Influência da secagem da polpa na composição centesimal de tortas de macaúba do Pantanal de Mato Grosso do Sul.

Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, avaliar os efeitos de diferentes processos de secagem dos frutos na composição centesimal de torta da polpa da macaúba proveniente da região do Pantanal de Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul

Spatial heterogeneity in projected leprosy trends in India

Background: Leprosy is caused by infection with Mycobacterium leprae and is characterized by peripheral nerve damage and skin lesions. The disease is classified into paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB) leprosy. The 2012 London Declaration formulated the following targets for leprosy control: (1) global interruption of transmission or elimination by 2020, and (2) reduction of grade-2 disabilities in newly detected cases to below 1 per million population at a global level by 2020. Leprosy is treatable, but diagnosis, access to treatment and treatment adherence (all necessary to curtail transmission) represent major challenges. Globally, new case detection rates for leprosy have remained fairly stable in the past decade, with India responsible for more than half of cases reported annually. Methods: We analyzed publicly available data from the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and fit linear mixed-effects regression models to leprosy case detection trends reported at the district level. We assessed correlation of the new district-level case detection rate for leprosy with several state-level regressors: TB incidence, BCG coverage, fraction of cases exhibiting grade 2 disability at diagnosis, fraction of cases in children, and fraction multibacillary. Results: Our analyses suggest an endemic disease in very slow decline, with substantial spatial heterogeneity at both district and state levels. Enhanced active case finding was associated with a higher case detection rate. Conclusions: Trend analysis of reported new detection rates from India does not support a thesis of rapid progress in leprosy control

Influence of energy cost and physical fitness on the preferred walking speed and gait variability in elderly women

Typically gait speed decreases and gait variability increases in elderly. The aim of this study was to define the influence of energy cost of walking on gait speed and of health-related physical fitness on gait variability. Thirty healthy young and older women were recruited in the study. Energy cost of walking (NetCW) was analyzed with indirect calorimetry while a kinematic analysis was performed with an optoelectronic system to calculate gait variability (GV) during treadmill walking at different speeds. Gait speed was defined as the preferred walking speed (PWS) of the subject and health related physical fitness (HRPF) comprised body fat, strength, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory fitness. In healthy elderly women, the coefficient of variation of step width was found to be a better indicator of GV than stride time, stride length and double support coefficients of variation. GV was not affected by age allowing a high PWS. Furthermore, significant associations, adjusted for age, body mass index and number of falls, were identified neither between NetCW and the PWS, nor between HRPF and GV; only a significant association was found between hand-grip strength and gait stability. Findings highlighted the importance to evaluate hand-grip strength as an indicator of gait efficiency

Data analysis of Permanent GPS networks in Italy and surrounding region: application of a distributed processing approach

We describe the procedures used to combine into a uniform velocity solution the observations of more than 80 continuous GPS stations operating in the central Mediterranean in the 1998-2004 time interval. We used a distributed processing approach, which makes efficient use of computer resources, while producing velocity estimates for all stations in one common reference frame, allowing for an effective merging of all the observations into a self-consistent network solution. We describe the CGPS data archiving and processing procedures, and provide main results in terms of position time-series and velocities for all stations that observed more than three years. We computed horizontal and vertical velocities accounting for the seasonal (annual and semi-annual) signals, and considering the off-sets in the coordinate time-series caused by station equipment changes. Weighted post-fit RMS of the north, east and vertical velocity components are in the range of 1.57-2.08 mm, 1.31-3.28 mm, and 3.60-7.24 mm, respectively, which are reduced by solving for seasonal signals in the velocity estimates. The annual and semi-annual signals in the height components, with amplitudes up to 4.8 mm, are much stronger than those in the horizontal components. The mean amplitudes of annual and semi-annual signals are within 0.18-0.47 mm, 0.23-0.52 mm and 0.55-1.92 mm in the north, east and vertical components, respectively

Respiratory virus transmission dynamics determine timing of asthma exacerbation peaks: Evidence from a population-level model.

Asthma exacerbations exhibit a consistent annual pattern, closely mirroring the school calendar. Although respiratory viruses--the "common cold" viruses--are implicated as a principal cause, there is little evidence to link viral prevalence to seasonal differences in risk. We jointly fit a common cold transmission model and a model of biological and environmental exacerbation triggers to estimate effects on hospitalization risk. Asthma hospitalization rate, influenza prevalence, and air quality measures are available, but common cold circulation is not; therefore, we generate estimates of viral prevalence using a transmission model. Our deterministic multivirus transmission model includes transmission rates that vary when school is closed. We jointly fit the two models to 7 y of daily asthma hospitalizations in adults and children (66,000 events) in eight metropolitan areas. For children, we find that daily viral prevalence is the strongest predictor of asthma hospitalizations, with transmission reduced by 45% (95% credible interval =41-49%) during school closures. We detect a transient period of nonspecific immunity between infections lasting 19 (17-21) d. For adults, hospitalizations are more variable, with influenza driving wintertime peaks. Neither particulate matter nor ozone was an important predictor, perhaps because of the large geographic area of the populations. The school calendar clearly and predictably drives seasonal variation in common cold prevalence, which results in the "back-to-school" asthma exacerbation pattern seen in children and indirectly contributes to exacerbation risk in adults. This study provides a framework for anticipating the seasonal dynamics of common colds and the associated risks for asthmatics

Artificial co-drivers as a universal enabling technology for future intelligent vehicles and transportation systems

This position paper introduces the concept of artificial “co-drivers” as an enabling technology for future intelligent transportation systems. In Sections I and II, the design principles of co-drivers are introduced and framed within general human–robot interactions. Several contributing theories and technologies are reviewed, specifically those relating to relevant cognitive architectures, human-like sensory-motor strategies, and the emulation theory of cognition. In Sections III and IV, we present the co-driver developed for the EU project interactIVe as an example instantiation of this notion, demonstrating how it conforms to the given guidelines. We also present substantive experimental results and clarify the limitations and performance of the current implementation. In Sections IV and V, we analyze the impact of the co-driver technology. In particular, we identify a range of application fields, showing how it constitutes a universal enabling technology for both smart vehicles and cooperative systems, and naturally sets out a program for future research

Composição florística e fauna associada das ilhas flutuantes livres, Rio Paraguai, Corumbá, MS.

As ilhas flutuantes livres englobam várias espécies vegetais tais como camalotes e gramíneas. Nas folhas e raízes destas plantas encontra-se uma diversidade de organismos. Este trabalho teve como objetivo fazer o levantamento das espécies vegetais componentes das ilhas flutuantes livres e conhecer os organismos associados e seus hábitos alimentares. Free floating islands include several species such as water hyacinth and grasses. In leaves and roots of these plants there are a diversity of organisms. This study aimed to survey the plant species of these free floating islands and recognize the associated organisms and its food habits