Materiais pictóricos da cerâmica Guarani do alto Uruguai a partir de medidas de fluorescência de raios X

The precolonial Guarani used to be spread over large areas in South America, especially in regions of the Prata River basin and Brazil’s coastal areas. Their great feature in terms of material culture is their ceramic production, especially for containers painted inside and outside. From X-ray fluorescence measurements, we present here a data analysis from pigments used in the production of paints applied in Guarani ceramic finishing of three archaeological sites located in Volta do Uvá, Upper Uruguay River. This analysis showed that red and white pigments come from inorganic materials, derived from earth minerals.Os Guarani pré-coloniais estavam distribuídos por grandes áreas da América do Sul, especialmente em regiões da Bacia do Rio da Prata e zonas litorâneas do Sul do Brasil. A grande característica em termos de cultura material é sua produção cerâmica, com destaque para os vasilhames pintados tanto na superfície externa como na interna. Apresentamos, a partir de medidas de fluorescência de raios X, a análise dos dados de proveniência dos pigmentos utilizados na produção das tintas aplicadas no acabamento de cerâmicas da unidade Guarani de três sítios arqueológicos localizados na Volta do Uvá, alto rio Uruguai. Esta análise indicou que os pigmentos vermelho e branco provêm de materiais inorgânicos derivados de minerais terrosos

Analysis of a possible association between oral lichen planus and drug intake. A controlled study

Objectives: To investigate whether daily systemic and/or topical medication contributes to the development of oral lichen planus (OLP) lesions. Study Design: The study involved 110 OLP patients and 76 control subjects, matched by age, race and sex. The analyzed data included medical records, drug intake and topical medication. Criteria for analysis of drug intake included: (1) ATC-code drug classification; (2) number of different drugs used daily in the categories of monopharmacy (1 drug), minor polypharmacy (2 4 drugs), and major polypharmacy (> 5 drugs); and (3) drugs implicated in lichenoid reactions (DILRs). Results: Sixty (54.5%) of the 110 OLP patients reported daily medication (prior to the appearance of the OLP lesion) compared to 52 (68.4%) of the 76 control subjects. No statistical difference was found between the two groups in terms of systemic diseases, number of medicated individuals in the categories of mono- and polypharmacy, nor use of DILRs (P > 0.05). Regarding the clinical forms and site of involvement, a statistically significant difference was only found for the clinical erosive form of OLP, seen more frequently in non-DILR (P = 0.04) and nonmedicated OLP patients (P = 0.02) than in DILR OLP patients. Daily use of topical oral medication was reported by 2 (1.8%) OLP patients and 1 (1.3%) control subject. Conclusions: It seems that the use of systemic medication does not lead to a significant increase in the incidence of OLP lesions. For their part, lichenoid drug reactions are likely to occur only in a very low percentage of patients. © Medicina Oral S. L

Euglossine bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in a remnant of Atlantic Forest

ABSTRACT. Species composition, relative abundance, seasonal changes in the species abundance and scent association of male Euglossini collected in a semi-deciduous forest fragment in the north of the State of Paraná, southern Brazil, were recorded. Euglossine males were collected twice a month, for twelve months, from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. The scents eucalyptol, eugenol, vanillin, methyl salicylate and benzyl acetate were used as baits. A total of 434 males distributed among 3 genera and 9 species were attracted to the chemical baits. Cockerell, 1904 (0.23%) and Eufriesea auriceps Friese, 1899 (0.23%). In general, bees were more abundant in warm-wet season (September-March). Eufriesea violacea was the most seasonal species, showing activity through the warm-wet season, from October to February. Eucalyptol was the most attractive fragrance, which was responsible for 92.6% of all visits by euglossine bees

EDXRF study of Tupi-Guarani archaeological ceramics.

A set of indian Brazilian pottery fragments belonging to Tupi-Guarani tradition has been studied by an archaeometric non-destructive technique. The pottery fragments were accidentally discovered in the Santa Dalmacia farm, sited near Cambé city at the north of Paraná Brazilian state. Each one of these fragments came from different ceramic recipients and their physical characteristics are very similar. The EDXRF measurements were performed employing both an X-ray tube and three radioisotope sources (Fe, Cd and Pu). The compositional data of the ceramics paste and pigments is investigated. For detection of the elements within the ceramic paste, the fragments were irradiated at the center of the lateral section, while several superficial areas with remaining plastic decoration were also chosen and irradiated at the convex and concave sides of each fragment. A paste-subtracted compositional data of the remaining pigments was statically extracted from the XRF analysis of each area. A program based on the graphic polygonal representation method was developed and used to correlate the representative intensity data of each fragment.Um conjunto de fragmentos cerâmicos indígenas brasileiros pertencentes à Tradição Tupi-Guarani foi estudado por uma técnica arqueométrica não destrutiva. Os fragmentos cerâmicos foram descobertos acidentalmente na fazenda Santa Dalmácia, situada próximo da cidade de Cambé, no norte do estado do Paraná. Cada um desses fragmentos veio de diferentes recipientes cerâmicos e suas características físicas são muito similares. As medidas EDXRF foram realizadas empregando tanto um tubo de raios X como três fontes de radioisótopos (55Fe, 109Cd e 238Pu). Os dados de composição da pasta cerâmica e dos pigmentos são investigados. Para detecção dos elementos contidos na pasta cerâmica, os fragmentos foram irradiados no centro da secção lateral, enquanto algumas áreas com decoração plástica remanescente também foram escolhidas e irradiadas nos lados convexo e côncavo de cada fragmento. Foram obtidas as composições dos pigmentos remanescentes em cada área analisada, subtraindo-se do espectro XRF da área considerada o espectro XRF da pasta cerâmica. Um programa baseado no método de representação poligonal gráfica foi desenvolvido e usado para correlacionar a intensidade representativa de cada fragmento

Limiting Carleman weights and anisotropic inverse problems

In this article we consider the anisotropic Calderon problem and related inverse problems. The approach is based on limiting Carleman weights, introduced in Kenig-Sjoestrand-Uhlmann (Ann. of Math. 2007) in the Euclidean case. We characterize those Riemannian manifolds which admit limiting Carleman weights, and give a complex geometrical optics construction for a class of such manifolds. This is used to prove uniqueness results for anisotropic inverse problems, via the attenuated geodesic X-ray transform. Earlier results in dimension $n \geq 3$ were restricted to real-analytic metrics.Comment: 58 page

Predicting sepsis severity at first clinical presentation:The role of endotypes and mechanistic signatures

BACKGROUND: Inter-individual variability during sepsis limits appropriate triage of patients. Identifying, at first clinical presentation, gene expression signatures that predict subsequent severity will allow clinicians to identify the most at-risk groups of patients and enable appropriate antibiotic use. METHODS: Blood RNA-Seq and clinical data were collected from 348 patients in four emergency rooms (ER) and one intensive-care-unit (ICU), and 44 healthy controls. Gene expression profiles were analyzed using machine learning and data mining to identify clinically relevant gene signatures reflecting disease severity, organ dysfunction, mortality, and specific endotypes/mechanisms. FINDINGS: Gene expression signatures were obtained that predicted severity/organ dysfunction and mortality in both ER and ICU patients with accuracy/AUC of 77–80%. Network analysis revealed these signatures formed a coherent biological program, with specific but overlapping mechanisms/pathways. Given the heterogeneity of sepsis, we asked if patients could be assorted into discrete groups with distinct mechanisms (endotypes) and varying severity. Patients with early sepsis could be stratified into five distinct and novel mechanistic endotypes, named Neutrophilic-Suppressive/NPS, Inflammatory/INF, Innate-Host-Defense/IHD, Interferon/IFN, and Adaptive/ADA, each based on ∼200 unique gene expression differences, and distinct pathways/mechanisms (e.g., IL6/STAT3 in NPS). Endotypes had varying overall severity with two severe (NPS/INF) and one relatively benign (ADA) groupings, consistent with reanalysis of previous endotype studies. A 40 gene-classification tool (accuracy=96%) and several gene-pairs (accuracy=89–97%) accurately predicted endotype status in both ER and ICU validation cohorts. INTERPRETATION: The severity and endotype signatures indicate that distinct immune signatures precede the onset of severe sepsis and lethality, providing a method to triage early sepsis patients