Methods for estimating the upcrossings index: improvements and comparison

The upcrossings index 0≤η≤1, as a measure of the degree of local dependence in the upcrossings of a high level by a stationary process, plays, together with the extremal index θ, an important role in extreme events modelling. For stationary processes, verifying a long range dependence condition, upcrossings of high thresholds in different blocks can be assumed asymptotically independent and therefore blocks estimators for the upcrossings index can be easily constructed using disjoint blocks. In this paper we focus on the estimation of the upcrossings index via the blocks method and properties such as consistency and asymptotic normality are studied. Besides this new estimation approach for this parameter, we also enlarge its family of runs estimators and improve estimation within this class by providing an empirical way of checking local dependence conditions that control the clustering of upcrossings. We compare the performance of a range of different estimators for η and illustrate the methods using simulated data and financial data.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

BIOMASSA TOTAL POR INDIVÍDUO DE Araucaria angustifolia EM DIFERENTES POSIÇÕES NO RELEVO E IDADES

A biomassa pode ser um indicador de produtividade florestal, a qual é influenciada pela idade, densidade de povoamentos, combinação de espécies e características do local, tais como, precipitação, temperatura, latitude e a altitude. Portanto, conhecer tais condições do povoamento e como essas influenciam na produção da biomassa é fundamental para a definição do manejo mais adequado e valoração da floresta. O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar a existência de diferenças significativas no estoque de biomassa total em indivíduos de Araucaria angustifolia em diferentes idades e cultivadas em diferentes posições no relevo. Os dados foram obtidos a partir de 30 árvores de plantio comercial de A. angustifolia com 24 anos, localizado na região Centro-Sul do Paraná, submetidas a análise de tronco (ANATRO), sendo utilizadas as idades de 6, 12, 18 e 24 anos, totalizando 120 observações. A biomassa total individual foi estimada a partir da aplicação da equação ajustada por Schumacher et al. (2011). A análise estatística foi conduzida em delineamento inteiramente casualizado em esquema bifatorial (fator 1 = posição no relevo, 3 níveis: alta, média e baixa; e fator 2 = idade, 4 níveis: 6, 12, 18 e 24 anos), totalizando 12 tratamentos com 10 repetições cada. Foi realizada a ANOVA, em que, para as diferenças significativas (p ≤  0,05) foi aplicado o teste de comparação múltipla de médias de Tukey (p ≤ 0,05). Não há diferença significativa entre a biomassa total individual de A. angustifolia cultivada nas diferentes posições do relevo, ao passo que há diferença significativa entre idades, porém, a interação dos fatores posição no relevo e idade não foi significativa.

Mudança no estoque de carbono em áreas especiais de uso do solo na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Iguaçu - PR em 15 anos

Areas destined for conservation play an essential role in global climate regulation, as forests are the main terrestrial carbon sink, since they capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store carbon in their biomass, mainly in wood. The objective of this work was to analyze the dynamics in volume, biomass and carbon stocks in the total area of ​​the Iguaçu River Basin and in special areas, such as Riparian Forests, Conservation Units, Indigenous Lands and Rural Settlements, between the years 2000 and 2015 Vector files of the basin's forest cover for the base years were used to estimate the variables by forest formation and successional stage. The Iguaçu River Basin as a whole acted as a carbon sink over the analyzed 15-year period, with an increase in stocks of approximately 14% for V, AGB, C, and CO2eq (sequestering 116,173,629.91 tons of CO2eq). The special areas acted as carbon sinks, with Conservation Units storing the most carbon (11.72% of the total watershed), and Riparian Forests sequestering the most carbon (3.54% of the total watershed). Keywords: Atlantic forest; climate changes; subtropical forest.Las áreas destinadas a la conservación juegan un papel fundamental en la regulación del clima global, ya que los bosques son el principal sumidero de carbono terrestre, ya que capturan dióxido de carbono de la atmósfera y almacenan carbono en su biomasa, principalmente en la madera. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar la dinámica en volumen, biomasa y stocks de carbono en el área total de la Cuenca del Río Iguazú y en áreas especiales, como Florestas Ribereñas, Unidades de Conservación, Tierras Indígenas y Asentamientos Rurales, entre los años 2000 y 2015 Se utilizaron archivos vectoriales de la cobertura forestal de la cuenca para los años base para estimar las variables por formación forestal y etapa sucesional. La Cuenca Hidrográfica del Río Iguaçu en su conjunto actuó como un sumidero de carbono durante los 15 años analizados, con un aumento en las existencias de aproximadamente el 14% para V, AGB, C y CO2eq (secuestrando 116,173,629.91 toneladas de CO2eq) en ese período. Las áreas especiales fueron sumideros de carbono, siendo que las Unidades de Conservación almacenaron la mayor cantidad de carbono (11.72% del total de la cuenca) y los Bosques de Ribera secuestraron más carbono (3.54% del total de la cuenca). Palavras clave: Bosque Atlántico; cambios climáticos; bosque subtropical.Áreas destinadas à conservação desempenham papel essencial na regulação global do clima, pois, as florestas são o principal sumidouro de carbono terrestre, uma vez que, capturam dióxido de carbono da atmosfera e armazenam o carbono em sua biomassa, principalmente na madeira. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar a dinâmica nos estoques de volume, biomassa e carbono em área total da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Iguaçu e em áreas especiais, como Matas Ciliares, Unidades de Conservação, Terras Indígenas e Assentamentos Rurais, entre os anos 2000 e 2015. Foram utilizados arquivos vetoriais da cobertura florestal da bacia para os anos-base para a estimativa das variáveis por formação florestal e estágio sucessional. A Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Iguaçu como um todo foi sumidouro de carbono nos 15 anos analisados, com aumento nos estoques na ordem de 14% para V, AGB, C e CO2eq (sequestro de 116.173.629,91 t de CO2eq) no período. As áreas especiais foram sumidouro de carbono, sendo que as Unidades de Conservação estocaram mais carbono (11,72% do total da bacia) e Matas Ciliares sequestraram mais carbono (3,54% do total da bacia). Palavras-chave: Mata Atlântica; mudanças climáticas; floresta subtropical

Risk Factors for Persistence or Recurrence of High-Grade Cervical Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions

ABSTRACT Objectives: to evaluate whether the colposcopic lesion size , age, kind of surgery, the status of the surgical margins and the expression of the p16 and Ki-67 immunomarkers are risk factors for persistence or recurrence of the lesion. Methods: a cross-sectional, observational, retrospective study of patients submitted to cold knife conization (CKC) or the loop electrosurgical excision procedure for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 or 3. The colposcopic lesion size, age, surgical method, involvement of the surgical margins, and p16/Ki-67 immunomarker expression were analyzed in relation to lesion persistence and recurrence. Results: seventy-one women were treated with cold knife conization and 200 were treated with loop electrosurgical excision. Of these, 95 had cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2, 173 had cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3, 183 had free surgical margins, 76 had compromised margins, and 12 showed damage by processing artifact or fragments. Among the 76 cases with positive margins, 55, 11, and 10 showed endocervical margin involvement, ectocervical margin involvement, and both endocervial and ectocervical margin involvement, respectively. Of the 264 followed-up patients, 38 had persistent or recurrent disease. A multiple logistic regression indicated that positive endocervical margins are the only independent risk factor for the persistence/recurrence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. No significant association was identified between the colposcopic lesion size, age, surgery type, or p16/Ki-67 immunomarker expression and lesion persistence or recurrence

Fator natriurético atrial: ele é o responsável pela hiponatremia e natriurese em neurocirurgia?

To evaluate the presence of hyponatremia and natriuresis and their association with atrial natriuretic factor in neurosurgery patients. Methods: The study included 30 patients who had been submitted to intracranial tumor resection and cerebral aneurism clipping. Both plasma and urinary sodium and plasma atrial natriuretic factor were measured during the preoperative and postoperative time periods. Results: Hyponatremia was present in 63.33% of the patients, particularly on the first postoperative day. Natriuresis was present in 93.33% of the patients, particularly on the second postoperative day. Plasma atrial natriuretic factor was increased in 92.60% of the patients in at least one of the postoperative days; however, there was no statistically significant association between the atrial natriuretic factor and plasma sodium and between the atrial natriuretic factor and urinary sodium. Conclusion: Hyponatremia and natriuresis were present in most patients after neurosurgery; however, the atrial natriuretic factor cannot be considered to be directly responsible for these alterations in neurosurgery patients. Other natriuretic factors are likely to be involved282154160FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP00/05990-9Avaliar a presença de hiponatremia e natriurese, bem como suas associações com o fator natriurético atrial em pacientes de neurocirurgia. Métodos: Foram incluídos 30 pacientes submetidos à ressecção de tumor intracraniano e à clipagem de aneurisma cerebral. Os níveis plasmáticos e urinários de fator natriurético atrial foram medidos durante os períodos pré e pós-operatório. Resultados: Hiponatremia esteve presente em 63,33% dos pacientes, particularmente no primeiro dia pós-operatório. Observou-se natriurese em 93,33% dos pacientes, principalmente no segundo dia pós-operatório. Os níveis plasmáticos de fator natriurético atrial estavam aumentados em 92,60% dos pacientes em pelo menos um dos dias pós-operatórios, mas não houve associação estatisticamente significante entre fator natriurético atrial e sódio plasmático, e entre fator natriurético atrial e sódio urinário. Conclusão: Após neurocirurgia, na maior parte dos pacientes, estiveram presentes hiponatremia e natriurese; contudo, o fator natriurético atrial não pôde ser considerado diretamente responsável por tais alterações nos pacientes neurocirúrgicos. Provavelmente, há o envolvimento de outros fatores natriurético

Unexpected short- and long-term effects of chronic adolescent HU-210 exposure on emotional behavior

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by- nc-nd/4.0/).Chronic adolescent cannabinoid receptor agonist exposure has been shown to lead to persistent increases in depressive-like behaviors. This has been a key obstacle to the development of cannabinoid-based therapeutics. However, most of the published work has been performed with only three compounds, namely Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, CP55,940 and WIN55,212-2. Hypothesizing that different compounds may lead to distinct outcomes, we herein used the highly potent CB1R/CB2R full agonist HU-210, and first aimed at replicating cannabinoid-induced long-lasting effects, by exposing adolescent female Sprague-Dawley rats to increasing doses of HU-210, for 11 days and testing them at adulthood, after a 30-day drug washout. Surprisingly, HU-210 did not significantly impact adult anxious- or depressive-like behaviors. We then tested whether chronic adolescent HU-210 treatment resulted in short-term (24h) alterations in depressive-like behavior. Remarkably, HU-210 treatment simultaneously induced marked antidepressant- and prodepressant-like responses, in the modified forced swim (mFST) and sucrose preference tests (SPT), respectively. Hypothesizing that mFST results were a misleading artifact of HU-210-induced behavioral hyperreactivity to stress, we assessed plasmatic noradrenaline and corticosterone levels, under basal conditions and following an acute swim-stress episode. Notably, we found that while HU-210 did not alter basal noradrenaline or corticosterone levels, it greatly augmented the stress-induced increase in both. Our results show that, contrary to previously studied cannabinoid receptor agonists, HU-210 does not induce persisting depressive-like alterations, despite inducing marked short-term increases in stress-induced reactivity. By showing that not all cannabinoid receptor agonists may induce long-term negative effects, these results hold significant relevance for the development of cannabinoid-based therapeutics.Work was supported by project funding from Fundação para a Ciência e para a Tecnologia (FCT) (PTDC/MED-FAR/30933/2017 and PTDC/MED-FAR/4834/2021) and by H2020-WIDESPREAD-05-2017-Twinning (EpiEpinet) under grant agreement No. 952455. MF-F (SFRH/BD/147505/2019), NR (PD/BD/113463/2015), JF-G (PD/BD/114441/2016) and CM-L (SFRH/BD/118238/2016) are supported by PhD fellowships from FCT. The funding sources had no involvement in study design, preparation of the manuscript, or decision regarding its submission.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Stromal MED12 exon 2 mutations in complex fibroadenomas of the breast

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.Aims: Here we explore the presence of mediator complex subunit 12 (MED12) exon 2 and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter hotspot mutations in complex fibroadenomas (CFAs) of the breast. Methods: The stromal components from 18 CFAs were subjected to Sanger sequencing of MED12 exon 2 and the TERT promoter hotspot loci. The epithelial and stromal components of two MED12 mutated CFAs were subjected to laser capture microdissection, and Sanger sequencing of MED12 exon 2, TERT promoter and PIK3CA exons 9 and 20, separately. Results: MED12 exon 2 mutations were identified in the stroma of 17% of CFAs. The analyses of epithelial and stromal components, microdissected separately, revealed that MED12 mutations were restricted to the stroma. No TERT promoter or PIK3CA mutations in exons 9 and 20 were detected in analysed CFAs. Conclusions: Like conventional fibroadenomas, MED12 exon 2 mutations appear to be restricted to the stromal component of CFAs, supporting the notion that CFAs are stromal neoplasms.This study was funded by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. BW is funded by a Cycle for Survival grant, CS by a Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia grant (SFRH/BDE/110544/2015). FP is partially funded by a K12 CA184746 grant. The research reported in this paper was supported in part by a Cancer Centre Support Grant of the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute (grant No P30CA008748).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fitossociologia de plantas daninhas em eucalipto clonal com diferentes espaçamentos / Phytosociology of weeds in clonal eucalyptus with different spacing

A presença de plantas daninhas na cultura do eucalipto, principalmente na fase inicial de implantação ou em variações de espaçamento pode afetar negativamente a produtividade da cultura.Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o fluxo germinativo de plantas daninhas por meio do levantamento fitossociológico em um plantio clonal de eucalipto com diferentes distâncias entre plantas na entre linha. A área amostrada foi de 2 hectares, compreendidos em três diferentes distâncias na entre linha de cultivo: 5 metros, 4 metros e 3 metros. Em cada espaçamento foram amostradas 18 parcelas de 1 m² na linha e entre linha, correspondente a 108 parcelas na área total. A identificação taxonômica foi efetuada em uma avaliação, realizada em janeiro de 2017. Foi identificado, na área, um total de 1.871 indivíduos, distribuídos em 10 famílias botânicas e 13 espécies. Em todos os espaçamentos, as famílias mais representativas, foram Poaceae, Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae e Commelinaceae. A espécie Chamaesycehyssopifolia foi amais abundante. Emiliafosbergiiocorreu apenas nos espaçamentos de 5 e 4 metros. Foram observadas 12 espécies de plantas daninhas em comum as três áreas com diferentes espaçamentos. Conclui-se que os espaçamentos de cultivo do eucalipto, representado neste experimento pela distância entre plantas na entre linha afeta o fluxo de plantas daninhas. Ocorreu alta similaridade para plantas daninhas entre os espaçamentos testados