Gait maturation in children with cerebral palsy: A pilot study

This study aimed at observing children with cerebral palsy's (CP) gait maturation and to correlate gait maturation's motor skill parameters. Podogram and video shooting of eight children's gait were used. Children up to seven years of age participated in the study. Cluster analysis was applied, dividing the sample into two groups, using the relation between pelvis’ width and the spreading of the ankles (REL) as parameters. Data were analyzed using t-test, analysis of Deltas, and Pearson’s correlation. Deviance from normality for all the parameters was demonstrated with greater failure in speed and cadence and a significant correlation among these parameters, and yet between them and the REL parameter. Although children with CP had acquired gait, they still do it immaturely

Development of a Farm Management Tool for the Brazilian Conditions

This paper presents results of a managerial information system prototype developed for modern agriculturalists in the Brazilian Cerrado´s Region. It follows a case study approach. One medium scale (422 hectares) of operation was envisioned, archetypical accounting framework was established, aiming to provide better data and information to support farm management decisions. The system has proved to be useful in examining decision making at farm level and in ex ante evaluations of changes in farm-level input use, output and profitability in response to price, policy, and/or technology changes. Data entry was done in ACCESS for user friendliness and global availability; presentational materials were prepared in ACCESS and in EXCEL.Family farm system, Microsoft ACCESS application, managerial information, cost accounting, Farm Management,

Galhas De Insetos Da Serra Geral, Caetité, Bahia, Brasil

We inventoried and characterized the kinds of gall, gall-inducing insects and host plants from Serra Geral between August 2013 and July 2014. Two phytophysiognomies, cerrado sensu stricto and caatinga-cerrado, were examined monthly along transects during ca. 4 hours per visit, totaling 48 hours of sampling effort. A total of 49 gall morphotypes were found on 14 species of host plants in 18 genera and 13 families. Fabaceae and Malpighiaceae were the families with the most galls, with 22 and 10 gall morphotypes, respectively. The genera of host plant with the greatest richness of galls were Copaifera L. (n=10), Bauhinia Benth. (n=6), and Mimosa L. (n=5). Galls were found on leaves, buds and stems. The majority of the galls were globoid, glabrous, isolated, and one-chambered. The inducers belong to Coleoptera, Diptera, and Lepidoptera, Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) being the most frequent and diverse gall-inducers. The associated fauna included parasitoids (Hymenoptera), successors (Formicidae), and predators (Pseudoscorpiones), obtained from 13, 2, and 1 gall morphotypes, respectively. Five plant taxa are recorded as hosts of gall-inducing insects for the first time. © 2016, Universidade Estadual de Campinas UNICAMP. All rights reserved.16111

Performance of soybean seedlings upon nutrient application by seed coating

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different seed coatings consisting of various combinations of three nutrients (calcium, magnesium and silicon) on two soybean cultivars (BRS 243 RR and CD 233 RR). Dolomitic limestone and aluminum silicate were chosen as the nutrient sources. Leaf area, plant height, shoots dry matter, crop growth rate, relative growth rate and net assimilation rate were the studied variables, evincing that the seed coating that comprised calcium, magnesium and silicon led to better performance in terms of growth rates 30 days after emergence. Significant differences in the response to the seed coatings were also observed between the two studied soybean genotypes

Transport of branched tetraether lipids from the Tagus River basin to the coastal ocean of the Portuguese margin: consequences for the interpretation of the MBT’/CBT paleothermometer

Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs), which are transported from soil to marine sediment by rivers, have been used to reconstruct the mean annual air temperature (MAAT) and soil pH of the drainage basin using the methylation index of branched tetraethers (MBT, recently refined as MBT') and cyclization index of branched tetraethers (CBT) from coastal marine sediment records. In this study we are tracing the brGDGTs from source to sink in the Tagus River basin, the longest river system on the Iberian Peninsula, by determining their concentration and distribution in soils, river suspended particulate matter (SPM), riverbank sediments, marine SPM, and marine surface sediments. The concentrations of brGDGTs in river SPM were substantially higher and their distributions were different compared to those of the drainage basin soils. This indicates that brGDGTs are mainly produced in the river itself. In the marine environment, the brGDGT concentrations rapidly decreased with increasing distance from the Tagus estuary. At the same time, the brGDGT distributions in marine sediments also changed, indicating that marine in-situ production also takes place. These results show that there are various problems that complicate the use of the MBT'/CBT for paleoreconstructions using coastal marine sediments in the vicinity of a river. However, if the majority of brGDGTs are produced in the river, it might be possible to reconstruct the environmental (temperature and pH) conditions of the river water using appropriate aquatic calibrations, provided that marine core locations are chosen in such a way that the brGDGTs in their sediments are predominantly derived from riverine in-situ production

Histological biomarkers in gills of Sciades herzbergii (Siluriformes, Ariidae ) caught in the Estuarine Complex of São Marcos , Maranhão

ABSTRACT This study aimed to compare an environmental quality of two areas of the estuarine complex of São Marcos using gills of changes in Sciades herzbergii as biomarkers of aquatic contamination. Samples were made during the dry season (September/ December 2015) and rainy season (March/ June 2016). They were captured 40 specimens of S. herzbergii at two different points of the estuarine complex: A1) Itaqui port (potentially contaminated area); A2) Igarapé do Puca, Alcântara (control area). Abiotic variables were recorded: salinity, temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen. In the laboratory, the gills of each species were fixed in 10% formaldehyde and kept in 70% alcohol until the usual histological technique was performed. The gill alterations identified in the fish of the potentially contaminated area were: epithelial displacement (DE), congestion (CO), aneurysm (AN), lamellar fusion (FL), hyperplasia (HI), capillary dilation (DC), necrosis and epithelial cell proliferation (PCE). The changes in the control region were: epithelial displacement (DE), lamellar fusion (FL), necrosis (NE) and epithelial cell proliferation (PCE). Gill alterations were more frequent in the port region (84%) than in the control region (16%). These results indicate that fish from the potentially contaminated area are presenting biological responses to local stress.Neste estudo, objetivou-se avaliar a qualidade ambiental de duas áreas do complexo estuarino de São Marcos, utilizando-se as alterações branquiais em Sciades herzbergii como biomarcadores de contaminação aquática. Foram realizadas coletas no período de estiagem (setembro/dezembro de 2015) e no período chuvoso (março/junho de 2016). Foram capturados 40 exemplares de S. herzbergii em dois locais distintos do complexo estuarinoA1) Porto do Itaqui Bacanga (área potencialmente impactada); A2) Igarapé do Puca, Alcântara (área controle). Foram registradas as variáveis abióticassalinidade, temperatura, pH e oxigênio dissolvido. No laboratório, as brânquias de cada espécime foram fixadas em formol a 10% e mantidas em álcool a 70% até a execução da técnica histológica usual. As alterações branquiais identificadas nos peixes da área potencialmente contaminada foramdeslocamento do epitélio (DE), congestão (CO), aneurisma (AN), fusão lamelar (FL), hiperplasia (HI), dilatação capilar (DC), necrose (NE) e proliferação de células epiteliais (PCE). As alterações na região controle foramdeslocamento do epitélio (DE), fusão lamelar (FL), necrose (NE) e proliferação de células epiteliais (PCE). As alterações branquiais foram mais frequentes na região portuária (84%) do que na região controle (16%). Esses resultados indicam que os peixes da área potencialmente contaminada estão apresentando respostas biológicas ao estresse local

Al0.52In0.48P avalanche photodiodes for soft X-ray spectroscopy

The performance of Al0.52In0.48P avalanche photodiodes was assessed as soft X-ray detectors at room temperature. The effect of the avalanche gain improved the energy resolution and an energy resolution (FWHM) of 682 eV is reported for 5.9 keV X-rays

Nd:YAG laser scribed zinc oxide on semi-flexible copper foils

In this work, a novel approach to synthesise zinc oxide (ZnO) directly on flexible copper substrates is proposed. The produced samples show a foam-like morphology made of agglomerates of small ZnO particles when processed at laser energy density of 18.0 J/cm2. On the other hand, the samples processed at higher beam energy density, i.e. 33.2 J/cm2, resulted in a more granular morphology, with some ZnO particles dispersed over the sample’s surface. Raman spectroscopy measurements demonstrated that this method resulted in the formation of wurtzite-ZnO crystalline phase in all samples. Room temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy analysis revealed the presence of a broad visible band in the orange-red region dominating the spectra, with a small contribution from the near band edge emission in the UV spectral region. Decreasing the beam energy fluence from 33.2 to 18.0 J/cm2 resulted in samples with higher overall visible band intensity, in line with what was observed for their crystalline quality. Moreover, the shift of the broad band maxima towards longer wavelengths could be an indication of the possibility of tuning the visible emission according to the chosen laser processing conditions.publishe