Novas alternativas terapêuticas para o tratamento da Criptococose: análogos de Resveratrol e microRNAs

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Análiseda percolação de água em barragem de terra pelo método da eletrorresistividade

Interventions in nature made by man are very common since the beginnings of human history, especially in the case regarding the storage of water. The construction of dams have been and still are fundamental in maintaining human life due to the vital importance that water plays. The size of these structures vary according to need, such as water catchment, fish-farming or electricity generation. Embankment dams are the most common type of these structures. Can be defined as dams natural material obtained from loan chambers located near the dam site. This type of barrier may be divided into earth dams and rockfill dams. The study area covers an earth dam located in Cordeirópolis (SP) and is essentially composed of diabases altered soil of the Serra Geral Formation of the Paraná Basin. With the aid of geophysics, more specifically of the Electrical Resistivity method, the aim is to check any water infiltration zones in the dam's body. Given the risks associated with water seepage in earth dams, that may generate breakdown structures, erosion, and consequently accidents and / or harmful factors in the nearby areas. One of the main structural problems married by water infiltration is the possible generation of pipes that could jeopardize the dam structure. This work aims to contribute towards the evaluation of the effectiveness of using an indirect technique of research and monitoring in aid to direct research techniques such as piezometers and drive stakes. The results are presented in the form of 2D and 3D geophysical models, the analysis shows a low resistivity zone with typical values of the presence of humidity originating upstream of the dam and downstream bottleneck trend, that are the basis for interpretation by percolation or not water in the dam

Relação entre a resposta espectral da vegetação em diferentes cultivos e níveis freáticos em área de recarga do Sistema Aquífero Guarani

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

Nanopartículas de prata e glicerofosfato de cálcio: sínteses por rotas convencionais e fitoquímica, análise antimicrobiana e avaliação da citotoxicidade

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estudo fitoquímico e biológico dos extratos das folhas de Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Bentham

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

Análise histopatológica de fígado de tilápias (Oreochromis Niloticus) expostas ao herbicida 2,4-D comercial

The action of man has led, over the years, major impacts on the environment, especially in aquatic ecosystems, leading to an impairment of water quality, considered one of the essential factors for the maintenance of vital functions and consequently the life of the planet. Among the activities considered a risk for the environment are linked to pollution from many sources and even entire watersheds, whether by industrial waste, sewage, or for substances used in agriculture, such as pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. The (2,4-D) 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid is used worldwide, and the fact that its genotoxicity is proven by several studies and by its long persistence in soil, which enables the leaching and percolation of compounds affecting water bodies, toxicity studies are relevant and justifiable. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the toxicity of 2,4-D by examining the liver of the fish Oreochromis niloticus exposed to different dilutions. Portions of liver were collected and fixed for histological and histochemical techniques to detect total proteins, polysaccharides and lipids. lipids. Treatment with 2,4-D herbicide apparently did not alter the lipid profiles, the accumulation of polysaccharides, and the presence of total proteins. The 2.5 and 5.0% were lethal to fish. These mortalities are probably of high toxic and cytotoxic potential of 2,4-D herbicide results. Several histopathological changes were found, such as: loss of cytoplasmic integrity, loss of cell limit, nuclear deformation, vacuolated cytoplasm, tissue disorganization and hydropic degeneration. Statistically significant changes were: hydropic degeneration and vacuolated cytoplasm. It is concluded, therefore, that the qualitative morphological analysis is an important method for observing changes in liver toxicology studies. As the O. niloticus species is an efficient biological indicator of water pollution by 2,4-D

Food Handling Practices, Knowledge and Beliefs of Families with Young Children Based on the Health Belief Model

Objective: To determine current food handling practices, knowledge and beliefs of primary food handlers with children 10 years old and the relationship between these components. Design: Surveys were developed based on FightBac!™ concepts and the Health Belief Model (HBM) construct. Participants: The majority of participants (n= 503) were females (67%), Caucasians (80%), aged between 30 to 49 years old (83%), had one or two children (83%), prepared meals all or most of the time (76%) and consumed meals away from home three times or less per week (66%). Analysis: Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rho) (p<0.05 and one-tail) and Chi-square were used to examine frequency and correlations. Results: Few participants reached the food safety objectives of Healthy People 2010 for safe food handling practices (79%). Mixed results were reported for perceived susceptibility. Only half of the participants (53-54%) reported high perceived severity for their children if they contracted food borne illness. Most participants were confident of their food handling practices for their children (91%) and would change their food handling practices if they or their family members previously experienced food poisoning (79%). Participants’ reasons for high self-efficacy were learning from their family and independently acquiring knowledge and skills from the media, internet or job. The three main barriers to safe food handling were insufficient time, lots of distractions and lack of control of the food handling practices of other people in the household. Participants preferred to use food safety information that is easy to understand, has scientific facts, causes feelings of health-threat and has lots of pictures or visuals. Participants demonstrate high levels of knowledge in certain areas of the FightBac!TM concepts but lacked knowledge in other areas. Knowledge and cues to action were most supportive of the HBM construct, while perceived susceptibility was least supportive of the HBM construct. Conclusion: Most participants demonstrate many areas to improve in their food handling practices, knowledge and beliefs. Adviser: Julie A. Albrecht

Estudo fitoquímico e biológico dos extratos das folhas de Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Bentham

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

Análise histopatológica de fígado de tilápias (Oreochromis Niloticus) expostas ao herbicida 2,4-D comercial

The action of man has led, over the years, major impacts on the environment, especially in aquatic ecosystems, leading to an impairment of water quality, considered one of the essential factors for the maintenance of vital functions and consequently the life of the planet. Among the activities considered a risk for the environment are linked to pollution from many sources and even entire watersheds, whether by industrial waste, sewage, or for substances used in agriculture, such as pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. The (2,4-D) 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid is used worldwide, and the fact that its genotoxicity is proven by several studies and by its long persistence in soil, which enables the leaching and percolation of compounds affecting water bodies, toxicity studies are relevant and justifiable. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the toxicity of 2,4-D by examining the liver of the fish Oreochromis niloticus exposed to different dilutions. Portions of liver were collected and fixed for histological and histochemical techniques to detect total proteins, polysaccharides and lipids. lipids. Treatment with 2,4-D herbicide apparently did not alter the lipid profiles, the accumulation of polysaccharides, and the presence of total proteins. The 2.5 and 5.0% were lethal to fish. These mortalities are probably of high toxic and cytotoxic potential of 2,4-D herbicide results. Several histopathological changes were found, such as: loss of cytoplasmic integrity, loss of cell limit, nuclear deformation, vacuolated cytoplasm, tissue disorganization and hydropic degeneration. Statistically significant changes were: hydropic degeneration and vacuolated cytoplasm. It is concluded, therefore, that the qualitative morphological analysis is an important method for observing changes in liver toxicology studies. As the O. niloticus species is an efficient biological indicator of water pollution by 2,4-D

Influence of Particle Size, Applied Compression, and Substratum Material on Particle-Surface Adhesion Force Using the Centrifuge Technique

The centrifuge technique was used to investigate the influence of particle size, applied compression, and substrate material (stainless steel, glass, Teflon, and poly(vinyl chloride)) on particle-surface adhesion force. For this purpose, phosphatic rock (rho(p) = 3090 kg/m(3)) and manioc starch particles (rho(p) = 1480 kg/m(3)) were used as test particles. A microcentrifuge that reached a maximum rotation speed of 14 000 rpm and which contained specially designed centrifuge tubes was used in the adhesion force measurements. The curves showed that the adhesion force profile followed a normal log distribution. The adhesion force increased linearly with particle size and with the increase of each increment of compression force. The manioc starch particles presented greater adhesion forces than the phosphatic rock particles for all particle sizes studied. The glass substrate showed a higher adherence than the other materials, probably due to its smoother topographic surface roughness in relation to the other substrata.

Burrow ventilation and associated porewater irrigation by the polychaete Marenzelleria viridis

Burrow ventilation of benthic infauna generates water currents that irrigate the interstices of the sediments surrounding the burrow walls. Such activities have associated effects on biogeochemical processes affecting ultimately important ecosystem processes. In this study, the ventilation and irrigation behavior of Marenzelleria viridis, an invasive polychaete species in Europe, was analyzed using different approaches. M. viridis showed to perform two types of ventilation: (1) muscular pumping of water out of the burrow and (2) cilia pumping of water into the burrow. Flowmeter measurements presented muscular pumping in time averaged rates of 0.15 ml min(-1). Oxygen needle electrodes positioned above the burrow openings revealed that muscular undulation of the worm body pumps anoxic water out of the burrow. On the other hand, microscope observations of the animal showed that ventilation of oxygen-rich water in the burrow occurs by ciliary action. The volume of water irrigated by M. viridis appears to vary linearly within the first 24 h incubation, with rates ranging from 0.003 to 0.01 ml min(-1). From those rates we could estimate that the time averaged rate of cilia ventilation should be about 0.16 ml min(-1). Since the cilia pumping into the burrow occurs in periods of 24 +/- 12 min and at 50-70% of the measured time, considerable amounts of water from deeper sediments may percolate upwards to the sediment surface. This water is rich in reduced compounds and nutrients and may have important associated ecological implications in the ecosystem (e.g. affecting redox conditions, organic matter degradation, benthic recruitment and primary production). (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Percolated non-Newtonian flow for silicone obtained from exfoliated bioinorganic layered double hydroxide intercalated with amino acid

A simple and scalable procedure was used to obtain thin, stable, homogeneous, and easy-to-handle films composed of silicone derived from dimethicones containing dispersed hydrotalcite-type materials previously organo-modified with amino acids. The absence of the typical X-ray pattern of the bioinorganic LDH filler suggested an exfoliation process that was further indirectly evidenced by a drastic change in the rheological behavior, which turned from a quasi-Newtonian behavior for the silicone free of LDH filler to an extensive developed gel-like structure for the nanocomposite derivatives. Visualized by the shear-thinning exponent of the complex viscosity in the low-frequency range, the percolation threshold was evident for filler loading as low as <5 w/W%, suggesting the presence of a largely developed interface between the filler and the polymer. The increase of more than one order of magnitude in viscosity was explained by the rather strong attrition phenomenon between the tethered amino acid anions and the silicone chains. UVB radiation absorption profiles make such bioinorganic polymer nanocomposites potentially applicable in skin protection. Thermo-gravimetric analysis revealed significant improvement in the thermal stability, especially in the final step of the polymer combustion, thus underlining the role of the hybrid material as a thermal retardant agent. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cross-cultural adaptation and assessment of the reliability and validity of the Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) for the Brazilian-Portuguese language

The use of patient-orientated questionnaires is of utmost importance in assessing the outcome of spine surgery. Standardisation, using a common set of outcome measures, is essential to aid comparisons across studies/in registries. The Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) is a short, multidimensional outcome instrument validated for patients with spinal disorders. This study aimed to produce a Brazilian-Portuguese version of the COMI. A cross-cultural adaptation of the COMI into Brazilian-Portuguese was carried out using established guidelines. 104 outpatients with chronic LBP (> 3 months) were recruited from a Public Health Spine Medical Care Centre. They completed a questionnaire booklet containing the newly translated COMI, and other validated symptom-specific questionnaires: Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Roland Morris disability scale (RM), and a pain visual analogue scale. All patients completed a second questionnaire within 7-10 days to assess reproducibility. The COMI summary score displayed minimal floor and ceiling effects. On re-test, the responses for each individual domain of the COMI were within 1 category in 98% patients for the domain 'function', 96% for 'symptom-specific well-being', 97% for 'general quality of life', 99% for 'social disability' and 100% for 'work disability'. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC2,1) for COMI pain and COMI summary scores were 0.91-0.96, which compared favourably with the corresponding values for the RM (ICC, 0.99) and ODI (ICC, 0.98). The standard error of measurement for the COMI was 0.6, giving a "minimum detectable change" (MDC95%) of approximately 1.7 points i.e., the minimum change to be considered "real change" beyond measurement error. The COMI scores correlated as hypothesised (Rho, 0.4-0.8) with the other symptom-specific questionnaires. The reproducibility of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the COMI was comparable to that of other language versions. The COMI scores correlated in the expected manner with existing but longer symptom-specific questionnaires suggesting good convergent validity for the COMI. The Brazilian-Portuguese COMI represents a valuable tool for Brazilian study-centres in future multicentre clinical studies and surgical registries.

On the electrical conductivity of Ti-implanted alumina

Ion implantation of metal species into insulators provides a tool for the formation of thin, electrically conducting, surface layers with experimenter-controlled resistivity. High energy implantation of Pt and Ti into alumina accelerator components has been successfully employed to control high voltage surface breakdown in a number of cases. In the work described here we have carried out some basic investigations related to the origin of this phenomenon. By comparison of the results of alumina implanted with Ti at 75 keV with the results of prior investigations of polymers implanted with Pt at 49 eV and Au at 67 eV, we describe a physical model of the effect based on percolation theory and estimate the percolation parameters for the Ti-alumina composite. We estimate that the percolation dose threshold is about 4 x 10(16) cm(-2) and the maximum dose for which the system remains an insulator-conductor composite is about 10 x 10(16) cm(-2). The saturation electrical conductivity is estimated to be about 50 S/m. We conclude that the observed electrical conductivity properties of Ti-implanted alumina can be satisfactorily described by percolation theory. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3697900]

Constraining H-0 in general dark energy models from Sunyaev-Zeldovich/X-ray technique and complementary probes

In accelerating dark energy models, the estimates of the Hubble constant, Ho, from Sunyaev-Zerdovich effect (SZE) and X-ray surface brightness of galaxy clusters may depend on the matter content (Omega(M)), the curvature (Omega(K)) and the equation of state parameter GO. In this article, by using a sample of 25 angular diameter distances of galaxy clusters described by the elliptical beta model obtained through the SZE/X-ray technique, we constrain Ho in the framework of a general ACDM model (arbitrary curvature) and a flat XCDM model with a constant equation of state parameter omega = p(x)/rho(x). In order to avoid the use of priors in the cosmological parameters, we apply a joint analysis involving the baryon acoustic oscillations (BA()) and the (MB Shift Parameter signature. By taking into account the statistical and systematic errors of the SZE/X-ray technique we obtain for nonflat ACDM model H-0 = 74(-4.0)(+5.0) km s(-1) Mpc(-1) (1 sigma) whereas for a fiat universe with constant equation of state parameter we find H-0 = 72(-4.0)(+5.5) km s(-1) Mpc(-1)(1 sigma). By assuming that galaxy clusters are described by a spherical beta model these results change to H-0 = 6(-7.0)(+8.0) and H-0 = 59(-6.0)(+9.0) km s(-1) Mpc(-1)(1 sigma), respectively. The results from elliptical description are in good agreement with independent studies from the Hubble Space Telescope key project and recent estimates based on the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, thereby suggesting that the combination of these three independent phenomena provides an interesting method to constrain the Bubble constant. As an extra bonus, the adoption of the elliptical description is revealed to be a quite realistic assumption. Finally, by comparing these results with a recent determination for a, flat ACDM model using only the SZE/X-ray technique and BAO, we see that the geometry has a very weak influence on H-0 estimates for this combination of data.