3,315 research outputs found

    Alguns aspectos da história da aritmética escolar no Brasil (séc. XIX) no ensino elementar

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    Disponível em: http://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/pdemat/article/view/9221Por muito tempo, o ensino primário foi entendido como a base sobre a qual se sustentam os demais alicerces da educação escolarizada. Na história, este ensino já foi chamado de elementar ou de primeiras letras. Este texto estrutura-se em duas partes: apresentação do cenário político no qual ocorria a constituição e elaboração dos conteúdos de aritmética no Brasil imperial e; um inventário dos livros didáticos utilizados naquele período e as análises preliminares do conceito de número presente nestas publicações. Utiliza-se, como fio condutor, leis e decretos, a respeito do ensino primário dos oitocentos. Entende-se que a análise deste particular conteúdo escolar subsidia condições para o entendimento das propostas didático-pedagógicas ampliando o entendimento da História da Educação Matemática no Brasil

    Motion estimation and correction for simultaneous PET/MR using SIRF and CIL

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    SIRF is a powerful PET/MR image reconstruction research tool for processing data and developing new algorithms. In this research, new developments to SIRF are presented, with focus on motion estimation and correction. SIRF's recent inclusion of the adjoint of the resampling operator allows gradient propagation through resampling, enabling the MCIR technique. Another enhancement enabled registering and resampling of complex images, suitable for MRI. Furthermore, SIRF's integration with the optimization library CIL enables the use of novel algorithms. Finally, SPM is now supported, in addition to NiftyReg, for registration. Results of MR and PET MCIR reconstructions are presented, using FISTA and PDHG, respectively. These demonstrate the advantages of incorporating motion correction and variational and structural priors. This article is part of the theme issue 'Synergistic tomographic image reconstruction: part 2'

    Quantifying loopy network architectures

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    Biology presents many examples of planar distribution and structural networks having dense sets of closed loops. An archetype of this form of network organization is the vasculature of dicotyledonous leaves, which showcases a hierarchically-nested architecture containing closed loops at many different levels. Although a number of methods have been proposed to measure aspects of the structure of such networks, a robust metric to quantify their hierarchical organization is still lacking. We present an algorithmic framework, the hierarchical loop decomposition, that allows mapping loopy networks to binary trees, preserving in the connectivity of the trees the architecture of the original graph. We apply this framework to investigate computer generated graphs, such as artificial models and optimal distribution networks, as well as natural graphs extracted from digitized images of dicotyledonous leaves and vasculature of rat cerebral neocortex. We calculate various metrics based on the Asymmetry, the cumulative size distribution and the Strahler bifurcation ratios of the corresponding trees and discuss the relationship of these quantities to the architectural organization of the original graphs. This algorithmic framework decouples the geometric information (exact location of edges and nodes) from the metric topology (connectivity and edge weight) and it ultimately allows us to perform a quantitative statistical comparison between predictions of theoretical models and naturally occurring loopy graphs.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures. During preparation of this manuscript the authors became aware of the work of Mileyko at al., concurrently submitted for publicatio

    Toll-Like Receptors 2 and 4 Regulate the Frequency of IFNγ-Producing CD4+ T-Cells during Pulmonary Infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae

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    TLR2 and TLR4 are crucial for recognition of Chlamydia pneumoniae in vivo, since infected TLR2/4 double-deficient mice are unable to control the infection as evidenced by severe loss of body weight and progressive lethal pneumonia. Unexpectedly, these mice display higher pulmonary levels of the protective cytokine IFNγ than wild type mice. We show here, that antigen-specific CD4+ T-cells are responsible for the observed IFNγ-secretion in vivo and their frequency is higher in TLR2/4 double-deficient than in wild type mice. The capacity of TLR2/4 double-deficient dendritic cells to re-stimulate CD4+ T-cells did not differ from wild type dendritic cells. However, the frequency of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T-cells was considerably higher in wild type compared to TLR2/4 double-deficient mice and was inversely related to the number of IFNγ-secreting CD4+ effector T-cells. Despite increased IFNγ-levels, at least one IFNγ-mediated response, protective NO-secretion, could not be induced in the absence of TLR2 and 4. In summary, CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T-cells fail to expand in the absence of TLR2 and TLR4 during pulmonary infection with C. pneumoniae, which in turn enhances the frequency of CD4+IFNγ+ effector T-cells. Failure of IFNγ to induce NO in TLR2/4 double-deficient cells represents one possible mechanism why TLR2/4 double-deficient mice are unable to control pneumonia caused by C. pneumoniae and succumb to the infection

    Association between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and change in bone mineral density in prospective cohorts

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    Background Subclinical hyperthyroidism (SHyper) has been associated with increased risk of hip and other fractures, but the linking mechanisms remain unclear. Objective To investigate the association between subclinical thyroid dysfunction and bone loss. Methods Individual participant data analysis was performed after a systematic literature search in MEDLINE/EMBASE (1946–2016). Two reviewers independently screened and selected prospective cohorts providing baseline thyroid status and serial bone mineral density (BMD) measurements. We classified thyroid status as euthyroidism (thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH] 0.45–4.49 mIU/L), SHyper (TSH < 0.45 mIU/L) and subclinical hypothyroidism (SHypo, TSH ≥ 4.50–19.99 mIU/L) both with normal free thyroxine levels. Our primary outcome was annualized percentage BMD change (%ΔBMD) from serial dual X-ray absorptiometry scans of the femoral neck, total hip and lumbar spine, obtained from multivariable regression in a random-effects two-step approach. Results Amongst 5458 individuals (median age 72 years, 49.1% women) from six prospective cohorts, 451 (8.3%) had SHypo and 284 (5.2%) had SHyper. During 36 569 person-years of follow-up, those with SHyper had a greater annual bone loss at the femoral neck versus euthyroidism: %ΔBMD = −0.18 (95% CI: −0.34, −0.02; I2 = 0%), with a nonstatistically significant pattern at the total hip: %ΔBMD = −0.14 (95% CI: −0.38, 0.10; I2 = 53%), but not at the lumbar spine: %ΔBMD = 0.03 (95% CI: −0.30, 0.36; I2 = 25%); especially participants with TSH < 0.10 mIU/L showed an increased bone loss in the femoral neck (%Δ BMD = −0.59; [95% CI: −0.99, −0.19]) and total hip region (%ΔBMD = −0.46 [95% CI: −1.05, −0.13]). In contrast, SHypo was not associated with bone loss at any site. Conclusion Amongst adults, SHyper was associated with increased femoral neck bone loss, potentially contributing to the increased fracture risk

    Collagen Type IV-Related Nephropathies in Portugal: Pathogenic COL4A5 Mutations and Clinical Characterization of 22 Families

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    Alport syndrome (AS) is caused by pathogenic mutations in the genes encoding α3, α4 or α5 chains of collagen IV (COL4A3/COL4A4/COL4A5), resulting in hematuria, chronic renal failure (CRF), sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and ocular abnormalities. Mutations in the X-linked COL4A5 gene have been identified in 85% of the families (XLAS). In this study, 22 of 60 probands (37%) of unrelated Portuguese families, with clinical diagnosis of AS and no evidence of autosomal inheritance, had pathogenic COL4A5 mutations detected by Sanger sequencing and/or multiplex-ligation probe amplification, of which 12 (57%) are novel. Males had more severe and earlier renal and extrarenal complications, but microscopic hematuria was a constant finding irrespective of gender. Nonsense and splice site mutations, as well as small and large deletions, were associated with younger age of onset of SNHL in males, and with higher risk of CRF and SNHL in females. Pathogenic COL4A3 or COL4A4 mutations were subsequently identified in more than half of the families without a pathogenic mutation in COL4A5. The lower than expected prevalence of XLAS in Portuguese families warrants the use of next-generation sequencing for simultaneous COL4A3/COL4A4/COL4A5 analysis, as first-tier approach to the genetic diagnosis of collagen type IV-related nephropathies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Extended 2D myotube culture recapitulates postnatal fibre type plasticity

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    Background: The traditional problems of performing skeletal muscle cell cultures derived from mammalian or avian species are limited myotube differentiation, and transient myotube persistence which greatly restricts the ability of myotubes to undergo phenotypic maturation. We report here on a major technical breakthrough in the establishment of a simple and effective method of extended porcine myotube cultures (beyond 50 days) in two-dimension (2D) that recapitulates key features of postnatal fibre types. Results: Primary porcine muscle satellite cells (myoblasts) were isolated from the longissimus dorsi of 4 to 6 weeks old pigs for 2D cultures to optimise myotube formation, improve surface adherence and characterise myotube maturation. Over 95 % of isolated cells were myoblasts as evidenced by the expression of Pax3 and Pax7. Our relatively simple approach, based on modifications of existing surface coating reagents (Maxgel), and of proliferation and differentiation (Ultroser G) media, typically achieved by 5 days of differentiation fusion index of around 80 % manifested in an abundance of discrete myosin heavy chain (MyHC) slow and fast myotubes. There was little deterioration in myotube viability over 50 days, and the efficiency of myotube formation was maintained over seven myoblast passages. Regular spontaneous contractions of myotubes were frequently observed throughout culture. Myotubes in extended cultures were able to undergo phenotypic adaptation in response to different culture media, including the adoption of a dominant postnatal phenotype of fast-glycolytic MyHC 2x and 2b expression by about day 20 of differentiation. Furthermore, fast-glycolytic myotubes coincided with enhanced expression of the putative porcine long intergenic non-coding RNA (linc-MYH), which has recently been shown to be a key coordinator of MyHC 2b expression in vivo. Conclusions: Our revised culture protocol allows the efficient differentiation and fusion of porcine myoblasts into myotubes and their prolonged adherence to the culture surface. Furthermore, we are able to recapitulate in 2D the maturation process of myotubes to resemble postnatal fibre types which represent a major technical advance in opening access to the in vitro study of coordinated postnatal muscle gene expression
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