Disruption of Chrysomya megacephala Growth Caused by Lignan Grandisin

The toxicity of tetrahydrofuran lignan grandisin was evaluated against larvae of Chrysomya megacephala F. (Diptera: Calliphoridae). The bioassay involved topical treatment on larvae, topical treatment oil egg masses, and incorporation in the larval diet. Grandisin showed inhibition of postembryonic development by ovicidal (30%) and larvicidal (38%) effects and reduced larval weight (4 mg), when topically applied oil egg masses and starving larvae (L1) at a concentration of 100 mu g/mu l. These findings elucidated the effect of grandisin on the C. megacephala life cycle and its potential to control C. megacephala populations.

On-line mass spectrometry of the electro-oxidation of methanol in acidic media on tungsten carbide

The electro-oxidation of methanol at supported tungsten carbide (WC) nanoparticles in sulfuric acid solution was studied using cyclic voltammetry, potentiostatic measurements, and differential electrochemical mass spectroscopy (DEMS). The catalyst was prepared by a sonochemical method and characterized by X-ray diffraction. Over the WC catalyst, the oxidation of methanol (1 M in a sulfuric acid electrolyte) begins at a potential below 0.5 V/RHE during the anodic sweep. During potentiostatic measurements, a maximum current of 0.8 mA mg(-1) was obtained at 0.4 V. Measurements of DEMS showed that the methanol oxidation reaction over tungsten carbide produces CO2 (m/z=44); no methylformate (m/z=60) was detected. These results are discussed in the context of the continued search for alternative materials for the anode catalyst of direct methanol fuel cells.

Immigration, security and the public debate on US language policy : a critical discourse analysis of language attitudes in the United States of America

The narrative of the United States is of a "nation of immigrants" in which the language shift patterns of earlier ethnolinguistic groups have tended towards linguistic assimilation through English. In recent years, however, changes in the demographic landscape and language maintenance by non-English speaking immigrants, particularly Hispanics, have been perceived as threats and have led to calls for an official English language policy.This thesis aims to contribute to the study of language policy making from a societal security perspective as expressed in attitudes regarding language and identity originating in the daily interaction between language groups. The focus is on the role of language and American identity in relation to immigration. The study takes an interdisciplinary approach combining language policy studies, security theory, and critical discourse analysis. The material consists of articles collected from four newspapers, namely USA Today, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle between April 2006 and December 2007.Two discourse types are evident from the analysis namely Loyalty and Efficiency. The former is mainly marked by concerns of national identity and contains speech acts of security related to language shift, choice and English for unity. Immigrants are represented as dehumanised, and harmful. Immigration is given as sovereignty-related, racial, and as war. The discourse type of Efficiency is mainly instrumental and contains speech acts of security related to cost, provision of services, health and safety, and social mobility. Immigrants are further represented as a labour resource. These discourse types reflect how the construction of the linguistic 'we' is expected to be maintained. Loyalty is triggered by arguments that the collective identity is threatened and is itself used in reproducing the collective 'we' through hegemonic expressions of monolingualism in the public space and semi-public space. The denigration of immigrants is used as a tool for enhancing societal security through solidarity and as a possible justification for the denial of minority rights. Also, although language acquisition patterns still follow the historical trend of language shift, factors indicating cultural separateness such as the appearance of speech communities or the use of minority languages in the public space and semi-public space have led to manifestations of intolerance. Examples of discrimination and prejudice towards minority groups indicate that the perception of worth of a shared language differs from the actual worth of dominant language acquisition for integration purposes. The study further indicates that the efficient working of the free market by using minority languages to sell services or buy labour is perceived as conflicting with nation-building notions since it may create separately functioning sub-communities with a new cultural capital recognised as legitimate competence. The discourse types mainly represent securitising moves constructing existential threats. The perception of threat and ideas of national belonging are primarily based on a zero-sum notion favouring monolingualism. Further, the identity of the immigrant individual is seen as dynamic and adaptable to assimilationist measures whereas the identity of the state and its members are perceived as static. Also, the study shows that debates concerning language status are linked to extra-linguistic matters. To conclude, policy makers in the US need to consider the relationship between four factors, namely societal security based on collective identity, individual/human security, human rights, and a changing linguistic demography, for proposed language intervention measures to be successful.

Fyrtiotalisterna och äldreomsorgen : massmediala konstruktioner av en ny sorts omsorgstagare

Baby boomers and elderly care: expectations in print media about a new kind of care users The Swedish baby boomer generation – known as the forties generation – has been characterized as youthful and powerful. At present, members of this generation are entering the category of old age and in about ten years they will start reaching ages where the likelihood of encountering elderly care increases significantly. The present study reports on how this expected meeting has been discussed in Swedish newspapers. Data consisted of 481 articles during the period 1995–2012 and was analyzed through qualitative content analysis. Results show that the generation was predicted to become a new type of demanding and self-conscious care users. Claims were backed by descriptions of formative events and typical characteristics that were projected onto a future as care user. Such projections tended to portray care users of present time as passive and submissive, and partly responsible for problems associated with elderly care 

Predicting entry of Swedish wholesale firms into local markets

Applying microeconomic theory, we develop a forecasting model for firm entry into local markets and test this model using data from the Swedish wholesale industry. The empirical analysis is based on directly estimating the profit function of wholesale firms. As in previous entry studies, profits are assumed to depend on firm- and location-specific factors,and the profit equation is estimated using panel data econometric techniques. Using the residuals from the profit equation estimations, we identify local markets in Sweden where firm profits are abnormally high given the level of all independent variables included in the profit function. From microeconomic theory, we then know that these local markets should have higher net entry than other markets, all else being equal, and we investigate this in a second step,also using a panel data econometric model. The results of estimating the net-entry equation indicate that four of five estimated models have more net entry in high-return municipalities, but the estimated parameter is only statistically significant at conventional levels in one of our estimated models.

Níveis de lisina e relações treonina:lisina no desempenho e metabolismo de leitões desmamados

Foram utilizados 64 leitões machos castrados desmamados aos 21 dias de idade alojados em gaiolas de metabolismo. Durante os três primeiros dias de experimento todos os animais foram submetidos a uma mesma dieta pós-desmame para adaptação ao novo ambiente. Após este período, passaram a receber uma dieta pré-inicial nos primeiros 14 dias (período pré-inicial), com 3523 kcal/kg de EM, 19,10% de PB e 0,84% Met+Cis, variando em dois níveis de Lis (1,25 e 1,45) e quatro relações treonina:Lis (Rel) (0,53; 0,60; 0,67; 0,74) e uma dieta inicial nos 14 dias subsequentes (período inicial), com 3450 kcal/kg de EM, 17,50% PB e 0,65% Met+Cis, com 1,13% e 1,30% de Lis, mantidas as mesmas relações. As dietas com baixa Lis e Rel 0,53, em ambos os períodos, forneceram insuficiente treonina (0,66 e 0,60% de treonina nos períodos pré e inicial), resultando em leitões com pior desempenho do que leitões recebendo as demais Rel. No entanto, nos leitões que receberam os tratamentos com alta lisina, este efeito não se repetiu. Nas dietas com baixa lisina houve melhora linear na retenção de proteína nos dois períodos à medida que aumentaram as relações treonina:lisina nas dietas, mas não nas relações com alta Lis. A exigência de treonina foi cerca de 077% (0,70% de treonina digestível) e 0,69% (0,61% de treonina digestível) de 1 a 14 dias e 15 a 28 dias após o desmame, respectivamente. Os coeficientes de digestibilidade e metabolizabilidade das rações foram altos, mas não apresentaram diferenças significativas, em relação aos tratamentos.

Botão "Créditos"

Ilustração componente do jogo “Quimolécula (http://www.loa.sead.ufscar.br/quimolecula.html)” desenvolvido pela equipe do Laboratório de Objetos de Aprendizagem da Universidade Federal de São Carlos (LOA/UFSCar).

Determinantes socioeconômicos e ambientais do declínio das hospitalizações por diarréias em lactentes no Rio Grande do Norte - 1992 a 2001

There was a significant decline in hospitalizations for acute diarrhea in children younger than 1 year of age in Brazil between 1992 to 2001. The less economically developed state of Rio Grande do Norte is a case example of the national trend. In this work, we show a significant association between improvements in socioeconomic variables as well as increased access to sanitation and the decreased rate of hospitalization. Additionally, we observed a positive, seasonal correlation between rainfall and hospitalizations. Most notably, however, we show that improvements in income and inflation were positively correlated with a decline in hospitalizations. Improvements in public health infrastructure, socioeconomic variables like education and literacy, and increased investment in health services were important in reducing severe early childhood diarrheas. However, the data suggests that increased buying power and reductions in poverty played an equally crucial role in reducing hospitalizations for acute diarrhea in infants in Brazil. The work includes elements of the demography of the period for the age groups involved, children under one year, women in fertile age and fertility rate

Nesting architecture and population structure of the fungus-growing ant Cyphomyrmex transversus (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Attini) in the Brazilian coastal zone of Ilheus, Bahia

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Efeitos de diferentes frações inspiradas de oxigênio no índice biespectral em cães submetidos à infusão contínua de propofol

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

Estimativas de mortalidade para a região nordeste do Brasil em 2010: uma associação do método demográfico equação geral de balanceamento, com o estimador bayesiano empírico

One of the greatest challenges of demography, nowadays, is to obtain estimates of mortality, in a consistent manner, mainly in small areas. The lack of this information, hinders public health actions and leads to impairment of quality of classification of deaths, generating concern on the part of demographers and epidemiologists in obtaining reliable statistics of mortality in the country. In this context, the objective of this work is to obtain estimates of deaths adjustment factors for correction of adult mortality, by States, meso-regions and age groups in the northeastern region, in 2010. The proposal is based on two lines of observation: a demographic one and a statistical one, considering also two areas of coverage in the States of the Northeast region, the meso-regions, as larger areas and counties, as small areas. The methodological principle is to use the General Equation and Balancing demographic method or General Growth Balance to correct the observed deaths, in larger areas (meso-regions) of the states, since they are less prone to breakage of methodological assumptions. In the sequence, it will be applied the statistical empirical Bayesian estimator method, considering as sum of deaths in the meso-regions, the death value corrected by the demographic method, and as reference of observation of smaller area, the observed deaths in small areas (counties). As results of this combination, a smoothing effect on the degree of coverage of deaths is obtained, due to the association with the empirical Bayesian Estimator, and the possibility of evaluating the degree of coverage of deaths by age groups at counties, meso-regions and states levels, with the advantage of estimete adjustment factors, according to the desired level of aggregation. The results grouped by State, point to a significant improvement of the degree of coverage of deaths, according to the combination of the methods with values above 80%. Alagoas (0.88), Bahia (0.90), Ceará (0.90), Maranhão (0.84), Paraíba (0.88), Pernambuco (0.93), Piauí (0.85), Rio Grande do Norte (0.89) and Sergipe (0.92). Advances in the control of the registry information in the health system, linked to improvements in socioeconomic conditions and urbanization of the counties, in the last decade, provided a better quality of information registry of deaths in small areas