Electric Field Effects in the Excitation of Cold Rydberg-Atom Pairs

In this work, we study the role of the ac Stark effects on the excitation of nS(1/2) cold Rydberg atoms produced in a rubidium magneto-optical trap. We have observed an atomic population in the nP(3/2) state after excitation of nS(1/2) for 29 <= n <= 37. Such an observation is normally attributed to binary collisions; however, the interaction between Rb nS(1/2) atoms is repulsive. To explain our results, the dipole-dipole interaction and ac Stark shifts from the excitation laser must be considered. We find that the Rydberg-atom-pair state asymptotically correlating to nP(3/2)+(n-1)P(3/2) is excited directly.

Modulation of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase by cadmium chloride in the mouse liver: Involvement of transcription factor Nrf2.

Modulation of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) monooxygenase system and haem oxygenase by cadmium was investigated in male, adult DBA/2J mice treated with a single dose (16 Amol/kg body weight, i.p.) of cadmium chloride (CdCl2), at various time points. Total CYP content of liver microsomes decreased significantly (P < 0.05) at 12, 18, and 24 hours (22%, 47%, and 56%, respectively) after treatment. In contrast, progressive increases of hepatic coumarin 7-hydroxylase (COH) activity (indicative of CYP2A5 activity) were observed at 8 hrs (2-fold), 12 hrs (3-fold), and 7-fold at 18 and 24 hrs. Simultaneously, haem oxygenase activity increased significantly at 4 hours and continued to increase progressively to more than 50-fold compared to control. Liver CYP2A5 mRNA levels increased maximally 12 hours after treatment and decreased to almost half 6 hours later, while western blot analysis showed 2- and 3- fold increase in CYP2A5 apoprotein at 12 and 24 hours. The CYP2A5 mRNA levels in the liver increased after Cd treatment in Nrf2 +/+ but not in Nrf2 / mouse. This study demonstrates that hepatic haem oxygenase and CYP2A5 are upregulated by cadmium. The upregulation of haem oxygenase precedes that of CYP2A5. The strong upregulation of the CYP2A5 both at mRNA and enzyme activity levels, with a simultaneous decrease in the total CYP concentration suggest an unusual mode of regulation of CYP2A5 in response to cadmium exposure, amongst the CYP enzymes. The observed increase in the mRNA but not in protein levels after maximal induction may suggest involvement of post-transcriptional mechanisms in the regulation. Upregulation of CYP2A5 by cadmium in the Nrf2 +/+ mice but not in the Nrf2 / mice indicates a role for this transcription factor in the regulation.

Inteligência empresarial: a revolução informacional da ação competitiva

Esta pesquisa apresenta o estado da arte da Inteligência Empresarial, discutindo sua imporiãncia no Planejamento Estratégico, Processo Decisório, Implantação de Programas de Qualidade Total e Competitividade. Analisa os diversos arranjos organizacionais necessários e os recursos tecnológicos disponfveis para uma bem-sucedida atividade de Inteligência Empresarial. Destaca a importância das fontes de informações, indicando que é necessário um correto monitoramento das mesmas. Por fim, discute temas mais abrangentes como Implicações Legais e Éticas, diferenças entre Inteligência Empresarial e Espionagem e o papel da Inteligência Empresarial para as Estratégias de Globalização.

Complexes of copper(II) with 3-(ortho-substituted phenylhydrazo)pentane-2,4-diones: syntheses,properties and catalytic activity for cyclohexane oxidation

Reactions of copper(II) with 3-phenylhydrazopentane-2,4-diones X-2-C6H4-NHN = C{C(= O)CH3}(2) bearing a substituent in the ortho-position [X = OH (H2L1) 1, AsO3H2 (H3L2) 2, Cl (HL3) 3, SO3H (H2L4) 4, COOCH3 (HL5) 5, COOH (H2L6) 6, NO2 (HL7) 7 or H (HL8) 8] lead to a variety of complexes including the monomeric [CuL4(H2O)(2)]center dot H2O 10, [CuL4(H2O)(2)] 11 and [Cu(HL4)(2)(H2O)(4)] 12, the dimeric [Cu-2(H2O)(2)(mu-HL2)(2)] 9 and the polymeric [Cu(mu-L-6)](n)] 13 ones, often bearing two fused six-membered metallacycles. Complexes 10-12 can interconvert, depending on pH and temperature, whereas the Cu(II) reactions with 4 in the presence of cyanoguanidine or imidazole (im) afford the monomeric compound [Cu(H2O)(4){NCNC(NH2)(2)}(2)](HL4)(2)center dot 6H(2)O 14 and the heteroligand polymer [Cu(mu-L-4)(im)](n) 15, respectively. The compounds were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (complexes), electrochemical and thermogravimetric studies, as well as elemental analysis, IR, H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopies (diones) and ESI-MS. The effects of the substituents in 1-8 on the HOMO-LUMO gap and the relative stability of the model compounds [Cu(OH)(L-8)(H2O)]center dot H2O, [Cu(L-1)(H2O)(2)]center dot H2O and [Cu(L-4)(H2O)(2)]center dot H2O are discussed on the basis of DFT calculations that show the stabilization follows the order: two fused 6-membered > two fused 6-membered/5-membered > one 6-membered metallacycles. Complexes 9, 10, 12 and 13 act as catalyst precursors for the peroxidative oxidation (with H2O2) of cyclohexane to cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone, in MeCN/H2O (total yields of ca. 20% with TONs up to 566), under mild conditions.

A causa dos divertimentos

Texto justificativo para a atribuição da Menção Especial da Crítica 2011 ao actor Miguel Guilherme pela sua interpretação em O senhor Puntilla e o seu criado Matti, de Bertolt Brecht (enc. João Lourenço / Teatro Aberto, 2010).

Automatização do processo de soldadura dos aros das portas das torres eólicas

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Inquérito sobre fungos anemófilos na fronteira Brasil - Colômbia

Foi realizado um inquérito, sobre fungos anemófllos, em três vilarejos situados na fronteira Brasil-Colômbia, zona muito quente e úmida, durante o mês de julho de 1978. Em apenas uma coleta feita, em diferentes pontos, foram cultivadas colônias pertencentes a dezoito gêneros diferentes de fungos anemófllos, com predominância de Mucor (64,3%), Cândida (54,8%), Rhodotorula (38,1%) e Penicillium (38,1%).

Estudo epidemiológico sobre Leishmaniose tegumentar (LT) no município de Corguinho, Mato Grosso do Sul: estudos na população humana

Com o objetivo de se conhecer a prevalência da infecção por leishmaniose tegumentar americana, e caracterização da população atingida, em área de transmissão recente, na localidade de Boa Sorte, município de Corguinho, MS, procedeu-se ao estudo, no período de março/91 a março/94, tia população residente, compreendendo 150 habitantes. Destes, 12 apresentavam lesões suspeitas de leishmaniose tegumentar. Em 8 deles foi possível a confirmação por meio de exames parasitológicos. Apenas um paciente apresentou a forma mucosa, os demais manifestaram as formas cutâneas, sendo: ulcerada (3), úlcero-verrucosa (1), úlcero- vegetante (1), placa-infiltrada (1) e lesão nodular com exuberante adenopatia regional (1). Os pacientes responderam bem ao tratamento com antimoniato de N-metil- glucamina (glucantime), 10 a 20mg Sbv/kg/dia durante 20 dias, com cicatrização das lesões e raros efeitos colaterais. O parasito isolado de todos os pacientes foi identificado como Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, através de anticorpos monoclonais. O teste de Montenegro aplicado em 150 moradores revelou 32 reagentes. Destes, 6 eram portadores da doença, 21 mostraram seqüelas sugestivas da parasitose e 5 não apresentaram sitiais da infecção. A faixa etária atingida pela parasitose compreendia de 22 a 78 anos com predomínio de homens (75%). A transmissão até o momento revelou-se de caráter extradomiciliar.

Dípteros minadores e seus parasitóides em plantas de crescimento espontâneo em pomar orgânico de citros em Montenegro, RS, Brasil

A análise de comunidades minadores e seus parasitóides é importante para a compreensão da regulação biótica e para a manutenção da biodiversidade em agroecossistemas. Este trabalho teve como objetivos registrar os dípteros minadores e seus parasitóides na vegetação de crescimento espontâneo de um pomar orgânico de citros, de maio de 2003 a maio de 2004. O trabalho foi conduzido no município de Montenegro, RS, em um pomar do híbrido tangor 'Murcott'. Realizaram-se amostragens quinzenais, coletando-se em cada ocasião todas as folhas contendo minas presentes na área delimitada por um aro de 0,28 m², que era jogado nas linhas e nas entrelinhas de 30 árvores sorteadas. No laboratório registrou-se o número de larvas e pupas de dípteros minadores por folha. Foram registradas 15 espécies de dípteros minadores, 15 espécies de plantas hospedeiras (distribuídas em seis famílias) e 15 espécies de microimenópteros parasitóides (distribuídas em três famílias). Os dípteros minadores apresentaram grande especificidade às suas plantas hospedeiras. Portanto, o manejo adequado desta vegetação pode favorecer o estabelecimento e a multiplicação de inimigos naturais destes insetos minadores.

Circulating estrogens and progesterone during primiparous pregnancies and risk of maternal breast cancer.

Pregnancy reduces maternal risk of breast cancer in the long term, but the biological determinants of the protection are unknown. Animal experiments suggest that estrogens and progesterone could be involved, but direct human evidence is scant. A case-control study (536 cases and 1,049 controls) was nested within the Finnish Maternity Cohort. Eligible were primiparous women who delivered at term a singleton offspring before age 40. For each case, two individually matched controls by age (±6 months) and date of sampling (±3 months) were selected. Estradiol, estrone and progesterone in first-trimester serum were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) by immunoassay. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated through conditional logistic regression. In the whole study population there was no association of breast cancer with any of the studied hormones. In analyses stratified by age at diagnosis, however, estradiol concentrations were positively associated with risk of breast cancer before age 40 (upper quartile OR, 1.81; CI, 1.08-3.06), but inversely associated with risk in women who were diagnosed ≥age 40 (upper quartile OR, 0.64; CI, 0.40-1.04), p(interaction) 0.004. Risk estimates for estrone mirrored those for estradiol but were less pronounced. Progesterone was not associated with risk of subsequent breast cancer. Our results provide initial evidence that concentrations of estrogens during the early parts of a primiparous pregnancy are associated with maternal risk of breast cancer and suggest that the effect may differ for tumors diagnosed before and after age 40.

Insulin-like growth factor-I and C-reactive protein during pregnancy and maternal risk of non-epithelial ovarian cancer: a nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and C-reactive protein (CRP) may be positively associated with the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) but no previous studies have investigated their associations with non-epithelial ovarian cancers (NEOC). METHODS: A case-control study was nested within the Finnish Maternity Cohort. Case subjects were 58 women diagnosed with sex cord-stromal tumors (SCST) and 30 with germ cell tumors (GCT) after recruitment. Control subjects (144 for SCST and 74 for GCT) were matched for age, parity, and date of blood donation of the index case. RESULTS: Doubling of IGF-I concentration was not related to maternal risk of either SCST (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.58-1.62) or GCT (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.51-2.51). Similarly, doubling of CRP concentrations was not related to maternal risk of either SCST (OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.85-1.43) or GCT (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.68-1.28). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-diagnostic IGF-I and CRP concentrations during the first trimester of pregnancy were not associated with increased risk of NEOC in the mother. Risk factors for NEOC may differ from those of EOC.

Circulating insulin-like growth factor-I in pregnancy and maternal risk of breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Elevated serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 have been associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Previously, we reported a similar association in samples obtained during pregnancy. The current study was conducted to further characterize the association of IGF-1 during pregnancy with maternal breast cancer risk. METHODS: A case-control study was nested within the Finnish Maternity Cohort. The study was limited to primiparous women less than 40 years of age, who donated blood samples during early (median, 12 weeks) pregnancy and delivered a single child at term. Seven hundred and nineteen women with invasive breast cancer were eligible. Two controls (n = 1,434) were matched to each case on age and date at blood donation. Serum IGF-1 concentration was measured using an Immulite 2000 analyzer. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).RESULTS: No significant associations were observed between serum IGF-1 concentrations and breast cancer risk in both the overall analysis (OR 1.08 (95% CI 0.80-1.47) and in analyses stratified by histological subtype, lag-time to cancer diagnosis, age at pregnancy or age at diagnosis.CONCLUSIONS: There was no association between IGF-1 and maternal breast cancer risk during early pregnancy in this large nested case-control study.Impact:Serum IGF-1 concentrations during early pregnancy may not be related to maternal risk of breast cancer.

Isä pienen lapsen hoitajana : katsaus isyyteen ja perusasioita isän toimimisesta pienen lapsen hoitajana

Opinnäytetyöni kuuluu Helsingin ammattikorkeakoulun ja Tampereen yliopiston yhteiseen projektiin nimeltään 'Urbaani vanhemmuus', jonka tarkoituksena on tukea vauvaperheiden hyvinvointia loppuraskauden ja vauvan ensimmäisen elinvuoden aikana. Oma työni kuvaa isyyden kehitystä ja muutosta sekä kuvaa isän toimimista pienen lapsen hoitajana sekä siinä huomioitavia seikkoja pääpiirteissään. Opinnäytetyöni on toiminnallinen opinnäytetyö, jossa tämän työn ohella toinen lopputuote on verkkosivut pienen lapsen vanhemmille, jossa oma osioni on kohdistettu isille. 1950-luvun jälkeen isyyden roolimalli ja isyys itsessään on elänyt varsin voimakasta muutoksen ja muutostarpeen aikaa. Vanhakantaisesta patriarkaalisesta isyydestä on luovuttu tai siitä ollaan luopumassa. Sen tilalle on nousemassa uusia isyyden roolimalleja tai pikemminkin miesnäkökulmia, kuten "uusi isyys", joka on noussut varsinaisesti esille Suomessa 1990-luvulla. Sen keskeisenä ajatuksena on isien samanarvoinen sitoutuminen lapsenhoitoon, kotitöihin ja parisuhteeseen kuin aikaisemmin on totuttu näkemään naisen/äidin rooliin kuuluvana. Myös naisten korkeampi kouluttautuminen ja aikaisempaa suurempi osuus työelämässä sekä kasvaneet vaatimukset perhe-elämän ja työnteon suhteen ovat olleet voimakkaasti vaikuttamassa tarpeeseen isien roolin uudelleenmäärittelemiseksi. Merkittävää osuutta myös nykyisessä sukupuoliroolien uudelleenjakautumisessa on näytellyt lisääntyvä individualismi. Se vaikuttaa toisaalta naisten/äitien kautta niin etteivät he halua enää "alistua kodinhengettäriksi" ja lapsen kasvattajiksi, vaan he haluavat toteuttaa enemmän itseään ja omia päämääriään sekä työelämässä että vapaa-ajallaan. Toisaalta isät voivat sen taustavaikuttamana pyrkiä entistä vahvemmin toimimaan omien altruitististen motiiviensa mukaan sekä pyrkiä "toteuttamaan itseään" joko perheen ulkopuolella tai omien tarkoitusperiensä mukaisesti perheessä vanhan patriarkaalisen roolimallin mukaisesti. Isyyttä ei nykyään nähdä samanlaisena ja automaattisena asiana kuin se on totuttu näkemään aikaisemmin. Avioerojen ja uusperheiden sekä yksinhuoltajuuden ja lasten sijoittamisen lisääntyvät määrät ovat muokanneet isyyttä ja antaneet sille uusia mahdollisuuksia biologisen, juridisen, sosiaalisen ja psykologisen isyyden muodoissa sekä niiden toteuttamisen/toteutumisen suhteen. Myös nykyaikaiset perhe- ja kumppanuusmuodot ovat nostaneet perinteisen käsitteen ydinperheen tarpeellisuudesta ja välttämättömyydestä lapselle esille ja tarkasteltavaksi. Myös isä voi niin halutessaan oppia toimimaan hyvänä hoitajana lapselleen. Perushoidolliset asiat ovat hyvinkin yksinkertaisia koskien lapsen fyysistä hoitamista ja henkistä läsnäoloa. Myös vanhempien omaan jaksamiseen tulisi kiinnittää huomiota, jotta tilanne ei muodostuisi kohtuuttomaksi kenellekään..