Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of monalysin, a novel β-pore-forming toxin from the entomopathogen Pseudomonas entomophila.

Monalysin was recently described as a novel pore-forming toxin (PFT) secreted by the Drosophila pathogen Pseudomonas entomophila. Recombinant monalysin is multimeric in solution, whereas PFTs are supposed to be monomeric until target membrane association. Monalysin crystals were obtained by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method using PEG 8000 as precipitant. Preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that monalysin crystals belonged to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 162.4, b = 146.2, c = 144.4 Å, β = 122.8°, and diffracted to 2.85 Å resolution using synchrotron radiation. Patterson self-rotation analysis and Matthews coefficient calculation indicate that the asymmetric unit contains nine copies of monalysin. Heavy-atom derivative data were collected and a Ta6Br14 cluster derivative data set confirmed the presence of ninefold noncrystallographic symmetry.

Efeito do controle químico da mosca-branca na incidência do vírus-do-mosaico-dourado e na produtividade do feijoeiro

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de inseticidas no controle da mosca-branca (Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring, 1994) na incidência do vírus-do-mosaico-dourado e na produtividade do feijoeiro. Utilizou-se de tratamento de sementes com imidacloprid ou thiamethoxam, e de pulverizações de inseticidas, em intervalos semanais. O experimento foi realizado no campo, em área irrigada, em Petrolina, PE, em blocos ao acaso, com cinco tratamentos e quatro repetições. Houve redução significativa no número médio de ovos, de ninfas e de adultos da mosca-branca e na porcentagem de infecção pelo vírus-do-mosaico-dourado do feijoeiro. A produtividade nas parcelas tratadas variou de 1.930 a 2.405 kg/ha, enquanto na testemunha foi de 1.490 kg/ha. Não foi observada diferença significativa entre os tratamentos, no número de vagens/planta e peso de 100 sementes.

1

In this book, the authors present current research in the study of health behavior. Topics discussed include the role of fitness classes in the development of eating disorders among women; first year university female students' lifestyles and attitudes towards health risk and preventive measures; an examination of the extensive cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence that links traditional screen-time to pediatric obesity; gender issue implications on health; and health promotion messages used to inform the population about important health issues and to motivate individuals to adopt healthy behaviors and avoid unhealthy behaviors. (Imprint: Novinka)

Cost-effectiveness of surgery in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing interest in provision of essential surgical care as part of public health policy in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Relatively simple interventions have been shown to prevent death and disability. We reviewed the published literature to examine the cost-effectiveness of simple surgical interventions which could be made available at any district hospital, and compared these to standard public health interventions. METHODS: PubMed and EMBASE were searched using single and combinations of the search terms "disability adjusted life year" (DALY), "quality adjusted life year," "cost-effectiveness," and "surgery." Articles were included if they detailed the cost-effectiveness of a surgical intervention of relevance to a LMIC, which could be made available at any district hospital. Suitable articles with both cost and effectiveness data were identified and, where possible, data were extrapolated to enable comparison across studies. RESULTS: Twenty-seven articles met our inclusion criteria, representing 64 LMIC over 16 years of study. Interventions that were found to be cost-effective included cataract surgery (cost/DALY averted range US$5.06-$106.00), elective inguinal hernia repair (cost/DALY averted range US$12.88-$78.18), male circumcision (cost/DALY averted range US$7.38-$319.29), emergency cesarean section (cost/DALY averted range US$18-$3,462.00), and cleft lip and palate repair (cost/DALY averted range US$15.44-$96.04). A small district hospital with basic surgical services was also found to be highly cost-effective (cost/DALY averted 1 US$0.93), as were larger hospitals offering emergency and trauma surgery (cost/DALY averted US$32.78-$223.00). This compares favorably with other standard public health interventions, such as oral rehydration therapy (US$1,062.00), vitamin A supplementation (US$6.00-$12.00), breast feeding promotion (US$930.00), and highly active anti-retroviral therapy for HIV (US$922.00). CONCLUSIONS: Simple surgical interventions that are life-saving and disability-preventing should be considered as part of public health policy in LMIC. We recommend an investment in surgical care and its integration with other public health measures at the district hospital level, rather than investment in single disease strategies.

1015-009 Indian Creek Watershed Final Report

The focus of this project is "Indian Creek", a tributary to Cedar Creek which eventually empties into the Lower Skunk River. Indian Creek suffers from deteriorated water quality resulting from high volumes of urban stormwater runoff resulting in streambank erosion, combined sewer overflows and chemical and floatable litter pollution from roadways. The "Creative Solution for Indian Creek Water Quality" project will work with a local commercial business to create a model urban project The project will reduce the volume of urban stormwater by 930,000 gallons annually entering Indian Creek as well as reduce the volume of discharge water by 500,000 gallons annually. The local business will develop a system to divert stormwater from l acre of their roof as well as coolant discharge water from their factory into an existing retention pond. In addition, the project will reduce demand on the municipal water supply by 500,000 gallons annually by harvesting water from the retention pond for cooling operations.

Desempenho de novilhas leiteiras em pastagens anuais de inverno sob sistema de integração lavoura-pecuária

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a viabilidade da recria de novilhas leiteiras em pastagens de inverno puras ou consorciadas, sob sistema de integração lavoura-pecuária. O experimento foi realizado no Município de Castro, PR. Utilizou-se o delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso, em arranjo fatorial, com duas categorias de animais - leves, com 192±40,9 kg, e pesados, com 278±41,2 kg -, e dois tipos de pastagem: consorciada, composta de azevém anual (Lolium multiflorum), aveia-preta (Avena strigosa), trevo branco (Trifolium repens) e trevo vermelho (Trifolium pratense); e pastagem pura de azevém anual. Foi utilizado o método de pastoreio contínuo com lotação variável, com altura de manejo de 20 cm. A pastagem com azevém anual proporcionou ganho de peso médio diário significativamente superior (0,93±0,032 kg por dia por animal) ao da pastagem consorciada (0,79±0,032 kg por dia por animal). Os animais leves apresentaram maior ganho de peso por hectare (3,54±0,163 kg ha-1 por dia) do que os pesados (2,99±0,163 kg ha-1 por dia), o que foi influenciado pelo tipo de pastagem: animais leves apresentaram melhor desempenho em pastagem pura, e animais pesados em pastagem consorciada. A recria de novilhas leiteiras é viável durante a fase de pastagens de sistemas de integração lavoura-pecuária.

Comportamento do camarão em diferentes substratos nas fases clara e escura do dia

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do tipo de substrato sobre a preferência, o enterramento e a atividade natatória de camarões (Litopenaeus vannamei). Juvenis (0,93±0,29 g) e adultos machos e fêmeas (10,05±1,18 g) foram observados durante 24 horas, por meio do método animal focal, com registros instantâneos. Foram testadas as seguintes granulometrias (tratamentos) dos substratos: I, 100% C; II, 50% C + 50% B; III, 50% A + 50% C; IV, 100% B; V, 50% B + 50% A; e VI, 100% A, em que as letras referemse ao diâmetro médio das partículas, A = 0,25-2,0 mm; B = 0,0625-0,25 mm; e C = <0,0625 mm. Foram aplicados seis tratamentos com 18 repetições para cada categoria: camarões juvenis, machos e fêmeas. Cada indivíduo foi exposto por 24 horas aos seis tipos de substrato, simultaneamente, e o seu comportamento foi observado nas fases clara e escura do dia. A natação ocorreu principalmente na fase escura e o enterramento, na fase clara, no substrato IV. Os camarões juvenis e adultos (machos ou fêmeas) preferem o substrato composto de areia fina e muito fina (0,0625-0,25 mm), tanto para permanência quanto para enterramento.

La modificació del criteri d'adquisició de la personalitat civil: una anàlisi des del dret civil català

Malgrat que des de feia ja molt de temps existien raons socials, mediques i jurídiques més que suficients, han tingut de passar més de cent vint anys (1889-2011) per a que es dugués a terme la necessària reforma de l’obsolet article 30 CC. mitjançant la qual s’ha prescindit, per fi, de l’estranya, per anòmala, i criticada condicio iuris – figura humana i supervivència independent més enllà de les primeres 24 hores – que caracteritzava l’adquisició de la personalitat civil en el Dret espanyol, sense parangó en els ordenaments del seu entorn jurídic. El nou criteri, fonamentat únicament en el naixement entès des de la seva consideració jurídica – despreniment del claustre matern -, permet prescindir, des d’aquest “moment”, de qualsevol limitació a la projecció jurídica, tant personal com patrimonial, del nounat, incloent per tant els efectes successoris mortis causa. El desencadenant de la novetat legislativa, vehiculada per la nova Llei del Registre Civil (2011), no fou un altre que la regulació dispensada amb anterioritat (2010) per l’article 211-1.1 del Codi civil de Catalunya, que va fer descansar ja en el mer naixement l’atribució de la personalitat civil. Tant la tramitació parlamentària de la modificació de l’art. 30 CC. com el desenvolupament de la qüestió competencial plantejada pel Govern de l’Estat en contra del precepte català, confirmen, en un procés de mútua interferència, la influencia determinant que sobre la reforma duta a terme va tenir la decisió de Catalunya de legislar sobre aquesta matèria.

Fenologia e exigência térmica da videira 'Benitaka' cultivada no norte de Minas Gerais

O emprego de índices biometeorológicos para a previsão dos estádios fenológicos tem sido amplamente utilizado no planejamento dos tratos culturais na viticultura. O objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar e comparar entre dois ciclos consecutivos, a duração em dias e as exigências térmicas em graus-dia de doze estádios do ciclo fenológico da videira 'Benitaka'. O estudo foi conduzido num vinhedo comercial localizado no município de Janaúba, região semiárida de Minas Gerais. As plantas, enxertadas sobre o porta-enxerto IAC 572 'Jales', foram conduzidas no sistema de latada e irrigadas por microaspersão. O acúmulo em dias e a exigência térmica (graus-dia) foram determinados em duas safras consecutivas, da data da poda até a colheita, adotando-se a temperatura de 10°C como temperatura de base. O acúmulo em dias, da poda à colheita, foi de 120 para a poda realizada em janeiro e de 131 dias para a poda em julho. Na poda de janeiro, as plantas acumularam 1.914 graus-dias, enquanto na poda de julho o acúmulo foi de 1.930 graus- dia.

Mapping Bias Overestimates Reference Allele Frequencies at the HLA Genes in the 1000 Genomes Project Phase I Data.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have become the standard for data generation in studies of population genomics, as the 1000 Genomes Project (1000G). However, these techniques are known to be problematic when applied to highly polymorphic genomic regions, such as the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes. Because accurate genotype calls and allele frequency estimations are crucial to population genomics analyses, it is important to assess the reliability of NGS data. Here, we evaluate the reliability of genotype calls and allele frequency estimates of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) reported by 1000G (phase I) at five HLA genes (HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DQB1). We take advantage of the availability of HLA Sanger sequencing of 930 of the 1092 1000G samples and use this as a gold standard to benchmark the 1000G data. We document that 18.6% of SNP genotype calls in HLA genes are incorrect and that allele frequencies are estimated with an error greater than ±0.1 at approximately 25% of the SNPs in HLA genes. We found a bias toward overestimation of reference allele frequency for the 1000G data, indicating mapping bias is an important cause of error in frequency estimation in this dataset. We provide a list of sites that have poor allele frequency estimates and discuss the outcomes of including those sites in different kinds of analyses. Because the HLA region is the most polymorphic in the human genome, our results provide insights into the challenges of using of NGS data at other genomic regions of high diversity.

Päästökauppa ja sen vaikutukset Suomen terästeollisuuteen

Tässä työssä tavoitteena oli selvittää päästökaupan vaikutuksia Rautaruukin toimintaan ja kilpailukykyyn. Työssä tarkasteltiin tarkemmin Euroopan Yhteisöjen komission esittämää ehdotusta Euroopan Unionin laajuisesta päästökauppajärjestelmästä. Työssä selvitettiin Rautaruukin Raahen ja Koverharin terästehtaiden jo tehtyjen toimien vaikutus hiilidioksidipäästöihin sekä tulevaisuuden päästövähennysmahdollisuudet huomioiden eri päästöskenaariovaihtoehdot. Rautaruukki on saavuttanut tehdyillä toimenpiteillä huomattavia hiilidioksidipäästöjen vähenemiä. Ilman vuosien 1990-2001 välisenä aikana tehtyjä toimia olisivat hiilidioksidi-päästöt vuonna 2001 olleet noin 1 Mt suuremmat kuin ne todellisuudessa olivat. Myös tuulevaisuudessa Rautaruukilla on mahdollisuus vaikuttaa hiilidioksidipäästöihin. Laskelmien mukaan tunnistetuilla toimilla saavutettavat päästövähenemät vuonna 2005 voisivat olla noin 930 000 t ja vuonna 2008 960 00 t. Kuitenkin osa toimista on pitkäntähtäimen toimia, joiden toteuttaminen on vielä hyvin epätodennäköistä. Lisäksi toimien kustannuksista ei ole vielä tarkkaa tietoa. Päästökauppadirektiiviehdotuksen alkujaon merkitystä Rautaruukille on arvioitu vertailemalla eri alkujakovaihtoehtoja. Laskennassa on oletettu, että päästöoikeuksien ensimmäinen alkujako on ilmainen, jolloin kaikki vuoden 1990 päästöt saadaan ilmaiseksi. Näin Ollen vuonna 2005 kymmenen euron päästöoikeuden hinnalla tulee vuosittaiseksi kustannuksiksi noin 16 miljoonaa euroa. Toisella velvoitekaudella 90 % päästöoikeuksista jaetaan ilmaiseksi ja 10 % joudutaan ostamaan. Näin ollen vuonna 2008 kustannukset olisivat noin 69 miljoonaa euroa. Vastaavasti, jos huomioidaan tulevaisuuden investoinneilla saavutettavissa olevat hiilidioksidipäästöjen vähenemät, ovat kustannukset vuonna 2005 noin seitsemän miljoonaa euroa ja vuonna 2008 noin 59 miljoonaa euroa.

Temporal Patterns of Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Road Accidents in Young Swiss Men: Seasonal, Weekday and Public Holiday Effects.

AIMS: To assess seasonal, weekday, and public holiday effects on alcohol-related road accidents and drinking diaries among young Swiss men. METHODS: Federal road accident data (35,485 accidents) from Switzerland and drinking diary data from a large cohort of young Swiss men (11,930 subjects) were analysed for temporal effects by calendar week, weekday and public holiday (Christmas, New Years, National Day). Alcohol-related accidents were analysed using rate ratios for observed versus expected numbers of accidents and proportions of alcohol-related accidents relative to the total number. Drinking diaries were analysed for the proportion of drinkers, median number of drinks consumed, and the 90th percentile's number of drinks consumed. RESULTS: Several parallel peaks were identified in alcohol-related accidents and drinking diaries. These included increases on Fridays and Saturdays, with Saturday drinking extending until early Sunday morning, an increase during the summer on workdays but not weekends, an increase at the end of the year, and increases on public holidays and the evening before. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest specific time-windows that are associated with increases in drinking and alcohol-related harm. Established prevention measures should be enforced during these time-windows to reduce associated peaks.

FemHab: The effects of bed rest and hypoxia on oxidative stress in healthy women.

Independently, both inactivity and hypoxia augment oxidative stress. This study, part of the FemHab project, investigated the combined effects of bed rest-induced unloading and hypoxic exposure on oxidative stress and antioxidant status. Healthy, eumenorrheic women were randomly assigned to the following three 10-day experimental interventions: normoxic bed rest (NBR;n= 11; PiO2 = 133 mmHg), normobaric hypoxic bed rest (HBR;n= 12; PiO2 = 90 mmHg), and ambulatory hypoxic confinement (HAMB;n= 8: PiO2 = 90 mmHg). Plasma samples, obtained before (Pre), during (D2, D6), immediately after (Post) and 24 h after (Post+1) each intervention, were analyzed for oxidative stress markers [advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitrotyrosine], antioxidant status [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and uric acid (UA)], NO metabolism end-products (NOx), and nitrites. Compared with baseline, AOPP increased in NBR and HBR on D2 (+14%; +12%;P< 0.05), D6 (+19%; +15%;P< 0.05), and Post (+22%; +21%;P< 0.05), respectively. MDA increased at Post+1 in NBR (+116%;P< 0.01) and D2 in HBR (+114%;P< 0.01) and HAMB (+95%;P< 0.05). Nitrotyrosine decreased (-45%;P< 0.05) and nitrites increased (+46%;P< 0.05) at Post+1 in HAMB only. Whereas SOD was higher at D6 (+82%) and Post+1 (+67%) in HAMB only, the catalase activity increased on D6 (128%) and Post (146%) in HBR and HAMB, respectively (P< 0.05). GPX was only reduced on D6 (-20%;P< 0.01) and Post (-18%;P< 0.05) in HBR. No differences were observed in FRAP and NOx. UA was higher at Post in HBR compared with HAMB (P< 0.05). These data indicate that exposure to combined inactivity and hypoxia impairs prooxidant/antioxidant balance in healthy women. Moreover, habitual activity levels, as opposed to inactivity, seem to blunt hypoxia-related oxidative stress via antioxidant system upregulation.