Plant growth promoting potential of rhizobacteria isolated from a contaminated area

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efeitos de um programa de 12 semanas de Hidroginástica na postura corporal de mulheres de meia-idade

À medida que a população mundial envelhece, sérias preocupações são levantadas sobre o efeito do exercício físico e de aptidão física para a saúde pública, especialmente na meia e terceira idade (Cruz-Ferreira et al., 2011). Os programas de exercícios aquáticos ganharam popularidade devido à diminuição de hipotéticos pacientes (i.e. ajudam na prevenção de patologias), e até mesmo entre indivíduos saudáveis (Costa et al., 2011). Ambos os programas, terrestres e aquáticos, baseiam-se no objetivo de alcançar e manter um nível adequado de aptidão física (incluindo a postura corporal) e, portanto, melhorar a qualidade de vida. A postura corporal tem em consideração a oscilação e/ou o alinhamento do corpo. O alinhamento do corpo representa a posição do corpo e a relação espacial entre os seus segmentos anatómicos para manter o equilíbrio, em condições estáticas ou dinâmicas, de acordo com os requisitos do ambiente e da tarefa motora. Um alinhamento adequado do corpo envolve o menor esforço (i.e. gasto energético) e sobrecarga mecânica, para otimizar a eficiência do sistema biológico. Uma postura corporal incorreta pode estar relacionada com alguma desordem a nível ortopédico (Kristensen, Bandholm, Holm, Ekdahl, & Kehlet, 2009), músculo-esquelético (Oyarzo, Villagrán, Silvestre, Carpintero, & Berral, 2013) ou neurológico (Busse, Zimdars, Zalewski, & Steffen, 2005), mas também associada com uma maior probabilidade de quedas (Sakamoto et al., 2006).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Quantitation of nine organic acids in wild mushrooms

The organic acids composition of six wild edible mushroom species ( Amanita caesarea, Boletus edulis, Gyroporus castaneus, Lactarius deliciosus, Suillus collinitus, and Xerocomus chrysenteron) was determined by an HPLC-UV detector method. The results showed that all of the samples presented a profile composed of at least five organic acids: citric, ketoglutaric, malic, succinic, and fumaric acids. Several samples also contained oxalic, ascorbic, quinic, and shikimic acids. In a general way, the quantitation of the identified compounds indicated that malic acid, followed by the pair citric plus ketoglutaric acids, were the main compounds in the analyzed species, with the exception of A. caesarea, in which malic and ascorbic acids were the most abundant compounds. The relative amounts and the presence/absence of each identified compound may be useful for the differentiation of the species

Evaluating oral health-related quality of life measure for children and preadolescents with temporomandibular disorder

Background: Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children and adolescents with signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) has not yet been measured. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of OHRQoL measure for use in children and preadolescents with signs and symptoms of TMD.Methods: Five hundred and forty-seven students aged 8-14 years were recruited from public schools in Piracicaba, Brazil. Self-perceptions of QoL were measured using the Brazilian Portuguese versions of Child Perceptions Questionnaires (CPQ)(8-10) (n = 247) and CPQ(11-14) (n = 300). A single examiner, trained and calibrated for diagnosis according to the Axis I of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD), examined the participants. A self-report questionnaire assessed subjective symptoms of TMD. Intraexaminer reliability was assessed for the RDC/TMD clinical examinations using Cohen's Kappa (kappa) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Criterion validity was calculated using the Spearman's correlation, construct validity using the Spearman's correlation and the Mann-Whitney test, and the magnitude of the difference between groups using effect size (ES). Reliability was determined using Cronbach's alpha, alpha if the item was deleted and corrected item-total correlation.Results: Intraexaminer reliability values ranged from regular (kappa = 0.30) to excellent (kappa = 0.96) for the categorical variables and from moderate (ICC = 0.49) to substantial (ICC = 0.74) for the continuous variables. Criterion validity was supported by significant associations between both CPQ scores and pain-related questions for the TMD groups. Mean CPQ(8-10) scores were slightly higher for TMD children than control children (ES = 0.43). Preadolescents with TMD had moderately higher scores than the control ones (ES = 0.62; p < 0.0001). Significant correlation between the CPQ scores and global oral health, as well as overall well-being ratings (p < 0.001) occurred, supporting the construct validity. the Cronbach's alphas were 0.93 for CPQ(8-10) and 0.94 for CPQ(11-14). for the overall CPQ(8-10) and CPQ(11-14) scales, the corrected item-total correlation coefficients ranged from 0.39-0.76 and from 0.28-0.73, respectively. the alpha coefficients did not increase when any of the items were deleted in either CPQ samples.Conclusions: the questionnaires are valid and reliable for use in children and preadolescents with signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorder.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Univ Estadual Campinas, Piracicaba Dent Sch, Dept Pediat Dent, Piracicaba, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biol Sci, Diadema, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biol Sci, Diadema, SP, BrazilFAPESP: 2008/00325-9Web of Scienc

Control and comparison of the antioxidant capacity of beers

The purpose of the present work is to determine the antioxidant capacity (AC) of 27 commercial beers. The AC indicates the degree of protection of a certain organism against oxidative damage provoked by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Assays were carried out by the following methods: (i) total radical trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP); (ii) trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC); (iii) trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (DPPH); (iv) ferric-ion reducing antioxidant parameter (FRAP); (v) cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC); (vi) oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Ascorbic acid (AA), gallic acid (GA) and trolox (TR) were used as standards. All beers showed antioxidant power, but a wide range of ACs was observed. The effect of several factors upon these differences was studied. Statistical differences were found between ACs of beers of different colours. ORAC method provided always higher experimental ACs, of significant statistical differences to other assays

Aerodynamics of a wheelchair sprinter racing at the 100m world record pace by CFD

The aim of this study was to analyze aerodynamics in a racing position of a wheelchair-racing sprinter, at the world record speed. The athlete and wheelchair were scanned at the beginning of the propulsive phase position (hands near the handrims at 12h) for the 3D model acquisition. Numerical simulation was run on Fluent, having as output the pressure, viscosity and total drag force, and respective coefficients of drag at the world record speed in T-52 category. Total drag was 7.56N and coefficient of drag was 1.65. This work helped on getting a deeper insight about the aerodynamic profile of a wheelchair-racing athlete, at a 100m world record speed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Clarifying changes in student empathy throughout medical school: a scoping review

Despite the increasing awareness of the relevance of empathy in patient care, some findings suggest that medical schools may be contributing to the deterioration of students' empathy. Therefore, it is important to clarify the magnitude and direction of changes in empathy during medical school. We employed a scoping review to elucidate trends in students' empathy changes/differences throughout medical school and examine potential bias associated with research design. The literature published in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French from 2009 to 2016 was searched. Two-hundred and nine potentially relevant citations were identified. Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria. Effect sizes of empathy scores variations were calculated to assess the practical significance of results. Our results demonstrate that scoped studies differed considerably in their design, measures used, sample sizes and results. Most studies (12 out of 20 studies) reported either positive or non-statistically significant changes/differences in empathy regardless of the measure used. The predominant trend in cross-sectional studies (ten out of 13 studies) was of significantly higher empathy scores in later years or of similar empathy scores across years, while most longitudinal studies presented either mixed-results or empathy declines. There was not a generalized international trend in changes in students' empathy throughout medical school. Although statistically significant changes/differences were detected in 13 out of 20 studies, the calculated effect sizes were small in all but two studies, suggesting little practical significance. At the present moment, the literature does not offer clear conclusions relative to changes in student empathy throughout medical school.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biodiversidade, população e economia: uma região de mata atlântica [Biodiversity, Population, and Economy: a region of atlantic forest]

Minas Gerais; Rio Doce; mata atlântica; atlantic forest; sustainable development; conservation; regional development; environment

Influencias climáticas en la dieta del delfín costero del litoral brasileño

The Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) is a small-bodied dolphin distributed along the Atlantic coast from Honduras to southern Brazil. It preys on fish, squid and shrimps. Several seminal studies have described its diet, yet relationships between the species’ feeding plasticity and climate gradients remain unknown. We compiled a large database of Guiana dolphin stomach remains from southeast coastal Brazil. We described the species’ diet using a number of descriptors, multivariate analysis of variance to test possible differentiation in diet composition, and the Morisita index to estimate the extent of trophic niche overlap between groups. We also analysed feeding plasticity using a regression tree analysis followed by an ordination analysis. We present new records of prey for the species in Brazil. Our results suggest that the Guiana dolphin has opportunistic feeding habits, which may exhibit the species’ feeding plasticity. Such feeding plasticity is associated with the capability to prey throughout a wide array of climate conditions. From a conservation ecology perspective, we conclude that estuaries—even ones that are over-depleted and succumbing to human impacts—are paramount environments for the Guiana dolphin, serving as important sources of prey for the species and other sympatric marine mammals.Sotalia guianensis es un delfín de pequeño porte cuya área de ditribución abarca el litoral atlántico desde Honduras hasta el sur de Brasil. Al día de la fecha, pese a que la dieta de este delfín ya ha sido descrita en anteriores trabajos, las posibles relaciones entre la ingesta de determinadas presas y los cambios en las variables ambientales aún se ignoran. En nuestro trabajo, describimos la dieta de estos delfines a través del análisis de contenidos estomacales y recopilamos una extensa base de datos a efectos de desvendar posibles patrones en la ecologia trófica de la especie a lo largo de la costa atlántica sudoriental brasileña. Usamos un conjunto de descriptores para caracterizar la dieta de estos delfines, probamos posibles diferencias por medio de un análisis de variancia multivariada y cuantificamos el grado de solapamiento trófico entre grupos utilizando el índice de Morisita. Además, analizamos la plasticidad trófica de la especie por medio de un árbol de regresión seguido de una ordenación. Presentamos nuevos registros de presas para la especie en Brasil. Los principales resultados que obtuvimos confirman los hábitos oportunistas que caracterizan a estos delfines y evidencian que sus presas más frecuentes y abundantes son a su vez abundantes en estuarios, como peces pertenecientes a la familia Sciaenidae. Dichos hábitos oportunistas podrían estar relacionados con la característica plasticidad trófica de la especie. Corroboramos que la plasticidad trófica del delfín costero se debe a su capacidad de predar en un amplio rango de condiciones climáticas, aunque sus presas más comunes se encuentran en estuarios. Desde el punto de vista de la Ecología de la Conservación, concluímos que los estuarios son ambientes de relevante importancia para estos delfines y otros mamíferos marinos simpátricos, por ser éstos una importante fuente de recursos alimenticios, aunque están en ambientes que soportan un fuerte impacto antrópico