Osteologia craniana de Nyctibiidae (Aves, Caprimulgiformes)

The Potoos form an exclusively neotropical family of nocturnal birds distributed throughout Central and South America, except Chile, and reaching their highest diversity in the Amazon region. The seven currently recognized species are certainly among the most poorly known birds of this region. They are characterized by a distinctive mimicry of vegetal trunks, where they remain almost motionless during daytime. For this reason, their nocturnal and cryptic habits make them exceedingly difficult to study. Published accounts on behavior and natural history of the family are scarce and contributions regarding its anatomy are rare. Here we sample six of the seven currently recognized species of Nyctibiidae, including Nyctibius grandis, N. aethereus, N. griseus, N. jamaicensis, N. leucopterus and N. bracteatus, in order to conduct a detailed and illustrated description of the skull and jaw osteology. High interspecific variation in skull osteology was observed in the family. Species of this family possess a highly modified skull, adapted to their life habits, which shelters their well developed eyes and permits a large mouth opening. The bones that form the palate structure exhibit a dorsoventral flattening, particularly in the pterigoid and parasphenoid bones, with the palatine bone being a broadly developed, wing-shaped structure. In the maxilar region, near the jugal arch, there is a tooth-like projection, unique among birds, which may assist in the retention of prey upon capture. The vomer bone is highly variable within the family, showing varying numbers of rostral projections amongst species. The broad occipital region exhibits large spacing between the quadrate bones, which are vertically disposed and possess a reduced processus orbitalis. The mandible, which is flexible and elastic, has an extremely short symphyseal region and sindesmotic joints in both mandibular rami. As a family, potoos possess a highly specialized skull which provides insight into the relationship between the form of the structures and the feeding habits of the species. Furthermore, the large interspecific variation in skull morphology emphasizes the needs for taxonomic revision within the family, which at present is lumped into a single genus.

Social Security in the United States: Overview and Outlook

Includes bibliography

Influence of the construction bite vertical and horizontal dimensions on dentoskeletal structures induced by the Klammt appliance in Class II treatment

Aim: To evaluate the influence of construction bite in the dentoskeletal changes induced by Klammt Appliance. Methods: The sample consisted of 17 children, with Class II malocclusion and initial mean age of 8.5 years. The construction bite was obtained using an Exactobite on edge-toedge anteroposterior relationship with 3 mm interincisal clearance. The height of the acrylic was determined by initial overbite associated to interincisal clearance and measured with digital caliper. The amount of advancement was obtained and measured by initial overjet in the lateral radiography. Pearson's correlation, linear regression and ANOVA were used to determine the relationship between dentoskeletal and construction bite variables. Results: The increase in the height of the acrylic promotes a greater inhibition of the forward displacement of the nasal spine and reduction in the facial growth index. The increase in the mandibular advancement induces more downward displacement of nasal spine and pogonion; a counter-clockwise rotation of palatine plane; an increase in mandibular length, maxillary alveolar height and interincisal angle; a decrease in mandibular alveolar height, the intermaxillary discrepancy and overjet; and palatal tipping of upper incisors. Conclusions: The different dimensions of the construction bite influence the dentoskeletal changes induced by the appliance in Class II treatment.

Low latitude scintillations: A comparison of modeling and observations within the CIGALA project

Ionospheric scintillations can seriously jeopardize the reliability of the GNSS signals and consequently can cause significant error or outage on precise positioning applications. The threat is most acute at low latitudes where ionospheric irregularities are more likely to occur resulting in L-band signal scintillations. This paper describes the effort made to model the ionospheric scintillations over the Latin American region in the frame of the CIGALA project funded by the European GNSS Supervisory Authority within the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission. Comparisons between the low-latitude model of scintillations and observations are here presented and discussed within the project perspectives. © 2011 IEEE.

A single multiplex SNaPshot reaction of 42 SNPs to classify admixture populations into mitochondrial DNA haplogroups

SNaPshot minisequencing reaction is in increasing use because of its fast detection of many polymorphisms in a single assay. In this work we described a highly sensitive single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) typing method with detection of 42 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) SNPs in a single PCR and SNaPshot multiplex reaction in order to allow haplogroup classification in Latin American admixture population. We validated the panel typing 160 Brazilian individuals. DNA was extracted from blood spotted on filter paper using Chelex protocol. Forty SNPs were selected targeting haplogroup-specific mutations in Europeans, Africans and Asians (only precursors of Native Americans haplogroups A2, B2, C1, and D1) and two non-coding SNPs were chosen to increase the power of discrimination between individuals (SNPs positions 16,519 and 16,362). It was done using a modified version of a previously published multiplex SNaPshot minisequencing reaction established to resolve European haplogroups, adding SNPs targeting Africans (L0, L1, L2, L3, and L*) and Asians (A, B, C, and D) haplogroups based on SNPs described at PhyloTree.org build 2. PCR primers were designed using PerlPrimer software and checked with the Autodimer program. Thirty-three primer-pairs were used to amplify 42 SNPs. Using this panel, we were able to successfully classify 160 individuals into their correct haplogroups. Complete SNP profiles were obtained from 10. pg of total DNA. We conclude that it is possible to build and genotype more than 40 mtDNA SNPs in a single multiplex PCR and SNaPshot reaction, with sensitivity and reliability, resolving haplogroup classification in admixture populations. © 2011.

Osteologia craniana de Micrastur semitorquatus Vieillot, 1817 (Falconiformes: Falconidae)

Micrastur semitorquatus, popularly known as Collared Forest-Falcon is an inhabitant of the rainforests of the Neotropical Region. Studies on the cranial osteology are scarce in the literature. To increase the knowledge about the anatomy of this species its cranial osteology was described and compared with other species of birds of prey. Three specimens of M. semitorquatus were examined at the Bird Division of the osteological collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (USNM), Washington, DC (USNM: 245788, USNM 013493 and USNM 289773). Although the relationship between the form of a structure and its function is not fully established, many of the adaptations of the skull of M. semitorquatus may be related to this lifestyle and behavior, such as narrowing of the interorbital width, the robustness of pila supranasalis coupled with the prokinesis of the skull, a process developed post-orbital, and palatine expansion. In addition, the cranial osteology of M. semitorquatus can provide useful characters for cladistic analysis, sustaining the hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships with other species of the same genus or the same family.

Influence of microthreads and platform switching on stress distribution in bone using angled abutments

Purpose: To evaluate the stress distribution in peri-implant bone by simulating the effect of an implant with microthreads and platform switching on angled abutments through tridimensional finite element analysis. The postulated hypothesis was that the presence of microthreads and platform switching would reduce the stress concentration in the cortical bone. Methods: Four mathematical models of a central incisor supported by an implant (5.0mm×13mm) were created in which the type of thread surface in the neck portion (microthreaded or smooth) and the diameter of the angled abutment connection (5.0 and 4.1mm) were varied. These models included the RM (regular platform and microthreads), the RS (regular platform and smooth neck surface), the SM (platform switching and microthreads), and the SS (platform switching and smooth neck). The analysis was performed using ANSYS Workbench 10.0 (Swanson Analysis System). An oblique load (100N) was applied to the palatine surface of the central incisor. The bone/implant interface was considered to be perfectly integrated. Values for the maximum (σmax) and minimum (σmin) principal stress, the equivalent von Mises stress (σvM), and the maximum principal elastic strain (e{open}max) for cortical and trabecular bone were obtained. Results: For the cortical bone, the highest σmax (MPa) were observed for the RM (55.1), the RS (51.0), the SM (49.5), and the SS (44.8) models. The highest σvM (MPa) were found for the RM (45.4), the SM (42.1), the RS (38.7), and the SS models (37). The highest values for σmin were found for the RM, SM, RS and SS models. For the trabecular bone, the highest σmax values (MPa) were observed in the RS model (6.55), followed by the RM (6.37), SS (5.6), and SM (5.2) models. Conclusion: The hypothesis that the presence of microthreads and a switching platform would reduce the stress concentration in the cortical bone was partially rejected, mainly because the microthreads increased the stress concentration in cortical bone. Only platform switching reduced the stress in cortical bone. © 2012 Japan Prosthodontic Society.

Cranial osteology of Picini (Aves: Piciformes: Picidae)

The Picini is composed of 26 species of woodpeckers from the old world that are grouped into seven genera. Given the absence of detailed studies on the cranial osteology of the Picini, the purpose of this study is to describe the cranial osteology of 14 species of Picini from six genera and to compare these species with each other, with other species of woodpeckers and with other bird groups. The results of the analysis of the bone structures of the skull of the Picini indicate that there are seven outstanding characteristic of bones involved in the functional mechanistics of the jaw apparatus. In the ossa cranii, these include the frontal overhang, the postorbital process, the extension of the parietal versus the frontal region and the temporal fossa. In the ossa faciei, these include the rostral expansion of the pterygoid, the ventral palatine fossa and the orbital process of the quadrate bone. For all of the structures associated with the cranial osteology of the investigated species, there is a clear distinction between the species of the genus Picus and the other species studied. Blythipicus rubiginosus, Chrysocolaptes lucidus, Reinwardtipicus validus, Gecinulus viridis and the species of the genus Dinopium exhibit additional particularities. © 2012 The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The Evidence of the Rugoscopy Effectiveness as a Human Identification Method in Patients Submitted to Rapid Palatal Expansion

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of rugoscopy as a human identification method, even when the patient is submitted to rapid palatal expansion, which in theory would introduce doubt. With this intent, the Rugoscopic Identity was obtained for each subject using the classification formula proposed by Santos based on the intra-oral casts made before and after treatment from patients who were subjected to palatal expansion. The casts were labeled with the patients' initials and randomly arranged for studying. The palatine rugae kept the same patterns in every case studied. The technical error of the intra-evaluator measurement provided a confidence interval of 95%, making rugoscopy a reliable identification method for patients who were submitted to rapid palatal expansion, because even in the presence of intra-oral changes owing to the use of palatal expanders, the palatine rugae retained the biological and technical requirements for the human identification process. © 2012 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

In memory of Pedro Vuskovic

For those of us who shared many years of friendship and professional collaboration with Pedro Vuskovic, the news of his recent death in Mexico has been the cause of great sorrow, not only because of the circumstances of his death, following a cruel disease that gradually sapped his physical -but not intellectual- strength, but also because it signifies the loss of a great Latin American, of a teacher who helped shape so many generations of young people in our region, and of a companion during so many days of intellectual strivings and political struggle. Pedro joined the Commission in 1950, shortly after its birth as an institution. For nearly 20 years he served it brilliantly in a professional capacity, with his career in ECLAC culminating in the position of Director of the Development Division. He played a crucial role in structuring and disseminating the thinking of ECLAC during a time when the very air teemed with the ideas and concerns of a pleiad of gifted economists and social scientists. These were the post-war years, the 1950s and 1960s, when we all had to "construct" Latin America. Pedro Vuskovic laid many of the bricks in that collective theoretical and political edifice which has been of such importance to the countries of the region. Concurrently, he served as a professor in ECLAC and ILPES training programmes while at the same time teaching classes at the schools of economics and sociology at the University of Chile and the School of Economics at the University of Concepción. When he left ECLAC, Pedro plunged wholeheartedly into the academic world, serving as the Director of the Institute of Economics of the University of Chile, and then went on to claim a position at the forefront of Chilean politics. In November 1970 he was named Minister of Economic Affairs by President Salvador Allende and in June 1972, took over the cabinet-level position of Executive Vice President of the Production Development Corporation (CORFO);, where he served until September 1973. When political events carried him into exile in Mexico, which generously welcomed him as it did so many other Latin Americans who faced similar problems, Pedro carried on his valuable academic work, first at the Economic Research and Teaching Centre (CIDE);, where he directed the Institute of Economic Studies of Latin America, and later at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in the Humanities at the National University of Mexico (UNAM);, where he was named to the position of Coordinator for a programme on poverty and development options in various countries of Latin America. Although he will be remembered for his important political role, Pedro's work as a scholar and as an economist deserve special mention. He was a brilliant speaker, at the same time both methodical and incisive, who mastered his subjects with great wisdom and intellectual breadth, and he derived a special joy from being with young people, from providing them with intellectual stimulation and receiving it from them in turn. The many generations of Latin American students who were fortunate enough to have him as a teacher can attest to this. Pedro Vuskovic brought to his work as a researcher and teacher a deep sense of political and social responsibility which moved him to espouse the cause of Latin America 's poor and dispossessed, whose position he had come to understand very early on in his life through the many studies he carried out in this area while at ECLAC. He was tenacious in upholding his ideas and principles, he lived in accordance with them, and he championed them in all the forums open to him, in both the political and academic worlds, to the end of his days. His friends and colleagues also remember his geniality, his sense of humour and great personal warmth -traits which were coupled with an unshakable loyalty to his principles and values. Our farewell is deeply felt; Pedro Vuskovic has left us a legacy of memories and lessons that we will always hold close to our hearts. On behalf of his friends and colleagues, Jacobo Schatan, former Director of the Joint ECLAC/FAO, Agriculture Division

Tonsilar metastases of melanoma in an older person

We presented a rare case of metastasis of melanoma in palatine tonsils alerting healthcare professionals to this diagnose in black oral lesions. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved.

Management of pure medial orbital wall fracture with autogenous bone graft

The orbit is an irregular conical cavity formed from 7 bones including the frontal, sphenoid, zygomatic, maxillary, ethmoid, lacrimal, and palatine bones. Fractures of the internal orbit can cause a number of problems, including diplopia, ocular muscle entrapment, and enophthalmos. Although muscle entrapment is relatively rare, diplopia and enophthalmos are relatively common sequelae of internal orbital fractures. Medial orbital wall fracture is relatively uncommon and represents a challenge for its anatomical reconstruction. In this context, autogenous bone graft has been the criterion standard to provide framework for facial skeleton and orbital walls. Therefore, it is possible to harvest grafts of varying size and contour, and the operation is performed through the bicoronal incision, which is the usual approach to major orbital reconstruction. Thus, this article aimed to describe a patient with a pure medial orbital wall fracture, and it was causing diplopia and enophthalmos. The orbital fracture was treated using autogenous bone graft from calvarial bone. The authors show a follow-up of 12 months, with facial symmetry and without diplopia and enophthalmos. In addition, a computed tomography scan shows excellent bone healing at the anterior and posterior parts of the medial orbital wall reconstruction. Copyright © 2013 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.

Avaliação do crescimento e desenvolvimento craniofacial em crianças pré e pós adenotonsilectomia

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Um novo Characidae (Ostariophysi: Characiformes) e suas relações dentro do clado A (Malabarba & Weitzman, 2003)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Novos projetos de infra-estrutura e antigos caminhos da territorialização do espaço na América do Sul: iniciativa de Integração de Infra-Estrutura Regional Sul-Americana (IIRSA) e o caso da via Inter-Oceânica Sul

Pós-graduação em Ciências Sociais - FFC