Search for supersymmetry using razor variables in events with b-tagged jets in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Correlation between heart rate variability indexes and aerobic physiological variables in patients with COPD

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

Effects of a dexmedetomidine constant rate infusion and atropine on changes in global perfusion variables induced by hemorrhage followed by volume replacement in isoflurane-anesthetized dogs

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

The taxonomic distinctness of macroinvertebrate communities of Atlantic Forest streams cannot be predicted by landscape and climate variables, but traditional biodiversity indices can

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

Macroalgae of a stream in southeastern Brazil: composition, seasonal variation and relation to physical and chemical variables

Macroalgal seasonality was studied monthly in a second-order stream in the north-west of São Paulo State, S.E. Brazil. Seasonal variation was based on frequency and percentage cover. Seven species were found during the study period, three of which ('Chantransia' stage of Sirodotia delicatula, Homoeothrix juliana and Klebsormidium subtile) were encountered throughout the year and showed well-defined seasonal patterns as well as the highest value of frequency and percentage cover. 'Chantransia' and H. juliana dominated in summer and fall, while for K. subtile winter was the most favourable period. The remaining species (Oscillatoria agardhii, Microcoleus subtorulosus, Oedogonium sp. and Chaetophora elegans) had no clear seasonal pattern, in addition to their low values of frequency and percentage cover. Individually, K. subtile correlated with higher number of physical and chemical variables (oxygen, pH, precipitation, temperature, daylength, conductance and turbidity) than 'Chantransia' and H. juliana (discharge and depth). Principal component analyses revealed that no single variable was responsible for the macroalgal seasonal dynamics. The variables most closely related to seasonal variation of the macroalgal community were daylength, precipitation, discharge, turbidity and dissolved oxygen. Precipitation and flow were suggested as key factors in determining seasonality of the macroalgae. © 1991 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Effects of four anaesthetic protocols on the neurological and cardiorespiratory variables of puppies born by caesarean section

Twenty-four bitches which had been in labour for less than 12 hours were randomly divided into four groups of six. They all received 0(.)5 mg/kg of chlorpromazine intravenously as premedication, followed 15 minutes later by either 8 mg/kg of thiopentone intravenously (group 1), 2 mg/kg of ketamine and 0-5 mg/kg of midazolam intravenously (group 2), 5 mg/kg of propofol intravenously (group 3), or 2(.)5 mg/kg of 2 per cent lidocaine with adrenaline and 0(.)625 mg/kg of 0(.)5 per cent bupivacaine with adrenaline epidurally (group 4). Except for group 4, the bitches were intubated and anaesthesia was maintained with enflurane. The puppies' heart and respiratory rates and their pain, sucking, anogenital, magnum and flexion reflexes were measured as they were removed from the uterus. The puppies' respiratory rate was higher after epidural anaesthesia. in general the puppies' neurological reflexes were most depressed after midazolam/ketamine, followed by thiopentone, propofol and epidural anaesthesia.

Effect of concurrent training on gender-specific biochemical variables and adiposity in obese adolescents

Objective The purpose of the present study was to analyze the effects of a 20-week concurrent training (20 WCT) intervention program on gender-specific body composition and metabolic variables in obese adolescents.Subjects and methods Sample was composed of twenty-five obese adolescents, aged between 12 and 15 (13.4 ± 0.96) years. Fat-free mass (FFM), percentage trunk fat mass (TFM%) and percentage fat mass (%FM) were evaluated through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Measurement of intra-abdominal adiposity (IAAT) was performed using ultrasound. Blood pressure was measured and blood samples analyzed for total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), triglycerides (TG) and plasma glucose. All participants performed the concurrent training (combination of weight training and aerobic training) three times per week, one hour per day, for 20 weeks. Descriptive analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures were used to compare baseline, 10 week and 20 week moments using the Bonferroni post-hoc test. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Significant decrease in TC, LDL-c and TFM% were verified in both genders after the 10 initial weeks of concurrent training.Results A significant increase in height was found in both the male and female groups (p = 0.001 and p = 0.047, respectively), after 20 weeks of concurrent training. In addition, several modifications were observed in body composition and metabolic variables, with a significant decrease in BMI (p = 0.002 and p = 0.017), BMI z-score (p = 0.033 and p = 0.004), FM% (p = 0.002 and p = 0.002), TFM% (p = 0.009 and p = 0.018), TC (p = 0.042 and p = 0.001) and LDL-c (p = 0.006 and p = 0.001) in the male and female groups, respectively, after 20 weeks of intervention when compared with baseline.Conclusion Our results identified that concurrent training was an effective intervention for treating metabolic variable and body composition disorders, in both genders, by decreasing adiposity with consequent improvement in BMI and BMI z-scores, and enhancement in lipid profile variables.

Effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on the masticatory muscles and physiologic sleep variables in adults with cerebral palsy: a novel therapeutic approach

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Parâmetros bióticos e abióticos em tanques de piscicultura tratados com macrófita aquática e perifíton

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

Dietary electrolytes and thermal conditioning: minimizing heat stress in broilers

In tropical climates the heat is one of the major constraints to production of broilers and is responsible for inducing a high mortality, especially in the finishing phase. Thus, the objective of this study was to compare the thermal conditioning early (TC) and feed formulation using dietary electrolytes (DE). Therefore, the electrolyte balance of K+Na-Cl was set at 350 mEq/kg and electrolyte ratio (K+Cl)/Na) in the 3:1 program PPFR (http://www.fmva.unesp.br/ppfr). A total of 300 Cobb 500 1-dold male broiler chicks was randomly allocated to 24 floor pens with six replicates per treatment in a 2x2 factorial arrangement (with and without TC and with and without DE). Dietary treatments consisted: (T1) a traditional diet without TC; (T2) traditional diet with TC; (T3) with the application of dietary electrolyte and without TC and (T4) application of dietary electrolyte with TC. The thermal conditioning was conducted at 5 d of age (36°C for 24 h), only half of the batch (150 birds). After this period, all birds were transferred to boxes of 1.5 x3m (12 birds / box), with wood shavings reused as litter. Chicks were exposed to acute stress (36°C) for 8 h at the age 36, in all treatments, being electronically monitored the temperature and humidity of the microclimate of the birds. Feed and water were provided ad libitum, even during periods of stress. Were measured performance data (weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion) and mortality rate. The early thermal conditioning (T2) and effect of dietary electrolytes (T3) were effective to minimize the mortality of broilers subjected to acute heat stress with a significant difference (P<0.05), without prejudice on broiler performance. The results also showed that there was a more favorable effect when applied dietary electrolytes and thermal conditioning simultaneously (treatment T4). However, for the treatment none of these strategies has been applied (T1), the mortality rate was 83% over that in which they were applied (T4). It was concluded from this study that both techniques: the thermal conditioning early as the dietary electrolytes are efficacious in minimize the damaging effects caused by heat broiler.

Influence of morphological variables in photoelastic models with implants submitted to axial loading

Purpose: This study used 12 photoelastics models with different height and thickness to evaluate if the axial loading of 100N on implants changes the morphology of the photoelastic reflection. Methods: For the photoelastic analysis, the models were placed in a reflection polariscope for observation of the isochromatic fringes patterns. The formation of these fringes resulted from an axial load of 100N applied to the midpoint of the healing abutment attached to the implant with 10.0mm x 3.75mm (Conexão, Sistemas de Próteses, Brazil). The tension in each photoelastic model was monitored, photographed and observed using the software Phothoshop 7.0. For qualitative analysis, the area under the implant apex was measured including the green band of the second order fringe of each model using the software Image Tool. After comparison of the areas, the performance generated by each specimen was defined regarding the axial loading. Results: There were alterations in area with different height and thickness of the photoelastic models. It was observed that the group III (30mm in height) presented the smallest area. Conclusion: There was variation in the size of the areas analyzed for different height and thickness of the models and the morphology of the replica may directly influence the result in researches with photoelastic models.

Anxiety and depression in brazilian undergraduate students: the role of sociodemographic variables, undergraduate course characteristics and social skills

The prevalence of anxiety and depression disorders in undergraduate students is high and several variables can be influential. The aim is to verify the predictive value of social skills, sociodemographic variables, and course characteristics for depression and anxiety. A total of 1282 students of a public university, of both sexes and from different years and courses, participated in this study. Screening instruments for depression and anxiety were applied, as well as an instrument investigating social skills and a questionnaire covering socio demographic indicators and course characteristics. The data were analyzed using univariate analysis followed by multiple binary regression analysis in order to define the relevance of these depression and anxiety measures. The rates of anxiety and depression were 19.4% and 3.8%, respectively. The social skills and living situation were predictive of depression, with the social skills and course area (with higher prevalence for the exact and human sciences) remaining in the final model for anxiety. Such data have implications for psychological prevention and intervention with this population.

Modelo de Resposta à Intervenção (RTI) para desenvolvimento das habilidades fonológicas com tutoria instrucional em contexto escolar: elaboração e controle de eficácia

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Minimizing the Number of Optical Amplifiers Needed to Support a Multi-Wavelength Optical LAN/MAN

Optical networks based on passive star couplers and employing wavelength-division multiplexing (WDhf) have been proposed for deployment in local and metropolitan areas. Amplifiers are required in such networks to compensate for the power losses due to splitting and attenuation. However, an optical amplifier has constraints on the maximum gain and the maximum output power it can supply; thus optical amplifier placement becomes a challenging problem. The general problem of minimizing the total amplifier count, subject to the device constraints, is a mixed-integer non-linear problem. Previous studies have attacked the amplifier placement problem by adding the “artificial” constraint that all wavelengths, which are present at a particular point in a fiber, be at the same power level. In this paper, we present a method to solve the minimum amplifier- placement problem while avoiding the equally powered- wavelength constraint. We demonstrate that, by allowing signals to operate at different power levels, our method can reduce the number of amplifiers required in several small to medium-sized networks.

Instrumental activities of daily living performance in healthy and cognitively intact seniors from a Brazilian sample and its relation to age and other socio-demographic variables

Background: Studies on functional capacity in community-dwelling older people have shown associations between declines in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and several factors. Among these, age has been the most consistently related to functional capacity independent of other variables. We aimed at evaluating the performance of a sample of healthy and cognitively intact Brazilian older people on activities of daily living and to analyze its relation to social-demographic variables. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected for previous epidemiological studies with community-dwelling subjects aged 60 years or more. We selected subjects who did not have dementia or depression, and with no history of neurological diseases, heart attack, HIV, hepatitis or arthritis (n = 1,111). Functional capacity was assessed using the Brazilian version of the Older American Resources and Services Questionnaire (BOMFAQ). ADL performance was analyzed according to age, gender, education, and marital status (Pearson's chi(2), logistic regression). Results: IADL difficulties were present in our sample, especially in subjects aged 80 years or more, with lower levels of education, or widowed. The logistic regression analysis results indicated that "higher age" and "lower education" (p <= 0.001) remained significantly associated with IADL difficulty. Conclusions: Functional decline was present in older subjects even in the absence of medical conditions and cognitive impairment. Clinicians and researchers could benefit from knowing what to expect from older people regarding IADL performance in the absence of medical conditions.