Geomorfologia e a biodiversidade no Pantanal

The present study deals with the inter-relations in the relief which forms the Bacia do Alto Rio Paraguay (BAP) in mid-west Brazil. The overall aim is to discuss the relationship between relief forms and the biodiversity of the Pantanal. The BAP is a natural environmental system with contrasts in two of the compartments on which it is formed: the plateau, the most elevated compartment, highly transformed by human activities, and the plain which forms the Pantanal, which is more preserved and less transformed in relation to productive activities. The analysis was performed based on publications with a geomorphologic focus, examining the different relief units of the BAP and the dynamics of the revealing processes of landscape change which the Pantanal has undergone since the end of the Pleistocene.O presente estudo tem como objetivo abordar a inter-relação entre os compartimentos do relevo brasileiro que compõem a Bacia do Alto Paraguai - BAP, para discutir as formas de relevo e a biodiversidade do Pantanal. A abordagem fundamenta-se na compreensão das diferentes formas do terreno, associando ao fato que a BAP é um sistema ambiental natural que tem contrastes nos dois compartimentos que a compõem: o planalto, o compartimento mais elevado, fortemente transformado por atividades humanas; e a planície, que constitui o Pantanal mato-grossense, mais conservada e pouco transformada, quanto ao uso com atividades produtivas. A análise foi realizada a partir de publicações com enfoques geomorfológicos, abordando as diferentes unidades do relevo da BAP e o entendimento da dinâmica dos processos reveladores de que o Pantanal passa desde o fim do Pleistoceno, com processos de mudanças da paisagem.MEC - CAPE

A silicon-based surface code quantum computer

Individual impurity atoms in silicon can make superb individual qubits, but it remains an immense challenge to build a multi-qubit processor: there is a basic conflict between nanometre separation desired for qubit–qubit interactions and the much larger scales that would enable control and addressing in a manufacturable and fault-tolerant architecture. Here we resolve this conflict by establishing the feasibility of surface code quantum computing using solid-state spins, or ‘data qubits’, that are widely separated from one another. We use a second set of ‘probe’ spins that are mechanically separate from the data qubits and move in and out of their proximity. The spin dipole–dipole interactions give rise to phase shifts; measuring a probe’s total phase reveals the collective parity of the data qubits along the probe’s path. Using a protocol that balances the systematic errors due to imperfect device fabrication, our detailed simulations show that substantial misalignments can be handled within fault-tolerant operations. We conclude that this simple ‘orbital probe’ architecture overcomes many of the difficulties facing solid-state quantum computing, while minimising the complexity and offering qubit densities that are several orders of magnitude greater than other systems

Oedema of the metatarsal heads II-IV and forefoot pain as an unusual manifestation of Lyme disease: a case report

We report the case of a healthy 36 year old man who suffered from foot pain lasting for weeks, without having a specific medical history relating to it. The clinical evaluation was interpreted as a transfer metatarsalgia caused by a splayfoot. The radiographs revealed no pathology except the splayfoot deformity. Due to persistent pain and swelling of the entire forefoot, after two weeks of conventional treatment, magnet resonance images (MRI) and a blood sample were taken. The laboratory investigation showed raised levels of white blood cell count and C-reactive protein. The MRI showed up oedema in the metatarsal heads II-IV, as well as soft tissue swelling of the forefoot without any signs of decomposition

The impact of genital warts: loss of quality of life and cost of treatment in eight sexual health clinics in the UK

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the loss of quality of life and cost of treatment associated with genital warts seen in sexual health clinics. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire study and case note review of individuals with genital warts, carried out in eight sexual health clinics in England and Northern Ireland. Individuals with genital warts attending the participating clinics were invited to take part in the questionnaire study. 895 participants were recruited. A separate sample of 370 participants who had attended a participating clinic with a first visit for a first or recurrent episode of genital warts between April and June 2007 was included in the case note review. Quality of life was measured using the EQ-5D questionnaire and the cost of an episode of care was derived from the case note review. RESULTS: The weighted mean EQ-5D index score was 0.87 (95% CI 0.85 to 0.89). The weighted mean disutility was 0.056 (95% CI 0.038 to 0.074). The estimated mean loss of quality-adjusted life-years associated with an episode of genital warts was 0.018 (95% CI 0.0079 to 0.031), equivalent to 6.6 days of healthy life lost per episode. The weighted mean cost per episode of care was £94 (95% CI £84 to £104), not including the cost of a sexually transmitted infection screen. CONCLUSIONS: Genital warts have a substantial impact on the health service and the individual. This information can be utilised for economic evaluation of human papillomavirus vaccination

A Data Driven Approach to Audiovisual Speech Mapping

The concept of using visual information as part of audio speech processing has been of significant recent interest. This paper presents a data driven approach that considers estimating audio speech acoustics using only temporal visual information without considering linguistic features such as phonemes and visemes. Audio (log filterbank) and visual (2D-DCT) features are extracted, and various configurations of MLP and datasets are used to identify optimal results, showing that given a sequence of prior visual frames an equivalent reasonably accurate audio frame estimation can be mapped

MicroRNA-510-3p and Its Gene Network in the Disease Regulation of Preeclampsia: An Insilico Approach

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a major health complication for pregnant women that increases the risk of mortality and morbidity. Knowledge of the complex molecular mechanisms associated with PE is incomplete and methods for early diagnosis and treatment options in PE are limited. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs involved in pathogenesis of various diseases including PE. In our previous studies, we identified a relationship between miR-510-3p and PE. However, the exact molecular mechanisms and genes regulated by miR-510-3p have not been elucidated. Methods: In this study, we employed the bioinformatic tools including miRbase, RNAcomposer, RNAfold, TargetScan, miRDB, miRTarbase to analyze the secondary structure and targets of miR-510-3p from the publicly available databases. We compared the miR-510-3p target genes with PE genes retrieved from the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) genes database. The miR-510-3p target genes that were involved in PE were further subjected to gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia for Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis to analyse their biological, molecular and cellular role in PE. STRING, Shiny GO, Cytoscape and Metascape were used for the GO and KEGG analysis. Results and Conclusions: MicroRNA-510-3p had a minimum free energy of –29.10 Kcal and A+U content of 55.4%, suggesting stability and binding affinity towards its targets. Genes that were involved in the positive regulation of angiogenesis were identified, since angiogenesis is an important process in PE. ADAM12, ANGPT2, CHRNA7, DDAH1, ERAP1, FGF2, GRN, HGF, HIF1A, HK2, HMGB1, HMOX1, IL1A, KDR, NRP1, PRKCB, SERPINE1, SIRT1, TGFBR2, THBS1, TLR3, VEGFA, and WNT5A were the miR-510-3p targets involved in the positive regulation of angiogenesis. In conclusion, miR-510-3p is postulated to play an important role in the pathogenesis of PE. Hence, further studies could define miR-510-3p as a novel therapeutic target for PE

Patient access to complex chronic disease records on the internet

Background: Access to medical records on the Internet has been reported to be acceptable and popular with patients, although most published evaluations have been of primary care or office-based practice. We tested the feasibility and acceptability of making unscreened results and data from a complex chronic disease pathway (renal medicine) available to patients over the Internet in a project involving more than half of renal units in the UK. Methods: Content and presentation of the Renal PatientView (RPV) system was developed with patient groups. It was designed to receive information from multiple local information systems and to require minimal extra work in units. After piloting in 4 centres in 2005 it was made available more widely. Opinions were sought from both patients who enrolled and from those who did not in a paper survey, and from staff in an electronic survey. Anonymous data on enrolments and usage were extracted from the webserver. Results: By mid 2011 over 17,000 patients from 47 of the 75 renal units in the UK had registered. Users had a wide age range (<10 to >90 yrs) but were younger and had more years of education than non-users. They were enthusiastic about the concept, found it easy to use, and 80% felt it gave them a better understanding of their disease. The most common reason for not enrolling was being unaware of the system. A minority of patients had security concerns, and these were reduced after enrolling. Staff responses were also strongly positive. They reported that it aided patient concordance and disease management, and increased the quality of consultations with a neutral effect on consultation length. Neither patient nor staff responses suggested that RPV led to an overall increase in patient anxiety or to an increased burden on renal units beyond the time required to enrol each patient. Conclusions: Patient Internet access to secondary care records concerning a complex chronic disease is feasible and popular, providing an increased sense of empowerment and understanding, with no serious identified negative consequences. Security concerns were present but rarely prevented participation. These are powerful reasons to make this type of access more widely available

Sri Lankan tsunami refugees: a cross sectional study of the relationships between housing conditions and self-reported health

BACKGROUND: On the 26th December 2004 the Asian tsunami devastated the Sri Lankan coastline. More than two years later, over 14,500 families were still living in transitional shelters. This study compares the health of the internally displaced people (IDP), living in transitional camps with those in permanent housing projects provided by government and non-government organisations in Sri Lanka. METHODS: This study was conducted in seven transitional camps and five permanent housing projects in the south west of Sri Lanka. Using an interviewer-led questionnaire, data on the IDPs' self-reported health and housing conditions were collected from 154 participants from transitional camps and 147 participants from permanent housing projects. Simple tabulation with non-parametric tests and logistic regression were used to identify and analyse relationships between housing conditions and the reported prevalence of specific symptoms. RESULTS: Analysis showed that living conditions were significantly worse in transitional camps than in permanent housing projects for all factors investigated, except 'having a leaking roof'. Transitional camp participants scored significantly lower on self-perceived overall health scores than those living in housing projects. After controlling for gender, age and marital status, living in a transitional camp compared to a housing project was found to be a significant risk factor for the following symptoms; coughs OR: 3.53 (CI: 2.11-5.89), stomach ache 4.82 (2.19-10.82), headache 5.20 (3.09-8.76), general aches and pains 6.44 (3.67-11.33) and feeling generally unwell 2.28 (2.51-7.29). Within transitional camp data, the only condition shown to be a significant risk factor for any symptom was household population density, which increased the risk of stomach aches 1.40 (1.09-1.79) and headaches 1.33 (1.01-1.77). CONCLUSION: Internally displaced people living in transitional camps are a vulnerable population and specific interventions need to be targeted at this population to address the health inequalities that they report to be experiencing. Further studies need to be conducted to establish which aspects of their housing environment predispose them to poorer health

The role of childhood social position in adult type 2 diabetes: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Copyright @ 2014 Pikhartova et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Background: Socioeconomic circumstances in childhood and early adulthood may influence the later onset of chronic disease, although such research is limited for type 2 diabetes and its risk factors at the different stages of life. The main aim of the present study is to examine the role of childhood social position and later inflammatory markers and health behaviours in developing type 2 diabetes at older ages using a pathway analytic approach. Methods. Data on childhood and adult life circumstances of 2,994 men and 4,021 women from English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) were used to evaluate their association with diabetes at age 50 years and more. The cases of diabetes were based on having increased blood levels of glycated haemoglobin and/or self-reported medication for diabetes and/or being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Father's job when ELSA participants were aged 14 years was used as the measure of childhood social position. Current social characteristics, health behaviours and inflammatory biomarkers were used as potential mediators in the statistical analysis to assess direct and indirect effects of childhood circumstances on diabetes in later life. Results: 12.6 per cent of participants were classified as having diabetes. A disadvantaged social position in childhood, as measured by father's manual occupation, was associated at conventional levels of statistical significance with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood, both directly and indirectly through inflammation, adulthood social position and a risk score constructed from adult health behaviours including tobacco smoking and limited physical activity. The direct effect of childhood social position was reduced by mediation analysis (standardised coefficient decreased from 0.089 to 0.043) but remained statistically significant (p = 0.035). All three indirect pathways made a statistically significantly contribution to the overall effect of childhood social position on adulthood type 2 diabetes. Conclusions: Childhood social position influences adult diabetes directly and indirectly through inflammatory markers, adulthood social position and adult health behaviours. © 2014Pikhartova et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.Economic and Social Research Council-funded International Centre for Life Course Studies in Society and Health (RES-596-28-0001)

Foodways in transition: food plants, diet and local perceptions of change in a Costa Rican Ngäbe community

Background Indigenous populations are undergoing rapid ethnobiological, nutritional and socioeconomic transitions while being increasingly integrated into modernizing societies. To better understand the dynamics of these transitions, this article aims to characterize the cultural domain of food plants and analyze its relation with current day diets, and the local perceptions of changes given amongst the Ngäbe people of Southern Conte-Burica, Costa Rica, as production of food plants by its residents is hypothesized to be drastically in recession with an decreased local production in the area and new conservation and development paradigms being implemented. Methods Extensive freelisting, interviews and workshops were used to collect the data from 72 participants on their knowledge of food plants, their current dietary practices and their perceptions of change in local foodways, while cultural domain analysis, descriptive statistical analyses and development of fundamental explanatory themes were employed to analyze the data. Results Results show a food plants domain composed of 140 species, of which 85 % grow in the area, with a medium level of cultural consensus, and some age-based variation. Although many plants still grow in the area, in many key species a decrease on local production–even abandonment–was found, with much reduced cultivation areas. Yet, the domain appears to be largely theoretical, with little evidence of use; and the diet today is predominantly dependent on foods bought from the store (more than 50 % of basic ingredients), many of which were not salient or not even recognized as ‘food plants’ in freelists exercises. While changes in the importance of food plants were largely deemed a result of changes in cultural preferences for store bought processed food stuffs and changing values associated with farming and being food self-sufficient, Ngäbe were also aware of how changing household livelihood activities, and the subsequent loss of knowledge and use of food plants, were in fact being driven by changes in social and political policies, despite increases in forest cover and biodiversity. Conclusions Ngäbe foodways are changing in different and somewhat disconnected ways: knowledge of food plants is varied, reflecting most relevant changes in dietary practices such as lower cultivation areas and greater dependence on food from stores by all families. We attribute dietary shifts to socioeconomic and political changes in recent decades, in particular to a reduction of local production of food, new economic structures and agents related to the State and globalization