Comércio varejista de alimentos no município de São Paulo: a evolução da legislação sanitária

O código Sanitário Municipal de Alimentos, Decreto Municipal nº 25.544, de 14 de março de 1988, regulamentou a fiscalização sanitária de g~eneros alimentícios no varejo até 26 de novembro de 2002, data em que entrou em vigor a Lei Estadual nC 10.083, de 23 de setembro de 1998, Código Sanitário do estado de São Paulo, utilizado pelos serviços municipais de vigilância, em caráter temporário, até a promulgação do atual Código Sanitário do Município de São Paulo nº 13.735, em 9 de janeiro de 2004. Este código regulamenta todos os serviços e produtos de interesse da saúde, inclusive a produção e distribuição de alimentos e água para consumo humano. Por meio do estudo dos diferentes códigos vigentes no município e de legislações esparsas, foi possível identificar as nmudanças ocorridas na legislação e nos procedimentos administrativos da vigilância sanitária do varejo de alimentos no Município de São Paulo. Concluiu-se que o Código Sanitário do Município de São Paulo é uma legislação completa e atualizada, com previsão legal de utilização de regulamentos técnicos modernos de forma combinada, especialmente os que tratam da produção e distribuição de alimentos, com ênfase nas Boas Práticas de Fabricação (BPFs)

ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURES IN FLORIDA DAIRY HOUSING

Environmental conditions in all air-conditioned barn and in evaporatively cooled sprinkler and fall and tunnel-ventilated barns are compared and recommendations for dairy barn design for hot, humid climates arc, given. Temperature Humidity Indexes (THI) observed in the air-conditioned barn were always below 72. Average THIs ill the evaporatively cooled barns during afternoon hours were seldom less than 75. The environmental conditions observed in these studies are typical for many, areas adjacent to the Gulf Coast of the United States and for tropical regions throughout the world. Providing comfortable environmental conditions for cows housed in area with hot, humid climates is difficult using only evaporative cooling and ventilation. Air-conditioning dairy housing is a possible alternative method, particularly for high value cows.

Phoretic mites (Acari: Chaetodactylidae) associated with the solitary bee Tetrapedia diversipes (Apidae: Tetrapediini)

Solitary bees of the genus Tetrapedia have a specific association with mites of the genus Roubikia (Chaetodactylidae). These mites are frequently found attached to active Tetrapedia bees. We quantified the number of mites on individuals of Tetrapedia diversipes Klug and examined the interaction between these species. Nests of T. diversipes were obtained from trap-nests placed in four localities in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The study lasted from March 2007 to February 2009. Out of a total of 650 nests with emergences, 118 were infested with mites (Roubikia sp.). From these nests, 176 individuals of T. diversipes emerged with mites on their bodies. Additionally, six individuals of Coelioxoides waltheriae, the specific kleptoparasitic bee to T. diversipes, emerged. Mites were attached mainly to the mesosoma. All nests infected with mites did not presented mortality of the immature. The mortality rate of nests was inversely related to the level of mite infestation, suggesting a mutualistic interaction in which mites may remove fungi from the nests, while the bees would provide the mites with transport, dispersal, and shelter.

Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Haplotypes Associated with Hypertension Do Not Predispose to Cardiac Hypertrophy

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a complication that may result from chronic hypertension. While nitric oxide (NO) deficiency has been associated with LVH, inconsistent results have been reported with regards to the association of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) polymorphisms and LVH in hypertensive patients. This study aims to assess whether eNOS haplotypes are associated with LVH in hypertensive patients. This study included 101 healthy controls and 173 hypertensive patients submitted to echocardiography examination. Genotypes for three eNOS polymorphisms were determined: a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region (T-786C) and in exon 7 (Glu298Asp), and variable number of tandem repeats in intron 4. We found no significant association between eNOS genotypes and hypertension or with LVH (all p>0.05). However, while we found two eNOS haplotypes associated with variable risk of hypertension (all p<0.05), we found no significant associations between eNOS haplotypes and LVH (all p>0.05), even after adjustment in multiple linear regression analysis. These findings suggest that eNOS haplotypes that have been associated with variable susceptibility to hypertension were not associated with LVH in hypertensive patients. Further studies are necessary to examine whether other genes downstream may interact with eNOS polymorphisms and predispose to LVH in hypertensive patients.

Recoleta uterina como estratégia para aumentar a taxa de embriões em fêmeas bovinas de corte e leite

Embryo recovery rate in superovulated cows after uterine flushing is lower than the ovulation rate, which contributes to the relative inefficiency of the conventional cervical recovery procedure. A simple and easy alternative to improve embryo recovery rate is the uterine re-flushing procedure. To evaluate the effect of re-flushing and the influence of breed and operator on bovine embryo recovery rate, 38 Nelore and 19 Jersey females were stimulated using FSH, with embryos being collected by one of two trained operators. At the end of flushing, the catheter was sealed and maintained into the uterine body, filled with flushing medium, while females were released to a paddock for 30 to 50 min, to be submitted to the re-flushing procedure by the same operator. A total of 599 structures were recovered out of 57 procedures, from which 423 (70.6%) were obtained in the first flushing and 176 (29.4%) after re-flushing. Mean recovery rates of 7.4 and 3.1 structures were obtained after the first and second flushing, respectively, for a total of 10.5 structures per cow. Structures were obtained in 73.6% ( 42 out of 57) of the re-flushing procedures. No breed effect was observed on total ova or embryo recovery, with 10.9 total ova collected from Jersey and 10.3 from Nelore females. Likewise, the embryo recovery rate obtained following uterine flushing or re-flushing did not differ either between Jersey (8.1 and 2.7) and Nelore (7.0 and 3.2) animals, or between operators A (7.5 and 3.3) and B (7.3 and 2.9), respectively. In conclusion, the uterine re-flushing procedure significantly increased the rate of embryo recovery in Jersey and Nelore females, with no operator influence being observed.

In Vitro Adhesion of Streptococcus sanguinis to Dentine Root Surface After Treatment with Er:Yag Laser, Ultrasonic System, or Manual Curette

Objective: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the dentine root surface roughness and the adherence of Streptococcus sanguinis (ATCC 10556) after treatment with an ultrasonic system, Er:YAG laser, or manual curette. Background Data: Bacterial adhesion and formation of dental biofilm after scaling and root planing may be a challenge to the long-term stability of periodontal therapy. Materials and Methods: Forty flattened bovine roots were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: ultrasonic system (n = 10); Er:YAG laser (n = 10); manual curette (n = 10); or control untreated roots (n = 10). The mean surface roughness (Ra, mu m) of the specimens before and after exposure to each treatment was determined using a surface profilometer. In addition, S. sanguinis was grown on the treated and untreated specimens and the amounts of retained bacteria on the surfaces were measured by culture method. Results: All treatments increased the Ra; however, the roughest surface was produced by the curettes. In addition, the specimens treated with curettes showed the highest S. sanguinis adhesion. There was a significant positive correlation between roughness values and bacterial cells counts. Conclusion: S. sanguinis adhesion was the highest on the curette-treated dentine root surfaces, which also presented the greatest surface roughness.

Additive genetic relationship of longevity with fertility and production traits in Nellore cattle based on bivariate models

Survival or longevity is an economically important trait in beef cattle. The main inconvenience for its inclusion in selection criteria is delayed recording of phenotypic data and the high computational demand for including survival in proportional hazard models. Thus, identification of a longevity-correlated trait that could be recorded early in life would be very useful for selection purposes. We estimated the genetic relationship of survival with productive and reproductive traits in Nellore cattle, including weaning weight (WW), post-weaning growth (PWG), muscularity (MUSC), scrotal circumference at 18 months (SC18), and heifer pregnancy (HP). Survival was measured in discrete time intervals and modeled through a sequential threshold model. Five independent bivariate Bayesian analyses were performed, accounting for cow survival and the five productive and reproductive traits. Posterior mean estimates for heritability (standard deviation in parentheses) were 0.55 (0.01) for WW, 0.25 (0.01) for PWG, 0.23 (0.01) for MUSC, and 0.48 (0.01) for SC18. The posterior mean estimates (95% confidence interval in parentheses) for the genetic correlation with survival were 0.16 (0.13-0.19), 0.30 (0.25-0.34), 0.31 (0.25-0.36), 0.07 (0.02-0.12), and 0.82 (0.78-0.86) for WW, PWG, MUSC, SC18, and HP, respectively. Based on the high genetic correlation and heritability (0.54) posterior mean estimates for HP, the expected progeny difference for HP can be used to select bulls for longevity, as well as for post-weaning gain and muscle score.

Alpha element abundances and gradients in the Milky Way bulge from FLAMES-GIRAFFE spectra of 650 K giants

Aims. We present the analysis of the [alpha/Fe] abundance ratios for a large number of stars at several locations in the Milky Way bulge with the aim of constraining its formation scenario. Methods. We obtained FLAMES-GIRAFFE spectra (R = 22 500) at the ESO Very Large Telescope for 650 bulge red giant branch (RGB) stars and performed spectral synthesis to measure Mg, Ca, Ti, and Si abundances. This sample is composed of 474 giant stars observed in 3 fields along the minor axis of the Galactic bulge and at latitudes b = -4 degrees, b = -6 degrees, b = -12 degrees. Another 176 stars belong to a field containing the globular cluster NGC 6553, located at b = -3 degrees and 5 degrees away from the other three fields along the major axis. Stellar parameters and metallicities for these stars were presented in Zoccali et al. (2008, A&A, 486, 177). We have also re-derived stellar parameters and abundances for the sample of thick and thin disk red giants analyzed in Alves-Brito et al. (2010, A&A, 513, A35). Therefore using a homogeneous abundance database for the bulge, thick and thin disk, we have performed a differential analysis minimizing systematic errors, to compare the formation scenarios of these Galactic components. Results. Our results confirm, with large number statistics, the chemical similarity between the Galactic bulge and thick disk, which are both enhanced in alpha elements when compared to the thin disk. In the same context, we analyze [alpha/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] trends across different bulge regions. The most metal rich stars, showing low [alpha/Fe] ratios at b = -4 degrees disappear at higher Galactic latitudes in agreement with the observed metallicity gradient in the bulge. Metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] < -0.2) show a remarkable homogeneity at different bulge locations. Conclusions. We have obtained further constrains for the formation scenario of the Galactic bulge. A metal-poor component chemically indistinguishable from the thick disk hints for a fast and early formation for both the bulge and the thick disk. Such a component shows no variation, neither in abundances nor kinematics, among different bulge regions. A metal-rich component showing low [alpha/Fe] similar to those of the thin disk disappears at larger latitudes. This allows us to trace a component formed through fast early mergers (classical bulge) and a disk/bar component formed on a more extended timescale.

A FIRST CONSTRAINT ON THE THICK DISK SCALE LENGTH: DIFFERENTIAL RADIAL ABUNDANCES IN K GIANTS AT GALACTOCENTRIC RADII 4, 8, AND 12 kpc

Based on high-resolution spectra obtained with the MIKE spectrograph on the Magellan telescopes, we present detailed elemental abundances for 20 red giant stars in the outer Galactic disk, located at Galactocentric distances between 9 and 13 kpc. The outer disk sample is complemented with samples of red giants from the inner Galactic disk and the solar neighborhood, analyzed using identical methods. For Galactocentric distances beyond 10 kpc, we only find chemical patterns associated with the local thin disk, even for stars far above the Galactic plane. Our results show that the relative densities of the thick and thin disks are dramatically different from the solar neighborhood, and we therefore suggest that the radial scale length of the thick disk is much shorter than that of the thin disk. We make a first estimate of the thick disk scale length of L(thick) = 2.0 kpc, assuming L(thin) = 3.8 kpc for the thin disk. We suggest that radial migration may explain the lack of radial age, metallicity, and abundance gradients in the thick disk, possibly also explaining the link between the thick disk and the metal-poor bulge.

Genome-wide SNP genotyping highlights the role of natural selection in Plasmodium falciparum population divergence

Background: The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum exhibits abundant genetic diversity, and this diversity is key to its success as a pathogen. Previous efforts to study genetic diversity in P. falciparum have begun to elucidate the demographic history of the species, as well as patterns of population structure and patterns of linkage disequilibrium within its genome. Such studies will be greatly enhanced by new genomic tools and recent large-scale efforts to map genomic variation. To that end, we have developed a high throughput single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping platform for P. falciparum. Results: Using an Affymetrix 3,000 SNP assay array, we found roughly half the assays (1,638) yielded high quality, 100% accurate genotyping calls for both major and minor SNP alleles. Genotype data from 76 global isolates confirm significant genetic differentiation among continental populations and varying levels of SNP diversity and linkage disequilibrium according to geographic location and local epidemiological factors. We further discovered that nonsynonymous and silent (synonymous or noncoding) SNPs differ with respect to within-population diversity, interpopulation differentiation, and the degree to which allele frequencies are correlated between populations. Conclusions: The distinct population profile of nonsynonymous variants indicates that natural selection has a significant influence on genomic diversity in P. falciparum, and that many of these changes may reflect functional variants deserving of follow-up study. Our analysis demonstrates the potential for new high-throughput genotyping technologies to enhance studies of population structure, natural selection, and ultimately enable genome-wide association studies in P. falciparum to find genes underlying key phenotypic traits.

Search for sterile neutrino mixing in the MINOS long-baseline experiment

A search for depletion of the combined flux of active neutrino species over a 735 km baseline is reported using neutral-current interaction data recorded by the MINOS detectors in the NuMI neutrino beam. Such a depletion is not expected according to conventional interpretations of neutrino oscillation data involving the three known neutrino flavors. A depletion would be a signature of oscillations or decay to postulated noninteracting sterile neutrinos, scenarios not ruled out by existing data. From an exposure of 3.18 x 10(20) protons on target in which neutrinos of energies between similar to 500 MeV and 120 GeV are produced predominantly as nu(mu), the visible energy spectrum of candidate neutral-current reactions in the MINOS far detector is reconstructed. Comparison of this spectrum to that inferred from a similarly selected near-detector sample shows that of the portion of the nu(mu) flux observed to disappear in charged-current interaction data, the fraction that could be converting to a sterile state is less than 52% at 90% confidence level (C. L.). The hypothesis that active neutrinos mix with a single sterile neutrino via oscillations is tested by fitting the data to various models. In the particular four-neutrino models considered, the mixing angles theta(24) and theta(34) are constrained to be less than 11 degrees and 56 degrees at 90% C. L., respectively. The possibility that active neutrinos may decay to sterile neutrinos is also investigated. Pure neutrino decay without oscillations is ruled out at 5.4 standard deviations. For the scenario in which active neutrinos decay into sterile states concurrently with neutrino oscillations, a lower limit is established for the neutrino decay lifetime tau(3)/m(3) > 2.1 x 10(-12) s/eV at 90% C.L.

Observation of double electron-positron pair production by gamma rays reexamined

An experiment was conducted to observe triple- and quadruple-escape peaks, at a photon energy equal to 6.128 MeV, in the spectra recorded with a high-purity Ge detector working in coincidence with six bismuth germanate detectors. The peak intensities may be explained having recourse to only the bremsstrahlung cascade process of consecutive electron-positron pair creation; i.e., the contribution of simultaneous double pair formation (and other cascade effects) is much smaller. The experimental peak areas are in reasonably good agreement with those predicted by Monte Carlo simulations done with the general-purpose radiation-tran sport code PENELOPE.

Critical behavior of the susceptible-infected-recovered model on a square lattice

By means of numerical simulations and epidemic analysis, the transition point of the stochastic asynchronous susceptible-infected-recovered model on a square lattice is found to be c(0)=0.176 500 5(10), where c is the probability a chosen infected site spontaneously recovers rather than tries to infect one neighbor. This point corresponds to an infection/recovery rate of lambda(c)=(1-c(0))/c(0)=4.665 71(3) and a net transmissibility of (1-c(0))/(1+3c(0))=0.538 410(2), which falls between the rigorous bounds of the site and bond thresholds. The critical behavior of the model is consistent with the two-dimensional percolation universality class, but local growth probabilities differ from those of dynamic percolation cluster growth, as is demonstrated explicitly.

EVOLUTION AND LIFETIME OF TRANSIENT CLUMPS IN THE TURBULENT INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

We study the evolution of dense clumps and provide an argument that the existence of the clumps is not limited by their crossing times. We claim that the lifetimes of the clumps are determined by turbulent motions on a larger scale, and we predict the correlation of clump lifetime with column density. We use numerical simulations to successfully test this relation. In addition, we study the morphological asymmetry and the magnetization of the clumps as functions of their masses.