A comparison between overweight cutoff points for detection of high blood pressure in adolescents

Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of three different cutoff points for the detection of high blood pressure in adolescents, given the strong relationship between overweight and high blood pressure levels.Methods: A total of 1,021 adolescents of both sexes were enrolled in the study, selected at random from public and private schools in Londrina, Brazil. Their body weight was measured using a digital balance, and their height with a portable stadiometer with a maximum extension of 2 meters. Arterial blood pressure was measured using an automatic apparatus. The capacity of body mass index to detect high blood pressure was gauged using ROC curves and their parameters (sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve).Results: The cutoff points proposed in a Brazilian standard exhibited greater accuracy (males: 0.636 +/- 0.038; females: 0.585 +/- 0.043) than the cutoff points proposed in an international (males: 0.594 +/- 0.040; females: 0.570 +/- 0.044) and a North-American standard (males: 0.612 +/- 0.039; females: 0.578 +/- 0.044).Conclusions: The Brazilian proposal offered greatest accuracy for indicating high blood pressure levels.

Osmotic dehydration of apples in sugar/salt solutions: Concentration profiles and effective diffusion coefficients

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

Combinatorial identities and quantum state densities of supersymmetric sigma models on N-folds

There is a remarkable connection between the number of quantum states of conformal theories and the sequence of dimensions of Lie algebras. In this paper, we explore this connection by computing the asymptotic expansion of the elliptic genus and the microscopic entropy of black holes associated with (supersymmetric) sigma models. The new features of these results are the appearance of correct prefactors in the state density expansion and in the coefficient of the logarithmic correction to the entropy.

Effect of bound nucleon internal structure change on nuclear structure functions

Effect of bound nucleon internal structure change on nuclear structure functions is investigated based on local quark-hadron duality. The bound nucleon structure functions calculated for charged-lepton and (anti)neutrino scattering are all enhanced in symmetric nuclear matter at large Bjorken-x (x greater than or similar to 0.85) relative to those in a free nucleon. This implies that a part of the enhancement observed in the nuclear structure function F-2 (in the resonance region) at large Bjorken-x (the EMC effect) is due to the effect of the bound nucleon internal structure change. However, the x dependence for the charged-lepton and (anti)neutrino scattering is different. The former (latter) is enhanced (quenched) in the region 0.8 less than or similar to x less than or similar to 0.9 (0.7 less than or similar to x less than or similar to 0.85) due to the difference of the contribution from axial vector forrn factor. Because of these differences charge symmetry breaking in parton distributions will be enhanced in nuclei. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Y2O3:Eu3+ (5 mol%) with Ag nanoparticles prepared by citrate precursor

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

Compressibilidade do solo e sistema radicular da cana-de-açúcar em manejo com e sem controle de tráfego

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

Numerical chromosome polymorphism in Mikania cordifolia Willd. (Asteraceae)

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

Testicular shape and andrological aspects of young Nellore bulls under extensive farming

Aiming to determine the relationship between the frequency of testicular shape and the andrological aspects in young Nellore bulls, 18,676 animals were assessed. All andrological examinations were performed between the years 2000 and 2008. Animals were classified as able for breeding, able for breeding in natural mating system, unable for breeding and discarded. The testicular shape was classified as long, fairly long, oval-long, spherical-oval, and spherical. The analysis of Pearson correlations was performed for testicular shape with scrotal circumference, testicular volume, progressive motility, sperm vigor, major defects, minor defects and total defects. Testicles with oval shape prevailed (99.61%). It was obseved that 76.34; 66.34; 64.34; 58.33 and 50.00% of the animals were classified as sound for breeding for shapes long, fairly long, oval-long, spherical-oval, and spherical, respectively. Correlations between testicular shape with scrotal circumference, testicular volume, progressive motility, sperm vigor, major, minor and total defects were 0.26; 0.08; 0.00; 0.11; -0.02; 0.02 and -0.01, respectively. Testicular shape had no influence upon the andrological examination results. Testicles of long shape were prevalent within the population.

PHYTOCHROME CONTROLLED SEED-GERMINATION IN LIGHT INSENSITIVE SEEDS OF RAPHANUS-SATIVUS L CV REDONDO GIGANTE

Seed germination of Raphanus sativus is inhibited by light only under low water potential of the medium. Curves of fluence response to white, red and far-red lights demonstrated that the inhibition of seed germination is dependent on light irradiance being far-red light the more effective than the formers and the germination being inhibited by intermitent light indicates phytochrome involvement through the high irradiance reactions in the control of seed germination in radish seeds under water stress conditions.

Synthesis and structural investigations on TeO2-PbF2-CdF2 glasses and transparent glass-ceramics

New glasses have been prepared in the oxifluoride mixed system TeO2-PbF2-CdF2. Starting from pure TeO2 the addition of the fluorides leads to a decrease in the glasses characteristic temperatures. Also from Raman scattering results a structural evolution was observed where the number of structural units described as [TeO3] trigonal pyramids and [TeO3+1] polyhedra increases at the expense of the [TeO4] trigonal bipyramids supposed to exist in the TeO2, rich samples. Transparent glass ceramics were obtained from the glass with composition 80TeO(2)-10PbF(2)-10CdF(2), (mol%) with the PbTe3O7 crystalline phase being identified by X-ray diffraction and EXAFS measurements performed at the Te K, Cd K and Pb L-III edges. Also from Exafs measurements it is proposed that cadmium ions are preferentially surrounded by oxygen atoms although they were in a fluoride anion environment in the starting material. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier B.V. Ltd.

THE EFFECTS OF FOREBRAIN MULTIPLE LESIONS ON THE PRESSOR-RESPONSE INDUCED BY BILATERAL CAROTID OCCLUSION IN CONSCIOUS RATS

In the present study, the effects of electrolytic lesions of the anteroventral third ventricle (AV3V) region and of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) on the pressor response induced by bilateral carotid occlusion (BCO) in conscious intact and aortic baroreceptor-denervated (AD) rats were investigated. In intact control rats, BCO during 60 s produced a pressor response that could be divided into an early response (ER = 50 +/- 3 mmHg) that reachs a peak during the first 20 s and a sustained late response (LR), smaller than ER (32 +/- 2 mmHg), observed during the last 30 s. In intact-innervated rats, AV3V lesion (2 days) reduced ER (22 +/- 3 mmHg) and LR (16 +/- 2 mmHg), whereas the bilateral MFB lesions (6 days) mainly reduced LR (9 +/- 1 mmHg). Rats with simultaneous lesion of both the AV3V region and the MFB showed additional reduction of the ER (15 +/- 3 mmHg), but not LR (11 +/- 1 mmHg) when compared to the effect of MFB lesions alone. Compared to the AV3V lesion alone, LR but not ER was reduced in rats with a double lesion. In sham-lesioned rats, AD induced a significant increase in the pressor response to BCO (ER = 75 +/- 4 mmHg and LR = 65 +/- 3 mmHg) when compared to intact controls. A similar reduction in ER and LR was observed in AD rats after AV3V (ER = 35 +/- 3 mmHg and LR = 40 +/- 2 mmHg) and MFB (ER = 49 +/- 6 mmHg and LR = 41 +/- 5 mmHg) lesions alone or combined (ER = 40 +/- 6 mmHg and LR = 35 +/- 7 mmHg). The results showed that simultaneous lesions of both the AV3V region and the MFB practically abolished the pressor response to BCO. They also suggested that aortic baroreceptor activity plays a significant role in the effects of AV3V and MFB lesions on the pressor response to BCO.

Electroluminescence of a device based on europium beta-diketonate with phosphine oxide complex

Rare earth (RE) ions have spectroscopic characteristics to emit light in narrow lines, which makes RE complexes with organic ligands candidates for full color OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) applications. In particular, beta-diketone rare earth (RE(3+)) complexes show high fluorescence emission efficiency due to the high absorption coefficient of the beta-diketone and energy transfer to the central ion. In this work, the fabrication and the electroluminescent properties of devices containing a double and triple-layer OLED using a new beta-diketone complex, [Eu(bmdm)(3)(tppo)(2)], as transporting and emitting layers are compared and discussed. The double and triple-layer devices based on this complex present the following configurations respectively: device 1: ITO/TPD (40 nm)/[Eu(bmdm)(3)(tppo)(2)] (40 nm)/Al (150 nm); device 2: ITO/TPD (40 nm)/[Eu(bmdm)(3) (tppo)(2)] (40 nm)/Alq(3) (20 nm)/Al (150 nm) and device 3: ITO/TPD (40 nm)/bmdm-ligand (40 nm)/Al (150 nm), were TPD is (N,N'-diphenyl-N,N'-bis(3-methylphenyl)-1,1-biphenil-4,4-diamine) and bmdm is butyl methoxy-dibenzoyl-methane. All the films were deposited by thermal evaporation carried out in a high vacuum system. These devices exhibit high intensity photo- (PL) and electro-luminescent (EL) emission. Electroluminescence spectra show emission from Eu(3+) ions attributed to the (5)D(0) to (7)F(J) (J = 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4) transitions with the hypersensitive (5)D(o) -> (7)F(2) transition (around 612 nm) as the most prominent one. Moreover, a transition from (5)D(1) to (7)F(1) is also observed around 538 nm. The OLED light emission was almost linear with the current density. The EL CIE chromaticity coordinates (X = 0.66 and Y = 0.33) show the dominant wavelength, lambda(d) = 609 nm, and the color gamut achieved by this device is 0.99 in the CIE color space. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Active planar waveguides based on sol-gel Er3+-doped SiO2-ZrO2 for photonic applications: Morphological, structural and optical properties

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

Is your vision consistent? A method for checking, based on scenario concepts

Common sense tells us that the future is an essential element in any strategy. In addition, there is a good deal of literature on scenario planning, which is an important tool in considering the future in terms of strategy. However, in many organizations there is serious resistance to the development of scenarios, and they are not broadly implemented by companies. But even organizations that do not rely heavily on the development of scenarios do, in fact, construct visions to guide their strategies. But it might be asked, what happens when this vision is not consistent with the future? To address this problem, the present article proposes a method for checking the content and consistency of an organization's vision of the future, no matter how it was conceived. The proposed method is grounded on theoretical concepts from the field of future studies, which are described in this article. This study was motivated by the search for developing new ways of improving and using scenario techniques as a method for making strategic decisions. The method was then tested on a company in the field of information technology in order to check its operational feasibility. The test showed that the proposed method is, in fact, operationally feasible and was capable of analyzing the vision of the company being studied, indicating both its shortcomings and points of inconsistency. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.