Statistical detection of spurious variations in daily raingauge data caused by changes in observation practices, as applied to records from various parts of the world

In the instrumental records of daily precipitation, we often encounter one or more periods in which values below some threshold were not registered. Such periods, besides lacking small values, also have a large number of dry days. Their cumulative distribution function is shifted to the right in relation to that for other portions of the record having more reliable observations. Such problems are examined in this work, based mostly on the two-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) test, where the portion of the series with more number of dry days is compared with the portion with less number of dry days. Another relatively common problem in daily rainfall data is the prevalence of integers either throughout the period of record or in some part of it, likely resulting from truncation during data compilation prior to archiving or by coarse rounding of daily readings by observers. This problem is identified by simple calculation of the proportion of integers in the series, taking the expected proportion as 10%. The above two procedures were applied to the daily rainfall data sets from the European Climate Assessment (ECA), Southeast Asian Climate Assessment (SACA), and Brazilian Water Resources Agency (BRA). Taking the statistic D of the KS test >0.15 and the corresponding p-value <0.001 as the condition to classify a given series as suspicious, the proportions of the ECA, SACA, and BRA series falling into this category are, respectively, 34.5%, 54.3%, and 62.5%. With relation to coarse rounding problem, the proportions of series exceeding twice the 10% reference level are 3%, 60%, and 43% for the ECA, SACA, and BRA data sets, respectively. A simple way to visualize the two problems addressed here is by plotting the time series of daily rainfall for a limited range, for instance, 0–10 mm day−1.

Effect of poultry viscera meal inclusion in broiler diets in different rearing periods on performance, carcass and parts yields

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Anti-leishmanial effects of purified compounds from aerial parts of Baccharis uncinella C. DC. (Asteraceae)

Species of Baccharis exhibit antibiotic, antiseptic, wound-healing, and anti-protozoal properties, and have been used in the traditional medicine of South America for the treatment of several diseases. In the present work, the fractionation of EtOH extract from aerial parts of Baccharis uncinella indicated that the isolated compounds caffeic acid and pectolinaringenin showed inhibitory activity against Leishmania (L.) amazonensis and Leishmania (V.) braziliensis promastigotes, respectively. Moreover, amastigote forms of both species were highly sensible to the fraction composed by oleanolic + ursolic acids and pectolinaringenin. Caffeic acid also inhibited amastigote forms of L. (L.) amazonensis, but this effect was weak in L. (V.) braziliensis amastigotes. The treatment of infected macrophages with these compounds did not alter the levels of nitrates, indicating a direct effect of the compounds on amastigote stages. The results presented herein suggest that the active components from B. uncinella can be important to the design of new drugs against American tegumentar leishmaniases.

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of derivatives from aerial parts of Baccharis uncinella

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

High-resolution electrocardiography in the diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in Boxer dogs

Com o objetivo de avaliar a importância da eletrocardiografia de alta resolução no diagnóstico da cardiomiopatia arritmogênica do ventrículo direito do Boxer, 20 cães sem evidências de doença cardíaca estrutural à avaliação ecodopplercardiográfica foram agrupados de acordo com a frequência de arritmias ventriculares, avaliadas pela eletrocardiografia ambulatorial de 24 horas, e submetidos ao exame eletrocardiográfico de alta resolução. Duração do complexo QRS filtrado, duração dos sinais de baixa amplitude (menor que 40µV) dos últimos 40 milissegundos do complexo QRS e raiz quadrada média da voltagem ao quadrado dos últimos 40 milissegundos do complexo QRS (RMS40) foram as variáveis avaliadas. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os grupos em relação às variáveis estudadas. Sendo assim, os resultados do presente estudo sugerem que a eletrocardiografia de alta resolução não é uma ferramenta útil no auxílio diagnóstico da cardiomiopatia arritmogênica do ventrículo direito dos cães da raça Boxer que não apresentam alterações miocárdicas evidentes ou disfunção sistólica.

Water-soluble nutrients in aerial plant parts of peanut and white oat as affected by lime and gypsum application

A calagem e a gessagem influenciam a disponibilidade e a absorção de nutrientes, podendo alterar a quantidade de ácidos orgânicos na parte aérea das culturas. Essas alterações, quantificadas por meio da análise de nutrientes solúveis em água, podem potencializar o efeito da correção do solo, garantindo a sustentabilidade do sistema de semeadura direta. Nesse sentido, objetivou-se avaliar o efeito da aplicação superficial de calcário e gesso no teor de nutientes solúveis em água nos resíduos vegetais das culturas de amendoim e aveia-branca. O experimento foi realizado em Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico em Botucatu (SP), nos anos agrícolas de 2004/2005 e 2005/2006. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados em esquema de parcelas subdivididas, com quatro repetições, em que as parcelas foram constituídas por doses de calcário, e as subparcelas, pela presença ou ausência da aplicação de gesso. Foi cultivado amendoim no verão e aveia-branca no inverno, em toda a área experimental. Na cultura do amendoim a aplicação de gesso elevou os teores de Ca solúvel em água apenas na primeira safra, em razão do curto período entre a aplicação do produto e a determinação dos teores de nutientes solúveis no extrato vegetal da cultura. A calagem realizada nas culturas de amendoim e aveia-branca elevou os teores solúveis de Ca, Mg, K e não alterou o teor de Cu e reduziu os teores de Zn, Mn e Fe nos dois anos de cultivo. Já a gessagem reduziu os valores da condutividade elétrica do amendoim (2004/2005 e 2005/2006) e da aveia-branca (2004/2005).

Mutagenic Activity of Indigofera truxillensis and I. suffruticosa Aerial Parts

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

Variability of physicochemical properties of an epoxy resin sealer taken from different parts of the same tube

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

The Rechtslehre doctrine and Kant's philosophy of history

The text is divided in two phases. In the first phase, consisting of three parts, the main concepts of Kant's Doctrine of Right are considered in a comprehensive approach related to: the issue of the relations between natural right and positive right, problem closely connected to that of the relations between natural state and civil state, private right and public right; to the doctrine of property and its connection with political right. on treating the right in its several types, we intend to appoint the practical reasoning as a background of the Doctrine. In the second phase, concerning its last section, the consideration on the presence of the practical reasoning into the right is placed before some specificities of Kant's phylosophy of history, with the intent of establishing the possible relation between Rechtslehre and that philosophy.

Heart failure due to right ventricular metastatic neuroendocrine tumor

We report a case of a female patient that was referred to our service with progressive weakness and dyspnea. Three years ago, she had been submitted to hysterectomy and salpingo-oforectomy followed by adjuvant radiotherapy due to uterine cervix neuroendocrine tumor. Two-dimensional echocardiography showed a dense sessile mass in the right ventricle causing right and left ventricular filling restriction. Despite chemotherapy the patient died and necropsy confirmed metastases from neuroendocrine tumor to the right ventricle. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Predictors of Right Ventricle Dysfunction After Anterior Myocardial Infarction

Background: Regardless significant therapeutic advances, mortality and morbidity after myocardial infarction (MI) are still high. For a long time, the importance of right ventricle (RV) function has been neglected. Recently, RV dysfunction has also been associated with poor outcomes in the setting of heart failure. The shape, location, and contraction conditions make the RV chamber assessment technically challenging.Methods: Our study identified clinical characteristics and left ventricle (LV) echocardiographic data performed 3-5 days after MI that could be associated with RV dysfunction (RV fractional area change [FAC] < 35%) 6 months after MI.Results: The RV dysfunction group consisted of 11 patients (RV FAC 29.4% +/- 5.2) and the no RV dysfunction group of 71 patients (RV FAC 43.7% +/- 5.1); (P < 0.001). Both groups presented the same baseline clinical characteristics. Left atrium (LA), interventricular septum (IVS), and left ventricular posterior wall (LVPW) were larger in RV dysfunction than in no RV dysfunction. Conversely, E wave deceleration time (EDT) was lower in RV dysfunction when compared with no RV dysfunction. Left atrium(adj) (adjusted by gender, age, infarct size, and body mass index) (odds ratio [OR], 1.22; confidence interval [CI], 1.016-1.47; P = 0.032), interventricular septum(adj) (OR, 1.49; CI, 1.01-2.23; P = 0.044), and E wave deceleration time(adj) (OR, 0.98; CI, 0.97-0.98; P = 0.029) assessed soon after MI predicted RV failure after 6-months.Conclusions: LV diastolic dysfunction, resulting from anterior MI and assessed 3-5 days after the event, may play an important role in predicting RV dysfunction 6 months later.

Cardiac hemangioma of the right atrium

Primary cardiac tumors are rare, with an incidence range between 0.001% and 0.030% at autopsy. Recent technical advances have facilitated diagnosis and surgical treatment of such lesions. Patients with a resectable tumor usually have a good prognosis, but patients with an unresectable tumor may have a poor prognosis. This report shows a case of right atrial hemangioma growing like an extracardiac mass, with cardiac tamponade the only clinical presentation.

Right-sided laryngeal hemiplegia and Horner's syndrome in a horse

This study describes right laryngeal hemiplegia (LH) and right-sided Horner's syndrome (HS) in a horse. The average temperature of the face was 3.5 degrees C higher on the right compared with the left side, as determined by thermographic imaging. The syndrome occurred following an episode of right mid-cervical cellulitis due to inadvertent perijugular deposition of gentamicin.

QTL for percentage of carcass and carcass parts in a broiler x layer cross

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