Distribution of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in atherosclerotic carotid arteries: significance for sampling procedures

Despite extensive efforts to confirm a direct association between Chlamydia pneumoniae and atherosclerosis, different laboratories continue to report a large variability in detection rates. In this study, we analyzed multiple sections from atherosclerotic carotid arteries from 10 endartectomy patients to determine the location of C. pneumoniae DNA and the number of sections of the plaque required for analysis to obtain a 95% confidence of detecting the bacterium. A sensitive nested PCR assay detected C. pneumoniae DNA in all patients at one or more locations within the plaque. On average, 42% (ranging from 5 to 91%) of the sections from any single patient had C. pneumoniae DNA present. A patchy distribution of C. pneumoniae in the atherosclerotic lesions was observed, with no area of the carotid having significantly more C. pneumoniae DNA present. If a single random 30-mum-thick section was tested, there was only a 35.6 to 41.6% (95% confidence interval) chance of detecting C. pneumoniae DNA in a patient with carotid artery disease. A minimum of 15 sections would therefore be required to obtain a 95% chance of detecting all true positives. The low concentration and patchy distribution of C. pneumoniae DNA in atherosclerotic plaque appear to be among the reasons for inconsistency between laboratories in the results reported.

A modified Weibull distribution

A new lifetime distribution capable of modeling a bathtub-shaped hazard-rate function is proposed. The proposed model is derived as a limiting case of the Beta Integrated Model and has both the Weibull distribution and Type I extreme value distribution as special cases. The model can be considered as another useful 3-parameter generalization of the Weibull distribution. An advantage of the model is that the model parameters can be estimated easily based on a Weibull probability paper (WPP) plot that serves as a tool for model identification. Model characterization based on the WPP plot is studied. A numerical example is provided and comparison with another Weibull extension, the exponentiated Weibull, is also discussed. The proposed model compares well with other competing models to fit data that exhibits a bathtub-shaped hazard-rate function.

Trichostome ciliates from Australian marsupials. IV. Distribution of the ciliate fauna

Trichostome ciliates are associated with many different lineages of herbivorous mammals but there are few comparative studies of these associations in each lineage of herbivores. Here the occurrence of the ciliate fauna in a range of herbivorous marsupials (diprotodonts) is investigated and compared with that of ruminants. A total of 371 potential host animals, representing 33 species and 7 families, were examined for the presence of ciliates. The prevalence of endocommensal ciliates within individual host species varied between 0 and 100%. Of the different dietary groups of marsupials examined, only foregut (macropodids) and hindgut (vombatids) fermentative herbivores were found to harbour ciliates; carnivorous (dasyurids), omnivorous (peramelids) and midgut fermenting herbivores (phalangeroids) all lacked ciliates. The majority of ciliate species were oioxenic, several occurred in closely related hosts and some were able to colonise unnatural hosts in captive populations. Ciliate prevalences were found to vary at all levels: between hosts of different species, between conspecific hosts collected at different localities or seasons and between conspecific hosts at one collecting locality. The faunal composition of the 2 marsupial families which harboured ciliates differed greatly: the vombatid fauna was composed exclusively of amylovoracids whereas the macropodids harboured amylovoracids, polycostids and macropodiniids. In comparison to the ciliate fauna of ruminants, the fauna of macropodids is both depauperate and much more host specific. Low species richness in each host may be due to the large numbers of stomach nematodes in macropodids which compete with and may prey upon the ciliates within the stomach. The high levels of host specificity are probably due to different patterns of ciliate transmission in macropodids as they do not ruminate, eructate or feed indiscriminantly on pasture contaminated with saliva containing ciliates.

Distribution of Sugarcane mosaic virus in sugarcane plants

Variation in the concentration of virus in different parts of the plant has implications for virus-indexing programs. To allow more reliable detection of Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), the distribution of the virus in sugarcane plants after artificial inoculation was studied using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. Leaves of susceptible and moderately resistant sugarcane were mechanically inoculated with SCMV 6 weeks after planting. Weekly for 8 weeks after inoculation, plants were examined for mosaic symptoms and samples of leaves, roots and tillers were tested by RT-PCR to detect virus. SCMV moved from the point of inoculation to younger leaves, roots and tillers and eventually to leaves that emerged prior to inoculation. The pattern of SCMV distribution in moderately resistant and susceptible cultivars was not substantially different. However, the virus moved more slowly in the moderately resistant than in the susceptible cultivar. Young leaves proved to be the most suitable tissue for testing.

Activation energy distribution of thermal annealing of a bituminous coal

A bituminous coal was pyrolyzed in a nitrogen stream in an entrained flow reactor at various temperatures from 700 to 1475 degreesC. Char samples were collected at different positions along the reactor. Each collected sample was oxidized nonisothermally in a TGA for reactivity determination. The reactivity of the coal char was found to decrease rapidly with residence time until 0.5 s, after which it decreased only slightly. On the bases of the reactivity data at various temperatures, a new approach was utilized to obtaining the true activation energy distribution function for thermal annealing without the assumption of any distribution function form or a constant preexponential factor. It appears that the true activation energy distribution function consists of two separate parts corresponding to different temperature ranges, suggesting different mechanisms in different temperature ranges. Partially burnt coal chars were also collected along the reactor when the coal was oxidized in air at various temperatures from 700 to 1475 degreesC. The collected samples were analyzed for the residual carbon content and the specific reaction rate was estimated. The characteristic time of thermal deactivation was compared with that of oxidation under realistic conditions. The characteristic times were found to be close to each other, indicating the importance of thermal deactivation during combustion of the coal studied.

New species of Bakeriella (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from the New World and new data on geographic distribution

Bakeriella lata sp. nov. (Brazil, Rond��nia), Bakeriella aurata sp. nov. (Brazil, Amazonas) and Bakeriella sulcaticeps sp. nov. (Brazil, Amazonas) are described and illustrated. New geographic records and variation data for B. cristata Evans, 1964, B. floridana Evans, 1964, B. flavicornis Kieffer, 1910, B. incompleta Azevedo, 1994, B. mira Evans, 1997, B. montivaga (Kieffer, 1910), B. olmeca Evans, 1964 and B. subcarinata Evans, 1965 are provided. The male of B. incompleta is described for the first time.

A geografia dos acidentes de tr��nsito na Regi��o Metropolitana da Grande Vit��ria (RMGV) ��� ES

Esta disserta����o aborda a espacializa����o dos acidentes de tr��nsito notificados entre os anos de 2005 e 2013 nos munic��pios de Fund��o, Serra, Vit��ria, Cariacica, Vila Velha, Viana e Guarapari, que juntos comp��em a Regi��o Metropolitana da Grande Vit��ria (RMGV). Para o cumprimento deste prop��sito, realizou-se um diagn��stico temporal e espacial dos acidentes de tr��nsito ocorridos nessa regi��o, analisando-se o acelerado crescimento da frota veicular, a situa����o da atual infraestrutura vi��ria e o crescimento demogr��fico. Al��m disso, foram listadas as principais vari��veis de risco respons��veis por ocasionar acidentes de tr��nsito. Quanto �� fundamenta����o te��rica, foi constru��da a partir da Geografia dos Transportes, que forneceu subs��dios para contextualizar a import��ncia da an��lise espacial geogr��fica sobre o fen��meno aqui tratado. Na sequ��ncia, estimaram-se os custos gerados por esse fen��meno, chegando �� cifra de mais de R$ 900 milh��es de custos associados aos acidentes de tr��nsito da RMGV em 2013. Utilizando-se de t��cnicas de geoestat��stica e de geoprocessamento, identificaram-se as ��reas de concentra����o de acidentes de tr��nsito na RMGV, conforme as tipologias de colis��es e choques, capotamentos e tombamentos e atropelamentos. Logrou-se, como conclus��o, que 1) al��m do crescimento em quantidade e concentra����o das ocorr��ncias, houve tamb��m, no decorrer da s��rie hist��rica, o espraiamento dos registros de acidentes de tr��nsito na RMGV, e 2) os acidentes, conforme sua tipologia, concentram-se em diferentes ��reas da regi��o estudada.

Qualidade fisiol��gica de sementes e diversidade gen��tica de maracujazeiros cultivados em diferentes altitudes no Esp��rito Santo

O maracujazeiro pertence �� fam��lia Passifloraceae e ao g��nero Passiflora que �� o mais importante economicamente. Altitudes entre 100 a 900 m s��o indicadas para o plantio do maracujazeiro e estudos sobre localiza����es geogr��ficas distintas possibilitam express��es do gen��tipo, influenciadas pelas condi����es ambientais. O gradiente altitudinal influencia a distribui����o da varia����o gen��tica dentro e entre popula����es de plantas e a diversidade gen��tica muda com a altitude. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade fisiol��gica de sementes e a diversidade gen��tica de maracujazeiros cultivados em diferentes altitudes do Esp��rito Santo. Para avalia����o da qualidade fisiol��gica das sementes, os frutos de Passiflora spp. maduros foram colhidos em pomares localizados em altitudes baixa (0-100 m), m��dia (>100 at�� 600 m) e alta (>600 m) de diferentes munic��pios do Esp��rito Santo. Os tratamentos pr��-germinativos nas sementes foram: T1- escarifica����o f��sica, feita manualmente com lixa d����gua n�� 120; T2- tratamento com ��cido giber��lico (GA3) na concentra����o de 500 mg L-1 com embebi����o por 24 horas e T3- sementes sem escarifica����o realizados nas sementes em laborat��rio e em casa de vegeta����o. Foi avaliado o envelhecimento acelerado tradicional, envelhecimento acelerado com satura����o salina e deteriora����o controlada em sementes de maracuj�� amarelo sem escarifica����o localizado em alta altitude e as condi����es que apresentaram menor deteriora����o das sementes para aplica����o ��s demais esp��cies e altitudes com os respectivos tratamentos pr��-germinativos que apresentaram maiores valores de germina����o e vigor em laborat��rio e em casa de vegeta����o. Assim, para as sementes do maracuj�� amarelo utilizou-se o tratamento sem escarifica����o, para sementes de maracuj�� roxo, a escarifica����o f��sica e para as sementes de maracuj�� doce, o tratamento com ��cido giber��lico. O teste de envelhecimento acelerado com satura����o salina a 43 ��C por 72 horas e deteriora����o controlada a 25% de umidade expostas por 24 horas diferencia as esp��cies nas diferentes altitudes. Sementes de maracuj�� amarelo e sementes localizadas em alta altitude apresentam qualidade fisiol��gica superior. Para a avalia����o da diversidade gen��tica foram utilizadas folhas jovens de cinco plantas matrizes de Passiflora edulis Sims f. flavicarpa Degener, P. edulis Sims e P. alata Curtis cultivadas em tr��s altitudes (baixa, m��dia e alta) do Esp��rito Santo. Para SSR foi encontrado baixo n��mero de alelos, alta heterozigosidade esperada e altos valores de PIC e para a an��lise ISSR detectou um elevado n��mero de bandas por primer e alto polimorfismo. H�� maior similaridade gen��tica entre P. edulis f. flavicarpa Deg. e P. edulis. Passiflora alata apresenta maior dist��ncia gen��tica em rela����o ��s esp��cies. As popula����es de baixa altitude se diferenciam das demais independente da esp��cie e do marcador utilizado.

Caracteriza����o de isolados de Corynespora cassiicola e avalia����o da sensibilidade in vitro a fungicidas

Tese (doutorado)���Universidade de Bras��lia, Instituto de Ci��ncias Biol��gicas, Departamento de Fitopatologia, Programa de P��s-Gradua����o em Fitopatologia, 2015.

Fiber average size and distribution dependence on the electrospinning parameters of poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene)) membranes for biomedical applications

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoethylene) electrospun membranes were obtained from a blend of dimethylformamide (DMF) and methylethylketone (MEK) solvents. The inclusion of the MEK to the solvent system promotes a faster solvent evaporation allowing complete polymer crystallization during the jet travelling between the tip and the grounded collector. Several processing parameters were systematically changed to study their influence on fiber dimensions. Applied voltage and inner needle diameter do not have large influence on the electrospun fiber average diameter but in the fiber diameter distribution. On the other hand, the increase of the distance between the needle tip to collector results in fibers with larger average diameter. Independently on the processing conditions, all mats are produced in the electroactive phase of the polymer. Further, MC-3T3-E1cell adhesion was not inhibited by the fiber mats preparation, indicating their potential use for biomedical applications.

Influence of electrospinning parameters on Poly(hydroxybutyrate) electrospun membranes fiber size and distribution

Poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) obtained from sugar cane was dissolved in a blend of chloroform and dimethylformamide (DMF) and electrospun at 40 ��C. By adding DMF to the solution, the electrospinning process for the PHB polymer becomes more stable, allowing complete polymer crystallization during the jet travelling between the tip and the grounded collector. The influence of processing parameters on fiber size and distribution was systematically studied. It was observed that an increase of tip inner diameter promotes a decrease of the fiber average size and a broader distribution. On the other hand, an increase of the electric field and flow rate produces an increase of fiber diameter until a maximum of ~2.0 ���m, but for electric fields higher than 1.5 kV.cm-1, a decrease of the fiber diameter was observed. Polymer crystalline phase seems to be independent of the processing conditions and a crystallinity degree of 53 % was found. Moreover, thermal degradation of the as-spun membrane occurs in single step degradation with activation energy of 91 kJ/mol. Furthermore, MC-3T3-E1 cell adhesion was not inhibited by the fiber mats preparation, indicating their potential use for biomedical applications.

Uniformity of liquid distribution in the canopy of the bean plant, using the spectrophotometric analysis

Fungal diseases are important factors limiting common bean yield. White mold is one of the main diseases caused by soil pathogens. The objective of this study was to quantify the distribution of a fungicide solution sprayed into the canopy of bean plants by spectrophotometry, using a boom sprayer with and without air assistance. The experiment was arranged in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial (two types of nozzles, two application rates, and air assistance on and off) randomized block design with four replications. Air assistance influenced the deposition of solution on the bean plant and yield increased significantly with the increased rate of application and air assistance in the boom sprayer.