Spatial distribution of the most abundant sea urchin populations on the southeast coast of São Paulo (Brazil)

Se investigó la variación espacial en la abundancia de Echinometra lucunter, Lytechinus variegatus y Arbacia lixula con respecto a cuatro escalas espaciales (105, 104, 103 y 102 m) y dos profundidades (0–3 y 3–8 m), a lo largo de 100 km del litoral de São Paulo (agosto a octubre de 1996). Echinometra lucunter fue la especie más abundante, prefiriendo los fondos más someros bajo el efecto del oleaje. Se identificó un gradiente en su abundancia, aumentando en dirección del suroeste al noreste. Arbacia lixula mostró el mismo gradiente, pero con una mayor abundancia en el sector más profundo. Ambas especies mostraron diferencias significativas a una escala espacial de centenares de metros y E. lucunter también a una escala de kilómetros. Lytechinus variegatus mostró un patrón en mosaico, siendo abundante en ciertos sitios. Las variaciones en la calidad del agua y en la heterogeneidad natural del hábitat podrían explicar de forma conjunta la distribución espacial de estas poblaciones.The spatial variability of Echinometra lucunter, Lytechinus variegatus and Arbacia lixula was studied in relation to four spatial scales (105, 104, 103 and 102 m) and two depths (0–3 and 3–8 m), along 100 km of the São Paulo coastline (August to October 1996). Echinometra lucunter was the most abundant species, with preference for shallow substrates subject to wave action. An abundance gradient was identified, increasing from southwest to northeast. Arbacia lixula showed the same pattern of spatial variation, but was more abundant in the deeper areas. Both species showed significant differences on a spatial scale of hundreds of meters, and E. lucunter also on a scale of kilometers. Lytechinus variegates presented a patchy distribution, being more abundant at certain sites. Variations in the water quality and natural heterogeneity of the habitat may explain the spatial distribution of these populations.El presente trabajo ha sido realizado gracias a dos becas INTERCAMPUS (1996–1997) concedidas por el Gobierno Español (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores) a PSJ para su estancia en el Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología (Brasil)

Upper Limb Posture Estimation in Robotic and Virtual Reality-based Rehabilitation.

New motor rehabilitation therapies include virtual reality (VR) and robotic technologies. In limb rehabilitation, limb posture is required to (1) provide a limb realistic representation in VR games and (2) assess the patient improvement. When exoskeleton devices are used in the therapy, the measurements of their joint angles cannot be directly used to represent the posture of the patient limb, since the human and exoskeleton kinematic models differ. In response to this shortcoming, we propose a method to estimate the posture of the human limb attached to the exoskeleton. We use the exoskeleton joint angles measurements and the constraints of the exoskeleton on the limb to estimate the human limb joints angles. This paper presents (a) the mathematical formulation and solution to the problem, (b) the implementation of the proposed solution on a commercial exoskeleton system for the upper limb rehabilitation, (c) its integration into a rehabilitation VR game platform, and (d) the quantitative assessment of the method during elbow and wrist analytic training. Results show that this method properly estimates the limb posture to (i) animate avatars that represent the patient in VR games and (ii) obtain kinematic data for the patient assessment during elbow and wrist analytic rehabilitation

Environmental risk assessment of freshwater sediments contaminated with triclosan

The purpose of this study was to assess the environmental risk of sediments contaminated with triclosan to thropical aquatic invertebrates. Acute toxicity assays with Chironomus xanthus and chronic toxicity assays with Ceriodaphnia dubia were performed using spiked sediments with environmentally relevant concentrations of triclosan. We obtained a lethal concentration (LC50 96-h) in acute toxicity assays with C. xanthus of 45.26 μg g-1 and a no observed effect concentration (NOEC) and lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) for C. dubia of 5.78 and 6.94 μg g-1, respectively. According to equilibrium partitioning theory, these spiked sediment values are equivalent to interstitial water LC50 values of 47.28 μg L-1 for C. xanthus and an LOEC of 7.24 μg L-1 for C. dubia. Our results suggest that sediments contaminated with triclosan represent high risk to freshwater organisms, since this compound has been reported on the order of magnitude of μg g-1 in sediment near discharge of untreated domestic and industrial wastewater

Safflower oil: an integrated assessment of phytochemistry, antiulcerogenic activity, and rodent and environmental toxicity

Gastric ulcers are a significant medical problem and the development of complications lead to significant mortality rates worldwide. In Brazil, Carthamus tinctorius L., Asteraceae, seeds essential oil, the safflower oil, is currently used as a thermogenic compound and as treatment for problems related to the cardiovascular system. In this study, by Raman spectroscopy, it was shown that oleic and linoleic acids are the compounds present in higher concentrations in the safflower oil. We demonstrated that safflower oil (750 mg/kg, p.o.) decrease the ulcerogenic lesions in mice after the administration of hydrochloric acid-ethanol. The gastric ulcers induced by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in mice treated with cholinomimetics were treated with four different doses of safflower oil, of which, the dose of 187.5 mg/kg (p.o.) showed significant antiulcerogenic properties (**p < 0.01). Moreover, the safflower oil at doses of 187.5 mg/kg (i.d.) increased the pH levels, gastric volume (**p < 0.01) and gastric mucus production (***p < 0.001), and decreased the total gastric acid secretion (***p < 0.001). The acute toxicity tests showed that safflower oil (5.000 mg/kg, p.o.) had no effect on mortality or any other physiological parameter. Ecotoxicological tests performed using Daphnia similis showed an EC50 at 223.17 mg/l, and therefore safflower oil can be considered “non-toxic” based on the directive 93/67/EEC on risk assessment for new notified substances by European legislation. These results indicate that the antiulcer activity of Safflower oil may be due to cytoprotective effects, which serve as support for new scientific studies related to this pathology.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Santa Cecília Programa de Pós-graduação em Sustentabilidade de Ecossistemas Costeiros e Marinhos Laboratório de Pesquisa em Produtos NaturaisUniversidade Estadual de Campinas Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica Laboratório de Produtos NaturaisUniversidade Santa Cecília Laboratório de EcotoxicologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Instituto do MarUniversidade Camilo Castelo Branco Instituto de Engenharia BiomédicaUNIFESP, Instituto do MarFAPESP: 2009/01788-5SciEL

Forum 1979

Speaker for Whitworth\u27s Forum program

A Christian Response to the Latin American Revolution

Speaker for Whitworth\u27s Forum program

Diseño de un aplicativo de costos para el proceso de contratación con EPS, en la empresa Seno Diagnostico S.A.S de la ciudad de Pasto

El presente trabajo de grado denominado ―Diseño de un Aplicativo de Costos para el Proceso de Contratación con EPS, en la empresa Seno Diagnostico S.A.S de la ciudad de Pasto‖ está enfocado a determinar el costo de los servicios prestados en el área de imagenología de la empresa Seno Diagnostico S.A.S., mediante el modelo de Costos Basado en Actividades, conocido como ABC por sus siglas en inglés ―Activity Based Costing‖. El método de costeo por actividades permite que la administración realice análisis de la información de costos involucradas en las diferentes actividades identificadas y los diferentes componentes de costeo (mano de obra, insumos, propiedad planta y Equipo y otros costos indirectos). El diseño del aplicativo de costos con la herramienta ACCES para la IPS mencionada, brinda diferentes herramientas donde se puede discriminar por procedimiento, por código CUPS, la mano de obra requerida, los insumos necesarios, la maquinaria utilizada y los costos indirectos incurridos, con la finalidad de tener un costo más riguroso, con el cual se puede tomar decisiones financieras mas acertadas

Evaluación de Oracle Cloud como Solución de Base de Datos Empresarial

El proyecto "Evaluación de Oracle Cloud como Solución de Base de Datos Empresarial" pretende proporcionar a las empresas una comprensión integral de los aspectos técnicos, económicos y legales relacionados con la adopción de la nube, enfocándose en Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). Esta investigación adopta un enfoque evaluativo que abarca el análisis contextual, la implementación y los costos asociados con OCI, considerando especialmente la relevancia de las normativas colombianas, con énfasis en la ley de protección de datos personales. Los resultados obtenidos ofrecen una visión completa, subrayando la importancia estratégica de la nube en la transformación empresarial. Este análisis contribuye significativamente a la comprensión y aplicación de tecnologías en la nube en el contexto empresarial colombianoPregradoEspecialista en Gestión de Bases de Dato

Plasma total and free fatty acids composition in human non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

Background and aim: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the association of steatosis with an inflammatory response, is a novel liver disease of unknown pathogenesis and prognosis. Triacylglycerols and their precursors, the fatty acids, are the likely c