Copper(ii) Nitroaromatic Schiff Base Complexes: Synthesis, Biological Activity And Their Interaction With Dna And Albumins

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Copper(II) complexes of the Schiff base ligands 2-((5-nitrofuran-2-yl)methyleneamino)phenol (HL1) and 2-(4-nitrobenzylideneamino)phenol (HL2) were prepared and characterized using physicochemical and spectroscopic techniques. In these complexes the Schiff base ligands acted as a bidentate donor bound to Cu2+ through the oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the deprotonated form. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectra, carried out on [CuCl(L1)(phen)]center dot 0.5H(2)O and [CuCl(L2)(phen)]center dot 2H(2)O complexes, showed the presence of only mononuclear forms. The Cu2+ complexes and ligands were evaluated for their in vitro trypanocidal activity. The complex [CuCl(L1)(phen)]center dot 0.5H(2)O was more active than the free Schiff base and also presented a superior effect to benznidazole, the reference drug. The antiproliferative activity of the Schiff bases and Cu2+ complexes were evaluated for their effect on seven tumor cell lines and showed a cytostatic and in some cases a cytotoxic effect. These compounds also presented binding properties to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and moderate ability to quench the intrinsic fluorescence of albumins.2818797Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)Fundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ)FIOCRUZConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Contribución para la caracterización bioclimática del Norte de Portugal. La transición florística atlántico-mediterránea.

Contribución para la caracterización bioclimática del norte de Portugal. La transición florística atlántico-mediterránea. Este trabajo se incluye en la serie de trabajos ya iniciados por Crespí et al. (2001), con el objetivo de contribuir al conocimiento bioclimático del Norte de Portugal, a través de la información florística presente. En este sentido, y para proceder a una posible cartografia de las áreas biogeográficas naturales desde una perspectiva termopluviométrica, son ahora introducidos 39 nuevos táxones para la relación ya existente. Los táxones analizados en esta aportación son: Anthemis triumfetti f. flosculosa, Arnica montana subsp. atlantica, Aster aragonensis, Carduus bourgeanus, Carduus carpetanus, Carduus platypus subsp. platypus, Carduus platypus var. granatensis, Carduus pycnocephalus, Centaurea cyanus, Centaurea geresensi, Centaurea herminii subsp. herminii, Centaurea langeana, Centaurea rivularis, Centaurea triumfetti subsp. lingulata, Leucanthemopsis pallida subsp.flaveola, Leucanthemopsis pallida subsp. pulverulenta, Leuzea rhaponticoides, Phalacrocarpum hoffmannseggii, Santolina rosmarinifolia, Santolina semidentata, Arbutus unedo, Cistus ladanifer, Cistus laurifolius, Cistus populifolius, Cistus psilosepalus, Cistus salvifolius, Erica arborea, Erica australis, Erica ciliaris, Erica cinerea, Erica lusitanica, Erica scoparia, Erica tetralix, Erica umbellata, Halimium lasianthum subsp alyssoides, Halimium lasianthum subsp lasianthum, Halimium ocymoides, Halimium umbellatum subsp umbellatum, Halimium umbellatum subsp. viscosum. De modo a poder alcanzar los objetivos propuestos, se procede a la aplicación de una rutina programática multivariada, basada en un sistema de información geográfico (SIG), a partir del cual cada uno de los táxones estudiados es georeferenciado sobre cartografía ambiental (confeccionada y publicada por el Instituto para a Conservação da Natureza, del Ministerio del Ambiente portugués), comparándola después con las caracterizaciones fitoclimáticas de Franco (1994) y de Costa et al. (1998). Los resultados obtenidos confirman no sólo un acusado efecto gradual de transición entre el área de influencia bioclimática atlántica y la mediterránea, como además la existencia de una tendencia de comportamiento fitoclimático intermedio, no considerada hasta el momento en las caracterizaciones bioclimáticas ya publicadas.Approach on the climatic characterization for Northern of Portugal. The atlanticmediterranean floristic transition. Thirty-nine specific and infraspecific taxa with different occurrences in the continental portuguese area are referred in the present work. In the light of these behaviours, the climatic and geomorphological variability of the North of Portugal has been important environmental factors to explain the floristic diversity in this part of the country. In this case, the taxa analysed are: Anthemis triumfetti f. flosculosa, Arnica montana subsp. atlantica, Aster aragonensis, Carduus bourgeanus, Carduus carpetanus, Carduus platypus subsp. platypus, Carduus platypus var.granatensis, Carduus pycnocephalus, Centaurea cyanus, Centaurea geresensi, Centaurea herminii subsp. herminii, Centaurea langeana, Centaurea rivularis, Centaurea triumfetti subsp. lingulata, Leucanthemopsis pallida subsp. flaveola, Leucanthemopsis pallida subsp. pulverulenta, Leuzea rhaponticoides, Phalacrocarpum hoffmannseggii, Santolina rosmarinifolia, Santolina semidentata, Arbutus unedo, Cistus ladanifer, Cistus laurifolius, Cistus populifolius, Cistus psilosepalus, Cistus salvifolius, Erica arborea, Erica australis, Erica ciliaris, Erica cinerea, Erica lusitanica, Erica scoparia, Erica tetralix, Erica umbellata, Halimium lasianthum subsp alyssoides, Halimium lasianthum subsp lasianthum, Halimium ocymoides, Halimium umbellatum subsp umbellatum, Halimium umbellatum subsp. viscosum. Because of the appropriate management of the floristic richness, a multivariate statistic routine is applied on a Geographical Informatic System (GIS) the chorological, geomorphological and climatic characterization for each one are described in this paper. The geological substrate and the altitudinal classes are focused for the geomorphological approach, as well as two biogeographic classifications are used to correlate the occurrence of the taxa and their bioclimatic preferences. In the light of this analytical scheme, every taxa is geo-referenced upon an environmental cartography (elaborated by the Instituto para a Conservação da Natureza), compared with the Franco´s (1994) and Costa´s et al. (1998) phytoclimatic characterizations. The results obtained are pointing out the floristic progressive differentiation between the atlantic bioclimatic influence and the mediterranean one, as well as the existence of an intermediate bioclimatic tendency which had never been considered so far

Teleseisms monitoring using chirped-pulse φOTDR

Monitoring of seismic activity around the word is a topic of high interest for the analysis and understanding of deep Earth dynamics. However, the deployment of a homogeneous network of seismic stations both onshore and offshore poses a strong economic challenge that makes this solution practically inviable. Using the pre-existing fiber optical network for seismic monitoring arises as an excellent solution with important advantages in terms of ubiquity and cost. In this communication, we present the detection of an M8.2 earthquake occurred in Fiji Island using distributed acoustic sensing based on chirped-pulse φOTDR. Two sensors were placed simultaneously at two different locations at >9,000 km from the earthquake epicenter: a metropolitan area and a submarine environment. The recorded data is postprocessed using a 2D linear filter to cancel out environmental noise. The resulting signals are compared with the signals acquired by nearby seismometers. The attained good matching between the recorded data and the seismometer data shows the strong potential of the use of the already-deployed communication fiber network for teleseism monitoring

Distributed acoustic sensing for seismic activity monitoring

Continuous, real-time monitoring of surface seismic activity around the globe is of great interest for acquiring new insight into global tomography analyses and for recognition of seismic patterns leading to potentially hazardous situations. The already-existing telecommunication fiber optic network arises as an ideal solution for this application, owing to its ubiquity and the capacity of optical fibers to perform distributed, highly sensitive monitoring of vibrations at relatively low cost (ultra-high density of point sensors available with minimal deployment of new equipment). This perspective article discusses early approaches on the application of fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensors (DASs) for seismic activity monitoring. The benefits and potential impact of DAS technology in these kinds of applications are here illustrated with new experimental results on teleseism monitoring based on a specific approach: the so-called chirped-pulse DAS. This technology offers promising prospects for the field of seismic tomography due to its appealing properties in terms of simplicity, consistent sensitivity across sensing channels, and robustness. Furthermore, we also report on several signal processing techniques readily applicable to chirped-pulse DAS recordings for extracting relevant seismic information from ambient acoustic noise. The outcome presented here may serve as a foundation for a novel conception for ubiquitous seismic monitoring with minimal investment

Anticuerpos antifosfatidilserina en pacientes con síndrome antifosfolipido primario y en individuos sanos

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of IgM, IgG and IgA anti-phosphatidylserine (aPS) antibodies in patients with primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) and in healthy controls; to analyze sensitivity, and specificity of aPS antibodies for the diagnosis of APS and finally to assess associations between aPS antibodies with specific APS manifestations. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 36 female PAPS patients and in 200 blood donors. IgM, IgG, and IgA antiphosphatidylserine (aPS) antibodies were tested in PAPS patients and controls using an in house technique and a commercial kit. PAPS patients were also tested for lupus anticoagulant (LAC), IgM and IgG anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies, and for anti-β2 glycoprotein I (anti-β2GPI) antibodies. Results: The prevalence of IgM, IgG, and IgA aPS antibodies in PAPS patients was as follows: 10.8-16.7%, 32.4-35.7%, and 16.1%, respectively. Although a relatively low sensitivity was found for aPS antibodies in PAPS, the specificity of IgM, IgG, and IgA aPS antibodies for PAPS was 94.7-98.9%, 95.3-96.3%, and 97.9%, respectively. All aPS isotypes were significantly associated with obstetric manifestations of APS. IgM aPS antibodies were associated with an increased risk of venous and arterial thrombosis. IgA aPS antibodies were associated with arterial thrombosis whereas IgG aPS antibodies were associated with an increased risk of venous thrombotic events. IgM and IgG aPS antibodies were frequently found in association with anti-β2GPI antibodies. Conclusions: The prevalence of aPS antibodies is low in PAPS but these antibodies are highly specific for PAPS and are associated with specific PAPS manifestations.Objetivo: Investigar la prevalencia de anticuerpos anti-fosfatidilserina (aFS) de tipo IgM, IgG e IgA en pacientes con síndrome antifosfolípido primario (SAFP) y en controles sanos; analizar la sensibilidad y la especificidad de los anticuerpos aFS para el diagnóstico de aFS y finalmente, evaluar las asociaciones entre los anticuerpos específicos aFS y las manifestaciones clínicas del SAF. Métodos: Estudio transversal de 36 pacientes mujeres con SAFP y 200 donantes de sangre. Se determinaron anticuerpos antifosfatidilserina de tipo IgM, IgG e IgA en pacientes y controles con SAFP utilizando una técnica propia y un kit comercial. A los pacientes com SAFP también se les determinó el anticoagulante lúpico (ACL), los anticuerpos anticardiolipina IgM e IgG (aCL), y los anticuerpos anti-β2 glucoproteína I (anti-β2GPI). Resultados: La prevalencia de los anticuerpos AFS IgM, IgG, IgA en pacientes con SAFP fue la siguiente: 10,8-16,7%, 32,4-35,7%, y 16,1%, respectivamente. Aunque se encontro una sensibilidad relativamente baja para los anticuerpos AFS en el SAFP, la especificidad de los anticuerpos AFS IgM, IgG, IgA para el SAFP fue 94,7-98,9%, 95,3-96,3% y 97,9%, respectivamente. Todos los isotipos de AFS se asociaron significativamente con las manifestaciones obstétricas. Los anticuerpos AFS IgM se asociaron con un riesgo aumentado de trombosis venosa y arterial. Los anticuerpos AFS IgA se asociaron con la trombosis arterial mientras que los anticuerpos AFS IgG se asociaron con un mayor riesgo de eventos trombóticos venosos. Los anticuerpos AFS IgM e IgG se encuentran con frecuencia em asociación con anticuerpos anti-β2GPI. Conclusiones: La prevalencia de anticuerpos AFS es baja en SAFS pero estos anticuerpos son altamente específicos para SAFP y se asocian con manifestaciones SAFP específicos

Distributed acoustic sensing for seismic activity monitoring

Continuous, real-time monitoring of surface seismic activity around the globe is of great interest for acquiring new insight into global tomography analyses and for recognition of seismic patterns leading to potentially hazardous situations. The already-existing telecommunication fiber optic network arises as an ideal solution for this application, owing to its ubiquity and the capacity of optical fibers to perform distributed, highly sensitive monitoring of vibrations at relatively low cost (ultra-high density of point sensors available with minimal deployment of new equipment). This perspective article discusses early approaches on the application of fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensors (DASs) for seismic activity monitoring. The benefits and potential impact of DAS technology in these kinds of applications are here illustrated with new experimental results on teleseism monitoring based on a specific approach: the so-called chirped-pulse DAS. This technology offers promising prospects for the field of seismic tomography due to its appealing properties in terms of simplicity, consistent sensitivity across sensing channels, and robustness. Furthermore, we also report on several signal processing techniques readily applicable to chirped-pulse DAS recordings for extracting relevant seismic information from ambient acoustic noise. The outcome presented here may serve as a foundation for a novel conception for ubiquitous seismic monitoring with minimal investment

Monitoring of a highly flexible aircraft model wing using time-expanded phase-sensitive OTDR

In recent years, the use of highly flexible wings in aerial vehicles (e.g., aircraft or drones) has been attracting increasing interest, as they are lightweight, which can improve fuel-efficiency and distinct flight performances. Continuous wing monitoring can provide valuable information to prevent fatal failures and optimize aircraft control. In this paper, we demonstrate the capabilities of a distributed optical fiber sensor based on time-expanded phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (TE-ΦOTDR) technology for structural health monitoring of highly flexible wings, including static (i.e., bend and torsion), and dynamic (e.g., vibration) structural deformation. This distributed sensing technology provides a remarkable spatial resolution of 2 cm, with detection and processing bandwidths well under the MHz, arising as a novel, highly efficient monitoring methodology for this kind of structure. Conventional optical fibers were embedded in two highly flexible specimens that represented an aircraft wing, and different bending and twisting movements were detected and quantified with high sensitivity and minimal intrusiveness

Sepsis-Induced Acute Lung Injury (ALI) Is Milder in Diabetic Rats and Correlates with Impaired NFkB Activation

Acute lung injury (ALI) develops in response to a direct insult to the lung or secondarily to a systemic inflammatory response, such as sepsis. There is clinical evidence that the incidence and severity of ALI induced by direct insult are lower in diabetics. In the present study we investigated whether the same occurs in ALI secondarily to sepsis and the molecular mechanisms involved. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by alloxan and sepsis by caecal ligation and puncture surgery (CLP). Six hours later, the lungs were examined for oedema and cell infiltration in bronchoalveolar lavage. Alveolar macrophages (AMs) were cultured in vitro for analysis of I kappa B and p65 subunit of NF kappa B phosphorylation and MyD88 and SOCS-1 mRNA. Diabetic rats were more susceptible to sepsis than non-diabetics. In non-diabetic rats, the lung presented oedema, leukocyte infiltration and increased COX2 expression. In diabetic rats these inflammatory events were significantly less intense. To understand why diabetic rats despite being more susceptible to sepsis develop milder ALI, we examined the NF kappa B activation in AMs of animals with sepsis. Whereas in non-diabetic rats the phosphorylation of I kappa B and p65 subunit occurred after 6 h of sepsis induction, this did not occur in diabetics. Moreover, in AMs from diabetic rats the expression of MyD88 mRNA was lower and that of SOCS-1 mRNA was increased compared with AMs from non-diabetic rats. These results show that ALI secondary to sepsis is milder in diabetic rats and this correlates with impaired activation of NF kappa B, increased SOCS-1 and decreased MyD88 mRNA.Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of Health [NIH R00HL103777-03

Teleseisms monitoring using chirped-pulse φOTDR

Monitoring of seismic activity around the word is a topic of high interest for the analysis and understanding of deep Earth dynamics. However, the deployment of a homogeneous network of seismic stations both onshore and offshore poses a strong economic challenge that makes this solution practically inviable. Using the pre-existing fiber optical network for seismic monitoring arises as an excellent solution with important advantages in terms of ubiquity and cost. In this communication, we present the detection of an M8.2 earthquake occurred in Fiji Island using distributed acoustic sensing based on chirped-pulse φOTDR. Two sensors were placed simultaneously at two different locations at >9,000 km from the earthquake epicenter: a metropolitan area and a submarine environment. The recorded data is postprocessed using a 2D linear filter to cancel out environmental noise. The resulting signals are compared with the signals acquired by nearby seismometers. The attained good matching between the recorded data and the seismometer data shows the strong potential of the use of the already-deployed communication fiber network for teleseism monitoring

A epistemologia genética de Piaget e o construtivismo

A Epistemologia Genética defende que o indivíduo passa por várias etapas de desenvolvimento ao longo da sua vida. O desenvolvimento é observado pela sobreposição do equilíbrio entre a assimilação e a acomodação, resultando em adaptação. Assim, nesta formulação, o ser humano assimila os dados que obtém do exterior, mas uma vez que já tem uma estrutura mental que não está "vazia", precisa adaptar esses dados à estrutura mental já existente. O processo de modificação de si próprio é chamado de acomodação. Este esquema revela que nenhum conhecimento chega do exterior sem que sofra alguma alteração pelo indivíduo, sendo que tudo o que se aprende é influenciado por aquilo que já havia sido aprendido. A assimilação ocorre quando a informação é incorporada às estruturas já pré-existentes nessa dinâmica estrutura cognitiva, enquanto que a adaptação ocorre quando o organismo se modifica de alguma maneira de modo a incorporar dinamicamente a nova informação. Por fim, de um pensamento moderno que, buscando a síntese inusitada entre o biológico e o lógico-matemático, parece encontrar seus limites na desconstrução ainda mais inusitada a que tende sistematicamente todo o pensamento na atualidade: a de si mesmo se construindo de modo essencialmente esclarecido.The Genetic Epistemology argues that the individual goes through various stages of development throughout his life. The development is seen by the overlap of the balance between assimilation and accommodation, resulting in adaptation. Thus, in this formulation humans assimilate the data they obtain from the outside, but once they already have a mental structure that is not "empty", they must adapt these data to the existing mental structure. The process of change itself is called accommodation. This scheme reveals that no knowledge comes from outside without suffering any change by the individual, and everything that is learned is influenced by what was learned. Assimilation occurs when information is incorporated into pre-existing structures in this dynamic cognitive structure, while the conversion occurs when the organism is changed in some way to incorporate the new information dynamically. Finally, a modern thought that seeking the unusual synthesis between the biological and logical-mathematical seems to find its limits in the deconstruction even more unusual that tends systematically all thought at present: the self developing in a essentially clarified way