Strain rates estimated by geodetic observations in the Borborema Province, Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Peptidome profiling of venom from the social wasp Polybia paulista

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

Uma poética da tensão: as conflituosas faces na modernidade em Álvaro de Campos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Papel de cepas de Streptococcus mutans e Bifidobacterium spp. na etiologia ou proteção contra doenças bucais

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Posicionamento por ponto preciso com solução de ambiguidades inteiras no contexto de rede GPS

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A Field-Test of Rhodamine B as a Biomarker in Raccoons

Rhodamine B is a dye that when ingested results in fluorescent bands in growing hair and whiskers of many mammals. Previous research at Wildlife Services’ (WS) National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) found that rhodamine B is a successful biomarker in raccoon whiskers and that raccoons do not have a taste aversion to the dye when it comprises ≤ 3% of a bait. Our study assessed the ease of bait distribution, whisker collection, and evaluation of the biomarker for potential use in the Oral Rabies Vaccination (ORV) program administered by the WS National Rabies Management Program (NRMP). In collaboration with WS operations personnel from Ohio and Michigan, 750 fishmeal polymer baits each containing 150 mg of rhodamine B were hand distributed at NASA’s Plum Brook Station, Sandusky, Ohio in the summer of 2008. Four weeks after baits were distributed whiskers from 162 raccoons were collected. Wildlife Services biologists and technicians evaluated the whiskers for fluorescence using a handheld UV magnifying lamp. Biologists then sent the whiskers to the NWRC, Ft. Collins, Colorado for confirmation of fluorescence under a UV microscope. Results suggest a high level of agreement between the two methods of evaluation. Surveys completed by biologists confirmed that the ease of use, less invasive sampling techniques and promptness of results obtained through the use of rhodamine B are advantageous to the tetracycline biomarker presently used by the ORV program. All participants recommended further evaluation of rhodamine B for its inclusion in future efforts requiring biomarker evaluation.

Charge generation, charge transport, and residual charge in the electrospinning of polymers: A review of issues and complications

Electrospinning has become a widely implemented technique for the generation of nonwoven mats that are useful in tissue engineering and filter applications. The overriding factor that has contributed to the popularity of this method is the ease with which fibers with submicron diameters can be produced. Fibers on that size scale are comparable to protein filaments that are observed in the extracellular matrix. The apparatus and procedures for conducting electrospinning experiments are ostensibly simple. While it is rarely reported in the literature on this topic, any experience with this method of fiber spinning reveals substantial ambiguities in how the process can be controlled to generate reproducible results. The simplicity of the procedure belies the complexity of the physical processes that determine the electrospinning process dynamics. In this article, three process domains and the physical domain of charge interaction are identified as important in electrospinning: (a) creation of charge carriers, (b) charge transport, (c) residual charge. The initial event that enables electrospinning is the generation of region of excess charge in the fluid that is to be electrospun. The electrostatic forces that develop on this region of charged fluid in the presence of a high potential result in the ejection of a fluid jet that solidifies into the resulting fiber. The transport of charge from the charge solution to the grounded collection device produces some of the current which is observed. That transport can occur by the fluid jet and through the atmosphere surrounding the electrospinning apparatus. Charges that are created in the fluid that are not dissipated remain in the solidified fiber as residual charges. The physics of each of these domains in the electrospinning process is summarized in terms of the current understanding, and possible sources of ambiguity in the implementation of this technique are indicated. Directions for future research to further articulate the behavior of the electrospinning process are suggested. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3682464]

An integrated approach of software development and test processes to distributed teams

The Distributed Software Development (DSD) is a development strategy that meets the globalization needs concerned with the increase productivity and cost reduction. However, the temporal distance, geographical dispersion and the socio-cultural differences, increased some challenges and, especially, added new requirements related with the communication, coordination and control of projects. Among these new demands there is the necessity of a software process that provides adequate support to the distributed software development. This paper presents an integrated approach of software development and test that considers distributed teams peculiarities. The approach purpose is to offer support to DSD, providing a better project visibility, improving the communication between the development and test teams, minimizing the ambiguity and difficulty to understand the artifacts and activities. This integrated approach was conceived based on four pillars: (i) to identify the DSD peculiarities concerned with development and test processes, (ii) to define the necessary elements to compose the integrated approach of development and test to support the distributed teams, (iii) to describe and specify the workflows, artifacts, and roles of the approach, and (iv) to represent appropriately the approach to enable the effective communication and understanding of it.

Brazilian exchange rate complexity: Financial crisis effects

With the financial market globalization, foreign investments became vital for the economies, mainly in emerging countries. In the last decades, Brazilian exchange rates appeared as a good indicator to measure either investors' confidence or risk aversion. Here, some events of global or national financial crisis are analyzed, trying to understand how they influenced the "dollar-real" rate evolution. The theoretical tool to be used is the Lopez-Mancini-Calbet (LMC) complexity measure that, applied to real exchange rate data, has shown good fitness between critical events and measured patterns. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differential projections from the lateral habenula to the rostromedial tegmental nucleus and ventral tegmental area in the rat

The mesopontine rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) is a mostly ?-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic structure believed to be a node for signaling aversive events to dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The RMTg receives glutamatergic inputs from the lateral habenula (LHb) and sends substantial GABAergic projections to the VTA, which also receives direct projections from the LHb. To further specify the topography of LHb projections to the RMTg and VTA, small focal injections of the anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin were aimed at different subdivisions of the LHb. The subnuclear origin of LHb inputs to the VTA and RMTg was then confirmed by injections of the retrograde tracer cholera toxin subunit b into the VTA or RMTg. Furthermore, we compared the topographic position of retrogradely labeled neurons in the RMTg resulting from VTA injections with that of anterogradely labeled axons emerging from the LHb. As revealed by anterograde and retrograde tracing, LHb projections were organized in a strikingly topographic manner, with inputs to the RMTg mostly arising from the lateral division of the LHb (LHbL), whereas inputs to the VTA mainly emerged from the medial division of the LHb (LHbM). In the RMTg, profusely branched LHb axons were found in close register with VTA projecting neurons and were frequently apposed to the latter. Overall, our findings demonstrate that LHb inputs to the RMTg and VTA arise from different divisions of the LHb and provide direct evidence for a disynaptic pathway that links the LHbL to the VTA via the RMTg. J. Comp. Neurol. 520:12781300, 2012. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Inactivating Mutations of the Human Luteinizing Hormone Receptor in Both Sexes

The human luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) plays a fundamental role in male and female reproductive physiology. Over the past 15 years, several homozygous or compound heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in the LHCGR gene have been described in males and females. In genetic males, mutations in LHCGR were associated with distinct degrees of impairment in pre- and postnatal testosterone secretion resulting in a phenotypic spectrum. Patients with the severe form of LH resistance have predominantly female external genitalia and absence of secondary sex differentiation at puberty. Patients with milder forms have predominantly male external genitalia with micropenis and/or hypospadias or only infertility without ambiguity. The undermasculization is associated with low basal, as well as human CG-stimulated, testosterone levels and elevated LH levels after pubertal age, without abnormal step-up in testosterone biosynthesis precursors. The testes have only slightly reduced size but mature Leydig cells are absent or scarce (Leydig cell hypoplasia). Genetic females with inactivating LHCGR mutations have female external genitalia, spontaneous breast and pubic hair development at puberty, and normal or late menarche followed by oligoamenorrhea and infertility. Estradiol and progesterone levels are normal for the early to midfollicular phase, but do not reach ovulatory or luteal phase levels. Serum LH levels are high whereas follicle-stimulating hormone levels are normal or only slightly increased. Pelvic ultrasound has demonstrated a small or normal uterus and normal or enlarged ovaries with cysts. The inactivating mutations of the LHCGR have provided important insights into distinct physiological roles of LH in reproduction of both sexes.

Using complex networks to quantify consistency in the use of words

In this paper we have quantified the consistency of word usage in written texts represented by complex networks, where words were taken as nodes, by measuring the degree of preservation of the node neighborhood. Words were considered highly consistent if the authors used them with the same neighborhood. When ranked according to the consistency of use, the words obeyed a log-normal distribution, in contrast to Zipf's law that applies to the frequency of use. Consistency correlated positively with the familiarity and frequency of use, and negatively with ambiguity and age of acquisition. An inspection of some highly consistent words confirmed that they are used in very limited semantic contexts. A comparison of consistency indices for eight authors indicated that these indices may be employed for author recognition. Indeed, as expected, authors of novels could be distinguished from those who wrote scientific texts. Our analysis demonstrated the suitability of the consistency indices, which can now be applied in other tasks, such as emotion recognition.

Both alpha(1)- and beta(1)-adrenoceptors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis are involved in the expression of conditioned contextual fear

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a limbic structure that is involved in the expression of conditioned contextual fear. Among the numerous neural inputs to the BNST, noradrenergic synaptic terminals are prominent and some evidence suggests an activation of this noradrenergic neurotransmission in the BNST during aversive situations. Here, we have investigated the involvement of the BNST noradrenergic system in the modulation of behavioural and autonomic responses induced by conditioned contextual fear in rats. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Male Wistar rats with cannulae bilaterally implanted into the BNST were submitted to a 10 min conditioning session (6 footshocks, 1.5 ma/ 3 s). Twenty-four hours later freezing and autonomic responses (mean arterial pressure, heart rate and cutaneous temperature) to the conditioning box were measured for 10 min. The adrenoceptor antagonists were administered 10 min before the re-exposure to the aversive context. KEY RESULTS L-propranolol, a non-selective beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, and phentolamine, a non-selective a-adrenoceptor antagonist, reduced both freezing and autonomic responses induced by aversive context. Similar results were observed with CGP20712, a selective beta 1-adrenoceptor antagonist, and WB4101, a selective a1-antagonist, but not with ICI118,551, a selective beta 2-adrenoceptor antagonist or RX821002, a selective a2-antagonist. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These findings support the idea that noradrenergic neurotransmission in the BNST via a1- and beta 1-adrenoceptors is involved in the expression of conditioned contextual fear.

Arquitetura brutalista e estratégia de transportes no triângulo mineiro: estações ferroviárias da Mogiana e Terminal Rodoviário Presidente Castelo Branco

Em 1989, Brandão descrevia o Triângulo Mineiro como “fruto da ambiguidade de seu estigma de fazer parte de Minas, mas ser articulada economicamente a São Paulo.” A mesorregião do Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Paranaíba, faz fronteira com os estados de Goiás, São Paulo e Mato Grosso do Sul, interligando também com a Central Mineira e com o Oeste de Minas, sendo a característica de “rota de passagem” como principal fator do desenvolvimento de sua economia. O posicionamento estratégico da região, como eixo de ligação da capital paulista ao chamado Brasil Central, pode ser considerado um importante fator no estreitamento dos laços entre a região e São Paulo, somado ao sentimento de não pertencimento do Triângulo ao estado de Minas Gerais, o qual resultou por décadas em manifestações separatistas na região. A arquitetura moderna produzida no Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Paranaíba deu um salto significativo no momento de construção da nova capital federal, em finais da década de 1950, onde o papel de mediação, principalmente da cidade de Uberlândia, no processo de infra-estruturação da nova cidade foi determinante nos avanços construtivos do Triângulo. Esse momento coincidiu com o início do processo de verticalização das principais cidades da região e o aumento de arquitetos residentes nas cidades. Por meio, em especial, dos edifícios para as estações ferroviárias da Cia Mogiana, de Oswaldo Arthur Bratke em Uberaba e Uberlândia (déc. 1960) e do Terminal Rodoviário Presidente Castelo Branco em Uberlândia, dos arquitetos Fernando Graça, Flávio Almada e Ivan Curpertino (1970), este trabalho objetiva conduzir uma discussão acerca da produção de arquitetura moderna no Triângulo Mineiro ligada às estratégias de transportes intermunicipais como própria cultura de desenvolvimento econômico da região. Nos interessa valer do debate entre o uso da estética brutalista, e da própria escolha por uma arquitetura moderna, como artifício no plano de desenvolvimento das empresas de transporte, e dos governos locais. Sobretudo, discutir as interlocuções do Triângulo Mineiro com São Paulo, rebatendo-as na formação do conjunto arquitetonico moderno produzido na região. Este trabalho é fruto da pesquisa de mestrado da autora cujo tema central é a difusão da arquitetura moderna no Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Paranaíba, pelo Iau/Usp, e financiado pela Capes.

Ensino de Arquitetura e Urbanismo com auxilio de ferramentas digitais

Este texto pretende discutir a importância do desenho à mão livre no processo projetivo arquitetônico inserido no contexto da era digital, por meio do uso das mesas digitais, comumente chamadas de tablets. A relevância desta discussão consiste em identificar como os desenhos feitos com tablets mantêm a percepção e o traço individual de cada pessoa. Pretende-se, com isto, não apenas rever e atualizar as disciplinas de desenho nos cursos de arquitetura, suas práticas e seus procedimentos, mas também, discutir o papel da linguagem e representação – analógica ou digital – e sua integração com outras disciplinas. São apresentadas algumas considerações sobre o uso dessa ferramenta nas seguintes disciplinas: História da Arquitetura e Urbanismo, Paisagismo e Projeto, ministradas no Instituto de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil. As tablets são apresentadas como um meio de conexão entre o projeto analógico e digital, capazes de capturar a pressão e a velocidade do traço, aproximando a potencialidade e racionalidade do processo feito no computador com o gesto criativo do desenho à mão livre, resultando em uma sinergia entre essas duas linguagens.