Influência da exposição à fumaça do cigarro e ao etanol sobre as alterações da mucosa do esôfago induzidas por dieta modificada em camundongos C57BL/6

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Pesquisa de ovos de helmintos em lodo de esgoto oriundo de Campo Grande (MS) após tratamento anaeróbico

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FMVZ

Morfofisiologia da cunhã cultivada sob estresse salino

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

Influence of structural nonlinearities in stall-induced aeroelastic response of pitching airfoils

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

Tumores de cabeça e pescoço: epidemiologia, fatores de risco, diagnóstico e tratamento

Neoplasias of the head and neck correspond to the fifth most common cancer in the world, with high mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to show, through a literature review, a little about the epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis and therapy of the most common malignant tumors of each anatomical region of the head and neck. The research of the articles was made in MEDLINE data base, with a total of 52 articles used. In this review, we analyze the main aspects related to the tumors of oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and salivary glands. Almost all cancers of the head and neck affecting the mucosa of the upper aerodigestive tract are derived from squamous cells. Therefore, the risk factors between the various types of tumors are similar, with alcohol and tobacco being the main ones. To be composed of several distinct structures, the head and neck tumors deserve a diagnostic and therapeutic approach individualized for each anatomical region. Controllingthe risk factors and doing the right approach, it is expected that the incidence of cancers of the head and neck decreases, thereby reducing mortality from malignant neoplasms worldwide

Longitudinal bar buckling behavior

Reinforced concrete columns might fail because of buckling of the longitudinal reinforcing bar when exposed to earthquake motions. Depending on the hoop stiffness and the length-over-diameter ratio, the instability can be local (in between two subsequent hoops) or global (the buckling length comprises several hoop spacings). To get insight into the topic, an extensive literary research of 19 existing models has been carried out including different approaches and assumptions which yield different results. Finite element fiberanalysis was carried out to study the local buckling behavior with varying length-over-diameter and initial imperfection-over-diameter ratios. The comparison of the analytical results with some experimental results shows good agreement before the post buckling behavior undergoes large deformation. Furthermore, different global buckling analysis cases were run considering the influence of different parameters; for certain hoop stiffnesses and length-over-diameter ratios local buckling was encountered. A parametric study yields an adimensional critical stress in function of a stiffness ratio characterized by the reinforcement configuration. Colonne in cemento armato possono collassare per via dell’instabilità dell’armatura longitudinale se sottoposte all’azione di un sisma. In funzione della rigidezza dei ferri trasversali e del rapporto lunghezza d’inflessione-diametro, l’instabilità può essere locale (fra due staffe adiacenti) o globale (la lunghezza d’instabilità comprende alcune staffe). Per introdurre alla materia, è proposta un’esauriente ricerca bibliografica di 19 modelli esistenti che include approcci e ipotesi differenti che portano a risultati distinti. Tramite un’analisi a fibre e elementi finiti si è studiata l’instabilità locale con vari rapporti lunghezza d’inflessione-diametro e imperfezione iniziale-diametro. Il confronto dei risultati analitici con quelli sperimentali mostra una buona coincidenza fino al raggiungimento di grandi spostamenti. Inoltre, il caso d’instabilità globale è stato simulato valutando l’influenza di vari parametri; per certe configurazioni di rigidezza delle staffe e lunghezza d’inflessione-diametro si hanno ottenuto casi di instabilità locale. Uno studio parametrico ha permesso di ottenere un carico critico adimensionale in funzione del rapporto di rigidezza dato dalle caratteristiche dell’armatura.

Analisi e valutazione delle performance acustiche degli aeromobili nella fase di atterraggio

Nella tesi si analizzano le principali fonti del rumore aeronautico, lo stato dell'arte dal punto di vista normativo, tecnologico e procedurale. Si analizza lo stato dell'arte anche riguardo alla classificazione degli aeromobili, proponendo un nuovo indice prestazionale in alternativa a quello indicato dalla metodologia di certificazione (AC36-ICAO) Allo scopo di diminuire l'impatto acustico degli aeromobili in fase di atterraggio, si analizzano col programma INM i benefici di procedure CDA a 3° rispetto alle procedure tradizionali e, di seguito di procedure CDA ad angoli maggiori in termini di riduzione di lunghezza e di area delle isofoniche SEL85, SEL80 e SEL75.

Influence of climate changes on cross allergies: possible involvement of pollen transglutaminase

Allergies are a complex of symptoms derived from altered IgE-mediated reactions of the immune system towards substances known as allergens. Allergic sensibilization can be of food or respiratory origin and, in particular, apple and hazelnut allergens have been identified in pollens or fruits. Allergic cross-reactivity can occur in a patient reacting to similar allergens from different origins, justifying the research in both systems as in Europe a greater number of people suffers from apple fruit allergy, but little evidence exists about pollen. Apple fruit allergies are due to four different classes of allergens (Mal d 1, 2, 3, 4), whose allergenicity is related both to genotype and tissue specificity; therefore I have investigated their presence also in pollen at different time of germination to clarify the apple pollen allergenic potential. I have observed that the same four classes of allergens found in fruit are expressed at different levels also in pollen, and their presence might support that the apple pollen can be considered allergenic as the fruit, deducing that apple allergy could also be indirectly caused by sensitization to pollen. Climate changes resulting from increases in temperature and air pollution influence pollen allergenicity, responsible for the dramatic raise in respiratory allergies (hay fever, bronchial asthma, conjunctivitis). Although the link between climate change and pollen allergenicity is proven, the underlying mechanism is little understood. Transglutaminases (TGases), a class of enzymes able to post-translationally modify proteins, are activated under stress and involved in some inflammatory responses, enhancing the activity of pro-inflammatory phospholipase A2, suggesting a role in allergies. Recently, a calcium-dependent TGase activity has been identified in the pollen cell wall, raising the possibility that pollen TGase may have a role in the modification of pollen allergens reported above, thus stabilizing them against proteases. This enzyme can be involved also in the transamidation of proteins present in the human mucosa interacting with surface pollen or, finally, the enzyme itself can represent an allergen, as suggested by studies on celiac desease. I have hypothesized that this pollen enzyme can be affected by climate changes and be involved in exhacerbating allergy response. The data presented in this thesis represent a scientific basis for future development of studies devoted to verify the hypothesis set out here. First, I have demonstrated the presence of an extracellular TGase on the surface of the grain observed either at the apical or the proximal parts of the pollen-tube by laser confocal microscopy (Iorio et al., 2008), that plays an essential role in apple pollen-tube growth, as suggested by the arrest of tube elongation by TGase inhibitors, such as EGTA or R281. Its involvement in pollen tube growth is mainly confirmed by the data of activity and gene expression, because TGase showed a peak between 15 min and 30 min of germination, when this process is well established, and an optimal pH around 6.5, which is close to that recorded for the germination medium. Moreover, data show that pollen TGase can be a glycoprotein as the glycosylation profile is linked both with the activation of the enzyme and with its localization at the pollen cell wall during germination, because from the data presented seems that the active form of TGase involved in pollen tube growth and pollen-stylar interaction is more exposed and more weakly bound to the cell wall. Interestingly, TGase interacts with fibronectin (FN), a putative SAMs or psECM component, inducing possibly intracellular signal transduction during the interaction between pollen-stylar occuring in the germination process, since a protein immunorecognised by anti-FN antibody is also present in pollen, in particular at the level of pollen grain cell wall in a punctuate pattern, but also along the shank of the pollen tube wall, in a similar pattern that recalls the signal obtained with the antibody anti TGase. FN represents a good substrate for the enzyme activity, better than DMC usually used as standard substrate for animal TGase. Thus, this pollen enzyme, necessary for its germination, is exposed on the pollen surface and consequently can easily interact with mucosal proteins, as it has been found germinated pollen in studies conducted on human mucus (Forlani, personal communication). I have obtained data that TGase activity increases in a very remarkable way when pollen is exposed to stressful conditions, such as climate changes and environmental pollution. I have used two different species of pollen, an aero allergenic (hazelnut, Corylus avellana) pollen, whose allergenicity is well documented, and an enthomophylus (apple, Malus domestica) pollen, which is not yet well characterized, to compare data on their mechanism of action in response to stressors. The two pollens have been exposed to climate changes (different temperatures, relative humidity (rH), acid rain at pH 5.6 and copper pollution (3.10 µg/l)) and showed an increase in pollen surface TGase activity that is not accompanied to an induced expression of TGase immunoreactive protein with AtPNG1p. Probably, climate change induce an alteration or damage to pollen cell wall that carries the pollen grains to release their content in the medium including TGase enzyme, that can be free to carry out its function as confirmed by the immunolocalisation and by the in situ TGase activity assay data; morphological examination indicated pollen damage, viability significantly reduced and in acid rain conditions an early germination of apple pollen, thus possibly enhancing the TGase exposure on pollen surface. Several pollen proteins were post-translationally modified, as well as mammalian sPLA2 especially with Corylus pollen, which results in its activation, potentially altering pollen allergenicity and inflammation. Pollen TGase activity mimicked the behaviour of gpl TGase and AtPNG1p in the stimulation of sPLA2, even if the regulatory mechanism seems different to gpl TGase, because pollen TGase favours an intermolecular cross-linking between various molecules of sPLA2, giving rise to high-molecular protein networks normally more stable. In general, pollens exhibited a significant endogenous phospholipase activity and it has been observed differences according to the allergenic (Corylus) or not-well characterized allergenic (Malus) attitude of the pollen. However, even if with a different intensity level in activation, pollen enzyme share the ability to activate the sPLA2, thus suggesting an important regulatory role for the activation of a key enzyme of the inflammatory response, among which my interest was addressed to pollen allergy. In conclusion, from all the data presented, mainly presence of allergens, presence of an extracellular TGase, increasing in its activity following exposure to environmental pollution and PLA2 activation, I can conclude that also Malus pollen can behave as potentially allergenic. The mechanisms described here that could affect the allergenicity of pollen, maybe could be the same occurring in fruit, paving the way for future studies in the identification of hyper- and hypo- allergenic cultivars, in preventing environmental stressor effects and, possibly, in the production of transgenic plants.

Metodi di ottimizzazione morfologica nel progetto preliminare di propulsori aeronautici avanzati

The aim of this Doctoral Thesis is to develop a genetic algorithm based optimization methods to find the best conceptual design architecture of an aero-piston-engine, for given design specifications. Nowadays, the conceptual design of turbine airplanes starts with the aircraft specifications, then the most suited turbofan or turbo propeller for the specific application is chosen. In the aeronautical piston engines field, which has been dormant for several decades, as interest shifted towards turboaircraft, new materials with increased performance and properties have opened new possibilities for development. Moreover, the engine’s modularity given by the cylinder unit, makes it possible to design a specific engine for a given application. In many real engineering problems the amount of design variables may be very high, characterized by several non-linearities needed to describe the behaviour of the phenomena. In this case the objective function has many local extremes, but the designer is usually interested in the global one. The stochastic and the evolutionary optimization techniques, such as the genetic algorithms method, may offer reliable solutions to the design problems, within acceptable computational time. The optimization algorithm developed here can be employed in the first phase of the preliminary project of an aeronautical piston engine design. It’s a mono-objective genetic algorithm, which, starting from the given design specifications, finds the engine propulsive system configuration which possesses minimum mass while satisfying the geometrical, structural and performance constraints. The algorithm reads the project specifications as input data, namely the maximum values of crankshaft and propeller shaft speed and the maximal pressure value in the combustion chamber. The design variables bounds, that describe the solution domain from the geometrical point of view, are introduced too. In the Matlab® Optimization environment the objective function to be minimized is defined as the sum of the masses of the engine propulsive components. Each individual that is generated by the genetic algorithm is the assembly of the flywheel, the vibration damper and so many pistons, connecting rods, cranks, as the number of the cylinders. The fitness is evaluated for each individual of the population, then the rules of the genetic operators are applied, such as reproduction, mutation, selection, crossover. In the reproduction step the elitist method is applied, in order to save the fittest individuals from a contingent mutation and recombination disruption, making it undamaged survive until the next generation. Finally, as the best individual is found, the optimal dimensions values of the components are saved to an Excel® file, in order to build a CAD-automatic-3D-model for each component of the propulsive system, having a direct pre-visualization of the final product, still in the engine’s preliminary project design phase. With the purpose of showing the performance of the algorithm and validating this optimization method, an actual engine is taken, as a case study: it’s the 1900 JTD Fiat Avio, 4 cylinders, 4T, Diesel. Many verifications are made on the mechanical components of the engine, in order to test their feasibility and to decide their survival through generations. A system of inequalities is used to describe the non-linear relations between the design variables, and is used for components checking for static and dynamic loads configurations. The design variables geometrical boundaries are taken from actual engines data and similar design cases. Among the many simulations run for algorithm testing, twelve of them have been chosen as representative of the distribution of the individuals. Then, as an example, for each simulation, the corresponding 3D models of the crankshaft and the connecting rod, have been automatically built. In spite of morphological differences among the component the mass is almost the same. The results show a significant mass reduction (almost 20% for the crankshaft) in comparison to the original configuration, and an acceptable robustness of the method have been shown. The algorithm here developed is shown to be a valid method for an aeronautical-piston-engine preliminary project design optimization. In particular the procedure is able to analyze quite a wide range of design solutions, rejecting the ones that cannot fulfill the feasibility design specifications. This optimization algorithm could increase the aeronautical-piston-engine development, speeding up the production rate and joining modern computation performances and technological awareness to the long lasting traditional design experiences.

Does pet ownership in infancy lead to asthma or allergy at school age? Pooled analysis of individual participant data from 11 European birth cohorts

Objective To examine the associations between pet keeping in early childhood and asthma and allergies in children aged 6–10 years. Design Pooled analysis of individual participant data of 11 prospective European birth cohorts that recruited a total of over 22,000 children in the 1990s. Exposure definition Ownership of only cats, dogs, birds, rodents, or cats/dogs combined during the first 2 years of life. Outcome definition Current asthma (primary outcome), allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergic sensitization during 6–10 years of age. Data synthesis Three-step approach: (i) Common definition of outcome and exposure variables across cohorts; (ii) calculation of adjusted effect estimates for each cohort; (iii) pooling of effect estimates by using random effects meta-analysis models. Results We found no association between furry and feathered pet keeping early in life and asthma in school age. For example, the odds ratio for asthma comparing cat ownership with “no pets” (10 studies, 11489 participants) was 1.00 (95% confidence interval 0.78 to 1.28) (I2 = 9%; p = 0.36). The odds ratio for asthma comparing dog ownership with “no pets” (9 studies, 11433 participants) was 0.77 (0.58 to 1.03) (I2 = 0%, p = 0.89). Owning both cat(s) and dog(s) compared to “no pets” resulted in an odds ratio of 1.04 (0.59 to 1.84) (I2 = 33%, p = 0.18). Similarly, for allergic asthma and for allergic rhinitis we did not find associations regarding any type of pet ownership early in life. However, we found some evidence for an association between ownership of furry pets during the first 2 years of life and reduced likelihood of becoming sensitized to aero-allergens. Conclusions Pet ownership in early life did not appear to either increase or reduce the risk of asthma or allergic rhinitis symptoms in children aged 6–10. Advice from health care practitioners to avoid or to specifically acquire pets for primary prevention of asthma or allergic rhinitis in children should not be given.

Io volcano observer (IVO) integrated approach to optimizing system design for radiation challenges

One of the major challenges for a mission to the Jovian system is the radiation tolerance of the spacecraft (S/C) and the payload. Moreover, being able to achieve science observations with high signal to noise ratios (SNR), while passing through the high flux radiation zones, requires additional ingenuity on the part of the instrument provider. Consequently, the radiation mitigation is closely intertwined with the payload, spacecraft and trajectory design, and requires a systems-level approach. This paper presents a design for the Io Volcano Observer (IVO), a Discovery mission concept that makes multiple close encounters with Io while orbiting Jupiter. The mission aims to answer key outstanding questions about Io, especially the nature of its intense active volcanism and the internal processes that drive it. The payload includes narrow-angle and wide-angle cameras (NAC and WAC), dual fluxgate magnetometers (FGM), a thermal mapper (ThM), dual ion and neutral mass spectrometers (INMS), and dual plasma ion analyzers (PIA). The radiation mitigation is implemented by drawing upon experiences from designs and studies for missions such as the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) and Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO). At the core of the radiation mitigation is IVO's inclined and highly elliptical orbit, which leads to rapid passes through the most intense radiation near Io, minimizing the total ionizing dose (177 krads behind 100 mils of Aluminum with radiation design margin (RDM) of 2 after 7 encounters). The payload and the spacecraft are designed specifically to accommodate the fast flyby velocities (e.g. the spacecraft is radioisotope powered, remaining small and agile without any flexible appendages). The science instruments, which collect the majority of the high-priority data when close to Io and thus near the peak flux, also have to mitigate transient noise in their detectors. The cameras use a combination of shielding and CMOS detectors with extremely fast readout to mi- imize noise. INMS microchannel plate detectors and PIA channel electron multipliers require additional shielding. The FGM is not sensitive to noise induced by energetic particles and the ThM microbolometer detector is nearly insensitive. Detailed SNR calculations are presented. To facilitate targeting agility, all of the spacecraft components are shielded separately since this approach is more mass efficient than using a radiation vault. IVO uses proven radiation-hardened parts (rated at 100 krad behind equivalent shielding of 280 mils of Aluminum with RDM of 2) and is expected to have ample mass margin to increase shielding if needed.

COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE AEROELASTIC DYNAMICS OF A WIND TURBINE BLADE WITH VARIABLE-SPEED STALL CONTROL

The accuracy of simulating the aerodynamics and structural properties of the blades is crucial in the wind-turbine technology. Hence the models used to implement these features need to be very precise and their level of detailing needs to be high. With the variety of blade designs being developed the models should be versatile enough to adapt to the changes required by every design. We are going to implement a combination of numerical models which are associated with the structural and the aerodynamic part of the simulation using the computational power of a parallel HPC cluster. The structural part models the heterogeneous internal structure of the beam based on a novel implementation of the Generalized Timoshenko Beam Model Technique.. Using this technique the 3-D structure of the blade is reduced into a 1-D beam which is asymptotically equivalent. This reduces the computational cost of the model without compromising its accuracy. This structural model interacts with the Flow model which is a modified version of the Blade Element Momentum Theory. The modified version of the BEM accounts for the large deflections of the blade and also considers the pre-defined structure of the blade. The coning, sweeping of the blade, tilt of the nacelle and the twist of the sections along the blade length are all computed by the model which aren’t considered in the classical BEM theory. Each of these two models provides feedback to the other and the interactive computations lead to more accurate outputs. We successfully implemented the computational models to analyze and simulate the structural and aerodynamic aspects of the blades. The interactive nature of these models and their ability to recompute data using the feedback from each other makes this code more efficient than the commercial codes available. In this thesis we start off with the verification of these models by testing it on the well-known benchmark blade for the NREL-5MW Reference Wind Turbine, an alternative fixed-speed stall-controlled blade design proposed by Delft University, and a novel alternative design that we proposed for a variable-speed stall-controlled turbine, which offers the potential for more uniform power control and improved annual energy production.. To optimize the power output of the stall-controlled blade we modify the existing designs and study their behavior using the aforementioned aero elastic model.

ANALYSIS AND VISUALIZATION OF FLOW FIELDS USING INFORMATION-THEORETIC TECHNIQUES AND GRAPH-BASED REPRESENTATIONS

Three-dimensional flow visualization plays an essential role in many areas of science and engineering, such as aero- and hydro-dynamical systems which dominate various physical and natural phenomena. For popular methods such as the streamline visualization to be effective, they should capture the underlying flow features while facilitating user observation and understanding of the flow field in a clear manner. My research mainly focuses on the analysis and visualization of flow fields using various techniques, e.g. information-theoretic techniques and graph-based representations. Since the streamline visualization is a popular technique in flow field visualization, how to select good streamlines to capture flow patterns and how to pick good viewpoints to observe flow fields become critical. We treat streamline selection and viewpoint selection as symmetric problems and solve them simultaneously using the dual information channel [81]. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first attempt in flow visualization to combine these two selection problems in a unified approach. This work selects streamline in a view-independent manner and the selected streamlines will not change for all viewpoints. My another work [56] uses an information-theoretic approach to evaluate the importance of each streamline under various sample viewpoints and presents a solution for view-dependent streamline selection that guarantees coherent streamline update when the view changes gradually. When projecting 3D streamlines to 2D images for viewing, occlusion and clutter become inevitable. To address this challenge, we design FlowGraph [57, 58], a novel compound graph representation that organizes field line clusters and spatiotemporal regions hierarchically for occlusion-free and controllable visual exploration. We enable observation and exploration of the relationships among field line clusters, spatiotemporal regions and their interconnection in the transformed space. Most viewpoint selection methods only consider the external viewpoints outside of the flow field. This will not convey a clear observation when the flow field is clutter on the boundary side. Therefore, we propose a new way to explore flow fields by selecting several internal viewpoints around the flow features inside of the flow field and then generating a B-Spline curve path traversing these viewpoints to provide users with closeup views of the flow field for detailed observation of hidden or occluded internal flow features [54]. This work is also extended to deal with unsteady flow fields. Besides flow field visualization, some other topics relevant to visualization also attract my attention. In iGraph [31], we leverage a distributed system along with a tiled display wall to provide users with high-resolution visual analytics of big image and text collections in real time. Developing pedagogical visualization tools forms my other research focus. Since most cryptography algorithms use sophisticated mathematics, it is difficult for beginners to understand both what the algorithm does and how the algorithm does that. Therefore, we develop a set of visualization tools to provide users with an intuitive way to learn and understand these algorithms.

Frequent sensitization to Candida albicans and profilins in adult eosinophilic esophagitis

BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is often associated with atopic airway and skin diseases. More than 80% of EoE patients are sensitized to aero- and/or food allergens. Immunoglobulin (Ig)E-mediated immune responses to microbes have been reported to be deleterious in connection with atopic diseases. AIM: The aim of this study was to obtain a comprehensive overview about the sensitization spectrum of adult EoE patients. METHODS: IgE in sera of 35 patients with active EoE were analyzed for reactivity to Candida albicans, as well as to a panel of recombinant and purified natural allergen components, using a microarray. RESULTS: IgE sensitization to Candida albicans was found in 43% of EoE patients. More than 80% of EoE patients were sensitized to aeroallergens and 22% to food-specific allergen components, whereas 69% of the patients exhibited specific IgE to cross-reactive allergens. Among the latter, profilins were identified as most frequent IgE cross-reactive allergen components. Interestingly, dysphagia, the main symptom of adult EoE patients following rice and/or bread ingestion, was associated with sensitization to cross-reactive allergens such as profilins, pathogenesis-related (PR) 10 and lipid transfer proteins (LTP). Intolerance toward meat rarely correlated with sensitization to animal food allergens. CONCLUSION: Candida albicans and cross-reactive plant allergen components, in particular profilins, were identified as frequent sensitizers in adult EoE patients. Specific elimination therapies are suggested to reveal their actual roles in the pathogenesis of EoE.