Quantitative estimation of Br, Cl, K and Na in sample blood by NAA

Neutron activation analysis, using Au as flux monitor, was applied to determine the concentrations of Br, Cl, K and Na in blood of healthy male and female blood donors, selected from blood banks and hematological laboratories from different regions of Brazil. The aims of this study were to collect more reference values of the Brazilian population as well as to perform hematological investigations. The advantages as well as the limitations of using this nuclear procedure are discussed.

Bacillus lehensis-an alkali-tolerant bacterium isolated from cassava starch wastewater: optimization of parameters for cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase production

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Molecular weight estimation of esterase isoenzymes in closely related Drosophila Species (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Automatic estimation of crowd density using texture

This paper considers the role of automatic estimation of crowd density and its importance for the automatic monitoring of areas where crowds are expected to be present. A new technique is proposed which is able to estimate densities ranging from very low to very high concentration of people, which is a difficult problem because in a crowd only parts of people's body appear. The new technique is based on the differences of texture patterns of the images of crowds. Images of low density crowds tend to present coarse textures, while images of dense crowds tend to present fine textures. The image pixels are classified in different texture classes and statistics of such classes are used to estimate the number of people. The texture classification and the estimation of people density are carried out by means of self organising neural networks. Results obtained respectively to the estimation of the number of people in a specific area of Liverpool Street Railway Station in London (UK) are presented. (C) 1998 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimation of the volumetric oxygen tranfer coefficient (KLa) from the gas balance and using a neural network technique

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

Estimation of population profiles of two strains of the fly Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae) by bootstrap simulation

A partir de perfis populacionais experimentais de linhagens do díptero forídeo Megaselia scalaris, foi determinado o número mínimo de perfis amostrais que devem ser repetidos, via processo de simulação bootstrap, para se ter uma estimativa confiável do perfil médio populacional e apresentar estimativas do erro-padrão como medida da precisão das simulações realizadas. Os dados originais são provenientes de populações experimentais fundadas com as linhagens SR e R4, com três réplicas cada, e que foram mantidas por 33 semanas pela técnica da transferência seriada em câmara de temperatura constante (25 ± 1,0ºC). A variável usada foi tamanho populacional e o modelo adotado para cada perfíl foi o de um processo estocástico estacionário. Por meio das simulações, os perfis de três populações experimentais foram amplificados, determinando-se, dessa forma, o tamanho mínimo de amostra. Fixado o tamanho de amostra, simulações bootstrap foram realizadas para construção de intervalos de confiança e comparação dos perfis médios populacionais das duas linhagens. Os resultados mostram que com o tamanho de amostra igual a 50 inicia-se o processo de estabilização dos valores médios.

Monte Carlo renormalization group with evolution in the space of parameters

Using data from a single simulation we obtain Monte Carlo renormalization-group information in a finite region of parameter space by adapting the Ferrenberg-Swendsen histogram method. Several quantities are calculated in the two-dimensional N 2 Ashkin-Teller and Ising models to show the feasibility of the method. We show renormalization-group Hamiltonian flows and critical-point location by matching of correlations by doing just two simulations at a single temperature in lattices of different sizes to partially eliminate finite-size effects.

Estimation of outcrossing rate in a breeding population of Eucalyptus urophylla with dominant RAPD and AFLP markers

Eucalyptus breeding is typically conducted by selection in open-pollinated progenies. As mating is controlled only on the female side of the cross, knowledge of outcrossing versus selling rates is essential for maintaining adequate levels of genetic variability for continuous gains. Outcrossing rate in an open-pollinated breeding population of Eucalyptus urophylla was estimated by two PCR-based dominant marker technologies, RAPD and AFLP, using 11 open-pollinated progeny arrays of 24 individuals. Estimated outcrossing rates indicate predominant outcrossing and suggest maintenance of adequate genetic variability within families. The multilcous outcrossing rate (t(m)) estimated from RAPD markers (0.93 +/- 0.027), although in the same range, was higher (alpha > 0.01) than the estimate based on AFLP (0.89 +/- 0.033). Both estimates were of similar magnitude to those estimated for natural populations using isozymes. The estimated Wright's fixation index was lower than expected based on t, possibly resulting from selection against selfed seedlings when sampling plants for the study. An empirical analysis suggests that 18 is the minimum number of dominant marker loci necessary to achieve robust estimates of t,. This study demonstrates the usefulness of dominant markers, both RAPD and AFLP, for estimating the outcrossing rate in breeding and natural populations of forest trees. We anticipate an increasing use of such PCR-based technologies in mating-system studies, in view of their high throughput and universality of the reagents, particularly for species where isozyme systems have not yet been optimized.

Applying fuzzy logic systems in the estimation of crossflow filtration processes

The crossflow filtration process differs of the conventional filtration by presenting the circulation flow tangentially to the filtration surface. The conventional mathematical models used to represent the process have some limitations in relation to the identification and generalization of the system behavior. In this paper, a system based on fuzzy logic systems is developed to overcome the problems usually found in the conventional mathematical models. Imprecisions and uncertainties associated with the measurements made on the system are automatically incorporated in the fuzzy approach. Simulation results are presented to justify the validity of the proposed approach.

The STATFLUX code: a statistical method for calculation of flow and set of parameters, based on the Multiple-Compartment Biokinetical Model

The code STATFLUX, implementing a new and simple statistical procedure for the calculation of transfer coefficients in radionuclide transport to animals and plants, is proposed. The method is based on the general multiple-compartment model, which uses a system of linear equations involving geometrical volume considerations. Flow parameters were estimated by employing two different least-squares procedures: Derivative and Gauss-Marquardt methods, with the available experimental data of radionuclide concentrations as the input functions of time. The solution of the inverse problem, which relates a given set of flow parameter with the time evolution of concentration functions, is achieved via a Monte Carlo Simulation procedure.Program summaryTitle of program: STATFLUXCatalogue identifier: ADYS_v1_0Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADYS_v1_0Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University of Belfast, N. IrelandLicensing provisions: noneComputer for which the program is designed and others on which it has been tested: Micro-computer with Intel Pentium III, 3.0 GHzInstallation: Laboratory of Linear Accelerator, Department of Experimental Physics, University of São Paulo, BrazilOperating system: Windows 2000 and Windows XPProgramming language used: Fortran-77 as implemented in Microsoft Fortran 4.0. NOTE: Microsoft Fortran includes non-standard features which are used in this program. Standard Fortran compilers such as, g77, f77, ifort and NAG95, are not able to compile the code and therefore it has not been possible for the CPC Program Library to test the program.Memory, required to execute with typical data: 8 Mbytes of RAM memory and 100 MB of Hard disk memoryNo. of bits in a word: 16No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 6912No. of bytes in distributed Program, including test data, etc.: 229 541Distribution format: tar.gzNature of the physical problem: the investigation of transport mechanisms for radioactive substances, through environmental pathways, is very important for radiological protection of populations. One such pathway, associated with the food chain, is the grass-animal-man sequence. The distribution of trace elements in humans and laboratory animals has been intensively studied over the past 60 years [R.C. Pendlenton, C.W. Mays, R.D. Lloyd, A.L. Brooks, Differential accumulation of iodine-131 from local fallout in people and milk, Health Phys. 9 (1963) 1253-1262]. In addition, investigations on the incidence of cancer in humans, and a possible causal relationship to radioactive fallout, have been undertaken [E.S. Weiss, M.L. Rallison, W.T. London, W.T. Carlyle Thompson, Thyroid nodularity in southwestern Utah school children exposed to fallout radiation, Amer. J. Public Health 61 (1971) 241-249; M.L. Rallison, B.M. Dobyns, F.R. Keating, J.E. Rall, F.H. Tyler, Thyroid diseases in children, Amer. J. Med. 56 (1974) 457-463; J.L. Lyon, M.R. Klauber, J.W. Gardner, K.S. Udall, Childhood leukemia associated with fallout from nuclear testing, N. Engl. J. Med. 300 (1979) 397-402]. From the pathways of entry of radionuclides in the human (or animal) body, ingestion is the most important because it is closely related to life-long alimentary (or dietary) habits. Those radionuclides which are able to enter the living cells by either metabolic or other processes give rise to localized doses which can be very high. The evaluation of these internally localized doses is of paramount importance for the assessment of radiobiological risks and radiological protection. The time behavior of trace concentration in organs is the principal input for prediction of internal doses after acute or chronic exposure. The General Multiple-Compartment Model (GMCM) is the powerful and more accepted method for biokinetical studies, which allows the calculation of concentration of trace elements in organs as a function of time, when the flow parameters of the model are known. However, few biokinetics data exist in the literature, and the determination of flow and transfer parameters by statistical fitting for each system is an open problem.Restriction on the complexity of the problem: This version of the code works with the constant volume approximation, which is valid for many situations where the biological half-live of a trace is lower than the volume rise time. Another restriction is related to the central flux model. The model considered in the code assumes that exist one central compartment (e.g., blood), that connect the flow with all compartments, and the flow between other compartments is not included.Typical running time: Depends on the choice for calculations. Using the Derivative Method the time is very short (a few minutes) for any number of compartments considered. When the Gauss-Marquardt iterative method is used the calculation time can be approximately 5-6 hours when similar to 15 compartments are considered. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF 4 DIFFERENT STAINING METHODS FOR ESTIMATION OF LIVE YEAST FORM CELLS OF PARACOCCIDIOIDES-BRASILIENSIS

A comparative study of four different staining methods for estimation of live yeast form cells of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis was carried out. The staining methods used were fluorescent staining, vital dye exclusion tests with erythrosin B and by Janus green and lactophenol cotton blue staining. Colony forming units (cfu) of the yeast form of eight P. brasiliensis isolates on brain heart infusion agar (BHIA) supplemented with 4% horse serum plus 5% P. brasiliensis cell extract (BHIA + HS + EXT) were examined for reliability of staining in determining the number of live fungal units in eight different isolates. Cfu on BHIA + HS + EXT plates showed an excellent plating efficiency over 96% in all isolates tested. The percentage of the live cells indicated by fluorescent staining (FL) or vital dye exclusion test with erythrosin B (EB) or Janus green (JG-1) was lower than that of cfu. By contrast, the percentage due to modified dye exclusion test with Janus green (JG-2) and that due to lactophenol cotton blue staining (LPCB) showed a close correration to that of cfu. Our results indicate that the modified dye exclusion test with Janus green and lactophenol cotton blue staining are useful for estimating cell viability of yeast form cells of P. brasiliensis.

Estimation of growth fraction in fine needle aspirates from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma using anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen - Correlation with the Kiel classification

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to assess whether fine needle aspirates from non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) could be used for growth fraction analysis with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) staining and if there was a relationship between the growth fraction and cytomorphologic classification according to the Kiel classification.STUDY DESIGN: the study group consisted of 40 patients with NHL diagnosed by fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology. The cytologic classification of the lymphomas was made by two cytopathologists on May-Grunwald-Giemsa-stained slides using the Kiel classification. There were 27 cases of low and 13 of high grade lymphoma. The estimation of the growth fraction was made by PCNA immunoreactivity. The PCNA index was quantitated in smears by counting an average of 1,000 cells, and the count teas correlated with the cytomorphologic classification.RESULTS: There was It strong correlation between the PCNA index and lymphoma grading. High grade lymphomas exhibited a mean PCNA positivity of 74.0%, which was significantly higher (P <.001) than that of low grade lymphomas (17.6%).CONCLUSION: Our study showed that PCNA evalua tion is suitable for smears obtained by FNA on NHL, correlates with increasing grades of lymphoma according to the Kiel classification and may offer a method of monitoring treatment of lymphoma.

Use of gastric balloon manometry for estimation of intra-abdominal pressure in horses

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)