Health effects of occupational exposure in a dairy food industry, with a specific assessment of exposure to airborne lactic acid bacteria

OBJECTIVE:: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are used in food industries as probiotic agents. The aim of this study is to assess the potential health effects of airborne exposure to a mix of preblend (LAB and carbohydrate) and milk powder in workers. METHODS:: A medical questionnaire, lung function tests, and immunologic tests were carried out on 50 workers. Occupational exposure to inhalable dust and airborne LAB was measured. RESULTS:: Workers not using respiratory masks reported more symptoms of irritation than workers using protection. Workers from areas with higher levels of airborne LAB reported the most health symptoms and the immune responses of workers to LAB was higher than the immune responses of a control population. CONCLUSIONS:: Measures to reduce exposure to airborne LAB and milk powder in food industries are recommended.

Alteration of glucose metabolism in cultured astrocytes after AQP9-small interference RNA application.

Aquaglyceroporin-9 (AQP9) facilitates diffusion of water and energy substrates such as glycerol and monocarboxylates. AQP9 is present in plasma membrane and mitochondria of astrocytes and catecholaminergic neurons, suggesting that it plays a role in the energetic status of these cells. Using specific small interference RNA directed against AQP9 in astrocyte cultures, we showed that glycerol uptake is decreased which is associated with an increase in glucose uptake and oxidative metabolism. Our results not only confirm the presence of AQP9 in astrocytes but also suggest that changes in AQP9 expression alter glial energy metabolism.

Shrews in suburbia: an application of Goodman's extinction model

An equation is applied for calculating the expected persistence time of an unstructured population of the white-toothed shrew Crocidura russula from Preverenges, a suburban area in western Switzerland. Population abundance data from March and November between 1977 and 1988 were fit to the logistic density dependence model to estimate mean population growth rate as a function of population density. The variance in mean growth rate was approximated with two different models. The largest estimated persistence time was less than a few decades, the smallest less than 10 years. The results are sensitive to the magnitude of variance in population growth rate. Deviations from the logistic density dependence model in November are quite well explained by weather variables but those in March are uncorrelated with weather variables. Variability in population growth rates measured in winter months may be better explained by behavioural mechanisms. Environmental variability, dispersal of juveniles and refugia within the range of the population may contribute to its long-term survival.

Vertical distributions of plankton in the upper 35m of the peruvian upwelling zone - application of a shipboard electronic plankton counting system

Analiza el proyecto ICANE y suma modificaciones para estudiar la distribución de zooplancton pequeño

Fitness cost of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis in velvetbean caterpillar Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

Selection pressure to obtain resistant genotypes can result in fitness cost. In this study, we report the effects of the selection pressure of a commercial formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis on biological aspects of a Dipel-resistant strain of velvetbean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner. Comparisons of Dipel-resistant and susceptible individuals revealed significant differences in pupal weight and larval development time. Both strains (Dipel-resistant and susceptible) were susceptible to Cry1Ac toxin expressed in foliar cotton tissues. Resistant and susceptible strains showed low survival rates of 22.5% and 51.2%, respectively, when fed with Greene diet containing Bt-cotton. Larvae bioassayed after three laboratory generations presented lower survival and less instar numbers than individuals maintained in the laboratory for more than 144 generations. Pupal weight was 9.4% lower and larval development time was 1.9 days longer in the resistant population than in the susceptible strain. Other parameters, such as duration of pupal stage, adult longevity, number of eggs per female, oviposition period, and egg fertility, remained unaffected.

Isolation of Bacillus thuringiensis from the state of Amazonas, in Brazil, and screening against Aedes aegypti (Diptera, Culicidae)

We investigated the use of Bacillus thuringiensis isolated in the state of Amazonas, in Brazil, for the biological control of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti. From 25 soil samples collected in nine municipalities, 484 bacterial colonies were obtained, 57 (11.78%) of which were identified as B. thuringiensis. Six isolates, IBt-03, IBt-06, IBt-07, IBt-28, IBt-30, and BtAM-27 showed insecticidal activity, and only BtAM-27 presents the five genes investigated cry4Aa, cry4Ba, cry10Aa, cry11Aa, and cry11Ba. The IBt-07 and IBt- 28, with lower LC50 values, showed equal toxicity compared to the standards. The isolates of B. thuringiensisfrom Amazonas constitute potential new means of biological control for A. aegypti, because of their larvicidal activity and the possibility that they may also contain new combinations of toxins.

Improved statistical evaluation of group differences in connectomes by screening-filtering strategy with application to study maturation of brain connections between childhood and adolescence.

Detecting local differences between groups of connectomes is a great challenge in neuroimaging, because the large number of tests that have to be performed and the impact on multiplicity correction. Any available information should be exploited to increase the power of detecting true between-group effects. We present an adaptive strategy that exploits the data structure and the prior information concerning positive dependence between nodes and connections, without relying on strong assumptions. As a first step, we decompose the brain network, i.e., the connectome, into subnetworks and we apply a screening at the subnetwork level. The subnetworks are defined either according to prior knowledge or by applying a data driven algorithm. Given the results of the screening step, a filtering is performed to seek real differences at the node/connection level. The proposed strategy could be used to strongly control either the family-wise error rate or the false discovery rate. We show by means of different simulations the benefit of the proposed strategy, and we present a real application of comparing connectomes of preschool children and adolescents.

Lean IT Application of 5S/6S Technique in a SME

O Lean não é apenas uma prática. É uma revolução nas Tecnologias de Informação (TI) proporcionando uma maior e melhor utilização dos recursos e procurando alcançar custos mais baixos dos que existem atualmente. É muito mais do que uma lista de ferramentas e metodologias e para que seja estabelecido é necessário mudar comportamentos culturais e incentivar todas as organizações a pensarem de forma diferente sobre o poder da informação versus o valor do negócio. Normalmente associa-se o Lean à criação de valor para a organização. Mas o valor é significativo quando é trazido com eficiência e resultando na eliminação de processos que consomem tempo, recursos e espaço desnecessário. Os princípios Lean podem ajudar as organizações na melhoria da qualidade, redução de custos e no alcance da eficiência através de uma melhor produtividade. Existem vários conceitos Lean que podem ser associados a diferentes objetivos de resolução de problemas. Em particular, este trabalho é uma dissertação programada para analisar um novo paradigma sobre o Lean que surgiu recentemente - Lean para Tecnologias de Informação (Lean IT). Esta dissertação apresenta uma abordagem para o Lean IT (enquadramento, objetivos e metodologia) para realizar o trabalho e utiliza um único estudo de caso, com abordagem à técnica 5S/6S (até o terceiro nível de avaliação), numa Pequena, Média Empresa (PME), de forma a demonstrar a agregação de valor e as vantagens na eliminação de resíduos/desperdícios nos seus processos. A técnica também mostra a evolução da avaliação antes e depois da sua aplicação. Este estudo de caso individual avalia um Departamento de TI (com uma equipe de cinco colaboradores e um chefe de Departamento) através da observação direta, documentação e arquivos de registos e os equipamentos analisados são computadores, postos de trabalho e projetos (código desenvolvido, portais e outros serviços de TI). x Como guia, a metodologia inclui a preparação da avaliação em conjunto com o responsável/chefe do Departamento de TI, o desenrolar das operações, a identificação do fluxo de valor para cada atividade, o desenvolvimento de um plano de comunicação e a análise de cada passo da avaliação do fluxo de processamento. Os principais resultados estão refletidos nas novas ferramentas de trabalho (Microsoft SharePoint e Microsoft Project em detrimento do Microsoft Excel) que fornecem comunicação remota e controlo de projetos para todos os stakeholders, tais como, a gestão de topo, parceiros e clientes (algumas organizações incluem o Outsourcing no desenvolvimento de funcionalidades específicas). Os resultados também refletem-se na qualidade do trabalho, no cumprimento de prazos, na segurança física e lógica, na motivação dos colaboradores e na satisfação dos clientes. A técnica 5S/6S ajuda a esclarecer os conceitos e princípios Lean, exequibilidade e aumenta a curiosidade sobre a implementação da técnica noutros departamentos tais como o Financeiro e ou o de Recursos Humanos. Como forma de consolidação do trabalho tornou-se possível organizar a avaliação para que a organização possa candidatar-se a uma certificação na norma ISO/IEC 25010:2011, no modelo de qualidade de software (software é o core business desta PME). Mas tal só será possível se toda a organização atingir a padronização dos seus processos. Este estudo de caso mostra que os conceitos Lean e a aplicação de uma ou mais das suas técnicas (neste caso particular a técnica 5S/6S) ajuda a obter melhores resultados através da gestão e melhoria dos seus principais serviços.

Characterization and Application of Educational Virtual Environments for Science Teaching in Secondary School

This work describes the characteristics of a representative set of seven different virtual laboratories (VLs) aimed for science teaching in secondary school. For this purpose, a 27-item evaluation model that facilitates the characterization of the VLs was prepared. The model takes into account the gaming features, the overall usability, and also the potential to induce scientific literacy. Five of the seven VLs were then tested with two larger and highly heterogenic groups of students, and in two different contexts – biotechnology and physics, respectively. It is described how the VLs were received by the students, taking into account both their motivation and their self-reported learning outcome. In some cases, students’ approach to work with the VLs was recorded digitally, and analyzed qualitatively. In general, the students enjoyed the VL activities, and claimed that they learned from them. Yet, more investigation is required to address the effectiveness of these tools for significant learning.

Application of K-feldspar-jadeite-quartz barometry to eclogite facies metagranites and metapelites in the Sesia Lanzo Zone (Western Alps, Italy)

The eclogite facies assemblage K-feldspar-jadeite-quartz in metagranites and metapelites from the Sesia-Lanzo Zone (Western Alps, Italy) records the equilibration pressure by dilution of the reaction jadeite + quartz = albite. The metapelites show partial transformation from a pre-Alpine assemblage of garnet (Alm(63)Prp(26)Grs(10))-K-feldspar-plagioclase-biotite +/- sillimanite to the Eo-Alpine high-pressure assemblage garnet (Alm(50)Prp(14)Grs(35))-jadeite (Jd(80-97)Di(0-4)Hd(0-8)Acm(0-7))=zoisite-phengite. Plagioclase is replaced by jadeite-zoisite-kyanite-K-feldspar-quartz and biotite is replaced by garnet-phengite or omphacite-kyanite-phengite. Equilibrium was attained only in local domains in the metapelites and therefore the K-feldspar-jadeite-quartz (KJQ) barometer was applied only to the plagioclase pseudomorphs and K-feldspar domains. The albite content of K-feldspar ranges from 4 to 11 mol% in less equilibrated assemblages from Val Savenca and from 4 to 7 mol% in the partially equilibrated samples from Monte Mucrone and the equilibrated samples from Montestrutto and Tavagnasco. Thermodynamic calculations on the stability of the assemblage K-feldspar-jadeite-quartz using available mixing data for K-feldspar and pyroxene indicate pressures of 15-21 kbar (+/- 1.6-1.9 kbar) at 550 +/- 50 degrees C. This barometer yields direct pressure estimates in high-pressure rocks where pressures are seldom otherwise fixed, although it is sensitive to analytical precision and the choice of thermodynamic mixing model for K-feldspar. Moreover, the KJQ barometer is independent of the ratio P-H2O/P-T. The inferred limiting a(H2O) for the assemblage jadeite-kyanite in the metapelites from Val Savenca is low and varies from 0.2 to 0.6.

Reduction of corneal edema in endotoxin-induced uveitis after application of L-NAME as nitric oxide synthase inhibitor in rats by iontophoresis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the involvement of the cornea during endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) in the rat and the effect of Ngamma-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) as nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, administered by iontophoresis. METHODS: EIU was induced in Lewis rats that were killed at 8 and 16 hours after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection. The severity of uveitis was evaluated clinically at 16 hours, and nitrite levels were evaluated in the aqueous humor at 8 hours. Corneal thickness was measured, 16 hours after LPS injection, on histologic sections using an image analyzer. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used for fine analysis of the cornea. Transcorneoscleral iontophoresis of L-NAME (100 mM) was performed either at LPS injection or at 1 and 2 hours after LPS injection. RESULTS: At 16 hours after LPS injection, mean corneal thickness was 153.7+/-5.58 microm in the group of rats injected with LPS (n=8) compared with 126.89+/-11.11 microm in the saline-injected rats (n=8) (P < 0.01). TEM showed stromal edema and signs of damage in the endothelial and epithelial layers. In the group of rats treated by three successive iontophoreses of L-NAME (n=8), corneal thickness was 125.24+/-10.36 microm compared with 146.76+/-7.52 microm in the group of rats treated with iontophoresis of saline (n=8), (P=0.015). TEM observation showed a reduction of stromal edema and a normal endothelium. Nitrite levels in the aqueous humor were significantly reduced at 8 hours by L-NAME treatment (P=0.03). No effect on corneal edema was observed after a single iontophoresis of L-NAME at LPS injection (P=0.19). Iontophoresis of saline by itself induced no change in corneal thickness nor in TEM structure analysis compared with normal rats. CONCLUSIONS: Corneal edema is observed during EIU. This edema is significantly reduced by three successive iontophoreses of L-NAME, which partially inhibited the inflammation. A role of nitric oxide in the corneal endothelium functions may explain the antiedematous effect of L-NAME.

The application of trend surface models to the analysis of time factors in Swiss cancer mortality.

To study different temporal components on cancer mortality (age, period and cohort) methods of graphic representation were applied to Swiss mortality data from 1950 to 1984. Maps using continuous slopes ("contour maps") and based on eight tones of grey according to the absolute distribution of rates were used to represent the surfaces defined by the matrix of various age-specific rates. Further, progressively more complex regression surface equations were defined, on the basis of two independent variables (age/cohort) and a dependent one (each age-specific mortality rate). General patterns of trends in cancer mortality were thus identified, permitting definition of important cohort (e.g., upwards for lung and other tobacco-related neoplasms, or downwards for stomach) or period (e.g., downwards for intestines or thyroid cancers) effects, besides the major underlying age component. For most cancer sites, even the lower order (1st to 3rd) models utilised provided excellent fitting, allowing immediate identification of the residuals (e.g., high or low mortality points) as well as estimates of first-order interactions between the three factors, although the parameters of the main effects remained still undetermined. Thus, the method should be essentially used as summary guide to illustrate and understand the general patterns of age, period and cohort effects in (cancer) mortality, although they cannot conceptually solve the inherent problem of identifiability of the three components.

The application of agricultural land rating and crop models to CO2 and climate change issues in Northern regions : the Mackenzie Basin case study

Selostus: Viljelyvyöhykkeiden ja kasvumallien soveltaminen ilmastonmuutoksen tutkimisessa: Mackenzien jokialue, Kanada

Forms and accumulation of copper and zinc in a sandy typic hapludalf soil after long-term application of pig slurry and deep litter

Successive applications of pig slurry and pig deep litter may lead to an accumulation of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) fractions in the soil profile. The objective of this study was to evaluate the Cu and Zn forms and accumulation in a Sandy Typic Hapludalf soil after long-term application of pig slurry and deep litter. In March 2010, eight years after initiating an experiment in Braço do Norte, Santa Catarina (SC), Brazil, on a Sandy Typic Hapludalf soil, soil samples were collected from the 0-2.5, 2.5-5.0, 5-10 and 10-15 cm layers in treatments consisting of no manure application (control) and with applications of pig slurry and deep litter at two levels: the single and double rate of N requirement for maize and black oat succession. The soil was dried, ground in an agate mortar and analyzed for Cu and Zn contents by 0.01 mol L-1 EDTA and chemically fractionated to determine Cu and Zn. The applications of Pig deep litter and slurry at doses equivalent to 90 kg ha-1 N increased the contents of available Cu and Zn in the surface soil layer, if the double of this dose was applied in pig deep litter or double this dose in pig slurry, Cu and Zn migrated to a depth of 15 cm. Copper is accumulated mainly in the organic and residual fractions, and zinc preferentially in the fraction linked to clay minerals, especially in the surface soil layers.