Auto perceção do estado de saúde, aptidão física e motivação para a prática de hidroginástica por parte de idosos

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Educação do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco para o cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Atividade Física na especialização de Gerontomotricidade.

Inducción sistémica de la biosintesis de metabolitos secundarios en plantas aromáticas mediada por rizobacterias

El uso de microorganismos como inoculantes para incrementar la disponibilidad y toma de nutrientes por parte de los cultivos, es una nueva tecnología que ha dado buenos resultados, observándose un incremento en la emergencia, vigor, mayor desarrollo en la parte aérea y de raíces, registrándose aumentos considerables de los rendimientos en cultivos de interés comercial. Esto es debido a que los microorganismos PGPR (Plant Growth promoting rhizobacteria) sintetizan ciertas sustancias reguladoras del crecimiento como giberelinas, citoquininas y auxinas; las cuales estimulan la densidad y longitud de los pelos radicales, aumentando así la cantidad y longitud de las raíces de los vegetales. Así, se incrementa la capacidad de absorción de agua y nutrientes, haciendo que las plantas sean más vigorosas, productivas y tolerantes a condiciones climáticas adversas, como sequías o heladas. Otro factor benéfico es que ciertos microorganismos solubilizan nutrientes poco móviles en el suelo como el caso del fósforo, segundo nutriente, después del nitrógeno en importancia para el crecimiento de los cultivos. Estos microorganismos también tienen una función muy importante en el control natural de agentes patógenos, a través de la inducción del sistema de defensa en las plantas, aumentando su resistencia a enfermedades, a través de la producción de compuestos bacterianos como antibióticos y sideróforos. Los variados mecanismos mediante los cuales la acción PGPR se lleva a cabo no son plenamente conocidos y, por lo tanto, es necesario determinar con precisión su efecto particular en la biología de la planta beneficiada. Las plantas aromáticas y medicinales inoculadas con microorganismos (rizobacterias) registran un incremento en varios parámetros de crecimiento vegetal (peso fresco parte aérea, peso seco de raíz, número de hojas, etc) y en el rendimiento de aceite esencial (AE). El aumento de la síntesis, y la variación de los porcentajes relativos de los componentes principales de AE en plantas aromáticas, como efecto de la inoculación, podría considerarse como una respuesta defensiva de la planta frente a la colonización de microorganismos dado que varios AE poseen propiedades antimicrobianas. El incremento de estos metabolitos también se ha registrado como respuesta frente a la herbivoría. En el presente proyecto se propone dilucidar la existencia de una relación entre las defensas inducidas por rizobacterias con la producción de metabolitos secundarios en plantas aromaticas y medicinales.

Handbook for contamination control on the Apollo program.

"NASA issuance NHB 5300.3. Apollo documentation no. RA-027-001-1A."

Explication de cinq chapitres du Deuteronome et des phophéties D'Habacuc et de Jonas.

Mode of access: Internet.

Macro and micro plastics in an urbanized and non-urbanized fjord estuary in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

Senior thesis written for Oceanography 445

Varve data from a sediment profile of Lake Woserin, Germany

Time-series of varve properties and geochemistry were established from varved sediments of Lake Woserin (north-eastern Germany) covering the recent period AD 2010-1923 and the Mid-Holocene time-window 6400-4950 varve years before present (vyr BP) using microfacies analyses, X-ray fluorescence scanning (µ-XRF), microscopic varve chronology and 14C dating. The microscopic varve chronology was compared to a macroscopic varve chronology for the same sediment interval. Calcite layer thickness during the recent period is significantly correlated to increases in local annual precipitation (r=0.46, p=0.03) and reduced air-pressure (r=-0.72, p<0.0001). Meteorologically consistent with enhanced precipitation at Lake Woserin, a composite 500 hPa anomaly map for years with >1 standard deviation calcite layer thickness depicts a negative wave train air-pressure anomaly centred over southern Europe, with north-eastern Germany at its northern frontal zone. Three centennial-scale intervals of thicker calcite layers around the Mid-Holocene periods 6200-5900, 5750-5400 and 5300-4950 vyr BP might reflect humid conditions favouring calcite precipitation through the transport of Ca2+ ions into Lake Woserin, synchronous to wetter conditions in Europe. Calcite layer thickness oscillations of about 88 and 208 years resemble the solar Gleissberg and Suess cycles suggesting that the recorded hydroclimate changes in north-eastern Germany are modified by solar influences on synoptic-scale atmospheric circulation. However, parts of the periods of thicker calcite layers around 5750-5400 and 5200 vyr BP also coincide to enhanced human catchment activity at Lake Woserin. Therefore, calcite precipitation during these time-windows might have further been favored by anthropogenic deforestation mobilizing Ca2+ ions and/or lake eutrophication.

Clinically-relevant threshold of preformed donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies in kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Pretransplant anti-HLA donor-specific antibodies (DSA) are recognized as a risk factor for acute antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in kidney transplantation. The predictive value of C4d-fixing capability by DSA or of IgG DSA subclasses for acute AMR in the pretransplant setting has been recently studied. In addition DSA strength assessed by mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) may improve risk stratification. We aimed to analyze the relevance of preformed DSA and of DSA MFI values. METHODS: 280 consecutive patients with negative complement-dependent cytotoxicity crossmatches received a kidney transplant between 01/2008 and 03/2014. Sera were screened for the presence of DSA with a solid-phase assays on a Luminex flow analyzer, and the results were correlated with biopsy-proven acute AMR in the first year and survival. RESULTS: Pretransplant anti-HLA antibodies were present in 72 patients (25.7%) and 24 (8.6%) had DSA. There were 46 (16.4%) acute rejection episodes, 32 (11.4%) being cellular and 14 (5.0%) AMR. The incidence of acute AMR was higher in patients with pretransplant DSA (41.7%) than in those without (1.6%) (p<0.001). The median cumulative MFI (cMFI) of the group DSA+/AMR+ was 5680 vs 2208 in DSA+/AMR- (p=0.058). With univariate logistic regression a threshold value of 5280 cMFI was predictive for acute AMR. DSA cMFI's ability to predict AMR was also explored by ROC analysis. AUC was 0.728 and the best threshold was a cMFI of 4340. Importantly pretransplant DSA>5280 cMFI had a detrimental effect on 5-year graft survival. CONCLUSIONS: Preformed DSA cMFI values were clinically-relevant for the prediction of acute AMR and graft survival in kidney transplantation. A threshold of 4300-5300 cMFI was a significant outcome predictor.

On the temperature dependence of the rate coefficient of formation of C2+ from C + CH+

[EN] We carry out quasi-classical trajectory caculations for theC + CH+ → C2+ + H reaction on an ad hoc computed high-level ab initio potential energy surface. Thermal rate coefficients at the temperatures of relevance in cold interstellar clouds are derived and compared with the assumed, temperature-independent estimates publicly available in kinetic databases KIDA and UDfA. For a temperature of 10 K the database value overestimates by a factor of two the one obtained by us (thus improperly enhancing the destruction route of CH+ in astrochemical kinetic models) which is seen to double in the temperature range 5–300 K with a sharp increase in the first 50 K. The computed values are fitted via the popular Arrhenius–Kooij formula and best-fitting parameters α = 1:32 X 10-9 cm3s-1, β = 0:10 and γ = 2:19 K to be included in the online mentioned databases are provided. Further investigation shows that the temperature dependence of the thermal rate coefficient better conforms to the recently proposed so-called ‘deformed Arrhenius’ law by Aquilanti and Mundim.

Romanian Knowledge and Attitudes regarding Dietary Fibers

Presently, the scientists recognize the health benefits of food fibers in the menu and also plant food sources are at high interest both for general population and food companies. The food companies are responsible for a clear nutrition labelling that will assist consumers to make informed and healthy choices and health providers has to inform the population about the benefits of fibers.The aim of our study was to evaluate the Romanian knowledge and attitudes regarding dietary fibers from food products. We made a qualitative survey based on a questionnaire applied in 2015, over a period of 6 months, over 670 Romanian consumers. It was focused on testing the attitudes and knowledge towards ingestion of foods rich in fibers. For all data analysis we used the software SPSS, from IBM Inc. Our results showed that the knowledge about dietary fibers and also the ingestion of food products rich in fibers were low, and most of the subjects didn’t have any interest to read the nutritional information from food labels. The female participants ate more whole grains and fruits than males and pay more attention to food labelling. Romanian people prefer to stay and eat home than at restaurants especially in rural areas, and the knowledge about fibers benefits was significantly related to education and urban location. We underline the needs for more efficient community interventions and proper information about the importance of dietary fibers for our health and also to improve and disseminate nutritional standards and diet recommendation among population.