Innate immunity to Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection

Innate immunity is based in pre-existing elements of the immune system that directly interact with all types of microbes leading to their destruction or growth inhibition. Several elements of this early defense mechanism act in concert to control initial pathogen growth and have profound effect on the adaptative immune response that further develops. Although most studies in paracoccidioidomycosis have been dedicated to understand cellular and humoral immune responses, innate immunity remains poorly defined. Hence, the main purpose of this review is to present and discuss some mechanisms of innate immunity developed by resistant and susceptible mice to Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection, trying to understand how this initial host-pathogen interface interferes with the protective or deleterious adaptative immune response that will dictate disease outcome. An analysis of some mechanisms and mediators of innate immunity such as the activation of complement proteins, the microbicidal activity of natural killer cells and phagocytes, the production of inflammatory eicosanoids, cytokines, and chemokines among others, is presented trying to show the important role played by innate immunity in the host response to P. brasiliensis infection.

Taking advantage of contextualized interactions while users watch TV

While watching TV, viewers use the remote control to turn the TV set on and off, change channel and volume, to adjust the image and audio settings, etc. Worldwide, research institutes collect information about audience measurement, which can also be used to provide personalization and recommendation services, among others. The interactive digital TV offers viewers the opportunity to interact with interactive applications associated with the broadcast program. Interactive TV infrastructure supports the capture of the user-TV interaction at fine-grained levels. In this paper we propose the capture of all the user interaction with a TV remote control-including short term and instant interactions: we argue that the corresponding captured information can be used to create content pervasively and automatically, and that this content can be used by a wide variety of services, such as audience measurement, personalization and recommendation services. The capture of fine grained data about instant and interval-based interactions also allows the underlying infrastructure to offer services at the same scale, such as annotation services and adaptative applications. We present the main modules of an infrastructure for TV-based services, along with a detailed example of a document used to record the user-remote control interaction. Our approach is evaluated by means of a proof-of-concept prototype which uses the Brazilian Digital TV System, the Ginga-NCL middleware.

Evaluation of a bounded high order upwind scheme for 3D incompressible free surface flow computations

fit the context of normalized variable formulation (NVF) of Leonard and total variation diminishing (TVD) constraints of Harten. this paper presents an extension of it previous work by the authors for solving unsteady incompressible flow problems. The main contributions of the paper are threefold. First, it presents the results of the development and implementation of a bounded high order upwind adaptative QUICKEST scheme in the 3D robust code (Freeflow), for the numerical solution of the full incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. Second, it reports numerical simulation results for 1D hock tube problem, 2D impinging jet and 2D/3D broken clam flows. Furthermore, these results are compared with existing analytical and experimental data. And third, it presents the application of the numerical method for solving 3D free surface flow problems. (C) 2007 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved,

Atmosphere and hydrological controls of the evapotranspiration over a floodplain forest in the Bananal Island region, Amazonia

This article discusses seasonal and interannual variations of the evapotranspiration (ET) rates in Bananal Island floodplain, Brazil. Measurements included ET and sensible heat flux using the eddy covariance method, atmospheric forcings (net radiation, Rn, vapor pressure deficit, VPD, wind speed and air temperature), soil moisture profiles, groundwater level and flood height, taken from November 2003 to December 2006. For the hydrological years (October-September) of 2003/2004, 2004/2005 and 2005/2006, the accumulated precipitation was 1692, 1471, 1914 mm and the accumulated ET was 1361, 1318 and 1317 mm, respectively. Seasonal analyses indicated that ET decreased in the dry season (average 3.7 mm day(-1)), despite the simultaneous increase in Rn, air temperature and VPD. The increase of ET in the wet season and particularly in the flood period (average 4.1 mm day(-1)) showed that the free water surface evaporation strongly influenced the energy exchange. Soil moisture, which was substantially depleted during the dry season, and adaptative vegetation mechanisms such as leaf senescence contributed to limit the dry season ET. Strong drainage within permeable sandy soils helped to explain the soil moisture depletion. These results suggest that the Bananal flooding area shows a different pattern in relation to the upland Amazon forests, being more similar to the savanna strictu senso areas in central Brazil. For example, seasonal ET variation was not in phase with Rn; the wet season ET was higher than the dry season ET; and the system stored only a tiny memory of the flooding period, being sensitive to extended drought periods.

Aprendizagem, racionalidade limitada e comportamento econômico

O objetivo desta pesquisa é discutir a idéia de aprendizagem em Economia. A idéia básica a ser considerada é que a hipótese das expectativas Racionais não é consistente com tal idéia e que a fim de incluí-la em nossa disciplina será necessário substituí-la por uma espécie do raciocínio indutivo. Será considerado também como tal raciocínio e pode ser aplicado com alguns modelos técnico e de política econômico.

O mito na sala de jantar: leitura interpretativa do discurso infanto-juvenil sobre televisão

Comment expliquer l'attrait et la fascination exerces sur les gens, et particulierement, sur les enfants, par la télévision? Quel est son enchantement? D'ou vient ce pouvoir de toucher, indistinctement, des individues et des groupes sociaux? Le témoignage de 450 jeunes, y compris des enfants et des adolescents, répresentatifs de couches populaires de la ville de Rio de Janeiro - aupres desquels nous avons realisé notre étude - nous apporte des données qui permettent de vérifier le fait que la TV, en tant que moyen de communication, et d'apres les messagens qu'elle véhicule, atteint surtout la subjectivité des gens. On constate, ainsi , qu'à travers la TV, le mythe est vécu, dans l'optique électronique: de façon explicité ou non, les récits télévisifs parlent de questions fondamentales pour l'homme, telles que l'indagation sur l'origine de l'espèce humaine, l'éternelle peur de la mort , de l'inconnu, de l'anormal et le désir de dominer le temps et de vivre le rêve du bonheur éternel. Or, le discours même des enfants sur la TV est aussi mythologique; elles y voient un appareil magique, dont il suffit de tourner le bouton pour arriver à d’autres mondes. D'autre part, pour les adolescents, la TV remplit des fonctions diversifiées; en plus d'avoir un rôle important dans leur loisir, elle est aussi appelée à résoudre des complexes problèmes d’éducation, comme les difficultés dans le rapport des jeunes avec leurs parents ou le choix d’une profession. On attend ici qu’elle ait un pouvoir pareil ã celui des super-héros ou des fées. Si l’on considère, partant, que la TV peut être efficace au niveau de 1’idéologie , et que, par contre, le spectateur, lui aussi, peut demeurer actif et autonome devant les messagens qui lui sont dirigés, il faut penser à des projects dont le but soit l'éducation des gens par rapport à la TV.

Estudo da natureza do trabalho do professor: pressupostos metodológicos

Cette dissertation analyse et présente des catégories qui rendent possible la eompréhension du procédé de travail développé à I'école par le professeur. D'abord, elle définit les bases dont on peut classer les fondements théoriques de ce travail connne marxistes; ensuite elle établit une polémique avec des auteurs qui utilisent indúment des définitions données par Marx à quelques catégories, pour aboutir à la comprébension du theme en questiono Aprés I'exclusion de ces catégories, elle circonscrit le travatl du professeur à I'ensemble des travaux sociaux utiles, c'est-à-dire, à la division social e du travail. En outre elle constate que sous I'optique du procédé de travail, I'activité productrice du professeur, selon les conditions actuel1es, eut sa genene en ville comme une corporation professionnelle de plus.

Controle Adaptativo Robusto para Filtros Ativos de Potência Paralelo

Conventional control strategies used in shunt active power filters (SAPF) employs real-time instantaneous harmonic detection schemes which is usually implements with digital filters. This increase the number of current sensors on the filter structure which results in high costs. Furthermore, these detection schemes introduce time delays which can deteriorate the harmonic compensation performance. Differently from the conventional control schemes, this paper proposes a non-standard control strategy which indirectly regulates the phase currents of the power mains. The reference currents of system are generated by the dc-link voltage controller and is based on the active power balance of SAPF system. The reference currents are aligned to the phase angle of the power mains voltage vector which is obtained by using a dq phase locked loop (PLL) system. The current control strategy is implemented by an adaptive pole placement control strategy integrated to a variable structure control scheme (VS-APPC). In the VS-APPC, the internal model principle (IMP) of reference currents is used for achieving the zero steady state tracking error of the power system currents. This forces the phase current of the system mains to be sinusoidal with low harmonics content. Moreover, the current controllers are implemented on the stationary reference frame to avoid transformations to the mains voltage vector reference coordinates. This proposed current control strategy enhance the performance of SAPF with fast transient response and robustness to parametric uncertainties. Experimental results are showing for determining the effectiveness of SAPF proposed control system

Estudo do efeito de dipolos em arranjos de antenas adaptativas de sistemas de comunicação DS-CDMA

This master dissertation introduces a study about some aspects that determine the aplication of adaptative arrays in DS-CDMA cellular systems. Some basics concepts and your evolution in the time about celular systems was detailed here, meanly the CDMA tecnique, specialy about spread-codes and funtionaly principies. Since this, the mobile radio enviroment, with your own caracteristcs, and the basics concepts about adaptive arrays, as powerfull spacial filter was aborded. Some adaptative algorithms was introduced too, these are integrants of the signals processing, and are answerable for weights update that influency directly in the radiation pattern of array. This study is based in a numerical analysis of adaptative array system behaviors related to the used antenna and array geometry types. All the simulations was done by Mathematica 4.0 software. The results for weights convergency, square mean error, gain, array pattern and supression capacity based the analisis made here, using RLS (supervisioned) and LSDRMTA (blind) algorithms

Estudo do efeito de dipolos em arranjos de antenas adaptativas de sistemas de comunicação DS-CDMA

This master dissertation introduces a study about some aspects that determine the aplication of adaptative arrays in DS-CDMA cellular systems. Some basics concepts and your evolution in the time about celular systems was detailed here, meanly the CDMA tecnique, specialy about spread-codes and funtionaly principies. Since this, the mobile radio enviroment, with your own caracteristcs, and the basics concepts about adaptive arrays, as powerfull spacial filter was aborded. Some adaptative algorithms was introduced too, these are integrants of the signals processing, and are answerable for weights update that influency directly in the radiation pattern of array. This study is based in a numerical analysis of adaptative array system behaviors related to the used antenna and array geometry types. All the simulations was done by Mathematica 4.0 software. The results for weights convergency, square mean error, gain, array pattern and supression capacity based the analisis made here, using RLS (supervisioned) and LSDRMTA (blind) algorithms.

E Rimbaud se fez Rimbauds

Rimbaud, de 16 à 20 ans, a promu le nouveau des idées et formes de la poésie, en abandonnant la tradition par la recherche de l'inconnu, du nouveau verbe poétique où «je est un autre» et contient Rimbauds, multiple. Selon cette perspective, nous limitons la première partie de ce travail, un profil de ce Rimbauds qui concerne: son «Adieu» à la poésie sous la forme de silence: «Je est un autre» - dans laquelle nous avons également parlé du style, l'innovation et caractéristiques, la question - projet poétique?, et, enfin, le mimétisme littéraire de ses premiers poèmes. Dans la seconde partie, on aborde sa poésie, en particulier ses deux proses majeures «Une saison en enfer» et «Illuminations». De la Saison, ont fait des considérations sur ses proses, les proses narratives précédants et les sept proses centrales, dont détaillée de la «Nuit de l'enfer» et illustrent deux caractéristiques de Rimbaud: indécidabilité et incompossibilité. Des «Illuminations» on a saisi les poèmes Ville et Villes «I et II» pour les étudier sous l optique du non-lieu. On travaille encore un autre concept, de la façon dont il est présenté, sept fois dans les Proses, la notion de l Orient :commme il apparaît dans chaque livre, ce qu il signifie et où Rimbaud a cherché ces représentations

O discurso autobiográfico nos relatos de viagem de Nísia Floresta

En plein XIXe siècle, Nísia Floresta Brasileira Augusta a écrit sur deux voyages faits en Europe. Quelques années plus tard, cette norte-rio-grandense a livré au public ses récits de voyage : Itinéraire d un voyage en Allemagne (1857) et Trois ans en Italie Suivis d un Voyage en Grèce (1864/1872). Malgré les particularités qui entourent chacun de ces récits, un aspect y est fortement présent : les marques autobiographiques. Notre travail a comme principal objectif enquêter comment se manifeste ce discours autobiographique. A partir de l‟Analyse du Discours, nous avons travaillé quelques positionnements sur certaines oeuvres littéraires, comme par exemple, le fait qu‟elles aient plus d‟un genre. Ce qui se passe dans les récits de voyage de Nísia Floresta est semblable, car au-délà de raconter le passage de Nísia par ces lieux, nous pouvons trouver des caractéristiques qui appartiennent à l‟écriture fragmentaire, autobiographique et épistolaire. Devant les propositions indiquées par Philippe Lejeune, nous avons pu confirmer que ces récits de Nísia font partie de l‟écriture autobiographique. Sous l‟optique de quelques théories, nous avons parcouru des points intéressants qui enveloppent ces récits et, de cette façon, nous avons voyagé avec Nísia Floresta par l‟Allemagne et ultérieurement par l‟Italie et Grèce, en connaissant ainsi, pas seulement un peu plus sur ces lieux, mais beaucoup de confidences sur cette écrivain potiguar, qui a ouvert son coeur au plublic

Detection and thinning of edges in previously known directions

This work presents a study on the generation of digital masks aiming at edge detection with previously known directions. This solution is important when edge direction is available either from a direction histogram or from a prediction based on camera and object models. A modification in the non-maximum suppression method of thinning is also presented enabling the comparison of local maxima for any edge directions. Results with a synthetic image and with crops of a CBERS satellite images are presented showing an example with its application in road detection, provided that directions are previously known.

Evaluation of a bounded high order upwind scheme for 3D incompressible free surface flow computations

fit the context of normalized variable formulation (NVF) of Leonard and total variation diminishing (TVD) constraints of Harten. this paper presents an extension of it previous work by the authors for solving unsteady incompressible flow problems. The main contributions of the paper are threefold. First, it presents the results of the development and implementation of a bounded high order upwind adaptative QUICKEST scheme in the 3D robust code (Freeflow), for the numerical solution of the full incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. Second, it reports numerical simulation results for 1D hock tube problem, 2D impinging jet and 2D/3D broken clam flows. Furthermore, these results are compared with existing analytical and experimental data. and third, it presents the application of the numerical method for solving 3D free surface flow problems. (C) 2007 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved,

Assessment of a high-order finite difference upwind scheme for the simulation of convection-diffusion problems

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