The Demographic Transition and the Sexual Division of Labor

This paper presents a theory where increases in female labor force participation and reductions in the gender wage-gap are generated as part of a single process of demographic transition, characterized by reductions in mortality and fertility. The paper suggests a link between changes in mortality and transformations in the role of women in society that has not been identified before in the literature. Mortality reductions affect the incentives of individuals to invest in human capital and to have children. Particularly, gains in adult longevity reduce fertility, increase investments in market human capital, increase female labor force participation, and reduce the wage differential between men and women. Child mortality reductions, though reducing fertility, do not generate this same pattern of changes. The model reconciles the increase in female labor market participation with the timing of age-specific mortality reductions observed during the demographic transition. It generates changes in fertility, labor market attachment, and the gender wage-gap as part of a single process of social transformation, triggered by reductions in mortality.

Automated Identification and Classification of Stereochemistry: Chirality and Double Bond Stereoisomerism

Stereoisomers have the same molecular formula and the same atom connectivity and their existence can be related to the presence of different three-dimensional arrangements. Stereoisomerism is of great importance in many different fields since the molecular properties and biological effects of the stereoisomers are often significantly different. Most drugs for example, are often composed of a single stereoisomer of a compound, and while one of them may have therapeutic effects on the body, another may be toxic. A challenging task is the automatic detection of stereoisomers using line input specifications such as SMILES or InChI since it requires information about group theory (to distinguish stereoisomers using mathematical information about its symmetry), topology and geometry of the molecule. There are several software packages that include modules to handle stereochemistry, especially the ones to name a chemical structure and/or view, edit and generate chemical structure diagrams. However, there is a lack of software capable of automatically analyzing a molecule represented as a graph and generate a classification of the type of isomerism present in a given atom or bond. Considering the importance of stereoisomerism when comparing chemical structures, this report describes a computer program for analyzing and processing steric information contained in a chemical structure represented as a molecular graph and providing as output a binary classification of the isomer type based on the recommended conventions. Due to the complexity of the underlying issue, specification of stereochemical information is currently limited to explicit stereochemistry and to the two most common types of stereochemistry caused by asymmetry around carbon atoms: chiral atom and double bond. A Webtool to automatically identify and classify stereochemistry is available at http://nams.lasige.di.fc.ul.pt/tools.ph

Sistema para desinfestar substratos para producao de mudas utilizando-se vapor de agua.

bitstream/item/109247/1/Sistema-para-desinfestar-substratos-para-producao-de-mudas-utilizando-se-vapor-de-agua.pd

Desenvolvimento de um sistema para desinfestacao de substratos para producao de mudas, utilizando vapor de agua.

bitstream/item/109208/1/Desenvolvimento-de-um-sistema.pd

História do ensino da leitura no Espírito Santo (1946-1960).

O trabalho investiga o ensino da leitura na escola primária capixaba no contexto da primeira reforma do ensino primário de iniciativa do Governo Federal, implementada pela Lei Orgânica do Ensino Primário de 1946 (Decreto- Lei n.º 8.529, de 2 janeiro de 1946). O objetivo é compreendermos usos e apropriações das orientações para o ensino da leitura a partir dessa reforma, pela escola primária capixaba, no período de 1946 a 1960. Elegemos estudar o ensino da leitura no Espírito Santo tomando como marco temporal esse período, por ser o momento histórico compreendido entre as duas reformas do ensino primário: a Lei Orgânica do Ensino Primário (Decreto-Lei n.º 8.529/1946) e a Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação Nacional (Lei n.º 4.024, de 20 de dezembro de1961). Fazendo uso de fontes como atas de reuniões pedagógicas, bilhete, boletins, cartilhas, documentos internos de escolas, legislação, mensagens de governo, mídia impressa, programas de ensino, utilizamos a abordagem da História Cultural, por meio do diálogo com as reflexões de autores como Chartier (1985) e Certeau (1994), principalmente com os conceitos de estratégia, tática, uso, apropriação e representação. Nesse sentido, as fontes são concebidas como discursos que expressam representações acerca dos usos e apropriações de orientações para o ensino da leitura que, por táticas ou estratégias, foram colocadas em prática na escola primária em determinado contexto histórico. Consideramos que apropriações e usos diversificados colocados em prática pelos sujeitos das escolas primárias contribuem para deixar explícito que as políticas públicas assumem diferentes nuances dentro das escolas, seja por resistência ao novo, seja pela negociação com práticas já sedimentadas

Temporal dynamics of the soil bacterial community following <i>Bacillus</i> invasion

Microbial inoculants are constantly introduced into the soil as the deployment of sustainable agricultural practices increases. These introductions might induce soil native communities’ dynamics, influencing their assembly process. We followed the impact and successional trajectories of native soil communities of different diversity levels to the invasion by Bacillus mycoides M2E15 (BM) and B. pumilus ECOB02 (BP). Whereas the impact was more substantial when the invader survived (BM), the transient presence of BP also exerted tangible effects on soil bacterial diversity. Community assembly analyses revealed that deterministic processes primarily drove community turnover. This selection acted stronger in highly diverse communities invaded by BM than in those invaded by BP. We showed that resident bacterial communities exhibit patterns of secondary succession following invasions, even if the latter are unsuccessful. Furthermore, the intensification of biotic interactions in more diverse communities might strengthen the deterministic selection upon invasion in communities with higher diversity

Caracterização de Erinnyis ello Granulovirus isolado de populações de mandarová da mandioca em Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre.

Baculovirus são vírus em forma de bastão, envelopados, com DNA dupla fita circular, sendo que a maioria das espécies infecta insetos da ordem Lepidóptera. Devido a seu potencial como agentes de controle de pragas na agricultura e florestas, eles tem sido empregados com sucesso como bioinseticidas. O mandarová da mandioca (Erinnyis ello) é uma importante praga da mandioca e da seringueira com alta capacidade de migração. Neste trabalho é apresentada a caracterização de um baculovírus com ocorrência em populações de Erinnyis ello em área privada (agricultura familiar) no município de Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre (Latitude -7,55086; Longitude -72,72570). Inicialmente partículas virais foram purificadas de larvas com sintomas de infecção através de ultracentrifugação em gradiente de sacarose. Após tratamento para microscopia eletrônica seguido de contraste com acetato de uranila 2%, as partículas foram fotografadas utilizando-se microscópio eletrônico JEOL 1011. O vírus de forma ovalada, apresentando apenas um vírion por envelope e com menos de 0,5 uM, foi identificado como sendo do gênero Betabaculovirus (extinto gênero Granulovirus) da família Baculoviridae. Em seguida o DNA viral foi extraído através de ciclos de fenol e clorofórmio, digerido com diferentes enzimas de restrição e submetido a eletroforese em gel de agarose. A analise dos perfis de restrição obtidos com as enzimas Bam HI e com Hind III revelou um total de sete e de três fragmentos, respectivamente. Na clivagem com Pst I, foram identificados oito fragmentos molares e três submolares. Na digestão com Eco RI foi observado um número superior a vinte fragmentos incluindo várias bandas submolares. Embora tenha apresentado algumas diferenças, o perfil de restrição do DNA do isolado EeGV coletado no Acre foi similar ao descrito para o isolado EeGV proveniente de Itajai, SC, cujo genoma completo possui 102,759 bp. A determinação da sequência genômica do isolado do Acre encontra-se em andamento

In vitro infectivity of Spodoptera frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus to different insect cell lines.

<div><p>Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the response of an in vitro host range to Spodoptera frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SfMNPV), a pathogenic virus to the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), for the further development of a biopesticide based on cell culture systems. The cell lines from Bombyx mori (BM-5), Lymantria dispar (IPLB-LD-625Y), Trichoplusia ni (BTI-Tn-5B1-4), Anticarsia gemmatalis (UFL-AG-286), and S. frugiperda (IPLB-SF-21AE and Sf9) were tested for their susceptibility to a highly-virulent Brazilian isolate of SfMNPV. The cytopathic effects induced by the virus, the production of viral particles, and the synthesis of viral polypeptides were examined and compared. Both S. frugiperda cell lines showed hypertrophy of cell nuclei and production of many polyhedra. The SDS-Page of radiolabed proteins showed that the cell protein synthesis was shutoff, while an intense band of about 30 kDa, recognized as polyhedrin, was synthesized. The other cell lines did not show polyhedra production, although some of them underwent morphological changes and protein synthesis shutdown in response to virus infection. The SF-21 and Sf9 cell lines are recommended for further in vitro production of SfMNPV.</p></div

Modulation of Myocardial Stiffness by beta-Adrenergic Stimulation Its Role in Normal and Failing Heart

The acute effects of ß-adrenergic stimulation on myocardial stiffness were evaluated. New-Zealand white rabbits were treated with saline (control group) or doxorubicin to induce heart failure (HF) (DOXO-HF group). Effects of isoprenaline (10 -10-1 -5 M), a non-selective ß-adrenergic agonist, were tested in papillary muscles from both groups. In the control group, the effects of isoprenaline were also evaluated in the presence of a damaged endocardial endothelium, atenolol (ßi-adrenoceptor antagonist), ICI-118551 (ßz-adrenoceptor antagonist), KT-5720 (PKA inhibitor), L-NNA (NO-synthase inhibitor), or indomethacin (cyclooxygenase inhibitor). Passive length-tension relations were constructed before and after adding isoprenaline (10 -5 M). In the control group, isoprenaline increased resting muscle length up to 1.017±0.006 L/L max. Correction of resting muscle length to its initial value resulted in a 28.5±3.1% decrease of resting tension, indicating decreased muscle stiffness, as confirmed by the isoprenaline-induced right-downward shift of the passive lengthtension relation. These effects were modulated by ßr and ß 2adrenoceptors and PKA. In DOXO-HF group, the effect on myocardial stiffness was significantly decreased. We conclude that ß-adrenergic stimulation is a relevant mechanism of acute neurohumoral modulation of the diastolic function. Furthermore, this study clarifies the mechanisms by which myocardial stiffness is decreased. (c) 2011 Institute of Physiology v.v.i., Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic