First inventory of the sandfly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) in the municipality of Juiz de Fora, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Introduction: This study aimed to inventory the phlebotomine sandfly fauna present in the urban area of Juiz de Fora, with an emphasis on the genus Lutzomyia. Methods: Capture was performed from March to September 2012, using HP light traps placed at peridomestic sites, in a municipal kennel and a forest biome. Results: A total of 133 specimens were captured, representing eight species of the genus Lutzomyia. Lutzomyia pascalei was the most prevalent species. Conclusions: This research provides an inventory and description of the spatial locations of the phlebotomine sandfly fauna of Juiz de Fora.

Management of post-transplant Epstein-Barr virus-related lymphoproliferative disease in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell recipients

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is one of the most serious complications associated with solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. PTLD is most frequently seen with primary EBV infection post-transplant, a common scenario for pediatric solid organ recipients. Risk factors for infection or reactivation of EBV following solid organ transplant are stronger immunosuppressive therapy regimens, and being seronegative for receptor. For hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the risk factors relate to the type of transplant, human leukocyte antigen disparity, the use of stronger immunosuppressants, T-cell depletion, and severe graft-versus-host disease. Mortality is high, and most frequent in patients who develop PTLD in the first six months post-transplant. The primary goal of this article is to provide an overview of the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, accepted therapies, and management of EBV infection in transplant recipients, and to suggest that the adoption of monitoring protocols could contribute to a reduction in related complications.

The exotic palm Roystonea oleracea(Jacq.) O.F. Cook as a rural biotype for Rhodnius neglectus Lent, 1954, in Caçu, State of Goiás

IntroductionRhodnius neglectus is a triatomine that colonizes different palm species. In this study, we aimed to describe the presence of this triatomine bug in the royal palms (Roystonea oleracea) in a rural region of the State of Goiás.MethodsPalm infestation was investigated by dissecting the palms or by using live-bait traps.ResultsTwo palm trees were infested by R. neglectusnegative for Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent for Chagas disease. In the study area, R. neglectus is frequently found in households.ConclusionsThe adaptation of this species to palm trees introduced in Brazil for landscaping purposes poses another challenge for controlling the vectors of Chagas disease.

Phlebotominae sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae): potential vectors of American cutaneous leishmaniasis agents in the area associated with the Santo Antônio Hydroelectric System in Western Amazonian Brazil

INTRODUCTION: An entomological study was conducted as part of a vector-monitoring program in the area associated with the Santo Antônio hydroelectric system in State of Rondônia, Western Amazonian Brazil. METHODS: Fourteen sampling sites were surveyed to obtain data on the potential vectors of Leishmania spp. in the area. Sand flies were collected from 2011 to 2014 during the months of January/February (rainy season), May/June (dry season), and September/October (intermediary season) using light traps arranged in three vertical strata (0.5, 1, and 20m). RESULTS : A total of 7,575 individuals belonging to 62 species/subspecies were collected. The five most frequently collected sand flies were Psychodopygus davisi (Root) (36.67%), Trichophoromyia ubiquitalis (Mangabeira) (8.51%), Nyssomyia umbratilis (Ward & Fraiha) (6.14%), Bichromomyia flaviscutellata (Mangabeira) (5.74%), and Psychodopygus complexus (Mangabeira) (5.25%). These species have been implicated in the transmission of American cutaneous leishmaniasis agents in the Brazilian Amazon region and described as potential vectors of this disease in the study area. CONCLUSIONS: Additional surveillance is needed, especially in areas where these five species of sand fly are found.

Triatominae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) in the Pantanal region: association with Trypanosoma cruzi, different habitats and vertebrate hosts

ABSTRACTINTRODUCTION: The transmission cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi in the Brazilian Pantanal region has been studied during the last decade. Although considerable knowledge is available regarding the mammalian hosts infected by T. cruzi in this wetland, no studies have investigated its vectors in this region. This study aimed to investigate the presence of sylvatic triatomine species in different habitats of the Brazilian Pantanal region and to correlate their presence with the occurrences of vertebrate hosts and T. cruzi infection.METHODS: The fieldwork involved passive search by using light traps and Noireau traps and active search by visual inspection. The light traps were placed at five selected points along forested areas for seven nights during each of the nine excursions. At each point where a light trap was set, eight Noireau traps were placed in palm trees and bromeliads.RESULTS: In all, 88 triatomine bugs were collected: two and one individuals from light traps and Noireau traps, respectively; three from peridomestic areas; 23 in coati nests; and 59 in thornbird nests. In this study, active search in microhabitats showed higher efficiency than passive search, since 95% of the triatomine bugs were caught in nests. Further, triatomine bugs were only found to be infected by T. cruzi in coati nests.CONCLUSIONS: Coati nests might act as a point of convergence and dispersion for triatomine bugs and mammal hosts infected by T. cruzi, thereby playing an important role in the sylvatic cycle of T. cruziin the Pantanal region.

Aedes aegypti eggs oviposited on water surface collected from field ovitraps in Nova Iguaçu City, Brazil

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Aedes aegypti eggs can be collected from the water surface. METHODS: Aedes aegypti oviposition from 97 field ovitraps was studied. RESULTS: Of the 16,016 eggs collected, 11,439 were obtained from paddles in ovitraps and 4,577 from water. Further, 89 (91.8%) traps contained eggs on water and 22 (22.7%) traps contained eggs only on water. CONCLUSIONS: In field traps, Aedes aegypti females usually oviposit some eggs on water surface suggesting that they might also oviposit on water of some natural breeding, and this possibility needs to be investigated. Eggs oviposited on water need to be considered for collecting trap data.

Microfluidics: a new look at cell migration analysis

This thesis explores the development and employment of microfluidic devices as a tool for studying the effect of the surrounding environment on embryonic stem cells during the migration phenomena. Different single-cell microchips were designed and manufactured to study mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) migration towards an environmental variation (increase of serum concentration in the culture medium) that was expected to function as a motility stimuli. Considering the experimental, cells were injected into the microchips chambers and individually isolated by dedicated cell traps with view to a single-cell analysis. Once fribroblasts were attached to the surface, culture medium with an increased serum level was subsequently injected in an adjacent chamber to promote the formation of a serum concentration gradient. The gradient established between the chambers could be sensed by the fibroblasts and thus triggered the cells mobilization towards and in the direction of the richer serum medium. Additionally, the experiment allowed the observation of MEFs’ structural reorganization when migrating through micro-tunnels containing widths below the cell size, suggesting a cytoskeleton rearrangement on account of the nutritional stimulus introduced. Furthermore, results indicate that fibronectin promotes MEFs adhesion to the substrate and that MEFs migration is characterized as haptotactic.

Pelvic lymphoscintigraphy: contribution to the preoperative staging of rectal cancer

PURPOSE: Preservation of the anal sphincter in surgery for cancer of the distal rectum in an attempt to avoid colostomy has been a main concern of colorectal surgeons. Various proposed procedures contradict oncological principles, especially with respect to pelvic lymphadenectomy. Therefore, prior knowledge of pelvic lymph node involvement is an important factor in choosing the operative technique, i.e., radical or conservative resection. Introduction of ultrasound, computerized tomography, and magnetic resonance have made preoperative study of the area possible. Nevertheless, these resources offer information of an anatomical nature only. Lymphoscintigraphy enables the morphological and functional evaluation of the pelvic area and contributes toward complementing the data obtained with the other imaging techniques. The objective of this prospective study is twofold: to standardize the lymphoscintigraphy technique and to use it to differentiate patients with rectal cancer from those with other coloproctologic diseases. CASUISTIC AND METHODS: Sixty patients with various coloproctologic diseases were studied prospectively. Ages ranged from 21 to 96 years (average, 51 and median, 55 years). Twenty-six patients were male and 34 were female. Thirty patients had carcinoma of the distal rectum as diagnosed by proctologic and anatomic-pathologic examinations, 20 patients had hemorrhoids, 5 had chagasic megacolon, 2 had diverticular disease, 2 had neoplasm of the right colon, and 1 had ulcerative colitis as diagnosed by proctologic exam and/or enema. The lymphoscintigraphy method consisted of injecting 0.25 mL of a dextran solution marked with radioactive technetium-99m into the right and left sides of the perianal region and obtaining images with a gamma camera. The results were analyzed statistically with a confidence level of 95% (P < .05) using the following statistical techniques: arithmetic and medium average, Fisher exact test, chi-square test corrected for continuity according to Yates, and distribution tables for the number of patients. RESULTS: In rectal cancer, the tracer progresses unilaterally or is absent; in other patients, the progress of the tracer is bilateral and symmetrical, although its progress may be slow. Statistical tests showed with high significance that the agreement index between the clinical diagnosis and the result of the lymphoscintigraphic exam was 93%. CONCLUSIONS: Lymphoscintigraphy is a standardized, painless, and harmless test that can be performed in all cases; it differentiates patients with rectal cancer from those with other coloproctological diseases.

O âmbito de aplicação material da legislação de proteção de dados pessoais e o tratamento de imagem por pessoa singular

Images have gained a never before seen importance. Technological changes have given the Information Society extraordinary means to capture, treat and transmit images, wheter your own or those of others, with or without a commercial purpose, with no boundaries of time or country, without “any kind of eraser”. From the several different ways natural persons may engage in image processing with no commercial purpose, the cases of sharing pictures through social networks and video surveillance assume particular relevance. Consequently there are growing legitimate concerns with the protection of one's image, since its processing may sometimes generate situations of privacy invasion or put at risk other fundamental rights. With this in mind, the present thesis arises from the question: what are the existent legal instruments in Portuguese Law that enable citizens to protect themselves from the abusive usage of their own pictures, whether because that image have been captured by a smartphone or some video surveillance camera, whether because it was massively shared through a blog or some social network? There is no question the one's right to not having his or her image used in an abusive way is protected by the Portuguese constitution, through the article 26th CRP, as well as personally right, under the article 79th of the Civil Code, and finally through criminal law, articles 192nd and 193rd of the Criminal Code. The question arises in the personal data protection context, considering that one's picture, given certain conditions, is personal data. Both the Directive 95/46/CE dated from 1995 as well as the LPD from 1998 are applicable to the processing of personal data, but both exclude situations of natural persons doing so in the pursuit of activities strictly personal or family-related. These laws demand complex procedures to natural persons, such as the preemptive formal authorisation request to the Data Protection National Commission. Failing to do so a natural person may result in the application of fines as high as €2.500,00 or even criminal charges. Consequently, the present thesis aims to study if the image processing with no commercial purposes by a natural person in the context of social networks or through video surveillance belongs to the domain of the existent personal data protection law. To that effect, it was made general considerations regarding the concept of video surveillance, what is its regimen, in a way that it may be distinguishable from Steve Mann's definition of sousveillance, and what are the associated obligations in order to better understand the concept's essence. The application of the existent laws on personal data protection to images processing by natural persons has been analysed taking into account the Directive 95/46/CE, the LPD and the General Regulation. From this analysis it is concluded that the regimen from 1995 to 1998 is out of touch with reality creating an absence of legal shielding in the personal data protection law, a flaw that doesn't exist because compensated by the right to image as a right to personality, that anyway reveals the inability of the Portuguese legislator to face the new technological challenges. It is urgent to legislate. A contrary interpretation will evidence the unconstitutionality of several rules on the LPD due to the obligations natural persons are bound to that violate the right to the freedom of speech and information, which would be inadequate and disproportionate. Considering the recently approved General Regulation and in the case it becomes the final version, the use for natural person of video surveillance of private spaces, Google Glass (in public and private places) and other similar gadgets used to recreational purposes, as well as social networks are subject to its regulation only if the images are shared without limits or existing commercial purposes. Video surveillance of public spaces in all situations is subject to General Regulation provisions.

Arte e terrorismo: meta-representações da Arte

Tendo como ponto de partida os estudos da performance para a análise do terrorismo, a presente dissertação teve como resultado a possibilidade de reflectir sobre tácticas de incorporação, reperformance e meta-teatro, três conceitos que permitem compreender de que forma a arte assimila e se compreende em relação com o terrorismo. Apresenta, por um lado, documentos oficiais que demonstram a existência de um conflito quanto à definição de terrorismo, reflectindo sobre “terrorismo de estado” e “contra-estado”. Por outro lado, a partir da análise dos Surveillence Camera Players e da performance Three Posters, ou de artistas como Hasan Elahy e Alyson Wyper, esta dissertação defende que a arte reperforma “táticas de representação” e realização mediática do terrorismo, nomeadamente, o teatro panóptico, a tortura como performance e os vídeo-testemunhos de mártires como retratos e vídeo-performances.

The human eye as human-machine interface

Eye tracking as an interface to operate a computer is under research for a while and new systems are still being developed nowadays that provide some encouragement to those bound to illnesses that incapacitates them to use any other form of interaction with a computer. Although using computer vision processing and a camera, these systems are usually based on head mount technology being considered a contact type system. This paper describes the implementation of a human-computer interface based on a fully non-contact eye tracking vision system in order to allow people with tetraplegia to interface with a computer. As an assistive technology, a graphical user interface with special features was developed including a virtual keyboard to allow user communication, fast access to pre-stored phrases and multimedia and even internet browsing. This system was developed with the focus on low cost, user friendly functionality and user independency and autonomy.

Vision-based hand Wheel-chair control

Several studies have shown that people with disabilities benefit substantially from access to a means of independent mobility and assistive technology. Researchers are using technology originally developed for mobile robots to create easier to use wheelchairs. With this kind of technology people with disabilities can gain a degree of independence in performing daily life activities. In this work a computer vision system is presented, able to drive a wheelchair with a minimum number of finger commands. The user hand is detected and segmented with the use of a kinect camera, and fingertips are extracted from depth information, and used as wheelchair commands.

Effect of annealing temperature on photoluminescence and resistive switching characteristics of ZnO/Al2O3 multilayer nanostructures

This work demonstrates the role of defects generated during rapid thermal annealing of pulsed laser deposited ZnO/Al2O3 multilayer nanostructures in presence of vacuum at different temperatures (Ta) (500–900 C) on their electrical conductance and optical characteristics. Photoluminescence (PL) emissions show the stronger green emission at Ta 600 C and violet–blue emission at TaP800 C, and are attributed to oxygen vacancies and zinc related defects (zinc vacancies and interstitials) respectively. Current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of nanostructures with rich oxygen vacancies and zinc related defects display the electroforming free resistive switching (RS) characteristics. Nanostructures with rich oxygen vacancies exhibit conventional and stable RS behavior with high and low resistance states (HRS/LRS) ratio 104 during the retention test. Besides, the dominant conduction mechanism of HRS and LRS is explained by trap-controlled-space-charge limited conduction mechanism, where the oxygen vacancies act as traps. On the other hand, nanostructures with rich zinc related defects show a diode-like RS behavior. The rectifying ratio is found to be sensitive on the zinc interstitials concentration. It is assumed that the rectifying behavior is due to the electrically formed interface layer ZnAl2O4 at the Zn defects rich ZnO crystals – Al2O3 x interface and the switching behavior is attributed to the electron trapping/de-trapping process at zinc vacancies.

Color change using HSB color system of dental resin composites immersed in different common Amazon region beverages

The purpose of this study is to evaluate in vitro the color stability of composite resins when exposed to beverages with high coloring contents from the Amazon region. 240 samples from four different composite brands (Natural Look, Z350, 4Seasons and Opallis) of hue A3 were fabricated using an acrylic matrix. The samples were stored in distilled water at 37ºC for 24 hours. The initial color (T0) was registered using a Canon EOS Rebel XTi 10 mp camera, and then the samples were divided into four groups (n=15): G1 (coffee), G2 (açaí juice), G3 (energetic guaraná) and G4 (control - distilled water). The samples were exposed to solutions of DES (6hs) and RE (18hs) and placed in a double boiler under constant agitation, at 37ºC for 30 days. The samples were immersed in the coloring solutions for 15 minutes daily. After 7, 15 and 30 days, new photographic registers were made (T1, T2 and T3). The images were analyzed using Corel PHOTO-PAINT 12 software to identify the colors through the HSB system. The Kruskal-Wallis and t tests (p<0.05) demonstrated significant differences in color (hue, saturation and brightness). The results revealed that none of the tested composites showed color stability when exposed to coloring solutions, and that the Amazon region beverages (açaí juice and energetic guaraná) showed to be less coloring than coffee.

A structured inventory of spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) in natural and artificial forest gaps at Porto Urucu, Western Brazilian Amazonia

A preliminary survey of the spider fauna in natural and artificial forest gap formations at “Porto Urucu”, a petroleum/natural gas production facility in the Urucu river basin, Coari, Amazonas, Brazil is presented. Sampling was conducted both occasionally and using a protocol composed of a suite of techniques: beating trays (32 samples), nocturnal manual samplings (48), sweeping nets (16), Winkler extractors (24), and pitfall traps (120). A total of 4201 spiders, belonging to 43 families and 393 morphospecies, were collected during the dry season, in July, 2003. Excluding the occasional samples, the observed richness was 357 species. In a performance test of seven species richness estimators, the Incidence Based Coverage Estimator (ICE) was the best fit estimator, with 639 estimated species. To evaluate differences in species richness associated with natural and artificial gaps, samples from between the center of the gaps up to 300 meters inside the adjacent forest matrix were compared through the inspection of the confidence intervals of individual-based rarefaction curves for each treatment. The observed species richness was significantly higher in natural gaps combined with adjacent forest than in the artificial gaps combined with adjacent forest. Moreover, a community similarity analysis between the fauna collected under both treatments demonstrated that there were considerable differences in species composition. The significantly higher abundance of Lycosidae in artificial gap forest is explained by the presence of herbaceous vegetation in the gaps themselves. Ctenidae was significantly more abundant in the natural gap forest, probable due to the increase of shelter availability provided by the fallen trees in the gaps themselves. Both families are identified as potential indicators of environmental change related to the establishment or recovery of artificial gaps in the study area.