An adaptive view of caste differentiation in the neotropical wasp Polybia (Trichothorax) sericea Olivier (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The muscular organization of the stomach of Capybaira (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris): an architectural view

Twenty-two stomachs from adult capybaras were used in this study, and an acid digestion mesoscopic technique was pursued using different concentrations of nitric acid to observe the muscular organization of the stomach. The capybara's stomach possessed a muscular coat composed of four layers or strata: external longitudinal, external oblique, circular and internal oblique. Also, the cardiac and pyloric sphincter muscles were comprised of three or two different layers, respectively. Furthermore, the internal oblique fibres were observed extending from the cardiac portion of the stomach to the smaller curvature, where they participated in the formation of the Ansa cardiaca together with the external. longitudinal fibres. This muscular architectural arrangement was compared to that in small rodents (rat, hamster, guinea pig), as well as in rabbits and pigs. In conclusion, the stomach of the capybara has a very particular, complex and defined muscular organization that differs from that in other rodents, or domestic animals, in particular, pigs. (c) 2005 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Settling analysis of MOS regulated current mirrors applied to micropower D/A converters

This paper provides an insight to the trade-off between settling time and power consumption in regulated current mirrors as building parts in micropower current-switching D/A converters. The regulation-loop frequency characteristic is obtained and difficulties to impose a dominant-pole condition to the resulting 2nd-order system are evaluated. Raising pole frequencies in micropower circuits, while meeting consumption requirements, is basically limited by parasitic capacitances. For such cases, an alternative is to impose a twin-pole condition in which design constraints are somewhat relieved and settling slightly improved. Relationships between pole frequencies, transistor geometry and bias are established and design guidelines for regulated current mirrors founded. By placing loop-transistors in either weak or strong inversion, small (W/L) ratios are allowed and stray capacitances reduced. Simulated waveforms suggest a good agreement with theory. The proposed approach applied to the design of a micropower current-mode D/A converter improves both simulated and experimental settling performance.

The Ringed Kingfisher, Ceryle or Megaceryle torquata (Cerylinae, Alcedinidae, Coraciiformes)? An osteological view

In spite of the unquestionable monophyly of die Cerylinae subfamily, there are divergences in considering Megaceryle torquata in die genera Megaceryle or Ceryle. In order to address the question, here is a comparative osteological study between M. torquata and C. rudis, as well as with the other Megaceryle species and Chloroceryle. The findings showed more osteological similarities between M. torquata and the other Megaceryle species, differing considerably of C. rudis. Also, the data have permited the identification of the genus Megaceryle, with most of the characters from the skull. In spite of not having any phylogenetic inference, there are relevant osteological evidences that permit the consideration of M. torquata in the genus Megaceryle and the maintenance of Ceryle only for reception of C. rudis. Accepted 19 June 2006.

Validation of hysteroscopic view in cases of endometrial hyperplasia and cancer in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To validate hysteroscopic view with histology in cases of endometrial hyperplasia and cancer in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB)DESIGN: Retrospective study.(Canadian Task Force classification II-3).SETTING: University teaching hospitals in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and private office in Rio de Janeiro.PATIENTS: Four thousand and fifty-four patients with AUB in whom hysteroscopic views were complete and the histologic result was conclusive.INTERVENTION: Four thousand and fifty-four office hysteroscopies with complete views and conclusive histologic results. The material for histologic examination was obtained through biopsy of the lesion in an outpatient unit or through the resection of the entire lesion in patients who underwent surgery. Histology was considered the gold standard and compared with the hysteroscopic view.MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In the histology of the 4054 examinations, 613 (15.2%) were endometrial hyperplasia, and 105 (2.6%) were endometrial cancer. The most frequent hysteroscopic finding was endometrial polyps (31.2%). In endometrial hyperplasia, the sensitivity of the hysteroscopic view was 56.3% (95% CI 52.21-60.2%), specificity was 89.1% (95% CI 88.0%-90.1%), positive predictive value (PPV) was 48.0% (95% CI 44.3%-51.7%), negative predictive value (NPV) was 92.0% (95% Cl 90.1%-92.9%), and accuracy was 72.7% (95% CI 70.7%-74.7%). Accuracy was defined as the proportion of correct results among the hysteroscopic examinations. In endometrial cancer, the sensitivity of the hysteroscopic view was 80.0% (95% Cl 71.1%-87.2%), specificity was 99.5% (95% CI 99.2%-99.7%), PPV was 81.5% (95% Cl 72.7%-88.5%), NPV was 99.5% (95% CI 99.2%-99.7%), and accuracy was 89.8% (95% CI, 85.9%-93.6%). In the 814 patients (20.0%) in whom the hysteroscopic view was normal, there were no false negatives for endometrial cancer; however, there were 37 (4.5%) false negatives for endometrial hyperplasia. In the histologic cases of endometrial cancer, 101 (96.2%) hysteroscopic views were compatible with cancer or hyperplasia (80.0% and 16.2%, respectively). Ninety-seven out of 103 hysteroscopic views with cancer findings (94.2%) had histologic diagnosis of cancer or hyperplasia (81.5% and 12.6%, respectively).CONCLUSION: It seems that even in face of good validity of hysteroscopic view for endometrial hyperplasia and cancer, histologic study is mandatory in the presence of any lesion as the hysteroscopic view cannot completely replace the histologic study in patients with AUB. (C) 2006 AAGL. All rights reserved.

Initial Development of Bovine Placentation (Bos indicus) from the Point of View of the Allantois and Amnion

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

The effectiveness of educational practice in diabetic foot: a view from Brazil

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevention and self-inspection behavior of diabetic subjects with foot at ulcer risk, no previous episode, who participated in the routine visits and standardized education provided by the service and who received prescribed footwear. This evaluation was carried out using a questionnaire scoring from 0-10 (high scores reflect worse practice compliance).Results: 60 patients were studied (30 of each sex); mean age was 62 years, mean duration of the disease was 17 years. As for compliance, 90% showed a total score <= 5, only 8.7% regularly wore the footwear supplied; self foot inspection 65%, 28,3% with additional familiar inspection; creaming 77%; proper washing and drying 88%; proper cutting of toe nails 83%; no cuticle cutting 83%; routine shoe inspection 77%; no use of pumice stones or similar abrasive 70%; no barefoot walking 95%.Conclusion: the planned and multidisciplinary educational approach enabled high compliance of the ulcer prevention care needed in diabetic patients at risk for complications. In contrast, compliance observed for the use of footwear provided was extremely low, demonstrating that the issue of its acceptability should be further and carefully addressed. In countries of such vast dimensions as Brazil multidisciplinary educational approaches can and should be performed by the services providing care for patients with foot at risk for complications according to the reality of local scenarios. Furthermore, every educational program should assess the learning, results obtained and efficacy in the target population by use of an adequate evaluation system.

Solid mass falling into the reservoirs shallow water equations validity from the engineering point of view

Water waves generated by a solid mass is a complex phenomenon discussed in this paper by numerical and experimental approaches. A model based on shallow water equations with shocks (Saint Venant) has developed. It can reproduce the amplitude and the energy of the wave quite well, but because it consistently generates a hydraulic jump, it is able to reproduce the profile, in the case of high relative thickness of slide, but in the case of small relative thickness it is unable to reproduce the amplitude of the wave. As the momentum conservation is not verified during the phase of wave creation, a second technique based on discharge transfer coefficient α, is introduced at the zone of impact. Numerical tests have been performed and validated this technique from the experimental results of the wave's height obtained in a flume.

Uses of QCD sumrules (QCDSR) from different points of view

We support the idea that the baryon, B with mass MB, couples to its current with a coupling λ2 B ∼ 0.71 M6 B from an analysis of magnetic moment sum rules. And we find a sum rule among the experimental magnetic moments which is independent of the parameters of QCDSR. © 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Caring for organ donors: The intensive care unit nurses' view

The nursing care for patients who are pronounced brain-dead but kept alive to serve as organ donors demands technical-scientific skills and the ability to handle situations that are often in conflict with the traditional concepts of nursing care. Based on the phenomenological approach in this article, essential themes of the lived experience of caring for these patients, including the technical and specific nursing care, the relationship with organ donors and their families, and the nurses' perception of themselves in this professional situation are described. The results point to the contradictions and ambiguities of this type of nursing, especially in regards to the affective and philosophical aspects.

Technical Progress in Joan Robinson's View: An attempt at systematisation and formalisation

This paper deals with Joan Robinson's contributions to the issue of technical progress and her attempts at treating this subject in accordance with the Keynesian theory of employment and income distribution, mainly in the long run. The paper aims to review this aspect of her work and to establish a systematisation and a formalisation of her approach. At the same time, the paper exposes the problems she faced - but did not always solve. Looking through her main contributions, the paper concludes that she used different criteria for the classification of innovations and that they depended on the specific situations described by the models in which she used the classification.

Origo Vitae: Um diálogo intertextual entre Haroldo de Campos e Gustave Courbet

This work intends to undertake a comparative reading of two works of two different artists: The painting The Origin of the World by Gustave Courbet and the poem Origo Vitae by Haroldo de Campos and, from this reading, to verify how the border between the visible and the invisible may vanish and how, in a process of transcodifying, one mirrors the other in a dialogue that, besides surpassing different codes and times, produces new meanings and elicits a conversation about the act of reading these different codes.

Orientation, building height and sky view factor as energy efficiency design parameters

The energy efficiency of buildings should be a goal at the pre-design phase, though the importance of the design variables is often neglected even during the design process. Highlighting the relevance of these design variables, this research studies the relationships of building location variables with the electrical energy consumption of residential units. The following building design parameters are considered: orientation, story height and sky view factor (SVF). The consideration of the SVF as a location variable contributes to the originality of this research. Data of electrical energy consumption and users' profiles were collected and several variables were considered for the development of an Artificial Neural Network model. This model allows the determination of the relative importance of each variable. The results show that the apartments' orientation is the most important design variable for the energy consumption, although the story height and the sky view factor play a fundamental role in that consumption too. We pointed out that building heights above twenty-four meters do not optimize the energy efficiency of the apartments and also that an increasing SVF can influence the energy consumption of an apartment according to their orientation.

Panoramic view of the occurrence of Yersinia species other than Y. pestis in Brazil

Data on the occurrence of Yersinia species, other than Y. pestis in Brazil are presented. Over the past 40 years, 767 Yersinia strains have been identified and typed by the National Reference Center on Yersinia spp. other than Y. pestis, using the classical biochemical tests for species characterization. The strains were further classified into biotypes, serotypes and phagetypes when pertinent. These tests led to the identification of Yersinia cultures belonging to the species Y. enterocolitica, Y. pseudotuberculosis, Y. intermedia, Y. frederiksenii and Y. kristensenii. Six isolates could not be classified in any of the known Yersinia species and for this reason were defined as Non-typable (NT). The bio-sero-phagetypes of these strains were diverse. The following species of Yersinia were not identified among the Brazilian strains by the classical phenotypic or biochemical tests: Y. aldovae, Y. rhodei, Y. mollaretti, Y. bercovieri and Y. ruckeri. The Yersinia strains were isolated from clinical material taken from sick and/or healthy humans and animals, from various types of food and from the environment, by investigators of various Institutions localized in different cities and regions of Brazil.