Understanding drought dynamics during dry season in Eastern Northeast Brazil

Eastern Northeast Brazil (ENEB) generally experiences a high variability in precipitation in the dry season, with amplitudes that can overcome 500mm. The understanding of this variability can help in mitigating the socio-economic issues related to the planning and management of water resources this region, which is highly vulnerable to drought. This work aims to assess spatio-temporal variability of precipitation during the dry season and investigate the relationships between climate phenomena and drought events in the ENEB, using univariate (Spearman correlation) and multivariate statistical techniques, such as Principal Component Analysis, Cluster Analysis, and Maximum Covariance Analysis. The results indicate that the variability of precipitation in the dry season can be explained mainly (62%) by local physical conditions and climate conditions have a secondary contribution. Further analysis of the larger anomalous events suggests that the state of Atlantic and Pacific oceans can govern the occurrence of those events, and the conditions of Atlantic Ocean can be considered a potential modulator of anomalous phenomena of precipitation in ENEB

Dental Visit in the Healthcare Program for Kids: Strategies and Challenges in the View of Oral Health Teams in Basic Health Units of Porto Alegre, Brazil

Objective: To analyze the perceptions and strategies influencing the achievement of dental visit targets in the Healthcare Program for Kids in the view of the oral health team in basic health units in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Material and Methods: Qualitative study of the descriptive-exploratory type with two focus groups at 12 Health Units in Porto Alegre, RS, with participation of 17 members of oral health teams from different units. Results: The collected data suggest the use of strategies to meet the goals of the Oral Health Program, such as an open schedule, education and health groups, days on which families attend the health unit because of the Bolsa Família Program, vaccination campaign days and home visits. The data also suggest, in order to meet the goals, working jointly with the multiprofessional team and formation of ties, allowing for a greater interaction with patients at the Health Unit, in addition to listening to the life stories of the population and the community. A better understanding of the proposal by health teams for the actions to be carried out horizontally and the greater difficulty in having children at the appointments on days when their mothers work turned out to be challenges. Conclusion: The use of these strategies tends to help and influence the maintenance and implementation of public policies oriented to dental care at an early age and reorient health practices so as to contribute to the strengthening of collectivities

On the General Kerr/CFT Correspondence in Arbitrary Dimensions

We study conformal symmetries on the horizon of a general stationary and axisymmetric black hole. We find that there exist physically reasonable boundary conditions that uniquely determine a set of symmetry generators, which form one copy of the Virasoro algebra. For extremal black holes, Cardy's formula reproduces exactly the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy.Comment: 17 page

HYDROGEN FROM BIOMASS GAS STEAM REFORMING FOR LOW TEMPERATURE FUEL CELL: ENERGY AND EXERGY ANALYSIS

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)This work presents a method to analyze hydrogen production by biomass gasification, as well as electric power generation in small scale fuel cells. The proposed methodology is the thermodynamic modeling of a reaction system for the conversion of methane and carbon monoxide (steam reforming), as well as the energy balance of gaseous flow purification in PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) is used with eight types of gasification gases in this study. The electric power is generated by electrochemical hydrogen conversion in fuel cell type PEMFC (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell). Energy and exergy analyses are applied to evaluate the performance of the system model. The simulation demonstrates that hydrogen production varies with the operation temperature of the reforming reactor and with the composition of the gas mixture. The maximum H(2) mole fraction (0.6-0.64 mol.mol(-1)) and exergetic efficiency of 91-92.5% for the reforming reactor are achieved when gas mixtures of higher quality such as: GGAS2, GGAS4 and GGAS5 are used. The use of those gas mixtures for electric power generation results in lower irreversibility and higher exergetic efficiency of 30-30.5%.261159169Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Prevalence of enterotoxigenic and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in pigs slaughtered in Mato Grosso, Brazil

Introduction: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains in pigs slaughtered in abattoirs located in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Methodology: Intestinal samples from 74 animals were aseptically dissected and lumen content was plated on MacConkey agar. Confluent colonies from each plate were screened for the presence of ETEC and STEC strains by PCR assays. Results: It was verified that the prevalence of STEC and ETEC carriers was 1.35% and 9.46% respectively. One (1.35%) of the 74 samples tested was positive for the stx2 gene, and seven (9.46%) for st1, of which two (2.70%) were also positive for lt1. Conclusion: The results provided represent a benchmark for future research on pathogenic E. coli of porcine origin in Mato Grosso.5212312

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

Rapid overview of systematic reviews of nocebo effects reported by patients taking placebos in clinical trials

Background Trial participants in placebo groups report experiencing adverse events (AEs). Existing systematic reviews have not been synthesized, leaving questions about why these events occur as well as their prevalence across different conditions unanswered. Objectives (1) To synthesize the evidence of prevalence of AEs in trial placebo groups across different conditions. (2) To compare AEs in trial placebo groups with AEs reported in untreated groups within a subset of randomized trials. Search methods We searched PubMed for records with the word “nocebo” in the title and “systematic” in any field. We also contacted experts and hand-searched references of included studies. Study eligibility We included any systematic review of randomized trials where nocebo effects were reported. We excluded systematic reviews of non-randomized studies. Participants and interventions We included studies in any disease area. Study appraisal and synthesis methods We appraised the quality of the studies using a shortened version of the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews tool (AMSTAR) tool. We reported medians and interquartile ranges (IQRs) of AEs. Among the trials within the review that included untreated groups, we compared the prevalence of AEs in untreated groups with the prevalence of AEs in placebo groups. Results We identified 20 systematic reviews. These included 1271 randomized trials and 250,726 placebo-treated patients. The median prevalence of AEs in trial placebo groups was 49.1% (IQR 25.7–64.4%). The median rate of dropouts due to AEs was 5% (IQR 2.28–8.4%). Within the 15 of trials that reported AEs in untreated groups, we found that the AE rate in placebo groups (6.51%) was higher than that reported in untreated groups (4.25%). Limitations This study was limited by the quality of included reviews and the small number of trials that included untreated groups. Conclusions and implications of key findings AEs in trial placebo groups are common and cannot be attributed entirely to natural history. Trial methodologies that reduce AEs in placebo groups while satisfying the requirement of informed consent should be developed and implemented

The Calcitonin and Glucocorticoids Combination: Mechanistic Insights into Their Class-Effect Synergy in Experimental Arthritis

PMCID: PMC3564948This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Body composition and body fat distribution are related to cardiac autonomic control in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Heart rate recovery (HRR), a cardiac autonomic control marker, was shown to be related to body composition (BC), yet this was not tested in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. The aim of this study was to determine if, and to what extent, markers of BC and body fat (BF) distribution are related to cardiac autonomic control in NAFLD patients. SUBJECTS/METHODS: BC was assessed with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 28 NAFLD patients (19 men, 51±13 years, and 9 women, 47±13 years). BF depots ratios were calculated to assess BF distribution. Subjects’ HRR was recorded 1 (HRR1) and 2 min (HRR2) immediately after a maximum graded exercise test. RESULTS: BC and BF distribution were related to HRR; particularly weight, trunk BF and trunk BF-to-appendicular BF ratio showed a negative relation with HRR1 (r 1⁄4 0.613, r 1⁄4 0.597 and r 1⁄4 0.547, respectively, Po0.01) and HRR2 (r 1⁄4 0.484, r 1⁄4 0.446, Po0.05, and r 1⁄4 0.590, Po0.01, respectively). Age seems to be related to both HRR1 and HRR2 except when controlled for BF distribution. The preferred model in multiple regression should include trunk BF-to-appendicular BF ratio and BF to predict HRR1 (r2 1⁄4 0.549; Po0.05), and trunk BF-to-appendicular BF ratio alone to predict HRR2 (r2 1⁄4 0.430; Po0.001). CONCLUSIONS: BC and BF distribution were related to HRR in NAFLD patients. Trunk BF-to-appendicular BF ratio was the best independent predictor of HRR and therefore may be best related to cardiovascular increased risk, and possibly act as a mediator in age-related cardiac autonomic control variation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio