Oxidation affects the flow-induced aggregation of low density lipoprotein and its inhibition by albumin

We investigated whether oxidation alters the self-aggregation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and the inhibition of such aggregation by albumin. Incubation with copper for different durations produced mildly, moderately, and highly oxidised LDL (having, respectively, ca. 60, 300 and 160 nmol lipid hydroperoxides/mg protein, and electrophoretic mobilities 1.2, 2.6 and 4.4 times that of native LDL). The rate of flow-induced aggregation was the same for native, mildly oxidised and moderately oxidised LDL, but decreased for highly oxidised LDL. The inhibitory effect of albumin (40 mg/ml) on aggregation was reduced by mild oxidation and further reduced by moderate or severe oxidation. The net result of the two effects was that in the presence of albumin, moderately oxidised LDL had the highest rate of aggregation and native the lowest. The reduction in the anti-aggregatory effect of albumin provides a new mechanism by which LDL oxidation might enhance net aggregation in vivo. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of fluid mechanical stresses and plasma constituents on aggregation of LDL

LDL aggregates when exposed to even moderate fluid mechanical stresses in the laboratory, yet its half-life in the circulation is 2-3 days, implying that little aggregation occurs. LDL may be protected from aggregation in vivo by components of plasma, or by a qualitative difference in flows. Previous studies have shown that HDL and albumin inhibit the aggregation induced by vortexing. Using a more reproducible method of inducing aggregation and assessing aggregation both spectrophotometrically and by sedimentation techniques, we showed that at physiological concentrations, albumin is the more effective inhibitor, and that aggregation is substantially but not completely inhibited in plasma. Heat denatured and fatty-acid-stripped albumin were more effective inhibitors than normal albumin, supporting the idea that hydrophobic interactions are involved. Aggregation of LDL in a model reproducing several aspects of flow in the circulation was 200-fold slower, but was still inhibited by HDL and albumin, suggesting similar mechanisms are involved. Within the sensitivity of our technique, LDL aggregation did not occur in plasma exposed to these flows.jlr Thus, as a result of the characteristics of blood flow and the inhibitory effects of plasma components, particularly albumin, LDL aggregation is unlikely to occur within the circulation.

Ligand-centred reactivity of bis(picolyl)amine iridium: sequential deprotonation, oxidation and oxygenation of a "non-innocent" ligand

Treatment of [Ir(bpa)(cod)](+) complex [1](+) with a strong base (e.g., tBuO(-)) led to unexpected double deprotonation to form the anionic [Ir-(bpa-2H)(cod)](-) species [3](-), via the mono-deprotonated neutral amido complex [Ir(bpa-H)(cod)] as an isolable intermediate. A certain degree of aromaticity of the obtained metal-chelate ring may explain the favourable double deprotonation. The rhodium analogue [4](-) was prepared in situ. The new species [M(bpa-2H)(cod)](-) (M = Rh, Ir) are best described as two-electron reduced analogues of the cationic imine complexes [M-I(cod)(Py-CH2-N=CH-Py)](+). One-electron oxidation of [3](-) and [4](-) produced the ligand radical complexes [3]* and [4]*. Oxygenation of [3](-) with O-2 gave the neutral carboxamido complex [Ir(cod)(py-CH2-N-CO-py)] via the ligand radical complex [3]* as a detectable intermediate.

Influence of harvest date and crop yield on the fatty acid composition of virgin olive oils from cv. Picual

In this study was analyzed the effect of crop year and harvesting time on the fatty acid composition of cv. Picual virgin olive oil. The study was carried out during the fruit ripening period for three crop seasons. The mean fatty acid composition of Picual oils was determined. The oils contained palmitic acid (11.9%), oleic acid (79.3%), and linoleic acid (2.95%). The content of palmitic acid and saturated fatty acids decreased during fruit ripening while oleic and linoleic acids increased. The amount of stearic and linolenic acids decreased. The amount of saturated acids, palmitic and stearic, and the polyunsaturated acids linoleic and linolenic was dependent on the time of harvest, whereas the amount of oleic acid varied with the crop year. The differences observed between crop years for both palmitic and linoleic acid may be explained by the differences in the temperature during oil biosynthesis and by the amount of summer rainfall for oleic acid content. A significant relationship was observed between the MUFA/PUFA ratio and the oxidative stability measured by the Rancimat method.

Seasonal changes in olive fruit characteristics and oil accumulation during ripening process

Olive fruits of three of the most important Spanish and Italian cultivars, 'Picual', `Hojiblanca' and 'Frantoio', were harvested at bi-weekly periods during three crop seasons to study their development and ripening process. Fresh and dry weights and ripening index were determined for fruit, while dry matter, oil and moisture contents were determined in both fruit and pulp (flesh). Fruit growth rate and oil accumulation were calculated. Each olive cultivar showed a different ripening pattern, 'Hojiblanca' being the last one to maturate. Fruit weight increased, decreasing its growth rate from the middle of November. Dry matter and moisture contents decreased during ripening in pulp and fruit, 'Hojiblanca' showing the highest values for both. Oil content, when expressed on a fresh weight basis, increased in all cultivars, although for the last time period showed variations due to climatic conditions. During ripening, oil content on a dry weight basis increased in fruit, but oil biosynthesis in flesh ceased from November. Olive fruits presented lower oil and higher dry matter contents in the year of lowest rainfall. Therefore fruit harvesting should be carried out from the middle of November in order to obtain the highest oil yield and avoid natural fruit drop. (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry.

Influence of fruit ripening process on the natural antioxidant content of Hojiblanca virgin olive oils

The effect of fruit ripeness on the antioxidant content of 'Hojiblanca' virgin olive oils was studied. Seasonal changes were monitored at bi-weekly intervals for three consecutive crop years. Phenolic content, tocopherol composition, bitterness index, carotenoid and chlorophyllic pigments and oxidative stability were analysed. In general, the antioxidants and the related parameters decreased as olive fruit ripened. The phenolics and bitterness, closely related parameters, did not present significant differences among years. Although in general, the tocopherols decreased during olive ripening gamma-tocopherol increased. Differences between crop years were found only for total tocopherols and alpha-tocopherol, which showed higher content in low rainfall year oils. The pigment content decreased during ripening, chlorophyll changing faster. For low rainfall years, the level of pigments was higher, reaching significant differences between yields. Significant differences among years were found for oil oxidative stability; higher values were obtained for drought years. A highly significant prediction model for oxidative stability has been obtained. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A bagging-based correction for the mixture model estimator of population size

Estimation of a population size by means of capture-recapture techniques is an important problem occurring in many areas of life and social sciences. We consider the frequencies of frequencies situation, where a count variable is used to summarize how often a unit has been identified in the target population of interest. The distribution of this count variable is zero-truncated since zero identifications do not occur in the sample. As an application we consider the surveillance of scrapie in Great Britain. In this case study holdings with scrapie that are not identified (zero counts) do not enter the surveillance database. The count variable of interest is the number of scrapie cases per holding. For count distributions a common model is the Poisson distribution and, to adjust for potential heterogeneity, a discrete mixture of Poisson distributions is used. Mixtures of Poissons usually provide an excellent fit as will be demonstrated in the application of interest. However, as it has been recently demonstrated, mixtures also suffer under the so-called boundary problem, resulting in overestimation of population size. It is suggested here to select the mixture model on the basis of the Bayesian Information Criterion. This strategy is further refined by employing a bagging procedure leading to a series of estimates of population size. Using the median of this series, highly influential size estimates are avoided. In limited simulation studies it is shown that the procedure leads to estimates with remarkable small bias.

Mother’s experiences and perceptions of a continuous caring model with fathers after caesarean section : a qualitative study

Background: In Chile, mothers and newborns are separated after caesarean sections. The caesarean section rate in Chile is approximately 40%. Once separated, newborns will miss out on the benefits of early contact unless a suitable model of early newborn contact after caesarean section is initiated. Aim: To describe mothers experiences and perceptions of a continuous parental model of newborn care after caesarean section during mother-infant separation. Methods: A questionnaire with 4 open ended questions to gather data on the experiences and perceptions of 95 mothers in the obstetric service of Sótero Del Rio Hospital in Chile between 2009 and 2012. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: One theme family friendly practice after caesarean section and four categories. Mothers described the benefits of this model of caring. The fathers presence was important to mother and baby. Mothers were reassured that the baby was not left alone with staff. It was important for the mothers to see that the father could love the baby as much as the mother. This model of care helped create ties between the father and newborn during the period of mother-infant separation and later with the mother. Conclusions: Family friendly practice after caesarean section was an important health care intervention for the whole family. This model could be stratified in the Chilean context in the case of complicated births and all caesarean sections. Clinical Implications: In the Chilean context, there is the potential to increase the number of parents who get to hold their baby immediately after birth and for as long as they like. When the mother and infant are separated after birth, parents can be informed about the benefits of this caring model. Further research using randomized control trials may support biological advantages.

Repensando o lugar no projeto urbano. Variações na percepção de lugar na virada do milênio (1985-2004)

O conceito de lugar é tradicionalmente associado às ações projetuais da Arquitetura e Urbanismo, embora o interesse pelo tema tenha experimentado uma diminuição a partir de meados do século XX. Por outro lado, entre o final do século XX e início do XXI, consolidou-se uma nova prática no campo projetual de lugar: o surgimento de lugares criados sob configurações novas - como parques temáticos, shopping malls, áreas históricas refuncionalizadas - reinstaurando o interesse pelo tópico. A Tese os denomina de “lugares da clonagem”, entendendo que são tentativas de replicar as características dos espaços nos quais se reconhece a manifestação do fenômeno da urbanidade - espaços percebidos como “lugares da urbanidade”. Os lugares da clonagem podem derivar de projetos que buscam identificar os estímulos ambientais responsáveis pela atribuição de urbanidade. A Tese defende que os projetos assim elaborados trazem efeitos favoráveis à qualificação das cidades contemporâneas, apoiando-se na hipótese de que os novos espaços tornar-se-ão percebidos como legítimos lugares para a sociedade contemporânea. Para sua demonstração, o trabalho inicialmente enuncia seus próprios termos de referência em relação a lugar, no capítulo intitulado “Apresentação do lugar”. Para poder avançar num tema que diariamente se renova, o capítulo “Conceituação de lugar” efetua uma revisão das bases conceituais de lugar em diferentes disciplinas, de modo a investigar o que podem acrescentar à modernização do conceito. Concentra seu foco seletivamente nas disciplinas mais relacionadas com as áreas projetuais, e em contribuições ainda em debate, ou menos divulgadas na literatura brasileira. O capítulo seguinte, “Investigação e Projetação de lugar”, imerge em antecedentes empíricos de pesquisas e de exemplares construídos, de modo a elaborar novas conjecturas teóricas e teóricopráticas. As variações que podem decorrer das tentativas de clonar a urbanidade são debatidas em “Variação na percepção de lugar”, que especula sobre as qualificações eventualmente atribuídas pelos lugares da clonagem ao ambiente urbanizado. O trabalho prossegue trazendo uma “Ilustração de lugares em cidades gaúchas”, apresentando em seqüência, a Usina do Gasômetro, em Porto Alegre; lugares da Serra Gaúcha, especialmente nas cidades da Região das Hortênsias e em Serafina Corrêa; e regressa a Porto Alegre, para examinar os projetos do DC-Navegantes e do Aeroporto Salgado Filho. Em “A lição dos lugares da clonagem” são emitidas as conclusões das ponderações, voltadas intencionalmente na direção de levantar uma dúvida razoável quanto à qualidade dos lugares inventados e sua pertinência nos contextos urbanos em que vivemos, para assim tentar encurtar a distância que, com apressado maniqueísmo, separa o lugar acreditado como “autêntico”, do lugar desmerecido como “inventado”.

Visitabilidade-vivenciabilidade em assentamentos informais : um estudo da acessibilidade de percursos urbanos no Conjunto Santa Terezinha em Fortaleza-CE

This research approaches the issue of accessibility in informal settlements, seeking for the challenges and limits defined by informal urban settings, about the application of accessibility parameters. Take the empirical universe as the Conjunto Santa Terezinha, located in Fortaleza- Ce. Initially, the study presents a reflection about the housing issue in Brazil and the informal settlementes in view of the Right to the City. In this sense, the main references are, the works of Suzanne Pasternak (2008), Nabil Bonduki (1998) and Erminia Maricato (1996-97), among others. Follows with the discussion of the concepts and classifications of this type of settlement, making a content analysis of legislation and regulations relating to accessibility and proposed the discussion of the accessible route as the right strategy for the city. In another step, the methodology of 'walking together' created by Dischinger (2000) was applied in a passage previously chosen, which the researcher follows the disabled person during the journey through city making records like photos and video. The comments and perceptions are compared to the spatial analysis of urban morphology, made from the method of Del Rio (1990) and Panerai (2006), and the parameters of NBR 9050. Knowledge of the area is enriched by the methodology of the production of space made by Henri Lefebvre in his book 'The production of space' (1974) with these categories: space conceived, perceived and lived. Another key reference of this author it s the book 'The Right to the City' (991), which allowed in-depth reflections on the social function of town. In conclusion, the study finds that to guarantee a minimum access conditions in informal sittlements it´s necessary to know the specifics of their morphology, their relations and urban practices in view of the visitability- experiencebility, describing it as complementary concepts

Extensão universitária e formação cidadã: a UFRN e a UFBA em ação

Se parte de la comprensión de Universidad como un campo científico que permite elecciones, conflictos y luchas internas y externas, en sus dimensiones históricas y temporales, proponiéndose comprenderla en su naturaleza institucional. Históricamente, la universidad viene respondiendo a demandas de la sociedad, configurándose en momentos de crisis de institucionalidad, de hegemonía y de legitimidad. Tales crisis profundizase en el contexto de la globalización hegemónica, pero, al lado de esta, emergen experiencias en el campo de la globalización alternativa. De ello adviene los siguientes desafíos: considerados en este trabajo como cuestiones a contestar: ¿cómo la Universidad pública brasileña podrá actuar en una perspectiva de formación ciudadana, interagiendo con la sociedad en la cual está inserida? ¿Cómo poderemos vislumbrar caminos alternativos para la universidad enfrentar desafíos y para conquistar a su legitimidad? Se discute la extensión universitaria como una de las alternativas para que tales universidades enfrenten sus crisis y desafíos, a la medida en que posibilita el diálogo con la sociedad en su entorno, promoviendo la formación ciudadana. Se tiene como objetivo comprender e interpretar la extensión universitaria en su práctica efectiva en las comunidades en las que las experiencias fueron desarrolladas, analizándose dos prácticas de extensión universitaria en la Universidad Federal del Rio Grande do Norte y en la Universidad Federal de Bahia, a través de la interpretación de la participación de profesores, alumnos y comunidad en dos programas: Saúde e Cidadania (SACI/UFRN), y Atividade Curricular em Comunidade (ACC/UFBA), en el período de 2001 a 2005. Se busca en el diálogo con los participantes envueltos, conocer las experiencias y como estas contribuyen para la compresión de universidad con sus funciones direccionadas para la formación ciudadana. Como procedimientos metodológicos, se hace un análisis de la documentación de las experiencias, complementadas por entrevistas sémi-estructuradas, envolviendo 51 sujetos en los dos programas, para aprehender a la historia y comprender la participación de los alumnos, profesores e integrantes de las comunidades, en Natal/RN y Salvador/BA. Para presentación de las voces de los participantes, se cría diálogos temáticos, mapeando expresiones que surgieron en el habla de los Pro- Rectores de Extensión y Pro-Rector de Graduación, alumnos, profesores y participantes de las comunidades envueltas, identificándolas en movimientos creativos y llenos de significados, entre ellas: vivencia y acción; interacción y diálogo; identidad y práctica solidaria; generosidad y responsabilidad; ciudadanía y condición humana; saber contextual y crítico. Estas prácticas y sentimientos traducen bien la participación de los sujetos envueltos, dialogando sobre la compresión de Universidad y extensión universitaria direccionada para la formación ciudadana. Se concluye que estas experiencias contribuyen para pensar una Universidad actuante, dialogando con los intereses de la comunidad, sin perder su autonomía, formando profesionales responsables, solidarios y ciudadanos, actuando en la construcción de un conocimiento que pueda contribuir en la superación de la crisis de legitimidad desarrollando experiencias inseridas en la globalización alternativa, contra-hegemónica, ya que contemplan acciones para la superación de las desigualdades sociales, en la lucha por la emancipación social de los sujetos participantes

Vozes em diálogo na escola : uma análise de posicionamentos sobre a disciplina língua portuguesa no ensino médio integrado à educação profissional do IFRN

Esta investigación toma como tema la asignatura Lengua Portuguesa en el contexto de la enseñanza media integrada a la educación profesional, implementado en el año de 2005, en el Instituto Federal de Educação, ciência y tecnología del Rio Grande do Norte. En el ámbito general, objetiva analizar las voces reveladas en posicionamientos sobre la asignatura Lengua Portuguesa en este contexto. En este estudio, el uso del adjetivo integrado es comprendido como revelador de una formación escolar no basada en investigaciones dicotómicas, sobre todo en aquellas que evidencian una separación entre el conocimiento y el ejercicio profesional. Se buscó aporte teórico en los debates del área de educación, sobre formación integrada, en la visión de contemporaneidad de Bauman y en la concepción de lenguaje de M. Bakhtin. El corpus se compone de material empírico de la naturaleza cuantitativa y cualitativa, obtenido por medio de aplicación de cuestionarios con alumnos y profesionales, además del análisis documental de los PCNEM y de las OCEM, a lo que se refiere a asignatura Lengua Portuguesa. El direccionamiento metodológico es guiado por el paradigma cualitativo inserido en una perspectiva socio-histórica y eligió como categoría de análisis el concepto de voces sociales. Los resultados indican que la asignatura Lengua Portuguesa, en la perspectiva de integración con el mundo del trabajo, adquiere, en mayor o menor grado, en lo observado en los documentos oficiales y en los posicionamientos de alumnos y profesionales de la enseñanza media integrada a la educación profesional del IFRN, un perfil cuya esencia, lejos de asumir características de una enseñanza instrumental reductora, requiere una concepción de lenguaje que esté en sintonía con el mundo del trabajo de la sociedad contemporánea, una sociedad cada vez más abierta a la pluralidad de opiniones y a la ambivalencia de sentidos

A criança e o brinquedo-TV: análise sobre o discurso publicitário direcionado para a infância na Rede Globo de Televisão

Esta investigación es un análisis del contexto actual que rodea a la publicidad brasileña, más concretamente, la publicidad discurso televisivo dirigido a los niños en Brasil. Análisis de los documentos se basa en la revisión retórica (Leach, 2004) (SODRE, 2006) A partir de la primera supuesta inadecuación de algunos de sus contenidos al público para que se comunican. También investiga las posibilidades de regulación y la educación del consumidor y el papel de los medios de comunicación en la sociedad mediante la movilización exigiendo el cumplimiento y la mejora de la legislación vigente, evitando los posibles abusos y distorsiones de las secciones generales de la ley. Hemos llevado a cabo por separado se analiza en los niños y sus conceptualizaciones y la función social, abordando también el juguete y el acto de jugar hoy y su sede histórica en un intento de crear una fundación que apoya el análisis de la relación entre la infancia y la publicidad y el consumo, basado en obras de Roger Silverstone, Kapferer, Leontiev y Walter Benjamin. También se hicieron inferencias basadas en estudios de Pablo Del Río, sobre las posibles consecuencias psicológicas del consumo de medios por los niños, sin embargo, en arvorarmos llevar a cabo investigaciones en el estudio de la recepción. Se enfrentarán, tanto en acciones a favor de la aprobación de la Ley 5.921/2001 N º Suplente sugiere que la prohibición de la publicidad infantil en todo el país, los enfoques ampliamente "integrado" y por lo tanto, favorables a la continuidad de la actividad publicitaria en el país bajo la acción de la CONAR de autorregulación, lo que demuestra sin embargo, la viabilidad de ambas propuestas. Tambien relativa a el CONAR se llevó a cabo un estudio sobre su Consejo Asesor, dando a entender su composición y características. Por último, se estudian las posibilidades y el concepto de la educación para el consumo de los medios de comunicación, a partir de la utilización de los recursos de los propios medios de comunicación, como una propuesta para un cambio de paradigma en el mercado de la publicidad en Brasil. En conclusión, vemos que a partir del análisis de la publicidad comercial de los niños atendidos por la Red Globo de Televisión, en una muestra de 170 inserciones, todavía existen graves lagunas, pero que los desequilibrios se pueden resolver con medidas relativamente sencillas que incluyan campañas de educación y la exigencia de adecuación de los pocos grandes anunciantes que violan la ley. Afortunadamente, una nueva entrega de los anunciantes mostró la responsabilidad social en sus acciones