Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, and Leishmania spp. infections and risk factors for cats from Brazil

The seroprevalence of infection by Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, and Leishmania spp. was detected through an indirect immunofluorescence in 70 cats from the Andradina Municipality, São Paulo State, Brazil. Anti-T. gondii antibodies (titer >64) were detected in 15.7% (11/70) of animals, whereas positivity for N. caninum (titer 16) was not observed in any animal. of the cats from urban and rural areas, 10.4% (5/48) and 27.2% (6/22) were positive for T. gondii, respectively. Breed, age, food, and contact with animals of other species were significant for considering the positivity for T. gondii (P <= 0.0001). Cats having access to streets (17.1%, 11/64), cats cohabiting with rats (19.6%, 10/51), and cats feeding on homemade food and raw milk (27.2%, 6/22) were positive for T. gondii. In addition, 4.2% (3/70) of the cats were positive for Leishmania spp. by ELISA technique and negative by IFAT without coinfection with T. gondii and Leishmania spp. There was no serological positivity against feline immunodeficiency virus or feline leukemia virus. In conclusion, T. gondii infection in part of the feline population from Andradina is not linked to immunosuppressions or coinfections but probably to postnatal infection in association with the type of diet and presence of rats.

Effects of milling condition on the surface integrity of hot forged steel

This paper presents a study on the influence of milling condition on workpiece surface integrity focusing on hardness and roughness. The experimental work was carried out on a CNC machining center considering roughing and finishing operations. A 25 mm diameter endmill with two cemented carbide inserts coated with TiN layer were used for end milling operation. Low carbon alloyed steel Cr-Mo forged at 1200 degrees C was used as workpiece on the tests. Two kinds of workpiece conditions were considered, i.e. cur cooled after hot forging and normalized at 950 degrees C for 2 h. The results showed that finishing operation was able to significantly decrease the roughness by at least 46% without changing the hardness. on the other hand, roughing operation caused an increase in hardness statistically significant by about 6%. The machined surface presented deformed regions within feed marks, which directly affected the roughness. Surface finish behavior seems to correlate to the chip ratio given the decrease of 25% for roughing condition, which damaged the chip formation. The material removal rate for finishing operation 41% greater than roughing condition demonstrated to be favorable to the heat dissipation and minimized the effect on material hardness.

Neuropathy of Gastrointestinal Chagas' Disease: Immune Response to Myelin Antigens

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

Physiological Responses and Characteristics of Table Tennis Matches Determined in Official Tournaments

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Effect of mismatching abutments on implants with wider platforms - an experimental study in dogs

Aim: To evaluate the effect of mismatching abutments on implants with a wider platform on the peri-implant hard tissue remodeling and the soft tissue dimensions.Material and methods: Mandibular premolars and first molars of six Labrador dogs were extracted bilaterally. After 3 months of healing, one tapered implant was installed on each side of the mandibular molar region with the implant shoulder placed at the level of the buccal alveolar bony crest. on the right side of the mandible, an abutment of reduced diameter in relation to the platform of the implant was used, creating a mismatch of 0.85 mm (test), whereas an abutment of the same diameter of the implant platform was affixed in the left side of the mandible (control). The flaps were sutured to allow a non-submerged healing. After 4 months, the animals were sacrificed and ground sections were obtained for histometric assessment.Results: All implants were completely osseo-integrated. Bone levels were superior at the test than at the control sites. However, statistically significant differences were found only at the buccal and proximal aspects. The soft tissue vertical dimension was higher at the control compared with the test sites. However, statistically significant differences were demonstrated only at the buccal aspects.Conclusions: A mismatch of 0.85 mm between the implant and the abutment yielded more coronal levels of bone-to-implant contact and a reduced height of the peri-implant soft tissue (biologic width), especially at the buccal aspect, if the implant shoulder was placed flush with the level of the buccal alveolar bony crest.

Mechanistic approach to predict real machining time for milling free-form geometries applying high feed rate

An accurate estimate of machining time is very important for predicting delivery time, manufacturing costs, and also to help production process planning. Most commercial CAM software systems estimate the machining time in milling operations simply by dividing the entire tool path length by the programmed feed rate. This time estimate differs drastically from the real process time because the feed rate is not always constant due to machine and computer numerical controlled (CNC) limitations. This study presents a practical mechanistic method for milling time estimation when machining free-form geometries. The method considers a variable called machine response time (MRT) which characterizes the real CNC machine's capacity to move in high feed rates in free-form geometries. MRT is a global performance feature which can be obtained for any type of CNC machine configuration by carrying out a simple test. For validating the methodology, a workpiece was used to generate NC programs for five different types of CNC machines. A practical industrial case study was also carried out to validate the method. The results indicated that MRT, and consequently, the real machining time, depends on the CNC machine's potential: furthermore, the greater MRT, the larger the difference between predicted milling time and real milling time. The proposed method achieved an error range from 0.3% to 12% of the real machining time, whereas the CAM estimation achieved from 211% to 1244% error. The MRT-based process is also suggested as an instrument for helping in machine tool benchmarking.

Neonatal meningitis according to the microbiological diagnosis: a decade of experience in a tertiary center

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of and mortality due to meningitis and compare data according to microbiological diagnosis. This was a ten-year retrospective study conducted at a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Newborns with meningitis confirmed by positive CSF culture were included; those with congenital infection or malformations that made lumbar puncture impossible were excluded. The variables investigated were birth weight, gestational and postnatal age, procedures, hematological and CSF parameters, and complications. Parametric and non-parametric tests were used (statistical value p<0.05). The incidence of meningitis was 0.6% and mortality was 27%. of the 22 cases, 59% involved Gram-negative bacteria; 36% Gram-positive and 5% fungi. The groups did not differ in relation to birth weight, gestational and postnatal age, procedures or hematological and CSF parameters. Sepsis, convulsions and deaths were frequent in both groups, without statistical difference. Gram-negative cases showed abscesses and higher frequency of ventriculitis and hydrocephaly. Meningitis was infrequent, but presented high mortality and frequent complications.

Experimental and theoretical study of workpiece temperature when end milling hardened steels using (TiAl)N-coated and PcBN-tipped tools

The present work shows an experimental and theoretical study on heat flow when end milling, at high-speed, hardened steels applied to moulds and dies. AISI H13 and AISI D2 steels were machined with two types of ball nose end mills: coated with (TiAl)N and tipped with PcBN. The workpiece geometry was designed to simulate tool-workpiece interaction in real situations found in mould industries, in which complex surfaces and thin walls are commonly machined. The compressed and cold air cooling systems were compared to dry machining Results indicated a relatively small temperature variation, with higher range when machining AISI D2 with PcBN-tipped end mill. All cooling systems used demonstrated good capacity to remove heat from the machined surface, especially the cold air. Compressed air was the most indicated to keep workpiece at relatively stable temperature. A theoretical model was also proposed to estimate the energy transferred to the workpiece (Q) and the average convection coefficient ((h) over bar) for the cooling systems used. The model used a FEM simulation and a steepest decent method to find the best values for both variables. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Harmonic identification using parallel neural networks in single-phase systems

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Healing outcomes at implants installed in grafted sites: an experimental study in dogs

Aim: To evaluate the integration of implants installed using a surgical guide in augmented sites with autologous bone or deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) blocks, concomitantly with a collagen membrane.Material and methods: Mandibular molars were extracted bilaterally in six Labrador dogs, the buccal bony wall was removed, and a box-shaped defect was created. After 3 months, flaps were elevated, a bony graft was harvested from the ascending ramus, and secured to the lateral wall of the defect by means of screws. In the left mandibular side, a DBBM block was fixed into the defect. A resorbable membrane was applied at both sides, and the flaps were sutured. After 3 months, flaps were elevated, and a customized device was used as surgical guide to prepare the recipient sites in the interface between grafts and parent bone. One implant was installed in each side of the mandible. After 3 months, biopsies were harvested, and ground sections were prepared for histologic evaluation.Results: One autologous bone block graft was lost before implant installation. The width of the alveolar crest at the test sites (DBBM) was 5.4 +/- 1.2 mm before, 9.4 +/- 1.2 mm immediately after grafting, and 9.3 +/- 1 mm at implant installation. At the control sites (autologous bone), the corresponding values were: 5.2 +/- 1, 9 +/- 1.2, and 8.7 +/- 0.9 mm, respectively. All implants installed were available for histologic evaluation (n = 5). The autologous bone grafts, rich in vessels and cells, were integrated in the parent bone, and only little non-vital bone was found. The BIC% was 56.7 +/- 15.6% and 54.2 +/- 13.2% at the buccal and lingual aspects, respectively. At the test sites, the DBBM appeared to be embedded into connective tissue, and very little newly formed bone was encountered within the grafts. The BIC% was 5.8 +/- 12.3% and 51.3 +/- 14.2% at the buccal and lingual aspects, respectively.Conclusions: Autologous bone blocks used to augment the alveolar bony crest horizontally allowed the complete osseointegration of implants installed after 3 months of healing. However, similar blocks of DBBM did not promote osseointegration, although the installed implants were stable owing to the osseointegration in the sites of the parent bone.

Anthelmintic effects of condensed tannins on Trichostrongylus colubriformis in experimentally infected sheep

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

Solucao de sistemas lineares com matrizes e vetores esparsos em computadores vetoriais

This paper presents a methodology for solving a set of linear sparse equations on vector computers. The new methodology is able to exploit the matrix and vector sparsities. The implementation was made on a CRAY Y-MP 2E/232 computer and the results were taken from electric power systems with 118, 320, 725 and 1729 buses. The proposed methodology was compared with three previous methods and the results show the superior performance of the new one.

MnO2 influence on the electrical properties of SnO2-based ceramic systems

Tin dioxide is an n-type semiconductor that when doped with other metallic oxides exhibits non-linear electric behavior with high non-linear coefficient values typical of a varistor. In this work, electrical properties of the SnO2.CoO.Ta2O5 and SnO2.CoO.MnO2.Ta2O5 ceramics systems were studied with the objective of analyzing the influence of MnO2 on sintering behavior and electrical properties of these systems. The compacts were prepared by powder mixture process and sintered at 1300°C for 1 hour, in air, using a constant heating rate of 10°C/min. The morphological and structural properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The densities of the sintered ceramics were measured using the Archimedes method. The SnO2.CoO.Ta2O5 and SnO2.CoO.MnO2.Ta2O5 systems presented breakdown fields (Eb) about 3100 V.cm-1 and 3800 V.cm-1, respectively, and non-linear coefficient (α) about 10 and 20, respectively.

Sol-Gel Erbium-Doped Silica-Hafnia Planar and Channel Waveguides

Erbium activated SiO2 -HfO2 planar waveguides, doped with Er3+ concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 4 mol%, were prepared by sol-gel method. The films were deposited on v-SiO2 and silica-on-silicon substrates using dip-coating technique. The waveguides show high densification degree, effective intermingling of the two film components, and uniform surface morphology. The waveguide deposited on silica-on-silicon substrates shows one single propagation mode at 1.5μm, with a confinement coefficient of 0.81 and an attenuation coefficient of 0.8 dB/cm at 632.8nm. Emission in the C-telecommunication band was observed at room temperature for all the samples upon continuouswave excitation at 980 nm or 514.5 nm. The shape of the emission band corresponding to the 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 transition is found to be almost independent both on erbium content and excitation wavelength, with a FWHM between 44 and 48 nm. The 4I13/2 level decay curves presented a single-exponential profile, with a lifetime ranging between 1.1 - 6.6 ms, depending on the erbium concentration. Infrared to visible upconversion luminescence upon continuous-wave excitation at 980 nm was observed for all the samples. Channel waveguide in rib configuration was obtained by etching the active film in order to have a well confined mode at 1.5 μm.