The sleep as an activator on epileptic patient's electroencephalogram

In order to study the influence of sleep on the electroencephalograms of epileptic patients the tracings obtained of 1.868 such patients were analised (572 generalized seizures; 121 non-psychomotor temporal; 118 psychomotor; 410 non-temporal focal; 314 noctural seizures; 165 febrile seizures; 168 convulsive seizures associated with psychomotor retard). The electroencephalograms were made with the patients awake (rest and hyperpnea) and sleeping (slow phase), the findings being compared. There was not found any significant difference between the EEG tracings obtained during spontaneous sleep and medically induced sleep. In the majority of the cases the records obtained while the patients were asleep merely confirmed the ones made while the patients were awake. The activator action of sleep appeared only in small number of the cases, having it's peak on the group with psychomotor seizures (26%). In the generalized non-psychomotor temporal, non-temporal focal and noctural seizures the sleep acted as an antiactivator instead of an activator of the abnormalities recorded while the patients were awake.Visando ao estudo da ação do sono como ativador do eletrencefalograma em pacientes epilépticos, foram estudados 1.868 pacientes com síndromes convulsivas (572 com crises generalizadas, 121 com crises temporais não psicomostras, 118 com crises psicomotoras, 410 com crises focais não temporais, 314 com crises noturnas, 165 com crises febris, 168 com crises convulsivas associadas a retardo psicomotor). Em todos os pacientes foram feitos eletrencefalogramas em vigília (repouso e hiperpnéia) e durante o sono (fase lenta) sendo os achados comparados. Em nosso material não encontramos diferença significativa de resposta entre o sono espontâneo e o medicamentoso. Na maioria de nossos pacientes o traçado realizado durante o sono confirmou os achados registrados em vigília. A ação ativadora do sono foi evidenciada em um número relativamente pequeno de casos, tendo atingido o seu máximo no grupo de pacientes com crises psicomotoras (26%). Nas crises generalizadas, temporais não psicomotoras, focais não temporais e noturnas o sono funcionou mais como desativador do que como ativador das anormalidades registradas em vigília.Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de Neurologia e NeurocirurgiaUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de Neurologia e NeurocirurgiaSciEL

Environmental regulation and international trade patterns for agro-industrial under a South-North Perspective

This paper aims at examining the relation between the international trade and the environment, particularly focused on sensitive agribusiness sectors. It consists on an empirical test to the conflicting positions supported by economists, some following the traditional approach (trade-off or neoclassical), while others supporting the Porter’s hypothesis, which considers that impacts of the stricter environmental regulation can benefit the trade competitiveness. A Heckscher-Ohlin- Vanek model was applied to net exports as the dependent variable. The agricultural products analyzed were total agriculture, rice, maize, soybean, wheat, dairy and swine; run for 97 countries, divided as developing and developed, in a cross-section approach. This modeling allows including the environmental endowment as explanatory variables. Moreover the Environmental Performance Index (Esty et al, 2008) was also tried as explanatory variables in order to catch any effect of the environmental regulation on the trade patterns. Results were not conclusively as they show that the net exports of the selected products, considered environmentally sensitive, can be affected even positively or negatively (neoclassical approach) by the environmental regulation. The results depend on the products. A remarkable outcome to highlight is that the dummy for developing countries and developed countries was significant, pointing that for rice, for example, it makes difference being a developing country, as well as it does for wheat, being a developed country.Trade, environmental regulation, agribusiness, Environmental Economics and Policy, International Relations/Trade,

Avances en electrodos y biosensores elaborados con nanotubos de carbono

Continuous improvement in manufacturing processes of electrodes and biosensors, facilitates the generation of new implementations in various fields of science and engineering where required applied. An extensive search of scientific articles unpublished research results, databases and journals reveal new trends in the inclusion of Carbon Nanotubes (cnt) as a base material of new electrodes and biosensors highly sensitive and less susceptible to noise. Compression of new construction methodologies including cnt and final operation constitute an opportunity for the generation of new applications and the improvement of actual construction techniques.El mejoramiento continuo en los procesos de fabricación de electrodos y biosensores facilita la generación de nuevas implementaciones en diversos sectores de la ciencia, tales como la física, la química y la biología, así como de la ingeniería, la electrónica, la biomédica y la bioingeniería, en las que se requiere aplicar. Una amplia búsqueda en artículos científicos, bases de datos y revistas especializadas revela las nuevas tendencias en la inclusión de nanotubos de carbono (cnt) como material base de nuevos electrodos y biosensores altamente sensibles y menos susceptibles al ruido. La compresión de las nuevas metodologías de construcción que incluyen cnt y su funcionamiento final constituyen una oportunidad para la generación de aplicaciones y el mejoramiento de las técnicas de construcción actuales

A imagem do analfabeto no filme Central do Brasil

RESUMO: O presente trabalho é uma análise da imagem do analfabeto no filme Central do Brasil (1998), de Walter Salles. Em uma determinada cena verificarei como a imagem do analfabeto está sendo revelada através das falas das personagens alfabetizadas, duas ex-professoras. Mas, principalmente observarei as relações de poder presentes e construídas através do discurso de Dora. Verificarei também, que tipo de discurso é feito pela personagem e qual é a sua importância na produção de sentidos construídos na cena. Após estes levantamentos, buscarei a resposta da seguinte questão: qual é a imagem de analfabeto construída no filme Central do Brasil? Palavras-chave: Lingüística Aplicada, analfabeto, discurso, relações de poder

Efectividad de las coberturas a través de forwards en el sector real.

Este trabajo busca realizar un análisis del periodo comprendido entre 2009 – 2019 para tratar de determinar los efectos de la utilización de forwards peso – dólar en una compañía del sector real y que los resultados sean una herramienta que permita ampliar el conocimiento de este tipo de derivados y su efectividad, con vencimientos de 3, 6 y 12 meses en una empresa del sector real. Del presente trabajo se puede concluir que el nivel de utilización de las coberturas en Colombia específicamente de los forwards Peso – Dólar en el sector real sigue siendo muy bajo, en la siguiente gráfica se observan los montos del mercado de forwards del 2009 hasta agosto de 2020 de compras y ventas realizadas por: Fondos de Pensiones y Cesantías, Sociedades Fiduciarias, Offshore, Casas Matrices y Filiales, Tesorería General de la Nación y el resto del sector real (Cifras en millones de dólares). Hay un incremento constante en su implementación sin embargo el nivel en montos no alcanza a los doscientos mil millones de dólares.Introducción ; Marco teórico ; Estado del arte ; Metodología ; Análisis de resultados ; Conclusiones.Magíster en Finanzas Corporativa

Classification of squamous cell cervical cytology

Cervical cancer occurs significantly in women in developing countries every day and produces a high number of casualties, with a large economic and social cost. The World Health Organization, in the right against cervical cancer, promotes early detection screening programs by difeerent detection techniques such as conventional cytology (Pap), cytology liquid medium (CML), DNA test Human Papillomavirus (HPV), staining with dilute acetic acid and Lugol's iodine solution. Conventional cytology is the most used technique, being widely accepted, inexpensive, and with quality control mechanisms. The test has shown a sensitivity of 38% to 84% and a specificity of 90% in multiple studies and has been considered as the choice test for screening [14]. The cervical cancer is not a public health problems in developed countries since more than three decades, among others because of implementation of other tests such as the CML which has increased the sensitivity to a figures that vary between 76% and 99 %. This test in particular produces a thin monolayer of cells that are examined. In our countries this technique is really far from being applied because of its high cost. In consequence, the conventional cytology has remained in practice as the only possible examination of the cervix pathology. In this technique, a sample of cells from the transformation zone of the cervix is taken, using a brush or wooden spatula, spread onto a slide and fixed with a preservative solution. This sample is then sent to a laboratory for staining and microscopic examination to determine whether cells are normal or not. This task requires time and expertise for the diagnosis. Attempting to alleviate the work burden from the number of examinations in clinical routine scenario, some researchers have proposed the development of computational tools to detect and classify the cells of the transformation cervix zone. In the present work the transformation zone is firstly characterized using color and texture descriptors defined in the MPEG-7 standard, and the tissue descriptors are used as the input to a bank of binary classifiers, obtaining a precision of 90% and a sensitivity of 83 %. Unlike traditional approaches that extract cell features from previously segmented cells, the present strategy is completely independent of the particular shape. Yet most works in the domain report higher precision rates, the images used in these works for training and evaluation are really different from what is obtained in the cytology laboratories in Colombia. Overall, most of these methods are applied to monolayer techniques and therefore the recognition rates are better from what we found in the present investigation. However, the main aim of the present work was thus to develop a strategy applicable to our real conditions as a pre-screening method, case in which the method should be robust to many random factors that contaminate the image capture. A segmentation strategy is very easily misleaded by all these factor so that our method should use characteristics independently of the segmentation quality, while the reading time is minimized, as well as the intra-observer variability, facilitating thereby real application of such screening tools.Maestrí

Dieta y estructura trófica del ensamblaje de murciélagos en un sistema de ganadería extensiva en remanentes de bosque seco tropical en Córdoba (Colombia)

En Colombia, el Bosque Seco Tropical es considerado uno de los tres ecosistemas más degradados, fragmentados y menos conocidos. El departamento de Córdoba, cuenta aún con remanentes de bosque que están siendo fuertemente amenazados por la actividad ganadera y agrícola que se lleva a cabo en el departamento. Los murciélagos son un componente importante de la fauna de estos ambientes, donde cumplen papeles funcionales y prestan servicios ambientales, por lo tanto es preciso generar información sobre la biología y ecología de estos organismos en estas zonas. Este trabajo describe la dieta y estructura trófica del ensamblaje de murciélagos presente en una finca con ganadería extensiva y con remanentes de bosque en el departamento de Córdoba (Colombia). Se realizó un muestreo de 39 noches en época seca entre los meses de Enero y Marzo del 2009 mediante un diseño por conglomerados. Se capturaron 614 murciélagos pertenecientes a 20 especies. Se obtuvo un total de 310 muestras de heces y 80 láminas de polen. Se encontraron presentes todos los gremios tróficos (insectívoros, frugívoros, nectarívoros-polinívoros, hematófagos, y piscívoros), siendo los insectívoros los más importantes según el índice de valor de importancia. La combinación de remanentes de bosque con sistemas de ganadería extensiva y silvopastoriles es capaz de mantener el ensamblaje de murciélagos para este tipo de ambientes sugiriendo que los murciélagos pueden estar inmersos directamente en la prestación de servicios como dispersión, polinización y depredación de insectos.In Colombia, the Tropical Dry Forest is one of the most degradated, fragmented and less studied ecosystems. In the department of Córdoba, it is still possible to find some forest remnants which are strongly threatened by cattle and agricultural activities that undergoes this department. Bats are an important faunistical component for these types of environments playing functional roles and giving ecosystem services, so it is precise to generate information about the biology and ecology of these organisms in these areas. This work describes the diet and trophic structure of bats assemblage present in an extensive cattle farm with forest remnants in Córdoba (Colombia). I surveyed in dry season during 39 nights between January and March 2009 using a conglomerate design. I captured 614 bats belonging to 20 species and got 310 feces samples and 80 pollen slides. The bats captured represent all trophic guilds (insectivorous, frugivorous, nectarivorous, hematophagous, pollinivorous and piscivorous), being insectivorus the most important according to the importance value index. Forest remnants, extensive cattle and silvopastoril systems combination is able to maintain bats assemblage for these types of environments suggesting they might be directly involved in ecosystems services as dispersion, pollination and insect predation.Biólogo (a)Pregrad

Variable gp43 secretion by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis clones obtained by two different culture methods

The main objectives of this study were to obtain clones of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis by two methods (micromanipulation and plating assay) and to determine if the secretion of the 43-kDa glycoprotein (gp43) is dependent on the clonal culture. the results show that the secretion of gp43 is not dependent on clonal cultures. Clones that originally were secretors of this molecule, after subculturing, lost this characteristic; on the other hand, clones that originally did not secrete gp43 began to secrete gp43 after subculturing.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Disciplina Biol Celular, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Disciplina Biol Celular, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Simulación de la presión plantar en adultos mayores

To understand the behavior of the plantar pressure in elderly people, and the factors that influence on it, this is of interest to several researchers, due to the accelerated aging of the population and the consequences that this phenomenon carries. In this work, a simulation in 3D of the human foot has been done during the march, using the finite elements method. This study used the data of several elders, the national average of elders and a young individual as control. The peak pressure and the contact area were obtained, finding the existence of intrinsic parameters which modified the footprint of an elder, such as the weight and height; the greater weight, the greater peak pressure, and the greater height, the lower contact region. Men, unlike women, present the major contact area during the march. This study found values of average peak pressure in elders, 7,325 ± 3,97 psi in the heel support stage, 14,25 ± 1,60 psi in the charge transference stage and 16 ± 7,77 psi in the takeoff stage of the heel.Comprender el comportamiento de la presión plantar en adultos mayores y los factores que influyan sobre la misma es de interés considerando el acelerado envejecimiento de la población. En este trabajo se realizó una simulación 3D del pie humano durante la marcha utilizando el método de los elementos finitos, para el estudio se utilizaron los datos de varios adultos mayores, el promedio nacional de adultos mayores y un individuo joven como control. Se obtuvo la presión pico y el área de contacto, encontrando que existen parámetros intrínsecos que modifican la huella plantar en un adulto mayor, como el peso y la estatura, a mayor peso mayor presión pico, y a mayor estatura menor región de contacto. Los hombres presentan mayor área de contacto durante la marcha que las mujeres. Este estudio encontró valores de presión pico promedio en los adultos mayores, 7,325 ± 3,97 psi en la fase de apoyo de talón, 14,25 ± 1,60 psi en la fase de transferencia de carga y 16 ± 7,77 psi en la fase de despegue de talón