Total Daily Energy Expenditure and Incidence of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Symptoms in Young Females

A group of 31 young females, tennis players and non-athletes, aged 16 2 years (range: 14 - 21 years), with a wide range of physical activity levels was used to investigate the relationship between total daily energy expenditure and the incidence of upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. Methods: During a 12 week winter period, habitual daily activity (excluding training) was evaluated using a 3-day physical activity record. Tennis training was quantified using a validated method of estimating energy expenditure during play. Total daily energy expenditure was calculated from the sum of daily training plus mean habitual daily activity energy expenditures. The total group of subjects was divided in quartiles for total daily energy expenditure. A validated symptom checklist was used to assess the incidence and severity of upper respiratory tract infections, on a daily basis. Results: The girls in the highest quartile of total daily energy expenditure (greater than or equal to 17322 kJ/day) and in the lowest quartile (less than or equal to 10 047 kJ/day) had the greatest incidence of URTI symptomatology, although the moderately active girls in quartile three (12290-16410 kJ/day) presented the lowest incidence. Significant differences in number of upper respiratory tract infection episodes, sickness days and symptomatology index were found between quartiles three and one (p < 0.05) and quartiles three and four (p < 0.01). Peak severity of symptoms was significantly lower in quartile three compared with all other quartiles (p < 0.05).

Cuticular hydrocarbons of Drosophila birchii and D-serrata: Identification and role in mate choice in D-serrata

The cuticular hydrocarbon compositions of two sympatric species of Australian Drosophila in the montium subgroup of the melanogaster group that use cuticular hydrocarbons in mate recognition have been characterized. Drosophila birchii has 34 components in greater than trace amounts, with a carbon number range of C-20 to C-33. Drosophila serrata has 21 components above trace level and a carbon number range of C-24 to C-31. These two species share eight hydrocarbon components, with all but two of them being monoenes. For both species, the (Z)-9-monoenes are the predominant positional isomer. The hydrocarbons of D. birchii are n-alkanes, n-alkenes (Z)-5-, (Z)-7-, (Z)-9-, and (Z)-11-), low to trace levels of homologous (Z,Z)-7,11- and (Z,Z)-9,13-dienes; and trace amounts of (Z,Z)-5,9- C-25:2, a major component of D. serrata. Only one methyl branched hydrocarbon was detected (2-methyl C-28), and it occurred at very low levels. The hydrocarbons of D. serrata are dominated by a homologous series of (Z,Z)-5,9-dienes, and notably, are characterized by the apparent absence of n-alkanes. Homologous series of (Z)-5-, (Z)-7-, and (Z)-9- alkenes are also present in D. serrata as well as 2-methyl alkanes. Drosophila serrata females display strong directional mate choice based on male cuticular hydrocarbons and prefer D. serrata males with higher relative abundances of the 2-methyl alkanes, but lower relative abundances of (Z,Z)-5,9- C-24:2 and (Z)-9-C-25:1.

Structural refinement of systems specified in object-z and CSP

This paper is concerned with methods for refinement of specifications written using a combination of Object-Z and CSP. Such a combination has proved to be a suitable vehicle for specifying complex systems which involve state and behaviour, and several proposals exist for integrating these two languages. The basis of the integration in this paper is a semantics of Object-Z classes identical to CSP processes. This allows classes specified in Object-Z to be combined using CSP operators. It has been shown that this semantic model allows state-based refinement relations to be used on the Object-Z components in an integrated Object-Z/CSP specification. However, the current refinement methodology does not allow the structure of a specification to be changed in a refinement, whereas a full methodology would, for example, allow concurrency to be introduced during the development life-cycle. In this paper, we tackle these concerns and discuss refinements of specifications written using Object-Z and CSP where we change the structure of the specification when performing the refinement. In particular, we develop a set of structural simulation rules which allow single components to be refined to more complex specifications involving CSP operators. The soundness of these rules is verified against the common semantic model and they are illustrated via a number of examples.

Identificação Química em Nível Molecular de Amostras de Maconha por ESI-FT-ICR MS

mais consumida no país, e proscrita pela Lei n° 11.343 de 23 de agosto de 2006 (chamada de “nova lei de droga”), onde todos os isômeros, sais, éteres e ésteres do ∆9-Tetrahidrocannabinol (THC), princípio ativo, foram proscritos. O método utilizado pela Polícia Civil do Estado do Espírito Santo para a identificação de cannabinóides é o teste colorimétrico, por meio de solução básica de Salt Fast Blue B, o qual apresenta resultados falsos negativos e falsos positivos. A técnica de espectrometria de massas de altíssima resolução e exatidão de massas (ESI(-)FTICR MS), permite detectar os principais cannabinóides na forma de molécula desprotonada, íon [M-H]-. Alguns íons que podem ser identificados são: [CBN - H]- de m/z 309 (CBN = cannabinol); [THC - H]- de m/z 313 (THC = tetrahidrocannabinol) e [CBD - H]- de m/z 313; [CBC - H]- de m/z 327 (CBC = cannabicromeno); [CBEA - H]- de m/z 345 (CBEA = ácido cannabielsóico); [CBNA - H]- de m/z 353 (CBNA = ácido cannabinólico); [THCA - H]- de m/z 357 (THCA = ácido tetrahidrocannabinólico); [8α, 11-Bis-hydroxy-∆9-THC-A - H]- de m/z 389); [∆9-THCA +C2H2O - H]- de m/z 357; e dímeros com m/z de 637, 653, 673, 681, 685 e 717. Foram encontrados adulterantes identificados como [M + N + H]+ : 491; [2M + N + H]+ : 819 e [3M + N + H]+ : 1147, onde M = OTHC (328Da C21H28O3) e N = Nicotina (162Da C10H14N2), além de lidocaína e cocaína. Ainda foram identificados alguns noncannabinóides como Cannflavino A e B e ácidos graxos como palmítico, oleico, linolênico e gama-linolênico nos extratos de sementes de Cannabis. Este estudo tem o objetivo de identificar o perfil químico de amostras de maconha, apreendidas pela Polícia Civil do Estado do Espírito Santo, por ESI(±)-FT-ICR MS.

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate in the repair of osteochondral defects in dogs - clinical-radiographic analysis

Among the proposed treatments to repair lesions of degenerative joint disease (DJD), chondroprotective nutraceuticals composed by glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are a non-invasive theraphy with properties that favors the health of the cartilage. Although used in human, it is also available for veterinary use with administration in the form of nutritional supplement independent of prescription, since they have registry only in the Inspection Service, which does not require safety and efficacy testing. The lack of such tests to prove efficacy and safety of veterinary medicines required by the Ministry of Agriculture and the lack of scientific studies proving its benefits raises doubts about the efficiency of the concentrations of such active substances. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a veterinary chondroprotective nutraceutical based on chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine in the repair of osteochondral defects in lateral femoral condyle of 48 dogs, through clinical and radiographic analysis. The animals were divided into treatment group (TG) and control group (CG), so that only the TG received the nutraceutical every 24 hours at the rate recommended by the manufacturer. The results of the four treatment times (15, 30, 60 and 90 days) showed that the chondroprotective nutraceutical, in the rate, formulation and administration at the times used, did not improve clinical signs and radiologically did not influence in the repair process of the defects, since the treated and control groups showed similar radiographic findings at the end of the treatments.

Cytogenetic and identification of the nucleolus organizer region in Heliconia bihai (L.) L.

The genus Heliconia is not much studied and the number of existing species in this genus is still uncertain. It is known that this number relies between 150 to 250 species. In Brazil, about 40 species are native and known by many different names. The objective of this paper was to characterize morphometrically and to identify the NOR (active nucleolus organizer regions) by Ag-NOR banding of chromosomes of Heliconia bihai (L) L. Root meristems were submitted to blocking treatment in an amiprofos-methyl (APM) solution, fixed in methanol-acetic acid solution for 24 hours, at least. The meristems were washed in distilled water and submitted to enzymatic digestion with pectinase enzyme. The slides were prepared by dissociation of the root meristem, dried in the air and also on hot plate at 50°C. Subsequently, some slides were submitted to 5% Giemsa stain for karyotype construction and to a solution of silver nitrate (AgNO3) 50% for Ag-NOR banding. The species H. bihai has 2n = 22 chromosomes, 4 pairs of submetacentric chromosomes and 7 pairs of metacentric chromosomes, and graded medium to short (3.96 to 0.67 μM), with the presence of active NOR in pairs 1 and 2 and interphase cells with 2 nucleoli. These are the features of a diploid species.

«Estudar história com os pés na terra»: uma perspectiva museológica aplicada ao currículo da história no 3º ciclo do Ensino Básico: o caso de Alcobaça

RESUMO: Analisando o actual contexto do Ensino Básico na perspectiva da docência da História, o presente trabalho problematiza a contribuição da disciplina para a formação dos cidadãos. Estruturado a partir da análise das sintonias existentes entre a Educação, a História e a Museologia, relativamente a conceitos-chave como o Património Cultural e as suas formas de abordagem, a investigação propõe uma perspectiva museológica sobre o actual currículo da disciplina de História. Aplicando metodologias e conceitos desenvolvidos na Museologia, a proposta curricular estrutura-se a partir das componentes locais e regionais do currículo (na óptica da História) da região específica de Alcobaça. Centrado na aplicação da relação entre o Ensino da História por competências e o desenvolvimento da Consciência Histórica, num espaço concreto, este trabalho constrói uma proposta visando contribuir para os debates existentes e necessários no contexto da relação entre os saberes da escolaridade e as práticas de Cidadania, designadamente a contribuição activa dos indivíduos para o desenvolvimento da(s) comunidade(s). ABSTRACT: This research arises the problem of Compulsory Highschool from the perspective of teaching History, that matters the contribution to the Education of Citizenship. Structured from the analyses of the agreements between Education, History and Museology, concerning concepts like Cultural Heritage and its forms of communication, this research makes a proposition based on a museological perspective applied to History curriculum. This curricular approach is anchored in local and regional components of curriculum (from the historical view point) to Alcobaça and its region. Focused on the exercise of a relationship between Teaching History by skills development and the bringing up of an Historical Consciousness in a specific territory, this research builds a curricular proposition aiming to contributing to the discussions (current and necessaries) in the context of the connections between school acknowledgments and citizenship practices, specially the individual’s active engagement in communities development.

The expression of tubulin cofactor A (TBCA) is regulated by a noncoding antisense Tbca RNA during testis maturation

Abstract - Recently, long noncoding RNAs have emerged as pivotal molecules for the regulation of coding genes' expression. These molecules might result from antisense transcription of functional genes originating natural antisense transcripts (NATs) or from transcriptional active pseudogenes. TBCA interacts with β-tubulin and is involved in the folding and dimerization of new tubulin heterodimers, the building blocks of microtubules. Methodology/Principal findings: We found that the mouse genome contains two structurally distinct Tbca genes located in chromosomes 13 (Tbca13) and 16 (Tbca16). Interestingly, the two Tbca genes albeit ubiquitously expressed, present differential expression during mouse testis maturation. In fact, as testis maturation progresses Tbca13 mRNA levels increase progressively, while Tbca16 mRNA levels decrease. This suggests a regulatory mechanism between the two genes and prompted us to investigate the presence of the two proteins. However, using tandem mass spectrometry we were unable to identify the TBCA16 protein in testis extracts even in those corresponding to the maturation step with the highest levels of Tbca16 transcripts. These puzzling results led us to re-analyze the expression of Tbca16. We then detected that Tbca16 transcription produces sense and natural antisense transcripts. Strikingly, the specific depletion by RNAi of these transcripts leads to an increase of Tbca13 transcript levels in a mouse spermatocyte cell line. Conclusions/Significance: Our results demonstrate that Tbca13 mRNA levels are post-transcriptionally regulated by the sense and natural antisense Tbca16 mRNA levels. We propose that this regulatory mechanism operates during spermatogenesis, a process that involves microtubule rearrangements, the assembly of specific microtubule structures and requires critical TBCA levels.

Finite element studies of the mechanical behaviour of the diaphragm in normal and pathological cases

The diaphragm is a muscular membrane separating the abdominal and thoracic cavities, and its motion is directly linked to respiration. In this study, using data from a 59-year-old female cadaver obtained from the Visible Human Project, the diaphragm is reconstructed and, from the corresponding solid object, a shell finite element mesh is generated and used in several analyses performed with the ABAQUS 6.7 software. These analyses consider the direction of the muscle fibres and the incompressibility of the tissue. The constitutive model for the isotropic strain energy as well as the passive and active strain energy stored in the fibres is adapted from Humphrey's model for cardiac muscles. Furthermore, numerical results for the diaphragmatic floor under pressure and active contraction in normal and pathological cases are presented.

Combined heat and power and consumption optimization in a SCADA-based system

The operation of power systems in a Smart Grid (SG) context brings new opportunities to consumers as active players, in order to fully reach the SG advantages. In this context, concepts as smart homes or smart buildings are promising approaches to perform the optimization of the consumption, while reducing the electricity costs. This paper proposes an intelligent methodology to support the consumption optimization of an industrial consumer, which has a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) facility. A SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system developed by the authors is used to support the implementation of the proposed methodology. An optimization algorithm implemented in the system in order to perform the determination of the optimal consumption and CHP levels in each instant, according to the Demand Response (DR) opportunities. The paper includes a case study with several scenarios of consumption and heat demand in the context of a DR event which specifies a maximum demand level for the consumer.

Hybrid fuzzy Monte Carlo technique for reliability assessment in transmission power systems

This paper proposes a new methodology to reduce the probability of occurring states that cause load curtailment, while minimizing the involved costs to achieve that reduction. The methodology is supported by a hybrid method based on Fuzzy Set and Monte Carlo Simulation to catch both randomness and fuzziness of component outage parameters of transmission power system. The novelty of this research work consists in proposing two fundamentals approaches: 1) a global steady approach which deals with building the model of a faulted transmission power system aiming at minimizing the unavailability corresponding to each faulted component in transmission power system. This, results in the minimal global cost investment for the faulted components in a system states sample of the transmission network; 2) a dynamic iterative approach that checks individually the investment’s effect on the transmission network. A case study using the Reliability Test System (RTS) 1996 IEEE 24 Buses is presented to illustrate in detail the application of the proposed methodology.

Riders in the storm: the professions and healthcare governance

The public sector is facing turbulent times and this also challenges the health professions who are expected to serve both the interests of the citizens and the cost-containment and austerity policies of governments. This article seeks to explore the changing role of the health professions. I introduce an approach on ‘citizen professionals’ as active players in the policy process and mediators between the state/policymakers and the citizens/patients. The aim is to highlight a transformative potential of professionalism and the connectedness with other sets of governance, like management. Empirical material from a German case study and a comparative European study serve to illustrate the arguments, drawing on policy analysis and secondary sources. The results bring the complexity of transformations and new emergent forms of professionalism into view that cannot be understood in traditional categories of conflict, exclusion and jurisdiction. Exploring the potential of the health professions to creatively respond to new challenges may reveal new opportunities for innovating healthcare policy beyond market and management.

Tsunamigenic earthquakes in the Gulf of Cadiz: fault model and recurrence

The Gulf of Cadiz, as part of the Azores-Gibraltar plate boundary, is recognized as a potential source of big earthquakes and tsunamis that may affect the bordering countries, as occurred on 1 November 1755. Preparing for the future, Portugal is establishing a national tsunami warning system in which the threat caused by any large-magnitude earthquake in the area is estimated from a comprehensive database of scenarios. In this paper we summarize the knowledge about the active tectonics in the Gulf of Cadiz and integrate the available seismological information in order to propose the generation model of destructive tsunamis to be applied in tsunami warnings. The fault model derived is then used to estimate the recurrence of large earthquakes using the fault slip rates obtained by Cunha et al. (2012) from thin-sheet neotectonic modelling. Finally we evaluate the consistency of seismicity rates derived from historical and instrumental catalogues with the convergence rates between Eurasia and Nubia given by plate kinematic models.

Fat intake interacts with polymorphisms of Caspase9, FasLigand and PPARgamma apoptotic genes in modulating Crohn's disease activity

Background & aims: Crohn’s disease (CD) is a multifactorial disease where resistance to apoptosis is one major defect. Also, dietary fat intake has been shown to modulate disease activity. We aimed to explore the interaction between four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in apoptotic genes and dietary fat intake in modulating disease activity in CD patients. Methods: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) techniques were used to analyze Caspase9þ93C/T, FasLigand-843C/T, Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gammaþ161C/T and Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma Pro12Ala SNPs in 99 patients with CD and 116 healthy controls. Interactions between SNPs and fat intake in modulating disease activity were analyzed using regression analysis. Results: None of the polymorphisms analyzed influenced disease susceptibility and/or activity, but a high intake of total, saturated and monounsaturated fats and a higher ratio of n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), was associated with a more active phenotype (p < 0.05). We observed that the detrimental effect of a high intake of total and trans fat was more marked in wild type carriers of the Caspase9þ93C/T polymorphism [O.R (95%CI) 4.64 (1.27e16.89) and O.R (95%CI) 4.84 (1.34e17.50)]. In the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma Pro12Ala SNP, we also observed that a high intake of saturated and monounsaturated fat was associated to a more active disease in wild type carriers [OR (95%CI) 4.21 (1.33e13.26) and 4.37 (1.52e12.51)]. Finally, a high intake of n-6 PUFA was associated with a more active disease in wild type carriers for the FasLigand-843C/T polymorphism [O.R (95%CI) 5.15 (1.07e24.74)]. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to disclose a synergism between fat intake and SNPs in apoptotic genes in modulating disease activity in CD patients.

Fibras óticas de plástico em redes de acesso

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia de Eletrónica e Telecomunicações