Thomaz Antônio Gonzaga entre o direito natural e os desmandos do Fanfarrão Minésio: concepções políticas de um fiel vassalo da coroa portuguesa

O intelectual Thomáz Antônio Gonzaga é aqui tema de uma pesquisa aprofundada, mais ainda no que diz respeito às suas concepções políticas filosóficas e às suas atitudes enquanto vassalo da coroa portuguesa, num esforço de reconstruí-lo para a historiografia, já que, a principio, foi enxergado como um revolucionário nacionalista e como um dos maiores adeptos das ideias ilustradas da América portuguesa. Com um olhar mais apurado em seus escritos, principalmente se estes forem analisados dentro de suas respectivas conjunturas e, por outro lado, sem deixar de se considerar um desenvolvimento intelectual e acadêmico linear, é possível conhecer as bases teóricas utilizadas pelo poeta, bases estas adquiridas durante a sua vida. Tanto da época e que foi aluno em Coimbra (e até mesmo antes, estudou com os jesuítas me Salvador), quanto de suas atuações como ouvidor em Vila Rica. Thomáz Antônio Gonzaga e sua filosofia, portanto, vêm representar justamente a presença de concepções que foram de encontro às ideias revolucionárias, demonstrando o quanto fora hibrido esta época de transformações. Como homem de letras e que obtém sua formação acadêmica em Coimbra para exercer depois cargos oficiais em nome da coroa, é, a principio, representativo de um grupo que envolveu-se com a filosofia iluminista para promover um levante em Minas Gerais. Porém, aprofundando a pesquisa em seus escritos filosóficos, principalmente no que aborda em seu Tratado de Direito Natural, identifica-se um intelectual que possuía uma base teórica muito especifica que pouco tinha haver com a filosofia revolucionária.

Associação entre o consumo de oxigênio e as alterações na microcirculação de pacientes pediátricos com choque séptico

Choque séptico é caracterizado por desequilíbrio entre o transporte e o consumo de oxigênio, podendo acarretar hipóxia tecidual. A disfunção microcirculatória, característica cardinal da fisiopatologia do choque séptico, causa má distribuição de fluxo sanguíneo microvascular e, consequentemente, shunt de oxigênio, disóxia tissular e, teoricamente, diminuição no consumo de oxigênio (VO2) pela célula. No presente estudo, foi investigada a associação entre alterações microcirculatórias causadas pela sepse e o consumo de oxigênio em pacientes pediátricos. Dezessete crianças com choque séptico ressuscitadas foram estudadas em quatro momentos durante a internação na unidade de terapia intensiva (dentro de 24, 48 e 72 horas após a admissão ou diagnóstico de choque e após a resolução deste, antes da extubação traqueal). A microcirculação sublingual foi avaliada utilizando o método de imagem Sidestream dark field (SDF) e o VO2 foi calculado através da calorimetria indireta. Outras variáveis hemodinâmicas, como transporte de oxigênio, índice cardíaco, pressão arterial invasiva, lactato arterial e saturação venosa central, foram coletadas. Embora as variáveis hemodinâmicas tenham se mantido em níveis satisfatórios, graves alterações na microcirculação foram visualizadas, especialmente na densidade de vasos pequenos perfundidos (DVPP), na proporção de vasos pequenos perfundidos (PVPP) e no índice de fluxo microvascular (MFI). Foram encontradas assosciações significativas entre o VO2 e os parâmetros da microcirculação: dVO2 e dDVPP (β coefficient= 6,875; p<0,001), dVO2 e dPVPP (β coefficient=92,246; p<0,001) e dVO2 e dMFI (β coefficient=21,213; p<0,001). Não foram encontradas correlações entre as alterações microcirculatórias e as outras variáveis. Em conclusão, este estudo mostrou que pacientes pediátricos com choque séptico apresentaram grave disfunção microvascular e que o fluxo microcirculatório alterado estava associado ao VO2, podendo estar implicado na fisiopatologia da disóxia tecidual da sepse.

睡莲科的花的生物学和生殖形态学研究

最近的一系列分子系统发育分析一致认定睡莲目为3 个最早的被子植物谱系（ 即包括Amborellaceae 、睡莲目和一个由八角目、Trimeniaceae 、 Austrobaileyaceae 组成的分支在内的ANITA）之一，这些研究结果和新近发现的早白垩世时期的睡莲类植物花化石的记录，支持过去长期认为睡莲目代表原始类群的观点。作为睡莲目组成之一的睡莲科，虽然在被子植物分类系统中一直处于关键的核心的系统发育位置，但对于这个科的生殖生物学和生殖形态学的研究还没有得到足够的重视。本文对睡莲科的王莲属、萍蓬草属和睡莲属的花的生物学、 Nuphar microphylla 的胚胎学、睡莲科的花粉形态学、睡莲科的胚珠和种子的发育形态学、以及睡莲科的柱头的形态解剖学开展了深入细致的研究工作。 本文所研究的睡莲科植物的花都具有开花生物钟的特性，在开花时期花器官的开放和闭合呈现有规律的运动。睡莲科的有些种植物（如睡莲属的一些种）的花是白天开放晚上闭合，而另外一些种（如王莲属）的花却是晚上开放白天闭合。睡莲科的不同物种的花的开花天数不同，一般是2 到数天。花大多是雌性先熟的，通常从开花的第二天开始释放花粉。睡莲科的不同属植物在开花时间，花的气味，花的颜色，各种花器官的形状和功能，以及传粉者方面存在很大差异。克鲁兹王莲的花具有大型的，单生的，多数花器官，花器官呈现有规律的开放和闭合运动，雌性先熟，能散发强烈气味，能够改变颜色，温度发生变化等特征。作者认为这些特征是高度特化的，它们适应于昆虫传粉。对Nuphar microphylla 的花的生物学研究支持Lippok 等人的观点：在任何居群，蝇、蜜蜂和甲虫对传粉贡献的相对大小更多地取决于这些昆虫的相对丰富度和可替换食物的多少，而不是取决于旧世界与新世界的萍蓬草属植物之间的雄蕊长度的差异。 本研究首次在Nuphar microphylla 中发现了一种新的4 细胞5 核雌配子体（具有1 个卵细胞，2 个助细胞和1 个具有2 个单倍体核的中央细胞）类型，这种雌配子体通过受精作用将产生三倍体的胚乳。作者认为这种雌配子体可能是最小的性功能单位，代表着被子植物的祖征。 睡莲科是一个具有多形态花粉的科，花粉沟有远极单槽和环槽两种类型。当前研究建议萍蓬草属的远极单槽花粉在睡莲科中是最原始类型。花粉形态学研究支持睡莲科是一个原始类群的观点。在所观察的睡莲科植物中，内珠被都作为一圈圆形的突起被产生，而外珠被是半圆形的，稍后形成兜状，在珠柄的凹面侧没有外珠被。在印度红睡莲、埃及白睡莲、墨西哥黄睡莲、芡实、以及克鲁兹王莲的胚珠的发育后期，珠柄的凹面侧产生不同长度的外珠被，所以它们成熟胚珠的外珠被为杯状。作者认为睡莲科的兜状的外珠被是原始的，杯状的外珠被是进化的。睡莲科的柱头形态高度多样化。睡莲属的柱头表面分布有许多拥挤的多细胞的乳头，萍蓬草属和芡实属的柱头是分泌性的，柱头表面具有单细胞乳突。王莲属柱头表面形成许多不规则的隆起。柱头形态学研究支持睡莲属和Ondinea 具有密切的亲缘关系的观点。

Migratory and within-estuary behaviors of adult Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) in a lagoon system of the southern mid-Atlantic Bight

We monitored the movements of 45 adult Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) between June 2007 and July 2008 through the use of passive acoustic telemetry to elucidate migratory and within-estuary behaviors in a lagoon system of the southern mid-Atlantic Bight. Between 8 June and 10 October 2007, fish resided primarily in the deeper (>3 m) regions of the system and exhibited low levels of large-scale (100s of meters) activity. Mean residence time within this estuarine lagoon system was conservatively estimated to be 130 days (range: 18–223 days), which is 1.5 times longer than the residence time previously reported for Summer Flounder in a similar estuarine habitat ~250 km to the north. The majority of fish remained within the lagoon system until mid-October, although some fish dispersed earlier and some of them appeared to disperse temporarily (i.e., exited the system for at least 14 consecutive days before returning). Larger fish were more likely to disperse before mid-October than smaller fish and may have moved to other estuaries or the inner continental shelf. Fish that dispersed after mid-October were more likely to return to the lagoon system the following spring than were fish that dispersed before mid-October. In 2008, fish returned to the system between 7 February and 7 April. Dispersals and returns most closely followed seasonal changes in mean water temperature, but photoperiod and other factors also may have played a role in large-scale movements of Summer Flounder.

Home range and seasonal movements of Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) during their inshore residency at a reef in the mid-Atlantic Bight

Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) in the mid-Atlantic Bight undertake seasonal cross-shelf movements to occupy inshore rocky reefs and hardbottom habitats between spring and fall. Shelf-wide migrations of this stock are well documented, but movements and home ranges of fish during their inshore residency period have not been described. We tagged 122 Black Sea Bass with acoustic transmitters at a mid-Atlantic reef to estimate home-range size and factors that influence movements (>400 m) at a 46.1-km2 study site between May and November 2003. Activity of Black Sea Bass was greatest and most consistent during summer but declined rapidly in September as water temperatures at the bottom of the seafloor increased on the inner shelf. Black Sea Bass maintained relatively large home ranges that were fish-size invariant but highly variable (13.7–736.4 ha), underscoring the importance of large sample sizes in examination of population-level characteristics of mobile species with complex social interactions. On the basis of observed variations in movement patterns and the size of home ranges, we postulate the existence of groups of conspecifics that exhibit similar space-use behaviors. The group of males released earlier in the tagging period used larger home ranges than the group of males released later in our study. In addition, mean activity levels and the probability of movement among acoustic stations varied among groups of fish in a complex manner that depended on sex. These differences in movement behaviors may increase the vulnerability of male fish to passive fishing gears, further exacerbating variation in exploitation rates for this species among reefs.

Long-term response of Torrey pine to coastal climate: precipitation, temperature, and fog

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana Parry ex Carr.) has one of the most limited geographical ranges and population size in the Pinus genus; it is present only on Santa Rosa Island and on the coast between San Diego and Del Mar, where our research was conducted. A 168-year chronology (1827-1994) was developed using 28 increment cores extracted from 15 living and 2 dead stranding trees at Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California. ... The spatial correlation with western North America winter and spring precipitation, as well as with published tree-ring chronologies, indicates a connection with the American Southwest. Global correlation maps with winter sea level pressure and sea surface temperature are consistent with the hypothesis that San Diego precipitation is affected by a southerly displaced North Pacific storm track and by warmer water farther south, both leading to higher transport of lower latitude moisture.

Redesigning the design process through interactive simulation: A case study of life-cycle engineering in jet engine conceptual design

Many aerospace companies are currently making the transition to providing fully-integrated product-service offerings in which their products are designed from the outset with life-cycle considerations in mind. Based on a case study at Rolls-Royce, Civil Aerospace, this paper demonstrates how an interactive approach to process simulation can be used to support the redesign of existing design processes in order to incorporate life-cycle engineering (LCE) considerations. The case study provides insights into the problems of redesigning the conceptual stages of a complex, concurrent engineering design process and the practical value of process simulation as a tool to support the specification of process changes in the context of engineering design. The paper also illustrates how development of a simulation model can provide significant benefit to companies through the understanding of process behaviour that is gained through validating the behaviour of the model using different design and iteration scenarios. Keywords: jet engine design; life-cycle engineering; LCE; process change; design process simulation; applied signposting model; ASM. Copyright © 2011 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Gardening the genome: DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

DNA methylation has two essential roles in plants and animals - defending the genome against transposons and regulating gene expression. Recent experiments in Arabidopsis thaliana have begun to address crucial questions about how DNA methylation is established and maintained. One cardinal insight has been the discovery that DNA methylation can be guided by small RNAs produced through RNA-interference pathways. Plants and mammals use a similar suite of DNA methyltransferases to propagate DNA methylation, but plants have also developed a glycosylase-based mechanism for removing DNA methylation, and there are hints that similar processes function in other organisms.