Determination of airborne nanoparticles in elderly care centres

According to numerous studies, airborne nanoparticles have a potential to produce serious adverse human health effects when deposited into the respiratory tract. The most important parts of the lung are the alveolar regions with their enormous surface areas and potential to transfer nanoparticles into the blood stream. These effects may be potentiated in case of the elderly, since this population is more susceptible to air pollutants in general and more to nanoparticles than larger particles. The main goal of this investigation was to determine the exposure of institutionalized elders to nanoparticles using Nanoparticle Surface Area Monitor (NSAM) equipment to calculate the deposited surface area (DSA) of nanoparticles into elderly lungs. In total, 193 institutionalized individuals over 65 yr of age were examined in four elderly care centers (ECC). The occupancy daily pattern was achieved by applying a questionnaire, and it was concluded that these subjects spent most of their time indoors, including the bedroom and living room, the indoor microenvironments with higher prevalence of elderly occupancy. The deposited surface area ranged from 10 to 46 mu m(2)/cm(3). The living rooms presented significantly higher levels compared with bedrooms. Comparing PM10 concentrations with nanoparticles deposited surface area in elderly lungs, it is conceivable that living rooms presented the highest concentration of PM10 and were similar to the highest average DSA. The temporal distribution of DSA was also assessed. While data showed a quantitative fluctuation in values in bedrooms, high peaks were detected in living rooms.

Deciding where to belong: gender differences in educational trajectories and migration in a rural Spanish town

From an anthropological perspective, formal post-secondary schooling is not an abstractentity with an intrinsic value that everyone finds desirable, but rather one alternative among many that young people evaluate from their different positions in the social field. The problem discussed in this paper is the diverging life trajectories that young men and women in a concrete rural context, at the end of the 20th century, shape for themselves at the ages of 14-16, a moment of decision created by national legislation regarding mandatory education (LGE, 1970, General Education Law, and LOGSE, 1990, General Organic Law of the Education System). Despite a strong cultural norm of equal inheritance divided among all children, male and female, and despite the equal educational opportunities provided by the Spanish State, different meanings of possession and use-rights over land and the resulting culturally accepted gendered division of work converge to orient men and women differently towards post-secondary schooling. Observation of the age, gender, and civil status structure of the population led to the preliminary query: Why do men and women, in this town, behave differently with respect to migration and marriage? The main hypothesis was that women’s longer school trajectories and resulting migration and men’s anchoring in the town and their higher rates of celibacy were not drastic changes in values, in the positional-relational sense of Bourdieu (1988, 2002), but the current outcome of previously existing dissimilar relations to property that produce dissimilar mobility. Through their schooling and work choices, young men and women, at very early ages, locate themselves in, or decide to belong to, different contexts that later reveal very different possibilities of finding marriage partners. This paper is based on an ethnographic study of a small rural town (302 inhabitants in 1950; 193 in 2000) near Leon. Although this paper deals with the situation in the final decades of the 20th century, we must also consider the first half of the century, where some elements that shape this situation have their roots. Fieldwork was carried out between 1988 and 2001, in periods of differing length and intensity. The social subjects discussed here are the domestic unit and its component members. They were studied in conjunction, analyzing the life-trajectory decisions of specific persons in the framework of the domestic unit and the relations among people and property which comprise it. The tried-and-true methods of ethnographic research –participant observation, interviews, and life-histories, etc.- were employed. Archival research was also important for producing demographic data. Demographic analysis, the analysis of the composition and transformation of domestic units, and the creation of life trajectories were among the principal techniques used. The theoretical analysis was oriented by Bourdieu’s (2002) framework of the social field, habitus, and difference.

Meaning of the λ parameter of skew–normal and log–skew normal distributions in fluid geochemistry

The literature related to skew–normal distributions has grown rapidly in recent yearsbut at the moment few applications concern the description of natural phenomena withthis type of probability models, as well as the interpretation of their parameters. Theskew–normal distributions family represents an extension of the normal family to whicha parameter (λ) has been added to regulate the skewness. The development of this theoreticalfield has followed the general tendency in Statistics towards more flexible methodsto represent features of the data, as adequately as possible, and to reduce unrealisticassumptions as the normality that underlies most methods of univariate and multivariateanalysis. In this paper an investigation on the shape of the frequency distribution of thelogratio ln(Cl−/Na+) whose components are related to waters composition for 26 wells,has been performed. Samples have been collected around the active center of Vulcanoisland (Aeolian archipelago, southern Italy) from 1977 up to now at time intervals ofabout six months. Data of the logratio have been tentatively modeled by evaluating theperformance of the skew–normal model for each well. Values of the λ parameter havebeen compared by considering temperature and spatial position of the sampling points.Preliminary results indicate that changes in λ values can be related to the nature ofenvironmental processes affecting the data

Assessment of metabolic fluxes in the mouse brain in vivo using 1H-[13C] NMR spectroscopy at 14.1 Tesla.

(13)C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) combined with the administration of (13)C labeled substrates uniquely allows to measure metabolic fluxes in vivo in the brain of humans and rats. The extension to mouse models may provide exclusive prospect for the investigation of models of human diseases. In the present study, the short-echo-time (TE) full-sensitivity (1)H-[(13)C] MRS sequence combined with high magnetic field (14.1 T) and infusion of [U-(13)C6] glucose was used to enhance the experimental sensitivity in vivo in the mouse brain and the (13)C turnover curves of glutamate C4, glutamine C4, glutamate+glutamine C3, aspartate C2, lactate C3, alanine C3, γ-aminobutyric acid C2, C3 and C4 were obtained. A one-compartment model was used to fit (13)C turnover curves and resulted in values of metabolic fluxes including the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux VTCA (1.05 ± 0.04 μmol/g per minute), the exchange flux between 2-oxoglutarate and glutamate Vx (0.48 ± 0.02 μmol/g per minute), the glutamate-glutamine exchange rate V(gln) (0.20 ± 0.02 μmol/g per minute), the pyruvate dilution factor K(dil) (0.82 ± 0.01), and the ratio for the lactate conversion rate and the alanine conversion rate V(Lac)/V(Ala) (10 ± 2). This study opens the prospect of studying transgenic mouse models of brain pathologies.

Modalities for soil preparation and gypsum application in ultisol: stem productivity of sugarcane

The study was conducted in an area of expansion of sugarcane at Vale do Paraná factory in Suzanápolis city - São Paulo (SP), in Brazil, in the northwestern region of the State of São Paulo. It was used the sugarcane variety RB92-5345, 1.5m of spacing between rows, in an Ultisol. The study aimed to evaluate the productivity of sugarcane and first ratoon and some soil chemical attributes in function of soil tillage and application or not of gypsum. The experimental design was randomized blocks with six treatments, in a factorial 3x2 and six replicates, the main treatments were soil tillage with three equipments, moldboard plow, chisel plow, and heavy harrow, and two secondary treatments with application of 1 t ha-1of gypsum and no gypsum. After each harvest of cane, the soil was characterized as to its fertility indicators in layers of 0.0-0.15; 0.15-0.30 and 0.30-0.45m. Differences in values of soil chemical attributes due to the methods of preparation occurred in the sugarcane did not last until the harvest of the 1st ratoon cane, and also did not influence the crop productivity. The gypsum application resulted in higher values ​​of total recoverable sugar (TRS) and the productivity of tons of stems per hectare (TSH) to sugarcane and 1st ratoon cane, respectively, confirming the initial hypothesis.

COD, TSS, nutrients and coliforms removals in UASB reactors in two stages treating swine wastewater

The performance of two upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors was evaluated in pilot scale (908 and 188 L), installed in series (R1 and R2), fed with swine wastewater with TSS around 5 and 13 g L-1. The UASB reactors were submitted to HDT of 36 and 18 h with VOL of 5.5 to 34.4 g COD (L d)-1 in the R1 and HDT of 7.5 e 3.7 h with VOL from 5.1 to 45.2 g COD (L d)-1 in the R2. The average removal efficiencies of COD ranged from 55 to 85% in the R1 and from 43 to 57% in the R2, resulting in values from 82 to 93% in the UASB reactors in two stage. Methane concentrations in the biogas were 69 to 74% with specific production from 0.05 to 0.27 L CH4 (g removedCOD)-1 in the R1 and of 0.10 to 0.12 L CH4 (g removedCOD)-1 in the R2. The average removal efficiencies were 61 to 75% for totalP, 39 to 69% for KN, 82 to 93% for orgN and 20 to 94% for Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn. The amN concentration were not reduced indicating the need to post-treatment for effluent disposal into water bodies. There were reductions of total coliforms from 99.8123 to 99.9989% and of thermotolerant coliforms from 99.9725 to 99.9999%. The conditions imposed to the UASB reactors in two stage provided high conversions of removedCOD into methane (up to 77%) and reductions of organic an inorganic pollution loads from swine wastewater.

Meaning of the λ parameter of skew–normal and log–skew normal distributions in fluid geochemistry

The literature related to skew–normal distributions has grown rapidly in recent years but at the moment few applications concern the description of natural phenomena with this type of probability models, as well as the interpretation of their parameters. The skew–normal distributions family represents an extension of the normal family to which a parameter (λ) has been added to regulate the skewness. The development of this theoretical field has followed the general tendency in Statistics towards more flexible methods to represent features of the data, as adequately as possible, and to reduce unrealistic assumptions as the normality that underlies most methods of univariate and multivariate analysis. In this paper an investigation on the shape of the frequency distribution of the logratio ln(Cl−/Na+) whose components are related to waters composition for 26 wells, has been performed. Samples have been collected around the active center of Vulcano island (Aeolian archipelago, southern Italy) from 1977 up to now at time intervals of about six months. Data of the logratio have been tentatively modeled by evaluating the performance of the skew–normal model for each well. Values of the λ parameter have been compared by considering temperature and spatial position of the sampling points. Preliminary results indicate that changes in λ values can be related to the nature of environmental processes affecting the data

Transport in the low-latitude tropopause zone diagnosed using particle trajectories

Recent literature has described a “transition zone” between the average top of deep convection in the Tropics and the stratosphere. Here transport across this zone is investigated using an offline trajectory model. Particles were advected by the resolved winds from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts reanalyses. For each boreal winter clusters of particles were released in the upper troposphere over the four main regions of tropical deep convection (Indonesia, central Pacific, South America, and Africa). Most particles remain in the troposphere, descending on average for every cluster. The horizontal components of 5-day trajectories are strongly influenced by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), but the Lagrangian average descent does not have a clear ENSO signature. Tropopause crossing locations are first identified by recording events when trajectories from the same release regions cross the World Meteorological Organization lapse rate tropopause. Most crossing events occur 5–15 days after release, and 30-day trajectories are sufficiently long to estimate crossing number densities. In a further two experiments slight excursions across the lapse rate tropopause are differentiated from the drift deeper into the stratosphere by defining the “tropopause zone” as a layer bounded by the average potential temperature of the lapse rate tropopause and the profile temperature minimum. Transport upward across this zone is studied using forward trajectories released from the lower bound and back trajectories arriving at the upper bound. Histograms of particle potential temperature (θ) show marked differences between the transition zone, where there is a slow spread in θ values about a peak that shifts slowly upward, and the troposphere below 350 K. There forward trajectories experience slow radiative cooling interspersed with bursts of convective heating resulting in a well-mixed distribution. In contrast θ histograms for back trajectories arriving in the stratosphere have two distinct peaks just above 300 and 350 K, indicating the sharp change from rapid convective heating in the well-mixed troposphere to slow ascent in the transition zone. Although trajectories slowly cross the tropopause zone throughout the Tropics, all three experiments show that most trajectories reaching the stratosphere from the lower troposphere within 30 days do so over the west Pacific warm pool. This preferred location moves about 30°–50° farther east in an El Niño year (1982/83) and about 30° farther west in a La Niña year (1988/89). These results could have important implications for upper-troposphere–lower-stratosphere pollution and chemistry studies.

Rental depreciation and capital expenditure in the UK commercial real estate market, 1993–2009

This paper identifies the long-term rental depreciation rates for UK commercial properties and rates of capital expenditure incurred to offset depreciation over the same period. It starts by reviewing the economic depreciation literature and the rationale for adopting a longitudinal method of measurement, before discussing the data used and results. Data from 1993 to 2009 were sourced from Investment Property Databank and CB Richard Ellis real estate consultants. This is used to compare the change in values of new buildings in different locations with the change in values of individual properties in those locations. The analysis is conducted using observations on 742 assets drawn from all major segments of the commercial real estate market. Overall rental depreciation and capital expenditure rates are similar to those in other recent UK studies. Depreciation rates are 0.8% pa for offices, 0.5% pa for industrial properties and 0.3% pa for standard retail properties. These results hide interesting variations at a segment level, notably in retail where location often dominates value rather than the building. The majority of properties had little (if any) money spent on them over the last 16 years, but those subject to higher rates of expenditure were found to have lower depreciation rates.

Schooling and the intergenerational transmission of values

We present a model of the evolution of identity via dynamic interaction between the choice of education and the transmission of values in a community from parents to children, when parents care about the preservation of their traditional community values, different from the values of the host society. We compare the educational and socioeconomic outcomes in different scenarios (melting pot versus multiculturalism). If schooling shifts children’s identity away from their parents’ values, parents may choose lower levels of education for their children, at the cost of reducing their future earnings. We show how this effect can be attenuated and reversed when the school or, indeed, the host society are willing to accommodate the values of the community and/or to adjust to these values; otherwise the community gradually becomes alienated. This approach may be applied to the analysis of temporal changes in values and attitudes in a community of immigrants, as well as ethnic, religious, or other minority groups.

Hematological changes in sheep inoculated with natural and Cobalt60-irradiated Crotalus durissus terrificus venom (Laurenti, 1768)

Natural (NV) and Cobalto60-irradiated (IrV) Crotalus durissus terrificus venom were used to evaluate serum production capacity of sheep and possible hematological and biochemical effects. Freeze-dried venom aliquots were diluted in acidified saline solution (NaCl 150 mM, pH 3.0) and irradiated by a Cobalt 60 source at a dose of 5.54 x 102 Gy/h and a concentration of 2.000 Gy. Twelve sheep were divided into two groups of six animals. One group received irradiated venom (IrV) and the other natural venom (NV). Three antigen doses (venom) were administered at monthly intervals. Blood samples were collected weekly for analysis of serum neutralization potency and capacity, complete blood count (CBC), total plasma protein, fibrinogen, albumin, and globulin. At the end of the experiment, the animals were challenged with a LD50 for sheep and showed no signs of envenoming. The two groups did not present clinical alterations. Results of the total leukocyte count did not present interaction or time factor effect for both groups, but there was a different action between them, with the NV group presenting more cells than the IrV group. The leukocyte increase to 13,000/ml indicates that slight leukocytosis occurred in the week after the first inoculation in the NV group. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in the absolute count of segmented neutrophils, eosinophils, and lymphocytes but there were statistically significant oscillations in values at the different collecting times. The NV group presented an increase in the absolute neutrophil count after the first inoculation that persisted for 5 weeks. In the IrV group, the increase in neutrophils occurred only in the first week returning to normal in the following weeks. The alterations in the neutrophil count are indicative of systemic inflammatory response related to cytokine release; response was more marked in the NV group, showing its greater toxicity.

RHEOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION of SUSPENSIONS of SUCROSE CRYSTALS IN SATURATED SUCROSE SOLUTIONS

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

In vitro antifungal susceptibility of Candida spp. oral isolates from HIV-positive patients and control individuals

Oropharyngeal candidiasis is the most common fungal infection among HIV-positive patients. This condition can be treated with either systemic or topical antifungal agents; treatments are usually indicated empirically on the basis of clinical data. The knowledge of in vitro antifungal susceptibility is important to determine correct therapeutic guides for the treatment of fungal infections. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the antifungal susceptibility profile of oral Candida isolates from HIV-positive patients and control individuals. Amphotericin B, fluconazole, flucytosine, nystatin and ketoconazole were tested according to the methodology of microdilution proposed by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI); results were recorded in values of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). A total of 71 Candida isolates from HIV-positive patients were examined with the following species represented: C. albicans (59), C. tropicalis (9), C. glabrata (1), C. guilliermondii (1) and C. krusei (1). A total of 15 Candida isolates were evaluated from control individuals comprised of 11 C. albicans and 4 C. tropicalis samples. Our results demonstrated that the tested antifungal agents showed good activity for most isolates from both groups; however, variability in MIC values among isolates was observed.

GENETIC-RELATIONSHIP, INBREEDING AND GENERATION INTERVAL IN REGISTERED GIR CATTLE IN BRAZIL

Two-hundred random pedigrees of cows and fifty of sires born in 1987 from the Gir herdbook of the Brazilian Association of Zebu Breeders were analized. The bull Chave de Ouro DGR no. 2851 was the most influential animal with a 7 % direct relationship to the breed. Total average inbreeding was 3.62 and 3.25 for the female and male sample, respectively. The subdivision of total inbreeding into current and non-current components resulted in values of 1.62, 1.25, 2.00 and 2.00 for the female and male sample, respectively. Long-term inbreeding was the principal component of non-current inbreeding, with values of 1.52 % and 1.26 %, respectively. Inbreeding due to strain formation strain due formation was less important (0.48 % and 0.74 %, respectively). The average generation interval was 8.02 years. The breed appears not yet to be subdivided into strains but this process may be starting. The average generation interval for the pedigree population was very high. Culling of old bulls could decrease this interval.

Association between polyclonal B cell activation and the presence of autoantibodies in mice infected with Yersinia enterocolitica O:3

Eight-week old conventional female Swiss mice were inoculated intravenously with Yersinia enterocolitica O:3. A second group of normal mice was used as control. Five mice from each group were bled by heart puncture and their spleens were removed for spleen cell collection on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 14th and 21st day after infection. Immunoglobulin-secreting spleen cells were detected by the isotype-specific protein A plaque assay. Total immunoglobulin levels were determined in mouse serum by single radial immunodiffusion and the presence of autoantibodies was determined by ELISA. We observed a marked increase in the total number of cells secreting immunoglobulins of all isotypes as early as on the 3rd day post-infection and the peak of secretion occurred on the 7th day. At the peak of the immunoglobulin response, the total number of secreting cells was 19 times higher than that of control mice and most immunoglobulin-secreting cells were of the IgG2a isotype. On the 10th day post-infection, total serum immunoglobul in values were 2 times higher in infected animals when compared to the control group, and continued at this level up to the 21st day post-infection. Serum absorption with viable Y. enterocolitica cells had little effect on antibody levels detected by single radial immunodiffusion. Analysis of serum autoantibody levels revealed that Y. enterocolitica infection induced an increase of anti-myosin and anti-myelin immunoglobulins. The sera did not react with collagen. The present study demonstrates that Y. enterocolitica O:3 infection induces polyclonal activation of murine B cells which is correlated with the activation of some autoreactive lymphocyte clones.