Phylogeny and Taxonomy of the Neotropical Thepytus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Theclinae)

The Neotropical lycaenid hairstreak genus Thepytus Robbins and its eight species are revised. Species treatments summarize nomenclature, distribution, habitat, behavior, and diagnostic traits, as well as noting why each species is considered distinct under a biological species concept. An identification key for males and a checklist are included. Beatheclus Balint & Dahners new synonym is synonymized with Thepytus, and Theppus beatrizae (Balint & Dahners) is a new combination. Other nomenclatural actions include the description of Thepytus jennifer Busby & Robbins new species. Thepytus nancyana Busby & Robbins new species, and Thepytus carmen Robbins & Duarte new species. A lectotype is designated or Thecla thyrea Hewitson, 1867, to ensure stability of this name. A phylogenetic analysis based on 22 coded morphological characters yields one equal weight most parsimonious 39-step tree. Implied weighting does not change the tree topology. Unambiguous changes in elevation optimized on the cladogram show that a montane lineage of Thepytus colonized the lowlands in at least one instance. The use of T. echelta (Hewitson) as a biological control agent for Psittacanthus (Loranthaceae) is discussed.

A TR beta-selective agonist confers resistance to diet-induced obesity

Thyroid hormone receptor beta (TR beta also listed as THRB oil the MGI Database)-selective agonists activate brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, while only minimally affecting cardiac activity or lean body mass. Here, we tested the hypothesis that daily administration of the TR beta agonist GC-24 prevents the metabolic alterations associated with a hypercaloric diet. Rats were placed on a high-fat diet and after a month exhibited increased body weight (BW) and adiposity, fasting hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance, increased plasma levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, nonesterified Fatty acids and interleukin-6. While GC-24 administration to these animals did not affect food ingestion or modified the progression of BW gain, it did increase energy, g the increase in adiposity Without expenditure, eliminating causing cardiac hypertrophy Fasting hyperglycemia remained unchanged, but treatment with GC-24 improved glucose I tolerance by increasing insulin Sensitivity and also normalized plasma triglyceride levels. plasma cholesterol levels were only Partially normalized and liver cholesterol content remained high in the GC-24-treated animals. Gene expression in liver, skeletal muscle, and white adipose tissue was only minimally affected by treatment with GC-24, with the main target being BAT In conclusion, during high-fat feeding treatment with the TR beta-selective agonist, GC-24 only partially improves metabolic control probably as a result Of accelerating the resting metabolic rate. Journal of Endocrinology (2009) 203, 291-299

MAMMALIAN TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN COMPLEX 1 IS INVOLVED IN DIFFERENTIATION OF REGENERATING MYOFIBERS IN VIVO

This work was undertaken to provide further insight into the role of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) in skeletal muscle regeneration, focusing on myofiber size recovery. Rats were treated or not with rapamycin, an mTORC1 inhibitor. Soleus muscles were then subjected to cryolesion and analyzed 1, 10, and 21 days later. A decrease in soleus myofiber cross-section area on post-cryolesion days 10 and 21 was accentuated by rapamycin, which was also effective in reducing protein synthesis in these freeze-injured muscles. The incidence of proliferating satellite cells during regeneration was unaltered by rapamycin, although immunolabeling for neonatal myosin heavy chain (MHC) was weaker in cryolesion+rapamycin muscles than in cryolesion-only muscles. In addition, the decline in tetanic contraction of freeze-injured muscles was accentuated by rapamycin. This study indicates that mTORC1 plays a key role in the recovery of muscle mass and the differentiation of regenerating myofibers, independently of necrosis and satellite cell proliferation mechanisms. Muscle Nerve 42: 778-787,2010

Political Systems and the Perspective on Nursing Education during the Spanish Transition (from the Franco Regime to Democracy). A Contribution based on Nursing History

The aim of this study is to describe the changes in nursing education during the process prior to and after the establishment of democracy in Spain. It begins with the hypothesis that differences in social and political organization influenced the way the system of nursing education evolved, keeping it in line with neopositivistic schemes and exclusively technical approaches up until the advent of democracy. The evolution of a specific profile for nursing within the educational system has been shaped by the relationship between the systems of social and political organization in Spain. To examine the insertion of subjects such as the anthropology of healthcare into education programs for Spanish nursing, one must consider the cultural, intercultural and transcultural factors that are key to understanding the changes in nursing education that allowed for the adoption of a holistic approach in the curricula. Until the arrival of democracy in 1977, Spanish nursing education was solely technical in nature and the role of nurses was limited to the tasks and procedures defined by the bureaucratic thinking characteristic of the rational-technological paradigm. Consequently, during the long period prior to democracy, nursing in Spain was under the influence of neopositivistic and technical thinking, which had its effect on educational curricula. The addition of humanities and anthropology to the curricula, which facilitated a holistic approach, occurred once nursing became a field of study at the university level in 1977, a period that coincided with the beginnings of democracy in Spain.

Brazilian registered nurses` perceptions and attitudes towards adverse events in nursing care: a phenomenological study

Aim To describe the perceptions and attitudes of registered nurses (RNs) towards adverse events (AEs) in nursing care. Background The professionals` subjective perspectives should be taken into account for the prevention of AEs in care settings. Method Schutz`s social phenomenology was developed. Interviews were conducted with nine Intensive Care Unit RNs. Results The following five descriptive categories emerged: (1) the occurrence of AEs is inherent to the human condition but provokes a feeling of insecurity, (2) the occurrence of AEs indicates the existence of failures in health care systematization, (3) the professionals` attitudes towards AEs should be permeated by ethical principles; (4) the priority regarding AEs should be the mitigation of harm to patients, and (5) decisions regarding the communication of AEs were determined by the severity of the error. Conclusions The various subjective perspectives related to the occurrence of AEs requires a health care systematization with a focus on prevention. Ethical behaviour is essential for the patients` safety. Implications for nursing management Activities aimed at the prevention of AEs should be integrated jointly with both the professionals and the health care institution. A culture of safety, not punishment, and improvement in the quality of care provided to patients should be priorities.

The effects of skin-to-skin contact during acute pain in preterm newborns

Background and purpose: Several promising non-pharmacological interventions have been developed to reduce acute pain in preterm infants including skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her infant. However, variability in physiological outcomes of existing studies on skin-to-skin makes it difficult to determine treatment effects of this naturalistic approach for the preterm infant. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of mother and infant skin-to-skin contact during heel prick in premature infants. Method: Fifty nine stable preterm infants (born at least 30 weeks gestational age) who were undergoing routine heel lance were randomly assigned to either 15 min of skin-to-skin contact before, during and following heel prick (n = 31, treatment group), or to regular care (n = 28, control group). Throughout the heel lance procedure, all infants were assessed for change in facial action (NFCS), behavioral state, crying, and heart rate. Results: Statistically significant differences were noted between the treatment and control groups during the puncture, heel squeeze and the post phases of heel prick. Infants who received skin-to-skin contact were more likely to show lower NFCS scores throughout the procedure. Both groups of infants cried and showed increased heart rate during puncture and heel squeeze although changes in these measures were less for the treated infants. Conclusions: Skin-to-skin contact promoted reduction in behavioral measures and less physiological increase during procedure. It is recommended that skin-to-skin contact be used as a non-pharmacologic intervention to relieve acute pain in stable premature infants born 30 weeks gestational age or older. (C) 2007 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rural and Urban Streams: Anthropogenic Influences and Impacts on Water and Sediment Quality

The Pirapo river watershed (Parana State, Brazil) compounds a relatively industrialized and urbanized region, undergoing great pressure from the discharge of industrial, agricultural and domestic wastes. We evaluated the environmental quality of ten streams belonging to this watershed in April and June 2008 by performing acute and chronic toxicity tests with Daphnia similis and Ceriodaphnia silvestrii from water and sediment samples. We tested the hypothesis that the streams located in urban areas are more exposed to the influence of pollutants, than those outside the city limits. In addition, we obtained the measures of physical and chemical parameters, and identified the main polluted sources. Contrary to what was expected, the rural streams were more toxic than those located in urban area. These results demonstrate that the water bodies located in rural areas are being affected by the pollution of aquatic ecosystems as far as those found in urban areas, requiring the same attention of environmental managers in relation to its monitoring.

Reliability concepts applied to cutting tool change time

This paper presents a reliability-based analysis for calculating critical tool life in machining processes. It is possible to determine the running time for each tool involved in the process by obtaining the operations sequence for the machining procedure. Usually, the reliability of an operation depends on three independent factors: operator, machine-tool and cutting tool. The reliability of a part manufacturing process is mainly determined by the cutting time for each job and by the sequence of operations, defined by the series configuration. An algorithm is presented to define when the cutting tool must be changed. The proposed algorithm is used to evaluate the reliability of a manufacturing process composed of turning and drilling operations. The reliability of the turning operation is modeled based on data presented in the literature, and from experimental results, a statistical distribution of drilling tool wear was defined, and the reliability of the drilling process was modeled. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

FLOW PROPERTIES AND TUBE FRICTION FACTOR OF MILK CREAM: INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE AND FAT CONTENT

The rheological behavior of milk cream was studied for different fat contents (0.10 to 0.31) and for a wide temperature range (2 and 87C) using a rotational rheometer. Newtonian behavior was observed, except for fat content between 0.20 and 0.31 and temperature between 2 and 33C, where viscoplastic behavior was remarkable. The rheological parameters (Newtonian viscosity, plastic viscosity and yield stress) and density were well correlated to temperature and fat content. Tube friction factor during flow of cream was experimentally obtained at various flow rates, temperatures and tube diameters (86 < Re < 2.3 x 104, 38 < Re(B) < 8.8 x 103, 1.1 x 103 < He < 6.7 x 103). The proposed correlations for density and rheological parameters were applied for the prediction of friction factor for laminar and turbulent flow of cream using well-known equations for Newtonian and viscoplastic flow. The good agreement between experimental and predicted values confirms the reliability of the proposed correlations for describing the flow behavior of cream. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This paper presents correlations for the calculation of density and rheological parameters (Newtonian viscosity, Bingham plastic viscosity and yield stress) of milk cream as functions of temperature (2-87C) and fat content (0.10-0.31). Because of the large temperature range, the proposed correlations are useful for process design and optimization in dairy processing. An example of practical application is presented in the text, where the correlations were applied for the prediction of friction factor for laminar and turbulent tube flow of cream using well-known equations for Newtonian and viscoplastic flow, which are summarized in the text. The comparison with experimental data obtained at various flow rates, temperatures and tube diameters showed a good agreement, which confirms the reliability of the proposed correlations.

Thermal inactivation of polyphenoloxidase and peroxidase in green coconut (Cocos nucifera) water

P>Coconut water is an isotonic beverage naturally obtained from the green coconut. After extracted and exposed to air, it is rapidly degraded by enzymes peroxidase (POD) and polyphenoloxidase (PPO). To study the effect of thermal processing on coconut water enzymatic activity, batch process was conducted at three different temperatures, and at eight holding times. The residual activity values suggest the presence of two isoenzymes with different thermal resistances, at least, and a two-component first-order model was considered to model the enzymatic inactivation parameters. The decimal reduction time at 86.9 degrees C (D(86.9 degrees C)) determined were 6.0 s and 11.3 min for PPO heat labile and heat resistant fractions, respectively, with average z-value = 5.6 degrees C (temperature difference required for tenfold change in D). For POD, D(86.9 degrees C) = 8.6 s (z = 3.4 degrees C) for the heat labile fraction was obtained and D(86.9 degrees C) = 26.3 min (z = 6.7 degrees C) for the heat resistant one.

THE EFFECT OF REFRIGERATED STORAGE ON SENSORY PROFILE AND PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MINIMALLY PASTEURIZED ORANGE JUICE

Minimal pasteurization of orange juice (OJ) consists of using minimum holding time and temperature to ensure partial inactivation of pectin methylesterase (PME). This process produces juice with preserved sensory attributes and has a better acceptance by consumers when compared with commercially pasteurized OJ. Sensory profile and physical-chemical characteristics of minimally processed OJ was determined, during refrigerated storage, for two OJ blends with different pH values and the same level of PME thermal inactivation. A selected and trained sensorial panel (n = 16) performed sensory analysis, based on a quantitative descriptive analysis, twice a week for 30 days, evaluating the attributes of appearance (suspended particles and color intensity), odor (natural orange and fermented orange) and flavor (orange characteristic, fermented orange, acid and bitter taste). Storage presented great effect on OJ sensory profile; however, it was not noticeable on physical-chemical characteristics.

The effect of flow arrangement on the pressure drop of plate heat exchangers

For the optimal design of plate heat exchangers (PHEs), an accurate thermal-hydraulic model that takes into account the effect of the flow arrangement on the heat load and pressure drop is necessary. In the present study, the effect of the flow arrangement on the pressure drop of a PHE is investigated. Thirty two different arrangements were experimentally tested using a laboratory scale PHE with flat plates. The experimental data was used for (a) determination of an empirical correlation for the effect of the number of passes and number of flow channels per pass on the pressure drop; (b) validation of a friction factor model through parameter estimation; and (c) comparison with the simulation results obtained with a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) model of the PHE. All three approaches resulted in a good agreement between experimental and predicted values of pressure drop. Moreover, the CFD model is used for evaluating the flow maldistribution in a PHE with two channels Per Pass. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of guar and xanthan gums on proofing and calorimetric parameters of frozen bread dough

The influence of guar and xanthan gum and their combined use on dough proofing rate and its calorimetric properties was investigated. Fusion enthalpy, which is related to the amount of frozen water, was influenced by frozen dough formulation and storage time; specifically gum addition reduced the fusion enthalpy in comparison to control formulation, 76.9 J/g for formulation with both gums and 81.2 J/g for control, at 28th day. Other calorimetric parameters, such as T(g) and freezable water amount, were also influenced by frozen storage time. For all formulations, proofing rate of dough after freezing, frozen storage time and thawing, decreased in comparison to non-frozen dough, indicating that the freezing process itself was more detrimental to the proofing rate than storage time. For all formulations, the mean value of proofing rate was 2.97 +/- 0.24 cm(3) min(-1) per 100 g of non-frozen dough and 2.22 +/- 0.12 cm(3) min(-1) per 100 g of frozen dough. Also the proofing rate of non-frozen dough with xanthan gum decreased significantly in relation to dough without gums and dough with only guar gum. Optical microscopy analyses showed that the gas cell production after frozen storage period was reduced, which is in agreement with the proofing rate results. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

OPTIMIZATION OF THE TREATMENT PROCESS FOR RESIDUAL WATER FROM A BEER INDUSTRY

The optimization of the treatment process for residual waters from a brewery operating under the modality of an anaerobic reactor and activated sludge combination was studied in two phases. In the first stage, lasting for six months, the characteristics and parameters of the plant operation were analyzed, wherein a diversion rate of more than 50% to aerobic treatment, the use of two aeration tanks and a high sludge production prevailed. The second stage comprised four months during which the system worked under the proposed operational model, with the aim of improving the treatment: reduction of the diversion rate to 30% and use of only one aeration tank At each stage, TSS, VSS and COD were measured at the entrance and exit of the anaerobic reactor mid the aeration tanks. The results were compared with the corresponding design specifications and the needed conditions were applied to reduce the diversion rate towards the aerobic process through monitoring the volume and concentration of the affluent, while applying the strategic changes in reactor parameters needed to increase its efficiency. A diversion reduction from 53 to 34% was achieved, reducing the sludge discharge generated in the aerobic system from 3670mg TSS/l. with two aeration tanks down to 2947mf TSS/l using one tank keeping the same relation VSS:TSS (0.55) and an efficiency of total removal of 98% in terms of COD.

Microencapsulation of propolis extract by complex coacervation

The propolis has potential to be a natural food additive However its application is limited because It is alcohol-soluble and has strong flavour Microencapsulation may be an alternative for reducing these problems The aim of this study was to encapsulate propolis extract by complex coacervation using isolated soy protein and pectin as encapsulant agents The coacervation was studied as a function of pH (5 0 4 5 4 0 and 3 5) and the concentration of encapsulants and core (2 5 and 5 0 g/100 mL) Samples obtained at pH 4 0 in both concentrations were lyophilized and analyzed for hygroscopicity encapsulation efficiency particle size morphology thermal behavior stability of phenolic and flavonoids during storage as well as antioxidant and antimicrobial activities It was possible to encapsulate propolis extract by complex coacervation and to obtain it in the form of powder alcohol-free stable with antioxidant property antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and with the possibility of controlled release in foods (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved