Daytime thermal comfort in urban spaces: A field study in Brazil

AbstractThis article presents the results from thermal comfort surveys in two squares located in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil over two different seasons. Objective environmental parameters were compared with subjective responses collected during field surveys in order to evaluate thermal comfort conditions people experience and identify potential thermal adaptation processes. Individuals and behavioral’ characteristics were also taken into account. The summer survey was carried out in March 2013 and the winter survey in July 2013, both comprising a total of 1693 interviewees. The PET index was calibrated to determine the thermally acceptable range. Neutral and preferred temperatures, for both summer and winter, were obtained in order to assess thermal preference. The results show that people were more tolerant in one of the squares (Liberdade square) in winter, considering the same thermal conditions. These findings were associated to psychological processes related to thermal adaptation, such as naturalness, perceived control, experience (thermal history on longer timescales – seasonal) and environmental diversity - along with the presence of greater adaptive opportunities. The calibration of the PET index, resulted in the definition of the thermal acceptability range of: “Cold” for PET values bellow 19 °C; “Neutral” for PET values between 19 °C and 27 °C; “Hot” for PET values greater than 27 °C. Neutral temperatures were 27.7 °C, in summer, and 15.9 °C, in winter; while preferred temperatures were 14.9 °C, in summer, and 20.9 °C, in winter. Design strategies, such as shading, exposure to the wind and providing increased environmental diversity may improve urban environments and pedestrians' experience in cities

Conjunto para habitação social com princípios bioclimáticos para o município de Governador Valadares, MG

Este artigo apresenta a aplicação de conceitos da arquitetura bioclimática em um projeto para habitação social concebido para o município de Governador Valadares-MG, para o qual foram propostas tipologias distintas de habitação e áreas de uso comum. Objetiva incentivar a promoção de projetos mais racionais do ponto de vista energético, os quais sejam economicamente viáveis em longo prazo, confortáveis para seus habitantes e adequados ambientalmente. Além dos princípios bioclimáticos, foram utilizados conceitos da engenharia simultânea para direcionar as decisões de projeto de maneira simultânea e interligada. O desenho urbano e as edificações foram projetados considerando as especificadades locais como o clima quente e úmido, o relevo acidentado, e a existência de um curso d’água no terreno, dentre outros condicionantes projetuais. O ordenamento considerou os cálculos de declividade do terreno, das densidades populacionais e da proporção entre a área construída, livre e arborizada. Também foram respeitadas as normas de circulação e de acessibilidade urbana. Na fase de pré-projeto, o uso das tabelas de Mahoney foi fundamental para determinar as principais diretrizes climáticas do desenho urbano e das edificações.  A declividade do terreno natural foi avaliada a partir de um programa computacional – ArcMap, que gerou mapas temáticos. A execução de maquete física do terreno auxiliou também nos estudos de ventilação e insolação, realizados, respectivamente, em túnel de ventos e heliodon. As necessidades sociais foram respeitadas baseando-se em um levantamento do padrão familiar e social da cidade. Além disso, os materiais e as técnicas construtivas foram escolhidos conforme as características locais. De uma área total de 5 hectare, 64% foi parcelada em lotes; o restante foi destinado ao sistema de circulação, à implantação de equipamentos comunitários e aos espaços livres. Foram propostas quatro tipologias distintas de habitações

Flare hypercalcemia after letrozole in a patient with liver metastasis from breast cancer: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Tamoxifen may occasionally precipitate serious and potentially life-threatening hypercalcemia. However, to date, this has not been documented with aromatase inhibitors.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 65-year-old Japanese woman with liver metastasis from breast cancer was admitted to our hospital with vomiting, anorexia, fatigue, arthralgia, muscle pain and dehydration. She had started a course of letrozole five weeks earlier. Our patient's calcium level was 11.6 mg/dL. She was rehydrated and elcatonin was administered. Our patient's parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related protein levels were not increased and a bone scintigram revealed no evidence of skeletal metastasis. After our patient's serum calcium level returned to within the normal range, letrozole was restarted at one-half of the previous dose (1.25 mg). There were no episodes of hypercalcemia. However, 84 days after restarting letrozole, our patient again complained of arthralgia and treatment was changed to toremifene. During these periods, repeated ultrasonograms revealed no progression of liver metastasis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of flare hypercalcemia after treatment with letrozole in a patient with metastatic breast cancer.</p

Influence of citric acid on thermoplastic wheat flour/poly (lactic acid) blends. II. Barrier properties and water vapor sorption isotherms

The effects of citric acid on wheat flour/glycerol/poly(lactic) acid (PLA) blends prepared by one-step twin-screw extrusion have been studied to improve barrier properties of starch based materials. A series of injected samples were produced from prepared compounds with varying ratio (0-20 part) of citric acid. The effects of citric acid on the water vapor permeability, oxygen permeability and water solubility in the film were then investigated. The barrier properties results proved that citric acid behaves as compatibilizing agent between starch and PLA phases for ratios between 0 and 10 parts. When the added amount exceeds 10 parts, CA acted as a plasticizer and/or promoted the hydrolysis of the starch glycosidic bonds

Immunoregulatory gene polymorphisms in women with preeclampsia

The costimulatory molecules CD28, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4) and inducible costimulator (ICOS) are believed to have a critical modulatory role in the immune response. However, few studies have been performed on the role of these immune regulatory molecules and their polymorphisms in women with preeclampsia (PE). the aim of our study was to evaluate the CTLA4 (+49 A/G) (rs 231775), CD28 (+17 T/C) (rs 3116496) and ICOS (-1564 T/C) (rs 4675378) gene polymorphisms in Brazilian women with PE. This case-control study included 130 patients with PE and 261 control women without any obstetric or systemic disorders. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood, and the polymorphism genotyping was performed by digesting the PCR products with the restriction endonucleases BbvI (CTLA-4), Afel (CD28) and AluI (ICOS). Data were analyzed by X(2) or Fisher's exact test; a P-value of < 0.05 was considered as significant. There were significant differences in the ICOS genotype and allelic frequencies between the PE and control groups (P=0.01 and P=0.01, respectively). We found a significantly lower frequency of the ICOS (-1564) T allele in women with mild PE compared with the controls. There were no differences in the CTLA-4 (+49 A/G) and CD28 (+17 T/C) genotypes and allelic frequencies between the PE patients and controls. Our data suggest that PE is associated with ICOS, but is not associated with the CTLA-4 or CD28 gene polymorphisms. Hypertension Research (2011) 34, 384-388; doi:10.1038/hr.2010.247; published online 16 December 2010Fundacao de Amparo a PesquisaCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Obstet, BR-01415002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Obstet, BR-01415002 São Paulo, BrazilFundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa: 07/57446-0Web of Scienc

Unconstrained three-dimensional reaching in Rhesus monkeys

To better understand normative behavior for quantitative evaluation of motor recovery after injury, we studied arm movements by non-injured Rhesus monkeys during a food-retrieval task. While seated, monkeys reached, grasped, and retrieved food items. We recorded three-dimensional kinematics and muscle activity, and used inverse dynamics to calculate joint moments due to gravity, segmental interactions, and to the muscles and tissues of the arm. Endpoint paths showed curvature in three dimensions, suggesting that maintaining straight paths was not an important constraint. Joint moments were dominated by gravity. Generalized muscle and interaction moments were less than half of the gravitational moments. The relationships between shoulder and elbow resultant moments were linear during both reach and retrieval. Although both reach and retrieval required elbow flexor moments, an elbow extensor (triceps brachii) was active during both phases. Antagonistic muscles of both the elbow and hand were co-activated during reach and retrieval. Joint behavior could be described by lumped-parameter models analogous to torsional springs at the joints. Minor alterations to joint quasi-stiffness properties, aided by interaction moments, result in reciprocal movements that evolve under the influence of gravity. The strategies identified in monkeys to reach, grasp, and retrieve items will allow the quantification of prehension during recovery after a spinal cord injury and the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions