Effects of the construction method on pile performance: Evaluation by instrumentation. part 2: Experimental site at the faculty of engineering of the University of Porto

Three different types of piles (bored, CFA and precast driven) were installed in the experimental site located in the Campus of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto to study the effects of the construction method on pile performance. The subsoil is a residual granitic soil reaching depth levels over 20 m. In this site, several field and laboratory tests were conducted to obtain the local geotechnical parameters. Static pile load tests with load-unload cycles were performed. Bored and CFA piles were instrumented along the depth, with installation of retrievable sensors; a flat-jack load cell was inserted at the bottom of the bored pile. Load tests results demonstrated that bored and CFA piles show similar behavior: i) the applied load reaching the pile tip was about 42%, ii) and the average mobilized lateral resistance was about 60 kPa. After the tests were completed, piles were extracted for further inspection of shaft and load cell conditions. The driven pile although having a smaller cross-section showed a stiffer response and higher resistance than the other two piles, which are a clear indication that the installation effects play an important role in the pile response. The results are compared to those obtained in Part 1 of this article relating to tests performed at the Experimental Field of Unicamp (State University of Campinas)

Indolebutyric acid and substrates on Spondias tuberosa layering

Spondias tuberosa is a native species from the Brazilian Northeast and northern Minas Gerais State, whose fruits present good market acceptance. However, its large scale propagation is affected by slow and uneven seeds germination, demanding the use of vegetative propagation techniques. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of indolebutyric acid (IBA) application and different kinds of substrate on the vegetative propagation of Spondias tuberosa by layering. The experiment consisted of eleven Spondias tuberosa arrays and a randomized blocks design with four replications, in a 3x5 factorial scheme, in order to evaluate the effect of five IBA doses (0 mg L-1; 1,000 mg L-1; 2,000 mg L-1; 4,000 mg L-1; and 6,000 mg L-1) and three substrates (Bioplant®, vermiculite and sugarcane bagasse). The selected branches were ringed and, subsequently, the concentrated IBA solutions were applied. At 180 days, the percentage of rooted and callous layers, percentage of layers with primordium roots, number of roots per layer, length of the longest root and root fresh and dry weight were evaluated. The use of 6,000 mg L-1 of IBA promoted a higher growth and development of radicular layers. The use of sugarcane bagasse is recommended, for being easy to get, in the study area, besides presenting adequate chemical and physical features

Effects of the construction method on pile performance: evaluation by instrumentation - part 1: experimental site at the University of Campinas

This paper reviews the behavior of three types of piles (bored, CFA and Omega piles), installed in the experimental site of Unicamp (State University of Campinas). Unicamp subsoil is characterized by non-saturated diabasic soil, lateritic in its surface layer. Extensive data from geotechnical investigation is presented, expressed in parameters derived both from in situ and laboratory tests. Static load tests with electrical extensometers were performed along the depth of instrumented piles. It was observed that most of the loads applied were transferred by lateral friction. An analysis of load transfer functions was made, which displayed a very good definition of both shaft friction and tip interaction, namely the ultimate resistance. The average maximum unit shaft friction resistance of the piles was 41 kPa, 58 kPa and 86 kPa for bored, CFA and Omega piles, respectively. Maximum tip reaction was 87 kPa, 491 kPa and 1665 kPa, for bored, CFA and Omega piles, respectively. This paper also emphasizes the relevance of extracting each pile after completion of the test in order to inspect the pile facies and characteristics. This enabled checking the shape of tips and size of shafts. Part 2 of this paper will review the tests performed at the Experimental Field of FEUP (Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto/Portugal)

Spatio-Temporal Tracking and Phylodynamics of an Urban Dengue 3 Outbreak in São Paulo, Brazil

The dengue virus has a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome of ∼10.700 nucleotides with a single open reading frame that encodes three structural (C, prM, and E) and seven nonstructural (NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5) proteins. It possesses four antigenically distinct serotypes (DENV 1–4). Many phylogenetic studies address particularities of the different serotypes using convenience samples that are not conducive to a spatio-temporal analysis in a single urban setting. We describe the pattern of spread of distinct lineages of DENV-3 circulating in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil, during 2006. Blood samples from patients presenting dengue-like symptoms were collected for DENV testing. We performed M-N-PCR using primers based on NS5 for virus detection and identification. The fragments were purified from PCR mixtures and sequenced. The positive dengue cases were geo-coded. To type the sequenced samples, 52 reference sequences were aligned. The dataset generated was used for iterative phylogenetic reconstruction with the maximum likelihood criterion. The best demographic model, the rate of growth, rate of evolutionary change, and Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor (TMRCA) were estimated. The basic reproductive rate during the epidemics was estimated. We obtained sequences from 82 patients among 174 blood samples. We were able to geo-code 46 sequences. The alignment generated a 399-nucleotide-long dataset with 134 taxa. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that all samples were of DENV-3 and related to strains circulating on the isle of Martinique in 2000–2001. Sixty DENV-3 from São José do Rio Preto formed a monophyletic group (lineage 1), closely related to the remaining 22 isolates (lineage 2). We assumed that these lineages appeared before 2006 in different occasions. By transforming the inferred exponential growth rates into the basic reproductive rate, we obtained values for lineage 1 of R0 = 1.53 and values for lineage 2 of R0 = 1.13. Under the exponential model, TMRCA of lineage 1 dated 1 year and lineage 2 dated 3.4 years before the last sampling. The possibility of inferring the spatio-temporal dynamics from genetic data has been generally little explored, and it may shed light on DENV circulation. The use of both geographic and temporally structured phylogenetic data provided a detailed view on the spread of at least two dengue viral strains in a populated urban area

Positive association of the hepatic lipase gene polymorphism c.514C > T with estrogen replacement therapy response

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hepatic lipase (HL), an enzyme present in the hepatic sinusoids, is responsible for the lipolysis of lipoproteins. Human HL contains four polymorphic sites: G-250A, T-710C, A-763G, and C-514T single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs). The last polymorphism is the focus of the current study. The genotypes associated with the C-514T polymorphism are CC (normal homozygous - W), CT (heterozygous - H), and TT (minor-allele homozygous - M). HL activity is significantly impaired in individuals of the TT and CT genotypes. A total of 58 post-menopausal women were studied. The subjects were hysterectomized women receiving hormone replacement therapy consisting of 0.625 mg of conjugated equine estrogen once a day. The inclusion criteria were menopause of up to three years and normal blood tests, radiographs, cervical-vaginal cytology, and densitometry. DNA was extracted from the buccal and blood cells of all 58 patients using a commercially available kit (GFX^®- Amersham-Pharmacia, USA).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Statistically significant reductions in triglycerides (t = 2.16; n = 58; p = 0.03) but not in total cholesterol (t = 0.14; n = 58; p = 0.89) were found after treatment. This group of good responders were carriers of the T allele; the CT and TT genotypes were present significantly more frequently than in the group of non-responders (p = 0.02 or p = 0.07, respectively). However, no significant difference in HDL-C (t = 0.94; n = 58; p = 0.35) or LDL-C (t = -0.83; n = 58; p = 0.41) was found in these patients.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The variation in lipid profile associated with the C-514T polymorphism is significant, and the T allele is associated with the best response to ERT.</p