Time in the stair-climbing test as a predictor of thoracotomy postoperative complications

Objectives: The stair-climbing test as measured in meters or number of steps has been proposed to predict the risk of postoperative complications. The study objective was to determine whether the stair-climbing time can predict the risk of postoperative complications. Methods: Patients aged more than 18 years with a recommendation of thoracotomy for lung resection were included in the study. Spirometry was performed according to the criteria by the American Thoracic Society. The stair-climbing test was performed on shaded stairs with a total of 12.16 m in height, and the stair-climbing time in seconds elapsed during the climb of the total height was measured. The accuracy test was applied to obtain stair-climbing time predictive values, and the receiver operating characteristic curve was calculated. Variables were tested for association with postoperative cardiopulmonary complications using the Student t test for independent populations, the Mann-Whitney test, and the chi-square or Fisher exact test. Logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: Ninety-eight patients were evaluated. Of these, 27 showed postoperative complications. Differences were found between the groups for age and attributes obtained from the stair-climbing test. The cutoff point for stair-climbing time obtained from the receiver operating characteristic curve was 37.5 seconds. No differences were found between the groups for forced expiratory volume in 1 second. In the logistic regression, stair-climbing time was the only variable associated with postoperative complications, suggesting that the risk of postoperative complications increases with increased stair-climbing time. Conclusions: The only variable showing association with complications, according to multivariate analysis, was stair-climbing time. © 2013 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery.

Onboard and real-time artificial satellite orbit determination using GPS

An algorithm for real-time and onboard orbit determination applying the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) method is developed. Aiming at a very simple and still fairly accurate orbit determination, an analysis is performed to ascertain an adequacy of modeling complexity versus accuracy. The minimum set of to-be-estimated states to reach the level of accuracy of tens of meters is found to have at least the position, velocity, and user clock offset components. The dynamical model is assessed through several tests, covering force model, numerical integration scheme and step size, and simplified variational equations. The measurement model includes only relevant effects to the order of meters. The EKF method is chosen to be the simplest real-time estimation algorithm with adequate tuning of its parameters. In the developed procedure, the obtained position and velocity errors along a day vary from 15 to 20 m and from 0.014 to 0.018 m/s, respectively, with standard deviation from 6 to 10 m and from 0.006 to 0.008 m/s, respectively, with the SA either on or off. The results, as well as analysis of the final adopted models used, are presented in this work. © 2013 Ana Paula Marins Chiaradia et al.

Edge-interior differences in the species richness and abundance of drosophilids in a semideciduous forest fragment

Habitat fragmentation is the main cause of biodiversity loss, as remnant fragments are exposed to negative influences that include edge effects, prevention of migration, declines in effective population sizes, loss of genetic variability and invasion of exotic species. The Drosophilidae (Diptera), especially species of the genus Drosophila, which are highly sensitive to environmental variation, have been used as bioindicators. A twelve-month field study was conducted to evaluate the abundance and richness of drosophilids in an edge-interior transect in a fragment of semideciduous forest in São Paulo State, Brazil. One objective of the study was to evaluate the applied methodology with respect to its potential use in future studies addressing the monitoring and conservation of threatened areas. The species abundance along the transect showed a clear gradient, with species associated with disturbed environments, such as Drosophila simulans, Scaptodrosophila latifasciaeformis and Zaprionus indianus, being collected at the fragment edge and the species D. willistoni and D. mediostriata being found in the fragment's interior. Replacement of these species occurred at approximately 60 meters from the edge, which may be a reflection of edge effects on species abundance and richness because the species found within the habitat fragment are more sensitive to variations in temperature and humidity than those sampled near the edge. The results support the use of this methodology in studies on environmental impacts. © 2013 Penariol and Madi-Ravazzi; licensee Springer.

Avaliação de diferentes inclinações e exposições de telhado em três tipos de cobertura em modelos reduzidos de instalações zootécnicas

The present study was developed in Departamentos de Engenharia Rural e Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal da FCAV/Unesp. The objective of evaluating different roof slopes and exposure in three types of coverage in models of animal installations. Project 48 built reduced models of wood were used with dimensions of 1,00 x 1,00 x 0,50 meters. The covering was one water, lateral and wood floor, disposed in the exhibitions North-south, being 24 prototypes in the north exhibition and 24 in the south. Were used in the covering roofs of ceramic type, galvanized steel and asbestos. The slopes varied of 20, 30, 40 and 50% for ceramic tile and 10, 30, 40 and 50% for the others and with two repetitions for slope. Inside the reduced models temperature readings were accomplished, of hour in hour during one year, for the system of acquisition of Data Logger Campbell Scientific-Ínc and externally the temperature of the air, incident radiation global solar, precipitation, speed and relative humidity of the air were measured. The results obtained during the experimental period of one year were appraised statistically for the statistical package SAS in the factorial outline, where three factors were considered: tile type, slope degree and exposure. The obtained averages were compared through the test of Tukey to 5% of probability. After analyzing the data we found that with increasing slope, there was a decrease in inside temperature in the cover prototypes, therefore, using steeper slopes with 50% of tipping ceramics and asbestos, with greater coverage on display South, we have lower temperatures in poultry houses in the geographic coordinates of the city of Jaboticabal.

Seasonal effects on semen and testosterone in zebu and taurine bulls

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Performance of laying hens and economic viability of different climatization systems

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

Níveis de lodo de esgoto no desenvolvimento, nutrição e produtividade da cultura do girassol

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Comportamento de milho (Zea Mays L.) e propriedades físicas do solo, no sistema plantio direto, em resposta a aplicação de fertilizante organomineral

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Alterações bioquímicas, morfofisiológicas e produtivas em genótipos de arroz em dois regimes hídricos

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Agricultura) - FCA

Resposta do feijoeiro (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) à adubação nitrogenada de cobertura em dois sistemas de manejo de solo

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Agricultura) - FCA

O clima do oeste do Paraná: análises da presença do lago de Itaipu

Pós-graduação em Geografia - IGCE

Estudos limnológicos de balneabilidade no Parque Natural Municipal Cachoeira da Marta (Botucatu, SP, Brasil): relação com possíveis fontes poluidoras

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Aplicação de um Modelo de Difusão Anisotrópica e Morfologia Matemática na Detecção de Feições Cartográficas

Pós-graduação em Ciências Cartográficas - FCT

Modelação e análise da vida útil (metrológica) de medidores tipo indução de energia elétrica ativa

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Metodologias de medição de energia elétrica reativa (varh) e erros de medição em equipamentos eletrônicos de (varh)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)