Measurement of B(B)over-bar angular correlations based on secondary vertex reconstruction at root s=7 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Influence of N-Terminus Modifications on the Biological Activity, Membrane Interaction, and Secondary Structure of the Antimicrobial Peptide Hylin-a1

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

Electrochemical genosensors for the detection of Bonamia parasite. Selection of single strand-DNA (ssDNA) probes by simulation of the secondary structure folding

A post-PCR nucleic acid work by comparing experimental data, from electrochemical genosensors, and bioinformatics data, derived from the simulation of the secondary structure folding and prediction of hybridisation reaction, was carried out in order to rationalize the selection of ssDNA probes for the detection of two Bonamia species, B. exitiosa and B. ostreae, parasites of Ostrea edulis.Six ssDNA probes (from 11 to 25 bases in length, 2 thiolated and 4 biotinylated) were selected within different regions of B. ostreae and B. exitiosa PCR amplicons (300 and 304 bases, respectively) with the aim to discriminate between these parasite species. ssDNA amplicons and probes were analyzed separately using the "Mfold Web Server" simulating the secondary structure folding behaviour. The hybridisation of amplicon-probe was predicted by means of "Dinamelt Web Server". The results were evaluated considering the number of hydrogen bonds broken and formed in the simulated folding and hybridisation process, variance in gaps for each sequence and number of available bases. In the experimental part, thermally denatured PCR products were captured at the sensor interface via sandwich hybridisation with surface-tethered probes (thiolated probes) and biotinylated signalling probes. A convergence between analytical signals and simulated results was observed, indicating the possibility to use bioinformatic data for ssDNA probes selection to be incorporated in genosensors. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Paulista registry of glomerulonephritis: 5-year data report

Background. The Paulista Registry of Glomerulopathies was created in May 1999 and comprises several centres of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian State, that concentrates people from all regions of the country who look for health care.Methods. This report includes data from 2086 patients from Brazil submitted to renal biopsy due to the presumed diagnosis of glomerular diseases, registered prospectively since May 1999 until January 2005. Data were collected by the integrants of the 11 centres involved, utilizing a standardized questionnaire.Results. The mean age of the patients was 34.5 +/- 14.6 years. Primary glomerular diseases were more frequent in males (55.1%) than in females; on the other hand, secondary glomerular diseases were more frequent in females (71.8%). The most common clinical presentation was nephrotic syndrome and the frequency of hypertension, at this time, was 55.5%. There was a predominance of indication of biopsies in the third, fourth and fifth decades of life. The most common primary glomerular diseases were focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (29.7%), followed by membranous nephropathy (20.7%), IgA nephropathy (17.8%), minimal change disease (9.1%), membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (7%), crescentic glomerulonephritis (4.1%), advanced chronic glomerulopathy (4%), non-IgA mesangial glomerulonephritis (3.8%), diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (2.5%), focal segmental proliferative glomerulonephritis (1%) and others (0.3%). The most frequent secondary glomerular disease was lupus nephritis, corresponding to 66.2% of the cases, followed by post-infectious glomerulonephritis (12.5%), diabetic nephropathy (6.2%), diseases associated to paraproteinaemia (4.9%), hereditary diseases (4.6%), vasculitis (3.2%), malignancies (0.9.%), secondary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (0.6%) and others (0.9%).Conclusion. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis was the most frequent primary glomerular disease, followed by membranous nephropathy and IgA nephropathy. Lupus nephritis predominated over all the other secondary glomerular diseases.

Calcaneal apophysitis: a quantitative radiographic evaluation of the secondary ossification center

Background: Calcaneal apophysitis in children is a self-limited condition that may interfere with walking and physical performance in sports, thus causing concern to the patient and parents. There is still controversy about the significance of the radiographic changes in children with heel pain, since the report of Sever in 1912. One of the reasons is that normal children may display a considerable variation in the radiographic aspects of the secondary ossification center of the calcaneus at different ages. Methods: In this investigation, the developmental aspects of primary and secondary ossification centers of the calcaneus were studied in radiographs obtained from healthy boys and from boys with calcaneal apophysitis. The normal population comprised 392 children and adolescents ranging in age from 6 to 15 years. There were 69 individuals with calcaneal apophysitis ranging in age from 8 to 14 years. Lateral standard radiographs were obtained of both heels, and a copper step wedge was used as a calibration to determine bone density. The following parameters were analyzed on the plain films: time of appearance, fusion and number of fragments of the secondary nucleus, area and bone densitometry of the primary and secondary ossification centers of the calcaneus. Results: In the normal population, the ossification of the secondary nucleus began at 7 years of age, and at 15 years of age, the nucleus was fused in all individuals. In the apophysitis group, the secondary ossification center was present and not fused in all individuals. Both secondary nuclei increased in size with age with no difference between the two groups. Regarding bone density, both the primary and secondary nuclei were less dense in the apophysitis group than their counterparts in the normal population. The most significant difference between the two populations referred to the degree of fragmentation, which was greater in the apophysitis group. Conclusion: Our data showed that the sclerotic aspect of the secondary nucleus of the calcaneus is a normal feature and, therefore, should not be used to establish the diagnosis of Sever's disease. The most consistent difference between the normal and apophysitis group was related to the more fragmented aspect of the secondary nucleus in the latter individuals, which may suggest a mechanical etiology for that condition.

Chemical evolution in the Asteraceae. The Oxidation-Reduction mechanism and production of secondary metabolites

This work describes the application of partial least squares (PLS) regression to variables that represent the oxidation data of several types of secondary metabolite isolated from the family Asteraceae. The oxidation states were calculated for each carbon atom of the involved compounds after these had been matched with their biogenetic precursor. The states of oxidation variations were named oxidation steps. This methodology represents a new approach to inspect the oxidative changes in taxa. Partial least square (PLS) regression was used to inspect the relationships among terpenoids, cournarins, polyacetylenes, and flavonoids from a data base containing approximately 27,000 botanical entries. The results show an interdependence between the average oxidation states of each class of secondary metabolite at tribe and sub tribe levels.

Crystallization of the secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus 39E.

The secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from the thermophile Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus 39E has been crystallized at 40 degrees C by vapour difussion using polyethelene glycol as a precipitant. The orthorhombic crystals belong to the space group P 2(1)2(1)2 with cell constants of a=170.0 Angstrom, b=125.7 Angstrom and c=80.5 Angstrom. A native X-ray diffraction data set has been collected to 2.7 Angstrom resolution.

Repetition of Suicide Attempts Data from Emergency Care Settings in Five Culturally Different Low- and Middle-Income Countries Participating in the WHO SUPRE-MISS Study

Background: Attempted suicide is a strong risk factor for subsequent suicidal behaviors. Innovative strategies to deal with people who have attempted suicide are needed, particularly in resource-poor settings. Aims: To evaluate a brief educational intervention and periodic follow-up contacts (BIC) for suicide attempters in five culturally different sites (Campinas, Brazil; Chennai, India; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran; and Yuncheng, People's Republic of China) as part of the WHO Multisite Intervention Study on Suicidal Behaviors (SUPRE-MISS). Methods: Among the 1,867 suicide attempters enrolled in the emergency departments of the participating sites, 922 (49.4%) were randomly assigned to a brief intervention and contact (BIC) group and 945 (50.6%) to a treatment as usual (TAU) group. Repeated suicide attempts over the 18 months following the index attempt - the secondary outcome measure presented in this paper - were identified by follow-up calls or visits. Subsequent completed suicide - the primary outcome measure has been reported in a previous paper. Results: Overall, the proportion of subjects with repeated suicide attempts was similar in the BIC and TAU groups (7.6% vs. 7.5%, chi(2) = 0.013; p = .909), but there were differences in rates across the five sites. Conclusions: This study from five low-and middle-income countries does not confirm the effectiveness of brief educational intervention and follow-up contacts for suicide attempters in reducing subsequent repetition of suicide attempts up to 18 months after discharge from emergency departments.

Secondary protons in the atmosphere at different latitudes

We present a semiempirical method to study the production and propagation of atmospheric secondary protons with energy>100 Mev, moving in the vertical direction. The derived production functions are fitted by the least-square method for the only previously published splash (SP) and return (RE) albedos observed data using the same instrument and measurement sites. The closed agreements between the measurement data and the calculations over a wide range of atmospheric depths lead to a possible extension of the method for other latitudes. The spectra of SP and RE intensities versus the geomagnetic cut-off reveal similar behaviour as assumed earlier by the theory for those components in the Earth's magnetic field. © 1993 Società Italiana di Fisica.

Evaluating the effects of high penetrations of roof-top wind Turbines on secondary distribution circuits

Incentives for using wind power and the increasing price of energy might generate in a relatively short time a scenario where low voltage customers opt to install roof-top wind turbines. This paper focuses on evaluating the effects of such situation in terms of energy consumption, loss reduction, reverse power flow and voltage profiles. Various commercially-available roof-top wind turbines are installed in two secondary distribution circuits considering real-life wind speed data and seasonal load demand. Results are presented and discussed. © 2006 IEEE.

Existence of solutions for the 3D-micropolar fluid system with initial data in Besov-Morrey spaces

In this paper, we show a local-in-time existence result for the 3D micropolar fluid system in the framework of Besov-Morrey spaces. The initial data class is larger than the previous ones and contains strongly singular functions and measures. © 2013 Springer Basel.

Mylar Secondary Emission-energy Distribution and Yields

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)