Biting activity of Aedes scapularis (Rondani) and Haemagogus mosquitoes in Southern Brazil (Diptera: Culicidae)

The biting activity of a population of Aedes scapularis (Rondani), Haemagogus capricornii Lutz and Hg. leucocelaenus (Dyar and Shannon) in Southern Brazil was studied between March 1980 and April 1983. Data were obtained with 25-hour human bait catches in three areas with patchy residual forests, named "Jacaré-Pepira", "Lupo" Farm, and "Sta. Helena" Farm, in the highland region of S. Paulo State (Brazil). Data obtained on Ae. scapularis were compared with those formerly gathered in the "Ribeira'' Valley lowlands, and were similar, except in the "Lupo" Farm study area, where a precrepuscular peak was observed, not recorded at the "Jacaré-Pepira" site or in the "Ribeira" Valley. In all the areas this mosquito showed diurnal and nocturnal activity, but was most active during the evening crepuscular period. These observations support the hypothesis about the successful adaptation of Ae. scapularis to man-made environments and have epidemiological implications that arise from it. As for Haemagogus, results obtained on the "Lupo" and "Sta. Helena" regions agree with previous data obtained in several other regions and show its diurnal activity. The proximity of "Lupo" Farm, where Hg. capricornii and Hg. leucocelaenus showed considerable activity, to "Araraquara" city where Aedes aegypti was recently found, raises some epidemiological considerations about the possibility of urban yellow fever resurgence.

Studies in search of a suitable experimental insect model for xenodiagnosis of hosts with Chagas' disease: 3 - On the interaction of vector species and parasite strain in the reaction of bugs to infection by Trypanosoma cruzi

The reaction of nine vector species of Chagas' disease to infection by seven different Trypanosoma cruzi strains; Berenice, Y, FL, CL, S. Felipe, Colombiana and Gávea, are examined and compared. On the basis of the insects' ability to establish and maintain the infection, vector species could be divided into two distinct groups which differ in their reaction to an acute infection by T. cruzi. While the proportion of positive bugs was found to be low in Triatoma infestans and Triatoma dimidiata it was high, ranging from 96.9% to 100% in the group of wild (Rhodnius neglectus, Triatoma rubrovaria)and essentially sylvatic vectors in process of adaptation to human dwellings, maintained under control following successful insecticidal elimination of Triatoma infestans (Panstrongylus megistus, Triatoma sordida and Triatoma pseudomaculata). An intermediate position is held by Triatoma brasiliensis and Rhodnius prolixus. This latter has been found to interchange between domestic and sylvatic environments. The most important finding is the strikingly good reaction between each species of the sylvatic bugs and practically all T. cruzi strains herein studied, thus indicating that the factors responsible for the excellent reaction of P.megistus to infection by Y strain, as previously reported also come into operation in the reaction of the same vector species to acute infections by five of the remaining T.cruzi strains. Comparison or data reported by other investigators with those herein described form the basis of the discussion of Dipetalogaster maximus as regards its superiority as a xenodiagnostic agent.

Limiting Internal Supply Voltage Spikes in DC-DC Converters

Implementing monolithic DC-DC converters for low power portable applications with a standard low voltage CMOS technology leads to lower production costs and higher reliability. Moreover, it allows miniaturization by the integration of two units in the same die: the power management unit that regulates the supply voltage for the second unit, a dedicated signal processor, that performs the functions required. This paper presents original techniques that limit spikes in the internal supply voltage on a monolithic DC-DC converter, extending the use of the same technology for both units. These spikes are mainly caused by fast current variations in the path connecting the external power supply to the internal pads of the converter power block. This path includes two parasitic inductances inbuilt in bond wires and in package pins. Although these parasitic inductances present relative low values when compared with the typical external inductances of DC-DC converters, their effects can not be neglected when switching high currents at high switching frequency. The associated overvoltage frequently causes destruction, reliability problems and/or control malfunction. Different spike reduction techniques are presented and compared. The proposed techniques were used in the design of the gate driver of a DC-DC converter included in a power management unit implemented in a standard 0.35 mu m CMOS technology.

Malaria transmission model for different levels of acquired immunity and temperature-dependent parameters (vector)

OBJECTIVE: Describe the overall transmission of malaria through a compartmental model, considering the human host and mosquito vector. METHODS: A mathematical model was developed based on the following parameters: human host immunity, assuming the existence of acquired immunity and immunological memory, which boosts the protective response upon reinfection; mosquito vector, taking into account that the average period of development from egg to adult mosquito and the extrinsic incubation period of parasites (transformation of infected but non-infectious mosquitoes into infectious mosquitoes) are dependent on the ambient temperature. RESULTS: The steady state equilibrium values obtained with the model allowed the calculation of the basic reproduction ratio in terms of the model's parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The model allowed the calculation of the basic reproduction ratio, one of the most important epidemiological variables.

A DC-DC Step-Up mu-Power Converter for Energy Harvesting Applications, Using Maximum Power PointTracking, Based on Fractional Open Circuit Voltage

A DC-DC step-up micro power converter for solar energy harvesting applications is presented. The circuit is based on a switched-capacitorvoltage tripler architecture with MOSFET capacitors, which results in an, area approximately eight times smaller than using MiM capacitors for the 0.131mu m CMOS technology. In order to compensate for the loss of efficiency, due to the larger parasitic capacitances, a charge reutilization scheme is employed. The circuit is self-clocked, using a phase controller designed specifically to work with an amorphous silicon solar cell, in order to obtain themaximum available power from the cell. This will be done by tracking its maximum power point (MPPT) using the fractional open circuit voltage method. Electrical simulations of the circuit, together with an equivalent electrical model of an amorphous silicon solar cell, show that the circuit can deliver apower of 1132 mu W to the load, corresponding to a maximum efficiency of 66.81%.

A Step-up mu-Power Converter for Solar Energy Harvesting Applications, using Hill Climbing Maximum Power Point Tracking

This paper presents a step-up micro-power converter for solar energy harvesting applications. The circuit uses a SC voltage tripler architecture, controlled by an MPPT circuit based on the Hill Climbing algorithm. This circuit was designed in a 0.13 mu m CMOS technology in order to work with an a-Si PV cell. The circuit has a local power supply voltage, created using a scaled down SC voltage tripler, controlled by the same MPPT circuit, to make the circuit robust to load and illumination variations. The SC circuits use a combination of PMOS and NMOS transistors to reduce the occupied area. A charge re-use scheme is used to compensate the large parasitic capacitors associated to the MOS transistors. The simulation results show that the circuit can deliver a power of 1266 mu W to the load using 1712 mu W of power from the PV cell, corresponding to an efficiency as high as 73.91%. The simulations also show that the circuit is capable of starting up with only 19% of the maximum illumination level.

Diptera of sanitary importance associated with composting of biosolids in Argentina

OBJECTIVE: Odorous compounds produced at the biosolids composting plant in Bariloche (NW Patagonia) attract a variety of insects, mainly belonging to the order Diptera. In order to characterize these flies, collected specimens were taxonomically identified, their community characteristics were described and their sanitary and synanthropic importance and autochthonous or introduced character were determined. METHODS: Sampling was performed from October 1999 until March 2000. Adults were collected using an entomological net, and larvae and puparia were obtained from the composting material and incubated to obtain adults. Richness, abundance and sex ratio were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 9 taxa of Diptera were identified: Sarconesia chlorogaster, Phaenicia sericata, Calliphora vicina, Cochliomya macellaria, Ophyra sp, Muscina stabulans, Musca domestica, Sarcophaga sp and Fannia sp. Specimens of Anthomyiidae, Acaliptratae and one larva of Eristalis tenax were also found. Ophyra sp. was the most abundant taxa. All the captured Diptera belonged to introduced taxa. Most of them are considered to be eusynanthropic and/or hemisynanthropic and have sanitary importance as they may cause myiasis and pseudomyiasis. The high number of females registered and the finding of immature stages indicated that flies can develop their complete life cycle on biosolid composting windrows. CONCLUSIONS: The characterization of flies obtained in this study may be useful for defining locations of urban or semi-urban composting facilities. It also highlights the importance of sanitary precautions at such plants.

Role of malnutrition and parasite infections in the spatial variation in children’s anaemia risk in Northern Angola

Anaemia has a significant impact on child development and mortality and is a severe public health problem in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Nutritional and infectious causes of anaemia are geographically variable and anaemia maps based on information on the major aetiologies of anaemia are important for identifying communities most in need and the relative contribution of major causes. We investigated the consistency between ecological and individual-level approaches to anaemia mapping, by building spatial anaemia models for children aged ≤15 years using different modeling approaches. We aimed to a) quantify the role of malnutrition, malaria, Schistosoma haematobium and soil-transmitted helminths (STH) for anaemia endemicity in children aged ≤15 years and b) develop a high resolution predictive risk map of anaemia for the municipality of Dande in Northern Angola. We used parasitological survey data on children aged ≤15 years to build Bayesian geostatistical models of malaria (PfPR≤15), S. haematobium, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura and predict small-scale spatial variation in these infections. The predictions and their associated uncertainty were used as inputs for a model of anemia prevalence to predict small-scale spatial variation of anaemia. Stunting, PfPR≤15, and S. haematobium infections were significantly associated with anaemia risk. An estimated 12.5%, 15.6%, and 9.8%, of anaemia cases could be averted by treating malnutrition, malaria, S. haematobium, respectively. Spatial clusters of high risk of anaemia (>86%) were identified. Using an individual-level approach to anaemia mapping at a small spatial scale, we found that anaemia in children aged ≤15 years is highly heterogeneous and that malnutrition and parasitic infections are important contributors to the spatial variation in anemia risk. The results presented in this study can help inform the integration of the current provincial malaria control program with ancillary micronutrient supplementation and control of neglected tropical diseases, such as urogenital schistosomiasis and STH infection.

Cryptosporidiosis occurrence in HIV+ patients attended in a hospital, Brazil

Cryptosporidiosis occurrence was determined in HIV+ patient assisted in the Clinic of Infect-parasitic Diseases in a hospital of Nova Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the period from Juy/1998 to March/1999. In order to research, seventy-five patient, carriers of diarrhea or not, were appraised. The samples of feces were collected and placed in saline solution with formaldehyde (5%). The Modified Ritchie technique was used for the oocysts research, and the smears were stained with Safranine O methylene blue. The results verified 9.33% of positive samples, with higher frequency of cases in patients of the masculine sex from 20 to 50 years old, however without significant difference.

Negotiation mechanism for self-organized scheduling system

This paper presents a negotiation mechanism for Dynamic Scheduling based on Swarm Intelligence (SI). Under the new negotiation mechanism, agents must compete to obtain a global schedule. SI is the general term for several computational techniques which use ideas and get inspiration from the social behaviors of insects and other animals. This work is concerned with negotiation, the process through which multiple selfinterested agents can reach agreement over the exchange of operations on competitive resources.

Collective intelligence on dynamic manufacturing scheduling optimization

Swarm Intelligence (SI) is a growing research field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). SI is the general term for several computational techniques which use ideas and get inspiration from the social behaviours of insects and of other animals. This paper presents hybridization and combination of different AI approaches, like Bio-Inspired Techniques (BIT), Multi-Agent systems (MAS) and Machine Learning Techniques (ML T). The resulting system is applied to the problem of jobs scheduling to machines on dynamic manufacturing environments.

Role of malnutrition and parasite infections in the spatial variation in children’s anaemia risk in northern Angola

Anaemia is known to have an impact on child development and mortality and is a severe public health problem in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated the consistency between ecological and individual-level approaches to anaemia mapping by building spatial anaemia models for children aged ≤15 years using different modelling approaches. We aimed to (i) quantify the role of malnutrition, malaria, Schistosoma haematobium and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) in anaemia endemicity; and (ii) develop a high resolution predictive risk map of anaemia for the municipality of Dande in northern Angola. We used parasitological survey data for children aged ≤15 years to build Bayesian geostatistical models of malaria (PfPR≤15), S. haematobium, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura and predict small-scale spatial variations in these infections. Malnutrition, PfPR≤15, and S. haematobium infections were significantly associated with anaemia risk. An estimated 12.5%, 15.6% and 9.8% of anaemia cases could be averted by treating malnutrition, malaria and S. haematobium, respectively. Spatial clusters of high risk of anaemia (>86%) were identified. Using an individual-level approach to anaemia mapping at a small spatial scale, we found that anaemia in children aged ≤15 years is highly heterogeneous and that malnutrition and parasitic infections are important contributors to the spatial variation in anaemia risk. The results presented in this study can help inform the integration of the current provincial malaria control programme with ancillary micronutrient supplementation and control of neglected tropical diseases such as urogenital schistosomiasis and STH infections.

Monitorização de desreguladores endócrinos em águas

Da crescente necessidade de alimentos e da necessidade de travar a destruição de culturas por animais e insectos foram sintetizados os pesticidas. Por entre uma vasta gama de pesticidas alguns são desreguladores endócrinos o que se traduz num perigo para a saúde humana pois pode despoletar alterações nos seres vivos mesmo em concentrações muito baixas. Devido a diversos factores nomeadamente a lixiviação, ventos e outros agentes ambientais assim como a presença de terrenos agrícolas junto a diversos rios, estes encontram-se contaminados com pesticidas desreguladores endócrinos. O objectivo deste trabalho foi avaliar quais os pesticidas desreguladores endócrinos presentes nas águas de rios da região Norte. Neste trabalho utilizou-se a técnica de microextracção em fase sólida recorrendo a uma fibra de PDMS (100 μm). Para tal as condições de optimização foram testadas nomeadamente a quantidade de NaCl, quantidade de metanol, temperatura do injector e tempo de exposição. Os parâmetros obtidos óptimos foram 0 % de NaCl, tempo de exposição de 45 min, temperatura do injector de 260 ºC e 2,5 % de metanol. Conseguiu-se a separação de todos os pesticidas desreguladores endócrinos com a seguinte programação temperaturas: inicio a 60ºC por um minuto seguido de um aumento de 20 °C/min até aos 200 °C onde permanece por um minuto e de seguida um aumento de 5 °C/min até aos 245 °C onde permanece por 40 min. Fizeram-se curvas de calibração entre 0,01 μg/L e 10 μg/L. Constatou-se no entanto uma falta de reprodutibilidade entre as injecções utilizando esta técnica. Os rios analisados foram o Rio Douro, Rio Tâmega, Ria de Aveiro, Rio Lima, Rio Minho, Rio Sousa, Rio Águeda, Rio Cávado e Rio Leça. No Rio Tâmega foram encontrados os seguintes pesticidas: diazinão, α-HCH, β-HCH, δ-HCH, lindano, HCB, simazina/ atrazina, vinclozolina, alacloro, 2,4-D, malatião, aldrina, bifentrina, metoxicloro e fenvalerato. No rio Douro estão presentes HCB, simazina/ atrazina, vinclozolina, 2,4-D, malatião, aldrina, fenvalerato e deltametrina. No rio Lima encontra-se diazinão, α-HCH, δ-HCH, 2,4-D, HCB, vinclozolina, lindano, simazina/atrazina, alacloro, malatião, aldrina, fenvalerato e deltametrina. No rio Sousa os pesticidas encontrados foram: diazinão, HCB, aldrina, α-HCH, β-HCH, δ-HCH, lindano, simazina/ atrazina, 2,4-D, cipermetrina, alacloro, fenvalerato e malatião. No rio Cávado estão presentes o diazinão, α-HCH, β-HCH, δ-HCH, lindano, HCB, 2,4-D, malatião, metoxicloro, cipermetrina e o fenvalerato. Na ria de Aveiro encontrou-se o diazinão, α-HCH, β-HCH, δ-HCH, lindano, HCB, simazina/atrazina, 2,4-D, Malatião e aldrina. No rio Águeda estão presentes o diazinão, HCB, 2,4-D, aldrina e malatião. E por último no rio Leça esta presente o diazinão, 2,4-D, alacloro, malatião, aldrina, cipermetrina e fenvalerato. A importância deste trabalho reside na demonstração da presença destes pesticidas, desreguladores endócrinos nas águas superficiais da região Norte.

Effect of deworming on hemoglobin concentration in children from 2 to 15 years from the Bengo Province, Angola

The most common causes of anemia are micronutrient deficiencies, but other factors may influence namely inflammation, parasitic infections and inherited disorders. One strategy to combat micronutrient deficiencies is supplementation, yet, in zones with high prevalence of Schistosomiasis or Soil Transmitted Helminthes (STH), supplementation could be not sufficient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of deworming, on hemoglobin concentration, in children from 2 to 15 years, from Bengo.

Shannon entropy analysis of the genome code

This paper studies the chromosome information of twenty five species, namely, mammals, fishes, birds, insects, nematodes, fungus, and one plant. A quantifying scheme inspired in the state space representation of dynamical systems is formulated. Based on this algorithm, the information of each chromosome is converted into a bidimensional distribution. The plots are then analyzed and characterized by means of Shannon entropy. The large volume of information is integrated by averaging the lengths and entropy quantities of each species. The results can be easily visualized revealing quantitative global genomic information.