Scanning LDV for vibration measurement of filiform hairs in crickets in response to induced airflow - art. no. 63450E

Cercal hairs represent in cricket a wind sensitive escape system, able to detect the airflow generated from predating species. These sensors have been studied as a biomimetic concept to allow the development of MEMS for biomedical use. In particular, the behaviour of the hairs, including airflow response, resonant frequency and damping, has been investigated up to a frequency of 20 kHz. The microscopic nature of the hairs, the complex vibrations of excited hairs and the high damping of the system suggested that the use of Laser Doppler vibrometry could possibly improve the test performance. Two types of tests were performed: in the first case the hairs were indirectly excited using the signal obtained from a vibrating aluminium plate, whilst in the second case the hairs were directly excited using a white noise chirp. The results from the first experiment indicated that the hairs move in-phase with the exciting signal up to frequencies in the order of 10 kHz, responding to the vibration modes of the plate with a signal attenuation of 12 to 20 dB. The chirp experiment revealed the presence of rotational resonant modes at 6850 and 11300 Hz. No clear effect of hair length was perceivable on the vibration response of the filiform sensors. The obtained results proved promising to support the mechanical and vibration characterisation of the hairs and suggest that scanning Laser vibrometry can be used extensively on highly dampened biological materials.

Investigation of cadmium alternatives in thin-film coatings - art. no. 62860C

The health risks associated with the inhalation or ingestion of cadmium are well documented([1,2]). During the past 18 years, EU legislation has steadily been introduced to restrict its use, leaving a requirement for the development of replacement materials. This paper looks at possible alternatives to various cadmium II-VI dielectric compounds used in the deposition of optical thin-films for various opto-electronic devices. Application areas of particular interest are for infrared multilayer interference filter fabrication and solar cell industries, where cadmium-based coatings currently find widespread use. The results of single and multilayer designs comprising CdTe, CdS, CdSe and PbTe deposited onto group IV and II-VI materials as interference filters for the mid-IR region are presented. Thin films of SnN, SnO2, SnS and SnSe are fabricated by plasma assisted CVD, reactive RF sputtering and thermal evaporation. Examination of these films using FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, EDX analysis and optical characterisation methods provide details of material dispersion, absorption, composition, refractive index, energy band gap and layer thicknesses. The optimisation of deposition parameters in order to synthesise coatings with similar optical and semiconductor properties as those containing cadmium has been investigated. Results of environmental, durability and stability trials are also presented.

Making sense of survival: refining the treatment of state preferences in neorealist theory

The assumption that ‘states' primary goal is survival’ lies at the heart of the neorealist paradigm. A careful examination of the assumption, however, reveals that neorealists draw upon a number of distinct interpretations of the ‘survival assumption’ that are then treated as if they are the same, pointing towards conceptual problems that surround the treatment of state preferences. This article offers a specification that focuses on two questions that highlight the role and function of the survival assumption in the neorealist logic: (i) what do states have to lose if they fail to adopt self-help strategies?; and (ii) how does concern for relevant losses motivate state behaviour and affect international outcomes? Answering these questions through the exploration of governing elites' sensitivity towards regime stability and territorial integrity of the state, in turn, addresses the aforementioned conceptual problems. This specification has further implications for the debates among defensive and offensive realists, potential extensions of the neorealist logic beyond the Westphalian states, and the relationship between neorealist theory and policy analysis.

Children of the revolution: fathers and sons in antifascist DEFA films

The article looks at three antifascist films from the 1980s by the East German film company DEFA: Jürgen Brauer's Pugowitza (1981), Egon Schlegel's Die Schüsse der Arche Noah (1983), and Helmut Dziuba's Jan auf der Zille (1986), which during this final decade of the East German state re-examine an ideologically seminal constellation of the GDR's official antifascism – the relationship between antifascist father and son. Linking generational and political succession, the father-son relationship helped to legitimise the GDR as a state in which the young continued the antifascist fight of the old communists against the Nazi dictatorship. From the 1950s on, DEFA films contributed to the visualisation of this relationship, codifying it not only as heroic but also as ‘natural’: the assumed innocence of the communist son was meant to naturalise the father's antifascist/communist cause. The 1980s saw this naturalised political succession questioned. By re-telling the canonised father-son story, the three films visualise the generational antifascist contract as flawed. Re-deploying the son's assumed innocence in a critique of the father, they explore new endings to the antifascist story and revive the discussion of categories like ‘victim’ and ‘perpetrator’.// Der Aufsatz untersucht drei antifaschistische Filme der ostdeutschen Filmgesellschaft DEFA aus den 1980er Jahren: Jürgen Brauers Pugowitza (1981), Egon Schlegels Die Schüsse der Arche Noah (1983) und Helmut Dziubas Jan auf der Zille (1986). Alle drei Filme wurden im letzten Jahrzehnt der DDR gedreht und greifen eine ideologisch tragende Konstellation des offiziellen DDR-Antifaschismus auf – die Beziehung zwischen antifaschistischem Vater und Sohn. In der Vater-Sohn-Beziehung verband sich Generationenabfolge mit politischer Nachkommenschaft, eine Verbindung, die half, die DDR als einen Staat zu legitimieren, in dem die Jungen den antifaschistischen Kampf der alten Kommunisten gegen die Nazi-Diktatur weiterführten. Seit den 1950er Jahren beteiligte sich die DEFA an der Visuali-sierung dieser Beziehung und kodifizierte sie nicht nur als heldenhaft, sondern auch als ‘natürlich’: die behauptete Unschuld der kommunistschen Söhne diente dazu, den antifaschistisch-kommunistischen Kampf der Väter zu naturalisieren. Die solcher Art politisch interpretierte Generationenabfolge verlor ihre Natürlichkeit, als sie in den 1980er Jahren kritisch befragt wurde. Im nochmaligen Erzählen der kanonisierten Vater-Sohn-Geschichte wird die Brüchigkeit des antifaschistischen Gesellschaftsvertrags in allen drei Filmen sichtbar. Die vermeintliche Unschuld der Söhne wird nun zu einer Kritik der Väter genutzt, wobei die Filme ein neues Ende für die antifaschistische Geschichte erkunden und die Debatte über Kategorien wie ‘Opfer’ und ‘Täter’ wieder aufnehmen.

Precipitation variability in Sao Paulo State, Brazil

The State of Sao Paulo is the richest in Brazil, responsible for over 30% of the Brazilian gross rate. It has a population of around 30 million and its economy is based on agriculture and industrial products. Any change in climate can have a profound influence on the socio-economics of the State. In order to determine changes in total and extreme rainfall over Sao Paulo State, climate change indices derived from daily precipitation data were calculated using specially designed software. Maps of trends for a subset of 59 rain gauge stations were analysed for the period 1950-1999 and also for a subset of this period, 1990-1999, representing more recent climate. A non-parametric Mann-Kendall test was applied to the time series. Maps of trends for six annual precipitation indices (annual total precipitation (PRCPTOT), very heavy precipitation days (R20mm), events greater than the 95th percentile (R95p), maximum five days precipitation total (RX5day), the length of the largest wet spell (CWD) and the length of the largest dry spell (CDD)) were analysed for the entire period. These exhibited statistically significant trends associated with a wetter climate. A significant increase in PRCPTOT, associated with very heavy precipitation days, were observed at more than 45% of the rain gauge stations. The Mann-Kendall test identified that the positive trend in PRCPTOT is possibly related to the increase in the R95p and R20mm indices. Therefore, the results suggest that there has been a change in precipitation intensity. In contrast, the indices for the more recent shorter time series are significantly different to the longer term indices. The results indicate that intense precipitation is becoming concentrated in a few days and spread over the period when the CDD and R20mm indices show positive trends, while negative ones are seen in the RX5day index. The trends found could be related to many anthropogenic aspects such as biomass burning aerosols and land use.

Carnivore mammals in a fragmented landscape in northeast of Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Sao Paulo is the most developed state in Brazil and little of its native vegetation remains. In Luiz Antonio and Santa Rita do Passa Quatro municipalities, only small fragments of cerrado (Brazilian savanna) physiognomies (cerrado, cerrado sensu stricto) and of semideciduous forest have been left, surrounded by eucalyptus silviculture and sugar-cane agriculture. However, that vegetation mosaic still shelters large mammals, including several carnivore species. To detect the carnivores present in such a mosaic area (50,000 ha), and to find out how they use the landscape, we recorded them through 21 camera traps and 21 track plots, during 18 months. Species richness, diversity and relative frequency were evaluated according to the habitat. Ten species were recorded, some of them locally threatened to extinction (Puma concolor, Leopardus pardalis, Chrysocyon brachyurus). Species diversity did not significantly differ among fragments, and although most species preferred one or another habitat, the carnivore community as a whole explored all the study area regardless of the vegetation cover;eucalyptus plantations were as used by the carnivores as the native fragments. Therefore, it seems possible to maintain such animals in agricultural landscapes, where some large native fragments are left and the matrix is permeable to native fauna.

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.

In vitro exposure to fullerene C60 influences redox state and lipid peroxidation in brain and gills from Cyprinus carpio (Cyprinidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Prevalence of precancerous skin lesions and non-melanoma skin cancer in Japanese-Brazilians in Bauru, São Paulo State, Brazil

Manifestações cutâneas pré-neoplásicas e neoplásicas em asiáticos são infreqüentes e pouco documentadas. O Brasil possui o maior contingente de imigrantes japoneses e 70% deles residem no Estado de São Paulo. A prevalência dessas lesões em nipo-brasileiros é desconhecida. O presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar a prevalência de queratoses actínicas e tumores cutâneos não melanomas em nipo-brasileiros acima de trinta anos de 1ª geração ou 2ª geração, sem miscigenação, residentes na cidade de Bauru, no ano de 2006. Dos 567 nipo-brasileiros submetidos a exame dermatológico, diagnosticou-se queratose actínica em 76 pacientes, com média de idade de 68,9 anos, e único carcinoma basocelular em paciente do sexo feminino de 39 anos. No Japão, a prevalência de queratose actínica é de 0,76% a 5% e a incidência de tumores cutâneos não melanomas é de 1,2 a 5,4/100 mil. Os nipo-brasileiros de Bauru apresentaram prevalência de 13,4% de queratoses actínicas e idade mais precoce de aparecimento. Proximidade com o Equador e atividades rurais contribuem para esses achados. A presença de melanose solar demonstrou risco 1,9 vez maior de desenvolver queratose actínica.

UNUSUALLY STRONG ATTRACTION IN THE PRESENCE OF CONTINUUM BOUND-STATE

The result of few-particle ground-state calculation employing a two-particle nonlocal potential supporting a continuum bound state in addition to a negative-energy bound state has occasionally revealed unusually strong attraction in producing a very strongly bound ground state. In the presence of the continuum bound state the difference of phase shift between zero and infinite energies has an extra jump of pi as in the presence of an additional bound state. The wave function of the continuum bound state is identical with that of a strongly bound negative-energy state, which leads us to postulate a pseudo bound state in the two-particle system in order to explain the unexpected attraction. The role of the Pauli forbidden states is expected to be similar to these pseudo states.

Hydrochemical relationships in groundwater from central São Paulo State, Brazil

Groundwater samples from different aquifers occurring at center/northeast portion of São Paulo State, Brazil, were collected and chemically analyzed. The waters leaching Mesozoic sediments are generally more acid (pH(average) = 5.9) and have lower values for total dissolved solids (TDSaverage = 105 mg/L) than those obtained for waters leaching Paleozoic sediments of Tubarao Group. First-degree trend surfaces revealed that the deeper tubular wells occur towards east/southeast and exploit Paleozoic sediments as well fractured/fissured diabases/basalts, whereas the tubular wells in the west/northwest region are shallower. Piper diagrams indicated that the majority of the waters are a blend of waters from different lithologies. Significant correlations were found among nitrate, chloride and bicarbonate, suggesting the occurrence of some anthropogenic inputs, whereas elevated alpha activity of geogenic Ra-226 indicated the need of a broad radiometric survey in the area.

Pollution by hexachlorobenzene and pentachlorophenol in the coastal plain of São Paulo state, Brazil

Organochlorine compounds were dumped by chemical industries during the 1970s in many areas of the coastal plain of São Paulo state in Brazil. These dumps, located on hillsides and in valleys, in both rural and urban environments, are responsible for soil and water pollution. The objective of this work was to determine how the pollutants have spread in an area occupied by a spodosol-type soil mantle. The study combines soil morphological observations with soil and water analysis of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) in soil toposequences. The results indicate that the highest pollutant concentrations are observed near the dump site and that the compounds contamination is increasing. A map integrating topography and chemical concentrations was created to visualize the spatial distribution of HCB levels in the landscape. Physical and chemical analyses were performed to measure HCB and PCP levels in the soil. Soil water appears to act as a vector of HCB, probably through complexation with and dispersal of dissolved organic matter. The persistence of HCB at the studied site is most likely due to the low pH values in combination with a high content of organic matter. HCB was consistently found in higher concentrations than PCP. It is plausible that the cause of this difference is that PCP is degraded more easily under sunlight than HCB and that degradation of PCP under acid conditions leads to the formation of HCB. © 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Bovine abortion associated with Neospora caninum: Diagnosis and epidemiological aspects of a dairy cattle herd in the northeast region of São Paulo state, Brazil

The objective of this study was to report the presence of Neospora caninum-associated abortion in bovines at a farm in the northeast region of São Paulo State. In January 2010, it was sent to the Department of Pathology, UNESP-Jaboticabal, a bovine fetus with an estimated age of seven months, which was natural of a dairy farm with 300 animals and an average daily production of 3,000 liters of milk, nearly 20 liters per cow. The animals were vaccinated against rabies, foot and mouth disease, carbuncle, brucellosis, leptospirosis, bovine herpes virus type I and bovine viral diarrhea virus. The herd consisted of purebred Holstein animals, Jersey, and mostly by crossbred animals 7-8 (gir x holstein). During necropsy, samples of the serosanguineous liquid present at the thoracic cavity and the heart of the fetus were collected for the detection of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies through Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA). Fragments of brain, cerebellum, tongue, liver, heart and kidneys were collected for the execution of histopathology (HP), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Polymerase Chain Reaction. In order that IFA could be performed, the owner was requested blood samples without anticoagulants of the mother and other cows in the farm, with or without a history of abortion. At necropsy, it was verified a severe autolysis of the fetus. The serology of the fetus was 1:25, while the serology of the mother was 1:3,200. At HP, it was observed discrete multifocal non-suppurative encephalomyelitis characterized by gliosis and mononuclear inflammatory infiltration associated with cellular debris. DNA amplification of N. caninum was positive in fragments of brain, tongue, cerebellum, heart and kidneys. At IHC, it has been observed immunoreactivity to a cyst located in the tongue. The owner reported that his herd showed endemic episodes of abortion, while 27.69% (18/65) of the 65 animals sampled were seropositive. Although it has not been a significant difference (p>0.05), a higher seropositivity was observed in animals with a history of abortion (10/26) 38.46%, in comparison with animals without previous abortion (8/39) 20.51%. These findings show that the abortion under study was provoked by the protozoan N. caninum, while this is the first report concerning cattle in the northeast region of São Paulo State.

Atmospheric pollutants in São Paulo state, Brazil and effects on human health – a review

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