Racial discrimination in Brazil: interviews with leaders of the black movement

Racism in Brazil has some specificities when compared to other countries, for, differently from, for instance, South Africa and the United States, Brazilian Constitutions, ever since the Independence (1822), have never distinguished the citizens according to race or color. Furthermore, since the mid-1900s, Afro-Brazilian cultural manifestations, such as, for example, samba and capoeira, started to be valued as a part of our “national identity”. These specificities make race relations in Brazilian society a much more complex issue. This paper is focused on selected parts of interviews that deal with the nature of racial discrimination in Brazil, extracted from interviews with leaders of the black movement produced within the scope of the project “The History of Black Movement in Brazil: organization of a collection of Oral History Interviews”, developed by CPDOC, Getulio Vargas Foundation (Rio de Janeiro). These “histories within history”, as told by our interviewees, may be transformed into images that will be able to condense a given reality, thus allowing us to evaluate the gains obtained by oral history methodology.

Co-movement between two processes with local persistence

This paper introduces a residual based test where the null hypothesis of c:&InOvement between two processes with local persistenc~ can be tested, even under the presence of an endogenous regressor. It, therefore, fills in an existing lacuna in econometrics, in which longrun relationships can also be tested if the dependent and independent variables do not have a unit root, but do exhibit local persistence.

About the Use of the HdHr Algorithm Group in Integrating the Movement Equation with Nonlinear Terms

This work summarizes the HdHr group of Hermitian integration algorithms for dynamic structural analysis applications. It proposes a procedure for their use when nonlinear terms are present in the equilibrium equation. The simple pendulum problem is solved as a first example and the numerical results are discussed. Directions to be pursued in future research are also mentioned. Copyright (C) 2009 H.M. Bottura and A. C. Rigitano.

Orthodontic movement of teeth with intraosseous defects: histologic and histometric study in dogs

The purpose of this study was to evaluate histologically, in dogs, the periodontal healing of 1-walled intraosseous defects in teeth that were subjected to orthodontic movement toward the defects. The defects were surgically created bilaterally at the mesial aspects of the maxillary second premolars and distal aspects of the mandibular second premolars of 4 mongrel dogs. One week after creating the defects, an orthodontic appliance was installed, and the teeth were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups: those in the test group received a titanium-molybdenum alloy rectangular wire spring that performed a controlled tipping root movement, and those in the control group received a passive stainless steel wire. Active orthodontic movement of the test teeth lasted 2 months and was followed by a stabilization period of another 2 months, after which the animals were killed. Throughout the study, routine daily plaque control was performed on the dogs with a topical application of a 2% chlorhexicline gel. The results showed no difference between the groups, with some regularization of the defects and periodontal regeneration limited to the apical portion of the defects. Histometric analysis showed a significant difference in bone height; on average, it was 0.53 mm smaller in the test group. It was concluded that orthodontic movement does not interfere with the healing of 1-walled intraosseous defects, with the exception of the linear extent of new bone apposition.

Influence of Orthodontic Dental Movement on the Healing Process of Teeth With Periapical Lesions

The purpose of this study was to histomorphologically evaluate (in dog's teeth) the influence of tooth movement in the healing of chronic periapical lesions. Thirty roots of incisors and premolars of two dogs (1-year-old) were used in this research. After pulpectomy, the root canals remained exposed to the oral environment for 6 months for achievement of periapical lesions. Twenty root canals were biomechanically prepared and received a calcium hydroxide dressing for 14 days before being filled with gutta-percha points and Sealapex sealer. After root canal treatment, some incisors were submitted to orthodontic movement, whereas the other roots remained without orthodontic movement. The orthodontic appliance was removed at 5 months and 15 days after treatment, the dogs were killed 15 days later and the specimens were prepared for histomorphological analysis. The results showed that the orthodontic movement delayed, but did not hinder, the periapical healing process. (J Endod 2006;32:115-119)

Immediate and sustained changes in tongue movement with an experimental palatal Fistula: A case study

Objective: To determine the immediate and longer-term effect(s) on tongue movement following the placement of an experimental opening through a palatal obturator (replicate of subject's prosthesis) worn by an adult male with an unrepaired cleft of the hard and soft palate.Methods: Tongue movements associated with an anterior experimental opening of 20 mm(2) were examined under three conditions: a control condition in which the subject wore the experimental obturator completely occluded, a condition immediately after drilling the experimental openings through the obturator, and a condition after 5 days in which the subject wore the experimental obturator with the experimental opening. An Electromagnetic Articulograph was used for obtaining tongue movements during speech.Results: the findings partly revealed that the immediate introduction of a perturbation to the speech system (experimental fistula) had a temporary effect on tongue movement. After sustained perturbation (for 5 days), the system normalized (going back toward control condition's behavior). Perceptual data were consistent with kinematic tongue movement direction in most of the cases.Conclusions: Although the immediate response can be interpreted as indicative of the subject's attempts to move the tongue toward the opening to compensate for air loss, the findings following a sustained perturbation indicate that with time, other physiological adjustments (such as respiratory adjustments, for example) may help reestablish the requirements of a pressure-regulating system.

Combination of orthodontic movement and periodontal therapy for full root coverage in a miller class iii recession: A case report with 12 years of follow-up

One of the main purposes of mucogingival therapy is to obtain full root coverage. Several treatment modalities have been developed, but few techniques can provide complete root coverage in a class III Miller recession. Thus, the aim of this case report is to present a successful clinical case of a Miller class III gingival recession in which complete root coverage was obtained by means of a multidisciplinary approach. A 17-year-old Caucasian female was referred for treatment of a gingival recession on the mandibular left central incisor. The following procedures were planned for root coverage in this case: free gingival graft, orthodontic movement by means of alignment and leveling and coronally advanced flap (CAF). The case has been followed up for 12 years and the patient presents no recession, no abnormal probing depth and no bleeding on probing, with a wide attached gingiva band. A compromised tooth with poor prognosis, which would be indicated for extraction, can be treated by orthodontic movement and periodontal therapy, with possibility of 100% root coverage in some class III recessions.

Effect of mesenchymal stem cells on movement and urination of rats with spinal cord injury

Cell therapy has frequently been reported as a possible treatment for spinal trauma in humans and animals; however, without pharmacologically curative action on damage from the primary lesion. In this study, we evaluated the effect of administering human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSC) in rats after spinal cord injury. The hADSC were used between the third and fifth passages and a proportion of cells were transduced for screening in vivo after transplantation. Spinal cord injury was induced with a Fogarty catheter no. 3 inserted into the epidural space with a cuff located at T8 and filled with 80 mu L saline for 5 min. The control group A (n = 12) received culture medium (50 mu L) and group B (n = 12) received hADSC (1.2 x 10(6)) at 7 and 14 days post-injury, in the tail vein. Emptying of the bladder by massage was performed daily for 3 months. Evaluation of functional motor activity was performed daily until 3 months post-injury using the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan scale. Subsequently, the animals were euthanized and histological analysis of the urinary bladder and spinal cord was performed. Bioluminescence analysis revealed hADSC at the application site and lungs. There was improvement of urinary bladder function in 83.3% animals in group B and 16.66% animals in group A. The analysis of functional motor activity and histology of the spinal cord and urinary bladder demonstrated no significant difference between groups A and B. The results indicate that transplanted hADSC improved urinary function via a telecrine mechanism, namely action at a distance.

Severity of restless legs syndrome is inversely correlated with echogenicity of the substantia nigra in different neurodegenerative movement disorders. A preliminary observation

Objective: Hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra is a frequent observation on transcranial sonography in Parkinson's disease and Machado-Joseph disease patients. Additionally, restless legs syndrome is a sleep disorder that is also frequently found in both diseases. Autopsy studies have demonstrated increased SN iron content in hyperechogenic substantia nigra. Iron storage is also known to be involved in restless legs syndrome. We formally compared echogenicity of the substantia nigra with restless legs syndrome in Parkinson's disease and Machado-Joseph disease patients. Methods: Transcranial brain sonography was performed in a sample of Parkinson's disease and Machado-Joseph disease patients, and findings then correlated with the presence and severity of restless legs syndrome. Results: There was a continuum of substantia nigra echogenicity among groups (Parkinson's disease versus Machado-Joseph disease versus controls) and sub-groups (Parkinson's disease with and without restless legs syndrome versus Machado-Joseph disease with and without restless legs syndrome) as well as a statistically significant negative correlation between restless legs syndrome severity and substantia nigra echogenicity (p<0.001). Conclusions: These preliminary observations demonstrate that the severity of RLS may be influenced by nigral iron load reflected by substantia nigra echogenicity in different neurodegenerative movement disorders. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evolutionary tendencies in flowers of Marantaceae with special reference to the style movement mechanism

One of the quickest plant movements ever known is made by the ´explosive´ style in Marantaceae in the service of secondary pollen presentation – herewith showing a striking apomorphy to the sister Cannaceae that might be of high evolutionary consequence. Though known already since the beginning of the 19th century the underlying mechanism of the movement has hitherto not been clarified. The present study reports about the biomechanics of the style-staminode complex and the hydraulic principles of the movement. For the first time it is shown by experiment that in Maranta noctiflora through longitudinal growth of the maturing style in the ´straitjacket´ of the hooded staminode both the hold of the style prior to its release and its tensioning for the movement are brought about. The longer the style grows in relation to the enclosing hooded staminode the more does its capacity for curling up for pollen transfer increase. Hereby I distinguish between the ´basic tension´ that a growing style builds up anyway, even when the hooded staminode is removed beforehand, and the ´induced tension´ which comes about only under the pressure of a ´too short´ hooded staminode and which enables the movement. The results of these investigations are discussed in view of previous interpretations ranging from possible biomechanical to electrophysiological mechanisms. To understand furthermore by which means the style gives way to the strong bending movement without suffering outwardly visible damage I examined its anatomical structure in several genera for its mechanical and hydraulic properties and for the determination of the entire curvature after release. The actual bending part contains tubulate cells whose walls are extraordinarily porous and large longitudinal intercellular spaces. SEM indicates the starting points of cell-wall loosening in primary walls and lysis of middle lamellae - probably through an intense pectinase activity in the maturing style. Fluorescence pictures of macerated and living style-tissue confirm cell-wall perforations that do apparently connect neighbouring cells, which leads to an extremely permeable parenchyma. The ´water-body´ can be shifted from central to dorsal cell layers to support the bending. The geometrical form of the curvature is determined by the vascular bundles. I conclude that the style in Marantaceae contains no ´antagonistic´ motile tissues as in Mimosa or Dionaea. Instead, through self-maceration it develops to a ´hydraulic tissue´ which carries out an irreversible movement through a sudden reshaping. To ascertain the evolutionary consequence of this apomorphic pollination mechanism the diversity and systematic value of hooded staminodes are examined. For this hooded staminodes of 24 genera are sorted according to a minimalistic selection of shape characters and eight morphological types are abstracted from the resulting groups. These types are mapped onto an already available maximally parsimonious tree comprising five major clades. An amazing correspondence is found between the morphological types and the clades; several sister-relationships are confirmed and in cases of uncertain position possible evolutionary pathways, such as convergence, dispersal or re-migration, are discussed, as well as the great evolutionary tendencies for the entire family in which – at least as regards the shape of hooded staminodes – there is obviously a tendency from complicated to strongly simplified forms. It suggests itself that such simplifying derivations may very likely have taken place as adaptations to pollinating animals about which at present too little is known. The value of morphological characters in relation to modern phylogenetic analysis is discussed and conditions for the selection of morphological characters valuable for a systematic grouping are proposed. Altogether, in view of the evolutionary success of Marantaceae compared with Cannaceae the movement mechanism of the style-staminode complex can safely be considered a key innovation within the order Zingiberales.

Video-based quantification of body movement during social interaction indicates the severity of negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia

In schizophrenia, nonverbal behavior, including body movement, is of theoretical and clinical importance. Although reduced nonverbal expressiveness is a major component of the negative symptoms encountered in schizophrenia, few studies have objectively assessed body movement during social interaction. In the present study, 378 brief, videotaped role-play scenes involving 27 stabilized outpatients diagnosed with paranoid-type schizophrenia were analyzed using Motion Energy Analysis (MEA). This method enables the objective measuring of body movement in conjunction with ordinary video recordings. Correlations between movement parameters (percentage of time in movement, movement speed) and symptom ratings from independent PANSS interviews were calculated. Movement parameters proved to be highly reliable. In keeping with predictions, reduced movement and movement speed correlated with negative symptoms. Accordingly, in patients who exhibited noticeable movement for less than 20% of the observation time, prominent negative symptoms were highly probable. As a control measure, the percentage of movement exhibited by the patients during role-play scenes was compared to that of their normal interactants. Patients with negative symptoms differed from normal interactants by showing significantly reduced head and body movement. Two specific positive symptoms were possibly related to movement parameters: suspiciousness tended to correlate with reduced head movement, and the expression of unusual thought content tended to relate to increased movement. Overall, a close and theoretically meaningful association between the objective movement parameters and the symptom profiles was found. MEA appears to be an objective, reliable and valid method for quantifying nonverbal behavior, an aspect which may furnish new insights into the processes related to reduced expressiveness in schizophrenia.

Characteristics of aleveolar bone associated with physiological movement of molar in mice: a histological and histochemical study

Mouse molars undergo distal movement, during which new bone is formed at the mesial side of the tooth root whereas the preexisting bone is resorbed at the distal side of the root. However, there is little detailed information available regarding which of the bones that surround the tooth root are involved in physiological tooth movement. In the present study, we therefore aimed to investigate the precise morphological differences of the alveolar bone between the bone formation side of the tooth root, using routine histological procedures including silver impregnation, as well as by immunohistochemical analysis of alkaline phosphatase and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity, and immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of the osteocyte markers dentin matrix protein 1, sclerostin, and fibroblast growth factor 23. Histochemical analysis indicated that bone formation by osteoblasts and bone resorption by osteoclasts occurred at the bone formation side and the bone resorption side, respectively. Osteocyte marker immunoreactivity of osteocytes at the surface of the bone close to the periodontal ligament differed at the bone formation and bone resorption sides. We also showed different specific features of osteocytic lacunar canalicular systems at the bone formation and bone resorption sides by using silver staining. This study suggests that the alveolar bone is different in the osteocyte nature between the bone formation side and the bone resorption side due to physiological distal movement of the mouse molar.

Novel mutation in the ceruloplasmin gene causing a cognitive and movement disorder with diabetes mellitus

In a Chinese woman who had diabetes mellitus, undetectable ceruloplasmin, hand tremor, neck dystonia, and cognitive disturbances, genetic analyses revealed a novel homozygous mutation (848G > C or W283S) in exon 5 in the ceruloplasmin gene. Another member with a milder phenotype was also affected by this mutation. The healthy sister was heterozygous at the same position. Aceruloplasminemia has not yet been reported in China. This case suggests that increased awareness should be paid to this disorder in the presence of the typical symptoms.