Sistema modular para superfícies ajardinadas-produzido com geopolímeros e aglomerado negro de cortiça

O aglomerado negro de cortiça expandida foi fornecido pela ISOCOR/SOFALCA.A integração de superfícies ajardinadas em edifícios, como coberturas e paredes verdes, pode constituir uma estratégia passiva de poupança de energia, entre outros benefícios, como se discute neste trabalho. Em primeiro lugar é apresentada uma síntese dos principais benefícios da integração das superfícies ajardinadas em edifícios. Em seguida, são analisadas as principais características das coberturas e paredes verdes. Por fim, é apresentada uma descrição detalhada da concepção do sistema modular GEOGREEN e as suas características inovadoras relevantes.Fundação Portuguesa para a Ciência e Tecnologia, FCT

Suggestion of topographic staging for laryngeal papillomatosis

Laryngeal Papillomatosis is a disease that most often affect the true vocal folds, epiglottis, false vocal folds and may extend in the entire larynx. There isn't a consensus about a classification of the site and intensive of the lesions. AIM: To propose a staging based on the classification of the site and intensity of the lesions in the larynx that can have easily application for the physician. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical prospective. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We divided the larynx in three sites: supraglottis (S), glottis (G) and infraglottis (I); and in four degree of extension. Classification: S1 (focal lesion), S2 (less than 2/3 of extension of the lumen), S3 (more than 2/3 of extension) and S4 (obstructive lesion or tracheotomy); G1 (focal lesion on the fold or on the anterior or posterior commissure - less than 1/3 of extension), G1a (only one vocal fold) G1b (both vocal folds), G2 (more than 1/3 extension of the vocal fold), G2a (only one vocal fold), G2b (both vocal folds), G3 (more than 2/3 extension of the vocal fold) and G4 (obstructive lesion or tracheotomy); I1 (focal lesion), I2 (less than 2/3 extension of the lumen), I3 (more than 2/3 extension of the lumen), and I4 (obstructive lesion or tracheotomy). Based on this topographic classification we obtain 4 stages: I, II, III e IV. We evaluated 74 laryngoscopes of 10 patients with laryngeal papillomatosis before and after the treatment with cidofovir to establish the viability of the staging. RESULTS: All the exams could be submitted to the classification and staging. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the staging proposed was viable on the studied population.A papilomatose laríngea (PL) é uma doença que acomete principalmente as pregas vocais, epiglote e pregas vestibulares, mas pode atingir a laringe em toda sua extensão. Até o momento não existe consenso sobre como estadiar o local e a intensidade das lesões papilomatosas. OBJETIVO: Propor um estadiamento a partir da classificação do local e intensidade das lesões na laringe, que seja abrangente, de fácil entendimento e aplicação clínica pelo otorrinolaringologista. FORMA DE ESTUDO: Clínico prospectivo. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Partimos da divisão da laringe em três níveis: supraglote (S), glote (G) e infraglote (I); e da adoção de quatro graus de acometimento, de 1 (leve) a 4 (mais intenso). Classificação proposta: S1 (lesão focal), S2 (menos de 2/3 de extensão da luz), S3 (mais de 2/3 da luz), S4 (obstrutiva ou traqueotomia); G1 (focal em prega vocal ou com.anterior ou posterior - menos de 1/3 de extensão da prega), G1a (em 1 prega vocal) G1b (nas duas pregas), G2 (mais de 1/3 de extensão), G2a (em 1 prega vocal), G2b (nas duas pregas), G3 (mais de 2/3 extensão), G3a (1 prega vocal), G3b (nas duas pregas), G4 (lesão obstrutiva ou traqueotomia); I1(focal), I2 (menos 2/3 extensão da luz), I3 (mais de 2/3 extensão) e I4 (obstrutiva ou traqueotomia). Baseando-se nesta classificação topográfica, obtivemos 4 estádios: I, II, III e IV. Realizamos avaliação de 74 laringoscopias de 10 pacientes com PL antes e após o tratamento com cidofovir para constatar a viabilidade desta proposta de estadiamento. RESULTADOS: Todos os 74 exames analisados puderam ser submetidos à classificação e estadiamento. CONCLUSÕES: Concluímos que o estadiamento proposto apresentou viabilidade perante a população estudada.UNIFESP-EPM CCPUNIFESP, EPM, CCPSciEL

Reactivation of wild-type and mutant p53 by tryptophanolderived oxazoloisoindolinone SLMP53-1:a novel anticancer small-molecule

Restoration of the p53 pathway, namely by reactivation of mutant (mut) p53, represents a valuable anticancer strategy. Herein, we report the identification of the enantiopure tryptophanol-derived oxazoloisoindolinone SLMP53-1 as a novel reactivator of wild-type (wt) and mut p53, using a yeast-based screening strategy. SLMP53-1 has a p53-dependent anti-proliferative activity in human wt and mut p53R280K-expressing tumor cells. Additionally, SLMP53-1 enhances p53 transcriptional activity and restores wt-like DNA binding ability to mut p53R280K. In wt/mut p53-expressing tumor cells, SLMP53-1 triggers p53 transcription-dependent and mitochondrial apoptotic pathways involving BAX, and wt/mut p53 mitochondrial translocation. SLMP53-1 inhibits the migration of wt/mut p53-expressing tumor cells, and it shows promising p53-dependent synergistic effects with conventional chemotherapeutics. In xenograft mice models, SLMP53-1 inhibits the growth of wt/mut p53-expressing tumors, but not of p53-null tumors, without apparent toxicity. Collectively, besides the potential use of SLMP53-1 as anticancer drug, the tryptophanol-derived oxazoloisoindolinone scaffold represents a promissing starting point for the development of effective p53-reactivating drugs

Evaluation of the cardiovascular effects of vasicine, an alkaloid isolated from the leaves of Sida cordifolia L. (Malvaceae)

The cardiovascular effects of vasicine, an alkaloid isolated from the leaves of Sida cordifolia L., were evaluated in this work. In non-anaesthetized rats (n=6), vasicine (1, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg; i.v., randomly) induced hypotension associated with an intense bradycardia. Both responses were completely abolished after atropine (2mg/Kg; i.v.) and attenuated after hexamethonium (20 mg/Kg; i.v.). In isolated rat mesenteric artery rings, vasicine (0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, 10, 30, 100 and 300 μg/mL, cumulatively) induced concentration-dependent relaxation of phenylephrine-induced tone (IC50= 3.8±0.9 μg/mL; n = 6). In conclusion, the results show that vasicine produce hypotension and bradycardia which appears to be due to the stimulation of cardiac muscarinic receptors (directly and/or indirectly), and by a decrease of the peripheral resistances

Exchange couplings in the magnetic molecular cluster Mn12Ac

The magnetic properties of the molecular cluster Mn12Ac are due to the four Mn3+ ions which have spins S=3/2 and the eight Mn4+ ions with spins S=2. These spins are coupled by superexchange mechanism. We determine the four exchange couplings assuming a Heisenberg-type interaction between the ions. We use exact diagonalization of the spin Hamiltonian by a Lanczos algorithm and we adjust the couplings to reproduce the magnetization curve of Mn12Ac. We also impose the constraint of reproducing a gap of 35K between a S=10 ground state and a first excited state with S=9. We predict that there is an excited level with S=8 at 37K above the ground state, only slightly above the S=9 excited state which lies at 35K and the next excited state is a S=9 multiplet at 67K above the S=10 ground state.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys Rev B, corrected a misTeX: values of J1, J2 have changed, refs update

Nucleation and growth of biomimetic apatite layers on 3D plotted biodegradable polymeric scaffolds : effect of static and dynamic coating conditions

Apatite layers were grown on the surface of newly developed starch/polycaprolactone (SPCL)-based scaffolds by a 3D plotting technology. To produce the biomimetic coatings, a sodium silicate gel was used as nucleating agent, followed by immersion in a simulated body fluid (SBF) solution. After growing a stable apatite layer for 7 days, the scaffolds were placed in SBF under static, agitated (80 strokes min!1) and circulating flow perfusion (Q = 4 ml min!1; tR = 15 s) for up to 14 days. The materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thin-film X-ray diffraction. Cross-sections were obtained and the coating thickness was measured. The elemental composition of solution and coatings was monitored by inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy. After only 6 h of immersion in SBF it was possible to observe the formation of small nuclei of an amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) layer. After subsequent SBF immersion from 7 to 14 days under static, agitated and circulating flow perfusion conditions, these layers grew into bone-like nanocrystalline carbonated apatites covering each scaffold fiber without compromising its initial morphology. No differences in the apatite composition/chemical structure were detectable between the coating conditions. In case of flow perfusion, the coating thickness was significantly higher. This condition, besides mimicking better the biological milieu, allowed for the coating of complex architectures at higher rates, which can greatly reduce the coating step.The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (PhD grant to A.L.O., SFRH/BD/10956/2002 and post-doctoral Grant to R.A.S., SFRH/BPD/17151/2004, under the POCTI Program). This work was partially supported by FCT through POCTI and/or FEDER programmes and also partially supported by the EU Project HIPPOCRATES (NMP3-CT-2003-505758) and EXPERTISSUES (NMP-CT-2004-500283)

Functional Integral Construction of the Thirring model: axioms verification and massless limit

We construct a QFT for the Thirring model for any value of the mass in a functional integral approach, by proving that a set of Grassmann integrals converges, as the cutoffs are removed and for a proper choice of the bare parameters, to a set of Schwinger functions verifying the Osterwalder-Schrader axioms. The corresponding Ward Identities have anomalies which are not linear in the coupling and which violate the anomaly non-renormalization property. Additional anomalies are present in the closed equation for the interacting propagator, obtained by combining a Schwinger-Dyson equation with Ward Identities.Comment: 55 pages, 9 figure

Role of dipolar and exchange interactions in the positions and widths of EPR transitions for the single-molecule magnets Fe8 and Mn12

We examine quantitatively the temperature dependence of the linewidths and line shifts in electron paramagnetic resonance experiments on single crystals of the single-molecule magnets Fe$_8$ and Mn$_{12}$, at fixed frequency, with an applied magnetic field along the easy axis. We include inter-molecular spin-spin interactions (dipolar and exchange) and distributions in both the uniaxial anisotropy parameter $D$ and the Land\'{e} $g$-factor. The temperature dependence of the linewidths and the line shifts are mainly caused by the spin-spin interactions. For Fe$_8$ and Mn$_{12}$, the temperature dependence of the calculated line shifts and linewidths agrees well with the trends of the experimental data. The linewidths for Fe$_8$ reveal a stronger temperature dependence than those for Mn$_{12}$, because for Mn$_{12}$ a much wider distribution in $D$ overshadows the temperature dependence of the spin-spin interactions. For Fe$_8$, the line-shift analysis suggests two competing interactions: a weak ferromagnetic exchange coupling between neighboring molecules and a longer-ranged dipolar interaction. This result could have implications for ordering in Fe$_8$ at low temperatures.Comment: published versio