Maximal lactate steady state in swimming tethered

This study investigated whether aerobic capacity (AC) in tethered swimming corresponds to maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) and its correlation with 30 min (V30) and 400m (V400) free swimming velocity. Twenty-five swimmers were submitted to an incremental tethered swimming test (ITS) with each stage lasting 3 minutes, initial load 20N, with 10N increments and a 30s interval to collect blood samples and lactatemia ([La-]). The abrupt increase in [La-] against force (F) corresponded to AC (ACBI). The points obtained for [La-] against force (N) were adjusted with an exponential curve model to determine AC corresponding to 3.5mmol.l-1 (AC3.5) and 4.0mmol.l-1 (AC4.0). Later swimmers performed maximum exercise for 30 minutes (V30) and 400m (V400) in free swimming. After one week, nine swimmers performed three random 30 minute tethered swimming exercises with 90%, 100%, and 110% intensity ACBI MLSS. Comparisons between ACs (AC3.5, AC4.0, and ACBI) were made by the one-way Anova test. Pearson correlation was used for possible correlations between ACs and between ACs and V30 and V400 (p0.91) and V400 (r\u3e0.63). We can conclude that ACBI corresponds to MLSS and both individually determined. AC and from the fixed lactate concentrations (3.5 and 4mM) can be used to predict mean 30 minute and 400m free swimming velocity

Tests of Bell inequality with arbitrarily low photodetection efficiency and homodyne measurements

We show that hybrid local measurements combining homodyne measurements and photodetection provide violations of a Bell inequality with arbitrarily low photodetection efficiency. This is shown in two different scenarios: when one part receives an atom entangled to the field mode to be measured by the other part and when both parts make similar photonic measurements. Our findings promote the hybrid measurement scenario as a candidate for loophole-free Bell tests beyond previous expectations.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Published versio

Influence of summertime mesoscale convective systems on the heat balance and surface mixed layer dynamics of a large Amazonian hydroelectric reservoir

We evaluated the impacts of summertime mesoscale convective systems (MCS) on the heat balance and diel surface mixed layer (SML) dynamics of the Brazilian Amazon's Tucuruí Hydroelectric Reservoir (THR). We used a synergistic approach that combines in situ data, remote sensing data, and three-dimensional (3-D) modeling to investigate the typical behavior of the components of the heat balance and the SML dynamics. During the study period (the austral summer of 2012–2013), 22 days with MCS activity were identified. These events occurred approximately every 4 days, and they were most frequent during January (50% of the observations). An analysis of local meteorological data showed that when MCS occur, the environmental conditions at THR change significantly (p-value < 0.01). The net longwave flux, which was the heat balance component most strongly impacted by MCS, increased more than 32% on days with MCS activity. The daily integrated heat balance became negative (−54 W m−2) on MCS days, while the balance was positive (19 W m−2) on non-MCS days. In response to the changes in the heat balance, the SML dynamics changed when a MCS was over the THR. The SML depth was typically 28% higher on the days with MCS (∼1.6 m) compared with the days without MCS (∼1.3 m). The results indicate that MCS are one of the main meteorological disturbances driving the heat balance and the mixing dynamics of Amazonian hydroelectric reservoirs during the summer. These events may have implications for the water quality and greenhouse gas emissions of Amazonian reservoirs

The Effect of Adverse Supply Shocks on Monetary Policy and Output

The aim of the present research is to use a model economy built for Brazil, based on an optimizing dynamic general equilibrium model, in order to perform numerical simulations to derive the ability of the artificial economy to explain the impact of monetary policy interventions on short run economic performance in terms of the inflation rate, output gap, interest rate and level of economic activity in the face of an adverse supply shock. Alternative specification of monetary reaction functions are introduced into the model economy in order to perform a sensitivity analysis of derived impulse responses to those interventions facing the negative productivity shock. The preliminary results suggest that the introduction of habit persistence into the consumption hypothesis does not make much difference. However the introduction of different monetary reaction functions does alter the impulse response of output, inflation rate, and nominal interest rate. A common result is the decline in potential output for all models. Additionally, the only case where a reduction in the output gap is observed is when using the Taylor rule that takes into consideration the output gap and past interest rates with high persistence.

Splicing Factors in Breast Cancer: Drivers of the Breast Tumor Fate

Splicing is a critical step in gene expression, responsible for the excision of introns, producing the mature form of mRNA. Also, the possible arrangements of exons enlarge the proteome in 80%, enabling one gene to encode more than one protein isoform, thus increasing proteome. Growing data show deregulation of splicing events in cancer, being breast cancer the most studied. This aberrant pattern of splicing has an important role in breast tumor progression. These alterations are mainly caused by misexpression of some critical alternative splicing factors. The behavior of these splicing factors is implicated with important clinical features, such as chemoresistance, aggressiveness, and also metastases. In this chapter, the role of five splicing factors is discussed in the light of relevant data about in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo studies to construct a representative scheme of their behavior in breast cancer progression. Although the presented five splicing factors have important role in breast cancer, only three of them (ESRP1, RBFOX2, and SRSF1) have a more prominent role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. These concepts will elucidate their role in tumorigenesis and a prospective use as biomarkers in breast cancer

On the nature of the (de)coupling of the magnetostructural transition in Er5_5Si4_4

In this report, a successful thermodynamical model was employed to understand the structural transition in Er$_5$Si$_4$, able to explain the decoupling of the magnetic and structural transition. This was achieved by the DFT calculations which were used to determine the energy differences at 0 K, using a LSDA+U approximation. It was found that the M structure as the stable phase at low temperatures as verified experimentally with a $\Delta F_0 = -$0.262 eV. Finally, it was achieved a variation of Seebeck coefficient ($\sim$ 6 $\mu$V) at the structural transition which allow to conclude that the electronic entropy variation is negligible in the transition.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Toxicity and sublethal effects of phthalides analogs to Rhyzopertha dominica

Phthalides and their precursors have demonstrated a large variety of biological activities. Eighteen phthalides were synthesized and tested on the stored grain pest Rhyzopertha dominica. In the screening bioassay, compounds rac‐(2R,2aS,4R,4aS,6aR,6bS,7R)‐7‐bromohexahydro‐2,4‐methano‐1,6‐dioxacyclopenta[cd]pentalen‐5(2H)‐one (15) and rac‐(3R,3aR,4R,7S,7aS)‐3‐(propan‐2‐yloxy)hexahydro‐4,7‐methano‐2‐benzofuran‐1(3H)‐one (17) showed mortality similar to the commercial insecticide, Bifenthrin® (≥90 %). The time (LT50) and dose (LD50) necessary to kill 50 % of the R. dominica population were determined for the most efficacious phthalides 15 and 17. Compound 15 presented the lowest LD50 (1.97 μg g−1), being four times more toxic than Bifenthrin® (LD50=9.11 μg g−1). Both compounds presented an LT50 value equal to 24 h. When applied at a sublethal dose, both phthalides (especially compound 15), reduced the emergence of the first progeny of R. dominica. These findings highlight the potential of phthalides 15 and 17 as precursors for the development of insecticides for R. dominica control

Live neighbor-joining

Background: In phylogenetic reconstruction the result is a tree where all taxa are leaves and internal nodes are hypothetical ancestors. In a live phylogeny, both ancestral and living taxa may coexist, leading to a tree where internal nodes may be living taxa. The well-known Neighbor-Joining heuristic is largely used for phylogenetic reconstruction. Results: We present Live Neighbor-Joining, a heuristic for building a live phylogeny. We have investigated Live Neighbor-Joining on datasets of viral genomes, a plausible scenario for its application, which allowed the construction of alternative hypothesis for the relationships among virus that embrace both ancestral and descending taxa. We also applied Live Neighbor-Joining on a set of bacterial genomes and to sets of images and texts. Non-biological data may be better explored visually when their relationship in terms of content similarity is represented by means of a phylogeny. Conclusion: Our experiments have shown interesting alternative phylogenetic hypothesis for RNA virus genomes, bacterial genomes and alternative relationships among images and texts, illustrating a wide range of scenarios where Live Neighbor-Joining may be used

Contribution to the study of anatomical variations in portal system formation

The portal system is formed by veins which drain the blood from a large part of the digestive system to the liver. According to the classic description, the portal vein is formed by the junction of the superior mesenteric vein and the splenic vein. The inferior mesenteric vein runs into the splenic vein. The anatomical variations of the veins are frequent and the literature data are conflicting. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the portal system in cadaver and compare the results with the ones from the literature. From the 56 cadavers that were analised, 75% (n=42) presented the classic description and 25% (n=14) presented some variation. Among them, 21% (n=12) corresponded to the junction of the inferior mesenteric vein with the superior mesenteric vein and 3,6% (n=2) showes the union of the inferior mesenteric vein in the junction point of the splenic and superior mesenteric veins in order to form the portal vein. We can conclude that the most frequent situation is the junction of the inferior mesenteric vein with the splenic vein. The main variation in this study was the junction of the inferior mesenteric vein with the superior and the confluence of the three veins in portal vein formation represents a less frequent variation.O sistema portal é constituído por uma rede de veias que drenam sangue de grande parte do sistema digestivo para o fígado. Segundo a clássica descrição, a veia porta é formada pela união das veias mesentérica superior e esplênica. A veia mesentérica inferior desemboca na veia esplênica. As variações anatômicas das veias que formam o sistema são freqüentes e os dados da literatura, conflitantes. O objetivo do presente estudo é avaliar a formação do sistema portal em cadáveres e comparar os resultados com os da literatura. Dos 56 cadáveres analisados, 75% (n=42) apresentavam-se segundo a clássica descrição e 25% (n=14) apresentavam algum tipo de variação. Destes, 21,4% (n=12) correspondiam à junção da veia mesentérica inferior com a mesentérica superior e 3,6% (n=2) à união das veia mesentérica inferior, no ponto de junção das veias esplênica e mesentérica superior, para formar a veia porta. Conclui-se que a situação mais freqüente é a desembocadura da veia mesentérica inferior na veia esplênica. A principal variação encontrada é a desembocadura da veia mesentérica inferior na superior, sendo a confluência das três veias para formar a veia porta uma variação pouco freqüente

Genotoxic and Cytotoxic Safety Evaluation of Papain (Carica papaya L.) Using In Vitro Assays

Papain, a phytotherapeutic agent, has been used in the treatment of eschars and as a debriding chemical agent to remove damaged or necrotic tissue of pressure ulcers and gangrene. Its benefits in these treatments are deemed effective, since more than 5000 patients, at the public university hospital at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have undergone papain treatment and presented satisfactory results. Despite its extensive use, there is little information about toxic and mutagenic properties of papain. This work evaluated the toxic and mutagenic potential of papain and its potential antioxidant activity against induced-H2O2 oxidative stress in Escherichia coli strains. Cytotoxicity assay, Growth inhibition test, WP2-Mutoxitest and Plasmid-DNA treatment, and agarose gel electrophoresis were used to investigate if papain would present any toxic or mutagenic potential as well as if papain would display antioxidant properties. Papain exhibited negative results for all tests. This agent presented an activity protecting cells against H2O2-induced mutagenesis