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.

Force of infection and evolution of lesions of canine tegumentary leishmaniasis in Northwestern Argentina

A clinical-serological follow-up was carried out in a canine population in endemic foci of Leishmania braziliensis spread in northwestern Argentina. Each dog was studied in at least two visits, 309±15 days (X±SE) apart. Some initially healthy dogs (n=52) developed seroconversion or lesions. The clinical evolution of the disease in dogs resembles in many aspects the human disease. Similarities include the long duration of most ulcers with occasional healing or appearance of new ones and the late appearance of erosive snout lesions in some animals. Yearly incidence rates of 22.7% for seroconversion and of 13.5% for disease were calculated as indicators of the force of infection by this parasite upon the canine population.

Studies of membrane fluidity and heart contractile force in Trypanosoma cruzi infected mice

In Chagas disease serious cardiac dysfunction can appear. We specifically studied the cardiac function by evaluating: ventricle contractile force and norepinephrine response, affinity and density of beta-adrenergic receptors, dynamic properties of myocardial membranes, and electrocardiography. Albino swiss mice (n = 250) were infected with 55 trypomastigotes, Tulahuen strain and studied at 35, 75, and 180 days post-infection, that correspond to the acute, indeterminate, and chronic phase respectively. Cardiac beta-adrenergic receptors' affinity, myocardial contractility, and norepinephrine response progressively decreased from the acute to the chronic phase of the disease (p < 0.01). The density (expressed as fmol/mg.prot) of the receptors was similar to non-infected mice (71.96 ± 0.36) in both the acute (78.24 ± 1.67) and indeterminate phases (77.28 ± 0.91), but lower in the chronic disease (53.32 ± 0.71). Electrocardiographic abnormalities began in the acute phase and were found in 65% of the infected-mice during the indeterminate and chronic phases. Membrane contents of triglycerides, cholesterol, and anisotropy were similar in all groups. A quadratic correlation between the affinity to beta-adrenergic receptors and cardiac contractile force was obtained. In conclusion the changes in cardiac beta-adrenergic receptors suggests a correlation between the modified beta-adrenergic receptors affinity and the cardiac contractile force.

Expansion of host range as a driving force in the evolution of Toxoplasma

The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is unusual in being able to infect almost any cell from almost any warm-blooded animal it encounters. This extraordinary host-range contrasts with its far more particular cousins such as the various species of the malaria parasite Plasmodium where each species of parasite has a single genus or even species of host that it can infect. Genetic and genomic studies have revealed a key role for a number of gene families in how Toxoplasma invades a host cell, modulates gene expression of that cell and successfully evades the resulting immune response. In this review, I will explore the hypothesis that a combination of sexual recombination and expansion of host range may be the major driving forces in the evolution of some of these gene families and the specific genes they encompass. These ideas stem from results and thoughts published by several labs in the last few years but especially recent papers on the role of different forms of rhoptry proteins in the relative virulence of F1 Toxoplasma progeny in a particular host species (mice).

Vectorial capacity, basic reproduction number, force of infection and all that: formal notation to complete and adjust their classical concepts and equations

A dimensional analysis of the classical equations related to the dynamics of vector-borne infections is presented. It is provided a formal notation to complete the expressions for the Ross' Threshold Theorem, the Macdonald's basic reproduction "rate" and sporozoite "rate", Garret-Jones' vectorial capacity and Dietz-Molineaux-Thomas' force of infection. The analysis was intended to provide a formal notation that complete the classical equations proposed by these authors.

Investigating the spontaneous formation of SDS micelle in aqueous solution using a coarse-grained force field

A 1µs Molecular Dynamic simulation was performed with a realistic model system of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) micelles in aqueous solution, comprising of 360 DS-, 360 Na+ and 90000 water particles. After 300 ns three different micellar shapes and sizes 41, 68 and 95 monomers, were observed. The process led to stabilization in the total number of SDS clusters and an increase in the micellar radius to 2.23 nm, in agreement with experimental results. An important conclusion, is be aware that simulations employed in one aggregate, should be considered as a constraint. Size and shape distribution must be analyzed.

A frequency-domain pseudo-force method for dynamic structural analysis nonlinear systems and nonproportional damping

A frequency-domain method for nonlinear analysis of structural systems with viscous, hysteretic, nonproportional and frequency-dependent damping is presented. The nonlinear effects and nonproportional damping are considered through pseudo-force terms. The modal coordinates uncoupled equations are iteratively solved. The treatment of initial conditions in the frequency domain which is necessary for the treatment of the uncoupled equations is initially adressed.

The rate of force generation by the myocardium is not influenced by afterload

The influence of afterload on the rate of force generation by the myocardium was investigated using two types of preparations: the in situ dog heart (dP/dt) and isolated papillary muscle of rats (dT/dt). Thirteen anesthetized, mechanically ventilated and thoracotomized dogs were submitted to pharmacological autonomic blockade (3.0 mg/kg oxprenolol plus 0.5 mg/kg atropine). A reservoir connected to the left atrium permitted the control of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP). A mechanical constriction of the descending thoracic aorta allowed to increase the systolic pressure in two steps of 20 mmHg (conditions H1 and H2) above control values (condition C). After arterial pressure elevations (systolic pressure C: 119 ± 8.1; H1: 142 ± 7.9; H2 166 ± 7.7 mmHg; P<0.01), there were no significant differences in heart rate (C: 125 ± 13.9; H1: 125 ± 13.5; H2: 123 ± 14.1 bpm; P>0.05) or LVEDP (C: 6.2 ± 2.48; H1: 6.3 ± 2.43; H2: 6.1 ± 2.51 mmHg; P>0.05). The values of dP/dt did not change after each elevation of arterial pressure (C: 3,068 ± 1,057; H1: 3,112 ± 996; H2: 3,086 ± 980 mmHg/s; P>0.05). In isolated rat papillary muscle, an afterload corresponding to 50% and 75% of the maximal developed tension did not alter the values of the maximum rate of tension development (100%: 78 ± 13; 75%: 80 ± 13; 50%: 79 ± 11 g mm-2 s-1, P>0.05). The results show that the rise in afterload per se does not cause changes in dP/dt or dT/dt

Three days of intermittent stretching after muscle disuse alters the proteins involved in force transmission in muscle fibers in weanling rats

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of intermittent passive manual stretching on various proteins involved in force transmission in skeletal muscle. Female Wistar weanling rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups: 2 control groups containing 21- and 30-day-old rats that received neither immobilization nor stretching, and 3 test groups that received 1) passive stretching over 3 days, 2) immobilization for 7 days and then passive stretching over 3 days, or 3) immobilization for 7 days. Maximal plantar flexion in the right hind limb was imposed, and the stretching protocol of 10 repetitions of 30 s stretches was applied. The soleus muscles were harvested and processed for HE and picrosirius staining; immunohistochemical analysis of collagen types I, III, IV, desmin, and vimentin; and immunofluorescence labeling of dystrophin and CD68. The numbers of desmin- and vimentin-positive cells were significantly decreased compared with those in the control following immobilization, regardless of whether stretching was applied (P<0.05). In addition, the semi-quantitative analysis showed that collagen type I was increased and type IV was decreased in the immobilized animals, regardless of whether the stretching protocol was applied. In conclusion, the largest changes in response to stretching were observed in muscles that had been previously immobilized, and the stretching protocol applied here did not mitigate the immobilization-induced muscle changes. Muscle disuse adversely affected several proteins involved in the transmission of forces between the intracellular and extracellular compartments. Thus, the 3-day rehabilitation period tested here did not provide sufficient time for the muscles to recover from the disuse maladaptations in animals undergoing postnatal development.

Contact force-guided catheter ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials

Contact force (CF) sensing technology allows real-time monitoring during catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the effect of CF sensing technology on procedural parameters and clinical outcomes still needs clarification. Because of the inconsistent results thus far in this area, we performed a meta-analysis to determine whether CF sensing technology can improve procedural parameters and clinical outcomes for the treatment of AF. Studies examining the benefits of CF sensing technology were identified in English-language articles by searching the MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases (inception to May 2015). Ten randomized, controlled trials involving 1834 patients (1263 males, 571 females) were included in the meta-analysis (681 in the CF group, 1153 in the control group). Overall, the ablation time was significantly decreased by 7.34 min (95%CI=-12.21 to -2.46; P=0.003, Z test) in the CF group compared with the control group. CF sensing technology was associated with significantly improved freedom from AF after 12 months (OR=1.55, 95%CI=1.20 to 1.99; P=0.0007) and complications were significantly lower in the CF group than in the control group (OR=0.50, 95%CI=0.29 to 0.87; P=0.01). However, fluoroscopy time analysis showed no significantly decreased trend associated with CF-guided catheter ablation (weighted mean difference: -2.59; 95%CI=-9.06 to 3.88; P=0.43). The present meta-analysis shows improvement in ablation time and freedom from AF after 12 months in AF patients treated with CF-guided catheter ablation. However, CF-guided catheter ablation does not decrease fluoroscopy time.