Occurrence of Magellanic Penguins along the Northeast Brazilian Coast during 2008 Austral Winter

During the austral winter of 2008, thousands of penguins traveled to low latitudes along the South Atlantic coast of South America. The atmospheric and oceanic conditions from April to July 2008 may account for the penguins' unusual geographic distribution. During that period, South Atlantic coastal waters were cooler; the wind anomalies had northward and onshore components; the ocean's coastal region presented northward currents that favored the penguins to travel toward lower latitudes. This anomalous climate regime resulted from extreme meteorological frontal systems that occurred mainly during June 2008. Three consecutive extreme midlatitude cyclones produced strong wind shear that resulted in the northward oceanic flow along the South American eastern shoreline favoring the penguins to be spotted in northern tropical waters

Temporal shoreline series analysis using GNSS

In recent decades, Boa Viagem beach located in the city of Recife-PE and Piedade in Jaboatão dos Guararapes-PE (Brazil) has seen urbanization near the coastline causing changes in social, economic and morphological aspects, where coastal erosion problems are observed. This study uses GNSS (global navigation satellite system) shoreline monitoring approach, which is quicker, and provides continuously updatable data at cm-level accuracy to analyze and determine temporal positional shifts of the shoreline as well as annual average rates through EPR (end point rate). To achieve this, kinematic GNSS survey data for the years 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012 were used. The results show sectorial trends over the years, with the highest annual retreat rate of 8.16 m /year occurring during the period 2007-2009. Variety of different patterns over the shoreline were also observed. These findings could be essential for decision making in coastal environments

Method for data assimilation in the hydrodynamical model and its application to the correction of the ocean condition

We consider a method for assimilating the observation data based on the theory of Kalman filtration with the use of phase representation for the evolution of error covariation. The method is used together with the known hydrodynamical model of the ocean circulation-the Hamburg Ocean Primitive Equation (HOPE)developed at the Max Plank Institute for Meteorology (Hamburg, Germany). As observation information, we used the database of the TOGA-TAO experiment. For the experiment, we chose 1997, when one of the strongest El Nino events ever known was observed. The use of the assimilation method results in the essential correction of the model condition of the ocean. The corrected model fields are more reliable and closer to the observed ones than in the reference experiment without assimilation. It was shown that the data assimilation enhances the role of advection, whereas, in the reference experiment, diffusion, which is overestimated in the model, dominates. In addition, the assimilation method corrects both directly observed quantities such as temperature and the other calculated parameters of the model (velocity, heat fluxes, and so on). We concluded that the assimilation method could be used for developing an operative system for monitoring the ocean condition

Reparación de la duramadre con poliesteruretano Repair of dura mater with polyesterurethane

Objetivo: El propósito de este estudio fue comprobar el uso del poliesteruretano como material de injerto dural e informar los resultados posoperatorios. Métodos: Se realizó una duraplastia con poliesteruretano como material de injerto a 30 pacientes que precisaban de implantes durales. El poliesteuretano empleado se extrajo de la poliespuma protectora de las cajas de medicamentos. Excluimos a los pacientes con signos de infección en el sitio donde se aplicó el procedimiento neuroquirúrgico. Se hicieron las observaciones clínicas un día después de la operación, a los 15 y a los 90 días posteriores, para buscar indicios de filtración de líquido cefalorraquídeo, infección de la herida y meningitis. Resultados: No se encontró filtración de líquido cefaloraquídeo ni infección en ninguno de los 30 pacientes (craneotomía - 53,3 %; cranectomía - 3,3 %; reparación de fracturas deprimidas del cráneo - 20 %; reparación de mielomeningocele lumbar - 6,7 %; instrumentación y fusión de la espina toracolumbar - 3,3 %; laminectomía torácica - 3,3 %; laminectomías lumbares - 6,7 % y discectomía lumbar - 3,3 %). En un paciente reintervenido quirúrgicamente (recaída por metástasis cerebral), no se observaron adherencias del injerto a la superficie cortical. Conclusiones: Al parecer el poliesteruretano es un sustituto dural apropiado, de fácil manipulación (y en este caso, sin costo alguno), que produce un cierre hermético de la duramadre, sin complicaciones o adherencias a la superficie corticalThe purpose of this study was to prove the use of polyesterurethane as a dural graft material and to inform the postoperative results. Methods: A duraplasty with polyesterurethane as a graft material was performed in 30 patients that required dural implants. The polyesterurethane used was extracted from the protective polyfoam of the drug boxes. Patients with signs of infection in the site where the neurosurgical procedure was carried out were excluded. The clinical observations were made a day after surgery, at 15 and 90 days later to find signs of filtration of cerebrospinal fluid, wound infection and meningitis. Results: Neither filtration of the cerebrospinal fluid nor infection was found in any of the 30 patients (craniotomy 53.3 %, craniectomy 3.3 %, repair of depressed fractures of the cranium 20 %, repair of lumbar myelomeningocele 6.7 %, instrumentation and fusion of thoracolumbar spine 3.3 %, thoracic laminectomy 3.3 %, lumbar laminectomies 6.7 %, and lumbar discectomy 3.3 %). In a patient that was reoperated on (relapse due to cerebral metastasis), there were not observed adherences of the graft to the cortical surface. Conclusions: It seems that polyesterutherane is an appropriate dural substitute that can be easily manipulated (and in this case with no cost) and that produces a hermetic closure of the dura mater without complications or adherences to the cortical surface. Key words: Duroplasty, dural substitute, polyesterurethan

Argo data assimilation into HYCOM with an EnOI method in the Atlantic Ocean

An ocean data assimilation system to assimilate Argo temperature (<i>T</i>) and salinity (<i>S</i>) profiles into the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) was constructed, implemented and evaluated for the first time in the Atlantic Ocean (78° S to 50° N and 98° W to 20° E). The system is based on the ensemble optimal interpolation (EnOI) algorithm proposed by Xie and Zhu (2010), especially made to deal with the hybrid nature of the HYCOM vertical coordinate system with multiple steps. The Argo <i>T</i>–<i>S</i> profiles were projected to the model vertical space to create pseudo-observed layer thicknesses (&Delta; <i>p</i>_obs), which correspond to the model target densities. The first step was to assimilate &Delta; <i>p</i>_obs considering the sub-state vector composed by the model layer thickness (&Delta; <i>p</i>) and the baroclinic velocity components. After that, <i>T</i> and <i>S</i> were assimilated separately. Finally, <i>T</i> was diagnosed below the mixed layer to preserve the density of the model isopycnal layers. Five experiments were performed from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012: a control run without assimilation, and four assimilation runs considering the different vertical localizations of <i>T</i>, <i>S</i> and &Delta; <i>p</i>. The assimilation experiments were able to significantly improve the thermohaline structure produced by the control run. They reduced the root mean square deviation (RMSD) of <i>T</i> and <i>S</i> calculated with respect to Argo independent data in 34 and 44%, respectively, in comparison to the control run. In some regions, such as the western North Atlantic, substantial corrections in the 20 °C isotherm depth and the upper ocean heat content towards climatological states were achieved. The runs with a vertical localization of &Delta; <i>p</i> showed positive impacts in the correction of the thermohaline structure and reduced the RMSD of <i>T</i> (<i>S</i>) from 0.993 °C (0.149 psu) to 0.905 °C (0.138 psu) for the whole domain with respect to the other assimilation runs

Argo data assimilation into HYCOM with an EnOI method in the Atlantic Ocean

An ocean data assimilation system to assimilate Argo temperature (<i>T</i>) and salinity (<i>S</i>) profiles into the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) was constructed, implemented and evaluated for the first time in the Atlantic Ocean (78° S to 50° N and 98° W to 20° E). The system is based on the ensemble optimal interpolation (EnOI) algorithm proposed by Xie and Zhu (2010), especially made to deal with the hybrid nature of the HYCOM vertical coordinate system with multiple steps. The Argo <i>T</i>–<i>S</i> profiles were projected to the model vertical space to create pseudo-observed layer thicknesses (&Delta; <i>p</i>_obs), which correspond to the model target densities. The first step was to assimilate &Delta; <i>p</i>_obs considering the sub-state vector composed by the model layer thickness (&Delta; <i>p</i>) and the baroclinic velocity components. After that, <i>T</i> and <i>S</i> were assimilated separately. Finally, <i>T</i> was diagnosed below the mixed layer to preserve the density of the model isopycnal layers. Five experiments were performed from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012: a control run without assimilation, and four assimilation runs considering the different vertical localizations of <i>T</i>, <i>S</i> and &Delta; <i>p</i>. The assimilation experiments were able to significantly improve the thermohaline structure produced by the control run. They reduced the root mean square deviation (RMSD) of <i>T</i> and <i>S</i> calculated with respect to Argo independent data in 34 and 44%, respectively, in comparison to the control run. In some regions, such as the western North Atlantic, substantial corrections in the 20 °C isotherm depth and the upper ocean heat content towards climatological states were achieved. The runs with a vertical localization of &Delta; <i>p</i> showed positive impacts in the correction of the thermohaline structure and reduced the RMSD of <i>T</i> (<i>S</i>) from 0.993 °C (0.149 psu) to 0.905 °C (0.138 psu) for the whole domain with respect to the other assimilation runs

Reoperação em pacientes revascularizados Second surgery for myocardial revascularization

Um grupo de pacientes submetidos a cirurgia de revascularização do miocárdio pode vir a necessitar uma reoperação tardia. Neste trabalho, discute-se quais os possíveis fatores determinantes deste evento, bem como o prognóstico imediato destes indivíduos. Foram analisados 261 (10,5%) pacientes, submetidos a reoperação para revascularização isolada do miocárdio entre janeiro de 1984 e junho de 1986. Havia 109 (41%) hipertensos e 145 (55%) portadores de infarto do miocárdio prévio. A reoperação foi indicada pela presença de lesões no leito nativo das artérias em 66 (25%), por lesões nos enxertos em 88 (33%) e por lesões nos leitos nativos e nos enxertos em 107 (42%). O tempo médio de reoperação foi de 7,1 ± 3,3 anos, sendo 75% dos pacientes reoperados num intervalo superior a 6 anos. O número global de artérias mamárias obstruídas foi de 5 (20%) enquanto que 171 (75%) das pontes de veia safena apresentavam lesões. A mortalidade hospitalar foi de 23 (9%). Os autores discutem as relações destes achados com a incidência da reoperação bem como as possíveis causas da mortalidade elevada.A second surgery for myocardial revascularization may be needed in some patients. One still discussed the reasons and the risk of such procedure. A group of 162 patients who underwent a second coronary by-pass graft surgery was analized. There was a significant number of patients with high blood pressure and with previous myocardial infarction. The reason for reoperation was either lesion within the by-pass lumen or a lesion within the lumen of a native artery non-previously treated. Most patients underwent the second coronary by-pass graft surgery after an interval of, at least, 6 years after the previous surgery. In-hospital mortality was 9% (23 patients). Authors discuss the possivle causal relationship between these findings and reoperation, as well as the causes of the high mortality