PsT-1: A new Tryptophyllin peptide from the skin secretion of Waxy Monkey Leaf Frog, Phyllomedusa sauvagei

The Waxy Monkey Leaf Frog, Phyllomedusa sauvagei, has been extensively-studied for many years, and a broad spectrum of bioactive peptides has been found in its skin secretions. Here we report the discovery of a novel tryptophyllin (TPH) peptide, named PsT-1, from this frog species. Skin secretions from specimens of P. sauvagei were collected by mild electrical stimulation. Peptides were identified and characterized by transcriptome cloning, and the structure was confirmed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and automated Edman degradation. This novel peptide was encoded by a single precursor of 61 amino acid residues, whose primary structure was deduced from cloned skin cDNA. Analysis of different amphibian tryptophyllins revealed that PsT-1 exhibited a high degree of primary structural similarity to its homologues, PdT-1 and PdT-2, from the Mexican giant leaf frog, Pachymedusa dacnicolor. A synthetic replicate of PsT-1 was found to inhibit bradykinin-induced vasorelaxation of phenylephrine pre-constricted rat tail artery smooth muscle. It was also found that PsT-1 had an anti-proliferative effect on three different human prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP/PC3/DU145), by use of an MTT assay coupled with direct cell counting as measures of cell growth. These data indicate that PsT-1 is a likely bradykinin receptor antagonist and its biological effects are probably mediated through bradykinin receptors. As a BK antagonist, PST-1, with antagonistic effects on BK in artery smooth muscle, inhibition of proliferation in prostate cancer cells and lack of undesirable side effects, may have potential in cardiovascular, inflammatory and anticancer therapy.

Bradykinin-related peptides (BRPs) from skin secretions of three genera of phyllomedusine leaf frogs and their comparative pharmacological effects on mammalian smooth muscles

While bradykinin has been identified in the skin secretions from several species of amphibian, bradykinin-related peptides (BRPs) are more common constituents. These peptides display a plethora of primary structural variations from the type peptide which include single or multiple amino acid substitutions, N- and/or C-terminal extensions and post-translational modifications such as proline hydroxylation and tyrosine sulfation. Such modified peptides have been reported in species from many families, including Bombinatoridae, Hylidae and Ranidae. The spectrum of these peptides in a given species is thought to be reflective of its predator profile from different vertebrate taxa. Here we report the isolation of BRPs and parallel molecular cloning of their respective biosynthetic precursor-encoding cDNAs from the skin secretions of the Mexican leaf frog (Pachymedusa dacnicolor), the Central American red-eyed leaf frog (Agalychnis callidryas) and the South American orange-legged leaf frog (Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis). Additionally, the eight different BRPs identified were chemically synthesized and screened for bioactivity using four different mammalian smooth muscle preparations and their effects and rank potencies were found to be radically different in these with some acting preferentially through bradykinin B1-type receptors and others through B2-type receptors.

The Ocho Poetas Mexicanos and the marginalisation of Catholic authors in post-revolutionary Mexico

The group known as the Ocho Poetas Mexicanos were marginalised in post-revolutionary literary circles and remain largely forgotten by literary history because they were dismissed as Catholic authors by a literary establishment which favoured nation-building literature at a time when Catholicism was excluded from official constructions of nationhood. This article draws attention to the significant contribution made by group members to contemporary cultural life and re-evaluates the work they published in the 1955 anthology which announced their arrival onto the literary scene. An analysis of this collection demonstrates that there was scant justification for labelling the group as Catholic poets and suggests that they are best understood with reference to the “universal” strand of Mexican literature and as heirs to groups such as the Contemporáneos. The treatment of the Ocho Poetas provides important evidence of the way in which Catholic authors were marginalised in mid-twentieth century Mexico, even if they did not express religious beliefs in their work, and draws attention to the non-literary criteria which can come into play when evaluating texts.

Exceptionally Long Distance Transport of Volcanic Ash: Implications for Stratigraphy, Hazards and the Sourcing of Distal Tephra Deposits

Cryptotephras (tephra not visible to the naked eye) form the foundation of the tephrostratigraphic frameworks used in Europe to date and correlate widely distributed geologic, paleoenvironmental and archaeological records. Pyne-O'Donnell et al. (2012) established the potential for developing a similar crypto-tephrostratigraphy across eastern North America by identifying multiple tephra, including the White River Ash (east; WRAe), St. Helens We and East Lake, in a peat core located in Newfoundland. Following on from this work, several ongoing projects have examined additional peat cores from Michigan, New York State, Maine, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to build a tephrostratigraphic framework for this region. Using the precedent set by recent research by Jensen et al.(in press) that correlated the Alaskan WRAe to the European cryptotephra AD860B, unknown tephras identified in this work were not necessarily assumed to be from "expected" source areas (e.g. the Cascades). Here we present several examples of the preservation of tephra layers with an intercontinental distribution (i.e. WRAe and Ksudach 1), from relatively small magnitude events (i.e. St. Helens layer T, Mono Crater), and the first example of a Mexican ash in the NE (Volcan Ceboruco, Jala pumice). There are several implications of the identification of these units. These far-travelled ashes: (1) highlight the need to consider "ultra" distal source volcanoes for unknown cryptotephra deposits,. (2) present an opportunity for physical volcanologists to examine why some eruptions have an exceptional distribution of ash that is not necessarily controlled by the magnitude of the event. (3) complicate the idea of using tephrostratigraphic frameworks to understand the frequency of eruptions towards aiding hazard planning and prediction (e.g. Swindles et al., 2011). (4) show that there is a real potential to link tropical and mid to high-latitude paleoenvironmental records. Jensen et al. (in press) Transatlantic correlation of the Alaskan White River Ash. Geology. Pyne-O'Donnell et al. (2012). High-precision ultra-distal Holocene tephrochronology in North America. Quaternary Science Reviews, 52, 6-11. Swindles et al. (2011). A 7000 yr perspective on volcanic ash clouds affecting northern Europe. Geology, 39, 887-890.

Determinants of pediatric cataract program outcomes and follow-up in a large series in Mexico.

PURPOSE:

To report determinants of outcomes and follow-up in a large Mexican pediatric cataract project.

SETTING:

Hospital Luis Sanchez Bulnes, Mexico City, Mexico.

METHODS:

Data were collected prospectively from a pediatric cataract surgery program at the Hospital Luis Sanchez Bulnes, implemented by Helen Keller International. Preoperative data included age, sex, baseline visual acuity, type of cataract, laterality, and presence of conditions such as amblyopia. Surgical data included vitrectomy, capsulotomy, complications, and use of intraocular lenses (IOLs). Postoperative data included final visual acuity, refraction, number of follow-up visits, and program support for follow-up.

RESULTS:

Of 574 eyes of 415 children (mean age 7.1 years +/- 4.7 [SD]), IOLs were placed in 416 (87%). At least 1 follow-up was attended by 408 patients (98.3%) (mean total follow-up 3.5 +/- 1.8 months); 40% of eyes achieved a final visual acuity of 6/18 or better. Children living farther from the hospital had fewer postoperative visits (P = .04), while children receiving program support had more visits (P = .001). Factors predictive of better acuity included receiving an IOL during surgery (P = .04) and provision of postoperative spectacles (P = .001). Predictive of worse acuity were amblyopia (P = .003), postoperative complications (P = .0001), unilateral surgery (P = .0075), and female sex (P = .045).

CONCLUSIONS:

The results underscore the importance of surgical training in reducing complications, early intervention before amblyopia (observed in 40% of patients) can develop, and vigorous treatment if amblyopia is present. The positive impact of program support on follow-up is encouraging, although direct financial support may pose a problem for sustainability. More work is needed to understand reasons for worse outcomes in girls.

Chicanas em busca de território : a herança de Glória Anzaldúa

Tese de doutoramento, Estudos de Literatura e de Cultura (Estudos Americanos), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras, 2015

Application of continuous wavelet transform to the analysis of the modulus of the fractional Fourier transform bands for resolving two component mixture

In this paper, the fractional Fourier transform (FrFT) is applied to the spectral bands of two component mixture containing oxfendazole and oxyclozanide to provide the multicomponent quantitative prediction of the related substances. With this aim in mind, the modulus of FrFT spectral bands are processed by the continuous Mexican Hat family of wavelets, being denoted by MEXH-CWT-MOFrFT. Four modulus sets are obtained for the parameter a of the FrFT going from 0.6 up to 0.9 in order to compare their effects upon the spectral and quantitative resolutions. Four linear regression plots for each substance were obtained by measuring the MEXH-CWT-MOFrFT amplitudes in the application of the MEXH family to the modulus of the FrFT. This new combined powerful tool is validated by analyzing the artificial samples of the related drugs, and it is applied to the quality control of the commercial veterinary samples.

Acompanhamento da ampliação do restaurante mexicano "La Siesta", em Algés

Relatório de Estágio para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização de Edificações

Wuthering heights on the screen: exploring the relations between film adaptation and subtitling

This essay aims to confront the literary text Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë with five of its screen adaptations and Portuguese subtitles. Owing to the scope of the study, it will necessarily afford merely a bird‘s eye view of the issues and serve as a starting point for further research. Accordingly, the following questions are used as guidelines: What transformations occur in the process of adapting the original text to the screen? Do subtitles update the film dialogues to the target audience‘s cultural and linguistic context? Are subtitles influenced more by oral speech than by written literary discourse? Shouldn‘t subtitles in fact reflect the poetic function prevalent in screen adaptations of literary texts? Rather than attempt to answer these questions, we focus on the objects as phenomena. Our interdisciplinary undertaking clearly involves a semio-pragmatic stance, at this stage trying to avoid theoretical backdrops that may affect our apprehension of the objects as to their qualities, singularities, and conventional traits, based on Lucia Santaella‘s interpretation of Charles S. Peirce‘s phaneroscopy. From an empirical standpoint, we gather features and describe peculiarities, under the presumption that there are substrata in subtitling that point or should point to the literary source text, albeit through the mediation of a film script and a particular cinematic style. Therefore, we consider how the subtitling process may be influenced by the literary intertext, the idiosyncrasies of a particular film adaptation, as well as the socio-cultural context of the subtitler and target audience. First, we isolate one of the novel‘s most poignant scenes – ‗I am Heathcliff‘ – taking into account its symbolic play and significance in relation to character and plot construction. Secondly, we study American, English, French, and Mexican adaptations of the excerpt into film in terms of intersemiotic transformations. Then we analyze differences between the film dialogues and their Portuguese subtitles.

Application of Continuous Wavelet Transform to the Analysis of the Modulus of the Fractional Fourier Transform Bands for Resolving Two Component Mixture

In this paper, the fractional Fourier transform (FrFT) is applied to the spectral bands of two component mixture containing oxfendazole and oxyclozanide to provide the multicomponent quantitative prediction of the related substances. With this aim in mind, the modulus of FrFT spectral bands are processed by the continuous Mexican Hat family of wavelets, being denoted by MEXH-CWT-MOFrFT. Four modulus sets are obtained for the parameter a of the FrFT going from 0.6 up to 0.9 in order to compare their effects upon the spectral and quantitative resolutions. Four linear regression plots for each substance were obtained by measuring the MEXH-CWT-MOFrFT amplitudes in the application of the MEXH family to the modulus of the FrFT. This new combined powerful tool is validated by analyzing the artificial samples of the related drugs, and it is applied to the quality control of the commercial veterinary samples.

WebGIS applied to improve spatial knowledge of high school students

This research seeks to design and implement a WebGIS application allowing high school students to work with information related to the disciplinary competencies of the competency-teaching model, in Mexico. This paradigm assumes knowledge to be acquired through the application of new technologies and to link it with everyday life situations of students. The WebGIS provides access to maps regarding natural risks in Mexico, e.g. volcanism, seismic activities, or hurricanes; the prototype's user interface was designed with special emphasis on scholar needs for high school students.

Welle tecnologia laser internationalization analysis US market

Welle Laser is a Brazilian company that manufactures marking and engraving machines mainly for large-scale industry segments providing solutions that help increase productivity. Welle laser has 60% market share in Brazil and decided to go internationally in 2015, mainly to increase revenues and diversify business risks. Welle opened an office in Switzerland and celebrated a contract with a Mexican company to distribute their machines in Mexico. The next step for Welle is expanding its operation to USA. In my project I accessed the viability and reasons to enter the US market, the region where Welle should start its operation, and the best entry mode strategy.

Salvia divinorum: an hallucinogenic mint which might become a new recreational drug in Switzerland.

Salvia divinorum Epling & Jativa is an hallucinogenic mint traditionally used for curing and divination by the Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico. Young people from Mexican cities were reported to smoke dried leaves of S. divinorum as a marijuana substitute. Recently, two S. divinorum specimens were seized in a large-scale illicit in-door and out-door hemp plantation. Salvinorin A also called divinorin A, a trans-neoclerodane diterpene, was identified in several organic solvent extracts by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The botanical identity of the plant was confirmed by comparing it to an authentic herbarium specimen. More plants were then discovered in Swiss horticulturists greenhouses. All these data taken together suggest that many attempts exist in Switzerland to use S. divinorum as a recreational drug. This phenomenon may be enhanced because neither the magic mint, nor its active compound are banned substances listed in the Swiss narcotic law.