125 research outputs found

    Uso da espectroscopia e tomografia de ressonância magnética para monitorar o amadurecimento e fatores de qualidade em manga e mamão.

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    bitstream/CNPDIA/10365/1/CT35_2000.pd

    COST of PNEUMONIA HOSPITALIZATION in ELDERLY PEOPLE FROM TWO LARGE BRAZILIAN HOSPITALS

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    Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilAxia Bio Consulting, São Paulo, BrazilSanofi Aventis Brasil, São Paulo, BrazilSanofi Pasteur, Lyon 07, FranceUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

    Characterizing water fingering phenomena in soils using magnetic resonance imaging and multifractal theory

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    Abstract. The study of water movement in soils is of fundamental\ud importance in hydrologic science. It is generally\ud accepted that in most soils, water and solutes flow through\ud unsaturated zones via preferential paths or fingers. This\ud paper combines magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with\ud both fractal and multifractal theory to characterize preferential\ud flow in three dimensions. A cubic double-layer column\ud filled with fine and coarse textured sand was placed\ud into a 500 gauss MRI system. Water infiltration through\ud the column (0.15×0.15×0.15m3) was recorded in steady\ud state conditions. Twelve sections with a voxel volume\ud 0.1×0.1×10mm3 each were obtained and characterized using\ud fractal and multifractal theory. The MRI system provided\ud a detailed description of the preferential flow under steady\ud state conditions and was also useful in understanding the dynamics\ud of the formation of the fingers. The f ( ) multifractal\ud spectrum was very sensitive to the variation encountered\ud at each horizontally-oriented slice of the column and provided\ud a suitable characterization of the dynamics of the process\ud identifying four spatial domains. In conclusion, MRI\ud and fractal and multifractal analysis were able to characterize\ud and describe the preferential flow process in soils. Used\ud together, the two methods provide a good alternative to study\ud flow transport phenomena in soils and in porous media.CIDA-Canada through the ALTAGRO ProjectFAPESP (07/58561-7

    From individuals to communities : how singleton invasive pine saplings lead to biodiversity change in the Brazilian Cerrado hotspot

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    This work was funded by the Brazilian Ciência sem Fronteiras/Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) (1091/13-1), European Research Council (AdG BioTIME 250189and PoC BioCHANGE 727440), the Royal Society and the Brazilian Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico/CNPq (307839/2014-1).Questions:  How do newly established species interact with existing assemblage members to alter local biodiversity? This question is especially topical given growing concerns about increased temporal turnover levels relative to background rates. Pine (Pinus spp.), a major invasive taxon in the southern hemisphere, is progressively dominating remaining fragments of the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado), a biodiversity hostpot. Because the Cerrado's diversity is linked to habitat heterogeneity we argue that the impact of these invasive singleton pines will be mediated by differences in local habitat structure. Here we use isolated invasive pines Pinus elliottii in the Cerrado as a study system to test the prediciton that changes in the diversity of native communities, in the presence of newly established exotic individuals, will be greatest in the dominant vegetation layer of a habitat. Location:  Itirapina Ecological Station, southeast of Brazil. Methods:  We used a stratified random survey in 5x5m pairs of plots invaded by a single pine individual each matched by control uninvaded plots; both shrub and grass vegetation layers were sampled in both habitats. In total, 300 plots were sampled, 114 in the shrub‐dominated campo sujo and 186 in the grass‐dominated campo úmido. Results:  Over four hundred plant species were recorded. In both habitats, we detect marked shifts in species richness of the dominant vegetation layer. In line with our prediction, the nature of these changes is mediated by local habitat structure. We find significantly reduced species richness in the shrub layer of the shrub‐dominated habitat but elevated species richness in the grass layer of the grass‐dominated habitat in invaded sites (v. control). In the grass layer of campo úmido, pine initially decreases dominance thus allowing more species to colonize the plots. Conclusions:  The shape of the diversity v. establishment time relationship is layer dependent, with a significant relationship between dominance/evenness and pine size in the grass layer but no relationship in the shrub layer. Our results show that, though complex, the consequences for local biodiversity of non‐native species establishment are not haphazard, and thus contribute to the understanding of species coexistence.PostprintPeer reviewe

    Measurements of CO2 exchange over a woodland savanna (Cerrado Sensu stricto) in southeast Brasil.

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    The technique of eddy correlation was used to measure the net ecosystem exchange over a woodland savanna (Cerrado Sensu stricto) site (Gleba Pé de Gigante) in southeast Brazil. The data set included measurements of climatological variables and soil respiration using static soil chambers. Data were collected during the period from 10 October 2000 to 30 March 2002. Measured soil respiration showed average values of 4.8 molCO m-2s-1 year round. Its 2 seasonal differences varied from 2 to 8 molCO m-2s-1 (Q = 4.9) during the dry (April to August) and wet season, respectively, and was concurrent with soil temperature and moisture variability. The net ecosystem CO2 flux (NEE) variability is controlled by solar radiation, temperature and air humidity on diel course. Seasonally, soil moisture plays a strong role by inducing litterfall, reducing canopy photosynthetic activity and soil respiration. The net sign of NEE is negative (sink) in the wet season and early dry season, with rates around -25 kgC ha-1day-1, and values as low as 40 kgC ha- 1day-1. NEE was positive (source) during most of the dry season, and changed into negative at the onset of rainy season. At critical times of soil moisture stress during the late dry season, the ecosystem experienced photosynthesis during daytime, although the net sign is positive (emission). Concurrent with dry season, the values appeared progressively positive from 5 to as much as 50 kgC ha-1day-1. The annual NEE sum appeared to be nearly in balance, or more exactly a small sink, equal to 0.1 0.3 tC ha-1yr-1, which we regard possibly as a realistic one, giving the constraining conditions imposed to the turbulent flux calculation, and favourable hypothesis of succession stages, climatic variability and CO2 fertilization

    Modeling epileptogenesis and temporal lobe epilepsy in a non-human primate

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    Here we describe a new non-human primate model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) to better investigate the cause/effect relationships of human TLE. Status epilepticus (SE) was induced in adult marmosets by pilocarpine injection (250 mg/kg; i.p.). The animals were divided in 2 groups: acute (8 h post-SE) and chronic (3 and 5 months post-SE). To manage the severity of SE, animals received diazepam 5 min after the SE onset (acute group: 2.5 or 1.25 mg/kg; i.p.; chronic group/; 1.25 mg/kg; i.p). All animals were monitored by video and electrocorticography to assess SE and subsequent spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS). To evaluate brain injury produced by SE or SRS we used argyrophil III, Nissl and neo-Timm staining techniques. Magnetic resonance image was also performed in the chronic group. We observed that pilocarpine was able to induce SE followed by SRS after a variable period of time. Prolonged SE episodes were associated with brain damage, mostly confined to the hippocampus and limbic structures. Similar to human TLE, anatomical disruption of dentate gyrus was observed after SRS. Our data suggest that pilocarpine marmoset model of epilepsy has great resemblance to human TLE, and could provide new tools to further evaluate the subtle changes associated with human epilepsy.FAPESPCNP

    State Britain and the art of (Im)proper democratic protest

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    The installation of Mark Wallinger’s State Britain in the Duveen Galleries of Tate Britain recreated Brian Haw’s protest opposite the Houses of Parliament, which had largely been dismantled by the police under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. Wallinger’s work bisected a boundary created by the Act inside which the police could be given greater than usual powers to control demonstrations. The intersection exemplified how, when understood in terms of the performative after Jacques Derrida, art may unsettle the ways in which both the law and aesthetics work to protect the political establishment. aesthetics work to protect the political establishment

    XUE. Molecular inventory in the inner region of an extremely irradiated Protoplanetary Disk

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    We present the first results of the eXtreme UV Environments (XUE) James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) program, that focuses on the characterization of planet forming disks in massive star forming regions. These regions are likely representative of the environment in which most planetary systems formed. Understanding the impact of environment on planet formation is critical in order to gain insights into the diversity of the observed exoplanet populations. XUE targets 15 disks in three areas of NGC 6357, which hosts numerous massive OB stars, among which some of the most massive stars in our Galaxy. Thanks to JWST we can, for the first time, study the effect of external irradiation on the inner (<10< 10 au), terrestrial-planet forming regions of proto-planetary disks. In this study, we report on the detection of abundant water, CO, CO2_2, HCN and C2_2H2_2 in the inner few au of XUE 1, a highly irradiated disk in NGC 6357. In addition, small, partially crystalline silicate dust is present at the disk surface. The derived column densities, the oxygen-dominated gas-phase chemistry, and the presence of silicate dust are surprisingly similar to those found in inner disks located in nearby, relatively isolated low-mass star-forming regions. Our findings imply that the inner regions of highly irradiated disks can retain similar physical and chemical conditions as disks in low-mass star-forming regions, thus broadening the range of environments with similar conditions for inner disk rocky planet formation to the most extreme star-forming regions in our Galaxy.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters. 20 pages, 7 figure

    A New Method to Predict the Epidemiology of Fungal Keratitis by Monitoring the Sales Distribution of Antifungal Eye Drops in Brazil

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    Purpose: Fungi are a major cause of keratitis, although few medications are licensed for their treatment. The aim of this study is to observe the variation in commercialisation of antifungal eye drops, and to predict the seasonal distribution of fungal keratitis in Brazil. Methods: Data from a retrospective study of antifungal eye drops sales from the only pharmaceutical ophthalmologic laboratory, authorized to dispense them in Brazil (Opthalmos) were gathered. These data were correlated with geographic and seasonal distribution of fungal keratitis in Brazil between July 2002 and June 2008. Results: A total of 26,087 antifungal eye drop units were sold, with a mean of 2.3 per patient. There was significant variation in antifungal sales during the year (p &lt; 0.01). A linear regression model displayed a significant association between reduced relative humidity and antifungal drug sales (R-2 = 0.17, p &lt; 0.01). Conclusions: Antifungal eye drops sales suggest that there is a seasonal distribution of fungal keratitis. A possible interpretation is that the third quarter of the year (a period when the climate is drier), when agricultural activity is more intense in Brazil, suggests a correlation with a higher incidence of fungal keratitis. A similar model could be applied to other diseases, that are managed with unique, or few, and monitorable medications to predict epidemiological aspects.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnologicoConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico [302005/2009-9]Fundacao de Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa e Assistencia do Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto da Universidade de Sao PauloFundacao de Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa e Assistencia do Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto da Universidade de Sao Paul
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