Spherical perspective

We survey the present state of spherical perspective, regarding both mathematical structure and drawing practice, with a view to applications in the visual arts. We define a spherical perspective as the entailment of a conical anamorphosis with a compact flattening of the visual sphere. We examine a general framework for solving spherical perspectives, exemplified with the azimuthal equidistant (“fisheye”) and equirectangular cases. We consider the relation between spherical and curvilinear perspectives. We briefly discuss computer renderings but focus on methods adapted to freehand sketching or technical drawing with simple instruments such as ruler and compass. We discuss how handmade spherical perspective drawings can generate immersive anamorphoses, which can be rendered as virtual reality panoramas, leading to hybrid visual creations that bridge the gap between traditional drawing and digital environments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Indução da atividade fagocitária e produção de óxido nítrico numa população natural de Trypanosoma cruzi I e II do Estado do Paraná, Brasil

Twelve strains of Trypanosoma cruzi isolated from wild reservoirs, triatomines, and chronic chagasic patients in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil, and classified as T. cruzi I and II, were used to test the correlation between genetic and biological diversity. The Phagocytic Index (PI) and nitric-oxide (NO) production in vitro were used as biological parameters. The PI of the T. cruzi I and II strains did not differ significantly, nor did the PI of the T. cruzi strains isolated from humans, triatomines, or wild reservoirs. There was a statistical difference in the inhibition of NO production between T. cruzi I and II and between parasites isolated from humans and the strains isolated from triatomines and wild reservoirs, but there was no correlation between genetics and biology when the strains were analyzed independently of the lineages or hosts from which the strains were isolated. There were significant correlations for Randomly Amplified Polymorphic Deoxyribonucleic acid (RAPD) and biological parameters for T. cruzi I and II, and for humans or wild reservoirs when the lineages or hosts were considered individually.Doze cepas de Trypanosoma cruzi isoladas de reservatórios silvestres, triatomíneos e de pacientes chagásicos crônicos do Estado do Paraná, Brasil, classificadas como Tc I e II foram usadas para avaliar a correlação entre genética e diversidade biológica. Índice fagocítico (IF) e produção de óxido nítrico (ON) in vitro foram os parâmetros biológicos utilizados. O IF de cepas T. cruzi I e II não diferiram significativamente assim como o IF de cepas isoladas de humanos, triatomíneos ou de reservatórios silvestres. Há diferença estatística na inibição da produção de ON entre T. cruzi I e II e entre parasitos isolados de humanos e de cepas isoladas de triatomíneos e reservatórios silvestres, mas não foi observada correlação entre genética e biologia quando as cepas foram analisadas independentemente da linhagem ou hospedeiros das quais elas foram isoladas. Observou-se correlação significativa para amplificação aleatória do DNA polimórfico e parâmetros biológicos de Tc I ou II e para os seres humanos ou reservatório silvestre quando linhagens ou hospedeiros são consideradas separadamente

Minor psychiatric disorders among Brazilian ragpickers: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Ragpickers are informal workers who collect recyclable materials to earn a small wage. Their life and working conditions are extremely difficult. We examined minor psychiatric disorders (MPD) among a cohort of ragpickers in Pelotas, a city in southern Brazil. METHODS: Ragpickers were matched by sex, age, and years of schooling with a sample of non-ragpickers from the same poor neighborhoods. The cross-sectional study gathered data by interview on 990 individuals in 2004. MPD were assessed using a standard self-reporting questionnaire, the SRQ-20. RESULTS: The prevalence of MPD among ragpickers was 44.7%, higher than reported by neighborhood controls (33.6%; p < 0.001). MPD were more common among females, those of lower economic level, smokers and alcoholics. Among occupational characteristics, MPD prevalence was associated with frequent static postures, low job satisfaction and recent work accidents. CONCLUSION: Ragpickers more frequently report MPD than other poor workers living in the same neighborhoods, with many of the same life conditions. Improving the work lives of these precarious workers should address not only the physical hazards of their jobs but their mental and emotional health as well

The effect of the electric field on lag phase, β-galactosidase production and plasmid stability of a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain growing on lactose

Ethanol and β-galactosidase production from cheese whey may significantly contribute to minimise environmental problems while producing value from lowcost raw materials. In this work, the recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCYC869-A3/pVK1.1 flocculent strain expressing the lacA gene (coding for β-galactosidase) of Aspergillus niger under ADHI promoter and terminator was used. This strain shows high ethanol and β-galactosidase productivities when grown on lactose. Batch cultures were performed using SSlactose medium with 50 gL−1 lactose in a 2-L bioreactor under aerobic and microaerophilic conditions. Temperature was maintained at 30 °C and pH 4.0. In order to determine the effect of an electric field in the fermentation profile, titanium electrodes were placed inside the bioreactor and different electric field values (from 0.5 to 2 Vcm−1) were applied. For all experiments, β-galactosidase activity, biomass, protein, lactose, glucose, galactose and ethanol concentrations were measured. Finally, lag phase duration and specific growth rate were calculated. Significant changes in lag phase duration and biomass yield were found when using 2 Vcm−1. Results show that the electric field enhances the early stages of fermentation kinetics, thus indicating that its application may improve industrial fermentations’ productivity. The increase in electric field intensity led to plasmid instability thus decreasing β-galactosidase production.The authors gratefully acknowledge Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Portugal) for the scholarships SFRH/BD/11230/2002 and SFRH/BDP/63831/2009 granted to authors I. Castro and C. Oliveira, respectively

The hidden world within plants: ecological and evolutionary considerations for defining functioning of microbial endophytes

All plants are inhabited internally by diverse microbial communities comprising bacterial, archaeal, fungal, and protistic taxa. These microorganisms showing endophytic lifestyles play crucial roles in plant development, growth, fitness, and diversification. The increasing awareness of and information on endophytes provide insight into the complexity of the plant microbiome. The nature of plant-endophyte interactions ranges from mutualism to pathogenicity. This depends on a set of abiotic and biotic factors, including the genotypes of plants and microbes, environmental conditions, and the dynamic network of interactions within the plant biome. In this review, we address the concept of endophytism, considering the latest insights into evolution, plant ecosystem functioning, and multipartite interactions.EU Cost Action [FA1103, 312117]; FWF (Austrian Science Foundation) [P26203-B22, P24569-B25]; Portuguese FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) [SFRH/BPD/78931/2011]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio