Brazil: an emerging military power? The problem of the use of force in Brazilian international relations in the 21st century

The central goal of this paper is thinking about the Brazilian military power and its linking to the international ambitions of the country in the 21st century. After a comparative analysis to other BRICs and with a historical one about Brazil's strategic irrelevance, we aim to establish what the minimum military capacity Brazil would need in order to meet the country's latest international interests. Similarly, it will be discussed if the National Strategy of Defense, approved in 2008, and the recent strategic agreements signed with France represent one more step toward this minimum military capacity.

An outline of military technological dynamics as restraints for acquisition, international cooperation and domestic technological development

The expectation that technological returns from defense expenditure through acquisition, international cooperation and domestic research would further national development underappreciates the different technological dynamic of the armed services. This paper outlines the technological dynamic the stems from fighting in the air, at sea and on land, exemplifying consequences for the case of acquisition.

Postharvest quality of cocona (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) stored under ambient condition

Cocona (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal) is an important genetic resource that has been traditionally used for a variety of purposes, including food, medical and cosmetics applications. The objective of this study was evaluated the quality and the period of postharvest shelf life of cocona 'Mosquet", through the physical, chemical and physiological characterization of fruits stored under the ambient conditions. Physiologically mature fruits were harvested from an orchard, washed with tap water and soaked in a solution of the fungicide Prochloraz (49.5 g/100 L of water) for 5 minutes. After air drying, the fruits were packed in plastic containers and stored at 24 ± 2 ºC and relative humidity 60 ± 5% for 15 days. The fruits developed a respiratory climacteric respiratory patern and remained fit for consumption up to day 6 of storage, that is, without visual symptoms of loss of water and firmness. At this stage, the fruits showed firmness of 117,42 kPa, soluble solids of 6.62º Brix and citric acid of 1.22 %.

Knowledge and policy action in urban development: if we know so much, why is the urban condition not improving?

In spite of the wealth generation potential of the world's large metropolitan cities, poor living conditions for much of the world's urban population persist. Although the city has been widely studied, urban policy often remains ineffective. The paper adopts a policy process approach to analyze the relationship between knowledge and governmental action. Impediments to improving urban policy are found in the inadequate capacity of government to act and in the politics of democratic decision-making. The paper recommends that a pragmatic view of knowledge generation be adopted.

Applications of artificial intelligence to condition-based maintenance

In this paper we discuss interesting developments of expert systems for machine diagnosis and condition-based maintenance. We review some elements of condition-based maintenance and its applications, expert systems for machine diagnosis, and an example of machine diagnosis. In the last section we note some problems to be resolved so that expert systems for machine diagnosis may gain wider acceptance in the future.

Adenoviruses isolated from civilian and military personnel in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Adenovirus are important pathogen primarily associated to respiratory infections of children and military personnel, even though it is also associated to cases of conjunctivitis and keratoconjunctivitis. We analyzed respiratory secretion collected from subjects with and without respiratory infection symptoms, being 181 civilians and 221 military subjects. The samples were inoculated in HEp-2 and/or A549 tissue cultures for viral isolation. Samples presenting cytopathogenic effect (CPE) in any tissue culture were tested by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to confirm adenovirus isolation. The isolates confirmed as adenovirus were further analyzed by restriction endonuclease assay for determination of viral species. Three isolates were identified as specie A (two from civilian and one from military), one isolate from military was identified as specie C, and one isolate from civilian was identified as specie D. For two isolates the specie could not be identified.

FATAL OUTCOME OF INFECTION BY DENGUE 4 IN A PATIENT WITH THROMBOCYTOPENIC PURPURA AS A COMORBID CONDITION IN BRAZIL

Dengue is currently a major public-health problem. Dengue virus (DENV) is classified into four distinct serotypes, DENV 1-4. After 28 years of absence, DENV-4 was again detected in Brazil in 2010 in Roraima State, and one year later, the virus was identified in the northern Brazilian states of Amazonas and Pará, followed by Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In Minas Gerais, the first confirmed case of DENV-4 occurred in the municipality of Frutal in 2011 and has now been isolated from a growing number of patients. Although DENV-2 is associated with the highest risk of severe forms of the disease and death due to the infection, DENV-4 has also been associated with severe forms of the disease and an increasing risk of hemorrhagic manifestations. Herein, the first fatal case of confirmed DENV-4 in Brazil is reported. The patient was an 11-year-old girl from the municipality of Montes Claros in northern Minas Gerais State, Brazil. She had idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura as a comorbid condition and presented with a fulminant course of infection, leading to death due to hemorrhagic complications. Diagnosis was confirmed by detection of Dengue-specific antibodies using IgM capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and semi-nested RT-PCR. Primary care physicians and other health-care providers should bear in mind that DENV-4 can also result in severe forms of the disease and lead to hemorrhagic complications and death, mainly when dengue infection is associated with coexisting conditions.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy as an AIDS-defining condition in a patient with high CD4+ T-lymphocyte count

We present the case of a 31-year-old man with acute manifestation of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) as an AIDS-defining disease. The patient presented with a three-day history of neurological disease, brain lesions without mass effect or contrast uptake and a slightly increased protein concentration in cerebrospinal fluid. A serological test for HIV was positive and the CD4+ T-cell count was 427/mm³. Histological examination of the brain tissue revealed abnormalities compatible with PML. The disease progressed despite antiretroviral therapy, and the patient died three months later. PML remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality among HIV-infected patients.

The stigma and prejudice of leprosy: influence on the human condition

INTRODUCTION: To analyze the knowledge, feelings and perceptions involving patients affected by leprosy, as a better understanding of these factors may be useful to decrease the stigma and prejudice associated with the condition. METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 94 patients who underwent treatment for leprosy at the Health Units in the City of Cuiabá, Mato Grosso (MT), Brazil. The study questionnaire included items to collect information on socio-demographic data, knowledge about the disease, stigma, prejudice, self-esteem and quality of life of leprosy patients. Bivariate analyses were used to assess the data based on the chi-square test with a 5% significance threshold. RESULTS: The results revealed that the study population consisted predominantly of males (55.3%) with an income between 1 and 3 times the minimum wage (67%). The survey respondents reported that the most significant difficulties related to the treatment were the side effects (44.7%) and the duration of the treatment (28.7%). A total of 72.3% of the subjects were knowledgeable about the disease, of whom 26.6% had the leprosy reaction. Stigma and prejudice were cited by 93.6% of the participants. Based on the responses, 40.4% of patients reported being depressed and sad, and 69.1% of the subjects encountered problems at work after being diagnosed. A total of 45.7% of the patients rated their quality of life between bad and very bad. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that leprosy causes suffering in patients beyond pain and discomfort and greatly influences social participation.

Width-weight relationship and condition factor of Ucides cordatus (Crustacea, Decapoda, Ucididae) at tropical mangroves of Northeast Brazil

The present contribution aims at evaluating the carapace width vs. humid weight relationship and the condition factor of Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763), in the mangrove forests of the Ariquindá and Mamucabas rivers, state of Pernambuco, Brazil. These two close areas present similar characteristics of vegetation and substrate, but exhibit different degrees of environmental conservation: the Ariquindá River is the preserved area, considered one of the last non-polluted of Pernambuco, while the Mamucabas River suffers impacts from damming, deforestation and deposition of waste. A total of 1,298 individuals of U. cordatus were collected. Males were larger and heavier than females, what is commonly observed in Brachyura. Ucides cordatus showed allometric negative growth (p < 0.05), which is probably related to the dilatation that this species develops in the lateral of the carapace, which stores six pairs of gills. The values of b were within the limit established for aquatic organisms. Despite of the condition factor being considered an important feature to confirm the reproductive period, since it varies with cyclic activities, in the present study it was not correlated to the abundance of ovigerous females. However, it was considered a good parameter to evaluate environmental impacts, being significantly lower at the impacted area.

Condition factor of Goniopsis cruentata (Crustacea, Brachyura, Grapsidae) from Mundaú/Manguaba estuarine complex, Alagoas, Brazil

The condition factor is a parameter which acts as a general indicator of the "well-being" of a species, and it can be obtained through the analysis of width vs. weight relationships. The present work aims to investigate size vs. weight relationship and the condition factor of the crab Goniopsis cruentata (Latreille, 1803). The study area was the Mundaú/Manguaba estuarine complex, Maceió, state of Alagoas, Northeast Brazil. Samplings were monthly accomplished from August 2007 to July 2008. A total of 626 individuals were analyzed, being 309 males and 317 females. Males were larger and heavier than females, what is expected in many brachyuran. The growth was positive allometric to both males (b = 3.42) and females (b = 3.30), not obeying the "cube law". The condition factor of female was higher than that of male crabs, probably due to the gonad weight of females. It also varied seasonally for both sexes, being higher in the autumn and winter in males, and in the autumn and spring in females, and related to the molt and period of spawning intensification.

The Adolpho Lutz collection of Tabanidae: (Diptera): I. The described genera and species, condition of the collection, and selection of lectotypes

A study of the Adolpho Lutz Collection of Tabanidae at the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz and of additional Lutz material at the Instituto Butantan in São Paulo is reported. Of the ninety-four species of Tabanidae validly described by Lutz, type material of eighty-four was recognized, either holotypes, allotypes or syntypes. Lectotypes were selected from among syntype series or remaining specimens and all type material was labelled. Of the ten species of which no type material could be found, neotypes were designated in the case of two species, Erephosis nigricans and Erephosis pseudo-aurimaculata. Types of three species, Chrysops ecuadoriensis, Dichelacera salvadorensis and Esenbeckia nigricorpus are believed to have been in Hamburg and destroyed during the last war. Types of two species, Esenbeckia biscutellata and E. dubia, and additional type material of several others are believed to have been in Montevideo. A request for information about them remains unanswered. Types of the remaining three species, Dichelacera intermedia, Dichelacera laceriascia and Esenbeckia distinguenda could not be found, and it is believed that at least the type of the last species was accidentally destroyed. Three specific of subspecific names proposed by Lutz but palaced by others in synonymy have been revalidated, Acanthocera intermedia, Erephosis brevistria and Esenbeckia fenestrata. Generic placement of two names has been changed, Esenbeckia arcuata ricardoae to Proboscoides, and Selasoma giganteum to Stibasoma. Seven specific names proposed by Lutz appear to be synonyms of earlier names, as follows: Bombylopsis juxtaleonina Lutz and Castro, 1936 = B. leonina Lutz, 1909. Bombylopsis pseudoanalis Lutz, 1909 = B. erythronotata (Bigot, 1892). Esenbeckia fuscipennis var. flavescens Lutz, 1909 = Esenbeckia fuscipennis Wied., 1828. Fidena chrysopyga Lutz and Castro, 1936 = F. atra Lutz and Castro, 1936. Laphriomyia longipalpis Lutz and Castro, 1937 = L. mirabilis Lutz, 1911. Stibasoma semiflavum Lutz, 1915 = St. bicolor Bigot, 1892. Tabanus hesperus Lutz, 1912 = Chlorotabanus (Cryptolylus) innotescens (Walker, 1854). Four Lutz names appear to antedate names proposed by others, viz.: Diachlorus angustifrons Kröber, 1930 and D. ochraceus Kröb., 1928 not Macquart, 1850 = Diachlorus fuscistigma Lutz, 1913. Psalidia fairchildi Barretto, 1950 = dicladocera conspicua Lutz and Neiva, 1914. Fidena pseudo-fulvithorax Kröb., 1931 = Erephopsis flavicrinis Lutz, 1909. Esenbeckia lemniscata Enderlein, 1925 = Esenbeckia clari Lutz, 1909. Some comments on Lutz' system of classification are given together with notes on the genotypes and included species of his genera as revaled by his collection and notes.