Description of the Immatures of Workers of the Ant Linepithema micans Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Linepithema micans Forel is a poorly studied species that is now considered a pest in vineyards in South Brazil. Larval characters have been used in a few phylogenetic studies, and their importance greatly depends in the amount of available information on different species. This study presents a complete panorama on the external morphology of the immatures of L. micans based on observations by light and scanning electron microscopy. The number of larval instars was estimated as three based on the frequency distribution of head widths of 965 larvae. Larvae of L. micans were similar to other Linepithema Mayr in the general format of body and mandibles, presenting a dorsal abdominal protuberance, nine pairs of spiracle, and unbranched hairs. On the other hand, L. micans was unique for having shorter hairs, predominantly denticulate, intraspecific variation in the number of antennal sensilla and in the types of sensilla on the labial palps were reported. Microsc. Res. Tech. 74:337-342, 2011. (C) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Sequential injection analysis implementing multiple standard additions for As speciation by liquid chromatography and atomic fluorescence spectrometry (SIA-HPLC-AFS)

An analytical procedure for multiple standard additions of arsenic species using sequential injection analysis (SIA) is proposed for their quantification in seafood extracts. SIA presented flexibility for generating multiple specie standards at the ng mL(-1) concentration level by adding different volumes of As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic (MMA) and dimethylarsinic (DMA) to the sample. The mixed sample plus standard solutions were delivered from SIA to fill the HPLC injection loop. Subsequently, As species were separated by HPLC and analyzed by atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). The proposed system comprised two independently controlled modules, with the HPLC loop acting as the intermediary device. The analytical frequency was enhanced by combining the actions of both modules. While the added sample was flowing through the chromatographic column towards the detection system, the SIA program started performing the standard additions to another sample. The proposed method was applied to spoiled seafood extracts. Detection limits based on 3 sigma for As(III), As(V), MMA and DMA were 0.023, 0.39, 0.45 and 1.0 ng mL(-1), respectively. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The accuracy of the Clock Drawing Test compared to that of standard screening tests for Alzheimer`s disease: results from a study of Brazilian elderly with heterogeneous educational backgrounds

Background: Although the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) is the second most used test in the world for the screening of dementia, there is still debate over its sensitivity specificity, application and interpretation in dementia diagnosis. This study has three main aims: to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the CDT in a sample composed of older adults with Alzheimer`s disease (AD) and normal controls; to compare CDT accuracy to the that of the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Cambridge Cognitive Examination (CAMCOG), and to test whether the association of the MMSE with the CDT leads to higher or comparable accuracy as that reported for the CAMCOG. Methods: Cross-sectional assessment was carried out for 121 AD and 99 elderly controls with heterogeneous educational levels from a geriatric outpatient clinic who completed the Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorder of the Elderly (CAMDEX). The CDT was evaluated according to the Shulman, Mendez and Sunderland scales. Results: The CDT showed high sensitivity and specificity. There were significant correlations between the CDT and the MMSE (0.700-0.730; p < 0.001) and between the CDT and the CAMCOG (0.753-0.779; p < 0.001). The combination of the CDT with the MMSE improved sensitivity and specificity (SE = 89.2-90%; SP = 71.7-79.8%). Subgroup analysis indicated that for elderly people with lower education, sensitivity and specificity were both adequate and high. Conclusions: The CDT is a robust screening test when compared with the MMSE or the CAMCOG, independent of the scale used for its interpretation. The combination with the MMSE improves its performance significantly, becoming equivalent to the CAMCOG.

The queen is dead-long live the workers: intraspecific parasitism by workers in the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris

Insect societies are well known for their high degree of cooperation, but their colonies can potentially be exploited by reproductive workers who lay unfertilized, male eggs, rather than work for the good of the colony. Recently, it has also been discovered that workers in bumblebees and Asian honeybees can succeed in entering and parasitizing unrelated colonies to produce their own male offspring. The aim of this study was to investigate whether such intraspecific worker parasitism might also occur in stingless bees, another group of highly social bees. Based on a large-scale genetic study of the species Melipona scutellaris, and the genotyping of nearly 600 males from 45 colonies, we show that similar to 20% of all males are workers` sons, but that around 80% of these had genotypes that were incompatible with them being the sons of workers of the resident queen. By tracking colonies over multiple generations, we show that these males were not produced by drifted workers, but rather by workers that were the offspring of a previous, superseded queen. This means that uniquely, workers reproductively parasitize the next-generation workforce. Our results are surprising given that most colonies were sampled many months after the previous queen had died and that workers normally only have a life expectancy of similar to 30 days. It also implies that reproductive workers greatly outlive all other workers. We explain our results in the context of kin selection theory, and the fact that it pays workers more from exploiting the colony if costs are carried by less related individuals.

The effect of Sao Paulo`s smoke-free legislation on carbon monoxide concentration in hospitality venues and their workers

Background Studies have shown that there is no safe level of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure and there is a close link between SHS and the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the most important components present in SHS. Objective To evaluate the impact of the smoking ban law in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on the CO concentration in restaurants, bars, night clubs and similar venues and in their workers. Methods In the present study we measured CO concentration in 585 hospitality venues. CO concentration was measured in different environments (indoor, semi-open and open areas) from visited venues, as well as, in the exhaled air from approximately 627 workers of such venues. Measurements were performed twice, before and 12 weeks after the law implementation. In addition, the quality of the air in the city during the same period of our study was verified. Results The CO concentration pre-ban and pot-ban in hospitality venues was indoor area 4.57 (3.70) ppm vs 1.35 (1.66) ppm (p<0.0001); semi-open 3.79 (2.49) ppm vs 1.16 (1.14) ppm (p<0.0001); open area 3.31 (2.2) ppm vs 1.31 (1.39) ppm (p<0.0001); smoking employees 15.78 (9.76) ppm vs 11.50 (7.53) ppm (p<0.0001) and non-smoking employees 6.88 (5.32) ppm vs 3.50 (2.21) ppm (p<0.0001). The average CO concentration measured in the city was lower than 1 ppm during both pre-ban and post-ban periods. Conclusion Sao Paulos smoking-free legislation reduced significantly the CO concentration in hospitality venues and in their workers, whether they smoke or not.

Guidance for the implementation of best practice for the care of patients with tuberculosis

The first two chapters of Best practice for the care of patients with tuberculosis: a guide for low-income countries include an introduction and guidance regarding implementation of best practice. The background to how the guide was developed is significant, as it was developed in collaboration with nurses and other health workers working in the most challenging settings. It therefore provides realistic and practical guidance for best practice where patient loads are large and resources are stretched. Guidance regarding standard setting and clinical audit is an important part of enabling people to recognise the strengths that already exist in their practice and approach those areas that require change in a systematic and practical way. The guide itself consists of a series of standards covering different aspects of patient care, from the moment they seek health care with symptoms to their diagnosis to early stages of treatment, directly observed treatment, the continuation phase and transfer of treatment. There are also standards relating specifically to HIV testing and the care of patients co-infected with tuberculosis and HIV. The standards themselves will appear in full in the subsequent chapters of this series.

An air-standard cycle and a thermodynamic perspective on operational limits of Ranque-Hilsh or vortex tubes

A Thermodynamic air-standard cycle was envisaged for Ranque-Hilsh (R-H) or Vortex Tubes to provide relevant Thermodynamic analysis and tools for setting operating limits according to the conservation laws of mass and energy, as well as the constraint of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The study used an integral or control volume approach and resulted in establishing working equations for evaluating the performance of an R-H tube. The work proved that the coefficient of performance does not depend on the R-H tube operating mode, i.e., the same value is obtained independently if the R-H tube operates either as a heat pump or as a refrigeration device. It was also shown that the isentropic coefficient of performance displays optima values of cold and hot mass fractions for a given operating pressure ratio. Finally, the study was concluded by comparing the present analysis with some experimental data available in the literature for operating pressures ranging 2-11 atm. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.

Identification and control of occupational risks in a Sao Paulo metropolitan region quarry

Crushed stone mining is the third largest mining economy in Brazil, where almost half is produced in the Sao Paulo metropolitan region. The segment registers the highest number of accidents among the extractive industries, which justifies the concern with workers` health and safety, and the importance of controlling occupational hazards. Since 2002, the NR-22 Standard (NR-22: Occupational Health and Safety in Mining) makes compulsory the elaboration of a Risk Management Program that identifies risks and establishes control measures. Considering the crushed stone mining industry importance to the state, this paper evaluates and discusses the risks identified in unit operations during the production process of crushed stone in an open pit mine in order to propose control measures for the development of the Risk Management Program. Although this study refers to a specific quarry, it can be applied to other mines from the same sector since some considerations are made regarding differences in manufacturing processes. The research was based on the identification of the main risks associated with drilling, blasting, load & haulage, crushing and screening through field measurements of some hazardous agents, together with company reports. The results contributed to the choice of the appropriate control measures for the improvement Of workers` health and safety conditions.

Analog performance of standard and strained triple-gate silicon-on-insulator nFinFETs

This work shows a comparison between the analog performance of standard and strained Si n-type triple-gate FinFETs with high-K dielectrics and TiN gate material. Different channel lengths and fin widths are studied. It is demonstrated that both standard and strained FinFETs with short channel length and narrow fins have similar analog properties, whereas the increase of the channel length degrades the early voltage of the strained devices, consequently decreasing the device intrinsic voltage gain with respect to standard ones. Narrow strained FinFETs with long channel show a degradation of the Early voltage if compared to standard ones suggesting that strained devices are more subjected to the channel length modulation effect. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using a New Criterion to Identify Sites for Mean Soil Water Storage Evaluation

Establishing a few sites in which measurements of soil water storage (SWS) are time stable significantly reduces the efforts involved in determining average values of SWS. This study aimed to apply a new criterion the mean absolute bias error (MABE)-to identify temporally stable sites for mean SWS evaluation. The performance of MABE was compared with that of the commonly used criterion, the standard deviation of relative difference (SDRD). From October 2004 to October 2008, SWS of four soil layers (0-1.0, 1.0-2.0,2.0-3.0, and 3.0-4.0 m) was measured, using a neutron probe, at 28 sites on a hillslope of the Loess Plateau, China. A total of 37 SWS data sets taken over time were divided into two subsets, the first consisting of 22 dates collected during the calibration period from October 2004 to September 2006, and the second with 15 dates collected during the validation period from October 2006 to October 2008. The results showed that if a critical value of 5% for MABE was defined, more than half the sites were temporally stable for both periods, and the number of temporally stable sires generally increased with soil depth. Compared with SDRD, MABE was more suitable for the identification of time-stable sites for mean SS prediction. Since the absolute prediction error of drier sites is more sensitive to changes in relative difference in terms of mean SWS prediction, the sites of wet sectors should be preferable for mean SWS prediction for the same changes in relative difference.

Time stability of soil water storage measured by neutron probe and the effects of calibration procedures in a small watershed

The knowledge of soil water storage (SWS) of soil profiles is crucial for the adoption of vegetation restoration practices. With the aim of identifying representative sites to obtain the mean SWS of a watershed, a time stability analysis of neutron probe evaluations of SWS was performed by the means of relative differences and Spearman rank correlation coefficients. At the same time, the effects of different neutron probe calibration procedures were explored on time stability analysis. mean SWS estimation. and preservation of the spatial variability of SWS. The selected watershed, with deep gullies and undulating slopes which cover an area of 20 ha, is characterized by an Ust-Sandiic Entisol and an Aeolian sandy soil. The dominant vegetation species are bunge needlegrass (Stipa bungeana Trim) and korshinsk peashrub (Carugano Korshinskii kom.). From June 11, 2007 to July 23,2008, SWS of the top1 m soil layer was evaluated for 20 dates, based on neutron probe data of 12 sampling sites. Three calibration procedures were employed: type 1, most complete, with each site having its own linear calibration equation (TrE); type II. with TrE equations extended over the whole field: and type III, with one single linear calibration curve for the whole field (UnE) and also correcting its intercept based on site specific relative difference analysis (RdE) and on linear fitting of data (RcE), both maintaining the same slope. A strong time stability of SWS estimated by TrE equations was identified. Soil particle size and soil organic matter content were recognized as the influencing factors for spatial variability of SWS. Land use influenced neither the spatial variability nor the time stability of SWS. Time stability analysis identified one site to represent the mean SWS of the whole watershed with mean absolute percentage errors of less than 10%, therefore. this site can be used as a predictor for the mean SWS of the watershed. Some equations of type II were found to be unsatisfactory to yield reliable mean SWS values or in preserving the associated soil spatial variability. Hence, it is recommended to be cautious in extending calibration equations to other sites since they might not consider the field variability. For the equations with corrected intercept (type III), which consider the spatial variability of calibration in a different way in relation to TrE, it was found that they can yield satisfactory means and standard deviation of SWS, except for the RdE equations, which largely leveled off the SWS values in the watershed. Correlation analysis showed that the neutron probe calibration was linked to soil bulk density and to organic matter content. Therefore, spatial variability of soil properties should be taken into account during the process of neutron probe calibration. This study provides useful information on the mean SWS observation with a time stable site and on distinct neutron probe calibration procedures, and it should be extended to soil water management studies with neutron probes, e.g., the process of vegetation restoration in wider area and soil types of the Loess Plateau in China. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of the standard evaluation method for hydraulic nozzles employed in stored grain protection trials

In stored grains, smaller depositions and great variation with respect to theoretical insecticide doses are frequently found. The objective of this work was to study the effectiveness of the standard method (ISO 5682/1-1996) employed to evaluate hydraulic nozzles used in stored corn and wheat grain protection experiments. The transversal volumetric distribution and droplet spectrum of a model TJ-60 8002EVS nozzle were determined in order to calibrate a spraying system for an application rate of 5 L/t and to obtain theoretical concentrations of 10 and 0.5 mg/kg of fenitrothion and esfenvalerate, respectively. After treatment, the corn and wheat grains were processed and deposition was analyzed by gas chromatography. The type of grain did not have any influence on insecticide deposition and was dependent upon insecticide only. The insecticide deposits on the grains only reached 42.1 and 38.2% of the intended theoretical values for fenitrothion and esfenvalerate concentrations, respectively. These results demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the standard evaluation method for hydraulic nozzles employed in stored grain protection experiments.

Teacher strikes in Brazil and its representations: ""orderly disciplined class"" and ""education workers"" (Sao Paulo, 1963-1979)

This article analyses the teacher strikes that took place in the state of Sao Paulo ( Brazil). These strikes produced new representations of the profession and gave a particular visibility to its interest aggregation processes. These same strikes appeared as major incentives for the organisation of teachers in Brazil. The October 1963 strike - about six months before the military coup of 1964 - was the first to mobilise the whole of the teaching profession of the Sao Paulo state: primary and secondary education, public and private schools were all involved. The two other strikes, organised by teachers in the public schools in 1978 and 1979, took place under the dictatorship. As such, they had a particular significance in the process of recovering civil liberties in the final stages of the military regime in the 1980s. This article is based on an analysis of the front-page covering of these teacher strikes by the two major journals of the state, O Estado de S. Paulo and Folha de S. Paulo. With Chartier`s concept collective representations in mind, this approach allows us to grasp how large-circulation journals diffuse images of the profession and its organisational configurations. These press pictures are analysed by dint of the analytical frame Roland Barthes advanced in the 1960s, i.e. by reading their denoted, connoted and symbolic messages.

H56 Standard House for PNG Housing Commission, Papua New Guinea

As seen from street.

L36 Standard House

Hand-drawn plan and elevation.