Management of estuarine beaches on the Amazon coast though the application of recreational carrying capacity indices

The purpose of this paper is to determine the Recreational Carrying Capacity of three estuarine beaches (Colares, Marudá and Murubira) on the Amazon coast of Brazil, based on the combined assessment of natural conditions and visitor facilities. In the final analysis, the carrying capacity of Colares beach was estimated to be 1089 visitors per day, and that of Murubira beach, 238 visitors per day. At Marudá beach, however, the inadequate quality of the water resulted in an RCC of zero, indicating that the beach should not be visited for recreational use. The results of this study may provide a valuable diagnostic tool for the development of future state and municipal coastal management programs. We believe that the procedures adopted in this study are applicable to other estuarine beaches on the Amazon coast, as well as in other estuarine beaches elsewhere with similar natural characteristics.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Modulation of Toll-like receptors in psoriatic patients during therapy with adalimumab

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a key part of the innate immune system that detect pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) of microorganisms and their stimulation results in the activation of signaling pathways leading to the modulation of inflammatory and immune responses. Since psoriasis is a complex, inflammatory and immune skin disease, characterized by an abnormal immune response and increased proliferation of keratinocytes, with an increased production of proinflammatory cytokines, TLRs could play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease. We propose to assess the modulation of TLR expression on psoriatic skin of patients treated with Adalimumab and systemic conventional therapies. We therefore recruited fifteen patients: ten were treated with adalimumab and five with systemic conventional therapies; their clinical conditions were analyzed by PASI index and skin biopsies were evaluated for TLR1 and TLR2 expression by immunohistochemistry assays. Our data suggest adalimumab is not only able to improve the clinical condition of psoriatic patients, but also to modulate TLR1 and TLR2 expression involved in psoriasis, as in healthy skin. Adalimumab is a most promising biological drug able to orchestrate immune and inflammatory responses in psoriatic lesions, recovering TLR expression on basal keratinocytes and improving clinical conditions of psoriatic patients, with no evident side effects

Polinização de pepino, Cucumis sativus L. (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae), pelas abelhas sem ferrão Scaptotrigona aff. depilis moure e Nannotrigona testaceicornis lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Meliponini) em casas de vegetação

When for a successful fruit development the fertilization of flowers is necessary, bees can be used as crop-pollinators in greenhouses. In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness of the stingless bees Scaptotrigona aff. depilis Moure and Nannotrigona testaceicornis Lepeletier as pollinators of cucumber plants (Cucumus sativus var. caipira) in greenhouses during the Brazilian winter season. The study was conducted in four greenhouses (GH), of which two greenhouses contained bee colonies to ascertain pollination of the cucumber plants (GH I, with S. aff. depilis, GH II, with N. testaceicornis), whereas the other two greenhouses (GH III, GH IV) had no bee colonies and served as control groups. Furthermore, we planted cucumbers in an open field plot (OA) where pollination by any/various visiting insects could occur. Each of the experimental areas measured 87.5 m². Without pollination (GH III, GH IV), the plants produced a low number of cucumbers, and the fruits were smaller and less heavy than in those experimental areas where pollination occurred. In the open field area, not protected against unfavorable climatic conditions, the plants produced fewer flowers than the plants in the greenhouses. The highest cucumber yield (with the highest amount of perfect fruits) was found in those greenhouses which housed the stingless bees as pollinators (GH I, GH II). Our results demonstrate that stingless bees can be successfully and efficiently used as pollinators of greenhouse cucumbers during the winter season.Quando a fertilização de flores é necessária para o desenvolvimento de frutos, abelhas podem ser utilizadas como polinizadores sob cultivo protegido. No presente estudo, a efetividade das abelhas sem ferrão Scaptotrigona aff. depilis Moure e Nannotrigona testaceicornis Lepeletier como polinizadoras de pepino (Cucumis sativus var. caipira) foi investigada sob cultivo protegido durante o inverno. O estudo foi conduzido em quatro casas de vegetação (GH), das quais duas continham colônias de abelhas para averiguar a polinização dos pepinos (GH I, com S. aff. depilis, GH II, com N. testaceicornis), e duas (GH III, GH IV) não continham colônias e serviram como grupos controle. Além disso, pepinos foram plantados numa área aberta (AO) onde polinização por vários insetos poderia ocorrer. Sem polinização (GH III, GH IV), as plantas produziram menor número de pepinos, e os frutos eram menores e menos pesados do que aqueles nas áreas experimentais onde a polinizacão ocorreu. Na área aberta, não protegida contra condições climáticas desfavoráveis, as plantas produziram menos flores do que as plantas nas casas de vegetação. A maior produção de pepinos (com a maior quantidade de frutos perfeitos) foi encontrada nas casas de vegetação com as abelhas como polinizadoras (GH I, GH II). Os resultados demonstraram que abelhas sem ferrão podem ser usadas com sucesso e eficiência como polinizadoras de pepinos sob cultivo protegido durante o inverno.FAPESPCoordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)CNP

Exploiting web technologies to build autonomic wireless sensor networks

Most of the current wireless sensor networks are built for specific applications, with a tight coupling between them and the underlying communication protocols. We present a more flexible architectural approach for building WSNs, in which application-specific features are decoupled from the underlying communication infrastructure, although affecting the network behavior. We propose a framework based on Web technologies that provides a standard interface for accessing the network and configurable service components tailored to meet different application requirements, while optimizing the network scarce resources. Also, a set of ontologies is defined as part of the framework for representing shared knowledge of the WSN domain.8th IFIP/IEEE International conference on Mobile and Wireless CommunicationRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Editorial: Sleep, vigilance & disruptive behaviors

The Frontiers in Psychiatry Research Theme of Sleep, vigilance, and disruptive behaviors has two aims: first, to promote the understanding of the connections between vigilance and disruptive daytime behavior in the context of sleep deprivation and, second, to explore how naturalistic observations and pattern recognition can play a role in furthering our understanding of these connections. . .

Pt-Decorated TiO2 Materials Supported on Carbon : Increasing Activities and Stabilities toward the ORR by Tuning the Pt Loading

Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs) supported on carbon have been widely employed as electrocatalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction. The development of more efficient electrocatalysts that enable one to reduce or even not require the use of Pt is a central challenge. In addition to the control over the physical and chemical features of Pt NPs, metal support interactions can be employed to enhance activities via the generation and exposure of surface-active sites. In this context, we report herein the development of electrocatalysts composed of Pt NPs supported on TiO2 microspheres, that were subsequently impregnated onto carbon. We have found that, by optimizing the loading of Pt at the TiO2 surface, the electrocatalytic activity toward the ORR could be improved compared to that of the commercial Pt/C (E-TEK) material, even at lower Pt loadings. The enhancement in activities could be assigned to the balance between Pt loading and generation of reactive surface sites, such as adsorbed oxygenated species. Moreover, the utilization of TiO2 as support enabled improved stabilities relative to Pt/C (E-TEK). We believe that the results described herein may inspire the development of electrocatalysts for the ORR with improved activities and stabilities.Peer reviewe

As tendências educacionais politizadoras do processo inclusivo: acertos e desacertos

Adentrando-se no século XXI, o processo inclusivo de alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais na rede regular de ensino foi se intensificando significativamente. Ressalta-se então uma grande variedade de documentos importantes, reafirmando o direito a todos para uma educação básica de qualidade, bem como o incentivo para a elaboração de projetos voltados para a política de inclusão. Diante do exposto, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo realizar um estudo na rede Municipal de Araraquara S.P, visando conhecer a evolução do número de alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais que foram atendidos pelo Programa de Educação Especial. Pretendeu-se conhecer o número de atendimentos a esses alunos no decorrer de um período de cinco anos, (de 2002 a 2007), por acreditar que os cinco primeiros anos de sua implantação são de grande importância para avaliação e reavaliação dos serviços. Portanto, a partir desse período, os objetivos encontram-se mais consolidados, podendo trazer melhores contribuições de como essa rede está organizada em seu serviço especial, na ação de uma gestão educacional e na viabilização de projetos políticos pedagógicos que vão ao encontro dessa nova filosofia educacional