The connective tissue of the adductor canal - a morphological study in fetal and adult specimens

The adductor canal is a conical or pyramid-shaped pathway that contains the femoral vessels, saphenous nerve and a varying amount of fibrous tissue. It is involved in adductor canal syndrome, a claudication syndrome involving young individuals. Our objective was to study modifications induced by aging on the connective tissue and to correlate them to the proposed pathophysiological mechanism. The bilateral adductor canals and femoral vessels of four adult and five fetal specimens were removed en bloc and analyzed. Sections 12 mu m thick were obtained and the connective tissue studied with Sirius Red, Verhoeff, Weigert and Azo stains. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) photomicrographs of the surfaces of each adductor canal were also analyzed. Findings were homogeneous inside each group. The connective tissue of the canal was continuous with the outer layer of the vessels in both groups. The pattern of concentric, thick collagen type I bundles in fetal specimens was replaced by a diffuse network of compact collagen bundles with several transversal fibers and an impressive content of collagen III fibers. Elastic fibers in adults were not concentrated in the thick bundles but dispersed in line with the transversal fiber system. A dynamic compression mechanism with or without an evident constricting fibrous band has been proposed previously for adductor canal syndrome, possibly involving the connective tissue inside the canal. The vessels may not slide freely during movement. These age-related modifications in normal individuals may represent necessary conditions for this syndrome to develop.

Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis of a pre-Columbian funerary gold mask from the Museum of Sican, Peru

A funerary gold mask from the Museum of Sican, Ferranafe, Peru was analyzed in 30 different areas using a portable equipment using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence. It was deduced from the measurements that the main sheet of the mask and the majority of the pendants have a similar composition and are made of tumbaga, which means a poor gold alloy enriched at the surface by depletion gilding, and have a similar `equivalent` gilding thickness of about 5 mu m. The nose, also on tumbaga, has different composition and a thickness of about 8 mu m. The clamps are on gilded or on silvered copper. The red pigment dispersed on the surface of the mask is cinnabar. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Recovery of DNA for the detection and genotyping of human papillomavirus from clinical cervical specimens stored for up to 2 years in a universal collection medium with denaturing reagent

The recovery and stability of DNA for the detection and genotyping of HPV in UCM-containing specimens, after exposure to denaturing reagents and stored for up to 2 years were evaluated. Samples were collected from 60 women who had cervical cytology specimens harboring cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2 or 3. All samples were stored in UCM and had been frozen at -20 degrees C following the addition of the denaturing reagent (sodium hydroxide) and the removal of the aliquot required for Hybrid Capture 2 testing for the identification of HPV DNA. The samples had been stored for 6, 12 and 24 months (20 samples for each storage time). HPV DNA extraction was performed according to a protocol designed specifically and the presence and quality of DNA was confirmed by human P-globin detection using the consensus primers G73 and G74. HPV DNA was amplified using the consensus primers PGMY09 and PGMY11, and reverse line-blot hybridization was used to detect type-specific amplicons for 37 HPV types. The DNA extracted from the denatured specimen was recovered in 57/60 (95%) of the samples. HPV DNA was detected in 56/57 (98%) of the recovered samples. Twenty-six of the 56 samples recovered (48%) were genotyped successfully. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differential Acetyl Cholinesterase Inhibition by Volatile Oils from two Specimens of Marlierea racemosa (Myrtaceae) Collected from Different Areas of the Atlantic Rain Forest

The volatile oil composition and anti-acetyl cholinesterase activity were analyzed in two specimens of Marlierea racemosa growing in different areas of the Atlantic Rain Forest (Cananeia and Caraguatatuba, SP, Brazil). Component identifications were performed by GUMS and their acetyl cholinesterase inhibitory activity was measured through colorimetric analysis. The major constituent in both specimens was spathulenol (25.1 % in Cananeia and 31.9% in Caraguatatuba). However, the first one also presented monoterpenes (41.2%), while in the Carguatatuba plants, this class was not detected. The oils from the plants collected in Cananeia were able to inhibit the acetyl cholinesterase activity by LIP to 75%, but for oils from the other locality the maximal inhibition achieved was 35%. These results suggested that the monoterpenes are more effective in the inhibition of acetyl cholinesterase activity than sesquiterpenes as these compounds are present in higher amounts in the M. racemosa plants collected in Cananeia.

Dereplication of Bromotyrosine-derived Metabolites by LC-PDA-MS and Analysis of the Chemical Profile of 14 Aplysina Sponge Specimens from the Brazilian Coastline

In order to investigate the chemical profile of 14 specimens of Aplysina spp. marine sponges, we have developed a method based on LC-PDA-MS for the detection of bromotyrosine-derived metabolites. The method enabled the dereplication of three distinct chemotypes of bromotyrosine-derived compounds based on UV absorptions, which were further refined by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry analysis of the brominated quasi-molecular ion clusters. This procedure led to either a single compound assignment, or a maximum of two possible isobaric compounds. The dereplication study indicated that the chemical profile of the 14 specimens of Aplysina spp. analyzed presented practically the same dibromotyrosine-derived compounds. The results obtained suggested a possible biogenetic pathway for the formation of dibromotyrosine-derived compounds of wide occurrence in Verongida sponges.

Museum Personalized : The impact of floor staff on an exhibition - A holistic approach

The current paper presents a study conducted at The National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm to investigate the exhibition “Antarctica – that’s cool” from its first concept to the first workshop that is held in the exhibition. The focus is on the influence of floor staff on an exhibition and workshops as learning facilities in museums. Findings, based on visitor observation and the exhibition building process, go into the characteristics of low-budget productions and discuss the importance of staff on the exhibition floor for museums as life-long learning facilities. The holistic approach of the study provides deep insights into the complex interplay of visitors, staff and exhibitions. The results can be used for future exhibition building processes and educational programs in museums and should strengthen the museum’s position as life-long learning facility in nowadays society.

An Evaluation of”Middle Ages Dead or Live?”The first interactive exhibition at the National Museum of History

This is a study conducted at, and for, the National Museum of History in Stockholm. The aim of the study was to confirm or disconfirm the hypothesis that visitors in a traditional museum environment might not take part in interactivity in an interactive exhibition. And if they do the visitors might skip the texts and objects on display. To answer this and other questions a multiple method was used. Both non participant observations and exit interviews were conducted. After a description of the interactive exhibits, theory of knowledge and learning is presented before the gathered data is presented. All together 443 visitors were observed. In the observations the visitors were timed on how much time they spent in the room, the time spent on the interactivity, texts and objects. In the 40 interviews information about visitors’ participation in the interactivity was gathered. What interactivity the visitor found easiest, hardest, funniest and most boring.The result did not confirm the hypothesis. All kinds of visitors, children and adults, participated in the interactivities. The visitors took part in the texts and objects and the interactive exhibits.

Profiling visitors to Dalarna Museum : What are the motivational factors that influence visitors' frequency of visits

Prior studies on museum visitors are extensively centred on national museums, the studies on regional museums are scarce. To fill in the academic gap, a research is proposed concerning the visitors of Dalarna Museum, a regional museum in Sweden. With an aim to profile visitors’ demographic characteristics and investigate the motivational factors that influence visitors’ frequency of visits, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was implemented at Dalarna Museum. To get visitors’ demographic characteristics, a few closed and open questions are devised to profile visitors’ gender, age, occupation, income, education, number of children and residence place. To investigate the motivational factors that influence visitors’ frequency of visits, a seven-point Likert questionnaire is employed with 17 motivational factors included. During a 12-day data collection, 372 visitors were invited to participate in the questionnaire survey, whereof 357 had filled in the questionnaire, generating a response rate that is as high as 96 percent. After data cleansing, there are 355 completed and valid responses in total. According to the results, some of visitors’ demographic characteristics are similar including gender, age, occupation, income, and number of children. However, the characteristics regarding visitors’ residence places and educational attainments are different comparing the frequent visitors to occasional visitors. Through running a multiple regression analysis, 13 out of the 17 motivational factors are detected having significant influences on visitors’ frequency of visits to Dalarna Museum, of which the most influential one is visitors’ day-outs with their friends and relatives.

Catalog of Paintings Exhibited in the Colby College Art Museum May 8 -22- 1974

This catalog describes paintings by the author, completed as his Senior Scholar Project in art and exhibited in the Colby College Art Museum. Images of the paintings are not available.

Study of the dimensions of double-torsion test specimens

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

Taxonomia e biogeografia da espécie politípica Herpsilochmus rufimarginatus (TEMMINCK, 1822) (Aves: THAMNOPHILIDAE)

The genus Herpsilochmus is composed mainly of cryptic species, among them is Herpsilochmus rufimarginatus, which is currently represented by four subspecies: H. r. rufimarginatus, H. r. frater, H. r. scapularis and H. r. exiguus. Differences in plumage and vocalization suggest that there are more than one species involved in this complex. Thus this and other subspecific taxa need urgent revision, the disjunct distribution of this species also allows us to infer the relationship between birds that occur in this biome and / or different centers of endemism. This study aims to make a taxonomic revision of the taxa included in the complex time Herpsilochmus rufimarginatus based on morphological, morphometric, vocals and geographical distribution of this bird. Besides creating distribution models current potential and make the reconstruction of the distribution bygone using ecological niche modeling, and testing the niche conservatism and divergence between different subspecies. Consultations for examination of the skins of specimens of the museums: Museum of Zoology, University of São Paulo (MZUSP), National Museum of Rio de Janeiro (MN) and Emilio Goeldi Museum of Pará (MPEG), and the skins deposited at the collection of Ornithological Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (COUFRN). We studied the following measures length of specimens: exposed culmen, culmen and total culmen nostril, tarsus, wing and tail flattened. The voice analysis was performed with vocalizations banks and / or digital banks people where 17 voice parameters were measured. This information and more available in the literature were used to assemble a bunch of data under the limit distribution of taxa and generate ecological niche models. This analyzes carried out in the program Maxent, having as model selection criterion the AUC, and the models were greater than 0.80 are considered good models. Environmental data for the realization of the modeling were downloaded on the website of Worldclim. The morphometric information, vocals and geographic distribution point for the separation of these taxa to be considering various uni and multivariate analyzes. The potential distribution models performed well (AUC> 0.80), and its distribution associated with environmental characteristics of the Amazon forest and Atlantic forest (forests of south and southeast, northeast and forest). The reconstruction of the distribution indicates a possible contact between the southern part of the Atlantic forest in the northern part of the Amazon. The analysis of niche overlap showed a low overlap between taxa and comparisons between the null model and the generated overlay link probably occurring niche conservatism. The data suggest that the taxa that occur in the Amazon and Atlantic forest represent three distinct species

Detection of SPM and IMP metallo-beta-lactamases in clinical specimens of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a Brazilian public tertiary hospital

Phenotypic and genotypic SPM and IMP metallo-beta-lactamases (MBL) detection and also the determination of minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) to imipenem, meropenem and ceftazidime were evaluated in 47 multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from clinical specimens. Polymerase chain reaction detected 14 positive samples to either bla(SPM) or bla(IMP) genes, while the best phenotypic assay (ceftazidime substrate and mercaptopropionic acid inhibitor) detected 13 of these samples. Imipenem, meropenem and ceftazidime MICs were higher for MBL positive compared to MBL negative isolates. We describe here the SPM and IMP MBL findings in clinical specimens of P. aeruginosa from the University Hospital of Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil, that reinforce local studies showing the high spreading of bla(SPM) and bla(IMP) genes among Brazilian clinical isolates.

Individual Venom Profiling of Crotalus durissus terrificus Specimens from a Geographically Limited Region: Crotamine Assessment and Captivity Evaluation on the Biological Activities

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

Comparison of a PCR assay in whole blood and serum specimens for canine brucellosis diagnosis

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Fecal specimens preparation methods for PCR diagnosis of human taeniosis

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