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2010; 56: 65-76) (C) 2010 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation

Short- and long-term anxiogenic effects induced by a single injection of subconvulsant doses of pilocarpine in rats: investigation of the putative role of hippocampal pathways

Behavioral consequences of convulsive episodes are well documented, but less attention was paid to changes that occur in response to subconvulsant doses of drugs. We investigated short- and long-term effects of a single systemic injection of a subconvulsant dose of pilocarpine on the behavior of rats as evaluated in the elevated plus maze. Pilocarpine induced an anxiogenic-like profile 24 h later, and this effect persisted for up to 3 months (% of time spent on open arms at 24 h, control = 35.47 +/- 3.23; pilocarpine 150 = 8.2 +/- 2.6; 3 months, control = 31.9 +/- 5.5; pilocarpine 150 = 9.3 +/- 4.9). Temporary inactivation of fimbria-fornix with lidocaine 4% promoted an anxiolytic-like effect per se, suggesting a tonic control of this pathway on the modulation of anxiety-related behaviors. Lidocaine also reduced the anxiogenic-like profile of animals tested 1 month after pilocarpine treatment (% of time spent on open arms, saline + phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) = 31.7 + 3.7; saline + lidocaine = 54.4 + 4.7; pilocarpine + PBS = 10.3 + 4.1; pilocarpine + lidocaine = 40.1 + 9.1). To determine whether the anxiogenic-like effect was mediated by septal region or by direct hippocampal projections to the diencephalon, the neural transmission of post-commissural fornix was blocked, and a similar reduction in the anxiogenic-like effect of pilocarpine was observed. Our findings suggest that a single systemic injection of pilocarpine may induce long-lasting anxiogenic-like behavior in rats, an effect that appears to be mediated, in part, through a direct path from hippocampus to medial hypothalamic sites involved in fear responses.

Characterization of the optical properties of atmospheric aerosols in Amazonia from long-term AERONET monitoring (1993-1995 and 1999-2006)

We present a new climatology of atmospheric aerosols (primarily pyrogenic and biogenic) for the Brazilian tropics on the basis of a high-quality data set of spectral aerosol optical depth and directional sky radiance measurements from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) Cimel Sun-sky radiometers at more than 15 sites distributed across the Amazon basin and adjacent Cerrado region. This network is the only long-term project (with a record including observations from more than 11 years at some locations) ever to have provided ground-based remotely-sensed column aerosol properties for this critical region. Distinctive features of the Amazonian area aerosol are presented by partitioning the region into three aerosol regimes: southern Amazonian forest, Cerrado, and northern Amazonian forest. The monitoring sites generally include measurements from the interval 1999-2006, but some sites have measurement records that date back to the initial days of the AERONET program in 1993. Seasonal time series of aerosol optical depth (AOD), angstrom ngstrom exponent, and columnar-averaged microphysical properties of the aerosol derived from sky radiance inversion techniques (single-scattering albedo, volume size distribution, fine mode fraction of AOD, etc.) are described and contrasted for the defined regions. During the wet season, occurrences of mineral dust penetrating deep into the interior were observed.

Long-term social recognition memory in adult male rats: factor analysis of the social and non-social behaviors

A modified version of the intruder-resident paradigm was used to investigate if social recognition memory lasts at least 24 h. One hundred and forty-six adult male Wistar rats were used. Independent groups of rats were exposed to an intruder for 0.083, 0.5, 2, 24, or 168 h and tested 24 h after the first encounter with the familiar or a different conspecific. Factor analysis was employed to identify associations between behaviors and treatments. Resident rats exhibited a 24-h social recognition memory, as indicated by a 3- to 5-fold decrease in social behaviors in the second encounter with the same conspecific compared to those observed for a different conspecific, when the duration of the first encounter was 2 h or longer. It was possible to distinguish between two different categories of social behaviors and their expression depended on the duration of the first encounter. Sniffing the anogenital area (49.9% of the social behaviors), sniffing the body (17.9%), sniffing the head (3%), and following the conspecific (3.1%), exhibited mostly by resident rats, characterized social investigation and revealed long-term social recognition memory. However, dominance (23.8%) and mild aggression (2.3%), exhibited by both resident and intruders, characterized social agonistic behaviors and were not affected by memory. Differently, sniffing the environment (76.8% of the non-social behaviors) and rearing (14.3%), both exhibited mostly by adult intruder rats, characterized non-social behaviors. Together, these results show that social recognition memory in rats may last at least 24 h after a 2-h or longer exposure to the conspecific.

Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cells from Humans and Mice Differ in Proliferative Capacity and Genome Stability in Long-Term Cultures

Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) are among the more attractive adult stem cell options for potential therapeutic applications. Here, we studied and compared the basic biological characteristics of ASCs isolated from humans (hASCs) and mice (mASCs) and maintained in identical culture conditions, which must be examined prior to considering further potential clinical applications. hASCs and mASCs were compared for immunophenotype, differentiation potential, cell growth characteristics, senescence, nuclear morphology, and DNA content. Although both strains of ASCs displayed a similar immunophenotype, the percentage of CD73(+) cells was markedly lower and CD31(+) was higher in mASC than in hASC cultures. The mean population doubling time was 98.08 +/- 6.15 h for hASCs and 52.58 +/- 3.74 h for mASCs. The frequency of nuclear aberrations was noticeably lower in hASCs than in mASCs regardless of the passage number. Moreover, as the cells went through several in vitro passages, mASCs showed changes in DNA content and cell cycle kinetics (frequency of hypodiploid, G0/G1, G2/M, and hyperdiploid cells), whereas all of these parameters remained constant in hASCs. Collectively, these results suggest that mASCs display higher proliferative capacity and are more unstable than hASCs in long-term cultures. These results underscore the need to consider specificities among model systems that may influence outcomes when designing potential human applications.

Cyclic variability of the circumstellar disk of the Be star zeta Tauri I. Long-term monitoring observations

Context. Emission lines formed in decretion disks of Be stars often undergo long-term cyclic variations, especially in the violet-to-red (V/R) ratio of their primary components. The underlying structural and dynamical variations of the disks are only partly understood. From observations of the bright Be-shell star. Tau, the possibly broadest and longest data set illustrating the prototype of this behaviour was compiled from our own and archival observations. It comprises optical and infrared spectra, broad-band polarimetry, and interferometric observations. Aims. The dense, long-time monitoring permits a better separation of repetitive and ephemeral variations. The broad wavelength coverage includes lines formed under different physical conditions, i.e. different locations in the disk, so that the dynamics can be probed throughout much of the disk. Polarimetry and interferometry constrain the spatial structure. All together, the objective is a better understand the dynamics and life cycle of decretion disks. Methods. Standard methods of data acquisition, reduction, and analysis were applied. Results. From 3 V/R cycles between 1997 and 2008, a mean cycle length in Ha of 1400-1430 days was derived. After each minimum in V/R, the shell absorption weakens and splits into two components, leading to 3 emission peaks. This phase may make the strongest contribution to the variability in cycle length. There is no obvious connection between the V/R cycle and the 133-day orbital period of the not otherwise detected companion. V/R curves of different lines are shifted in phase. Lines formed on average closer to the central star are ahead of the others. The shell absorption lines fall into 2 categories differing in line width, ionization/excitation potential, and variability of the equivalent width. They seem to form in separate regions of the disk, probably crossing the line of sight at different times. The interferometry has resolved the continuum and the line emission in Br gamma and HeI 2.06. The phasing of the Br gamma emission shows that the photocenter of the line-emitting region lies within the plane of the disk but is offset from the continuum source. The plane of the disk is constant throughout the observed V/R cycles. The observations lay the foundation for the fully self-consistent, one-armed, disk-oscillation model developed in Paper II.

Implications of long-term land-use change for the hydrology and solute budgets of small catchments in Amazonia

The replacement of undisturbed tropical forest with cattle pasture has the potential to greatly modify the hydrology of small watersheds and the fluxes of solutes. We examined the fluxes of water, Cl(-), NO(3)(-)-N: SO(4)(2--)-S, NH(4)(+)-N, Na(+), K(+), Mg(2+) and Ca(2+) in different flow paths in similar to 1 ha catchments of undisturbed open tropical rainforest and a 20 year-old pasture established from forest in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon state of Rondonia. Storm flow discharge was 18% of incident rainfall in pasture, but only 1% in forest. Quickflow predominated over baseflow in both catchments and in both wet and dry seasons. In the pasture, groundwater and quickflow were important flow paths for the export of all solutes. In the forest, quickflow was important for NO(3)(-)-N export, but all other solutes were exported primarily by groundwater outflow. Both catchments were sinks for SO(4)(2-)-S and Ca(2+), and sources of Na(+). The pasture catchment also lost K(+) and Mg(2+) because of higher overland flow frequency and volume and to cattle excrement. These results show that forest clearing dramatically influences small watershed hydrology by increasing quickflow and water export to streams. They also indicate that tropical forest watersheds are highly conservative for most solutes but that pastures continue to lose important cations even decades after deforestation and pasture establishment. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Soil nitrous oxide emissions in long-term cover crops-based rotations under subtropical climate

It has been shown that cover crops can enhance soil nitrous oxide (N(2)O) emissions, but the magnitude of increase depends on the quantity and quality of the crop residues. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of long-term (19 and 21 years) no-till maize crop rotations including grass [black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb)] and legume cover crops [vetch (Vigna sativa L), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) and lablab (Dolichos lablab)] on annual soil N(2)O emissions in a subtropical Acrisol in Southern Brazil. Greater soil N(2)O emissions were observed in the first 45 days after the cover crop residue management in all crop rotations, varying from -20.2 +/- 1.9 to 163.9 +/- 24.3 mu g N m(-2) h(-1). Legume-based crop rotations had the largest cumulative emissions in this period, which were directly related to the quantity of N (r(2) = 0.60, p = 0.13)and inversely related to the lignin:N ratio(r(2) = 0.89,p = 0.01) of the cover crop residues. After this period, the mean fluxes were smaller and were closely related to the total soil N stocks (r(2) = 0.96, p = 0.002). The annual soil N(2)O emission represented 0.39-0.75% of the total N added by the legume cover crops. Management-control led soil variables such as mineral N (NO(3)(-) and NH(4)(+)) and dissolved organic C influenced more the N(2)O fluxes than environmental-related variables as water-filled pore space and air and soil temperature. Consequently, the synchronization between N mineralization and N uptake by plants seems to be the main challenge to reduce N(2)O emissions while maintaining the environmental and agronomic services provided by legume cover crops in agricultural systems. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Barium uptake by maize plants as affected by sewage sludge in a long-term field study

Along-term experiment was carried out under field conditions in Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil, with the objective of evaluating the concentration of Ba in soil and in maize plants grown in a soil treated with sewage sludge for nine consecutive years. During 2005/2006, maize was used as test plants and the experimental design was in randomized complete blocks with four treatments and five replicates. Treatments consisted of: 0.0, 45.0, 90.0 and 127.5 t ha(-1) sewage sludge (dry basis). Sewage sludge application increased soil Ba concentration. Barium accumulated in the parts of maize plants were generally affected by the successive applications of sewage sludge to the soil. However, the concentration of Ba in maize grain did not exceed the critical levels of Ba for human consumption. Sewage sludge applied to soil for a long time did not affect dry matter and grain production, nevertheless had the similar effect of mineral fertilization. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Predictive Validity of the Braden Scale for Pressure Ulcer Risk in Elderly Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities

The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive validity of the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk in elderly residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Brazil. The determination of the cutoff score for the Brazilian population is important for the comparison between Brazilian and international studies and establishment of guidelines for prevention of pressure ulcers in our health care facilities. This is the first study of its kind in Brazil. This was a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study conducted with 233 LTCF residents aged 60 and over who underwent complete skin examination and Braden Scale rating every 2 days for 3 months. Two groups of patients were considered: the total group (N = 233) and risk group (n = 94, total scores <= 18). Data from the first and last assessments were analyzed for sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios. The best results were obtained for the total group, with cutoff scores of 18 and 17, sensitivity of 75.9% and 74.1%, specificity of 70.3% and 75.4%, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) of 0.79 and 0.81 at the first and last assessments, respectively. For the risk group, the cutoff scores of 16 (first assessment) and 13 (last assessment) were associated with a smaller AUC-ROC and, therefore, lower predictive accuracy. The Braden Scale showed good predictive validity in elderly LTCF residents. (Geriatr Nurs 2010;31:95-104)

Constitutive model for long term municipal solid waste mechanical behavior

This paper presents some improvements in the model proposed by Machado et al. [Machado SL, Carvalho MF, Vilar OM. Constitutive model for municipal solid waste. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng ASCE 2002; 128(11):940-51] now considering the influence of biodegradation of organic matter in the mechanical behavior of municipal solid waste. The original framework considers waste as composed of two component groups; fibers and organic paste. The particular laws of behavior are assessed for each component group and then coupled to represent waste behavior. The improvements introduced in this paper take into account the changes in the properties of fibers and mass loss due to organic matter depletion over time. Mass loss is indirectly calculated considering the MSW gas generation potential through a first order decay model. It is shown that as the biodegradation process occurs the proportion of fibers increases, however, they also undergo a degradation process which tends to reduce their ultimate tensile stress and Young modulus. The way these changes influence the behavior of MSW is incorporated in the final framework which captures the main features of the MSW stress-strain behavior under different loading conditions. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term stability of hydrogen and organic acids production in an anaerobic fluidized-bed reactor using heat treated anaerobic sludge inoculum

This study evaluates the stability of hydrogen and organic acids production in an anaerobic fluidized-bed reactor (AFBR) that contains expanded clay (2.8-3.35 mm in diameter) as a support medium and is operated on a long-term basis. The reactor was inoculated with thermally pre-treated anaerobic sludge and operated with decreasing hydraulic retention time (HRT), from 8 h to 1 h, at a controlled temperature of 30 degrees C and a pH of about 3.8. Glucose (2000 mg L(-1)) was used as the substrate, generating conversion rates of 92-98%. Decreasing the HRT from 8 h to 1 h led to an increase in average hydrogen-production rates, with a maximum value of 1.28 L h(-1) L(-1) for an HRT of 1 h. In general, hydrogen yield production increased as HRT decreased, reaching 2.29 mol of H(2)/mol glucose at an HRT of 2 h and yielding a maximum hydrogen content of 37% in the biogas. No methane was detected in the biogas throughout the period of operation. The main soluble metabolites (SMP) were acetic acid (46.94-53.84% of SMP) and butyric acid (34.51-42.16% of SMP), with less than 15.49% ethanol. The steady performance of the AFBR may be attributed to adequate thermal treatment of the inoculum, the selection of a suitable support medium for microbial adhesion, and the choice of satisfactory environmental conditions imposed on the system. The results show that stable hydrogen production and organic acids production were maintained in the AFBR over a period of 178 days. (C) 2009 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term aging of fiber-cement corrugated sheets - The effect of carbonation, leaching and acid rain

This paper studies the performance of fiber-cement corrugated sheets exposed to long-term weathering, exploring the effect of different environments on fiber-cement degradation. Fiber-cement corrugated sheets that had been exposed to weathering, and in place for more than 30-years, were collected from two different Brazilian cities (Sao Paulo and Criciuma). Mechanical properties (MOR, MOE and fracture toughness) were tested on samples removed from the corrugated sheets. Microstructure was evaluated by X-ray diffraction, SEM with EDS analysis, MIP and TG. The results show that the 37-year-old asbestos-cement corrugated sheets from Sao Paulo presented similar characteristics to those of the non-aged asbestos-cement readily available on the market place. Conversely, deterioration of the asbestos-cement from the industrial area of Criciuma is related to acidic attack, along with carbonation and leaching as a consequence of continued exposition to acid rain during several decades. This process resulted in higher porosity and lower mechanical strength, revealing that leaching mechanisms can have important effect on the performance of thin fiber-cement sheets. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.