Oxytocinergic and serotonergic systems involvement in sodium intake regulation: satiety or hypertonicity markers?

Previous studies demonstrated the inhibitory participation of serotonergic ( 5-HT) and oxytocinergic (OT) neurons on sodium appetite induced by peritoneal dialysis (PD) in rats. The activity of 5-HT neurons increases after PD- induced 2% NaCl intake and decreases after sodium depletion; however, the activity of the OT neurons appears only after PD-induced 2% NaCl intake. To discriminate whether the differential activations of the 5-HT and OT neurons in this model are a consequence of the sodium satiation process or are the result of stimulation caused by the entry to the body of a hypertonic sodium solution during sodium access, we analyzed the number of Fos-5-HT- and Fos-OT-immunoreactive neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus-supraoptic nucleus, respectively, after isotonic vs. hypertonic NaCl intake induced by PD. We also studied the OT plasma levels after PD- induced isotonic or hypertonic NaCl intake. Sodium intake induced by PD significantly increased the number of Fos-5- HT cells, independently of the concentration of NaCl consumed. In contrast, the number of Fos-OT neurons increased after hypertonic NaCl intake, in both depleted and nondepleted animals. The OT plasma levels significantly increased only in the PD- induced 2% NaCl intake group in relation to others, showing a synergic effect of both factors. In summary, 5-HT neurons were activated after body sodium status was reestablished, suggesting that this system is activated under conditions of satiety. In terms of the OT system, both OT neural activity and OT plasma levels were increased by the entry of hypertonic NaCl solution during sodium consumption, suggesting that this system is involved in the processing of hyperosmotic signals.

Phenotypic methods and commercial systems for the discrimination between C-albicans and C-dubliniensis

Candida dubliniensis is a recently described Candida species associated with oral candidosis that exhibits a high degree of phenotypic similarity to Candida albicans. However, these species show differences in levels of resistance to antimycotic agents and ability to cause infections. Therefore, accurate clinical identification of C. dubliniensis and C. albicans species is important in order to treat oral candidal infections. Phenotypic identification methods are easy-to-use procedures for routine discrimination of oral isolates in the clinical microbiology laboratory. However, C. dubliniensis may be so far underreported in clinical samples because most currently used identification methods fail to recognize this yeast. Phenotypic methods depend on growth temperature, carbon source assimilation, chlamydospore and hyphal growth production, positive or negative growth on special media and intracellular enzyme production, among others. In this review, some phenotypic methods are presented with a special emphasis on the discrimination of C. dubliniensis and C. albicans.

A CASE tool for the modeling of methods and information systems

MODSI is a multi-models tool for information systems modeling. A modeling process in MODSI can be driven according to three different approaches: informal, semi-formal and formal. The MODSI tool is therefore based on the linked usage of these three modeling approaches. It can be employed at two different levels: the meta-modeling of a method and the modeling of an information system.In this paper we start presenting different types of modeling by making an analysis of their particular features. Then, we introduce the meta-model defined in our tool, as well as the tool functional architecture. Finally, we describe and illustrate the various usage levels of this tool.

The characteristics of a test liquid formulation for use in evaluating the performance of handling and metering systems

Injection metering systems are an important option for the development of pesticide application equipment, with advantages relating to minimising the need for disposal of unused pesticide, improving the ease of cleaning and optimising the accuracy of chemical application. For all injection systems, characteristics such as the steady-state accuracy of delivered dose, dose stability and the time response for dose step changes are related to the ability of the system to operate with different chemical formulations. A system designed to inject liquids should be able to accommodate changes in viscosity and density. The aim of this study was to develop a methodology for testing chemical injection systems using liquids with different viscosities. The experimental arrangement simulating applications with injection metering systems used dye and salt solutions as tracers. Tests were conducted to analyse the influence of salt on the characteristics of the water and a viscous solution. Results showed that the salt interfered with the dye stability in the water solution. In tests with a viscous test liquid, the salt was introduced at different steps during the mixing process, providing four different liquids to be analysed in terms of viscosity, density and pH. Some differences in liquid characteristics were found which could influence the performance of the injection systems.

Spectrophotometric study of binary and ternary systems involving metal ions and benzylidenepyruvates: Equilibria in aqueous solutions

The protonation of 4-dimethylaminobenzylidenepyruvate (DMBP) and 2-chloro-4-dimethylaminobenzylidenepyruvate (2-CI-DMBP) and their complex formation with Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Pb(II), Cd(II) and Al(III) have been studied by potentiometric and spectrophotometric methods at 25 °C and ionic strength 0.500 M, held with sodium perchlorate. The stability order found for 1 :1 complexes of both ligands is Al(III) > Cu(II) > Pb(II) > Ni(II) > Zn(II) > Co(II) > Cd(II) > Mn(II). The stability changes move in the same direction as the pKa of the ligands. The results are compared with literature values reported for metal ion pyruvate systems. Thermodynamic stabilities of ternary complexes formed in Cu(II)-B-L- systems, where B = 2,2′-bipyridyl (bipy), ethylenediamine or glycinate and L = DMBP or 2-CI-DMBP, were also determined. The Cu(bipy)L+ species are more stable than would be expected on purely statistical grounds. The importance of the :t system associated with bipy on the enhanced stability of its mixed ligand complexes is stressed. Analytical applications of the investigated ligands are outlined.

Usage of enterprise modeling processes and information systems design to forecast demand

Managing the great complexity of enterprise system, due to entities numbers, decision and process varieties involved to be controlled results in a very hard task because deals with the integration of its operations and its information systems. Moreover, the enterprises find themselves in a constant changing process, reacting in a dynamic and competitive environment where their business processes are constantly altered. The transformation of business processes into models allows to analyze and redefine them. Through computing tools usage it is possible to minimize the cost and risks of an enterprise integration design. This article claims for the necessity of modeling the processes in order to define more precisely the enterprise business requirements and the adequate usage of the modeling methodologies. Following these patterns, the paper concerns the process modeling relative to the domain of demand forecasting as a practical example. The domain of demand forecasting was built based on a theoretical review. The resulting models considered as reference model are transformed into information systems and have the aim to introduce a generic solution and be start point of better practical forecasting. The proposal is to promote the adequacy of the information system to the real needs of an enterprise in order to enable it to obtain and accompany better results, minimizing design errors, time, money and effort. The enterprise processes modeling are obtained with the usage of CIMOSA language and to the support information system it was used the UML language.

Abductive reasoning, information, and mechanical systems

We investigate, from a philosophical perspective, the relation between abductive reasoning and information in the context of biological systems. Emphasis is given to the organizational role played by abductive reasoning in practical activities of embodied embedded agency that involve meaningful information. From this perspective, meaningful information is provisionally characterized as a selforganizing process of pattern generation that constrains coherent action. We argue that this process can be considered as a part of evolutionarily developed learning abilities of organisms in order to help with their survival. We investigate the case of inorganic mechanical systems (like robots), which deal only with stable forms of habits, rather than with evolving learning abilities. Some difficulties are considered concerning the hypothesis that mechanical systems may operate with meaningful information, present in abductive reasoning. Finally, an example of hypotheses creation in the domain of medical sciences is presented in order to illustrate the complexity of abduction in practical reasoning concerning human activities. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Petri nets and autonomous systems: A case study

This work presents the Petri net-based modeling of an autonomous robot's navigation system used for the application of supplies in agriculture. The model was developed theoretically and implemented through the CPNTools software. It simulates the behavior of the robot, capturing environmental characteristics by means of sensors, making appropriate decisions, and forwarding them to the corresponding actuators. By exciting the model using CPNTools it is possible to simulate situations that the robot might undergo, without the need to expose it to real potentially dangerous situations. ©2009 IEEE.

The energetic cost of maintenance in ruminants: From classical to new concepts and prediction systems

The cost of maintenance makes up a large part of total energy costs in ruminants. Metabolizable energy (ME) requirement for maintenance (MEm) is the daily ME intake that exactly balances heat energy (HE). The net energy requirement for maintenance (NEm) is estimated subtracting MEm from the HE produced by the processing of the diet. Men cannot be directly measured experimentally and is estimated by measuring basal metabolism in fasted animals or by regression measuring the recovered energy in fed animals. MEm and NEm usually, but not always, are expressed in terms of BW0.75. However, this scaling factor is substantially empirical and its exponent is often inadequate, especially for growing animals. MEm estimated by different feeding systems (AFRC, CNCPS, CSIRO, INRA, NRC) were compared by using dairy cattle data. The comparison showed that these systems differ in the approaches used to estimate MEm and for its quantification. The CSIRO system estimated the highest MEm, mostly because it includes a correction factor to increase ME as the feeding level increases. Relative to CSIRO estimates, those of NRC, INRA, CNCPS, and AFRC were on average 0.92, 0.86, 0.84, and 0.78, respectively. MEm is affected by the previous nutritional history of the animals. This phenomenon is best predicted by dynamic models, of which several have been published in the last decades. They are based either on energy flows or on nutrient flows. Some of the different approaches used were described and discussed.

Influence of cutting instruments and adhesive systems on hybrid layer formation.

Influence of cutting instruments and The aim of this study was to analyze the hybrid layer in noncarious dentin prepared by different cutting instruments and restored with composite resin. The cavities were randomly prepared in 40 specimens using a high-speed diamond bur (KG Sorensen 1013) and an ultrasonic tip (CVDentus C22). The cavities were restored with composite resin by varying the adhesive system between the Adper™ Single Bond (2 x 1 system, primer+adhesive) and the Prompt L-Pop™ (3 x 1 system, self-etching). The restorations were hemisected longitudinally and analyzed in the SEM (Scanning electron microscopy) in order to evaluate the hybrid layer and resinous tags characteristics, using scores ranging from 1 to 6. The Pearson test revealed a high correlation coefficient and good significance levels for both intra- and inter-raters values (r=0.90). The data were statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test (P≤0.05). A larger proportion of regular hybrid layers with numerous tags were observed in the dentin prepared using the high-speed diamond burs and restored with a 2 × 1 adhesive system. Alternatively, the 3 × 1 adhesive system promoted the generation of a thin hybrid layer with few tags. After preparation using an ultrasonic tip revealed few or no tags after the preparation and 2 × 1 or 3 × 1 adhesive system application. The high-speed diamond burs produced a dentin surface that was more favorable to restorative material adhesion than the ultrasonic tips, regardless of the adhesive system used.

Simplified computational routine to correct the modal decoupling in transmission lines and power systems modelling

Modal analysis is widely approached in the classic theory of power systems modelling. This technique is also applied to model multiconductor transmission lines and their self and mutual electrical parameters. However, this methodology has some particularities and inaccuracies for specific applications, which are not clearly described in the technical literature. This study provides a brief review on modal decoupling applied in transmission line digital models and thereafter a novel and simplified computational routine is proposed to overcome the possible errors embedded by the modal decoupling in the simulation/ modelling computational algorithm. © The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2013.

Action of andiroba oil and permethrin on the central nervous and reproductive systems of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks females. A confocal study

Research for acaricides with lower toxicity and impact on the environment has been intensified. An alternative would be the use of natural compounds or of synthetic products in lower concentrations than the ones sold commercially. Thus, this study describes the action of andiroba seed oil on the nuclei of the ovary and synganglion cells of Rhipicephalus sanguineus, and presents an analysis of the nuclear morphology of the nervous system cells of this tick species when exposed to permethrin. The results obtained showed that, although no changes have been observed in the genetic material of the ovary cells exposed to the andiroba oil, this compound, as well as permethrin, has neurotoxic action on the females of this species. The damages caused to the physiology of the synganglion, due to the loss of integrity of the genetic material, would result in the impairment of the metabolism of other systems of R. sanguineus ticks. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Investigation of the effect of movement and irrigation systems on temperature in the conventional drilling of cortical bone

We have compared the results of the external irrigation technique with those of a double irrigation technique with continuous intermittent movement. Maximum thermal measurements were made in the cortical part of 10 samples of bovine ribs during osteotomy to simulate the preparation of a surgical bed for the installation of dental implants at a depth of 10 mm Twenty specimens were drilled for each group: external irrigation and continuous movement (control group 1, CG1); external irrigation and intermittent movement (control group 2, CG2); double irrigation and continuous movement (test group 1, TG1); and double irrigation and intermittent movement (test group 2, TG2). The double irrigation technique gave significantly better results regardless of the drilling movement used. Thermal increases between samples was 19.2% in group CG1, 10.4% in CG2, 5.4% in TG1, and 3.4% in TG2. The double irrigation technique produced a significantly smaller increase in temperature in the cortical bone during both types of drilling (p = 0.001), which illustrated its greater efficiency compared with that of the external irrigation technique. (C) 2013 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical Comparison of the Effectiveness of Single-file Reciprocating Systems and Rotary Systems for Removal of Endotoxins and Cultivable Bacteria from Primarily Infected Root Canals

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)