Influência do hospedeiro no ciclo e comprovação do ciclo heteroxeno de Anocentor nitens (Neumann, 1897)

Steers and rabbits were used as experimental hosts for Anocenter nitens during scheduled infections, when ticks were recovered from naturally infected horses. Thus, the influence of the host species on the parasite was evaluated mainly considering parameters related to the engorgement period and pre molting of evolutive stages. It was also observed that almost 5% if the metanymphae and a few more than 1% of metalarvae fall off from the host to molt in the evironment, characterizing cycles in one or more hosts. The heteroxenous cycle is reported for the first time occuring in A. nitens.

Parasitism of Ixodes (Multidentatus) auritulus Neumann (Acari: Ixodidae) on birds from the city of Curitiba, state of Paraná, southern Brazil

The tick-bird relationship of 56 specimens of birds (Passeriformes and Columbiformes) collected in the city of Curitiba, State of Paraná, between 1990 and 1995, among which 102 specimens of Ixodes (Multidentatus) auritulus were found and analyzed. New host records were also produced including the first report of I. auritulus on a Columbiformes bird in Brazil.

Seasonal analysis of the number of aeropiles in Anocentor nitens (Neumann, 1897) (Acari: Ixodidae) from the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Variation between aeropile numbers of the right and left peritrematic plate in male and female Anocentor nitens (Neumann, 1897) is reported from a site in Brazil. From January to December 1998, 146 males and 247 females of A. nitens were recovered from Equus caballus L. in Silva Jardim District, State of Rio de Janeiro. Asymmetry of numbers of aeropiles between right and left plates occurred in 83.6% of the males and 82.2% of the females. Differences in the number of aeropiles between the sexes were not significant. Quantitative variation of aeropiles was correlated to the period of recovery, with significant asymmetry detected in August-September and November-December, mainly in males. Results suggest an adaptation, especially in the male ticks, that expresses itself as greater variation in the number of aeropiles in some periods of the year.

Integrated control of Chagas disease for its elimination as public health problem - A Review

Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is, together with geohelminths, the neglected disease that causes more loss of years of healthy life due to disability in Latin America. Chagas disease, as determined by the factors and determinants, shows that different contexts require different actions, preventing new cases or reducing the burden of disease. Control strategies must combine two general courses of action including prevention of transmission to prevent the occurrence of new cases (these measures are cost effective), as well as opportune diagnosis and treatment of infected individuals in order to prevent the clinical evolution of the disease and to allow them to recuperate their health. All actions should be implemented as fully as possible and with an integrated way, to maximise the impact. Chagas disease cannot be eradicated due because of the demonstrated existence of infected wild triatomines in permanent contact with domestic cycles and it contributes to the occurrence of at least few new cases. However, it is possible to interrupt the transmission ofTrypanosoma cruziin a large territory and to eliminate Chagas disease as a public health problem with a dramatic reduction of burden of the disease.

The association between need for touch and desire for unique products and consumer (inter)dependent problem-solving

Some people cannot buy products without first touching them, believing that doing so will create more assurance and information and reduce uncertainty. The international consumer marketing literature suggests an instrument to measure consumers' necessity for pohysical contact, called Need for Touch (NFT). This paper analyzes whether the Need for Touch structure is empirically consistent. Based on a literature review, we suggest six hypotheses in order to assess the nomological, convergent, and discriminant validity of the phenomenon. Departing from these, data supported four assumptions in the predicted direction. Need for Touch was associated with Need for Input and with Need for Cognition. Need for Touch was not associated with traditional marketing channels. The results also showed the dual characterization of Need for Touch as a bi-dimensional construct. The moderator effect indicated that when the consumer has a higher (vs. lower) Need for Touch autotelic score, the experiential motivation for shopping played a more (vs. less) important role in impulsive motivation. Our Study 3 supports the NFT structure and shows new associations with the need for unique products and dependent decisions.

Injuries Resulted From Breastfeeding: A New Approach To A Known Problem

This study aimed at analyzing nipple trauma resulted from breastfeeding based on dermatological approach. Two integrative reviews of literature were conducted, the first related to definitions, classification and evaluation methods of nipple trauma and another about validation studies related to this theme. In the first part were included 20 studies and only one third defined nipple trauma, more than half did not defined the nipple’s injuries reported, and each author showed a particular way to assess the injuries, without consensus. In the second integrative review, no validation study or algorithm related to nipple trauma resulted from breastfeeding was found. This fact demonstrated that the nipple’s injuries mentioned in the first review did not go through validation studies, justifying the lack of consensus identified as far as definition, classification and assessment methods of nipple trauma.


Análise do número de cerdas internas do órgão de Haller de larvas de Amblyomma nodosum Neumann (Acari, Ixodidae)

A partir de teleógina de Amblyomma nodosum Neumann, 1899, removida de Tamandua tetradactyla (Linnaeus, 1758) foram obtidas posturas que originaram larvas, em condições de laboratório. Um total de 219 larvas foi examinado em microscopia de luz, com objetiva de imersão e microscopia de confocal com varredura a laser. Buscou-se analisar a variação do número das cerdas internas dos lados direito e esquerdo, no fundo da cápsula do Órgão de Haller, com intuito de utilizá-las como um parâmetro quetotáxico na diagnose específica. A média do número de cerdas foi 5,06±0, 71, com valores limites da amplitude de 4-11.

Simulating maize phenology as a function of air temperature with a linear and a nonlinear model

The objective of this study was to adapt a nonlinear model (Wang and Engel - WE) for simulating the phenology of maize (Zea mays L.), and to evaluate this model and a linear one (thermal time), in order to predict developmental stages of a field-grown maize variety. A field experiment, during 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 was conducted in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, in two growing seasons, with seven sowing dates each. Dates of emergence, silking, and physiological maturity of the maize variety BRS Missões were recorded in six replications in each sowing date. Data collected in 2005/2006 growing season were used to estimate the coefficients of the two models, and data collected in the 2006/2007 growing season were used as independent data set for model evaluations. The nonlinear WE model accurately predicted the date of silking and physiological maturity, and had a lower root mean square error (RMSE) than the linear (thermal time) model. The overall RMSE for silking and physiological maturity was 2.7 and 4.8 days with WE model, and 5.6 and 8.3 days with thermal time model, respectively.

Stability and adaptability of runner peanut genotypes based on nonlinear regression and AMMI analysis

The objective of this work was to estimate the stability and adaptability of pod and seed yield in runner peanut genotypes based on the nonlinear regression and AMMI analysis. Yield data from 11 trials, distributed in six environments and three harvests, carried out in the Northeast region of Brazil during the rainy season were used. Significant effects of genotypes (G), environments (E), and GE interactions were detected in the analysis, indicating different behaviors among genotypes in favorable and unfavorable environmental conditions. The genotypes BRS Pérola Branca and LViPE‑06 are more stable and adapted to the semiarid environment, whereas LGoPE‑06 is a promising material for pod production, despite being highly dependent on favorable environments.

Photomultiplier nonlinear response in time-domain laser-induced luminescence spectroscopy

A new procedure to find the limiting range of the photomultiplier linear response of a low-cost, digital oscilloscope-based time-resolved laser-induced luminescence spectrometer (TRLS), is presented. A systematic investigation on the instrument response function with different signal input terminations, and the relationship between the luminescence intensity reaching the photomultiplier and the measured decay time are described. These investigations establish that setting the maximum intensity of the luminescence signal below 0.3V guarantees, for signal input terminations equal or higher than 99.7 ohm, a linear photomultiplier response.

Simulação de espectros de ressonância paramagnética eletrônica (RPE) através do programa NLSL

EPR users often face the problem of extracting information from frequently low-resolution and complex EPR spectra. Simulation programs that provide a series of parameters, characteristic of the investigated system, have been used to achieve this goal. This work describes the general aspects of one of those programs, the NLSL program, used to fit EPR spectra applying a nonlinear least squares method. Several motion regimes of the probes are included in this computational tool, covering a broad range of spectral changes. The meanings of the different parameters and rotational diffusion models are discussed. The anisotropic case is also treated by including an orienting potential and order parameters. Some examples are presented in order to show its applicability in different systems.

Uso de redes neurais recorrentes na determinação das constantes de acidez para a 7-epiclusianona em misturas etanol-água

This work propose a recursive neural network to solve inverse equilibrium problem. The acidity constants of 7-epiclusianone in ethanol-water binary mixtures were determined from multiwavelength spectrophotmetric data. A linear relationship between acidity constants and the %w/v of ethanol in the solvent mixture was observed. The proposed method efficiency is compared with the Simplex method, commonly used in nonlinear optimization techniques. The neural network method is simple, numerically stable and has a broad range of applicability.