Pyrodysinoic Acid Derivatives from the Marine Sponge Dysidea robusta

Three new nitrogen-containing terpenes related to pyrodysinoic acid (1) have been isolated from the sponge Dysidea robusta collected in Brazil. Isopyrodysinoic acid (2), 13-hydroxyisopyrodysinoic acid (3), and pyrodysinoic acid B (4) were obtained from the crude extract of D. robusta and identified by analysis of spectroscopic data. Pyrodysinoic acid B (4) is the first furodysin or furodysinin sesquiterpene derivative with a trans junction between the two six-membered rings of the 1,2,3,4,4a,7,8,8a-octahydro-1,1,6-trimethylnaphthalene moiety.

Samband mellan kondition och korttidsminne hos gymnasielever

Syftet med denna empiriska studie var att se om det fanns något samband mellan kondition (VO2max) och korttidsminne hos gymnasieelever. Totalt 58 elever, 24 pojkar och 34 flickor, i åldern 16-18 år deltog i studien. Studien innehöll tre tester. Den fysiska aktivitetsgraden (kondition/VO2max) uppmättes genom en variant av Coopers löptest. Korttidsminnet testades på två sätt. Det ena testet bestod av Baddeleys Transformationstest, vilket är ett språkligt, visuellt korttidsminnestest . Det andra testet var ett auditivt korttidsminnestest. Studien visade, med envägs variansanalys, en signifikant positiv effekt av fysisk kondition på det auditiva korttidsminnestestet på 1% nivån (p=0.007). Det visades ingen signifikant inverkan på det visuella, språkliga korttidsminnestestet. Följande hypotes bekräftades: Ungdomar med låg kondition (i termer av Coopertest) har sämre auditivt korttidsminne än ungdomar med medelhög eller mycket hög kondition. Studien visade att gymnasieelever med medelhög och hög kondition har bättre korttidsminne än gymnasieelever med låg kondition. Sammanfattningsvis kan det konstateras att alla, både barn, unga, vuxna och äldre förbättrar sin kognitiva förmåga genom att vara fysiskt aktiva.

Hur sjuksköterskan och vården påverkas av hög arbetsbelastning

Syftet med denna litteraturöversikt var att belysa hur den höga arbetsbelastning som förekommer inom dagens sjukvård påverkar sjuksköterskan och vården av patienten. Artikelsökning genomfördes i databasen Science Direct. Sammanlagt inkluderades 10 artiklar i studien, fem kvalitativa och fem kvantitativa. Resultatet visade att en hög arbetsbelastning påverkade sjuksköterskan på flera områden. Till exempel så fick hon inte den tid hon behövde med patienten för att göra ett tillfredsställande arbete. Den höga arbetsbelastningen påverkade sjuksköterskan då hon inte alltid hann med att ge den önskade vården. Det fanns även faktorer i arbetsmiljön som underlättade hennes arbete som ett väl fungerande samarbete med kollegorna. Sjuksköterskor var också beroende av ett bra kollegialt stöd och behövde få tid för att ta söka ny kunskap. Sjuksköterskans arbetsbelastning bör vara så att hon kan hantera och ha kontroll över sitt arbete. Kommunikationen mellan den anställde och ledningen var viktig, för att sjuksköterskan skulle kunna ge en vård av hög kvalitet.

Predicting Amazon Deforestation through the deterninants of demand for agricultural land

This paper develops a model of deforestation pressure in the Amazon. It is based on the determinants of demand for agricultural land, i.e. the interactions between population dynamics, urbanization and the growth of local markets, land prices, and government spending and policies. The mo deI is estimated using data from the period 1970 - 1985, and predictions for the period 1985 - 2010 are made under explicit assumptions about the underlying factors of deforestation. The predictions indicate that economic growth in the Amazon is likely to continue at high rates even if the federal government abandons its aggressive development policy. Deforestation will be much smaller if they do, though, since the active development policies tend to promote wasteful use of land.

A gestão participativa em administrações municipais:as experiências de Natal e Maceió

Our object is to analyze the experiences in participative management in the cities o Natal and Maceió. The center of our interests is to evaluate if the operational changes in public administration in Brazil have really caused transformations in the municipal government which tend to constitute democracy in our country. The enlargement of civil society participation experiences in public management (at least as a proposal) has led to a great diversity of results even when executed by individuals from the same political party or with the same ideological interests. Thus, we investigate why the participative management process takes place in different forms even when the managers belong to the same party and share the same ideas. We based our analysis in the analytical scheme developed by Esping-Andersen (1991) in his studies about the cause for different welfare states in the world. We defend the thesis that the specifities in management are explained through an integrative analysis between the capacity of organization existent in society, the kind of govern coalition and the institutional legacy present in both cities. The complete analysis of the two experiences studied shows that there are similarities specially in the mayors government forms and in the importance they give in their speech to the participation of society as the element which sustains the management. Nevertheless, although both mayors are connected to the political party project, there are also differences in the advance of such process mainly because of the basis work performed by the left party among the popular movement, the kind of govern coalition which has been developed in the city and by the institutional legacy left by the former administration

Literatura e educação: o bullying nos contos de fada, uma discussão possível

This study investigates how the reading of fairy tales can be an instrument for reflection on the bullying phenomenon in the live of students. Its relevance is present the work with literature as an alternative to facilitate the understanding of children and young people about this violence practice, on the basis of the discussion moments, mediated in the classroom. Methodologically based in the principles of qualitative investigation, setting itself as a bibliographic research, and linked to the content analysis in order to make inferences and construct interpretations from the study of tales that encourage discussion and reflection about the bullying theme. In this work were selected the following stories: Cinderella 1812) and a One-eye, Two-eyes, Three-eyes (1812) of Grimm Brothers; John-Slapstick (1837), The Storks (1838), and The Ugly Duckling (1844) of Andersen, to make possible a more explicit interface between literature and the bullying theme, providing fertile material for moments of debate. Was taken as the theoretical reference studies of Eco (2003), Jouve (2002), Zilberman (2003, 2004), Lajolo (2001), Rabbit (2008), Bettelheim (2007), Amarilha (2004), Held (1980), Beaudoin and Taylor (2006), Fante and Stone (2008), Middelton-Moz and Zawadski (2007), Olweus (2006), Jares (2002, 2006), Beane (2010), La Taille (2006, 2009) and Piaget (1994). The analysis demonstrated that the characteristics inherent in the literature allow the realization of readings in which the bullying theme can be discussed among students, to contribute positively in the education of children and young people and reflect about violence. This is possible way, especially because of the involvement promoted by the reading of literary texts, allowing that students see, in fiction, possibilities of change

Monitoramento de fungos anemófilos e de leveduras em unidade hospitalar

OBJETIVO: Monitorar e caracterizar fungos anemófilos e leveduras de fontes bióticas e abióticas de uma unidade hospitalar. MÉTODOS: As coletas foram realizadas mensalmente e em dois períodos, do centro cirúrgico e unidades de terapia intensiva adulto e neonatal em hospital de Araraquara, Estado de São Paulo. Para coleta de fungos anemófilos foi utilizado amostrador tipo Andersen de simples estágio. A pesquisa de leveduras foi feita das mãos e de orofaringe de profissionais de saúde, bem como de superfícies de leitos e de maçanetas das áreas críticas. RESULTADOS: Foram recuperados do centro cirúrgico 32 gêneros de fungos anemófilos e 31 das unidades de terapia intensiva. Os gêneros mais freqüentemente isolados foram Cladophialophora spp., Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp., Chrysosporium spp. e Aspergillus spp. Durante o período de estudo, houve reforma e implantação de uma unidade dentro do hospital, que coincidiu com o aumento na contagem de colônias de Cladophialophora spp., Aspergillus spp. e Fusarium spp. Leveduras foram encontradas em 39,4% dos profissionais de saúde (16,7% das amostras dos espaços interdigitais, 12,1% do leito subungueal e 10,6% da orofaringe) e, em 44% das amostras do mobiliário, com predomínio do gênero Candida (C. albicans, C. guilliermondii, C. parapsilosis e C. lusitaniae) seguido por Trichosporon spp. CONCLUSÕES: Observou-se número relativamente elevado de fungos anemófilos (potencialmente patogênicos) em áreas especiais e níveis expressivos de leveduras em fontes bióticas e abióticas. O monitoramento microbiológico ambiental deve ser realizado, principalmente em salas especiais com pacientes imunocomprometidos, sujeitos à exposição de patógenos do meio ambiente, assim como, advindos de profissionais de saúde.

Increased susceptibility to development of anhedonia in rats with chronic peripheral nerve injury: Involvement of sleep deprivation?

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

Effects of inhibition gastric acid secretion on arterial acid-base status during digestion in the toad Bufo marinus

Digestion affects acid-base status, because the net transfer of HCl from the blood to the stomach lumen leads to an increase in HCO3- levels in both extra- and intracellular compartments. The increase in plasma [HCO3-], the alkaline tide, is particularly pronounced in amphibians and reptiles, but is not associated with an increased arterial pH, because of a concomitant rise in arterial Pco(2) caused by a relative hypoventilation. In this study, we investigate whether the postprandial increase in Paco(2) of the toad Bufo marinus represents a compensatory response to the increased plasma [HCO3-] or a state-dependent change in the control of pulmonary ventilation. To this end, we successfully prevented the alkaline tide, by inhibiting gastric acid secretion with omeprazole, and compared the response to that of untreated toads determined in our laboratory during the same period. In addition, we used vascular infusions of bicarbonate to mimic the alkaline tide in fasting animals. Omeprazole did not affect blood gases, acid-base and haematological parameters in fasting toads, but abolished the postprandial increase in plasma [HCO3-] and the rise in arterial Pco(2) that normally peaks 48 h into the digestive period. Vascular infusion of HCO3-, that mimicked the postprandial rise in plasma [HCO3-], led to a progressive respiratory compensation of arterial pH through increased arterial Pco(2) Thus, irrespective of whether the metabolic alkalosis is caused by gastric acid secretion in response to a meal or experimental infusion of bicarbonate, arterial pH is being maintained by an increased arterial Pco(2). It seems, therefore, that the elevated Pco(2), occuring during the postprandial period, constitutes of a regulated response to maintain pH rather than a state-dependent change in ventilatory control. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Arterial acid-base status during digestion and following vascular infusion of NaHCO3 and HCl in the South American rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus

Digestion is associated with gastric secretion that leads to an alkalinisation of the blood, termed the alkaline tide. Numerous studies on different reptiles and amphibians show that while plasma bicarbonate concentration ([HCO3-](pl)) increases substantially during digestion, arterial pH (pHa) remains virtually unchanged, due to a concurrent rise in arterial PCO2 (PaCO2) caused by a relative hypoventilation. This has led to the suggestion that postprandial amphibians and reptiles regulate pHa rather than PaCO2.Here we characterize blood gases in the South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus) during digestion and following systemic infusions of NaHCO3 and HCl in fasting animals to induce a metabolic alkalosis or acidosis in fasting animals. The magnitude of these acid-base disturbances were similar in magnitude to that mediated by digestion and exercise. Plasma [HCOT] increased from 18.4+/-1.5 to 23.7+/-1.0 mmol L-1 during digestion and was accompanied by a respiratory compensation where PaCO2 increased from 13.0+/-0.7 to 19.1+/-1.4 mm Hg at 24 h. As a result, pHa decreased slightly, but were significantly below fasting levels 36 h into digestion. Infusion of NaHCO3 (7 mmol kg(-1)) resulted in a 10 mmol L-1 increase in plasma [HCO3-] within 1 h and was accompanied by a rapid elevation of pHa (from 7.58+/-0.01 to 7.78+/-0.02). PaCO2, however, did not change following HCO3- infusion, which indicates a lack of respiratory compensation. Following infusion of HCl (4 mmol kg(-1)), plasma pHa decreased by 0.07 units and [HCO3-](pl) was reduced by 4.6 mmol L-1 within the first 3 h. PaCO2, however, was not affected and there was no evidence for respiratory compensation.Our data show that digesting rattlesnakes exhibit respiratory compensations to the alkaline tide, whereas artificially induced metabolic acid-base disturbances of same magnitude remain uncompensated. It seems difficult to envision that the central and peripheral chemoreceptors would experience different stimuli during these conditions. One explanation for the different ventilatory responses could be that digestion induces a more relaxed state with low responsiveness to ventilatory stimuli. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sleep Deprivation Alters Rat Ventral Prostate Morphology, Leading to Glandular Atrophy: A Microscopic Study Contrasted with the Hormonal Assays

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Combined characterisation of GOME and TOMS total ozone measurements from space using ground-based observations from the NDSC

Several years of total ozone measured from space by the ERS-2 GOME, the Earth Probe TOMS, and the ADEOS TOMS, are compared with high-quality ground-based observations associated with the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC), over an extended latitude range and a variety of geophysical conditions. The comparisons with each spaceborne sensor are combined altogether for investigating their respective solar zenith angle (SZA) dependence, dispersion, and difference of sensitivity. The space- and ground-based data are found to agree within a few percent on average. However, the analysis highlights for both GOME and TOMS several sources of discrepancies: (i) a SZA dependence with TOMS beyond 80° SZA; (ii) a seasonal SZA dependence with GOME beyond 70° SZA; (iii) a difference of sensitivity with GOME at high latitudes; (iv) a difference of sensitivity to low ozone values between satellite and SAOZ sensors around the southern tropics; (v) a north/south difference of TOMS with the ground-based observations; and (vi) internal inconsistencies in GOME total ozone. © 2001 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microbiota fúngica de um prédio com laboratórios da região de Araraquara-SP

From September 2000 to January 2001, airborne fungi were isolated from the building of the Clinical Analyses laboratories, including its didactic and research rooms, in Araraquara São Paulo State, Brazil, by using Andersen, MAS-100® (MERCK) machine, with Sabouraud chloramphenicol medium. After 5 days of incubation at 25°C, the colonies of the fungi were counted, resulting in the identification of 21 taxa. Cladophialophora spp. was the most isolated in internal and external environments as well, followed by Penicillium spp. and Mycelia spp. In accordance with the resolution n° 9, January 2003 (ANVISA), fungi considered unacceptable were found in nine internal environments and one of these presented the amount of fungi above of the acceptable limit. Among the obtained fungi, at least 16 taxa were reported as opportunistic, nine were related to plant diseases and seven were associated to allergy problems.

End-to-end validation of EPS / MetOp GOME-2 trace gas data

Within the next decade, the improved version 2 of Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME-2), a ultraviolet-visible spectrometer dedicated to the observation of key atmospheric trace species from space, will be launched successively on board three EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS) MetOp satellites. Starting with the launch of MetOp-1 scheduled for summer 2006, the GOME-2 series will extend till 2020 the global monitoring of atmospheric composition pioneered with ERS-2 GOME-1 since 1995 and enhanced with Envisat SCIAMACHY since 2002 and EOS-Aura OMI since 2004. For more than a decade, an international pool of scientific teams active in ground-and space-based ultraviolet-visible remote sensing have contributed to the successful post-launch validation of trace gas data products and the associated maturation of retrieval algorithms for the latter satellites, ensuring that geophysical data products are/become reliable and accurate enough for intended research and applications. Building on this experience, this consortium plans now to develop and carry out appropriate validation of a list of GOME-2 trace gas column data of both tropospheric and stratospheric relevance: nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), ozone (O 3), bromine monoxide (BrO), chlorine dioxide (OClO), formaldehyde (HCHO), and sulphur dioxide (SO 2). The proposed investigation will combine four complementary approaches resulting in an end-to-end validation of expected column data products.

GDP 4.0 transfer to SGP 3.0 for SCIAMACHY no2 column processing: Verification with SDOAS / GDOAS prototype algorithms and delta-validation with NDACC / UV-visible network data

Until mid 2006, SCIAMACHY data processors for the operational retrieval of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) column data were based on the historical version 2 of the GOME Data Processor (GDP). On top of known problems inherent to GDP 2, ground-based validations of SCIAMACHY NO2 data revealed issues specific to SCIAMACHY, like a large cloud-dependent offset occurring at Northern latitudes. In 2006, the GDOAS prototype algorithm of the improved GDP version 4 was transferred to the off-line SCIAMACHY Ground Processor (SGP) version 3.0. In parallel, the calibration of SCIAMACHY radiometric data was upgraded. Before operational switch-on of SGP 3.0 and public release of upgraded SCIAMACHY NO2 data, we have investigated the accuracy of the algorithm transfer: (a) by checking the consistency of SGP 3.0 with prototype algorithms; and (b) by comparing SGP 3.0 NO2 data with ground-based observations reported by the WMO/GAW NDACC network of UV-visible DOAS/SAOZ spectrometers. This delta-validation study concludes that SGP 3.0 is a significant improvement with respect to the previous processor IPF 5.04. For three particular SCIAMACHY states, the study reveals unexplained features in the slant columns and air mass factors, although the quantitative impact on SGP 3.0 vertical columns is not significant.