The smaller vesicomyid bivalves in the genus Isorropodon (Bivalvia, Vesicomyidae, Pliocardiinae) also harbour chemoautotrophic symbionts

Species of Isorropodon are vesicomyid bivalves for which little information is available regarding host phylogeny and bacterial symbioses. In this study we investigated the symbioses in three Isorropodon species from three cold seep areas: Isorropodon bigoti (Gulf of Guinea), Isorropodon megadesmus (Gulf of Cadiz) and Isorropodon perplexum (Eastern Mediterranean). Analysis of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences demonstrated that each vesicomyid species harbours a single symbiont phylotype, that symbionts from the three species cluster together, and that they are closely related to other known vesicomyid symbionts. These results are confirmed by other marker genes (encoding 23S rRNA and APS reductase) and by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Due to their extended depth range and transoceanic distribution Isorropodon species are interesting examples to further study evolutionary processes in bivalve hosts and their associated symbionts

Proliferação Celular em Gestações Naturais e de Conceptos Bovinos Transgênicos Clonados, que Expressam Proteína Fluorescente Verde / Cell proliferation in pregnancies natural and transgenic conceptos cattle cloned, expressing green fluorescent protein

Neste estudo, foi avaliada a ocorrência de proliferação celular em placentônios de conceptos bovinos transgênicos clonados e de inseminação artificial, nos períodos de 60 e 90 dias de gestação. As amostras foram recortadas e fixadas em solução de paraformoldeído a 4% em tampão fosfato de sódio a 0,1M pH 7.4, para realização da técnica de imuno-histoquímica. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados entre bovinos clonados transgênicos e de inseminação artificial. Em todos os grupos e períodos gestacionais, o epitélio fetal apresentou marcação positiva para proliferação celular. Aos 60 dias a marcação positiva no epitélio uterino das gestações manipuladas foi pouco evidente em relação às de gestações naturais. Por sua vez aos 90 dias a imunorreatividade dos placentônios dos conceptos clonados, foi intensa não só no epitélio mas também no tecido conjuntivo fetal, fato não observado na gestação natural, onde a reação positiva foi pouco evidente no tecido conjuntivo fetal. Neste estudo foi demonstrado possível desequilíbrio nos padrões de proliferação celular nos conceptos bovinos clonados transgênicos, pois aos 60 dias, apresentaram menor atividade proliferativa e aos 90 dias aumento. Desse modo os resultados são importantes para a compreensão de possíveis falhas no desenvolvimento gestacional em técnicas avançadas de manipulação embrionárias

O estágio extracurricular na formação profissional: a opinião dos estudantes de fisioterapia

Investigar a opinião dos estudantes de Fisioterapia em relação ao estágio extracurricular e a influência dessa prática para sua formação profissional. Realizou-se um estudo transversal com alunos de Fisioterapia de uma instituição de ensino superior do estado do Ceará, Brasil. A amostra foi composta de 157 estudantes, sendo 29 homens (18,5%) e 128 mulheres (81,5%), com média de idade 22,6±4,02 anos, do segundo ao último semestre da graduação. Aplicou-se um questionário com 20 questões objetivas abordando a vivência e repercussões dessa prática. Do total de alunos pesquisados, 61 (38,9%) afirmaram ter participado de estágio extracurricular. Desses, 55 (90,2%) foram motivados pela necessidade de adquirir experiência; 53 (86,9%) realizaram intervenções nos pacientes; e 13 (21,3%) com carga horária de 15 a 20 horas/semanais. Porém, 36 acadêmicos (59,0%) o fizeram em desacordo com as normas do Conselho Federal de Fisioterapia e Terapia Ocupacional. Os acadêmicos consideraram que o estágio extracurricular foi uma ferramenta de aprimoramento para sua formação profissional, pois propiciou o exercício de procedimentos e técnicas mais comuns da atuação do fisioterapeuta. Entretanto, alerta-se para a necessidade de fiscalização dos órgãos competentes, para que o aluno exerça funções compatíveis com o seu nível de qualificação

Impact of milk protein type on the viability and storage stability of microencapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus using spray drying

Three different milk proteins — skim milk powder (SMP), sodium caseinate (SC) and whey protein concentrate (WPC) — were tested for their ability to stabilize microencapsulated L. acidophilus produced using spray drying. Maltodextrin (MD) was used as the primary wall material in all samples, milk protein as the secondary wall material (7:3 MD/milk protein ratio) and the simple sugars, d-glucose and trehalose were used as tertiary wall materials (8:2:2 MD/protein/sugar ratio) combinations of all wall materials were tested for their ability to enhance the microbial and techno-functional stability of microencapsulated powders. Of the optional secondary wall materials, WPC improved L. acidophilus viability, up to 70 % during drying; SMP enhanced stability by up to 59 % and SC up to 6 %. Lactose and whey protein content enhanced thermoprotection; this is possibly due to their ability to depress the glass transition and melting temperatures and to release antioxidants. The resultant L. acidophilus powders were stored for 90 days at 4 °C, 25 °C and 35 °C and the loss of viability calculated. The highest survival rates were obtained at 4 °C, inactivation rates for storage were dependent on the carrier wall material and the SMP/d-glucose powders had the lowest inactivation rates (0.013 day−1) whilst the highest was observed for the control containing only MD (0.041 day−1) and the SC-based system (0.030 day−1). Further increase in storage temperature (25 °C and 35 °C) was accompanied by increase of the inactivation rates of L. acidophilus that followed Arrhenius kinetics. In general, SMP-based formulations exhibited the highest temperature dependency whilst WPC the lowest. d-Glucose addition improved the storage stability of the probiotic powders although it was accompanied by an increase of the residual moisture, water activity and hygroscopicity, and a reduction of the glass transition temperature in the tested systems

Azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles at high transverse momenta in PbPb collisions at sqrt(s[NN]) = 2.76 TeV

The azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles in PbPb collisions at nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV is measured with the CMS detector at the LHC over an extended transverse momentum (pt) range up to approximately 60 GeV. The data cover both the low-pt region associated with hydrodynamic flow phenomena and the high-pt region where the anisotropies may reflect the path-length dependence of parton energy loss in the created medium. The anisotropy parameter (v2) of the particles is extracted by correlating charged tracks with respect to the event-plane reconstructed by using the energy deposited in forward-angle calorimeters. For the six bins of collision centrality studied, spanning the range of 0-60% most-central events, the observed v2 values are found to first increase with pt, reaching a maximum around pt = 3 GeV, and then to gradually decrease to almost zero, with the decline persisting up to at least pt = 40 GeV over the full centrality range measured.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns

Search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu channel in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

A search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu decay channel, where l = e or mu, in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is presented. The data were collected at the LHC, with the CMS detector, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 inverse femtobarns. No significant excess is observed above the background expectation, and upper limits are set on the Higgs boson production cross section. The presence of the standard model Higgs boson with a mass in the 270-440 GeV range is excluded at 95% confidence level.Comment: Submitted to JHE