Brazilian elections: voting for a scaling democracy

The proportional elections held in Brazil in 1998 and 2002 display identical statistical signatures. In particular, the distribution of votes among candidates includes a power-law regimen. We suggest that the rationale behind this robust scaling invariance is a multiplicative process in which the voter's choice for a candidate is governed by a product of probabilities.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Population Dynamic, Anthelmintic Treatments and the Influence of Helminth Infections on Weight Gain in Water Buffalo Calves (Bubalus Bubalis)

The dynamics of gastrointestinal helminthiasis was studied in buffalo calves naturally exposed to helminth infection at two farms in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The effect of helminthiasis was evaluated with respect to weight gain of naturally infected untreated calves versus those which received anthelmintic treatment either with fenbendazole or ivermectin. The treated animals had significantly (p<0.05) higher weight gain. Strongyloides papillosus was diagnosed from 30 to 60 days after birth, and Toxocara vitulorum from 60 to 90 days. During spring, there was a rise in the eggs per gram (EPG) count of Trichostrongylidae. Severe infection of Paracooperia nodulosa was detected in few 9-month-old buffalo calves.The results of this study indicate efficacy of fenbendazole and ivermectin in different age group calves for better health and reduced probability of helminth resistance. This study also indicates the necessity for good nutritional management of buffalo calves to improve the efficacy of parasite control

Use of acoustic energy in the processing of molten aluminium alloys

During the last years aluminium alloys have been gaining increased acceptance as structural materials in the automotive and aeronautical industries, mainly due to their light weight, good formability and corrosion resistance. However, improvement of mechanical properties is a constant in research activities, either by the development of new alloys or by microstructure manipulation. This presentation focuses a novel effective dynamic methodology to perform microstructural refinement / modification and degassing of light alloys, namely aluminium alloys, by applying acoustic energy to the melts. High intensity acoustic energy significantly improves the microstructure, therefore the mechanical properties of those alloys, avoiding the use of traditional chemically based degassing and refining techniques which are less effective and present significant environmental impact. Ultrasonic (US) vibration has proven to be extremely effective in degassing, controlling columnar dendritic structure, reducing the size of equiaxed grains and, under some conditions, producing globular grains and modifying the eutectic silicon cells in Al-Si alloys. The mechanisms of US processing of aluminium melts are discussed and experimental results on this field are presented.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT

Vascular and apoptotic changes in the placode of myelomeningocele mice during the final stages of in utero development

JOAQUIM L. REIS, M.D., PH.D.,1,2 JORGE CORREIA-PINTO, M.D., PH.D.,3,4 MARIANA P. MONTEIRO, M.D., PH.D.,1 MADALENA COSTA, B.SC.,1 AND GROVER M. HUTCHINS, M.D.5 1Department of Anatomy, Abel Salazar Institute for the Biomedical Sciences and Unit for Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, University of Porto; 2Department of Neurosurgery, Santo António General Hospital; 4Department of Pediatric Surgery, São João Hospital, Porto; 3Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; and 5Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland Object. Myelomeningocele (MMC) is a primary neurulation defect that is associated with devastating neurological disabilities in affected newborns. To better characterize the in utero neurodegenerative process of MMC, the authors investigated the changes in vascular organization, apoptosis, and the presence of inflammatory cells during gestation by using a mutant mouse model of MMC. Methods. The curly tail/loop tail (ct/lp) mutant mouse model of MMC was chosen to obtain fetuses at different stages of gestation. Mouse fetuses harboring MMC were harvested by caesarean section at embryonic Days 14.5, 16.5, and 18.5 (complete mouse gestation at 19 days, 6 mice/group); littermate fetuses with the same gestational age but without an MMC were used as controls. Samples of the MMC placode or normal spinal cord were stained for immunocytochemical labeling with caveolin antibody (endothelium marker) and activated caspase-3 antibody (apoptosis marker). Samples were morphometrically analyzed with a computer-assisted image analyzer. Results. The MMC mice presented with an increase in vascular density from embryonic Days 16.5–18.5 and an enhanced number of apoptotic cells at embryonic Day 18.5, compared with controls. There were scarce signals of an inflammatory reaction in the MMC placode, as a few infiltrating neutrophils were seen only at embryonic Day 18.5. Conclusions. Fetal placodes in MMC mice showed evidence of increased vascular density since embryonic Day 16.5 and increased apoptosis at embryonic Day 18.5. These new data support the view that in utero changes of the MMC placode, occurring during the last stages of gestation, contribute to the neuropathological manifestations in fullterm newborns with MMC. (DOI: 10.3171/PED/2008/2/8/150

Structural, morphological and dielectric properties of ErNbO4 prepared by the sol-gel method

In this work, ErNbO4 samples were prepared using the sol-gel method, through the citrate route, and heat-treated at temperatures between 700 and 1600 °C. The structure was studied by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The crystallite size was estimated using the Rietveld refinement and the Sherrer's formula, presenting values from 31.27 to 86.65 nm and from 40.96 to 78.23 nm, respectively. The morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The measurement of the complex permittivity was made using the small perturbation technique, with a cavity operating in TE105 mode, at resonant frequency of 2.7 GHz. The increase of the treatment temperature promoted the increase of the dielectric constant and the dielectric losses were still maintained with low values, allowing their potential application in electric storage devices. The dielectric constant of ErNbO4 in a zero porosity sample case was estimated and compared with the experimental values.publishe

Estudio comparado (Europa versus Estados Unidos) sobre el concepto de medicamento genérico

Objetivo: Determinar las similitudes y las diferencias del concepto científico de medicamento genérico en Europa y en Estados Unidos a partir de un estudio comparado de la legislación vigente en ambas regiones. Material y Método: Análisis de la legislación vigente en Europa y en Estados Unidos relativa al concepto de medicamento genérico, analizando detalladamente cada aspecto de la definición del mismo, composición (principio activo y excipientes), forma farmacéutica, características de calidad, bioequivalencia y concepto de medicamento de referencia. Estudio comparado de los resultados para concluir similitudes y diferencias en el ámbito conceptual. Resultados: Se observan similitudes y diferencias en cuanto al concepto científico de medicamento genérico en Europa y en Estados Unidos. En concreto, se observan diferencias al concepto de “mismo principio activo”, “misma forma farmacéutica”, al uso de excipientes con respecto al medicamento de referencia y a la elección del propio medicamento de referencia. También se observan diferencias en cuanto a cómo demostrar bioequivalencia con respecto al medicamento de referencia. Se observan similitudes en cuanto al concepto de “misma dosis”, características de calidad, etiquetado e indicaciones con respecto al medicamento de referencia. Conclusiones: Estas diferencias van a tener un impacto en el desarrollo, registro y comercialización del medicamento genérico que desee comercializar una compañía farmacéutica de forma global en estas regiones.Aim: The objective is to determine the similarities and differences between Europe and the United States on the scientific concept of generic medicine. The study is based on a comparative study of the current legislation in both regions. Materials and Methods: Analysis of the current legislation in Europe and the United States in reference to the concept of generic medicine, analyzing each aspect of the definition in detail: composition (active substance and excipients), pharmaceutical form, quality characteristics, bioequivalence and the concept of reference medicinal product. Comparative study of the results obtained to conclude similarities and differences on the conceptual scope. Results: Similarities and differences are observed on the scientific concept of generic medicine between Europe and the United States. In particular, differences on the concept “same active substance” and “same pharmaceutical form”, the use of excipients versus the reference medicinal product and the election of the reference medicinal product are observed. Moreover, differences on how to demonstrate bioequivalence with the reference medicinal product are also observed. Similarities on the concept of “same strength”, quality characteristics, labelling and indications versus the reference medicinal product are observed. Conclusions: These differences will have an impact on the development, registration and marketing of a generic medicine by a company which decides to market a generic medicine globally in these regions

Heat Transport through Rough Channels

We investigate the two-dimensional transport of heat through viscous flow between two parallel rough interfaces with a given fractal geometry. The flow and heat transport equations are solved through direct numerical simulations, and for different conduction-convection conditions. Compared with the behavior of a channel with smooth interfaces, the results for the rough channel at low and moderate values of the Peclet number indicate that the effect of roughness is almost negligible on the efficiency of the heat transport system. This is explained here in terms of the Makarov's theorem, using the notion of active zone in Laplacian transport. At sufficiently high Peclet numbers, where convection becomes the dominant mechanism of heat transport, the role of the interface roughness is to generally increase both the heat flux across the wall as well as the active length of heat exchange, when compared with the smooth channel. Finally, we show that this last behavior is closely related with the presence of recirculation zones in the reentrant regions of the fractal geometry.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

Elevated hypercoagulability markers in hemoglobin sc disease

Hemoglobin SC disease is a very prevalent hemoglobinopathy, however very little is known specifically about this condition. There appears to be an increased risk of thromboembolic events in hemoglobin SC disease, but studies evaluating the hemostatic alterations are lacking. We describe a cross-sectional observational study evaluating coagulation activation markers in adult hemoglobin SC patients, in comparison with sickle cell anemia patients and healthy controls. A total of 56 hemoglobin SC and 39 sickle cell anemia patients were included in the study, all in steady state, and 27 healthy controls. None of the patients were in use of hydroxyurea. Hemoglobin SC patients presented a significantly up-regulated relative expression of tissue factor, as well as elevations in thrombin-antithrombin complex and D-dimer, in comparison to controls (p<0.01). Hemoglobin SC patients presented lower tissue factor expression, and thrombin-antithrombin complex and D-dimer levels when compared to sickle cell anemia patients (p<0.05). Endothelial activation (soluble thrombomodulin and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1), and inflammation (tumor necrosis factor-alpha) markers were both significantly elevated in hemoglobin SC patients when compared to controls, being as high as the levels seen in sickle cell anemia. Overall, in hemoglobin SC patients, higher hemolytic activity and inflammation were associated with a more intense activation of coagulation, and hemostatic activation was associated with two very prevalent chronic complications seen in hemoglobin SC disease: retinopathy and osteonecrosis. In summary, our results demonstrate that hemoglobin SC patients present a hypercoagulable state, although this manifestation was not as intense as that seen in sickle cell anemia.Hemoglobin SC disease is a very prevalent hemoglobinopathy, however very little is known specifically about this condition. There appears to be an increased risk of thromboembolic events in hemoglobin SC disease, but studies evaluating the hemostatic alte1004466471CNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOsem informaçãosem informaçã