Intoxicação experimental por Ipomoea asarifolia (salsa) em caprinos: achados clínicos, hematológicos e anátomo-patológicos.

Neste estudo foram descritas as funções vitais, os sintomas clínicos, os valores do hemograma e as alterações anátomo-patológicas em caprinos intoxicados experimentalmente pela Ipomoea asarifolia (salsa). Foram utilizados 14 caprinos, sem raça definida (SRD), com idade variando entre 09 e 10 meses dispostos em 3 grupos experimentais. Os grupo I e II foram constituído por 5 animais e o grupo III por 4 animais. Os animais do grupo I receberam a I. asarifolia na quantidade de 0,5% de matéria seca por quilo de peso vivo, diariamente, até a morte. Os do grupo II receberam a mesma quantidade da planta, porém até o 5º dia após o aparecimento dos primeiros sintomas de intoxicação. Os do grupo III serviram como controle e receberam capim elefante (Pennisetum purpureum) na quantidade de 0,5% de matéria seca por quilo de peso vivo. Os sinais clínicos de intoxicação foram observados 24 horas após a administração da I. asarifolia caracterizando-se por balanço lateral da cabeça, tremores musculares, perda do equilíbrio, sonolência, excita ção, ranger dos dentes, gemido, decúbito lateral e prostração. Todos os animais do grupo I morreram intoxicados e, do grupo II, apenas dois animais vieram a óbito. Três animais do grupo II recuperaram-se gradativamente e no 24º dia do experimento não apresentaram sintomas clínicos nem seqüelas. Com base nos achados clínicos, hematológicos e anátomo-patológicos conclui-se que: a I. asarifolia é uma planta tóxica para caprinos e que os sintomas são progressivos e dependem da administração contínua da planta. Clinical symptoms, haematological and pathological disorders in goats intoxicated experimentally with Ipomoea asarifolia (salsa). Abstract - The Ipomoea asariffoilia is a native plant in Northeast of Brazil which goats eat during dry period and lacking of food. In this paper, it described the clinical symptoms, haematological and pathological disorders and vital functions in goats intoxicated experimentally with I. asarifolia. Fourteen animals with age between 9-10 months, breeding SRD was utilized and separated into 3 groups. In group I and II contained 5 animals each and group III (control) 4 animals. In group I goats received 0.5% of I. asarifolia dry material (live weight/kilogram) each day until death. In group II was given the same quantity for 5 days after appearance of intoxication symptoms. In control group, the animals received elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum). The clinical symptoms observed after 24 hours were head swing to side, muscle tremble, loss of equilibrium, excitation, groan, decubit lateral and prostation. All the goats in group I died with intoxicated symptoms and group II only 2 animals. Three goats that survived were recuperated by day 24. It concluded that an I. asarifolia is a toxic plant for goats with progressive symptoms when there is a continuous administration of that plant

High-velocity hot CO emission close to Sgr A*: Herschel/HIFI submillimeter spectral survey toward Sgr A*

The properties of molecular gas, the fuel that forms stars, inside the cavity of the circumnuclear disk (CND) are not well constrained. We present results of a velocity-resolved submillimeter scan (~480 to 1250 GHz}) and [CII]158um line observations carried out with Herschel/HIFI toward Sgr A*; these results are complemented by a ~2'x2' CO (J=3-2) map taken with the IRAM 30 m telescope at ~7'' resolution. We report the presence of high positive-velocity emission (up to about +300 km/s) detected in the wings of CO J=5-4 to 10-9 lines. This wing component is also seen in H2O (1_{1,0}-1_{0,1}) a tracer of hot molecular gas; in [CII]158um, an unambiguous tracer of UV radiation; but not in [CI]492,806 GHz. This first measurement of the high-velocity CO rotational ladder toward Sgr A* adds more evidence that hot molecular gas exists inside the cavity of the CND, relatively close to the supermassive black hole (< 1 pc). Observed by ALMA, this velocity range appears as a collection of CO (J=3-2) cloudlets lying in a very harsh environment that is pervaded by intense UV radiation fields, shocks, and affected by strong gravitational shears. We constrain the physical conditions of the high positive-velocity CO gas component by comparing with non-LTE excitation and radiative transfer models. We infer T_k~400 K to 2000 K for n_H~(0.2-1.0)x10^5 cm^-3. These results point toward the important role of stellar UV radiation, but we show that radiative heating alone cannot explain the excitation of this ~10-60 M_Sun component of hot molecular gas inside the central cavity. Instead, strongly irradiated shocks are promising candidates.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters ( this v2 includes corrections by language editor

Follicular nodules (Thy3) of the thyroid: is total thyroidectomy the best option?

BACKGROUND: Identification of the best management strategy for nodules with Thy3 cytology presents particular problems for clinicians. This study investigates the ability of clinical, cytological and sonographic data to predict malignancy in indeterminate nodules with the scope of determining the need for total thyroidectomy in these patients. METHODS: The study population consisted of 249 cases presenting indeterminate nodules (Thy3): 198 females (79.5%) and 51 males (20.5%) with a mean age of 52.43 ± 13.68 years. All patients underwent total thyroidectomy. RESULTS: Malignancy was diagnosed in 87/249 patients (34.9%); thyroiditis co-existed in 119/249 cases (47.79%) and was associated with cancer in 40 cases (40/87; 45.98%). Of the sonographic characteristics, only echogenicity and the presence of irregular margins were identified as being statistically significant predictors of malignancy. 52/162 benign lesions (32.1%) and 54/87 malignant were hypoechoic (62.07%); irregular margins were present in 13/162 benign lesions (8.02%), and in 60/87 malignant lesions (68.97%). None of the clinical or cytological features, on the other hand, including age, gender, nodule size, the presence of microcalcifications or type 3 vascularization, were significantly associated with malignancy. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of malignancy in cytologically indeterminate lesions was high in the present study sample compared to other reported rates, and in a significant number of cases Hashimoto’s thyroiditis was also detected. Thus, considering the fact that clinical and cytological features were found to be inaccurate predictors of malignancy, it is our opinion that surgery should always be recommended. Moreover, total thyroidectomy is advisable, being the most suitable procedure in cases of multiple lesions, hyperplastic nodular goiter, or thyroiditis; the high incidence of malignancy and the unreliability of intraoperative frozen section examination also support this preference for total over hemi-thyroidectomy

Semiotic Analysis of Knowledge Intensive Business Processes: Developing Interpretations for Sustainable Competitive Advantage

In the age of information technology and internet, business processes in many organizations have evolved into a series of knowledge exchanging activities. This is especially the case of multi-national corporations, which have e-business activities spread across multiple locations world-wide. Under these circumstances, for any multi-national corporation, comprehending and responding strategically-in-time to the various positive and negative events that occur in a knowledge intensive business process are essential if sustainable competitive advantage is to be gained and retained. Grounded in semiotics, this paper presents an approach for understanding knowledge intensive business processes. Semiotic analysis helps in interpreting and making sense of the meanings afforded by different organizations to the positive and negative events and how these meanings relate to each other and, in turn, to the knowledge intensive business processes. Such an understanding allows easier creation and transfer knowledge between different organizations or networks of organizations and helps in defining knowledge intensive business processes for sustainable competitive advantage

DGR mutagenic transposition occurs via hypermutagenic reverse transcription primed by nicked template RNA.

Diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) are molecular evolution machines that facilitate microbial adaptation to environmental changes. Hypervariation occurs via a mutagenic retrotransposition process from a template repeat (TR) to a variable repeat (VR) that results in adenine-to-random nucleotide conversions. Here we show that reverse transcription of the Bordetella phage DGR is primed by an adenine residue in TR RNA and is dependent on the DGR-encoded reverse transcriptase (bRT) and accessory variability determinant (Avd ), but is VR-independent. We also find that the catalytic center of bRT plays an essential role in site-specific cleavage of TR RNA for cDNA priming. Adenine-specific mutagenesis occurs during reverse transcription and does not involve dUTP incorporation, indicating it results from bRT-catalyzed misincorporation of standard deoxyribonucleotides. In vivo assays show that this hybrid RNA-cDNA molecule is required for mutagenic transposition, revealing a unique mechanism of DNA hypervariation for microbial adaptation

BioSentinel: Developing a Space Radiation Biosensor

BioSentinel is an autonomous fully self-contained science mission that will conduct the first study of the biological response to space radiation outside low Earth orbit (LEO) in over 40 years. The 4-unit (4U) BioSentinel biosensor system, is housed within a 6-Unit (6U) spacecraft, and uses yeast cells in multiple independent microfluidic cards to detect and measure DNA damage that occurs in response to ambient space radiation. Cell growth and metabolic activity will be measured using a 3-color LED detection system and a metabolic indicator dye with a dedicated thermal control system per fluidic card

Antral follicular count is a tool that may allow the selection of more precocious Bradford heifers at weaning

Although antral follicle count is a repeatable parameter across life that is positively associated with fertility, its use at weaning as a tool to discard less fertile heifers has not been extensively evaluated. The hypotheses of this work are: 1) maximum antral follicle count (MAFC) is repeatable between weaning and pre breeding evaluations, allowing selection of more fertile heifers at an early age, 2) heifers with high MAFC have growth and development parameters linked to an earlier puberty and pregnancy, 3) MAFC has a positive correlation with AMH concentrations, so that both could be used inter changeably. In this study, Hereford (n = 42 and n = 50) and Braford (n = 40 and n = 50) females were used in years 1 and 2; respectively, in a completely randomized experimental design. Heifers were examined for five to ten days at two different moments (post weaning and pre service), to determine MAFC. The concentrations of Anti müllerian hormone (AMH) were evaluated on the day of MAFC assessment. Growth and development parameters were evaluated post weaning and pre service. The repeatability of MAFC between post weaning and pre service evaluations was poor in three cases (Hereford Year 1 = 0.36 and 2 = 0.39 and Braford, Year 2 = 0.32) but it was high for Braford in Year 2 (0.72). The AMH repeatability between post weaning and pre service evaluations was high in one case (Braford Year 2 = 0.72) and moderate in the others (Year 1, Hereford = 0.50 and Braford = 0.52 and Year 2, Hereford = 0.50). In Year 2, Braford heifers with greater MAFC attained puberty at an earlier age (r2 = 0.129; P = 0.0196). Also, diminished MAFC corresponded with decreased growth and development, thus less Braford heifers with low MAFC were inseminated (2/16), compared to those with medium (12/17) and high MAFC (7/17; P \u3c 0.01). Moreover, Braford heifers with low AFC had less progesterone in the cycle post insemination but pregnancy rate was not affected. In Braford heifers in Year 2, there was a high correlation between MAFC and AMH concentrations (0.85 P \u3c 0.001). The results of these experiments indicate that post weaning MAFC and AMH concentrations may be applied to select those Braford heifers that attain puberty at an early age, but these tools are not useful in Hereford heifers

Analyzing Enterprise Architecture Integration at the DHS Using the Zachman Framework

This paper offers an overview of the enterprise architecture integration issues that exist currently at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the result of the ongoing integration of 22 separate federal agencies, each specializing in one or more aspects of homeland security issues. This paper outlines these architecture integration challenges experienced by DHS within the Zachman framework, a well-known structure for capturing and defining an enterprise architecture, and offers future steps for DHS in designing and implementing its integrated enterprise architecture

High temperature carrier controlled ferromagnetism in alkali doped ZnO nanorods

Recent efforts in developing spintronic and magneto-optoelectric material for applications have relied on the use of magnetic semiconductors doped with transition metals and have met with limited success. Using a fresh synthesis approach using alkali ions we demonstrate that alkali doped zinc oxide can provide high temperature magnetic semiconductors. We report studies on nanocrystalline powder and pellets of p-type ZnO:Li and ZnO:Na that exhibit ferromagnetism up to 554 K. The ferromagnetic behavior was confirmed from magnetic hysteresis, ferromagnetic resonance, magnetic force microscopy, and explained by a model where substitutional Li+/Na+ in cation site induce local magnetic moments on oxygen atoms. Optimum dopant concentrations enable ferromagnetic exchange interaction leading to high Curie temperature

Application of IPAD to missile design

The application of an integrated program for aerospace-vehicle design (IPAD) to the design of a tactical missile is examined. The feasibility of modifying a proposed IPAD system for aircraft design work for use in missile design is evaluated. The tasks, cost, and schedule for the modification are presented. The basic engineering design process is described, explaining how missile design is achieved through iteration of six logical problem solving functions throughout the system studies, preliminary design, and detailed design phases of a new product. Existing computer codes used in various engineering disciplines are evaluated for their applicability to IPAD in missile design