Subsídios à gestão ambiental de parques urbanos: o caso do Parque Ecológico do Município de Belém Gunnar Vingren (PEGV)

A pesquisa discute as facilidades e dificuldades que são inerentes a implementação de parques urbanos. A questão central da pesquisa é: quais fatores facilitam e dificultam a implementação de um parque urbano em uma área de forte pressão ocupacional? Toma-se como caso de estudo o Parque Ecológico do Município de Belém Gunnar Vingren (PEGV). Para a análise, a pesquisa utiliza as literaturas de participação, governança e governança urbana tendo como ponto central a gestão ambiental de parques urbanos. A pesquisa utiliza, também, a teoria dos stakeholders para melhor entendimento sobre o comportamento dos atores sociais. Metodologicamente, o trabalho assumiu a abordagem qualitativa e utilizou-se da observação direta e entrevistas semiestruturadas com os stakeholders. O estudo apresenta duas principais conclusões: primeiro, que os divergentes modelos de gestão ambiental implementados em Belém durante dois períodos governamentais tiveram direta influencia na participação dos atores sociais na implementação do PEGV e, consequentemente, na forma como eles interagem com os gestores do parque. Segundo, a implementação de dois significativos projetos governamentais (o Projeto da Macrodrenagem da Bacia do Una, em 1998 e o Projeto de Extensão da Avenida Centenário - parte do Projeto Ação Metrópole, em 2010) implantados para o desenvolvimento urbano da cidade, também contribuíram para dificultar a conciliação dos divergentes interesses dos atores urbanos.

Desenvolvimento da Suécia durante os Anos dourados do Capitalismo: fatores históricos, ascensão do Welfare State, influências de Gunnar Myrdal e o modelo Rehn-Meidner

A Suécia está entre os países desenvolvidos que mais obtiveram êxito na construção do seu Estado de Bem-Estar Social (Welfare State). Esta instituição amadureceu durante os Anos Dourados do Capitalismo (1945 - 1975). O sucesso na sua construção pode estar ligado a uma série de fatores, como: o contexto internacional de Bretton Woods; as raízes históricas do país, com suas especificidades institucionais, econômicas e sociais; a atuação do Partido Social Democrata sueco, que contou com a participação de Gunnar Myrdal, um grande pensador econômico e um dos maiores teóricos referentes ao Welfare State; o Modelo Rehn-Meidner, que foi elaborado na década de 1950 e visou crescimento econômico, pleno emprego, controle inflacionário e equalização da renda simultaneamente através de políticas macroeconômicas contracionistas, Políticas Ativas no Mercado de Trabalho e Política de Salário Solidário. Dado tudo isto, o objetivo desta pesquisa é entender o processo de desenvolvimento do país e do seu Welfare State, analisando as medidas adotadas no período de 1950 a 1975, com particular interesse em identificar as possíveis influências que o Modelo Rehn-Meidner e o pensamento econômico e político de Gunnar Myrdal tiveram na escolha das políticas que contribuíram para o desenvolvimento do país. Além disso, será analisado o ambiente internacional da época, bem como a História da Suécia, com a finalidade de identificar se e como outros fatores contribuíram para o desenvolvimento socioeconômico da Suécia e do seu Estado de Bem-Estar Social

Impact of image quality, radiologists, lung segments, and Gunnar eyewear on detectability of lung nodules in chest CT

BackgroundDespite the increasingly higher spatial and contrast resolution of CT, nodular lesions are prone to be missed on chest CT. Tinted lenses increase visual acuity and contrast sensitivity by filtering short wavelength light of solar and artificial origin.PurposeTo test the impact of Gunnar eyewear, image quality (standard versus low dose CT) and nodule location on detectability of lung nodules in CT and to compare their individual influence.Material and MethodsA pre-existing database of CT images of patients with lung nodules >5 mm, scanned with standard does image quality (150 ref mAs/120 kVp) and lower dose/quality (40 ref mAs/120 kVp), was used. Five radiologists read 60 chest CTs twice: once with Gunnar glasses and once without glasses with a 1 month break between. At both read-outs the cases were shown at lower dose or standard dose level to quantify the influence of both variables (eyewear vs. image quality) on nodule sensitivity.ResultsThe sensitivity of CT for lung nodules increased significantly using Gunnar eyewear for two readers and insignificantly for two other readers. Over all, the mean sensitivity of all radiologist raised significantly from 50% to 53%, using the glasses (P value = 0.034). In contrast, sensitivity for lung nodules was not significantly affected by lowering the image quality from 150 to 40 ref mAs. The average sensitivity was 52% at low dose level, that was even 0.7% higher than at standard dose level (P value = 0.40). The strongest impact on sensitivity had the factors readers and nodule location (lung segments).ConclusionSensitivity for lung nodules was significantly enhanced by Gunnar eyewear (+3%), while lower image quality (40 ref mAs) had no impact on nodule sensitivity. Not using the glasses had a bigger impact on sensitivity than lowering the image quality.

Riga Cathedral Exhibition of "The Architecture of Gunnar Birkerts," Riga, Latvia, 1989

[Conceptual Sketch of Floor Plan], untitled. Electrostatic print of sketch with original ink notations and signature, 11x17 inches [from photographic copy by Lance Burgharrdt]

Riga Cathedral Exhibition of "The Architecture of Gunnar Birkerts," Riga, Latvia, 1989

[Conceptual Sketch of Floor Plan], untitled. Blue ink sketch on tracing paper, 12 x 20 3/4 inches [from photographic copy by Lance Burgharrdt]

Gunnar G. Birkerts

Original image (attached to acidic board) was photographed and negative created by Lance Burghardt. Photographer of original print unknown

Ultrasound evaluation of prognosis in fetuses with posterior urethral valves

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of prenatal ultrasound markers to predict postnatal renal prognosis in fetuses with posterior urethral valves. Methods: Medical files on fetuses with prenatal diagnosis of posterior urethral valves from 2000 to 2006 were reviewed retrospectively. Data from prenatal follow-up included gestational age at diagnosis, ultrasound renal parenchyma evaluation, and presence and time of oligohydramnios onset. Prenatal parameters studied were correlated to postnatal renal function. Results: Thirty-one male fetuses were included. Six pregnancies were terminated. Of the remaining 25 pregnancies that were continued, 4 children had abnormal creatine and 21 normal creatinine levels at follow-up. Presence and time of oligohydramnios onset did not differ between groups (P = .43). Ultrasound detected bilateral renal abnormalities in 3 fetuses (75%) with altered renal function, and 10 fetuses (55%) with normal creatinine, at follow-up. Conclusions: None of the ultrasound parameters evaluated were able to reliably predict postnatal renal function. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A tick salivary protein targets cathepsin G and chymase and inhibits host inflammation and platelet aggregation

Platelet aggregation and acute inflammation are key processes in vertebrate defense to a skin injury. Recent studies uncovered the mediation of 2 serine proteases, cathepsin G and chymase, in both mechanisms. Working with a mouse model of acute inflammation, we revealed that an exogenous salivary protein of Ixodes ricinus, the vector of Lyme disease pathogens in Europe, extensively inhibits edema formation and influx of neutrophils in the inflamed tissue. We named this tick salivary gland secreted effector as I ricinus serpin-2 (IRS-2), and we show that it primarily inhibits cathepsin G and chymase, while in higher molar excess, it affects thrombin activity as well. The inhibitory specificity was explained using the crystal structure, determined at a resolution of 1.8 angstrom. Moreover, we disclosed the ability of IRS-2 to inhibit cathepsin G-induced and thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. For the first time, an ectoparasite protein is shown to exhibit such pharmacological effects and target specificity. The stringent specificity and biological activities of IRS-2 combined with the knowledge of its structure can be the basis for the development of future pharmaceutical applications. (Blood. 2011;117(2):736-744)