Temporal distribution of ten calyptrate dipteran species of medicolegal importance in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Brazilian studies involving entomological succession patterns in carcasses have been used to describe the necrophagous entomofauna of a determined municipality or region with forensic objectives. Following the same objectives, an ecological study with 10 calyptrate dipterans was carried out during the winter of 2007 and the summer of 2008 in the metropolitan region of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. The aim of this study was to describe several aspects of the phenology of these species in three neighbouring areas. Carcasses of three domestic pigs (Sus scrofa L.) were used in each season as models for forensic and legal medicine investigations in the region. Temperature, relative humidity and rainfall were measured daily and their relations with population abundance of the colonising species and the decomposition stages were analysed. Ten fly species were recorded to be colonising the carcasses, five of which belonged to the Calliphoridae family, three to the Muscidae, one to the Fanniidae and one to the Sarcophagidae family. Data show preferences of these species for climatic season and decomposition stage, as well as for the studied area and suggest that short distances can significantly influence the abundance of some species.

Epileptogenic zone, electrode location and clinical outcome in hippocampal electrical stimulation for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy : a correlation study

Objectif : Etudier les résultats cliniques du traitement de patients atteints pai- une épilepsie mésiale du lobe temporal (MTLE) réfractaire, par stimulation cérébrale profonde (DBS) de l'hippocampe, en fonction de l'emplacement de l'électrode. Méthodes : Huit patients atteints de MTLE implantés dans l'hippocampe et stimulés par DBS à haute fréquence ont été inclus dans cette étude. Cinq ont subi des enregistrements invasifs avec des électrodes profondes dans le but d'estimer la localisation du foyer ictal avant de procéder à une DBS chronique. La position des contacts actifs de l'électrode a été mesurée en utilisant une imagerie post-opératoire. Les distances par rapport au foyer ictal ont été calculées, et les structures hippocampiques influencées par la stimulation ont été identifiées au moyen d'un atlas neuro-anatomique. Ces deux paramètres ont été corrélés avec la réduction de la fréquence d'apparition des crises. Résultats : Les distances entre la localisation estimée des contacts actifs de l'électrode et le foyer ictal étaient respectivement 11.0 +/- 4.3 ou 9.1 +/- 2.3 mm pour les patients présentant une réduction de > 50% ou < 50% de la fréquence des crises. Chez les patients (N = 6) montrant une réduction de > 50% de la fréquence des crises, 100% avaient des contacts actifs situés à < 3 mm du subiculum (p < 0,05). Les 2 patients ne répondant pas au traitement étaient stimulés par des contacts situés à > 3mm du subiculum. Conclusion : La diminution de l'activité épileptogène induite par DBS sur l'hippocampe dans les cas de MTLE réfractaires : 1) ne semble pas directement liée à la proximité des contacts actifs de l'électrode au foyer ictal déterminé par les enregistrements invasifs ; 2) pourrait être obtenue par une neuro-modulation du subiculum.

Reproductive allocation strategies: a long-term study on proximate factors and temporal adjustments in a viviparous lizard.

Optimisation of reproductive investment is crucial for Darwinian fitness, and detailed long-term studies are especially suited to unravel reproductive allocation strategies. Allocation strategies depend on the timing of resource acquisition, the timing of resource allocation, and trade-offs between different life-history traits. A distinction can be made between capital breeders that fuel reproduction with stored resources and income breeders that use recently acquired resources. In capital breeders, but not in income breeders, energy allocation may be decoupled from energy acquisition. Here, we tested the influence of extrinsic (weather conditions) and intrinsic (female characteristics) factors during energy storage, vitellogenesis and early gestation on reproductive investment, including litter mass, litter size, offspring mass and the litter size and offspring mass trade-off. We used data from a long-term study of the viviparous lizard, Lacerta (Zootoca) vivipara. In terms of extrinsic factors, rainfall during vitellogenesis was positively correlated with litter size and mass, but temperature did not affect reproductive investment. With respect to intrinsic factors, litter size and mass were positively correlated with current body size and postpartum body condition of the previous year, but negatively with parturition date of the previous year. Offspring mass was negatively correlated with litter size, and the strength of this trade-off decreased with the degree of individual variation in resource acquisition, which confirms theoretical predictions. The combined effects of past intrinsic factors and current weather conditions suggest that common lizards combine both recently acquired and stored resources to fuel reproduction. The effect of past energy store points out a trade-off between current and future reproduction.

Cluster recognition in spatial-temporal sequences: The case of forest fires

Forest fire sequences can be modelled as a stochastic point process where events are characterized by their spatial locations and occurrence in time. Cluster analysis permits the detection of the space/time pattern distribution of forest fires. These analyses are useful to assist fire-managers in identifying risk areas, implementing preventive measures and conducting strategies for an efficient distribution of the firefighting resources. This paper aims to identify hot spots in forest fire sequences by means of the space-time scan statistics permutation model (STSSP) and a geographical information system (GIS) for data and results visualization. The scan statistical methodology uses a scanning window, which moves across space and time, detecting local excesses of events in specific areas over a certain period of time. Finally, the statistical significance of each cluster is evaluated through Monte Carlo hypothesis testing. The case study is the forest fires registered by the Forest Service in Canton Ticino (Switzerland) from 1969 to 2008. This dataset consists of geo-referenced single events including the location of the ignition points and additional information. The data were aggregated into three sub-periods (considering important preventive legal dispositions) and two main ignition-causes (lightning and anthropogenic causes). Results revealed that forest fire events in Ticino are mainly clustered in the southern region where most of the population is settled. Our analysis uncovered local hot spots arising from extemporaneous arson activities. Results regarding the naturally-caused fires (lightning fires) disclosed two clusters detected in the northern mountainous area.

Monitoring temporal fluctuations of Culex quinquefasciatus using oviposition traps containing attractant and larvicide in an urban environment in Recife, Brazil

The use of attractants and larvicides in oviposition traps is of practical interest for the surveillance and control of urban mosquitoes. In addition to increasing the safety of the traps, this combination is essential for an attract-and-kill control strategy based on trapping mosquito eggs. The combination of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) and grass infusion (GI) vs. GI alone were tested for their ability to attract in paired BR-OVT traps in the backyards of 10 houses in Recife, Brazil, for a period of 45 days. Results show that females prefer to oviposit in traps containing Bti (363 compared with 251 egg rafts over 45 days). Results from a one-year trial on the efficacy of BR-OVT traps loaded with GI and Bti as a sampling tool to monitor temporal fluctuations in the population densities of Culex quinquefasciatus in an urban environment are also reported. From December 2006-January 2007, one trap per home was installed and maintained for 348 consecutive days in 134-151 houses located in three urban blocks. Throughout the one-year field trial a total of 43,151 Culex egg rafts were collected in the traps. The data show that BR-OVT loaded with GI and Bti is sensitive enough to demonstrate continuous reproductive activity of Cux. quinquefasciatus in the study area throughout the year and to monitor temporal fluctuations in population density.

A la llum de les matrius: projecte d'exposició temporal

El treball presenta el projecte d'una exposició temporal al Museu d'Art sobre el fons de xilografies procedents de la Impremta Carreras

Optimització dels recursos d'un magatzem

El projecte sorgeix de la sol·licitud per part d’una empresa del sector alimentari de realitzar un estudi qualitatiu i quantitatiu del mètode de treball dut a terme en el magatzem.En la primera fase es recull i tracta la informació del mètode de treball en el magatzem. I en la segona fase, amb la informació esmentada mitjançant el software Arena es procedeix a la simulació informàtica de l’estat actual de treball.S’efectua una simulació base, representant l’estat actual del magatzem, que permet conèixer els temps que no és possible obtenir per observació directa i cronometratge o a partir dels registres de dades. En segon lloc, es realitza una simulació actuant en el nombre de recursos a fi d’analitzar si l’aportació de recursos és viable enfront al guany de temps de procés.A partir de les conclusions extretes de les anàlisis realitzades en les diferents fases del projecte, es proposen solucions per resoldre els problemes detectats

El programa de estancia temporal 2011 atiende a 3.124 menores del Sahara, Rusia y Europa del este acogidos por familias andaluzas

Boletín semanal para profesionales sanitarios de la Secretaría General de Salud Pública y Participación Social de la Consejería de Salud

Tiempo óptimo personalizado de incapacidad temporal por diagnóstico

En Cub.: Metodología para calcular la duración probable por patologías con variables individuales.

Temporal variation of wing geometry in Aedes albopictus

Although native to the tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia, Aedes albopictus is now found on five continents, primarily due to its great capacity to adapt to different environments. This species is considered a secondary vector of dengue virus in several countries. Wing geometric morphometrics is widely used to furnish morphological markers for the characterisation and identification of species of medical importance and for the assessment of population dynamics. In this work, we investigated the metric differentiation of the wings of Ae. albopictus samples collected over a four-year period (2007-2010) in São Paulo, Brazil. Wing size significantly decreased during this period for both sexes and the wing shape also changed over time, with the wing shapes of males showing greater differences after 2008 and those of females differing more after 2009. Given that the wings play sex-specific roles, these findings suggest that the males and females could be affected by differential evolutionary pressures. Consistent with this hypothesis, a sexually dimorphic pattern was detected and quantified: the females were larger than the males (with respect to the mean) and had a distinct wing shape, regardless of allometric effects. In conclusion, wing alterations, particularly those involving shape, are a sensitive indicator of microevolutionary processes in this species.

Promoción de la salud: catálogo de recursos

En Cub. Actualizado año 2010. Publicado en la página web de la Consejería de Salud y Bienestar social: www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud (Inicio / Profesionales / Salud Pública / Promoción de la Salud)

Código en Internet para resolver problemas de optimización : Recursos existentes y buenas prácticas

Este artículo desarrolla un análisis de las publicaciones de código en Internet desde el punto de vista de comunidad, concentrado en el segmento de las aportaciones de código realizadas para la optimización de los problemas de corte y empaquetamiento.

Optimización de los recursos de red de una organización mediante el uso de un servidor dedicado basado en software libre

Estudio de optimización de recursos de red basado en la utilización de un servidor dedicado gestionado mediante software libre.

Navegant entre narracions: recuperant silencis i subjectivitats. Recursos psicosocials en l’atenció a víctimes de violència de gènere en l’àmbit penal (jutjats i cos policial)

El treball pretén aportar un coneixement de caràcter psicosocial sobre els contextos on els professionals del sistema jurídic-penal ofereixen atenció a les víctimes de violència de gènere, concretament, les unitats i oficines habilitades per recollir la denúncia o atestat dins de les comissaries dels Mossos d’esquadra i els jutjats d´instrucció de la dona. L´àmbit territorial va ser Barcelona i Girona. Es va obtenir informació sobre judicis realitzats a l´Audiència provincial, així com documents legals en relació al tema. S’ha analitzat les necessitats i dificultats juntament amb la identificació dels recursos psicosocials que aporten tant aquests professionals com les dones que han patit o estan patit un procés de maltractament per part de la parella. La pretensió es oferir una mirada particular per suggerir transformacions que facilitin el procés d´atenció en aquests contextos, sovint difícil i, que comporta conseqüències emocionals per part de les víctimes i dels mateixos agents que les atenen. S’ha partit de les narracions de les víctimes i dels agents jurídics, com pràctiques socials a partir de les quals podem detectar valors, posicions, normes, emocions i efectes de gènere que permetrà dirigir la intervenció. Com a eines d´anàlisi s’ha fet ús els repertoris interpretatius els quals han permès analitzar les construccions socials i els seus efectes al voltant del maltracte, de les identitats de les víctimes i els victimaris.