633 research outputs found
Qualidade da gestão do Cadastro Único e do Programa Bolsa Família como ferramenta no combate à pobreza
Este trabalho apresenta as principais características do Programa Bolsa Família e do
Cadastro Único, instrumentos estratégicos que compõem o Plano Brasil Sem Miséria. A
monografia faz uma análise da evolução do IGD-E (indicador que afere a qualidade dessas
ferramentas) e de seus componentes, com destaque para o fator operação e suas taxas. A taxa
associada a qualidade do Cadastro Único tende a cair para a maioria dos estados entre os anos
de 2011 e 2016, enquanto as taxas relacionadas à gestão do Bolsa Família têm uma variação
positiva neste período. Além de estudar a evolução do IGD-E, este trabalho identificou a relação
do índice com as taxas de pobreza estaduais, verificando que os estados com maior taxa de
pobreza possivelmente empreendem mais esforços para manter um bom índice e os estados que
mais melhoram o valor do indicador são também os que mais conseguem reduzir suas taxas de
pobreza. Através das análises com base nos dados do suplemento da PNAD de 2014, foi
observado alguns resultados interessantes, como a correlação positiva entre o conhecimento da
população de baixa renda sobre o Cadastro Único e a TAC, taxa que compõe o IGD-E e afere
a qualidade das informações contidas no cadastro, além disso há forte correlação entre o
interesse da população de baixa renda nos programas sociais e as taxas de pobreza dos estados
Peripheral nervous system plasmalogens regulate Schwann cell differentiation and myelination
Rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata (RCDP) is a developmental disorder characterized by hypotonia, cataracts, abnormal ossification, impaired motor development, and intellectual disability. The underlying etiology of RCDP is a deficiency in the biosynthesis of ether phospholipids, of which plasmalogens are the most abundant form in nervous tissue and myelin; however, the role of plasmalogens in the peripheral nervous system is poorly defined. Here, we used mouse models of RCDP and analyzed the consequence of plasmalogen deficiency in peripheral nerves. We determined that plasmalogens are crucial for Schwann cell development and differentiation and that plasmalogen defects impaired radial sorting, myelination, and myelin structure. Plasmalogen insufficiency resulted in defective protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation and subsequent signaling, causing overt activation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) in nerves of mutant mice. Treatment with GSK3β inhibitors, lithium, or 4-benzyl-2-methyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolidine-3,5-dione (TDZD-8) restored Schwann cell defects, effectively bypassing plasmalogen deficiency. Our results demonstrate the requirement of plasmalogens for the correct and timely differentiation of Schwann cells and for the process of myelination. In addition, these studies identify a mechanism by which the lack of a membrane phospholipid causes neuropathology, implicating plasmalogens as regulators of membrane and cell signaling.We thank Paula Sampaio for microscopy support, Paula Magalhdes for genotyping, and Isabel Carvalho, Sofia Lamas, and Fatima Martins for excellent animal care. We are grateful to P. Brophy (University of Edinburgh) for the DRP2 antibody and to M. Baes (K.U. Leuven) for providing the Gnpat mouse strain. This work was funded by the Research Foundation of the European Leukodystrophy Association (ELA 2008-009C4, ELA 2010-042C5), by FEDER Funds through the Operational Competitiveness Program - COMPETE, and by national funds through the FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia under the project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-015970 (PTDS/SAU-ORG/112406/2009). P. Brites is an FCT Investigator, and T. Ferreira da Silva was supported by the FCT (SFRH/BD/88160/2012)
Left-handed color-sextet diquark in Kaon system
We investigate whether a color-sextet scalar diquark () coupling
to the left-handed quarks contributes to the process. It is found
that the box diagrams mediated by and bosons have no
contributions to when the limit of is used, and the flavor
mixing matrices for diagonalizing quark mass matrices are introduced at the
same time. When the heavy top-quark mass effects are taken into account, it is
found that in addition to the box diagrams significantly
contributing to , their effects can be as large as those from the
box diagrams. Using the parameters that are constrained
by the mixing parameter and the Kaon indirect CP
violation , we find that the left-handed color-sextet diquark can
lead to the Kaon direct CP violation being . In the chosen scheme, although the diquark contribution to
is small, the branching ratio of can reach the current experimental upper bound.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure
Urban traffic ordination in medium cities, vehicle flow analysis in the night period at the comércio street, universitario district, IJUÍ/RS
In the cities, the transportation importance for the economic development and social equity is
fundamental, however, it also generates environment impacts. From this point, the development of a
more sustainable perspective for urban mobility has been required (Costa, 2003). This study was
carried out at the Comércio street, the main link between UNIJUÍ and the center of Ijuí/RS, and it is
based on a reflexive critical analysis of the urban mobility, by estimating the flow of vehicles on the
road at the entry and exit time of students at the university. This study includes one-hour readings
composed by 15-minute intervals, as recommended by the HCM 2000 methodology, with the critical
value being the maximum flow between the four readings in the one hour. Based on this information,
it is sought to determine if the route satisfy the service level efficiently, pondering the possible need
for adaptations and seeking solutions to improve the region transportation flow
Intermodal container reuse in sustainable residential buildings
The shipping containers use in buildings presents difficult acceptance due to the lack of
information about its efficiency. The container emerged as a solution for the transportations of
goods around the world, but it is discarded at the life’s end. The traditional construction market is
responsible for most of the environmental impact sources, and because of that, the container reuse
is an expression of an economical and sustainable alternative, further, it may generate a significant
cost reduction compared to the traditional process, creating greater efficiency and speed in the
work. In contrast, the main obstacles are the thermal conductivity of the manufacture material, and
also the lack of specialized labor, especially in rural cities. In this way, it is sought a reflection
about possibilities of shipping container use in civil construction by a bibliographical study in
means that present the theme in an actual way
Suppression of Stochastic Domain Wall Pinning Through Control of Gilbert Damping
Finite temperature micromagnetic simulations were used to investigate the magnetisation structure, propagation dynamics and stochastic pinning of domain walls in rare earth-doped Ni80Fe20 nanowires. We first show how the increase of the Gilbert damping, caused by the inclusion rare-earth dopants such as holmium, acts to suppress Walker breakdown phenomena. This allows domain walls to maintain consistent magnetisation structures during propagation. We then employ finite temperature simulations to probe how this affects the stochastic pinning of domain walls at notch-shaped artificial defect sites. Our results indicate that the addition of even a few percent of holmium allows domain walls to pin with consistent and well-defined magnetisation configurations, thus suppressing dynamically-induced stochastic pinning/depinning phenomena. Together, these results demonstrate a powerful, materials science-based solution to the problems of stochastic domain wall pinning in soft ferromagnetic nanowires
HIVAN and medication use in chronic dialysis patients in the United States: analysis of the USRDS DMMS Wave 2 study
BACKGROUND: The use and possible effects of factors known to improve outcomes in patients with human immunodeficiency virus associated nephropathy (HIVAN), namely of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE) and antiretroviral therapy, has not been reported for a national sample of dialysis patients. METHODS: We conducted a historical cohort study of the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) Dialysis Morbidity and Mortality Study (DMMS) Wave 2 to identify risk factors associated with increased mortality in these patients. Data were available for 3374 patients who started dialysis and were followed until March 2000. Cox Regression analysis was used to model adjusted hazard ratios (AHR) with HIVAN as a cause of end stage renal disease (ESRD) and its impact on mortality during the study period, adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: Of the 3374 patients who started dialysis, 36 (1.1%) had ESRD as a result of HIVAN. Only 22 (61%) of patients with HIVAN received antiretroviral agents, and only nine patients (25%) received combination antiretroviral therapy, and only 14% received ACE inhibitors. Neither the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs (AHR, 0.62, 95% CI, 0.10, 3.86, p = 0.60), or ACE inhibitors were associated with a survival advantage. Patients with HIVAN had an increased risk of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 4.74, 95% Confidence Interval, 3.12, 7.32, p < 0.01) compared to patients with other causes of ESRD. CONCLUSIONS: Medications known to improve outcomes in HIV infected patients were underutilized in patients with HIVAN. Adjusted for other factors, a primary diagnosis of HIVAN was associated with increased mortality compared with other causes of ESRD
Prospecting environmental mycobacteria: combined molecular approaches reveal unprecedented diversity
Background: Environmental mycobacteria (EM) include species commonly found in various terrestrial and aquatic environments, encompassing animal and human pathogens in addition to saprophytes. Approximately 150 EM species can be separated into fast and slow growers based on sequence and copy number differences of their 16S rRNA genes. Cultivation methods are not appropriate for diversity studies; few studies have investigated EM diversity in soil despite their importance as potential reservoirs of pathogens and their hypothesized role in masking or blocking M. bovis BCG vaccine.
Methods: We report here the development, optimization and validation of molecular assays targeting the 16S rRNA gene to assess diversity and prevalence of fast and slow growing EM in representative soils from semi tropical and temperate areas. New primer sets were designed also to target uniquely slow growing mycobacteria and used with PCR-DGGE, tag-encoded Titanium amplicon pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR.
Results: PCR-DGGE and pyrosequencing provided a consensus of EM diversity; for example, a high abundance of pyrosequencing reads and DGGE bands corresponded to M. moriokaense, M. colombiense and M. riyadhense. As expected pyrosequencing provided more comprehensive information; additional prevalent species included M. chlorophenolicum, M. neglectum, M. gordonae, M. aemonae. Prevalence of the total Mycobacterium genus in the soil samples ranged from 2.3×107 to 2.7×108 gene targets g−1; slow growers prevalence from 2.9×105 to 1.2×107 cells g−1.
Conclusions: This combined molecular approach enabled an unprecedented qualitative and quantitative assessment of EM across soil samples. Good concordance was found between methods and the bioinformatics analysis was validated by random resampling. Sequences from most pathogenic groups associated with slow growth were identified in extenso in all soils tested with a specific assay, allowing to unmask them from the Mycobacterium whole genus, in which, as minority members, they would have remained undetected
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