Polymerase Chain Reaction Detection of Enterotoxins Genes in Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Isolated from Brazilian Minas Cheese

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

The Perception of Smile Attractiveness Variations from Esthetic Norms, Photographic Framing and Order of Presentation

Objectives: To evaluate the attractiveness of a smile according to variations from esthetic norms, photographic framing, and the order of the presentation of photographs.Materials and Methods: A photograph of an individual was selected and digitally manipulated to create the following smiles: an ideal control smile (I), a smile with diastema (D1), a smile with midline deviation (LM3), a smile with deviation from the long axes of the lateral incisors (10D), and a smile with an inverted smile arc (LSRV). The manipulated photographs were developed in framings of the face and of the mouth and evaluated by 20 laypeople. For half the evaluators, the presentation started with facial photographs and, for the other half, the presentation began with the mouth shots. Evaluators were asked to rank the photographs from the least to the most attractive; then, each photograph was awarded a mark (scale of 0.0 to 10.0).Results: In both presentations, the smiles I, LM3, 10D, and LSRV received favorable ratings, whereas the D1 smile got poor ratings. The photographic framings used (face vs mouth) and the order of presentation of the photographs did not influence the rankings.Conclusion: The absence of variations from beauty norms of a smile has a positive impact on its esthetic perception, but variations from the norms do not necessarily result in reduced attractiveness. (Angle Orthod. 2009;79:634-639.)

Fragmentos da presença do pensamento idealista na história da construção das ciências da natureza

O propósito deste trabalho é estabelecer o caminho percorrido pelo idealismo em sua participação na construção das Ciências da Natureza desde a antigüidade até o final do século XX. Para os pensadores antigos, o mundo físico era governado pela idéia, e o modo de apreendê-la era por meio da contemplação da alma ou da observação e da lógica. Na escolástica essa idéia é Deus. Na renascença, Deus se torna matemático. em Galileu a Matemática do mundo é entendida pela experimentação. Para Descartes o mundo é mecânico e entendido por hipóteses dedutivas. Newton enxerga o mundo mecânico construído e corrigido pelo Deus geômetra e entendido pela observação e experimentação. Os empiristas retiram a idéia do universo e a colocam no espírito humano. em Kant as regras que organizam as idéias na mente também organizam o mundo mecânico. em Hegel o real só é real porque é racional, e essa racionalidade vem de Deus, que transforma o mundo natural e atinge o espírito humano. Os pensadores, influenciados por Hegel, percebem a incapacidade das leis da mecânica explicarem as leis da vida. Comte e Bergson procuram, de forma diferente, submeter às leis da Física às leis das ciências da vida. O universo mecanicista é absorvido pelo determinismo relativista e pelo probabilismo quântico. A linguagem da lógica se associa ao empirismo na descrição da ciência procurando retirar dela o idealismo e a metafísica e, após um período de florescimento, acaba não tendo sucesso. A dificuldade da apreensão do real volta a ser o problema da ciência no final do século XX, e a procura de uma possível solução reaproxima a ciência do idealismo.

Seasonal diet shifts of seven fish species in an Atlantic rainforest stream in Southeastern Brazil

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

Memórias sobre um conflito de terra em relatos de história de vida

Este artigo se propõe a analisar as memórias de pequenos produtores rurais do assentamento Camucim (litoral sul da Paraíba) sobre um conflito de terra ocorrido no final dos anos 70 e início dos anos 80, do século XX. Essas memórias foram obtidas através de entrevistas de história de vida, que foram submetidas à Análise de Discurso. A partir da história oral, pretende-se analisar o sentido subjetivo construído pelos narradores, através de suas memórias. Nesse sentido, o conflito é relembrado como uma luta legítima, abençoada por Deus, o que nos remete para o papel fundamental da Igreja nesse processo, através da Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT). Além disso, os narradores constroem uma imagem de lutadores corajosos e vitoriosos.

Detecção e conscientização de portadores de hemoglobinopatias nas regiões de São José do Rio Preto e Presidente Prudente, SP (Brasil)

Foram analisadas 7.657 amostras de sangue provenientes de 48 cidades das regiões de São José do Rio Preto e de Presidente Prudente, com o objetivo de detectar e conscientizar os portadores de hemoglobinas anormais. As análises efetuadas mostraram que 3,47% tinham hemoglobinas anormais, sendo 2,26% portadores de variantes moleculares (Hbs, AS, AC, SS, SC, AJ, AB2) e 1,21% de talasse-mias (alfa e beta). Os resultados obtidos evidenciaram que estudos semelhantes, além de propiciar o melhor conhecimento das causas genéticas, bioquímicas e hematológicas dessas alterações hereditárias, oferecem também a oportunidade de estimar a importância que essas patologias representam para a saúde pública do nosso país. A ação preventiva foi estabelecida por meio de reuniões de esclarecimentos médicos e biológicos aos portadores de hemoglobinas anormais.

Resposta do manjericão (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivado em solos corrigidos com calcário e escória silicatada: Caracterí sticas agronômicas e produção de matéria seca

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Diferenças na cinemática entre dois tipos de aterrissagens em atletas de voleibol masculinos

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common in sports. Studies investigating injury mechanisms have demonstrated that most injuries arise from landing tasks. Despite the demonstration of differences between male and female kinematics, there are no studies showing how males behave during different landing tasks. The objective of this study was to compare the angular and temporal kinematics of the lower limbs between two different landing tasks. Double leg and single leg landings were recorded in the frontal and sagittal plane in 15 male volleyball athletes by videogrammetry. Reduced hip and knee flexion and increased knee valgus were observed in the single leg landing task compared to the double leg landing task. No significant difference in landing time was observed between the two tasks. In conclusion, the results support the premise that lower limb kinematics change according to the task performed. Further studies are necessary to explore the impact of these kinematic differences on knee loading and to relate them to ACL injury mechanisms in men.

Alface americana fertirrigada com diferentes doses de ácido fosfórico e hidróxido de potássio

Fertirrigation with phosphoric acid has been considered as an option to avoid drips from clogging. In some cases, this acid cause soil acidification and it can be substituted bypotassium hydroxide. This study had the objective of evaluating the effects of different phosphoric acid and potassium hydroxide doses, applied via fertirrigation, on soil fertility, plant nutrition and lettuce yield, compared to the conventional fertilization system. The experiment was carried out in greenhouse, in the College of Agricultural Sciences, FCA/UNESP, Botucatu-SP-Brazil. The experimental design was the completely randomized block, with 6 treatments and 4 replications. Treatments consisted of the combinations of doses (25% and 50% of the recommended complete dose for the lettuce) and application ofcomplete dose (100%) of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) applied via fertirrigation, and a control (conventional fertilization system). The results showed that P and K availability in soil and nutrient concentration in plants were affected by treatments. Low phosphorus and potassium doses, applied via fertirrigation, were not efficient for the appropriate development of lettuce plants. The results showed that agronomic characteristics and commercial lettuce were affected by doses and application systems, especially the treatment with application of P and K full dose fertirrigation.

Challenges of programming apprentice

The present article describes the challenges programming apprentices face and identifies the elements and processes that set them apart from experienced programmers. And also explains why a conventional programming languages teaching approach fails to map the programming mental model. The purpose of this discussion is to benefit from ideas and cognitive philosophies to be embedded in programming learning tools. Cognitive components are modeled as elements to be handled by the apprentices in tutoring systems while performing a programming task. In this process a mental level solution (the mental model of the program) and an implementation level solution (the program) are created. The mapping between these representations is a path followed by the student explicitly in this approach. © 2011 IEEE.

Influence of mineralizer agents on the growth of crystalline CeO 2 nanospheres by the microwave-hydrothermal method

Cystalline ceria (CeO2) nanoparticles have been synthesized by a simple and fast microwave-assisted hydrothermal (MAH) under NaOH, KOH, and NH4OH mineralizers added to a cerium ammonium nitrate aqueous solution. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transformed-IR and Raman spectroscopies. Rietveld refinement reveals a cubic structure with a space group Fm3m while infrared data showed few traces of nitrates. Field emission scanning microcopy (FEG-SEM) revealed a homogeneous size distribution of nanometric CeO2 nanoparticles. The MAH process in KOH and NaOH showed most effective to dehydrate the adsorbed water and decrease the hydrogen bonding effect leaving a weakly agglomerated powder of hydrated ceria. TEM micrographs of CeO2 synthesized under MAH conditions reveal particles well-dispersed and homogeneously distributed. The MAH enabled cerium oxide to be synthesized at 100 °C for 8 min. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Intense photoluminescence emission at room temperature in calcium copper titanate powders

A study was undertaken about the structural and photoluminescent properties at room temperature of CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) powders synthesized by a soft chemical method and heat treated between 300 and 800 °C. The decomposition of precursor powder was followed by thermogravimetric analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. XRD analyses revealed that the powders annealed at 800 °C are becoming ordered and crystallize in the cubic structure. The most intense PL emission was obtained for the sample calcined at 700 °C, which is not highly disordered (300-500 °C) and neither completely ordered (800 °C). From the spectrum it is clearly visible that the lowest wavelength peak is placed around 480 nm and the highest wavelength peak at about 590 nm. The UV/vis absorption spectroscopy measurements showed the presence of intermediate energy levels in the band gap of structurally disordered powders. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.

Effect of soaking time on the photoluminescence properties of cerium oxide nanoparticles

The structural and photoluminescence properties at room temperature of CeO2 nanoparticles synthesized by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method (MAH) under different soaking times on KOH mineralizer added to a cerium ammonium nitrate aqueous solution were undertaken. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements were employed. XRD revealed that the nanoparticles are free of secondary phases and crystallize in the cubic structure. The UV/vis absorption spectroscopy suggested the presence of intermediate energy levels in the band gap of structurally ordered powders. The most intense PL emission was obtained for nanoparticles which represent a lower particle size. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.

Eficiência de escórias de siderurgia na cultura do feijoeiro em sistema de semeadura direta

In the no till system, soil acidity correction practice is restricted to limestone use and there is little information regarding slag. The study aimed to evaluate the amendments in soil chemical properties, yield and bean nutrient uptake according to the application forms of slags, compared to limestone, in the implantation of no till system. The experiment was conducted in the field at College of Agricultural Sciences, Botucatu (SP) from December 2010 to May2011. The treatments consisted of two application ways of seven soil acidity correctives: steel slag, blast furnace slag, ladle furnace slag, stainless steel slag (agrosilício), wollastonite, lime and calcined dolomite lime, plus one control without corrective application. Each material dose was calculated to raise the base saturation to 70%. Soil acidity was neutralized down to 20cm with limestones, whereas for wollastonite and ladle furnace slag those effects occurred down to 10cm, for steel slag, blast furnace slag and agrosilício the corrective effect was restricted to the first 5cm. The bean yield increased by application of correctives in soil acidity, without differences between the application ways.

Photoluminescence properties of praseodymium doped cerium oxide nanoparticles

The structural and photoluminescent properties at room temperature of CeO2 nanoparticles synthesized by a Microwave-Assisted Hydrothermal Method (MAH) under different praseodymium contents was undertaken. X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), UV-vis Spectroscopy (UV-vis), Fourier Transform Raman (FT-Raman) and Photoluminescence (PL) measurements were employed. XRD revealed that the nanoparticles are free of secondary phases and crystallize in the cubic structure while FT-Raman revealed a typical scattering mode of fluorite type. The UV/vis absorption spectroscopy suggested the presence of intermediate energy levels in the band gap of structurally ordered powders. The most intense PL emission was obtained for nanoparticles which represent a lower particle size. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.