Otoacoustic Emissions

Acoustic emission (AE) is a phenomenon in which elastic or stress waves are emitted from rapid, localized change of strain energy in material. The practical application of the AE first emerged in the 1950's, but only in the last 20 years the science, technology and applications of AE have progressed significantly. Currently AE has become one of the most important non-destructive testing techniques. This interdisciplinary book consists of nine chapters, which is a proof of the fact that the AE method is continuously and intensively developing and widely applied in: on-line monitoring of civil-engineering structures (e.g. highway bridges, skyscrapers, dams etc.), fatigue cracks detection and location in pressure vessels and pipelines, damage assessment in fibre-reinforced polymer-matrix composites, monitoring welding applications and corrosion processes, bearing condition diagnostics, partial discharge sources detection and location in power transformers and generators, monitoring the drying process of materials, quality evaluation of fruits and vegetables and in otoacoustic emission analysis

The security mortgage valuation in a stochastic perspective

The reverse mortgage market has been expanding rapidly in developed economies in recent years. Reverse mortgages provide an alternative source of funding for retirement income and health care costs. Increase in life expectancies and decrease in the real income at retirement continue to worry the those who are retired or close to retirement. Therefore, financial products that help to alleviate the “risk of living longer” continue to be attractive among the retirees. Reverse mortgage contracts involve a range of risks from the insurer’s perspective. When the outstanding balance exceeds the housing value before the loan is settled, the insurer suffers an exposure to crossover risk induced by three risk factors: interest rates, house prices and mortality rates. We analyse the combined impact of these risks on the pricing and the risk profile of reverse mortgage loans in a stochastic interest-mortality-house pricing model. Our results show shows  that pricing of reverse mortgages loans does not accurately assess the risks underwritten by reverse mortgages lenders and that failing to take into account mortality improvements substantially underestimates the longevity risk involved in reverse mortgage loans

Vulnerabilidade e Democracia

Este ensaio propõe analisar de que maneira a pandemia da Covid-19 contribuiu para o incremento do número de pessoas em situação de vulnerabilidade e, consequentemente, para o aumento das desigualdades sociais e econômicas que, historicamente, ocorrem no Brasil. Para tal, parte de uma reconstrução analítica dos conceitos de necropolítica e de legitimidade democrática, propostos por Achille Mbembe e Pierre Rosanvallon, respectivamente. Assim, busca mostrar, preliminarmente, como as políticas públicas e a gestão governamental durante a crise contribuíram para o agravamento do cenário caótico pós-pandêmico, com a decorrente ratificação e, inclusive, recrudescimento da invisibilidade dos grupos vulneráveis, mediante a implementação de políticas cada vez mais indiferentes e, em alguns casos, refratárias aos anseios e necessidades desses grupos, o que será contemplado principalmente a partir da ótica da necropolítica de Achille Mbembe. Em seguida, no bojo dessa análise, serão focadas as formas de legitimidade (imparcialidade, proximidade e reflexividade) que, segundo Pierre Rosanvallon, caracterizam a experiência democrática contemporânea. Mediante o manejo dessconcepção sofisticada da experiência democrática, que a considera irredutível à sua dimensão eleitoral (democracia de delegação), procurar-se-á explicitar em que medida o agravamento da situação de vulnerabilidade de diversos grupos sociais no contexto da pandemia da Covid-19 pode ser considerado expressão de um incremento do déficit democrático no Brasil

Impact of training conferences on high-school students’ knowledge of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

This study, part of the health promotion program of a high school in Milan (Italy), was aimed at evaluating the impact of training conferences on the awareness of STIs among adolescents aged 16-17.Students attending the 3rd class of a Scientific and Linguistic High School in Milan (Italy) participated in this study in November 2017. All students gave their anonymous answers on a voluntary basis in a pre-test survey, designed by psychologists and infectious diseases specialists, to test their basic knowledge, accuracy, and awareness of STIs. After a two-hour interactive conference, the students were asked to answer the post-test survey. A higher awareness of the spread and the mode of transmission of STIs, of high risk sexual and behavioural practices and prevention methods was observed in the post-test compared to the pre-test. These findings outline both the need for sexual-health communication campaigns targeted at adolescents, who are at great risk of exposure and mostly unaware of STIs other than HIV/AIDS, and the short-term efficacy of a direct approach to the problem, guided by experts in infectious diseases and psychology. A long-term assessment of the effects of training conferences needs to be evaluated

Vulnerabilidade e Democracia: A vulnerabilização social como fator de incremento do déficit democrático no contexto da pandemia da Covid-19 no Brasil

Este ensaio propõe analisar de que maneira a pandemia da Covid-19 contribuiu para o incremento do número de pessoas em situação de vulnerabilidade e, consequentemente, para o aumento das desigualdades sociais e econômicas que, historicamente, ocorrem no Brasil. Para tal, parte de uma reconstrução analítica dos conceitos de necropolítica e de legitimidade democrática, propostos por Achille Mbembe e Pierre Rosanvallon, respectivamente. Assim, busca mostrar, preliminarmente, como as políticas públicas e a gestão governamental durante a crise contribuíram para o agravamento do cenário caótico pós-pandêmico, com a decorrente ratificação e, inclusive, recrudescimento da invisibilidade dos grupos vulneráveis, mediante a implementação de políticas cada vez mais indiferentes e, em alguns casos, refratárias aos anseios e necessidades desses grupos, o que será contemplado principalmente a partir da ótica da necropolítica de Achille Mbembe. Em seguida, no bojo dessa análise, serão focadas as formas de legitimidade (imparcialidade, proximidade e reflexividade) que, segundo Pierre Rosanvallon, caracterizam a experiência democrática contemporânea. Mediante o manejo dessconcepção sofisticada da experiência democrática, que a considera irredutível à sua dimensão eleitoral (democracia de delegação), procurar-se-á explicitar em que medida o agravamento da situação de vulnerabilidade de diversos grupos sociais no contexto da pandemia da Covid-19 pode ser considerado expressão de um incremento do déficit democrático no Brasil

Endothelin-1: a new autocrine/paracrine factor in rat testis.

Cultured Sertoli cells of 20-day-old rats were found to produce and release endothelin-1-like immunoreactivity (ET-1-LI) under follicle-stimulating hormone control. The elution profile of ET-1-LI from extracts of spent Sertoli cell culture medium corresponds to that of synthetic ET-1, suggesting a testicular production of authentic ET-1. In contrast, the conditioned medium from rat Leydig cells did not contain ET-1-LI. Immunohistochemical studies confirmed that, in 20-day-old rats, the positive staining was confined to some Sertoli cells, whereas interstitial cells were negative. In the adult rat testis the positivity was not limited to the tubular compartment (Sertoli cells) but was also present in the interstitium. A high concentration (13 pmol/mg protein) of high-affinity (dissociation constant = 0.6 nM) 125I-labeled ET-1 binding sites was present in Leydig cells. These sites bind ET-1 and ET-2 with 1,000-fold higher affinity than ET-3, suggesting that they correspond to the subtype ETA of the ET receptors. Specific 125I-ET-1 binding sites are present also in Sertoli cells but are 50-fold less concentrated than in Leydig cells. Our results suggest an autocrine/paracrine role for ET-1 in rat testis. </jats:p

Comparison of the in situ, in vitro and Enzimatic (Cellulase) Techniques for Digestibility Estimation of Forages in Sheep

Se comparó los resultados de las técnicas in vitro, in situ y enzimática (celulasa) para estimar la digestibilidad de forrajes de diferente calidad nutritiva en ovinos. Se colectó muestras de forraje de tres calidades: alta (rye grass de 2-4 semanas), media (rye grass de 8 semanas y heno de alfalfa) y baja (paja de avena). Las muestras fueron secadas, molidas y pasaron por tamiz de 1 mm para la técnica in vitro y celulasa y 3 mm para la técnica in situ. Se determinó la digestibilidad in vitro de la materia seca (DIVMS), digestibilidad in situ de la materia seca (DISMS) y digestibilidad a la celulasa de la materia seca (DCMS). Se emplearon tres ovinos con fístula ruminal y alimentados con maíz forrajero y heno de alfalfa. Se usó un diseño experimental con arreglo factorial de 4 x 3 (4 calidades de forraje y 3 técnicas). La DISMS fue superior (p&lt;0.05) para los cuatro forrajes en estudio en relación a la DIVMS y la DCMS: 91.8 vs 73.9 y 76.5% para el forraje de alta calidad; 74.2 vs 71.6 y 70.9 para el rye grass de 8 semanas; 77.8 vs 68.9 y 68.0 para el heno de alfalfa y 34.7 vs 29.5 y 31.7 para la paja de avena. No se observó diferencias estadísticas entre la DIVMS y DCMS en los forrajes de mediana calidad. Los valores de DIVMS y DCMS sobreestimaron la cantidad de materia seca degradable en forrajes de alta calidad y subestimaron la cantidad de materia seca degradable en forrajes de mediana y baja calidad en relación a la DISMS en ovinos. Se concluye que existen diferencias entre las técnicas in situ, in vitro y celulasa para estimar la digestibilidad de la materia seca del forraje en ovinos y estas diferencias dependen de la calidad del forraje.The objective of the study was to compare the efficiency of the in situ, in vitro and enzymatic (cellulose) techniques in estimating the digestibility of forage with different nutritional quality in sheep. Samples of three qualities of forage were collected: high (rye grass of 2-4 weeks), medium (rye grass of 8 weeks and alfalfa hay), and low (oat straw). The samples were dried, grounded and passed through 1 mm sieve for the in vitro and cellulose technique and 3 mm sieve for the in situ technique. The in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVDDM), in situ digestibility of dry matter (ISDDM), and cellulose digestibility of dry matter (CDDM) were determined. Three adult rams with ruminal fistula and fed with a diet based on alfalfa hay and corn stalk. A complete randomized 4 x 3 experimental design (4 quality forages and 3 techniques) was used. The ISDDM was higher (p&lt;0.05) in all forages as compared to IVDDM and CDDM: 91.8 vs 73.9 and 76.5% for high quality forage, 74.2 vs 71.6 and 70.9 for ray grass of 8 weeks and 77.8 vs 68.9 and 68.0 for alfalfa hay, and 34.7 vs 29.5 and 31.7 for low quality forage. None differences were observed between IVDDM and CDDM in forages of medium quality. IVDDM and CDDM values overestimated the quantity of degradable dry matter in high quality forages and underestimated it in medium and low quality forages in relation to ISDDM. It is concluded that there are differences between the in situ, in vitro and cellulose techniques when estimating the digestibility of dry matter forage in sheep, and these difference depend upon the quality of the forage

Phaseolus vulgaris extract ameliorates high-fat diet-induced colonic barrier dysfunction and inflammation in mice by regulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor expression and butyrate levels

Obesity is a health concern worldwide, and its onset is multifactorial. In addition to metabolic syndrome, a high-fat diet induces many deleterious downstream effects, such as chronic systemic inflammation, a loss of gut barrier integrity, and gut microbial dysbiosis, with a reduction of many butyrate-producing bacteria. These conditions can be ameliorated by increasing legumes in the daily diet. White and kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and their non-nutritive bioactive component phaseolamin were demonstrated to mitigate several pathological features related to a metabolic syndrome-like condition. The aim of the present study was to investigate the molecular pathways involved in the protective effects on the intestinal and liver environment of a chronic oral treatment with P. vulgaris extract (PHAS) on a murine model of the high-fat diet. Results show that PHAS treatment has an anti-inflammatory effect on the liver, colon, and cecum. This protective effect was mediated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α and γ. Moreover, we also observed that repeated PHAS treatment was able to restore tight junctions' expression and protective factors of colon and cecum integrity disrupted in HFD mice. This improvement was correlated with a significant increase of butyrate levels in serum and fecal samples compared to the HFD group. These data underline that prolonged treatment with PHAS significantly reduces some pathological features related to the metabolic syndrome-like condition, such as inflammation and intestinal barrier disruption; therefore, PHAS could be a valid tool to be associated with the therapeutic strategy