Um novo índice de qualidade das águas para proteção da vida aquática aplicado ao Rio Atibaia, região de Campinas/Paulínia-SP

In this paper a water quality index is developed to subsidize management actions in the Atibaia River for upon protection of aquatic organisms. This index is composed of two measurable environmental parameters normaly, ammonia and dissolved oxygen, the latter representing the contribution of organic matter. Concentrations of these two variables were normalized on a scale from 0 to 100 and translated into statements of quality (excellent, good, regular, bad and very bad). The index was applied to three monitoring points in the Atibaia River and compared to other indices used by the State of São Paulo Environmental Agency (CETESB). The results showed that the degradation in this watershed follows the urban population density. The developed index is more restricted than the other ones routinely used to infer water quality.

Índice de previsão de produção de leite para vacas Jersey

In Brazil the adoption of several models of cattle confinement leads to special conditions for management methods in dairy production, which can be improved by the use of technology that assures better herd management. Indexes relating environmental variables to production are applied for the prediction of milk production. The values of temperature and relative humidity, rain index, solar radiation and pasture soil temperature are generally considered potential stress agents for cows. The objective of this research was to develop an index for predicting milk production for high productivity Jersey milking cows lodged in semi confinement in tropical conditions. The experiment considered two treatments: A - the cows waited for 30 minutes prior to milking in a room with a shower associated to a fan; B - the cows did not have access to this room (control). Other than the waiting period, the cows had access to pasture. Differences in the effect of average production were not statistically significant. The analysis for studying the effect of the variables and designing the model led to a statistical model relating the variables milk production and rain index, as well as the maximum soil temperature of pasture, and milk production.

Cephalometric And Anthropometric Data Of Obstructive Apnea In Different Age Groups.

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome usually present with changes in upper airway morphology and/or body fat distribution, which may occur throughout life and increase the severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome with age. To correlate cephalometric and anthropometric measures with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome severity in different age groups. A retrospective study of cephalometric and anthropometric measures of 102 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome was analyzed. Patients were divided into three age groups (≥20 and <40 years, ≥40 and <60 years, and ≥60 years). Pearson's correlation was performed for these measures with the apnea-hypopnea index in the full sample, and subsequently by age group. The cephalometric measures MP-H (distance between the mandibular plane and the hyoid bone) and PNS-P (distance between the posterior nasal spine and the tip of the soft palate) and the neck and waist circumferences showed a statistically significant correlation with apnea-hypopnea index in both the full sample and in the ≥40 and <60 years age group. These variables did not show any significant correlation with the other two age groups (<40 and ≥60 years). Cephalometric measurements MP-H and PNS-P and cervical and waist circumferences correlated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome severity in patients in the ≥40 and <60 age group.

Plastias de estenoses de intestino delgado na doença de Crohn: resultados imediatos e tardios

BACKGROUND: Strictureplasty is an alternative surgical procedure for Crohn?s disease, particulary in patients with previous resections or many intestinal stenosis. AIM: To analyze surgical complications and clinical follow-up in patients submitted to strictureplasty secondary to Crohn?s disease. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients (57.1% male, mean age 33.3 years, range 16-54 years) with Crohn?s disease and intestinal stenosis (small bowel, ileocecal region and ileocolic anastomosis) were submitted to strictureplasty, at one institution, between September 1991 and May 2004. Thirteen patients had previous intestinal resections. The mean follow-up was 58.1 months. A total of 116 strictureplasties were done (94 Heineke-Mikulicz - 81%, 15 Finney - 13%, seven side-to-side ileocolic strictureplasty - 6%). Three patients were submitted to strictureplasty at two different surgical procedures and two in three procedures. RESULTS: Regarding to strictureplasty, postoperative complication rate was 25% and mortality was 3.6%. Early local complication rate was 57.1%, with three suture leaks (10.7%) and late complication was present in two patients, both with incisional hernial and enterocutaneous fistulas (28.6%). Patients remained hospitalized during a medium time of 12.4 days. Clinical and surgical recurrence rates were 63% and 41%, respectively. Among the patients submitted to another surgery, two patients had two more operations and one had three. Recurrence rate at strictureplasty site was observed in 3.5%, being Finney technique the commonest one. Presently, 19 patients had been asymptomatic with the majority of them under medical therapy. CONCLUSION: Strictureplasties have low complication rates, in spite of having been done at compromised site, with long term pain relief. Considering the clinical course of Crohn?s disease, with many patients being submitted to intestinal resections, strictureplasties should be considered as an effective surgical treatment to spare long intestinal resections.

Aplicação do escore MELD em pacientes submetidos a transplante de fígado: análise retrospectiva da sobrevida e dos fatores preditivos a curto e longo prazo

BACKGROUND: The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) was developed to predict short-term mortality in patients with cirrhosis. There are few reports studying the correlation between MELD and long-term posttransplantation survival. AIM: To assess the value of pretransplant MELD in the prediction of posttransplant survival. METHODS: The adult patients (age >18 years) who underwent liver transplantation were examined in a retrospective longitudinal cohort of patients, through the prospective data base. We excluded acute liver failure, retransplantation and reduced or split-livers. The liver donors were evaluated according to: age, sex, weight, creatinine, bilirubin, sodium, aspartate aminotransferase, personal antecedents, brain death cause, steatosis, expanded criteria donor number and index donor risk. The recipients' data were: sex, age, weight, chronic hepatic disease, Child-Turcotte-Pugh points, pretransplant and initial MELD score, pretransplant creatinine clearance, sodium, cold and warm ischemia times, hospital length of stay, blood requirements, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT >1,000 UI/L = liver dysfunction). The Kaplan-Meier method with the log-rank test was used for the univariable analyses of posttransplant patient survival. For the multivariable analyses the Cox proportional hazard regression method with the stepwise procedure was used with stratifying sodium and MELD as variables. ROC curve was used to define area under the curve for MELD and Child-Turcotte-Pugh. RESULTS: A total of 232 patients with 10 years follow up were available. The MELD cutoff was 20 and Child-Turcotte-Pugh cutoff was 11.5. For MELD score > 20, the risk factors for death were: red cell requirements, liver dysfunction and donor's sodium. For the patients with hyponatremia the risk factors were: negative delta-MELD score, red cell requirements, liver dysfunction and donor's sodium. The regression univariated analyses came up with the following risk factors for death: score MELD > 25, blood requirements, recipient creatinine clearance pretransplant and age donor >50. After stepwise analyses, only red cell requirement was predictive. Patients with MELD score < 25 had a 68.86%, 50,44% and 41,50% chance for 1, 5 and 10-year survival and > 25 were 39.13%, 29.81% and 22.36% respectively. Patients without hyponatremia were 65.16%, 50.28% and 41,98% and with hyponatremia 44.44%, 34.28% and 28.57% respectively. Patients with IDR > 1.7 showed 53.7%, 27.71% and 13.85% and index donor risk <1.7 was 63.62%, 51.4% and 44.08%, respectively. Age donor > 50 years showed 38.4%, 26.21% and 13.1% and age donor <50 years showed 65.58%, 26.21% and 13.1%. Association with delta-MELD score did not show any significant difference. Expanded criteria donors were associated with primary non-function and severe liver dysfunction. Predictive factors for death were blood requirements, hyponatremia, liver dysfunction and donor's sodium. CONCLUSION: In conclusion MELD over 25, recipient's hyponatremia, blood requirements, donor's sodium were associated with poor survival.

Interictal hyposexuality in male patients with epilepsy

The purpose of this study was to compare the serum levels of androgens between hyposexual and non-hyposexual patients with epilepsy. Adult male patients with epilepsy were investigated. Serum levels of testosterone (T) and free-T, estradiol, and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured and the free androgen index (FAI) was calculated. While there were no differences between hyposexual and non-hyposexual patients in the serum levels of T, free-T, and estradiol, or to the FAI, the serum levels of SHBG were significantly higher in hyposexual patients than in non-hyposexual patients. Thus, the effects of increased SHBG upon serum levels of testosterone biologically active in patients with epilepsy and hyposexuality were not detected by the methods used in this study. Four (44%) of nine hyposexual patients who were re-evaluated after two years follow-up improved sexual performance. Thus, clinical treatment that results in good seizure control may improve sexual performance in some patients with epilepsy.

O desenvolvimento do texto dissertativo em crianças da 4ª série

This reaserch analysed the developmental stage of fourth grade (primary school) children in ability of writting argumentative texts joint with their context. The reason of this reaserch is the lack of new studies in linguistical area and high ratio of unable students to make this kind of text. It will be showed the analysis of making text by public schools children for three months. These data were analysed trying identify argumentative operators, the kinds of arguments used and the stage of the argumentative ability of these children. The study showed that the introduction of argumentative text in first grades give them more chances of succeed, preparing these pupils in their finishing high school. This fact obviously will make easier the development of their critical point of view, helping the students to think about their living social reality.

Levantamento fitossociológico e caráter sucessional de um trecho de floresta secundária ciliar em Juquitiba, SP, Brasil

The objective of this study was to evaluate the horizontal and vertical structures of tree community in regeneration in a fragment of a secondary riparian forest at approximately 30 years of age and to identify the most abundant species in each fragment of the forest to determine the sucessional stage. An area of 800 m² was subdivided into 16 samples of 10 x 5 m and all individuals with DBH ≥ 1 cm were sampled and identified for the following analyzes: horizontal parameters (DR, FR, DoR, IVC and IVI), vertical parameters (PSR and RNR) and mixed parameters, from of value of increased importance index (IVIa). The survey measured 689 individuals, belonging to 38 families, 74 genus and 109 species. The total density was 8,614 individuals/ha. The index of Shannon´s diversity was 3.99 and the index of Pielou´s equability was 0.85. Tibouchina pulchra, Psychotria suterella and Endlicheria paniculata obtained high values of IVIa. Guarea macrophylla, Gomidesia anacardiaefolia, Xylopia langsdorffiana and Endlicheria paniculata achieved high values of RNT, indicating adequate natural regeneration in the plot. The initial secondary and umbrophylous species showed the highest ecological importance in this fragment of the forest, with the highest values of sociologic position and importance index. Furthermore, the presence of late secondary species in all layers suggest that the studied fragment is in intermediate succession degree.

Efeitos da cobertura do solo com filme de polietileno azul no consumo de água da cultura da alface cultivada em estufa

The covering of the soil is an agricultural practice that intends to control the harmful herbs, to reduce the losses of water by evaporation of the soil, and to facilitate the harvest and the commercialization, once the product is cleaner and healthier. However, when the soil is covered important microclimatic parameters are also altered, and consequently the germination of seeds, the growth of roots, the absorption of water and nutrients, the metabolic activity of the plants and the carbohydrates storage. The current trial intended to evaluate the effect of soil covering with blue colored film on consumptive water-use in a lettuce crop (Lactuca sativa, L.). The experiment was carried out in a plastic greenhouse in Araras - São Paulo State, Brazil from March 3rd, 2001 to May 5th, 2001. The consumptive water-use was measured through two weighing lysimeter installed inside the greenhouse. Crop spacing was 0.25 m x 0.25 m and the color of the film above soil was blue. Leaf area index (IAF), was measured six times (7; 14; 21; 28; 35; 40 days after transplant) and the water-use efficiency (EU) was measured at the end. The experimental design was subdivided portions with two treatments, bare soil and covered soil. The average consumptive water-use was 4.17 mm day-1 to the bare soil treatment and 3.11 mm day-1 to the covered soil treatment. The final leaf area index was 25.23 to the bare soil treatment and 24.39 to the covered soil treatment, and there was no statistical difference between then.

Avaliação de índices de firmeza para abacaxi minimamente processado em fatias tratadas com soluções de sais de cálcio

Fresh-cut sliced fruits and vegetables are ready to eat immediately and their sensorial characteristics should be similar to fresh product. Although most of the studies in this area are focused on vegetables, there is a great market potential for fresh-cut sliced fruits, mainly for those which exhibit some commercialization or preparation difficulties such as pineapple. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of 1% and 3% concentrations of calcium salts (chloride, sulphate and lactate) on pH, total soluble solids and firmness values of minimally processed pineapple slices. Two types of indenters and three firmness indexes were investigated aiming to identify the best index. Results showed that calcium sulphate 3% kept average firmness index up to 44.45% higher than the index value of the control. Even though both indenters exhibited similar variability the cylindrical one was able to point out more differences between control and treatments than the cylindrical borer indenter.

Mapeamento de semeaduras de soja (Glycine max (L.)Merr.) mediante dados MODIS/Terra E TM/Landsat 5: um comparativo

The objective of this work was to compare the soybean crop mapping in the western of Parana State by MODIS/Terra and TM/Landsat 5 images. Firstly, it was generated a soybean crop mask using six TM images covering the crop season, which was used as a reference. The images were submitted to Parallelepiped and Maximum Likelihood digital classification algorithms, followed by visual inspection. Four MODIS images, covering the vegetative peak, were classified using the Parallelepiped method. The quality assessment of MODIS and TM classification was carried out through an Error Matrix, considering 100 sample points between soybean or not soybean, randomly allocated in each of the eight municipalities within the study area. The results showed that both the Overall Classification (OC) and the Kappa Index (KI) have produced values ranging from 0.55 to 0.80, considered good to very good performances, either in TM or MODIS images. When OC and KI, from both sensors were compared, it wasn't found no statistical difference between them. The soybean mapping, using MODIS, has produced 70% of reliance in terms of users. The main conclusion is that the mapping of soybean by MODIS is feasible, with the advantage to have better temporal resolution than Landsat, and to be available on the internet, free of charge.

Ambiências térmica, aérea e acústica para reprodutores suínos

The swine breeder rearing environment directly affects the animal's performance. This research had the objective of developing a thermal, aerial and acoustic environmental evaluation pattern for boar housing. The experiment was carried on a commercial swine farm in Salto County -SP, Brazil. Thermal, aerial and acoustic environment data of rearing conditions were registered. Data were statistically analyzed using as threshold the ideal housing environment that leads to animal welfare. Results showed that ambient temperature was around 70% beyond normal range, while air relative humidity, air speed and gases concentration were within threshold values. Noise level data besides being within normal range did not present large variation. In relation to the fuzzy logic analysis it was possible to build up a scenario which indicated that the best welfare indexes to male swine breeders happens when thermal comfort index are close to 80%, and noise level is lower than 40 dB. In the other hand the worst welfare index occur in the sector where the thermal comfort values are below 40% at the same time that the noise level is higher than 80 dB leading to inadequate conditions to the animal, and may directly interfere in the reproduction system performance.

Perfis temporais NDVI MODIS, na cana-soca, de maturação tardia

This paper describes the development of a relational database and a tool for viewing MODIS NDVI temporal profile, using data from MOD09Q1 product, specifically the surface bidirectional reflectance factor relative to the RED and NIR wavelength, mosaic of 8-day temporal composition, and the quality band, in sugarcane fields in the state of São Paulo, for analysis of the late stubble-cane maturation. From sugarcane farms were obtained the historical data about yield, soil, variety, location of the each pixel for each subregion monitored. All data were integrated in a database developed in PostgreSQL. The tool was implemented using Java language and allowed a fast and automatic way of analyzing sugarcane phenological patterns. It concluded that the MODIS NDVI temporal profile using data from MOD09Q1 product is able to subsidize the monitoring of phenological changes in the sugarcane.

The relationship between physical aspects of quality of life and extreme levels of regular physical activity in adults

This study aimed to check for any significant differences in perceived quality of life, specifically aspects of a physical nature, among volunteers who are more physically active and those less physically active in a university community. The sample consisted of 1,966 volunteers in a university community in Brazil. To assess physical activity levels, volunteers responded to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and to analyse the perception of quality of life they responded to WHOQOL-bref, which is classified into three groups according to level of physical activity, taking into account the metabolic equivalent index (MET) over a full week. For comparison, consideration was given to the first and third tertiles, respectively, namely groups of more and less active students. The results indicated that individuals who engaged in more physical activity had a more positive perception of quality of life compared to those who were less active in physical aspects related to the ability to work, energy for day-to-day activities and locomotion.

Intercompreensão de texto escrito por falantes nativos de português e de espanhol

The aim of this paper is to verify the level of text comprehension (reading and translation) in Portuguese, by native speakers of Spanish and vice-versa. The subjects are freshmen, from different fields (300 native speakers of Portuguese and 300 of Spanish), who have never studied the other language neither as a second (L2) nor as a foreign language (FL). The results show that, in each group of subjects, there is a high level of comprehension of the foreign language, which varies from 58% to 94%, depending on the context and on the lexical/semantic similarity (or difference) between the key-words in the texts used in this research.