SAWING PATTERNS FOR THE BREAKDOWN OF Pinus caribaea var. caribaea WOOD ON PORTABLE SAWMILLS

The aim was to assess the effect of sawing patterns on lumber yield, energy consumption, and surface quality of Pinus caribaea var. caribaea wood sawn on a portable sawmill. The logs had an average diameter of 29 cm, length of 3 m, and age of 46 years. A specific sawing pattern was used for the production of cants and boards and another for two-sided cants, obtained after a subsequent edging operation. Log and board volumes were determined, and the ratio of these variables was used to calculate the lumber yield. The amount of energy used during breakdown was determined by measuring the electric current applied and time of execution of the process. Surface quality was assessed by the glass microsphere method, according to technical standards. Lumber yield ranged from 48 to 53%, considered satisfactory. Lumber yield and energy consumption were lower with the cant sawing pattern. Board surface quality was not influenced by sawing pattern, with all boards having fine to very fine surface textures. Energy consumption and board surface quality were not influenced by cutting position. Although the cant sawing pattern provided a lower lumber yield, the energy savings associated with the absence of edging operations may make it attractive for small lumber producers. However, this decision should be based on an economic analysis and take into account the market value of the wood to be processed

Investigation on the Anticonvulsant Potential of Luteolin and Micronized Luteolin in Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Epilepsy affects around 50 million people worldwide, and an important number of patients (30%) fail to respond to any available antiepileptic drug. Previous studies have shown that luteolin presents a promising potential as an anticonvulsant. On the other hand, different studies showed that luteolin does not promote anticonvulsant effects. Therefore, there is a lack of consensus about the use of luteolin for seizure control. Luteolin low bioavailability could be a limiting factor to obtain better results. Attractively, micronization technology has been applied to improve flavonoids bioavailability. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of luteolin on its raw form and micronized luteolin in a PTZ-induced seizure model in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). Our results demonstrate that luteolin and micronized luteolin did not block PTZ-induced seizures in adult zebrafish. Also, luteolin and micronized luteolin did not provoke behavioral changes. Finally, our results show that 24 h after seizure occurrence, no changes were detected for p70S6Kb, interleukin 1β, and caspase-3 transcript levels. Altogether, we failed to observe an anticonvulsant potential of luteolin in adult zebrafish, even in its micronized form. However, we recommend new studies to investigate luteolin benefits in epilepsy.Fil: Garbinato, Cristiane. No especifíca;Fil: Alves Lima Rezende, Cássia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; ArgentinaFil: Schneider, Sabrina Ester. No especifíca;Fil: Pedroso, Jefferson. No especifíca;Fil: dos Santos, Aline E.. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Petry, Fernanda. No especifíca;Fil: Aguiar, Gean Pablo S.. No especifíca;Fil: Girardi Müller, Liz. No especifíca;Fil: Lanza, Marcelo. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Piato, Angelo. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Vladimir Oliveira, J.. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Siebel, Anna Maria. No especifíca

Produção de um ciclone automatizado e de baixo custo para divulgação do curso de engenharia química em Manaus/ Production of a low-cost automated cyclone for Manaus chemical engineering course

 Em Manaus grande parte dos alunos que terminam o ensino médio escolhem um curso universitário sem o seu respectivo conhecimento. Este trabalho teve como objetivo a construção e automação de um ciclone caseiro, efetuado por discentes da Engenharia Química da UFAM, para demonstração aos alunos do ensino médio. O ciclone foi construído com materiais recicláveis e automatizado com arduino. Os resultados mostraram que 91% dos alunos não tinham conhecimento do curso de Engenharia Química

RELAÇÃO DO MODELO AGENCY-COMMUNITY E OS VÍNCULOS ORGANIZACIONAIS

Este estudo tem por objetivo analisar a relação entre os vínculos de comprometimento e entrincheiramento organizacional e o modelo de gestão de pessoas agency-community na percepção dos Servidores Técnico-Administrativos em Educação. A pesquisa caracteriza-se como de natureza descritiva, com emprego de abordagem quantitativa. A amostra de pesquisa 162 participantes de uma Instituição Federal de Ensino, localizada no Estado do Maranhão, aos quais aplicou-se um questionário elaborado com base no modelo de comprometimento e entrincheiramento proposto por Bastos, Siqueira, Medeiros et al. (2008) e do modelo agency-community de Rousseau e Arthur (1999). Ainda, os resultados deste estudo foram confrontados com o estudo sobre a temática realizado por Segala (2013) em uma Instituição Federal de Ensino do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Os resultados permitiram identificar correlações positivas significativas entre o modelo community e o comprometimento instrumental e afetivo, o que pode evidenciar uma tendência ou propensão ao estabelecimento do vínculo de natureza afetiva nos trabalhadores de organizações que possuem uma gestão de pessoas do tipo community

Contextualização da saúde mental no brasil associada ao tratamento farmacológico com antipsicóticos/ Contextualization of mental health in brazil associated with pharmacological treatment of antipsychotics

Este artigo teve como objetivo apresentar uma revisão bibliográfica da literatura científica sobre a assistência aos transtornos mentais severos e persistentes antes prestados nos hospícios, e que foram sendo substituídos para os Centros de Atenção Psicossocial, proporcionando a substituição do modelo centrado na internação hospitalar, para um modelo de cuidado clínico diário que promova a inserção social dos pacientes portadores de transtornos mentais. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho espera construir uma visão ampla e específica sobre os serviços substitutivos aos modelo hospitalocêntrico, que compõe uma terapia associado ao tratamento medicamentoso, visto que o uso do medicamento gera uma grande influência na vida destes usuários

Projeções das demandas de abastecimento de água e esgotamento sanitário da bacia hidrográfica do rio Itapocu / Water supply and wastewater projections in the Itapocu river basins

Com o aumento populacional surgiram muitos problemas sociais, econômicos e ambientais. Sendo que, para equacionar esses problemas deve-se buscar a gestão de planejamento afim de formular os planos e programas socioambientais que, para serem implementados e realizados de maneira adequada, precisam basear-se em previsão do tamanho e da composição etária desta população basicamente. Com intuito de propor esses planejamentos estão as projeções que, tornam-se imprescindível para planejar o desenvolvimento econômico, social, político e ambiental de uma bacia hidrográfica. O estudo tem como objetivo apresentar as projeções quanto a demanda populacional para o abastecimento de água e esgoto a fim de identificar  e  caracterizar  a  demanda  atual  para estes usos nos  municípios pertencentes a bacia hidrográfica do rio Itapocu. Os cálculos das projeções levaram em consideração todos os municípios inseridos nesta bacia, sendo os mesmos divididos em Unidades de Planejamento (UP) considerando suas áreas urbanas e rurais. Os resultados apresentados mostraram um aumento para a demanda de abastecimento de água e esgoto nas áreas urbanas e por consequência a diminuição destes usos na área rural. As projeções mostram-se relevantes para estudos de gestão e planejamento para bacias hidrográficas. 

X chromosome inactivation does not necessarily determine the severity of the phenotype in Rett syndrome patients

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurological disorder usually caused by mutations in the MECP2 gene. Since the MECP2 gene is located on the X chromosome, X chromosome inactivation (XCI) could play a role in the wide range of phenotypic variation of RTT patients; however, classical methylation-based protocols to evaluate XCI could not determine whether the preferentially inactivated X chromosome carried the mutant or the wild-type allele. Therefore, we developed an allele-specific methylation-based assay to evaluate methylation at the loci of several recurrent MECP2 mutations. We analyzed the XCI patterns in the blood of 174 RTT patients, but we did not find a clear correlation between XCI and the clinical presentation. We also compared XCI in blood and brain cortex samples of two patients and found differences between XCI patterns in these tissues. However, RTT mainly being a neurological disease complicates the establishment of a correlation between the XCI in blood and the clinical presentation of the patients. Furthermore, we analyzed MECP2 transcript levels and found differences from the expected levels according to XCI. Many factors other than XCI could affect the RTT phenotype, which in combination could influence the clinical presentation of RTT patients to a greater extent than slight variations in the XCI pattern

Spike-Timing Precision and Neuronal Synchrony Are Enhanced by an Interaction between Synaptic Inhibition and Membrane Oscillations in the Amygdala

The basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) is a critical component of the neural circuit regulating fear learning. During fear learning and recall, the amygdala and other brain regions, including the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, exhibit phase-locked oscillations in the high delta/low theta frequency band (∼2–6 Hz) that have been shown to contribute to the learning process. Network oscillations are commonly generated by inhibitory synaptic input that coordinates action potentials in groups of neurons. In the rat BLA, principal neurons spontaneously receive synchronized, inhibitory input in the form of compound, rhythmic, inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs), likely originating from burst-firing parvalbumin interneurons. Here we investigated the role of compound IPSPs in the rat and rhesus macaque BLA in regulating action potential synchrony and spike-timing precision. Furthermore, because principal neurons exhibit intrinsic oscillatory properties and resonance between 4 and 5 Hz, in the same frequency band observed during fear, we investigated whether compound IPSPs and intrinsic oscillations interact to promote rhythmic activity in the BLA at this frequency. Using whole-cell patch clamp in brain slices, we demonstrate that compound IPSPs, which occur spontaneously and are synchronized across principal neurons in both the rat and primate BLA, significantly improve spike-timing precision in BLA principal neurons for a window of ∼300 ms following each IPSP. We also show that compound IPSPs coordinate the firing of pairs of BLA principal neurons, and significantly improve spike synchrony for a window of ∼130 ms. Compound IPSPs enhance a 5 Hz calcium-dependent membrane potential oscillation (MPO) in these neurons, likely contributing to the improvement in spike-timing precision and synchronization of spiking. Activation of the cAMP-PKA signaling cascade enhanced the MPO, and inhibition of this cascade blocked the MPO. We discuss these results in the context of spike-timing dependent plasticity and modulation by neurotransmitters important for fear learning, such as dopamine

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Gestión del conocimiento. Perspectiva multidisciplinaria. Volumen 6

El libro “Gestión del Conocimiento. Perspectiva Multidisciplinaria”, Volumen 6, de la Colección Unión Global, es resultado de investigaciones. Los capítulos del libro, son resultados de investigaciones desarrolladas por sus autores. El libro es una publicación internacional, seriada, continua, arbitrada de acceso abierto a todas las áreas del conocimiento, que cuenta con el esfuerzo de investigadores de varios países del mundo, orientada a contribuir con procesos de gestión del conocimiento científico, tecnológico y humanístico que consoliden la transformación del conocimiento en diferentes escenarios, tanto organizacionales como universitarios, para el desarrollo de habilidades cognitivas del quehacer diario. La gestión del conocimiento es un camino para consolidar una plataforma en las empresas públicas o privadas, entidades educativas, organizaciones no gubernamentales, ya sea generando políticas para todas las jerarquías o un modelo de gestión para la administración, donde es fundamental articular el conocimiento, los trabajadores, directivos, el espacio de trabajo, hacia la creación de ambientes propicios para el desarrollo integral de las instituciones