Avian trait-mediated vulnerability to road traffic collisions

Collision with vehicles is an important source of bird mortality, but it is uncertain why some species are killed more often than others. Focusing on passerines,we testedwhether mortality is associated with bird abundances, and with traits reflecting flight manoeuvrability, habitat, diet, and foraging and social behaviours. We also tested whether the species most vulnerable to road-killing were scarcer near (b500 m) or far (N500–5000 m) from roads. During the breeding seasons of 2009–2011,we surveyed roadkills daily along 50 km of roads, and estimated bird abundances from 74 point counts. After correcting for phylogenetic relatedness, there was strong correlation between roadkill numbers and the abundances of 28 species counted near roads. However, selectivity indices indicated that Blue tit (Parus caeruleus), Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) and European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) were significantly more road-killed than expected from their abundances, while the inverse was found for seven species. Using phylogenetic generalised estimating equations, we found that selectivity indexes were strongly related to foraging behaviour and habitat type, and weakly so to body size, wing load, diet and social behaviour. The most vulnerable passerines were foliage/bark and swoop foragers, inhabiting woodlands, with small body size and low wing load. The species most vulnerable to road collisions were not scarcer close to roads. Overall, our study suggests that traits provide a basis to identify the passerine species most vulnerable to road collisions, which may be priority targets for future research on the population-level effects of roadkills.

Proposal for Labor Market Integration of Teachers in Contexts of High Social Vulnerability

The purpose of this paper is to share a proposal for teacher’s labor market integration in contexts of high social5 vulnerability. This paper is the result of a research conducted in a priority attention primary school6 of the central canton of Heredia7. It explored the labor market integration process of teachers, considering the community, family and student reality of a population social risk. The research that supports this proposal is based on a qualitative approach, since the diagnosis process is not intended to provide answers that could be commonly applied to other education centers in similar contexts, but to make an exploratory approach of teachers’ reality and their integration process into education institutions of high social vulnerability. Therefore, although this paper intends to share this experience, it does not aim to unify integration practices, but to be an input in carrying out similar processes.  (5) The concept of high social vulnerability is understood based on Sojo’s approach (2003), which defines it as marginal urban communities in areas considered by the Costa Rican government as priority areas with the greatest social, economic backwardness in the country, and high rates of violence, leisure, unemployment and drug addiction. (6) Translator’s note: The Costa Rican education system is composed of primary education (1st-6th grade) and secondary education (7th-11th grade). (7)A public primary school in the circuit 02 of the Province of Heredia.

ANALYSE THE VULNERABILITY IN THE MARANHÃO ILHA, BRAZIL, USING GIS TECHNIQUES AND GEOSPATIAL INFERENCE

Vulnerability and sustainability studies of an area help to assess both its level of exposure and capacity to support possible environmental impacts, and it is of primordial importance for proposals of the Legislation on Zoning, Allotment, Land Use/land cover, aiming to stimulate those areas indicated for urban growth, to discourage growth of overcrowded areas, to detect sections with restrictive use, as well as districts for permanent protection. This paper aims to analyze the vulnerability in the Maranhão Ilha, using GIS techniques, geospatial inference intersected with relevant social-environmental indicators.Estudos de vulnerabilidade e de sustentabilidade de uma área ajudam a avaliar o seu grau de exposição e sua capacidade de suporte a possíveis impactos ambientais, sendo fundamental para propostas de Lei de Zoneamento, Parcelamento, Uso e Ocupação do Solo, tendo por finalidade orientar as áreas onde deverá haver estímulo para o crescimento urbano; contenção da malha urbana; detecção de locais com possibilidade de uso restritivo, bem como locais de proteção permanente. Este trabalho propõe analisar o índice de vulnerabilidade a perda de solo da Ilha do Maranhão com base na metodologia proposta por (CREPANI, et al. 2001) e em técnicas de inferência espacial com apoio na AHP (Análise Hierárquica de Processo).

How to cope with air transport disruptions: airport airside resilience and vulnerability

The efficiency of airport airside operations is often compromised by unplanned disruptive events of different kinds, such as bad weather, strikes or technical failures, which negatively influence the punctuality and regularity of operations, causing serious delays and unexpected congestion. They may provoke important impacts and economic losses on passengers, airlines and airport operators, and consequences may propagate in the air network throughout different airports. In order to identify strategies to cope with such events and minimize their impacts, it is crucial to understand how disruptive events affect airports’ performance. The research field related with the risk of severe air transport network disruptions and their impact on society is related to the concepts of vulnerability and resilience. The main objective of this project is to provide a framework that allows to evaluate performance losses and consequences due to unexpected disruptions affecting airport airside operations, supporting the development of a methodology for estimating vulnerability and resilience indicators for airport airside operations. The methodology proposed comprises three phases. In the first phase, airside operations are modelled in both the baseline and disrupted scenarios. The model includes all main airside processes and takes into consideration the uncertainties and dynamics of the system. In the second phase, the model is implemented by using a generic simulation software, AnyLogic. Vulnerability is evaluated by taking into consideration the costs related to flight delays, cancellations and diversions; resilience is determined as a function of the loss of capacity during the entire period of disruption. In the third phase, a Bayesian Network is built in which uncertain variables refer to airport characteristics and disruption type. The Bayesian Network expresses the conditional dependence among these variables and allows to predict the impacts of disruptions on an airside system, determining the elements which influence the system resilience the most.

Seismic vulnerability of buildings and non-structural elements: insights from the 2011 Lorca earthquake

This PhD dissertation presents a profound study of the vulnerability of buildings and non-structural elements stemming from the investigation of the Mw 5.2 Lorca 2011 earthquake; which constitutes one of the most significant earthquakes in Spain. It left nine fatalities due to falling debris from reinforced concrete buildings, 394 injured and material damage valued at 800 million euros. Within this framework, the most relevant initiatives concerning the vulnerability of buildings and the exposure of Lorca are studied. This work revealed two lines of research: the elaboration of a rational method to determine the adequacy of a specific fragility curve for the particular seismic risk study of a region; and the relevance of researching the seismic performance of non-structural elements. As a consequence, firstly, a method to assess and select fragility curves for seismic risk studies from the catalogue of those available in the literature is elaborated and calibrated by means of a case study. The said methodology is based on a multidimensional index and provides a ranking that classifies the curves in terms of adequacy. Its results for the case of Lorca led to the elaboration of new fragility curves for unreinforced masonry buildings. Moreover, a simplified method to account for the unpredictable directionality of the seism in the creation of fragility curves is contributed. Secondly, the characterisation of the seismic capacity and demand of the non-structural elements that caused most of the human losses is studied. Concerning the capacity, an analytical approach derived from theoretical considerations to characterise the complete out-of-plane seismic response curve of unreinforced masonry cantilever walls is provided; as well as a simplified and more practical trilinear version of it. Concerning the demand, several methods for characterising the Floor Response Spectra of reinforced concrete buildings are tested through case studies.

[do Elderly Individuals With A Cognitive Handicap Have Worse Oral Health?].

A comparison of the oral health of elderly people with and without a cognitive handicap was assessed. The cognitive condition, the indices of decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT), decayed, filled roots (DFR), the need for dental treatment, the presence of plaque (P), calculus (C), the community periodontal index (CPI), the rate of periodontal attachment loss (PAL), edentulism, prosthetic use and the need for prosthetics were evaluated in a complex probabilistic sample by conglomerates of the elderly (65-74 years). PASW(r) 17.0 was used for the statistical analyses with correction for the design effect, applying the Mann Whitney and chi-square test with 95% reliability. A total of 736 elderly individuals were interviewed and examined. Those with cognitive impairment had higher average DMFT, DFR and lower average healthy sextant CPI, a lower prevalence of sextants without plaque/calculus, use of prosthetics and higher prevalence of edentulism and need for prosthetics. Elderly individuals with a cognitive handicap had poorer oral health.

Cardioprotective Mechanism Of S-nitroso-n-acetylcysteine Via S-nitrosated Betadrenoceptor-2 In The Ldlr-/- Mice.

Previous studies from our group have demonstrated the protective effect of S-nitroso-N-acetylcysteine (SNAC) on the cardiovascular system in dyslipidemic LDLr-/- mice that develop atheroma and left ventricular hypertrophy after 15 days on a high fat diet. We have shown that SNAC treatment attenuates plaque development via the suppression of vascular oxidative stress and protects the heart from structural and functional myocardial alterations, such as heart arrhythmia, by reducing cardiomyocyte sensitivity to catecholamines. Here we investigate the ability of SNAC to modulate oxidative stress and cell survival in cardiomyocytes during remodeling and correlation with β₂-AR signaling in mediating this protection. Ventricular superoxide (O₂⁻) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) generation was measured by HPLC methods to allow quantification of dihydroethidium (DHE) products. Ventricular histological sections were stained using terminal dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) to identify nuclei with DNA degradation (apoptosis) and this was confirmed by Western blot for cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-7 protein expression. The findings show that O₂⁻ and H₂O₂ production and also cell apoptosis were increased during left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). SNAC treatment reduced oxidative stress during on cardiac remodeling, measured by decreased H₂O₂ and O₂⁻ production (65% and 52%, respectively), and a decrease in the ratio of p-Ser1177 eNOS/total eNOS. Left ventricle (LV) from SNAC-treated mice revealed a 4-fold increase in β₂-AR expression associated with coupling change to Gi; β₂-ARs-S-nitrosation (β₂-AR-SNO) increased 61%, while apoptosis decreased by 70%. These results suggest that the cardio-protective effect of SNAC treatment is primarily through its anti-oxidant role and is associated with β₂-ARs overexpression and β₂-AR-SNO via an anti-apoptotic pathway.

Insegurança alimentar em domicílios brasileiros com crianças menores de cinco anos

This article analyzes food insecurity and hunger in Brazilian families with children under five years of age. This was a nationally representative cross-sectional study using data from the National Demographic and Health Survey on Women and Children (PNDS-2006), in which the outcome variable was moderate to severe food insecurity, measured by the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA). Prevalence estimates and prevalence ratios were generated with 95% confidence intervals. The results showed a high prevalence of moderate to severe food insecurity, concentrated in the North and Northeast regions (30.7%), in economic classes D and E (34%), and in beneficiaries of conditional cash transfer programs (36.5%). Multivariate analysis showed that the socioeconomic relative risks (beneficiaries of conditional cash transfers), regional relative risks (North and Northeast regions), and economic relative risks (classes D and E) were 1.8, 2.0 and 2.4, respectively. Aggregation of the three risks showed 48% of families with moderate to severe food insecurity, meaning that adults and children were going hungry during the three months preceding the survey.

Educação e motivação em saúde bucal: prevenindo doenças e promovendo saúde em pacientes sob tratamento ortodôntico

INTRODUÇãO: os cirurgiões-dentistas têm a responsabilidade de prevenir doenças, minimizar riscos e promover saúde. Os pacientes também precisam ser despertados sobre o seu papel nos cuidados com a saúde bucal. No caso de pacientes em tratamento ortodôntico, é particularmente difícil manter uma higiene bucal satisfatória devido à presença de bandas, fios e ligaduras. Torna-se, então, indispensável a instituição de métodos preventivos de motivação e orientação para o controle mecânico da placa dentária. OBJETIVO: verificar os efeitos de ações educativas, preventivas e motivacionais sobre a saúde bucal de pacientes em tratamento ortodôntico fixo. MéTODOS: os participantes receberam gratuitamente dentifrício e escova dental durante todo o estudo e instruções sobre higiene bucal foram fornecidas e reforçadas no decorrer dos 6 meses da pesquisa. Foram realizados exames clínicos baseline e após 6, 12 e 24 semanas, para verificação dos índices de Placa, Gengival e Sangramento. RESULTADOS: as condições de saúde bucal dos participantes, que inicialmente eram insatisfatórias, melhoraram significativamente no decorrer do estudo, considerando-se todos os índices. As ações preventivas, educativas e motivacionais realizadas foram estatisticamente eficazes na melhora da saúde bucal dos pacientes ortodônticos. CONCLUSõES: a promoção de saúde e a prevenção de doenças devem fazer parte do atendimento que os ortodontistas direcionam aos seus pacientes, sendo que a orientação e motivação quanto aos cuidados com a saúde bucal devem estar presentes antes e durante o tratamento.

Influência da largura do septo inter-radicular sobre a estabilidade dos mini-implantes

OBJETIVO: este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a influência da largura do septo inter-radicular no local de inserção de mini-implantes autoperfurantes sobre o grau de estabilidade desses dispositivos de ancoragem. MÉTODOS: a amostra consistiu de 40 mini-implantes inseridos entre as raízes do primeiro molar e segundo pré-molar superiores de 21 pacientes, com o intuito de fornecer ancoragem para retração anterior. A largura do septo no local de inserção (LSI) foi mensurada nas radiografias pós-cirúrgicas e, sob esse aspecto, os mini-implantes foram divididos em dois grupos: grupo 1 (áreas críticas, LSI<3mm) e grupo 2 (áreas não críticas, LSI>3mm). A estabilidade dos mini-implantes foi avaliada mensalmente pela quantificação do grau de mobilidade e a partir dessa variável foi calculada a proporção de sucesso. Avaliou-se também: a quantidade de placa, altura de inserção, grau de sensibilidade e período de observação. RESULTADOS: os resultados obtidos demonstraram que não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa para o grau de mobilidade e proporção de sucesso entre os mini-implantes inseridos em septos de largura mesiodistal crítica e não crítica. A proporção de sucesso total encontrada foi de 90% e nenhuma variável demonstrou estar relacionada ao insucesso dos mini-implantes. No entanto, observou-se maior sensibilidade nos pacientes cujos mini-implantes apresentavam mobilidade, e que a falha desses dispositivos de ancoragem ocorria logo após sua inserção. CONCLUSÃO: a largura do septo inter-radicular no local de inserção não interferiu na estabilidade dos mini-implantes autoperfurantes avaliados neste estudo.

Programa preventivo da cárie dentária baseado no controle mecânico da placa bacteriana em crianças, por meio da profilaxia profissional periódica: Resultados após 25 anos de acompanhamento

OBJETIVOS: o objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a incidência de cárie dentária em um programa de prevenção aplicado durante 25 anos em clínica particular. METODOLOGIA: participaram desse programa 640 crianças de ambos os gêneros, na faixa etária de 3 a 15 anos de idade. O programa foi baseado no controle mecânico da placa bacteriana dentária por meio da profilaxia profissional com jato de bicarbonato de sódio com uma periodicidade mensal. A incidência de cárie foi verificada por meio de exames clínicos durante as sessões de atendimento e radiográficos anualmente. A média de idade das crianças ao ingressarem no programa foi de 7,8 anos. RESULTADOS: antes de ingressar no programa, as crianças apresentaram, em média, 5,3 faces cariadas, enquanto após o programa a média foi de 0,18. A incidência de cáries por ano antes do programa foi de 0,9 faces cariadas e durante o programa de 0,03. O tempo de permanência das crianças no programa foi, em média, de 52,6 meses, e a média de faltas foi de 0,5 falta por ano. Esses resultados demonstram o sucesso do programa, principalmente por ter uma filosofia que procura o equilíbrio da biodiversidade da cavidade bucal, sem o risco de produzir efeitos colaterais indesejáveis. CONCLUSÕES: conclui-se, assim, que esse parece ser o caminho mais curto para resolver o problema da cárie dentária, ou seja, o controle mecânico da placa bacteriana dentária através da profilaxia profissional mensal, pois é um método de prevenção possível de ser aplicado em qualquer criança, independentemente de suas condições psicomotoras e sociais, e que proporciona a melhor relação custo-benefício, além de estar de acordo com os conceitos mais atuais de cárie e de seus fatores etiológicos. Em função da faixa etária das crianças, o programa é de suma importância para clínicas de Odontopediatria e Ortodontia.

Comparison of periodontal parameters in individuals with syndromic craniosynostosis

Craniosynostosis syndromes are characterized by premature closure of one or more cranial sutures, associated with other malformations, the most frequent of which are the Crouzon and Apert syndromes. Few studies in the literature have addressed the oral health of these individuals. The purpose of this study was to compare the periodontal status of individuals with Apert, Crouzon, Pfeiffer and Saethre-Chotzen syndromes before toothbrushing and compare the efficiency of plaque removal before and after mechanical toothbrushing. The probing depth, plaque index (according to Löe and O'Leary), clinical attachment level, gingival index (according to Silness and Löe) and amount of keratinized mucosa were evaluated before toothbrushing, and the O'Leary plaque index was assessed before and immediately after toothbrushing, on the same day, in 27 individuals aged 11 to 36 years. There was statistically significant difference in the mean probing depth and clinical attachment level among regions (p=0.00; p=0.01, respectively). The gingival index did not reveal statistically significant differences. With regard to the plaque index, the left region exhibited higher plaque index values than the right and anterior regions. No significant results were found in the analysis of keratinized mucosa. Comparison of the O'Leary plaque index before and after toothbrushing revealed statistically significant difference for all syndromes except for the Pfeiffer syndrome (p<0.05). In conclusion, there was no difference in the periodontal status among individuals with syndromic craniosynostosis. The posterior region was more affected than the anterior region as to the presence of plaque, loss of insertion and probing depth. Individuals with Pfeiffer syndrome exhibited greater toothbrushing efficiency than individuals with the other craniosynostosis syndromes.

Periodontal treatment during pregnancy decreases the rate of adverse pregnancy outcome: a controlled clinical trial

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of non-surgical treatment of periodontal disease during the second trimester of gestation on adverse pregnancy outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pregnant patients during the 1st and 2nd trimesters at antenatal care in a Public Health Center were divided into 2 groups: NIG - "no intervention" (n=17) or IG- "intervention" (n=16). IG patients were submitted to a non-surgical periodontal treatment performed by a single periodontist consisting of scaling and root planning (SRP), professional prophylaxis (PROPH) and oral hygiene instruction (OHI). NIG received PROPH and OHI during pregnancy and were referred for treatment after delivery. Periodontal evaluation was performed by a single trained examiner, blinded to periodontal treatment, according to probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), plaque index (PI) and sulcular bleeding index (SBI) at baseline and 35 gestational weeks-28 days post-partum. Primary adverse pregnancy outcomes were preterm birth (<37 weeks), low birth weight (<2.5 kg), late abortion (14-24 weeks) or abortion (<14 weeks). The results obtained were statistically evaluated according to OR, unpaired t test and paired t test at 5% signifcance level. RESULTS: No signifcant differences were observed between groups at baseline examination. Periodontal treatment resulted in stabilization of CAL and PI (p>0.05) at IG and worsening of all periodontal parameters at NIG (p<0.0001), except for PI. Signifcant differences in periodontal conditions of IG and NIG were observed at 2nd examination (p<0.001). The rate of adverse pregnancy outcomes was 47.05% in NIG and 6.25% in IG. Periodontal treatment during pregnancy was associated to a decreased risk of developing adverse pregnancy outcomes [OR=13.50; CI: 1.47-123.45; p=0.02]. CONCLUSIONS: Periodontal treatment during the second trimester of gestation contributes to decrease adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Short-Term effect of COX-2 selective inhibitor as an adjunct for the treatment of periodontal disease: a clinical double-blind study in humans

Adjunctive therapeutic strategies that modulate the inflammatory mediators can play a significant role in periodontal therapy. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 60 subjects diagnosed as periodontitis patients were evaluated for 28 days after periodontal treatment combined with selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor. The experimental group received scaling and root planning (SRP) combined with the Loxoprofen antiinflammatory drug (SRP+Loxoprofen). The control group received SRP combined with placebo (SRP+placebo). Plaque index (PI), probing pocket depth (PD) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were monitored with an electronic probe at baseline and after 14 and 28 days. Both groups displayed clinical improvement in PD, PI and BOP. They also showed statistically similar values (p>0.05) of PD reduction on day 14 (0.4 mm) and on day 28 (0.6 mm). At the baseline, few deeper sites (>7 mm) from SRP+Loxoprofen group were responsible and most PD reduction was observed after 14 days (p<0.05). The percentage of remaining deep pockets (>7 mm) after 14 days in the SRP+Loxoprofen group was significantly lower (p<0.05) than in the SRP+placebo group. Loxoprofen presents potential effect as an adjunct of periodontal disease treatment, but long-term clinical trials are necessary to confirm its efficacy.

Relationship between periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis and the effect of non-surgical periodontal treatment

This study analyzed the association of periodontal disease (PD) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Seventy-five 35-60-year-old patients were assigned to 5 groups according to the presence (+) or not (-) of PD and RA and the treatment received (TR+) or not (TR-) for PD. Group 3 uses total prosthesis (TP). Clinical and laboratory evaluations were performed at baseline, 3 and 6 months of follow-up by probing pocket depth, bleeding on probing and plaque index for PD, HAQ, DAS28, SF-36 and laboratory: AAG, ESR, CRP for RA. Statistically significant differences for PD after 3 (p=0.0055) and after 6 months (p=0.0066) were obtained in Group 1 (RA+PD+TR+) and 2(RA+PD+TR-); significant reduction in the % of BOP after 6 months (p=0.0128) and significant reduction in the % of Pl after 3 (p=0.0128) and 6 months (p=0.0002) in Group 1. Statistically significant differences between Groups 1 and 3 (RA+TP) for DAS28 at baseline and after 3 months were observed, but not after 6 months. No other parameters for RA were significantly affected. The relationship between RA and PD disease activities is not clear, but the importance of periodontal treatment in the control of inflammation to avoid tooth extraction is evident.