1,228 research outputs found
Neuromorphometric characterization with shape functionals
This work presents a procedure to extract morphological information from
neuronal cells based on the variation of shape functionals as the cell geometry
undergoes a dilation through a wide interval of spatial scales. The targeted
shapes are alpha and beta cat retinal ganglion cells, which are characterized
by different ranges of dendritic field diameter. Image functionals are expected
to act as descriptors of the shape, gathering relevant geometric and
topological features of the complex cell form. We present a comparative study
of classification performance of additive shape descriptors, namely, Minkowski
functionals, and the nonadditive multiscale fractal. We found that the proposed
measures perform efficiently the task of identifying the two main classes alpha
and beta based solely on scale invariant information, while also providing
intraclass morphological assessment
Potencial Antibacteriano De Plantas Nativas Do Bioma Caatinga Frente A Staphylococcus Spp.: Isolados De Mastite Em Pequenos Ruminantes
The aim of the present study is to assess the antibacterial potential of plants from the Caatinga biome of the semi-arid region of Pernambuco, against Staphylococcus spp. isolates from cases of subclinical mastitis in small ruminants, such as goats and ewes. Ethanolic extracts of the following plants from the Caatinga biome were used: Encholirium spectabile Mart., Bromelia laciniosa Mart., Neoglaziovia variegata Mez., Amburana cearensis (Fr. Allem.) A.C.Smith, Hymenaea martiana Hayne, and Selaginella convoluta Spring. The presence of phenolic components, flavonoids, steroids, and terpenoids was verified for all the tested extracts. The mean minimal bactericide concentrations of the extracts of E. spectabile, B. laciniosa, and N. variegate were 11,379, 11,405, and 11,995 μg/mL, respectively. The highest inhibitory activities were observed for A. cearensis and H. martiana, which inhibited 88.1 and 99.4% of the isolates, respectively. Other studies focusing on in vitro and in vivo activities should be undertaken. © 2016, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Arid. All Rights Reserved.29375876
Continuous Percolation Phase Transitions of Two-dimensional Lattice Networks under a Generalized Achlioptas Process
The percolation phase transitions of two-dimensional lattice networks under a
generalized Achlioptas process (GAP) are investigated. During the GAP, two
edges are chosen randomly from the lattice and the edge with minimum product of
the two connecting cluster sizes is taken as the next occupied bond with a
probability . At , the GAP becomes the random growth model and leads
to the minority product rule at . Using the finite-size scaling analysis,
we find that the percolation phase transitions of these systems with are always continuous and their critical exponents depend on .
Therefore, the universality class of the critical phenomena in two-dimensional
lattice networks under the GAP is related to the probability parameter in
addition.Comment: 7 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.
A dual-target herbicidal inhibitor of lysine biosynthesis
Herbicides with novel modes of action are urgently needed to safeguard global agricultural industries against the damaging effects of herbicide-resistant weeds. We recently developed the first herbicidal inhibitors of lysine biosynthesis, which provided proof-of- concept for a promising novel herbicide target. In this study, we expanded upon our understanding of the mode of action of herbicidal lysine biosynthesis inhibitors. We previously postulated that these inhibitors may act as proherbicides. Here, we show this is not the case. We report an additional mode of action of these inhibitors, through their inhibition of a second lysine biosynthesis enzyme, and investigate the molecular determinants of inhibition. Furthermore, we extend our herbicidal activity analyses to include a weed species of global significance.Emily RR Mackie, Andrew S Barrow, Rebecca M Christoff, Belinda M Abbott, Anthony R Gendall, Tatiana P Soares da Cost
Suspected Brazilian Purpuric Fever, Brazilian Amazon Region
Ministry of Health. BrasĂlia. DF, Brazil.Ministry of Health. BrasĂlia. DF, Brazil.Municipal Secretary of Health. Anajás, PA, Brazil.Secretary of Health of Pará State. BelĂ©m, PA, Brazil.MinistĂ©rio da SaĂşde. Secretaria de Vigilância em SaĂşde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. BelĂ©m, PA, Brasil.MinistĂ©rio da SaĂşde. Secretaria de Vigilância em SaĂşde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. BelĂ©m, PA, Brasil.Secretary of Health of SĂŁo Paulo State. Instituto Adolfo Lutz. SĂŁo Paulo, SP, Brazil.Secretary of Health of SĂŁo Paulo State. Instituto Adolfo Lutz. SĂŁo Paulo, SP, Brazil.Ministry of Health. BrasĂlia, DF, Brazil.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Atlanta, GA, USA
Cristallochemical characterization of synthetic Zn-substituted maghemites (g-Fe2-xZn xO3)
The fraction of cancer attributable to ways of life, infections, occupation, and environmental agents in Brazil in 2020
Many human cancers develop as a result of exposure to risk factors related to the environment and ways of life. The aim of this study was to estimate attributable fractions of 25 types of cancers resulting from exposure to modifiable risk factors in Brazil. The prevalence of exposure to selected risk factors among adults was obtained from population-based surveys conducted from 2000 to 2008. Risk estimates were based on data drawn from metaanalyses or large, high quality studies. Population-attributable fractions (PAF) for a combination of risk factors, as well as the number of preventable deaths and cancer cases, were calculated for 2020. The known preventable risk factors studied will account for 34% of cancer cases among men and 35% among women in 2020, and for 46% and 39% deaths, respectively. The highest attributable fractions were estimated for tobacco smoking, infections, low consumption of fruits and vegetables, excess weight, reproductive factors, and physical inactivity. This is the first study to systematically estimate the fraction of cancer attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors in Brazil. Strategies for primary prevention of tobacco smoking and control of infection and the promotion of a healthy diet and physical activity should be the main priorities in policies for cancer prevention in the country. \ua9 2016 Azevedo e Silva et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Cholini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Molytinae) depositados na Coleção de Invertebrados do Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
In Brazilian Amazonia, Cholini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Molytinae) is represented by 53 species distributed in seven generaAmeris Dejean, 1821; Cholus Germar, 1824; Homalinotus Sahlberg, 1823; Lobaspis Chevrolat, 1881; Odontoderes Sahlberg, 1823; Ozopherus Pascoe, 1872 and Rhinastus Schoenherr, 1825. This work documents the species of Cholini housed in the Invertebrate Collection of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da AmazĂ´nia, Manaus, Brazil and gives the geographical and biological data associated with them. A total of 186 Cholini specimens were identified as belonging to 14 species (13 from Brazilian Amazonia) and five genera (Cholus, Homalinotus, Odontoderes, Ozopherus and Rhinastus). Only 24% of the Cholini species reported from Brazilian Amazonia are actually represented in the INPA collection, underscoring the need for a more systematical collecting based on available biological information. The known geographical distribution was expanded for the following speciesCholus granifer (Chevrolat, 1881) for Brazil; C. pantherinus (Olivier, 1790) for Manaus (Amazonas); Cholus parallelogrammus (Germar, 1824) for Piraquara (Paraná); Homalinotus depressus (Linnaeus, 1758) for lago Janauacá (Amazonas) and rio Tocantins (Pará); H. humeralis (Gyllenhal, 1836) for Novo AirĂŁo, Coari (Amazonas) and Porto Velho (RondĂ´nia); H. nodipennis (Chevrolat, 1878) for Carauari, Lábrea (Amazonas) and Ariquemes (RondĂ´nia); H. validus (Olivier, 1790) for rio Araguaia (Brasil), Manaus (Amazonas), rio Tocantins (Pará), Porto Velho and BR 364, Km 130 (RondĂ´nia); Odontoderes carinatus (GuĂ©rin-MĂ©neville, 1844) for Manaus (Amazonas); O. spinicollis (Boheman, 1836) for rio Uraricoera (Roraima); and Ozopherus muricatus Pascoe, 1872 for lago Janauacá (Amazonas). Homalinotus humeralis is reported for the first time from "urucuri" palm, Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng.Na AmazĂ´nia brasileira, Cholini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Molytinae) Ă© representada por 53 espĂ©cies, distribuĂdas em sete gĂŞneros: Ameris Dejean, 1821; Cholus Germar, 1824; Homalinotus Sahlberg, 1823; Lobaspis Chevrolat, 1881; Odontoderes Sahlberg, 1823; Ozopherus Pascoe, 1872 e Rhinastus Schoenherr, 1825. Este trabalho documenta as espĂ©cies de Cholini depositadas na Coleção de Invertebrados do Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da AmazĂ´nia, Manaus, Brasil, alĂ©m de apresentar a distribuição geográfica e informações sobre a biologia dessas espĂ©cies. Foram identificados 186 espĂ©cimes de Cholini, pertencentes a 14 espĂ©cies (13 da AmazĂ´nia brasileira) e cinco gĂŞneros (Cholus, Homalinotus, Odontoderes, Ozopherus e Rhinastus). Somente 24% das espĂ©cies de Cholini registradas para a AmazĂ´nia brasileira estĂŁo representadas na coleção do INPA, ressaltando a necessidade de um esforço de coleta sistemático baseado na informação biolĂłgica disponĂvel. Foi ampliada a distribuição geográfica conhecida das seguintes espĂ©cies: Cholus granifer (Chevrolat, 1881) para Brasil; C. pantherinus (Olivier, 1790) para Manaus (Amazonas); Cholus parallelogrammus (Germar, 1824) para Piraquara (Paraná); Homalinotus depressus (Linnaeus, 1758) para lago Janauacá (Amazonas) e rio Tocantins (Pará); H. humeralis (Gyllenhal, 1836) para Novo AirĂŁo, Coari (Amazonas) e Porto Velho (RondĂ´nia); H. nodipennis (Chevrolat, 1878) para Carauari, Lábrea (Amazonas) e Ariquemes (RondĂ´nia); H. validus (Olivier, 1790) para rio Araguaia (Brasil), Manaus (Amazonas), rio Tocantins (Pará), Porto Velho e BR 364, Km 130 (RondĂ´nia); Odontoderes carinatus (GuĂ©rin-MĂ©neville, 1844) para Manaus (Amazonas); O. spinicollis (Boheman, 1836) para rio Uraricoera (Roraima) e Ozopherus muricatus Pascoe, 1872 para lago Janauacá (Amazonas). Homalinotus humeralis Ă© associado pela primeira vez com a palmeira urucuri Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng
Effects of Trihalomethanes on Liver Mitochondria
Introduction: Trihalomethanes (THMs), namely dibromochloromethane
(DBCM) and bromodichloromethane (BDCM), are disinfection
byproducts of chlorinated water. This experiment aimed to
evaluate the mitochondrial dysfunction induced by THMs at low
levels in a mouse model
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