SAE 1045 steel/WC-Co/Ni-Cu-Ni/SAE 1045 steel joints prepared by dynamic diffusion bonding: Microelectrochemical studies in 0.6 M NaCl solution

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

Diffusion Model Applied to Postfeeding Larval Dispersal in Blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Contracted GTF basis sets applied to the theoretical interpretation of the Raman spectrum of hexaaquachromium(III) ion

Contracted GTF basis sets designed with aid of the Generator Coordinate Hartree-Fock (GCHF) method for H(2S), O2-(1S), and Cr3+(4F) atomic species are applied to perform theoretical interpretation of the Raman spectrum of hexaaquachromium(III) ion. The 16s, 16s 10p, and 24s17p13d GTF basis sets were contracted to [4s] for H atom, [6s4p], and [9s6p3d] for O2- and Cr3+, respectively, by Dunning's scheme. For Cr3+, the [9s6p3d] basis set was enriched with f polarization function and used in combination com [4s] and [6s4p] in the study of our interest. The results obtained in this report show that the contracted GTF basis sets used are a useful alternative for the theoretical interpretation of Raman spectrum of hexaaquachromium(III) ion and that GCHF method is an effective alternative to selection of GTF basis sets for theoretical study of vibrational properties of poliatomic species. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative study of disk diffusion and microdilution methods for evaluation of antifungal activity of natural compounds against medical yeasts Candida spp and Cryptococcus sp

Antifungal activity of natural products has been tested by adapting methods designed for synthetic drugs. In this study, two methods for the determination of antifungal activity of natural products, agar diffusion and broth microdilution, the CLSI reference methods for synthetic drugs, are compared and discussed. The microdilution method was more sensitive. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of crude extracts, fractions and pure substances from different species of the plant families Piperaceae, Rubiaceae, Clusiaceae, Fabaceae and Lauraceae, from the Biota project, were determined. Antifungal activities against Candida albicans, C.krusei, C.parapsilosis and Cryptococcus neoformans were produced by several samples.

Subtelomeric region of chromosome 2 in patients with autism spectrum disorders

Autism spectrum disorders are severe psychiatric diseases commonly identified in the population. They are diagnosed during childhood and the etiology has been much debated due to their variations and complexity. Onset is early and characterized as communication and social interaction disorders and as repetitive and stereotyped behavior. Austistic disorders may occur together with various genetic and chromosomal diseases. Several chromosomal regions and genes are implicated in the predisposition for these diseases, in particular those with products expressed in the central nervous system. There are reports of autistic and mentally handicapped patients with submicroscopic subtelomeric alterations at the distal end of the long arm of chromosome 2. Additionally, there is evidence that alterations at 2q37 cause brain malformations that result in the autistic phenotype. These alterations are very small and not identified by routine cytogenetics to which patients are normally submitted, which may result in an underestimation of the diagnosis. This study aimed at evaluating the 2q37 region in patients with autistic disorders. Twenty patients were studied utilizing the fluorescence in situ hybridization technique with a specific probe for 2q37. All of them were also studied by the GTC banding technique to identify possible chromosomal diseases. No alterations were observed in the 2q37 region of the individuals studied, and no patient presented chromosomal diseases. This result may be due to the small sample size analyzed. The introduction of routine analysis of the 2q37 region for patients with autistic disorders depends on further studies. ©FUNPEC-RP.

Pyrearinus termitilluminans larval click beetle luciferase: Active site properties, structure and function relationships and comparison with other beetle luciferases

Several beetle luciferases have been cloned and sequenced. However, most studies on structure and function relationships and bioanalytical applications were done with firefly luciferases, which are pH sensitive. Several years ago we cloned Pyrearinus termitilluminans larval click beetle luciferase, which displays the most blue-shifted bioluminescence among beetle luciferases and is pH insensitive. This enzyme was expressed in E. coli, purified, and its properties investigated. This luciferase shows slower luminescence kinetics, KM values comparable to other beetle luciferases and high catalytic constant. Fluorescence studies with 8-anilino-1-naphtalene-sulfonic acid (1,8-ANS) and modeling studies suggest that the luciferin binding site of this luciferase is very hydrophobic, supporting the solvent and orientation polarizability effects as determining mechanisms for bioluminescence colors. Although pH insensitive in the range between pH 6-8, at pH 10 this luciferase displays a remarkable red-shift and broadening of the bioluminescence spectrum. Modeling studies suggest that the residue C312 may play an important role in bioluminescence color modulation. Compared to other beetle luciferases, Pyrearinus termitilluminans luciferase also displays higher thermostability and sustained luminescence in a bacterial cell environment, which makes this luciferase particularly suitable for in vivo cell analysis and bioimaging. © The Royal Society of Chemistry and Owner Societies 2009.

Identifying financial crises in real time

Following the thermodynamic formulation of a multifractal measure that was shown to enable the detection of large fluctuations at an early stage, here we propose a new index which permits us to distinguish events like financial crises in real time. We calculate the partition function from which we can obtain thermodynamic quantities analogous to the free energy and specific heat. The index is defined as the normalized energy variation and it can be used to study the behavior of stochastic time series, such as financial market daily data. Famous financial market crashes-Black Thursday (1929), Black Monday (1987) and the subprime crisis (2008)-are identified with clear and robust results. The method is also applied to the market fluctuations of 2011. From these results it appears as if the apparent crisis of 2011 is of a different nature to the other three. We also show that the analysis has forecasting capabilities. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Scaling invariance of the diffusion coefficient in a family of two-dimensional Hamiltonian mappings

We consider a family of two-dimensional nonlinear area-preserving mappings that generalize the Chirikov standard map and model a variety of periodically forced systems. The action variable diffuses in increments whose phase is controlled by a negative power of the action and hence effectively uncorrelated for small actions, leading to a chaotic sea in phase space. For larger values of the action the phase space is mixed and contains a family of elliptic islands centered on periodic orbits and invariant Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser (KAM) curves. The transport of particles along the phase space is considered by starting an ensemble of particles with a very low action and letting them evolve in the phase until they reach a certain height h. For chaotic orbits below the periodic islands, the survival probability for the particles to reach h is characterized by an exponential function, well modeled by the solution of the diffusion equation. On the other hand, when h reaches the position of periodic islands, the diffusion slows markedly. We show that the diffusion coefficient is scaling invariant with respect to the control parameter of the mapping when h reaches the position of the lowest KAM island. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Expanding the spectrum of PTH1R mutations in patients with primary failure of tooth eruption

Objectives: Primary failure of tooth eruption (PFE) is a rare autosomal-dominant disease characterized by severe lateral open bite as a consequence of incomplete eruption of posterior teeth. Heterozygous mutations in the parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (PTH1R) gene have been shown to cause PFE likely due to protein haploinsufficiency. To further expand on the mutational spectrum of PFE-associated mutations, we report here on the sequencing results of the PTH1R gene in 70 index PFE cases. Materials and methods: Sanger sequencing of the PTH1R coding exons and their immediate flanking intronic sequences was performed with DNA samples from 70 index PFE cases. Results: We identified a total of 30 unique variants, of which 12 were classified as pathogenic based on their deleterious consequences on PTH1R protein while 16 changes were characterized as unclassified variants with as yet unknown effects on disease pathology. The remaining two variants represent common polymorphisms. Conclusions: Our data significantly increase the number of presently known unique PFE-causing PTH1R mutations and provide a series of variants with unclear pathogenicity which will require further in vitro assaying to determine their effects on protein structure and function. Clinical relevance: Management of PTH1R-associated PFE is problematic, in particular when teeth are exposed to orthodontic force. Therefore, upon clinical suspicion of PFE, molecular DNA testing is indicated to support decision making for further treatment options. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Thermoanalytical study of nimesulide and their recrystallization products obtained from solutions of several alcohols

Thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, and vibrational infrared spectroscopy were used to study nimesulide and its recrystallization products that were obtained from solutions of several alcohols. The thermoanalytical measurements were performed in both air and nitrogen atmospheres and the results suggest that, under the experimental conditions used in this paper, it was possible to obtain neither polymorphic nor pseudopolymorphic forms of this drug. In this investigation, quantum chemical approach methods were used to determine the molecular structures using the Becke three-parameter hybrid method and the Lee-Yang-Parr correlation functional. The performed molecular calculations were done with the Gaussian 09 routine and the theoretical calculation results were correlated with the experimental IR vibrational spectrum. © 2013 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.

Óleos essenciais: verificação da ação antimicrobiana in vitro, na água e sobre a microbiota da pele humana

Pós-graduação em Biologia Geral e Aplicada - IBB

Influência da associação de filtros solares sobre a estabilidade, liberação, permeação e retenção cutânea do p-metoxicinamato de octila em formulações fotoprotetoras

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

B-type natriuretic peptide in the evaluation of cardiac function

B type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and its precursor, the inactive form of NT-pro-BNP, are currently the most studied laboratory parameters in the heart disease spectrum. The assessment of their blood concentrations provides invaluable information on the likelihood, severity and prognosis of the disease. The present review aims to describe the biological determinants, the factors that influence these peptide concentrations, the suggested cutoff values for the diagnosis of heart failure and the use of this biomarker in the assessment of cardiac function.

Síntese, caracterização estrutural, espectroscópica e análise do potencial fotocatalítico do aluminato de cobalto e potencial catalítico na preparação do biodiesel

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Search for heavy resonances in the W/Z-tagged dijet mass spectrum in pp collisions at 7 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)