Mycobacterium bovis identification by a molecular method from post-mortem inspected cattle obtained in abattoirs of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

The presence of Mycobacterium bovis in bovine carcasses with lesions suggestive of tuberculosis was evaluated. Seventy-two carcass samples were selected during slaughter inspection procedures in abattoirs in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Seventeen (23.6%) of samples showed colonies suggestive of mycobacteria that were confirmed to be acid-fast bacilli by Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers specific for M. bovis identified M. bovis in 13 (76.5%) isolates. The PCR-restriction enzyme pattern analysis using gene encoding for the 65-kDa protein and two restriction enzymes identified the remaining four isolates that were represented by two M. tuberculosis complex and two nontuberculous mycobacteria. The results are indicative of infection of slaughter cattle by M. bovis and other mycobacteria in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Estudo de ovos de quatro espécies do gênero Meccus (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae), vetores da doença de Chagas

The objective of this work was to analyze the morphological, morphometrical, and histological characteristics of eggs of four triatomine bugs species still not studied, in order to understand phylogenetic aspects and to facilitate parameters used in taxonomy, with the purpose of a specific and generic characterization of these vectors in public health. The eggs of each species had come from the collections of the Laboratory of Triatomine bugs and Culicid mosquitoes of the Faculdade de Saúde Pública - USP (Faculty of Public Health/USP). The morphologic studies were carried out through optic microscopy (OM) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The eggs were measured with the help of the digital paquimeter Starrett® 727. In relation to histological measures, Microtome Leica RM 2145® was used. Similarities were evidenced in the exocorial architecture of the eggs when they were studied by OM and SEM. This similarity among the eggs suggests a recent speciation, probably derived from common ancestry, representing a monophyletic group. Some structures were also detected by the histological cuts. The study has contributed to the magnification and recognition in generic and specific terms of the Triatominae subfamily. These new data will be able to subsidize a better understanding to determine roles for each vector species and to facilitate parameters to be used in taxonomy.

Cloning and molecular characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi U2, U4, U5, and U6 small nuclear RNAs

Small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) are important factors in the functioning of eukaryotic cells that form several small complexes with proteins; these ribonucleoprotein particles (U snRNPs) have an essential role in the pre-mRNA processing, particularly in splicing, catalyzed by spliceosomes, large RNA-protein complexes composed of various snRNPs. Even though they are well defined in mammals, snRNPs are still not totally characterized in certain trypanosomatids as Trypanosoma cruzi. For this reason we subjected snRNAs (U2, U4, U5, and U6) from T. cruzi epimastigotes to molecular characterization by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription-PCR. These amplified sequences were cloned, sequenced, and compared with those other of trypanosomatids. Among these snRNAs, U5 was less conserved and U6 the most conserved. Their respective secondary structures were predicted and compared with known T. brucei structures. In addition, the copy number of each snRNA in the T. cruzi genome was characterized by Southern blotting.

Ribotyping and virulence markers of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis strains isolated from animals in Brazil

Ribotyping and virulence markers has been used to investigate 68 Yersinia pseudotuberculosis strains of serogroups O:1a and O:3. The strains were isolated from clinical material obtained from healthy and sick animals in the Southern region of Brazil. Ribotypes were identified by double digestion of extracted DNA with the restriction endonucleases SmaI and PstI, separation by electrophoresis and hybridization with a digoxigenin-labeled cDNA probe. The presence of the chromosomal virulence marker genes inv, irp1, irp2, psn, ybtE, ybtP-ybtQ, and ybtX-ybtS, of the IS100 insertion sequence, and of the plasmid gene lcrF was detected by polymerase chain reaction. The strains were grouped into four distinct ribotypes, all of them comprising several strains. Ribotypes 1 and 4 presented distinct profiles, with 57.3% genetic similarity, ribotypes 2 and 3 presented 52.5% genetic similarity, and genetic similarity was 45% between these two groups (1/4 and 2/3). All strains possessed the inv, irp1, and irp2 genes. Additionally, strains of serogroup O:1a carried psn, ybtE, ybtP-ybtQ, ybtX-ybtS, and IS100. As expected lcrF was only detected in strains harboring the virulence plasmid. These data demonstrate the presence of Y. pseudotuberculosis strains harboring genotypic virulence markers in the livestock from Southern Brazil and that the dissemination of these bacteria may occur between herds.

Comparative descriptions of eggs from three species of Rhodnius (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Serological detection of West Nile virus in horses and chicken from Pantanal, Brazil

In an effort to detect West Nile virus (WNV) in Brazil, we sampled serum from horses and chickens from the Pantanal region of the state of Mato Grosso and tested for flavivirus-reactive antibodies by blocking ELISA. The positive samples were further confirmed for serological evidence of WNV infection in three (8%) of the 38 horses and one (3.2%) of the 31 chickens using an 80% plaque-reduction neutralisation test (PRNT80). These results provide evidence of the circulation of WNV in chickens and horses in Pantanal.

Evolução top-hat hidrodinâmica em campos de velocidades peculiares primordiais

We investigate the cosmology of the vacuum energy decaying into cold dark matter according to thermodynamics description of Alcaniz & Lima. We apply this model to analyze the evolution of primordial density perturbations in the matter that gave rise to the first generation of structures bounded by gravity in the Universe, called Population III Objects. The analysis of the dynamics of those systems will involve the calculation of a differential equation system governing the evolution of perturbations to the case of two coupled fluids (dark matter and baryonic matter), modeled with a Top-Hat profile based in the perturbation of the hydrodynamics equations, an efficient analytical tool to study the properties of dark energy models such as the behavior of the linear growth factor and the linear growth index, physical quantities closely related to the fields of peculiar velocities at any time, for different models of dark energy. The properties and the dynamics of current Universe are analyzed through the exact analytical form of the linear growth factor of density fluctuations, taking into account the influence of several physical cooling mechanisms acting on the density fluctuations of the baryonic component of matter during the evolution of the clouds of matter, studied from the primordial hydrogen recombination. This study is naturally extended to more general models of dark energy with constant equation of state parameter in a flat Universe

Ser(Tão) Seridó em suas cartografias espaciais

The aim of this work is to analyze the spatial frames of reference of the Seridó a region Iocated in the hinterlands of Rio Grande do Norte state from the following texts: Homens de Outrora (1941), by Manuel Dantas; Seridó (1954), by José Augusto Bezerra de Medeiros; Velhos Costumes do Meu Sertão (1965), by Juvenal Lamartine de Faria; and Sertões do Seridó (1980), by Oswaldo Lamartine de Faria. The historiographical discourse will be investigated as to representations of space and the frames of reference that demarcate it. We highlight the space of 1 as delimited by the subjectivity and significances expressed by each author, considering closely the relation between author, writing and body, either in historiography or in the subjects that give shape to the Seridó region in their writings. The Seridó is particularly framed in the relevant historiography as the hinterland (sertão) space, where the drought is a representation referred to recurrently, and as a space of fight , in which man and nature would be in constant struggle, challenging each other. Spatial frames of reference are then situated between the 1 and notions of hinterland and fight with nature

Análise e comparação entre algoritmos de percolação

In this work, we study and compare two percolation algorithms, one of then elaborated by Elias, and the other one by Newman and Ziff, using theorical tools of algorithms complexity and another algorithm that makes an experimental comparation. This work is divided in three chapters. The first one approaches some necessary definitions and theorems to a more formal mathematical study of percolation. The second presents technics that were used for the estimative calculation of the algorithms complexity, are they: worse case, better case e average case. We use the technique of the worse case to estimate the complexity of both algorithms and thus we can compare them. The last chapter shows several characteristics of each one of the algorithms and through the theoretical estimate of the complexity and the comparison between the execution time of the most important part of each one, we can compare these important algorithms that simulate the percolation.

Vibrational and Thermal Properties of Crystalline Topiramate

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Apontamentos sobre a publicação de História da vida privada em Portugal: entrevista com José Mattoso

Interview given to Leandro Alves by Jose Teodoro Mattoso, professor at the New University of Lisbon, a renowned medievalist and author of several important works on Portuguese historiography. He recently coordinated the publication of the History of private life in Portugal, a work encompassing the Middle Ages through to the present day, addressing the field of study of behaviors and mentalities, which until then had barely been touched upon by Portuguese historians. Seeking to outline a historiographical perspective regarding the use of the history of mentalities in Portugal, a series of questions were prepared to put to Mattoso about the interests that led him to organize such a collection of unpublished essays.

Discoloration process modeling by neural network

The photo-oxidation of acid orange 52 dye was performed in the presence of H2O2, utilizing UV light, aiming the discoloration process modeling and the process variable influence characterization. The discoloration process was modeled by the use of feedforward neural network. Each sample was characterized by five independent variables (dye concentration, pH, hydrogen peroxide volume, temperature and time of operation) and a dependent variable (absorbance). The neural model has also provided, through Garson Partition coefficients and the Pertubation method, the independent variable influence order determination. The results indicated that the time of operation was the predominant variable and reaction mean temperature was the lesser influent variable. The neural model obtained presented coefficients of correlation on the order 0.98, for sets of trainability, validation and testing, indicating the power of prediction of the model and its character of generalization. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Participação e ação política dos psicólogos frente à política de saúde mental no Piauí

It is intended to problematize forms of participation and political action of psychologists toward mental health policy in Piauí. The study was motivated through challenges faced by the local Psychiatric Reform movement, and the one underway in the country, which needs support technical-assistence and sociopolitical to guarantee accomplishments and to move on with the complete reversion of the asylum to psychosocial model. The method was based on institutional analysis and counted with three insertion moments for the field research: a) to identify historical and political events that configure the local Psychiatric Reform (documental research/oral memory) and to identify psychologists that act in Mental Health; b) to realize participant observation and semi-structured interview with 33 psychologists which act in Mental Health in Teresina; c) to follow the sociopolitical contexts/events of the local Psychiatric Reform (participant observation and conversation circles). The data were analyzed considering four discussion axes, achieved through categorization of the collected material: 1) ways of professional insertion of psychologists in mental health; 2) knowledge and practices used to act in this work context of the profession; 3) political professional movements of workers of the reformist local process; 4) political action of psychologists toward the course of Piauí mental health policy. We concluded identifying that the participation of psychologists in Piauí mental health finds strength by the conduction of its macro and micropolitical professional action. The first one follows oriented by the lemma of social commitment, despite this movement doesn t have equivalence in the transformation of practices and political-professional postures of psychologists in the daily of services. The second is constituted in the every day of work, standing to the political action of the profession implicated with the preservation of the classic modus operandi of being psychologist. Therefore, it is about the actions that give little sustainability technicalassistance to the Psychiatric Reform underway in the State, and why not say in the country