Immune Response to the Rhodococcus equi infection in high and low antibody-producing mice (selection IV-A)

Rhodococcus equi is a Gram-positive, facultative intracellular bacterium which infects macrophages and causes rhodococcal pneumonia and enteritis in foals. Recently, this agent has been recognized as an opportunistic pathogen for immunocompromised humans. Several murine experimental models have been used to study R. equi infection. High (H IV-A) and Low (L IV-A) antibody (Ab)-producers mice were obtained by bi-directional genetic selections for their ability to produce antibodies against sheep and human erythrocytes (Selection IV-A). These lines maintain their phenotypes of high and low responders also for other antigens than those of selection (multispeciflc effect). A higher macrophage activity in L IV-A mice has been described for several intracellular infectious agents, which could be responsible for their intense macrophage antigens (Ag)-handling and low Ab production. Due to these differences, L IV-A mice were found to exhibit a better performance to trigger an effective immune response towards intracellular pathogens. The objective of this work was to characterize the immune response of Selection IV-A against R. equi. H IV-A and L IV-A mice were infected with 2.0 × 10 6 CFU of ATCC 33701 +R. equi by intravenous route. With regards to bacterial clearance and survival assays, L IV-A mice were more resistant than H IV-A mice to virulent R. equi. L IV-A mice presented a higher hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2) and nitric oxide (NO) endogenous production by splenic macrophages than H IV-A mice. L IV-A expressed the most intense cellular response, available by the Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction, which activated macrophages and produced more H 2O 2 and NO. The three times higher specific antibodies titres in H IV-A indicated that Selection IV-A maintained the multispecific effect and the polygenic control of humoral and cellular responses also to R. equi.

Weight vector estimation of circular arrays of antennas using Artificial Neural Networks

This paper presents a model for the control of the radiation pattern of a circular array of antennas, shaping it to address the radiation beam in the direction of the user, in order to reduce the transmitted power and to attenuate interference. The control of the array is based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) of the type RBF (Radial Basis Functions), trained from samples generated by the Wiener equation. The obtained results suggest that the objective was reached.

A human retrieval study of plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite-coated plateau root form implants after 2 months to 13 years in function

Calcium phosphate-based bioactive ceramics in various physical and chemical formulations have been extensively utilized as biomaterials for bone regeneration/conduction. However, the determination of their in vivo temporal behavior from the short to long term in humans has been a challenge due to the lack of physical reference for morphologic and morphometric evaluation. The present study evaluated bone morphology and morphometry (bone-to-implant contact [BIC]) around plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite (PSHA)-coated endosseous implants that were retrieved due to prosthetic reasons while successfully in function at the posterior region of the jaws from as early as 2 months to ~13 years after a 6-month healing period after placement. Bone morphology was evaluated by light microscopy, and BIC was determined using computer software. Irrespective of the time in vivo, lamellar bone was observed in close contact with the implant PSHA-coated surface and between plateaus. BIC ranged from ~35-95%, was highly directional, and Haversian-like osteonic morphology between plateaus was observed for most implants. The PSHA coating was present with little variation in thickness between the samples retrieved regardless of time in vivo. © 2010 by Begell House, Inc.

Necessary conditions of optimality for state constrained infinite horizon differential inclusions

This article presents and discusses necessary conditions of optimality for infinite horizon dynamic optimization problems with inequality state constraints and set inclusion constraints at both endpoints of the trajectory. The cost functional depends on the state variable at the final time, and the dynamics are given by a differential inclusion. Moreover, the optimization is carried out over asymptotically convergent state trajectories. The novelty of the proposed optimality conditions for this class of problems is that the boundary condition of the adjoint variable is given as a weak directional inclusion at infinity. This improves on the currently available necessary conditions of optimality for infinite horizon problems. © 2011 IEEE.

Fluorescência da clorofila-a e variação da simetria como ferramentas de investigação de plantas sob estresse

Environmental disturbances in various systems and individuals can result in a tendency for fluctuating asymmetry, which consists of a non-directional deviation from symmetry of a bilateral structure in a normally distributed population. Individuals unable to exhibit plastic responses to developmental disorders that occur at random, either genetic or environmental, may exhibit slight deviations from symmetry in organs with bilateral structure such as leaves. Thus analyzing plants by the morphological pattern of symmetry of the leaves has become an effective tool to describe the developmental of plants under stress conditions. This study aimed to analyze if the pattern of symmetry can be used as a tool to investigate the stress level to which a plant is subjected, using ultraviolet-C radiation (UV-C) as source of stress. We determined the leaf symmetry deviations (sd), the average length (AL) and the maximum width of the lamina (MWL) and the fluorescence parameters of chlorophyll-a in leaves of young plants of G. max subjected to 0, 30, 60, 120 or 240 minutes per week of UV-C during four weeks, submitting the values to ANOVA and Tukey test (p <0.05). The results showed significant reductions in AL and MWL, significant increase in sd in leaves irradiated and a drop in potential quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII) and in the photosynthesis performance index (IP). The analysis of leaf symmetry showed high correlation with the stress level to which plants were submitted, being an important analysis to ascertain the fitness of the plant because it is a noninvasive method and easy to perform.

Improving the grid operation and reliability cost of distribution systems with dispersed generation

In this work, a mathematical model to analyze the impact of the installation and operation of dispersed generation units in power distribution systems is proposed. The main focus is to determine the trade-off between the reliability and operational costs of distribution networks when the operation of isolated areas is allowed. In order to increase the system operator revenue, an optimal power flow makes use of the different energy prices offered by the dispersed generation connected to the grid. Simultaneously, the type and location of the protective devices initially installed on the protection system are reconfigured in order to minimize the interruption and expenditure of adjusting the protection system to conditions imposed by the operation of dispersed units. The interruption cost regards the unsupplied energy to customers in secure systems but affected by the normal tripping of protective devices. Therefore, the tripping of fuses, reclosers, and overcurrent relays aims to protect the system against both temporary and permanent fault types. Additionally, in order to reduce the average duration of the system interruption experienced by customers, the isolated operation of dispersed generation is allowed by installing directional overcurrent relays with synchronized reclose capabilities. A 135-bus real distribution system is used in order to show the advantages of using the mathematical model proposed. © 1969-2012 IEEE.

Automated determination of the orientation of dust devil tracks in mars orbiter images

The paper presents and evaluates three methods for automatically estimating the main orientation of Martian dust devil tracks in MOC and HiRISE images. Inferring such information about dust devils from their tracks is important to better understand the near surface wind. The methods considered were based on gradient direction, directional openings and morphological granulometry. The accuracy of the methods was asserted by comparing the results to a set of directions estimated visually and assumed to be the ground truth. The higher accuracy was reached using directional openings. Besides, the directions inferred by this method were compared to those predicted by the GCM and the results agreed. © 2013 COSPAR.

Mixing Eucalyptus and Acacia trees leads to fine root over-yielding and vertical segregation between species

The consequences of diversity on belowground processes are still poorly known in tropical forests. The distributions of very fine roots (diameter <1 mm) and fine roots (diameter <3 mm) were studied in a randomized block design close to the harvest age of fast-growing plantations. A replacement series was set up in Brazil with mono-specific Eucalyptus grandis (100E) and Acacia mangium (100A) stands and a mixture with the same stocking density and 50 % of each species (50A:50E). The total fine root (FR) biomass down to a depth of 2 m was about 27 % higher in 50A:50E than in 100A and 100E. Fine root over-yielding in 50A:50E resulted from a 72 % rise in E. grandis fine root biomass per tree relative to 100E, whereas A. mangium FR biomass per tree was 17 % lower than in 100A. Mixing A. mangium with E. grandis trees led to a drop in A. mangium FR biomass in the upper 50 cm of soil relative to 100A, partially balanced by a rise in deep soil layers. Our results highlight similarities in the effects of directional resources on leaf and FR distributions in the mixture, with A. mangium leaves below the E. grandis canopy and a low density of A. mangium fine roots in the resource-rich soil layers relative to monospecific stands. The vertical segregation of resource-absorbing organs did not lead to niche complementarity expected to increase the total biomass production. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

The role of leukotriene B4 in early stages of experimental paracoccidioidomycosis induced in phenotypically selected mouse strains

Paracoccidioidomycosis is a human systemic mycosis caused by the fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. The mechanisms involved in innate immune response to this fungus are not fully elucidated. Leukotrienes are known to be critical for the clearance of various microorganisms, mainly by mediating the microbicidal function of phagocytes. We investigated the involvement of leukotriene B4 in the early stages of experimental paracoccidioidomycosis, which was induced by intratracheal inoculation of the fungus in selected mouse lines. The mouse lines utilized were produced through bi-directional phenotypic selection, endowed with maximal or minimal acute inflammatory reactivity, and designated AIRmax and AIRmin, respectively. AIRmax mice were more resistant to the infection, which was demonstrated by reduced lung fungal loads. However, the two lines produced similar amounts of leukotriene B4, and pharmacological inhibition of this mediator provoked similar fungal load increases in the two lines. The lower fungal load in the AIRmax mice was associated with a more effective inflammatory response, which was characterized by enhanced recruitment and activation of phagocytic cells and an increased production of activator cytokines. This process resulted in an increased release of fungicidal molecules and a diminution of fungal load. In both lines, leukotriene production was associated with a protective response in the lung that was consequent to the effect of this eicosanoid on the influx and activation of phagocytes. © 2013 ISHAM.

Análise da adaptação de um dicionário bilíngue francês-português europeu para a variante brasileira

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Seleção de informações de guia de rota para a concepção de sistemas de navegação

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Mudanças morfológicas na evolução do megaleque do Taquari: uma análise com base em dados orbitais

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

Influência da matriz polimérica e dos métodos de extração de corpos de prova em compósitos de fibra de carbono

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEB

Análise do comportamento dinâmico de um rotor vertical através do método dos elementos finitos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Mensuração do torque nos movimento de flexão e extensão do joelho submetido a uma resistência: Fabricio Duarte de Almeida. -

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)