Utilization of different methodologies for the characterization of Hb Hasharon heterozygotes

Hb Hasharon has an electrophoretic mobility similar to that of Hb S in cellulose acetate and a mobility between Hb S and C at acid pH. In high-performance liquid chromatography, Hb Hasharon shows a distinct chromatographic profile and retention time. The origin of this variant is a mutation in codon 47 (GAC → CAC) of the α2-globin gene, resulting in the replacement of asparagine by histidine during the translation process. Ten blood samples from individuals suspected of being Hb Hasharon carriers were analyzed. In addition to classic laboratory tests and high-performance liquid chromatography, molecular analysis by polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphism designed in the laboratory was performed to confirm this mutation. The study of these cases showed that a combination of classical and molecular methodologies is necessary in the diagnosis of hemoglobinopathies for a correct hemoglobin mutant identification. The accurate identification of hemoglobin variants is essential for genetic counseling and choice of therapy. ©FUNPEC-RP.

Electrophysiological responses of Atta sexdens rubropilosa workers to essential oils of Eucalyptus and its chemical composition

The leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel, 1908 is the most harmful of the Eucalyptus pests, causing severe losses in wood production through defoliation. Various strategies have been tried and effort spent on the development of methods to control this pest, however no practical and environmentally acceptable one currently exists. In this work the chemical composition of the essential oil of seven Eucalyptus species was identified and the selectivity and sensitivity of antennal receptors of A. sexdens rubropilosa workers to the volatile compounds were determined using the electroantennographic technique (EAG and GC-EAD). Analysis by GC-EAD showed in E. cloesiana and E. maculata, respectively, seventeen and sixteen terpenes that elicited responses in ant workers' antennae, indicating the potential role of the essential oils as allelochemicals that determine the choice of the foraging material. © 2006 Verlag der Zeitschrift für Naturforschung.

Methodology for automatic selection of passes in surface grinding

The main purpose of this work is the development of computational tools in order to assist the on-line automatic detection of burn in the surface grinding process. Most of the parameters currently employed in the burning recognition (DPO, FKS, DPKS, DIFP, among others) do not incorporate routines for automatic selection of the grinding passes, therefore, requiring the user's interference for the choice of the active region. Several methods were employed in the passes extraction; however, those with the best results are presented in this article. Tests carried out in a surface-grinding machine have shown the success of the algorithms developed for pass extraction. Copyright © 2007 by ABCM.

Detection of highways in high resolution images using Mathematical Morphology techniques

This paper seeks to apply a routine for highways detection through the mathematical morphology tools in high resolution image. The Mathematical Morphology theory consists of describing structures geometric presents quantitatively in the image (targets or features). This explains the use of the Mathematical Morphology in this work. As high resolution images will be used, the largest difficulty in the highways detection process is the presence of trees and automobiles in the borders tracks. Like this, for the obtaining of good results through the use of morphologic tools was necessary to choose the structuring element appropriately to be used in the functions. Through the appropriate choice of the morphologic operators and structuring elements it was possible to detect the highways tracks. The linear feature detection using mathematical morphology techniques, can contribute in cartographic applications, as cartographic products updating.

Integrated clinical treatment of gingival recession secondary to root perforation: case report.

Among the factors that influence the success of treatment of a root perforation, its location and possibility of contamination are determinant because the interaction of these 2 factors may result in significant periodontal injury. The management of cases of hard-to-reach contaminated perforations depends on the choice of an adequate technique. In the case reported in this article, controlled orthodontic tooth extrusion was successfully performed to treat gingival recession secondary to root perforation. The outcomes showed that this technique preserves the zone of attached gingiva, maintains the crown height, and prevents the involvement of the supporting bone tissue. The favorable clinical and radio?graphic conditions after 7 years of follow-up demonstrate the viability of this treatment approach.

Strengthening development: the interplay of macro- and microeconomics

Includes bibliography

Critical evaluation of FBD, pq and CPT current decompositions for four-wire circuits

This paper investigates the major similarities and discrepancies of three important current decompositions proposed for the interpretation of unbalanced and/or non linear three-phase four-wire circuits. The considered approaches were the so-called FBD Theory, the pq-Theory and the CPT. Although the methods are based on different concepts, the results obtained under ideal conditions (sinusoidal and balanced signals) are very similar. The main differences appear in the presence of unbalanced and non linear load conditions. It will be demonstrated and discussed how the choice of the voltage referential and the return conductor impedance can influence in the resulting current components, as well as, the way of interpreting a power circuit with return conductor. Under linear unbalanced conditions, both FBD and pq-Theory suggest that the some current components contain a third-order harmonic. Besides, neither pq-Theory nor FBD method are able to provide accurate information for reactive current under unbalanced and distorted conditions, what seems to be done by means of the CPT. © 2009 IEEE.

Harmonic, reactive and unbalance compensation by means of CPT framework

This paper presents possible selective current compensation strategies based on the Conservative Power Theory (CPT). This recently proposed theory, introduces the concept of complex power conservation under non-sinusoidal conditions. Moreover, the related current decompositions results in several current terms, which are associated with a specific physical phenomena (power absorption P, energy storage Q, voltage and current distortion D). Such current components are used in this work for the definition of different current compensators, which can be selective in terms of minimizing particular disturbing effects. The choice of one or other current component for compensation directly affects the sizing and cost of active and/or passive devices and it will be demonstrated that it can be done to attend predefined limits for harmonic distortion, unbalances and/or power factor. Single and three-phase compensation strategies will be discussed by means of the CPT Framework. Simulation and experimental results will be demonstrated in order to validate their performance. © 2009 IEEE.

A comparative analysis of FBD, PQ and CPT current decompositions - Part II: Three-phase four-wire systems

This paper investigates the major similarities and discrepancies among three important current decompositions proposed for the interpretation of unbalanced and/or non linear three-phase four-wire power circuits. The considered approaches were the so-called FBD Theory, the pq-Theory and the CPT. Although the methods are based on different concepts, the results obtained under ideal conditions (sinusoidal and balanced signals) are very similar. The main differences appear in the presence of unbalanced and non linear load conditions. It will be demonstrated and discussed how the choice of the voltage referential and the return conductor impedance can influence in the resulting current components, as well as, the way of interpreting a power circuit with return conductor. Under linear unbalanced conditions, both FBD and pq-Theory suggest that the some current components contain a third-order harmonic. Besides, neither pq-Theory nor FBD method are able to provide accurate information for reactive current under unbalanced and distorted conditions, what can be done by means of the CPT. © 2009 IEEE.

The Mexican maquila industry and the environment: an overview of the issues

Includes bibliography

Sprawling and Urban transportation system: Impacts in the city of Londrina, Parana, Brazil

After nearly 80 years since the construction of its core, represented today by the city's central area, Londrina, located in the state of Parana, has the appearance of a new city but its features and trends of planning policies depict the bad examples of Brazilian cities. With a booming urban growth, from north to south of the county, the urban interstices represented by big voids in the middle of the city created speculation and the concept of an ideal city slowly disappeared. With a metropolitan appearance and, at the same time, with small town aspects, Londrina stands out as an automobile-oriented city, a fact that has impacted the livelihood of the population, generating environmental impacts for all social classes. This paper discusses how the form of occupation in Londrina, characterized by the sprawl phenomenon and its relation to car preference as a mode of transportation has generated urban environmental impacts. It was concluded that the choice of using cars in Londrina, as well in other medium-sized Brazilian cities studied by the comparative method, has increased and has generated bottlenecks in traffic. As a consequence, there is a constant expropriation of properties for widening roads and at the same time, the presence of various densities and urban voids that form an uneven urban space and an obstacle to efficient urban planning. © 2012 WIT Press.

Multi-choice mixed integer goal programming optimization for real problems in a sugar and ethanol milling company

Goal Programming (GP) is an important analytical approach devised to solve many realworld problems. The first GP model is known as Weighted Goal Programming (WGP). However, Multi-Choice Aspirations Level (MCAL) problems cannot be solved by current GP techniques. In this paper, we propose a Multi-Choice Mixed Integer Goal Programming model (MCMI-GP) for the aggregate production planning of a Brazilian sugar and ethanol milling company. The MC-MIGP model was based on traditional selection and process methods for the design of lots, representing the production system of sugar, alcohol, molasses and derivatives. The research covers decisions on the agricultural and cutting stages, sugarcane loading and transportation by suppliers and, especially, energy cogeneration decisions; that is, the choice of production process, including storage stages and distribution. The MCMIGP allows decision-makers to set multiple aspiration levels for their problems in which the more/higher, the better and the less/lower, the better in the aspiration levels are addressed. An application of the proposed model for real problems in a Brazilian sugar and ethanol mill was conducted; producing interesting results that are herein reported and commented upon. Also, it was made a comparison between MCMI GP and WGP models using these real cases. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

The who start study suicidal behaviors across different areas of the world

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) study entitled Suicide Trends in At-Risk Territories (START) is an international multisite initiative that aims to stimulate suicide research and prevention across different areas of the globe. A central component of the study is the development of registration systems for fatal and nonfatal suicidal behaviors. Aims: This paper provides an overview of the data collected on suicidal behaviors from the participating locations in the START study. Method: Descriptive statistics on the data are presented in terms of age, sex, and method. Results: Agreater proportion of suicide deaths occurred among males. In all areas except the Philippines more females than males engaged in nonfatal suicidal behaviors. Compared to Australia, Italy, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Hong Kong SAR, in the Pacific Islands suicide most often occurs in younger age groups. Results indicate notable variations between countries in choice of method. A greater proportion of suicides occurred by hanging in Pacific Islands, while inhalation of carbon monoxide, use of firearms, ingestion of chemicals and poisons, and drug overdose were the most frequent methods of choice in other areas. Conclusion: The information drawn from this study demonstrates the enormous variation in suicidal behavior across the areas involved in the START Study. Further research is needed to assess the reliability of the established data-recording systems for suicidal behaviors. The baseline data established in START may allow the development of suicide prevention initiatives sensitive to variation in the profile of suicide across different locations. © 2013 Hogrefe Publishing.

Innovative winemaking: Consumer acceptance of red table wines

Purpose: This paper aims to evaluate the consumer acceptance of Bordô and Isabel wines from innovative winemaking in order to increase red wine consumption by consumers to obtain nutritional benefits. Design/methodology/approach: All wines were produced by a standard procedure of vinification. Pre-drying treatment aimed at drying the grapes up to 22°Brix and static pomace wines presented the constant contact between the must and pomace. Sensory acceptance was carried out by 80 consumers who evaluated eight samples (six experimental wines and two commercial wines) concerning the attributes: appearance, aroma, body, flavor and overall acceptance. Findings: Experimental wines presented higher acceptance when compared to commercial wines and cluster analysis shows the splitting of consumer preferences, highlighting the higher acceptance of traditional Bordô wine and static pomace samples in all sensory attributes. Pre-drying process enhances the concentration of coloured compounds, to highlight the appearance acceptance of these samples. Research limitations/implications: Although this paper has limited the consumer acceptance of red table wines, the innovative treatments will be applied in Vitis vinifera red wines. Practical implications: The wide acceptance of static pomace and pre-drying wines has promoted further information about innovative winemaking that can be applied in Brazilian and worldwide wineries. Social implications: The innovative treatments can change sensorial features of wines and therefore influence the choice of consumers as well as enhancing the nutritional benefits of red wines. Originality/value: The pre-drying and static pomace winemaking are the novelty of this study and the wide acceptance of the sensory attributes concerning these treatments indicates the potential for application in wineries. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Draft biennial programme of regional and international cooperation activities of the Statistical Conference of the Americas of ECLAC, 2007-2009

Includes bibliography