Knee joint kinematics of the pendulum test in children with and without Down syndrome

Background: The Wartenberg pendulum test is a common clinical test that is used to measure stiffness about the knee in persons with and without disabilities such as cerebral palsy and Down syndrome (DS). Adults and adolescents with DS show fewer number of swing cycles and a lower relaxation index than healthy controls. However, it is not clear if children with DS show a similar trend compared to typically developing (TD) children. Research question: Was the knee joint kinematics different between children with and without DS during the pendulum test? Methods: Thirteen children with DS and 13 TD children participated in this study. There were two load conditions: no load (NL) and with ankle load (AL) equal to 2 % of the subject’s body weight. Five trials of a pendulum test were collected for each condition. Results: The DS group showed a smaller first flexion excursion, a lower relaxation index, lower mean and peak velocities and accelerations during the first and second flexion and extension, and greater variability of acceleration during the first flexion than the TD group across both load conditions. This suggests that the DS group may have greater stiffness of the knee than the TD group to compensate for joint instability. Significance: The pendulum test appears to be a valid test to evaluate the passive stiffness of the knee in children with DS. The lower relaxation index in children with DS suggests that larger bursts of quadriceps may be activated during a pendulum test, particularly in the first flexion excursion, to assure the knee joint stability

A bacterial glycoengineered antigen for improved serodiagnosis of porcine brucellosis

Brucellosis is a highly zoonotic disease that affects animals and human beings. Brucella suis is the etiological agent of porcine brucellosis and one of the major human brucellosis pathogens. Laboratory diagnosis of porcine brucellosis mainly relies on serological tests, and it has been widely demonstrated that serological assays based on the detection of anti O-polysaccharide antibodies are the most sensitive tests. Here, we validate a recombinant glycoprotein antigen, an N-formylperosamine O-polysaccharide protein conjugate (OAg-AcrA), for diagnosis of porcine brucellosis. An indirect immunoassay based on the detection of anti-O-polysaccharide IgG antibodies was developed coupling OAg-AcrA to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay plates (glycoiELISA). To validate the assay, 563 serum samples obtained from experimentally infected and immunized pigs, as well as animals naturally infected with B. suis biovar 1 or 2, were tested. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed, and based on this analysis, the optimum cutoff value was 0.56 (relative reactivity), which resulted in a diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 99.7%, respectively. A cutoff value of 0.78 resulted in a test sensitivity of 98.4% and a test specificity of 100%. Overall, our results demonstrate that the glyco-iELISA is highly accurate for diagnosis of porcine brucellosis, improving the diagnostic performance of current serological tests. The recombinant glycoprotein OAg-AcrA can be produced in large homogeneous batches in a standardized way, making it an ideal candidate for further validation as a universal antigen for diagnosis of "smooth" brucellosis in animals and humans.Fil: Cortina, María Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Balzano, Rodrigo E.. Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimento. Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria; ArgentinaFil: Rey Serantes, Diego A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Caillava, Ana Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Elena, Sebastian. Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimento. Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria; ArgentinaFil: Ferreira, A. C.. Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária; PortugalFil: Nicola, Ana M.. Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimento. Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria; ArgentinaFil: Ugalde, Juan Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Comerci, Diego José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Ciocchini, Andres Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; Argentin

Antimicrobial performance of lignin embedded in bacterial nanocellulose membranes

The development of bio-based antimicrobial polymeric composites has never been so urgent. Novel antimi- crobial fibrous-based biocomposites will certainly allow the development of important solutions to fight the present and future Pandemics, while reducing the dependence of petrochemical based polymers and fibers. Lignin has a pivotal function in preventing the invasion of phytopathogens, thus, this work explores the anti- microbial potential of lignin when embedded in a biosynthesized fibrous nanomatrix with superior mechanical properties: bacterial nanocellulose (BNC). Lignin was subjected to alkali treatment to promote the inclusion of lignin within BNC which comprises pores ranging from 20 to 300 nm. Both alkali treatment efficiency, bac- tericidal and antiviral activities were investigatedThe authors would like to acknowledge the project PLASMAMED - PTDC/CTM-TEX/28295/2017 fnanced by FCT, FEDER and POCI in the frame of the Portugal 2020 program, the project UID/CTM/00264/2019 of 2C2T under the COMPETE and FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) co-fnanced by FEDER through the PT2020 program. Liliana Melro acknowledges her Doctoral grant awarded by FCT (2020.04919.BD)

The Mitigation Potential of Buffer Strips for Reservoir Sediment Yields: The Itumbiara Hydroelectric Power Plant in Brazil

Soil erosion and deposition mechanisms play a crucial role in the sustainability of both existing reservoirs and newly planned projects. Soil erosion is one of the most important factors influencing sediment transport yields, and, in the context of existing reservoirs, the surrounding watersheds supply both runoff and sediment yield to the receiving water body. Therefore, appropriate land management strategies are needed to minimize the influence of sediment yields on reservoir volume and, hence, the capacity of power generation. In this context, soil erosion control measures such as buffer strips may provide a practical and low-cost option for large reservoirs, but need to be tested at the catchment scale. This paper represents a study case for the Itumbiara hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in Brazil. Four different scenarios considering radially planted buffer strips of Vetivergrass with widths of 20 m, 40 m, 100 m and 200 m are analyzed. A semi-distributed hydrological model, SWAT, was used to perform the simulations. Results indicate a reduction of sediments transported to the reservoir of between 0.2% and 1.0% per year is possible with buffer strip provision, and that this reduction, over the life of Itumbiara HPP, may prove important for lengthening the productivity of the plant

UMA INVESTIGAÇÃO SOBRE O PAPEL MOTIVADOR DO TUTOR DE ACORDO COM A VISÃO DOS ALUNOS DOS CURSOS DE CAPACITAÇÃO DO MINISTÉRIO DA SAÚDE.

A motivação é um dos elementos essenciais para uma aprendizagem eficiente e de qualidade. Um aluno motivado aprende melhor, uma vez que todo aluno é motivado pelo êxito ou inibido pelo fracasso. No ensino a distância a motivação dos alunos é o centro das atenções no processo educacional, uma vez que se tem o reconhecimento de que a aprendizagem é um processo pessoal, sistemático e reflexivo e que depende do despertar do aluno para suas potencialidades, que pode ser sozinho ou com ajuda do tutor. O presente estudo relata uma pesquisa realizada com os três cursos de capacitação a distância, do quarto módulo, oferecidos aos funcionários do Ministério da Saúde em parceria com a Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina – UFSC, sendo que esta parceria existe desde 2007 para os cursos de capacitação. Os cursos são oferecidos em módulos de quarenta e cinco e de sessenta horas. Este estudo tem com o objetivo investigar a postura motivadora do tutor na visão dos alunos que estão finalizando os cursos do quarto módulo de capacitação. Trata-se de um estudo de caso, com uma pesquisa bibliográfica e descritiva, tendo uma abordagem quantitativa. Este estuda destaca que os alunos sentem-se motivados a continuar perseverantes nos cursos de capacitação em estudo-aprendizagem através de uma comunicação clara e contínua, uma vez que a dificuldade com o uso das tecnologias de informação e comunicação (internet, AVEA) são os maiores fatores de dificuldade do aluno do Mistério da Saúde

By-product recovery of Opuntia spp. peels: Betalainic and phenolic profiles and bioactive properties

[EN] Opuntia spp. are a tropical and subtropical plant that provides both edible green steams and fruits; however, the processing of this fruits results in the accumulation of enormous amount of by-products that can be a source of bioactive and pigmented compounds. Herein, three cactus pear from the species Opuntia focus-indica var. sanguigna (OS) and gialla (OG) and Opuntia engelmannii (OE) were fully characterized regarding their phenolic and betalain composition and correlated with their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The hydroethanolic extracts of OE gave the highest amount of phenolic compounds isorhamentin-O-(deoxyhexosyl-hexoside) and betacianins (betanin); however, no betaxanthins were identified in this sample. This sample also revealed the lowest EC50 values in all the antioxidant activity assays. Regarding antimicrobial activity, the hydroethanolic extracts of all species revealed to be more active than ampicillin. The pivotal objective of this work was to focus on exploring by-product biocompounds and possible outputs, thus, we could suggest the use of these natural colorants with intrinsic antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, which would grant industries to produce cleaner label products with functional benefits.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2013) and L. Barros contract. This work is funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds (FEEI) through the Regional Operational Program North 2020, within the scope of Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-023289 (DeCodE) and ValorNatural (R). B. Melgar (No. 329930) also thanks CONACyT for his grant. The authors are grateful for a grant from the Serbian Ministry of Education, Sciences and Technological Development (no. 173032). The authors would also like to thank Dr. Carlos Aguiar for the botanical identification of these species.Melgar-Castañeda, B.; Dias, MI.; Ciric, A.; Sokovic, M.; Garcia-Castello, EM.; Rodríguez López, AD.; Barros, L.... (2017). By-product recovery of Opuntia spp. peels: Betalainic and phenolic profiles and bioactive properties. Industrial Crops and Products. 107:353-359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.06.011S35335910

Defining quantitative stream disturbance gradients and the additive role of habitat variation to explain macroinvertebrate taxa richness

Most studies dealing with the use of ecological indicators and other applied ecological research rely on some definition or concept of what constitutes least-, intermediate- and most-disturbed condition. Currently, most rigorous methodologies designed to define those conditions are suited to large spatial extents (nations, ecoregions) and many sites (hundreds to thousands). The objective of this study was to describe a methodology to quantitatively define a disturbance gradient for 40 sites in each of two small southeastern Brazil river basins. The assessment of anthropogenic disturbance experienced by each site was based solely on measurements strictly related to the intensity and extent of anthropogenic pressures. We calculated two indices: one concerned site-scale pressures and the other catchment-scale pressures. We combined those two indices into a single integrated disturbance index (IDI) because disturbances operating at both scales affect stream biota. The local- and catchment-scale disturbance indices were weakly correlated in the two basins (r = 0.21 and 0.35) and both significantly (p \u3c 0.05) reduced site EPT (insect orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera) richness. The IDI also performed well in explaining EPT richness in the basin that presented the stronger disturbance gradient (R2 = 0.39, p \u3c 0.001). Natural habitat variability was assessed as a second source of variation in EPT richness. Stream size and microhabitats were the key habitat characteristics not related to disturbances that enhanced the explanation of EPT richness over that attributed to the IDI. In both basins the IDI plus habitat metrics together explained around 50% of EPT richness variation. In the basin with the weaker disturbance gradient, natural habitat explained more variation in EPT richness than did the IDI, a result that has implications for biomonitoring studies. We conclude that quantitatively defined disturbance gradients offer a reliable and comprehensive characterization of anthropogenic pressure that integrates data from different spatial scales

Historical streamflow series analysis applied to furnas HPP reservoir watershed using the SWAT model

Over the last few years, the operation of the Furnas Hydropower Plant (HPP) reservoir, located in the Grande River Basin, has been threatened due to a significant reduction in inflow. In the region, hydrological modelling tools are being used and tested to support decision making and water sustainability. In this study, the streamflow was modelled in the area of direct influence of the Furnas HPP reservoir, and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model performance was verified for studies in the region. Analyses of sensitivity and uncertainty were undertaken using the Sequential Uncertainty Fitting algorithm (SUFI-2) with a Calibration Uncertainty Program (SWAT-CUP). The hydrological modelling, at a monthly scale, presented good results in the calibration (NS 0.86), with a slight reduction of the coefficient in the validation period (NS 0.64). The results suggested that this tool could be applied in future hydrological studies in the region of study. With the consideration that special attention should be given to the historical series used in the calibration and validation of the models. It is important to note that this region has high demands for water resources, primarily for agricultural use. Water demands must also be taken into account in future hydrological simulations. The validation of this methodology led to important contributions to the management of water resources in regions with tropical climates, whose climatological and geological reality resembles the one studied here

Accurate Atmospheric Parameters at Moderate Resolution Using Spectral Indices: Preliminary Application to the MARVELS Survey

Studies of Galactic chemical and dynamical evolution in the solar neighborhood depend on the availability of precise atmospheric parameters (Teff, [Fe/H] and log g) for solar-type stars. Many large-scale spectroscopic surveys operate at low to moderate spectral resolution for efficiency in observing large samples, which makes the stellar characterization difficult due to the high degree of blending of spectral features. While most surveys use spectral synthesis, in this work we employ an alternative method based on spectral indices to determine the atmospheric parameters of a sample of nearby FGK dwarfs and subgiants observed by the MARVELS survey at moderate resolving power (R~12,000). We have developed three codes to automatically normalize the observed spectra, measure the equivalent widths of the indices and, through the comparison of those with values calculated with pre-determined calibrations, derive the atmospheric parameters of the stars. The calibrations were built using a sample of 309 stars with precise stellar parameters obtained from the analysis of high-resolution FEROS spectra. A validation test of the method was conducted with a sample of 30 MARVELS targets that also have reliable atmospheric parameters from high-resolution spectroscopic analysis. Our approach was able to recover the parameters within 80 K for Teff, 0.05 dex for [Fe/H] and 0.15 dex for log g, values that are lower or equal to the typical external uncertainties found between different high-resolution analyzes. An additional test was performed with a subsample of 138 stars from the ELODIE stellar library and the literature atmospheric parameters were recovered within 125 K for Teff, 0.10 dex for [Fe/H] and 0.29 dex for log g. These results show that the spectral indices are a competitive tool to characterize stars with the intermediate resolution spectra.Comment: Accepted for publication in AJ. Abstract edited to comply with arXiv standards regarding the number of character