Water: tools and functions to estimate actual evapotranspiración using Land Surface Energy Balance Models in R

The crop water requirement is a key factor in the agricultural process. It is usually estimated throughout actual evapotranspiration (ETa). This parameter is the key to develop irrigation strategies, to improve water use efficiency and to understand hydrological, climatic, and ecosystem processes. Currently, it is calculated with classical methods, which are difficult to extrapolate, or with land surface energy balance models (LSEB), such as METRIC and SEBAL, which are based on remote sensing data. This paper describes water, an open implementation of LSEB. The package provides several functions to estimate the parameters of the LSEB equation from satellite data and proposes a new object class to handle weather station data. One of the critical steps in METRIC is the selection of “cold” and “hot” pixels, which water solves with an automatic method. The water package can process a batch of satellite images and integrates most of the already published sub-models for METRIC. Although water implements METRIC, it will be expandable to SEBAL and others in the near future. Finally, two different procedures are demonstrated using data that is included in water package.EEA MendozaFil: Olmedo, Guillermo Federico. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Ortega Farias, Samuel. Universidad de Talca. Centro de Investigación y Transferencia en Riego y Agroclimatología; ChileFil: Fuente Saiz, Daniel de la. Universidad de Talca. Centro de Investigación y Transferencia en Riego y Agroclimatología; ChileFil: Fonseca Luengo, David. Universidad de Talca. Centro de Investigación y Transferencia en Riego y Agroclimatología; ChileFil: Fuentes Peñailillo, Fernando. Universidad de Talca. Centro de Investigación y Transferencia en Riego y Agroclimatología; Chil

Dengue hemorrágico en Colombia. Aspectos clínicos. Enero - Junio 1990

35 hemorrhagic dengue cases ocurred during 1990 the first semester of were reviewed. Some features like age, sex, clinical manifestations, type of serologic reaction, platelets count and hematocrit were analised. The most common clinical features were fever (100%), hemorrhages (97%), myalgies (63%), headache (63%), vomit (23%), ocular pain (23%), and abdominal pain (17%). Nine patients presented shock (26%), one of them died (3%). There were found some features assodated with the most severe forms of the disease (shock): platelet count below 80.000/mm3 and hematocrit above 45%.Se revisaron 35 casos de Dengue Hemorrágico (DH), ocurridos durante el primer semestre de 1990. Se describen algunas características, tales como edad, sexo, manifestaciones clínicas, tipo de reacción serológica, nivel de plaquetas y hematocrito. Las manifestaciones clínicas más frecuentes fueron fiebre (100%), hemorragias (97%), mialgias (63%), cefalea (63Oh), vómito (23%), dolor ocular (23O/0), dolor abdominal (17%). Nueve pacientes presentaron shock (26%), uno de los cuales fue fatal (3%). Algunos factores, como plaquetas por debajo de 80.000 x mm3 y hematocrito por encima de 45%, se asociaron con formas más severas de la enfermedad (shock)

Vigilancia intensificada sobre el Dengue y los primeros casos de dengue hemorrágico confirmados en Colombia durante el primer semestre de 1990

We show here the results obtained of the Active Surviellance of the National System of Health on Classic Dengue (CD), Classic Dengue with Hemorrhagic Feactures (CDIHF) Hemorrhagic Dengue (HD) and Hemnorrhagic Dengue with Socho Syndrome (HDI SS), during first semester in 1990. From the total 3.098 samples revieved, 568 CD (18%) were confirmed, 121 Showed Hemorrhagic Feactures (21 %) and 35 were considered as HD (6%), accoding to the OMS requirements including the last 35 cases, 9 of them presening shock (26%), on of which was fatal (3%). The reions showing more CD incidence were: Arauca and Casanare. For HD, the regions with high incidence in Colombia were Arauca, Magdalena and Norte de Santander.Se presentan los resultados arrojados por la Vigilancia Activa, ejercida por el Sistema Nacional de Salud, sobre Dengue Clásico (DC), Dengue Clásico con Manifestaciones Hemorrágicas (DC/MH), Dengue Hemorrágico (DH) y Dengue Hemorrágico con Síndrome de Shock (DH/SS), durante el primer semestre de 1990. De las 3.098 muestras recibidas se confirmaron 68 casos de DC (18%), 121 de ellos presentaron manifestaciones hemorrágicas (21%) y 35 llenaron los requisitos de la OMS para ser considerados como DH (6%). De estos últimos, 9 presentaron shock (26%), de los cuales uno fue fatal (3%). Las regiones con mayor incidencia de DC fueron: Arauca y Casanare, y para DH: Arauca, Magdalena y Norte de Santander. Por ser la primera vez que en Colombia se confirma la presencia de DH, se describen las principales características clínico-epidemiológicas observadas en los primeros casos presentados

Incidence of Leptospirosis infection in the East Zone of Sao Paulo City, Brazil

Abstract\ud \ud \ud \ud Background\ud \ud Leptospirosis is a zoonosis which is spread through contamined running water. This contaminations is seriously affected by the flooding which occurs in the area surrounding the Aricanduva river. The transmission of the disease results mainly from the contact of water with soil contaminated by the urine of infected animals. We aimed to conduct an epidemiological survey on Leptospirosis cases in Sao Paulo East Zone area.\ud \ud \ud \ud Method\ud \ud The analysis conducted in this study was based on data collected from the health authorities of that region close the Aricanduva river between 2007 and 2008 years, which give the rates of confirmed cases, mortality and death from human Leptospirosis. Other information concerned with the relationships among rainfall index, points of flooding and incidence of Leptospirosis.\ud \ud \ud \ud Results\ud \ud We observed a direct and important water contamination. Records of flooding points and dates of the reported cases in the region showed a direct relationship from which the period of higher rainfall also recorded an increase in cases. The annual record of the city and the region and rainfall regions also presented correlation.\ud \ud \ud \ud Conclusion\ud \ud The association between the indices of flooding and Leptospirosis cases indicates that preventive measures are necessary to avoid exposing the community.This study received financial support from Faculdade de Medicina do ABC

Systemic chemotherapy induces microsatellite instability in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of breast cancer patients

INTRODUCTION: Systemic chemotherapy is an important part of treatment for breast cancer. We conducted the present study to evaluate whether systemic chemotherapy could produce microsatellite instability (MSI) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell fraction of breast cancer patients. METHODS: We studied 119 sequential blood samples from 30 previously untreated breast cancer patients before, during and after chemotherapy. For comparison, we also evaluated 20 women who had no relevant medical history (control group). RESULTS: In 27 out of 30 patients we observed MSI in at least one sample, and six patients had loss of heterozygosity. We found a significant correlation between the number of MSI events per sample and chemotherapy with alkylating agents (P < 0.0001). We also observed an inverse correlation between the percentage of cells positive for hMSH2 and the number of MSI events per sample (P = 0.00019) and use of alkylating agents (P = 0.019). CONCLUSION: We conclude that systemic chemotherapy may induce MSI and loss of heterozygosity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from breast cancer patients receiving alkylating agents, possibly mediated by a chemotherapy-induced decrease in the expression of hMSH2. These effects may be related to the generation of secondary leukaemia in some patients, and may also intensify the genetic instability of tumours and increase resistance to treatment

Sidestream cigarette smoke effects on cardiovascular responses in conscious rats: involvement of oxidative stress in the fourth cerebral ventricle

Background: Cigarette exposure increases brain oxidative stress. The literature showed that increased brain oxidative stress affects cardiovascular regulation. However, no previous study investigated the involvement of brain oxidative stress in animals exposed to cigarette and its relationship with cardiovascular regulation. We aimed to evaluate the effects of central catalase inhibition on baroreflex and cardiovascular responses in rats exposed to sidestream cigarette smoke (SSCS). Methods: We evaluated males Wistar rats (320-370 g), which were implanted with a stainless steel guide cannula into the fourth cerebral ventricle (4th V). Femoral artery and vein were cannulated for mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) measurement and drug infusion, respectively. Rats were exposed to SSCS during three weeks, 180 minutes, 5 days/week (CO: 100-300 ppm). Baroreflex was tested with a pressor dose of phenylephrine (PHE, 8 mu g/kg, bolus) to induce bradycardic reflex and a depressor dose of sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 50 mu g/kg, bolus) to induce tachycardic reflex. Cardiovascular responses were evaluated before, 5, 15, 30 and 60 minutes after 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (ATZ, catalase inhibitor, 0.001 g/100 mu L) injection into the 4th V. Results: Central catalase inhibition increased basal HR in the control group during the first 5 minutes. SSCS exposure increased basal HR and attenuated bradycardic peak during the first 15 minutes. Conclusion: We suggest that SSCS exposure affects cardiovascular regulation through its influence on catalase activity.Foundation of Support to Research of Sao Paulo State (Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo-FAPESP [07/59127-9

Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in √sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) are measured in √sNN=5.02  TeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1  μb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ΣETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Δη|<5) “near-side” (Δϕ∼0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ΣETPb. A long-range “away-side” (Δϕ∼π) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ΣETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Δη and Δϕ) and ΣETPb dependence. The resultant Δϕ correlation is approximately symmetric about π/2, and is consistent with a dominant cos⁡2Δϕ modulation for all ΣETPb ranges and particle pT

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results

Jet size dependence of single jet suppression in lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Measurements of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions at the LHC provide direct sensitivity to the physics of jet quenching. In a sample of lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s) = 2.76 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 7 inverse microbarns, ATLAS has measured jets with a calorimeter over the pseudorapidity interval |eta| < 2.1 and over the transverse momentum range 38 < pT < 210 GeV. Jets were reconstructed using the anti-kt algorithm with values for the distance parameter that determines the nominal jet radius of R = 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5. The centrality dependence of the jet yield is characterized by the jet "central-to-peripheral ratio," Rcp. Jet production is found to be suppressed by approximately a factor of two in the 10% most central collisions relative to peripheral collisions. Rcp varies smoothly with centrality as characterized by the number of participating nucleons. The observed suppression is only weakly dependent on jet radius and transverse momentum. These results provide the first direct measurement of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions and complement previous measurements of dijet transverse energy imbalance at the LHC.Comment: 15 pages plus author list (30 pages total), 8 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Physics Letters B. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at http://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/HION-2011-02

Single hadron response measurement and calorimeter jet energy scale uncertainty with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The uncertainty on the calorimeter energy response to jets of particles is derived for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). First, the calorimeter response to single isolated charged hadrons is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo simulation using proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt(s) = 900 GeV and 7 TeV collected during 2009 and 2010. Then, using the decay of K_s and Lambda particles, the calorimeter response to specific types of particles (positively and negatively charged pions, protons, and anti-protons) is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo predictions. Finally, the jet energy scale uncertainty is determined by propagating the response uncertainty for single charged and neutral particles to jets. The response uncertainty is 2-5% for central isolated hadrons and 1-3% for the final calorimeter jet energy scale.Comment: 24 pages plus author list (36 pages total), 23 figures, 1 table, submitted to European Physical Journal