Theory of small-signal ac response of a dielectric liquid containing two groups of ions

The analysis of Macdonald for electrolytes is generalized to the case in which two groups of ions are present. We assume that the electrolyte can be considered as a dispersion of ions in a dielectric liquid, and that the ionic recombination can be neglected. We present the differential equations governing the ionic redistribution when the liquid is subjected to an external electric field, describing the simultaneous diffusion of the two groups of ions in the presence of their own space charge fields. We investigate the influence of the ions on the impedance spectroscopy of an electrolytic cell. In the analysis, we assume that each group of ions have equal mobility, the electrodes perfectly block and that the adsorption phenomena can be neglected. In this framework, it is shown that the real part of the electrical impedance of the cell has a frequency dependence presenting two plateaux, related to a type of ambipolar and free diffusion coefficients. The importance of the considered problem on the ionic characterization performed by means of the impedance spectroscopy technique was discussed. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Production efficiency and financing of public health: an analysis of small municipalities in the state of Sao Paulo - Brazil

This paper measured the variations in performance of small municipalities in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, regarding the technical efficiency in the use of public funds in public primary health care actions concerning the funding profile, in a scenario of fiscal federalism. Technical efficiency is one of the parameters of evaluation of public sector performance and was measured by means of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The correlation analysis of DEA score was used to verify possible associations between technical efficiency and the funding profile of expenses with health care. The results showed that 6.41% of the municipalities were considered efficient. They also showed that the level of municipality dependence to inter-governmental general purpose grants and the national health funding specific purpose grants have negative correlation with efficiency scores.

Systemic Model for Diagnosis of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises from Two Cities from the Countryside of the State of So Paulo in Brazil

This article presents a proposal of a systemic model composed for the micro and small companies (MSE) of the region of Ribeiro Preto and the agents which influenced their environment. The proposed model was based on Stafford Beer`s (Diagnosing the system for organizations. Chichester, Wiley, 1985) systemic methodologies VSM (Viable System Model) and on Werner Ulrich`s (1983) CSH (Critical Systems Heuristics). The VSM is a model for the diagnosis of the structure of an organization and of its flows of information through the application of the cybernetics concepts (Narvarte, In El Modelo del Sistema Viable-MSV: experiencias de su aplicacin en Chile. Proyecto Cerebro Colectivo del IAS, Santiago, 2001). On the other hand, CSH focus on the context of the social group applied to the systemic vision as a counterpoint to the organizational management view considered by the VSM. MSE of Ribeiro Preto and Sertozinho had been analyzed as organizations inserted in systems that relate and integrate with other systems concerning the public administration, entities of representation and promotion agencies. The research questions: which are the bonds of interaction among the subsystems in this process and who are the agents involved? The systemic approach not only diagnosed a social group, formed by MSE of Ribeiro Preto and Sertozinho, public authorities and support entities, but could also delineate answers that aimed the clarification of obscure questions generating financial assistance to the formularization of efficient actions for the development of this system.

Resistance to cypermethrin, deltamethrin and chlorpyriphos in populations of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) from small farms of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil

A field survey of resistance was conducted based on the larval packet test technique with synthetic pyrethroids (cypermethrin and deltamethrin) and organophosphates (chlorpyriphos) in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus field populations from six different regions of the State of Sao Paulo (Brazil). 82.6% of the populations showed resistance to cypermethrin, 86.36% to deltamethrin and 65.25% to chlorpyriphos, with 50% presenting resistance to both SP and OP acaricide. According to the questionnaires completed by the producers, OP + SP mixtures followed by SP-only formulations were the products most commonly used for controlling the cattle tick in the surveyed areas. The present study showed high occurrence of resistance to SP and OP in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil and revealed the type of strategy adopted by small dairy farms in this state. This information is fundamental in order to establish the monitoring of resistance on each farm individually, contributing to the rational use of acaricides for the control of R. (B.) microplus. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dental caries profile in Monte Negro, Amazonian state of Rondônia, Brazil, in 2008

OBJECTIVE: This epidemiological survey assessed the dental caries profile in Monte Negro, a small town in the Amazonian state of Rondônia, Brazil, and its relationship with the northern region, national and global goals for oral health in the years 2000 and 2020. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The groups randomly examined were composed of individuals aged 5, 12, 15 to 19, 35 to 44, 65 to 74 years, living in both rural and urban areas. RESULTS: The means dft (standard deviation) and DMFT (standard deviation) for the groups were, respectively, 3.15 (3.12), 3.41 (2.69), 5.96 (4.19), 16.00 (7.30) and 25.96 (9.82). Caries-free individuals were 34.42%, 14.81% and 8.16% in the preschoolchildren, schoolchildren and adolescent groups, respectively. The Significant Caries Index percentages applied to the two younger groups were 6.65 and 6.70, and they increased to 32.00 in the individuals aged 65 to 74 years. Care Index percentages for adolescents, adults and elderly groups were, respectively, 29.40, 25.00 and 1.41. The dental caries profile in Monte Negro in 2008 shows that, 8 years after the year 2000, no FDI/WHO goal for any age settled in 1982 has been achieved. Dental caries increased with age and the main dental problem of adult and elderly groups was tooth loss. CONCLUSION: Oral health promotion and prevention of oral disease policies are urgent needs. Setting of oral health goals and targets to people living in Monte Negro or Amazonia to be pursuit and achieved in a near future is an important action to do because of the culture, sanitary conditions and socioeconomic aspects of this particular population.

First record of Stygnidae for the state of Espírito Santo and description of a new Protimesius (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores)

Protimesius osvaldoi sp. nov. is described from the Reserva Biológica de Sooretama, state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil, being the first record of Stygnidae from this State and the southernmost record of the family in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (hitherto, the family was recorded down to Bahia only), extending in 210 km south of the previously known distribution. This is a large species, with armature of leg IV very reduced and penial morphology differing from the closest counterparts mainly in the ventral plate, which recedes deeply at the lateral borders and has the distal margin curved ventrally and by the presence of two small intermediate setae. Protimesius Roewer, 1913 consisted hitherto of 17 species, recorded from northern/northeastern Brazil and Amazonia of adjacent countries. A key is given for the 17 species of Protimesius for which males are known.

Ichthyoplankton distribution and abundance in the northern Todos os Santos and Camamu Bays, Bahia State - Brazil

The occurrence, distribution and abundance of ichthyoplankton in Todos os Santos and Camamu Bays were analyzed based on four samplings (winter 2003, summer 2003, winter 2004 and summer 2005). Samples were obtained by surface horizontal hauls, using a 200-µm mesh conical-cylinder plankton net. The distribution and abundance of eggs indicate a remarkable seasonal and annual variation of spawning activity in the region, especially when the two summer campaigns are compared. In summer 2003 the highest quantitative values were recorded, especially for Camamu, where the maximum reached 106.56 eggs.m-3, with an overall average of 43.46 eggs.m-3 for the two areas. In summer 2005 values were relatively low, the overall average being 3.49 eggs.m-3. The larval taxonomic composition is characterized by the predominance of gobiids, with small variation from summer to winter. Considering all the campaigns and samplings undertaken in both areas, larvae of 11 families were identified: Engraulidae, Clupeidae, Mugilidae, Atherinopsidae, Hemiramphidae, Syngnathidae, Blenniidae, Carangidae, Gobiidae, Achiridae and Tetraodontidae.

Phlebotomines (Diptera, Psychodidae) in the Speleological Province of the Ribeira Valley: 3. Serra district - area of hostels for tourists who visit the Parque Estadual do Alto Ribeira (PETAR), state of São Paulo, Brazil

Phlebotomines (Diptera, Psychodidae) in the Speleological Province of the Ribeira Valley: 3. Area of hostels for tourists who visit the Parque Estadual do Alto Ribeira (PETAR), state of São Paulo, Brazil. The study characterizes some ecological aspects of the phlebotomine fauna in an endemic area of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) situated in the Serra district, Iporanga municipality where the hostels for tourists visiting the PETAR are located. Captures were undertaken on a smallholding and a small farm situated near the hostels, monthly between January/2001 and December/2003 with automatic light traps (ALT) in pigsty, hen-house and veranda of a domicile at the two sites, and in peridomicile of the small farm also with black/white Shannon traps. With the ALT a total of 87,224 phlebotomines representing 19 species and also two hybrids of Nyssomyia intermedia (Lutz & Neiva) and Nyssomyia neivai (Pinto) and two anomalous specimens were captured. The standardized index species abundance was for Ny. intermedia = 1.0 and Ny. neivai = 0.935. The highest frequencies of the smallholding occurred in the pigsty, the Williams' mean/capture for Ny. intermedia being 63.7 specimens and for Ny. neivai 29.2, and on the small farm, in the hen-house, Ny. intermedia 402.6 and Ny. neivai 116.2. A total of 863 phlebotomines (Ny. intermedia: 75.4%; Ny. neivai: 24.3%) were captured with black/white Shannon traps; females of both species being predominant in the white trap. The high frequencies of Ny. intermedia and Ny. neivai, both implicated in CL transmission, indicate the areas presenting risk of the disease.

Detection of a new mumps virus genotype during parotitis epidemic of 2006-2007 in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

Nucleotide sequence analyses of the SH gene of 18 mumps virus isolates collected in the 2006-2007 parotitis epidemic in the state of São Paulo identified a new genotype, designated genotype M. This new designation fulfills all the parameters required to define a new mumps virus genotype. The parameters were established by an expert panel in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2005. This information will enhance the mumps virus surveillance program both at the national and global levels

EVALUATING VIBRATIONS ON A SMALL-SCALE MODEL OF A TIMBER FOOTBRIDGE

In Brazil, the study of pedestrian-induced vibration on footbridges has been undertaken since the early 1990s, for concrete and steel footbridges. However, there are no recorded studies of this kind for timber footbridges. Brazilian code ABNT NBR 7190 (1997) gives design requirements only for static loads in the case of timber footbridges, without considering the serviceability limit state from pedestrian-induced vibrations. The aim of this work is to perform a theoretical dynamic, numerical and experimental analysis on simply-supported timber footbridges, by using a small-scale model developed from a 24 m span and 2 m width timber footbridge, with two main timber beams. Span and width were scaled down (1:4) to 6 m e 0.5 in, respectively. Among the conclusions reached herein, it is emphasized that the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory is suitable for calculating the vertical and lateral first natural frequencies in simply-supported timber footbridges; however, special attention should be given to the evaluation of lateral bending stiffness, as it leads to conservative values.

Bee communities (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) of the "Cerrado" ecosystem in Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Five surveys of the bee communities in four "Cerrado" ecosystem reserves in Sao Paulo State were compared for species richness and similarity. These areas are fragment vegetation reser-reserves located in the Cerrado Corumbata Reserve (Corumbata), Jata Ecological Park (Luiz Antonio), Cajuru (Cajuru), and Vassununga State Park - ""Gleba de Cerrado de Pe-de-Gigante"" (Santa Rita do Passa Quatro). The methodology consisted of capturing bees foraging on flowers along transects, though with small differences between surveys. These ""cerrado"" areas have a large number of species of native bees, which are important pollinators in several Brazilian ecosystems. The community of bees varied among these different fragments. Based on 500 individuals (standardized by rarefaction), Cajuru, Corumbata 1 and Corumbata 2 were the areas with highest species richness, and Jata and Pe-de-Gigante had the lowest species richness in the bee communities. The bee faunas of Corumbata 2 and Pe-de-Gigante had the highest similarity, forming a group with the bee fauna of Cajuru. The bee faunas of Corumbata 1 and Jata were isolated from this group. We found that the bee species richness and similarity found in these ""cerrado"" areas cannot be explained by general factors such as the size of the fragment, the species richness of plants and the distance between the areas. Therefore, we suppose that local factors that differ among areas, such as interactions between populations, and competition and interference from surrounding areas influence and determine bee species richness and similarity in these reserves.

Pulse train fluorescence technique for measuring triplet state dynamics

We report on a method to study the dynamics of triplet formation based on the fluorescence signal produced by a pulse train. Basically, the pulse train acts as sequential pump-probe pulses that precisely map the excited-state dynamics in the long time scale. This allows characterizing those processes that affect the population evolution of the first excited singlet state, whose decay gives rise to the fluorescence. The technique was proven to be valuable to measure parameters of triplet formation in organic molecules. Additionally, this single beam technique has the advantages of simplicity, low noise and background-free signal detection. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America

SMALL MAMMAL PREY SELECTION BY TWO OWL SPECIES IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

A variety of factors influence prey selection by predators. Because Barn Owls (Tyto alba) and Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) differ in size and foraging tactics, we expected differential predation on small mammal prey. We hypothesized that the Barn Owl, all active predator, would prey on smaller and younger individuals than the Burrowing Owl, a sit-and-wait predator. We used pellet analyses to evaluate selection of small mammals by the two owls in relation to prey), species, age, and size at the Ecological Station of Itirapina, state of Sao Paulo, in southeastern Brazil. Small mammals constituted most of the prey individuals and biomass in the diet of Barn Owls. Although Burrowing Owls consumed a wider range of taxa, small mammals represented one-third of all biomass consumed. With respect. to small mammals, Barn Owls foraged selectively relative to prey species, size, and age. Burrowing Owls foraged opportunistically relative to prey species, but selectively relative to prey size and age. Barn Owls selected smaller and younger (juvenile and subadult) individuals of the delicate vesper mouse (Calomys tener) and Burrowing Owls preyed more oil larger and older (subadult only) individuals. morphology and behavior of both prey and predators may explain this differential predation. Our data suggest that the active predator feeds oil smaller and younger prey, and the sit-and-wait predator took relatively larger and older prey.

Control of the Intracellular Redox State by Glucose Participates in the Insulin Secretion Mechanism

Background: Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to chronic exposure to glucose has been associated with impaired beta cell function and diabetes. However, physiologically, beta cells are well equipped to deal with episodic glucose loads, to which they respond with a fine tuned glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). In the present study, a systematic investigation in rat pancreatic islets about the changes in the redox environment induced by acute exposure to glucose was carried out. Methodology/Principal Findings: Short term incubations were performed in isolated rat pancreatic islets. Glucose dose- and time-dependently reduced the intracellular ROS content in pancreatic islets as assayed by fluorescence in a confocal microscope. This decrease was due to activation of pentose-phosphate pathway (PPP). Inhibition of PPP blunted the redox control as well as GSIS in a dose-dependent manner. The addition of low doses of ROS scavengers at high glucose concentration acutely improved beta cell function. The ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine increased the intracellular calcium response to glucose that was associated with a small decrease in ROS content. Additionally, the presence of the hydrogen peroxide-specific scavenger catalase, in its membrane-permeable form, nearly doubled glucose metabolism. Interestingly, though an increase in GSIS was also observed, this did not match the effect on glucose metabolism. Conclusions: The control of ROS content via PPP activation by glucose importantly contributes to the mechanisms that couple the glucose stimulus to insulin secretion. Moreover, we identified intracellular hydrogen peroxide as an inhibitor of glucose metabolism intrinsic to rat pancreatic islets. These findings suggest that the intracellular adjustment of the redox environment by glucose plays an important role in the mechanism of GSIS.

Radiative decay of the X(3872) as a mixed molecule-charmonium state in QCD sum rules

We use QCD sum rules (QCDSR) to calculate the width of the radiative decay of the meson X(3872), assumed to be a mixture between charmonium and exotic molecular [c (q) over bar][q (c) over bar] states with J(PC) = 1(++). We find that in a small range for the values of the mixing angle, 5 degrees <= theta <= 13 degrees, we get the branching ratio Gamma(X -> J/psi gamma)/Gamma(X -> J/psi pi(+)pi(-)) = 0.19 +/- 0.13, which is in agreement, with the experimental value. This result is compatible with the analysis of the mass and decay width of the mode J/psi(n pi) performed in the same approach.