q-Weibull distributions describing commercial service routes

We present an investigation of the mode of road transport in Brazil combining tools of complex networks and real-data. Our analysis involves a data-set based on the service routes inscribed on the Brazilian Transport Agency database. Although connectivity distributions of road networks worldwide are usually claimed as described by a power-law fashion, we report a better fit for the Brazilian case offered by the q-Weibull distribution. In our approach nodes assume the role of localities, whereas links represent service routes among them. Interestingly, a rapid drop takes place on the tail of the data distribution for a particular range of the number of outgoing connections. The mechanism responsible for driving this drop is revealed by investigating the spectral centrality of the network and different patterns of disassortative mixture, for both incoming and outgoing distributions. Besides a discussion about a power law description, we report a contrast with two different distributions. They are interpolated by the q-Weibull one: the Weibull and the q-exponential distributions. Moreover, we study the reciprocity of this network, which reflects the influence of mutual links over dynamical processes. This kind of analysis is indispensable for studies on human mobility, shipping, and a multi-modal perspective.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Check list of ground-dwelling ant diversity (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Iguazú National Park with a comparison at regional scale

We describe the ant fauna of Iguazú National Park (INP), a region of high biodiversity andendemism in northeastern Argentina that includes the southernmost protected area ofthe Atlantic Forest (AF). Ants were sampled over seven periods from 1998 to 2011 usinga variety of techniques. We also surveyed museum collections and the scientific literatureto obtain additional records of ants from INP. In addition to providing a species list, wecompare ant composition of INP to other sites in the Upper Paraná, Serra do Mar CoastalForest and Araucaria ecoregion of AF. A total of 172 ant species belonging to 56 genera arereported; 56 species are new records for Misiones Province and 39 species are reportedfrom Argentina for the first time. Alto Paraná and Canindeyú departments in Paraguaypresent the most similar ant fauna to INP. Serra da Bodoquena in Brazil and Pilcomayoin Argentina showed higher similarity with the Upper Paraná AF ecoregion, despite thatSerra da Bodoquena is composed of a mix of ecoregions. Ant diversity was lower in UpperParaná than in Serra do Mar Coastal Forest ecoregion. This difference may result fromhigher primary productivity and a greater altitudinal variation in the coastal region.Fil: Hanisch, Priscila Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ; ArgentinaFil: Calcaterra, Luis Alberto. Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Leponce, M.. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecology unit; BélgicaFil: Achury, R.. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Suarez, A. V.. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Silva, R. R.. Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi; BrasilFil: Paris, Carolina Ivon. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Soybean glycinin improves HDL-C and suppresses the effects of rosuvastatin on hypercholesterolemic rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study was an investigation of the effects of ingesting a daily dose of isolated glycinin soy protein (11S globulin), in association with rosuvastatin, on the control of hypercholesterolemia in experimental animals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Male Wistar rats were kept in individual cages under appropriate controlled conditions of temperature, light and humidity. The animals were divided into five groups (n = 9): 1) standard (STD): fed on casein as protein source; 2) hypercholesterolemic (HC): STD plus 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid; 3) HC+11S: hypercholesterolemic + glycinin (300 mg/kg/day); 4) HC+ROS: hypercholesterolemic + rosuvastatin (10 mg/kg/day); 5) HC+11S+ROS: HC diet, the 11S protein and the drug in the doses given in (3) and (4). The protein and the drug were administered by gavage for 28 days. The results indicated that the addition of 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid induced hypercholesterolemia in the animals without interfering with their weight gain.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A single daily dose of glycinin contributed an additional 2.8% of dietary protein intake and demonstrated its functional role, particularly in raising HDL-C, decreasing triglycerides in the liver and improving the atherogenic index in animals exposed to a hypercholesterolemic diet.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Most of the beneficial effects of the isolated treatments disappeared when the drug (rosuvastatin) and the protein (glycinin) were taken simultaneously. The association was shown not to interact additively, as noted in the plasma levels of total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, and in the significant increase of cholesterol in the liver. Studies are in progress to identify the effects of peptides derived from the 11S globulin and their role in cholesterol metabolism.</p

Ciberfagia: a devoração do homem em função do pós-homem

O presente estudo pondera sobre a transferência do potencial teórico e técnico do homem aos dispositivos maquínicos de produção a partir do século XVII na sociedade ocidental. Tais questões baseiam-se na formulação da ideia de modernidade e de suas implicações na contemporaneidade. A ponderação que se segue ampara-se na etimologia dos termos e na filosofia da técnica na busca por pistas que possam indicar e delimitar os impactos da mediação tecnológica nas atividades produtivas humanas, principalmente nas que competem à obtenção e produção dos requisitos fundamentais à vida e suas implicações na autonomia humana. Descreve-se assim o entendimento dos elementos constitutivos da sapiência humana, termo que descreve cientificamente a espécie Homo sapiens, bem como, a relação do conjunto cultural inerente ao indivíduo em consonância com os meios pelos quais ele, o indivíduo, pode obter os elementos requeridos para a manutenção da vida, e de que modo a mediação tecnológica contribui para a sua dependência no que concerne à mais elementar necessidade de um ser vivo, que é a do resguardo e conservação da vida. Este estudo ampara-se principalmente no escritos de Flusser, Ortega y Gasset, Neil Postman e Richard Sennett, e propõe um caminho para um pensar contemporâneo sobre a condição humana

Potential Exposure and Risk Associated with Metal Contamination in Foods

Humans require several trace elements as components of the diet. Some of these elements are required in extremely small quantities (only micrograms per day). On the other hand, in higher concentrations, some elements may also have deleterious, even lethal, effects. Metals such as arsenic, chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) are naturally occurring chemical compounds. The contamination of food with these metals occurs mainly through human activities, such as farming and industry, or from contamination during food processing and storage. People can be exposed to these metals by ingesting contaminated food or water, and their accumulation in the body can lead to harmful effects over time. The main objective of this chapter is to provide a literature review on the various types of foodborne poisoning caused by the contamination of food with arsenic, Cr, Pb, and Hg and on food safety issues associated with the presence of these metals in food. Research findings from various studies carried out to examine the relationship between metal exposure and the adverse health effects of metals are addressed

HLA-DR and HLA-DQ alleles in patients from the south of Brazil: markers for leprosy susceptibility and resistance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many epidemiological studies have shown that the genetic factors of the host play a role in the variability of clinical response to infection caused by <it>M. leprae</it>. With the purpose of identifying genes of susceptibility, the present study investigated the possible role of HLA-DRB1 and DQA1/DQB1 alleles in susceptibility to leprosy, and whether they account for the heterogeneity in immune responses observed following infection in a Southern Brazilian population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred and sixty-nine leprosy patients and 217 healthy controls were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction amplification and reverse hybridization with sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes and sequence-specific primers(One Lambda^®, CA, USA).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was a positive association of HLA-DRB1*16 (*1601 and *1602) with leprosy <it>per se </it>(7.3% <it>vs</it>. 3.2%, <it>P </it>= 0.01, OR = 2.52, CI = 1.26–5.01), in accord with previous serological studies, which showed DR2 as a marker of leprosy. Although, HLA-DQA1*05 frequency (29.8% <it>vs</it>. 20.9%, <it>P </it>= 0.0424, OR = 1.61, CI = 1.09–2.39) was higher in patients, and HLA-DQA1*02 (3.0% <it>vs</it>. 7.5%, <it>P </it>= 0.0392, OR = 0.39, CI = 0.16 – 0.95) and HLA-DQA1*04 (4.0% <it>vs</it>. 9.1%, <it>P </it>= 0.0314, OR = 0.42, CI = 0.19 – 0.93) frequencies lower, <it>P</it>-values were not significant after the Bonferroni's correction. Furthermore, HLA-DRB1*1601 (9.0% <it>vs</it>. 1.8%; <it>P </it>= 0.0016; OR = 5.81; CI = 2.05–16.46) was associated with susceptibility to borderline leprosy compared to control group, and while HLA-DRB1*08 (11.2% <it>vs</it>. 1.2%; <it>P </it>= 0.0037; OR = 12.00; CI = 1.51 – 95.12) was associated with susceptibility to lepromatous leprosy, when compared to tuberculoid leprosy, DRB1*04 was associated to protection.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data confirm the positive association of HLA-DR2 (DRB1*16) with leprosy <it>per se</it>, and the protector effect of DRB1*04 against lepromatous leprosy in Brazilian patients.</p