Seasonal variability and coastal upwelling near Cape Santa Marta (Brazil)

The Santa Marta Grande Cape (CSM) area, a relatively steep and narrow continental shelf off southeast Brazil, is under the influence of the Brazil Current and intense seasonal variations of the wind field that affect the composition of water masses and their circulation. Hydrographic data, satellite-derived wind stress, and numerical simulations are used to characterize the seasonal and shorter period variability of the oceanographic conditions off CSM, in the area between 27S and 30S. The study is focused on the upwelling episodes and the dynamical mechanisms associated with these events. Field data and numerical results indicate significant seasonal changes in the oceanographic structure, the water mass composition, and the dynamical balance. During fall and winter, when southwesterly winds prevail and the frequency of meteorological frontal systems increases, the region is characterized by waters of continental origin, the Plata Plume Water (PPW). During spring and summer, deeper waters reach the surface layer due to the action of northeasterly winds. Coastal upwelling events are revealed by surface temperature minima observed south of CSM. Synoptic data show that these events occur in pulses associated with changes in the wind direction. Analysis of the numerical results shows that this particular location of the upwelling band results from the synergy between shelf-break upwelling and the regional shelf circulation induced by the northeasterly winds, both of which are modulated by changes in the coastline orientation and shelf width.Fil: Campos, Paula C.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Moller Jr., Osmar O.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Piola, Alberto Ricardo. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografia Naval; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Palma, Elbio Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; Argentin

E 1 Gap Of Wurtzite Inas Single Nanowires Measured By Means Of Resonant Raman Spectroscopy

Indium arsenide nanowires were synthesized with an intermixing of wurtzite and zincblende structure by chemical beam epitaxy with the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. Resonant Raman spectroscopy of the transverse optical phonon mode at 215cm -1 reveals an E 1 gap of 2.47 eV which is assigned to the electronic band gap at the A point in the indium arsenide wurtzite phase. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.1399473474 Int. Union Pure Appl. Phys. (IUPAP C8 Comm.),Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology,Seoul Metropolitan Government,Office of Naval Research Global,Korea Tourism OrganizationDick, K.A., (2008) Prog. Cryst. Growth Charact. Mater., 54, pp. 138-173Milnes, A.G., Polyakov, A.Y., (1993) Mater. Sci. Eng. B, 18, pp. 237-259Dayeh, S.A., Susac, D., Kavanagh, K.L., Yu, E.T., Wang, D., (2009) Adv. Mater., 19, pp. 2102-2108Cardona, M., (1961) J. Appl. Phys., 32 (SUPPL.), pp. 2151-2155Antoci, S., Reguzzoni, E., Samoggia, G., (1970) Phys. Rev. Lett., 24, pp. 1304-1307Arguello, C.A., Rousseau, D.L., Porto, S.P.S., (1969) Phys. Rev., 181, pp. 1351-136

A rather unconventional use of the laryngeal mask airway

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74753/1/j.1460-9592.2007.02283.x.pd

Identificação de regiões suscetíveis à contaminação por óleo na Lagoa dos Patos

The present study consists in simulate oil spill events in port region of Rio Grande city, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, using numerical modeling. In order to accomplish that was carried out a hydrodynamic simulation during 365 days, being this equivalent to daily means calculated between 2003 and 2015. The oil spill simulations were used to identify the mainly forcing which control the oil displacement, as the final destination. The results showed that the oil displacement tendency occurs due to the combination of wind effects and freshwater discharge of Patos Lagoon. During Summer and Spring periods, the Northeast winds occurred with higher frequency, being this the mainly forcing for the oil displacement. In this period, the discharge presented values below 2500 m³/s, making the action of currents less significant. In the coldest months, the high discharge was combined with the effects of currents controlling the oil displacement, became the wind effects less significant. Regarding the susceptibility of the oil arrival in analyzed sectors, it is possible to emphasize that Super Porto (super port) was the most affected in all seasons, followed by Salt Marshes, which was detached as the most worrying, since it presented high oil concentrations and it has the highest Littoral Sensitivity Index. Finally, information about possible leaks in the Patos Lagoon estuary, contribute to contingency plans, and enable a quick response to contamination in this environment.O presente estudo consiste em simular eventos de derrame de óleo na região portuária de Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, com aplicação da modelagem numérica. Para isso, foi realizada uma simulação hidrodinâmica de 365 dias, sendo esta equivalente às médias diárias calculadas entre 2003 e 2015. Ademais, simulações de vazamento de óleo foram utilizadas para identificar as principais forçantes que controlam o deslocamento da mancha, assim como, seu destino final. Os resultados mostraram que a tendência do deslocamento do óleo ocorre devido à combinação dos efeitos do vento e da descarga dos afluentes da Lagoa dos Patos. Durante os períodos de verão e primavera, os ventos de Nordeste resultaram mais frequentes, sendo estes os principais responsáveis pelo deslocamento das manchas de óleo. Além disso, a descarga dos afluentes apresentou valores abaixo de 2500 m³/s, tornando a ação das correntes menos significativas. Nos meses mais frios, a alta descarga dos afluentes foi combinada ao efeito direto das correntes para deslocamento do óleo, tornando o efeito do vento menos significativo. Em relação à suscetibilidade à chegada do óleo, é possível ressaltar que o Super Porto foi o mais afetado em todas as estações do ano, seguido de Marismas, que foi destacado como o mais preocupante, uma vez que apresentou grandes concentrações de óleo e possui o maior Índice de Sensibilidade do Litoral. Por fim, as informações disponibilizadas sobre possíveis vazamentos no estuário da Lagoa dos Patos, contribuem com planos de contingência, e possibilitam uma resposta rápida à contaminação neste ambiente

Increase in Non-AIDS Related Conditions as Causes of Death among HIV-Infected Individuals in the HAART Era in Brazil

Background. In 1996, Brazil became the first developing country to provide free and universal access to HAART. Although a decrease in overall mortality has been documented, there are no published data on the impact of HAART on causes of death among HIV-infected individuals in Brazil. We assessed temporal trends of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes mellitus (DM) and other conditions generally not associated with HIV-infection among persons with and without HIV infection in Brazil between 1999 and 2004. Methodology/Principal Findings. Odds ratios were used to compare causes of death in individuals who had HIV/AIDS listed on any field of the death certificate with those who did not. Logistic regression models were fitted with generalized estimating equations to account for spatial correlation; co-variables were added to the models to control for potential confounding. Of 5,856,056 deaths reported in Brazil between 1999 and 2004 67,249 (1.15%) had HIV/AIDS listed on the death certificate and non-HIV-related conditions were listed on 16.3% in 1999, Increasing to 24.1% by 2004 (p<0.001) The adjusted average yearly increases were 8% and 0.8% for CVD (p<0.001), and 12% and 2.8% for DM (p<0.001), for those who had and kiki not have HIV/AIDS listed on the death certificate respectively. Similar results were found for these conditions as underlying causes of death. Conclusions/Significance. In Brazil between 1999 and 2004 conditions usually considered not to be related to HIV-infection appeared to become more likely causes of death over time than reported causes of death among individuals who had HIV/AIDS listed on the death certificate than in those who did not. This observation has important programmatic implications for developing countries that are scaling-up access to antiretroviral therapy. © 2008 Pacheco et al

Emerging pharmacotherapy of tinnitus

Tinnitus, the perception of sound in the absence of an auditory stimulus, is perceived by about 1 in 10 adults, and for at least 1 in 100, tinnitus severely affects their quality of life. Because tinnitus is frequently associated with irritability, agitation, stress, insomnia, anxiety and depression, the social and economic burdens of tinnitus can be enormous. No curative treatments are available. However, tinnitus symptoms can be alleviated to some extent. The most widespread management therapies consist of auditory stimulation and cognitive behavioral treatment, aiming at improving habituation and coping strategies. Available clinical trials vary in methodological rigor and have been performed for a considerable number of different drugs. None of the investigated drugs have demonstrated providing replicable long-term reduction of tinnitus impact in the majority of patients in excess of placebo effects. Accordingly, there are no FDA or European Medicines Agency approved drugs for the treatment of tinnitus. However, in spite of the lack of evidence, a large variety of different compounds are prescribed off-label. Therefore, more effective pharmacotherapies for this huge and still growing market are desperately needed and even a drug that produces only a small but significant effect would have an enormous therapeutic impact. This review describes current and emerging pharmacotherapies with current difficulties and limitations. In addition, it provides an estimate of the tinnitus market. Finally, it describes recent advances in the tinnitus field which may help overcome obstacles faced in the pharmacological treatment of tinnitus. These include incomplete knowledge of tinnitus pathophysiology, lack of well-established animal models, heterogeneity of different forms of tinnitus, difficulties in tinnitus assessment and outcome measurement and variability in clinical trial methodology. © 2009 Informa UK Ltd.Fil: Langguth, Berthold. Universitat Regensburg; AlemaniaFil: Salvi, Richard. State University of New York; Estados UnidosFil: Elgoyhen, Ana Belen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; Argentin

Nuclei in Strongly Magnetised Neutron Star Crusts

We discuss the ground state properties of matter in outer and inner crusts of neutron stars under the influence of strong magnetic fields. In particular, we demonstrate the effects of Landau quantization of electrons on compositions of neutron star crusts. First we revisit the sequence of nuclei and the equation of state of the outer crust adopting the Baym, Pethick and Sutherland (BPS) model in the presence of strong magnetic fields and most recent versions of the theoretical and experimental nuclear mass tables. Next we deal with nuclei in the inner crust. Nuclei which are arranged in a lattice, are immersed in a nucleonic gas as well as a uniform background of electrons in the inner crust. The Wigner-Seitz approximation is adopted in this calculation and each lattice volume is replaced by a spherical cell. The coexistence of two phases of nuclear matter - liquid and gas, is considered in this case. We obtain the equilibrium nucleus corresponding to each baryon density by minimizing the free energy of the cell. We perform this calculation using Skyrme nucleon-nucleon interaction with different parameter sets. We find nuclei with larger mass and charge numbers in the inner crust in the presence of strong magnetic fields than those of the zero field case for all nucleon-nucleon interactions considered here. However, SLy4 interaction has dramatic effects on the proton fraction as well as masses and charges of nuclei. This may be attributed to the behaviour of symmetry energy with density in the sub-saturation density regime. Further we discuss the implications of our results to shear mode oscillations of magnetars.Comment: presented in "Exciting Physics Symposium" held in Makutsi, South Africa in November, 2011 and to be published in a book by Springer Verla

Gastrocnemius vs. soleus strain: how to differentiate and deal with calf muscle injuries

Calf strains are common injuries seen in primary care and sports medicine clinics. Differentiating strains of the gastrocnemius or soleus is important for treatment and prognosis. Simple clinical testing can assist in diagnosis and is aided by knowledge of the anatomy and common clinical presentation

Targeting miR-27a/VE-cadherin interactions rescues cerebral cavernous malformations in mice.

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are vascular lesions predominantly developing in the central nervous system (CNS), with no effective treatments other than surgery. Loss-of-function mutation in CCM1/krev interaction trapped 1 (KRIT1), CCM2, or CCM3/programmed cell death 10 (PDCD10) causes lesions that are characterized by abnormal vascular integrity. Vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin), a major regulator of endothelial cell (EC) junctional integrity is strongly disorganized in ECs lining the CCM lesions. We report here that microRNA-27a (miR-27a), a negative regulator of VE-cadherin, is elevated in ECs isolated from mouse brains developing early CCM lesions and in cultured ECs with CCM1 or CCM2 depletion. Furthermore, we show miR-27a acts downstream of kruppel-like factor (KLF)2 and KLF4, two known key transcription factors involved in CCM lesion development. Using CD5-2 (a target site blocker [TSB]) to prevent the miR-27a/VE-cadherin mRNA interaction, we present a potential therapy to increase VE-cadherin expression and thus rescue the abnormal vascular integrity. In CCM1- or CCM2-depleted ECs, CD5-2 reduces monolayer permeability, and in Ccm1 heterozygous mice, it restores dermal vessel barrier function. In a neonatal mouse model of CCM disease, CD5-2 normalizes vasculature and reduces vascular leakage in the lesions, inhibits the development of large lesions, and significantly reduces the size of established lesions in the hindbrain. Furthermore, CD5-2 limits the accumulation of inflammatory cells in the lesion area. Our work has established that VE-cadherin is a potential therapeutic target for normalization of the vasculature and highlights that targeting miR-27a/VE-cadherin interaction by CD5-2 is a potential novel therapy for the devastating disease, CCM