Antisperm antibodies in infertile men and their correlation with seminal parameters

Aim: Antisperm antibodies (ASA) in males cause the autoimmune disease 'immune infertility'. The present study intended to detect the presence of ASA and their incidence in men with unexplained infertility, as well as to evaluate the correlation between the presence of ASA and semen parameter alterations. Methods: Blood and sperm assessment were collected to carry out a direct and indirect mixed antiglobulin reaction (MAR) test and semen analysis in infertile and fertile men from the University Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine, Sao Paulo State University, Sao Paulo. Results: In the MARtest, 18.18% of infertile men were positive for ASA. In fertile men, no positivity was found. A significant correlation between the presence of ASA with an increased white blood cell count plus a decreased hypoosmotic swelling test result was observed. Conclusions: The results indicate that ASA are involved in reduced fertility. It is not ASA detection per.se that provides conclusive information about the occurrence of damage to fertility. The correlation between infertility and altered seminal parameters reinforce the ASA participation in this pathology. © 2007 The Authors Journal compilation. © 2007 Japan Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Radial basis function networks with quantized parameters

A RBFN implemented with quantized parameters is proposed and the relative or limited approximation property is presented. Simulation results for sinusoidal function approximation with various quantization levels are shown. The results indicate that the network presents good approximation capability even with severe quantization. The parameter quantization decreases the memory size and circuit complexity required to store the network parameters leading to compact mixed-signal circuits proper for low-power applications. ©2008 IEEE.

Immunoexpression of S100A4 in canine skin melanomas and correlation with histopathological parameters

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

Measurement of the ratio of inclusive jet cross sections using the anti-k(T) algorithm with radius parameters R=0.5 and 0.7 in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Study of ceramic block manufacture with the addition of waste from iron ore extraction

This work is intended to study the possibility of adding an amount of waste from iron mining in the ceramic mass. Clay and coal, from Vale do Paraiba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, were used in this research. These raw materials are used in the ceramic block manufacture. Clay and waste were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction, particle size, differential thermal and thermogravimetric analysis. Liquid limit and plasticity index tests were performed in order to determine the amount of waste that which should be used in the ceramic mass. After determining the amount of waste, all samples were uniaxially pressed and sintered at 900 degrees C. Surface roughness measurements, apparent porosity and bulk density technique and three-point flexural tests were also performed to characterize the samples. The results showed that by adding the exact amount of waste, which was determined by the essays, it is possible to manufacture solid bricks.

Selective suprascapular and axillary nerve block provides adequate analgesia and minimal motor block. Comparison with interscalene block

Shoulder arthroscopic surgeries evolve with intense postoperative pain. Several analgesic techniques have been advocated. The aim of this study was to compare suprascapular and axillary nerve blocks in shoulder arthroscopy using the interscalene approach to brachial plexus blockade. According to the technique used, sixty-eight patients were allocated into two groups: interscalene group (IG, n=34) and selective group (SG, n=34), with neurostimulation approach used for both techniques. After appropriate motor response, IG received 30 mL of 0.33% levobupivacaine in 50% enantiomeric excess with adrenalin 1:200,000. After motor response of suprascapular and axillary nerves, SG received 15 mL of the same substance on each nerve. General anesthesia was then administered. Variables assessed were time to perform the blocks, analgesia, opioid consumption, motor block, cardiovascular stability, patient satisfaction and acceptability. Time for interscalene blockade was significantly shorter than for selective blockade. Analgesia was significantly higher in the immediate postoperative period in IG and in the late postoperative period in SG. Morphine consumption was significantly higher in the first hour in SG. Motor block was significantly lower in SG. There was no difference between groups regarding cardiocirculatory stability and patient satisfaction and acceptability. Failure occurred in IG (1) and SG (2). Both techniques are safe, effective, and with the same degree of satisfaction and acceptability. The selective blockade of both nerves showed satisfactory analgesia, with the advantage of providing motor block restricted to the shoulder.

Joint X̄ and R charts with variable parameters

Recent studies have shown that the X̄chart with variable parameters (Vp X̄ chart) detects process shifts faster than the traditional X̄ chart. This article extends these studies for processes that are monitored by both, X̄ and R charts. Basically, the X̄ and R values establish if the control should or should not be relaxed. When the X̄ and R values fall in the central region the control is relaxed because one will wait more to take the next sample and/or the next sample will be smaller than usual. When the X̄ or R values fall in the warning region the control is tightened because one will wait less to take the next sample and the next sample will be larger than usual. The action limits are also made variable. This paper proposes to draw the action limits (for both charts) wider than usual, when the control is relaxed and narrower than usual when the control is tightened. The Vp feature improves the joint X̄ and R control chart performance in terms of the speed with which the process mean and/or variance shifts are detected. © 1998 IIE.

Seletividade de herbicidas: I - utilização do método de testemunhas pareadas em experimento com cana-de-açúcar

Este trabalho objetivou comparar a precisão experimental dos delineamentos em blocos casualizados e blocos casualizados com testemunhas pareadas na avaliação da seletividade de herbicidas em soqueira de cana-de-açúcar de terceiro corte, cultivar RB835089. Os delineamentos utilizados foram o de blocos casualizados convencional e o de blocos casualizados com testemunhas pareadas, com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos foram diuron + hexazinone, azafenidin + hexazinone, metribuzin e isoxaflutole e testemunha capinada. Avaliaram-se na cana-de-açúcar a altura, o estande, o rendimento de colmos e o ATR (Açúcar Teórico Recuperável). O delineamento em blocos casualizados com testemunhas pareadas foi mais eficaz que aquele com testemunha tradicional. Constatou-se também que, para comparação das médias dos tratamentos, o teste t foi mais sensível que o teste de Tukey, pois apresentou, com maior precisão experimental, mais tratamentos com diferenças em relação à testemunha.

A influência das injunções de orientação relativa na calibração de um sistema dual de câmeras digitais

Image acquisition systems based on multi-head arrangement of digital frame cameras, such as the commercial systems DMC, UltraCam, besides others, are attractive alternatives enabling larger imaging area when compared to a single frame camera. Considering that in these systems, cameras are tightly attached to an external mount, it is assumed that relative position and orientation between cameras are stable during image acquisition and, consequently, these constraint can be included in the calibration step. This constraint is acceptable because estimates of the relative orientation (RO) parameters between cameras, from previously estimated exterior orientation parameters, present higher and significant deviations than the expected physical variations, due to error propagation. In order to solve this problem, this work presents an approach based on simultaneous calibration of two or more cameras using constraints that state that the relative rotation matrix and the distance between the cameras head are stable. Experiments with images acquired by an arrangement of two Hasselblad H2D cameras were accomplished, without and with the mentioned constraints. The experiments showed that the calibration process with RO constraints allows better results than the approach based on single camera calibration, provided that the estimation has included only images with good target distribution.

Locating control points in aerial images with a multi-scale approach based on terrestrial image patches

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

Bundle Block Adjustment of CBERS-2B HRC Imagery Combining Control Points and Lines

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

Effect of Combined Digital Imaging Parameters on Endodontic File Measurements

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

Testing extractants for Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn in tropical soils treated with sewage sludge for 13 consecutive years

In this paper, we report on a field experiment being carried out in a Typic Eutrorthox. The experiment was initiated in the 1997-98 agricultural season as a randomized block design with four treatments (0, 5, 10, and 20 t ha -1) of sewage sludge and five replicates. Compound soil samples were obtained from 20 subsamples collected at depths of 0-0.1 and 0.1-0.2 m. Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn concentrations were extracted with DTPA pH 7.3; 0.1 mol L -1 HCl, Mehlich-I, Mehlich-III, and 0.01 mol L-1 CaCl 2. Metal concentrations were determined via atomic absorption spectrometry. Diagnostic leaves and the whole above-ground portion of plants were collected to determine Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn concentrations extracted by nitric-perchloric digestion and later determined via atomic absorption spectrometry. Sewage sludge application caused increases in the concentrations of soil Cu, Fe, and Mn in samples taken from the 0-0.1 m depth evaluated by the extractants Mehlich-I, Mehlich-III, 0.01 mol L-1 HCl and DTPA pH 7.3. None of the extractants provided efficient estimates of changes in Mn concentrations. The acid extractants extracted more Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn than the saline and chelating solutions. The highest concentrations of Cu, Fe, and Zn were obtained with Mehlich-III, while the highest concentrations of Mn were obtained with HCl. We did not observe a correlation between the extractants and the concentrations of elements in the diagnostic leaves nor in the tissues of the whole maize plant (Zea mays L.). © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Exterior orientation of CBERS-2B imagery using multi-feature control and orbital data

The major contribution of this paper relates to the practical advantages of combining Ground Control Points (GCPs), Ground Control Lines (GCLs) and orbital data to estimate the exterior orientation parameters of images collected by CBERS-2B (China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite) HRC (High-resolution Camera) and CCD (High-resolution CCD Camera) sensors. Although the CBERS-2B is no longer operational, its images are still being used in Brazil, and the next generations of the CBERS satellite will have sensors with similar technical features, which motivates the study presented in this paper. The mathematical models that relate the object and image spaces are based on collinearity (for points) and coplanarity (for lines) conditions. These models were created in an in-house developed software package called TMS (Triangulation with Multiple Sensors) with multi-feature control (GCPs and GCLs). Experiments on a block of four CBERS-2B HRC images and on one CBERS-2B CCD image were performed using both models. It was observed that the combination of GCPs and GCLs provided better bundle block adjustment results than conventional bundle adjustment using only GCPs. The results also demonstrate the advantages of using primarily orbital data when the number of control entities is reduced. © 2013 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS).

Fototriangulação em bloco de imagens orbitais com modelos rigorosos baseados em pontos e retas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)