Aldosterone is not Involved in the Ventricular Remodeling Process Induced by Tobacco Smoke Exposure

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

Crotacetin, a novel snake venom C-type lectin homolog of convulxin, exhibits an unpredictable antimicrobial activity

Snake venom (sv) C-type lectins encompass a group of hemorrhagic toxins that are capable of interfering with blood stasis. A very well-studied svC-type lectin is the heterodimeric toxin, convulxin (CVX), from the venom of South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus. CVX is able to activate platelets and induce their aggregation by acting via p62/GPVI collagen receptor. By using polymerase chain reaction homology screening, we have cloned several cDNA precursors of CVX subunit homologs. One of them, named crotacetin (CTC) beta-subunit, predicts a polypeptide with a topology very similar to the tridimensional conformations of other subunits of CVX-like snake toxins, as determined by computational analysis. Using gel permeation and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, CTC was purified from C. durissus venoms. CTC can be isolated from the venom of several C. durissus subspecies, but its quantitative predominance is in the venom of C. durissus cascavella. Functional analysis indicates that CTC induces platelet aggregation, and, importantly, exhibits an antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and -negative bacteria, comparable with CVX.

Energy gain induced by boundary crisis

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

Enthalpy-entropy compensation based on isotherms of mango

Dados de equilíbrio da umidade da polpa de manga foram determinados utilizando-se o método estático gravimétrico. As isotermas de adsorção e dessorção foram obtidas na faixa de 30-70 ºC e as atividades de água (a w) de 0,02 a 0,97. A utilização do modelo de GAB nos resultados experimentais, através da análise de regressão não linear, proporcionou um bom ajuste entre os dados experimentais e os valores calculados. O calor isostérico de sorção foi estimado a partir dos dados de equilíbrio de sorção, utilizando-se a equação de Clausius-Clayperon. Notou-se que os calores isostéricos de sorção crescem com o aumento da temperatura e pode ser bem ajustado através de uma relação exponencial. A teoria da compensação entalpia-entropia foi aplicada às isotermas de sorção e gráficos deltaH versus deltaS forneceram as temperaturas isocinéticas, indicando um processo de sorção entalpicamente controlado.

Aprendizagem de relações ordinais por meio de treino de uma única sequência de estímulos

O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a formação de classes ordinais a partir do ensino de uma única sequência de estímulos sob controle da numerosidade. Participaram cinco crianças na faixa etária de 4 a 5 anos. Os estímulos foram formas abstratas referentes à numerosidade de 1 a 5. Usou-se um procedimento de ensino por sobreposição de estímulos. Todos os participantes alcançaram o critério de acerto na linha de base. Nos testes de transitividade e conectividade, os cincos participantes responderam prontamente. Houve generalização para duas novas classes ordinais. Nos testes de manutenção três participantes apresentaram responder consistente e um dos participantes respondeu parcialmente. Este estudo é uma contribuição para o estabelecimento de uma análise funcional da aprendizagem de repertórios numéricos.

Psicologia e odontopediatria: a contribuição da análise funcional do comportamento

Objetivando analisar funcionalmente a atuação do odontopediatra, procedeu-se ao atendimento odontológico de 3 crianças não-colaboradoras, utilizando ansiolítico ou placebo. As sessões foram filmadas e registrou-se os eventos clínicos e comportamentais dos participantes, em intervalos de 15 segundos. Os resultados revelaram que a colaboração das crianças pode ser considerada condição estabelecedora para os comportamentos da profissional. O ansiolítico não demonstrou efeitos sobre o comportamento dos pacientes. Direção, categoria comportamental predominantemente utilizada pela dentista, revelou-se eficaz na evocação de respostas de colaboração para 2 pacientes. Os dados expressam a contribuição da análise funcional do comportamento ao estudo da interação profissional-paciente em odontopediatria.

Nitrogen assimilation in Citrus based on CitEST data mining

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Thermodynamic models for water sorption by grape skin and pulp

The enthalpy-entropy compensation theory was applied to water sorption for grapes of Italy variety. The moisture sorption isotherms were analyzed using the static gravimetric method at 35, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 75 degrees C. For isotherms construction, the skin and pulp of the grape were used separately and it was possible to observe significant differences. The GAB equation was fitted to the experimental data, using direct nonlinear regression analysis; the agreement between experimental and calculated values was satisfactory. The net isosteric heat or enthalpy of water sorption, determined from the equilibrium sorption data, showed a different behavior when compared with other works, as it was obtained for skin and pulp separately. Plots of Delta h vs Delta S for skin and pulp provided the isokinetic temperatures T-Bs = 423.2 +/- 27.6 K and T-Bp = 424.5 +/- 25.3 K, respectively, indicating an enthalpy-controlled desorption process over the whole range of moisture content considered.

Selective Ablation of the Androgen Receptor in Mouse Sertoli Cells Affects Sertoli Cell Maturation, Barrier Formation and Cytoskeletal Development

The observation that mice with a selective ablation of the androgen receptor (AR) in Sertoli cells (SC) (SCARKO mice) display a complete block in meiosis supports the contention that SC play a pivotal role in the control of germ cell development by androgens. To delineate the physiological and molecular mechanism responsible for this control, we compared tubular development in pubertal SCARKO mice and littermate controls. Particular attention was paid to differences in SC maturation, SC barrier formation and cytoskeletal organization and to the molecular mediators potentially involved. Functional analysis of SC barrier development by hypertonic perfusion and lanthanum permeation techniques and immunohistochemical analysis of junction formation showed that SCARKO mice still attempt to produce a barrier separating basal and adluminal compartment but that barrier formation is delayed and defective. Defective barrier formation was accompanied by disturbances in SC nuclear maturation (immature shape, absence of prominent, tripartite nucleoli) and SC polarization (aberrant positioning of SC nuclei and cytoskeletal elements such as vimentin). Quantitative RT-PCR was used to study the transcript levels of genes potentially related to the described phenomena between day 8 and 35. Differences in the expression of SC genes known to play a role in junction formation could be shown from day 8 for Cldn11, from day 15 for Cldn3 and Espn, from day 20 for Cdh2 and Jam3 and from day 35 for ZO-1. Marked differences were also noted in the transcript levels of several genes that are also related to cell adhesion and cytoskeletal dynamics but that have not yet been studied in SC (Actn3, Ank3, Anxa9, Scin, Emb, Mpzl2). It is concluded that absence of a functional AR in SC impedes the remodeling of testicular tubules expected at the onset of spermatogenesis and interferes with the creation of the specific environment needed for germ cell development.

Water sorption thermodynamic properties applied to persimmon skin and pulp

Moisture equilibrium data of persimmon skin and pulp were determined using the static gravimetric method. Adsorption and desorption isotherms were obtained in the range of 20-70°C, to water activities (a w) from 0.02 to 0.85. The application of the GAB model to the experimental results, using direct nonlinear regression analysis, provided a good agreement between experimental and calculated values. The net isosteric heat of sorption was estimated from equilibrium sorption data, using the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. Isosteric heats of sorption were found to increase with increasing temperature and could be well adjusted by an exponential relationship. The enthalpy-entropy compensation theory was applied to sorption isotherms and plots of ΔH versus ΔS for skin and pulp provided the isokinetic temperatures, indicating an enthalpy controlled sorption process. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.

On the regularization of mixed complementarity problems

A variational inequality problem (VIP) satisfying a constraint qualification can be reduced to a mixed complementarity problem (MCP). Monotonicity of the VIP implies that the MCP is also monotone. Introducing regularizing perturbations, a sequence of strictly monotone mixed complementarity problems is generated. It is shown that, if the original problem is solvable, the sequence of computable inexact solutions of the strictly monotone MCP's is bounded and every accumulation point is a solution. Under an additional condition on the precision used for solving each subproblem, the sequence converges to the minimum norm solution of the MCP. Copyright © 2000 by Marcel Dekker, Inc.

Estimation of spontaneous blinking main sequence in normal subjects and patients with Graves' upper eyelid retraction

Purpose. We quantified the main sequence of spontaneous blinks in normal subjects and Graves' disease patients with upper eyelid retraction using a nonlinear and two linear models, and examined the variability of the main sequence estimated with standard linear regression for 10-minute periods of time. Methods. A total of 20 normal subjects and 12 patients had their spontaneous blinking measured with the magnetic search coil technique when watching a video during one hour. The main sequence was estimated with a power-law function, and with standard and trough the origin linear regressions. Repeated measurements ANOVA was used to test the mean sequence stability of 10-minute bins measured with standard linear regression. Results. In 95% of the sample the correlation coefficients of the main sequence ranged from 0.60 to 0.94. Homoscedasticity of the peak velocity was not verified in 20% of the subjects and 25% of the patients. The power-law function provided the best main sequence fitting for subjects and patients. The mean sequence of 10-minute bins measured with standard linear regression did not differ from the one-hour period value. For the entire period of observation and the slope obtained by standard linear regression, the main sequence of the patients was reduced significantly compared to the normal subjects. Conclusions. Standard linear regression is a valid and stable approximation for estimating the main sequence of spontaneous blinking. However, the basic assumptions of the linear regression model should be examined on an individual basis. The maximum velocity of large blinks is slower in Graves' disease patients than in normal subjects. © 2013 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.

Análise funcional da musculatura do assoalho pélvico pós-parto em mulheres primigestas

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

Estudo comparativo com diferentes números de pontes na neurorrafia término-lateral em ratos

Pós-graduação em Bases Gerais da Cirurgia - FMB

Períodos de interferência de uma comunidade infestante na cultura do milho em primeira e segunda safras

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Agricultura) - FCA