Background and context of the study

This chapter provides the necessary background and context for the study. Australia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have a long history of trade and investment activities between them. Trade and investment have evolved gradually over the years. However, the acceleration of globalisation and the resulting changes taking place in the structure of the world economy have led many small economies such as Australia and the GCC states to engage strategically with their trading partners in order to remain an integral part of the global economy. Australia and GCC started to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA) in 2007 with negotiations slowing down for a number of years. Recently, Australia has shown a strong determination to conclude a successful FTA with the GCC. Such a prospect raises a number of interesting questions regarding the potential benefits of a successful Australia–GCC FTA which is the subject of this research.

Age-specific changes in BMI and BMI distribution among Australian adults using cross-sectional surveys from 1980 to 2008

Background: Research efforts have focused mainly on trends in obesity among populations, or changes in mean body mass index (BMI), without consideration of changes in BMI across the BMI spectrum. Examination of age-specific changes in BMI distribution may reveal patterns that are relevant to targeting of interventions.

Methods: Using a synthetic cohort approach (which matches members of cross-sectional surveys by birth year) we estimated population representative annual BMI change across two time periods (1980 to 1989 and 1995 to 2008) by age, sex, socioeconomic position and quantiles of BMI. Our study population was a total of 27 349 participants from four nationally representative Australian health surveys; Risk Factor Prevalence Study surveys (1980 and 1989), the 1995 National Nutrition Survey and the 2007/8 National Health Survey.

Results: We found greater mean BMI increases in younger people, in those already overweight and in those with lower education. For men, age-specific mean annual BMI change was very similar in the 1980s and the early 2000s (P=0.39), but there was a recent slowing down of annual BMI gain for older women in the 2000s compared with their same-age counterparts in the 1980s (P<0.05). BMI change was not uniform across the BMI distribution, with different patterns by age and sex in different periods. Young adults had much greater BMI gain at higher BMI quantiles, thus adding to the increased right skew in BMI, whereas BMI gain for older populations was more even across the BMI distribution.

Conclusions: The synthetic cohort technique provided useful information from serial cross-sectional survey data. The quantification of annual BMI change has contributed to an understanding of the epidemiology of obesity progression and identified key target groups for policy attention—young adults, those who are already overweight and those of lower socioeconomic status.

Short-period variation of cosmic-ray intensity and ozone density observed in the stratosphere

The energy deposition by slowing-down of energetic ionizing particles in the atmosphere enhances the production of constituent concentration which perturbs and eventually destroys the ozone (OZ) layer. Near the Brazilian anomaly region the cosmic-ray (CR) intensity varies greatly due to the magnetic activity in that region. In order to study these variations, stratospheric balloons were launched to measure, simultaneously, the CR and OZ fluxes in the atmosphere. The Fourier-analysed data collected during the flight on April 22, 1989 show evidences of a short-period variation for both fluxes measured. Attempts to verify the physical mechanisms which associate the CR change with the OZ one are not conclusive due to limited data observed on that event. © 1993 Società Italiana di Fisica.

Shear and rotation in Chaplygin cosmology

We study the effect of shear and rotation on results previously obtained dealing with the application of the spherical collapse model (SCM) to generalized Chaplygin gas (gCg)-dominated universes. The system is composed of baryons and gCg and the collapse is studied for different values of the parameter α of the gCg. We show that the joint effect of shear and rotation is that of slowing down the collapse with respect to the simple SCM. This result is of utmost importance for the so-called unified dark matter models, since the described slowdown in the growth of density perturbations can solve one of the main problems of the quoted models, namely the instability described in previous papers [e.g., H. B. Sandvik, Phys. Rev. D 69, 123524 (2004)] at the linear perturbation level. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Enriquecimento ambiental reduz as alterações astrocitárias e a progressão da doença prion em modelo murino: ensaios morfométricos, estereológicos e comportamentais

Já está bem estabelecido que um estilo de vida sedentário é fator de risco para uma série de doenças crônicas, dentre elas a doença de Alzheimer. A neuropatologia da doença de Alzheimer é caracterizada por depósitos amilóides, perda neuronal, gliose reativa e vacuolização da neurópila. A doença príon tem sido amplamente utilizada como modelo experimental para estudar aspectos celulares e moleculares da neurodegeneração crônica em muito semelhante àquela descrita na doença de Alzheimer. O ambiente empobrecido das gaiolas padrão de laboratório tem sido usado para mimetizar um estilo de vida sedentário enquanto que o ambiente enriquecido tem sido empregado para mimetizar um estilo de vida ativo. Para testar a hipótese de que o ambiente enriquecido pode contribuir para desacelerar o curso temporal da neurodegeneração crônica associada à doença príon em modelo murino induzimos a doença príon em vinte camundongos fêmeas da variedade suíça albina que tinham sido alojadas aos seis meses de idade em ambiente enriquecido (EE) ou em ambiente padrão (SE) durante cinco meses. Após esse peródo foram realizadas cirurgias para injeção estereotáxica intracerebral bilateral de homogendao de cérebro de camundongo normal (NBH, n=10) ou de camundongo com sinais clínicos de doença príon terminal (ME7, n=10). Os animais foram devolvidos as suas gaiolas e condições de alojamento originais formando os seguintes grupos experimentais: NBH SE=5, NBH EE=5, ME7 SE=5, ME7 EE=5. Após três semanas foi iniciado teste semanal empregando o burrowing, uma tarefa sensível ao dano hipocampal e 18 semanas após as inoculações realizou-se os testes de memória de reconhecimento de objetos. Encerrados os testes sacrificou-se os animais realizando-se o processamento histológico do tecido nervoso visando a imunomarcação astrocítica das áreas de interesse. A redução progressiva da atividade de burrowing teve início na décima terceira semana pós injeção no grupo ME7 SE e somente na décima quinta semana no grupo ME7 EE. A habilidade de reconhecer o objeto deslocado no teste de memória espacial foi comprometida no grupo ME7 SE, mas se manteve normal nos demais grupos experimentais. O teste de discriminação entre o objeto novo e o familiar não revelou alterações. As análises quantitativas sem viés dos astrócitos imunomarcados para proteína fibrilar ácida (GFAP) foram realizadas no stratum radiatum de CA3 e na camada polimórfica do giro denteado dorsal. As estimativas estereológicas do número total de astrócitos e do volume do corpo celular revelaram que em CA3 somente ocorre hipertrofia dos corpos celulares em animais dos grupos ME7 SE e ME7 EE em relação aos respectivos controles, sendo o volume médio dos corpos celulares do grupo ME7 EE menor que aquele do grupo ME7 SE. Na camada polimórfica houve significativo aumento do número de astrócitos no grupo ME7 SE em relação ao NBH SE e do grupo NBH EE em relação ao NBH SE. O volume do corpo celular também foi significativamente maior nos grupos ME7 em relação aos respectivos controles dos grupos NBH. As análises morfométricas tridimensionais revelaram importante aumento de volume e área de superfície dos segmentos das árvores astrocíticas nos grupos doentes em comparação aos controles. O enriquecimento ambiental reduziu o aumento de volume dos ramos observado no grupo ME7 e aumentou o número de intersecções dos ramos distais no grupo NBH EE em relação ao NBH SE e nos ramos proximais no grupo ME7 EE em relação ao ME7 SE. O emprego da análise de cluster e discriminante permitiu a identificação dos parâmetros morfométricos que mais contribuíram para a distinção entre os grupos. Para testar a hipótese de existirem subfamílias de astrócitos morfologicamente distintos dentro de cada grupo experimental, foi realizada análise de conglomerados que resultou na formação de duas famílias distintas no grupo NBH SE, três famílias nos grupos NBH EE e ME7 EE e quatro famílias no grupo ME7 SE. As bases celulares e moleculares que conduzem a formação de novas famílias de astrócitos e a neuroproteção associada ao ambiente enriquecido que diminui a velocidade de progressão da doença permanecem por serem investigadas.

Phase I clinical trial of cell therapy in patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: follow-up of up to 3 years

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a major inflammatory disease of the airways and an enormous therapeutic challenge. Within the spectrum of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary emphysema is characterized by the destruction of the alveolar walls with an increase in the air spaces distal to the terminal bronchioles but without significant pulmonary fibrosis. Therapeutic options are limited and palliative since they are unable to promote morphological and functional regeneration of the alveolar tissue. In this context, new therapeutic approaches, such as cell therapy with adult stem cells, are being evaluated.OBJECTIVE This article aims to describe the follow-up of up to 3 years after the beginning of a phase I clinical trial and discuss the spirometry parameters achieved by patients with advanced pulmonary emphysema treated with bone marrow mononuclear cells.METHODS Four patients with advanced pulmonary emphysema were submitted to autologous infusion of bone marrow mononuclear cells. Follow-ups were performed by spirometry up to 3 years after the procedure.RESULTS The results showed that autologous cell therapy in patients having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a safe procedure and free of adverse effects. There was an improvement in laboratory parameters (spirometry) and a slowing down in the process of pathological degeneration. Also, patients reported improvements in the clinical condition and quality of life.CONCLUSIONS Despite being in the initial stage and in spite of the small sample, the results of the clinical protocol of cell therapy in advanced pulmonary emphysema as proposed in this study, open new therapeutic perspectives in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is worth emphasizing that this study corresponds to the first study in the literature that reports a change in the natural history of pulmonary emphysema after the use of cell therapy with a pool of bone marrow mononuclear cells.

Markovian versus non-Markovian stochastic quantization of a complex-action model

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estudo das propriedades elétricas do cobre e alumínio; sobre a força magnética em um imã caindo dentro de um tubo

Magnetic fields can be produced by natural magnets, artificial magnets, and by circulating electric currents in wires and solenoids. An interesting experiment to observe the interaction between the magnetic field and free charges in a conductor, a magnet falling inside a tube made of conductive materials. The slowing down of the magnet by the appearance of a field in the opposite direction to the original one (Lenz's Law) is function the number of free electrons in the conductor and the electrical properties of this. Based on this, the objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between the electrical properties of conductors, copper and aluminum, with magnetic force on a neodymium magnet-iron-boron magnet falling inside a copper tube and aluminum, positioned vertically. In performing this experiment, we observed that it is a demonstration of Lenz-Faraday’s Law

Plano real e a nova realidade brasileira

This paper analyzes the Real Plan and its effects on two administrations of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (FHC), a period which extends from 1995 to 2002. To this end, the study includes a brief review of the problems faced by previous plans, especially the Cruzado Plan and the reasons for the belief that it has been successfull in relation to inflation control. Additionally, seeking to describe the process of moving to the new currency towards stabilization, the paper describes the theoretical foundations of the Plan. In sequence, it defines the backround of both international and domestic monetary reform which was one important part of the Plan and therefore the reasons for the implementation of the monetary reform. Subsequently the paper deals with the effects of the Plan on the economy as a whole, covering also the way the economic measures were taken concerning the Mexican and Asian crisis, the policies used fot the exchange rate, interest rate, fiscal accounts, balance of payments, among other factors and the relationship between them. Hence, it describes the immediate and the long-term consequences of stabilization program in terms of output, employment, public deficit and debt. Therefore, it is important to note the various junctures to which the economy was exposed, and also to point out the challenges and obstacles arising from these changes for growth, which was sometimes fast, sometimes slowing down - the so-called stop and go. Of course, facts as the moving to floating exchange rate regime, the adoption of inflation targeting regime and the adoption of fiscal responsibility law along with the primary surplus policy were able to create a new economic environment and to contribute to later success of the Cardoso years

Hormesis method for increasing oat straw with a view to viability of direct-seeding systems

In conservation agriculture, mainly under direct seeding, maintaining the vegetation ground cover is essential, since this serves as a reservoir of nutrients which are slowly released to plants by microorganisms. Some authors have sought to study increases in the amount of straw in the soil, in addition to slowing down the process of decomposition, with hormesis being one of the techniques used. This technique states that all chemical substances are both poisonous and nonpoisonous, with only the dosage determining whether they are lethal or not. This study aimed to evaluate the dry weight and agronomic characteristics of a crop of black oat subjected to hormesis. The experimental design was of randomised blocks, with 12 treatments and 4 replications, giving a total of 48 experimental lots. The treatments were: Haloxyfop-R Methyl Ester at dosages of 0.625, 1.25 and 2.50 g ha(-1); Glyphosate at dosages of 12.50, 25.00 and 50.00 g ha-1; 2,4-D dimethylamine salt at dosages of 100.00, 200.00 and 300.00 g ha(-1); Alterbane at a dosage of 500.00 g ha(-1); Salicylic acid at a dose of 100 g ha(-1); and a control. It was concluded that for the subdosages under test, the herbicides 2,4-D at medium dosage and Verdict at low dosage were shown to be the best treatments for conserving straw as ground cover under direct seeding.

Propriedades estatísticas de bilhares abertos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Theoretical approaches to liana management: a search for a less harmful method

Lianas can change forest dynamics, slowing down forest regeneration after a perturbation. In these cases, it may be necessary to manage these woody climbers. Our aim was to simulate two management strategies: (1) focusing on abundant liana species and (2) focusing on the largest lianas, and contrast them with the random removal of lianas. We applied mathematical simulations for liana removal in three different vegetation types in southeastern Brazil: a Rainforest, a Seasonal Tropical Forest, and a Woodland Savanna. Using these samples, we performed simulations based on two liana removal procedures and compared them with random removal. We also used regression analysis with quasi-Poisson distribution to test whether larger lianas were aggressive, i.e., if they climbed into many trees. The procedure of cutting larger lianas was as effective as cutting them randomly and proved not to be a good method for liana management. Moreover, most of the lianas climbed into one or two trees, i.e., were not aggressive. Cutting the most abundant lianas proved to be a more effective method than cutting lianas randomly. This method could maintain liana richness and presumably should accelerate forest regeneration.

The Effects of High Pressure on the Point of No Return in Simulated Penalty Kicks

We investigated the effects of high pressure on the point of no return or the minimum time required for a kicker to respond to the goalkeeper's dive in a simulated penalty kick task. The goalkeeper moved to one side with different times available for the participants to direct the ball to the opposite side in low-pressure (acoustically isolated laboratory) and high-pressure situations (with a participative audience). One group of participants showed a significant lengthening of the point of no return under high pressure. With less time available, performance was at chance level. Unexpectedly, in a second group of participants, high pressure caused a qualitative change in which for short times available participants were inclined to aim in the direction of the goalkeeper's move. The distinct effects of high pressure are discussed within attentional control theory to reflect a decreasing efficiency of the goal-driven attentional system, slowing down performance, and a decreasing effectiveness in inhibiting stimulus-driven behavior.

Dynamik unterkühlter Flüssigkeiten in Filmen und Röhren

GERMAN:Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit soll der Einfluß einerräumlichen Beschränkung auf die Dynamik einer unterkühltenFlüssigkeit charakterisiert werden. Insbesondere sollgeklärt werden, welche Rolle die Kooperativität derTeilchenbewegung bei niedrigen Temperaturen spielt. Hierzuuntersuchen wir mit Hilfe einer Molekulardynamik-Computersimulation die dynamischen Eigenschaften eineseinfachen Modellglasbildners, einer binäre Lennard-Jones-Flüssigkeit, für Systeme mit unterschiedlichen Geometrienund Wandarten. Durch geschickte Wahl der Wandpotentiale konnte erreichtwerden, daß die Struktur der Flüssigkeit mit der im Bulknahezu identisch ist.In Filmen mit glatten Wänden beobachtet man, daß dieDynamik der Flüssigkeit in der Nähe der Wand starkbeschleunigt ist und sich diese veränderte Dynamik bis weitin den Film ausbreitet. Den umgekehrten Effekt erhält man,wenn man eine strukturierte, rauhe Wand verwendet, in derenNähe die Dynamik stark verlangsamt ist.Die kontinuierliche Verlangsamung bzw. Beschleunigung derDynamik vom Verhalten an der Oberfläche zum Bulkverhaltenin genügend großem Abstand zur Wand können wirphänomenologisch beschreiben. Hieraus kann mancharakteristische dynamische Längenskalen ablesen, die mitsinkender Temperatur kontinuierlich anwachsen, d.h. derBereich, in dem die Existenz der Wand einen (indirekten)Einfluß auf die Dynamik eines Flüssigkeitsteilchens hat,breitet sich immer weiter aus. Man kann daher vonBereichen kooperativer Bewegung sprechen, die mit sinkenderTemperatur anwachsen.Unsere Untersuchungen von Röhren zeigen, daß aufgrund desstärkeren Einflusses der Wände die beobachteten Effektegrößer sind als in Filmgeometrie. Bei Reduzierung derSystemgröße zeigen sich immer größere Unterschiede zumBulkverhalten.

Role of caveolin-1 in the proliferation of solid tumours in vitro

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), the essential structural constituent of caveolae, which are flask-shaped invaginations of the plasma membrane, has been found to play a key role in the modulation of cell proliferation and cancer development. It seems to act as an oncosuppressor or a promoter of growth, depending on the histotype, stage and grade of each tumour. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of Caveolin-1 gene silencing on the proliferation of human lung cancer and osteosarcoma in vitro. Our data show that Cav-1 silencing blocks the growth in both metastatic lung cancer cell lines analyzed, suggesting a proliferation promoting action of the protein in these cells. A marked decrease of phospho-Akt, phospho-ERK, STAT3, cyclin D1, CDK4 and consequently of phospho-Rb expression was evident in the cells treated with Cav-1 siRNA. With regards to osteosarcoma, we demonstrated that the suppression of Cav-1 results in the blocking of MG-63 and in the slowing down of HOS proliferation, suggesting a role for Cav-1 as a promoter of tumour growth in these cell lines. A marked decrease of phospho-Akt, cyclin E, CDK2 and phospho-Rb and an increase of p21 expression levels were evident in the cells treated with Cav-1 siRNA. Our results suggest two new cell cycle inhibiting pathways, mediated by Cav-1 knock-down, and provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the tumour-promoting role of Cav-1 in lung cancer and osteosarcoma. In this work we also investigated the role of estrogens in lung cancer and the functional cross-talk between Cav-1 and estrogens/estrogen receptors in it. Our results show that 17β-estradiol induces proliferation either in RAL or in SCLC-R1 cells and that both cell lines are sensitive to 4-OHT antiproliferative effect. The sensitivity to estrogen stimulation seems to be gender- and/or histological type-independent in metastatic lung cancer in vitro.