Suolistopatogeenisten Escherichia coli -bakteerien esiintyvyys ripulipotilailla ja raa’oissa lihatuotteissa Burkina Fasossa sekä enterohemorraagisten E. coli -kantojen karakterisointi

Suolistopatogeeniset Escherichia coli -bakteerit eli ripulikolit aiheuttavat ihmisellä suolistoinfektioita. Kuten normaalimikrobiston E. coli -bakteerit, ne esiintyvät ihmisen lisäksi muiden nisäkkäiden, etenkin märehtijöiden, ja lintujen suolistossa. Lisäksi ne voivat esiintyä maaperässä ja vesistöissä. Ihminen voi saada tartunnan eläinperäisten elintarvikkeiden välityksellä tai juomalla eläinten tai ihmisen ulosteilla saastunutta vettä. Ripulikolit voidaan jakaa ainakin viiteen ryhmään perustuen niiden erilaisiin virulenssiominaisuuksiin: enteropatogeeninen E. coli (EPEC), enterotoksigeeninen E. coli (ETEC), enterohemorraaginen E. coli (EHEC), enteroinvasiivinen E. coli (EIEC) ja enteroaggregatiivinen E. coli (EAEC). EPEC aiheuttaa etenkin kehitysmaissa pikkulapsille ripulia. ETEC aiheuttaa turistiripulia ja vastasyntyneiden ripulia kehitysmaissa. EHEC aiheuttaa ripulia tai veriripulia, joka voi varsinkin pienillä lapsilla johtaa hemolyyttis-ureemiseen oireyhtymään (HUS) ja munuaisten vaurioitumiseen. EIEC aiheuttaa Shigellan kaltaista ripulia, joka voi olla veristä. EAEC on yhdistetty lähinnä pitkittyneisiin ripuleihin. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin suolistopatogeenisten E. coli -bakteerien esiintyvyyttä Burkina Fasossa, josta ei ole saatavilla aikaisempaa tietoa ripulikolien esiintymisestä ihmisissä ja elintarvikkeissa. Ulostenäytteitä otettiin ripulia sairastavilta alle viisivuotiailta lapsilta maaseudulta kahdesta kylästä, Boromosta ja Gourcysta, ja maan pääkaupungista Ouagadougousta (110 näytettä). Lihanäytteitä (kanaa, nautaa, lammasta ja naudan suolta, jota käytetään ihmisravinnoksi) otettiin Ouagadougoun toreilla myytävistä kypsentämättömistä lihoista (120 näytettä). Näytteistä saadut bakteerisekaviljelmät tutkittiin monialukkeisella PCR-menetelmällä, joka tunnistaa viiden ripulikoliryhmän virulenssigeenejä. Lisäksi lihanäytteistä eristettiin 20 EHEC-kantaa shigatoksiinin stx-geenin havaitsemiseen perustuvalla pesäkehybridisaatiolla ja PCR-seulonnalla, ja karakterisoitiin mahdollisten virulenssiominaisuuksien selvittämiseksi. Tutkimus osoitti, että ripulikolien aiheuttamat suolistoinfektiot ovat yleisiä ripulia sairastavilla pikkulapsilla Burkina Fasossa. Ulostenäytteistä 59 % oli positiivisia. Useimmiten lapsilla esiintyi EAEC- (32 %) ETEC- (31 %) ja EPEC-patoryhmiä (20 %). EIEC- (2 %) ja EHEC-patoryhmiä (1 %) esiintyi vähän. Myös useamman patoryhmän sekainfektiot olivat yleisiä (24 %). Eri paikkakuntien välillä oli tilastollisesti merkitseviä eroja ripulikolien esiintymisessä. Gourcyssa ripulikoleja esiintyi useammin kuin Ouagadougoussa ja Boromossa. Tutkimuksessa kävi ilmi, että Ouagadougoun toreilla myytävissä lihoissa on paljon ripulikoleja. Lihanäytteistä 43 % oli positiivisia. Yleisimmin lihoissa esiintyi EHEC (28 %), EPEC (20 %), ETEC (8 %) ja EAEC (5 %). EIEC-ryhmää ei havaittu lihoissa. Myös useamman patoryhmän sekakontaminaatioita löytyi (17 %) lihoista. Ripulikolien esiintyvyydessä eri lihojen välillä ei ollut tilastollisesti merkitseviä eroja, kun tarkasteltiin kaikkia patoryhmiä yhdessä. Eri patoryhmien esiintyvyyttä tarkasteltaessa EHEC-patoryhmää ei esiintynyt ollenkaan kanassa ja ero oli tilastollisesti merkitsevä muihin lihoihin verrattuna. Lihoista eristetyt 20 EHEC-kantaa kuuluivat 14 eri serotyyppiin, joista osa on aikaisemmin eristetty suolistoinfektioihin ja HUSoireyhtymään sairastuneilta ihmisiltä. Kaikki kannat olivat stx1-positiivisia ja puolella oli lisäksi stx2-geeni, jota pidetään shigatoksiinin virulentimpana muotona. Kahdelta EHEC-kannalta löytyi myös ETECpatoryhmän lämpöstabiilin enterotoksiini Ia:n geeni eli kannat olivat kahden patoryhmän välimuotoa ja osoitus geenien siirtymisestä eri patoryhmien välillä. Vaikka nuorimmat näytteen antaneet lapsipotilaat tuskin söivät lihaa, sen voidaan ajatella silti olevan edustava näyte lasten elinympäristöstä, sillä lasten ruoka valmistetaan usein samoissa oloissa, joissa raakaa lihaa käsitellään. Saastunut liha voi siten olla pikkulasten ripulikoli-infektioiden aiheuttaja.

Mössbauer effect and electron paramagnetic resonance studies on zinc borate glasses containing transition metal oxides

Studies have been carried out in glasses containing Fe2O3, V2O5, and Fe2O3 + V2O5. Mossbauer studies in the ZnO-B2O3-Fe2O3 system show that iron is present as Fe3+ with tetrahedral coordination and that the isomer shift and the quadrupole splitting decrease with increase of Fe2O3 Content; similarly, the isomer shift and quadrupole splitting are also found to decrease with increasing ZnO. On the other hand, in the Na2O-ZnO-B2O3-Fe2O3 system, the isomer shift increases with Na2O or ZnO while the quadrupole splitting is fairly insensitive. Electron paramagnetic resonance in the ZnO-B2O3-Fe2O3 system shows signals at g = 4.20 and 2.0, whose intensity and linewidth show strong dependence on Fe2O3 content. In the ZnO-B2O3-V2O5 system, electron paramagnetic resonance shows that vanadium is present as the vanadyl complex, and the hyperfine coupling constants, A(parallel-to) and A(perpendicular-to) decrease with increasing V2O5 content; on the other hand, g(parallel-to) decreases and g(perpendicular-to) increases slightly, indicating an increase in tetragonal distortion. Zinc borate glasses containing Fe2O3 + V2O5 do not show the hyperfine structure of V4+ due to the interaction between Fe3+ and V4+

Pentoxifylline-stimulated capacitation and acrosome reaction in hamster spermatozoa: involvement of intracellular signalling molecules

We investigated the role of cAMP/cGMP, protein kinases and intracellular calcium ( [Ca2+](i)) in pentoxifylline-stimulated hamster sperm capacitation and the acrosome reaction (AR) in vitro. Treatment with pentoxifylline [0.45 mM) initially increased sperm cAMP values 2.8-fold, compared with untreated controls (396 +/- 9.2 versus 141 +/- 6.0 fmoles/10(6) spermatozoa; mean +/- SEM, n = 6) after 15 min, although by 3 h, cAMP values were similar (503-531 fmoles/10(6) spermatozoal, cGMP values (similar to 27 fmoles/10(6) spermatozoa) were the same in treated and control spermatozoa. Both sperm capacitation and the AR, determined from the absence of an acrosomal cap, were stimulated by pentoxifylline; these were almost completely inhibited by a Cl-/HCO(3)(-)antiporter inhibitor (4,4-diisothiocyanato-stilbene-2,2 disulphonic acid; 1 mM) defined from the degree of sperm motility and by a protein kinase A inhibitor (H89; 10 mu M) A protein kinase G inhibitor (staurosporine, 1 nM) did not affect pentoxifylline-stimulated capacitation but inhibited the AR by 50%. A protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor (tyrphostin A-47, 0.1 mM) had no effect on either pentoxifylline-stimulated capacitation or AR, A phospholipase A(2) inhibitor (aristolochic acid, 0.4 mM) markedly inhibited the pentoxifylline-stimulated AR but not capacitation. When intracellular sperm calcium [Ca2+](i) was measured using fura-2-AM, there was an early rise 271 nM at 0.5 hi in pentoxifylline(-treated spermatozoa; this appeared to be due to intracellular mobilization rather than to uptake. In the absence of extracellular Ca2+, sperm motility was maintained in the presence of pentoxifylline, but capacitation did not occur; spermatozoa exhibited a low level of hyperactivated motility and had a poor rate of AR(20.5 +/- 2.3%). These results suggest that: (i) the pentoxifylline-stimulated early onset of sperm capacitation may be mediated by an early rise in cAMP and [Ca2+/-](i) and involves protein kinase A activity; and (ii) pentoxifylline-stimulated AR may require phospholipase A;A(2) and protein kinase C activity.

Synthesis and Degradation of Sorbitol-Based Polymers

A new class of biodegradable copolyesters was synthesized by the catalyst-free melt condensation of sorbitol with citric acid, tartaric acid, and sebacic acid. The resulting polymers were designated as poly(sorbitol citric sebacate) p(SCS)] and poly(sorbitol tartaric sebacate) p(STS)]. The synthesized polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, H-1-NMR spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry analysis. Porous spongelike scaffolds were prepared with a salt-leaching technique and characterized with scanning electron microscopy. Tensile testing of the p(SCS) and p(STS) polymers showed that they exhibited a wide range of mechanical properties. The Young's modulus and tensile strengths of the polymers ranged from 1.06 +/- 0.12 to 462.65 +/- 34.21 MPa and from 0.45 +/- 0.04 to 20.32 +/- 2.54 MPa, respectively. In vitro degradation studies were performed on disc-shaped polymer samples. The half-life of the polymers ranged from 0.54 to 38.52 days. The percentage hydration of the polymers was in the range 9.36 +/- 1.26 to 78.25 +/- 1.91, with sol contents of 2-14%. At any given polymer composition, the Young's modulus and tensile strength of p(SCS) was higher than that of p(STS), whereas the degradation rates of p(SCS) was lower than that of p(STS). This was attributed to the structural difference between the citric and tartaric monomers and to the degree of crosslinking. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 121: 2861-2869, 2011

Sustainable biomass production for energy in selected Asian countries

This paper presents a synthesis of assessment of sustainable biomass production potential in six Asian countries-China, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and is based on the detailed studies carried out in these countries under the Asian Regional Research Programme in Energy, Environment and Climate (ARRPEEC). National level studies were undertaken to estimate land availability for biomass production, identify and evaluate the biomass production options in terms of yield per hectare and financial viability, estimate sustainable biomass production for energy, and estimate the energy potential of biomass production in the six Asian countries. Sustainable biomass production from plantation is estimated to be in the range of 182.5-210.5, 62-310, 0.4-1.7, 3.7-20.4, 2.0-9.9 and 11.6-106.6 Mt yr(-1) for China, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand, respectively. The maximum annual electricity generation potential, using advanced technologies, from the sustainable biomass production is estimated to be about 27, 114, 4.5, 79, 254 and 195 percentage of the total electricity generation in year 2000 in China, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand, respectively. Investment cost for bioenergy production varies from US$381 to 1842 ha(-1) in the countries considered in this study; investment cost for production of biomass varies from US$5.1 to 23 t(-1). (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Substrate temperature influenced physical properties of silicon MOS devices with TiO2 gate dielectric

DC reactive magnetron sputtering technique was employed for deposition of titanium dioxide (TiO2) films. The films were formed on Corning glass and p-Si (100) substrates by sputtering of titanium target in an oxygen partial pressure of 6x10-2 Pa and at different substrate temperatures in the range 303 673 K. The films formed at 303 K were X-ray amorphous whereas those deposited at substrate temperatures?=?473 K were transformed into polycrystalline nature with anatase phase of TiO2. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic studies confirmed the presence of characteristic bonding configuration of TiO2. The surface morphology of the films was significantly influenced by the substrate temperature. MOS capacitor with Al/TiO2/p-Si sandwich structure was fabricated and performed currentvoltage and capacitancevoltage characteristics. At an applied gate voltage of 1.5 V, the leakage current density of the device decreased from 1.8?x?10-6 to 5.4?x?10-8 A/cm2 with the increase of substrate temperature from 303 to 673 K. The electrical conduction in the MOS structure was more predominant with Schottky emission and Fowler-Nordheim conduction. The dielectric constant (at 1 MHz) of the films increased from 6 to 20 with increase of substrate temperature. The optical band gap of the films increased from 3.50 to 3.56 eV and refractive index from 2.20 to 2.37 with the increase of substrate temperature from 303 to 673 K. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Microstructure and dry sliding wear resistance evaluation of plasma nitrided austenitic stainless steel type AISI 316LN against different sliders

In this work, Plasma Nitriding was carried out at a temperature of 570 degrees C on nuclear grade austenitic stainless steel type AISI 316 LN (316LN SS) in a gas mixture of 20% N-2-80% H-2 to improve the surface hardness and thereby sliding wear resistance. The Plasma Nitride (PN) treated surface has been characterized by Vickers microhardness measurements, Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) examination, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and sliding wear assessment. The average thickness of the PN layer was found to be 70 mu m. Microhardness measurements showed a significant increase in the hardness from 210 HV25g (unnitrided sample) to 1040 HV25g (Plasma Nitrided sample). The XRD reveals that PN layer consists of CrN, Fe4N and Fe3N phases along with austenite phase. The tribological parameters such as the friction coefficient and wear mechanism have been evaluated at ambient conditions for PN treated ring (PN ring) vs. ASTM A453 grade 660 pin (ASTM pin), PN ring vs. Nickel based alloy hard faced pin (Colmonoy pin), PN ring vs. 316LN SS pin and 316LN SS ring vs. 316LN SS pin. The wear tracks have been analyzed by SEM, Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX) and Optical Profilometry. The untreated 316LN SS ring vs. 316LN SS pin produced severe wear and was characterized by a combination of delamination and adhesion wear mechanism, whereas wear mechanism of the PN rings reveals mild abrasion and a transfer layer from pin materials. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Is Granger Causality a Viable Technique for Analyzing fMRI Data?

Multivariate neural data provide the basis for assessing interactions in brain networks. Among myriad connectivity measures, Granger causality (GC) has proven to be statistically intuitive, easy to implement, and generate meaningful results. Although its application to functional MRI (fMRI) data is increasing, several factors have been identified that appear to hinder its neural interpretability: (a) latency differences in hemodynamic response function (HRF) across different brain regions, (b) low-sampling rates, and (c) noise. Recognizing that in basic and clinical neuroscience, it is often the change of a dependent variable (e.g., GC) between experimental conditions and between normal and pathology that is of interest, we address the question of whether there exist systematic relationships between GC at the fMRI level and that at the neural level. Simulated neural signals were convolved with a canonical HRF, down-sampled, and noise-added to generate simulated fMRI data. As the coupling parameters in the model were varied, fMRI GC and neural GC were calculated, and their relationship examined. Three main results were found: (1) GC following HRF convolution is a monotonically increasing function of neural GC; (2) this monotonicity can be reliably detected as a positive correlation when realistic fMRI temporal resolution and noise level were used; and (3) although the detectability of monotonicity declined due to the presence of HRF latency differences, substantial recovery of detectability occurred after correcting for latency differences. These results suggest that Granger causality is a viable technique for analyzing fMRI data when the questions are appropriately formulated.

Thermoelectric properties of beta-FeSi2

We investigate the thermoelectric properties of beta-FeSi2 using first principles electronic structure and Boltzmann transport calculations. We report a high thermopower for both p- and n-type beta-FeSi2 over a wide range of carrier concentration and in addition find the performance for n-type to be higher than for the p-type. Our results indicate that, depending upon temperature, a doping level of 3 x 10(20) to 2 x 10(21) cm(-3) may optimize the thermoelectric performance. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Multivalent Cu-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles with Full Solar Spectrum Absorbance and Enhanced Photoactivity

Full solar spectrum absorbers are widely pursued for applications related to photocatalysis and photovoltaics. Here we report multivalent Cu-doped ZnO nanoparticles which exhibit full solar spectrum absorbance and high photoactivity. Metathesis-based, green-chemical approaches with synthesis yield of similar to 100% are used. Cu incorporation in ZnO results in an increase of average solar spectrum absorbance from a mere 0.4% to 34%. On the other hand, (Zn, Cu)0 composites result in materials with up to 64% average solar spectrum absorbance. Doped systems operate well under both visible and UV illumination. The nanomaterials prepared are characterized by using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Photocatalysts explored have particle sizes >= 50 nm. This is deliberately done in order to avoid the nanotoxic size regime of ZnO. Despite the large particle size and low specific surface area (<20 m(2).g(-1)), the best catalyst reported here compare favorably with recent reports on ZnO based systems. Using X-photoelectron spectroscopy and synthesis property correlations, we infer that the presence of multivalent Cu (most likely in the form of Cu1+delta) on ZnO surface is responsible for the observed photoactivity enhancement.

Influencia de diferentes períodos de destete sobre peso de la hembra al destete (PHD), peso de la camada al destete (PCD) y peso de la hembra al segundo parto (PHP2) en conejas primiparas, en el municipio de Rivas

El presente ensayo se realizó con el objetivo de medir el efecto de tres períodos de destete diferentes (20, 40 y 60 días respectivamente) sobre el Peso de la hembra al destete (PHD), Peso de la camada al destete (PCD) y Peso de la hembra al segundo parto (PHP2) en conejas primíparas. Para el análisis de los datos fue utilizado un Diseño Completamente Aleatorio (D.C.A.) con 4 repeticiones (hembras primíparas) para el destete de 20 días, 5 repeticiones para el destete de 40 días y 4 repeticiones para el destete de 60 días. La información utilizada para los análisis estadísticos provino de datos recaudados en registros reproductivos, de un conejar compuesto de 13 conejas y un padrote. La edad y peso promedio de los animales al inicio del ensayo fueron homogéneos (7 meses y 3.007 Kg respectivamente). El ensayo se realizó en el municipio de Rivas ubicado a 111 km de la ciudad de Managua, a 11º 26' de latitud Norte y 85º 44' de longitud Oeste, a una elevación de 57.77 m.s.n.m. Las variables en estudio fueron: Peso de la hembra al destete (PHD), Peso de la camada al destete (PCD), Peso de la hembra al segundo parto (PHP2). Los valores y desviación estándar para dichas variables fue de : 2.94483 ± 0.3071 Kg, promedios 2.8629 ± 1.5308 Kg y 3.0635 ± 0.2212 Kg, respectivamente. En el ANDEVA realizado para las diferentes variables, el efecto de los tratamientos sobre el Peso de la hembra al destete resultó no significativo. No así, para con las variables Peso de la camada al destete (PCD) y Peso de la hembra al segundo parto (PHP2), donde el efecto de los tratamientos sobre estas fue significativo. El efecto de la covariable (Peso de la hembra al primer parto) solamente resultó significativo para la variable Peso de la hembra al destete (PHD). Mediante la Separación de medias por la Prueba de DUNCAN se obtuvieron los siguientes promedios de las variables por tratamiento; Peso de la hembra al destete (PHD): 1.3469 Kg (t: 20 días), 2.9508 Kg (t: 40 días) y 2.9194 Kg (t: 60 días). Para el Peso de la camada al destete (PCD), los valores fueron: 1.3469 kg (t: 20 días), 2.6571 Kg (t: 40 días) y 4.6363 Kg (t: 60 días). Para el Peso de la hembra al segundo parto (PHP2) los valores fueron: 3.2895 Kg (t: 20 días), 3.0030 Kg (t: 40 días) y 2.9131 Kg (t: 60 días). Con la realización del Análisis de los Costos para hembras, se determinaron valores de 105.29, 127.42 y 148.65 (córdobas), para una hembra al destete en los tratamientos de 20, 40 y 60 días de destete respectivamente. Los costos para una hembra al segundo parto fueron: C$ 130.77 (t: 20 días), C$ 147.03 (t: 40 días) y C$168.26 (t: 60 días). Para gazapo al nacimiento los costos por tratamiento fueron los siguientes: C$ 4.43 (t: 20 días), C$ 4.60 (t: 40 días) y C$ 4.87 (t 60 días. Así también, se determinaron los costos de un gazapo al destete, obteniéndose valores de C$ 7.90, C$ 11.53 y C$15.82 para los tratamientos de 20, 40 y 60 días de destete respectivamente.

Evaluación de dos tipos de fertilizantes orgánicos (gallinaza y estiércol vacuno) y fertilizante mineral sobre el crecimiento y rendimiento del frijol común (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) establecido en postrera, 2001

El presente trabajo fue realizado en la Estación Experimental "La Compañía", San Marcos, Carazo, en época de postrera 2001, en suelos jóvenes de origen volcánicos. El suelo es franco-limoso con altos contenidos de potasio y deficiente en fósforo. De acuerdo a sus propiedades, este suelo puede ser considerado como adecuado para la mayoría de los cultivos. El propósito del experimento fue la evaluació de dos tipos de fertilizantes orgánicos (gallinaza,estiércol vacuno) y fertilizante mineral (fórmula completo 18-46-0), cada uno con dos niveles de aplicación (6363.6 kg/ha, 3181.8 kg/ha de gallinaza; 5227.2 kg/ha, 2613.6 kg/ha de estiércol vacuno y 136.36 kg/ Ha, 68.18 kg/ha de fertilizante mineral) en comparación con un tratamiento testigo sin aplicación de fertilizante. Las Parcelas experimentales tuvieron un tamaño de 20 m 2. La variedad evaluada fue DOR 364 De frijol común. Se utilizó un diseño unifactorial de bloques completos al azar (B.C.A.) con siete tratamientos y cuatro repeticiones. La variables evaluadas fueron: altura de planta, promedio de hojas por planta, área foliar, promedio de ramas por planta, altura de inserción de la primera vaina, promedio de vainas por planta, promedio de granos por vaina, peso de cien granos y rendimiento en kg/ha. Los datos se procesaron usando análisis de varianza (ANDEVA), y se utilizó la prueba de rangos múltiples de Tukey al 0.05% de margen de error, se realizó un análisis químico de suelo y análisis económico para evaluar la rentabilidad de los tratamientos y de esta forma ofrecer alternativas económicas a pequeños y medianos productores. Los resultados obtenidos indican que bajo la aplicación de fertilizante orgánico (gallinaza en dosis alta) y fertilizante mineral en dosis alta, se obtuvieron los mejores resultados para las diferentes variables evaluadas a excepción de promedio de ramas por planta, vainas por planta, granos por vaina y peso de cien granos. El mayor rendimiento se obtuvo en el tratamiento con aplicación de fertilizante mineral dosis alta con 2845.19 kg/ha, seguido por el tratamiento con fertilizante mineral en dosis media con 2606.06 kg/ha, lo cual indica que haciendo un buen manejo de la fertilización se obtienen buenos resultados o sea que si aumentamos las dosis de aplicación del fertilizante se produce un aumento de los costos de producción. El análisis económico indica que el tratamiento mineral en dosis media resulto ser el más rentable.

Free-Space Interconnect for Optical Switch and Analogue Neural Network

In this paper, the architecture of a vector-matrix multiplier (MVM) is simulated. The optical design can be made compact by the use of GRIN lenses for the optical fan-in. The intended application area was in storage area networks (SANs) but the concept can be applied to a neural network. © 2011 Allerton Press, Inc.

孔心平行电极间赝火花放电的有效极距

20年代,胡刚复先生为我国度量衡统一确定一个市制,对米、千克、升的公制有一个3、2、1的简单比例关系。这一制度沿用至今,不仅已被科技界视为当然,且更广泛便利人民生活,定将一直延续下去。反观当时我国各地方、各行业,如营造尺、16两、大斗小称等度量衡各异的混乱;以及今日美、英等国被英尺、磅、加仑的英制零星折算产生的经常困扰;特别是对工程及商务所带来的经济损失,以致积重难返的窘态。可以悟出胡先生这一简明建议的重大功绩,堪与两千年前同文同轨、权衡悉依秦制的炎黄文明相映生辉。在纪念胡先生百周年时,谨撰此文,寓意于简单3、2、1系数的巧合,借以颂扬胡先生的功绩。

Comissão parlamentar de inquérito, representação proporcional e minoria parlamentar : estudo de caso

Verifica, por meio de estudo de caso, se o direito da Minoria de propor a criação de Comissões Parlamentares de Inquérito - CPIs - é usurpado pela composição das Comissões pelo sistema de representação proporcional, que dá à Maioria superioridade de votos nas decisões das CPIs. Analisa dados numéricos e de conteúdo das notas taquigráficas da chamada CPI da Crise do Tráfego Aéreo, para verificar o uso da palavra pelos membros de cada partido representado na Comissão, a votação das propostas oferecidas à CPI e o relatório final. Nos resultados apurados verifica-se que, apesar do contundente uso da palavra pela Minoria e dos requerimentos apresentados, visando responsabilizar órgãos do Governo Federal pela insuficiência na formação dos controladores de vôo e de equipamentos de controle, de irregularidades nos processos licitatórios para construção e manutenção de aeroportos, o resultado da votação é favorável ao Governo Federal pelo voto da Maioria governista.