Upregulation of Transglutaminase andε(γ-Glutamyl)-Lysine in the Fisher-Lewis Rat Model of Chronic Allograft Nephropathy

Background. Tissue transglutaminase (TG2), a cross-linking enzyme, modulates deposition of extracellular matrix protein in renal fibrosis. This study aimed to examine TG2 and its cross-link product ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine in the Fisher-Lewis rat renal transplantation (RTx) model of chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN). Materials and Methods. Left renal grafts from male Fisher and Lewis were transplanted into Lewis rats, generating allografts and isografts, respectively. Blood pressure, renal function, and proteinuria were monitored for up to 52 weeks. At termination, CAN was assessed in the renal tissue by light and electron microscopy, TG2 and ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine by immunofluorescence, and the urinary ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine by high performance liquid chromatography. Results. Compared to the isograft, the allografts were hypertensive, proteinuric, and uraemic and developed CAN. Extracellular TG2 (glomerulus: 64.55 + 17.61 versus 2.11 + 0.17, P<0.001; interstitium: 13.72 + 1.62 versus 3.19 + 0.44, P<0.001), ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine (glomerulus: 21.74 + 2.71 versus 1.98 + 0.37, P<0.01; interstitium: 37.96 + 17.06 versus 0.42 + 0.11, P<0.05), TG2 enzyme activity (1.09 + 0.13 versus 0.41 + 0.03 nmol/h/mg protein, P<0.05), TG2 mRNA (20-fold rise), and urinary ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine (534.2 + 198.4 nmol/24 h versus 57.2 + 4.1 nmol/24 h,P<0.05) levels were significantly elevated in the allografts and showed a positive linear correlation with tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Conclusion. CAN was associated with upregulation of renal TG2 pathway, which has a potential for pharmacological intervention. The elevated urinary ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine, measured for the first time in RTx, is a potential biomarker of CA

Novo gênero e nova espécie de Equinóide do Cretáceo (Albiano) da Bacia de Sergipe-Alagoas, Brasil (Echinodermata, Orthopisidae)

Cuscuzispina riachuelensis n.gen. and n.sp. is described from the lower Cretaceous (Albian) Riachuelo Formation, Sergipe Sub-Basin, Northeastern Brazil. Although somewhat similar to another Cretaceous echinoid Orthopsis, C. riachuelensis differs from that genus in its highest test, by the presence of interambulacral depressions, the width of the ambulacral plates near the apical system, and shape of the genital plates. Cuscuzispina’s morphology suggests that this echinoid lived in a protected shallow-water environment, with stabilized sedimentary substrata where it was a grazing feeder.Novo gênero e espécie de Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) associados com Arrabidaea sp. (Bignoniaceae) do Peru. Um novo gênero de mosquito de galhas, Heterodiplosis gen.nov., e uma nova espécie, H. peruviana sp. nov., que induz galhas nas folhas de Arrabidaea sp. (Bignoniaceae) são descritos do Peru (larva, pupa, macho, fêmea e galha)

A saúde mental como um estado completo : instrumentos de avaliação e sua relação com qualidade de vida, personalidade e variáveis biossociodemográficas

A presente tese aborda o tema da saúde mental positiva. A saúde mental é entendida como um construto com duas dimensões independentes: uma positiva e outra negativa. A dimensão negativa diz respeito à psicopatologia, portanto, sua ausência é condição para a saúde. Já a dimensão positiva inclui características que devem estar presentes para configurar a saúde. Essas características podem ser reunidas em três componentes, o bem-estar emocional, o bem-estar psicológico e o bem-estar social. A avaliação da saúde mental entendida como um estado completo deve, portanto, considerar suas duas dimensões. Foram conduzidos dois estudos com o objetivo de adaptar e validar instrumentos psicométricos referentes às duas dimensões da saúde mental. Em uma amostra de adultos brasileiros, os instrumentos Mental Health Continuum – Short Form (MHC-SF) e Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) apresentaram características psicométricas adequadas. Posteriormente foi investigada a associação entre a saúde mental positiva e a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde. Os resultados sugerem uma associação positiva entre ambas, especialmente para os componentes referentes à saúde mental e ao funcionamento social. Por fim, foram investigados os preditores, dentre características de personalidade, fatores psicossociais e variáveis demográficas, das duas dimensões da saúde mental e de seu estado completo. Vulnerabilidades pessoais (i.e. neuroticismo), características socialmente orientadas (e.g. socialização, extroversão, possuir um relacionamento íntimo, religiosidade/espiritualidade) e idade desempenham um importante papel como fatores de proteção e promoção em relação à saúde mental.This thesis addresses the issue of positive mental health. Mental health is understood as a construct with two independent dimensions: one positive and one negative. The negative dimension relates to psychopathology, so its absence determines health. In another way, the positive dimension includes characteristics that must be present to configure health. These characteristics can be grouped into three components, the emotional well-being, psychological well-being and social well-being. The mental health assessment understood as a complete state must therefore consider its two dimensions. Two studies were conducted in order to adapt and validate psychometric instruments related to two dimensions of mental health. In a sample of Brazilian adults, instruments Mental Health Continuum - Short Form (MHC - SF) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS - 21) showed adequate psychometric characteristics. Subsequently we investigated the association between positive mental health and quality of life related to health. The results suggest a positive association between the two, especially for components related to mental health and social functioning . Finally, we investigated the predictors, among personality traits, psychosocial factors, and demographic variables, the two dimensions of mental health and its complete state. Personal vulnerabilities (i.e. neuroticism) and socially oriented characteristics (e.g. socialization, extraversion, have an intimate relationship, religiosity/espiritualdiade) and age play an important role as protective factors and promotion in relation to mental health

Resilience and the self-righting power of development : observations of impoverished Brazilian children in person-centred playtherapy

A chapter on observations of impoverished Brazilian children in person-centred playtherap

Response of the mantle to flat slab evolution: Insights from local splitting beneath Peru

The dynamics of flat subduction, particularly the interaction between a flat slab and the overriding plate, are poorly understood. Here we study the (seismically) anisotropic properties and deformational regime of the mantle directly above the Peruvian flat slab. We analyze shear wave splitting from 370 local S events at 49 stations across southern Peru. We find that the mantle above the flat slab appears to be anisotropic, with modest average delay times (~0.28?s) that are consistent with ~4% anisotropy in a ~30?km thick mantle layer. The most likely mechanism is the lattice-preferred orientation of olivine, which suggests that the observed splitting pattern preserves information about the mantle deformation. We observe a pronounced change in anisotropy along strike, with predominately trench-parallel fast directions in the north and more variable orientations in the south, which we attribute to the ongoing migration of the Nazca Ridge through the flat slab system

Response of the mantle to flat slab evolution: Insights from local S splitting beneath Peru

The dynamics of flat subduction, particularly the interaction between a flat slab and the overriding plate, are poorly understood. Here we study the (seismically) anisotropic properties and deformational regime of the mantle directly above the Peruvian flat slab. We analyze shear wave splitting from 370 local S events at 49 stations across southern Peru. We find that the mantle above the flat slab appears to be anisotropic, with modest average delay times (~0.28 s) that are consistent with ~4% anisotropy in a ~30 km thick mantle layer. The most likely mechanism is the lattice-preferred orientation of olivine, which suggests that the observed splitting pattern preserves information about the mantle deformation. We observe a pronounced change in anisotropy along strike, with predominately trench-parallel fast directions in the north and more variable orientations in the south, which we attribute to the ongoing migration of the Nazca Ridge through the flat slab system

Propriedades físicas e mecânicas de painéis LVL de Eucalyptus grandis

This paper mainly aimed to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of LVL panels made from Eucalyptus grandis, from reforestation at the region of Sengés, in Paraná state, Brazil. LVL panels were manufactured using 23 veneers (2,4mm thick each one) in commercial dimension of 2.500 mm long and 1,200 mm wide. The properties of static bending were analyzed (strength and rigidity) in beams of the LVL, in the flatwise and edgewise positions. The properties of compression parallel to grain and shear parallel in the plans L-X and L-Y and density in this LVL panels were also analyzed according to ASTM-D 5456/4761 and ASTM-D 198 codes. The mean values to flatwise bending MOE and MOR were 13114 MPa and 88.76 MPa, respectively, and for edgewise bending MOE and MOR were 15871 MPa and 88.63 MPa, respectively. The density (12%) of the LVL panels and of the veneers were 690 kg/m3 and 649 kg/m3. The mean values to parallel compression MOE and MOR were 16856 MPa and 58.05 MPa, respectively. The mean values of the maximum resistance to shear parallel in the plans L-X and L-Y were 5.96 MPa and 591 MPa, respectively. All these values reached partially or they passed the medium limits of reference (normative codes, researches and commercial catalogs) established for LVL panels and original solid wood, attesting overall the quality of those panels produced with this wood.O presente trabalho teve como objetivo principal avaliar as propriedades físicas e mecânicas de painéis LVL (Laminated veneer lumber) confeccionados com lâminas de Eucalyptus grandis, provenientes de reflorestamentos da região de Sengés, Paraná - Brasil. Foram confeccionados painéis LVL de 23 lâminas, de dimensões comerciais de 2500 mm de comprimento, 1200 mm de largura e espessura nominal de 50 mm (lâminas de 2,4 mm). Em vigas retiradas dos painéis LVL foram analisadas as propriedades de flexão estática (rigidez e resistência), nas condições de menor inércia (flatwise) e de maior inércia (edgewise), compressão paralela, cisalhamento paralelo nos planos L-X e L-Y e densidade, atendendo às prescrições das normas ASTM-D 5456/4761 e ASTM-D 198/143. Os valores médios obtidos para o módulo de elasticidade e resistência à flexão estática foram, respectivamente, 13114 MPa e 88,76 MPa para o ensaio na condição de menor inércia e de, respectivamente, 15871 MPa e 88,63 MPa para o ensaio na condição de maior inércia. A densidade aparente (a 12% de umidade) dos painéis LVL e das lâminas foram, respectivamente, 690 kg/ m3 e 649 kg/m3. Os valores médios obtidos nos ensaios de compressão paralela foram 16856 MPa para o módulo de elasticidade e 58,05 MPa para a resistência. Os valores médios da resistência no ensaio de cisalhamento paralelo no plano L-Y e no plano L-X foram 5,96 MPa e 5,91 MPa, respectivamente. Todos esses valores atingiram parcialmente ou ultrapassaram os limites médios de referência estabelecidos para painéis LVL e para a madeira sólida originária, atestando, sobretudo, a qualidade dos painéis produzidos com essa madeira

Comparative Analyses of Power Consumption in Arithmetic Algorithms Implementation

Historically, energy management in computer science has been treated as an activity predominantly of hardware optimization. A great part of the effort on the area, even nowadays, is concerned in components activation, deactivation or resources scheduling to provide, as a final result, the reduction of total power consumption. This work is focused on the power consumption subject under the developer point of view, using a reliable power measurement framework, to validate the literature programming premises about programming options, as, for example, multiplication operations are high consuming in power energy. Besides some elementary operations and authors suggestions about alternatives for power consumption reduction on the programming stage, it was also compared two well used and known algorithms for big numbers multiplication, Karatsuba and Toom-Cook. The results lead to conclusions that would help the developer, in programming stage, to choose, in some cases, the best technique for reduction of power consumption, speed up the software developed, or take some decisions to limit the final software to be under some maximum power