Na 1 Nachlass Max Horkheimer, 455 - Korrespondenzen u.a. mit Margo H. Wolff und Karl August Wittfogel (p. V 173, 210-429)

19 Briefe zwischen Lisa Witherell (geb. Richter) und Max Horkheimer, 1963-1971; 2 Briefe zwischen Werner Wittayer (stud. phil.) und Max Horkheimer, 1964; 4 Drucksachen vom Landtagspräsidenten Otto Witte an Max Horkheimer, 1952-1954; 2 Briefe an Otto Witte von Max Horkheimer, 1952-1953; 1 Todesanzeige, 1963; 4 Briefe zwischen der Studentin Ulrike Wittenberg und Max Horkheimer, 1972-1973; 4 Briefe zwischen dem Professor Karl A. Wittfogel und Max Horkheimer, 1972; 3 Briefe zwischen dem Oberstudiendirektor Dr. Kurt Debus und Max Horkheimer, 1967; 3 Briefe zwischen David Wodlinger und Max Horkheimer, 1960; 2 Briefe zwischen Dr. Herman Wohlstein und Max Horkheimer, 1965; 16 Briefe an Johanna Woitschach von Max Horkheimer, 1970-1973 (die Briefe an Max Horkheimer wurden zurückverlangt); 1 Brief von Ernst Wolf an Max Horkheimer, San Francisco, 1954; 3 Briefe zwischen dem Diplom-Psychologen Heinz E. Wolf und Max Horkheimer, 1958; 13 Briefe zwischen dem Oberstudiendirektor Oskar Wolfenstädter und Max Horkheimer, 1968-1969; 4 Briefe zwischen der Ordensschwester Katherine Wolff und Max Horkheimer, 1970-1971; 25 Briefe zwischen Margo H. Wolff und Max Horkheimer, 1962-1973; 11 Briefe zwischen dem Professor Max Wolff und Max Horkheimer, 1960; 3 Briefe zwischen dem Professor Manfred Wolfson und Max Horkheimer, 1971; 6 Briefe von der Physiotherapeutin Helga Wolk an Max Horkheimer, 1970-1971; 13 Briefe zwischen Hedwig G. de Wollenberger und Max Horkheimer, 1966-1970; 1 Brief an den Professor Günther Wollheim von Max Horkheimer, 1965; 4 Briefe zwischen Johanna Wopperer-Ege und Max Horkheimer, 1970; 5 Briefe zwischen Anton Wopperer und Max Horkheimer, 1969-1970; 3 Briefe an die World Future Society von Max Horkheimer, 1969-1973; 2 Briefe zwischen dem World Jewish Congress und Max Horkheimer, 1970; 2 Briefe zwischen dem Professor Theodor Würtenberger und Max Horkheimer, 1964; 3 Briefe zwischen der Würtembergischen Landesbibliothek und Max Horkheimer, 1969; 16 Briefe zwischen Rösle Wüstholz und Max Horkheimer, 1951-1959; 2 Briefe zwischen Christoph Wulf und Max Horkheimer, 1973; 1 Brief an Jssy Wygoda von Max Horkheimer, 1964; 2 Briefe zwischen Dr. Hans von Wyl und Max Horkheimer, 1971; 2 Briefe zwischen Jacques Wyler und Max Horkheimer, 1973; 1 Brief von Gisela Wysocki an Max Horkheimer, o.J. (1973?);

Experimental study of the turbulent field behind a perforated vortex generator

International audience

Dynamics and scaling of self-excited passive vortex generators for underwater propulsion

A series of experiments was conducted on the use of a device to passively generate vortex rings, henceforth a passive vortex generator (PVG). The device is intended as a means of propulsion for underwater vehicles, as the use of vortex rings has been shown to decrease the fuel consumption of a vehicle by up to 40% Ruiz (2010).

The PVG was constructed out of a collapsible tube encased in a rigid, airtight box. By adjusting the pressure within the airtight box while fluid was flowing through the tube, it was possible to create a pulsed jet with vortex rings via self-excited oscillations of the collapsible tube.

A study of PVG integration into an existing autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) system was conducted. A small AUV was used to retrofit a PVG with limited alterations to the original vehicle. The PVG-integrated AUV was used for self-propelled testing to measure the hydrodynamic (Froude) efficiency of the system. The results show that the PVG-integrated AUV had a 22% increase in the Froude efficiency using a pulsed jet over a steady jet. The maximum increase in the Froude efficiency was realized when the formation time of the pulsed jet, a nondimensional time to characterize vortex ring formation, was coincident with vortex ring pinch-off. This is consistent with previous studies that indicate that the maximization of efficiency for a pulsed jet vehicle is realized when the formation of vortex rings maximizes the vortex ring energy and size.

The other study was a parameter study of the physical dimensions of a PVG. This study was conducted to determine the effect of the tube diameter and length on the oscillation characteristics such as the frequency. By changing the tube diameter and length by factors of 3, the frequency of self-excited oscillations was found to scale as f~D_0^{-1/2} L_0^0, where D_0 is the tube diameter and L_0 the tube length. The mechanism of operation is suggested to rely on traveling waves between the tube throat and the end of the tube. A model based on this mechanism yields oscillation frequencies that are within the range observed by the experiment.

Comparison of Micro-Vortex generators in supersonic flows

An experimental comparison of several vortex generator geometries was conducted at Mach 1.5, 1.8, and 2.5 to better understand downstream vortex development as a function of device shape and Mach number. The devices had heights less than that of the boundary-layer ("micro"-vortex generators) and were either vane-shaped or of the alternative microramp geometry. LDV was used to measure two components of velocity at several stations downstream of the devices. The velocity data were then fitted to a vortex model so that vortex parameters such as circulation, core radius, and trajectory were estimated. Mach number dependence was seen for all parameters. Vortex height and core radius both tended to decrease slightly with increasing Mach number. A critical vane angle for maximum circulation was observed and also decreased with increasing Mach number. Circulation was seen to scale with wall-friction velocity for Mach 1.5 and 1.8 but not 2.5. © 2012 by W.R. Nolan and H. Babinsky.

Discrete cosine transform generator for VLSI synthesis

A generator for the automated design of Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) cores is presented. This can be used to rapidly create silicon circuits from a high level specification. These compare very favourably with existing designs. The DCT cores produced are scaleable in terms of point size as well as input/output and coefficient wordlengths. This provides a high degree of flexibility. An example, 8-point 1D DCT design, produced occupies less than 0.92 mm when implemented in a 0.35µ double level metal CMOS technology. This can be clocked at a rate of 100MHz.

Large eddy simulation of shock boundary layer interaction control using micro-vortex generators

The performance of supersonic engine inlets and external aerodynamic surfaces can be critically affected by shock wave / boundary layer interactions (SBLIs), whose severe adverse pressure gradients can cause boundary layer separation. Currently such problems are avoided primarily through the use of boundary layer bleed/suction which can be a source of significant performance degradation. This study investigates a novel type of flow control device called micro-vortex generators (µVGs) which may offer similar control benefits without the bleed penalties. µVGs have the ability to alter the near-wall structure of compressible turbulent boundary layers to provide increased mixing of high speed fluid which improves the boundary layer health when subjected to flow disturbance. Due to their small size,µVGs are embedded in the boundary layer which provide reduced drag compared to the traditional vortex generators while they are cost-effective, physically robust and do not require a power source. To examine the potential of µVGs, a detailed experimental and computational study of micro-ramps in a supersonic boundary layer at Mach 3 subjected to an oblique shock was undertaken. The experiments employed a flat plate boundary layer with an impinging oblique shock with downstream total pressure measurements. The moderate Reynolds number of 3,800 based on displacement thickness allowed the computations to use Large Eddy Simulations without the subgrid stress model (LES-nSGS). The LES predictions indicated that the shock changes the structure of the turbulent eddies and the primary vortices generated from the micro-ramp. Furthermore, they generally reproduced the experimentally obtained mean velocity profiles, unlike similarly-resolved RANS computations. The experiments and the LES results indicate that the micro-ramps, whose height is h≈0.5δ, can significantly reduce boundary layer thickness and improve downstream boundary layer health as measured by the incompressible shape factor, H. Regions directly behind the ramp centerline tended to have increased boundary layer thickness indicating the significant three-dimensionality of the flow field. Compared to baseline sizes, smaller micro-ramps yielded improved total pressure recovery. Moving the smaller ramps closer to the shock interaction also reduced the displacement thickness and the separated area. This effect is attributed to decreased wave drag and the closer proximity of the vortex pairs to the wall. In the second part of the study, various types of µVGs are investigated including micro-ramps and micro-vanes. The results showed that vortices generated from µVGs can partially eliminate shock induced flow separation and can continue to entrain high momentum flux for boundary layer recovery downstream. The micro-ramps resulted in thinner downstream displacement thickness in comparison to the micro-vanes. However, the strength of the streamwise vorticity for the micro-ramps decayed faster due to dissipation especially after the shock interaction. In addition, the close spanwise distance between each vortex for the ramp geometry causes the vortex cores to move upwards from the wall due to induced upwash effects. Micro-vanes, on the other hand, yielded an increased spanwise spacing of the streamwise vortices at the point of formation. This resulted in streamwise vortices staying closer to the wall with less circulation decay, and the reduction in overall flow separation is attributed to these effects. Two hybrid concepts, named “thick-vane” and “split-ramp”, were also studied where the former is a vane with side supports and the latter has a uniform spacing along the centerline of the baseline ramp. These geometries behaved similar to the micro-vanes in terms of the streamwise vorticity and the ability to reduce flow separation, but are more physically robust than the thin vanes. Next, Mach number effect on flow past the micro-ramps (h~0.5δ) are examined in a supersonic boundary layer at M=1.4, 2.2 and 3.0, but with no shock waves present. The LES results indicate that micro-ramps have a greater impact at lower Mach number near the device but its influence decays faster than that for the higher Mach number cases. This may be due to the additional dissipation caused by the primary vortices with smaller effective diameter at the lower Mach number such that their coherency is easily lost causing the streamwise vorticity and the turbulent kinetic energy to decay quickly. The normal distance between the vortex core and the wall had similar growth indicating weak correlation with the Mach number; however, the spanwise distance between the two counter-rotating cores further increases with lower Mach number. Finally, various µVGs which include micro-ramp, split-ramp and a new hybrid concept “ramped-vane” are investigated under normal shock conditions at Mach number of 1.3. In particular, the ramped-vane was studied extensively by varying its size, interior spacing of the device and streamwise position respect to the shock. The ramped-vane provided increased vorticity compared to the micro-ramp and the split-ramp. This significantly reduced the separation length downstream of the device centerline where a larger ramped-vane with increased trailing edge gap yielded a fully attached flow at the centerline of separation region. The results from coarse-resolution LES studies show that the larger ramped-vane provided the most reductions in the turbulent kinetic energy and pressure fluctuation compared to other devices downstream of the shock. Additional benefits include negligible drag while the reductions in displacement thickness and shape factor were seen compared to other devices. Increased wall shear stress and pressure recovery were found with the larger ramped-vane in the baseline resolution LES studies which also gave decreased amplitudes of the pressure fluctuations downstream of the shock.

上芒岗金矿床成矿作用过程研究

上芒岗金矿床位于三江褶皱系怒江大断裂西南段，龙陵～瑞丽大断裂(F_1)南东盘，上芒岗次级断裂(F_4)之中。赋矿地层为下二叠统沙子坡组(P_(1s))和中侏罗统勐嘎组(J_(2m))。矿石主要有两种类型，硅质矿石和粘土质矿石；前者主要由石英和少量黄铁矿所组成，金品位平均为2 * 10~(-6)；后者主要由伊利石、高岭石和黄铁矿所组成，金品位一般为2 * 10~(-6) ～ 4 * 10~(-6)。矿石中金星次显微状态，主要元素组合为Au、Ag、As、Sb、Hg、Ba。矿床以强烈的黄铁粘土岩化为特征，热液蚀变作用过程即是金矿化作用过程。根据热液蚀变的矿物共生组合及其生成序次，将金矿化作用过程分为五个阶段：黄铁矿-石英阶段(I)；镁贝得-白云石阶段(II)；辉锑矿-石英阶段(IlI)：黄铁矿-高岭石-伊利石阶段(IV)；网脉状石英阶段(V)。其中黄铁矿-高岭石-伊利石阶段(IV)是金矿化的主成矿阶段。该矿床属于卡林型金矿床。由石英流体包裹体获得不同成矿阶段的温度为，成矿阶段I：210～170 ℃、成矿阶段III：190～160 ℃、成矿阶段V：173～144 ℃。伊利石-水氢同位素温度计测得成矿阶段IV的温度为165 ℃。石英流体包裹体液相成分以K~+、Na~+和Cl~- (F~-)为主，其次为Ca~(2+)、Mg~(2+)和HC0_3~-，由早到晚K~+、Na~+和Cl~-降低，而Ca~(2+)、Mg~(2+)和HC0_3~-升高；气相组分以C0_2为主。石英流体包裹体成分富F，其含量高达8.03 * 10~(-3) mol／kg，正是由于成矿热液富含F，Al才可以与F形成络合物进入热液迁移，即Al成为活动组份，从而形成该矿床所独特的强烈粘土岩化蚀变。稀土元素特征方面，矿石和赋矿地层下二叠统沙子坡以及中侏罗统勐嘎组岩石的稀土配分曲线十分相似，均为右倾型，但是两者的稀土元素总量不同，前者的相对较高。矿石和蚀变岩具有相似的稀土元素配分曲线，但是矿石的稀土元素总量相对较高。与勐嘎组泥岩相比，粘土质蚀变岩和矿石更加富集轻稀土元素，并且更富Eu。这些特征表明，粘土质蚀变岩和矿石是由热液作用形成的，而不是风化作用的产物；矿石与赋矿地层在物质来源上有亲缘关系。不同矿段、不同阶段和不同类型矿石和蚀变岩的Au、Ag、As以及Sb的含量同步变化，这表明在整个成矿作用过程中，成矿流体来源统一，且在成矿体系起主导作用。不同类型的矿石及蚀变岩中Au与Al_20_3，和TFe的含量呈正相关，表明黄铁粘土岩化与成矿关系最为密切。矿石铅同位素~(208)Pb／~(204)Pb、~(207)Pb／~(204)Pb和~(206)Pb/~(204)Pb比值分别为39.12～39.54、15.85～15.95、19.75～20.33；沙子坡组(P_(1s))岩石铅同位素比值分别为:38.407～37.868、15.921～15.589、22.685～22.367;孟嘎组(J_(2m))岩石铅同位素比值分别为：39.499～39.222，15.821～15.772、19.207～18.709。在铅同位素组成相关图中矿石与地层铅的投影点分别集中成群分布。矿石铅与地层铅呈线性分布，而且矿石铅的集中区位于沙子坡组铅集中区和勐嘎组铅集中区之间。这些特征表明矿石铅系由沙子坡组铅和勐嘎组铅混合而成。成矿热液的δ~(18)O由早到晚逐渐升高，I、III、IV、V阶段流体的δ~(18)O值分别为-4.2‰，+0.59‰；+0.76‰，+1.98‰，表现出明显的漂移特征；而δD则表现出高度的一致性，变化范围为-82.5 ～ 79.48‰。由此认为成矿热液系大气降水起源。成矿热液氢、氧同位素组成的这种规律性变化还说明，成矿热液的演化具有继承性和连续性。应用CHILLERR软件包，对上芒岗金矿床的成矿作用过程进行化学反应途径数字模拟。所展示的成矿作用过程为：大气降水沿断裂带下渗，加热循环，获取成矿物质(但不排除有深源成矿物质加入的可能性)；形成起始成矿热液：T = 200℃ P = 228.8bar；pH = 4.4；fs_2 = 10~(-9.89); fo_2 = 10~(-41.28)；aAu(HS)_2~- = 10~(-9.64)，aAuCl_2~- = 10~(-17.86);富含F、Al和Au，贫As、Hg、Zn、Cu和Pb。成矿热液在构造作用的驱动下，上升进入上芒岗断裂上部含水构造破碎带，并与下渗雨水混合而淬冷，形成沿上芒岗断裂呈线状分布的早期硅化石英岩(成矿阶段I)，成矿热液与下渗雨水之比为16:l(成矿阶段I)；继而热液扩散进入下盘破碎带，与白云岩反应，形成矿体下盘的白云石化，水:岩比为193:l(成矿阶段II)。此后成矿热液上升充填裂隙空间，由于热传导而缓慢冷却，成矿体系的温度由189 ℃降为165 ℃，形成含辉锑矿的梳状石英脉(成矿阶段1II)。成矿热液继续上升进入上盘碎屑岩破碎带，停积于构造揉皱的泥质岩，并与之反应，形成上芒岗矿床金矿化的主体—粘占土质矿石，水:岩比为29:1(成矿阶段IV)。最后成矿残液逐渐冷却, 同时伴随C0_2的起泡，形成晚期石英网脉(成矿阶段V)，至此热液金矿化过程结束。由上述可见上芒岗金矿床的成矿作用过程经历了：(初始)成矿热液与下渗大气降水混合(I) → 成矿热液与沙子坡组白云岩反应(II) → 成矿热液缓慢冷却(III) → 成矿热液与勐嘎组泥质岩石反应(IV) → 成矿热液冷却沸腾(V)等5个演化阶段。模拟结果进一步证实了上芒岗金矿床的热液成因。上芒岗金矿床成作用过程化学反应途径数字模拟与地质事实高度吻合，与地球化学研究结果相互印证，再现了上芒岗金矿床的成矿作用过程。由矿床的地质地球化学特征及成矿作用过程化学反应途径模拟结果，归纳出上芒岗金矿床成矿作用过程模型。

Techniques for Enhancing Wind Energy Generation - A CFD Based Multibody Dynamics Approach in Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

Wind energy has emerged as a major sustainable source of energy.The efficiency of wind power generation by wind mills has improved a lot during the last three decades.There is still further scope for maximising the conversion of wind energy into mechanical energy.In this context,the wind turbine rotor dynamics has great significance.The present work aims at a comprehensive study of the Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) aerodynamics by numerically solving the fluid dynamic equations with the help of a finite-volume Navier-Stokes CFD solver.As a more general goal,the study aims at providing the capabilities of modern numerical techniques for the complex fluid dynamic problems of HAWT.The main purpose is hence to maximize the physics of power extraction by wind turbines.This research demonstrates the potential of an incompressible Navier-Stokes CFD method for the aerodynamic power performance analysis of horizontal axis wind turbine.The National Renewable Energy Laboratory USA-NREL (Technical Report NREL/Cp-500-28589) had carried out an experimental work aimed at the real time performance prediction of horizontal axis wind turbine.In addition to a comparison between the results reported by NREL made and CFD simulations,comparisons are made for the local flow angle at several stations ahead of the wind turbine blades.The comparison has shown that fairly good predictions can be made for pressure distribution and torque.Subsequently, the wind-field effects on the blade aerodynamics,as well as the blade/tower interaction,were investigated.The selected case corresponded to a 12.5 m/s up-wind HAWT at zero degree of yaw angle and a rotational speed of 25 rpm.The results obtained suggest that the present can cope well with the flows encountered around wind turbines.The areodynamic performance of the turbine and the flow details near and off the turbine blades and tower can be analysed using theses results.The aerodynamic performance of airfoils differs from one another.The performance mainly depends on co-efficient of performnace,co-efficient of lift,co-efficient of drag, velocity of fluid and angle of attack.This study shows that the velocity is not constant for all angles of attack of different airfoils.The performance parameters are calculated analytically and are compared with the standardized performance tests.For different angles of ,the velocity stall is determined for the better performance of a system with respect to velocity.The research addresses the effect of surface roughness factor on the blade surface at various sections.The numerical results were found to be in agreement with the experimental data.A relative advantage of the theoretical aerofoil design method is that it allows many different concepts to be explored economically.Such efforts are generally impractical in wind tunnels because of time and money constraints.Thus, the need for a theoretical aerofoil design method is threefold:first for the design of aerofoil that fall outside the range of applicability of existing calalogs:second,for the design of aerofoil that more exactly match the requirements of the intended application:and third,for the economic exploration of many aerofoil concepts.From the results obtained for the different aerofoils,the velocity is not constant for all angles of attack.The results obtained for the aerofoil mainly depend on angle of attack and velocity.The vortex generator technique was meticulously studies with the formulation of the specification for the right angle shaped vortex generators-VG.The results were validated in accordance with the primary analysis phase.The results were found to be in good agreement with the power curve.The introduction of correct size VGs at appropriate locations over the blades of the selected HAWT was found to increase the power generation by about 4%

Biochemical characterization of serine acetyltransferase and cysteine desulfhydrase from Leishmania major

Cysteine metabolism exhibits atypical features in Leishmania parasites. The nucleotide sequence annotated as LmjF32.2640 encodes a cysteine desulfhydrase, which specifically catalyzes the breakdown of cysteine into pyruvate, NH(3) and H(2)S. Like in other pathogens, this capacity might be associated with regulatory mechanisms to control the intracellular level of cysteine, a highly toxic albeit essential amino acid, in addition to generate pyruvate for energy production. Besides, our results provide the first insight into the biochemical properties of Leishmania major serine acetyltransferase (SAT), which is likely involved in the two routes for de novo synthesis of cysteine in this pathogen. When compared with other members of SAT family, the N-terminal region of L. major homologue is uniquely extended, and seems to be essential for proper protein folding. Furthermore, unlike plant and bacterial enzymes, the carboxy-terminal-C(10) sequence stretch of L major SAT appears not to be implicated in forming a tight bi-enzyme complex with cysteine synthase. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The crystal structure of the leptospiral hypothetical protein LIC12922 reveals homology with the periplasmic chaperone SurA

Leptospirosis is a world spread zoonosis caused by members of the genus Leptospira. Although leptospires were identified as the causal agent of leptospirosis almost 100 years ago, little is known about their biology, which hinders the development of new treatment and prevention strategies. One of the several aspects of the leptospiral biology not yet elucidated is the process by which outer membrane proteins (OMPs) traverse the periplasm and are inserted into the outer membrane. The crystal structure determination of the conserved hypothetical protein LIC12922 from Leptospira interrogans revealed a two domain protein homologous to the Escherichia coli periplasmic chaperone SurA. The LIC12922 NC-domain is structurally related to the chaperone modules of E. coli SurA and trigger factor, whereas the parvulin domain is devoid of peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase activity. Phylogenetic analyses suggest a relationship between LIC12922 and the chaperones PrsA, PpiD and SurA. Based on our structural and evolutionary analyses, we postulate that LIC12922 is a periplasmic chaperone involved in OMPs biogenesis in Leptospira spp. Since LIC12922 homologs were identified in all spirochetal genomes sequenced to date, this assumption may have implications for the OMPs biogenesis studies not only in leptospires but in the entire Phylum Spirochaetes. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The binding of synthetic triiodo L-thyronine analogs to human transthyretin: Molecular basis of cooperative and non-cooperative ligand recognition

Transthyretin (TTR) is a tetrameric beta-sheet-rich transporter protein directly involved in human amyloid diseases. Several classes of small molecules can bind to TTR delaying its amyloid fibril formation, thus being promising drug candidates to treat TTR amyloidoses. In the present study, we characterized the interactions of the synthetic triiodo L-thyronine analogs and thyroid hormone nuclear receptor TR beta-selecfive agonists GC-1 and GC-24 with the wild type and V30M variant of human transthyretin (TTR). To achieve this aim, we conducted in vitro TTR acid-mediated aggregation and isothermal titration calorimetry experiments and determined the TTR:GC-1 and TTR:GC-24 crystal structures. Our data indicate that both GC-1 and GC-24 bind to TTR in a non-cooperative manner and are good inhibitors of TTR aggregation, with dissociation constants for both hormone binding sites (HBS) in the low micromolar range. Analysis of the crystal structures of TTRwt:GC-1(24) complexes and their comparison with the TTRwt X-ray structure bound to its natural ligand thyroxine (T4) suggests, at the molecular level, the basis for the cooperative process displayed by T4 and the non-cooperative process provoked by both GC-1 and GC-24 during binding to TTR. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diagnoses of fipronil resistance in Brazilian cattle ticks (Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus) using in vitro larval bioassays

Fipronil is a phenylpyrazolic insecticide that is widely used in agriculture and has been recently used to control the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. Because of the serious problems associated with resistance to the available acaricides, this product has been used as an important alternative to control acaricide-resistant ticks. The objective of this work was to analyse the fipronil sensitivity of ticks that were collected from farms with a history of fipronil use by larval bioassays. A total of 11 Brazilian tick populations were studied: one population from Rio Grande do Sul, one population from Mato Grosso do Sul and nine populations from Sao Paulo. To validate the assays, susceptible reference strains, POA (Porto Alegre, Brazil) and Mozo (Dilave, Uruguay), and ticks from six different farms that never used fipronil were tested. The resistance of various tick populations to technical grade fipronil (95.3%) was primarily evaluated using the larvae immersion test (LIT) and the larval packet test (LPT), when a sufficient number of larvae was collected. Using the LIT, the resistance ratios (RR(50)) of the tick populations from Rio Grande do Sul and Mato Grosso do Sul were 14.9 and 2.6, respectively, and the populations derived from Sao Paulo had RR(50)s ranging from 2.5 to 6.9. Four populations were evaluated with the LPT, and two populations displayed lower RR(50), while other populations displayed higher RR(50) than those determined by the LIT. This article reports the first cases of fipronil resistance in Brazil and highlights the LIT as a more sensitive technique for the evaluation of fipronil resistance in R. (B) microplus ticks. We suggest the use of the LIT as an evaluation tool for monitoring fipronil resistance in the control programmes of R. (B) microplus. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The locus coeruleus and central chemosensitivity

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

Heteroplasmy in hair: Differences among hair and blood from the same individuals are still a matter of debate

The analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a useful tool in forensic cases when sample contents too little or degraded nuclear DNA to genotype by autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci, but it is especially useful when the only forensic evidence is a hair shaft. Several authors have related differences in mtDNA from different tissues within the same individual, with high frequency of heteroplasmic variants in hair, as also in some other tissues. Is still a matter of debate how the differences influence the interpretation forensic protocols. One difference between two samples supposed to be originated from the same individual are related to an inconclusive result, but depending on the tissue and the position of the difference it should have a different interpretation, based on mutation-rate heterogeneity of mtDNA. In order to investigate it differences in the mtDNA control region from hair hafts and blood in our population, sequences from the hypervariable regions 1 and 2 (HV1 and HV2) from 100 Brazilian unrelated individuals were compared. The frequency of point heteroplasmy observed in hair was 10.5% by sequencing. Our study confirms the results related by other authors that concluded that small differences within tissues should be interpreted with caution especially when analyzing hair samples. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.