Peritoneal fluid modulates the sperm acrosomal exocytosis induced by N-acetylglucosaminyl neoglycoprotein

The effect of peritoneal fluid (PF) on the human sperm acrosome reaction (AR) was tested. Sperm was pre-incubated with PF and the AR was induced by calcium ionophore A23187 and a neoglycoprotein bearing N-acetylglycosamine residues (NGP). The AR induced by calcium ionophore was inhibited 40% by PF from controls (PFc) and 50% by PF from the endometriosis (PFe) group, but not by PF from infertile patients without endometriosis (PFi). No significant differences were found in the spontaneous AR. When the AR was induced by NGP, pre-incubation with PFc reduced (60%) the percentage of AR, while PFe and PFi caused no significant differences. The average rates of acrosome reactions obtained in control, NGP- and ionophore-treated sperm showed that NGP-induced exocytosis differed significantly between the PFc (11%) and PFe/PFi groups (17%), and the ionophore-induced AR was higher for PFi (33%) than PFc/PFe (25%). The incidence of the NGP-induced AR was reduced in the first hour of pre-incubation with PFc and remained nearly constant throughout 4 h of incubation. The present data indicate that PF possesses a protective factor which prevents premature AR.Hospital de Clínicas de Porto AlegreUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESPSciEL

Dance training improves cytokine secretion and viability of neutrophils in diabetic patients

Background. Evidence suggests that exercise improves neutrophil function. The decreased functional longevity of neutrophils and their increased clearance from infectious sites contribute to the increased susceptibility to infection and severity of infection observed in patients with diabetes. Objective. Herein, we investigated the effects of a dance program on neutrophil number, function, and death in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and healthy volunteers. Methods. Ten patients with T2DM and twelve healthy individuals participated in a moderate-intensity dance training program for 4 months. The plasma levels of leptin, free fatty acids (FFAs), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra); neutrophil counts; extent of DNA fragmentation; cell membrane integrity; and production of TNF-α, interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1β in neutrophils were measured before and after training. Results. Training reduced plasma levels of TNF-α (1.9-fold in controls and 2.2-fold in patients with T2DM) and CRP (1.4-fold in controls and 3.4-fold in patients with T2DM). IL-1ra levels were higher in the control group (2.2-fold) after training. After training, neutrophil DNA fragmentation was decreased in patients with T2DM (90%), while the number of neutrophils increased (70% in controls and 1.1-fold in patients with T2DM). Conclusion. Dance training is a nonpharmacological strategy to reduce inflammation and improve neutrophil clearance in patients with T2DM

Generating VHDL Source Code from UML Models of Embedded Systems

Selected from 7th IFIP TC 10 Working Conference, DIPES 2010, and 3rd IFIP TC 10 International Conference, BICC 2010, Held as Part of WCC 2010, Brisbane, Australia, September 20-23, 2010, ProceedingsInternational audienceEmbedded systems' complexity and amount of distinct functionalities have increased over the last years. To cope with such issues, the projects' abstraction level is being continuously raised, and, in addition, new design techniques have also been used to shorten design time. In this context, Model-Driven Engineering approaches that use UML models are interesting options to design embedded systems, aiming at code generation of software and hardware components. Source code generation from UML is already supported by several commercial tools for software. However, there are only few tools addressing generation code using hardware description languages, such as VHDL. This work proposes an approach to generate automatically VHDL source code from UML specifications. This approach is supported by the GenERTiCA tool, which has been extended to support VHDL code generation. To validate this work, a use case focused in maintenance systems attended by embedded systems is presented

The Brazilian Developments On The Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (brams 5.2): An Integrated Environmental Model Tuned For Tropical Areas

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)We present a new version of the Brazilian developments on the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (BRAMS), in which different previous versions for weather, chemistry, and carbon cycle were unified in a single integrated modeling system software. This new version also has a new set of state-of-the-art physical parameterizations and greater computational parallel and memory usage efficiency. The description of the main model features includes several examples illustrating the quality of the transport scheme for scalars, radiative fluxes on surface, and model simulation of rainfall systems over South America at different spatial resolutions using a scale aware convective parameterization. Additionally, the simulation of the diurnal cycle of the convection and carbon dioxide concentration over the Amazon Basin, as well as carbon dioxide fluxes from biogenic processes over a large portion of South America, are shown. Atmospheric chemistry examples show the model performance in simulating near-surface carbon monoxide and ozone in the Amazon Basin and the megacity of Rio de Janeiro. For tracer transport and dispersion, the model capabilities to simulate the volcanic ash 3-D redistribution associated with the eruption of a Chilean volcano are demonstrated. The gain of computational efficiency is described in some detail. BRAMS has been applied for research and operational forecasting mainly in South America. Model results from the operational weather forecast of BRAMS on 5km grid spacing in the Center for Weather Forecasting and Climate Studies, INPE/Brazil, since 2013 are used to quantify the model skill of near-surface variables and rainfall. The scores show the reliability of BRAMS for the tropical and subtropical areas of South America. Requirements for keeping this modeling system competitive regarding both its functionalities and skills are discussed. Finally, we highlight the relevant contribution of this work to building a South American community of model developers. © Author(s) 2017.1011892222014/01563-1, FAPESP, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo2014/01564-8, FAPESP, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo2015/10206-0, FAPESP, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo306340/2011-9, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

EFFECT OF CHARCOAL -ENRICHED SUBSTRATE ON SEEDLINGS OF RHIZOBIUM-INOCULATED LEGUME TREES

ABSTRACT Native legume trees are planted in agroforestry systems for their hardiness and symbiosis with soil bacteria of the genus rhizobium, efficient in N2 fixation. The enrichment of the substrate composition with fine charcoal for seedling production of these trees is interesting for increasing soil porosity, water retention and the proliferation of beneficial microorganisms. Experiments were carried out to analyze the effect of substrate enrichment with charcoal on the quality of Clitoria fairchildiana, Enterolobium schomburgkii and Inga edulis seedlings. The treatments consisted of a 3:2:0.5 (v:v) mixture of clay soil, sand and bovine manure and a 3:2 (v:v) mixture of clay soil and sand combined with charcoal rates of 0, 10, 19 and 29%. After mixing the components, substrate samples were collected and chemically analyzed. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with 5 treatments and 10 replications. The seedlings were inoculated with homologues rhizobia and growth controlled monthly. The plants were collected to determine the number of nodules and dry biomass of roots, shoots and nodules. Seedling growth was similar on substrates containing charcoal or manure, except for E. schomburkii, which increased by more than 100% on the charcoal-containing substrates. The number and dry biomass of nodules in the charcoal-containing substrates was up to 100% and 300% higher than in the manure-containing treatment, respectively. The results indicated that the substitution of manure by charcoal favors the seedling quality of the studied species