[Policies and innovation in mental healthcare: limits to decoupling from the performance of the SUS].

PubMed

Ribeiro, José Mendes; Inglez-Dias, Aline

2011-12-01

We studied Brazilian policies on mental health with respect to normative, supply and demand and financing aspects. We concluded that the sustainability of innovations in psychiatric reform depends on enhanced financing and integration with primary care community services, on the overall performance of SUS and the reduction of autonomous and exclusive services in primary care. There is high and rising pressure in demand for services measured in DALY and the incidence of disease. The reduction observed in psychiatric beds was accompanied by the systemic reduction, though with selective reduction for psychiatric hospitalizations. CAPS services have institutional limits due to the model adopted of direct public administration and local government capacity. Secondary data available show that: (i) SUS has a virtual monopoly on general outpatient and hospital services; (ii) mental health specialists belong mostly to SUS; (iii) most mental health services are outpatient services; (iv) few CAPS have day-bed services available; and (v) there is reduced federal financing for these innovations.

77 FR 2306 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, Disaster...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-17

... Papel/Registro Para Asistencia De Desastre; FEMA Form 009-0-1S (English) Smartphone, Disaster Assistance Registration; FEMA Form 009-0-2S (Spanish) Smartphone, Registro Para Asistencia De Desastre; FEMA Form 009-0-3...), FEMA Forms 009-0-1 and 009-0-2, 18 minutes; Smartphone Application for Disaster Assistance, FEMA Forms...

76 FR 62429 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, OMB No. 1660-0002...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-07

... De Desastre; FEMA Form 009-0-1S (English) Smartphone, Disaster Assistance Registration; FEMA Form 009-0-2S (Spanish) Smartphone, Registro Para Asistencia De Desastre; FEMA Form 009-0-3 (English... Smartphone Application for 192,447.20 1 192,447.20 .3 57,734 30.66 1,770,124.40 Disaster Assistance/FEMA...

SusG: A Unique Cell-Membrane-Associated [alpha]-Amylase from a Prominent Human Gut Symbiont Targets Complex Starch Molecules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koropatkin, Nicole M.; Smith, Thomas J.

SusG is an {alpha}-amylase and part of a large protein complex on the outer surface of the bacterial cell and plays a major role in carbohydrate acquisition by the animal gut microbiota. Presented here, the atomic structure of SusG has an unusual extended, bilobed structure composed of amylase at one end and an unprecedented internal carbohydrate-binding motif at the other. Structural studies further demonstrate that the carbohydrate-binding motif binds maltooligosaccharide distal to, and on the opposite side of, the amylase catalytic site. SusG has an additional starch-binding site on the amylase domain immediately adjacent to the active cleft. Mutagenesis analysismore » demonstrates that these two additional starch-binding sites appear to play a role in catabolism of insoluble starch. However, elimination of these sites has only a limited effect, suggesting that they may have a more important role in product exchange with other Sus components.« less

Texture and phase analysis of deformed SUS304 by using HIPPO

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takajo, Shigehiro; Vogel, Sven C.

2016-11-15

These slides represent the author's research activity at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), which is about texture and phase analysis of deformed SUS304 by using HIPPO. The following topics are covered: diffraction histogram at each sample position, diffraction histogram (all bank data averaged), possiblity of ε-phase, MAUD analysis with including ε-phase.

Preface to Special Issue of ChemSusChem on Perovskite Optoelectronics.

PubMed

Bolink, Henk J; Mhaisalkar, Subodh G

2017-10-09

This Editorial introduces one of two companion Special Issues on "Halide Perovskites for Optoelectronics Applications" in ChemSusChem and Energy Technology following the ICMAT 2017 Conference in Singapore. More information on the other Special Issue can be found in the Editorial published in Energy Technology. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

PREVENCIÓN DEL VIH/SIDA EN LOS CIRCUITOS DE LEVANTE HSH: UNA ASIGNATURA PENDIENTE.

PubMed

Barreda, Victoria; Carballo-Dieguez, Alex; Marone, Rubén; Balán, Iván; Pando, María Ángeles; Avila, María Mercedes

2010-12-01

A partir de un relevamiento de tipo etnográfico, se describen lugares de encuentro de HSH en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires y sus prácticas sexuales. El reconocimiento de tales espacios, así como las características que asumen en ellos los encuentros sexuales entre los HSH, plantean obstáculos específicos en la adopción de comportamientos preventivos y, asimismo, generan nuevos desafíos para las actividades de prevención. Se plantean las dificultades y debates conceptuales que la misma categoría presenta, y sus consecuencias en el abordaje preventivo y teórico-metodológico para las ciencias sociales. Además, se proponen nuevos interrogantes acerca de los alcances y las limitaciones del modelo preventivo del VIH/Sida para HSH.

A Study of Instructional Faculty Salaries at USF, SUS and National Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Micceri, Theodore

2010-01-01

This study investigates 10-year trends in instructional faculty salaries by sex and rank for USF, five SUS Peers (UF, FSU, FIU, UCF, FAU) and eight National Peers (North Carolina State, Alabama-Birmingham, Illinois-Chicago, California-Irvine, SUNY-Stony Brook, SUNY-Buffalo, Cincinnati, Rutgers). Methods: Historical instructional faculty salary…

2013 Higher Education Summit/SUS Data Workshop Proceedings. Session: IRM Data Workshop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Board of Governors, State University System of Florida, 2013

2013-01-01

Information Resource Management--State University System of Florida (IRM-SUS) is the primary collector and provider of data concerning state universities that is used to make sound education policy decisions. The office provides technical assistance to those using the information, state and federal reporting support, those supplying information,…

Peligros de deslizamientos [Landslide Hazards

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2000-01-01

Deslizamientos, flujos de escombrera y desastres geológicos similares provenientes de volcanes ocurren alrededor del mundo. Cada año estos desastres causan billones de dólares en pérdidas y un sinnúmero de fatalidades y heridos. El primer paso para reducir los efectos dañinos causados por estos desastres es el conocimiento y educación acerca de ellos. El Servicio Geológico de los Estados Unidos se dedica a educar una gran cantidad de personas a través de información e investigaciones acerca de peligros geológicos. Este documento está publicado en inglés y español y puede ser reproducido de cualquier forma para fomentar su distribución.

SUS in nuclear medicine in Brazil: analysis and comparison of data provided by Datasus and CNEN*

PubMed Central

Pozzo, Lorena; Coura Filho, George; Osso Júnior, João Alberto; Squair, Peterson Lima

2014-01-01

Objective To investigate the outpatient access to nuclear medicine procedures by means of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), analyzing the correspondence between data provided by this system and those from Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN) (National Commission of Nuclear Energy). Materials and Methods Data provided by Datasus regarding number of scintillation chambers, outpatient procedures performed from 2008 to 2012, administrative responsibility for such procedures, type of service providers and outsourced services were retrieved and evaluated. Also, such data were compared with those from institutions certified by CNEN. Results The present study demonstrated that the system still lacks maturity in terms of correct data input, particularly regarding equipment available. It was possible to list the most common procedures and check the growth of the specialty along the study period. Private centers are responsible for most of the procedures covered and reimbursed by SUS. However, many healthcare facilities are not certified by CNEN. Conclusion Datasus provides relevant data for analysis as done in the present study, although some issues still require attention. The present study has quantitatively depicted the Brazilian reality regarding access to nuclear medicine procedures offered by/for SUS. PMID:25741070

SUS in nuclear medicine in Brazil: analysis and comparison of data provided by Datasus and CNEN.

PubMed

Pozzo, Lorena; Coura Filho, George; Osso Júnior, João Alberto; Squair, Peterson Lima

2014-01-01

To investigate the outpatient access to nuclear medicine procedures by means of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), analyzing the correspondence between data provided by this system and those from Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN) (National Commission of Nuclear Energy). Data provided by Datasus regarding number of scintillation chambers, outpatient procedures performed from 2008 to 2012, administrative responsibility for such procedures, type of service providers and outsourced services were retrieved and evaluated. Also, such data were compared with those from institutions certified by CNEN. The present study demonstrated that the system still lacks maturity in terms of correct data input, particularly regarding equipment available. It was possible to list the most common procedures and check the growth of the specialty along the study period. Private centers are responsible for most of the procedures covered and reimbursed by SUS. However, many healthcare facilities are not certified by CNEN. Datasus provides relevant data for analysis as done in the present study, although some issues still require attention. The present study has quantitatively depicted the Brazilian reality regarding access to nuclear medicine procedures offered by/for SUS.

PREVENCIÓN DEL VIH/SIDA EN LOS CIRCUITOS DE LEVANTE HSH: UNA ASIGNATURA PENDIENTE1

PubMed Central

Barreda, Victoria; Carballo-Dieguez, Alex; Marone, Rubén; Balán, Iván; Pando, María Ángeles; Ávila, María Mercedes

2011-01-01

Resumen A partir de un relevamiento de tipo etnográfico, se describen lugares de encuentro de HSH en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires y sus prácticas sexuales. El reconocimiento de tales espacios, así como las características que asumen en ellos los encuentros sexuales entre los HSH, plantean obstáculos específicos en la adopción de comportamientos preventivos y, asimismo, generan nuevos desafíos para las actividades de prevención. Se plantean las dificultades y debates conceptuales que la misma categoría presenta, y sus consecuencias en el abordaje preventivo y teórico-metodológico para las ciencias sociales. Además, se proponen nuevos interrogantes acerca de los alcances y las limitaciones del modelo preventivo del VIH/Sida para HSH. PMID:21874154

Comparison of methods of extracting messenger Ribonucleic Acid from ejaculated Porcine (Sus Scrofa) Spermatozoa

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

H. D. Guthrie, G.R. Welch, and L. A. Blomberg. Comparison of Methods of Extracting Messenger Ribonucleic Acid from Ejaculated Porcine (Sus Scrofa) Spermatozoa. Biotechnology and Germplasm Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service U. S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705 The purpos...

Estudio de nuevos vidrios y materiales vitrocristalinos del sistema Li2O-CdO-SiO2 con posible utilidad en la industria nuclear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rincon Lopez, Jesus M.

La electrodialisis es una tecnica que permite concentrar disoluciones salinas obteniendose como consecuencia de esta operacion dos corrientes acuosas: una concentrada en sales y otra diluida. La posibilidad de aplicar esta tecnica al tratamiento de residuos acuosos radiactivos ha sido puesta de manifiesto y en la actualidad existen instalaciones piloto en varios paises. Se ha estudiado el comportamiento de estroncio y cesio en el proceso por ser sus isotopos estroncio-90 y cesio-137 los productos de fision de vida mas larga producidos en los reactores de potencia.

A SEROLOGIC SURVEY OF PATHOGENS IN WILD BOAR ( SUS SCROFA) IN SWEDEN.

PubMed

Malmsten, Anna; Magnusson, Ulf; Ruiz-Fons, Francisco; González-Barrio, David; Dalin, Anne-Marie

2018-04-01

  The wild boar ( Sus scrofa) population has increased markedly during the last three decades in Sweden and in other parts of Europe. This population growth may lead to increased contact between the wild boar and the domestic pig ( Sus scrofa scrofa), increasing the risk of transmission of pathogens. The objective of our study was to estimate the seroprevalence of selective pathogens, known to be shared between wild boars and domestic pigs in Europe, in three wild boar populations in Sweden. In total, 286 hunter-harvested female wild boars were included in this study. The sera were analyzed for antibodies against nine pathogens using different commercial or in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Antibodies were detected against porcine parvovirus (78.0%), porcine circovirus type 2 (99.0%), swine influenza virus (3.8%), Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae (17.5%), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (24.8%), and Toxoplasma gondii (28.6%). No antibodies were detected against porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus, Brucella suis, or Mycobacterium bovis. Our results highlight the potential importance of the wild boar as a reservoir for pathogens potentially transmissible to domestic pigs and which also may affect human health.

SUS users' perception: a speech-language pathology approach based on health promotion.

PubMed

Cunha, Jenane Topanotti da; Massi, Giselle; Guarinello, Ana Cristina; Pereira, Francine Martins

2016-01-01

This study aimed to analyze the perceptions of users of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) about the treatment Center where they were assisted, as well as about the speech-language pathology services rendered by this Center. This is a transversal study composed of an interview with 26 open questions and 14 closed questions applied to 111 individuals who were assisted at the SUS Center in August 2013. The quantitative content analysis was conducted through the use of the GraphPadPrisma 5.1, Statistic Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 15.0 software and the application of the D'agostino & Person, F-test and chi-squared test. Most participants reported a positive perception about the facilities and staff of the treatment center. They were also positive about the waiting time and the speech-language pathologists' explanations and conduct, especially in the audiology department. Most responses from participants were short and did not present an argumentative context. The treatment center received a high approval rating by most users. The audiology department had better grades than the clinical services related to language and oral motor pathologies.

A systematic review of the process of regionalization of Brazil's Unified Health System, SUS.

PubMed

Mello, Guilherme Arantes; Pereira, Ana Paula Chancharulo de Morais; Uchimura, Liza Yurie Teruya; Iozzi, Fabíola Lana; Demarzo, Marcelo Marcos Piva; Viana, Ana Luiza d'Ávila

2017-04-01

This review focuses only on specific studies into the SUS regionalization process, which were based on empirical results and published since 2006, when the SUS was already under the aegis of the Pact for Health framework. It was found that the regionalization process is now underway in all spheres of government, subject to a set of challenges common to the different realities of the country. These include, primarily, that committee-structured entities are valued as spaces for innovation, yet also strive to overcome the bureaucratic and clientelist political culture. Regional governance is further hampered by the fragmentation of the system and, in particular, by the historical deficiency in planning, from the local level to the strategic policies for technology incorporation. The analyses enabled the identification of a culture of broad privilege for political negotiation, to the detriment of planning, as one of the main factors responsible for a vicious circle that sustains technical deficiency in management.

High prevalence of co-infection with multiple Torque teno sus virus species in Italian pig herds.

PubMed

Blois, Sylvain; Mallus, Francesca; Liciardi, Manuele; Pilo, Cristian; Camboni, Tania; Macera, Lisa; Maggi, Fabrizio; Manzin, Aldo

2014-01-01

Torque teno viruses (TTVs) are a large group of vertebrate-infecting small viruses with circular single-stranded DNA, classified in the Anelloviridae family. In swine, two genetically distinct species, Torque teno sus virus 1a (TTSuV1a) and 1b (TTSuV1b) are currently grouped into the genus Iotatorquevirus. More recently, a novel Torque teno sus virus species, named Torque teno sus virus k2b (TTSuVk2b), has been included with Torque teno sus virus k2a (TTSuVk2a) into the genus Kappatorquevirus. In the present study, TTSuV1 (TTSuV1a and TTSuV1b), TTSuVk2a and TTSuVk2b prevalence was evaluated in 721 serum samples of healthy pigs from Sardinian farms, insular Italy. This is the largest study to date on the presence of TTSuV in healthy pigs in Italy. The global prevalence of infection was 83.2% (600/721), being 62.3% (449/721), 60.6% (437/721), and 11.5% (83/721) the prevalence of TTSuV1, TTSuVk2a and TTSuVk2b, respectively. The rate of co-infection with two and/or three species was also calculated, and data show that co-infections were significantly more frequent than infections with single species, and that TTSuV1+TTSuVk2a double infection was the prevalent combination (35.4%). Quantitative results obtained using species-specific real time-qPCR evidenced the highest mean levels of viremia in the TTSuV1 subgroup, and the lowest in the TTSuVk2b subgroup. Interestingly, multiple infections with distinct TTSuV species seemed to significantly affect the DNA load and specifically, data highlighted that double infection with TTSuVk2a increased the viral titers of TTSuV1, likewise the co-infection with TTSuVk2b increased the titers of TTSuVk2a.

Equity inthe use of dental services provided by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) among the elderly: a population-based study.

PubMed

Oliveira, Renata Francine Rodrigues de; Souza, João Gabriel Silva; Haikal, Desireé Sant'Ana; Ferreira, Efigênia Ferreira E; Martins, Andréa Maria Eleutério de Barros Lima

2016-11-01

The scope of this study is to establish the profile of elderly users of dental services provided by the Brazilian Unified Health System(SUS) and associated factors from the standpoint of equity. It involves an analytical cross-sectional study with hierarchical modeling conducted on the basis of a complex probabilistic sample of groups of the elderly (65-74 years of age) living in a densely populated Brazilian city. Independent variables were included relating to: socio-demographic characteristics, access to information on health, behaviors/health-care system and health outcomes. Descriptive, bivariate and multiple hierarchical analysis was performed. Of the 480 elderly persons included, 138 (31.2%) used dental services from the SUS. Use of these services was greater as per capita income and level of schooling decreased. It was lower among those who had not conducted exams of their own mouths (oral self-examinations) and higher among those individuals who used dental services for non-routine procedures. In addition, people whose relationship had been affected by oral health issues and a negative perception of their appearance used the SUS more frequently. The conclusion drawn is that the use of dental services of the SUS was most prevalent among the elderly living in precarious conditions.

Preparation of MgO/B₂O₃ coatings by plasma spraying on SUS304 surface and effects of heat-resistant.

PubMed

Song, Bo; Zhou, Ningning; Ju, Dongying

2013-12-01

This study mainly deals with the preparation of MgO/B2O3 coatings by plasma spraying on the SUS304 surface and the effects of heat-resistant. The power materials of low thermal conductivity were selected to control the heat divergent performance of high temperature parts. The reticular micro-structure between the cover thermal layer and the substrate was prepared by using the plasma spraying method. The powder mixture of MgO and B2O3 were selected as spraying materials and the SUS304 was used as the substrate material. The MgO/B2O3 coating was prepared on the surface of the SUS304 to provide better cover thermal performance. The properties of the microstructures and the morphologies were studied by Optical Microscope, Scanning Electron Microscope, Electron Probe Microanalyzer, and X-ray Diffraction. The results showed that the cover thermal performance has been improved. Copyright © 2013 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Political Obstacles to Regionalization of the SUS: perceptions of Municipal Health Secretaries with seat in the Bipartite Interagency Commissions.

PubMed

Moreira, Marcelo Rasga; Ribeiro, José Mendes; Ouverney, Assis Mafort

2017-04-01

This paper aims to identify and analyze the political obstacles to the implementation of Organizational Contract of Public Action (COAP) based on the perceptions of municipal health secretaries of Bipartite Interagency Commissions (CIB). For this purpose, we interviewed 195 secretaries (92% of the total) from October 2015 to August 2016. Based on the approach of policy analysis, the main hurdles identified were, in short, a traditional obstacle (lack of resources), one that has been gaining strength in recent years (judicialization of politics) and another, perhaps unheard of: the party-political system and the State Executive Branch are the great absentees in the coalitions in support of SUS regionalization policies. We can conclude that such obstacles indicate an extremely negative setting for the implementation of the COAP and other SUS regionalization policies. Thus, it is incumbent upon those involved to reflect, negotiate and build consensus on improving the health of the population and overcome such obstacles if, of course, they embrace the authors' concept that regionalization is fundamental for the SUS.

Survey for selected pathogens in wild pigs (Sus scrofa) from Guam, Marianna Islands, USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pigs (Sus scrofa) were introduced to the United States Territory of Guam in the late 1600’s and are now feral, widespread and present in high densities on parts of the island. Feral pigs are reservoirs for pathogens of concern to domestic animals and humans. Although there are no data on pathogen ex...

Cámara CCD Directa con el Telescopio de 2.15 m del CASLEO: algunos diagnósticos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cellone, S. A.

Se efectuaron algunas pruebas con la cámara CCD (+ Reductor Focal) instalada en el foco Cassegrain del Telescopio de 2.15 m del Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO). Las conclusiones más significativas son: Los tiempos de exposición efectivos difieren de los nominales en una fracción apreciable de segundo. En exposiciones de menos de 3 segundos, la iluminación no es pareja en todo el detector. En consecuencia, se recomiendan los pasos a seguir por los astrónomos tanto durante la observación como en la reducción de sus datos.

Phylogeny and ancient DNA of Sus provides insights into neolithic expansion in Island Southeast Asia and Oceania

PubMed Central

Larson, Greger; Cucchi, Thomas; Fujita, Masakatsu; Matisoo-Smith, Elizabeth; Robins, Judith; Anderson, Atholl; Rolett, Barry; Spriggs, Matthew; Dolman, Gaynor; Kim, Tae-Hun; Thuy, Nguyen Thi Dieu; Randi, Ettore; Doherty, Moira; Due, Rokus Awe; Bollt, Robert; Djubiantono, Tony; Griffin, Bion; Intoh, Michiko; Keane, Emile; Kirch, Patrick; Li, Kuang-Ti; Morwood, Michael; Pedriña, Lolita M.; Piper, Philip J.; Rabett, Ryan J.; Shooter, Peter; Van den Bergh, Gert; West, Eric; Wickler, Stephen; Yuan, Jing; Cooper, Alan; Dobney, Keith

2007-01-01

Human settlement of Oceania marked the culmination of a global colonization process that began when humans first left Africa at least 90,000 years ago. The precise origins and dispersal routes of the Austronesian peoples and the associated Lapita culture remain contentious, and numerous disparate models of dispersal (based primarily on linguistic, genetic, and archeological data) have been proposed. Here, through the use of mtDNA from 781 modern and ancient Sus specimens, we provide evidence for an early human-mediated translocation of the Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis) to Flores and Timor and two later separate human-mediated dispersals of domestic pig (Sus scrofa) through Island Southeast Asia into Oceania. Of the later dispersal routes, one is unequivocally associated with the Neolithic (Lapita) and later Polynesian migrations and links modern and archeological Javan, Sumatran, Wallacean, and Oceanic pigs with mainland Southeast Asian S. scrofa. Archeological and genetic evidence shows these pigs were certainly introduced to islands east of the Wallace Line, including New Guinea, and that so-called “wild” pigs within this region are most likely feral descendants of domestic pigs introduced by early agriculturalists. The other later pig dispersal links mainland East Asian pigs to western Micronesia, Taiwan, and the Philippines. These results provide important data with which to test current models for human dispersal in the region. PMID:17360400

Suppressor of sable [Su(s)] and Wdr82 down-regulate RNA from heat-shock-inducible repetitive elements by a mechanism that involves transcription termination

PubMed Central

Brewer-Jensen, Paul; Wilson, Carrie B.; Abernethy, John; Mollison, Lonna; Card, Samantha

2016-01-01

Although RNA polymerase II (Pol II) productively transcribes very long genes in vivo, transcription through extragenic sequences often terminates in the promoter-proximal region and the nascent RNA is degraded. Mechanisms that induce early termination and RNA degradation are not well understood in multicellular organisms. Here, we present evidence that the suppressor of sable [su(s)] regulatory pathway of Drosophila melanogaster plays a role in this process. We previously showed that Su(s) promotes exosome-mediated degradation of transcripts from endogenous repeated elements at an Hsp70 locus (Hsp70-αβ elements). In this report, we identify Wdr82 as a component of this process and show that it works with Su(s) to inhibit Pol II elongation through Hsp70-αβ elements. Furthermore, we show that the unstable transcripts produced during this process are polyadenylated at heterogeneous sites that lack canonical polyadenylation signals. We define two distinct regions that mediate this regulation. These results indicate that the Su(s) pathway promotes RNA degradation and transcription termination through a novel mechanism. PMID:26577379

[The interface between primary and secondary care in dentistry in the Unified Health System (SUS): an integrative systematic review].

PubMed

Silva, Helbert Eustáquio Cardoso da; Gottems, Leila Bernarda Donato

2017-08-01

Secondary care in dentistry in Brazil has scarce and broadly underutilized resources. The challenge is to organize the interface between primary health care (PHC) and secondary care in order to consolidate the population's access to specialist dental care in the Unified Health System (SUS). This article seeks to analyze national publications in Portuguese and English on the interface between secondary health care and primary health care in dentistry from the perspective of comprehensive care in the SUS. It is an integrative review, considering the publications of the following databases: SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Literature) WEB OF SCIENCE, SCOPUS, PubMed (International Literature on Health Sciences) and GOOGLE SCHOLAR. The search located 966 articles, of which 12 were used in full. Coverage of the oral health teams (ESB) in the family health strategy (ESF), primary health care implementation in a structured way, access to secondary health care, counter-referral to PHC, development of indicators and socioeconomic conditions and inequalities in the distribution of dental specialist centers (CEO) are factors that influence the integrity of oral health care in the SUS.

Occurrence and first molecular characterization of Sarcocystis spp. in wild boars (Sus scrofa) and domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) in Romania: Public health significance of the isolates.

PubMed

Imre, Kálmán; Sala, Claudia; Morar, Adriana; Imre, Mirela; Ciontu, Cătălin; Chisăliță, Ion; Dudu, Andreea; Matei, Marius; Dărăbuș, Gheorghe

2017-03-01

Domestic and wild pigs, as intermediate hosts, can harbor tissue cysts of three Sarcocystis species namely S. miescheriana, S. suihominis and S. porcifelis. Out of them, S. suihominis is zoonotic. Romania is a country with high consumption of raw and/or undercooked traditional pork products. This fact may greatly favor the acquiring of the zoonotic Sarcocystis infections by humans, as definitive host. Based on this consideration and in order to investigate the occurrence and public health significance of Sarcocystis spp. in two western counties (Caraş-Severin and Timiş) of Romania, a total of 165 heart samples from hunted wild boars (Sus scrofa, n=101) and home slaughtered domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus, n=64) were screened using microscopic fresh examination and molecular methods. Microscopic examination revealed the presence of sarcocysts in 60.4% of wild boars, and 23.4% of domestic pigs. Genetic characterization of isolates through the PCR-RFLP procedure, targeting the 18S rRNA gene, was successfully achieved for all microscopically positive samples, indicating the presence of a single species, S. miescheriana, in both hosts. The identity of 13 selected S. miescheriana isolates was also confirmed through sequencing. The tested hosts older than 27 months were found to be significantly higher infected (p<0.05) with Sarcocystis than the 6 to ≤27months age group. Although the human infective S. suihominis has not been registered, for a more reliable epidemiological picture, further molecular studies enrolling a larger number of animals and diagnosis on human intestinal Sarcocystis infections are still necessary. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Serological anthrax surveillance in wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Ukraine.

PubMed

Bagamian, Karoun H; Skrypnyk, Artem; Rodina, Yana; Bezymennyi, Maksym; Nevolko, Oleg; Skrypnyk, Valeriy; Blackburn, Jason K

2014-08-01

Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis, is an acute disease affecting wildlife, livestock, and humans worldwide, although its impact on these populations is underappreciated. In Ukraine, surveillance is passive, and anthrax is often detected in livestock. However, wildlife is not subject to surveillance, although anthrax deaths (such as in wild boar, Sus scrofa) have been documented. The wild boar is a plentiful and widespread species in Ukraine and is frequently hunted. We initiated a screening study testing Ukrainian wild boar blood samples for antibodies to B. anthracis. We mapped results relative to known livestock anthrax hotspots. We discovered evidence of exposure in wild boar up to 35 km from livestock anthrax hotspots and over 400 km from previous anthrax reports in boars. We make recommendations about using wildlife species as biosentinels for anthrax in Ukraine.

The Use of Genomics in Conservation Management of the Endangered Visayan Warty Pig (Sus cebifrons).

PubMed

Nuijten, Rascha J M; Bosse, Mirte; Crooijmans, Richard P M A; Madsen, Ole; Schaftenaar, Willem; Ryder, Oliver A; Groenen, Martien A M; Megens, Hendrik-Jan

2016-01-01

The list of threatened and endangered species is growing rapidly, due to various anthropogenic causes. Many endangered species are present in captivity and actively managed in breeding programs in which often little is known about the founder individuals. Recent developments in genetic research techniques have made it possible to sequence and study whole genomes. In this study we used the critically endangered Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons) as a case study to test the use of genomic information as a tool in conservation management. Two captive populations of S. cebifrons exist, which originated from two different Philippine islands. We found some evidence for a recent split between the two island populations; however all individuals that were sequenced show a similar demographic history. Evidence for both past and recent inbreeding indicated that the founders were at least to some extent related. Together with this, the low level of nucleotide diversity compared to other Sus species potentially poses a threat to the viability of the captive populations. In conclusion, genomic techniques answered some important questions about this critically endangered mammal and can be a valuable toolset to inform future conservation management in other species as well.

An Analysis of Recent Enrollment, Discipline and Graduation Trends among Females and Underrepresented Minorities at SUS Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Micceri, Theodore; Borman, Kathy

2006-01-01

Increased numbers of minority students as well as increased numbers of Florida high school graduates entering higher education in Florida have influenced Florida SUS [State University System] enrollment and graduation characteristics. This study of 510,952 undergraduate students shows that between the years 1996 and 2003, the number of entering…

Protein arginine methylation of Npl3 promotes splicing of the SUS1 intron harboring non-consensus 5' splice site and branch site.

PubMed

Muddukrishna, Bhavana; Jackson, Christopher A; Yu, Michael C

2017-06-01

Protein arginine methylation occurs on spliceosomal components and spliceosome-associated proteins, but how this modification contributes to their function in pre-mRNA splicing remains sparse. Here we provide evidence that protein arginine methylation of the yeast SR-/hnRNP-like protein Npl3 plays a role in facilitating efficient splicing of the SUS1 intron that harbors a non-consensus 5' splice site and branch site. In yeast cells lacking the major protein arginine methyltransferase HMT1, we observed a change in the co-transcriptional recruitment of the U1 snRNP subunit Snp1 and Npl3 to pre-mRNAs harboring both consensus (ECM33 and ASC1) and non-consensus (SUS1) 5' splice site and branch site. Using an Npl3 mutant that phenocopies wild-type Npl3 when expressed in Δhmt1 cells, we showed that the arginine methylation of Npl3 is responsible for this. Examination of pre-mRNA splicing efficiency in these mutants reveals the requirement of Npl3 methylation for the efficient splicing of SUS1 intron 1, but not of ECM33 or ASC1. Changing the 5' splice site and branch site in SUS1 intron 1 to the consensus form restored splicing efficiency in an Hmt1-independent manner. Results from biochemical studies show that methylation of Npl3 promotes its optimal association with the U1 snRNP through its association with the U1 snRNP subunit Mud1. Based on these data, we propose a model in which Hmt1, via arginine methylation of Npl3, facilitates U1 snRNP engagement with the pre-mRNA to promote usage of non-consensus splice sites by the splicing machinery. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Surface Alloying of SUS 321 Chromium-Nickel Steel by an Electron-Plasma Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, Yu. F.; Teresov, A. D.; Petrikova, E. A.; Krysina, O. V.; Ivanova, O. V.; Shugurov, V. V.; Moskvin, P. V.

2017-07-01

The mechanisms of forming nanostructured, nanophase layers are revealed and analyzed in austenitic steel subjected to surface alloying using an electron-plasma process. Nanostructured, nanophase layers up to 30 μm in thickness were formed by melting of the film/substrate system with an electron beam generated by a SOLO facility (Institute of High Current Electronics, SB RAS), Tomsk), which ensured crystallization and subsequent quenching at the cooling rates within the range 105-108 K/s. The surface was modified with structural stainless steel specimens (SUS 321 steel). The film/substrate system (film thickness 0.5 μm) was formed by a plasma-assisted vacuum-arc process by evaporating a cathode made from a sintered pseudoalloy of the following composition: Zr - 6 at.% Ti - 6 at.% Cu. The film deposition was performed in a QUINTA facility equipped with a PINK hot-cathode plasma source and DI-100 arc evaporators with accelerated cooling of the process cathode, which allowed reducing the size and fraction of the droplet phase in the deposited film. It is found that melting of the film/substrate system (Zr-Ti-Cu)/(SUS 321 steel) using a high-intensity pulsed electron beam followed by the high-rate crystallization is accompanied by the formation of α-iron cellular crystallization structure and precipitation of Cr2Zr, Cr3C2 and TiC particles on the cell boundaries, which as a whole allowed increasing microhardness by a factor of 1.3, Young's modulus - by a factor of 1.2, wear resistance - by a factor of 2.7, while achieving a three-fold reduction in the friction coefficient.

The evolution of the federal funding policies for the public health surveillance component of Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS).

PubMed

Pinto, Vitor Laerte; Cerbino Neto, José; Penna, Gerson Oliveira

2014-12-01

Health surveillance (HS) is one of the key components of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). This article describes recent changes in health surveillance funding models and the role these changes have had in the reorganization and decentralization of health actions. Federal law no. 8.080 of 1990 defined health surveillance as a fundamental pillar of the SUS, and an exclusive fund with equitable distribution criteria was created in the Basic Operational Norm of 1996 to pay for health surveillance actions. This step facilitated the decentralization of health care at the municipal level, giving local authorities autonomy to plan and provide services. The Health Pact of 2006 and its regulation under federal decree No. 3252 in 2009 bolstered the processes of decentralization, regionalization and integration of health care. Further changes in the basic concepts of health surveillance around the world and in the funding policies negotiated by different spheres of government in Brazil have been catalysts for the process of HS institutionalization in recent years.

A cephalometric comparative study of class II correction with Sabbagh Universal Spring (SUS2) and Forsus FRD appliances

PubMed Central

Oztoprak, Mehmet Oguz; Nalbantgil, Didem; Uyanlar, Ayhan; Arun, Tulin

2012-01-01

Objective The purpose of this clinical prospective study was to compare the dentofacial changes produced by the Sabbagh Universal Spring (SUS2) and Forsus FRD appliances in late adolescent patients with Class II malocclusion, and quantify them in comparison with an untreated group. Method: The study was carried out on 59 patients with skeletal and dental Class II malocclusion due to retrognatic mandible. Among these, 20 were treated with SUS2, 20 were treated with FRD, and no treatment was done to 19 subjects as the control group. 36 cephalometric landmarks were identified on each lateral cephalometric radiograph. Results: The effects of both appliances were dentoalveolar and no significant vertical and sagittal skeletal effect on maxilla and mandible was achieved. The retrusion and extrusion of the maxillary incisors as well as the protrusion and intrusion of mandibular incisors were found to be statistically significant in both treatment groups. Soft tissue profile improvement was limited in both treatment groups. Conclusions: Both appliances corrected Class II discrepancies through dentoalveolar changes; however lower incisor proclination was more prominent with the Forsus FRD. PMID:22904659

A cephalometric comparative study of class II correction with Sabbagh Universal Spring (SUS(2)) and Forsus FRD appliances.

PubMed

Oztoprak, Mehmet Oguz; Nalbantgil, Didem; Uyanlar, Ayhan; Arun, Tulin

2012-07-01

The purpose of this clinical prospective study was to compare the dentofacial changes produced by the Sabbagh Universal Spring (SUS(2)) and Forsus FRD appliances in late adolescent patients with Class II malocclusion, and quantify them in comparison with an untreated group. The study was carried out on 59 patients with skeletal and dental Class II malocclusion due to retrognatic mandible. Among these, 20 were treated with SUS(2), 20 were treated with FRD, and no treatment was done to 19 subjects as the control group. 36 cephalometric landmarks were identified on each lateral cephalometric radiograph. The effects of both appliances were dentoalveolar and no significant vertical and sagittal skeletal effect on maxilla and mandible was achieved. The retrusion and extrusion of the maxillary incisors as well as the protrusion and intrusion of mandibular incisors were found to be statistically significant in both treatment groups. Soft tissue profile improvement was limited in both treatment groups. Both appliances corrected Class II discrepancies through dentoalveolar changes; however lower incisor proclination was more prominent with the Forsus FRD.

Histopathological investigation in porcine infected with torque teno sus virus type 2 by inoculation

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Porcine torque teno sus virus (TTSuV) is a small icosahedral and non-enveloped virus which contains a single-stranded (ssDNA), circular and negative DNA genome and infects mainly vertebrates and is currently classified into the 'floating' genus Anellovirus of Circoviridae with two species. Viral DNA of both porcine TTSuV species has a high prevalence in both healthy and diseased pigs worldwide and multiple infections of TTSuV with distinct genotypes or subtypes of the same species has been documented in the United States, Europe and Asia. However, there exists no information about histopathological lesions caused by infection with porcine TTSuV2. Methods Porcine liver tissue homogenate with 1 ml of 6.91 × 107genomic copies viral loads of porcine TTSuV2 that had positive result for torque teno sus virus type 2 and negative result for torque teno sus virus type 1 and porcine pseudorabies virus type 2 were used to inoculate specific pathogen-free piglets by intramuscular route and humanely killed at 3,7,10,14,17,21 and 24 days post inoculation (dpi), the control pigs were injected intramuscularly with 1 ml of sterile DMEM and humanely killed the end of the study for histopathological examination routinely processed, respectively. Results All porcine TTSuV2 inoculated piglets were clinic asymptomatic but developed myocardial fibroklasts and endocardium, interstitial pneumonia, membranous glomerular nephropathy, and modest inflammatory cells infiltration in portal areas in the liver, foci of hemorrhage in some pancreas islet, a tiny amount red blood cells in venule of muscularis mucosae and outer longitudinal muscle, rarely red blood cells in the microvasculation and infiltration of inflammatory cells (lymphocytes and eosinophils) of tonsil and hilar lymph nodes, infiltration of inflammatory lymphocytes and necrosis or degeneration and focal gliosis of lymphocytes in the paracortical zone after inoculation with porcine TTSuV2-containing tissue homogenate

Assessment of Correlation of Distal Mean Arterial Pressure with Aortic Blood Flow during Partial Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Aortic Occlusion (P-REBOA) in a Swine (Sus scrofa) Controlled Hemorrhage Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-11-06

60th Medical Group (AMC), Travis AFB, CA INSTITUTIONAL ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEE (IACUC) FINAL REPORT SUMMARY (Please type all information. Use...Pressure with Aortic Blood Flow during Partial Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Aortic Occlusion (P-REBOA) in a Swine (Sus scrofa) Controlled Hemorrhage...to Date Sus scrofa 8 8 2. PROTOCOL TYPE /CHARACTERISTICS: (Check all applicable terms in EACH column) _ Training: Live Animal Medical Readiness

BANFISA and (IN) DICA-SUS in health undergraduate education: playing and learning construction.

PubMed

Silva, Laianna Victoria Santiago; Tanaka, Patrícia Sayuri de Lima; Pires, Maria Raquel Gomes Maia

2015-01-01

To analyze the learning built during the matches of the games by students of the subject Gestão de Políticas Públicas em Saúde at the Universidade de Brasília. Exploratory, descriptive research, in a qualitative approach, with 26 students from various graduation courses in health, using a questionnaire and participant observation. Participants reinvented rules, related issues addressed in the games to the reality, interacted with colleagues and had fun throughout the match. Comparing the games in relation to ludicity, the BANFISA was more attractive than the (IN) DICA-SUS, although they are complementary. Learning constructed by the students goes beyond the content of the subject; involve the active participation in group and creativity.

Do changes in soil properties after rooting by wild boars (Sus scrofa) affect understory vegetation in Swiss hardwood forests?

Treesearch

Sven Wirthner; Martin Schutz; Deborah S. Page-Dumroese; Matt D. Busse; James W. Kirchner; Anita C. Risch

2012-01-01

Recovering from small fragmented populations, wild boars (Sus scrofa L.) have considerably increased their numbers and their habitat range in many European countries during the past two decades. Although several studies have focused on the impact of wild boar rooting on selected vegetation properties, little is known about effects on entire forest ecosystems. The main...

Cytochrome b based genetic differentiation of Indian wild pig (Sus scrofa cristatus) and domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica) and its use in wildlife forensics.

PubMed

Gupta, Sandeep Kumar; Kumar, Ajit; Hussain, Syed Ainul; Vipin; Singh, Lalji

2013-06-01

The Indian wild pig (Sus scrofa cristatus) is a protected species and listed in the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The wild pig is often hunted illegally and sold in market as meat warranting punishment under law. To avoid confusion in identification of these two subspecies during wildlife forensic examinations, we describe genetic differentiation of Indian wild and domestic pigs using a molecular technique. Analysis of sequence generated from the partial fragment (421bp) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene exhibited unambiguous (>3%) genetic variation between Indian wild and domestic pigs. We observed nine forensically informative nucleotide sequence (FINS) variations between Indian wild and domestic pigs. The overall genetic variation described in this study is helpful in forensic identification of the biological samples of wild and domestic pigs. It also helped in differentiating the Indian wild pig from other wild pig races. This study indicates that domestic pigs in India are not descendent of the Indian wild pig, however; they are closer to the other wild pig races found in Asia and Europe. Copyright © 2012 Forensic Science Society. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of paricalcitol versus calcitriol for the treatment of SHPT in dialytic patients from the SUS perspective.

PubMed

Menezes, Fabiana Gatti de; Abreu, Rodrigo Martins; Itria, Alexander

2016-01-01

Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a consequence of chronic kidney disease. The treatment at the Brazilian Unified Heath System (SUS) is performed with calcitriol, a drug which favors hypercalcemia and/or hyperphosphatemia, hindering the control of SHPT. Another option is paricalcitol, which causes parathormone (PTH) suppression faster than calcitriol, with minor changes in calcium-phosphorus product and calcium and phosphorus serum levels. This study aims to develop a cost-effectiveness analysis of paricalcitol versus calcitriol for patients in dialytic treatment with SHPT, from the SUS perspective. A Markov decision model was developed for patients ≥ 50 years old with end stage renal disease in dialytic treatment and SHPT. Quarterly cycles and a lifetime time horizon were considered. Life years (LY) gained were assessed as clinical outcome. Clinical and economic inputs were obtained from systematic literature review and official databases. Costs are presented in Brazilian real (BRL), for the year 2014. In the base case: paricalcitol generated a clinical benefit of 16.28 LY gained versus 14.11 LY gained with calcitriol, total costs of BRL 131,064 and BRL 114,262, respectively, determining an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of BRL 7,740 per LY gained. The data robustness was confirmed by the sensitivity analysis. According to cost-effectiveness threshold recommended by the World Health Organization for 2013, the treatment of SHPT in patients on dialysis with paricalcitol is cost-effective when compared to calcitriol, from the public healthcare system perspective, in Brazil. O hiperparatireoidismo secundário (HPTS) é uma consequência da doença renal crônica. O tratamento no SUS é realizado com calcitriol, que favorece a hipercalcemia e/ou hiperfosfatemia, dificultando o controle do HPTS. Uma opção clinicamente relevante é o paricalcitol, que ocasiona a supressão do paratormônio (PTH) de forma mais rápida que o calcitriol e com menores altera

An Attempt to Identify Comparatively Supportive and Non-Supportive Environments for Underrepresented Minorities and Females in SUS Colleges of Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Micceri, Theodore

2005-01-01

This study sought to determine whether consistent differences in enrollment and graduation among different racial/ethnic and sex groups occur at different colleges of Engineering in the Florida State University System (SUS). Analyses were limited to the major institutions (UF, FSU, USF, UCF, FAU, FIU) with the addition of FAMU due to a high…

[Research program for the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS): the contribution to health management and services in Paraiba State, Brazil].

PubMed

Celino, Suely Deysny de Matos; Costa, Gabriela Maria Cavalcanti; França, Inácia Sátiro Xavier de; Araújo, Ednaldo Cavalcante de

2013-01-01

The shared management in health of the Research Program for the Unified Health System (PPSUS) has the purpose of funding research in priority areas for the health of the Brazilian population. The scope of this qualitative study is to understand the researchers' perception of the contribution of research funded by the PPSUS invitations to bid in the State of Paraiba, for resolving the priority health problems of the Paraiba population, for reducing regional inequalities in health and for bolstering the management of SUS. A documentary survey of the bids and final reports of research and a semi-structured interview with 28 coordinators of these studies was conducted. Triangulation strategy of data was used and subsequently subjected to content analysis, which converged with the categories: solving the health problems; reducing regional inequalities; contribution to management. Paraiba state needs adjustments such that the PPSUS can be fully implemented, ensuring that the knowledge generated can be converted into health policies and actions, since the research funded respond to the health needs of the population and difficulties in SUS management.

Effects of beam offset on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of Alloy 690-SUS 304L EBW joints for nuclear power plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yong-Ding; Lee, Hwa-Teng; Kuo, Tsung-Yuan; Jeng, Sheng-Long; Wu, Jia-Lin

2010-06-01

The current study investigates the effect of the beam offset (BOF) on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and the corrosion resistance of the fusion zone (FZ) of Alloy 690-SUS 304L stainless steel (SS) dissimilar metal butt joints formed by electron beam welding (EBW). The experimental results showed that as the value of the BOF increased from 0 to 0.30 mm, i.e. the electron beam shifted progressively toward the Alloy 690 base metal (BM), the tensile strength of the FZ fell from 582.1 to 541.2 MPa. However, the modified Huey test results indicated that the interdendritic corrosion resistance of the FZ was significantly enhanced. Pit nucleation potential value ( Enp) was raised from 385 to 1050 mV. An offset of 0.30 mm appears to be the optimal BOF setting when fabricating Alloy 690-SUS 304L SS dissimilar metal butt joints using the EBW technique.

Nuevos escenarios de la migración México-Estados Unidos. Las consecuencias de la guerra antiinmigrante

PubMed Central

MASSEY, Douglas S.; PREN, Karen A.; DURAND, Jorge

2010-01-01

La historia de la migración México-Estados Unidos se caracteriza por una serie de periodos durante los cuales los patrones migratorios se transforman y evolucionan como respuesta a los cambios en la política migratoria de Estados Unidos. En la década de 1990 se dio uno de estos cambios, lo que provocó el paso de la ‘era de la contradicción’ a la ‘era de la marginalización’. Actualmente, un gran número de migrantes indocumentados permanecen al margen de la ley, precisamente en un periodo en el que las penas se han incrementado y la persecución ha alcanzado niveles récord. De manera cada vez más notoria, los migrantes indocumentados, por la represión interna y fronteriza, quedan obligados a romper los lazos que los vinculaban con sus lugares de destino, pero al mismo tiempo se sienten cada vez más extraños en una tierra donde la aplicación de políticas antiinmigrantes es cosa de todos los días, lo que los sitúa en una posición de marginalización y gran vulnerabilidad. PMID:21209790

Analysis of Bos taurus and Sus scrofa X and Y chromosome transcriptome highlights reproductive driver genes

PubMed Central

Khan, Faheem Ahmed; Liu, Hui; Zhou, Hao; Wang, Kai; Qamar, Muhammad Tahir Ul; Pandupuspitasari, Nuruliarizki Shinta; Shujun, Zhang

2017-01-01

The biology of sperm, its capability of fertilizing an egg and its role in sex ratio are the major biological questions in reproductive biology. To answer these question we integrated X and Y chromosome transcriptome across different species: Bos taurus and Sus scrofa and identified reproductive driver genes based on Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) algorithm. Our strategy resulted in 11007 and 10445 unique genes consisting of 9 and 11 reproductive modules in Bos taurus and Sus scrofa, respectively. The consensus module calculation yields an overall 167 overlapped genes which were mapped to 846 DEGs in Bos taurus to finally get a list of 67 dual feature genes. We develop gene co-expression network of selected 67 genes that consists of 58 nodes (27 down-regulated and 31 up-regulated genes) enriched to 66 GO biological process (BP) including 6 GO annotations related to reproduction and two KEGG pathways. Moreover, we searched significantly related TF (ISRE, AP1FJ, RP58, CREL) and miRNAs (bta-miR-181a, bta-miR-17-5p, bta-miR-146b, bta-miR-146a) which targeted the genes in co-expression network. In addition we performed genetic analysis including phylogenetic, functional domain identification, epigenetic modifications, mutation analysis of the most important reproductive driver genes PRM1, PPP2R2B and PAFAH1B1 and finally performed a protein docking analysis to visualize their therapeutic and gene expression regulation ability. PMID:28903352

Emergencias

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Aprenda cómo usted puede prepararse y recuperarse de los desastres naturales como los huracanes y las inundaciones, aceite informe y derrames de sustancias peligrosas, y cómo la EPA responde a derramar emergencia.

Development of a Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model for the Anesthetics Halothane, Isoflurane, and Desflurane in the Pig (SUS SCROFA)

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-08-01

Funding for the work was provided in part by Dr. Harry Salem , SBCCOM/ECBC, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland. The research described in this report... PFA ) " CA Figure I - Physiologicallly Based Pharmacokinetic Model of the Pig (Sus scrofa). Abbreviations: CA, arterial concentration; CX, exhaled...order metabol. rate constant (/hr-1 kg)’ CONSTANT PLA=3.29 $ ’Liver/air partition coefficient’ CONSTANT PFA =70.27 $ ’Fat/air partition coefficient

Health care networks implementation and regional governance challenges in the Legal Amazon Region: an analysis of the QualiSUS-Rede Project.

PubMed

Casanova, Angela Oliveira; Cruz, Marly Marques; Giovanella, Ligia; Alves, Glaydes Dos Reis; Cardoso, Gisela Cordeiro Pereira

2017-04-01

This paper aims to analyze the potential, limits and challenges of regional governance in the implementation process of health care networks in three Brazilian regions: Alto Solimões (Amazonas), Belém (Pará) and an interstate region comprising Tocantins, Pará and Maranhão states (Topama). The study is based on the evaluation study on the implementation of the Quality Health Care Network Development and Improvement Project (QualiSUS-Rede). This is a qualitative multiple case study with the analysis of official documents and use of semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders conducted from July to December 2014. Governance review encompassed three components: stakeholders involved, especially local steering groups and their regional coordination capacity; strategies used for strengthening regional governance, anchored on the intervention's modeling; and implementation of local health care networks. Results point that the regional managing commissions were the main governance strategy and that the QualiSUS-Rede Project strengthened regional governance and integration differently in every case, depending on stakeholders' administration and consensus capacity on regional and political priorities.

Soil and hydrological responses to wild pig (Sus scofa) exclusion from native and strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum)-invaded tropical montane wet forests

Treesearch

Ayron M. Strauch; Gregory L. Bruland; Richard A. MacKenzie; Christian P. Giardina

2016-01-01

The structure and function of many ecosystems are threatened by non-native, invasive plant and animal species. Globally, invasive trees alter interception, evapotranspiration, water use, and throughfall, while wild pigs (Sus scofa) have been introduced and now invade widely ranging ecosystems, with impacts to soil and groundcover, and as a...

Development and Validation of a Simplified Renal Replacement Therapy Suitable for Prolonged Field Care in a Porcine (Sus scrofa) Model of Acute Kidney Injury

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-03-01

of a Simplified Renal Replacement Therapy Suitable for Prolonged Field Care in a Porcine (Sus scrofa) Model of Acute Kidney Injury. PRINCIPAL...and methods, results - include tables/figures, and conclusions/applications.) Objectives/Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious

Incidence and persistence of classical swine fever in free-ranging wild boar (Sus scrofa).

PubMed

Rossi, S; Fromont, E; Pontier, D; Crucière, C; Hars, J; Barrat, J; Pacholek, X; Artois, M

2005-06-01

Although veterinary authorities aim to limit persistence of classical swine fever (CSF) in wild boar (Sus scrofa), to avoid potential transmission to pigs, factors influencing CSF transmission and persistence are not clearly understood. Here we analyse incidence and persistence in a CSF epidemic that occurred in the French Vosges Forest. Higher incidence was found in large forests compared to smaller isolated ones, being highest near the starting point of the epidemic, but poorly related to the local density. We hypothesize that the spatial and social structure of wild boar populations may be responsible for this variability of incidence over space. Persistence was highest near the starting point of the epidemic and where initial density was highest. We hypothesize that persistence was favoured by the abundance of young wild boar, itself encouraged by CSF. Our results allow us to propose management measures aimed at limiting CSF persistence.

THE CHALLENGE OF DETECTING CLASSICAL SWINE FEVER VIRUS CIRCULATION IN WILD BOAR (SUS SCROFA): SIMULATION OF SAMPLING OPTIONS.

PubMed

Sonnenburg, Jana; Schulz, Katja; Blome, Sandra; Staubach, Christoph

2016-10-01

Classical swine fever (CSF) is one of the most important viral diseases of domestic pigs ( Sus scrofa domesticus) and wild boar ( Sus scrofa ). For at least 4 decades, several European Union member states were confronted with outbreaks among wild boar and, as it had been shown that infected wild boar populations can be a major cause of primary outbreaks in domestic pigs, strict control measures for both species were implemented. To guarantee early detection and to demonstrate freedom from disease, intensive surveillance is carried out based on a hunting bag sample. In this context, virologic investigations play a major role in the early detection of new introductions and in regions immunized with a conventional vaccine. The required financial resources and personnel for reliable testing are often large, and sufficient sample sizes to detect low virus prevalences are difficult to obtain. We conducted a simulation to model the possible impact of changes in sample size and sampling intervals on the probability of CSF virus detection based on a study area of 65 German hunting grounds. A 5-yr period with 4,652 virologic investigations was considered. Results suggest that low prevalences could not be detected with a justifiable effort. The simulation of increased sample sizes per sampling interval showed only a slightly better performance but would be unrealistic in practice, especially outside the main hunting season. Further studies on other approaches such as targeted or risk-based sampling for virus detection in connection with (marker) antibody surveillance are needed.

Ciencia, Sociedad, Soluciones: Una Introduccion al USGS

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2001-01-01

El USGS sirve a la nacion de los Estados Unidos proveyendo informacion fidedigna para ? Describir y comprender la Tierra; ? Minimizar la perdida de vidas y propiedades por desastres naturales; ? Manejar los recursos hidrologicos, biologicos, energeticos y minerales; y ? Mejorar y proteger nuestra calidad de vida.

Intravenous versus intramuscular cobinamide compared to intravenous saline (control) in the treatment of acute, survivable, hydrogen sulfide toxicity in swine (Sus Scrofa).

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-11-09

FWH20140070A, “Intravenous versus intramuscular // compared to intravenous saline ( control ) in the treatment of acute, survivable, hydrogen sulfide toxicity... control ) in the treatment of acute, survivable, hydrogen sulfide toxicity in swine (Sus Scrofa). 4. Principal Investigator (PI): Name Rank Date...remainder of the study. Animals were treated with IV HOC, IV Cobinamide or control (no treatment) 1 minute post apnea. There were no significant

Regionalization in the SUS: implementation process, challenges and perspectives in the critical view of system managers.

PubMed

Carvalho, Andre Luis Bonifácio de; Jesus, Washington Luiz Abreu de; Senra, Isabel Maria Vilas Boas

2017-04-01

This article examines the regionalization process in the Brazilian Health System, identifying frameworks and challenges of this process from critical dialogue on the subject, contextualized by the experience of the management system and in the light of an established theoretical debate in the last decade. We used the thematic content analysis of legal and documentary surveys of the regionalization process in SUS, collated by elements of the historical and political context in the period. As evidence, it appears that the regionalization process has been incremental decentralization/deconcentration of management and health actions and services. There are important challenges, particularly in relation to ensuring access and system governance structure, which contributes to critical thinking and construction of new perspectives by those who lead their implementation.

[The Citizen Constitution and the 25th anniversary of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS)].

PubMed

Paim, Jairnilson Silva

2013-10-01

This article, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Brazil's 1988 Constitution, aims to review the country's social policy development, discuss political projects, and analyze challenges for the sustainability of the Unified National Health System (SUS). Based on public policymaking studies, the article revisits the origins of liberal social policy, focused on social assistance, and analyzes the hegemony of U.S. policies targeting poverty and their repercussions for universal policies. After identifying the formulation of political projects in Brazil's democratic transition, it discusses their implications during the various Administrations since 1988, along with the difficulties faced by the National Health System. The article concludes that the political forces occupying government in the last two decades have failed to present a project for the country on the same level as those who drafted the Citizen Constitution.

Caries, Periodontal Disease, Supernumerary Teeth and Other Dental Disorders in Swedish Wild Boar (Sus scrofa).

PubMed

Malmsten, A; Dalin, A-M; Pettersson, A

2015-07-01

Between January and December 2013, the dental and periodontal health of 99 Swedish wild boars (Sus scrofa) was investigated. Sampling occurred in conjunction with routine hunting at six large estates in the southern and middle parts of Sweden. All six of the estates use supplemental feeding. The weight of the animals, their sex and their dates of death were noted. Age was estimated using tooth eruption and tooth replacement patterns. The oral cavity was inspected and abnormalities were recorded on a dental chart modified for wild boars. The findings included supernumerary teeth, absence of teeth, mild class II malocclusion, severe tooth wear, periodontitis, calculus, caries, tooth fractures and the presence of enamel defects. Swedish wild boars suffer from different dental lesions and the impact of supplemental feeding on dental and periodontal health is still to be investigated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Snaring to control feral pigs sus scrofa in a remote Hawaiian rain forest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, Stephen J.; Stone, Charles P.

1993-01-01

Feral pig Sus scrofa control in Kipahulu Valley, a remote rain forest in Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaiian Islands, has been achieved with snares over a 45-month period. Initial pig densities in fenced management units of 6·2 km2 and 7·8 km2were estimated at 6 animals/km2 and 14·3 animals/km2 for the two units, based on population reconstruction from animals killed and aged. During the 45 months of the study, 1978 snares were set, and 1·6 million snare nights were logged. Snare density reached 96/km2 and 200/km2 for the two management units by the end of the study. A mean effort of 43 worker hours/pig was used to remove 53 pigs from the upper management unit, and a mean of 7 worker hours/pig to remove 175 animals from the more densely populated lower unit. Pig activity monitoring along transects provided a good measure of control effectiveness until densities of about 1 pig/km2 were achieved, after which transects became less useful than scouting for determining pig activity.

Hepatozoon apri n. sp. (Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae) from the Japanese wild boar Sus scrofa leucomystax (Mammalia: Cetartiodactyla).

PubMed

Yamamoto, Mizuki; Tokiwa, Toshihiro; Tobiume, Miki; Akamatsu, Shigeru; Matsuo, Kayoko; Moribe, Junji; Ike, Kazunori

2017-12-01

Hepatozoon apri n. sp. is described from Japanese wild boars Sus scrofa leucomystax in Japan. The gamonts in the peripheral blood leukocytes were 11.6 ± 1.4 × 6.7 ± 1.3 μm in size. The meronts in the muscle tissues were 35.0-47.5 μm in length and 26.5-30 μm in width. A high rate (53.0%) of infection was found by nested PCR using muscle specimens from 181 wild boars captured in Tokushima, Japan. A phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rRNA gene sequences revealed that H. apri n. sp. detected in wild boars is closely related to Hepatozoon spp. isolated from carnivores. This is the first description of a species belonging to the genus Hepatozoon detected in ungulates.

Effects of La2O3 content and particle size on the long-term stability and thermal cycling property of La2O3-dispersed SUS430 alloys for SOFC interconnect materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jung-Won; Mehran, Muhammad Taqi; Song, Rak-Hyun; Lee, Seung-Bok; Lee, Jong-Won; Lim, Tak-Hyoung; Park, Seok-Joo; Hong, Jong-Eun; Shim, Joon-Hyung

2017-11-01

We developed oxide-dispersed alloys as interconnect materials for a solid oxide fuel cell by adding La2O3 to SUS430 ferritic steels. For this purpose, we prepared two types of La2O3 with different particle sizes and added different amounts of La2O3 to SUS430 powder. Then, we mixed the powders using a high energy ball mill, so that nano-sized as well as micro-sized oxide particles were able to mix uniformly with the SUS430 powders. After preparing hexahedral green samples using uni-axial and cold isostatic presses, we were finally able to obtain oxide-dispersed alloys having high relative densities after firing at 1,400 °C under hydrogen atmosphere. The nano-sized La2O3 dispersed alloys showed properties superior to those of micro-sized dispersed alloys in terms of long-term stability and thermal cycling. Moreover, we determined the optimum amounts of added La2O3. Finally we were able to develop a new oxide-dispersed alloy showing excellent properties of low area specific resistance (16.23 mΩ cm2) after 1000 h at 800 °C, and no degradation after 10 iterations of thermal cycling under oxidizing atmosphere.

La Resonancia J/$$\\psi$$ y Sus Implicaciones Para La Masa Del W (in Spanish)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanchez-Hernandez, Alberto

Es un placer agradecer a mi asesor el doctor Heriberto Castilla Valdez por brindarme sus conocimientos, experiencia y paciencia en el desarrollo de esta tesis; tambien quiero agradecer al profesor H.E. Fisk, por su apoyo econemico en mi estancia en Fermilab. De igual forma agradezco a los doctores Arturo Fernandez Telles, Miguel Angel Perez Angen y Rebeca Juarez Wisozka quienes me introdujeron al campo de la fisica experimental de altas energfas. Agradezco tambien a Maribel Rios Cruz, Ruben Flores Mendieta, Juan Morales Corona, Fabiola Vazquez Valencia, Salvador Carrillo Moreno y Cecilia Uribe Estrada por su amistad y compaiierismo durante elmore » desarrollo de mi maestria. Un especial agradecimiento a Ian Adam y Kina Denisenko por su valiosa ayuda, comentarios y discusiones durante mi estancia en Fermilab. Por ultimo quisiera agradecer a mis profesores, amigos y familiares quienes siempre me apoyaron y alentaron y al Consejo N acional de Ciencia y Tecnologfa asf como al Departamento de Fisica de Cinvestav por su apoyo econemlco.« less

Intravenous versus intramuscular cobinamide compared to intravenous saline (control) in the treatment of acute, survivable, mitochondrial toxins in swine (Sus Scrofa): a pilot study

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-04-10

Type of Research: Animal Research 3. Title: Intravenous versus intramuscular cobinamide compared to intravenous saline ( control ) in the treatment...the hyperkalemia under control and in our upcoming protocol we feel we will finally be able to induce apnea with the toxin and calcium channel...intramuscular cobinamide compared to intravenous saline ( control ) in the treatment of acute, survivable, mitochondrial toxins in swine (Sus Scrofa): a pilot

Morphology of the atrioventricular valves and related intraventricular structures in the wild pig (Sus scrofa).

PubMed

Ateş, Sevinç; Karakurum, Emine; Takcı, Lutfi; Başak, Feyza; Kürtül, İbrahim

2017-06-14

Morphology of the atrioventricular valves and the intraventricular related structures were observed and the findings were compared broadly to the literature, in the 7 hearts of the wild pigs (Sus scrofa) by applying macroscopic and microscopic techniques. In all hearts examinated, the tricuspid and mitral valves were precise, composing three and two cusps resepectively. The papillary muscles observed in mammalian heart in general were found in both the ventricles, additionaly there were small unnamed papillary muscles in the left ventricle of the three samples. The septomarginal trabecula and false chords were present in the right ventricles, microscopically possessing myocardial fibers, connective tissue and purkinje cells while the false chords were located in all the left ventricles but the septomarginal trabecula was found in the three samples only. Both the connective tissue and purkinje cells were present in these two structures but the myocardial fibers. Presence of the myocardial fibers in the right ventricle may have an effect on the ventricle geometry.

Consentimiento informado: una praxis dialogica para la investigacion

PubMed Central

Mondragon-Barrios, Liliana

2009-01-01

El consentimiento informado es un proceso, en el que una persona acepta participar en una investigation, conociendo los riesgos, beneficios, consecuencias o problemas que se puedan presenter durante el desarrollo de la misma. El objetivo de este trabajo es reunir las caracteristicas del proceso de consentimiento informado (PCI) pare que su discernimiento y cumplimiento posibilite el ejercicio etc° dialogico, reflexivo y responsable del investigador. Se presentan los resultados de una extensa revision de les elementos del PCI, desde sus cornponentes hasta su fundamento etico y legal, incluyendo los mites y realidades que existen sobre el formato de consentimiento informado come recurso legal de protection. El consentimiento informado no es un formato establecido que los investigadores repliquen, se trata de que la praxis del PCI sea una tarea cotidiana dentro de la investigation con seres humanos, como comunicaciOn deliberative y critica, responsable y comprometida entre dos agentes morales, investigador-investigado. PMID:19507477

Testing models of speciation from genome sequences: divergence and asymmetric admixture in Island South-East Asian Sus species during the Plio-Pleistocene climatic fluctuations

PubMed Central

Frantz, Laurent A F; Madsen, Ole; Megens, Hendrik-Jan; Groenen, Martien A M; Lohse, Konrad

2014-01-01

In many temperate regions, ice ages promoted range contractions into refugia resulting in divergence (and potentially speciation), while warmer periods led to range expansions and hybridization. However, the impact these climatic oscillations had in many parts of the tropics remains elusive. Here, we investigate this issue using genome sequences of three pig (Sus) species, two of which are found on islands of the Sunda-shelf shallow seas in Island South-East Asia (ISEA). A previous study revealed signatures of interspecific admixture between these Sus species (Genome biology,14, 2013, R107). However, the timing, directionality and extent of this admixture remain unknown. Here, we use a likelihood-based model comparison to more finely resolve this admixture history and test whether it was mediated by humans or occurred naturally. Our analyses suggest that interspecific admixture between Sunda-shelf species was most likely asymmetric and occurred long before the arrival of humans in the region. More precisely, we show that these species diverged during the late Pliocene but around 23% of their genomes have been affected by admixture during the later Pleistocene climatic transition. In addition, we show that our method provides a significant improvement over D-statistics which are uninformative about the direction of admixture. PMID:25294645

Genetic characterization and phylogeography of the wild boar Sus scrofa introduced into Uruguay

PubMed Central

García, Graciela; Vergara, Julia; Lombardi, Raúl

2011-01-01

The European wild boar Sus scrofa was first introduced into Uruguay, in southern South America during the early decades of the last century. Subsequently, and starting from founder populations, its range spread throughout the country and into the neighbouring Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul. Due to the subsequent negative impact, it was officially declared a national pest. The main aim in the present study was to provide a more comprehensive scenario of wild boar differentiation in Uruguay, by using mtDNA markers to access the genetic characterization of populations at present undergoing rapid expansion. A high level of haplotype diversity, intermediate levels of nucleotide diversity and considerable population differentiation, were detected among sampled localities throughout major watercourses and catchment dams countrywide. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the existence of two different phylogroups, thereby reflecting two deliberate introduction events forming distantly genetic lineages in local wild boar populations. Our analysis lends support to the hypothesis that the invasive potential of populations emerge from introgressive hybridization with domestic pigs. On taking into account the appreciable differentiation and reduced migration between locales in wild boar populations, management strategies could be effective if each population were to be considered as a single management unit. PMID:21734838

Wild boar hair (Sus scrofa) as a non-invasive indicator of mercury pollution.

PubMed

Sobańska, Marta A

2005-03-01

This paper investigates the usefulness of wild boar (Sus scrofa) hair as a non-invasive indicator of mercury pollution. Samples were collected in two hunting seasons (1998/1999 and 1999/2000) by hunters from four differently polluted regions of Poland. Mercury content was determined by AAS methods. Different washing procedures were compared. De-ionised water was found to be suitable for the removal of exogenous mercury sources in hair analysis. Metal distribution along hair was analysed. It was found that problems arising from differences in distribution of metal along a single hair strand as well as differences in the hair colour can be eliminated through the careful homogenisation of the samples before analysis. The influences of physiological, ecological and environmental factors that might significantly affect the obtained results (age, gender, season, location of habitat and diet of the sampled animals) were estimated and taken into account. The present study revealed that female hair contained a higher amount of mercury than male hair. Moreover the highest mercury content was found in young individuals between 1 and 2 years of age. A positive correlation of the present results with environmental data taken from the State Offices showed an influence of environmental pollution on the mercury level in wild boar hair.

Estudio comparativo de las moléculas isovalentes de interés atmosférico CF3Cl y CF3Br y sus correspondientes halógenos aislados Cl y Br.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayor, E.; Velasco, A. M.; Martín, I.; Lavín, C.

Los estados Rydberg moleculares han suscitado en los últimos años un creciente interés entre los espectroscopistas experimentales, motivado en parte por el desarrollo de nuevas técnicas espectroscópicas capaces de investigar estos estados altamente excitados electrónicamente. Los procesos de fotoabsorción que implican estados Rydberg en los derivados halogenados del metano son de gran importancia, debido a su abundancia en la atmósfera y a sus implicaciones medioambientales. Por ello, la obtención de datos relativos a sus fuerzas de oscilador es de gran interés. En este trabajo se aborda el estudio de dichas propiedades para las moléculas isovalentes CF3Cl y CF3Br. Ambas moléculas presentan idéntica estructura electrónica para el estado fundamental por lo que se espera que sus espectros Rydberg presenten grandes similitudes, en ausencia de perturbaciones. Por ello y dada la escasez de datos relativos a fuerzas de oscilador, hemos establecido la corrección de nuestros resultados en base a las analogías esperadas en las intensidades espectrales correspondientes a transiciones análogas. Por otro lado, Novak y col. [1] han encontrado experimentalmente un marcado carácter atómico en el espectro correspondiente a estas moléculas, siendo muy similar a los de los átomos de Cl y Br. Por ello en el presente trabajo, además de establecer la comparación entre ambas moléculas hemos buscado las similitudes con sus respectivos halógenos. Los cálculos relativos a las especies moleculares se han realizado utilizando la Metodología Molécular de Orbítales de Defecto Cuántico (MQDO) [2], mientras que para el estudio de los átomos de Cl y Br se empleó la versión relativista del método (RQDO) [3].

Mapa de Vulnerabilidad en Honduras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez, A. A.

2013-05-01

Dado que Honduras geográficamente se encuentra en una zona que esta expuesta a diferentes fenómenos sísmicos y climatológicos. Investigamos cuales son las zonas mas propensas a desastres naturales, la vulnerabilidad y el factor de resiliencia de la población de acuerdo a diferentes parámetros de estudio.

The Effect of Clothing on the Rate of Decomposition and Diptera Colonization on Sus scrofa Carcasses.

PubMed

Card, Allison; Cross, Peter; Moffatt, Colin; Simmons, Tal

2015-07-01

Twenty Sus scrofa carcasses were used to study the effect the presence of clothing had on decomposition rate and colonization locations of Diptera species; 10 unclothed control carcasses were compared to 10 clothed experimental carcasses over 58 days. Data collection occurred at regular accumulated degree day intervals; the level of decomposition as Total Body Score (TBSsurf ), pattern of decomposition, and Diptera present was documented. Results indicated a statistically significant difference in the rate of decomposition, (t427  = 2.59, p = 0.010), with unclothed carcasses decomposing faster than clothed carcasses. However, the overall decomposition rates from each carcass group are too similar to separate when applying a 95% CI, which means that, although statistically significant, from a practical forensic point of view they are not sufficiently dissimilar as to warrant the application of different formulae to estimate the postmortem interval. Further results demonstrated clothing provided blow flies with additional colonization locations. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in a Domesticated Korean Wild Boar ( Sus scrofa coreanus).

PubMed

Seo, Min-Goo; Ouh, In-Ohk; Kim, Munki; Lee, Jienny; Kim, Young-Hoan; Do, Jae-Cheul; Kwak, Dongmi

2017-06-01

Tuberculosis, a chronic progressive disease, has been reported in bovine, swine, and primate species. Here, we report the first case of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in a Korean wild boar ( Sus scrofa coreanus). The owners this domesticated boar brought it to the Gyeongbuk Veterinary Service Laboratory in Korea after it was found dead and severely emaciated. Demarcated yellowish white nodules were found around the larynx and retropharyngeal lymph node during necropsy. The lungs had diffuse fibrinous pleuritis, severe congestion, and scattered nodules. More nodules were found in the spleen. Tuberculosis is characterized by massive macrophage infiltration and central caseous necrosis; both characteristics were found in the lungs. Histopathologic examination revealed that the alveolar lumen had marked fibrosis and exudates. Examination of the fluid revealed extensive macrophage permeation. To confirm a Mycobacterium infection, PCR was performed using two primer sets specific to the rpoB gene of Mycobacterium; Mycobacterium was detected in the lungs and spleen. To identify the species of Mycobacterium, immunohistochemical evaluation was performed using antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis . The results revealed immunoreactivity against M. tuberculosis but not against M. bovis . The consumption of undercooked or raw meat from game animals may expose humans and other animals to sylvatic infection. Consequently, Koreans who ingest wild boar may be at risk of a tuberculosis infection. To reduce the risk of foodborne infection and maintain public health, continuous monitoring and control strategies are required.

Epidemiological study of the intestinal helminths of wild boar (Sus scrofa) and mouflon (Ovis gmelini musimon) in central Italy.

PubMed

Magi, M; Bertani, M; Dell'Omodarme, M; Prati, M C

2002-12-01

Since 1995 the population of wild ungulates increased significantly in the "Parco provinciale dei Monti Livornesi" (Livorno, Tuscany, Central Italy). We studied the intestinal macroparasites of two hosts, the wild boar (Sus scrofa) and the mouflon (Ovis gmelini musimon). In the case of wild boars we found a dominant parasite species, Globocephalus urosubulatus. For this parasite the frequency distribution of the number of parasites per host agrees with a negative binomial distribution. There is not a significant correlation between the age of the animals and the parasitosis. Furthermore the mean parasite burden of male and female wild boars does not differ significantly. In the case of mouflons we found a dominant parasite species Nematodirus filicollis with Trichuris ovis as codominant species.

Multiplex serology for common viral infections in feral pigs (Sus scrofa) in Hawaii between 2007 and 2010.

PubMed

Stephenson, Rachel J; Trible, Benjamin R; Wang, Yu; Kerrigan, Maureen A; Goldstein, Samuel M; Rowland, Raymond R R

2015-01-01

Multiplex serology was performed for the detection of total immunoglobulin (Ig) and IgM antibodies against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), and swine influenza virus (SIV) antigens in feral swine (Sus scrofa). Serum samples were collected from the islands of Oahu (292 pigs) and Hawaii (52 pigs) between 2007 and 2010. The highest antibody prevalence was to PCV2 (63%), followed by SIV (7.8%) and PRRSV (5.8%). Antigen-specific IgM was detected at a much lower prevalence. PCR amplification and sequence analysis of PCV2 in three IgM-positive samples identified PCV2b as the only genotype. While the prevalence of PCV2 and PRRSV remained similar between 2007 and 2010, the percentage of SIV-positive samples on Oahu increased from 2% to 19%. Our results demonstrate the utility of multiplex serology for pathogen surveillance in feral pig populations.

[The contemporary relationship between work, qualification and recognition: repercussions on the Unified Health System (SUS) workers].

PubMed

Vieira, Monica; Chinelli, Filippina

2013-06-01

This paper discusses the relationship between work, qualification and recognition as it occurs in the field of health today, specifically considering the employability of technical workers in the Unified Health System, the way they perceive the employment relationship with respect to their self-esteem regarding their subjectivities. Based on a review of the relevant literature, the subject is treated in the wider context of ongoing changes in the workplace, which are associated with intensification, flexibility and precariousness of labor relations, with repercussions on the specific aspects mentioned. An attempt is made to establish a critical dialogue with the analytical aspect that emphasizes daily work as a privileged forum for overcoming the contradictions that characterize the field of work and education in the SUS nowadays. The text emphasizes the following issues: analysis of the relationship between work and education from the perspective of the concept of skill; the broadening of the meaning of health work; and a critical evaluation of policies that end up making the workers liable for the quality of services rendered.

Antibodies to Various Zoonotic Pathogens Detected in Feral Swine (Sus scrofa) at Abattoirs in Texas, USA.

PubMed

Pedersen, Kerri; Bauer, Nathan E; Rodgers, Sandra; Bazan, Luis R; Mesenbrink, Brian T; Gidlewski, Thomas

2017-08-01

The zoonotic risk posed to employees by slaughtering feral swine (Sus scrofa) at two abattoirs in Texas was assessed by testing feral swine serum samples for exposure to influenza A virus, Leptospira, Trichinella spiralis, and Toxoplasma gondii. Blood was collected from a total of 376 feral swine between the two facilities during six separate collection periods in 2015. Antibodies to one or more serovars of Leptospira were identified in 48.9% of feral swine tested, with Bratislava and Pomona as the most commonly detected serovars, and antibodies to influenza A virus were detected in 14.1% of feral swine. Antibodies to T. gondii and T. spiralis were identified in 9.0 and 3.5%, respectively, of feral swine tested. Our results suggest that abattoir employees should be aware of the potential for exposure to various zoonotic pathogens when slaughtering feral swine, wear appropriate personal protective equipment, and participate in medical monitoring programs to ensure detection and prompt treatment. In addition, consumers of feral swine should cook the meat to the appropriate temperature and wash hands and kitchen surfaces thoroughly after preparing meat.

Experimental research on micro-pit defects of SUS 430 stainless steel strip in cold rolling process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Changsheng; Li, Miao; Zhu, Tao; Huo, Gang

2013-05-01

In order to improve surface glossiness of stainless steel strip in tandem cold rolling, experimental research on micro-pit defects of SUS 430 ferrite stainless steel was investigated in laboratory. The surface morphology of micro-pit defects was observed by SEM. The effects of micro-pit defects on rolling reduction, roll surface roughness and emulsion parameters were analyzed. With the pass number increasing, the quantity and surface of micro-pit defects were reduced, uneven peak was decreased and gently along rolling direction, micro-pit defects had equally distributed tendency along tranverse direction. The micro-pit defects were increased with the roll surface roughness increase. The defects ratio was declined with larger gradient at pass number 1 to 3, but gentle slope at pass number 4 to 5. The effects of temperature 55° and 63°, concentration 3% and 6% of emulsion on micro-pit effects had not obvious difference. Maintain of micro-pit was effected by rolling oil or air in the micro-pit, the quality of oil was much more than the air in the micro-pit in lubrication rolling.

The Effect Of Supraphysiologic Blood Pressure on Traumatic Brain Injury and Proximal Tissue Beds During Resuscitative Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta and Variable Aortic Control in a Porcine Model (Sus scrofa) of Polytrauma.

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-04-27

Control In A Porcine Model (Sus Scrofa) Of Polytrauma. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (PI) / TRAINING COORDINATOR (TC): Lt Col Timothy Williams DEPARTMENT... controlled cortical impact followed by 25% total blood volume rapid hemorrhage. After 30 minutes of hypotension, animals were randomized to 60

Shifts in soil biodiversity-A forensic comparison between Sus scrofa domesticus and vegetation decomposition.

PubMed

Olakanye, Ayodeji O; Thompson, Tim; Ralebitso-Senior, T Komang

2015-12-01

In a forensic context, microbial-mediated cadaver decomposition and nutrient recycling cannot be overlooked. As a result, forensic ecogenomics research has intensified to gain a better understanding of cadaver/soil ecology interactions as a powerful potential tool for forensic practitioners. For this study, domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) (4g) and grass (Agrostis/Festuca spp) cuttings (4g) were buried (July 2013 to July 2014) in sandy clay loam (80 g) triplicates in sealed microcosms (127 ml; 50 × 70 cm) with parallel soil only controls. The effects of the two carbon sources were determined by monitoring key environmental factors and changes in soil bacterial (16S rRNA gene) and fungal (18S rRNA gene) biodiversity. Soil pH changes showed statistically significant differences (p<0.05) between the treatments. The measured ecological diversity indices (Shannon-Wiener, HꞋ; Simpson, D; and richness, S) of the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene profiles also revealed differences between the treatments, with bacterial and fungal community dominance recorded in the presence of S. scrofa domesticus and grass trimming decomposition, respectively. In contrast, no statistically significant difference in evenness (p>0.05) was observed between the treatments. Copyright © 2015 The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dissimilar welding of nickel-based Alloy 690 to SUS 304L with Ti addition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, H. T.; Jeng, S. L.; Yen, C. H.; Kuo, T. Y.

2004-10-01

This study investigates the effects of Ti addition on the weldability, microstructure and mechanical properties of a dissimilar weldment of Alloy 690 and SUS 304L. Shielding metal arc welding (SMAW) is employed to butt-weld two plates with three welding layers, where each layer is deposited in a single pass. To investigate the effects of Ti addition, the flux coatings of the electrodes used in the welding process are modified by varying additions of either a Ti-Fe compound or a Ti powder. The results indicate that the microstructure of the fusion zone (FZ) is primarily dendritic. With increasing Ti content, it is noted that the microstructure changes from a columnar dendritic to an equiaxed dendritic, in which the primary dendrite arm spacing (PDAS) becomes shorter. Furthermore, it is observed that the amount of Al-Ti oxide phase increases in the inter-dendritic region, while the amount of Nb-rich phase decreases. Moreover, the average hardness of the FZ increases slightly. The results indicate that Ti addition prompts a significant increase in the elongation of the weldment (i.e. 36.5%, Ti: 0.41 wt%), although the tensile strength remains relatively unchanged. However, at an increased Ti content of 0.91 wt%, an obvious reduction in the tensile strength is noted, which can be attributed to a general reduction in the weldability of the joint.

Control de los escombros tras un desastre natural

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

PONER EN LA ACERA LOS ESCOMBROS QUE DEJA UN HURACÁN EN LAS ÁREAS PARTICIPANTES. Si sigue estas pautas específicas (PDF) se acelerará el proceso de recolección. Confirme con las autoridades del gobierno local lo que le corresponda a usted.

A Sealers Midden Provides Evidence a Live Pig ( Sus scrofa) was Taken Ashore at Heard Island During the "Elephanting" Industry (1855-1882)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van den Hoff, John; Burton, Harry; Robins, Judith

2012-12-01

Livestock was often released onto remote Southern Ocean islands as a food source for shipwreck survivors during the industrial whaling and sealing era. Although animals were put ashore at nearby Isles Kerguelen and Crozet, the historical records make no mention of domesticated livestock ever being set ashore at Heard Island between 1855 and 1882. Here we report a pig ( Sus scrofa) mandible discovered amongst other bones and artefacts in an `elephanters' midden found at Spit Bay, Heard Island. The find provides very strong evidence a live pig was shipped ashore and eaten as part of the sealers meagre provisions. Archaeological investigations of middens at other sealing locations could produce new insights into the dietary habits of these men.

[Education and competences for the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS): is it possible to find alternatives to the logic of late capitalism?].

PubMed

Siqueira-Batista, Rodrigo; Gomes, Andréia Patrícia; Albuquerque, Verônica Santos; Cavalcanti, Felipe de Oliveira Lopes; Cotta, Rosângela Minardi Mitre

2013-01-01

The transformations that have revolutionized the labor market in contemporary society make it necessary to think of new alternatives for training health care professionals, thereby establishing a new approach to the health problems of individuals and collectives. Based on these considerations, this paper sets out to discuss training in health--based on the concept of competence--with a focus on education for the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), using attempts to analyze and propose an alternative to the system entrenched in the logic of late capitalism as a theoretical benchmark. It is thus a reflection on the subject, correlating theory and praxis, in constant and relentless movement of construction, deconstruction and (re)construction of propositions.

Light-absorbing Aerosol Properties in the Kathmandu Valley during SusKat-ABC Field Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S.; Yoon, S.; Kim, J.; Cho, C.; Jung, J.

2013-12-01

Light-absorbing aerosols, such as black carbon (BC), are major contributors to the atmospheric heating and the reduction of solar radiation reaching at the earth's surface. In this study, we investigate light-absorption and scattering properties of aerosols (i.e., BC mass concentration, aerosol solar-absorption/scattering efficiency) in the Kathmandu valley during Sustainable atmosphere for the Kathmandu valley (SusKat)-ABC campaign, from December 2012 to February 2013. Kathmandu City is among the most polluted cities in the world. However, there are only few past studies that provide basic understanding of air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley, which is not sufficient for designing effective mitigation measures (e.g., technological, financial, regulatory, legal and political measures, planning strategies). A distinct diurnal variation of BC mass concentration with two high peaks observed during wintertime dry monsoon period. BC mass concentration was found to be maximum around 09:00 and 20:00 local standard time (LST). Increased cars and cooking activities including substantial burning of wood and other biomass in the morning and in the evening contributed to high BC concentration. Low BC concentrations during the daytime can be explain by reduced vehicular movement and cooking activities. Also, the developmements of the boundary layer height and mountain-valley winds in the Kathmandu Valley paly a crucial role in the temproal variation of BC mass concentrations. Detailed radiative effects of light-absorbing aerosols will be presented.

EVIDENCE OF PSEUDORABIES VIRUS SHEDDING IN FERAL SWINE ( SUS SCROFA) POPULATIONS OF FLORIDA, USA.

PubMed

Hernández, Felipe A; Sayler, Katherine A; Bounds, Courtney; Milleson, Michael P; Carr, Amanda N; Wisely, Samantha M

2018-01-01

:  Feral swine ( Sus scrofa) are a pathogen reservoir for pseudorabies virus (PrV). The virus can be fatal to wildlife and contributes to economic losses in the swine industry worldwide. National surveillance efforts in the US use serology to detect PrV-specific antibodies in feral swine populations, but PrV exposure is not a direct indicator of pathogen transmission among conspecifics or to non-suid wildlife species. We measured antibody production and the presence of PrV DNA in four tissue types from feral swine populations of Florida, US. We sampled blood, nasal, oral, and genital swabs from 551 individuals at 39 sites during 2014-16. Of the animals tested for antibody production, 224 of 436 (51%) feral swine were antibody positive while 38 of 549 feral swine (7%) tested for viral shedding were quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-positive for PrV. The detection of PrV DNA across all the collected sample types (blood, nasal, oral, and genital [vaginal] swabs) suggested viral shedding via direct (oronasal or venereal), and potentially indirect (through carcass consumption), routes of transmission among infected and susceptible animals. Fourteen of 212 seronegative feral swine were qPCR-positive, indicating 7% false negatives in the serologic assay. Our findings suggest that serology may underestimate the actual infection risk posed by feral swine to other species and that feral swine populations in Florida are capable of shedding the virus through multiple routes.

Decision making and senior management: the implementation of change projects covering clinical management in SUS hospitals.

PubMed

Pacheco, José Márcio da Cunha; Gomes, Romeu

2016-08-01

This paper analyses the decision making process for senior management in public hospitals that are a part of the National Health Service in Brazil (hereafter SUS) in relation to projects aimed at changing clinical management. The methodological design of this study is qualitative in nature taking a hermeneutics-dialectics perspective in terms of results. Hospital directors noted that clinical management projects changed the state of hospitals through: improving their organizations, mobilizing their staff in order to increase a sense of order and systemizing actions and available resources. Technical rationality was the principal basis used in the decision making process for managers. Due to the reality of many hospitals having fragmented organizations, this fact impeded the use of aspects related to rationality, such as economic and financial factors in the decision making process. The incremental model and general politics also play a role in this area. We concluded that the decision making process embraces a large array of factors including rational aspects such as the use of management techniques and the ability to analyze, interpret and summarize. It also incorporates subjective elements such as how to select values and dealing with people's working experiences. We recognized that management problems are wide in scope, ambiguous, complex and do not come with a lot of structure in practice.

Genomic Diversity in Pig (Sus scrofa) and its Comparison with Human and other Livestock

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chunyan; Plastow, Graham

2011-01-01

We have reviewed the current pig (Sus scrofa) genomic diversity within and between sites and compared them with human and other livestock. The current Porcine 60K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel has an average SNP distance in a range of 30 - 40 kb. Most of genetic variation was distributed within populations, and only a small proportion of them existed between populations. The average heterozygosity was lower in pig than in human and other livestock. Genetic inbreeding coefficient (FIS), population differentiation (FST), and Nei’s genetic distance between populations were much larger in pig than in human and other livestock. Higher average genetic distance existed between European and Asian populations than between European or between Asian populations. Asian breeds harboured much larger variability and higher average heterozygosity than European breeds. The samples of wild boar that have been analyzed displayed more extensive genetic variation than domestic breeds. The average linkage disequilibrium (LD) in improved pig breeds extended to 1 - 3 cM, much larger than that in human (~ 30 kb) and cattle (~ 100 kb), but smaller than that in sheep (~ 10 cM). European breeds showed greater LD that decayed more slowly than Asian breeds. We briefly discuss some processes for maintaining genomic diversity in pig, including migration, introgression, selection, and drift. We conclude that, due to the long time of domestication, the pig possesses lower heterozygosity, higher FIS, and larger LD compared with human and cattle. This implies that a smaller effective population size and less informative markers are needed in pig for genome wide association studies. PMID:21966252

Identification and antimicrobial resistance of microflora colonizing feral pig (Sus scrofa) of Brazilian Pantanal.

PubMed Central

Lessa, SS; Paes, RCS; Santoro, PN; Mauro, RA; Vieira-da-Motta, O

2011-01-01

Antimicrobial resistance of bacteria is a worldwide problem affecting wild life by living with resistant bacteria in the environment. This study presents a discussion of outside factors environment on microflora of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) from Brazilian Pantanal. Animals had samples collected from six different body sites coming from two separated geographic areas, Nhecolandia and Rio Negro regions. With routine biochemical tests and commercial kits 516 bacteria were identified, with 240 Gram-positive, predominantly staphylococci (36) and enterococci (186) strains. Among Gram-negative (GN) bacteria the predominant specimens of Enterobacteriaceae (247) mainly represented by Serratia spp. (105), Escherichia coli (50), and Enterobacter spp. (40) and specimens not identified (7). Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested against 17 drugs by agar diffusion method. Staphylococci were negative to production of enterotoxins and TSST-1, with all strains sensitive towards four drugs and highest resistance toward ampicillin (17%). Enterococci presented the highest sensitivity against vancomycin (98%), ampicillin (94%) and tetracycline (90%), and highest resistance pattern toward oxacillin (99%), clindamycin (83%), and cotrimoxazole (54%). In GN the highest resistance was observed with Serratia marcescens against CFL (98%), AMC (66%) and AMP (60%) and all drugs was most effective against E. coli SUT, TET (100%), AMP, TOB (98%), GEN, CLO (95%), CFO, CIP (93%). The results show a new profile of oxacillin-resistant enterococci from Brazilian feral pigs and suggest a limited residue and spreading of antimicrobials in the environment, possibly because of low anthropogenic impact reflected by the drug susceptibility profile of bacteria isolated. PMID:24031689

Workforce in the pharmaceutical services of the primary health care of SUS, Brazil

PubMed Central

Carvalho, Marselle Nobre; Álvares, Juliana; Costa, Karen Sarmento; Guerra, Augusto Afonso; Acurcio, Francisco de Assis; Costa, Ediná Alves; Guibu, Ione Aquemi; Soeiro, Orlando Mario; Karnikowski, Margô Gomes de Oliveira; Leite, Silvana Nair

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To characterize the workforce in the pharmaceutical services in the primary care of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). METHODS This is a cross-sectional and quantitative study, with data from the Pesquisa Nacional sobre Acesso, Utilização e Promoção do Uso Racional de Medicamentos – Serviços, 2015 (PNAUM – National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines – Services, 2015). For the analysis, we considered the data stratification into geographical regions. We analyzed the data on workers in the municipal pharmaceutical services management and in the medicine dispensing units, according to the country’s regions. For the statistical association analysis, we carried out a Pearson correlation test for the categorical variables. RESULTS We analyzed 1,175 pharmacies/dispensing units, 507 phone interviews (495 pharmaceutical services coordinators), and 1,139 professionals responsible for medicine delivery. The workforce in pharmaceutical services was mostly constituted by women, aged from 18 to 39 years, with higher education (90.7% in coordination and 45.5% in dispensing units), having permanent employment bonds (public tender), being for more than one year in the position or duty, and with weekly work hours above 30h, working both in municipal management and in medicine dispensing units. We observed regional differences in the workforce composition in dispensing units, with higher percentage of pharmacists in the Southeast and Midwest regions. CONCLUSIONS The professionalization of municipal management posts in primary health care is an achievement in the organization of the workforce in pharmaceutical services. However, significant deficiencies exist in the workforce composition in medicine dispensing units, which may compromise the medicine use quality and its results in population health. PMID:29160455

Complete nucleotide sequence of pig (Sus scrofa) mitochondrial genome and dating evolutionary divergence within Artiodactyla.

PubMed

Lin, C S; Sun, Y L; Liu, C Y; Yang, P C; Chang, L C; Cheng, I C; Mao, S J; Huang, M C

1999-08-05

The complete nucleotide sequence of the pig (Sus scrofa) mitochondrial genome, containing 16613bp, is presented in this report. The genome is not a specific length because of the presence of the variable numbers of tandem repeats, 5'-CGTGCGTACA in the displacement loop (D-loop). Genes responsible for 12S and 16S rRNAs, 22 tRNAs, and 13 protein-coding regions are found. The genome carries very few intergenic nucleotides with several instances of overlap between protein-coding or tRNA genes, except in the D-loop region. For evaluating the possible evolutionary relationships between Artiodactyla and Cetacea, the nucleotide substitutions and amino acid sequences of 13 protein-coding genes were aligned by pairwise comparisons of the pig, cow, and fin whale. By comparing these sequences, we suggest that there is a closer relationship between the pig and cow than that between either of these species and fin whale. In addition, the accumulation of transversions and gaps in pig 12S and 16S rRNA genes was compared with that in other eutherian species, including cow, fin whale, human, horse, and harbor seal. The results also reveal a close phylogenetic relationship between pig and cow, as compared to fin whale and others. Thus, according to the sequence differences of mitochondrial rRNA genes in eutherian species, the evolutionary separation of pig and cow occurred about 53-60 million years ago.

A Taphonomic Study Exploring the Differences in Decomposition Rate and Manner between Frozen and Never Frozen Domestic Pigs (Sus scrofa).

PubMed

Roberts, Lindsey G; Dabbs, Gretchen R

2015-05-01

This research examined differences in decomposition rate and manner of domestic pig subjects (Sus scrofa) in never frozen (control) and previously frozen (experimental) research conditions. Eight control and experimental subjects were placed in an identical outdoor research environment. Daily quantitative and qualitative measurements were collected: abdominal circumference, total body score (TBS), temperature, photographs, descriptive decomposition stages, and visual observations. Field necropsies were performed at accumulated degree days (ADD) between 50 and 300 (Celsius). Paired samples t-tests of ADD to TBS >3.0, TBS >9.5, and TBS >16.0 indicate the rate of decomposition of experimental subjects was significantly slower than controls at both TBS >3 and >9.5 (p = 0.003 and p = 0.002, respectively). A suite of qualitative indicators of predecomposition freezing is also reported. The differences between experimental and control subjects suggest previously frozen subjects should not be used in taphonomic research, as results do not accurately reflect the "normal" taphonomic condition. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Effect of strain wave shape on low-cycle fatigue crack propagation of SUS 304 stainless steel at elevated temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okazaki, Masakazu; Hattori, Ichiro; Shiraiwa, Fujio; Koizumi, Takashi

1983-08-01

Effect of strain wave shape on strain-controlled low-cycle fatigue crack propagation of SUS 304 stainless steel was investigated at 600 and 700 °C. It was found that the rate of crack propagation in a cycle-dependent region was successfully correlated with the range of cyclic J-integral, Δ Jf, regardless of the strain wave shape, frequency, and test temperature. It was also shown that the rate of crack propagation gradually increased from cycle-dependent curve to time-dependent one with decreasing frequency and slow-fast strain wave shape, and that one of the factors governing the rate of crack propagation in such a region was the ratio of the range of creep J-integral to that of total J-integral, Δ J c/Δ JT. Based on the results thus obtained, an interaction damage rule proposed semi-empirically was interpreted, with regard to crack propagation. Furthermore, fatigue crack initiation mechanism in slow-fast strain wave shape was studied, and it was shown that grain boundary sliding took an important role in it.

Annual 1921 : The Reasons for a Disaster

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-17

modernización fallida. Madrid: Temas de Hoy, 1994. 56-58. 13 The Spanish Parliament in 1917 was constituted by 760 congressmen and to the meeting was...1936-1939). 17 Porte, Pablo, “El desastre de Annual y la crisis de la Restauración en España, 1921-1923,” Tesis Doctoral, Universidad...Madrid: Ediciones Temas de Hoy, 1999. 64. 42 Luis de Marichalar y Monrea(1853-1945) was War Ministry during the Annual Disaster. 43 General

Preventive vaccination contributes to control classical swine fever in wild boar (Sus scrofa sp.).

PubMed

Rossi, S; Pol, F; Forot, B; Masse-Provin, N; Rigaux, S; Bronner, A; Le Potier, M-F

2010-04-21

Over the last 20 years, oral vaccination implementing a live attenuated vaccine has been experimented in Europe in order to control classical swine fever (CSF) in Wild Boar (Sus scrofa sp.). This has generally led to an enhanced seroprevalence and a decreased viroprevalence at the scale of the whole vaccinated populations, but no quantitative analysis has demonstrated the protective effect of preventive vaccination or intensive baiting. In the present paper we conducted a retrospective analysis at the scale of the municipality, taking into account the local dynamics and possible covariates of infection to test the effect of preventive vaccination and of the baiting effort. To be efficient, vaccination was expected to increase seroprevalence above the level considered as suitable for preventing disease invasion (40-60%) independently of infection, to protect free areas from disease invasion or contribute to control subsequent disease intensity and duration. We also hypothesized that a better baiting effort would be correlated with an improvement of immunisation and disease control. In uninfected municipalities, seroprevalence increased up to 40% after 1 year, i.e., three vaccination campaigns. We observed a significant protective effect of preventive vaccination, especially within municipalities that had been vaccinated at least 1 year before disease emergence and where virus detection did not last more than one quarter. On the other hand, we did not detect a significant effect of the baiting effort on local seroprevalence or disease dynamics, suggesting that the baiting system could be improved. We discuss these results regarding the improvement of management measures and further research perspective. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Survey for selected pathogens in wild pigs (Sus scrofa) from Guam, Marianna Islands, USA.

PubMed

Cleveland, Christopher A; DeNicola, Anthony; Dubey, J P; Hill, Dolores E; Berghaus, Roy D; Yabsley, Michael J

2017-06-01

Pigs (Sus scrofa) were introduced to Guam in the 1600's and are now present in high densities throughout the island. Wild pigs are reservoirs for pathogens of concern to domestic animals and humans. Exposure to porcine parvovirus, transmissible gastroenteritis, and Leptospira interrogans has been documented in domestic swine but data from wild pigs are lacking. The close proximity of humans, domestic animals, and wild pigs, combined with the liberal hunting of wild pigs, results in frequent opportunities for pathogen transmission. From February-March 2015, blood, tissue and ectoparasite samples were collected from 47 wild pigs. Serologic testing found exposure to Brucella spp. (2%), Toxoplasma gondii (11%), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus (13%), porcine circovirus type 2 (36%), pseudorabies virus (64%), Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (93%), Lawsonia intracellularis (93%), and porcine parvovirus (94%). Eleven (24%) samples had low titers (1:100) to Leptospira interrogans serovars Bratislava (n=6), Icterohaemorrhagiae (n=6), Pomona (n=2), and Hardjo (n=1). Kidney samples from nine pigs with Leptospira antibodies were negative for Leptospira antigens. Numerous pigs had Metastrongylus lungworms and three had Stephanurus dentatus. Lice (Hematopinus suis) and ticks (Amblyomma breviscutatum) were also detected. No antibodies to Influenza A viruses were detected. In contrast to the previous domestic swine survey, we found evidence of numerous pathogens in wild pigs including new reports of pseudorabies virus, PRRS virus, Brucella, and Leptospira in pigs on Guam. These findings highlight that domestic swine-wild pig interactions should be prevented and precautions are needed when handling wild pigs to minimize the risk of pathogen transmission. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) mediate large-scale edge effects in a lowland tropical rainforest in Peninsular Malaysia.

PubMed

Fujinuma, Junichi; Harrison, Rhett D

2012-01-01

Edge-effects greatly extend the area of tropical forests degraded through human activities. At Pasoh, Peninsular Malaysia, it has been suggested that soil disturbance by highly abundant wild pigs (Sus scrofa), which feed in adjacent Oil Palm plantations, may have mediated the invasion of Clidemia hirta (Melastomataceae) into the diverse tropical lowland rain forest. To investigate this hypothesis, we established three 1 km transects from the forest/Oil Palm plantation boundary into the forest interior. We recorded the distribution of soil disturbance by wild pigs, C. hirta abundance, and environmental variables. These data were analyzed using a hierarchical Bayesian model that incorporated spatial auto-correlation in the environmental variables. As predicted, soil disturbance by wild pigs declined with distance from forest edge and C. hirta abundance was correlated with the level of soil disturbance. Importantly there was no effect of distance on C. hirta abundance, after controlling for the effect of soil disturbance. Clidemia hirta abundance was also correlated with the presence of canopy openings, but there was no significant association between the occurrence of canopy openings and distance from the edge. Increased levels of soil disturbance and C. hirta abundance were still detectable approximately 1 km from the edge, demonstrating the potential for exceptionally large-scale animal mediated edge effects.

Wild Pigs (Sus scrofa) Mediate Large-Scale Edge Effects in a Lowland Tropical Rainforest in Peninsular Malaysia

PubMed Central

Fujinuma, Junichi; Harrison, Rhett D.

2012-01-01

Edge-effects greatly extend the area of tropical forests degraded through human activities. At Pasoh, Peninsular Malaysia, it has been suggested that soil disturbance by highly abundant wild pigs (Sus scrofa), which feed in adjacent Oil Palm plantations, may have mediated the invasion of Clidemia hirta (Melastomataceae) into the diverse tropical lowland rain forest. To investigate this hypothesis, we established three 1 km transects from the forest/Oil Palm plantation boundary into the forest interior. We recorded the distribution of soil disturbance by wild pigs, C. hirta abundance, and environmental variables. These data were analyzed using a hierarchical Bayesian model that incorporated spatial auto-correlation in the environmental variables. As predicted, soil disturbance by wild pigs declined with distance from forest edge and C. hirta abundance was correlated with the level of soil disturbance. Importantly there was no effect of distance on C. hirta abundance, after controlling for the effect of soil disturbance. Clidemia hirta abundance was also correlated with the presence of canopy openings, but there was no significant association between the occurrence of canopy openings and distance from the edge. Increased levels of soil disturbance and C. hirta abundance were still detectable approximately 1 km from the edge, demonstrating the potential for exceptionally large-scale animal mediated edge effects. PMID:22615977

Identification of chromosomal locations associated with tail biting and being a victim of tail-biting behaviour in the domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus).

PubMed

Wilson, Kaitlin; Zanella, Ricardo; Ventura, Carlos; Johansen, Hanne Lind; Framstad, Tore; Janczak, Andrew; Zanella, Adroaldo J; Neibergs, Holly Louise

2012-11-01

The objective of this study was to identify loci associated with tail biting or being a victim of tail biting in Norwegian crossbred pigs using a genome-wide association study with PLINK case-control analysis. DNA was extracted from hair or blood samples collected from 98 trios of crossbred pigs located across Norway. Each trio came from the same pen and consisted of one pig observed to initiate tail biting, one pig which was the victim of tail biting and a control pig which was not involved in either behaviour. DNA was genotyped using the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assay. After quality assurance filtering, 53,952 SNPs remained comprising 74 animals (37 pairs) for the tail biter versus control comparison and 53,419 SNPs remained comprising 80 animals (40 pairs) for the victim of tail biting versus control comparison. An association with being a tail biter was observed on Sus scrofa chromosome 16 (SSC16; p = 1.6 × 10(-5)) and an unassigned chromosome (p = 3.9 × 10(-5)). An association with being the victim of tail biting was observed on Sus scrofa chromosomes 1 (SSC1; p = 4.7 × 10(-5)), 9 (SSC9; p = 3.9 × 10(-5)), 18 (SSC18; p = 7 × 10(-5) for 9,602,511 bp, p = 3.4 × 10(-5) for 9,653,881 bp and p = 5.3 × 10(-5) for 29,577,783 bp) and an unassigned chromosome (p = 6.1 × 10(-5)). An r(2) = 0.96 and a D' = 1 between the two SNPs at 9 Mb on SSC18 indicated extremely high linkage disequilibrium, suggesting that these two markers represent a single locus. These results provide evidence of a moderate genetic association between the propensity to participate in tail-biting behaviour and the likelihood of becoming a victim of this behaviour.

Del sujeto que ha intentado suicidarse y el Otro: la Institución Psiquiátrica

PubMed Central

Liliana, Mondragón B.; Miguel Ángel, Caballero G.

2009-01-01

El hospital psiquiátrico se ha constituido como un lugar donde se posibilita legitimar la exclusión y la radicalidad de ese otro “que no es igual”, como es el caso del sujeto que atenta contra su propia vida. En consecuencia, el intento de suicidio desde el pensamiento foucaultiano, es una resistencia que desmantela la estructura de dominación a través de un acto de poder, el cual se ejerce sobre el propio cuerpo. Así, la intención de este texto es mostrar que la relación Otro-otro es un lugar en la estructura subjetiva, que se deposita en la institución psiquiátrica, la cual representa el poder, la ley, y es aquello a lo que se le quiere agredir, resistir, abatir con un intento de suicidio. Para demostrar como se materializan estos hechos, se exponen los testimonios de tres adolescentes atendidas en un hospital psiquiátrico por intentos suicidas, en los cuales se señalan los diferentes significados que le atribuyen a la institución psiquiátrica en tanto que representa un Otro en sus actos autoinfligidos. PMID:25400324

Isolation and characterization of a novel Rhabdovirus from a wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Japan.

PubMed

Sakai, Kouji; Hagiwara, Katsuro; Omatsu, Tsutomu; Hamasaki, Chinami; Kuwata, Ryusei; Shimoda, Hiroshi; Suzuki, Kazuo; Endoh, Daiji; Nagata, Noriyo; Nagai, Makoto; Katayama, Yukie; Oba, Mami; Kurane, Ichiro; Saijo, Masayuki; Morikawa, Shigeru; Mizutani, Tetsuya; Maeda, Ken

2015-09-30

A novel rhabdovirus was isolated from the serum of a healthy Japanese wild boar (Sus scrofa leucomystax) and identified using the rapid determination system for viral nucleic acid sequences (RDV), next-generation sequencing, and electron microscopy. The virus was tentatively named wild boar rhabdovirus 1 (WBRV1). Phylogenetic analysis of the entire genome sequence indicated that WBRV1 is closely related to Tupaia rhabdovirus (TRV), which was isolated from cultured cells of hepatocellular carcinoma tissue of tree shrew. TRV has not been assigned to any genus of Rhabdoviridae till date. Analysis of the L gene indicated that WBRV1 belongs to the genus Vesiculovirus. These observations suggest that both TRV and WBRV1 belong to a new genus of Rhabdoviridae. Next-generation genome sequencing of WBRV1 revealed 5 open reading frames of 1329, 765, 627, 1629, and 6336 bases in length. The WBRV1 gene sequences are similar to those of other rhabdoviruses. Epizootiological analysis of a population of wild boars in Wakayama prefecture in Japan indicated that 6.5% were positive for the WBRV1 gene and 52% were positive for WBRV1-neutralizing antibodies. Furthermore, such viral neutralizing antibodies were found in domestic pigs in another prefecture. WBRV1 was inoculated intranasally and intraperitoneally into SCID and BALB/c mice and viral RNA was detected in SCID mice, suggesting that WBRV1 can replicate in immunocompromised mice. These results indicate this novel virus is endemic in wild animals and livestock in Japan. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biology and impacts of Pacific Islands invasive species. 14. Sus scrofa the feral pig (Artiodactyla: Suidae)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wehr, Nathaniel H.; Hess, Steven C.; Litton, Creighton M.

2018-01-01

Feral pigs (Sus scrofa L.) are perhaps the most abundant, widespread, and economically significant large introduced vertebrate across the Pacific island region. Unlike many other nonnative invasive species, feral pigs have both cultural and recreational importance in the region, complicating their management. Today, Pacific island feral pigs are a mixture of several strains of domestic swine, Asiatic wild boar, and European wild boar. Due to their generalist diet and rooting behavior, feral pigs alter soils and watersheds and negatively impact native and nonnative flora and fauna. As a result, feral pigs have played a role in the extinction of several species of plants and animals on Pacific islands and have negative effects on both ecotourism and agricultural industries in the region. Despite numerous published studies on feral pigs in the Pacific island region, of which the majority include systematic analyses of original empirical data, some fundamental aspects of feral pig ecology remain poorly characterized, at least partly due to the remote and inaccessible environments that they often inhabit. To address these knowledge gaps, effort should be made to integrate research conducted outside the Pacific island region into local management strategies. This review summarizes the origins, history, ecology, environmental effects, and current management of feral pigs in the Pacific island region; integrates regional scientific findings with those of other insular and continental systems; and identifies current knowledge gaps requiring further research to inform the ecology and management of this impactful invasive species.

Pseudorabies Virus and Brucella abortus from an Expanding Wild Pig ( Sus scrofa ) Population in Southern Oklahoma, USA.

PubMed

Gaskamp, Joshua A; Gee, Kenneth L; Campbell, Tyler A; Silvy, Nova J; Webb, Stephen L

2016-04-28

Wild pigs ( Sus scrofa ) are causing increasing ecologic and economic damage at a global scale. Because wild pigs can carry ≥65 diseases that affect livestock, their widespread expansion threatens native wildlife and livestock. We screened wild pigs from south-central Oklahoma, US for antibodies against Brucella abortus , pseudorabies virus (PRV), and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRS). These pathogens were chosen because they are part of eradication programs in the US and could have large economic impacts on domestic livestock if transmitted from wild animals. We tested 282 serum samples during spring 2010 (n=149) and 2011 (n=133) and found an overall exposure rate to PRV of 24.1% (n=68); PRV was detected at two of three study sites. Two wild pigs had detectable antibody to B. abortus , and one had detectable antibody to PRRS. On average, 27% of wild pigs within a sounder were positive for PRV antibody, with 44% of the sounders (16/36) having at least one positive individual. These data highlight that wild pigs could carry pathogens that affect domestic livestock. Because the US is free of these pathogens in commercial livestock operations, continued surveillance and vaccination of domestic livestock are needed. Commercial livestock producers at the wildlife-livestock interface may benefit from spatial prioritization of risk zones to facilitate strategic control efforts.

La Observación Sistemática de Vecindarios: El caso de Chile y sus perspectivas para Trabajo Social

PubMed Central

Sanhueza, Guillermo E.; Delva, Jorge; Andrade, Fernando H.; Grogan-Kaylor, Andrew; Bares, Cristina; Castillo, Marcela

2012-01-01

El estudio acerca de las características de los vecindarios y sus efectos sobre las personas ha llegado a ser un área de creciente atención por parte de investigadores de diversas disciplinas en países desarrollados. Aunque actualmente existen diversas metodologías para estudiar efectos del vecindario, una de las más utilizadas es la Observación Sistemática de Vecindarios –Systematic Social Observation SSO, en inglés—porque permite recolectar información acerca de diversas características del entorno físico, social, ambiental y económico de los vecindarios donde se aplica. El objetivo de este artículo es (i) dar a conocer sumariamente algunas investigaciones influyentes sobre efectos del vecindario en Estados Unidos, ii) describir cómo se diseñó e implementó la Observación Sistemática de Vecindarios en la ciudad de Santiago de Chile, iii) señalar algunos facilitadores y obstaculizadores de la implementación del proyecto y, finalmente iv) enunciar posibles contribuciones y limitaciones que esta metodología ofrecería al trabajo social en Chile. PMID:24791060

Zoonotic intestinal protozoan of the wild boars, Sus scrofa, in Persian Gulf's coastal area (Bushehr province), Southwestern Iran.

PubMed

Yaghoobi, Kambiz; Sarkari, Bahador; Mansouri, Majid; Motazedian, Mohammad Hossein

2016-10-01

Wild boars, Sus scrofa , are potential reservoirs of many zoonotic diseases, and there are a possibility of transmission of the zoonotic diseases from these animals to humans and also domestic animals. This study aimed to evaluate the protozoan contamination of wild boars in the Persian Gulf's coastal area (Bushehr Province), southwestern Iran. A total of 25 crossbred boars were collected during a course of vertebrate pest control in Bushehr province, in 2013. Samples were collected from the gastrointestinal tracts of each boar in 5% formalin, Bouin's solution, sodium acetate-acetic acid-formalin, and polyvinyl alcohol fixatives. Fixed stool smears examined by trichrome and Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Each of the 25 wild boars was infected with at least one of the intestinal protozoans. The rate of contamination with intestinal protozoan was 64% for Balantidium coli , 76% for Iodamoeba sp., 52% for Entamoeba polecki , 44% for Blastocystis sp. and 8% for Chilomastix sp. No intestinal coccidian was detected in studied boars when the stool samples were evaluated by Ziehl-Neelsen staining method. Findings of this study demonstrated that wild boars in the Persian Gulf coastal area are contaminated by many protozoans, including zoonotic protozoan, which poses a potential risk to locals as well as the domestic animals of the area.

Differential limb loading in miniature pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus): a test of chondral modeling theory

PubMed Central

Congdon, Kimberly A.; Hammond, Ashley S.; Ravosa, Matthew J.

2012-01-01

SUMMARY Variation in mechanical loading is known to influence chondrogenesis during joint formation. However, the interaction among chondrocyte behavior and variation in activity patterns is incompletely understood, hindering our knowledge of limb ontogeny and function. Here, the role of endurance exercise in the development of articular and physeal cartilage in the humeral head was examined in 14 miniature swine (Sus scrofa domesticus). One group was subjected to graded treadmill running over a period of 17 weeks. A matched sedentary group was confined to individual pens. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed for histomorphometry of cartilage zone thickness, chondrocyte count and cell area, with these parameters compared multivariately between exercised and sedentary groups. Comparisons were also made with femora from the same sample, focusing on humerus–femur differences between exercised and sedentary groups, within-cohort comparisons of humerus–femur responses and correlated changes within and across joints. This study shows conflicting support for the chondral modeling theory. The humeral articular cartilage of exercised pigs was thinner than that of sedentary pigs, but their physeal cartilage was thicker. While articular and physeal cartilage demonstrated between-cohort differences, humeral physeal cartilage exhibited load-induced responses of greater magnitude than humeral articular cartilage. Controlling for cohort, the humerus showed increased chondrocyte mitosis and cell area, presumably due to relatively greater loading than the femur. This represents the first known effort to evaluate chondral modeling across multiple joints from the same individuals. Our findings suggest the chondral response to elevated loading is complex, varying within and among joints. This has important implications for understanding joint biomechanics and development. PMID:22496283

Oxidation of SUS-316 stainless steel for fast breeder reactor fuel cladding under oxygen pressure controlled by Ni/NiO oxygen buffer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Minoru; Furuya, Hirotaka; Sugisaki, Masayasu

1985-09-01

Oxidation of SUS-316 stainless steel for a fast breeder reactor fuel cladding was examined in the temperature range of 843-1010 K under the oxygen pressure of 1017 t - 10 t-13 Pa hy use of an experimental technique of a Ni/NiO oxygen buffer. The formation of the duplex oxide layer, i.e. an outer Fe 3O 4 layer and an inner (Fe, Cr, Ni)-spinel layer, was observed and the oxidation kinetics was found to obey the parabolic rate law. The oxygen pressure and temperature dependence of the parabolic rate constant kp( PO2, T) was determined as follows: kp( PO2, T)/ kg2 · m-1 · s-1 = 0.170( PO2/ Pa) 0.141exp[-114 × 10 3/( RT/ J)]. On the basis of the oxidation kinetics and the metallographic information, the outward diffusion of Fe in the outer oxide layer was assigned to be the rate-determining process.

Development of a rapid high-efficiency scalable process for acetylated Sus scrofa cationic trypsin production from Escherichia coli inclusion bodies.

PubMed

Zhao, Mingzhi; Wu, Feilin; Xu, Ping

2015-12-01

Trypsin is one of the most important enzymatic tools in proteomics and biopharmaceutical studies. Here, we describe the complete recombinant expression and purification from a trypsinogen expression vector construct. The Sus scrofa cationic trypsin gene with a propeptide sequence was optimized according to Escherichia coli codon-usage bias and chemically synthesized. The gene was inserted into pET-11c plasmid to yield an expression vector. Using high-density E. coli fed-batch fermentation, trypsinogen was expressed in inclusion bodies at 1.47 g/L. The inclusion body was refolded with a high yield of 36%. The purified trypsinogen was then activated to produce trypsin. To address stability problems, the trypsin thus produced was acetylated. The final product was generated upon gel filtration. The final yield of acetylated trypsin was 182 mg/L from a 5-L fermenter. Our acetylated trypsin product demonstrated higher BAEE activity (30,100 BAEE unit/mg) than a commercial product (9500 BAEE unit/mg, Promega). It also demonstrated resistance to autolysis. This is the first report of production of acetylated recombinant trypsin that is stable and suitable for scale-up. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a Commercial ELISA for the Detection of Antibodies to Sarcoptes scabiei in Wild Boar (Sus scrofa).

PubMed

Haas, Chloé; Rossi, Sophie; Meier, Roman; Ryser-Degiorgis, Marie-Pierre

2015-07-01

Sarcoptic mange occurs in free-ranging wild boar (Sus scrofa) but has been poorly described in this species. We evaluated the performance of a commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for serodiagnosis of sarcoptic mange in domestic swine when applied to wild boar sera. We tested 96 sera from wild boar in populations without mange history ("truly noninfected") collected in Switzerland between December 2012 and February 2014, and 141 sera from free-ranging wild boar presenting mange-like lesions, including 50 live animals captured and sampled multiple times in France between May and August 2006 and three cases submitted to necropsy in Switzerland between April 2010 and February 2014. Mite infestation was confirmed by skin scraping in 20 of them ("truly infected"). We defined sensitivity of the test as the proportion of truly infected that were found ELISA-positive, and specificity as the proportion of truly noninfected that were found negative. Sensitivity and specificity were 75% and 80%, respectively. Success of antibody detection increased with the chronicity of lesions, and seroconversion was documented in 19 of 27 wild boar sampled multiple times that were initially negative or doubtful. In conclusion, the evaluated ELISA has been successfully applied to wild boar sera. It appears to be unreliable for early detection in individual animals but may represent a useful tool for population surveys.

Preliminary study of Porcine circovirus type 2 and Torque teno sus virus coinfection frequencies in Brazilian pig herds

PubMed Central

de Castro, Alessandra Marnie Martins Gomes; Favero, Cintia Maria; Baldin, Cintia Manzatto; Borba, Mauro; de Castro, Fernando Gomes; Miyashiro, Simone; de Moura, José Carlos; Dias, Ricardo Arruda; Brandão, Paulo Eduardo; Richtzenhain, Leonardo José

2012-01-01

Torque teno sus virus (TTSuV) is emergent in swine herds. Recent studies have shown an increased frequency of TTSuV2 in Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2)-associated diseases (PCVAD), which are endemic in many swine-producing countries, including Brazil. Coinfection with several other viral and bacterial agents results in an increased incidence of more severe PCVAD. Given the limited information on TTSuV and PCV2 coinfection, especially in Brazilian swine herds, this study made a preliminary estimation of the occurrence of coinfection in swine herds by testing samples from different categories. Between 2008 and 2009, 111 samples of feces and 23 serum samples from 5 swine herds were tested for PCV2 and TTSuVs and the results analyzed for associations between these agents. No significant differences in coinfection frequency were observed for PCV2 + TTSuV1 or for PCV2 + TTSuV2 between nursery piglets (P = 0.730), growing pigs (P = 0.331), or sows (P = 0.472). However, a significant difference was observed for PCV2 + TTSuV1 + TTSuV2 between nursery piglets and growing pigs (P = 0.004; Fisher’s exact test). Phylogenetic studies agreed with the grouping of TTSuV1 and TTSuV2 into 2 different clades, with no distinct pattern of clustering of these isolates with the animal categories. PMID:23277695

Genetic structure of wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations from East Asia based on microsatellite loci analyses

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Wild boar, Sus scrofa, is an extant wild ancestor of the domestic pig as an agro-economically important mammal. Wild boar has a worldwide distribution with its geographic origin in Southeast Asia, but genetic diversity and genetic structure of wild boar in East Asia are poorly understood. To characterize the pattern and amount of genetic variation and population structure of wild boar in East Asia, we genotyped and analyzed microsatellite loci for a total of 238 wild boar specimens from ten locations across six countries in East and Southeast Asia. Results Our data indicated that wild boar populations in East Asia are genetically diverse and structured, showing a significant correlation of genetic distance with geographic distance and implying a low level of gene flow at a regional scale. Bayesian-based clustering analysis was indicative of seven inferred genetic clusters in which wild boars in East Asia are geographically structured. The level of genetic diversity was relatively high in wild boars from Southeast Asia, compared with those from Northeast Asia. This gradient pattern of genetic diversity is consistent with an assumed ancestral population of wild boar in Southeast Asia. Genetic evidences from a relationship tree and structure analysis suggest that wild boar in Jeju Island, South Korea have a distinct genetic background from those in mainland Korea. Conclusions Our results reveal a diverse pattern of genetic diversity and the existence of genetic differentiation among wild boar populations inhabiting East Asia. This study highlights the potential contribution of genetic variation of wild boar to the high genetic diversity of local domestic pigs during domestication in East Asia. PMID:25034725

Exposures of Sus scrofa to a TASER(®) conducted electrical weapon: no effects on 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis patterns of plasma proteins.

PubMed

Jauchem, James R; Cerna, Cesario Z; Lim, Tiffany Y; Seaman, Ronald L

2014-12-01

In an earlier study, we found significant changes in red-blood-cell, leukocyte, and platelet counts, and in red-blood-cell membrane proteins, following exposures of anesthetized pigs to a conducted electrical weapon. In the current study, we examined potential changes in plasma proteins [analyzed via two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DGE)] following two 30 s exposures of anesthetized pigs (Sus scrofa) to a TASER (®) C2 conducted electrical weapon. Patterns of proteins, separated by 2-DGE, were consistent and reproducible between animals and between times of sampling. We determined that the blood plasma collection, handling, storage, and processing techniques we used are suitable for swine blood. There were no statistically significant changes in plasma proteins following the conducted-electrical-weapon exposures. Overall gel patterns of fibrinogen were similar to results of other studies of both pigs and humans (in control settings, not exposed to conducted electrical weapons). The lack of significant changes in plasma proteins may be added to the body of evidence regarding relative safety of TASER C2 device exposures.

Determination of quarantine period in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fed with pig (Sus sp.) offal to assure compliance with halal standards.

PubMed

Wan Norhana, M N; Dykes, G A; Padilah, B; Ahmad Hazizi, A A; Masazurah, A R

2012-12-01

Pig (Sus sp.) and pig by-products are considered as najasa (impurities) in Islam and forbidden in Muslim consumer products. Animals fed on najasa are categorised as al-jallālah (contaminated animals) which are allowed to be consumed as long as they have been quarantined for a certain period of time. During this quarantine period the animals will have undergone a natural purification process or istihālah. African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) are commonly consumed in Malaysia and may be fed on najasa. This study was carried out to estimate the istihālah period for catfish after feeding with pig offal, based on the absence of pig DNA in catfish gut and to suggest the quarantine period in catfish fed with pig offal. The results indicated that the maximum istihālah period could reach 36h in the stomach, 6h in the midgut and less than 2h in the hindgut although in many cases shorter periods were observed. Based on these results it is estimated that the minimum quarantine period for catfish fed with pig offal is 1.5days. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Primary health care--the "apple of the eye" of SUS: about social representations of the protagonists of the Unified Health System].

PubMed

Gomes, Karine de Oliveira; Cotta, Rosângela Minardi Mitre; Araújo, Raquel Maria Amaral; Cherchiglia, Mariângela Leal; Martins, Tatiana de Castro Pereira

2011-01-01

The Primary Health Care (PHC) is the first contact level with the health system. In Brazil, the Family Health Program (PSF) is the main implementation and organization strategy of the PHC. The objective of this study is to evaluate the actions and services of health offered by the PSF, starting from the social representations of the interviewee on the exclusive dimensions of PHC - attention to the first contact, longitudinality, integrality and coordination. It is a quali-quantitative research, accomplished in Cajuri, Minas Gerais State. Municipal managers, PSF professionals and pregnant women assisted by PSF were interviewed. Regarding social representations on SUS, it was observed an inadequate level of apprehension and knowledge of their principles and guidelines. As for PSF, several positive connotations were expressed and the set of perceptions of the protagonists identified it as a restructuring strategy of PHC in the municipality. In spite of this, strong influences of the biomedical model and the challenge of the integration with the other levels of attention were noticed, indicating the need of investments in the professional's training and in the organization of the other levels of attention to health.

Spatial distribution of Trichinella britovi, T. spiralis and T. pseudospiralis of domestic pigs and wild boars (Sus scrofa) in Hungary.

PubMed

Széll, Z; Marucci, G; Ludovisi, A; Gómez-Morales, M A; Sréter, T; Pozio, E

2012-02-10

Trichinellosis is a foodborne disease caused by the consumption of raw meat and raw meat-derived products from swine, horse and some game animals infected with nematode worms of the genus Trichinella. Between June 2006 and February 2011, 16 million domestic pigs and 0.22 million wild boars (Sus scrofa) were tested for Trichinella sp. in Hungary. Trichinella infection was not found in any pigs slaughtered for public consumption. Nevertheless, Trichinella spiralis was detected in four backyard pigs when trace back was done following a family outbreak. Trichinella infection was demonstrated in 17 wild boars (0.0077%). Larvae from wild boars were identified as Trichinella britovi (64.7%), T. spiralis (29.4%) and Trichinella pseudospiralis (5.9%). Although the prevalence of Trichinella sp. infection in wild boars and domestic pigs is very low, the spatial analysis reveals that the level of risk differs by region in Hungary. Most of the T. britovi infected wild boars (63.6%) were shot in the north-eastern mountain area of Hungary; whereas domestic pigs and wild boars infected with T. spiralis were detected only in the southern counties bordering Croatia and Romania. In the north-western and central counties, the prevalence of Trichinella infection seems to be negligible. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Globalisation and global trade influence molecular viral population genetics of Torque Teno Sus Viruses 1 and 2 in pigs.

PubMed

Cortey, Martí; Pileri, Emanuela; Segalés, Joaquim; Kekarainen, Tuija

2012-04-23

Globalisation, in terms of the rapid and free movement of people, animals and food, has created a new paradigm, increasing the range and rate of distribution of many pathogens. In the present study, Torque teno sus viruses (TTSuVs) have been used as a model to evaluate the effects of global trade on viral heterogeneity, and how the movement of live pigs can affect the distribution and composition of virus populations. Seventeen countries from different parts of the world have been screened for TTSuV1 and TTSuvV2. High levels of genetic diversity have been found as well as two new TTSuV subtypes. A small fraction of this diversity (<5%) was related with spatial structure; however the majority (>50%) was best explained by the exchange of live pigs among countries, pointing to the direct relationship between the movement of hosts and the diversity of their accompanying viruses. Taking TTSuVs as sentinels, this study revealed that the distribution and diversity of comensal microflora in live animals subjected to global trade is shaped by the commercial movements among countries. In the case of TTSuVs, it appears that commercial movements of animals are eroding the genetic composition of the virus populations that may have been present in pig herds since their domestication. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Identification, Isolation, and Phylogenetic Analysis of Clostridium perfringens Type A and Type C from Wild Boar ( Sus scrofa ) in the People's Republic of China.

PubMed

Li, Meng; Zhang, Xu; Zhu, Lingwei; Wang, Haifeng; Zhao, Na; Luo, Jing; Wang, Chengmin; Wang, Yutian; Liu, Yanhua; Zhou, Wei; Zhang, Bikai; Guo, Huancheng; He, Hongxuan

2017-07-01

Clostridium perfringens is a Gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium that can induces gas gangrene or enteritis in poultry and humans and many other mammalian species. Here, we report an outbreak of C. perfringens type A and type C coinfection in wild boars ( Sus scrofa ). In February 2016, 10 dead wild boars, including two fresh carcasses, were found in Zhaosu County, Xinjiang Province, People's Republic of China. The two fresh carcasses were included in this study. Two strains of C. perfringens were isolated, identified, genotyped, and phylogenetically analyzed. Based on postmortem examination, bacterium isolation and identification, enterotoxin detection, and auxiliary tests, we made a diagnosis that the wild boar were killed by C. perfringens . Our findings provide the evidence that wild boar can be killed by C. perfringens intoxication. Wild boars are important reservoirs for many zoonotic agents. Therefore, more actions should be taken on the surveillance, prevention, and control of wild pig-borne diseases.

Response of pigmented porcine skin (Sus scrofa domestica) to single 3.8-micron laser radiation pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bostick, Anthony C.; Johnson, Thomas E.; Randolph, Donald Q.; Winston, Golda C. H.

2005-04-01

Background and purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of melanin on skin response to single 3.8 micron, eight microsecond laser pulses and the difference in lesion formation thresholds for input into laser safety standards. Williams et al., performed a study examining laser tissue interaction from 3.8-micron lasers in lightly pigmented Yorkshire pigs (Sus scrofa domestica). However, studies performed by Eggleston et al comparing pigmented and lightly pigmented skin with human skin found that the Yucatan mini-pig is a superior model for laser skin exposures. Methods: Five Yucatan mini-pigs under general anesthesia were exposed to 3.8 micron laser pulses ranging from 0.8 J/cm2 to 93 J/cm2. Gross examinations were done acutely and 24 hours after laser exposure. Skin biopsies were then collected at various times post exposure, and histologic examinations were conducted. Results: The 24 hour ED50 was determined to be 4.5 J/cm2 with fiducial limits of 6.2 and 2.2 J/cm2. As deposited energy was increased, the lesion presentation ranged from whitening of the epidermis (4 J/cm2) to whitening with inflammatory centers (14 J/cm2), and at the highest energy levels inflammatory areas were replaced with an epidermal ulcerated central area (>21 J/cm2). Conclusion: Preliminary findings suggest pigmentation or melanin may play a minor role in the mechanism of laser-tissue damage. The ED50 of Yorkshire pigs was 2.6 J/cm2. The ED50 of the Yucatan mini-pig was found to be 3.6 J/cm2, and although it was higher, it is still within the 95% fiducial limits.

Rescue of a Porcine Anellovirus (Torque Teno Sus Virus 2) from Cloned Genomic DNA in Pigs

PubMed Central

Huang, Yao-Wei; Patterson, Abby R.; Opriessnig, Tanja; Dryman, Barbara A.; Gallei, Andreas; Harrall, Kylie K.; Vaughn, Eric M.; Roof, Michael B.

2012-01-01

Anelloviruses are a group of single-stranded circular DNA viruses infecting humans and other animal species. Animal models combined with reverse genetic systems of anellovirus have not been developed. We report here the construction and initial characterization of full-length DNA clones of a porcine anellovirus, torque teno sus virus 2 (TTSuV2), in vitro and in vivo. We first demonstrated that five cell lines, including PK-15 cells, are free of TTSuV1 or TTSuV2 contamination, as determined by a real-time PCR and an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using anti-TTSuV antibodies. Recombinant plasmids harboring monomeric or tandem-dimerized genomic DNA of TTSuV2 from the United States and Germany were constructed. Circular TTSuV2 genomic DNA with or without introduced genetic markers and tandem-dimerized TTSuV2 plasmids were transfected into PK-15 cells, respectively. Splicing of viral mRNAs was identified in transfected cells. Expression of TTSuV2-specific open reading frame 1 (ORF1) in cell nuclei, especially in nucleoli, was detected by IFA. However, evidence of productive TTSuV2 infection was not observed in 12 different cell lines transfected with the TTSuV2 DNA clones. Transfection with circular DNA from a TTSuV2 deletion mutant did not produce ORF1 protein, suggesting that the observed ORF1 expression is driven by TTSuV2 DNA replication in cells. Pigs inoculated with either the tandem-dimerized clones or circular genomic DNA of U.S. TTSuV2 developed viremia, and the introduced genetic markers were retained in viral DNA recovered from the sera of infected pigs. The availability of an infectious DNA clone of TTSuV2 will facilitate future study of porcine anellovirus pathogenesis and biology. PMID:22491450

The stress response and exploratory behaviour in Yucatan minipigs (Sus scrofa): Relations to sex and social rank.

PubMed

Adcock, Sarah J J; Martin, Gerard M; Walsh, Carolyn J

2015-12-01

According to the coping styles hypothesis, an individual demonstrates an integrated behavioural and physiological response to environmental challenge that is consistent over time and across situations. Individual consistency in behavioural responses to challenge has been documented across the animal kingdom. Comparatively few studies, however, have examined inter-individual variation in the physiological response, namely glucocorticoid and catecholamine levels, the stress hormones secreted by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system, respectively. Variation in coping styles between individuals may be explained in part by differences in social rank and sex. Using 20 Yucatan minipigs (Sus scrofa) we: (1) investigated the existence of consistent inter-individual variation in exploratory behaviour and the hormonal stress response, and tested for correlations as predicted by the coping styles hypothesis; and (2) evaluated whether inter-individual behavioural and hormonal variation is related to social rank and sex. Salivary stress biomarkers (cortisol, alpha-amylase, chromogranin A) were assessed in the presence and absence of a stressor consisting of social isolation in a crate for 10 min. Principal components analysis on a set of behavioural variables revealed two traits, which we labelled exploratory tendency and neophobia. Neither exploratory tendency nor neophobia predicted the physiological stress response. Subordinate pigs exhibited higher catecholamine levels compared to dominant conspecifics. We observed sex differences in the repeatability of salivary stress markers and reactivity of the stress systems. The results do not provide support for the existence of behavioural-physiological coping styles in pigs. Sex is an important determinant of the physiological stress response and warrants consideration in research addressing behavioural and hormonal variation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Novel Technique for Retroperitoneal Implantation of Telemetry Transmitters for Physiologic Monitoring in Göttingen Minipigs (Sus scrofa domesticus)

PubMed Central

Willens, Scott; Cox, David M; Braue, Ernest H; Myers, Todd M; Wegner, Matthew D

2014-01-01

Telemetric monitoring of physiologic parameters in animal models is a critical component of chemical and biologic agent studies. The long-term collection of neurobehavioral and other physiologic data can require larger telemetry devices. Furthermore, such devices must be implanted in a location that is safe, well-tolerated, and functional. Göttingen minipigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) present an ideal large animal model for chemical agent studies due to their relatively small size, characterized health status, and ease of training and handling. We report an effective approach to implanting a novel device to measure transthoracic impedance to approximate respiratory tidal volume and rate in Suidae. We tested the approach using 24 male Göttingen minipigs. A ventral midline abdominal incision extending from the umbilicus to the prepuce was followed by a paramedian incision of the parietal peritoneum and dorsal blunt dissection to create a retroperitoneal pocket. The device was anchored inside the pocket to the internal abdominal musculature with 3-0 nonabsorbable suture, biopotential leads were routed through the abdominal musculature, and the pocket was closed with 3-0 absorbable suture. Paired biopotential leads were anchored intermuscularly at the level of the seventh rib midway between spine and sternum bilaterally to provide surrogate data for respiratory function. Postoperative recovery and gross pathology findings at necropsy were used to assess safety and refine the surgical procedure. Results demonstrated that this procedure permitted effective monitoring of complex physiologic data, including transthoracic impedance, without negatively affecting the health and behavior of the animals. PMID:25527027

Effect of chloride ion on corrosion behavior of SUS316L-grade stainless steel in nitric acid solutions containing seawater components under γ-ray irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sano, Y.; Ambai, H.; Takeuchi, M.; Iijima, S.; Uchida, N.

2017-09-01

Concerning the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, we investigated the effect of chloride ion on the corrosion behavior of SUS316L stainless steel, which is a typical material for the equipment used in reprocessing, in HNO3 solution containing seawater components, including under γ-ray irradiation condition. Electrochemical and immersion tests were carried out using a mixture of HNO3 and artificial seawater (ASW). In the HNO3 solution containing high amounts of ASW, the cathodic current densities increased and uniform corrosion progressed. This might be caused by strong oxidants, such as Cl2 and NOCl, generated in the reaction between HNO3 and Cl- ions. The corrosion rate decreased with the immersion time at low concentrations of HNO3, while it increased at high concentrations. Under γ-ray irradiation condition, the corrosion rate decreased due to the suppression of the cathodic reactions by the reaction between the above oxidants and HNO2 generated by radiolysis.

Determinacion del error sistematico del momentum de muones producidos por interacciones neutrino-nucleon en el detector MINER$$\

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Diaz Bautista, Gonzalo A.

El Modelo Estandar describe todas las partculas observadas en el naturaleza hasta el momento as como las caractersticas que gobiernan a las interacciones fundamentales entre ellas. En especial es posible identicar a las interacciones electromagnetica y debil, las cuales bajo determinadas condiciones de temperatura y energa pueden ser descritas a traves de una sola teora que engloba a ambas. A esta teora se le denomina electrodebil y tiene como nalidad caracterizar las propiedades de la interaccion maniesta a partir de la mezcla de las interacciones electromagnetica y debil, la que tambien lleva como nombre interaccion electrodebil. Particularmente, los neutrinos sonmore » de especial interes ya que, por un lado, interactuan por medio de la interaccion debil muy raramente en comparacion con otras partculas y, por el otro, no son acertadamente descritos por el Modelo Estandar. Por medio de observaciones experimentales que demostraban que los neutrinos cambian de sabor al propagarse, fenomeno llamado oscilaciones de neutrinos, se pudo llegar a la conclusion de que la implicancia de este fenomeno da como consecuencia que los neutrinos efectivamente s tienen masa, algo que entra en contradiccion con la descripcion inicial del Modelo Estandar, el cual los describe como partculas sin masa. Es de esta manera que las oscilaciones de neutrinos han sido y siguen siendo en la actualidad objeto de interes en la Fsica de Altas Energas tanto teorica como experimental. A n de poder realizar mediciones precisas de oscilaciones de neutrinos, los experimentos encargados de estas mediciones deben tratar de reducir sus incertidumbres en lo posible. Una de estas proviene de la caracterizacion de las secciones de choque de los neutrinos cuando interactuan con la materia, particularmente los nucleones al interior de los nucleos atomicos. El experimento MINERA esta orientado, entre otras cosas, a hacer una correcta caracterizacion de secciones de choque neutrino-nucleon por medio del

Are juvenile domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) sensitive to the attentive states of humans?--The impact of impulsivity on choice behaviour.

PubMed

Nawroth, Christian; Ebersbach, Mirjam; von Borell, Eberhard

2013-06-01

Previous studies have shown that apes, dogs and horses seem to be able to attribute attentive states to humans. Subjects had to choose between two persons: one who was able to see the animal and one who was not. Using a similar paradigm, we tested a species that does not rely strongly on visual cues, the domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica). Subjects could choose between two unfamiliar persons, with only one showing attention, in three different conditions (body, head away, body turned - head front). Subjects (n=16) only showed a tendency towards the attentive human in the head away condition. However, by pooling those two conditions where the position of the human head was the only salient cue, we found a significant preference for the attentive person. Moreover, two approach styles could be distinguished - an impulsive style with short response times and a non-impulsive style where response times were relatively long. With the second approach style, pigs chose the attentive person significantly more often than expected by chance level, which was not the case when subjects chose impulsively. These first results suggest that pigs are able to use head cues to discriminate between different attentive states of humans. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

First reports of pseudorabies and winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) associated with an emerging feral swine (Sus scrofa) population in New Hampshire.

PubMed

Musante, Anthony R; Pedersen, Kerri; Hall, Parker

2014-01-01

The expansion of feral swine (Sus scrofa) populations into new geographic regions is of concern not only due to increased range but also because they carry diseases and parasites that pose a threat to humans, livestock, and wildlife into new areas. Recently, emerging feral swine populations have been reported in the northeastern US and due to their adaptive nature will likely continue to spread. During 2009-2012, 49 feral swine were removed from three counties in New Hampshire. Of these, serum samples were submitted from 34 for disease surveillance testing. One of the feral swine was antibody-positive for pseudorabies virus (PRV) making it the first documented infection in feral swine in New Hampshire. Infestations of winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) were also documented on two of the feral swine which had only been reported previously on feral swine in Texas. Feral swine may not only serve as an important host for an economically important commercial swine pathogen like PRV, but they could also increase host diversity for parasites such as the winter tick, a species that can regionally impact moose (Alces alces) survival. These findings warrant further investigation of expanding and established feral swine populations in New Hampshire as pathogen hosts and support continued effort to reduce numbers or regionally eradicate feral swine.

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and wild boars (Sus scrofa) in Galicia (NW, Spain).

PubMed

Castro-Hermida, José Antonio; García-Presedo, Ignacio; González-Warleta, Marta; Mezo, Mercedes

2011-06-30

Faecal samples from 224 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and 381 wild boars (Sus scrofa) shot during the 2008-2009 hunting season (August-January) in Galicia (NW Spain) were examined to determine the presence and intensity of infection by Cryptosporidium and Giardia. Analysis of a single sample from each of the roe deer revealed that the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis and giardiosis was 1.3% and 5.3% respectively. The prevalence of Giardia infection was significantly higher in juvenile female roe deer than in adult females, but no other significant differences were found in relation to age and sex. In wild boars, the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis and giardiosis was 7.6% and 1.3% respectively. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection was significantly higher in juvenile male wild boars than in adult males, but no other significant differences were found in relation to age or sex. In both groups of wild animals, the number of Cryptosporidium oocysts per gram of faeces (OPG) ranged from 5 to 200 and the number of Giardia cysts per gram of faeces (CPG) was between 5 and 47; there were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to number of infections. This is the first large study of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in roe deer and wild boars in hunting areas in Spain and the results demonstrate a low, but widespread prevalence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in these animals. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Economic evaluation of the Programs Rede Farmácia de Minas do SUS versus Farmácia Popular do Brasil.

PubMed

Garcia, Marina Morgado; Guerra, Augusto Afonso; Acúrcio, Francisco de Assis

2017-01-01

We conducted an economic assessment of the Pharmaceutical Assistance - Rede Farmácia de Minas Gerais-RFMG and Farmácia Popular do Brasil-FPB to ascertain which of the two models stands out as the most efficient. To do this, a model, which consisted of a study of incurred costs in both programs, up to the dispensing of medicine to citizens, was developed. The uncertainties of the proposed model were tested using the Monte Carlo method. If the entire population initially estimated in the RFMG were attended in the FPB, there would be an additional cost of R$ 139,324,050.19. The sensitivity analysis appeared to be favorable to the RFMG. A total of 10000 simulations were carried out, resulting in a median value of R$ 114,053,709.99 for the RFMG and R$ 254,106,120.65 for the FPB. The current National Drug Policy emphasizes the need to strengthen pharmaceutical services beyond the mere acquisition and delivery of pharmaceutical products. The public healthcare service model, consistent with the principles and guidelines of the SUS, seems to be more appropriate in ensuring complete and universal quality healthcare services to the citizens. The economic study conducted reinforces this fact, as it appears to be a more efficient alternative of the direct use of resources in the public health network.

Technical note: adipose tissue blood flow in miniature swine (Sus scrofa) using the 133xenon washout technique.

PubMed

Moher, H E; Carey, G B

2002-05-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the 133xenon washout technique as a viable method for measuring adipose tissue blood flow (ATBF) in swine. Using a total of 32 female Yucatan miniature swine (Sus scrofa), the partition coefficient for 133xenon in swine subcutaneous adipose tissue was determined and ATBF was measured at rest and under various physiological conditions. These conditions included feeding, anesthesia, epinephrine infusion, and acute exercise. The effects of epinephrine and acute exercise were examined in both sedentary and exercise-trained swine. The partition coefficient value for 133xenon in swine subcutaneous adipose tissue was 9.23+/-0.26 mL/g (mean +/- SD, n = 10). The average value for resting ATBF in swine was 3.98+/-2.72 mL/(100 g tissue-min) (n = 19). Feeding increased ATBF by approximately fivefold over fasting values, and isoflurane anesthesia significantly decreased ATBF compared to rest (1.64+/-1.12 vs 3.92+/-4.22 mL/[100 g x min], n = 10). A 30-min epinephrine infusion (1 microg/[kg BW x min]) significantly increased ATBF from a resting value of 3.13+/-2.61 to 10.35+/-5.31 mL/(100 g x min) (n = 12). Epinephrine infusion into exercise-trained swine increased ATBF to the same extent as when infused into sedentary swine. An acute, 20-min bout of exercise significantly increased ATBF in swine, and the sedentary swine showed a larger increase in ATBF than their exercise-trained littermates relative to rest: 7.83 vs 2.98 mL/(100 g x min). In conclusion, the 133xenon washout technique appears to be a viable method for measuring ATBF in swine; our findings are comparable to swine ATBF values reported using the microsphere method and are consistent with values reported in animal and human studies.

An RNA-based analysis of changes in biodiversity indices in response to Sus scrofa domesticus decomposition.

PubMed

Bergmann, R C; Ralebitso-Senior, T K; Thompson, T J U

2014-08-01

Despite emergent research initiatives, significant knowledge gaps remain of soil microbiology-associated cadaver decomposition. Nevertheless, preliminary studies have shown that the vast diversity and complex interactions of soil microbial communities have great potential for forensic applications such as clandestine grave location and postmortem interval estimation. This study investigated changes in soil bacterial communities during pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) leg decomposition. 16S rRNA, instead of the usually applied 16S rDNA marker, was used to compare the metabolically active bacteria. Total bacterial RNA was extracted from soil samples of three different layers on day 3, 28 and 77 after the shallow burial of a pig leg. The V3 region of the 16S rRNA was amplified, analysed by RT-PCR DGGE, and compared with control soil bacterial community profiles. Statistically significant differences in soil bacterial biodiversity were observed. For the control, bacterial diversity (H') and species richness (S) of the three layers averaged 2.48±0.14 (H') and 18.8±2.5 (S), respectively, while for the test soil increases (p=0.027) were recorded between day 3 (H'=2.71±0.02; S=21.3±2.0) and 28 (H'=3.46±0.32; S=60.3±16.9), particularly in the middle (10-20 cm) and bottom (20-30 cm) soil layers. Between day 28 and 77 the diversity and richness then decreased on average for all three layers (H'=3.43±0.20; S=60.0±17.3) but remained higher than on day 3. Thus, responses in soil bacterial profiles and activity to carcass decomposition, detected and characterised by RNA-based DGGE, could be used together with RNA sequencing data, changes in physico-chemical variables (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, temperature, redox potential, water activity and pH) and conventional macroecology markers (e.g. insects and vegetation), to develop a suite of analytical protocols for different forensic scenarios. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Evidence of natural transmission of group A rotavirus between domestic pigs and wild boars (Sus scrofa) in Japan.

PubMed

Okadera, Kota; Abe, Masako; Ito, Naoto; Morikawa, Shigeki; Yamasaki, Ari; Masatani, Tatsunori; Nakagawa, Keisuke; Yamaoka, Satoko; Sugiyama, Makoto

2013-12-01

Group A rotaviruses (RVAs) are a major cause of acute dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young animals worldwide. RVAs have also been detected in several wild and zoo animals, indicating wide susceptibility of wild animals. However, the role of wild animals in the infection cycle of RVAs is unclear. Wild boars are indigenous in many countries in the world. Japanese wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax) have been migrating close to human habitats in Japan, indicating the possibility of natural transmission between domestic animals or humans and wild boars. We investigated infection of RVAs in wild boars in Japan to identify types of RVAs infecting wild animals. We obtained stool samples from 90 wild boars and detected a VP4 gene of RVAs by RT-semi-nested PCR. RVAs were detected in samples from four of the 90 wild boars. Nucleotide analyses of VP7 and VP4 genes revealed that the four strains belong to G9P[23], G4P[23], G9P[13] and G4P[6], suggesting a relation to porcine and human RVAs. We therefore characterized RVAs circulating among domestic pigs living in the same area as the wild boars. We collected stool samples from 82 domestic pigs. RVAs were detected in samples from 49 of the 82 domestic pigs. Phylogenetic and similarity analyses provided evidence for natural transmission between domestic pigs and wild boars. The results also suggested that natural reassortment events occurred before or after transmission between domestic pigs and wild boars. Our findings indicate the possibility that RVAs circulate among wild animals, humans and domestic animals in nature. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Classification of Culturable Bifidobacterial Population from Colonic Samples of Wild Pigs (Sus scrofa) Based on Three Molecular Genetic Methods.

PubMed

Pechar, Radko; Killer, Jiří; Mekadim, Chahrazed; Geigerová, Martina; Rada, Vojtěch

2017-11-01

Occurrence of bifidobacteria, known as health-promoting probiotic microorganisms, in the digestive tract of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) has not been examined yet. One hundred forty-nine fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase positive bacterial strains were isolated from colonic content of twenty-two individuals of wild pigs originated from four localities in the Czechia. Based on PCR-DGGE technique targeting the variable V3 region of the 16S rRNA genes, strains were initially differentiated into four groups represented by: (i) probably a new Bifidobacterium species (89 strains), (ii) B. boum/B. thermophilum/B. thermacidophilum subsp. porcinum/B. thermacidophilum subsp. thermacidophilum (sub)species (49 strains), (iii) Pseudoscardovia suis (7 strains), and (iv) B. pseudolongum subsp. globosum/B. pseudolongum subsp. pseudolongum (4 strains), respectively. Given the fact that DGGE technique did not allow to differentiate the representatives of thermophilic bifidobacteria and B. pseudolongum subspecies, strains were further classified by the 16S rRNA and thrS gene sequences. Primers targeting the variable regions of the latter gene were designed to be applicable in identification and phylogeny of Bifidobacteriaceae family. The 16S rRNA-derived phylogenetic study classified members of the first group into five subgroups in a separated cluster of thermophilic bifidobacteria. Comparable results were obtained by the thrS-derived phylogenetic analysis. Remarkably, variability among thrS sequences was higher compared with 16S rRNA gene sequences. Overall, molecular genetic techniques application allowed to identify a new Bifidobacterium phylotype which is predominant in the digestive tract of examined wild pigs.

Faecal Escherichia coli as biological indicator of spatial interaction between domestic pigs and wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Corsica.

PubMed

Barth, S A; Blome, S; Cornelis, D; Pietschmann, J; Laval, M; Maestrini, O; Geue, L; Charrier, F; Etter, E; Menge, C; Beer, M; Jori, F

2018-06-01

On the Mediterranean island of Corsica, cohabitation between sympatric domestic pigs and Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) is common and widespread and can facilitate the maintenance and dissemination of several pathogens detrimental for the pig industry or human health. In this study, we monitored a population of free-ranging domestic pigs reared in extensive conditions within a 800-ha property located in Central Corsica which was frequently visited by a sympatric population of wild boar between 2013 and 2015. We used GPS collars to assess evidence of a spatially shared environment. Subsequently, we analysed by PFGE of XbaI-restricted DNA if those populations shared faecal Escherichia coli clones that would indicate contact and compared these results with those collected in a distant (separated by at least 50 km) population of wild boar used as control. Results showed that one of eight wild boars sampled in the study area shed E. coli XbaI clones identical to clones isolated from domestic pig sounders from the farm, while wild boar populations sampled in distant parts of the study area shared no identical clone with the domestic pigs monitored. Interestingly, within the sampled pigs, two identical clones were found in 2013 and in 2015, indicating a long-time persisting colonization type. Although the method of isolation of E. coli and PFGE typing of the isolates requires intensive laboratory work, it is applicable under field conditions to monitor potential infectious contacts. It also provides evidence of exchange of microorganisms between sympatric domestic pigs and wild boar populations. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and porcine circovirus type 2 infections in wild boar (Sus scrofa) in southwestern Germany.

PubMed

Hammer, Ralf; Ritzmann, Mathias; Palzer, Andreas; Lang, Christiane; Hammer, Birgit; Pesch, Stefan; Ladinig, Andrea

2012-01-01

Samples were collected from 203 wild boars (Sus scrofa) hunted in Baden-Wurtemburg, Germany from November-January 2008 and 2009. Samples from the lung and tonsil were analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) type 1 (European type) and type 2 (American type). A qPCR to detect porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2)-specific genome was performed on tissue homogenates including lung, tonsils, and inguinal lymph nodes. Serum samples were tested for antibodies against PRRSV and PCV2 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). No PRRSV was detected in any of the 203 samples and one sample had detectable antibodies against PRRSV. We detected PCV2 in organ materials from 103 wild boars with a prevalence of 50.7%. The number of wild boars positive for PCV2 by PCR varied according to the population density of wild boars among woodlands. More positive samples were detected in woodlands with a high density of wild boars. We found no correlation between the number of PCV2-positive wild boars and the density of domestic pigs in the surrounding area. The number of wild boars positive for antibodies against PCV2 by the INGEZIM Circovirus IgG/IgM test kit was low (53 sera positive for IgG- and three sera positive for IgM-antibodies) in comparison to the higher positive results from the INGEZIM CIRCO IgG test kit (102 positive and 12 inconclusive results).

Development of a two-parameter slit-scan flow cytometer for screening of normal and aberrant chromosomes: application to a karyotype of Sus scrofa domestica (pig)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hausmann, Michael; Doelle, Juergen; Arnold, Armin; Stepanow, Boris; Wickert, Burkhard; Boscher, Jeannine; Popescu, Paul C.; Cremer, Christoph

1992-07-01

Laser fluorescence activated slit-scan flow cytometry offers an approach to a fast, quantitative characterization of chromosomes due to morphological features. It can be applied for screening of chromosomal abnormalities. We give a preliminary report on the development of the Heidelberg slit-scan flow cytometer. Time-resolved measurement of the fluorescence intensity along the chromosome axis can be registered simultaneously for two parameters when the chromosome axis can be registered simultaneously for two parameters when the chromosome passes perpendicularly through a narrowly focused laser beam combined by a detection slit in the image plane. So far automated data analysis has been performed off-line on a PC. In its final performance, the Heidelberg slit-scan flow cytometer will achieve on-line data analysis that allows an electro-acoustical sorting of chromosomes of interest. Interest is high in the agriculture field to study chromosome aberrations that influence the size of litters in pig (Sus scrofa domestica) breeding. Slit-scan measurements have been performed to characterize chromosomes of pigs; we present results for chromosome 1 and a translocation chromosome 6/15.

Towards harmonised procedures in wildlife epidemiological investigations: a serosurvey of infection with Mycobacterium bovis and closely related agents in wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Switzerland.

PubMed

Beerli, Olivia; Blatter, Sohvi; Boadella, Mariana; Schöning, Janne; Schmitt, Sarah; Ryser-Degiorgis, Marie-Pierre

2015-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a (re-)emerging disease in European countries, including Switzerland. This study assesses the seroprevalence of infection with Mycobacterium bovis and closely related agents in wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Switzerland, because wild boar are potential maintenance hosts of these pathogens. The study employs harmonised laboratory methods to facilitate comparison with the situation in other countries. Eighteen out of 743 blood samples tested seropositive (2.4%, CI: 1.5-3.9%) by ELISA, and the results for 61 animals previously assessed using culture and PCR indicated that this serological test was not 100% specific for M. bovis, cross-reacting with M. microti. Nevertheless, serology appears to be an appropriate test methodology in the harmonisation of wild boar testing throughout Europe. In accordance with previous findings, the low seroprevalence found in wild boar suggests wildlife is an unlikely source of the M. bovis infections recently detected in cattle in Switzerland. This finding contrasts with the epidemiological situation pertaining in southern Spain. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mercury and selenium binding biomolecules in terrestrial mammals (Cervus elaphus and Sus scrofa) from a mercury exposed area.

PubMed

Ropero, M J Patiño; Fariñas, N Rodríguez; Krupp, E; Mateo, R; Nevado, J J Berzas; Martín-Doimeadios, R C Rodríguez

2016-06-01

Mercury (Hg) is likely bound to large biomolecules (e.g. proteins) in living organisms, and in order to assess Hg metabolic pathways and possible toxicological effects, it is essential to study these Hg containing biomolecules. However, the exact nature of most metal binding biomolecules is unknown. Such studies are still in their infancy and information on this topic is scarce because the analysis is challenging, mainly due to their lability upon digestion or extraction from the tissue. New analytical methods that allow complex Hg-biomolecules to be analysed intact are needed and only few very recent studies deal with this approach. Therefore, as an initial step towards the characterization of Hg containing biomolecules, an analytical procedure has been optimised using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection. We applied this technique to elucidate the distribution and elution profile of Hg and Se, and some physiological important elements such as Fe, Ni, Zn and Cu, to assess metal binding profiles in liver and kidney samples of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) who roam freely within the largest Hg mining district on Earth, Almadén in Spain. Elemental fractionation profiles of the extracts from different tissues were obtained using two different SEC columns (BioSep-SEC-S2000 GL 300-1kDa and Superdex 75 10/300 GL 70-3kDa). Similar profiles of Hg were observed in red deer and wild boar; however, significant differences were evident for liver and kidney. Moreover, the profiles of Se showed a single peak at high-medium molecular weight in all investigated tissues, while co-elution of Hg with Fe, Ni, Zn and Cu was observed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The microstructure and fracture behavior of the dissimilar alloy 690-SUS 304L joint with various Nb addition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, H. T.; Jeng, S. L.; Kuo, T. Y.

2003-05-01

This study investigates the microstructure and fracture behavior of dissimilar weldments of alloy 690 and SUS 304L for various additions of niobium (0.1, 1.03, 2.49, and 3.35 wt pct) in the flux. With identical parameters and procedures, weldments were butt welded by the shielding metal arc welding (SMAW) process using three layers, with each layer being deposited in a single pass. The results indicate that the microstructure of the fusion zone was primarily dendritic and that the contents of Ni, Cr, and Fe within this zone remain relatively constant and resemble alloy 690. With Nb addition, it is noted that the microstructure changes from a cellular to columnar dendrite and equiaxed dendrite. Meanwhile, the dendrite arm spacing reduces and the secondary arms grow longer. Moreover, the composition of the interdendritic phase, whose precipitate volume percentage increases from 5 to 25 pct, changes from Al-Ti-O to Nb rich. The spread of the interdendritic phase is less in the root bead than in the cap bead due to the greater influence of base metal dilution in this region. Mechanical tests indicate that Nb addition increases the average hardness of the weldment and reduces its elongation prior to rupture. However, the tensile strength is essentially unchanged by Nb addition. It is found that the average hardness of the root bead is generally lower than the cap bead, and that the tensile specimens all rupture in the fusion zone, with the fracture surfaces exhibiting ductile features. It is noted that the cap bead tends to rupture interdendritically with increasing Nb addition. Finally, fractography shows that the dimples in the root become larger and shallower with Nb addition and are rich with an interdendritic phase.

Clinical Procedures Training for Veterinary Technicians and Investigators using Common Laboratory Animal Species, including: Mice (Mus musculus), Rats (Rattus norvegicus), Hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), Guinea Pigs (Gavia porcellus), Rabbits (Otyctolagus cuniculus), Ferrets (Mustela putorius furo), Pigs (Sus scrofa), Sheep (Ovis aries), and Goats (Capra hircus)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-30

Guinea Pigs (Gavia porcellus), Rabbits(Otycto/agus cuniculus), Ferrets (Mustela putorius furo), Pigs (Sus scrota), Sheep (Ovis aries), and Goats...medication techniques and anesthesia methods for mice and pigs . A total of 4 hours of training were delivered to 3 students. (ate) FDG20140003A 2...clinically useful procedures such as medication techniques and anesthesia methods for mice and pigs . A total of 4 hours of training were delivered to 3

First Ecological Study of the Bawean Warty Pig (Sus blouchi), One of the Rarest Pigs on Earth.

PubMed

Rademaker, Mark; Meijaard, Erik; Semiadi, Gono; Blokland, Simen; Neilson, Eric W; Rode-Margono, Eva Johanna

2016-01-01

The Bawean warty pig (Sus blouchi) is an endemic pig species confined to the 192 km(2) large island of Bawean in the Java Sea, Indonesia. Due to a lack of quantitative ecological research, understanding of natural history and conservation requirements have so far been based solely on anecdotal information from interviews with local people and study of captive and museum specimens. In this study we provide the first assessment of population and habitat preferences for S. blouchi by using camera trapping. From the 4th of November 2014 to January 8th 2015, we placed camera traps at 100 locations in the forested protected areas on Bawean. In 690.31 camera days (16567.45 hours) we captured 92 independent videos showing S. blouchi. Variation in S. blouchi trapping rates with cumulative trap effort stabilized after 500 camera days. An important outcome is that, in contrast to the suggestion of previous assessments, only S. blouchi was detected and no S. scrofa was found, which excludes hybridization threats. We fitted a Random Encounter Model, which does not require the identification of individual animals, to our camera-trapping data and estimated 172-377 individuals to be present on the island. Activity patterns and habitat data indicate that S. blouchi is mainly nocturnal and prefers community forests and areas near forest borders. Next to this, we found a positive relationship between S. blouchi occupancy, distance to nearest border, litter depth and tree density in the highest ranking occupancy models. Although these relationships proved non-significant based on model averaging, their presence in the top ranking models suggests that these covariables do play a role in predicting S. blouchi occurrence on Bawean. The estimated amount of sites occupied reached 58%. Based on our results, especially the estimation of the population size and area of occupancy, we determine that the species is Endangered according to the IUCN/SSC Red List criteria.

Serologic Survey for Selected Viral and Bacterial Swine Pathogens in Colombian Collared Peccaries ( Pecari tajacu) and Feral Pigs ( Sus scrofa).

PubMed

Montenegro, Olga L; Roncancio, Nestor; Soler-Tovar, Diego; Cortés-Duque, Jimena; Contreras-Herrera, Jorge; Sabogal, Sandra; Acevedo, Luz Dary; Navas-Suárez, Pedro Enrique

2018-06-14

In South America, wild populations of peccaries coexist with domestic and feral pigs, with poorly understood consequences. We captured 58 collared peccaries ( Pecari tajacu) and 15 feral pigs ( Sus scrofa) in locations of Colombia where coexistence of these species is known. Blood samples were tested for antibodies against four viral agents, classical swine fever virus (CSFV), Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV), porcine circovirus (PCV-2), and vesicular stomatitis virus (New Jersey and Indiana subtypes) and two bacterial agents, Brucella spp. and six serovars of Leptospira interrogans. The prevalence of CSFV was 5% (3/58) in collared peccaries and 7% (1/15) in feral pigs. The prevalence of PCV-2 was 7% (1/15) in collared peccaries and 67% (2/3) in feral pigs. Vesicular stomatitis prevalence was 33% (8/24) in collared peccaries and 67% (4/6) in feral pigs. Leptospira prevalence was 78% (39/50) in collared peccary and 100% (8/8) in feral pigs; bratislava, grippotyphosa, icterohaemorrhagiae, and pomona were the most frequent serovars. Also, the only white-lipped peccary ( Tayassu pecari) sampled was positive for L. interrogans serovar bratislava and for vesicular stomatitis virus, New Jersey strain. No samples were positive for ADV or Brucella. The seroprevalence of antibodies against L. interrogans was similar to that observed in other studies. Icterohaemorrhagiae appears to be a common serovar among in situ and ex situ peccary populations. Positive antibodies against PVC-2 represent a novel report of exposure to this pathogen in Colombian peccaries. Our results indicate the possible transmission of various pathogens, important for pig farms, in the studied pig and peccaries.

Effect of Plastic Strain Range on Prediction of the Onset of Crack Growth for Low-Cycle Fatigue of SUS316NG Studied using Ultrasonic Back-Reflection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurul, Islam Md.; Arai, Yoshio; Araki, Wakako

Strain range controlled low-cycle fatigue tests were conducted using ultrasonic method in order to investigate the effect of plastic strain range on the remaining life of austenitic stainless steel SUS316NG before the onset of crack growth in its early stages of fatigue. It was found that the decrease in ultrasonic back-reflection intensity from the surface of the material, caused by the increase in average dislocation density with localized plastic deformation at persistent slip bands (PSBs), starts earlier with increase in the plastic strain range. The amount of decrease in ultrasonic back-reflection before the onset of crack growth increases for larger plastic strain range. The difference in the cumulative plastic strains at the onset of crack growth and at the onset of decrease in the ultrasonic back-reflection remained constant over the range of tested plastic strain. This result can be used to predict the remaining life before the onset of crack growth within the plastic strain range used in this study. In addition, we present and evaluate another method to predict damage evolution involving ultrasound attenuation caused by PSBs.

A serosurvey for Brucella suis, classical swine fever virus, porcine circovirus type 2, and pseudorabies virus in feral swine (Sus scrofa) of eastern North Carolina.

PubMed

Sandfoss, Mark R; DePerno, Christopher S; Betsill, Carl W; Palamar, Maria Baron; Erickson, Gene; Kennedy-Stoskopf, Suzanne

2012-04-01

As feral swine (Sus scrofa) populations expand their range and the opportunity for feral swine hunting increases, there is increased potential for disease transmission that may impact humans, domestic swine, and wildlife. From September 2007 to March 2010, in 13 North Carolina, USA, counties and at Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center, we conducted a serosurvey of feral swine for Brucella suis, pseudorabies virus (PRV), and classical swine fever virus (CSFV); the samples obtained at Howell Woods also were tested for porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2). Feral swine serum was collected from trapped and hunter-harvested swine. For the first time since 2004 when screening began, we detected B. suis antibodies in 9% (9/98) of feral swine at Howell Woods and <1% (1/415) in the North Carolina counties. Also, at Howell Woods, we detected PCV-2 antibodies in 59% (53/90) of feral swine. We did not detect antibodies to PRV (n=512) or CSFV (n=307) at Howell Woods or the 13 North Carolina counties, respectively. The detection of feral swine with antibodies to B. suis for the first time in North Carolina warrants increased surveillance of the feral swine population to evaluate speed of disease spread and to establish the potential risk to commercial swine and humans.

Effects of a TASER® conducted energy weapon on the circulating red-blood-cell population and other factors in Sus scrofa.

PubMed

Jauchem, James R; Bernhard, Joshua A; Cerna, Cesario Z; Lim, Tiffany Y; Seaman, Ronald L; Tarango, Melissa

2013-09-01

In previous studies hematocrit has been consistently increased in an anesthetized animal model after exposures to TASER(®) conducted energy weapons (CEWs). In the present study we analyzed changes in blood cell counts and red blood cell membrane proteins following two 30-s applications of a TASER C2 device (which is designed for civilian use). Hematocrit increased significantly from 33.2 ± 2.4 (mean ± SD) to 42.8 ± 4.6 % immediately after CEW exposure of eleven pigs (Sus scrofa). Red blood cell count increased significantly from 6.10 ± 0.55 × 10(12)/L to 7.45 ± 0.94 × 10(12)/L, and mean corpuscular volume increased significantly from 54.5 ± 2.4 fl to 57.8 ± 2.6 fl. Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration decreased significantly from 20.5 ± 0.7 to 18.5 ± 0.6 mM. Thirty protein spots (from two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, selected for detailed comparison) exhibited greater densities 30-min post-exposure compared with pre-exposure values. A greater number of echinocytes were observed following CEW exposure. On the basis of these results it appears that, during the strong muscle contractions produced by TASER CEWs, a specific population of red blood cells (RBCs) may be released from the spleen or other reservoirs within the body. The total time of CEW exposure in the present study was relatively long compared with exposures in common law-enforcement scenarios. Despite statistically significant changes in red blood cell counts (and other measures directly related to RBCs), the alterations were short-lived. The transient nature of the changes would be likely to counteract any potentially detrimental effects.

Utilization of Sugarcane Habitat by Feral Pig (Sus scrofa) in Northern Tropical Queensland: Evidence from the Stable Isotope Composition of Hair

PubMed Central

Wurster, Christopher M.; Robertson, Jack; Westcott, David A.; Dryden, Bart; Zazzo, Antoine; Bird, Michael I.

2012-01-01

Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) are an invasive species that disrupt ecosystem functioning throughout their introduced range. In tropical environments, feral pigs are associated with predation and displacement of endangered species, modification of habitat, and act as a vector for the spread of exotic vegetation and disease. Across many parts of their introduced range, the diet of feral pigs is poorly known. Although the remote location and difficult terrain of far north Queensland makes observing feral pig behavior difficult, feral pigs are perceived to seek refuge in World Heritage tropical rainforests and seasonally ‘crop raid’ into lowland sugarcane crops. Thus, identifying how feral pigs are using different components of the landscape is important to the design of management strategies. We used the stable isotope composition of captured feral pigs to determine the extent of rainforest and sugarcane habitat usage. Recently grown hair (basal hair) from feral pigs captured in remote rainforest indicated pigs met their dietary needs solely within this habitat. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of basal hair from feral pigs captured near sugarcane plantations were more variable, with some individuals estimated to consume over 85% of their diet within a sugarcane habitat, while a few consumed as much as 90% of their diet from adjacent forested environments. We estimated whether feral pigs switch habitats by sequentially sampling δ 13C and δ 15N values of long tail hair from a subset of seven captured animals, and demonstrate that four of these individuals moved between habitats. Our results indicate that feral pigs utilize both sugarcane and forest habitats, and can switch between these resources. PMID:22957029

Visceral helminths of wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax) in Japan, with special reference to a new species of the genus Morgascaridia Inglis, 1958 (Nematoda: Schneidernematidae).

PubMed

Sato, H; Suzuki, K; Yokoyama, M

2008-06-01

Twenty-nine Japanese wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax), collected during the hunting seasons of 2005 and 2006 in the western part of the mainland of Japan (Honshu), were examined for their visceral helminths. Eighteen helminth parasites were prevalent in them, including 17 Nematoda species (Metastrongylus elongatus, Metastrongylus salmi, Metastrongylus asymmetricus, Metastrongylus pudendotechus, Stephanurus dentatus, Gnathostoma doloresi, Physocephalus sexulata, Ascarops strongylina, Capillaria suis, Ascaris suum, Globocephalus samoensis, Globocephalus longimucronatus, Strongyloides ransomi, Trichuris suis, Bourgelatia diducta, Oesophagostomum dentatum, and Oesophagostomum watanabei), and one Cestoda species (Pseudanoplocephala nipponensis). Muscle digestion of the diaphragm (using an artificial gastric juice) of 24 wild boars detected a single diplostomulum of probably Pharyngostomum cordatum. In addition, four female and six male adults of Morgascaridia kugii sp. n. (Nematoda: Schneidernematidae) were recovered from the large intestine of a single wild boar. Examination of an additional 20 samples of the stomach and 27 samples of the large intestine could not find this species. To date, recorded species of the genus Morgascaridia are limited to M. sellsi collected from wild boars in Uganda and Congo several decades ago, and thence, no records of the recovery are available. Morgascaridia kugii sp. n. differed from M. sellsi by smaller body dimensions, shorter distance between the precloacal sucker and the cloaca, smaller sizes of the copulatory spicules and the gubernaculum, and smaller sizes of uterine eggs.

Determination of ochratoxin A in tissues of wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) by enzymatic digestion (ED) coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD).

PubMed

Luci, Giacomo; Intorre, Luigi; Ferruzzi, Guido; Mani, Danilo; Giuliotti, Lorella; Pretti, Carlo; Tognetti, Rosalba; Bertini, Simone; Meucci, Valentina

2018-03-01

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a secondary toxic metabolite synthesized by Aspergillus or Penicillium species, which can contaminate various crops. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified OTA as a group 2B possible human carcinogen. The aim of the present study was to assess OTA concentrations in tissues of wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) from Tuscany (Italy). Over a period of 2 years, samples of muscle, liver, and kidney from 48 wild boars were collected and concentrations of OTA were determined by enzymatic digestion (ED) coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). The highest concentrations of OTA were found in the kidneys of the 48 wild boars analyzed. No difference in concentrations was found based on years of collection and sex while a significantly higher OTA concentration was found in the kidney of the young wild boars with respect to the adult one. Monitoring the quality of meat destined for transformation is a priority in order to decrease the possibility of toxin carry-over to humans. The present study showed that contamination of wild boar meat products by OTA represents a potential emerging source of OTA.

The Care management Information system for the home Care Network (SI GESCAD): support for care coordination and continuity of care in the Brazilian Unified health system (SUS).

PubMed

Pires, Maria Raquel Gomes Maia; Gottems, Leila Bernarda Donato; Vasconcelos Filho, José Eurico; Silva, Kênia Lara; Gamarski, Ricardo

2015-06-01

The present article describes the development of the initial version of the Brazilian Care Management Information System for the Home Care Network (SI GESCAD). This system was created to enhance comprehensive care, care coordination and the continuity of care provided to the patients, family and caretakers of the Home Care (HC) program. We also present a reflection on the contributions, limitations and possibilities of the SI GESCAD within the scope of the Home Care Network of the Brazilian Unified Health System (RAS-AD). This was a study on technology production based on a multi-method protocol. It discussed software engineering and human-computer interaction (HCI) based on user-centered design, as well as evolutionary and interactive software process (prototyping and spiral). A functional prototype of the GESCAD was finalized, which allowed for the management of HC to take into consideration the patient's social context, family and caretakers. The system also proved to help in the management of activities of daily living (ADLs), clinical care and the monitoring of variables associated with type 2 HC. The SI GESCAD allowed for a more horizontal work process for HC teams at the RAS-AD/SUS level of care, with positive repercussions on care coordination and continuity of care.

Gene structure, phylogeny and expression profile of the sucrose synthase gene family in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.).

PubMed

Li, Fupeng; Hao, Chaoyun; Yan, Lin; Wu, Baoduo; Qin, Xiaowei; Lai, Jianxiong; Song, Yinghui

2015-09-01

In higher plants, sucrose synthase (Sus, EC 2.4.1.13) is widely considered as a key enzyme involved in sucrose metabolism. Although, several paralogous genes encoding different isozymes of Sus have been identified and characterized in multiple plant genomes, to date detailed information about the Sus genes is lacking for cacao. This study reports the identification of six novel Sus genes from economically important cacao tree. Analyses of the gene structure and phylogeny of the Sus genes demonstrated evolutionary conservation in the Sus family across cacao and other plant species. The expression of cacao Sus genes was investigated via real-time PCR in various tissues, different developmental phases of leaf, flower bud and pod. The Sus genes exhibited distinct but partially redundant expression profiles in cacao, with TcSus1, TcSus5 and TcSus6, being the predominant genes in the bark with phloem, TcSus2 predominantly expressing in the seed during the stereotype stage. TcSus3 and TcSus4 were significantly detected more in the pod husk and seed coat along the pod development, and showed development dependent expression profiles in the cacao pod. These results provide new insights into the evolution, and basic information that will assist in elucidating the functions of cacao Sus gene family.

Muscle fibre characteristics, enzyme activity and meat colour of wild boar (Sus scrofa s. L.) muscle with 2n=36 compared to those of phenotypically similar crossbreeds (2n=37 and 2n=38).

PubMed

Skewes, Oscar; Cádiz, Patricia; Merino, Victoria; Islas, Armando; Morales, Rodrigo

2014-10-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate European wild boar (Sus scrofa s. L.) of chromosomal number 2n=36 in comparison with phenotypically similar crossbreeds (2n=37 and 2n=38) with respect to the muscle fibre characteristics and enzyme activity as well as meat colour in the longissimus dorsi (LD) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles. Differences in the proportion of IIA fibre in the LD muscle between karyotypes 2n=37 and 2n=38 were found. The 2n=36 group showed a lower muscle fibre cross-section area than the 2n=38 karyotype. The meat colour of the 2n=36 karyotype group was redder than 2n=37 and 2n=38. The muscle fibre cross-section area might explain the differences in colour of the meat of wild boar. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The bioaccumulation of lead in the organs of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.), red deer (Cervus elaphus L.), and wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) from Poland.

PubMed

Bąkowska, Małgorzata; Pilarczyk, Bogumiła; Tomza-Marciniak, Agnieszka; Udała, Jan; Pilarczyk, Renata

2016-07-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of lead (Pb) in the livers and kidneys of free-living animals from Poland, with regard to the differences in tissue Pb content between the species. The research material consisted of liver and kidney samples collected from roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and wild boar (Sus scrofa) that had been hunted in 16 voivodeships of Poland. The concentration of lead had been measured using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) method. The results show that differences in lead concentration in the organs depended on the geographic location. In roe deer and red deer, the highest mean lead concentrations in the livers and kidneys, observed in the central region of Poland, were twice as high as the lowest concentration of Pb in these animals from the northeastern region of the country. In wild boar, the highest mean concentration of Pb was noted in the livers of animals from the central region of Poland and in the kidneys of animals from the northwestern region, while the lowest lead concentrations in both organs were typical for wild boar from the southeast part of the country. Our results show that areas located in the center and in the north of Poland carry most of the burden of lead bioaccumulation.

Availability of hospital dental care services under sedation or general anesthesia for individuals with special needs in the Unified Health System for the State of Minas Gerais (SUS-MG), Brazil.

PubMed

Santos, Jacqueline Silva; Valle, Déborah Andrade; Palmier, Andréa Clemente; do Amaral, João Henrique Lara; de Abreu, Mauro Henrique Nogueira Guimarães

2015-02-01

This study identified the demographic characteristics of individuals and dental treatment care under sedation/general anesthesia in a hospital environment in the Unified Health System in the State of Minas Gerais (SUS-MG). All Hospitalization Authorizations (AIHs) for Dental Treatment for Patients with Special Needs procedures were evaluated between July 2011 and June 2012. Demographic and health care variables for treatment were also assessed. Hospitalization rates per 10,000 inhabitants, and health care coverage provided in the state of Minas Gerais and in each of the Broader Health Regions were calculated. Descriptive analysis of data was carried out by calculating the central trend and variability frequency and measurements. All 1,063 AIHs paid during the study period were evaluated, which is equivalent to a rate of 0.54 hospitalizations per 10,000 individuals. The majority of the patients were adult, male, diagnosed with mental or behavioral disorders and resident in 27.7% of the municipalities in Minas Gerais. The procedures were performed in 39 municipalities and the care coverage was equal to 1.58%. The study reveals a classic demographic and clinical profile of patient attendance. Difficulties in establishing a network of dental care were identified.

Phosphorylation of the amino terminus of maize sucrose synthase in relation to membrane association and enzyme activity.

PubMed

Hardin, Shane C; Winter, Heike; Huber, Steven C

2004-04-01

Sucrose synthase (SUS) is phosphorylated on a major, amino-terminal site located at Ser-15 (S15) in the maize (Zea mays) SUS1 protein. Site- and phospho-specific antibodies against a phosphorylated S15 (pS15) peptide allowed direct analysis of S15 phosphorylation in relation to membrane association. Immunoblots of the maize leaf elongation zone, divided into 4-cm segments, demonstrated that the abundance of soluble (s-SUS) and membrane (m-SUS) SUS protein showed distinct positional profiles. The content of m-SUS was maximal in the 4- to 8-cm segment where it represented 9% of total SUS and occurred as a peripheral membrane protein. In contrast, s-SUS was highest in the 12- to 16-cm segment. Relative to s-SUS, m-SUS was hypophosphorylated at S15 in the basal 4 cm but hyperphosphorylated in apical segments. Differing capabilities of the anti-pS15 and anti-S15 peptide antibodies to immunoprecipitate SUS suggested that phosphorylation of S15, or exposure of unphosphorylated SUS to slightly acidic pH, altered the structure of the amino terminus. These structural changes were generally coincident with the increased sucrose cleavage activity that occurs at pH values below 7.5. In vitro S15 phosphorylation of the S170A SUS protein by a maize calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) significantly increased sucrose cleavage activity at low pH. Collectively, the results suggest that (1) SUS membrane binding is controlled in vivo; (2) relative pS15 content of m-SUS depends on the developmental state of the organ; and (3) phosphorylation of S15 affects amino-terminal conformation in a way that may stimulate the catalytic activity of SUS and influence membrane association.

SUCROSE SYNTHASE: ELUCIDATION OF COMPLEX POST-TRANSLATIONAL REGULATORY MECHANISMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steven C. Huber

2009-05-12

Studies have focused on the enzyme sucrose synthase, which plays an important role in the metabolism of sucrose in seeds and tubers. There are three isoforms of SUS in maize, referred to as SUS1, SUS-SH1, and SUS2. SUS is generally considered to be tetrameric protein but recent evidence suggests that SUS can also occur as a dimeric protein. The formation of tetrameric SUS is regulated by sucrose concentration in vitro and this could also be an important factor in the cellular localization of the protein. We found that high sucrose concentrations, which promote tetramer formation, also inhibit the binding ofmore » SUS1 to actin filaments in vitro. Previously, high sucrose concentrations were shown to promote SUS association with the plasma membrane. The specific regions of the SUS molecule involved in oligomerization are not known, but we identified a region of the SUS1 moelcule by bioinformatic analysis that was predicted to form a coiled coil. We demonstrated that this sequence could, in fact, self-associate as predicted for a coiled coil, but truncation analysis with the full-length recombinant protein suggested that it was not responsible for formation of dimers or tetramers. However, the coiled coil may function in binding of other proteins to SUS1. Overall, sugar availability may differentially influence the binding of SUS to cellular structures, and these effects may be mediated by changes in the oligomeric nature of the enzyme.« less

Información general sobre los mosquitos

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Una consecuencia más importante de algunas picaduras de mosquitos es la trasmisión de ciertas enfermedades graves como el paludismo, la fiebre del dengue y varias formas de encefalitis, que incluyen el virus del Nilo occidental.

A Spectrum Access Based on Quality of Service (QoS) in Cognitive Radio Networks.

PubMed

Zhai, Linbo; Wang, Hua; Gao, Chuangen

2016-01-01

The quality of service (QoS) is important issue for cognitive radio networks. In the cognitive radio system, the licensed users, also called primary users (PUs), are authorized to utilize the wireless spectrum, while unlicensed users, also called secondary users (SUs), are not authorized to use the wireless spectrum. SUs access the wireless spectrum opportunistically when the spectrum is idle. While SUs use an idle channel, the instance that PUs come back makes SUs terminate their communications and leave the current channel. Therefore, quality of service (QoS) is difficult to be ensured for SUs. In this paper, we first propose an analysis model to obtain QoS for cognitive radio networks such as blocking probability, completed traffic and termination probability of SUs. When the primary users use the channels frequently, QoS of SUs is difficult to be ensured, especially the termination probability. Then, we propose a channel reservation scheme to improve QoS of SUs. The scheme makes the terminated SUs move to the reserved channels and keep on communications. Simulation results show that our scheme can improve QoS of SUs especially the termination probability with a little cost of blocking probability in dynamic environment.

Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase and inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase activities in three mammalian species: aquatic (Mirounga angustirostris), semi-aquatic (Lontra longicaudis annectens) and terrestrial (Sus scrofa).

PubMed

Barjau Pérez-Milicua, Myrna; Zenteno-Savín, Tania; Crocker, Daniel E; Gallo-Reynoso, Juan P

2015-01-01

Aquatic and semiaquatic mammals have the capacity of breath hold (apnea) diving. Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) have the ability to perform deep and long duration dives; during a routine dive, adults can hold their breath for 25 min. Neotropical river otters (Lontra longicaudis annectens) can hold their breath for about 30 s. Such periods of apnea may result in reduced oxygen concentration (hypoxia) and reduced blood supply (ischemia) to tissues. Production of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) requires oxygen, and most mammalian species, like the domestic pig (Sus scrofa), are not adapted to tolerate hypoxia and ischemia, conditions that result in ATP degradation. The objective of this study was to explore the differences in purine synthesis and recycling in erythrocytes and plasma of three mammalian species adapted to different environments: aquatic (northern elephant seal) (n = 11), semiaquatic (neotropical river otter) (n = 4), and terrestrial (domestic pig) (n = 11). Enzymatic activity of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) was determined by spectrophotometry, and activity of inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) and the concentration of hypoxanthine (HX), inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP), adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP), adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP), ATP, guanosine 5'-diphosphate (GDP), guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP), and xanthosine 5'-monophosphate (XMP) were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The activities of HGPRT and IMPDH and the concentration of HX, IMP, AMP, ADP, ATP, GTP, and XMP in erythrocytes of domestic pigs were higher than in erythrocytes of northern elephant seals and river otters. These results suggest that under basal conditions (no diving, sleep apnea or exercise), aquatic, and semiaquatic mammals have less purine mobilization than their terrestrial counterparts.

Intellectual Disability

MedlinePlus

... discapacidad intelectual puede ser la consecuencia de un problema que comienza antes de que el niño nazca ... causa puede ser una lesión, enfermedad o un problema en el cerebro. En muchos niños no se ...

Your Children - Sus Ninos; Your Schools - Sus Escuelas. Centennial School District, San Luis, Colorado, June 1976.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Centennial School District R-1, San Luis, CO.

Do you feel that schools are only for teachers, principals, and people who have special training in education? Well, Centennial schools need help from parents. You don't need any special skills or training. All you have to do is care about making schools better places for children to learn. How can you help your children's schools do a better job?…

A Novel Isoform of Sucrose Synthase Is Targeted to the Cell Wall during Secondary Cell Wall Synthesis in Cotton Fiber[C][W][OA

PubMed Central

Brill, Elizabeth; van Thournout, Michel; White, Rosemary G.; Llewellyn, Danny; Campbell, Peter M.; Engelen, Steven; Ruan, Yong-Ling; Arioli, Tony; Furbank, Robert T.

2011-01-01

Sucrose (Suc) synthase (Sus) is the major enzyme of Suc breakdown for cellulose biosynthesis in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fiber, an important source of fiber for the textile industry. This study examines the tissue-specific expression, relative abundance, and temporal expression of various Sus transcripts and proteins present in cotton. A novel isoform of Sus (SusC) is identified that is expressed at high levels during secondary cell wall synthesis in fiber and is present in the cell wall fraction. The phylogenetic relationships of the deduced amino acid sequences indicate two ancestral groups of Sus proteins predating the divergence of monocots and dicots and that SusC sequences form a distinct branch in the phylogeny within the dicot-specific clade. The subcellular location of the Sus isoforms is determined, and it is proposed that cell wall-localized SusC may provide UDP-glucose for cellulose and callose synthesis from extracellular sugars. PMID:21757635

Transgene silencing of sucrose synthase in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) stem vascular tissue suggests a role for invertase in cell wall cellulose synthesis.

PubMed

Samac, Deborah A; Bucciarelli, Bruna; Miller, Susan S; Yang, S Samuel; O'Rourke, Jamie A; Shin, Sanghyun; Vance, Carroll P

2015-12-01

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a widely adapted perennial forage crop that has high biomass production potential. Enhanced cellulose content in alfalfa stems would increase the value of the crop as a bioenergy feedstock. We examined if increased expression of sucrose synthase (SUS; EC 2.4.1.13) would increase cellulose in stem cell walls. Alfalfa plants were transformed with a truncated alfalfa phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase gene promoter (PEPC7-P4) fused to an alfalfa nodule-enhanced SUS cDNA (MsSUS1) or the β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene. Strong GUS expression was detected in xylem and phloem indicating that the PEPC7-P4 promoter was active in stem vascular tissue. In contrast to expectations, MsSUS1 transcript accumulation was reduced 75-90 % in alfalfa plants containing the PEPC7-P4::MsSUS1 transgene compared to controls. Enzyme assays indicated that SUS activity in stems of selected down-regulated transformants was reduced by greater than 95 % compared to the controls. Although SUS activity was detected in xylem and phloem of control plants by in situ enzyme assays, plants with the PEPC7-P4::MsSUS1 transgene lacked detectable SUS activity in post-elongation stem (PES) internodes and had very low SUS activity in elongating stem (ES) internodes. Loss of SUS protein in PES internodes of down-regulated lines was confirmed by immunoblots. Down-regulation of SUS expression and activity in stem tissue resulted in no obvious phenotype or significant change in cell wall sugar composition. However, alkaline/neutral (A/N) invertase activity increased in SUS down-regulated lines and high levels of acid invertase activity were observed. In situ enzyme assays of stem tissue showed localization of neutral invertase in vascular tissues of ES and PES internodes. These results suggest that invertases play a primary role in providing glucose for cellulose biosynthesis or compensate for the loss of SUS1 activity in stem vascular tissue.

Simulating the Distribution of Individual Livestock Farms and Their Populations in the United States: An Example Using Domestic Swine (Sus scrofa domesticus) Farms

PubMed Central

Garza, Sarah J.; Miller, Ryan S.

2015-01-01

Livestock distribution in the United States (U.S.) can only be mapped at a county-level or worse resolution. We developed a spatial microsimulation model called the Farm Location and Agricultural Production Simulator (FLAPS) that simulated the distribution and populations of individual livestock farms throughout the conterminous U.S. Using domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) as an example species, we customized iterative proportional-fitting algorithms for the hierarchical structure of the U.S. Census of Agriculture and imputed unpublished state- or county-level livestock population totals that were redacted to ensure confidentiality. We used a weighted sampling design to collect data on the presence and absence of farms and used them to develop a national-scale distribution model that predicted the distribution of individual farms at a 100 m resolution. We implemented microsimulation algorithms that simulated the populations and locations of individual farms using output from our imputed Census of Agriculture dataset and distribution model. Approximately 19% of county-level pig population totals were unpublished in the 2012 Census of Agriculture and needed to be imputed. Using aerial photography, we confirmed the presence or absence of livestock farms at 10,238 locations and found livestock farms were correlated with open areas, cropland, and roads, and also areas with cooler temperatures and gentler topography. The distribution of swine farms was highly variable, but cross-validation of our distribution model produced an area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve value of 0.78, which indicated good predictive performance. Verification analyses showed FLAPS accurately imputed and simulated Census of Agriculture data based on absolute percent difference values of < 0.01% at the state-to-national scale, 3.26% for the county-to-state scale, and 0.03% for the individual farm-to-county scale. Our output data have many applications for risk management of

Simulating the Distribution of Individual Livestock Farms and Their Populations in the United States: An Example Using Domestic Swine (Sus scrofa domesticus) Farms.

PubMed

Burdett, Christopher L; Kraus, Brian R; Garza, Sarah J; Miller, Ryan S; Bjork, Kathe E

2015-01-01

Livestock distribution in the United States (U.S.) can only be mapped at a county-level or worse resolution. We developed a spatial microsimulation model called the Farm Location and Agricultural Production Simulator (FLAPS) that simulated the distribution and populations of individual livestock farms throughout the conterminous U.S. Using domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) as an example species, we customized iterative proportional-fitting algorithms for the hierarchical structure of the U.S. Census of Agriculture and imputed unpublished state- or county-level livestock population totals that were redacted to ensure confidentiality. We used a weighted sampling design to collect data on the presence and absence of farms and used them to develop a national-scale distribution model that predicted the distribution of individual farms at a 100 m resolution. We implemented microsimulation algorithms that simulated the populations and locations of individual farms using output from our imputed Census of Agriculture dataset and distribution model. Approximately 19% of county-level pig population totals were unpublished in the 2012 Census of Agriculture and needed to be imputed. Using aerial photography, we confirmed the presence or absence of livestock farms at 10,238 locations and found livestock farms were correlated with open areas, cropland, and roads, and also areas with cooler temperatures and gentler topography. The distribution of swine farms was highly variable, but cross-validation of our distribution model produced an area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve value of 0.78, which indicated good predictive performance. Verification analyses showed FLAPS accurately imputed and simulated Census of Agriculture data based on absolute percent difference values of < 0.01% at the state-to-national scale, 3.26% for the county-to-state scale, and 0.03% for the individual farm-to-county scale. Our output data have many applications for risk management of

Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase and inosine 5′-monophosphate dehydrogenase activities in three mammalian species: aquatic (Mirounga angustirostris), semi-aquatic (Lontra longicaudis annectens) and terrestrial (Sus scrofa)

PubMed Central

Barjau Pérez-Milicua, Myrna; Zenteno-Savín, Tania; Crocker, Daniel E.; Gallo-Reynoso, Juan P.

2015-01-01

Aquatic and semiaquatic mammals have the capacity of breath hold (apnea) diving. Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) have the ability to perform deep and long duration dives; during a routine dive, adults can hold their breath for 25 min. Neotropical river otters (Lontra longicaudis annectens) can hold their breath for about 30 s. Such periods of apnea may result in reduced oxygen concentration (hypoxia) and reduced blood supply (ischemia) to tissues. Production of adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) requires oxygen, and most mammalian species, like the domestic pig (Sus scrofa), are not adapted to tolerate hypoxia and ischemia, conditions that result in ATP degradation. The objective of this study was to explore the differences in purine synthesis and recycling in erythrocytes and plasma of three mammalian species adapted to different environments: aquatic (northern elephant seal) (n = 11), semiaquatic (neotropical river otter) (n = 4), and terrestrial (domestic pig) (n = 11). Enzymatic activity of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) was determined by spectrophotometry, and activity of inosine 5′-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) and the concentration of hypoxanthine (HX), inosine 5′-monophosphate (IMP), adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP), adenosine 5′-diphosphate (ADP), ATP, guanosine 5′-diphosphate (GDP), guanosine 5′-triphosphate (GTP), and xanthosine 5′-monophosphate (XMP) were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The activities of HGPRT and IMPDH and the concentration of HX, IMP, AMP, ADP, ATP, GTP, and XMP in erythrocytes of domestic pigs were higher than in erythrocytes of northern elephant seals and river otters. These results suggest that under basal conditions (no diving, sleep apnea or exercise), aquatic, and semiaquatic mammals have less purine mobilization than their terrestrial counterparts. PMID:26283971

Proteomic analysis reveals the important roles of alpha-5-collagen and ATP5β during skin ulceration syndrome progression of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus.

PubMed

Zhao, Zelong; Jiang, Jingwei; Pan, Yongjia; Sun, Hongjuan; Guan, Xiaoyan; Gao, Shan; Chen, Zhong; Dong, Ying; Zhou, Zunchun

2018-03-20

Apostichopus japonicus is one of the most important aquaculture species in China. Skin ulceration syndrome (SUS) of sea cucumber is a common and serious disease affected the development of A. japonicus culture industry. To better understand the response mechanisms of A. japonicus during SUS progression, the protein variations in the body wall of A. japonicus at different stages of SUS were investigated by a comparative proteomic approach based on isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification. A total of 1449 proteins were identified from the samples at different SUS stages. Among these proteins, 145 proteins were differentially expressed in the SUS-related samples compared to those of healthy A. japonicus. These differentially expressed proteins involved a wide range of functions. Among these differentially expressed proteins, only two proteins, alpha-5-collagen and an unknown function protein, were differentially expressed during the whole progression of SUS compared with healthy A. japonicus. In addition, ATP synthase subunit beta (ATP5β) interacted with a variety of proteins with different functions during the SUS progression. These results implied that alpha-5-collagen and ATP5β could play important roles during the SUS progression of A. japonicus. Our study provided a new sight to understand the molecular responses of sea cucumber during the SUS progression and accumulated data for the prevention of SUS in sea cucumber aquaculture. The current study aimed to reveal how the body wall of Apostichopus japonicus response to skin ulceration syndrome (SUS). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first proteomic study analyzing the differences in protein profile of sea cucumber during the whole SUS progression. By analyzing the expression differences of the proteome via isobaric labeling-based quantitative proteomic, we identified some proteins which may play important roles during the SUS progression. According to the enrichment analyses of these

Inversor Resonante de Tres Elementos L-LC con Caracteristica Cortocircuitable para Aplicaciones de Calentamiento por Induccion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espi Huerta, Jose Miguel

Los generadores de calentamiento por induccion son puentes inversores con carga resonante, cuya mision es basicamente crear una corriente sinusoidal de gran amplitud sobre la "bobina de caldeo", que forma parte del tanque resonante. En el interior de esta bobina se introduce la pieza que se desea calentar. EI campo magnetico creado induce corrientes superficiales (corrientes de Foucault) sobre la pieza, que producen su calentamiento. Los tanques resonantes (tambien llamados osciladores) utilizados en la actualidad son el resonante serie y el resonante paralelo. Aunque ya desde hace algun tiempo se vienen construyendo generadores de alta potencia basados en estos dos osciladores, el exito nunca ha. sido completo en ninguno de los dos casos. Tal y como se explica en la introduccion de esta memoria, los puentes inversores utilizados deben operar sobre una carga inductiva (corriente retrasada) para evitar el fenomeno de la recuperacion inversa de sus diodos y la consiguiente ruptura de los transistores. De la restriccion topologica anterior se deduce que el generador paralelo debe conmutar a frecuencias inferiores a la resonancia, y el serie a frecuencias superiores. A esta restriccion topologica hay que unir otra que es exclusiva del calentamiento por induccion: La corriente por la bobina de caldeo debe ser sinusoidal. De no ser asi, resultaria imposible disponer toda la potencia de calentamiento sobre la pieza en el espesor requerido por la aplicacion. Como consecuencia, los inversores no pueden operar por debajo de la frecuencia de resonancia del oscilador, pues en ese caso se amplifican los armonicos de orden superior de la tension/corriente de entrada situados sobre la resonancia, con la consiguiente distorsion de la corriente de salida. La conjuncion de las dos restricciones anteriores obligan al inversor paralelo a funcionar a la frecuencia de resonancia del oscilador. Esto imposibilita un control por variacion de frecuencia, regulandose la potencia desde la

Effect of anabolic steroids on overloaded and overloaded suspended skeletal muscle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsika, R. W.; Herrick, R. E.; Baldwin, K. M.

1987-01-01

The effect of treatment with an anabolic steroid (nandrolone decanoate) on the muscle mass, the subcellular protein content, and the myosin patterns of normal overloaded and suspended overloaded plantaris muscle in female rat was investigated, dividing rats into six groups: normal control (NC), overload (OV), OV steroid (OV-S), normal suspended (N-sus), OV suspended (OV-sus), and OV suspended steroid (OV-sus-S). Relative to control values, overload produced a sparing effect on the muscle weight of the OV-sus group as well as increases of muscle weight of the OV group; increased protein content; and an increased expression of slow myosin in both OV and OV-sus groups. Steroid treatment of OV animals did not after the response of any parameter analyzed for the OV group, but in the OV-sus group steroid treatment induced increases in muscle weight and in protein content of the OV-sus-S group. The treatment did not alter the pattern of isomyosin expression observed in the OV or the OV-sus groups. These result suggest that the steroid acts synergistically with functional overload only under conditions in which the effect of overload is minimized by suspension.

Lexical Connection: Semiterm Grammatical Patterns in Spanish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrero, Carmen Lopez

2012-01-01

The aim of this article is to describe the grammatical patterns of a set of nouns frequently used in Spanish specialized discourse: the so-called "semiterms". The following nouns were selected for the study: "problema" "problem", "resultado" "result", "motivo" "motive/reason", "razon" "reason", and "consecuencia" "consequence". Apart from…

Reducing Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) population density as a measure for bovine tuberculosis control: effects in wild boar and a sympatric fallow deer (Dama dama) population in Central Spain.

PubMed

García-Jiménez, W L; Fernández-Llario, P; Benítez-Medina, J M; Cerrato, R; Cuesta, J; García-Sánchez, A; Gonçalves, P; Martínez, R; Risco, D; Salguero, F J; Serrano, E; Gómez, L; Hermoso-de-Mendoza, J

2013-07-01

Research on management of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in wildlife reservoir hosts is crucial for the implementation of effective disease control measures and the generation of practical bTB management recommendations. Among the management methods carried out on wild species to reduce bTB prevalence, the control of population density has been frequently used, with hunting pressure a practical strategy to reduce bTB prevalence. However, despite the number of articles about population density control in different bTB wildlife reservoirs, there is little information regarding the application of such measures on the Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa), which is considered the main bTB wildlife reservoir within Mediterranean ecosystems. This study shows the effects of a management measure leading to a radical decrease in wild boar population density at a large hunting estate in Central Spain, in order to assess the evolution of bTB prevalence in both the wild boar population and the sympatric fallow deer population. The evolution of bTB prevalence was monitored in populations of the two wild ungulate species over a 5-year study period (2007-2012). The results showed that bTB prevalence decreased in fallow deer, corresponding to an important reduction in the wild boar population. However, this decrease was not homogeneous: in the last season of study there was an increase in bTB-infected male animals. Moreover, bTB prevalence remained high in the remnant wild boar population. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multiple, Distinct Isoforms of Sucrose Synthase in Pea1

PubMed Central

Barratt, D.H. Paul; Barber, Lorraine; Kruger, Nicholas J.; Smith, Alison M.; Wang, Trevor L.; Martin, Cathie

2001-01-01

Genes encoding three isoforms of sucrose synthase (Sus1, Sus2, and Sus3) have been cloned from pea (Pisum sativum). The genes have distinct patterns of expression in different organs of the plant, and during organ development. Studies of the isoforms expressed as recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli show that they differ in kinetic properties. Although not of great magnitude, the differences in properties are consistent with some differentiation of physiological function between the isoforms. Evidence for differentiation of function in vivo comes from the phenotypes of rug4 mutants of pea, which carry mutations in the gene encoding Sus1. One mutant line (rug4-c) lacks detectable Sus1 protein in both the soluble and membrane-associated fractions of the embryo, and Sus activity in the embryo is reduced by 95%. The starch content of the embryo is reduced by 30%, but the cellulose content is unaffected. The results imply that different isoforms of Sus may channel carbon from sucrose towards different metabolic fates within the cell. PMID:11598239

Phosphorylation of sucrose synthase at serine 170: occurrence and possible role as a signal for proteolysis.

PubMed

Hardin, Shane C; Tang, Guo-Qing; Scholz, Anke; Holtgraewe, Daniela; Winter, Heike; Huber, Steven C

2003-09-01

Sequence analysis identified serine 170 (S170) of the maize (Zea mays L.) SUS1 sucrose synthase (SUS) protein as a possible, second phosphorylation site. Maize leaves contained two calcium-dependent protein kinase activities and a calcium-independent kinase activity with characteristics of an sucrose non-fermenting 1 (SNF1)-related protein kinase. Phosphorylation of the novel S170 and the known serine 15 (S15) site by these protein kinases was determined in peptide substrates and detected in SUS1 protein substrates utilizing sequence- and phosphorylation-specific antibodies. We demonstrate phosphorylation of S170 in vitro and in vivo. The calcium-dependent protein kinases phosphorylated both S170 and S15, whereas SNF1-related protein kinase activity was restricted to S15. Calcium-dependent protein-kinase-mediated S170 and S15 phosphorylation kinetics were determined in wild-type and mutant SUS1 substrates. These analyses revealed that kinase specificity for S170 was threefold lower than that for S15, and that phosphorylation of S170 was stimulated by prior phosphorylation at the S15 site. The SUS-binding peptides encoded by early nodulin 40 (ENOD40) specifically antagonized S170 phosphorylation in vitro. A model wherein S170 phosphorylation functions as part of a mechanism targeting SUS for proteasome-mediated degradation is supported by the observations that SUS proteolytic fragments: (i) were detected and possessed relatively high phosphorylated-S170 (pS170) stoichiometry; (ii) were spatially coincident with proteasome activity within developing leaves; and (iii) co-sedimented with proteasome activity. In addition, full-length pS170-SUS protein was less stable than S170-SUS in cultured leaf segments and was stabilized by proteasome inhibition. Post-translational control of SUS protein level through pS170-promoted proteolysis may explain the specific and significant decrease in SUS abundance that accompanies the sink-to-source transition in developing maize leaves.

Consensus Recommendations on Sulfonylurea and Sulfonylurea Combinations in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus – International Task Force

PubMed Central

Kalra, Sanjay; Bahendeka, Silver; Sahay, Rakesh; Ghosh, Sujoy; Md, Fariduddin; Orabi, Abbas; Ramaiya, Kaushik; Al Shammari, Sameer; Shrestha, Dina; Shaikh, Khalid; Abhayaratna, Sachitha; Shrestha, Pradeep K.; Mahalingam, Aravinthan; Askheta, Mazen; A. Rahim, Aly Ahmed; Eliana, Fatimah; Shrestha, Hari K.; Chaudhary, Sandeep; Ngugi, Nancy; Mbanya, Jean Claude; Aye, Than Than; Latt, Tint Swe; Akanov, Zhanay A.; Syed, Abbas Raza; Tandon, Nikhil; Unnikrishnan, A. G.; Madhu, S. V.; Jawa, Ali; Chowdhury, Subhankar; Bajaj, Sarita; Das, Ashok Kumar

2018-01-01

For decades, sulfonylureas (SUs) have been important drugs in the antidiabetic therapeutic armamentarium. They have been used as monotherapy as well as combination therapy. Focus on newer drugs and concerns about the risk of severe hypoglycemia and weight gain with some SUs have led to discussion on their safety and utility. It has to be borne in mind that the adverse events associated with SUs should not be ascribed to the whole class, as many modern SUs, such as glimepiride and gliclazide modified release, are associated with better safety profiles. Furthermore, individualization of treatment, using SUs in combination with other drugs, backed with careful monitoring and patient education, ensures maximum benefits with minimal side effects. The current guidelines, developed by experts from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, promote the safe and smart use of SUs in combination with other glucose-lowering drugs. PMID:29535952

Data Envelopment Analysis for steel production with the use of Total Material Requirement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oyaizu, Akira; Cravioto, Jordi; Yamasue, Eiji; Daigo, Ichiro

2018-06-01

High properties of stainless steels can be achieved by adding alloying elements and/or by structure control through complex heat treatments. Evaluations of such processes have so far been made in terms of the carbon dioxide emissions emitted or the energy consumption, but less attention has been given to resource intensity and "hidden flows". Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), this study evaluates the efficiency of the environmental impact, characterised through Total Material Requirement (TMR), a measurement of hidden flows, and three properties (two mechanical and one chemical) of the materials obtained after manufacturing. Out of sample of 72 stainless steels it was found that seven (SUS312L, SUS836L, SUS447J1, SUSXM27, SUS410, SUS420F2, and SUS329J4L) showed the highest comparative efficiency, and that, when classifying the sample into four groups, the production of martensitic steels showed the highest efficiency (88%), followed by ferritic and duplex (82.6% each) and lastly austenitic (43.3%).

Multifunctional Nutrient-Binding Proteins Adapt Human Symbiotic Bacteria for Glycan Competition in the Gut by Separately Promoting Enhanced Sensing and Catalysis

PubMed Central

Cameron, Elizabeth A.; Kwiatkowski, Kurt J.; Lee, Byung-Hoo; Hamaker, Bruce R.; Koropatkin, Nicole M.

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT To compete for the dynamic stream of nutrients flowing into their ecosystem, colonic bacteria must respond rapidly to new resources and then catabolize them efficiently once they are detected. The Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron starch utilization system (Sus) is a model for nutrient acquisition by symbiotic gut bacteria, which harbor thousands of related Sus-like systems. Structural investigation of the four Sus outer membrane proteins (SusD, -E, -F, and -G) revealed that they contain a total of eight starch-binding sites that we demonstrated, using genetic and biochemical approaches, to play distinct roles in starch metabolism in vitro and in vivo in gnotobiotic mice. SusD, whose homologs are abundant in the human microbiome, is critical for the initial sensing of available starch, allowing sus transcriptional activation at much lower concentrations than without this function. In contrast, seven additional binding sites across SusE, -F, and -G are dispensable for sus activation. However, they optimize the rate of growth on starch in a manner dependent on the expression of the bacterial polysaccharide capsule, suggesting that they have evolved to offset the diffusion barrier created by this structure. These findings demonstrate how proteins with similar biochemical behavior can serve orthogonal functions during different stages of cellular adaptation to nutrients. Finally, we demonstrated in gnotobiotic mice fed a starch-rich diet that the Sus binding sites confer a competitive advantage to B. thetaiotaomicron in vivo in a manner that is dependent on other colonizing microbes. This study reveals how numerically dominant families of carbohydrate-binding proteins in the human microbiome fulfill separate and sometimes cooperative roles to optimize gut commensal bacteria for nutrient acquisition. PMID:25205092

Investigating the Role of Free-Ranging Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) in the Re-Emergence of Enzootic Pneumonia in Domestic Pig Herds: A Pathological, Prevalence and Risk-Factor Study

PubMed Central

Batista Linhares, Mainity; Belloy, Luc; Origgi, Francesco C.; Lechner, Isabel; Segner, Helmut; Ryser-Degiorgis, Marie-Pierre

2015-01-01

Enzootic pneumonia (EP) caused by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae has a significant economic impact on domestic pig production. A control program carried out from 1999 to 2003 successfully reduced disease occurrence in domestic pigs in Switzerland, but recurrent outbreaks suggested a potential role of free-ranging wild boar (Sus scrofa) as a source of re-infection. Since little is known on the epidemiology of EP in wild boar populations, our aims were: (1) to estimate the prevalence of M. hyopneumoniae infections in wild boar in Switzerland; (2) to identify risk factors for infection in wild boar; and (3) to assess whether infection in wild boar is associated with the same gross and microscopic lesions typical of EP in domestic pigs. Nasal swabs, bronchial swabs and lung samples were collected from 978 wild boar from five study areas in Switzerland between October 2011 and May 2013. Swabs were analyzed by qualitative real time PCR and a histopathological study was conducted on lung tissues. Risk factor analysis was performed using multivariable logistic regression modeling. Overall prevalence in nasal swabs was 26.2% (95% CI 23.3–29.3%) but significant geographical differences were observed. Wild boar density, occurrence of EP outbreaks in domestic pigs and young age were identified as risk factors for infection. There was a significant association between infection and lesions consistent with EP in domestic pigs. We have concluded that M. hyopneumoniae is widespread in the Swiss wild boar population, that the same risk factors for infection of domestic pigs also act as risk factors for infection of wild boar, and that infected wild boar develop lesions similar to those found in domestic pigs. However, based on our data and the outbreak pattern in domestic pigs, we propose that spillover from domestic pigs to wild boar is more likely than transmission from wild boar to pigs. PMID:25747151

Sus scrofa miR-204 and miR-4331 Negatively Regulate Swine H1N1/2009 Influenza A Virus Replication by Targeting Viral HA and NS, Respectively.

PubMed

Zhang, Shishuo; Wang, Ruifang; Su, Huijuan; Wang, Biaoxiong; Sizhu, Suolang; Lei, Zhixin; Jin, Meilin; Chen, Huanchun; Cao, Jiyue; Zhou, Hongbo

2017-04-03

The prevalence of swine pandemic H1N1/2009 influenza A virus (SIV-H1N1/2009) in pigs has the potential to generate novel reassortant viruses, posing a great threat to human health. Cellular microRNAs (miRNAs) have been proven as promising small molecules for regulating influenza A virus replication by directly targeting viral genomic RNA. In this study, we predicted potential Sus scrofa (ssc-, swine) miRNAs targeting the genomic RNA of SIV-H1N1/2009 by RegRNA 2.0, and identified ssc-miR-204 and ssc-miR-4331 to target viral HA and NS respectively through dual-luciferase reporter assays. The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of viral HA and NS were significantly suppressed when newborn pig trachea (NPTr) cells respectively overexpressed ssc-miR-204 and ssc-miR-4331 and were infected with SIV-H1N1/2009, whereas the suppression effect could be restored when respectively decreasing endogenous ssc-miR-204 and ssc-miR-4331 with inhibitors. Because of the importance of viral HA and NS in the life cycle of influenza A virus, ssc-miR-204 and ssc-miR-4331 exhibited an inhibition effect on SIV-H1N1/2009 replication. The antiviral effect was sequence-specific of SIV-H1N1/2009, for the target sites in HA and NS of H5N1 or H9N2 influenza A virus were not conserved. Furthermore, SIV-H1N1/2009 infection reversely downregulated the expression of ssc-miR-204 and ssc-miR-4331, which might facilitate the virus replication in the host. In summary, this work will provide us some important clues for controlling the prevalence of SIV-H1N1/2009 in pig populations.

Church Anchor Explosive Sources (SUS) Propagation Measurements

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-12-01

execution of the exercise were carried out by an even larger group . Contributors from ARL/UT Analysis and Interpretation A. L. Anderson S. K. Mitchell T. D...ACODACs) located at sites A, C, :id. D, and a Multielement Super -direc.-tive Array (MESA) located at site E. The primary source track for the data, as shown...estimates, the narrowband spectra for the swot signai dztected in those ranges are inspected to determine the quality cf thb- data. Presumed signals

Neutrophil dysfunction in rats with natural gingivitis.

PubMed

Isogai, E; Wakizaka, H; Miura, H; Isogai, H; Hayashi, M

1993-01-01

The functions of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) from SUS rats with naturally occurring gingivitis were examined by the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL), adherence and bactericidal tests. SUS rats with pre-gingivitis showed lower CL responses of isolated PMNs and whole blood than control rats (RES rats). After plague formation and progression of gingivitis, the CL response gradually increased in SUS rats. RES rats had healthy gingiva and showed no increase in CL responses. Impaired PMN adherence was observed in SUS rats with pre-gingivitis but not in RES rats. PMNs from SUS rats with pre-gingivitis also showed lower bactericidal activity than those from RES rats. Dysfunction of PMNs might induce gingivitis as a result of decreased protection against periodontal pathogens and an elevated level of CL response can be recognized with progression of gingivitis.

Fretting fatigue behaviour of Ni-free high-nitrogen stainless steel in a simulated body fluid.

PubMed

Maruyama, Norio; Hiromoto, Sachiko; Akiyama, Eiji; Nakamura, Morihiko

2013-04-01

Fretting fatigue behaviour of Ni-free high-nitrogen steel (HNS) with a yield strength of about 800 MPa, which was prepared by nitrogen gas pressurized electroslag remelting, was studied in air and in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS(-)). For comparison, fretting fatigue behaviour of cold-rolled SUS316L steel (SUS316L(CR)) with similar yield strength was examined. The plain fatigue limit of HNS was slightly lower than that of SUS316L(CR) although the former had a higher tensile strength than the latter. The fretting fatigue limit of HNS was higher than that of SUS316L(CR) both in air and in PBS(-). A decrease in fatigue limit of HNS by fretting was significantly smaller than that of SUS316L(CR) in both environments, indicating that HNS has better fretting fatigue resistance than SUS316L(CR). The decrease in fatigue limit by fretting is discussed taking into account the effect of friction stress due to fretting and the additional influences of wear, tribocorrosion and plastic deformation in the fretted area.

Fretting fatigue behaviour of Ni-free high-nitrogen stainless steel in a simulated body fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maruyama, Norio; Hiromoto, Sachiko; Akiyama, Eiji; Nakamura, Morihiko

2013-04-01

Fretting fatigue behaviour of Ni-free high-nitrogen steel (HNS) with a yield strength of about 800 MPa, which was prepared by nitrogen gas pressurized electroslag remelting, was studied in air and in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS(-)). For comparison, fretting fatigue behaviour of cold-rolled SUS316L steel (SUS316L(CR)) with similar yield strength was examined. The plain fatigue limit of HNS was slightly lower than that of SUS316L(CR) although the former had a higher tensile strength than the latter. The fretting fatigue limit of HNS was higher than that of SUS316L(CR) both in air and in PBS(-). A decrease in fatigue limit of HNS by fretting was significantly smaller than that of SUS316L(CR) in both environments, indicating that HNS has better fretting fatigue resistance than SUS316L(CR). The decrease in fatigue limit by fretting is discussed taking into account the effect of friction stress due to fretting and the additional influences of wear, tribocorrosion and plastic deformation in the fretted area.

Hybrid cooperative spectrum sharing for cognitive radio networks: A contract-based approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Songwei; Mu, Xiaomin; Wang, Ning; Zhang, Dalong; Han, Gangtao

2018-06-01

In order to improve the spectral efficiency, a contract-based hybrid cooperative spectrum sharing approach is proposed in this paper, in which multiple primary users (PUs) and multiple secondary users (SUs) share the primary channels in a hybrid manner. Specifically, the SUs switch their transmission mode between underlay and overlay based on the second-order statistics of the primary links. The average transmission rates of PUs and SUs are analyzed for the two transmission modes, and an optimization problem is formulated to maximize the utility of PUs under the constraint that the utility of SUs is nonnegative, which is further solved by a contract-based approach in global statistical channel statistical information (S-CSI) scenarios and local S-CSI scenarios, individually. Numerical results show that the average transmission rate of the PUs is significantly improved by using the proposed method in both of the two scenarios, and in the meantime, the SUs can achieve a good average rate, especially while the SUs have the same number of the PUs in the local S-CSI scenarios.

Effective dominance of resistance of Spodoptera frugiperda to Bt maize and cotton varieties: implications for resistance management

PubMed Central

Horikoshi, Renato J.; Bernardi, Daniel; Bernardi, Oderlei; Malaquias, José B.; Okuma, Daniela M.; Miraldo, Leonardo L.; Amaral, Fernando S. de A. e; Omoto, Celso

2016-01-01

The resistance of fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, has been characterized to some Cry and Vip3A proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) expressed in transgenic maize in Brazil. Here we evaluated the effective dominance of resistance based on the survival of neonates from selected Bt-resistant, heterozygous, and susceptible (Sus) strains of FAW on different Bt maize and cotton varieties. High survival of strains resistant to the Cry1F (HX-R), Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab (VT-R) and Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab/Cry1F (PW-R) proteins was detected on Herculex, YieldGard VT PRO and PowerCore maize. Our Vip3A-resistant strain (Vip-R) exhibited high survival on Herculex, Agrisure Viptera and Agrisure Viptera 3 maize. However, the heterozygous from HX-R × Sus, VT-R × Sus, PW-R × Sus and Vip-R × Sus had complete mortality on YieldGard VT PRO, PowerCore, Agrisure Viptera, and Agrisure Viptera 3, whereas the HX-R × Sus and Vip-R × Sus strains survived on Herculex maize. On Bt cotton, the HX-R, VT-R and PW-R strains exhibited high survival on Bollgard II. All resistant strains survived on WideStrike, but only PW-R and Vip-R × Sus survived on TwinLink. Our study provides useful data to aid in the understanding of the effectiveness of the refuge strategy for Insect Resistance Management of Bt plants. PMID:27721425

Effective dominance of resistance of Spodoptera frugiperda to Bt maize and cotton varieties: implications for resistance management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horikoshi, Renato J.; Bernardi, Daniel; Bernardi, Oderlei; Malaquias, José B.; Okuma, Daniela M.; Miraldo, Leonardo L.; Amaral, Fernando S. De A. E.; Omoto, Celso

2016-10-01

The resistance of fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, has been characterized to some Cry and Vip3A proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) expressed in transgenic maize in Brazil. Here we evaluated the effective dominance of resistance based on the survival of neonates from selected Bt-resistant, heterozygous, and susceptible (Sus) strains of FAW on different Bt maize and cotton varieties. High survival of strains resistant to the Cry1F (HX-R), Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab (VT-R) and Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab/Cry1F (PW-R) proteins was detected on Herculex, YieldGard VT PRO and PowerCore maize. Our Vip3A-resistant strain (Vip-R) exhibited high survival on Herculex, Agrisure Viptera and Agrisure Viptera 3 maize. However, the heterozygous from HX-R × Sus, VT-R × Sus, PW-R × Sus and Vip-R × Sus had complete mortality on YieldGard VT PRO, PowerCore, Agrisure Viptera, and Agrisure Viptera 3, whereas the HX-R × Sus and Vip-R × Sus strains survived on Herculex maize. On Bt cotton, the HX-R, VT-R and PW-R strains exhibited high survival on Bollgard II. All resistant strains survived on WideStrike, but only PW-R and Vip-R × Sus survived on TwinLink. Our study provides useful data to aid in the understanding of the effectiveness of the refuge strategy for Insect Resistance Management of Bt plants.

Direct Activation of Epac by Sulfonylurea is Isoform Selective

PubMed Central

Herbst, Katie J.; Coltharp, Carla; Amzel, L. Mario; Zhang, Jin

2011-01-01

Summary Commonly used as a treatment for Type II diabetes, sulfonylureas (SUs) stimulate insulin secretion from pancreatic β cells by binding to sulfonylurea receptors. Recently, SUs have been shown to also activate exchange protein directly activated by cAMP 2 (Epac2), however little is known about this molecular action. Using biosensor imaging and biochemical analysis, we show that SUs activate Epac2 and the downstream signaling via direct binding to Epac2. We further identify R447 of Epac2 to be critically involved in SU binding. This distinct binding site from cAMP points to a new mode of allosteric activation of Epac2. We also show that SUs selectively activate Epac2 isoform, but not the closely related Epac1, further establishing SUs as a new class of isoform-selective enzyme activators. PMID:21338921

How complexity science can inform scale-up and spread in health care: understanding the role of self-organization in variation across local contexts.

PubMed

Lanham, Holly Jordan; Leykum, Luci K; Taylor, Barbara S; McCannon, C Joseph; Lindberg, Curt; Lester, Richard T

2013-09-01

Health care systems struggle to scale-up and spread effective practices across diverse settings. Failures in scale-up and spread (SUS) are often attributed to a lack of consideration for variation in local contexts among different health care delivery settings. We argue that SUS occurs within complex systems and that self-organization plays an important role in the success, or failure, of SUS. Self-organization is a process whereby local interactions give rise to patterns of organizing. These patterns may be stable or unstable, and they evolve over time. Self-organization is a major contributor to local variations across health care delivery settings. Thus, better understanding of self-organization in the context of SUS is needed. We re-examine two cases of successful SUS: 1) the application of a mobile phone short message service intervention to improve adherence to medications during HIV treatment scale up in resource-limited settings, and 2) MRSA prevention in hospital inpatient settings in the United States. Based on insights from these cases, we discuss the role of interdependencies and sensemaking in leveraging self-organization in SUS initiatives. We argue that self-organization, while not completely controllable, can be influenced, and that improving interdependencies and sensemaking among SUS stakeholders is a strategy for facilitating self-organization processes that increase the probability of spreading effective practices across diverse settings. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

JPRS Report, West Europe

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-03-24

EN QUE MEDIDA CONSIDERA USTED QUE LA POLITICA DE...TOTAL (%) 1.7 15.9 28.9 24.8 27.8 1.0 iCREE USTED QUE CAMBIARA LA POLITICA DEL GOBIERNO COMO CONSECUENCIA DE ESTE CONGRESO EN POLITICA ...NS/NCY?.<.(7^ L&X. LA POLITICA QUE DESARROLLA EL PSOE, 4EN QUE MEDIDA CREE USTED QUE BENEFICIA A LA MUJER ? Mucho .Mi)

Superresolution Imaging Captures Carbohydrate Utilization Dynamics in Human Gut Symbionts

PubMed Central

Karunatilaka, Krishanthi S.; Cameron, Elizabeth A.; Martens, Eric C.; Koropatkin, Nicole M.

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Gut microbes play a key role in human health and nutrition by catabolizing a wide variety of glycans via enzymatic activities that are not encoded in the human genome. The ability to recognize and process carbohydrates strongly influences the structure of the gut microbial community. While the effects of diet on the microbiota are well documented, little is known about the molecular processes driving metabolism. To provide mechanistic insight into carbohydrate catabolism in gut symbionts, we studied starch processing in real time in the model Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron starch utilization system (Sus) by single-molecule fluorescence. Although previous studies have explored Sus protein structure and function, the transient interactions, assembly, and collaboration of these outer membrane proteins have not yet been elucidated in live cells. Our live-cell superresolution imaging reveals that the polymeric starch substrate dynamically recruits Sus proteins, serving as an external scaffold for bacterial membrane assembly of the Sus complex, which may promote efficient capturing and degradation of starch. Furthermore, by simultaneously localizing multiple Sus outer membrane proteins on the B. thetaiotaomicron cell surface, we have characterized the dynamics and stoichiometry of starch-induced Sus complex assembly on the molecular scale. Finally, based on Sus protein knockout strains, we have discerned the mechanism of starch-induced Sus complex assembly in live anaerobic cells with nanometer-scale resolution. Our insights into the starch-induced outer membrane protein assembly central to this conserved nutrient uptake mechanism pave the way for the development of dietary or pharmaceutical therapies to control Bacteroidetes in the intestinal tract to enhance human health and treat disease. PMID:25389179

[Forum: twenty years of experience and the challenge with the Unified National Health System. Introduction].

PubMed

Maio, Marcos Chor; Lima, Nísia Trindade

2009-07-01

This Introduction presents the Forum on the 20 years of experience with the Unified National Health System (SUS), consisting of 3 articles and a postscript. The first article provides a historical overview of the implementation of the SUS, in light of the Constitutional provisions pertaining to health. It discusses the context and main issues underlying the creation of the SUS in Brazil and proposes a renewed linkage between health sector policies and an expanded project for Brazilian society. The second article analyzes the SUS' dynamics; strides in access to and comprehensiveness of care; and challenges for the achievement of its objectives, in light of factors that are external to the system, involving the need for greater politicization of analyses on the issue. The third article approaches social and political processes that developed from 1988 to 2008. It mainly analyzes the history of two collegiate bodies under the SUS at the Federal level: the National Health Council and the Tripartite Inter-Managers' Commission. Despite the complexity identified by the authors and the important obstacles they identify, the reflections indicate that the SUS has been a successful social policy, besides contributing to the consolidation of democracy in Brazil.

Sol-gel derived (La 0.8M 0.2)CrO 3 (M dbnd Ca, Sr) coating layer on stainless-steel substrate for use as a separator in intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

A Lee, E.; Lee, S.; Hwang, H. J.; Moon, J.-W.

A ceramic coating technique is applied to reduce the voltage drop caused by oxidation of the metallic separator (SUS444) in intermediate-temperature (IT) solid oxide fuel cell (SOFCs) systems. Precursor solutions for (La, Ca)CrO 3 (LCC) and (La, Sr)CrO 3 (LSC) coatings are prepared by adding nitric acid and ethylene glycol into an aqueous solution of lanthanum, strontium (or calcium) and chromium nitrates. Dried LCC and LSC gel films are heat-treated at 400-800 °C after dip-coating on the SUS444 substrate. XRD and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis is used to examine the crystallization behaviour and chemical structure of the precursor solution. The oxidation behaviour of the coated SUS444 substrate is compared with an uncoated SUS444 substrate. The oxidation of the SUS444 is inhibited by the LCC and LSC thin film layers.

Interpreting CMMI High Maturity for Small Organizations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

Stoddard September, 2008 Congreso Internacional en Ingeniería de Software y sus Aplicaciones (International Congress of Software Engineering d...Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 Congreso Internacional en Ingeniería de Software y sus Aplicaciones (International Congress of...de Software y sus Aplicaciones (International Congress of Software Engineering and its Applications) Why This Workshop? CMMI Process Performance

Hipoglicemiantes Orais Para Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2: Comparação de Preços no Brasil e em Outros Sistemas Universais de Saúde.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Gustavo L A; Izidoro, Jans B; Ferré, Felipe; E Sousa, Samuel R A; Acurcio, Francisco A

2018-06-20

To estimate the average price of oral hypoglycemic agents provided by the Brazilian health system (SUS) and to compare them to other public health systems. Cross-sectional study about drug prices purchased by Belo Horizonte (municipal level), Minas Gerais (state level) and federal institutions in January and February of 2014. Average prices were calculated by defined daily dosage (DDD) and were compared to the management levels and the program "Aqui Tem Farmácia Popular" (ATFP). For international comparison, reimbursement values from Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Canada (Province of Quebec) were used. Belo Horizonte had higher average prices than Minas Gerais. In general, essential oral hypoglycemic agents purchased by the SUS had lower prices than ATFP. For example, glibenclamide 5 mg was 1.023% more expensive. Metformin purchased by ATFP was more expensive than by SUS. Eight drugs purchased by SUS had average values above the respective Brazilian price ceiling. As an international comparison, SUS had lower average prices for glibenclamide and metformin. In ATFP, metformin was more expensive than in other countries, while glibenclamide was cheaper than Portugal only. The municipal management level had higher average prices than state level. Oral hypoglycemic agents purchased by SUS are predominantly cheaper than ATFP. Average prices paid by SUS are lower, while the prices paid by ATFP are higher than the reimbursed amounts from other countries. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Violencia de Pareja en Mujeres Hispanas: Implicaciones para la Investigación y la Práctica

PubMed Central

Gonzalez-Guarda, Rosa Maria; Becerra, Maria Mercedes

2012-01-01

Las investigaciones sobre la violencia entre parejas sugieren que las mujeres hispanas están siendo afectadas desproporcionadamente por la ocurrencia y consecuencias de este problema de salud pública. El objetivo del presente artículo es dar a conocer el estado del arte en relación a la epidemiologia, consecuencias y factores de riesgo para VP entre mujeres Hispanas, discutiendo las implicaciones para la investigación y la práctica. Investigaciones han demostrado una fuerte asociación del status socioeconómico, abuso de droga y el alcohol, la salud mental, aculturación, inmigración, comportamientos sexuales riesgosos e historia de abuso con la violencia entre parejas. Sin embargo, más estudios se deben llevar a cabo para identificar otros factores de riesgos y de protección a poblaciones hispanas no clínicas. Mientras que el conocimiento sobre la etiología de la VP entre mujeres Hispanas se expanda, enfermeras y otros profesionales de la salud deben desarrollar, implementar y evaluar estrategias culturalmente adecuadas para la prevención primaria y secundaria de la violencia entre pareja. PMID:26166938

Sucrose Synthase Is Associated with the Cell Wall of Tobacco Pollen Tubes1[W

PubMed Central

Persia, Diana; Cai, Giampiero; Del Casino, Cecilia; Faleri, Claudia; Willemse, Michiel T.M.; Cresti, Mauro

2008-01-01

Sucrose synthase (Sus; EC 2.4.1.13) is a key enzyme of sucrose metabolism in plant cells, providing carbon for respiration and for the synthesis of cell wall polymers and starch. Since Sus is important for plant cell growth, insights into its structure, localization, and features are useful for defining the relationships between nutrients, growth, and cell morphogenesis. We used the pollen tube of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) as a cell model to characterize the main features of Sus with regard to cell growth and cell wall synthesis. Apart from its role during sexual reproduction, the pollen tube is a typical tip-growing cell, and the proper construction of its cell wall is essential for correct shaping and direction of growth. The outer cell wall layer of pollen tubes consists of pectins, but the inner layer is composed of cellulose and callose; both polymers require metabolic precursors in the form of UDP-glucose, which is synthesized by Sus. We identified an 88-kD polypeptide in the soluble, plasma membrane and Golgi fraction of pollen tubes. The protein was also found in association with the cell wall. After purification, the protein showed an enzyme activity similar to that of maize (Zea mays) Sus. Distribution of Sus was affected by brefeldin A and depended on the nutrition status of the pollen tube, because an absence of metabolic sugars in the growth medium caused Sus to distribute differently during tube elongation. Analysis by bidimensional electrophoresis indicated that Sus exists as two isoforms, one of which is phosphorylated and more abundant in the cytoplasm and cell wall and the other of which is not phosphorylated and is specific to the plasma membrane. Results indicate that the protein has a role in the construction of the extracellular matrix and thus in the morphogenesis of pollen tubes. PMID:18344420

Scientific impact of Association for Academic Surgery and Society of University Surgeons plenary session abstracts increases in the era of the Academic Surgical Congress from 2006 to 2010.

PubMed

Kaifi, Jussuf T; Kibbe, Melina R; LeMaire, Scott A; Staveley-O'Carroll, Kevin F; Kao, Lillian S; Sosa, Julie A; Kimchi, Eric T; Pawlik, Timothy M; Gusani, Niraj J

2013-06-01

The objective of our study was to analyze plenary abstracts since 2006, when the Association for Academic Surgery (AAS) and Society of University Surgeons (SUS) began hosting the combined annual Academic Surgical Congress (ASC). Plenary session abstracts from the separate AAS and SUS meetings from 2002 to 2004 had previously revealed no significant difference in the scientific impact of published manuscripts. In total, 76 abstracts from the AAS (n = 40) and SUS (n = 36) plenary sessions at the annual ASC meetings (2006-2010) were reviewed. Publication rate, citation number, 2010 impact factor (IF), and 5-y IF were obtained. Statistical analysis was conducted using Fisher exact and Student t-tests. Overall, 60 (79%) of 76 ASC plenary abstracts presented between 2006 and 2010 were published in peer-reviewed journals. Analysis revealed a higher publication rate for AAS (90%) compared with SUS (67%) plenary abstracts (P = 0.02). Among the articles published, the overall mean number of total citations was 6.7, with no difference between AAS and SUS (5.9 versus 7.8, P = 0.46). The mean 2010 five-year IF for all publications was 4.6 (AAS, 4.3 versus SUS, 5.0; P = 0.54). Compared with a previous analysis from the separate meetings, the mean IF has increased for both societies at an equivalent rate of 0.4. After the initiation of the joint ASC meeting in 2006, the SUS and AAS plenary presentations continue to exhibit high-quality research. This study supports the benefit of a joint meeting for the AAS and SUS, as it has been associated with an increasing overall scientific impact for plenary abstracts. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multidomain Carbohydrate-binding Proteins Involved in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Starch Metabolism*

PubMed Central

Cameron, Elizabeth A.; Maynard, Mallory A.; Smith, Christopher J.; Smith, Thomas J.; Koropatkin, Nicole M.; Martens, Eric C.

2012-01-01

Human colonic bacteria are necessary for the digestion of many dietary polysaccharides. The intestinal symbiont Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron uses five outer membrane proteins to bind and degrade starch. Here, we report the x-ray crystallographic structures of SusE and SusF, two outer membrane proteins composed of tandem starch specific carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) with no enzymatic activity. Examination of the two CBMs in SusE and three CBMs in SusF reveals subtle differences in the way each binds starch and is reflected in their Kd values for both high molecular weight starch and small maltooligosaccharides. Thus, each site seems to have a unique starch preference that may enable these proteins to interact with different regions of starch or its breakdown products. Proteins similar to SusE and SusF are encoded in many other polysaccharide utilization loci that are possessed by human gut bacteria in the phylum Bacteroidetes. Thus, these proteins are likely to play an important role in carbohydrate metabolism in these abundant symbiotic species. Understanding structural changes that diversify and adapt related proteins in the human gut microbial community will be critical to understanding the detailed mechanistic roles that they perform in the complex digestive ecosystem. PMID:22910908

Informing the Design and Evaluation of Superuser Care Management Initiatives: Accounting for Regression-to-the-Mean.

PubMed

Chakravarty, Sujoy; Cantor, Joel C

2016-09-01

Health care spending is concentrated among a small number of high-cost patients, and the popularity of initiatives to improve care and reduce cost among such "superusers" (SUs) is growing. However, SU costs decline naturally over time, even without intervention, a statistical phenomenon known as regression-to-the-mean (RTM). We assess the magnitude of RTM in hospital costs for cohorts of hospital SUs identified on the basis of high inpatient (IP) or emergency department (ED) utilization. We further examine how cost and RTM are associated with patient characteristics including behavioral health (BH) problems, multiple chronic conditions, and indicators of vulnerability. Using longitudinally linked all-payer hospital billing data, we selected patient cohorts with ≥2 IP stays (IP SUs) or ≥6 ED visits (ED SUs) during a 6-month baseline period, and additional subgroups defined by combinations of IP and ED superuse. A total of 289,060 NJ hospital IP and treat-and-release ED patients over 2009-2011. Hospital costs among IP and ED SUs declined 70% and 38%, respectively, over 8 quarters following the baseline period. The decrease occurs more quickly for IP SUs compared with ED SUs. Presence of BH problems was positively associated with costs among patients overall, but the relationship varied by SU cohort. Understanding patterns of RTM among SU populations is important for designing intervention strategies, as there is greater potential for savings among patients with more persistent costs (less RTM). Further, as many SU initiatives lack resources for rigorous evaluation, quantifying the extent of RTM is vital for interpreting program outcomes.

Effect of anabolic steroids on skeletal muscle mass during hindlimb suspension

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsika, R. W.; Herrick, R. E.; Baldwin, K. M.

1987-01-01

The effect of treatment with an anabolic steroid (nandrolone decanoate) on the muscle mass of plantaris and soleus of a rats in hindlimb suspension, and on the isomyosin expression in these muscles, was investigated in young female rats divided into four groups: normal control (NC), normal steroid (NS), normal suspension (N-sus), and suspension steroid (sus-S). Steroid treatment of suspended animals (sus-S vs N-sus) was found to partially spare body weight and muscle weight, as well as myofibril content of plantaris (but not soleus), but did not modify the isomyosin pattern induced by suspension. In normal rats (NS vs NC), steroid treatment did enhance body weight and plantaris muscle weight; the treatment did not alter isomyosin expression in either muscle type.

Porcine (Sus scrofa) Chronic Myocardial Infarction Model Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-03

Change from 8 mini pigs to 6 farm pigs and 2 mini pigs 3 Personnel added: Southard, Riddock 4 Personnel added: Julian 2 FDGXXX 6. FUNDING...models. Methods: Eight Yucatan miniature pigs underwent percutaneous embolization of the D1-LAD via injection of 90 µm polystyrene micro-spheres...myocardial structure and extracellular matrix composition respectively. Results: Overall procedural survival rate was 83% (5/6) with one pig

Place of sulfonylureas in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in South Asia: A consensus statement

PubMed Central

Kalra, Sanjay; Aamir, A. H.; Raza, Abbas; Das, A. K.; Azad Khan, A. K.; Shrestha, Dina; Qureshi, Md Faisal; Md Fariduddin; Pathan, Md Faruque; Jawad, Fatema; Bhattarai, Jyoti; Tandon, Nikhil; Somasundaram, Noel; Katulanda, Prasad; Sahay, Rakesh; Dhungel, Sanjib; Bajaj, Sarita; Chowdhury, Subhankar; Ghosh, Sujoy; Madhu, S. V.; Ahmed, Tofail; Bulughapitiya, Uditha

2015-01-01

Since their introduction in clinical practice in the 1950's, Sulfonylureas (SUs) have remained the main-stay of pharmacotherapy in the management of type 2 diabetes. Despite their well-established benefits, their place in therapy is inappropriately being overshadowed by newer therapies. Many of the clinical issues associated with the use of SUs are agent-specific, and do not pertain to the class as such. Modern SUs (glimepiride, gliclazide MR) are backed by a large body of evidence, experience, and most importantly, outcome data, which supports their role in managing patients with diabetes. Person-centred care, i.e., careful choice of SU, appropriate dosage, timing of administration, and adequate patient counseling, will ensure that deserving patients are not deprived of the advantages of this well-established class of anti-diabetic agents. Considering their efficacy, safety, pleiotropic benefits, and low cost of therapy, SUs should be considered as recommended therapy for the treatment of diabetes in South Asia. This initiative by SAFES aims to encourage rational, safe and smart prescription of SUs, and includes appropriate medication counseling. PMID:26425465

Higher perinatal mortality in National Public Health System hospitals in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 1999: a compositional or contextual effect?

PubMed

Lansky, S; Subramanian, S V; França, E; Kawachi, I

2007-10-01

In Brazil, it was previously reported that in hospital perinatal, neonatal and infant mortality rates are higher for hospitals contracted to the National Public Health System (SUS) compared with non-SUS hospitals. We analyse whether this reflects a compositional effect (selection of patients) or a contextual effect. Population-based cohort study. Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 1999. A total of 36,469 births in 24 hospitals. A multilevel analysis was carried out using information gathered at the individual level on maternal education (used as an indicator of socio-economic status), maternal age, type of pregnancy and delivery, birthweight and sex of the fetus. Perinatal death. Risk factors for perinatal death included male sex (OR = 1.25; 95% CI 1.01-1.55), birthweight of 1500-2500 g (OR = 7.65; 95% CI 5.74-10.20), birthweight of 500-1500 g (OR = 187.54; 95% CI 141.31-248.39), less than 4 years of maternal education (OR = 2.93; 95% CI 1.68-5.10), as well as birth at private-SUS (OR = 2.92; 95% CI 1.87-4.54) or philanthropic-SUS hospitals (OR = 1.81; 95% CI 1.12-2.92). After controlling for individual characteristics, there was still a significant variation in perinatal deaths between hospitals categories. Independent of compositional (or individual) characteristics, hospital factors exert an influence on the risk of perinatal death, primarily hospital category related to SUS. Considering the highest proportion of births in SUS hospitals in Brazil, especially private-SUS hospitals, improving hospital quality of care is an urgent priority for reducing the toll of perinatal and infant mortality, as well as inequalities in these outcomes.

How To Talk to Your Teens and Children about AIDS = Como hablar con sus adolescentes y sus ninos sobre el SIDA.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National PTA, Chicago, IL.

Two brochures, one in English and one in Spanish, provide parents with basic information that will enable them to educate their children about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Contents address 11 questions: (1) What is AIDS? (2) How do you get AIDS? (3) How is AIDS not spread? (4) Who can get AIDS? (5) How can you tell if someone has…

Prevalence of the Novel Torque Teno Sus Virus Species k2b from Pigs in the United States and Lack of Association with Post-Weaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome or Mulberry Heart Disease.

PubMed

Rogers, A J; Huang, Y-W; Heffron, C L; Opriessnig, T; Patterson, A R; Meng, X-J

2017-12-01

The family Anelloviridae includes a number of viruses infecting humans (Torque teno viruses, TTV) and other animals including swine (Torque teno sus viruses, TTSuV). Two genetically distinct TTSuV species have been identified from swine thus far (TTSuV1 and TTSuVk2), although their definitive association with disease remains debatable. In 2012, a novel TTSuV species was identified from commercial swine serum and classified in the genus Kappatorquevirus as TTSuVk2b. The other Kappatorquevirus species, TTSuVk2a, has been associated with post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) when coinfected with porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2). Therefore, in this study, we initially amplified a portion of TTSuVk2b ORF1 and, subsequently, assessed the molecular prevalence of the virus in pigs in the United States. A total of 127 serum and 115 tissue samples were obtained from pigs with PMWS or mulberry heart disease (MHD) in six states and tested by PCR for the presence of TTSuVk2b DNA. Approximately 27.6% of the serum and 21.7% of tissue samples tested positive for TTSuVk2b DNA, and the positive products were confirmed by sequencing. However, we did not detect a correlation between TTSuVk2b infection and PMWS or MHD. The near full-length genomic sequence of US TTSuVk2b was determined, and sequence analysis revealed that the US TTSuVk2b isolates were 95% identical to the TTSuVk2b isolate from Spain, with most of the variations clustering in ORF1. We conclude that the novel TTSuVk2b species is present in pigs in the United States and its potential association with a disease warrants further investigation. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

RNA sequencing analysis to capture the transcriptome landscape during skin ulceration syndrome progression in sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus.

PubMed

Yang, Aifu; Zhou, Zunchun; Pan, Yongjia; Jiang, Jingwei; Dong, Ying; Guan, Xiaoyan; Sun, Hongjuan; Gao, Shan; Chen, Zhong

2016-06-14

Sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is an important economic species in China, which is affected by various diseases; skin ulceration syndrome (SUS) is the most serious. In this study, we characterized the transcriptomes in A. japonicus challenged with Vibrio splendidus to elucidate the changes in gene expression throughout the three stages of SUS progression. RNA sequencing of 21 cDNA libraries from various tissues and developmental stages of SUS-affected A. japonicus yielded 553 million raw reads, of which 542 million high-quality reads were generated by deep-sequencing using the Illumina HiSeq™ 2000 platform. The reference transcriptome comprised a combination of the Illumina reads, 454 sequencing data and Sanger sequences obtained from the public database to generate 93,163 unigenes (average length, 1,052 bp; N50 = 1,575 bp); 33,860 were annotated. Transcriptome comparisons between healthy and SUS-affected A. japonicus revealed greater differences in gene expression profiles in the body walls (BW) than in the intestines (Int), respiratory trees (RT) and coelomocytes (C). Clustering of expression models revealed stable up-regulation as the main pattern occurring in the BW throughout the three stages of SUS progression. Significantly affected pathways were associated with signal transduction, immune system, cellular processes, development and metabolism. Ninety-two differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were divided into four functional categories: attachment/pathogen recognition (17), inflammatory reactions (38), oxidative stress response (7) and apoptosis (30). Using quantitative real-time PCR, twenty representative DEGs were selected to validate the sequencing results. The Pearson's correlation coefficient (R) of the 20 DEGs ranged from 0.811 to 0.999, which confirmed the consistency and accuracy between these two approaches. Dynamic changes in global gene expression occur during SUS progression in A. japonicus. Elucidation of these changes is important

A nanostructured electrode of IrOx foil on the carbon nanotubes for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yi-Min; Cai, Jhen-Hong; Huang, Ying-Sheng; Lee, Kuei-Yi; Tsai, Dah-Shyang; Tiong, Kwong-Kau

2011-09-01

IrOx nanofoils (IrOxNF) of high surface area are sputtered on multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNT) in the preparation of a structured electrode on a stainless steel (SUS) substrate for supercapacitor applications. This IrOx/CNT/SUS electrode is featured with intriguing IrOx curved foils of 2-3 nm in thickness and 400-500 nm in height, grown on top of the vertically aligned CNT film with a tube diameter of ~ 40 nm. These nanofoils are moderately oxidized during reactive sputtering and appeared translucent under the electron microscope. Detailed structural analysis shows that they are comprised of contiguous grains of iridium metal, iridium dioxide, and glassy iridium oxide. Considerable Raman line broadening is also evidenced for the attributed nanosized iridium oxides. Two capacitive properties of the electrode are significantly enhanced with addition of the curved IrOx foils. First, IrOxNF reduces the electrode Ohmic resistance, which was measured at 3.5 Ω cm2 for the CNT/SUS and 2.5 Ω cm2 for IrOxNF/CNT/SUS using impedance spectroscopy. Second, IrOxNF raises the electrode capacitance from 17.7 F g - 1 (CNT/SUS) to 317 F g - 1 (IrOx/CNT/SUS), measured with cyclic voltammetry. This notable increase is further confirmed by the galvanostatic charge/discharge experiment, measuring 370 F g - 1 after 2000 uninterrupted cycles between - 1.0 and 0.0 V (versus Ag/AgCl).

Experimental study of sector and linear array ultrasound accuracy and the influence of navigated 3D-reconstruction as compared to MRI in a brain tumor model.

PubMed

Siekmann, Max; Lothes, Thomas; König, Ralph; Wirtz, Christian Rainer; Coburger, Jan

2018-03-01

Currently, intraoperative ultrasound in brain tumor surgery is a rapidly propagating option in imaging technology. We examined the accuracy and resolution limits of different ultrasound probes and the influence of 3D-reconstruction in a phantom and compared these results to MRI in an intraoperative setting (iMRI). An agarose gel phantom with predefined gel targets was examined with iMRI, a sector (SUS) and a linear (LUS) array probe with two-dimensional images. Additionally, 3D-reconstructed sweeps in perpendicular directions were made of every target with both probes, resulting in 392 measurements. Statistical calculations were performed, and comparative boxplots were generated. Every measurement of iMRI and LUS was more precise than SUS, while there was no apparent difference in height of iMRI and 3D-reconstructed LUS. Measurements with 3D-reconstructed LUS were always more accurate than in 2D-LUS, while 3D-reconstruction of SUS showed nearly no differences to 2D-SUS in some measurements. We found correlations of 3D-reconstructed SUS and LUS length and width measurements with 2D results in the same image orientation. LUS provides an accuracy and resolution comparable to iMRI, while SUS is less exact than LUS and iMRI. 3D-reconstruction showed the potential to distinctly improve accuracy and resolution of ultrasound images, although there is a strong correlation with the sweep direction during data acquisition.

Catalytic effect of different reactor materials under subcritical water conditions: decarboxylation of cysteic acid into taurine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faisal, M.

2018-03-01

In order to understand the influence of reactor materials on the catalytic effect for a particular reaction, the decomposition of cysteic acid from Ni/Fe-based alloy reactors under subcritical water conditions was examined. Experiments were carried out in three batch reactors made of Inconel 625, Hastelloy C-22 and SUS 316 over temperatures of 200 to 300 °C. The highest amount of eluted metals was found for SUS 316. The results demonstrated that reactor materials contribute to the resulting product. Under the tested conditions, cysteic acid decomposes readily with SUS 316. However, the Ni-based materials (Inconel 625 and Hastelloy C-22) show better resistance to metal elution. It was found that among the materials used in this work, SUS 316 gave the highest reaction rate constant of 0.1934 s‑1. The same results were obtained at temperatures of 260 and 300 °C. Investigation of the Arrhenius activation energy revealed that the highest activation energy was for Hastelloy C-22 (109 kJ/mol), followed by Inconel 625 (90 kJ/mol) and SUS 316 (70 kJ/mol). The decomposition rate of cysteic acid was found to follow the results for the trend of the eluted metals. Therefore, it can be concluded that the decomposition of cysteic acid was catalyzed by the elution of heavy metals from the surface of the reactor. The highest amount of taurine from the decarboxylation of cysteic acid was obtained from SUS 316.

Sistemas de transporte inteligentes en cruces fronterizos internacionales : un estudio abarcador : facilitando el comercio y mejorando la seguridad en el transporte

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-04-01

El Programa de Permisosen Fronteras Internacionales (IBC por sus siglas en ingls) fue iniciado bajo la previsin del Acta de Eficiencia de Transporte Terrestre Intermodal (ISTEA por sus siglas en ingls) en 1991. El programa fue concebido origina...

Effectiveness of Nateglinide on In Vitro Insulin Secretion from Rat Pancreatic Islets Desensitized to Sulfonylureas

PubMed Central

Wang, Shuya; Dunning, Beth E.

2001-01-01

Chronic exposure of pancreatic islets to sulfonylureas (SUs) is known to impair the ability of islets to respond to subsequent acute stimulation by SUs or glucose. Nateglinide (NAT) is a novel insulinotropic agent with a primarily site of action at β-cell KATP channels, which is common to the structurally diverse drugs like repaglinide (REP) and the SUs. Earlier studies on the kinetics, glucosedependence and sensitivity to metabolic inhibitors of the interaction between NAT and KATP channels suggested a distinct signaling pathways with NAT compared to REP, glyburide (GLY) or glimepiride (GLI). To obtain further evidence for this concept, the present study compared the insulin secretion in vitro from rat islets stimulated acutely by NAT, GLY, GLI or REP at equipotent concentrations during 1-hr static incubation following overnight treatment with GLY or tolbutamide (TOL). The islets fully retained the responsiveness to NAT stimulation after prolonged pretreatment with both SUs, while their acute response to REP, GLY, and GLI was markedly attenuated, confirming the desensitization of islets. The insulinotropic efficacy of NAT in islets desensitized to SUs may result from a distinct receptor/effector mechanism, which contributes to the unique pharmacological profile of NAT. PMID:12369729

[The Hospital Information System of the Brazilian National Unified Health System: a preliminary evaluation of performance in monitoring RhD hemolytic disease of the newborn].

PubMed

Lobato, Gustavo; Reichenheim, Michael Eduardo; Coeli, Claudia Medina

2008-03-01

This study aimed to evaluate the adequacy of the Hospital Information System of the National Unified Health System (SIH-SUS) in identifying cases of RhD hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) at the Fernandes Figueira Institute (IFF/FIOCRUZ) from 1998 to 2003. Neonatal records, data from the Medical Archives, and AIH (Hospital Admissions Authorization Form) data consolidated in the SIH-SUS were analyzed. Cases were identified according to the following fields: principal diagnosis, secondary diagnosis, and procedure performed. During the period studied, 194 cases of HDN were diagnosed. The Medical Archives registered 148 newborns with HDN, however only 147 AIHs were issued and 145 consolidated in the SIH-SUS. Among these 145 cases, 84 cited HDN as the principal diagnosis, while secondary diagnosis identified 38 additional cases and the procedures performed failed to identify any further cases. Thus, the SIH-SUS identified only 122 (62.9%) of the 194 cases of HDN treated at the IFF/FIOCRUZ. Although it is necessary to evaluate other units, the SIH-SUS does not appear to be reliable for monitoring HDN. Additional studies are essential for employing secondary administrative data in the context of epidemiological surveillance.

The genes and enzymes of sucrose metabolism in moderately thermophilic methanotroph Methylocaldum szegediense O12.

PubMed

But, Sergey Y; Solntseva, Natalia P; Egorova, Svetlana V; Mustakhimov, Ildar I; Khmelenina, Valentina N; Reshetnikov, Alexander; Trotsenko, Yuri A

2018-05-01

Four enzymes involved in sucrose metabolism: sucrose phosphate synthase (Sps), sucrose phosphate phosphatase (Spp), sucrose synthase (Sus) and fructokinase (FruK), were obtained as his-tagged proteins from the moderately thermophilic methanotroph Methylocaldum szegediense O12. Sps, Spp, FruK and Sus demonstrated biochemical properties similar to those of other bacterial counterparts, but the translated amino acid sequences of Sps and Spp displayed high divergence from the respective microbial enzymes. The Sus of M. szegediense O12 catalyzed the reversible reaction of sucrose cleavage in the presence of ADP or UDP and preferred ADP as a substrate, thus implying a connection between sucrose and glycogen metabolism. Sus-like genes were found only in a few methanotrophs, whereas amylosucrase was generally used in sucrose cleavage in this group of bacteria. Like other microbial fructokinases, FruK of M. szegediense O12 showed a high specificity to fructose.

Alternative steady states in ecological networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fried, Yael; Shnerb, Nadav M.; Kessler, David A.

2017-07-01

In many natural situations, one observes a local system with many competing species that is coupled by weak immigration to a regional species pool. The dynamics of such a system is dominated by its stable and uninvadable (SU) states. When the competition matrix is random, the number of SUs depends on the average value and variance of its entries. Here we consider the problem in the limit of weak competition and large variance. Using a yes-no interaction model, we show that the number of SUs corresponds to the number of maximum cliques in an Erdös-Rényi network. The number of SUs grows exponentially with the number of species in this limit, unless the network is completely asymmetric. In the asymmetric limit, the number of SUs is O (1 ) . Numerical simulations suggest that these results are valid for models with a continuous distribution of competition terms.

A nanostructured electrode of IrOx foil on the carbon nanotubes for supercapacitors.

PubMed

Chen, Yi-Min; Cai, Jhen-Hong; Huang, Ying-Sheng; Lee, Kuei-Yi; Tsai, Dah-Shyang; Tiong, Kwong-Kau

2011-09-02

IrO(x) nanofoils (IrO(x)NF) of high surface area are sputtered on multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNT) in the preparation of a structured electrode on a stainless steel (SUS) substrate for supercapacitor applications. This IrO(x)/CNT/SUS electrode is featured with intriguing IrO(x) curved foils of 2-3 nm in thickness and 400-500 nm in height, grown on top of the vertically aligned CNT film with a tube diameter of ∼ 40 nm. These nanofoils are moderately oxidized during reactive sputtering and appeared translucent under the electron microscope. Detailed structural analysis shows that they are comprised of contiguous grains of iridium metal, iridium dioxide, and glassy iridium oxide. Considerable Raman line broadening is also evidenced for the attributed nanosized iridium oxides. Two capacitive properties of the electrode are significantly enhanced with addition of the curved IrO(x) foils. First, IrO(x)NF reduces the electrode Ohmic resistance, which was measured at 3.5 Ω cm(2) for the CNT/SUS and 2.5 Ω cm(2) for IrO(x)NF/CNT/SUS using impedance spectroscopy. Second, IrO(x)NF raises the electrode capacitance from 17.7 F g(-1) (CNT/SUS) to 317 F g(-1) (IrO(x)/CNT/SUS), measured with cyclic voltammetry. This notable increase is further confirmed by the galvanostatic charge/discharge experiment, measuring 370 F g(-1) after 2000 uninterrupted cycles between - 1.0 and 0.0 V (versus Ag/AgCl).

Diagnostic work-up for detection of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation after acute ischemic stroke: cross-sectional survey on German stroke units.

PubMed

Rizos, Timolaos; Quilitzsch, Anika; Busse, Otto; Haeusler, Karl Georg; Endres, Matthias; Heuschmann, Peter; Veltkamp, Roland

2015-06-01

Multiple methods to detect paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) in patients with acute stroke are available. However, it is unknown which approaches are currently used in clinical routine and guidelines remain vague to the extent of cardiac monitoring. We characterize diagnostic efforts for pAF detection on German stroke units (SU). A standardized anonymous questionnaire was sent to all clinical leads of certified SUs in Germany. The questionnaire focused on basic characteristics of SUs, procedures to detect AF, and estimates on AF detection. One hundred seventy-nine SU leads participated (response rate 71.6%). All patients undergo continuous bedside ECG monitoring. A percentage of 77.6 SUs initiate additional 24-hour Holter ECG in >50% of patients without known AF. Patients with transient ischemic attack are monitored significantly shorter than patients with ischemic stroke. Independent of SU type or size, 67.6% of leads assumed to fail detecting pAF in 5% to 20% of patients. In cryptogenic stroke, additional ECG monitoring is recommended by 90.2% but only 13.8% of SUs perform routine ECG follow-up visits. The use of implanted event recorders is low (1-10 patients/y by 60.7% of SUs; 28.1%: no use). A percentage of 83.9 do not use external event recorders. Our survey demonstrates substantial heterogeneity among German SUs on diagnostic work-up for pAF. Future prospective multicenter studies should systematically evaluate the impact of different methods to uncover pAF. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Organization of acute stroke services in Poland - Polish Stroke Unit Network development.

PubMed

Sarzyńska-Długosz, Iwona; Skowrońska, Marta; Członkowska, Anna

2013-01-01

According to the recommendations of stroke organizations, every stroke patient should be treated in a specialized stroke unit (SU). We aimed to evaluate the development of the SU network in Poland during the past decade. In Poland, stroke is treated mainly by neurologists. A questionnaire evaluating structure and staff of neurological departments was sent to all neurological departments in 2003, 2005 and 2007. In 2010, we collected data based on information from the National Health Fund. We divided departments into categories: with a comprehensive SU, with a primary SU unit, and departments without an SU. Primary SUs were further divided into class A SUs (fulfilling criteria of the National Programme of Prevention and Treatment of Stroke Experts - eligible for thrombolysis), class B (conditionally fulfilling criteria), and class C (not fulfilling criteria). Final analyses included 87.4% of departments (194/222) in 2003, 85.5% of departments (188/220) in 2005, and 83.1% of departments (182/219) in 2007. According to the above-mentioned classification there were 20 class A SUs in 2003, 58 in 2005 and 5 comprehensive and 51 class A SUs in 2007. In 2012, based on information from the National Health Fund there were 150 SUs, all fulfilling criteria for thrombolysis, 9 of them comprehensive SUs. The SU network in Poland is developing dynamically but thrombolysis and endovascular procedures are done too rarely. Now it is necessary to improve quality of stroke services and to make organizational changes in the in-hospital stroke pathways as well as to organize continuous education of medical staff.

El Programa Nacional de Estuarios (NEP)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Información general sobre el Programa Nacional de Estuarios (PNE, por sus siglas en inglés) establecido en el 1987 para restaurar y proteger los estuarios significativos para Estados Unidos, y sus territorios. La Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU.

Utilice en forma segura los productos con cebo para roedores

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Si se usan de manera inadecuada, los productos con veneno para ratas y ratones podrían hacerle daño a usted, a sus hijos o a sus mascotas. Siempre que use pesticidas lea la etiqueta del producto y siga todas las indicaciones.

Rare disease landscape in Brazil: report of a successful experience in inborn errors of metabolism.

PubMed

Giugliani, Roberto; Vairo, Filippo P; Riegel, Mariluce; de Souza, Carolina F M; Schwartz, Ida V D; Pena, Sérgio D J

2016-06-10

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions, with many social inequalities. The latter are reflected on its health system, which comprises a large public component called SUS, a small paid health insurance component and a third very small private component, in which patients pay personally for medical services. Seventy five percent of the population depends on SUS, which thus far does not provide adequate coverage for genetic medical procedures. In 2014, SUS introduced the "Policy for the Integral Attention to Subjects with Rare Diseases", establishing guidelines for offering diagnosis and treatment. The policy defines the two main axes, genetic and non-genetic rare diseases. In this fashion, public genetic services in SUS will be installed and funded not by themselves, but as part of the more general policy of rare diseases. Unfortunately, up to now this policy is still depending on financial allowances to be effectively launched. In this article, our intention was to describe activities developed in the area of inborn errors of metabolism by a Brazilian reference center. In spite of the lack of support of SUS, thousands of Brazilian families affected by rare genetic metabolic disorders, and many health professionals from all regions of Brazil, already have benefited from the services, training programs and research projects provided by this comprehensive center.

Ethylene Responsive Factor MeERF72 Negatively Regulates Sucrose synthase 1 Gene in Cassava.

PubMed

Liu, Chen; Chen, Xin; Ma, Ping'an; Zhang, Shengkui; Zeng, Changying; Jiang, Xingyu; Wang, Wenquan

2018-04-25

Cassava, an important food and industrial crop globally, is characterized by its powerful starch accumulation in its storage root. However, the underlying molecular mechanism for this feature remains unclear. Sucrose synthase initializes the conversion of sucrose to starch, and, to a certain extent, its enzyme activity can represent sink strength. To understand the modulation of MeSus gene family, the relatively high expressed member in storage root, MeSus1 , its promoter was used as bait to screen cassava storage root full-length cDNA library through a yeast one-hybrid system. An ethylene responsive factor cDNA, designated as MeERF72 according to its homolog in Arabidopsis , was screened out. The transcript level of MeERF72 was induced by ethylene, drought, and salt treatments and repressed by abscisic acid, Auxin, gibberellin, salicylic acid, and low and high temperatures. The MeERF72 protein has a conserved APETALA2 domain in its N-terminus and an activated domain of 30 amino acids in its C-terminus, can bind to MeSus1 promoter in vitro and in vivo, and represses the promoter activity of MeSus1 . MeERF72 is a transcription factor that can negatively regulate the expression level of MeSus1 in cassava.

Perceived Usability Evaluation of Learning Management Systems: Empirical Evaluation of the System Usability Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orfanou, Konstantina; Tselios, Nikolaos; Katsanos, Christos

2015-01-01

Perceived usability affects greatly student's learning effectiveness and overall learning experience, and thus is an important requirement of educational software. The System Usability Scale (SUS) is a well-researched and widely used questionnaire for perceived usability evaluation. However, surprisingly few studies have used SUS to evaluate the…

Expression of Sucrose Synthase Genes Involved in Enhanced Elongation of Pondweed (Potamogeton distinctus) Turions under Anoxia

PubMed Central

HARADA, TARO; SATOH, SHIGERU; YOSHIOKA, TOSHIHITO; ISHIZAWA, KIMIHARU

2005-01-01

• Background and Aims Overwintering buds (turions) of the monocot aquatic pondweed species (Potamogeton distinctus) are highly tolerant to anoxic stress. Sucrose metabolism accompanied by enhanced activity of sucrose synthase (SuSy) operates actively during anaerobic elongation of pondweed turions. The aim of this study is to isolate SuSy genes from the turions and to investigate their transcriptional changes in response to anoxia and other stimuli. • Methods SuSy genes were isolated from pondweed turions by PCR methods and transcript levels of SuSy genes were examined in response to anoxia, sugars and plant hormones. In addition, the effects of anoxia on SuSy activity were examined both in the soluble fraction and in the microsomal fraction. • Key Results cDNAs of two SuSy genes (PdSUS1 and PdSUS2) were cloned from pondweed turions. The levels of PdSUS1 transcripts increased under anoxia but did not with sugar treatments. Anoxia-stimulated elongation of turions was further enhanced by 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and suppressed by treatments with sorbitol, 2-deoxyglucose (2-dGlc) and abscisic acid (ABA). The levels of PdSUS1 transcripts were increased by 2,4-D and decreased by sorbitol under anoxia. The levels of PdSUS2 transcripts were not significantly affected by anoxia and any other treatments. SuSy activity of turions under anoxia was enhanced in the soluble fraction, but not in the microsomal fraction. • Conclusions Up-regulation of PdSUS1 transcription under anoxia may not be attributed to sugar starvation under anoxia. A positive correlation between stem elongation and the level of PdSUS1 transcripts was observed in turions treated with anoxic conditions, 2,4-D and sorbitol. The increase in SuSy activity in the cytosol may contribute to sugar metabolism and sustain stem elongation under anoxia. PMID:16033779

Mechanics and Composition of Middle Cerebral Arteries from Simulated Microgravity Rats with and without 1-h/d –Gx Gravitation

PubMed Central

Cheng, Jiu-Hua; Zhang, Li-Fan; Gao, Fang; Bai, Yun-Gang; Boscolo, Marco; Huang, Xiao-Feng; Zhang, Xiang

2014-01-01

Background To elucidate further from the biomechanical aspect whether microgravity-induced cerebral vascular mal-adaptation might be a contributing factor to postflight orthostatic intolerance and the underlying mechanism accounting for the potential effectiveness of intermittent artificial gravity (IAG) in preventing this adverse effect. Methodology/Principal Findings Middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) were isolated from 28-day SUS (tail-suspended, head-down tilt rats to simulate microgravity effect), S+D (SUS plus 1-h/d −Gx gravitation by normal standing to simulate IAG), and CON (control) rats. Vascular myogenic reactivity and circumferential stress-strain and axial force-pressure relationships and overall stiffness were examined using pressure arteriography and calculated. Acellular matrix components were quantified by electron microscopy. The results demonstrate that myogenic reactivity is susceptible to previous pressure-induced, serial constrictions. During the first-run of pressure increments, active MCAs from SUS rats can strongly stiffen their wall and maintain the vessels at very low strains, which can be prevented by the simulated IAG countermeasure. The strains are 0.03 and 0.14 respectively for SUS and S+D, while circumferential stress being kept at 0.5 (106 dyn/cm2). During the second-run pressure steps, both the myogenic reactivity and active stiffness of the three groups declined. The distensibility of passive MCAs from S+D is significantly higher than CON and SUS, which may help to attenuate the vasodilatation impairment at low levels of pressure. Collagen and elastin percentages were increased and decreased, respectively, in MCAs from SUS and S+D as compared with CON; however, elastin was higher in S+D than SUS rats. Conclusions Susceptibility to previous myogenic constrictions seems to be a self-limiting protective mechanism in cerebral small resistance arteries to prevent undue cerebral vasoconstriction during orthostasis at 1-G environment

Clinical investigations for SUS, the Brazilian public health system.

PubMed

Paula, Ana Patrícia de; Giozza, Silvana Pereira; Pereira, Michelle Zanon; Boaventura, Patrícia Souza; Santos, Leonor Maria Pacheco; Sachetti, Camile Giaretta; Tamayo, César Omar Carranza; Kowalski, Clarissa Campos Guaragna; Elias, Flavia Tavares Silva; Serruya, Suzanne Jacob; Guimarães, Reinaldo

2012-01-01

Scientific and technological development is crucial for advancing the Brazilian health system and for promoting quality of life. The way in which the Brazilian Ministry of Health has supported clinical research to provide autonomy, self-sufficiency, competitiveness and innovation for the healthcare industrial production complex, in accordance with the National Policy on Science, Technology and Innovation in Healthcare, was analyzed. Descriptive investigation, based on secondary data, conducted at the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health's research management database, PesquisaSaúde, was analyzed from 2002 to 2009, using the key word "clinical research" in the fields "primary sub-agenda" or "secondary sub-agenda". The 368 projects retrieved were sorted into six categories: basic biomedical research, preclinical studies, expanded clinical research, clinical trials, infrastructure support and health technology assessment. From a structured review on "clinical research funding", results from selected countries are presented and discussed. The amount invested was R$ 140 million. The largest number of projects supported "basic biomedical research", while the highest amounts invested were in "clinical trials" and "infrastructure support". The southeastern region had the greatest proportion of projects and financial resources. In some respects, Brazil is ahead of other BRICS countries (Russia, India, China and South Africa), especially with regard to establishing a National Clinical Research Network. The Ministry of Health ensured investments to encourage clinical research in Brazil and contributed towards promoting cohesion between investigators, health policies and the healthcare industrial production complex.

Meat from wild boar (Sus scrofa L.): a review.

PubMed

Sales, James; Kotrba, Radim

2013-06-01

Wild boar is a species that is utilised for food and sport hunting throughout the world. Recent increases in natural populations and the potential of farming wild boars have stimulated interest in this species as a meat producer. Compared to domestic pigs, wild boars present a higher degree of carcass fatness and larger loin areas, more slow-twitch oxidative (I) and fast-twitch oxidative glycolytic (IIA) and less fast-twitch glycolytic (IIB) muscle fibres, and darker, less tender and leaner meat. Differences in diets might contribute to differences in cooked meat flavour and fatty acid composition between wild boars and domestic pigs. Higher α-tocopherol concentrations in wild boar might extend its meat shelf-life. Mechanical massaging of muscles, vacuum package ageing and addition of marinates have been attempted to tenderise wild boar meat. Further research on hunting protocols for wild boar, and value-added products from its meat, are needed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Global selection on sucrose synthase haplotypes during a century of wheat breeding.

PubMed

Hou, Jian; Jiang, Qiyan; Hao, Chenyang; Wang, Yuquan; Zhang, Hongna; Zhang, Xueyong

2014-04-01

Spike number per unit area, number of grains per spike, and thousand kernel weight (TKW) are important yield components. In China, increases in wheat (Triticum aestivum) yields are mainly due to increases in grain number per spike and TKW. TKW mainly depends on starch content, as starch accounts for about 70% of the grain endosperm. Sucrose synthase catalysis is the first step in the conversion of sucrose to starch, that is, the conversion of sucrose to fructose and UDP-glucose by the wheat sucrose synthase genes (TaSus1 and TaSus2) that are located on chromosomes 7A/7B/7D and 2A/2B/2D, respectively. A total of 1,520 wheat accessions were genotyped at the six loci. Two, two, five, and two haplotypes were identified at the TaSus2-2A, TaSus2-2B, TaSus1-7A, and TaSus1-7B loci, respectively. Their main variations were detected within the introns. Significant differences between the haplotypes correlated with TKW differences among 348 modern Chinese cultivars from the core collection. Frequency changes for favored haplotypes showed gradual increases in cultivars released since beginning of the last century in China, Europe, and North America. Geographic distributions and time changes of favored haplotypes were characterized in six major wheat production regions worldwide. Strong selection bottlenecks to haplotype variations occurred at polyploidization and domestication and during breeding of wheat. Genetic-effect differences between haplotypes at the same locus influence the selection time and intensity. This work shows that the endosperm starch synthesis pathway is a major target of indirect selection in global wheat breeding for higher yield.

Effects of insulin and exercise on rat hindlimb muscles after simulated microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stump, Craig S.; Balon, Thomas W.; Tipton, Charles M.

1992-01-01

The effect of simulated microgravity on the insulin- and exercise-stimulated glucose uptake and metabolism in the hindlimb muscles of rats was investigated using three groups of rats suspended at 45 head-down tilt (SUS) for 14 days: (1) cage control, (2) exercising (treadmill running) control, and (3) rats subjected to suspension followed by exercise (SUS-E). It was found that the suspension of rats with hindlimbs non-weight bearing led to enhanced muscle responses to insulin and exercise, when these stimuli were applied separately. However, the insulin affect appeared to be impaired after exercise for the SUS-E rats, especially for the soleus muscle.

Transgene silencing of sucrose synthase in alfalfa stem vascular tissue by a truncated phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase: sucrose synthase construct

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An important role of sucrose synthase (SUS, EC 2.4.1.13) in plants is to provide UDP-glucose needed for cellulose synthesis in cell walls. We examined if over-expressing SUS in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) would increase cellulose content of stem cell walls. Alfalfa plants were transformed with two ...

Crystal structure of TBC1D15 GTPase-activating protein (GAP) domain and its activity on Rab GTPases.

PubMed

Chen, Yan-Na; Gu, Xin; Zhou, X Edward; Wang, Weidong; Cheng, Dandan; Ge, Yinghua; Ye, Fei; Xu, H Eric; Lv, Zhengbing

2017-04-01

TBC1D15 belongs to the TBC (Tre-2/Bub2/Cdc16) domain family and functions as a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for Rab GTPases. So far, the structure of TBC1D15 or the TBC1D15·Rab complex has not been determined, thus, its catalytic mechanism on Rab GTPases is still unclear. In this study, we solved the crystal structures of the Shark and Sus TBC1D15 GAP domains, to 2.8 Å and 2.5 Å resolution, respectively. Shark-TBC1D15 and Sus-TBC1D15 belong to the same subfamily of TBC domain-containing proteins, and their GAP-domain structures are highly similar. This demonstrates the evolutionary conservation of the TBC1D15 protein family. Meanwhile, the newly determined crystal structures display new variations compared to the structures of yeast Gyp1p Rab GAP domain and TBC1D1. GAP assays show that Shark and Sus GAPs both have higher catalytic activity on Rab11a·GTP than Rab7a·GTP, which differs from the previous study. We also demonstrated the importance of arginine and glutamine on the catalytic sites of Shark GAP and Sus GAP. When arginine and glutamine are changed to alanine or lysine, the activities of Shark GAP and Sus GAP are lost. © 2017 The Protein Society.

Integrating service user and practitioner expertise within a web-based system for collaborative mental-health risk and safety management.

PubMed

Buckingham, Christopher D; Adams, Ann; Vail, Laura; Kumar, Ashish; Ahmed, Abu; Whelan, Annie; Karasouli, Eleni

2015-10-01

To develop a decision support system (DSS), myGRaCE, that integrates service user (SU) and practitioner expertise about mental health and associated risks of suicide, self-harm, harm to others, self-neglect, and vulnerability. The intention is to help SUs assess and manage their own mental health collaboratively with practitioners. An iterative process involving interviews, focus groups, and agile software development with 115 SUs, to elicit and implement myGRaCE requirements. Findings highlight shared understanding of mental health risk between SUs and practitioners that can be integrated within a single model. However, important differences were revealed in SUs' preferred process of assessing risks and safety, which are reflected in the distinctive interface, navigation, tool functionality and language developed for myGRaCE. A challenge was how to provide flexible access without overwhelming and confusing users. The methods show that practitioner expertise can be reformulated in a format that simultaneously captures SU expertise, to provide a tool highly valued by SUs. A stepped process adds necessary structure to the assessment, each step with its own feedback and guidance. The GRiST web-based DSS (www.egrist.org) links and integrates myGRaCE self-assessments with GRiST practitioner assessments for supporting collaborative and self-managed healthcare. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Overview of VOC emissions and chemistry from PTR-TOF-MS measurements during the SusKat-ABC campaign: high acetaldehyde, ketene, isoprene and isocyanic acid in wintertime air of the Kathmandu Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, C.; Sinha, V.; Kumar, V.; Rupakheti, M.; Panday, A. K.; Mahata, K.; Rupakheti, D.; Kathayat, B.; Lawrence, M. G.

2015-12-01

During SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley-Atmospheric Brown Clouds) field campaign conducted in the winter of 2012-2013, a comprehensive study was carried out to characterize the chemical composition of ambient Kathmandu air for speciated VOCs by deploying a Proton Transfer Reaction Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS), the first time to be deployed in South Asia. Due to its high mass resolution (m/Δm > 4200) and temporal resolution (1 minute), 71 ion peaks were detected in the PTR-TOF-MS mass scan data, highlighting the chemical complexity of ambient air in the Valley. Of the 71, 38 species were found to have campaign average concentrations > 200 ppt and were identified based on their spectral characteristics, ambient diel profiles and correlation with specific emission tracers. Distinct diel profiles were observed for the nominal isobaric compounds isoprene (m/z=69.070) and furan (m/z=69.033). Comparison with several sites elsewhere in the world showed mixing ratios of acetaldehyde (~ 9 ppb), acetonitrile (~1 ppb) and isoprene (~ 1 ppb) to be among the highest measured anywhere in the world. Two "new" ambient compounds namely, methanamide (m/z = 46.029) and acetamide (m/z=60.051) which can photochemically produce isocyanic acid in the atmosphere, are reported in this study alongwith nitromethane (a tracer for diesel exhaust) and ketene (a very reactive compound). Two distinct periods were identified during the campaign based on high daytime biogenic emissions of isoprene even in winter and biomass fired brick kiln emissions of acetonitrile, benzene and isocyanic acid. Biomass burning and biomass fired brick kiln emissions were found to be the dominant source for compounds such as propyne, propene, benzene and propanenitrile which correlated strongly with biomass burning tracer acetonitrile (r2 > 0.7). The calculated total VOC OH reactivity was dominated by acetaldehyde (20.1%), ketene (ethenone) (17.1%), isoprene (16.8 %) and

[Counteracting effects of intermittent head-up tilt on simulated-weightlessness induced atrophy of anti-gravity muscles].

PubMed

Liu, C; Zhang, L F; Zhang, L N; Ni, H Y; Zhang, Y Q; Sun, L

2000-12-01

Objective. To study the efficacy of intermittent + Gz (45 degrees head-up tilt, HUT) exposures in preventing or alleviating atrophic changes in hind limb muscles induced by simulated weightlessness. Method. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were assigned randomly to one of three groups: simultaneous control (CON), simulated weightlessness (SUS), and SUS plus 6 h/d HUT (SUS + HUT). Muscles examined included soleus (SOL), medial gastrocnemius (correction from grastrocnemius) (MG), lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL). Sections were treated with an adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) stain or alkaline phosphatase stain. The cross-sectional areas (CSA) of fibers, the relative proportion of type I fiber and the ratio of capillaries/fibers (C/F) were measured using Leica image analysis system. Result. Compared with CON, the wet weight of hind limb muscles in SUS were significantly reduced. The changes of wet weight in different groups were various. The C/F ratios of all muscles were significantly reduced. SUS + HUT rats showed significant increases in SOL and MG wet weight, and the relative counter-effects of intermittent HUT were 93.4% and 34.8%, respectively. In SUS + HUT group, the CSA of both type I and II fibers and relative proportion of type I fibers were completely recovered in SOL, and partially recovered in MG, while the counter-effects were much less obvious in the fibers of LG and EDL. However, HUT resulted in a significant recovery of the C/F ratios in all muscles. Conclusion. The present study demonstrated that intermittent HUT is effective in counteracting the atrophy induced by simulated weightlessness. The result that reactivity to HUT varied among different muscles suggests that the intermittent artificial gravity should be complemented with other countermeasures.

Coding accuracy for Parkinson's disease hospital admissions: implications for healthcare planning in the UK.

PubMed

Muzerengi, S; Rick, C; Begaj, I; Ives, N; Evison, F; Woolley, R L; Clarke, C E

2017-05-01

Hospital Episode Statistics data are used for healthcare planning and hospital reimbursements. Reliability of these data is dependent on the accuracy of individual hospitals reporting Secondary Uses Service (SUS) which includes hospitalisation. The number and coding accuracy for Parkinson's disease hospital admissions at a tertiary centre in Birmingham was assessed. Retrospective, routine-data-based study. A retrospective electronic database search for all Parkinson's disease patients admitted to the tertiary hospital over a 4-year period (2009-2013) was performed on the SUS database using International Classification of Disease codes, and on the local inpatient electronic prescription database, Prescription and Information Communications System, using medication prescriptions. Capture-recapture methods were used to estimate the number of patients and admissions missed by both databases. From the two databases, between July 2009 and June 2013, 1068 patients with Parkinson's disease accounted for 1999 admissions. During these admissions, the Parkinson's disease was coded as a primary or secondary diagnosis. Ninety-one percent of these admissions were recorded on the SUS database. Capture-recapture methods estimated that the number of Parkinson's disease patients admitted during this period was 1127 patients (95% confidence interval: 1107-1146). A supplementary search of both SUS and Prescription and Information Communications System was undertaken using the hospital numbers of these 1068 patients. This identified another 479 admissions. SUS database under-estimated Parkinson's disease admissions by 27% during the study period. The accuracy of disease coding is critical for healthcare policy planning and must be improved. If the under-reporting of Parkinson's disease admissions on the SUS database is repeated nationally, expenditure on Parkinson's disease admissions in England is under-estimated by approximately £61 million per year. Copyright © 2016 The Royal

Cancer risk of sulfonylureas in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review.

PubMed

Chen, Yuehong; Du, Liang; Li, Ling; Ma, Jun; Geng, Xingyuan; Yao, Xun; Liu, Guanjian; Sun, Xin

2017-05-01

Increasing evidence suggests that oral hypoglycemic agents used in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may affect cancer risk. Sulfonylureas (SUs) are the most frequently used antidiabetic medications for T2DM. Whether using SUs has any effect on cancer has received considerable attention. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of SUs on cancer risk in T2DM patients. Published studies were identified in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Register of Clinical Studies, and ClinicalTrials.gov was searched for additional information to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, and case-control studies. The abstracts and full text were screened, data collected, and the risk of bias assessed for each individual study. Seventy-seven studies (33 RCTs, 27 cohort studies, and 17 case-control studies) were analyzed. The RCTs did not report a difference in the risk of malignant tumor between SU-treated T2DM patients and controls (odds ratio [OR] 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78-1.18); cohort studies showed that cancer risk was higher in patients using SUs than metformin (relative risk 1.60 [95%CI 1.37-1.87]; adjusted hazard ratio 1.13 [95%CI 1.06-1.19]), and case-control studies suggested a trend for increased cancer risk in those using SUs compared with non-SU users (adjusted OR 1.13; 95%CI 0.93-1.37). The available evidence clearly shows that SUs can significantly increase the risk of cancer compared with metformin. Although the evidence suggests the possibility that SU users may have a higher risk of cancer than those using alternative medications in addition to metformin, it remains inadequate to enable definitive conclusions to be drawn. © 2016 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

L-Alanylglutamine inhibits signaling proteins that activate protein degradation, but does not affect proteins that activate protein synthesis after an acute resistance exercise.

PubMed

Wang, Wanyi; Choi, Ran Hee; Solares, Geoffrey J; Tseng, Hung-Min; Ding, Zhenping; Kim, Kyoungrae; Ivy, John L

2015-07-01

Sustamine™ (SUS) is a dipeptide composed of alanine and glutamine (AlaGln). Glutamine has been suggested to increase muscle protein accretion; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms of glutamine on muscle protein metabolism following resistance exercise have not been fully addressed. In the present study, 2-month-old rats climbed a ladder 10 times with a weight equal to 75 % of their body mass attached at the tail. Rats were then orally administered one of four solutions: placebo (PLA-glycine = 0.52 g/kg), whey protein (WP = 0.4 g/kg), low dose of SUS (LSUS = 0.1 g/kg), or high dose of SUS (HSUS = 0.5 g/kg). An additional group of sedentary (SED) rats was intubated with glycine (0.52 g/kg) at the same time as the ladder-climbing rats. Blood samples were collected immediately after exercise and at either 20 or 40 min after recovery. The flexor hallucis longus (FHL), a muscle used for climbing, was excised at 20 or 40 min post exercise and analyzed for proteins regulating protein synthesis and degradation. All supplements elevated the phosphorylation of FOXO3A above SED at 20 min post exercise, but only the SUS supplements significantly reduced the phosphorylation of AMPK and NF-kB p65. SUS supplements had no effect on mTOR signaling, but WP supplementation yielded a greater phosphorylation of mTOR, p70S6k, and rpS6 compared with PLA at 20 min post exercise. However, by 40 min post exercise, phosphorylation of mTOR and rpS6 in PLA had risen to levels not different than WP. These results suggest that SUS blocks the activation of intracellular signals for MPB, whereas WP accelerates mRNA translation.

Perceptions of primary health care service users regarding dental team practices in Brazil.

PubMed

Baumgarten, Alexandre; Veiga, Rochelle Santos Da; Bulgarelli, Patricia Tavora; Diesel, Vitor Motta; Bulgarelli, Alexandre Favero

2018-05-01

The Unified Health System (SUS) is the Brazilian set of public health services that offers global access to health care and disease treatments for all citizens. These services have been evaluated by means of a national survey assessing the users' perceptions.AimTo explore and characterize the SUS users' perceptions regarding primary dental team practices in the five Brazilian geographical regions. Descriptive study. The sample consisted of 37 262 subjects. Data were collected by means of the Ministry of Health survey, conducted between 2012 and 2014. Variables used in the present study are associated with SUS users' perspectives of satisfaction, access, and use of services. The study utilized bivariate data analysis, and dichotomous variables were derived for analysis following 95% reliability.FindingsThis study observed similarities and proportionality of perceptions in the Brazilian territory. In most macro-regions, dental teams did not develop an active search for dental treatment absentees. However, the SUS users reported very good and good perceptions, which were homogeneously distributed across five Brazilian regions, thereby showing an overall positive perception of primary dental treatment.

Comparison of characteristics of fluorine doped zinc and gallium tin oxide composite thin films deposited on stainless steel 316 bipolar plate by electron cyclotron resonance-metal organic chemical vapor deposition for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

PubMed

Park, Jihun; Hudaya, Chairul; Lee, Joong Kee

2011-09-01

In order to replace the brittle graphite bipolar plates currently used for the PEMFC stack, coated SUS 316 was employed. As a metallic bipolar plate, coated SUS 316 can provide higher mechanical strength, better durability to shocks and vibration, less permeability, improved thermal and bulk electrical conductivity, as well as being thinner and lighter. To enhance the interfacial contact resistance and corrosion resistance of SUS 316, the deposition of GTO:F and ZTO:F composite films was carried out by ECR-MOCVD. The surface morphology of the films consisted of tiny elliptically shaped grains with a thickness of 1 microm. The corrosion current for GTO:F was 0.13 Acm(-2) which was much lower than that of bare SUS 316 (50.16 Acm(-2)). The GTO:F coated film had the smallest corrosion current due to the formation of a tight surface morphology with very few pin-holes. The GTO:F coated film exhibited the highest cell voltage and power density due to its lower ICR values.

Processes of recovery through routine or specialist treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD): a qualitative study.

PubMed

Katsakou, Christina; Pistrang, Nancy; Barnicot, Kirsten; White, Hayley; Priebe, Stefan

2017-07-04

Recovery processes in borderline personality disorder (BPD) are poorly understood. This study explored how recovery in BPD occurs through routine or specialist treatment, as perceived by service users (SUs) and therapists. SUs were recruited from two specialist BPD services, three community mental health teams, and one psychological therapies service. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 48 SUs and 15 therapists. The "framework" approach was used to analyse the data. The findings were organized into two domains of themes. The first domain described three parallel processes that constituted SUs' recovery journey: fighting ambivalence and committing to taking action; moving from shame to self-acceptance and compassion; and moving from distrust and defensiveness to opening up to others. The second domain described four therapeutic challenges that needed to be addressed to support this journey: balancing self-exploration and finding solutions; balancing structure and flexibility; confronting interpersonal difficulties and practicing new ways of relating; and balancing support and independence. Therapies facilitating the identified processes may promote recovery. The recovery processes and therapeutic challenges identified in this study could provide a framework to guide future research.

Symbol Error Rate of Underlay Cognitive Relay Systems over Rayleigh Fading Channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho van, Khuong; Bao, Vo Nguyen Quoc

Underlay cognitive systems allow secondary users (SUs) to access the licensed band allocated to primary users (PUs) for better spectrum utilization with the power constraint imposed on SUs such that their operation does not harm the normal communication of PUs. This constraint, which limits the coverage range of SUs, can be offset by relaying techniques that take advantage of shorter range communication for lower path loss. Symbol error rate (SER) analysis of underlay cognitive relay systems over fading channel has not been reported in the literature. This paper fills this gap. The derived SER expressions are validated by simulations and show that underlay cognitive relay systems suffer a high error floor for any modulation level.

Squared Euclidean distance: a statistical test to evaluate plant community change

Treesearch

Raymond D. Ratliff; Sylvia R. Mori

1993-01-01

The concepts and a procedure for evaluating plant community change using the squared Euclidean distance (SED) resemblance function are described. Analyses are based on the concept that Euclidean distances constitute a sample from a population of distances between sampling units (SUs) for a specific number of times and SUs. With different times, the distances will be...

Application of shear-wave elastography to estimate the stiffness of the male striated urethral sphincter during voluntary contractions.

PubMed

Stafford, Ryan E; Aljuraifani, Rafeef; Hug, François; Hodges, Paul W

2017-04-01

To investigate whether increases in stiffness can be detected in the anatomical region associated with the striated urethral sphincter (SUS) during voluntary activation using shear-wave elastography (SWE); to identify the location and area of the stiffness increase relative to the point of greatest dorsal displacement of the mid urethra (i.e. SUS); and to determine the relationship between muscle stiffness and contraction intensity. In all, 10 healthy men participated. A linear ultrasound (US) transducer was placed mid-sagittal on the perineum adjacent to a pair of electromyography electrodes that recorded non-specific pelvic floor muscle activity. Stiffness in the area expected to contain the SUS was estimated via US SWE at rest and during voluntary pelvic floor muscles contractions to 5%, 10% and 15% maximum. Still image frames were exported for each repetition and analysed with software that detected increases in stiffness above 150% of the resting stiffness. Pelvic floor muscle contraction elicited an increase in stiffness above threshold within the region expected to contain the SUS for all participants and contraction intensities. The mean (SD) ventral-dorsal distance between the centre of the stiffness area and region of maximal motion of the mid-urethra (caused by SUS contraction) was 5.6 (1.8), 6.2 (0.8), and 5.8 (0.7) mm for 5%, 10% and 15% maximal voluntary contraction, respectively. Greater pelvic floor muscle contraction intensity resulted in a concomitant increase in stiffness, which differed between contraction intensities (5% vs 10%, P < 0.001; 5% vs 15%, P < 0.001; 10% vs 15%, P = 0.003). Voluntary contraction of the pelvic floor muscles in men is associated with an area of stiffness increase measured with SWE, which concurs with the expected location of the SUS. The increase in stiffness occurred in association with an increase in perineal surface electromyography activity, providing evidence that stiffness amplitude relates to general pelvic

Nickel-free stainless steel avoids neointima formation following coronary stent implantation

PubMed Central

Fujiu, Katsuhito; Manabe, Ichiro; Sasaki, Makoto; Inoue, Motoki; Iwata, Hiroshi; Hasumi, Eriko; Komuro, Issei; Katada, Yasuyuki; Taguchi, Tetsushi; Nagai, Ryozo

2012-01-01

SUS316L stainless steel and cobalt–chromium and platinum–chromium alloys are widely used platforms for coronary stents. These alloys also contain nickel (Ni), which reportedly induces allergic reactions in some subjects and is known to have various cellular effects. The effects of Ni on neointima formation after stent implantation remain unknown, however. We developed coronary stents made of Ni-free high-nitrogen austenitic stainless steel prepared using a N2-gas pressurized electroslag remelting (P-ESR) process. Neointima formation and inflammatory responses following stent implantation in porcine coronary arteries were then compared between the Ni-free and SUS316L stainless steel stents. We found significantly less neointima formation and inflammation in arteries implanted with Ni-free stents, as compared to SUS316L stents. Notably, Ni2+ was eluted into the medium from SUS316L but not from Ni-free stainless steel. Mechanistically, Ni2+ increased levels of hypoxia inducible factor protein-1α (HIF-1α) and its target genes in cultured smooth muscle cells. HIF-1α and their target gene levels were also increased in the vascular wall at SUS316L stent sites but not at Ni-free stent sites. The Ni-free stainless steel coronary stent reduces neointima formation, in part by avoiding activation of inflammatory processes via the Ni-HIF pathway. The Ni-free-stainless steel stent is a promising new coronary stent platform. PMID:27877545

Hypoglycaemia when adding sulphonylurea to metformin: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

PubMed

Andersen, Stig Ejdrup; Christensen, Mikkel

2016-11-01

The risk of hypoglycaemia may differ among sulphonylureas (SUs), but evidence from head-to-head comparisons is sparse. Performing a network meta-analysis to use indirect evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), we compared the relative risk of hypoglycaemia with newer generation SUs when added to metformin. A systematic review identified RCTs lasting 12-52 weeks and evaluating SUs added to inadequate metformin monotherapy (≥1000 mg/day) in type 2 diabetes. Adding RCTs investigating the active comparators from the identified SU trials, we established a coherent network. Hypoglycaemia of any severity was the primary end point. Thirteen trials of SUs and 14 of oral non-SU antihyperglycaemic agents (16 260 patients) were included. All reported hypoglycaemia only as adverse events. Producing comparable reductions in HbA 1C of -0.66 to -0.84% (-7 to -9 mmol/mol), the risk of hypoglycaemia was lowest with gliclazide compared to glipizide (OR 0.22, CrI: 0.05 to 0.96), glimepiride (OR 0.40, CrI: 0.13 to 1.27), and glibenclamide (OR 0.21, CrI: 0.03 to 1.48). A major limitation is varying definitions of hypoglycaemia across studies. When added to metformin, gliclazide was associated with the lowest risk of hypoglycaemia between the newer generation SUs. Clinicians should consider the risk of hypoglycaemia agent-specific when selecting an SU agent. © 2016 The British Pharmacological Society.

Hypoglycaemia when adding sulphonylurea to metformin: a systematic review and network meta‐analysis

PubMed Central

Christensen, Mikkel

2016-01-01

Aims The risk of hypoglycaemia may differ among sulphonylureas (SUs), but evidence from head‐to‐head comparisons is sparse. Performing a network meta‐analysis to use indirect evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), we compared the relative risk of hypoglycaemia with newer generation SUs when added to metformin. Methods A systematic review identified RCTs lasting 12–52 weeks and evaluating SUs added to inadequate metformin monotherapy (≥1000 mg/day) in type 2 diabetes. Adding RCTs investigating the active comparators from the identified SU trials, we established a coherent network. Hypoglycaemia of any severity was the primary end point. Results Thirteen trials of SUs and 14 of oral non‐SU antihyperglycaemic agents (16 260 patients) were included. All reported hypoglycaemia only as adverse events. Producing comparable reductions in HbA1C of −0.66 to −0.84% (−7 to −9 mmol/mol), the risk of hypoglycaemia was lowest with gliclazide compared to glipizide (OR 0.22, CrI: 0.05 to 0.96), glimepiride (OR 0.40, CrI: 0.13 to 1.27), and glibenclamide (OR 0.21, CrI: 0.03 to 1.48). A major limitation is varying definitions of hypoglycaemia across studies. Conclusions When added to metformin, gliclazide was associated with the lowest risk of hypoglycaemia between the newer generation SUs. Clinicians should consider the risk of hypoglycaemia agent‐specific when selecting an SU agent. PMID:27426428

Nickel-free stainless steel avoids neointima formation following coronary stent implantation.

PubMed

Fujiu, Katsuhito; Manabe, Ichiro; Sasaki, Makoto; Inoue, Motoki; Iwata, Hiroshi; Hasumi, Eriko; Komuro, Issei; Katada, Yasuyuki; Taguchi, Tetsushi; Nagai, Ryozo

2012-12-01

SUS316L stainless steel and cobalt-chromium and platinum-chromium alloys are widely used platforms for coronary stents. These alloys also contain nickel (Ni), which reportedly induces allergic reactions in some subjects and is known to have various cellular effects. The effects of Ni on neointima formation after stent implantation remain unknown, however. We developed coronary stents made of Ni-free high-nitrogen austenitic stainless steel prepared using a N 2 -gas pressurized electroslag remelting (P-ESR) process. Neointima formation and inflammatory responses following stent implantation in porcine coronary arteries were then compared between the Ni-free and SUS316L stainless steel stents. We found significantly less neointima formation and inflammation in arteries implanted with Ni-free stents, as compared to SUS316L stents. Notably, Ni 2+ was eluted into the medium from SUS316L but not from Ni-free stainless steel. Mechanistically, Ni 2+ increased levels of hypoxia inducible factor protein-1 α (HIF-1 α ) and its target genes in cultured smooth muscle cells. HIF-1 α and their target gene levels were also increased in the vascular wall at SUS316L stent sites but not at Ni-free stent sites. The Ni-free stainless steel coronary stent reduces neointima formation, in part by avoiding activation of inflammatory processes via the Ni-HIF pathway. The Ni-free-stainless steel stent is a promising new coronary stent platform.

The learning of resources of the unified health system in the radiology residency program*

PubMed Central

de Oliveira, Aparecido Ferreira; Lederman, Henrique Manoel; Batista, Nildo Alves

2014-01-01

Objective To investigate the learning on the management of resources of the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS) and its interfaces with private institutions in the radiology residency program of Escola Paulista de Medicina - Universidade Federal de São Paulo, in order to improve radiologists' training. Materials and Methods Exploratory research with quantitative and qualitative approach to residents, faculty staff and preceptors of the program, utilizing Likert questionnaires (46), deepening interviews (18) and categorization based upon meaning units (thematic analysis). Results Sixty-three per cent of the respondents claim the non-existence of an opportunity for the residents to be acquainted with the management of SUS resources, and were even more categorical (76%) regarding the knowledge about resources from private institutions in the intersection with SUS. Conclusion The learning on the management of SUS resources represents a relevant challenge to be overcome by residency programs, considering the extensiveness and complexity of the Brazilian health system, that is not sufficiently approached during the program, even in its most basic aspects, with daily experiences involving an excessive number of patients and a busy agenda, besides the inadequate public health infrastructure. The present study indicates the need for a greater emphasis on the development of the learning on aspects related to the management of resources from the SUS, assimilating particularities and overcoming the frequent difficulties, thus improving the training of radiologists. PMID:25741072

Small Upper Stage Basic Program Final Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-08-27

design of the SUS. During storage, the SUS shall3 be required to withstand environments as specified in 3.2.5.1. Environmental protection shall be...accomplish this goal, a launch vehicle survey was conducted to establish the current LV capability and environments with respect to small satellites...4 Launch Vehicle Shock Environment ...................................................................... 2-4 2-5 Launch Vehicle Sound Pressure

[The history of the public health reform in Brazil and of the Sistema Único de Saúde: changes, continuities, and the current agenda].

PubMed

Menicucci, Telma Maria Gonçalves

2014-01-01

The paper offers a historical retrospective of Brazil's Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), including its background and its legacy on its current design. It begins describing some of the system's structural problems, especially the co-existence of a public system alongside a private one. It identifies problems that have hampered a firmer solidification of SUS, while it also highlights the immense import of establishing a unified, universal system in a country the size of Brazil. The discussion includes the effects of the system, which has represented a major change in the field of social rights, introducing new actors, and internalizing the notion of health as a right. Lastly, recent developments that have put SUS on the public agenda are discussed.

[Considerations on the Sistema Único de Saúde in the twenty-first century: an interview with Lígia Bahia].

PubMed

Bahia, Lígia; Cueto, Marcos; Benchimol, Jaime; Teixeira, Luiz Antonio; Cerqueira, Roberta C

2014-01-01

This interview with Lígia Bahia explores evaluations of the first 25 years of Brazil's Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) and analyzes the project's progress, impasses, and missteps. Bahia is critical of both tendencies currently found within SUS: the one that sees the system as aimed at equity and the other posing equality as its goal. She criticizes the ambivalence that various spheres of government have displayed in their decisions regarding large corporate groups and private health insurance plans, which conflict with the ideas of SUS. She evaluates the participation of doctors and other healthcare professionals in the system. Lastly, she analyzes the emergence of identity politics, which are missing from the public health reform project, whose emphasis was on equality.

Link Connectivity and Coverage of Underwater Cognitive Acoustic Networks under Spectrum Constraint

PubMed Central

Wang, Qiu; Cheang, Chak Fong

2017-01-01

Extensive attention has been given to the use of cognitive radio technology in underwater acoustic networks since the acoustic spectrum became scarce due to the proliferation of human aquatic activities. Most of the recent studies on underwater cognitive acoustic networks (UCANs) mainly focus on spectrum management or protocol design. Few efforts have addressed the quality-of-service (QoS) of UCANs. In UCANs, secondary users (SUs) have lower priority to use acoustic spectrum than primary users (PUs) with higher priority to access spectrum. As a result, the QoS of SUs is difficult to ensure in UCANs. This paper proposes an analytical model to investigate the link connectivity and the probability of coverage of SUs in UCANs. In particular, this model takes both topological connectivity and spectrum availability into account, though spectrum availability has been ignored in most recent studies. We conduct extensive simulations to evaluate the effectiveness and the accuracy of our proposed model. Simulation results show that our proposed model is quite accurate. Besides, our results also imply that the link connectivity and the probability of coverage of SUs heavily depend on both the underwater acoustic channel conditions and the activities of PUs. PMID:29215561

Confrontando teorías físicas con la Cosmología

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vucetich, H.

Hay numerosas teorías físicas que no pueden contrastarse con el experimento en laboratorio y eso las hace poco interesantes como descripción de la naturaleza. Sin embargo, algunas de estas teorías tienen consecuencias cosmológicas observables y se abre la posibilidad de contrastación a través de la observación. Se discuten las observaciones capaces de poner a prueba tales teorías y se examinan ejemplos de teorías limitadas por la observación.

[An automated registry program for nosocomial infections].

PubMed

Castañón-González, Jorge Alberto; Polanco-González, Carlos; Samaniego-Mendoza, José Lino; Buhse, Thomas

2014-12-01

Las infecciones nosocomiales presentan un gran reto para la medicina hospitalaria, en general, y para las Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos, en particular. Su elevada prevalencia, la gran morbilidad y mortalidad asociadas, el incremento de la estancia hospitalaria y, en consecuencia, los costos de la atención médica han hecho que los programas de vigilancia, control y prevención de infecciones nosocomiales sean una parte toral de los protocolos de seguridad para el paciente y un indicador de calidad de la atención médica.

Intraoperative evaluation of renal blood flow during laparoscopic partial nephrectomy with a novel Doppler system.

PubMed

Mues, Adam C; Okhunov, Zhamshid; Badani, Ketan; Gupta, Mantu; Landman, Jaime

2010-12-01

Hemostasis remains a major challenge associated with laparoscopic renal surgery. We evaluated a cost-effective novel Doppler probe (DP) for assessment of vascular control during laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN). We prospectively collected data during LPN procedures. We documented tumor location and size as well as subjective quality of the hilar dissection. The DP was compared with our standard intraoperative ultrasound system (SUS) for the ability to detect blood flow during hilar dissection and to determine parenchymal ischemia around the tumor after clamping of the renal vessels. Twenty patients underwent LPN by a single surgeon. The mean tumor size was 3.0 cm (range: 1.2-6.3 cm). The times to assess the kidney using the SUS and DP were 68.6 seconds (range: 20-155) and 44.5 seconds (range: 15-180), respectively. Evaluation prior to renal hilar clamping demonstrated the presence of blood flow in all 20 patients (100%) using the SUS and in 17 of 20 (85%) using the DP. Similarly, cessation of blood flow with clamping was documented in 100% of cases with SUS and 85% with DP. Persistent flow was detected by both SUS and DP in two patients requiring further dissection and reclamping. Then, both systems detected the absence of flow before tumor resection. With blood flow interruption confirmation, no patient had significant bleeding at the time of renal parenchymal transection. Intraoperative Doppler ultrasound technologies minimize the risk of significant bleeding during LPN. The DP is a small, simple, effective probe that can be used to assess blood flow interruption to the kidney during laparoscopic renal surgery.

A robust cooperative spectrum sensing scheme based on Dempster-Shafer theory and trustworthiness degree calculation in cognitive radio networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jinlong; Feng, Shuo; Wu, Qihui; Zheng, Xueqiang; Xu, Yuhua; Ding, Guoru

2014-12-01

Cognitive radio (CR) is a promising technology that brings about remarkable improvement in spectrum utilization. To tackle the hidden terminal problem, cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) which benefits from the spatial diversity has been studied extensively. Since CSS is vulnerable to the attacks initiated by malicious secondary users (SUs), several secure CSS schemes based on Dempster-Shafer theory have been proposed. However, the existing works only utilize the current difference of SUs, such as the difference in SNR or similarity degree, to evaluate the trustworthiness of each SU. As the current difference is only one-sided and sometimes inaccurate, the statistical information contained in each SU's historical behavior should not be overlooked. In this article, we propose a robust CSS scheme based on Dempster-Shafer theory and trustworthiness degree calculation. It is carried out in four successive steps, which are basic probability assignment (BPA), trustworthiness degree calculation, selection and adjustment of BPA, and combination by Dempster-Shafer rule, respectively. Our proposed scheme evaluates the trustworthiness degree of SUs from both current difference aspect and historical behavior aspect and exploits Dempster-Shafer theory's potential to establish a `soft update' approach for the reputation value maintenance. It can not only differentiate malicious SUs from honest ones based on their historical behaviors but also reserve the current difference for each SU to achieve a better real-time performance. Abundant simulation results have validated that the proposed scheme outperforms the existing ones under the impact of different attack patterns and different number of malicious SUs.

A technical analysis of medicines request-related decision making in Brazilian courts.

PubMed

Macedo, Eloisa Israel de; Lopes, Luciane Cruz; Barberato-Filho, Silvio

2011-08-01

To analyze judicial requests for medications that are covered by the pharmaceutical assistance components of the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS - Brazilian Unified Health System). We analyzed 81 judicial requests for medications in the State of São Paulo between 2005 and 2009. The details of these cases were obtained electronically from the Court of Justice of the State of São Paulo. Directives that regulate pharmaceutical assistance were consulted to identify judicially requested medications that are covered by the SUS. To assess the level of evidence supporting the use of these medications to treat the clinical indications described, we consulted the Thomson Micromedex® database. The number of individual medications requested in each case ranged from 1 to 7; in total, 77 different pharmaceuticals agents were identified. Of the medications requested, 14.3% should have been available through SUS primary care, 19.5% were classified under the exceptionally dispensed medications component of the SUS, and 66.2% were not on any official list. Medications of the exceptionally dispensed medications component showed better clinical evidence when indicated for the treatment of medical conditions covered by the Clinical Protocols and Therapeutic Guidelines of Brazil's Ministry of Health. The judicial process has been used to ensure access to medications that are covered by the SUS and to request access to those that are not covered. Our assessment of the level of available evidence reinforces the need for technical analysis in the decision-making process in cases of judicially requested medications.

CSF beta-amyloid 1–42 – what are we measuring in Alzheimer's disease?

PubMed Central

Hu, William T; Watts, Kelly D; Shaw, Leslie M; Howell, Jennifer C; Trojanowski, John Q; Basra, Sundeep; Glass, Jonathan D; Lah, James J; Levey, Allan I

2015-01-01

Objective To characterize biological and technical factors which influence cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker levels, including the presence of apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele, AD diagnosis, Aβ-binding proteins, sample processing, and preanalytical handling. Methods CSF was collected from 140 subjects with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, AD, and non-AD dementia. CSF levels of beta-amyloid 1–42 (Aβ42), total Tau (t-Tau), and Tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (p-Tau181) were analyzed following the standard and modified protocols. CSF levels of apoJ, apoE, albumin, and α-synuclein were measured in a subgroup (n = 69), and their effects on measured AD biomarker levels were also determined in vitro using human CSF samples. Results CSF Aβ42 levels measured using the AD Neuro-imaging Initiative (ADNI) protocol (which we call suspended Aβ42 or susAβ) were lower than total measurable CSF Aβ42 in all groups, and on average represents 57% of the latter. Logistic regression analysis showed this proportion (% susAβ) to be directly correlated with CSF Aβ42 and apoJ levels, but inversely correlated with CSF t-Tau levels. Finally, we showed in vitro that increasing apoE and apoJ levels directly increased % susAβ. Conclusion CSF susAβ levels are influenced by biological and technical factors, and may represent a marker of Aβ susceptible to lipoprotein-mediated clearance. Clinical trials should include total measurable Aβ42 and susAβ to better inform outcomes. PMID:25750918

Determination of sulfonylurea herbicides in water and food samples using sol-gel glass-based immunoaffinity extraction and liquid chromatography-ultraviolet/diode array detection or liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Degelmann, Petra; Egger, Sebastian; Jürling, Heinrich; Müller, Josef; Niessner, Reinhard; Knopp, Dietmar

2006-03-22

Immunoaffinity supports (IAS) were prepared using broad specific polyclonal anti-sulfonylurea (SU) antibodies immobilized in sol-gel glass. Two different kinds of supports were applied, crushed sol-gel monoliths and sol-gel-coated highly porous silica particles. Both were used for the quantitative enrichment of SUs in natural water and food samples followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet/diode array detection (HPLC-UV/DAD) and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), respectively. Loading, washing, and elution conditions of IAS were optimized. The capacity of supports was determined for 30 SUs and compared with the cross-reactivity pattern of the direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The capacities correlated well with the affinity to individual SU compounds. Even analytes to which the polyclonal antibodies showed only a lower cross-reactivity could be enriched to a certain degree, if a sufficient capacity of IAS was provided. The IAS could be reused at least 10 times without a loss of effectiveness. Recovery of 16 selected SUs extracted from spiked water and food samples was dependent on the affinity of both immobilized antibodies to single compounds and matrix interferences. In water, 13 SUs showed recoveries higher than 80% when immunoaffinity extraction was used in combination with LC-UV/DAD. On the basis of the enrichment of 200 mL of aqueous sample, corresponding limit of detection (LOD) values ranged between 20 and 100 ng/L. The recoveries of 10 SUs, which were extracted from 10 g of potato spiked at a 10 microg/kg level, were higher than 75%. For grain samples, recoveries were at the same order for at least five SU herbicides. The LOD of LC-MS/MS measurements was about 1 order of magnitude higher, i.e., gave LODs between 1.1 and 6.9 microg/kg of food sample, depending on the compound and extraction procedure. These LODs provide evidence that the main advantage of the prepared IAS is their high selectivity for group

Development and Validation of a Porcine (Sus scrofa) Sepsis Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-03-01

last IACUC approval, have any methods been identified to reduce the number of live animals used in this protocol? None 10. PUBLICATIONS...SUMMARY: (Please provide, in "ABSTRACT" format, a summary of the protocol objectives, materials and methods , results - include tables/figures, and...Materials and methods : Animals were anesthetized and instrumented for cardiovascular monitoring. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, a large molecule present on the

Como reembolsar sus prestamos para estudiantes (Repaying Your Student Loans).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of Federal Student Aid (ED), Washington, DC.

This guide, written in Spanish, discusses how to repay student loans. Following a general introduction, the guide discusses the grace period before repayment and repayment requirements. Repayment plans are described for Perkins Loans, Direct Loans, and Federal Family Education Loans. Repayment options are discussed, including consolidation,…

Detection of Torque teno sus virus types 1 and 2 by nested polymerase chain reaction in sera of sows at parturition and of their newborn piglets immediately after birth without suckling colostrum and at 24 hr after suckling colostrum.

PubMed

Tshering, Chenga; Takagi, Mitsuhiro; Deguchi, Eisaburo

2012-03-01

This study was performed to clarify the sow-to-fetus transmission pathway of Torque teno sus virus (TTSuV) types 1 (TTSuV1) and 2 (TTSuV2). For this purpose, detection of TTSuV1 and TTSuV2 (TTSuVs) in sera of 6 sows (Sows 1-6) at parturition and in sera of their newborn piglets immediately after birth without suckling colostrum was performed by nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR). These sows were bred using semen that had tested negative for TTSuVs. In a TTSuV1- and TTSuV2-positive sow (Sow 1), TTSuV1 and TTSuV2 were detected in 4 and 5 of 12 newborn littermates, respectively. In a TTSuV1-positive sow (Sow 2), TTSuV1 was detected in 1 of 8 newborn littermates. In 4 TTSuV1- and TTSuV2-negative sows (Sows 3-6), TTSuV1 was detected in 6 out of the 25 newborn piglets of 3 sows (Sows 3-5), while TTSuVs were not detected in all 13 piglets of 1 sow (Sow 6). In addition, to investigate the possibility of a sow-to-piglet transmission pathway of TTSuV via colostrum, TTSuV1 and TTSuV2 in sera of 12 newborn piglets from Sows 1-3 were examined by nPCR. Immediately after birth without suckling colostrum, TTSuV1 and TTSuV2 were not detected in 10 and 8 of 12 newborn piglets, respectively; however, at 24 hr after suckling colostrum, TTSuV1 was detected in 6 piglets, while TTSuV2 was not detected in any piglets. These results confirmed the existence of a sow-to-fetus transmission pathway of TTSuV during normal pregnancy and suggested a possibility of sow-to-piglet transmission of TTSuV via colostrum.

Intelligent Luminescence for Communication Display and Identification

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-18

34Fabrication of two-dimensional photonic crystals using interference lithography and electrodeposition of CdSe," Appl. Phys. Letts. 79, 3392-3394 (2001). 7...studies were performed on holographically derived structures fonned in SUS by a four-laser beam interference pattern. As shown in Figure 7 a SUS polymer...dielectric material, as patterned by electron-beam lithography , consisting of a periodic dielectric modulation with integrated line, point and

Towards a National Hazard Map of Landslides: Juan de Grijalva, Chiapas, and Mitlatongo, Oaxaca, two catastrophic landslides on southeastern of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dominguez-M, L.; Castañeda, A.; Ramirez, A.; González, A. E.

2013-05-01

and represent two of the most outstanding and representative events in southeastern Mexico. Domínguez L., 2008 "El deslizamiento del 4 de noviembre de 2007 en la comunidad Juan de Grijalva, municipio de Ostuacán, Chiapas, y su relación con el Frente Frio no. 4" Report prepared to the General Coordination of Civil Protection, Ministry of the Interior, Mexico Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres, 2009 "Características e impacto socioeconómico de los principales desastres ocurridos en la República Mexicana en el año 2007" Socieconomic Impact by Disasters in Mexico Serie, National System of Civil Protection, Ministry of the Interior, Mexico. Domínguez L., 2011 "Deslizamiento de suelos y rocas en las comunidades de Santiago Mitlatongo, municipio de Nochixtlán, y Santa Cruz Mitlatongo, municipio de Magdalena Jaltepec, Oaxaca" Report prepared to the General Coordination of Civil Protection, Ministry of the Interior, Mexico.

Recurrent seascape units identify key ecological processes along the western Antarctic Peninsula.

PubMed

Bowman, Jeff S; Kavanaugh, Maria T; Doney, Scott C; Ducklow, Hugh W

2018-04-10

The western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a bellwether of global climate change and natural laboratory for identifying interactions between climate and ecosystems. The Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) project has collected data on key ecological and environmental processes along the WAP since 1993. To better understand how key ecological parameters are changing across space and time, we developed a novel seascape classification approach based on in situ temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a, nitrate + nitrite, phosphate, and silicate. We anticipate that this approach will be broadly applicable to other geographical areas. Through the application of self-organizing maps (SOMs), we identified eight recurrent seascape units (SUs) in these data. These SUs have strong fidelity to known regional water masses but with an additional layer of biogeochemical detail, allowing us to identify multiple distinct nutrient profiles in several water masses. To identify the temporal and spatial distribution of these SUs, we mapped them across the Palmer LTER sampling grid via objective mapping of the original parameters. Analysis of the abundance and distribution of SUs since 1993 suggests two year types characterized by the partitioning of chlorophyll a into SUs with different spatial characteristics. By developing generalized linear models for correlated, time-lagged external drivers, we conclude that early spring sea ice conditions exert a strong influence on the distribution of chlorophyll a and nutrients along the WAP, but not necessarily the total chlorophyll a inventory. Because the distribution and density of phytoplankton biomass can have an impact on biomass transfer to the upper trophic levels, these results highlight anticipated links between the WAP marine ecosystem and climate. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Spectrum sharing in cognitive radio networks--an auction-based approach.

PubMed

Wang, Xinbing; Li, Zheng; Xu, Pengchao; Xu, Youyun; Gao, Xinbo; Chen, Hsiao-Hwa

2010-06-01

Cognitive radio is emerging as a promising technique to improve the utilization of the radio frequency spectrum. In this paper, we consider the problem of spectrum sharing among primary (or "licensed") users (PUs) and secondary (or "unlicensed") users (SUs). We formulate the problem based on bandwidth auction, in which each SU makes a bid for the amount of spectrum and each PU may assign the spectrum among the SUs by itself according to the information from the SUs without degrading its own performance. We show that the auction is a noncooperative game and that Nash equilibrium (NE) can be its solution. We first consider a single-PU network to investigate the existence and uniqueness of the NE and further discuss the fairness among the SUs under given conditions. Then, we present a dynamic updating algorithm in which each SU achieves NE in a distributed manner. The stability condition of the dynamic behavior for this spectrum-sharing scheme is studied. The discussion is generalized to the case in which there are multiple PUs in the network, where the properties of the NE are shown under appropriate conditions. Simulations were used to evaluate the system performance and verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

[The social value of teeth and access to dental health services].

PubMed

Fonseca, Luciara Leão Viana; Nehmy, Rosa Maria Quadros; Mota, Joaquim Antônio César

2015-10-01

Oral healthcare provided by the Unified Health System (SUS) faces the challenge of attending the epidemiological profile of Brazil's adult population. Qualitative research using semi-structured interviews was conducted to understand the experiences, expectations and perception of SUS users to services in Diamantina, State of Minas Gerais, and content analysis was used to assess the data. Discussion of the results was based on dialogue between the symbolic interactionism of Goffman and Bourdieu's concept of habitus. The results show that the users did not give importance to dental care during childhood and adolescence because care was unknown to them. There was no offer of treatment besides dental extraction. Today, they value teeth and suffer the embarrassment caused by rotten teeth. However, access to dental restoration via SUS is not possible. For their children, they perceive better access to information and care, but for specialized procedures there are barriers. They express resignation both in relation to the poor state of the teeth and the difficulties of access to dental care, which can be understood by the constant exclusion experienced by them in the past, shaping their actions in the present. It was concluded that oral health in SUS should incorporate the social value and the aesthetic dimension of teeth as a social right.

Sword Paper. Strategic Country Assessment, El Salvador

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-02-04

de la Guerra y sus Perspectivas," ECA, Estudios Centroamericanos, (#449, marzo 1986), pp. 169-204. Also see: "The Role of Unity in the Revolutionary...War, edited and translated by Michael Howard and Peter Paret, (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976 ), p. 597. 10 _ - .. ".. _ "".. ."N...consideration and the highest priority in the present and in future counterinsurgency efforts. * Joaquin Villalobos, "El Estado Actual de la Guerra y sus

Victory, Stalemate and Defeat During the Spanish Caribbean Insurgencies of 1868-1878

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

Press of America, Inc., 2009. Bell, Ian. The Dominican Republic. Boulder: Westview Press, 1981. de Navascues y Aisa , Nicasio. "Parte de la Alcaldia de...2006. Jimenez de Wagenheim, Olga. El grito de Lares sus causas y sus hombres. 4th Edition . Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico: Ediciones Huracan, Inc., 1999...1987. Marti, Jose. Our America: Writing on Latin America and the Struggle for Cuban Independence. Edited by Philip S. Foner. Translated by Elinor

Development of a Career Path for Non Commissioned Officers in the Army of the Dominican Republic

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-23

dirigir sus unidades. Con esta base legal , el Ejército Dominicano debe entonces establecer las condiciones internas necesarias que permitan la...enfocándose en aspectos más abarcadores al dirigir sus unidades. Con esta base legal el Ejército Dominicano debe entonces establecer las condiciones...los soldados de menor grado y ejecutan las tareas del día a día en dichas unidades. 4 Teniendo únicamente la base legal y directrices del alto

Vibrational micro-energy harvesters utilizing Nb-doped Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 films on stainless steel substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Minh, L.; Sano, T.; Fujii, T.; Kuwano, H.

2016-11-01

This work presents the micromachined energy harvesters using Nb-doped Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PNZT) films grown directly on the stainless steel substrates (SUS430). Piezoelectric materials on metallic substrates have been attracted to practical and robust energy harvesters. Nb-doped PZT films with (001)-preferred orientation grown on SUS substrates provided excellent properties for energy harvesting - high piezoelectric coefficient (e 31 = -10.6 C/m2) and low dielectric permittivity (ɛr = 373). The PNZT-based micro-energy harvester comprising a cantilever of 1.7 mm× 5 mm × 0.05 mm and a proof mass of 3 mm× 5 mm × 47 mm achieved the normalized power density (NPD) of 2.87 mW.g-2.cm-3. It is the highest performance among the published SUS-based energy harvesters, being closer to the best Si- based energy harvesters.

[Characterization of assistance among philanthropic hospitals in Brazil].

PubMed

Portela, Margareth C; Lima, Sheyla M L; Barbosa, Pedro R; Vasconcellos, Miguel M; Ugá, Maria Alícia D; Gerschman, Silvia

2004-12-01

To characterize the Brazilian philanthropic hospital network and its relation to the public and private sectors of the Sistema Unico de Saude (SUS) [Brazilian Unified Health System]. This is a descriptive study that took into consideration the geographic distribution, number of beds, available biomedical equipment, health care complexity as well as the productive and consumer profiles of philanthropic hospitals. It is based on a sample of 175 hospitals, within a universe of 1,917, involving 102 distinct institutions. Among these, there were 66 Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) inpatient care providers with less than 599 beds randomly included in this study. Twenty-six of the twenty-seven SUS inpatient care providers with at least 599 beds, as well as ten institutions which do not provide their services to SUS, were also included. This is a cross-sectional study and the data was obtained in 2001. Data collection was conducted by trained researchers, who applied a questionnaire in interviews with the hospital's managers. Within the random sample, 81.2% of the hospitals are located in cities outside of metropolitan areas, and 53.6% of these are the only hospitals within their municipalities. Basic clinical hospitals, without ICUs, predominate within the random sample (44.9%). Among the individual hospitals of the large philanthropic institutions and the special hospitals, the majority -- 53% and 60% respectively -- are level II general hospitals, a category of greater complexity. It was verified that complexity of care was associated to hospital size, being that hospitals with the greatest complexity are situated predominantly in the capitals. Given the importance of the philanthropic hospital sector within the SUS [Unified Health System] in Brazil, this paper identifies some ways of formulating appropriate health policies adjusted to the specificities of its different segments.

The wheat resistance gene Lr34 results in the constitutive induction of multiple defense pathways in transgenic barley.

PubMed

Chauhan, Harsh; Boni, Rainer; Bucher, Rahel; Kuhn, Benjamin; Buchmann, Gabriele; Sucher, Justine; Selter, Liselotte L; Hensel, Goetz; Kumlehn, Jochen; Bigler, Laurent; Glauser, Gaëtan; Wicker, Thomas; Krattinger, Simon G; Keller, Beat

2015-10-01

The wheat gene Lr34 encodes an ABCG-type transporter which provides durable resistance against multiple pathogens. Lr34 is functional as a transgene in barley, but its mode of action has remained largely unknown both in wheat and barley. Here we studied gene expression in uninfected barley lines transgenic for Lr34. Genes from multiple defense pathways contributing to basal and inducible disease resistance were constitutively active in seedlings and mature leaves. In addition, the hormones jasmonic acid and salicylic acid were induced to high levels, and increased levels of lignin as well as hordatines were observed. These results demonstrate a strong, constitutive re-programming of metabolism by Lr34. The resistant Lr34 allele (Lr34res) encodes a protein that differs by two amino acid polymorphisms from the susceptible Lr34sus allele. The deletion of a single phenylalanine residue in Lr34sus was sufficient to induce the characteristic Lr34-based responses. Combination of Lr34res and Lr34sus in the same plant resulted in a reduction of Lr34res expression by 8- to 20-fold when the low-expressing Lr34res line BG8 was used as a parent. Crosses with the high-expressing Lr34res line BG9 resulted in an increase of Lr34sus expression by 13- to 16-fold in progenies that inherited both alleles. These results indicate an interaction of the two Lr34 alleles on the transcriptional level. Reduction of Lr34res expression in BG8 crosses reduced the negative pleiotropic effects of Lr34res on barley growth and vigor without compromising disease resistance, suggesting that transgenic combination of Lr34res and Lr34sus can result in agronomically useful resistance. © 2015 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effects of vildagliptin relative to sulfonylureas in Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes fasting during Ramadan: influence of age and treatment with/without metformin in the VIRTUE study.

PubMed

Hassoun, Ahmed Ak; Pathan, Md Faruque; Medlej, Rita C; Alarouj, Monira; Shaltout, Inass; Chawla, Manoj S; Knap, Ditte; Vaz, Julius A

2016-01-01

VIRTUE was a prospective, observational study assessing the effectiveness and safety of vildagliptin vs sulfonylureas (SUs) (both as monotherapy and in combination with metformin) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who fasted during Ramadan. A post hoc analysis was carried out to assess the effect of treatment with/without metformin and age (<65 years or ≥65 years). Patients were recruited from the Middle East and Asia. The primary end point was proportion of patients with one or more hypoglycemic event (HE) during Ramadan. Secondary end points included change from baseline in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body weight, and safety. Overall, 684 patients received vildagliptin and 631 received SUs. Most patients received dual therapy with metformin (n=1,148) and were aged <65 years (n=1,189). A few patients experienced one or more HE with vildagliptin vs SU monotherapy (6.5% vs 14.5%) and with vildagliptin + metformin vs SUs + metformin (5.3% vs 20.6%); the latter achieved statistical significance (P<0.001) in both age subgroups (<65 years: 5.5% vs 18.4%, P<0.001; ≥65 years: 2.8% vs 30.9%, P<0.001). Vildagliptin was associated with numerically greater HbA1c and body weight reductions vs SUs, regardless of the therapy type or age. A higher proportion of SU- vs vildagliptin-treated patients experienced adverse events across all subgroups. A few patients experienced HEs with vildagliptin vs SUs regardless of age, and in patients on dual therapy. Vildagliptin ± metformin was also associated with good glycemic and weight control and was well tolerated. Vildagliptin might be a useful treatment option for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, particularly high-risk populations such as the elderly fasting during Ramadan.

A joint technique for sidelobe suppression and peak-to-average power ratio reduction in non-contiguous OFDM-based cognitive radio networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivadas, Namitha Arackal; Mohammed, Sameer Saheerudeen

2017-02-01

In non-contiguous orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (NC-OFDM)-based interweave cognitive radio networks, the sidelobe power of secondary users (SUs) must be strictly controlled to avoid the interference between the SUs and the primary users (PUs) of the adjacent bands. Similarly, the inherent issue of high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of the OFDM signal is another drawback of the cognitive radio communication system based on the NC-OFDM technology. A few methods are available in the literature to solve either of these problems individually, while in this paper, we propose a new method for the joint minimisation of sidelobe power and PAPR in NC-OFDM-based cognitive radio networks using Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequence. In this method, the sidelobe power suppression of SUs is benefited by PUs and the PAPR is reduced for SUs. We modelled a new optimisation problem for minimising the sidelobe power with a constraint on the maximum tolerable PAPR and sidelobe power. The proper selection of ZC sequence, which is crucial for minimising both the issues simultaneously, is achieved by solving the proposed optimisation problem. The proposed technique is shown to provide 7 dB and 20 dB reduction in PAPR and sidelobe power, respectively, without causing any signal distortion along with the improvement in bit error rate (BER) performance.

Prehistoric introduction of domestic pigs onto the Okinawa Islands: ancient mitochondrial DNA evidence.

PubMed

Watanobe, Takuma; Ishiguro, Naotaka; Nakano, Masuo; Takamiya, Hiroto; Matsui, Akira; Hongo, Hitomi

2002-08-01

Ancient DNAs of Sus scrofa specimens excavated from archaeological sites on the Okinawa islands were examined to clarify the genetic relationships among prehistoric Sus scrofa, modern wild boars and domestic pigs inhabiting the Ryukyu archipelago, the Japanese islands, and the Asian continent. We extracted remain DNA from 161 bone specimens excavated from 12 archaeological sites on the Okinawa islands and successfully amplified mitochondrial DNA control region fragments from 33 of 161 specimens. Pairwise difference between prehistoric and modern S. scrofa nucleotide sequences showed that haplotypes of the East Asian domestic pig lineage were found from archaeological specimens together with Ryukyu wild boars native to the Ryukyu archipelago. Phylogenetic analysis of 14 ancient sequences (11 haplotypes; 574 bp) indicated that S. scrofa specimens from two Yayoi-Heian sites (Kitahara and Ara shellmiddens) and two Recent Times sites (Wakuta Kiln and Kiyuna sites) are grouped with modern East Asian domestic pigs. Sus scrofa specimens from Shimizu shellmidden (Yayoi-Heian Period) were very closely related to modern Sus scrofa riukiuanus but had a unique nucleotide insertion, indicating that the population is genetically distinct from the lineage of modern Ryukyu wild boars. This genetic evidence suggests that domestic pigs from the Asian continent were introduced to the Okinawa islands in the early Yayoi-Heian period (1700-2000 BP), or earlier.

Coalition Formation and Spectrum Sharing of Cooperative Spectrum Sensing Participants.

PubMed

Zhensheng Jiang; Wei Yuan; Leung, Henry; Xinge You; Qi Zheng

2017-05-01

In cognitive radio networks, self-interested secondary users (SUs) desire to maximize their own throughput. They compete with each other for transmit time once the absence of primary users (PUs) is detected. To satisfy the requirement of PU protection, on the other hand, they have to form some coalitions and cooperate to conduct spectrum sensing. Such dilemma of SUs between competition and cooperation motivates us to study two interesting issues: 1) how to appropriately form some coalitions for cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) and 2) how to share transmit time among SUs. We jointly consider these two issues, and propose a noncooperative game model with 2-D strategies. The first dimension determines coalition formation, and the second indicates transmit time allocation. Considering the complexity of solving this game, we decompose the game into two more tractable ones: one deals with the formation of CSS coalitions, and the other focuses on the allocation of transmit time. We characterize the Nash equilibria (NEs) of both games, and show that the combination of these two NEs corresponds to the NE of the original game. We also develop a distributed algorithm to achieve a desirable NE of the original game. When this NE is achieved, the SUs obtain a Dhp-stable coalition structure and a fair transmit time allocation. Numerical results verify our analyses, and demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm.

Crystal structure of TBC1D15 GTPase‐activating protein (GAP) domain and its activity on Rab GTPases

PubMed Central

Chen, Yan‐Na; Gu, Xin; Zhou, X. Edward; Wang, Weidong; Cheng, Dandan; Ge, Yinghua; Ye, Fei

2017-01-01

Abstract TBC1D15 belongs to the TBC (Tre‐2/Bub2/Cdc16) domain family and functions as a GTPase‐activating protein (GAP) for Rab GTPases. So far, the structure of TBC1D15 or the TBC1D15·Rab complex has not been determined, thus, its catalytic mechanism on Rab GTPases is still unclear. In this study, we solved the crystal structures of the Shark and Sus TBC1D15 GAP domains, to 2.8 Å and 2.5 Å resolution, respectively. Shark‐TBC1D15 and Sus‐TBC1D15 belong to the same subfamily of TBC domain‐containing proteins, and their GAP‐domain structures are highly similar. This demonstrates the evolutionary conservation of the TBC1D15 protein family. Meanwhile, the newly determined crystal structures display new variations compared to the structures of yeast Gyp1p Rab GAP domain and TBC1D1. GAP assays show that Shark and Sus GAPs both have higher catalytic activity on Rab11a·GTP than Rab7a·GTP, which differs from the previous study. We also demonstrated the importance of arginine and glutamine on the catalytic sites of Shark GAP and Sus GAP. When arginine and glutamine are changed to alanine or lysine, the activities of Shark GAP and Sus GAP are lost. PMID:28168758

Effect of welding structure and δ-ferrite on fatigue properties for TIG welded austenitic stainless steels at cryogenic temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuri, Tetsumi; Ogata, Toshio; Saito, Masahiro; Hirayama, Yoshiaki

2000-04-01

High-cycle and low-cycle fatigue properties of base and weld metals for SUS304L and SUS316L and the effects of welding structure and δ-ferrite on fatigue properties were investigated at cryogenic temperatures in order to evaluate the long-life reliability of the structural materials to be used in liquid hydrogen supertankers and storage tanks and to develop a welding process for these applications. The S-N curves of the base and weld metals shifted towards higher levels, i.e., the longer life side, with decreasing test temperatures. High-cycle fatigue tests demonstrated the ratios of fatigue strength at 10 6 cycles to tensile strength of the weld metals to be 0.35-0.7, falling below those of base metals with decreasing test temperatures. Fatigue crack initiation sites in SUS304L weld metals were mostly at blowholes with diameters of 200-700 μm, and those of SUS316L weld metals were at weld pass interface boundaries. Low-cycle fatigue tests revealed the fatigue lives of the weld metals to be somewhat lower than those of the base metals. Although δ-ferrite reduces the toughness of austenitic stainless steels at cryogenic temperatures, the effects of δ-ferrite on high-cycle and low-cycle fatigue properties are not clear or significant.

[Management characteristics in charity hospitals in Brazil].

PubMed

Lima, Sheyla Maria Lemos; Barbosa, Pedro Ribeiro; Portela, Margareth C; Ugá, Maria Alicia Dominguez; Vasconcellos, Miguel Murat; Gerschman, Silvia

2004-01-01

This paper presents the management characteristics of charity hospitals in Brazil, based on data from a national survey developed in 2001. The sample accounted for the random inclusion of 66 Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) inpatient care providers with less than 599 beds and all 26 hospitals with at least 599 beds. It also included 10 institutions assumed as non-providers of services to the SUS. The analyses are descriptive, focusing on the classification of the hospitals according to their managerial development level, as well as selected issues regarding the utilization of specific managerial technologies, human resources, technical services, and services contracting. Distinct managerial levels were identified, but it is important to note that 83% of the SUS providers with less than 599 beds were classified as having incipient management. The authors discuss implications of the findings for inpatient care policies, considering the importance of charity hospitals for the Brazilian Health System.

Microbiologically influenced corrosion of orthodontic metallic appliances.

PubMed

Kameda, Takashi; Oda, Hirotake; Ohkuma, Kazuo; Sano, Natsuki; Batbayar, Nomintsetseg; Terashima, Yukari; Sato, Soh; Terada, Kazuto

2014-01-01

Biocorrosion (microbiologically influenced corrosion; MIC) occur in aquatic habitats varying in nutrient content, temperature, stress and pH. The oral environment of organisms, including humans, should be one of the most hospitable for MIC. Corrosion of metallic appliances in the oral region is one cause of metal allergy in patients. In this study, an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer revealed elution of Fe, Cr and Ni from stainless steel (SUS) appliances incubated with oral bacteria. Three-dimensional laser confocal microscopy also revealed that oral bacterial culture promoted increased surface roughness and corrosion pits in SUS appliances. The pH of the supernatant was lowered after co-culture of appliances and oral bacteria in any combinations, but not reached at the level of depassivation pH of their metallic materials. This study showed that Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguinis which easily created biofilm on the surfaces of teeth and appliances, did corrode orthodontic SUS appliances.

The principles of the Brazilian Unified Health System, studied based on similitude analysis

PubMed Central

de Pontes, Ana Paula Munhen; de Oliveira, Denize Cristina; Gomes, Antonio Marcos Tosoli

2014-01-01

Objectives to analyze and compare the incorporation of the ethical-doctrinal and organizational principles into the social representations of the Unified Health System (SUS) among health professionals. Method a study grounded in Social Representations Theory, undertaken with 125 subjects, in eight health institutions in Rio de Janeiro. The free word association technique was applied to the induction term "SUS", the words evoked being analyzed using the techniques of the Vergès matrix and similitude analysis. Results it was identified that the professionals' social representations vary depending on their level of education, and that those with higher education represent a subgroup responsible for the process of representational change identified. This result was confirmed through similitude analysis. Conclusion a process of representational change is ongoing, in which it was ascertained that the professionals incorporated the principles of the SUS into their symbolic constructions. The similitude analysis was shown to be a fruitful technique for research in nursing. PMID:24553704

Strengths use as a secret of happiness: Another dimension of visually impaired individuals' psychological state.

PubMed

Matsuguma, Shinichiro; Kawashima, Motoko; Negishi, Kazuno; Sano, Fumiya; Mimura, Masaru; Tsubota, Kazuo

2018-01-01

It is well recognized that visual impairments (VI) worsen individuals' mental condition. However, little is known about the positive aspects including subjective happiness, positive emotions, and strengths. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the positive aspects of persons with VI including their subjective happiness, positive emotions, and strengths use. Positive aspects of persons with VI were measured using the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience-Balance (SPANE-B), and the Strengths Use Scale (SUS). A cross-sectional analysis was utilized to examine personal information in a Tokyo sample (N = 44). We used a simple regression analysis and found significant relationships between the SHS or SPANE-B and SUS; on the contrary, VI-related variables were not correlated with them. A multiple regression analysis confirmed that SUS was a significant factor associated with both the SHS and SPANE-B. Strengths use might be a possible protective factor from the negative effects of VI.

Starch Catabolism by a Prominent Human Gut Symbiont Is Directed by the Recognition of Amylose Helices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koropatkin, Nicole M.; Martens, Eric C.; Gordon, Jeffrey I.

2009-01-12

The human gut microbiota performs functions that are not encoded in our Homo sapiens genome, including the processing of otherwise undigestible dietary polysaccharides. Defining the structures of proteins involved in the import and degradation of specific glycans by saccharolytic bacteria complements genomic analysis of the nutrient-processing capabilities of gut communities. Here, we describe the atomic structure of one such protein, SusD, required for starch binding and utilization by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, a prominent adaptive forager of glycans in the distal human gut microbiota. The binding pocket of this unique {alpha}-helical protein contains an arc of aromatic residues that complements the naturalmore » helical structure of starch and imposes this conformation on bound maltoheptaose. Furthermore, SusD binds cyclic oligosaccharides with higher affinity than linear forms. The structures of several SusD/oligosaccharide complexes reveal an inherent ligand recognition plasticity dominated by the three-dimensional conformation of the oligosaccharides rather than specific interactions with the composite sugars.« less

Hospitalizations due to diseases associated with poor sanitation in the public health care network of the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, 2010-2014.

PubMed

Siqueira, Mariana Santiago; Rosa, Roger Dos Santos; Bordin, Ronaldo; Nugem, Rita de Cássia

2017-01-01

to describe the occurrence, characteristics and expenditures of hospitalizations due to diseases associated with poor sanitation funded by the Brazilian National Health System (SUS) among residents of the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre-RS, Brazil, from 2010 to 2014. descriptive study with data from SUS Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS). out of 13,929 hospitalizations for diseases associated with poor sanitation, 93.7% were related to fecal-oral transmission diseases and 20.4% were children from 1 to 4 years of age (28.1 hospitalizations/10,000 inhabitants/year); hospital fatality rate was of 2.2%, fecal-oral transmission diseases were the main causes of death; intensive care unit (ICU) was used in 2.0% of hospitalizations; total expenditures on hospitalizations was around BRL6.1 million. diseases associated with poor sanitation are still an important issue in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre-RS, although this region presents good development indicators.

Obesity and public policies: the Brazilian government's definitions and strategies.

PubMed

Dias, Patricia Camacho; Henriques, Patrícia; Anjos, Luiz Antonio Dos; Burlandy, Luciene

2017-07-27

The study analyzes national strategies for dealing with obesity in Brazil in the framework of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) and the Food and Nutritional Security System (SISAN). Based on the document analysis method, we examined government documents produced in the last 15 years in the following dimensions: definitions of obesity, proposed actions, and strategies for linkage between sectors. In the SUS, obesity is approached as both a risk factor and a disease, with individual and social/environmental approaches aimed at changing eating practices and physical activity. In the SISAN, obesity is also conceived as a social problem involving food insecurity, and new modes of producing, marketing, and consuming foods are proposed to change eating practices in an integrated way. Proposals in the SUS point to an integrated and intra-sector approach to obesity, while those in SISAN emphasize the problem's inter-sector nature from an expanded perspective that challenges the prevailing sector-based institutional structures.

Ultrasonic Corrosion Fatigue Behavior of High Strength Austenitic Stainless Steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebara, R.; Yamaguchi, Y.; Kanei, D.; Yamamoto, Y.

Ultrasonic corrosion fatigue tests were conducted for high strength austenitic stainless steels such as YUS270 and SUS304N2 in 3%NaCl aqueous solution. The reduction of giga-cycle corrosion fatigue strength of YUS270 and SUS304N2 was not observed at all, while the reduction of corrosion fatigue life was observed at higher stress amplitude. Corrosion pit was observed on corrosion fatigue crack initiation area. Striation was predominantly observed on crack propagation area in air and in 3% NaCl aqueous solution. The reduction of corrosion fatigue strength of high strength austenitic stainless steels such as YUS270 and SUS304N2 is due to the corrosion pit formation at corrosion fatigue crack initiation area. It can be concluded that the higher the ultimate tensile strength of austenitic stainless steels the higher the giga-cycle corrosion fatigue strength in 3%NaCl aqueous solution is.

Tuberculosis in Southern Brazilian wild boars (Sus scrofa): First epidemiological findings.

PubMed

Maciel, A L G; Loiko, M R; Bueno, T S; Moreira, J G; Coppola, M; Dalla Costa, E R; Schmid, K B; Rodrigues, R O; Cibulski, S P; Bertagnolli, A C; Mayer, F Q

2018-04-01

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a zoonosis caused mainly by Mycobacterium bovis that affects domestic and wild animals. In Brazil, there are no epidemiological studies on tuberculosis in wild animal populations and their possible role in the disease maintenance in cattle herds; thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of tuberculosis in wild boars in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. Tissue samples of animals hunted under government consent were submitted to histopathology and M. bovis polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as screening tests; the positive samples were subsequently submitted to bacterial isolation, the gold standard diagnosis. Eighty animals were evaluated, of which 27.9% and 31.3% showed histopathological changes and M. bovis genome presence, respectively. Moreover, 23.8% of the animals had at least one organ with isolates classified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC). Three hunting points were risk factors for positive results on screening tests. This study shows the occurrence of tuberculosis in a wild boars' population, and raise the possibility of these animals to play a role as disease reservoirs in southern Brazil. These results may help to improve the Brazilian tuberculosis control programme, as well as elucidate the circulation of mycobacteria in this country. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome in Göttingen minipigs (Sus scrofa domestica).

PubMed

Elliott, Thomas B; Deutz, Nicolaas E; Gulani, Jatinder; Koch, Amory; Olsen, Cara H; Christensen, Christine; Chappell, Mark; Whitnall, Mark H; Moroni, Maria

2014-12-01

In the absence of supportive care, exposing Göttingen minipigs to γ-radiation doses of less than 2 Gy achieves lethality due to hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome. Doses of 2 to 5 Gy are associated with an accelerated hematopoietic syndrome, characterized by villus blunting and fusion, the beginning of sepsis, and a mild transient reduction in plasma citrulline concentration. We exposed male Göttingen minipigs (age, 5 mo; weight, 9 to 11 kg) to γ-radiation doses of 5 to 12 Gy (total body; (60)Co, 0.6 Gy/min) to test whether these animals exhibit classic gastrointestinal acute radiation syndrome (GI-ARS). After exposure, the minipigs were monitored for 10 d by using clinical signs, CBC counts, and parameters associated with the development of the gastrointestinal syndrome. Göttingen minipigs exposed to γ radiation of 5 to 12 Gy demonstrate a dose-dependent occurrence of all parameters classically associated with acute GI-ARS. These results suggest that Göttingen minipigs may be a suitable model for studying GI-ARS after total body irradiation, but the use of supportive care to extend survival beyond 10 d is recommended. This study is the first step toward determining the feasibility of using Göttingen minipigs in testing the efficacy of candidate drugs for the treatment of GI-ARS after total body irradiation.

[Functional capacity of elderly patients attended in SUS primary healthcare units].

PubMed

Pilger, Calíope; Menon, Mario Umberto; Mathias, Thais Aidar de Freitas

2013-12-01

This study aimed to analyze the functional capacity of elderly registered in Basic Health Units of Guarapuava-PR, Brazil. The subjects were 359 elderly, interviewed from January to April 2010, using Section I and IV of the questionnaire Brazil Old Age Schedule. The results showed that 89.9% had some degree of dependency, of which 70.8% light and 19.2% moderate or severe dependence. Women have a higher degree of mild (70.5%) and moderate and severe dependence (62.3%). Factors associated with the degree of dependence among the elderly living in Guarapuava were age, schooling, living arrangements, employment, place of residence, marital status and family income. It is concluded that most of the elderly in the community is affected by limitations and live with some kind of dependence to perform basic activities of daily living.

Policy of Labor Management and Health Education: a ProgeSUS experience.

PubMed

Magnago, Carinne; Pierantoni, Celia Regina; França, Tania; Vieira, Swheelen de Paula; Miranda, Rômulo Gonçalves de; Nascimento, Dayane Nunes

2017-05-01

To evaluate the stage of labor management and education policies in municipal and state health secretariats (SMS and SES, respectively), having as reference the adherence to a qualification and structuring program of work management and education in the Unified Health System. A descriptive and quantitative study, developed with 519 representatives from the Human Resources (HR) area of SMS and SES, through a survey composed of 56 questions, via a computer-assisted telephone interview in 2012. Responses were processed in a computerized database and the data treated by descriptive statistics. Changes in professional qualification, the establishment of job and salary plans and negotiation processes were identified; on the other hand, there was no progress related to the financial and budgetary autonomy of the area of work management and health education. It is observed progress in the incorporation of innovations in the management in SES and SMS from the process of training of managers and financial induction. It is necessary to monitor and periodically evaluate the operationalization of labor and education policies aimed at strengthening them, correcting directions and implementing innovative actions.

The Process of Reintegration of Former Combatants in the Colombian Context as Compared to the Process of Reintegration in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-23

Revolucionaria de las FARC- EP es Conquistar el Poder Político para Gobernar a Colombia con el Pueblo, para Beneficio de sus Intereses de Clase...el 29 de julio de 1998. Dentro de los beneficios contemplados se estableció el otorgamiento de indultos y amnistías. Se estima que en total se...refiere sólo a los beneficios jurídicos y económicos que el Estado ofrece a los individuos y sus familias, a la atención de los conflictos

Desarrollo de la Escala sobre el Estigma Relacionado con el VIH/SIDA para Profesionales de la Salud mediante el uso de métodos mixtos123

PubMed Central

Varas-Díaz, Nelson; Neilands, Torsten B.; Guilamo-Ramos, Vincent; Cintrón Bou, Francheska N.

2009-01-01

El estigma relacionado con el VIH/SIDA continúa siendo un obstáculo para la prevención primaria y secundaria del VIH. Las consecuencias para las personas que viven con la enfermedad han sido muy documentadas y continúan siendo una gran preocupación para las personas que proveen servicios de salud y para aquellas que investigan el tema. Estas consecuencias son preocupantes cuando el estigma emana de profesionales de la salud porque se puede limitar el acceso a los servicios. Uno de los principales obstáculos para la investigación del estigma relacionado con el VIH en Puerto Rico es la falta de instrumentos cuantitativos para evaluar las manifestaciones del estigma entre profesionales de la salud. El objetivo principal de este estudio fue desarrollar y probar las propiedades psicométricas de una escala sobre el estigma relacionado con el VIH/SIDA culturalmente apropiada para personas que proveen servicios de salud puertorriqueñas y desarrollar una versión corta de la escala que pudiera usarse en escenarios clínicos con tiempo limitado. El instrumento desarrollado estuvo basado en evidencia cualitativa recopilada entre profesionales y estudiantes de profesiones de la salud puertorriqueños/as (n=80) y administrado a una muestra de 421 profesionales de la salud en adiestramiento. La escala contenía 12 dimensiones del estigma relacionado con el VIH/SIDA. El análisis cuantitativo corroboró 11 de ellas, teniendo como resultado un instrumento con validez y confiabilidad satisfactoria. Estas dimensiones, a su vez, fueron subcomponentes de un factor de estigma general superior. PMID:20333258

Factors Related to Increased Ulnar Collateral Ligament Thickness on Stress Sonography of the Elbow in Asymptomatic Youth and Adolescent Baseball Pitchers.

PubMed

Atanda, Alfred; Averill, Lauren W; Wallace, Maegen; Niiler, Tim A; Nazarian, Levon N; Ciccotti, Michael G

2016-12-01

Stress ultrasound (SUS) of the elbow has demonstrated changes in the anterior band of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in professional and high school-aged pitchers. However, there have been no large reports correlating pitching history data with SUS changes in youth and adolescent baseball pitchers. Changes of the UCL on SUS will correlate with pitching volume in youth and adolescent baseball pitchers. Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. SUS of the elbow was performed in both elbows of 102 youth and adolescent baseball pitchers. UCL thickness and the width of the ulnohumeral joint, at rest and with 150 N of valgus stress, were measured using a standardized, instrumented device. Demographic data, arm measurements, and a pitching history questionnaire were recorded as well. The pitchers were separated into 2 groups based on age: group 1 (12-14 years) and group 2 (15-18 years). SUS findings of the dominant elbows were compared between the 2 groups. Correlation analysis and linear regression were used to identify relationships between SUS findings and pitching history data. In all pitchers, the mean UCL thickness was 4.40 mm in the dominant elbow and 4.11 mm in the nondominant elbow (P =.03). There was no significant difference between elbows in any joint space characteristics. A comparison of group 1 versus group 2 demonstrated significant differences in UCL thickness (4.13 vs 4.96 mm; P < .001), resting joint space width (6.56 vs 4.04 mm; P < .001), and stressed joint space width (7.68 vs 4.07 mm; P < .001). There was no difference in the change in joint space width between the 2 groups (1.11 vs 0.76 mm; P = .05). The UCL was significantly thicker in pitchers who threw more than 67 pitches per appearance (4.69 vs 4.14 mm), who pitched more than 5 innings per appearance (4.76 vs 4.11 mm), and who had more than 5.5 years of pitching experience (4.71 vs 4.07 mm; P < .001). Linear regression demonstrated that age, weight, and pitches per appearance (R 2 = 0

Updating on Italian stroke units: the "CCM study".

PubMed

Guidetti, D; Spallazzi, M; Toni, D; Rota, E; Morelli, N; Immovilli, P; Baldereschi, M; Polizzi, B M; Ferro, S; Inzitari, D

2013-07-01

The stroke units (SUs) have been demonstrated to be efficient and cost effective for acute stroke care. Nevertheless, the level of stroke unit implementation in Italy does not correspond to expectations yet. This study is a survey, which aims at assessing the current status of in-hospital stroke care in the Italian regions and at updating SUs. The survey was conducted by means of a semi-structured questionnaire, based on 18 stroke care "quality indicators", submitted to all the Italian centres that had taken part in the SITS-MOST study, and to other centres advised by the coordinator of SITS studies and by regional opinion leaders of stroke. SUs were defined as acute wards, with stroke-dedicated beds and dedicated teams that had been formally authorised to administer rt-PA. A statistical analysis was performed by a descriptive statistics and logistic regression model. The study was carried out from November 2009 to September 2010. A total of 168 forms were sent out and 153 replies received. Seven centres, which had not performed any thrombolytic treatment, and 16 which did not fulfil the criteria for the definition of SU were excluded from the study. Most of the centres reported more than 100 stroke patient admissions per year, i.e., 122 (84%) from 100 to 500, 18 (12%) more than 500. The 19% of the centres admitted more than 30% of patients within 3 h from the symptom onset and only 30% admitted more than 30% of patients within 4.5 h. The mean number of thrombolyses performed in the last 6 months was 10 for centres with a doctor on duty 24 h a day, 6 for those that have a doctor on duty from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and a doctor on call for night, and 5 for centres with a doctor on call 24 h a day. The territorial distribution of the SUs is remarkably heterogeneous: 87 SUs (67%) are located in the North of Italy, 28 (22%) in the central part of Italy and only 15 (11%) in the South. The last few years have witnessed a rise in both the diffusion of SUs and access to

Prevalencia y Consecuencias del Abuso Sexual al Menor en Espana (Prevalence and Consequences of Child Sexual Abuse in Spain).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopez, Felix; And Others

1995-01-01

The prevalence and effects of child sexual abuse in Spain were studied, using interview and survey responses from 1,821 individuals. Results indicated a high prevalence of sexual abuse prior to age 17 (15 percent of males and 22 percent of females) and a number of short-term and long-term effects, including a tendency toward mental health…

A study of carbon deposition on fuel cell power plants — morphology of deposited carbon and catalytic metal in carbon deposition reactions on stainless steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sone, Yuko; Kishida, Haruo; Kobayashi, Makoto; Watanabe, Takao

Carbon deposited on SUS304 stainless steel (18Cr 8Ni) has been observed by two different methods. One method was Field Emission Transmission Electron Microscopy (FE-TEM), with developed preparation for in situ observation of a cross-section of the deposited carbon from the base (SUS) to the top. The other method was X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), obtaining composition-depth profiles by argon ion sputtering. Carbon was deposited on SUS304, 550°C, 1 atm, H 2/CO/CO 2=75/15/10, after drained the steam-reformed natural gas composition. One result from FE-TEM identified the major form of deposited carbon was tubular in shape with a variety of diameters, ranging from approximately 7 to 100 nm. Some tubes contained metallic particles which were about 20 nm in size at their tips. Therefore, it can be established that the carbon deposition mechanism is similar to that reported for metals such as Fe, Ni, and that the deposited carbon can grow after the SUS surface is covered with deposits under the above conditions. Observations from EDX attached to FE-TEM also determined that most of the particles consisted of Fe and from XPS, that the content of Fe on the surface of the reaction plate was lower than on the unreacted sample. This indicates that carbon deposition on stainless steel was influenced by Fe rather than Ni and Cr.

A Reappraising of Cosmography: the Interface Between Astronomical and Geographic Studies. (Breton Title: Releitura do Conceito de Cosmografia: a Interface Entre os Estudos Astronômicos e Geográficos.) Una Relectura del Concepto de Cosmografía: la Interfase Entre los Estudios Astronómicos y Geográficos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azevedo Sobreira, Paulo Henrique

2012-12-01

el conjunto de conocimientos y habilidades es predominantemente escolar. Estudia la interfase entre los conocimientos terrestres y los celestes, dándoles un significado geográfico. Analiza las relaciones humanas y naturales con el Espacio Sideral y sus consecuencias para la sociedad y la naturaleza.

[Not Available].

PubMed

Baena González, Marta; Molina Recio, Guillermo

2016-06-30

Introducción: la disfagia es un síntoma que se refiere a la dificultad para mover el bolo alimentario desde la boca al estómago. A pesar de su relevancia y de la gravedad de sus posibles complicaciones, es poco conocida y estudiada. La prevalencia de la disfagia orofaríngea en enfermosde alzhéimer es de un 84% y puede originar complicaciones de gran trascendencia clínica como consecuencia de las alteraciones en la eficacia de la deglución, y en la seguridad de la misma.Objetivo: conocer el estado actual del conocimiento en relación al abordaje de la disfagia en enfermos de alzhéimer, localizando aquellos factores que permitan un diagnóstico precoz que facilite la prevención de complicaciones y la elección de la pauta de actuación más adecuada.Metodología: revisión sistemática. Estudios publicados entre 2005 y 2014 en inglés y castellano. Bases de datos: PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, Elsevier, Scielo y Dialnet. Términos MeSH empleados: disfagia, dysphagia, alzheimer, modified y texture food.Resultados: el diagnóstico en los pacientes de alzhéimer se realiza mediante métodos clínicos y exploraciones complementarias como la videofluoroscopia, considerada como el estándar para el estudio de la disfagia orofaríngea, ya que permite identificar entre 1/3 y 1/4 de los pacientes que presentan aspiraciones silentes no diagnosticables clínicamente. Existen estrategias terapéuticas que incluyen cambios en el volumen y viscosidad del bolo, cambios posturales, maniobras deglutorias, procedimientos de rehabilitación y técnicas de incremento sensorial que han demostrado su eficacia, pero se trata de una labor compleja que exige un abordaje multidisciplinar para un correctodiagnóstico y tratamiento.Conclusiones: existe una escasa evidencia científica en el abordaje de la disfagia y un gran desconocimiento en cuanto a la alimentación de los enfermos de alzhéimer. Esta patología necesita una intervención multidisciplinar en la cual las medidas

Impact of the sitagliptin alert on prescription of oral antihyperglycemic drugs in Japan.

PubMed

Sato, Daisaku; Sato, Yasunori; Masuda, Sachiko; Kimura, Hiromichi

2012-12-01

Sitagliptin, the first of a new class of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4)-inhibitory oral antihyperglycemic drugs (OHDs), was introduced in Japan in December 2009. In April 2010 a safety alert was issued regarding the risk of serious hypoglycemic events when the drug is used in combination with high-dose sulfonylureas (SUs). To investigate trends in prescription of OHDs before and after the launch of sitagliptin, and before and after the safety alert, in order to evaluate changes in the prescribing behavior of various groups of physicians in response to the safety alert. Japan. Prescription data from 6,500 institutions, randomly collected from 300 Japanese pharmacies were used. A cohort of 87,678 patients with 813,374 prescriptions for OHDs, among which 464,079 included SUs (glimepiride: 317,423), was collected from August 2009 to 31 December 2010. Logistic regression analysis was conducted. Prescription trends for sitagliptin and SUs, stratified by age, gender, types of prescribers and institutions. The safety alert recommending a reduction of SU dosing was well reflected in prescriptions issued after the alert (glimepiride dose reduction from 2.78 ± 1.86 mg to 2.32 ± 1.68), especially in prescriptions issued by diabetes specialists (from 2.27 ± 1.81 mg to 1.87 ± 1.47 mg). The dose of background SUs in patients who started sitagliptin early was higher (before alert: 2.70 ± 1.80 mg, after alert: 2.51 ± 1.74 mg) than in patients without experience of sitagliptin (2.12 ± 1.57 mg). This may indicate that patients receiving high-dose SUs were selected for sitagliptin, and this might be a factor in the high frequency of hypoglycemia in the early launch phase of sitagliptin. The sitagliptin safety alert had a clear impact on prescribing behavior, but the impact appeared to depend on prescribers' backgrounds. Our findings should be helpful for developing a safer drug launching strategy for new classes of drugs in established categories.

Usability Evaluation of Laboratory Information Systems.

PubMed

Mathews, Althea; Marc, David

2017-01-01

Numerous studies have revealed widespread clinician frustration with the usability of electronic health records (EHRs) that is counterproductive to adoption of EHR systems to meet the aims of health-care reform. With poor system usability comes increased risk of negative unintended consequences. Usability issues could lead to user error and workarounds that have the potential to compromise patient safety and negatively impact the quality of care.[1] While there is ample research on EHR usability, there is little information on the usability of laboratory information systems (LISs). Yet, LISs facilitate the timely provision of a great deal of the information needed by physicians to make patient care decisions.[2] Medical and technical advances in genomics that require processing of an increased volume of complex laboratory data further underscore the importance of developing user-friendly LISs. This study aims to add to the body of knowledge on LIS usability. A survey was distributed among LIS users at hospitals across the United States. The survey consisted of the ten-item System Usability Scale (SUS). In addition, participants were asked to rate the ease of performing 24 common tasks with a LIS. Finally, respondents provided comments on what they liked and disliked about using the LIS to provide diagnostic insight into LIS perceived usability. The overall mean SUS score of 59.7 for the LIS evaluated is significantly lower than the benchmark of 68 ( P < 0.001). All LISs evaluated received mean SUS scores below 68 except for Orchard Harvest (78.7). While the years of experience using the LIS was found to be a statistically significant influence on mean SUS scores, the combined effect of years of experience and LIS used did not account for the statistically significant difference in the mean SUS score between Orchard Harvest and each of the other LISs evaluated. The results of this study indicate that overall usability of LISs is poor. Usability lags that of systems

Sensitivity of the Dengue Surveillance System in Brazil for Detecting Hospitalized Cases

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

We evaluated the sensitivity of the dengue surveillance system in detecting hospitalized cases in ten capital cities in Brazil from 2008 to 2013 using a probabilistic record linkage of two independent information systems hospitalization (SIH-SUS) adopted as the gold standard and surveillance (SINAN). Sensitivity was defined as the proportion of cases reported to the surveillance system amid the suspected hospitalized cases registered in SIH-SUS. Of the 48,174 hospitalizations registered in SIH-SUS, 24,469 (50.7%) were reported and registered in SINAN, indicating an overall sensitivity of 50.8% (95%CI 50.3–51.2). The observed sensitivity for each of the municipalities included in the study ranged from 22.0% to 99.1%. The combination of the two data sources identified 71,161 hospitalizations, an increase of 97.0% over SINAN itself. Our results allowed establishing the proportion of underreported dengue hospitalizations in the public health system in Brazil, highlighting the use of probabilistic record linkage as a valuable tool for evaluating surveillance systems. PMID:27192405

Galvanic corrosion of ferritic stainless steels used for dental magnetic attachments in contact with an iron-platinum magnet.

PubMed

Nakamura, Keisuke; Takada, Yukyo; Yoda, Masanobu; Kimura, Kohei; Okuno, Osamu

2008-03-01

This study was an examination of the galvanic corrosion of ferritic stainless steels, namely SUS 444, SUS XM27, and SUS 447J1, in contact with a Fe-Pt magnet. The surface area ratio of each stainless steel to the Fe-Pt magnet was set at 1/1 or 1/10. Galvanic corrosion between the stainless steels and the magnet was evaluated by the amount of released ions and the electrochemical properties in 0.9% NaCl solution. Although each stainless steel showed sufficient corrosion resistance for clinical use, the amount of ions released from each tended to increase when the stainless steel was in contact with the magnet. When the surface area ratio was reduced to 1/10, the amount of Fe ions released from the stainless steels increased significantly more than when there was no contact. Since contact with the magnet which possessed an extremely noble potential created a very corrosive environment for the stainless steels, 447J1 was thus the recommended choice against a corrosion exposure as such.

Liquid-phase synthesis of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes and related nanomaterials on preheated alloy substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamagiwa, Kiyofumi

2018-02-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and related nanocarbons were selectively synthesized on commercially available alloy substrates by a simple liquid-phase technique. Fe- and Ni-rich stainless-steel (JIS SUS316L and Inconel®600, respectively) and Ni-Cu alloy (Monel®400) substrates were used for the synthesis, and each substrate was preheated in air to promote the self-formation of catalyst nanolayers on the surface. The substrates were resistance heated in ethanol without any addition of catalysts to grow CNTs. The yield of the CNTs effectively increased when the preheating process was employed. Highly aligned CNT arrays grew on the SUS316L substrate, while non-aligned CNTs and distinctive twisted fibers were observed on the other substrates. An Fe oxide layer was selectively formed on the preheated SUS316L substrate promoting the growth of the CNT arrays. Characterizations including cyclic voltammetry for the arrays revealed that the CNTs possess a comparatively defect-rich surface, which is a desirable characteristic for its application such as electrode materials for capacitors.

National Medicines Policy in retrospective: a review of (almost) 20 years of implementation.

PubMed

Vasconcelos, Daniela Moulin Maciel de; Chaves, Gabriela Costa; Azeredo, Thiago Botelho; Silva, Rondineli Mendes da

2017-08-01

Pharmaceutical services and the formulation of a medicines policy are SUS areas ensured by the organic health care law 8,080/90. Thus, after a widely participative process, involving stakeholders, the National Medicines Policy (NMP) was approved in 1998 by Ordinance 3,916.The NMP presents directives and priorities, aligned with organic health care law, which should guide the federal, states and municipals entities actions to achieve the policy goals. Considering almost 20 years of the NMP, this paper took stock discussed some of the directives in light of the SUS principles. It was not the objective to provide an exhaustive review of all the activities performed during this period. The authors tried to get close to those that have brought advances and dilemmas, with potential risk of regression. Efforts to implement an ambitious agenda applied to pharmaceutical services were identified. This agenda tried to deal with different challenges like the dynamics of the pharmaceutical market and the operation of pharmaceutical services to guarantee the supply of medicines aligned with principles and directives of SUS.

Background radiation dose of dumpsites in Ota and Environs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usikalu, M. R.; Ola, O. O.; Achuka, J. A.; Babarimisa, I. O.; Ayara, W. A.

2017-05-01

In-situ measurement of background radiation dose from selected dumpsites in Ota and its environs was done using Radialert Nuclear Radiation Monitor (Digilert 200). Ten measurements were taken from each dumpsite. The measured background radiation range between 0.015 mRhr-1 for AOD and 0.028 mRhr-1 for SUS dumpsites. The calculated annual equivalent doses vary between 1.31 mSvyr-1 for AOD and 2.28 mSv/yr for SUS dumpsites. The air absorbed dose calculated ranged from 150 nGyhr-1 to 280 nGy/hr for AOD and SUS dumpsites respectively with an average value of 217 nGyhr-1 for all the locations. All the estimated parameters were higher than permissible limit set for background radiation for the general public. Conclusively, the associated challenge and radiation burden posed by the wastes on the studied locations and scavengers is high. Therefore, there is need by the regulatory authorities to look into the way and how waste can be properly managed so as to alleviate the effects on the populace leaving and working in the dumpsites vicinity.

[Traditional and Complementary Medicine in Brazil: inclusion in the Brazilian Unified National Health System and integration with primary care].

PubMed

Sousa, Islandia Maria Carvalho de; Tesser, Charles Dalcanale

2017-01-23

This study aimed to analyze the inclusion of Traditional and Complementary Medicine in Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) and its integration with primary healthcare (PHC). A qualitative study drew on institutional data, indexed articles, and case studies in selected Brazilian cities: Campinas (São Paulo State), Florianópolis (Santa Catarina State), Recife (Pernambuco State), Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. The analysis adopted the perspective of inclusion of Traditional and Complementary Medicine in the healthcare network and its integration with primary healthcare, based on the following dimensions: presence of Traditional and Complementary Medicine on the municipal agenda; position in the services; mode of access to Traditional and Complementary Medicine; Traditional and Complementary Medicine practitioners; types of practices; demand profile; and potential for expansion in the SUS. The authors identified and characterized four types of inclusion and integration of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, whether in association or not: Type 1 - in primary healthcare via professionals from the family health teams - Integrated; Type 2 - in primary healthcare via professionals with full-time employment - Juxtaposed; Type 3 - in primary healthcare via matrix-organized teams - Matrix Organization; Type 4 - in specialized services - Without Integration. The combination of types 1 and 3 was considered a potential guideline for the expansion of Traditional and Complementary Medicine in the SUS and can orient the growth and integration of Traditional and Complementary Medicine with primary healthcare. The growing presence of Traditional and Complementary Medicine in the SUS requires conceiving its strategic expansion, while existing experiences should not be wasted.

Limits to sustained energy intake. X. Effects of fur removal on reproductive performance in laboratory mice.

PubMed

Król, Elzbieta; Murphy, Michelle; Speakman, John R

2007-12-01

The maximum rate of sustained energy intake (SusEI) may limit reproductive effort and other aspects of animal performance. We have previously suggested that lactating mice are not limited centrally by the alimentary tract or peripherally by the mammary glands, but that the limits to SusEI are imposed by the capacity of the animal to dissipate body heat generated as a by-product of processing food and producing milk. To explore the nature of the limits to SusEI, we bred MF1 laboratory mice at 21 degrees C and then dorsally shaved lactating females to reduce their external insulation and thereby elevate their capacity to dissipate body heat. These mice increased their food intake by 12.0% and assimilated on average 30.9 kJ day(-1) more energy than unshaved animals. With nearly identical mean litter sizes (11.4 pups for shaved and 11.3 pups for unshaved mice), shaved mothers exported 15.2% (22.0 kJ day(-1)) more energy as milk than control individuals. The elevated milk production of shaved mice enabled them to wean litters that were 15.4% (12.2 g) heavier than offspring produced by unshaved mice. Our results argue against central, peripheral or extrinsic limits to SusEI at peak lactation and provide strong support for the heat dissipation limit hypothesis. More generally, we see many situations where heat dissipation may be a previously unrecognised factor constraining the evolution of endothermic animals - for example, the latitudinal and altitudinal trends in clutch and litter sizes and the migration patterns of birds.

PFI-ZEKE (Pulsed Field Ionization-Zero Electron Kinetic Energy) para el estudio de iones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castaño, F.; Fernández, J. A.; Basterretxea, A. Longarte. F.; Sánchez Rayo, M. N.; Martínez, R.

Entre las áreas hacia donde ha evolucionado la Química en los últimos años están los estudios de sistemas con especies reactivas de alta energía y los dominados por fuerzas intermoleculares débiles, con energías de unas pocas kcal/mol. En efecto, el estudio de las propiedades de los iones, comenzando por su relación con la molécula neutra de la que procede, la energía de ionización, los estados vibracionales y rotacionales, energías de enlace de Van der Waals entre el ión y una amplia variedad de otras moléculas, sus confórmeros o isómeros y sus reacciones o semi-reacciones químicas están en la raíz de la necesidad de la espectroscopía conocida como PFI-ZEKE, Pulsed Field Ionization-Zero Electron Kinetic Energy. Entre las aplicaciones que requieren estos conocimientos se encuentran la generación de plasmas para la fabricación de semiconductores, memorias magnéticas, etc, así como los sistemas astrofísicos, la ionosfera terrestre, etc. La espectroscopía ZEKE es una evolución de las de fluorescencia inducida por láser, LIF, ionización multifotónica acrecentada por resonancia, REMPI, con uno y dos colores y acoplada a un sistema de tiempo de vuelo, REMPI-TOF-MS, y las espectroscopías de doble resonancia IR-UV y UV-UV. Sus espectros y la ayuda de cálculos ab inicio permite determinar las energías de enlace de complejos de van der Waals en estados fundamental y excitados, identificar confórmeros e isómeros, obtener energías de ionización experimentales aproximadas (100 cm-1) y otras variables de interés. Al igual que con LIF, REMPI y dobles resonancias, es posible utilizar muestras gaseosas, pero los espectros están muy saturados de bandas y su interpretación es difícil o imposible. Se evitan estas dificultades estudiando las moléculas o complejos en expansiones supersónicas, donde la T de los grados de libertad solo alcanzan unos pocos K. Para realizar experimentos de ZEKE hay que utilizar una propiedad recientemente

Serological Profile of Torque Teno Sus Virus Species 1 (TTSuV1) in Pigs and Antigenic Relationships between Two TTSuV1 Genotypes (1a and 1b), between Two Species (TTSuV1 and -2), and between Porcine and Human Anelloviruses

PubMed Central

Huang, Yao-Wei; Harrall, Kylie K.; Dryman, Barbara A.; Opriessnig, Tanja; Vaughn, Eric M.; Roof, Michael B.

2012-01-01

The family Anelloviridae includes human and animal torque teno viruses (TTVs) with extensive genetic diversity. The antigenic diversity among anelloviruses has never been assessed. Using torque teno sus virus (TTSuV) as a model, we describe here the first investigation of the antigenic relationships among different anelloviruses. Using a TTSuV genotype 1a (TTSuV1a) or TTSuV1b enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on the respective putative ORF1 capsid antigen and TTSuV1-specific real-time PCR, the combined serological and virological profile of TTSuV1 infection in pigs was determined and compared with that of TTSuV2. TTSuV1 is likely not associated with porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD), because both the viral loads and antibody levels were not different between affected and unaffected pigs and because there was no synergistic effect of concurrent PCV2/TTSuV1 infections. We did observe a higher correlation of IgG antibody levels between anti-TTSuV1a and -TTSuV1b than between anti-TTSuV1a or -1b and anti-TTSuV2 antibodies in these sera, implying potential antigenic cross-reactivity. To confirm this, rabbit antisera against the putative capsid proteins of TTSuV1a, TTSuV1b, or TTSuV2 were generated, and the antigenic relationships among these TTSuVs were analyzed by an ELISA and by an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using PK-15 cells transfected with one of the three TTSuV ORF1 constructs. The results demonstrate antigenic cross-reactivity between the two genotypes TTSuV1a and TTSuV1b but not between the two species TTSuV1a or -1b and TTSuV2. Furthermore, an anti-genogroup 1 human TTV antiserum did not react with any of the three TTSuV antigens. These results have important implications for an understanding of the diversity of anelloviruses as well as for the classification and vaccine development of TTSuVs. PMID:22811540

[Political challenges facing the consolidation of the Sistema Único de Saúde: a historical approach].

PubMed

Rodrigues, Paulo Henrique de Almeida

2014-01-01

This article investigates the circumstances in which Brazil’s sanitation reform was conceived and the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) was constructed. A brief analysis is conducted of Brazil’s political transition to democracy, focusing on three political challenges facing the consolidation of SUS: its weak support base amongst workers, competition with the private sector, and the fragmentation of its administration caused by its municipalization. Finally, the changes in the scenario caused by the weakening of neoliberalism since the 2008 crisis, the reemergence of a multipolar political scenario internationally, and the financing conditions of the Brazilian State are described.

Metal elution from Ni- and Fe-based alloy reactors under hydrothermal conditions.

PubMed

Faisal, Muhammad; Quitain, Armando T; Urano, Shin-Ya; Daimon, Hiroyuki; Fujie, Koichi

2004-05-20

Elution of metals from Ni- and Fe-based alloy (i.e. Inconel 625 and SUS 316) under hydrothermal conditions was investigated. Results showed that metals could be eluted even in a short contact time. At subcritical conditions, a significant amount of Cr was extracted from SUS 316, while only traces of Ni, Fe, Mo, and Mn were eluted. In contrast, Ni was removed in significant amounts compared to Cr when Inconel 625 was tested. Several factors including temperature and contact time were found to affect elution behavior. The presence of air in the fluid even promoted elution under subcritical conditions.

Las ideologias, las ciencias naturales y sus implicaciones en la educacion cientifica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lozada Roldan, Sandra

Este estudio ausculto las concepciones epistemologicas de los docentes de ciencia del nivel secundario con relacion a las ideologias y las ciencias naturales. Tambien examino las posiciones de los docentes ante asuntos publicos relacionados a la ciencia. Para propositos de este estudio se diseno y se valido el cuestionario con el cual se obtuvieron los resultados. La investigacion es de tipo cuantitativa y se utilizo como diseno la encuesta. El cuestionario se administro en varias actividades de desarrollo profesional para maestros de ciencia. Un total de 78 maestros del nivel secundario respondieron el cuestionario. Para analizar los datos obtenidos se utilizaron estadisticas descriptivas como la distribucion de frecuencia y el porciento. Ademas se establecieron codigos y categorias para describir las posiciones de los maestros ante asuntos publicos relacionados a la ciencia. Los analisis demostraron que entre los docentes participantes de este estudio prevalecen ciertas concepciones epistemologicas adecuadas acerca de las ciencias naturales, a la luz de la literatura consultada. Entre estas concepciones se destacan las siguientes: a) la filosofia materialista de las ciencias naturales, b) la naturaleza tentativa y constructivista del conocimiento cientifico, c) el uso de una metodologia que garantiza cierto grado de objetividad y con el que se justifican y validan los enunciados cientificos y d) la funcion instrumental del conocimiento cientifico. Sin embargo, entre los docentes participantes de este estudio prevalecen ciertas concepciones epistemologicas erroneas acerca de las ciencias naturales, a la luz de la literatura consultada. Entre estas concepciones se destacan las siguientes: a) tendencia inductivista en el que las teorias cientificas comienzan con observaciones que establecen generalizaciones, b) secuencia jerarquica de la metodologia cientifica. Ademas, entre los docentes participantes de este estudio prevalecen concepciones epistemologicas adecuadas acerca de las ideologias, a la luz de la literatura consultada. Entre estas concepciones se destacan las siguientes: a) la funcion de las ideologias y b) la ausencia de validez ante el conocimiento cientifico. Sin embargo, en cuanto a considerar las ciencias naturales como una ideologia mas conocida como cientificismo, no hubo consistencia en las respuestas de los participantes por lo que no es posible afirmarlo o negarlo. Los hallazgos tambien revelaron que entre los docentes participantes hubo posiciones a favor y en contra para las dos situaciones sobre asuntos publicos relacionados a la ciencia que se presentaron. Estas posiciones fueron justificadas con argumentos cientificos y argumentos ideologicos, entre estos, los morales y los economicos. Con este dato se puede afirmar el uso de las ideologias en asuntos publicos relacionados a la ciencia.

Adolescent pregnancy and transition to adulthood in young users of the SUS

PubMed Central

Vieira, Elisabeth Meloni; Bousquat, Aylene; Barros, Claudia Renata dos Santos; Alves, Maria Cecilia Goi Porto

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to contextualize adolescent pregnancy from milestones associated with the process of transition from youth to adulthood. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study conducted with 200 adolescents, users of the Brazilian Unified Health System. The sample size for the estimation of proportions has been calculated assuming a population ratio of 0.50 and 95% confidence level. The dependent variables – planned pregnancy, living with a partner, and having left the parents’ house – have been considered as markers of transition from dependence to independence, from youth to adulthood. In the analysis of the associated factors, we have used the Poisson model with robust variance. RESULTS Average age was 17.3 years, and most adolescents lived with a partner; approximately half of the adolescents got pregnant from their first partner and the average age of first sexual intercourse was 14.6 years. Only 19% of the adolescents were studying and most dropped out of school before the beginning of the pregnancy. In the bivariate and multiple analysis, we could see that the relationship with a partner for more than two years was associated with the three dependent variables. CONCLUSIONS The path of transition to adulthood has been the establishment of a link with a partner and consequent pregnancy, suggesting a clear pattern of male guardianship. The changing role of women in society observed in recent decades, which means choosing a professional career, defining the number of children, and choosing their partner(s), has not reached these young persons. PMID:28380206

Adolescent pregnancy and transition to adulthood in young users of the SUS.

PubMed

Vieira, Elisabeth Meloni; Bousquat, Aylene; Barros, Claudia Renata Dos Santos; Alves, Maria Cecilia Goi Porto

2017-03-30

The objective of this study is to contextualize adolescent pregnancy from milestones associated with the process of transition from youth to adulthood. This is a cross-sectional study conducted with 200 adolescents, users of the Brazilian Unified Health System. The sample size for the estimation of proportions has been calculated assuming a population ratio of 0.50 and 95% confidence level. The dependent variables - planned pregnancy, living with a partner, and having left the parents' house - have been considered as markers of transition from dependence to independence, from youth to adulthood. In the analysis of the associated factors, we have used the Poisson model with robust variance. Average age was 17.3 years, and most adolescents lived with a partner; approximately half of the adolescents got pregnant from their first partner and the average age of first sexual intercourse was 14.6 years. Only 19% of the adolescents were studying and most dropped out of school before the beginning of the pregnancy. In the bivariate and multiple analysis, we could see that the relationship with a partner for more than two years was associated with the three dependent variables. The path of transition to adulthood has been the establishment of a link with a partner and consequent pregnancy, suggesting a clear pattern of male guardianship. The changing role of women in society observed in recent decades, which means choosing a professional career, defining the number of children, and choosing their partner(s), has not reached these young persons. Contextualizar a gestação em adolescentes a partir de marcos associados ao processo de transição da juventude para a vida adulta. Estudo transversal realizado com 200 adolescentes usuárias do Sistema Único de Saúde. O tamanho da amostra para a estimação de proporções foi calculado considerando uma proporção populacional de 0,50, e nível de confiança de 95%. As variáveis dependentes - gestação planejada, morar com o parceiro e ter saído da casa dos pais - foram consideradas marcadores da transição da dependência para a independência, da juventude para a vida adulta. Na análise dos fatores associados, utilizou-se o modelo de Poisson com variância robusta. A idade média foi 17,3 anos, a maioria coabitava com o companheiro; aproximadamente metade engravidou do primeiro parceiro e a idade média da primeira relação sexual foi 14,6 anos. Apenas 19% das jovens estudavam e o abandono escolar foi, na maior parte, anterior ao início da gestação. Nas análises bivariadas e na análise múltipla, observou-se que relacionar-se com o parceiro há mais de dois anos se associou às três variáveis dependentes. O caminho de transição para a vida adulta foi o estabelecimento de um vínculo com um parceiro e consequente maternidade, sugerindo padrão claro de tutela masculina. A mudança do papel da mulher na sociedade observada nos últimas décadas, que implica optar por uma carreira profissional, definir número de filhos e escolher o(s) parceiro(s),não chegou a parcela dessas jovens.

Brain Mass and Encephalization Quotients in the Domestic Industrial Pig (Sus scrofa)

PubMed Central

Minervini, Serena; Accogli, Gianluca; Pirone, Andrea; Graïc, Jean-Marie; Cozzi, Bruno; Desantis, Salvatore

2016-01-01

In the present study we examined the brain of fetal, newborn, and adult pigs raised for meat production. The fresh and formalin-fixed weights of the brain have been recorded and used, together with body weight, to calculate the Encephalization Quotient (EQ). The weight of the cerebellum has been used to calculate the Cerebellar Quotient (CQ). The results have been discussed together with analogue data obtained in other terrestrial Cetartiodactyla (including the domestic bovine, sheep, goat, and camel), domesticated Carnivora, Proboscidata, and Primates. Our study, based on a relatively large experimental series, corrects former observations present in the literature based on smaller samples, and emphasizes that the domestic pig has a small brain relative to its body size (EQ = 0.38 for adults), possibly due to factors linked to the necessity of meat production and improved body weight. Comparison with other terrestrial Cetartiodactyla indicates a similar trend for all domesticated species. PMID:27351807

Career Track of Society of University Surgeons Resident Research Award Recipients

PubMed Central

Hassan, Burhan; Bernstam, Elmer; Hines, Joe; Simeone, Diane M.; Weber, Sharon; Geller, David; Evers, B. Mark; Meric-Bernstam, Funda

2015-01-01

Background Society of University Surgeons (SUS) has an ongoing competitive funding program to support research training for residents. We sought to determine the career track of award recipients. Methods SUS resident awardees who completed awards from 1989-2007 were included in the study. Characteristics of awardees and their academic productivity were extracted from curriculum vitae provided by awardees (n=24), or from online sources (n=7). Results The awardees spent an average of 2.7 years (range 1-4) of dedicated research time during residency. Awardees averaged 9.8 publications (range 1-32) with 5.4 as first author (range 1-17) with their mentor within three years of award completion, with an average maximum impact factor of 5.7. Twenty-five residents (81%) pursued fellowships. At an average follow-up of 11.4 years (range 4-22) from end of the award, and 7.2 years (0-18) from end of their clinical training, the awardees had an h-index of 14.5 (2-48). At the time of the study, 26 awardees (84%) were in academic surgery. Of the 23 awardees that had completed surgical training three years earlier or more, 11 (48%) received independent research funding, of which 7 (30%) received R01 or equivalent funding. Conclusions The SUS resident research awardees had a very productive research experience. Although our retrospective study cannot determine causation, the SUS award mechanism delivers on its promise of supporting junior surgeon-scientists that pursue academic careers and establish independent research programs. Further studies are needed to determine how rates of subsequent independent research funding can be improved. PMID:23751805

Early detection of breast cancer in Brazil: data from the National Health Survey, 2013

PubMed Central

Silva, Gulnar Azevedo e; de Souza-Júnior, Paulo Roberto Borges; Damacena, Giseli Nogueira; Szwarcwald, Célia Landmann

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To analyze whether the actions of early detection of breast cancer, initiated with the medical request for mammography, differ between users of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) and those who have private health insurance. METHODS From the data collected in the National Health Survey, we estimated the proportions of women who had medical request for mammography according to presence or absence of private health insurance. For assessing the factors related to having mammography medical request, we estimated crude and adjusted odds ratios and respective 95%CI by logistic regression. We also analyzed the main reasons reported for not having performed mammography after medical request, as well as the time between examination and result. RESULTS Of the women interviewed, 66.7% had a medical request for mammography (59.4% among SUS users and 83.9% among those with private health insurance). Having private health insurance, higher education level, and being white were positively associated with having the medical request. Only 5.4% (95%CI 4.8–6.0) of women who received medical request failed to perform mammography – 7.6% were SUS users and 1.7% had health insurance. The most reported reasons for not being able to perform the examination were: not thinking it was necessary; having the test scheduled, but not yet performed; and not being able to schedule it. More than 70% of women received the result with less than one month from its execution. CONCLUSIONS The barriers to access a medical request for mammographic screening for breast cancer are higher among women who depend exclusively on SUS. PMID:28591356

Addition of sulphonylurea to metformin does not relevantly change body weight: a prospective observational cohort study (ZODIAC-39).

PubMed

Schrijnders, Dennis; Wever, Raiza; Kleefstra, Nanne; Houweling, Sebastiaan T; van Hateren, Kornelis J J; de Bock, Geertruida H; Bilo, Henk J G; Groenier, Klaas H; Landman, Gijs W D

2016-10-01

To investigate changes in body weight trajectories after the addition of individual sulphonylureas (SUs) to metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes. We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study, in a primary care setting in the Netherlands. Patients aged ≥18 years with type 2 diabetes who were included in the ZODIAC cohort between 1998 and 2012 and who received metformin monotherapy at inclusion (n = 29 195), and had used metformin as monotherapy for at least 1 year before receiving dual therapy through the addition of an SU for at least 1 year were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was within-drug yearly change in body weight after receiving add-on therapy with individual SUs during 5 years of follow-up. The secondary outcome was within-drug yearly change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Annual changes in weight and HbA1c were estimated with linear mixed models, adjusted for age, gender and diabetes duration. A total of 2958 patients were included. No significant weight changes were observed within and between any of the individual SUs after treatment intensification (p = 0.24). In addition, no significant difference in weight between the add-on therapy combinations was observed (p = 0.26). The average HbA1c the year before intensification was 7.2% (55 mmol/mol) and dropped below 7.0% (53 mmol/mol) the year after. In patients with type 2 diabetes treated in primary care, strict glycaemic control can be maintained with SUs used as add-on therapy to metformin, without the offset of relevant weight changes. © 2016 The Authors. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Career track of Society of University Surgeons Resident Research Award recipients.

PubMed

Hassan, Burhan; Bernstam, Elmer; Hines, O Joe; Simeone, Diane M; Weber, Sharon M; Geller, David A; Evers, B Mark; Meric-Bernstam, Funda

2013-11-01

The Society of University Surgeons (SUS) has an ongoing competitive funding program to support research training for residents. We sought to determine the career track of award recipients. We included in the study SUS resident awardees who completed awards from 1989-2007. Characteristics of awardees and their academic productivity were extracted from curriculum vitae provided by awardees (n = 24), or from online sources (n = 7). Awardees spent an average of 2.7 y (range, 1-4 y) of dedicated research time during residency. Awardees averaged 9.8 publications (range, 1-32), with 5.4 as first author (range, 1-17), with their mentor within 3 y of award completion, with an average maximum impact factor of 5.7. A total of 25 residents (81%) pursued fellowships. At an average follow-up of 11.4 y (range, 4-22 y) from the end of the award and 7.2 y (range, 0-18 y) from end of clinical training, awardees had a Hirsch index of 14.5 (range, 2-48). At the time of the study, 26 awardees (84%) were in academic surgery. Of the 23 awardees who had completed surgical training ≥ 3 y earlier, 11 (48%) received independent research funding, seven of whom (30%) received R01 or equivalent funding. The SUS resident research awardees had a productive research experience. Although our retrospective study cannot determine causation, the SUS award mechanism delivers on its promise of supporting junior surgeon-scientists who pursue academic careers and establish independent research programs. Further studies are needed to determine how rates of subsequent independent research funding can be improved. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

INTERIM REPORT--INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION SURVEY OF SECTION 3, SURVEY UNITS 1, 4 AND 5 EXCAVATED SURFACES, WHITTAKER CORPORATION, REYNOLDS INDUSTRIAL PARK, TRANSFER, PENNSYLVANIA DCN: 5002-SR-04-0"

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

ADAMS, WADE C

At Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's request, ORAU's IEAV program conducted verification surveys on the excavated surfaces of Section 3, SUs 1, 4, and 5 at the Whittaker site on March 13 and 14, 2013. The survey activities included visual inspections, gamma radiation surface scans, gamma activity measurements, and soil sampling activities. Verification activities also included the review and assessment of the licensee's project documentation and methodologies. Surface scans identified four areas of elevated direct gamma radiation distinguishable from background; one area within SUs 1 and 4 and two areas within SU5. One area within SU5 was remediated by removingmore » a golf ball size piece of slag while ORAU staff was onsite. With the exception of the golf ball size piece of slag within SU5, a review of the ESL Section 3 EXS data packages for SUs 1, 4, and 5 indicated that these locations of elevated gamma radiation were also identified by the ESL gamma scans and that ESL personnel performed additional investigations and soil sampling within these areas. The investigative results indicated that the areas met the release criteria.« less

Thoughts on the development of active regional public health systems.

PubMed

Reis, Ademar Arthur Chioro Dos; Sóter, Ana Paula Menezes; Furtado, Lumena Almeida Castro; Pereira, Silvana Souza da Silva

2017-04-01

Decentralization and regionalization are strategic themes for reforms in the health system. This paper analyzes the complex process of health regionalization being developed in Brazil. This paper identifies that the normative framework from the Brazilian National Health System, SUS has made advances with respect to its institutionalization and overcoming the initial centrality involved in municipalization. This has strengthened the development of regionalization and the intergovernmental agreement on health but the evidence points to the need to promote a revision. Based on document analysis, literature review and the views given by the authors involved in management in SUS as well as generating radically different views, the challenges for the construction of a regionalization that is active, is debated. We also discuss: its relations with planning and the dimensioning of service networks, the production of active care networks and shared management spaces, the inter-federative agreements and regional regulations, the capacity to coordinate regional systems and financing and the impact of the political dimension and electoral cycles. Regionalization (and SUS itself) is an open book, therefore ways and possibilities on how to maintain an active form of regionalization can be recommended.

Usability and Acceptance of the Librarian Infobutton Tailoring Environment: An Open Access Online Knowledge Capture, Management, and Configuration Tool for OpenInfobutton.

PubMed

Jing, Xia; Cimino, James J; Del Fiol, Guilherme

2015-11-30

The Librarian Infobutton Tailoring Environment (LITE) is a Web-based knowledge capture, management, and configuration tool with which users can build profiles used by OpenInfobutton, an open source infobutton manager, to provide electronic health record users with context-relevant links to online knowledge resources. We conducted a multipart evaluation study to explore users' attitudes and acceptance of LITE and to guide future development. The evaluation consisted of an initial online survey to all LITE users, followed by an observational study of a subset of users in which evaluators' sessions were recorded while they conducted assigned tasks. The observational study was followed by administration of a modified System Usability Scale (SUS) survey. Fourteen users responded to the survey and indicated good acceptance of LITE with feedback that was mostly positive. Six users participated in the observational study, demonstrating average task completion time of less than 6 minutes and an average SUS score of 72, which is considered good compared with other SUS scores. LITE can be used to fulfill its designated tasks quickly and successfully. Evaluators proposed suggestions for improvements in LITE functionality and user interface.

Overview of VOC emissions and chemistry from PTR-TOF-MS measurements during the SusKat-ABC campaign: high acetaldehyde, isoprene and isocyanic acid in wintertime air of the Kathmandu Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, C.; Sinha, V.; Kumar, V.; Rupakheti, M.; Panday, A.; Mahata, K. S.; Rupakheti, D.; Kathayat, B.; Lawrence, M. G.

2015-09-01

The Kathmandu Valley in Nepal suffers from severe wintertime air pollution. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are key constituents of air pollution, though their specific role in the Valley is poorly understood due to insufficient data. During the SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley-Atmospheric Brown Clouds) field campaign conducted in Nepal in the winter of 2012-2013, a comprehensive study was carried out to characterize the chemical composition of ambient Kathmandu air, including the determination of speciated VOCs by deploying a Proton Transfer Reaction Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS)-the first such deployment in South Asia. 71 ion peaks (for which measured ambient concentrations exceeded the 2 σ detection limit) were detected in the PTR-TOF-MS mass scan data, highlighting the chemical complexity of ambient air in the Valley. Of the 71 species, 37 were found to have campaign average concentrations greater than 200 ppt and were identified based on their spectral characteristics, ambient diel profiles and correlation with specific emission tracers as a result of the high mass resolution (m/Δm > 4200) and temporal resolution (1 min) of the PTR-TOF-MS. The highest average VOC mixing ratios during the measurement period were (in rank order): acetaldehyde (8.8 ppb), methanol (7.4 ppb), acetone (4.2 ppb), benzene (2.7 ppb), toluene (1.5 ppb), isoprene (1.1 ppb), acetonitrile (1.1 ppb), C8-aromatics (~ 1 ppb), furan (~ 0.5 ppb), and C9-aromatics (0.4 ppb). Distinct diel profiles were observed for the nominal isobaric compounds isoprene (m/z = 69.070) and furan (m/z = 69.033). Comparison with wintertime measurements from several locations elsewhere in the world showed mixing ratios of acetaldehyde (~ 9 ppb), acetonitrile (~ 1 ppb) and isoprene (~ 1 ppb) to be among the highest reported till date. Two "new" ambient compounds namely, formamide (m/z = 46.029) and acetamide (m/z = 60.051), which can photochemically produce isocyanic

Overview of VOC emissions and chemistry from PTR-TOF-MS measurements during the SusKat-ABC campaign: high acetaldehyde, isoprene and isocyanic acid in wintertime air of the Kathmandu Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, Chinmoy; Sinha, Vinayak; Kumar, Vinod; Rupakheti, Maheswar; Panday, Arnico; Mahata, Khadak S.; Rupakheti, Dipesh; Kathayat, Bhogendra; Lawrence, Mark G.

2016-03-01

The Kathmandu Valley in Nepal suffers from severe wintertime air pollution. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are key constituents of air pollution, though their specific role in the valley is poorly understood due to insufficient data. During the SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley-Atmospheric Brown Clouds) field campaign conducted in Nepal in the winter of 2012-2013, a comprehensive study was carried out to characterise the chemical composition of ambient Kathmandu air, including the determination of speciated VOCs, by deploying a proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS) - the first such deployment in South Asia. In the study, 71 ion peaks (for which measured ambient concentrations exceeded the 2σ detection limit) were detected in the PTR-TOF-MS mass scan data, highlighting the chemical complexity of ambient air in the valley. Of the 71 species, 37 were found to have campaign average concentrations greater than 200 ppt and were identified based on their spectral characteristics, ambient diel profiles and correlation with specific emission tracers as a result of the high mass resolution (m / Δm > 4200) and temporal resolution (1 min) of the PTR-TOF-MS. The concentration ranking in the average VOC mixing ratios during our wintertime deployment was acetaldehyde (8.8 ppb) > methanol (7.4 ppb) > acetone + propanal (4.2 ppb) > benzene (2.7 ppb) > toluene (1.5 ppb) > isoprene (1.1 ppb) > acetonitrile (1.1 ppb) > C8-aromatics ( ˜ 1 ppb) > furan ( ˜ 0.5 ppb) > C9-aromatics (0.4 ppb). Distinct diel profiles were observed for the nominal isobaric compounds isoprene (m / z = 69.070) and furan (m / z = 69.033). Comparison with wintertime measurements from several locations elsewhere in the world showed mixing ratios of acetaldehyde ( ˜ 9 ppb), acetonitrile ( ˜ 1 ppb) and isoprene ( ˜ 1 ppb) to be among the highest reported to date. Two "new" ambient compounds, namely formamide (m / z = 46.029) and acetamide (m / z

[Study on electrochemical mechanism of coronary stent used austenitic stainless steel in flowing artificial body fluid].

PubMed

Liang, Chenghao; Guo, Liang; Chen, Wan; Wang, Hua

2005-08-01

The electrochemical mechanism of austenitic stainless steel (SUS316L and SUS317L) coronary stents in flowing artificial body fluid has been investigated with electrochemical technologies. The results indicated that the flowing medium coursed the samples' pitting potential Eb shift negatively, increased the pitting corrosion sensitivity, accelerated its anodic dissolution, but had little effects on repassivated potential. The flowing environment had great effects on cathodic process. The oxygen reaction on the samples' surface became faster as the cathodic process was not controlled by oxygen diffusion but by mixed diffusion and electrochemical process. With the increase of velocity of solution, the pitting corrosion becomes liable to occur under this circumstance.

[Community Health Agent: status adapted with Family Health Program reality?].

PubMed

dos Santos, Karina Tonini; Saliba, Nemre Adas; Moimaz, Suzely Adas Saliba; Arcieri, Renato Moreira; Carvalho, Maria de Lourdes

2011-01-01

This study analyses the status and work reality of Community Health Agents, with the purpose of contributing to the improvement of the Brazilian Health System (SUS) in small cities. It was discussed aspects related to their participation in the team of the Family Health Program (PSF) and their interaction with the community. It was observed a lack of motivation and experience, which compromises the quality of Agents performance in the community. It is known that these findings are reflex and consequence of an established context. It is necessary the team rethink their practice, specially the managers, having always as a fundament the principles that guide the SUS and PSF.

Concepts and practices: Estimating abundance of prey species using hierarchical model-based approaches

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dorazio, Robert; Kumar, N. Samba; Royle, Andy; Gopalaswamy, Arjun M.

2017-01-01

Tigers predominantly prey on large ungulate species, such as sambar (Cervus unicolor), red deer (Cervus elaphus), gaur (Bos gaurus), banteng (Bos javanicus), chital (Axis axis), muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), wild pig (Sus scrofa), and bearded pig (Sus barbatus). The density of a tiger population is strongly correlated with the density of such prey species (Karanth et al. 2004). In the absence of direct hunting of tigers, abundance of prey in an area is the key determinant of the “carrying capacity” of that area for tigers (Chap. 2). Accurate estimates of prey abundance are often needed to assess the potential number of tigers a conservation area can support.

Early detection of breast cancer in Brazil: data from the National Health Survey, 2013.

PubMed

Silva, Gulnar Azevedo E; Souza-Júnior, Paulo Roberto Borges de; Damacena, Giseli Nogueira; Szwarcwald, Célia Landmann

2017-06-01

To analyze whether the actions of early detection of breast cancer, initiated with the medical request for mammography, differ between users of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) and those who have private health insurance. From the data collected in the National Health Survey, we estimated the proportions of women who had medical request for mammography according to presence or absence of private health insurance. For assessing the factors related to having mammography medical request, we estimated crude and adjusted odds ratios and respective 95%CI by logistic regression. We also analyzed the main reasons reported for not having performed mammography after medical request, as well as the time between examination and result. Of the women interviewed, 66.7% had a medical request for mammography (59.4% among SUS users and 83.9% among those with private health insurance). Having private health insurance, higher education level, and being white were positively associated with having the medical request. Only 5.4% (95%CI 4.8-6.0) of women who received medical request failed to perform mammography - 7.6% were SUS users and 1.7% had health insurance. The most reported reasons for not being able to perform the examination were: not thinking it was necessary; having the test scheduled, but not yet performed; and not being able to schedule it. More than 70% of women received the result with less than one month from its execution. The barriers to access a medical request for mammographic screening for breast cancer are higher among women who depend exclusively on SUS. Analisar se as ações de detecção precoce para o câncer de mama, iniciadas com o pedido médico de mamografia, diferem entre usuárias do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) e aquelas que possuem plano de saúde privado. A partir dos dados coletados na Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde, foram calculadas as proporções de mulheres que tiveram pedido médico para realização de mamografia segundo ter ou n

Do Perceptions of Insulin Pump Usability Impact Attitudes Toward Insulin Pump Therapy? A Pilot Study of Individuals With Type 1 and Insulin-Treated Type 2 Diabetes

PubMed Central

Gilgen, Emily

2014-01-01

Background: We assessed the impact of perceived insulin pump usability on attitudes toward insulin pump therapy in diabetic individuals currently treated with multiple daily insulin injections (MDI). Method: This comparative, single-arm study recruited 28 adults with type 1 (n = 16) and insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (n = 12) to evaluate 2 current insulin pumps: Medtronic Revel 723 (Pump 1), Asante Snap Insulin Pump (Pump 2). Participants were randomized 1:1 to 1 of 2 assessment sequences: Pump 1 followed by Pump 2; and Pump 2 followed by Pump 1. Structured observational protocols were utilized to assess participants’ ability and time required to learn/perform common tasks associated with pump setup/use. Participants used a modified version of the System Usability Scale (SUS) and investigator-developed questionnaires to rate pump usability and task difficulty; pre-post questionnaires assessed changes in attitudes toward insulin pump therapy. Results: All participants completed the study. SUS scores showed Pump 2 to be more usable than Pump 1 on all usability attributes. Participants rated Pump 2 more positively than Pump 1, overall mean SUS scores of 5.7 versus 4.1 respectively, F(1, 52) = 32.7, P < .001, and SUS scores were higher if participants used the Pump 2 last, 5.3 versus 4.4 for Pump 1 last, F(1, 52) = 10.8, P < .01. Pump 2 was preferred for all tasks: manual bolus (86%), bolus calculation (71%), managing basal rates (93%), interpreting alarms (96%), transferring settings (100%), changing insulin and infusion sets (93%), all P < .05. Conclusions: Perceptions of pump usability can directly impact acceptance and use of features that may benefit those who wear them. Simpler pump devices that decrease perceptions of complexity may encourage broader use of this technology. PMID:25269659

Different sleep onset criteria at the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT): an additional marker to differentiate central nervous system (CNS) hypersomnias.

PubMed

Pizza, Fabio; Vandi, Stefano; Detto, Stefania; Poli, Francesca; Franceschini, Christian; Montagna, Pasquale; Plazzi, Giuseppe

2011-03-01

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) has different correlates in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) [idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) without long sleep time] and REM sleep [narcolepsy without cataplexy (NwoC) and narcolepsy with cataplexy (NC)]-related hypersomnias of central origin. We analysed sleep onset characteristics at the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) applying simultaneously two sleep onset criteria in 44 NC, seven NwoC and 16 IH consecutive patients referred for subjective EDS complaint. Sleep latency (SL) at MSLT was assessed both as the time elapsed to the occurrence of a single epoch of sleep Stage 1 NREM (SL) and of unequivocal sleep [three sleep Stage 1 NREM epochs or any other sleep stage epoch, sustained SL (SusSL)]. Idiopathic hypersomnia patients showed significantly (P<0.0001) longer SusSL than SL (7.7±2.5 versus 5.6±1.3 min, respectively) compared to NwoC (5.8±2.5 versus 5.3±2.2 min) and NC patients (4.1±3 versus 3.9±3 min). A mean difference threshold between SusSL and SL ≥27 s reached a diagnostic value to discriminate IH versus NC and NwoC sufferers (sensitivity 88%; specificity 82%). Moreover, NC patients showed better subjective sleepiness perception than NwoC and IH cases in the comparison between naps with or without sleep occurrence. Simultaneous application of the two widely used sleep onset criteria differentiates IH further from NC and NwoC patients: IH fluctuate through a wake-Stage 1 NREM sleep state before the onset of sustained sleep, while NC and NwoC shift abruptly into a sustained sleep. The combination of SusSL and SL determination at MSLT should be tested as an additional objective differential criterion for EDS disorders. © 2010 European Sleep Research Society.

The effect of vildagliptin relative to sulphonylureas in Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes fasting during Ramadan: the VIRTUE study

PubMed Central

Al-Arouj, M; Hassoun, A A K; Medlej, R; Pathan, M F; Shaltout, I; Chawla, M S; Hristoskova, S; DiTommaso, S; Kadwa, M Y

2013-01-01

SUMMARY Aims To assess, in a real-world setting, the effect of vildagliptin compared with sulphonylurea (SU) treatment on hypoglycaemia in Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) fasting during Ramadan. Methods This multinational, non-interventional study, conducted in Asia and the Middle East, included Muslim adult patients with T2DM who received treatment with vildagliptin or SU as add-on to metformin or monotherapy. During a ∼16-week observation period, data were collected up to 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after Ramadan fasting. The primary study objective was to compare the proportion of patients with ≥ 1 hypoglycaemic event (HE) during fasting. Results Of > 1300 patients enrolled in the study, 684 were treated with vildagliptin and 631 with SUs. Significantly fewer patients experienced ≥ 1 HE with vildagliptin compared with those receiving SUs (5.4% vs. 19.8%, respectively; p < 0.001); no vildagliptin-treated patients reported a grade 2 HE, vs. 4 SU-treated patients (p = 0.053). Mean HbA1c changes from baseline were vildagliptin: –0.24%, SUs: +0.02% (p < 0.001). Mean body weight reductions from baseline were vildagliptin: –0.76 kg, SUs: –0.13 kg (p < 0.001). A higher proportion of SU-treated patients experienced adverse events (AEs) compared with vildagliptin (22.8% vs. 10.2%). This difference was driven by hypoglycaemia as the most common AE. Conclusions In this real-world study of fasting Muslim patients with T2DM, vildagliptin was associated with significantly fewer hypoglycaemic episodes compared with SU therapy. This outcome is particularly meaningful when viewed in the context of good glycaemic and weight control observed in vildagliptin-treated patients. Vildagliptin was well tolerated in this patient population. Linked Comment: Ahmed. Int J Clin Pract 2013; 67: 933–4. PMID:24001317

Effect of moderate to vigorous physical activity on long-term clinical outcomes and pain severity in fibromyalgia.

PubMed

Kaleth, Anthony S; Saha, Chandan K; Jensen, Mark P; Slaven, James E; Ang, Dennis C

2013-08-01

To evaluate the relationship between long-term maintenance of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and clinical outcomes in fibromyalgia (FM). Patients with FM (n = 170) received individualized exercise prescriptions and completed baseline and followup physical activity assessments using the Community Health Activities Model Program for Seniors questionnaire at weeks 12, 24, and 36. The primary outcome was the change in the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire-Physical Impairment (FIQ-PI) score. The secondary outcomes included improvements in overall well-being (FIQ total score), pain severity ratings, and depression. Using a threshold increase in MVPA of ≥10 metabolic equivalent hours/week above usual activities, 27 subjects (15.9%) increased and sustained (SUS-PA), 68 (40%) increased but then declined (UNSUS-PA), and 75 (44.1%) did not achieve (LO-PA) this benchmark. Compared to LO-PA subjects, both SUS-PA and UNSUS-PA subjects reported greater improvement in FIQ-PI (P < 0.01) and FIQ total score (P < 0.05). Additionally, the SUS-PA group reported greater improvement in pain severity compared to the LO-PA group (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant group differences between SUS-PA and UNSUS-PA for any primary or secondary outcome measure. Increased participation in MVPA for at least 12 weeks improved physical function and overall well-being in patients with FM. Although sustained physical activity was not associated with greater clinical benefit compared with unsustained physical activity, these findings also suggest that performing greater volumes of physical activity is not associated with worsening pain in FM. Future research is needed to determine the relationship between sustained MVPA participation and subsequent improvement in patient outcomes. Copyright © 2013 by the American College of Rheumatology.

The German Version of the Strengths Use Scale: The Relation of Using Individual Strengths and Well-being.

PubMed

Huber, Alexandra; Webb, Dave; Höfer, Stefan

2017-01-01

Theoretical perspectives in positive psychology have considered the possession and use of strengths equally but in applied research more studies focused on having them, probably due to the absence of psychometrically adequate scales. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the psychometric characteristics of the German language version of the Strengths Use Scale (SUS) and to explore relationships between strengths use and several indicator measures of well-being: the presence of positive and the absence of negative affect, self-esteem as identity aspect, vitality as self-regulatory resource, and stress for capturing the evaluation of difficulties and obstacles impinging on well-being. The original English version of the SUS was translated following recommended independent forward-backward translation techniques. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted, including a German-speaking convenience sample of university students ( N = 374). Additionally, the relations of strengths use and well-being indicators were analyzed. Factorial validity revealed a single-factor structure of the German version of the SUS, explaining 58.4% variance (factor loadings: 0.58 to 0.86), approving the scale's design and showing high internal consistency (Cronbach's α 0.95). The hypothesized positive relationships of strengths use with positive affect, self-esteem, and vitality were confirmed as well as the negative relationships with negative affect and stress. The German version of the SUS is psychometrically sound and data indicate that individual strengths use and well-being related measures interact. The instrument can be recommended for future research questions such as if and how the promotion of applying individual strengths during education enhances levels of well-being, or how the implementation of strengths use in job-design guidelines or working conditions can result in higher levels of well-being or healthiness.

An experimental study on fatigue performance of cryogenic metallic materials for IMO type B tank

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jin-Sung; You, Won-Hyo; Yoo, Chang-Hyuk; Kim, Kyung-Su; Kim, Yooil

2013-12-01

Three materials SUS304, 9% Ni steel and Al 5083-O alloy, which are considered possible candidate for International Maritime Organization (IMO) type B Cargo Containment System, were studied. Monotonic tensile, fatigue, fatigue crack growth rate and Crack Tip Opening Displacement tests were carried out at room, intermediate low (-100 °C) and cryogenic (-163 °C) temperatures. The initial yield and tensile strengths of all materials tended to increase with decreasing temperature, whereas the change in elastic modulus was not as remarkable. The largest and smallest improvement ratio of the initial yield strengths due to a temperature reduction were observed in the SUS304 and Al 5083- O alloy, respectively. The fatigue strengths of the three materials increased with decreasing temperature. The largest increase in fatigue strength was observed in the Al 5083-O alloy, whereas the 9% Ni steel sample showed the smallest increase. In the fatigue crack growth rate test, SUS304 and Al 5083-O alloy showed a decrease in the crack propagation rate, due to decrease in temperature, but no visible improvement in da/dN was observed in the case of 9% Ni steel. In the Crack Tip Opening Displacement (CTOD) test, CTOD values were converted to critical crack length for the comparison with different thickness specimens. The critical crack length tended to decrease in the case of SUS304 and increase for the Al 5083-O alloy with decreasing temperature. In case of 9% Ni steel, change of critical crack length was not observed due to temperature decrease. In addition, the changing material properties according to the temperature of the LNG tank were analyzed according to the international code for the construction and equipment of ships carrying liquefied gases in bulk (IGC code) and the rules of classifications.

The German Version of the Strengths Use Scale: The Relation of Using Individual Strengths and Well-being

PubMed Central

Huber, Alexandra; Webb, Dave; Höfer, Stefan

2017-01-01

Theoretical perspectives in positive psychology have considered the possession and use of strengths equally but in applied research more studies focused on having them, probably due to the absence of psychometrically adequate scales. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the psychometric characteristics of the German language version of the Strengths Use Scale (SUS) and to explore relationships between strengths use and several indicator measures of well-being: the presence of positive and the absence of negative affect, self-esteem as identity aspect, vitality as self-regulatory resource, and stress for capturing the evaluation of difficulties and obstacles impinging on well-being. The original English version of the SUS was translated following recommended independent forward-backward translation techniques. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted, including a German-speaking convenience sample of university students (N = 374). Additionally, the relations of strengths use and well-being indicators were analyzed. Factorial validity revealed a single-factor structure of the German version of the SUS, explaining 58.4% variance (factor loadings: 0.58 to 0.86), approving the scale’s design and showing high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α 0.95). The hypothesized positive relationships of strengths use with positive affect, self-esteem, and vitality were confirmed as well as the negative relationships with negative affect and stress. The German version of the SUS is psychometrically sound and data indicate that individual strengths use and well-being related measures interact. The instrument can be recommended for future research questions such as if and how the promotion of applying individual strengths during education enhances levels of well-being, or how the implementation of strengths use in job-design guidelines or working conditions can result in higher levels of well-being or healthiness. PMID:28496424

Comparison of metal concentrations in rat tibia tissues with various metallic implants.

PubMed

Okazaki, Yoshimitsu; Gotoh, Emiko; Manabe, Takeshi; Kobayashi, Kihei

2004-12-01

To compare metal concentrations in tibia tissues with various metallic implants, SUS316L stainless steel, Co-Cr-Mo casting alloy, and Ti-6Al-4V and V-free Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta alloys were implanted into the rat tibia for up to 48 weeks. After the implant was removed from the tibia by decalcification, the tibia tissues near the implant were lyophilized. Then the concentrations of metals in the tibia tissues by microwave acid digestion were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Fe concentrations were determined by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The Fe concentration in the tibia tissues with the SUS316L implant was relatively high, and it rapidly increased up to 12 weeks and then decreased thereafter. On the other hand, the Co concentration in the tibia tissues with the Co-Cr-Mo implant was lower, and it increased up to 24 weeks and slightly decreased at 48 weeks. The Ni concentration in the tibia tissues with the SUS316L implant increased up to 6 weeks and then gradually decreased thereafter. The Cr concentration tended to be higher than the Co concentration. This Cr concentration linearly increased up to 12 weeks and then decreased toward 48 weeks in the tibia tissues with the SUS316L or Co-Cr-Mo implant. Minute quantities of Ti, Al and V in the tibia tissues with the Ti-6Al-4V implant were found. The Ti concentration in the tibia tissues with the Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta implant was lower than that in the tibia tissues with the Ti-6Al-4V implant. The Zr, Nb and Ta concentrations were also very low. The Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta alloy with its low metal release in vivo is considered advantageous for long-term implants.

Near-Isogenic Cry1F-Resistant Strain of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Investigate Fitness Cost Associated With Resistance in Brazil.

PubMed

Horikoshi, Renato J; Bernardi, Oderlei; Bernardi, Daniel; Okuma, Daniela M; Farias, Juliano R; Miraldo, Leonardo L; Amaral, Fernando S A; Omoto, Celso

2016-04-01

Field-evolved resistance to Cry1F maize in Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) populations in Brazil was reported in 2014. In this study, to investigate fitness costs, we constructed a near-isogenic S. frugiperda-resistant strain (R-Cry1F) using Cry1F-resistant and Cry1F-susceptible strains sharing a close genetic background. A near-isogenic R-Cry1F strain was obtained by eight repeated backcrossings, each followed by sib-mating and selection among resistant and susceptible strains. Fitness cost parameters were evaluated by comparing the biological performance of resistant, susceptible, and heterozygous strains on artificial diet. Fitness parameters monitored included development time and survival rates of egg, larval, pupal, and egg-to-adult periods; sex ratio; adult longevity; timing of preoviposition, oviposition, and postoviposition; fecundity; and fertility. A fertility life table was also calculated. The near-isogenic R-Cry1F strain showed lower survival rate of eggs (32%), when compared with Sus and reciprocal crosses (41 and 55%, respectively). The number of R-Cry1F insects that completed the life cycle was reduced to ∼25%, compared with the Sus strain with ∼32% reaching the adult stage. The mean generation time (T) of R-Cry1F strain was ∼2 d shorter than R-Cry1F♂×Sus♀ and Sus strains. The reproductive parameters of R-Cry1F strain were similar to the Sus strain. However, fewer females were produced by R-Cry1F strain than R-Cry1F♀×Sus♂ and more females than R-Cry1F♂×Sus♀. In summary, no relevant fitness costs are observed in a near-isogenic Cry1F-resistant strain of S. frugiperda, indicating stability of resistance to Cry1F protein in Brazilian populations of this species in the absence of selection pressure.

Health and innovation: economic dynamics and Welfare State in Brazil.

PubMed

Gadelha, Carlos Augusto Grabois; Braga, Patrícia Seixas da Costa

2016-11-03

The effective enforcement of the access to healthcare as fundamental right requires an important theoretical and political effort at linking the often contradictory economic and social dimensions of development. This study suggests the need for a systemic view of policies related to the industrial base and innovation in health and the construction of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS). The authors investigate the relations between health, innovation, and development, seeking to show and update the political, economic, and social determinants of the recent Brazilian experience with the Health Economic-Industrial Complex (HEIC). They discuss how the agenda for innovation and domestic industrial production in health gained a central place in the project for construction of the SUS. The article thus seeks to link inherent issues from the agenda for development, production, and innovation to social policy in healthcare, as observed in recent years, and based on this analysis, points to political and conceptual challenges for implementing the SUS, especially as regards strengthening its technological and industrial base. As a byproduct, the article develops an analytical and factual focus on the consolidation of the HEIC in Brazil, both as a dynamic vector of industrial development, generating investment, income, employment, and innovations, and as a decisive element for reducing vulnerability and structural dependence in health. The authors aim to show that strengthening the SUS and orienting it to social needs is an essential part of building a social Welfare State in Brazil. Resumo: A efetivação da saúde como um direito fundamental exige importante esforço, teórico e político, de articulação das dimensões econômicas e sociais, por vezes contraditórias, do desenvolvimento. Este trabalho indica a necessidade de um olhar sistêmico das políticas relacionadas à base produtiva e de inovação em saúde e à construção do Sistema Único de Sa

Cost analysis of nucleic acid amplification for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis, within the context of the Brazilian Unified Health Care System.

PubMed

Pinto, Márcia; Entringer, Aline Piovezan; Steffen, Ricardo; Trajman, Anete

2015-01-01

We estimated the costs of a molecular test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resistance to rifampin (Xpert MTB/RIF) and of smear microscopy, within the Brazilian Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS, Unified Health Care System). In SUS laboratories in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Manaus, we performed activity-based costing and micro-costing. The mean unit costs for Xpert MTB/RIF and smear microscopy were R$35.57 and R$14.16, respectively. The major cost drivers for Xpert MTB/RIF and smear microscopy were consumables/reagents and staff, respectively. These results might facilitate future cost-effectiveness studies and inform the decision-making process regarding the expansion of Xpert MTB/RIF use in Brazil.

Corrosion resistance of high-Cr oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steels in super-critical pressurized water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, H. S.; Kimura, A.

2007-08-01

The effects of alloying elements, such as Cr and Al, on corrosion resistance in super critical pressurized water (SCPW) have been investigated to develop corrosion resistant oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) steels. Corrosion tests were performed in a SCPW (783 K, 25 MPa) environment. Weight gain was measured after exposure to the SCPW, and then oxide layers were analyzed by low angle X-ray diffraction and SEM microscopy. The weight gains of all high-Cr ODS steels are smaller than an austenitic stainless steel (SUS316L). More uniform and thinner oxidation layers were observed on the ODS steels after corrosion compared to those on 9Cr martensitic steel and SUS316L.

[The Brazilian National Health Conference: challenges for the country].

PubMed

Gadelha, Paulo

2015-10-01

This article was published in the context of the upcoming 15th Brazilian National Health Conference and addresses the country's health challenges based on the history of previous conferences. The authors analyze the evolution of health as a public policy agenda, highlighting the role of such institutions as the Brazilian Center for Health Studies (CEBES), the Brazilian Association of Collective Health (Abrasco), and the National Health Council in advocating and establishing the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS). The article also focuses on expectations concerning the 15th National Health Conference within a political and economic scenario that raises questions and challenges both for the future of health policy, exemplified by SUS, and the current capacity to mobilize stakeholders.

The critical role of communications in a multilevel obesity-prevention intervention: Lessons learned for alcohol educators.

PubMed

Hatfield, Daniel P; Sliwa, Sarah A; Folta, Sara C; Economos, Christina D; Goldberg, Jeanne P

2017-01-01

Multilevel interventions to prevent underage drinking are more effective than individual-level strategies, and messaging campaigns are key to such approaches. Recognizing the benefits of translating best practices across public health domains, this paper details the communications campaign from Shape Up Somerville (SUS), an exemplar for multilevel community-based approaches to address pediatric obesity, highlighting lessons learned for alcohol educators. All elements of SUS, including the communications strategy, were developed collaboratively with local partners. Communication initiatives included community-engaged brand development to unify diverse intervention components; school-based communications to promote new opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity; and media partnerships to promote healthy behaviors community-wide. The overall SUS intervention was effective in reducing prevalence of overweight/obesity among first- to third-graders in Somerville relative to control communities. Process evaluation showed that communications successfully reached diverse community segments and raised awareness of and receptivity to changes. Communications campaigns are essential components of multilevel interventions addressing public health challenges including obesity and underage drinking. Such communications should be developed collaboratively with the target audience and stakeholders, designed to engage community members at multiple levels through multiple channels within a systems framework, and sustained through local partnerships. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stability of Fe-Cr alloy interconnects under CH 4-H 2O atmosphere for SOFCs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horita, Teruhisa; Xiong, Yueping; Yamaji, Katsuhiko; Sakai, Natsuko; Yokokawa, Harumi

The chemical stability of Fe-Cr alloys (ZMG232 and SUS430) was examined under humidified CH 4 gases at 1073 K to simulate the real anode atmosphere in SOFC operation. Surface microstructure change and oxide scale layer formation were observed on the oxidized Fe-Cr alloy surfaces. The main reaction products were Mn-Cr-(Fe) spinels for both alloys. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was applied to measure the elemental distribution of minor and major elements around the oxide scale/alloy interface. A high concentration of Mn on the oxide scale surface suggested the fast diffusion of Mn in the oxide scale to form the spinels. Annealing in CH 4-H 2O made the oxide scale thicker with duration time on the alloy surface. The parabolic growth rates ( kp) of oxide scale layer were evaluated from the thickness of oxide scales by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiles, which were calculated to the following: kp=6.25×10 -6 μm 2/s for SUS430 and kp=4.42×10 -6 μm 2/s for ZMG232. The electrical conductivity of oxidized alloys showed the semi-conductor temperature dependence for both alloys. The electrical conductivity of oxidized ZMG232 alloy was higher than that of oxidized SUS430.

Reinforcement learning for routing in cognitive radio ad hoc networks.

PubMed

Al-Rawi, Hasan A A; Yau, Kok-Lim Alvin; Mohamad, Hafizal; Ramli, Nordin; Hashim, Wahidah

2014-01-01

Cognitive radio (CR) enables unlicensed users (or secondary users, SUs) to sense for and exploit underutilized licensed spectrum owned by the licensed users (or primary users, PUs). Reinforcement learning (RL) is an artificial intelligence approach that enables a node to observe, learn, and make appropriate decisions on action selection in order to maximize network performance. Routing enables a source node to search for a least-cost route to its destination node. While there have been increasing efforts to enhance the traditional RL approach for routing in wireless networks, this research area remains largely unexplored in the domain of routing in CR networks. This paper applies RL in routing and investigates the effects of various features of RL (i.e., reward function, exploitation, and exploration, as well as learning rate) through simulation. New approaches and recommendations are proposed to enhance the features in order to improve the network performance brought about by RL to routing. Simulation results show that the RL parameters of the reward function, exploitation, and exploration, as well as learning rate, must be well regulated, and the new approaches proposed in this paper improves SUs' network performance without significantly jeopardizing PUs' network performance, specifically SUs' interference to PUs.

Sentiment of Search: KM and IT for User Expectations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berndt, Sarah Ann; Meza, David

2014-01-01

User perceived value is the number one indicator of a successful implementation of KM and IT collaborations. The system known as "Search" requires more strategy and workflow that a mere data dump or ungoverned infrastructure can provide. Monitoring of user sentiment can be a driver for providing objective measures of success and justifying changes to the user interface. The dynamic nature of information technology makes traditional usability metrics difficult to identify, yet easy to argue against. There is little disagreement, however, on the criticality of adapting to user needs and expectations. The Systems Usability Scale (SUS), developed by John Brook in 1986 has become an industry standard for usability engineering. The first phase of a modified SUS, polls the sentiment of representative users of the JSC Search system. This information can be used to correlate user determined value with types of information sought and how the system is (or is not) meeting expectations. Sentiment analysis by way of the SUS assists an organization in identification and prioritization of the KM and IT variables impacting user perceived value. A secondary, user group focused analysis is the topic of additional work that demonstrates the impact of specific changes dictated by user sentiment.

Task Dependence, Tissue Specificity, and Spatial Distribution of Widespread Activations in Large Single-Subject Functional MRI Datasets at 7T

PubMed Central

Gonzalez-Castillo, Javier; Hoy, Colin W.; Handwerker, Daniel A.; Roopchansingh, Vinai; Inati, Souheil J.; Saad, Ziad S.; Cox, Robert W.; Bandettini, Peter A.

2015-01-01

It was recently shown that when large amounts of task-based blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) data are combined to increase contrast- and temporal signal-to-noise ratios, the majority of the brain shows significant hemodynamic responses time-locked with the experimental paradigm. Here, we investigate the biological significance of such widespread activations. First, the relationship between activation extent and task demands was investigated by varying cognitive load across participants. Second, the tissue specificity of responses was probed using the better BOLD signal localization capabilities of a 7T scanner. Finally, the spatial distribution of 3 primary response types—namely positively sustained (pSUS), negatively sustained (nSUS), and transient—was evaluated using a newly defined voxel-wise waveshape index that permits separation of responses based on their temporal signature. About 86% of gray matter (GM) became significantly active when all data entered the analysis for the most complex task. Activation extent scaled with task load and largely followed the GM contour. The most common response type was nSUS BOLD, irrespective of the task. Our results suggest that widespread activations associated with extremely large single-subject functional magnetic resonance imaging datasets can provide valuable information about the functional organization of the brain that goes undetected in smaller sample sizes. PMID:25405938

Reinforcement Learning for Routing in Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks

PubMed Central

Al-Rawi, Hasan A. A.; Mohamad, Hafizal; Hashim, Wahidah

2014-01-01

Cognitive radio (CR) enables unlicensed users (or secondary users, SUs) to sense for and exploit underutilized licensed spectrum owned by the licensed users (or primary users, PUs). Reinforcement learning (RL) is an artificial intelligence approach that enables a node to observe, learn, and make appropriate decisions on action selection in order to maximize network performance. Routing enables a source node to search for a least-cost route to its destination node. While there have been increasing efforts to enhance the traditional RL approach for routing in wireless networks, this research area remains largely unexplored in the domain of routing in CR networks. This paper applies RL in routing and investigates the effects of various features of RL (i.e., reward function, exploitation, and exploration, as well as learning rate) through simulation. New approaches and recommendations are proposed to enhance the features in order to improve the network performance brought about by RL to routing. Simulation results show that the RL parameters of the reward function, exploitation, and exploration, as well as learning rate, must be well regulated, and the new approaches proposed in this paper improves SUs' network performance without significantly jeopardizing PUs' network performance, specifically SUs' interference to PUs. PMID:25140350

Altered sucrose synthase and invertase expression affects the local and systemic sugar metabolism of nematode-infected Arabidopsis thaliana plants

PubMed Central

Hofmann, Julia

2014-01-01

Sedentary endoparasitic nematodes of plants induce highly specific feeding cells in the root central cylinder. From these, the obligate parasites withdraw all required nutrients. The feeding cells were described as sink tissues in the plant’s circulation system that are supplied with phloem-derived solutes such as sugars. Currently, there are several publications describing mechanisms of sugar import into the feeding cells. However, sugar processing has not been studied so far. Thus, in the present work, the roles of the sucrose-cleaving enzymes sucrose synthases (SUS) and invertases (INV) in the development of Heterodera schachtii were studied. Gene expression analyses indicate that both enzymes are regulated transcriptionally. Nematode development was enhanced on multiple INV and SUS mutants. Syncytia of these mutants were characterized by altered enzyme activity and changing sugar pool sizes. Further, the analyses revealed systemically affected sugar levels and enzyme activities in the shoots of the tested mutants, suggesting changes in the source–sink relationship. Finally, the development of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica was studied in different INV and SUS mutants and wild-type Arabidopsis plants. Similar effects on the development of both sedentary endoparasitic nematode species (root-knot and cyst nematode) were observed, suggesting a more general role of sucrose-degrading enzymes during plant–nematode interactions. PMID:24187419

A Scalable Cyberinfrastructure for Interactive Visualization of Terascale Microscopy Data.

PubMed

Venkat, A; Christensen, C; Gyulassy, A; Summa, B; Federer, F; Angelucci, A; Pascucci, V

2016-08-01

The goal of the recently emerged field of connectomics is to generate a wiring diagram of the brain at different scales. To identify brain circuitry, neuroscientists use specialized microscopes to perform multichannel imaging of labeled neurons at a very high resolution. CLARITY tissue clearing allows imaging labeled circuits through entire tissue blocks, without the need for tissue sectioning and section-to-section alignment. Imaging the large and complex non-human primate brain with sufficient resolution to identify and disambiguate between axons, in particular, produces massive data, creating great computational challenges to the study of neural circuits. Researchers require novel software capabilities for compiling, stitching, and visualizing large imagery. In this work, we detail the image acquisition process and a hierarchical streaming platform, ViSUS, that enables interactive visualization of these massive multi-volume datasets using a standard desktop computer. The ViSUS visualization framework has previously been shown to be suitable for 3D combustion simulation, climate simulation and visualization of large scale panoramic images. The platform is organized around a hierarchical cache oblivious data layout, called the IDX file format, which enables interactive visualization and exploration in ViSUS, scaling to the largest 3D images. In this paper we showcase the VISUS framework used in an interactive setting with the microscopy data.

Altered sucrose synthase and invertase expression affects the local and systemic sugar metabolism of nematode-infected Arabidopsis thaliana plants.

PubMed

Cabello, Susana; Lorenz, Cindy; Crespo, Sara; Cabrera, Javier; Ludwig, Roland; Escobar, Carolina; Hofmann, Julia

2014-01-01

Sedentary endoparasitic nematodes of plants induce highly specific feeding cells in the root central cylinder. From these, the obligate parasites withdraw all required nutrients. The feeding cells were described as sink tissues in the plant's circulation system that are supplied with phloem-derived solutes such as sugars. Currently, there are several publications describing mechanisms of sugar import into the feeding cells. However, sugar processing has not been studied so far. Thus, in the present work, the roles of the sucrose-cleaving enzymes sucrose synthases (SUS) and invertases (INV) in the development of Heterodera schachtii were studied. Gene expression analyses indicate that both enzymes are regulated transcriptionally. Nematode development was enhanced on multiple INV and SUS mutants. Syncytia of these mutants were characterized by altered enzyme activity and changing sugar pool sizes. Further, the analyses revealed systemically affected sugar levels and enzyme activities in the shoots of the tested mutants, suggesting changes in the source-sink relationship. Finally, the development of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica was studied in different INV and SUS mutants and wild-type Arabidopsis plants. Similar effects on the development of both sedentary endoparasitic nematode species (root-knot and cyst nematode) were observed, suggesting a more general role of sucrose-degrading enzymes during plant-nematode interactions.

The regulation and adoption of health technologies under Brazil's Unified Health System: barriers to access to medicines for diseases of poverty?

PubMed

Santana, Rafael Santos; Lupatini, Evandro de Oliveira; Leite, Silvana Nair

2017-05-01

The study aimed to examine the regulation and adoption of health technologies for the diseases of poverty in the Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS). An exploratory, descriptive study was conducted between January and May 2016 consisting of the search and analysis of relevant documents on the websites of Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the National Commission for the Adoption of Technologies by the SUS, and Saúde Legis (the Ministry of Health's Legislation System). The 2014 version of the Brazilian National List of Essential Medicines (RENAME, acronym in Portuguese) contained 132 medicines for diseases of poverty. Over one-third of these (49) had only one national producer, while 24 were not registered in the country. The number of medicines contained in the RENAME dedicated to this group of diseases increased by 46% between 2006 and 2014. Despite advances in the regulation and incorporation of technologies by the SUS, given the lack of market interest and neglect of diseases of poverty, the government has a vital role to play in ensuring access to the best available therapies in order to reduce health inequalities. It therefore follows that Brazil needs to improve the regulation of medicines that do not attract market interest.

[The health system of Brazil].

PubMed

Montekio, Víctor Becerril; Medina, Guadalupe; Aquino, Rosana

2011-01-01

This paper describes the Brazilian health system, which includes a public sector covering almost 75% of the population and an expanding private sector offering health services to the rest of the population. The public sector is organized around the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) and it is financed with general taxes and social contributions collected by the three levels of government (federal, state and municipal). SUS provides health care through a decentralized network of clinics, hospitals and other establishments, as well as through contracts with private providers. SUS is also responsible for the coordination of the public sector. The private sector includes a system of insurance schemes known as Supplementary Health which is financed by employers and/or households: group medicine (companies and households), medical cooperatives, the so called Self-Administered Plans (companies) and individual insurance plans.The private sector also includes clinics, hospitals and laboratories offering services on out-of-pocket basis mostly used by the high-income population. This paper also describes the resources of the system, the stewardship activities developed by the Ministry of Health and other actors, and the most recent policy innovations implemented in Brazil, including the programs saúde da Familia and Mais Saúde.

50 CFR 14.4 - What terms do I have to understand?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...; Ferret (domestic)—Mustela putorius; Goat—Capra hircus; Horse—Equus caballus; Llama—Lama glama; Pig—Sus... auratus. Birds: Chicken—Gallus domesticus; Ducks & geese—domesticated varieties; Guinea fowl—Numida...

Sistemas binarios viuda negra: conectando sus orígenes con su estado final

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benvenuto, O. G.; De Vito, M. A.; Horvath, J. E.

``Black widow'' systems are located in a well determined region of the plane (where is the mass of the pulsar companion and is the orbital period of the system). An attempt has been made to understand which are the mechanisms that lead to companions of ``black widows'' to be located in this region; since standard binary evolution does not provide a satisfactory response. From our evolutionary calculations; we study the path performed in the plane by a binary system to reach the state of ``black widow''. We also discuss whether there is a connection between ``redbacks'' and ``black widows''. FULL TEXT IN SPANISH

Socioeconomic profile of couples seeking the public healthcare system (SUS) for infertility treatment

PubMed Central

Tavares, Rachel; Cunha, Gisele; Aguiar, Lilian; Duarte, Shaytner Campos; Cardinot, Nilza; Bastos, Elizabeth; Coelho, Francisco

2016-01-01

Objective The number of couples seeking assisted reproduction services in pursuit of the dream of conceiving a child is growing. In developing countries 10 to 15% of couples of childbearing age cannot bear a child by natural means and the impossibility of conceiving a child has a significant impact on the health and well-being of the couple. The aim of this study was to evaluate the socioeconomic profile and the main causes of infertility of couples seeking assisted reproduction treatment through the public healthcare system. Methods We analyzed 600 medical records of couples who sought infertility treatment at the public healthcare system, and we divided them into three groups according to age: 35 years, 35 to 39, and 40 years or more. In each group we analyzed the cause of infertility, the number of children of the spouses, the education level and family income. Results The main cause of infertility was male-related in 34%, followed by tubal factor in 31.5%. We found that 56% of the women were less than 35 years old and 58% of the couples earned less than 3 minimum wages. Conclusion The profile of the couples was: low-income, low education and less than 35 years of age. The cost of assisted reproductive treatment is still high, being restricted to couples of higher socioeconomic statuses. An effective public healthcare policy could minimize this problem by improving the quality of care for couples seeking infertility treatment at the public healthcare system. PMID:27584602

Socioeconomic profile of couples seeking the public healthcare system (SUS) for infertility treatment.

PubMed

Tavares, Rachel; Cunha, Gisele; Aguiar, Lilian; Duarte, Shaytner Campos; Cardinot, Nilza; Bastos, Elizabeth; Coelho, Francisco

2016-08-01

The number of couples seeking assisted reproduction services in pursuit of the dream of conceiving a child is growing. In developing countries 10 to 15% of couples of childbearing age cannot bear a child by natural means and the impossibility of conceiving a child has a significant impact on the health and well-being of the couple. The aim of this study was to evaluate the socioeconomic profile and the main causes of infertility of couples seeking assisted reproduction treatment through the public healthcare system. We analyzed 600 medical records of couples who sought infertility treatment at the public healthcare system, and we divided them into three groups according to age: 35 years, 35 to 39, and 40 years or more. In each group we analyzed the cause of infertility, the number of children of the spouses, the education level and family income. The main cause of infertility was male-related in 34%, followed by tubal factor in 31.5%. We found that 56% of the women were less than 35 years old and 58% of the couples earned less than 3 minimum wages. The profile of the couples was: low-income, low education and less than 35 years of age. The cost of assisted reproductive treatment is still high, being restricted to couples of higher socioeconomic statuses. An effective public healthcare policy could minimize this problem by improving the quality of care for couples seeking infertility treatment at the public healthcare system.

The spatial ecology of free-ranging domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) in western Kenya.

PubMed

Thomas, Lian F; de Glanville, William A; Cook, Elizabeth A; Fèvre, Eric M

2013-03-07

In many parts of the developing world, pigs are kept under low-input systems where they roam freely to scavenge food. These systems allow poor farmers the opportunity to enter into livestock keeping without large capital investments. This, combined with a growing demand for pork, especially in urban areas, has led to an increase in the number of small-holder farmers keeping free range pigs as a commercial enterprise. Despite the benefits which pig production can bring to a household, keeping pigs under a free range system increases the risk of the pig acquiring diseases, either production-limiting or zoonotic in nature. This study used Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to track free range domestic pigs in rural western Kenya, in order to understand their movement patterns and interactions with elements of the peri-domestic environment. We found that these pigs travel an average of 4,340 m in a 12 hr period and had a mean home range of 10,343 m(2) (range 2,937-32,759 m(2)) within which the core utilisation distribution was found to be 964 m(2) (range 246-3,289 m(2)) with pigs spending on average 47% of their time outside their homestead of origin. These are the first data available on the home range of domestic pigs kept under a free range system: the data show that pigs in these systems spend much of their time scavenging outside their homesteads, suggesting that these pigs may be exposed to infectious agents over a wide area. Control policies for diseases such as Taenia solium, Trypanosomiasis, Trichinellosis, Toxoplasmosis or African Swine Fever therefore require a community-wide focus and pig farmers require education on the inherent risks of keeping pigs under a free range system. The work presented here will enable future research to incorporate movement data into studies of disease transmission, for example for the understanding of transmission of African Swine Fever between individuals, or in relation to the life-cycle of parasites including Taenia solium.

The spatial ecology of free-ranging domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) in western Kenya

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background In many parts of the developing world, pigs are kept under low-input systems where they roam freely to scavenge food. These systems allow poor farmers the opportunity to enter into livestock keeping without large capital investments. This, combined with a growing demand for pork, especially in urban areas, has led to an increase in the number of small-holder farmers keeping free range pigs as a commercial enterprise. Despite the benefits which pig production can bring to a household, keeping pigs under a free range system increases the risk of the pig acquiring diseases, either production-limiting or zoonotic in nature. This study used Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to track free range domestic pigs in rural western Kenya, in order to understand their movement patterns and interactions with elements of the peri-domestic environment. Results We found that these pigs travel an average of 4,340 m in a 12 hr period and had a mean home range of 10,343 m2 (range 2,937–32,759 m2) within which the core utilisation distribution was found to be 964 m2 (range 246–3,289 m2) with pigs spending on average 47% of their time outside their homestead of origin. Conclusion These are the first data available on the home range of domestic pigs kept under a free range system: the data show that pigs in these systems spend much of their time scavenging outside their homesteads, suggesting that these pigs may be exposed to infectious agents over a wide area. Control policies for diseases such as Taenia solium, Trypanosomiasis, Trichinellosis, Toxoplasmosis or African Swine Fever therefore require a community-wide focus and pig farmers require education on the inherent risks of keeping pigs under a free range system. The work presented here will enable future research to incorporate movement data into studies of disease transmission, for example for the understanding of transmission of African Swine Fever between individuals, or in relation to the life-cycle of parasites including Taenia solium. PMID:23497587

Prolonged environment-induced hyperthermia alters autophagy in oxidative skeletal muscle in Sus scrofa.

PubMed

Ganesan, Shanthi; Brownstein, Alexandra J; Pearce, Sarah C; Hudson, Matthew B; Gabler, Nicolas K; Baumgard, Lance H; Rhoads, Robert P; Selsby, Joshua T

2018-05-01

Prolonged heat stress represents a continuing threat to human health and agricultural production. Despite the broad, negative impact of prolonged hyperthermia little is known about underlying pathological mechanisms leading to negative health outcomes, which has limited the development of etiological interventions and left clinicians and producers with only cooling and rehydration strategies. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the extent to which prolonged environment-induced hyperthermia altered autophagy in oxidative skeletal muscle in a large animal model, serving the dual purpose of accurately modeling human physiology as well as agricultural production. We hypothesized that prolonged hyperthermia would induce autophagy in skeletal muscle, independent of the accompanying caloric restriction. To test this hypothesis pigs were treated as follows: thermoneutral (20 °C), heat stress (35 °C), or were held under thermoneutral conditions but pair-fed to the heat stress group for seven days. Upon euthanasia the red portion of the semitendinosus was collected. We found that prolonged hyperthermic exposure increased oxidative stress without a corresponding change in antioxidant enzyme activities. Hyperthermia prevented initiation of autophagy despite increased markers of nucleation, elongation and autophagosome formation. However, p62 relative protein abundance, which is inversely correlated with autophagic degradation, was strongly increased suggesting suppressed degradation of autophagosomes. Markers of mitophagy and mitochondrial abundance were largely similar between groups. These data indicate that faulty autophagy plays a key role in hyperthermic muscle dysfunction. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Domestic Pig (Sus scrofa) as an Animal Model for Experimental Trypanosoma cruzi Infection

PubMed Central

Yauri, Verónica; Castro-Sesquen, Yagahira E.; Verastegui, Manuela; Angulo, Noelia; Recuenco, Fernando; Cabello, Ines; Malaga, Edith; Bern, Caryn; Gavidia, Cesar M.; Gilman, Robert H.

2016-01-01

Pigs were infected with a Bolivian strain of Trypanosoma cruzi (genotype I) and evaluated up to 150 days postinoculation (dpi) to determine the use of pigs as an animal model of Chagas disease. Parasitemia was observed in the infected pigs during the acute phase (15–40 dpi). Anti-T.cruzi immunoglobulin M was detected during 15–75 dpi; high levels of anti-T.cruzi immunoglobulin G were detected in all infected pigs from 75 to 150 dpi. Parasitic DNA was observed by western blot (58%, 28/48) and polymerase chain reaction (27%, 13/48) in urine samples, and in the brain (75%, 3/4), spleen (50%, 2/4), and duodenum (25%, 1/4), but no parasitic DNA was found in the heart, colon, and kidney. Parasites were not observed microscopically in tissues samples, but mild inflammation, vasculitis, and congestion was observed in heart, brain, kidney, and spleen. This pig model was useful for the standardization of the urine test because of the higher volume that can be obtained as compared with other small animal models. However, further experiments are required to observe pathological changes characteristic of Chagas disease in humans. PMID:26928841

Como Ayudar a sus Hijos a Aprender Ciencia (Helping Your Child Learn Science).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paulu, Nancy; Martin, Margery

Because most parents say they do not or cannot help their children with science, this booklet was designed to help them do so, easily and with pleasure for both parent and child. The introduction presents information on why and how parents should help their children and provides a general orientation to the ideas and activities offered in the…

Development of known-fate survival monitoring techniques for juvenile wild pigs (Sus scrofa)

Treesearch

David A. Keiter; John C. Kilgo; Mark A. Vukovich; Fred L. Cunningham; James C. Beasley

2017-01-01

Context. Wild pigs are an invasive species linked to numerous negative impacts on natural and anthropogenic ecosystems in many regions of the world. Robust estimates of juvenile wild pig survival are needed to improve population dynamics models to facilitate management of this economically and ecologically...

A Novel Perfusion System for Damage Control of Hyperkalemia in Swine (Sus scrofa)

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-03-20

randomized to the control or treatment group . In both groups , blood was pumped through an extracorporeal circuit (EC) with an in-line hemodialyzer. In...Results:Serum potassium concentration was significantly lower in the treatment than in the control group over time (P = 0.02). There was no difference...environments. We hypothesized that a simplified hemoperfusion system could control serum potassium concentration in a swine model of acute

A Novel Perfusion System for Damage Control of Hyperkalemia in Swine (Sus scrofa)

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-03-20

randomized to the control or treatment group . In both groups , blood was pumped through an extracorporeal circuit (EC) with an in-line hemodialyzer. In...Results: Serum potassium concentration was significantly lower in the treatment than in the control group over time (P = 0.02). There was no...austere environments. We hypothesized that a simplified hemoperfusion system could control serum potassium concentration in a swine model of acute

Seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in feral swine (Sus scrofa) in the United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The protozoon Neospora caninum is a major cause of abortion in cattle worldwide. Canids (Canis familiaris, Canis latrans, Canis lupus) are its definitive hosts whereas many other animal species, including pigs are intermediate hosts for the parasite. Feral swine may serve as sentinels for the parasi...

A Web-Based Graphical Food Frequency Assessment System: Design, Development and Usability Metrics.

PubMed

Franco, Rodrigo Zenun; Alawadhi, Balqees; Fallaize, Rosalind; Lovegrove, Julie A; Hwang, Faustina

2017-05-08

Food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) are well established in the nutrition field, but there remain important questions around how to develop online tools in a way that can facilitate wider uptake. Also, FFQ user acceptance and evaluation have not been investigated extensively. This paper presents a Web-based graphical food frequency assessment system that addresses challenges of reproducibility, scalability, mobile friendliness, security, and usability and also presents the utilization metrics and user feedback from a deployment study. The application design employs a single-page application Web architecture with back-end services (database, authentication, and authorization) provided by Google Firebase's free plan. Its design and responsiveness take advantage of the Bootstrap framework. The FFQ was deployed in Kuwait as part of the EatWellQ8 study during 2016. The EatWellQ8 FFQ contains 146 food items (including drinks). Participants were recruited in Kuwait without financial incentive. Completion time was based on browser timestamps and usability was measured using the System Usability Scale (SUS), scoring between 0 and 100. Products with a SUS higher than 70 are considered to be good. A total of 235 participants created accounts in the system, and 163 completed the FFQ. Of those 163 participants, 142 reported their gender (93 female, 49 male) and 144 reported their date of birth (mean age of 35 years, range from 18-65 years). The mean completion time for all FFQs (n=163), excluding periods of interruption, was 14.2 minutes (95% CI 13.3-15.1 minutes). Female participants (n=93) completed in 14.1 minutes (95% CI 12.9-15.3 minutes) and male participants (n=49) completed in 14.3 minutes (95% CI 12.6-15.9 minutes). Participants using laptops or desktops (n=69) completed the FFQ in an average of 13.9 minutes (95% CI 12.6-15.1 minutes) and participants using smartphones or tablets (n=91) completed in an average of 14.5 minutes (95% CI 13.2-15.8 minutes). The median SUS

Fracture characteristics, microstructure, and tissue reaction of Ti-5Al-2.5Fe for orthopedic surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niinomi, Mitsuo; Kobayashi, Toshiro; Toriyama, Osamu; Kawakami, Noriaki; Ishida, Yoshihito; Matsuyama, Yukihiro

1996-12-01

The microstructure of Ti-5Al-2.5Fe, which is expected to be used widely as an implant material not only for artificial hip joints but also for instrumentations of scoliosis surgery, was variously changed by heat treatments. The effect of the microstructure on mechanical properties, fracture toughness, and rotating-bending fatigue strength in the air and simulated body environment, that is, Ringer’s solution, was then investigated. Furthermore, the effect of the living body environment on mechanical properties and fracture toughness in Ti-5Al-2.5Fe were investigated on the specimens implanted into rabbit for about 11 months. The data of Ti-5Al-2.5Fe were compared with those of Ti-6Al-4V ELI, which has been used as an implant material mainly for artificial hip joints, and SUS 316L, which has been used as an implant material for many parts, including the instrumentation of scoliosis surgery. The equiaxed α structure, which is formed by annealing at a temperature below β transus, gives the best balance of strength and ductility in Ti-5Al-2.5Fe. The coarse Widmanstätten α structure, which is formed by solutionizing over β transus followed by air cooling and aging, gives the greatest fracture toughness in Ti-5Al-2.5Fe. This trend is similar to that reported in Ti-6Al-4V ELI. The rotating-bending fatigue strength is the greatest in the equiaxed α structure, which is formed by solutionizing below β transus followed by air cooling and aging in Ti-5Al-2.5Fe. Ti-5Al-2.5Fe exhibits much greater rotating-bending fatigue strength compared with SUS 316L, and equivalent rotating-bending fatigue strength to that of Ti-6Al-4V ELI in both the air and simulated body environments. The rotating-bending fatigue strength of SUS 316L is degraded in the simulated body environment. The corrosion fatigue, therefore, occurs in SUS 316L in the simulated body environment. Fatigue strength of Ti-5Al-2.5Fe in the simulated body environment is degraded by lowering oxygen content in the

50 CFR 14.4 - What terms do I have to understand?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... the requirements of this subchapter B (except for species obtained from wild populations). Mammals...; Ferret (domestic)—Mustela putorius; Goat—Capra hircus; Horse—Equus caballus; Llama—Lama glama; Pig—Sus...

50 CFR 14.4 - What terms do I have to understand?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... the requirements of this subchapter B (except for species obtained from wild populations). Mammals...; Ferret (domestic)—Mustela putorius; Goat—Capra hircus; Horse—Equus caballus; Llama—Lama glama; Pig—Sus...

50 CFR 14.4 - What terms do I have to understand?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... the requirements of this subchapter B (except for species obtained from wild populations). Mammals...; Ferret (domestic)—Mustela putorius; Goat—Capra hircus; Horse—Equus caballus; Llama—Lama glama; Pig—Sus...

50 CFR 14.4 - What terms do I have to understand?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... the requirements of this subchapter B (except for species obtained from wild populations). Mammals...; Ferret (domestic)—Mustela putorius; Goat—Capra hircus; Horse—Equus caballus; Llama—Lama glama; Pig—Sus...

QUALITY, HEALTH SYSTEM AND GOVERNANCE. THE ARGENTINEAN CASE

PubMed Central

Litewka, Sergio G.

2011-01-01

Argentina ha sido un campo fértil para los intentos de reforma del sector salud, en la búsqueda por mejorar la calidad de sus servicios y, consecuentemente, la accesibilidad y la equidad del mismo. Los resultados obtenidos no han sido proporcionales a los esfuerzos desarrollados. Aunque la bioética debería, como forma de reflexión interdisciplinaria, participar en la fundamentación de nuevas políticas sanitarias y sus efectos sobre los usuarios, parece haber permanecido ajena, en general, a los graves problemas derivados de la corrupción, prefiriendo enfocarse en cuestiones vinculadas a planteos abstractos de justicia y solidaridad, atribuyendo los fracasos a la imposición de modelos económicos foráneos. PMID:21660255

[Concept of "opinion leader": Recommendations of the Committee on Ethics and Transparency in the Medical-Industry Relationship (CETREMI) of the National Academy of Medicine (ANM)].

PubMed

Burgos, Rubén; Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos Alberto; Barile-Fabris, Leonor; Rangel-Fraustro, Manuel Sigfrido; Arrieta, Óscar; Campillo, Carlos; Celis, Miguel Ángel; Llata, Manuel de la; Domínguez, Judith; Halabe, José; Islas, Sergio; Jasso, Luis; Lifshitz, Alberto; Moreno, Mucio; Plancarte, Ricardo; Reyes, Alejandro; Soda, Antonio; Verástegui, Emma; Sotelo, Julio

2017-01-01

La relación que involucra al médico y la industria abarca un espectro amplio de formas, para lo cual se requiere una exposición clara y transparente de términos y principios. Uno de los objetivos primordiales de la industria es contar con un respaldo académico que le permita dar a conocer las características y las propiedades de sus productos -eficacia, eficiencia y seguridad- con el propósito de ser prescritos y usados. Los fines de la industria son la venta de sus productos, el reconocimiento como empresas de prestigio y la ganancia económica. Implícitamente, para CETREMI el principio de mayor importancia en esta relación es indudablemente el beneficio del enfermo.

Cost analysis of nucleic acid amplification for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis, within the context of the Brazilian Unified Health Care System

PubMed Central

Pinto, Márcia; Entringer, Aline Piovezan; Steffen, Ricardo; Trajman, Anete

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT We estimated the costs of a molecular test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resistance to rifampin (Xpert MTB/RIF) and of smear microscopy, within the Brazilian Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS, Unified Health Care System). In SUS laboratories in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Manaus, we performed activity-based costing and micro-costing. The mean unit costs for Xpert MTB/RIF and smear microscopy were R$35.57 and R$14.16, respectively. The major cost drivers for Xpert MTB/RIF and smear microscopy were consumables/reagents and staff, respectively. These results might facilitate future cost-effectiveness studies and inform the decision-making process regarding the expansion of Xpert MTB/RIF use in Brazil. PMID:26785963

PubMed

Litewka, Sergio G

2010-11-01

Argentina ha sido un campo fértil para los intentos de reforma del sector salud, en la búsqueda por mejorar la calidad de sus servicios y, consecuentemente, la accesibilidad y la equidad del mismo. Los resultados obtenidos no han sido proporcionales a los esfuerzos desarrollados. Aunque la bioética debería, como forma de reflexión interdisciplinaria, participar en la fundamentación de nuevas políticas sanitarias y sus efectos sobre los usuarios, parece haber permanecido ajena, en general, a los graves problemas derivados de la corrupción, prefiriendo enfocarse en cuestiones vinculadas a planteos abstractos de justicia y solidaridad, atribuyendo los fracasos a la imposición de modelos económicos foráneos.

Improving supplementary feeding in species conservation

PubMed Central

Ewen, John G; Walker, Leila; Canessa, Stefano; Groombridge, Jim J

2015-01-01

ón suplementaria con frecuencia es una reacción instintiva a la declinación de poblaciones y su aplicación no se evalúa críticamente, lo que lleva a opiniones polarizadas sobre su uso entre los manejadores. Aquí abogamos por una estrategia más decisiva para la alimentación suplementaria para que la opción de usarla esté claramente justificada sobre, o en combinación con, otras acciones de manejo y las consecuencias pronosticadas sean entonces evaluadas críticamente después de su implementación. Proponemos combinar métodos de otro conjunto de disciplinas especialistas que permitirán la evaluación crítica de la necesidad, el beneficio y los riesgos de la alimentación suplementaria. Por medio del uso de la ecología nutricional, la ecología de poblaciones y la toma de decisiones estructuradas, quienes manejan la conservación pueden tomar mejores decisiones sobre qué y cómo alimentar al estimar las consecuencias de la recuperación poblacional a través de un rango de acciones posibles. Esta estrategia estructurada también informa al monitoreo enfocado y permite con mayor claridad la integración de la alimentación suplementaria a los planes de recuperación y reduce el riesgo de decisiones ineficientes. En Nueva Zelanda, los manejadores del hihi (Notiomystis cincta) que se encuentra en peligro de extinción, con frecuencia dependen de la alimentación suplementaria para apoyar a las poblaciones reintroducidas. En la isla de Kapiti, la población reintroducida de hihis ha respondido de buena manera a la alimentación suplementaria, pero la logística de proporcionar a una demanda en crecimiento recientemente sobrepasó la capacidad de manejo. Para decidir si el régimen alimentario debería revisarse y cómo hacerlo, los manejadores usaron una estrategia estructurada de toma de decisiones con información sobre las respuestas de la población a regímenes alternativos de alimentación. La decisión se hizo para reducir la distribución espacial de los

Morfología de la Coma del Cometa Hale - Bopp

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gil-Hutton, R.; Caballero, M.; Coldwell, G.; Cañada, M.; Godoy, G.; Trozzo, C.; Gómez, G.

Para lograr comprender plenamente los procesos físicos que se desarrollan en los núcleos cometarios y obtener un modelo que explique, no sólo su actividad, sino también sus efectos sobre la coma, es necesario obtener información detallada para el mayor número de cometas posible, siendo las características más interesantes para estudiar la ubicación de las regiones activas, la presencia de jets, las tasas de producción de gas y polvo y la interacción de la coma con el viento solar. En la actualidad, con técnicas de procesamiento de imágenes y tecnología CCD se pueden obtener este tipo de datos para cometas que ingresan al sistema solar interior y estudiar, de esta manera, la morfología de sus comas, tratando de correlacionar la actividad detectada con algún modelo teórico. En este trabajo se presenta un estudio parcial de la actividad desarrollada por el cometa Hale-Bopp, y sus efectos sobre la morfología de su coma, desde agosto de 1995 hasta la fecha en base a imágenes adquiridas con el telescopio de 0.76 m. de la Estación Astronómica Dr. Carlos Ulrrico Cesco.

Adsorption Analysis of Lactoferrin to Titanium, Stainless Steel, Zirconia, and Polymethyl Methacrylate Using the Quartz Crystal Microbalance Method

PubMed Central

Yoshida, Eiji; Hayakawa, Tohru

2016-01-01

It is postulated that biofilm formation in the oral cavity causes some oral diseases. Lactoferrin is an antibacterial protein in saliva and an important defense factor against biofilm development. We analyzed the adsorbed amount of lactoferrin and the dissociation constant (K d) of lactoferrin to the surface of different dental materials using an equilibrium analysis technique in a 27 MHz quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurement. Four different materials, titanium (Ti), stainless steel (SUS), zirconia (ZrO2) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), were evaluated. These materials were coated onto QCM sensors and the surfaces characterized by atomic force microscopic observation, measurements of surface roughness, contact angles of water, and zeta potential. QCM measurements revealed that Ti and SUS showed a greater amount of lactoferrin adsorption than ZrO2 and PMMA. Surface roughness and zeta potential influenced the lactoferrin adsorption. On the contrary, the K d value analysis indicated that the adsorbed lactoferrin bound less tightly to the Ti and SUS surfaces than to the ZrO2 and PMMA surfaces. The hydrophobic interaction between lactoferrin and ZrO2 and PMMA is presumed to participate in better binding of lactoferrin to ZrO2 and PMMA surfaces. It was revealed that lactoferrin adsorption behavior was influenced by the characteristics of the material surface. PMID:26998486

Thermal Conductance and High-Frequency Properties of Cryogenic Normal or Superconducting Semi-rigid Coaxial Cables in the Temperature Range of 1-8 K

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kushino, A.; Kasai, S.; Ukibe, M.; Ohkubo, M.

2018-04-01

In this study, the characteristics of thin semi-rigid cables composed of different conductors and with outer diameters ranging from 0.86 to 1.19 mm were investigated at low temperatures. The thermal conductance was measured between approximately 1 and 8 K, and the frequency dependence of the attenuation in the cables was obtained at 3 K. The electrical conductors used in the cables were alloys: beryllium copper, brass, stainless steel (SUS304), phosphor bronze, cupronickel (CuNi), and niobium-titanium (NbTi). The thermal conductance of a commercial miniature coaxial cable with braided wires forming the outer electrical conductor was also examined for reference. The measured thermal conductance was compared to published data and that generated from material libraries and databases. Among the measured cables using normal metals, the semi-rigid cable composed of SUS304 conductors and a polytetrafluoroethylene insulator showed the lowest thermal conductance. The transmission performance of the semi-rigid cables using SUS304 or CuNi was improved by plating the central conductors with a silver coating of approximately 3 μm thickness, and their thermal conductance with the plating increased by approximately one order of magnitude. The superconducting NbTi semi-rigid cable exhibited the lowest thermal conductance of all the cables considered in the present study along with very small attenuation up to above 5 GHz.

Comparison of two kinds of interface, based on guided navigation or usability principles, for improving the adoption of computerized decision support systems: application to the prescription of antibiotics.

PubMed

Tsopra, Rosy; Jais, Jean-Philippe; Venot, Alain; Duclos, Catherine

2014-02-01

It is important to consider the way in which information is presented by the interfaces of clinical decision support systems, to favor the adoption of these systems by physicians. Interface design can focus on decision processes (guided navigation) or usability principles. The aim of this study was to compare these two approaches in terms of perceived usability, accuracy rate, and confidence in the system. We displayed clinical practice guidelines for antibiotic treatment via two types of interface, which we compared in a crossover design. General practitioners were asked to provide responses for 10 clinical cases and the System Usability Scale (SUS) for each interface. We assessed SUS scores, the number of correct responses, and the confidence level for each interface. SUS score and percentage confidence were significantly higher for the interface designed according to usability principles (81 vs 51, p=0.00004, and 88.8% vs 80.7%, p=0.004). The percentage of correct responses was similar for the two interfaces. The interface designed according to usability principles was perceived to be more usable and inspired greater confidence among physicians than the guided navigation interface. Consideration of usability principles in the construction of an interface--in particular 'effective information presentation', 'consistency', 'efficient interactions', 'effective use of language', and 'minimizing cognitive load'--seemed to improve perceived usability and confidence in the system.

Virtual reality rehabilitation of balance: assessment of the usability of the Nintendo Wii(®) Fit Plus.

PubMed

Meldrum, Dara; Glennon, Aine; Herdman, Susan; Murray, Deirdre; McConn-Walsh, Rory

2012-05-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the usability of the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus(®) (NWFP) in the treatment of balance impairment in vestibular and other neurological disease. This was a cross-sectional, quasi-experimental study. Participants (n = 26; mean age 43 ± 14, M13:F13) with quantified balance impairment took part in a 30-minute session on the NWFP using exercises and games that challenge balance. Outcomes included the System Usability Scale (SUS), a numerical rating scale of enjoyment and a post treatment questionnaire. The mean SUS score was high (mean 82 ± 18%) with only two participants rating below 50%. There was a negative correlation of age with SUS scores (r = -0.54; p = 0.004). Mean numerical rating scale score (/10) for enjoyment of the NWFP session was 8.4 ± 3. Of the participants, 88.5% said that they would like to use the NWFP in future treatment. Seventy-three percent reported more enjoyment and motivation than usual physiotherapy. No falls occurred during testing. This study has quantified the usability of the NWFP as a treatment for balance impairment showing high levels of usability and enjoyment with no serious adverse effects. The results of this study may assist physiotherapists in devising novel balance rehabilitation programmes. [Box: see text].

A Scalable Cyberinfrastructure for Interactive Visualization of Terascale Microscopy Data

PubMed Central

Venkat, A.; Christensen, C.; Gyulassy, A.; Summa, B.; Federer, F.; Angelucci, A.; Pascucci, V.

2017-01-01

The goal of the recently emerged field of connectomics is to generate a wiring diagram of the brain at different scales. To identify brain circuitry, neuroscientists use specialized microscopes to perform multichannel imaging of labeled neurons at a very high resolution. CLARITY tissue clearing allows imaging labeled circuits through entire tissue blocks, without the need for tissue sectioning and section-to-section alignment. Imaging the large and complex non-human primate brain with sufficient resolution to identify and disambiguate between axons, in particular, produces massive data, creating great computational challenges to the study of neural circuits. Researchers require novel software capabilities for compiling, stitching, and visualizing large imagery. In this work, we detail the image acquisition process and a hierarchical streaming platform, ViSUS, that enables interactive visualization of these massive multi-volume datasets using a standard desktop computer. The ViSUS visualization framework has previously been shown to be suitable for 3D combustion simulation, climate simulation and visualization of large scale panoramic images. The platform is organized around a hierarchical cache oblivious data layout, called the IDX file format, which enables interactive visualization and exploration in ViSUS, scaling to the largest 3D images. In this paper we showcase the VISUS framework used in an interactive setting with the microscopy data. PMID:28638896

Association between DNA methylation in cord blood and maternal smoking: The Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health.

PubMed

Miyake, Kunio; Kawaguchi, Akio; Miura, Ryu; Kobayashi, Sachiko; Tran, Nguyen Quoc Vuong; Kobayashi, Sumitaka; Miyashita, Chihiro; Araki, Atsuko; Kubota, Takeo; Yamagata, Zentaro; Kishi, Reiko

2018-04-04

Maternal smoking is reported to cause adverse effects on the health of the unborn child, the underlying mechanism for which is thought to involve alterations in DNA methylation. We examined the effects of maternal smoking on DNA methylation in cord blood, in 247 mother-infant pairs in the Sapporo cohort of the Hokkaido Study, using the Infinium HumanMethylation 450K BeadChip. We first identified differentially methylated CpG sites with a false discovery rate (FDR) of <0.05 and the magnitude of DNA methylation changes (|β| >0.02) from the pairwise comparisons of never-smokers (Ne-S), sustained-smokers (Su-S), and stopped-smokers (St-S). Subsequently, secondary comparisons between St-S and Su-S revealed nine common sites that mapped to ACSM3, AHRR, CYP1A1, GFI1, SHANK2, TRIM36, and the intergenic region between ANKRD9 and RCOR1 in Ne-S vs. Su-S, and one common CpG site mapping to EVC2 in Ne-S vs. St-S. Further, we verified these CpG sites and examined neighbouring sites using bisulfite next-generation sequencing, except for AHRR cg21161138. These changes in DNA methylation implicate the effect of smoking cessation. Our findings add to the current knowledge of the association between DNA methylation and maternal smoking and suggest future studies for clarifying this relationship in disease development.

Impact of rheumatoid arthritis in the public health system in Santa Catarina, Brazil: a descriptive and temporal trend analysis from 1996 to 2009.

PubMed

Gomes, Rafael Kmiliauskis Santos; Pires, Fabio Antero; Nobre, Moacyr Roberto Cuce; Marchi, Mauricio Felippi de Sá; Rickli, Jennifer Cristina Kozechen

There are few studies that carried out a descriptive and trend analysis based on available data from the Unified Health System (SUS) between pre- and post-free dispensing of pharmacological treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from the perspective of the public health system, in terms of the direct cost of the disease among adults and elderly residents of the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. This study aims to characterize the direct cost of medical and surgical procedures before and after the dispensing of drugs in this state. This is a time series-type study with a cross-sectional survey of data from the Hospital (SIH) and Outpatient (SIA) Information System of SUS during the period from 1996 to 2009. Between 1996 and 2009, the total expenditure for hospital- and outpatient pharmacological treatment of rheumatoid arthritis was R$ 26,659,127.20. After the dispensing of drug treatment by SUS a decrease of 36% in the number of hospital admissions was observed; however, an increase of 19% in clinical procedures was noted. During the observed period, a reduction in the number of hospital admissions for both clinical and orthopedic surgical procedures related to this disease was observed. Nevertheless, there was an increase in the cost of medical admissions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Biochemical mechanisms of imidacloprid resistance in Nilaparvata lugens: over-expression of cytochrome P450 CYP6AY1.

PubMed

Ding, Zhiping; Wen, Yucong; Yang, Baojun; Zhang, Yixi; Liu, Shuhua; Liu, Zewen; Han, Zhaojun

2013-11-01

Imidacloprid is a key insecticide extensively used for control of Nilaparvata lugens, and its resistance had been reported both in the laboratory selected strains and field populations. A target site mutation Y151S in two nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits and enhanced oxidative detoxification have been identified in the laboratory resistant strain, contributing importantly to imidacloprid resistance in N. lugens. To date, however, imidacloprid resistance in field population is primarily attributable to enhanced oxidative detoxification by over-expressed P450 monooxygenases. A resistant strain (Res), originally collected from a field population and continuously selected in laboratory with imidacloprid for more than 40 generations, had 180.8-fold resistance to imidacloprid, compared to a susceptible strain (Sus). Expression of different putative P450 genes at mRNA levels was detected and compared between Res and Sus strains, and six genes were found expressed significantly higher in Res strain than in Sus strain. CYP6AY1 was found to be the most different expressed P450 gene and its mRNA level in Res strain was 17.9 times of that in Sus strain. By expressing in E. coli cells, CYP6AY1 was found to metabolize imidacloprid efficiently with initial velocity calculated of 0.851 ± 0.073 pmol/min/pmol P450. When CYP6AY1 mRNA levels in Res strain was reduced by RNA interference, imidacloprid susceptibility was recovered. In four field populations with different resistance levels, high levels of CYP6AY1 transcript were also found. In vitro and in vivo studies provided evidences that the over-expression of CYP6AY1 was one of the key factors contributing to imidacloprid resistance in the laboratory selected strain Res, which might also be the important mechanism for imidacloprid resistance in field populations, when the target site mutation was not prevalent at present. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Legal access to medications: a threat to Brazil's public health system?

PubMed

Chieffi, Ana Luiza; Barradas, Rita De Cassia Barata; Golbaum, Moisés

2017-07-19

In Brazil, health is fundamental human right guaranteed by the Constitution of 1988, which created the Brazilian Universal Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS). The SUS provides medications for outpatient care via policy of pharmaceutical assistance (PA) programmes. Despite the advances in PA policies which include the improvement in access to medications, there has been a significant increase in lawsuits related to health products and services. This study aimed to characterize the medication processes filed between 2010 and 2014 against the Secretary of State for Health of São Paulo (State Health Department of São Paulo - SES/SP), in Brazil, following PA policies. This descriptive study used secondary data on medication lawsuits filed against the SES/SP between 2010 and 2014. The data source was the S-Codes computerized system. In the period evaluated, the number of lawsuits filed concerning health-related products increased approximately 63%; requests for medications were predominant. Approximately 30% of the medications involved in court proceedings were supplied via PA programmes. With regard to medications supplied via specialized component, 81.3% were prescribed in disagreement with the protocols published by the Ministry of Health. Insulin glargine was the most requested medication (6.3%), followed by insulin aspart (3.3%). Because there is no scientific evidence that either of these medicines is superior for the treatment of diabetes, neither of them has been incorporated into the SUS by the National Commission for Technology Incorporation. The judicial data showed that most of the lawsuits involved normal proceedings (i.e., individual demands), were filed by private lawyers, and named the State of São Paulo as the sole defendant, demonstrating the individual nature of these claims. The data indicate inequality in the distribution between the number of cases and lawyers and the number of lawsuits and prescribers, evidencing the concentration of

Quality Indicators of Cervical Cytopathology Tests in the Public Service in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

PubMed

Tobias, Alessandra Hermógenes Gomes; Amaral, Rita Goreti; Diniz, Elói Martins; Carneiro, Cláudia Martins

2016-02-01

The objective of this study is to assess the performance of cytopathology laboratories providing services to the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS) in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This descriptive study uses data obtained from the Cervical Cancer Information System from January to December 2012. Three quality indicators were analyzed to assess the quality of cervical cytopathology tests: positivity index, percentage of atypical squamous cells (ASCs) in abnormal tests, and percentage of tests compatible with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs). Laboratories were classified according to their production scale in tests per year ≤ 5,000; from 5,001 to 10,000; from 10,001 to 15,000; and ≥ 15,001. Based on the collection of variables and the classification of laboratories according to production scale, we created and analyzed a database using Microsoft Office Excel 97-2003. In the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, 146 laboratories provided services to the SUS in 2012 by performing a total of 1,277,018 cervical cytopathology tests. Half of these laboratories had production scales ≤ 5,000 tests/year and accounted for 13.1% of all tests performed in the entire state; in turn, 13.7% of these laboratories presented production scales of > 15,001 tests/year and accounted for 49.2% of the total of tests performed in the entire state. The positivity indexes of most laboratories providing services to the SUS in 2012, regardless of production scale, were below or well below recommended limits. Of the 20 laboratories that performed more than 15,001 tests per year, only three presented percentages of tests compatible with HSILs above the lower limit recommended by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. The majority of laboratories providing services to the SUS in Minas Gerais presented quality indicators outside the range recommended by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Thieme Publicações Ltda Rio de Janeiro

Female Reproductive System (For Teens)

MedlinePlus

... uterus, called the endometrium (pronounced: en-doh-MEE-tree-um). The hormone estrogen causes the endometrium to ... may be necessary. endometriosis (pronounced: en-doh-mee-tree-OH-sus), when tissue normally found only in ...

Guillain-Barré Syndrome

MedlinePlus

... knows what causes GBS, scientists do have some theories about the syndrome and why it surfaces in ... pronounced: plaz-muh-fuh-REE-sus) or plasma exchange, where blood is drawn from the body and ...

Bladder Control Problems

MedlinePlus

... del Instituto Nacional de la Diabetes y las Enfermedades Digestivas y Renales (NIDDK, por sus siglas en ... para incrementar el conocimiento de salud y las enfermedades entre pacientes, profesionales de la salud y el ...

Regionalization and political dynamics of Brazilian health federalism.

PubMed

Dourado, Daniel de Araujo; Elias, Paulo Eduardo Mangeon

2011-02-01

The implications from the Brazilian federal structure on the regionalization of health actions and services in the National Unified Health System (SUS) were analyzed, considering that the regional health planning in Brazil takes place within the context of intergovernmental relations as an expression of cooperative federalism in health. The analysis was based on a historical approach to Brazilian health federalism, recognizing two development periods, decentralization and regionalization. Regional health planning of SUS was explored in light of the theoretical framework of federalism. It is concluded that relative centralization of the process is needed in intergovernmental committees to actualize federal coordination and that it is essential to consider formalizing opportunities for dissent, both in regional management boards and in the intergovernmental committees, so that the consensus decision-making can be accomplished in healthcare regionalization.

Diversity and activity pattern of wildlife inhabiting catchment of Hulu Terengganu Hydroelectric Dam, Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adyla, M. N. Nurul; Ikhwan, Z.; Zuhairi, M.; Ngah, Shukor, M. N.

2016-11-01

A series of camera trapping surveys were conducted to study the diversity and distribution of wildlife within the catchment of Hulu Terengganu Hydroelectric Dam. A total of 124 camera traps were deployed at nine study sites, continuously from June 2014 until December 2015. The total effort of camera trap surveys from all the study sites during the 18-month sampling period was 29,128 night traps, from which a total of 32 species of wildlife representing nine Orders were recorded. The most common species were Eurasian Wild Pig (Sus scrofa), Barking Deer (Munticus muntjak), and Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus). Camera trap data on activity patterns show that Gallus gallus, Muntiacus muntjak and Sus scrofa are diurnal animals, whereas Tapirus indicus, Elephas maximus and Helarctos malayanus are nocturnal animals.

Development and fabrication of improved power transistor switches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hower, P. L.; Chu, C. K.

1979-01-01

A new class of high-voltage power transistors was achieved by adapting present interdigitated thyristor processing techniques to the fabrication of npn Si transistors. Present devices are 2.3 cm in diameter and have V sub CEO (sus) in the range of 400 to 600V. V sub CEO (sus) = 450V devices were made with an (h sub FE)(I sub C) product of 900A at V sub CE = 2.5V. The electrical performance obtained was consistent with the predictions of an optimum design theory specifically developed for power switching transistors. The device design, wafer processing, and assembly techniques are described. Experimental measurements of the dc characteristics, forward SOA, and switching times are included. A new method of characterizing the switching performance of power transistors is proposed.

Factors associated to Caesarean delivery in public and private health care systems.

PubMed

Oliveira, Rosana Rosseto de; Melo, Emiliana Cristina; Novaes, Elisiane Soares; Ferracioli, Patrícia Louise Rodrigues Varela; Mathias, Thais Aidar de Freitas

2016-01-01

Identifying factors associated to Caesarean sections among the residents of Maringá-PR, according to the financing source for delivery. A cross-sectional study with data from 920 postpartum women interviewed between October 2013 and February 2014. Association analysis was performed by logistic regression. Caesarean section rates were 55.5% in the Unified Healthcare System (SUS) and 93.8% in the private system. Factors associated with Caesarean section in the SUS were: previous Caesarean section (OR=8.9; CI=4.6-16.9), desire for Caesarean section early in pregnancy (OR=2.0; CI=1.1-3.6), pregestational overweight/obesity (OR=1.8; CI=1.1-2.8), and per capita family income higher than one minimum wage (OR=2.1; CI=1.3-3.4). In the private system, desire for Caesarean section early in pregnancy (OR=25.3) and a previous Caesarean section (OR=11.3) were strongly associated to its performance. It is necessary to properly orientate all pregnant women who desire a Caesarean delivery, from both the SUS and the private system, about the inherent risks of the surgical procedure without indication. In the public health sector, guidelines should be focused on pregnant women with previous Caesarean delivery, with a per capita income higher than one minimum wage and those who are overweight or obese, as these women are more likely to have a Caesarean section. Identificar fatores associados à cesárea entre residentes de Maringá-PR, segundo a fonte de financiamento do parto. Estudo transversal com dados de 920 puérperas entrevistadas entre outubro de 2013 e fevereiro de 2014. A análise de associação foi feita por regressão logística. A taxa de cesariana foi de 55,5% e 93,8% no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) e no sistema privado, respectivamente. Associou-se à cesárea no SUS: realização de cesárea anterior (OR=8,9; IC=4,6-16,9), desejo pela cesárea no início da gestação (OR=2,0; IC=1,1-3,6), sobrepeso/obesidade pré-gestacional (OR=1,8; IC=1,1-2,8), e renda familiar

Back Cover: NIH MedlinePlus Salud

MedlinePlus

... page please turn Javascript on. ¡A su salud! Los Institutos Nacionales de la Salud (NIH, por sus ... Amigos de la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina de los Estados Unidos y la Alianza Nacional para la ...

Bus Service Planning for Orlando's Southwest Direct Express Demonstration

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1985-04-01

This report describes a set of service planning activities undertaken in the sus Demonstration in Orlando, FL. The Orange-Seminole-Osceola Transportation Authority implemented six express routes th...

Scenario analyses and simulations using TRANSIMS and UrbanSim for the Chittenden County of Vermont.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-03-09

Although transportation serves as the foundation of our nation's economy and fulfills indispensable social functions critical to our quality of life, the current state of the nation's transportation system is unsettling. This makes the search for sus...

Vocal correlates of emotional reactivity within and across contexts in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa).

PubMed

Leliveld, Lisette M C; Düpjan, Sandra; Tuchscherer, Armin; Puppe, Birger

2017-11-01

Vocalizations have long been recognized to encode information about an individual's emotional state and, as such, have contributed to the study of emotions in animals. However, the potential of vocalizations to also encode information about an individual's emotional reactivity has received much less attention. In this study, we aimed to test whether the vocalizations of domestic pigs contain correlates of emotional reactivity that are consistent between different contexts. We recorded vocalizations of 120 young female pigs in an experimental arena in two consecutive recording contexts, social isolation and an encounter with a familiar human. Simultaneously, we measured their heart rate and behaviour to determine their emotional reactivity in the same context (within-context). In addition, we aimed to determine the subjects' emotional reactivity in other contexts (across-context) by measuring their behaviour in four common tests of emotional reactivity, the human approach test, the open door test, the open field test and the novel object test. Using a cluster analysis, we identified four different call types. Significant inter-context correlations were found for all call types, suggesting that pig vocalizations are consistent within an individual across contexts. The call rate and the proportions of the individual call types were found to correlate significantly with indices of emotional reactivity both within and across contexts. Thereby, we found more significant correlations to indices of emotional reactivity within context (behavioural and physiological response during recording) compared to across context (behavioural response in the four emotional reactivity tests). The consistency of the vocal correlates to emotional reactivity between the different contexts depended on the call type. While we found moderate evidence that the high grunt is indicative of more active, more explorative and less fearful individuals both within as well as across contexts, the other call types provided less consistent results. Thus, it seems that some call types are better suited to provide information on a caller's emotional reactivity than others, and further research is needed to clarify the underlying influential factors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Cost Coverage by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS)

PubMed Central

da Silva, Gilmara Silveira; Colósimo, Flávia Cortez; de Sousa, Alexandre Gonçalves; Piotto, Raquel Ferrari; Castilho, Valéria

2017-01-01

Introduction Cost management has been identified as an essential tool for the general control and evaluation of health organizations. Objectives To identify the coverage percentage of transferred funds from the Unified Health System for coronary artery bypass grafts in a philanthropic hospital having a consolidated costing system in the municipality of São Paulo. Methods A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional research with information provided from a database composed of 1913 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft from March 13 to September 30, 2012, including isolated elective coronary artery bypass graft with the use of extracorporeal circulation. It excluded 551 (28.8%) patients, among them 76 (4.0%) deaths and 8 hospitalized patients, since the cost was compared according to the length of hospital stay. Therefore, the sample consisted of 1362 patients. Results The average total cost per patient was $7,992.55. The average fund transfer by the Unified Health System was $3,450.73 (48.66%), resulting in a deficit of $4,541.82 (51.34%). Conclusion The Unified Health System transfers covered 48.66% of the average total cost of hospitalization. Although the amount transferred increased with increasing costs, it was not proportional to the total cost, resulting in a percentage difference in revenue that was increasingly negative for each increase in cost and hospital stay. Those hospitalized for longer than seven days presented higher costs, older age, higher percentage of diabetics and chronic kidney disease patients and more postoperative complications. PMID:28977196

Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis in jejunum of Sus scrofa with intrauterine growth restriction.

PubMed

Hu, Yue; Hu, Liang; Gong, Desheng; Lu, Hanlin; Xuan, Yue; Wang, Ru; Wu, De; Chen, Daiwen; Zhang, Keying; Gao, Fei; Che, Lianqiang

2018-02-01

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) may elicit a series of postnatal body developmental and metabolic diseases due to their impaired growth and development in the mammalian embryo/fetus during pregnancy. In the present study, we hypothesized that IUGR may lead to abnormally regulated DNA methylation in the intestine, causing intestinal dysfunctions. We applied reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) technology to study the jejunum tissues from four newborn IUGR piglets and their normal body weight (NBW) littermates. The results revealed extensively regional DNA methylation changes between IUGR/NBW pairs from different gilts, affecting dozens of genes. Hiseq-based bisulfite sequencing PCR (Hiseq-BSP) was used for validations of 19 genes with epigenetic abnormality, confirming three genes (AIFM1, MTMR1, and TWIST2) in extra samples. Furthermore, integrated analysis of these 19 genes with proteome data indicated that there were three main genes (BCAP31, IRAK1, and AIFM1) interacting with important immunity- or metabolism-related proteins, which could explain the potential intestinal dysfunctions of IUGR piglets. We conclude that IUGR can lead to disparate DNA methylation in the intestine and these changes may affect several important biological processes such as cell apoptosis, cell differentiation, and immunity, which provides more clues linking IUGR and its long-term complications.

[Quality of service provided to heart surgery patients of the Unified Health System-SUS].

PubMed

Borges, Juliana Bassalobre Carvalho; Carvalho, Sebastião Marcos Ribeiro de; Silva, Marcos Augusto de Moraes

2010-01-01

To evaluate the service quality provided to heart surgery patients during their hospital stay, identifying the patient's expectations and perceptions. To associate service quality with: gender, age and the use of extracorporeal circulation. We studied 82 elective heart surgery patients (52.4% females and 47.6% males), operated by midsternal thoracotomy, age: 31 to 83 years (60.4 +/- 13.2 years); period: March to September 2006. Service quality was evaluated in two instances: the expectations at pre-operative and the perceptions of the service received on the 6th post-operative; through the application of the modified SERVQUAL scale (SERVQUAL-Card). The result was obtained by the difference of the sum of the scores on perception minus those of the expectations, and through statistical analysis. The SERVQUAL-Card scale was statistically validated, showing adequate level of internal consistency. We found a higher frequency of myocardial revascularization 55 (67.0%); first heart surgery 72 (87.8%) and the use of ECC 69 (84.1%). We noticed high mean values for expectations and perceptions with significant results (P<0.05). We observed a significant relationship between the quality of service with: gender, in empathy (P= 0.04) and age, in reliability (P = 0.02). There was no significant association between ECC and quality of service. Service quality was satisfactory. The patient demonstrated a high expectation to hospital medical service. Women present a higher perception of quality in empathy and younger people in reliability. The use of ECC is not related to service quality in this sample. The data obtained in this study suggest that the quality of this health service can be monitored through the periodical application of the SERVQUAL scale.

[SUS users' knowledge of and attitude to HPV virus and vaccines available in Brazil].

PubMed

Osis, Maria José Duarte; Duarte, Graciana Alves; Sousa, Maria Helena de

2014-02-01

To investigate knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccines in men and women, users of the Brazilian Unified Health System, and the intention to get themselves and their teenage children vaccinated. A descriptive, cross-sectional study with 286 women (18-49 years old) and 252 men (18-60 years old), users of five primary health units and two polyclinics in Campinas, SP, Southeastern Brazil, was carried out. Participants were interviewed in 2011 using a structured questionnaire. Bivariate and Poisson regression analysis were performed to identify variables associated with knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccines, and participants vaccination intentions. Almost 40.0% of the participants reported having heard of HPV and 28.9% mentioned adequate information. The main information source was the media (41.7%). Only 8.6% of the participants had heard of the HPV vaccines. Once the participants were informed of the existence of HPV vaccines about 94% of them said they would get vaccinated and/or vaccinate their teenage children, if the vaccines were available in the public health system. Schooling of over 8 years and being female were the variables independently associated with having heard of HPV, the vaccines and having adequate knowledge of the virus. Advanced age was associated with having heard of HPV vaccines. There were no variables associated with the vaccination intentions. These results reinforce the need for educational activities that provide the population with adequate information on HPV and preventive measures.

Identification of Brucella spp. in feral swine (Sus scrofa) at abattoirs in Texas, USA.

PubMed

Pedersen, K; Bauer, N E; Olsen, S; Arenas-Gamboa, A M; Henry, A C; Sibley, T D; Gidlewski, T

2017-12-01

Various tissues, nasal swabs, urine and blood samples were collected from 376 feral swine at two federally inspected abattoirs in Texas during six separate sampling periods in 2015. Samples were tested for Brucella spp. by culture and serology. Brucella spp. were cultured from 13.0% of feral swine, and antibodies were detected in 9.8%. Only 32.7% of culture-positive feral swine were also antibody positive, and 43.2% of antibody-positive feral swine were culture positive. Approximately, the same number of males (14.0%) and females (12.1%) were culture positive, and slightly more males (10.5%) than females (8.7%) were antibody positive. Our results indicate that serology likely underestimates the prevalence of feral swine infected, and that those who come in contact with feral swine should be aware of the symptoms of infection with Brucella spp. to ensure prompt treatment. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Pharmacokinetics of Sustained-Release and Transdermal Buprenorphine in Göttingen Minipigs (Sus scrofa domestica)

PubMed Central

Thiede, Allison J; Garcia, Kelly D; Stolarik, DeAnne F; Ma, Junli; Jenkins, Gary J; Nunamaker, Elizabeth A

2014-01-01

The opioid buprenorphine has been shown to provide adequate postoperative analgesia in both companion and laboratory animals. However, its use is still hindered by the need for multiple parenteral injections to achieve continuous analgesia. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a pharmacokinetic analysis of 2 new long-acting formulations of buprenorphine—an injectable sustained-release buprenorphine (SRB) and a transdermal buprenorphine (TDB) patch—in healthy Göttingen minipigs by using liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry. Administration of 0.18 mg/kg SC SRB and 30 μg/h TDB achieved AUC0-Tlast of 221.6 ± 26.8 and 25.2 ± 3.9 ng × h/mL, respectively, compared with 9.7 ± 1.4 ng*h/mL for 0.02 mg/kg IV buprenorphine. By using a hypothesized therapeutic plasma buprenorphine concentration threshold of 0.1 ng/mL, therapeutic concentrations were achieved at the first study time point (5 to 30 min) and lasted an average of 8.0 ± 1.3 h for intravenous buprenorphine and 264.0 ± 32.2 h for SRB. TDB achieved therapeutic concentrations in 12 to 24 h after patch application, which lasted until the patch was removed at 72 h. The results of this study suggest that SRB and TDB are long-acting alternatives for pain management, and their use could decrease animal handling and stress, thereby simplifying pain management and improving welfare in laboratory swine. PMID:25650977

Identification of Brucella spp. in feral swine (Sus scrofa) at abattoirs in Texas, USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Various tissues, nasal swabs, urine, and blood samples were collected from 376 feral swine at two federally-inspected abattoirs in Texas during six separate sampling periods in 2015. Samples were tested for Brucella spp. by culture and serology. Brucella spp. were cultured from 13.0% of feral swin...

Promoting the Use of Life Cycle Assessment for a Sus-tainable Agri-Food Industry

EPA Science Inventory

The number of studies that address the holistic human health and environmental impacts related to food, feed, and bio-based fuel roduction has steadily increased in recent years. Studies on agricultural systems have identified environmental issues ranging from greenhouse gas emis...

Pharmaceutical lobbying in Brazil: a missing topic in the public health research agenda.

PubMed

Paumgartten, Francisco José Roma

2016-12-22

In the US, where registration of lobbyists is mandatory, the pharmaceutical industry and private health-care providers spend huge amounts of money seeking to influence health policies and government decisions. In Brazil, where lobbying lacks transparency, there is virtually no data on drug industry expenditure to persuade legislators and government officials of their viewpoints and to influence decision-making according to commercial interests. Since 1990, however, the Associação da Indústria Farmacêutica de Pesquisa (Interfarma - Pharmaceutical Research Industry Association), Brazilian counterpart of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), main lobbying organization of the US pharmaceutical industry, has played a major role in the advocacy of interests of major drug companies. The main goals of Interfarma lobbying activities are: shortening the average time taken by the Brazilian regulatory agency (ANVISA) to approve marketing authorization for a new drug; making the criteria for incorporation of new drugs into SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System) more flexible and speeding up technology incorporation; changing the Country's ethical clearance system and the ethical requirements for clinical trials to meet the need of the innovative drug industry, and establishing a National Policy for Rare Diseases that allows a prompt incorporation of orphan drugs into SUS. Although lobbying affects community health and well-being, this topic is not in the public health research agenda. The impacts of pharmaceutical lobbying on health policies and health-care costs are of great importance for SUS and deserve to be investigated.

Factors associated with the diffusion rate of innovations: a pilot study from the perspective of the Brazilian Unified National Health System.

PubMed

Schneiders, Roberto Eduardo; Ronsoni, Ricardo de March; Sarti, Flávia Mori; Nita, Marcelo Eidi; Bastos, Ediane de Assis; Zimmermann, Ivan Ricardo; Ferreira, Fernando Fagundes

2016-10-10

Budget Impact Analyses require a set of essential information on health technology innovation, including expected rates of adoption. There is an absence of studies investigating trends, magnitude of budgetary effects and determinants of diffusion rates for health technology innovations worldwide during the last decades. The present study proposes a pilot assessment on main determinants influencing diffusion rates of pharmaceutical innovations within the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS). Data from the Brazilian Health Informatics Department (DATASUS) was gathered to establish the main determinants of diffusion rates of health technology innovations in Brazil, specifically referring to pharmaceutical innovations incorporated in the Brazilian Program for Specialized Pharmaceutical Services (CEAF) at SUS. Information was retrieved on DATASUS relating to patients who had used one of the medicines incorporated into CEAF at least three years prior to the beginning of the study (2015) for treatment of each health condition available. Thus, data from patients adopting 10 different medicines were analyzed in the study. Results from the zero-one inflated beta model showed a higher influence on diffusion rates of pharmaceutical innovations due to: number of pharmaceutical competitors for treatment of the same disease available at CEAF (negative); medicine used in combination with other medication (positive); and innovative medicine within the SUS (positive). Further research on diffusion rates of health technology innovations is required, including wider scope of diseases and medications, potential confusion factors and other variables that may influence rates of adoption in different health systems.

Comparison of two kinds of interface, based on guided navigation or usability principles, for improving the adoption of computerized decision support systems: application to the prescription of antibiotics

PubMed Central

Tsopra, Rosy; Jais, Jean-Philippe; Venot, Alain; Duclos, Catherine

2014-01-01

Context It is important to consider the way in which information is presented by the interfaces of clinical decision support systems, to favor the adoption of these systems by physicians. Interface design can focus on decision processes (guided navigation) or usability principles. Objective The aim of this study was to compare these two approaches in terms of perceived usability, accuracy rate, and confidence in the system. Materials and methods We displayed clinical practice guidelines for antibiotic treatment via two types of interface, which we compared in a crossover design. General practitioners were asked to provide responses for 10 clinical cases and the System Usability Scale (SUS) for each interface. We assessed SUS scores, the number of correct responses, and the confidence level for each interface. Results SUS score and percentage confidence were significantly higher for the interface designed according to usability principles (81 vs 51, p=0.00004, and 88.8% vs 80.7%, p=0.004). The percentage of correct responses was similar for the two interfaces. Discussion/conclusion The interface designed according to usability principles was perceived to be more usable and inspired greater confidence among physicians than the guided navigation interface. Consideration of usability principles in the construction of an interface—in particular ‘effective information presentation’, ‘consistency’, ‘efficient interactions’, ‘effective use of language’, and ‘minimizing cognitive load’—seemed to improve perceived usability and confidence in the system. PMID:24008427

A multiprofessional perspective on the principal barriers to universal health coverage and universal access to health in extremely poor territories: the contributions of nursing1

PubMed Central

de França, Viviane Helena; Modena, Celina Maria; Confalonieri, Ulisses Eugenio Cavalcanti

2016-01-01

Objective: to investigate the knowledge of managers and health professionals, social workers and education professionals regarding the principal barriers to universal health coverage and universal access to health on the part of the extremely poor population; and to point to the contributions made by nursing for the promotion of this right. Method: a qualitative study whose reference was, for ensuring the right to health, the reorientation of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) towards universal coverage and access in these territories. Interviews were held with 27 members of the multi-professional team of a municipality with high social vulnerability. The data were worked on using thematic content analysis. Results: the following were ascertained as the principal barriers to universal health coverage and access to health: failures in the expansion and strengthening of the services; absence of diagnosis of the priority demands; shortage of technology, equipment, and material and human resources; poor local infrastructure; and actions with low resolutive power and absence of interdepartmental policies. Within the multi-professional team, nursing acts in the SUS in unique health actions and social practices in these territories, presenting an in-depth perspective on this harsh reality, being able to contribute with indispensable support for confronting these disparities in universal health coverage and universal access to health. Conclusion: nursing's in-depth understanding regarding these barriers is essential for encouraging the processes reorienting the SUS, geared towards equality in the right to health. PMID:27143541

Genetic basis of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) resistance to the chitin synthesis inhibitor lufenuron.

PubMed

do Nascimento, Antonio Rogério Bezerra; Farias, Juliano Ricardo; Bernardi, Daniel; Horikoshi, Renato Jun; Omoto, Celso

2016-04-01

An understanding of the genetic basis of insect resistance to insecticides is important for the establishment of insect resistance management (IRM) strategies. In this study we evaluated the inheritance pattern of resistance to the chitin synthesis inhibitor lufenuron in Spodoptera frugiperda. The LC50 values (95% CI) were 0.23 µg lufenuron mL(-1) water (ppm) (0.18-0.28) for the susceptible strain (SUS) and 210.6 µg mL(-1) (175.90-258.10) for the lufenuron-resistant strain (LUF-R), based on diet-overlay bioassay. The resistance ratio was ≈ 915-fold. The LC50 values for reciprocal crosses were 4.89 µg mL(-1) (3.79-5.97) for female LUF-R and male SUS and 5.74 µg mL(-1) (4.70-6.91) for female SUS and male LUF-R, indicating that the inheritance of S. frugiperda resistance to lufenuron is an autosomal, incompletely recessive trait. Backcrosses of the progeny of reciprocal crosses with the parental LUF-R showed a polygenic effect. The estimated minimum number of independent segregations was in the 11.02 range, indicating that resistance to lufenuron is associated with multiple genes in S. frugiperda. Based on genetic crosses, the inheritance pattern of lufenuron resistance in S. frugiperda was autosomal, incompletely recessive and polygenic. Implications of this finding to IRM are discussed in this paper. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Prediabetes

MedlinePlus

... riesgo más alto de tener diabetes tipo 2, enfermedades del corazón, accidentes cerebrovasculares y otros problemas de ... del Instituto Nacional de la Diabetes y las Enfermedades Digestivas y Renales (NIDDK, por sus siglas en ...

COMPARISON OF SCANNING ELECTRON AND ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY OF SURFACE FINISHES ON STAINLESS STEEL THAT REDUCE BACTERIAL ATTACHMENT

EPA Science Inventory

Bacteria adhere to food products and processing surfaces that can cross-contaminate other products and work surfaces (Arnold, 1998). Using materials for food processing surfaces that are resistant to bacterial contamination could enhance food safety. Stainless steel, although sus...

Correction to: Mental Health Needs and Psychoactive Drug Use in a User Population of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.

PubMed

Luis, Margarita Antonia Villar; Barbosa, Sara Pinto; de Souza, Jacqueline; Vedana, Kelly Graziani Giacchero; Zanetti, Ana Carolina Guidorizzi; de Azevedo Marques, João Mazzoncini

2018-01-18

The original version of this article unfortunately published without acknowledgement. The funding information and grant number is given below: Funding Research supported by Research in Public for the National Health Care System (PP-SUS), Grant number 12/51732-9.

Monitoreo del Aire en Puerto Rico a través de la Ciencia Ciudadana

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Comunidad de Tallaboa/Encarnación en Peñuelas, Puerto Rico es un ejemplo de una comunidad comprometida con mejorar la calidad de aire para sus residentes que han sufrido el impacto acumulativo de la contaminacion en su localidad.

Cellulose nanowhiskers from coconut husk fibers: effect of preparation conditions on their thermal and morphological behavior

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cellulose nanowhiskers were prepared by sulfuric acid hydrolysis from coconut husk fibers which had previously been submitted to a delignification process. The effects of preparation conditions on the thermal and morphological behavior of the nanocrystals were investigated. Cellulose nanowhisker sus...

TRACI 2.0 - The Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts

EPA Science Inventory

TRACI 2.0, the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts 2.0, has been expanded and developed for sustainability metrics, life cycle impact assessment, industrial ecology, and process design impact assessment for developing increasingly sus...

SYSTEMS METRICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABILITY

EPA Science Inventory

The concept of sustainability is often associated with the statement from the World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987: "... development that meets the needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability to meet those of the future ...". Hence, sus...

ON SYSTEMS METRICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABILITY

EPA Science Inventory

The concept of sustainability is often associated with the statement from the World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987: "... development that meets the needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability to meet those of the future ...". Hence, sus...

Linear and nonlinear genetic relationships between type traits and productive life in US dairy goats.

PubMed

Castañeda-Bustos, V J; Montaldo, H H; Valencia-Posadas, M; Shepard, L; Pérez-Elizalde, S; Hernández-Mendo, O; Torres-Hernández, G

2017-02-01

Linear or nonlinear genetic relationships between productive life and functional productive life at 72 mo, with final score (SCO), stature, strength, dairyness (DAI), teat diameter, rear legs (side view), rump angle, rump width (RUW), fore udder attachment (FUA), rear udder height, rear udder arch, udder depth (UDD), suspensory ligament (SUS), and teat placement, as well as heritabilities and correlations were estimated from multibreed US dairy goat records. Productive life was defined as the total days in production until 72 mo of age (PL72) for goats having the opportunity to express the trait. Functional productive life (FPL72) was analyzed by incorporating first lactation milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, and SCO in the statistical model. Heritabilities and correlations were estimated using linear mixed models with pedigree additive genetic relationships and ASReml software. Nonlinearity of genetic relationships was assessed based on second-degree polynomial (quadratic) regression models, with the breeding values of PL72 or FPL72 as responses and the breeding values for each type trait (linear and quadratic) as predictor variables. Heritability estimates were 0.19, 0.14, 0.18, 0.20, 0.14, 0.07, 0.28, 0.20, 0.15, 0.13, 0.25, 0.18, 0.20, 0.21, 0.21, and 0.32 for PL72, FPL72, SCO, stature, strength, DAI, teat diameter, rear legs, rump angle, RUW, FUA, rear udder height, rear udder arch, UDD, SUS, and teat placement, respectively. The type traits SCO, RUW, and FUA were the most correlated with PL72 and FPL72, so these may be used as selection criteria to increase longevity in dairy goats. An increase in the coefficient of determination >1% for the second degree, compared with that for the linear model for either PL72 or FPL72, was taken as evidence of a nonlinear genetic relationship. Using this criterion, PL72 showed maximum values at intermediate scores in DAI, UDD, and RUW, and maximum values at extreme scores in FUA and SUS, whereas FPL72 showed maximum

Usability testing of ANSWER: a web-based methotrexate decision aid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Decision aids are evidence-based tools designed to inform people of the potential benefit and harm of treatment options, clarify their preferences and provide a shared decision-making structure for discussion at a clinic visit. For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are considering methotrexate, we have developed a web-based patient decision aid called the ANSWER (Animated, Self-serve, Web-based Research Tool). This study aimed to: 1) assess the usability of the ANSWER prototype; 2) identify strengths and limitations of the ANSWER from the patient’s perspective. Methods The ANSWER prototype consisted of: 1) six animated patient stories and narrated information on the evidence of methotrexate for RA; 2) interactive questionnaires to clarify patients’ treatment preferences. Eligible participants for the usability test were patients with RA who had been prescribed methotrexate. They were asked to verbalize their thoughts (i.e., think aloud) while using the ANSWER, and to complete the System Usability Scale (SUS) to assess overall usability (range = 0-100; higher = more user friendly). Participants were audiotaped and observed, and field notes were taken. The testing continued until no new modifiable issues were found. We used descriptive statistics to summarize participant characteristics and the SUS scores. Content analysis was used to identified usability issues and navigation problems. Results 15 patients participated in the usability testing. The majority were aged 50 or over and were university/college graduates (n = 8, 53.4%). On average they took 56 minutes (SD = 34.8) to complete the tool. The mean SUS score was 81.2 (SD = 13.5). Content analysis of audiotapes and field notes revealed four categories of modifiable usability issues: 1) information delivery (i.e., clarity of the information and presentation style); 2) navigation control (i.e., difficulties in recognizing and using the navigation control buttons); 3

Real-life efficacy and safety of vildagliptin compared with sulfonylureas as add-on to metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Germany.

PubMed

Göke, R; Gruenberger, J B; Bader, G; Dworak, M

2014-05-01

Metformin is an established first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, but intensification of oral anti-diabetes therapy is usually required over time. A large observational study of 45,868 T2DM patients in 27 countries (EDGE) was conducted to compare the effectiveness and safety of vildagliptin as add-on therapy to another oral anti-diabetes drug (OAD) vs other dual OAD combinations. This report presents results from a post-hoc analysis of patients in Germany who received vildagliptin or a sulfonylurea (SU) in combination with metformin. Patients inadequately controlled with monotherapy became eligible only after the add-on treatment was finalized. Patients included were assigned to receive either vildagliptin or another OAD (SUs, thiazolidinediones, glinides, α-glucosidase inhibitors, or metformin; DPP-4 inhibitors or glucagon-like peptide-1 [GLP-1] mimetics/analogs were excluded). The primary end-point was the proportion of patients achieving a reduction in HbA1c >0.3% without peripheral edema, hypoglycemia, discontinuation due to gastrointestinal event, or weight gain ≥5%. Of 8887 patients enrolled in Germany, 6439 received vildagliptin and 971 received SUs as add-on to metformin. The primary end-point was reached in 34.9% and 29.6% of patients in the vildagliptin and SU groups, respectively, with an unadjusted odds ratio of 1.27 (95% CI = 1.09, 1.47; p = 0.001). HbA1c decreased in both cohorts from baseline (-0.7% with vildagliptin vs -0.5% with SUs), with a mean between-group difference of -0.2% (95% CI = -0.22, -0.09). The number of hypoglycemic events was 4-fold higher in the SU group than in the vildagliptin group (vildagliptin = 0.11%; SU = 0.41%). In a real-life setting, vildagliptin was associated with a numerically greater reduction in HbA1c, less hypoglycemia, and more patients reaching target HbA1c without hypoglycemia or weight gain compared with SUs. Open-label design and under reporting of adverse

Evaluation of selected auditory tests in school-age children suspected of auditory processing disorders.

PubMed

Vanniasegaram, Iyngaram; Cohen, Mazal; Rosen, Stuart

2004-12-01

To compare the auditory function of normal-hearing children attending mainstream schools who were referred for an auditory evaluation because of listening/hearing problems (suspected auditory processing disorders [susAPD]) with that of normal-hearing control children. Sixty-five children with a normal standard audiometric evaluation, ages 6-14 yr (32 of whom were referred for susAPD, with the rest age-matched control children), completed a battery of four auditory tests: a dichotic test of competing sentences; a simple discrimination of short tone pairs differing in fundamental frequency at varying interstimulus intervals (TDT); a discrimination task using consonant cluster minimal pairs of real words (CCMP), and an adaptive threshold task for detecting a brief tone presented either simultaneously with a masker (simultaneous masking) or immediately preceding it (backward masking). Regression analyses, including age as a covariate, were performed to determine the extent to which the performance of the two groups differed on each task. Age-corrected z-scores were calculated to evaluate the effectiveness of the complete battery in discriminating the groups. The performance of the susAPD group was significantly poorer than the control group on all but the masking tasks, which failed to differentiate the two groups. The CCMP discriminated the groups most effectively, as it yielded the lowest number of control children with abnormal scores, and performance in both groups was independent of age. By contrast, the proportion of control children who performed poorly on the competing sentences test was unacceptably high. Together, the CCMP (verbal) and TDT (nonverbal) tasks detected impaired listening skills in 56% of the children who were referred to the clinic, compared with 6% of the control children. Performance on the two tasks was not correlated. Two of the four tests evaluated, the CCMP and TDT, proved effective in differentiating the two groups of children of this

Usability testing of ANSWER: a web-based methotrexate decision aid for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Li, Linda C; Adam, Paul M; Townsend, Anne F; Lacaille, Diane; Yousefi, Charlene; Stacey, Dawn; Gromala, Diane; Shaw, Chris D; Tugwell, Peter; Backman, Catherine L

2013-12-01

Decision aids are evidence-based tools designed to inform people of the potential benefit and harm of treatment options, clarify their preferences and provide a shared decision-making structure for discussion at a clinic visit. For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are considering methotrexate, we have developed a web-based patient decision aid called the ANSWER (Animated, Self-serve, Web-based Research Tool). This study aimed to: 1) assess the usability of the ANSWER prototype; 2) identify strengths and limitations of the ANSWER from the patient's perspective. The ANSWER prototype consisted of: 1) six animated patient stories and narrated information on the evidence of methotrexate for RA; 2) interactive questionnaires to clarify patients' treatment preferences. Eligible participants for the usability test were patients with RA who had been prescribed methotrexate. They were asked to verbalize their thoughts (i.e., think aloud) while using the ANSWER, and to complete the System Usability Scale (SUS) to assess overall usability (range = 0-100; higher = more user friendly). Participants were audiotaped and observed, and field notes were taken. The testing continued until no new modifiable issues were found. We used descriptive statistics to summarize participant characteristics and the SUS scores. Content analysis was used to identified usability issues and navigation problems. 15 patients participated in the usability testing. The majority were aged 50 or over and were university/college graduates (n = 8, 53.4%). On average they took 56 minutes (SD = 34.8) to complete the tool. The mean SUS score was 81.2 (SD = 13.5). Content analysis of audiotapes and field notes revealed four categories of modifiable usability issues: 1) information delivery (i.e., clarity of the information and presentation style); 2) navigation control (i.e., difficulties in recognizing and using the navigation control buttons); 3) layout (i.e., position of the

Are we ready for the (range)land revolution?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rangeland scientists have a tremendous amount of knowledge that could ensure that the transition from livestock production to other land uses is as sustainable as possible, while maintaining livestock production systems where they are the most biophysically, socially, culturally and economically sus...

State-and-transition model archetypes: a global taxonomy of rangeland change

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

State and transition models (STMs) synthesize science-based and local knowledge to formally represent the dynamics of rangeland and other ecosystems. Mental models or concepts of ecosystem dynamics implicitly underlie all management decisions in rangelands and thus how people influence rangeland sus...

Panarchy, adaptive management and governance: policy options for building resilience

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental law plays a key role in shaping policy for sus­tainability. In particular, the types of legal instruments, institutions, and the response of law to the inherent variability in socio-ecological systems are critical. Environmental protection has typically involved a c...

DEVELOPING SEASONAL AMMONIA EMISSION ESTIMATES WITH AN INVERSE MODELING TECHNIQUE

EPA Science Inventory

Significant uncertainty exists in magnitude and variability of ammonia (NH3) emissions, which are needed for air quality modeling of aerosols and deposition of nitrogen compounds. Approximately 85% of NH3 emissions are estimated to come from agricultural non-point sources. We sus...

Volunteer Challenge With Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli That Express Intestinal Colonization Factor Fimbriae CS17 and CS19

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

for 18-20 h, bacteria were harvested in sterile saline, and the sus- pension was diluted in phosphate-buffered saline to the ap- propriate...Levine MM, Merson MM. Serologic differentiation between antitoxin responses to infection with Vibrio cholerae and enterotoxin-producing Escherichia coli

Distribución espacial de órbitas con diferentes grados de caoticidad en modelos autoconsistentes de satélites galácticos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muzzio, J. C.; Mosquera, M.

En trabajos anteriores (Carpintero et al., Cel. Mech. Dynam. Astron. 85, 247, 2003), mostramos que las órbitas caóticas son muy importantes en los satélites galácticos. Sin embargo, los únicos modelos autoconsistentes de los que se disponía para ellos eran los de Heggie-Ramamani, cuya función de distribución depende sólo de la energía por lo que no mostraban diferencias entre las distribuciones de sus órbitas regulares y caóticas. Ahora, mediante una aproximación cuadrupolar, hemos logrado construir modelos autoconsistentes de satélites galácticos con distribuciones de velocidades anisotrópicas (lo que indica que sus funciones de distribución no dependen sólo de la energía) y hemos logrado revelar las diferencias entre las estructuras espaciales de las órbitas de distinta caoticidad.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Friction Stir Welded Aluminum Alloy/Stainless Steel Lap Joints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogura, Tomo; Nishida, Taichi; Nishida, Hidehito; Yoshikawa, Syuhei; Yoshida, Takumi; Omichi, Noriko; Fujimoto, Mitsuo; Hirose, Akio

The mechanical properties and interfacial microstructure of an aluminum alloy/stainless steel dissimilar lap joint using friction stir welding (FSW) were characterized. In an FSWed A3003 aluminum alloy-SUS304 steel lap joint, the strength on the advancing side was larger than that at the retreating side. TEM observation indicated that a sound joint can be obtained from the stage of the formation of the amorphous layer owing to the mechanical alloying effects before the formation of intermetallic compounds. This lap joining technique was also successfully applied to A6061-T6 aluminum alloy-grooved SUS304 plates. The maximum tensile strength of the lap joint was approximately the same as that of the base alloy, however, the proof stress of the joint decreased with the dissolution of the β″ phase in the A6061 aluminium alloy, which is caused by the generation of heat during friction stir welding.

Analysis of hospitalization occurred due to motorcycles accidents in São Paulo city

PubMed Central

Gorios, Carlos; Armond, Jane de Eston; Rodrigues, Cintia Leci; Pernambuco, Henrique; Iporre, Ramiro Ortiz; Colombo-Souza, Patrícia

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the motorcycle accidents occurred in the city of São Paulo, SP, Brazil in the year 2013, with emphasis on information about hospital admissions from SIH/SUS. METHODS: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. The study covered 5,597 motorcyclists traumatized in traffic accident during the year 2013 occurred in the city of São Paulo. A survey was conducted using secondary data from the Information System of Hospitalization Health System (SIH/SUS). RESULTS: In 2013, in the city of São Paulo there were 5,597 admissions of motorcyclists traumatized in traffic accidents, of which 89.8% were male. The admission diagnosis were: leg fracture, femur fracture, and intracranial injury. CONCLUSION: This study confirms other preliminary studies on several points, among which stands out the highest prevalence of male young adults. Level of Evidence II, Retrospective Study. PMID:26327804

Integrality of the therapeutic and pharmaceutical care: a necessary debate

PubMed Central

Vieira, Fabiola Sulpino

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The controversy surrounding the different interpretations on the integrality of therapeutic and pharmaceutical care has led to the delimitation of its scope by a law, but the issue has not been completely pacified. As a contribution to this debate, we aim to discuss the challenges to ensure the integrality of the therapeutic and pharmaceutical care, based on a conceptual approach on the meanings of integrality in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). We identified important challenges to ensure the integrality of the therapeutic and pharmaceutical care in the SUS. These challenges are related to professional practices, the organization of actions and services, and the governmental response to health problems or to the treatment of specific population groups. For this end, governments need to carry out structuring actions and be efficient in using available resources so that existing problems can be overcome. PMID:29236879

[The impact of non-thrombolytic management of acute ischemic stroke in older individuals: the experience of the Federal District, Brazil].

PubMed

Moura, Mirian; Casulari, Luiz Augusto

2015-07-01

To analyze the impact of a non-specific, decentralized treatment protocol for ischemic stroke in older individuals on the quality of the care provided in the public health care system (SUS, Sistema Único de Saúde) in the Federal District. This retrospective historical control study employed data from the SUS Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS). Two time periods were compared: before and after the adoption of a protocol based on non-specific measures (medical therapy without alteplase) and decentralized care. A set of 2 369 admissions of patients older than 60 years with ischemic stroke was analyzed for the period of 2006/2007, and 5 207 admissions for 2010/2011. The variables were frequency, length of stay, mortality, lethality of ischemic stroke, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and hospital reimbursement for ischemic stroke admissions. Effectiveness was evaluated based on mortality and lethality rates and efficiency was evaluated based on length of stay, use of ICU, and reimbursed amounts. In the second time period, there was an increase of 119.8% in the number of ischemic stroke admissions (P = 0.0001), increase of 27.3% in absolute mortality, decrease of 5.0% in lethality rate (P = 0.02), and increase of 130.6% in ICU utilization rate (P = 0.0001). There was no difference between the periods regarding mean number of inpatient days and reimbursed amounts. The indicators used in the present study showed improved effectiveness of acute ischemic stroke treatment with the use of a non-specific, decentralized protocol. However, no impact was observed on efficiency.

Development of a patient decision aid prototype for adults with obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Trenaman, Logan; Munro, Sarah; Almeida, Fernanda; Ayas, Najib; Hicklin, James; Bansback, Nick

2016-05-01

To describe the development and assess the usability of a patient decision aid (PtDA) prototype designed for newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. A web-based PtDA was developed which focuses on two first-line treatment options: continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and mandibular advancement splints (MAS). Development was guided by the International Patient Decision Aid Standards (IPDAS). Usability was assessed in individuals at high risk for OSA based on the STOP-Bang questionnaire, the patient acceptance of decision aid, the System Usability Scale (SUS), and content analysis of open-ended user feedback. Eighty eligible participants completed the survey. The mean age was 54 years (SD = 8.9), 60 % of the sample was male, 78 % were university-educated, and 64 % were employed full-time. Participants took an average of 13.7 min (SD = 9.6) to complete the PtDA, with 39 participants choosing CPAP, 25 choosing MAS, and 16 choosing no treatment. The mean SUS score was 78.22 (SD = 15.13). The majority of individuals thought the PtDA was useful in making a decision (n = 77, 96 %) and would recommend it to others (n = 77, 96 %), while a third (n = 26, 33 %) thought it was slanted towards CPAP. The SUS indicated that the PtDA was acceptable and useful for participants. And useful for participants. User feedback has been used to improve the prototype, which will now undergo further testing in patients at the Vancouver Sleep Disorders Clinic.

Exploring the Usability of Mobile Apps Supporting Radiologists' Training in Diagnostic Decision Making.

PubMed

Kim, Min Soon; Aro, Michael R; Lage, Kraig J; Ingalls, Kevin L; Sindhwani, Vivek; Markey, Mia K

2016-03-01

The objective of this study was to conduct a usability evaluation of mobile apps for supporting education and training in radiologic diagnostic decision-making processes. Of 381 mobile apps available at two major stores (Google Play and iTunes), eight iOS apps were selected for laboratory-based usability tests. Six staff radiologists completed eight app-specific task sets, using a think-aloud strategy. The triangular methods approach included quantitative performance measures, System Usability Scale (SUS), and qualitative thematic analysis using heuristic usability principles of usability issues. Overall, radiologists achieved higher than 70% success, with favorable SUS scores, in completing the tasks for seven of the eight apps. However, task success rate and SUS score had a weak relation (r = 0.23), indicating that the perceived usability may not reflect the holistic usability of the app. Task analysis and self-report revealed 108 usability issues, which were condensed to 55 unique issues and categorized by nine usability themes and mapped to ten usability heuristics. Nonintuitive functionality (eg, nonintuitive or misleading labels) was the most frequent theme observed, leading to inefficient navigation. These usability findings were consistent with the 13 improvements the radiologists suggested. This study demonstrates the feasibility of usability evaluation of radiology mobile apps and suggests potential improvements in the development of radiology mobile apps. This study also suggests that proficiency with mobile devices may not be equivalent to being an expert user, proficient in using the apps. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Local thermal expansions and lattice strains in Elinvar and stainless steel alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yokoyama, Toshihiko; Koide, Akihiro; Uemura, Yohei

2018-02-01

Local thermal expansions and lattice strains in the Elinvar alloy Fe49.66Ni42.38Cr5.49Ti2.47 (Ni Span C) and the stainless steel SUS304 Fe71.98Ni9.07Cr18.09Mn0.86 (AISI304) were investigated by the temperature-dependent Cr, Fe, and Ni K -edge extended x-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) measurements, combined with the path-integral effective classical potential Monte Carlo (PIECP MC) theoretical simulations. From the EXAFS analysis of the Elinvar alloy, the local thermal expansion around Fe is found to be considerably smaller than the ones around Ni and Cr. This observation can be understood simply because Fe in the Elinvar alloy exhibit an incomplete Invar-like effect. Moreover, in both the Elinvar and SUS304 alloys, the local thermal expansions and the lattice strains around Cr are found to be larger than those around Fe and Ni. From the PIECP MC simulations of both the alloys, the first-nearest neighbor Cr-Fe pair shows extraordinarily large thermal expansion, while the Cr-Cr pair exhibits quite small or even negative thermal expansion. These findings consequently indicate that the lattice strains in both the Elinvar and SUS304 alloys are concentrated predominantly on the Cr atoms. Although the role of Cr in stainless steel has been known to inhibit corrosion by the formation of surface chromium oxide, the present investigation may interestingly suggest that the Cr atoms in the bulk play a hidden new role of absorbing inevitable lattice strains in the alloys.

Evaluation of Home Health Care Devices: Remote Usability Assessment.

PubMed

Kortum, Philip; Peres, S Camille

2015-06-05

An increasing amount of health care is now performed in a home setting, away from the hospital. While there is growing anecdotal evidence about the difficulty patients and caregivers have using increasingly complex health care devices in the home, there has been little systematic scientific study to quantify the global nature of home health care device usability in the field. Research has tended to focus on a handful of devices, making it difficult to gain a broad view of the usability of home-care devices in general. The objective of this paper is to describe a remote usability assessment method using the System Usability Scale (SUS), and to report on the usability of a broad range of health care devices using this metric. A total of 271 participants selected and rated up to 10 home health care devices of their choice using the SUS, which scores usability from 0 (unusable) to 100 (highly usable). Participants rated a total of 455 devices in their own home without an experimenter present. Usability scores ranged from 98 (oxygen masks) to 59 (home hormone test kits). An analysis conducted on devices that had at least 10 ratings showed that the effect of device on SUS scores was significant (P<.001), and that the usability of these devices was on the low end when compared with other commonly used items in the home, such as microwave ovens and telephones. A large database of usability scores for home health care devices collected using this remote methodology would be beneficial for physicians, patients, and their caregivers.

Ten Years of a National Oral Health Policy in Brazil: Innovation, Boldness, and Numerous Challenges.

PubMed

Pucca, G A; Gabriel, M; de Araujo, M E; de Almeida, F C S

2015-10-01

Brazil is the only country in the world to propose a universal health care system with the aim of guaranteeing delivery of all levels of health care, free of charge, to a population of over 200 million inhabitants by means of a unified health system ("Sistema Único de Saúde" [SUS]). The national policy of oral health, also known as Smiling Brazil ("Brasil Sorridente"), was implemented in 2004. Oral health was designated as 1 of the 4 priority areas of the SUS, transforming oral health care in Brazil, with the objective that the SUS achieve the integrality of care envisaged at its creation. The aim of this article is to share part of this experience in order to prompt reflection about the inclusion of oral health care in other health care systems around the world. The most significant results of Smiling Brazil can be seen in 3 areas: (1) oral health epidemiological indicators, (2) financial investment and professional development, and (3) the building of an oral health care network throughout the 10 y of the policy. The "Discovery!" article presented here portrays 10 y of evolution; however, it is important to point out that this is a process undergoing construction and that the oral health care network needs to be further expanded, refined, and solidified so that over time and through changes in the political parties in power, Smiling Brazil prevails as a perennial policy and not merely an action by a single government. © International & American Associations for Dental Research 2015.

Dynamics of male pelvic floor muscle contraction observed with transperineal ultrasound imaging differ between voluntary and evoked coughs.

PubMed

Stafford, Ryan E; Mazzone, Stuart; Ashton-Miller, James A; Constantinou, Christos; Hodges, Paul W

2014-04-15

Coughing provokes stress urinary incontinence, and voluntary coughs are employed clinically to assess pelvic floor dysfunction. Understanding urethral dynamics during coughing in men is limited, and it is unclear whether voluntary coughs are an appropriate surrogate for spontaneous coughs. We aimed to investigate the dynamics of urethral motion in continent men during voluntary and evoked coughs. Thirteen men (28-42 years) with no history of urological disorders volunteered to participate. Transperineal ultrasound (US) images were recorded and synchronized with measures of intraabdominal pressure (IAP), airflow, and abdominal/chest wall electromyography during voluntary coughs and coughs evoked by inhalation of nebulized capsaicin. Temporal and spatial aspects of urethral movement induced by contraction of the striated urethral sphincter (SUS), levator ani (LA), and bulbocavernosus (BC) muscles and mechanical aspects of cough generation were investigated. Results showed coughing involved complex urethral dynamics. Urethral motion implied SUS and BC shortening and LA lengthening during preparatory and expulsion phases. Evoked coughs resulted in greater IAP, greater bladder base descent (LA lengthening), and greater midurethral displacement (SUS shortening). The preparatory inspiration cough phase was shorter during evoked coughs, as was the latency between onset of midurethral displacement and expulsion. Maximum midurethral displacement coincided with maximal bladder base descent during voluntary cough, but followed it during evoked cough. The data revealed complex interaction between muscles involved in continence in men. Spatial and temporal differences in urethral dynamics and cough mechanics between cough types suggest that voluntary coughing may not adequately assess capacity of the continence mechanism.

Growth and Reproduction of Glyphosate-Resistant and Susceptible Populations of Kochia scoparia

PubMed Central

Kumar, Vipan; Jha, Prashant

2015-01-01

Evolution of glyphosate-resistant kochia is a threat to no-till wheat-fallow and glyphosate-resistant (GR) cropping systems of the US Great Plains. The EPSPS (5-enol-pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase) gene amplification confers glyphosate resistance in the tested Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad populations from Montana. Experiments were conducted in spring to fall 2014 (run 1) and summer 2014 to spring 2015 (run 2) to investigate the growth and reproductive traits of the GR vs. glyphosate-susceptible (SUS) populations of K. scoparia and to determine the relationship of EPSPS gene amplification with the level of glyphosate resistance. GR K. scoparia inbred lines (CHES01 and JOP01) exhibited 2 to 14 relative copies of the EPSPS gene compared with the SUS inbred line with only one copy. In the absence of glyphosate, no differences in growth and reproductive parameters were evident between the tested GR and SUS inbred lines, across an intraspecific competition gradient (1 to 170 plants m-2). GR K. scoparia plants with 2 to 4 copies of the EPSPS gene survived the field-use rate (870 g ha-1) of glyphosate, but failed to survive the 4,350 g ha-1 rate of glyphosate (five-times the field-use rate). In contrast, GR plants with 5 to 14 EPSPS gene copies survived the 4,350 g ha-1 of glyphosate. The results from this research indicate that GR K. scoparia with 5 or more EPSPS gene copies will most likely persist in field populations, irrespective of glyphosate selection pressure. PMID:26580558

Cost-effectiveness of surgical treatment for hip fractures among the elderly in Brazil☆

PubMed Central

Loures, Fabiano Bolpato; Chaoubah, Alfredo; Maciel, Vinícius Silveira; Paiva, Elenir Pereira; Salgado, Patrick Pereira; Netto, Álvaro Correa

2015-01-01

Objectives To estimate the cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) focusing on the length of time between trauma and surgery. Methods A retrospective cohort with systematic sampling was conducted among all the patients who were admitted to the study hospital through the Brazilian National Health System (SUS) over a three-year period. Two treatment strategies were compared: early treatment, if the patient was operated up to the fourth day; and late treatment, if this was done after the fourth day. The cost was the direct medical cost from the point of view of SUS, which was gathered from the management system, from the SUS table of procedures, medications and implant material costs (SIGTAP), to account for the costs associated with the hospital, medical fees and implants used. The outcome of usefulness was measured indirectly by means of EuroQOL-5D, which is an instrument used worldwide, and these measurements were transformed into usefulness by means of the standard rules of the Regional Planning and Development Center of Minas Gerais (CEDEPLAR) of 2013. Results The sample included 110 patients: 27 in the early group and 83 in the late group. The confounding variables of age, gender, anesthetic risk (ASA), fracture type and surgery type were controlled for. The samples were shown to be homogenous with regard to these variables. The cost per QALY of the early strategy was R$ 5,129.42 and the cost of the late strategy was R$ 8,444.50. Conclusion The early strategy was highly favorable in relation to the late strategy in this study. PMID:26229894

Long-Term Stability of the NIST Standard Ultrasonic Source.

PubMed

Fick, Steven E

2008-01-01

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Ultrasonic Source (SUS) is a system comprising a transducer capable of output power levels up to 1 W at multiple frequencies between 1 MHz and 30 MHz, and an electrical impedance-matching network that allows the system to be driven by a conventional 50 Ω rf (radio-frequency) source. It is designed to allow interlaboratory replication of ultrasonic power levels with high accuracy using inexpensive readily available ancillary equipment. The SUS was offered for sale for 14 years (1985 to 1999). Each system was furnished with data for the set of calibration points (combinations of power level and frequency) specified by the customer. Of the systems that had been ordered with some calibration points in common, three were returned more than once to NIST for recalibration. Another system retained at NIST has been recalibrated periodically since 1984. The collective data for these systems comprise 9 calibration points and 102 measurements spanning a 17 year interval ending in 2001, the last year NIST ultrasonic power measurement services were available to the public. These data have been analyzed to compare variations in output power with frequency, power level, and time elapsed since the first calibration. The results verify the claim, made in the instruction sheet furnished with every SUS, that "long-term drift, if any, in the calibration of NIST Standard Sources is insignificant compared to the uncertainties associated with a single measurement of ultrasonic power by any method available at NIST."

Analysis of gut microbiota revealed Lactococcus garviaeae could be an indicative of skin ulceration syndrome in farmed sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhen; Xing, Ronglian; Lv, Zhimeng; Shao, Yina; Zhang, Weiwei; Zhao, Xuelin; Li, Chenghua

2018-06-02

Accumulative evidence has supported the pivotal roles of gut microbiota in shaping host health in a wide range of animals. However, the relationship between gut microbiota and sea cucumber disease is poorly understood. Using the Illumina sequencing of bacterial 16 S rRNA gene, we investigated the divergence of gut bacterial communities between healthy and skin ulceration syndrome (SUS) diseased Apostichopus japonicus. The results showed that bacterial phylotypes in both groups were closely related at phylum level with predominant component of Proteobacteria (>90%). However, Firmicutes and Verrucomicrobia displayed opposite trends in two groups with higher abundance of Firmicutes and lower of Verrucomicrobia in diseased group. Further KEGG enrichment revealed that bacterial-mediated infectious diseases and signal transduction pathways were significantly induced in the SUS group. We also identified one OTU of Lactococcus garvieae from Firmicutes exhibited significantly different abundances in diseased sea cucumber as compared to healthy subjects. The relative abundance of the species was 27.67% ± 10.52% in diseased group compared to 2.78% ± 2.59% in healthy sea cucumber. Three virulence genes of hlyⅢ, fbp and pva encoded by L. garvieae were investigated by qPCR, and were found to be significantly induced (P < 0.05) in diseased sea cucumbers as compared to healthy ones. All our results supported that L. garvieae might be a potential pathogen for SUS outbreak and could be served as a bio-indicator for this disease monitoring. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validation of a major quantitative trait locus associated with host response to experimental infection with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Infectious diseases are costly to the swine industry and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is the most devastating. In earlier work, a quantitative trait locus associated with resistance/susceptibility to PRRSV was identified on Sus scrofa chromosome 4 (SSC4) using ~560 exp...

Liamocin oil from Aureobasidium pullulans has antibacterial activity with specificity for species of Streptococcus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Liamocin oil from Aureobasidium pullulans NRRL 50380 was tested for antibacterial activity. Liamocins inhibited growth of Streptococcus agalactiae, S. uberis, S. mitis, S. infantarius, and S. mutans, with minimum inhibitory concentrations from 20 'g/ml to 78 'g/ml. Enterococcus faecalis was less sus...

Turning schedules influence final composition of composted swine manure

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Liquid swine (Sus scrofa domesticus) manure is a high-moisture, low-nutrient product that limits economical transport to areas in proximity of its source, possibly contributing to localized high soil nutrient levels. Composting swine manure converts liquid slurries to solids at lower moisture conten...

UC DAVIS CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

EPA Science Inventory

The goals of the CCEH in the next five years are to: (1) better understand the mechanisms by which environmental, immunologic, and molecular factors interact to influence the risk and severity of autism; (2) identify early immunologic, environmental, and genomic markers of sus...

Early and late maturing grain sorghum under variable climatic conditions in the Texas High Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In the Texas High Plains, variable climatic conditions prevail between and within growing seasons. As this area continues to experience drought conditions, and water resources for irrigation become more limited, sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] production may become a more popular choice to sus...

Excluding feral swine, javelina and raccoons from deer bait stations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Here we present a design and construction procedure for a physical and electric barrier fence to prevent feral swine (Sus scrofa), javelina (Pecari tajacu), raccoons (Procyon lotor), and perhaps other non-target animals from accessing or damaging bait stations designed to administer acaricide treatm...

Excluding feral swine, javelina, and raccoons from deer bait stations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This paper presents a design, list of materials, and construction procedure for a physical and electric barrier fence to prevent feral swine (Sus scrofa), javelina (Pecari tajacu), raccoons (Procyon lotor), and perhaps other non-target animals from accessing or damaging bait stations designed to adm...

Transgene silencing of sucrose synthase in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) stem vascular tissue suggests a role for invertase in cell wall cellulose synthesis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants were transformed with two constructs: (1) a truncated phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase promoter isolated from alfalfa nodules (PEPC-4) fused to GUS; and (2) PEPC-4 fused with sucrose synthase (SUS) isolated from alfalfa nodules. Histochemical staining for GUS in st...

Effect of Humic Acid and Sunlight on the Generation of aqu/C60

EPA Science Inventory

Little is known about the effect of sunlight and natural organic matter, such as humic acid, on the aqueous suspension of fullerene C60. This knowledge gap limits our ability to determine the environmental impact of potential environmental releases of these materials. Aqueous sus...

Complete Genome Sequence of a Porcine Polyomavirus from Nasal Swabs of Pigs with Respiratory Disease

PubMed Central

Smith, Catherine; Bishop, Brian; Stewart, Chelsea; Simonson, Randy

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Metagenomic sequencing of pooled nasal swabs from pigs with unexplained respiratory disease identified a large number of reads mapping to a previously uncharacterized porcine polyomavirus. Sus scrofa polyomavirus 2 was most closely related to betapolyomaviruses frequently detected in mammalian respiratory samples. PMID:29700160

Advertencia para el Uso de Pesticidas

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La Agencia de Protección Ambiental (EPA – por sus siglas en inglés), Región 2 aconseja a los aplicadores y consumidores de solo usar los pesticidas de acuerdo con la etiqueta. Productos que aseguran prevenir, destruir, o repelar insectos.

Evaluation of movement behaviors to inform toxic baiting strategies for invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa).

PubMed

Lavelle, Michael J; Snow, Nathan P; Halseth, Joseph M; VanNatta, Eric H; Sanders, Heather N; VerCauteren, Kurt C

2018-04-06

Invasive wild pigs damage agriculture, property, and natural ecosystems. To curtail damage, an effective and humane toxic bait containing microencapsulated sodium nitrite is under development. Strategies for delivering the toxic bait are needed to establish adequate spacing of bait sites, and for simultaneously accustoming wild pigs to the novel bait and wild pig-specific bait stations designed to exclude non-target species. We monitored movements of 32 Global Positioning System (GPS)-collared wild pigs relative to 41 bait sites containing placebo bait. Among the bait sites, we compared three experimental baiting strategies (and a control) to evaluate which strategy led to the most wild pigs accessing the placebo bait inside bait stations. We found that bait sites should be spaced 0.5-1 km apart to maximize opportunities for all wild pigs to find and utilize the bait sites. Baiting strategies that allowed ≥ 15 days for accustoming wild pigs to bait stations were most effective and resulted in nearly 90% of wild pigs accessing the placebo bait inside the bait stations. Bait stations excluded all non-target animals, except one instance with a raccoon (Procyon lotor). These results demonstrate the potential for toxic bait to be an effective tool for reducing populations of wild pigs with minimal risks to non-target species, if optimized delivery procedures are followed. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Como ayudar a sus hijos a usar la biblioteca (Helping Your Child Use the Library).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkinson, Kathryn

Focusing on the cooperative role of parents and public libraries in stimulating reading interests in children of all ages, this booklet addresses the following issues: (1) getting children interested in reading (reading aloud to children; encouraging children to read to you; starting a home library; showing children that you enjoy reading;…

Gasto catastrófico en salud en México y sus factores determinantes, 2002-2014.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Aguilar, Román; Rivera-Peña, Gustavo

2017-01-01

To assess the financial protection of public health insurance by analyzing the percentage of households with catastrophic health expenditure (HCHE) in Mexico and its relationship with poverty status, size of locality, federal entity, insurance status and items of health spending. Mexican National Survey of Income and Expenditures 2002-2014 was used to estimate the percentage of HCHE. Through a probit model, factors associated with the occurrence of catastrophic spending are identified. Analysis was performed using Stata-SE 12. In 2014 there were 2.08% of HCHE (1.82-2.34%; N = 657,474). The estimated probit model correctly classified 98.2% of HCHE (Pr (D) ≥ 0.5). Factors affecting the catastrophic expenditures were affiliation, presence of chronic disease, hospitalization expenditure, rural condition and that the household is below the food poverty line. The percentage of HCHE decreased in recent years, improving financial protection in health. This decline seems to have stalled, keeping inequities in access to health services, especially in rural population without affiliation to any health institution, below the food poverty line and suffering from chronic diseases. Copyright: © 2017 SecretarÍa de Salud

First detection of Alaria alata mesocercariae in wild boars (Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758) from Bulgaria.

PubMed

Riehn, K; Lalkovski, N; Hamedy, A; Lücker, Ernst

2014-06-01

The trematode Alaria alata, an intestinal parasite of different carnivore species is widely distributed throughout Europe. The mesocercarial stages of Alaria spp. may infect almost all vertebrate species, including humans, and, in particular, omnivorous scavengers such as wild boars serve as paratenic hosts for the parasite. The introduction of the A. alata mesocercariae migration technique (AMT) opened the way to a reliable detection of Alaria spp. mesocercariae in different body tissues of their paratenic hosts. For the first time, it was possible to detect vital A. alata mesocercariae from two Bulgarian wild boars by means of this new method. In addition, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) examination of the respective parasitic DNA allowed the unequivocal species identification of the parasites as A. alata. Isolation and molecular biological identification of the parasite's developmental stages make significant contributions to completion of data on both the distribution of Alaria spp. in stocks of European game and the relationship between different Eurasian Alaria spp. isolates.

Interferon-induced Sus scrofa Mx1 blocks endocytic traffic of incoming influenza A virus particles.

PubMed

Palm, Mélanie; Garigliany, Mutien-Marie; Cornet, François; Desmecht, Daniel

2010-01-01

The interferon-induced Mx proteins of vertebrates are dynamin-like GTPases, some isoforms of which can additionally inhibit the life cycle of certain RNA viruses. Here we show that the porcine Mx1 protein (poMx1) inhibits replication of influenza A virus and we attempt to identify the step at which the viral life cycle is blocked. In infected cells expressing poMx1, the level of transcripts encoding the viral nucleoprotein is significantly lower than normal, even when secondary transcription is prevented by exposure to cycloheximide. This reveals that a pretranscriptional block participates to the anti-influenza activity. Binding and internalization of incoming virus particles are normal in the presence of poMx1 but centripetal traffic to the late endosomes is interrupted. Surprisingly but decisively, poMx1 significantly alters binding of early endosome autoantigen 1 to early endosomes and/or early endosome size and spatial distribution. This is compatible with impairment of traffic of the endocytic vesicles to the late endosomes. INRA, EDP Sciences, 2010.

Mapping carcass and meat quality QTL on Sus Scrofa chromosome 2 in commercial finishing pigs

PubMed Central

Heuven, Henri CM; van Wijk, Rik HJ; Dibbits, Bert; van Kampen, Tony A; Knol, Egbert F; Bovenhuis, Henk

2009-01-01

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting carcass and meat quality located on SSC2 were identified using variance component methods. A large number of traits involved in meat and carcass quality was detected in a commercial crossbred population: 1855 pigs sired by 17 boars from a synthetic line, which where homozygous (A/A) for IGF2. Using combined linkage and linkage disequilibrium mapping (LDLA), several QTL significantly affecting loin muscle mass, ham weight and ham muscles (outer ham and knuckle ham) and meat quality traits, such as Minolta-L* and -b*, ultimate pH and Japanese colour score were detected. These results agreed well with previous QTL-studies involving SSC2. Since our study is carried out on crossbreds, different QTL may be segregating in the parental lines. To address this question, we compared models with a single QTL-variance component with models allowing for separate sire and dam QTL-variance components. The same QTL were identified using a single QTL variance component model compared to a model allowing for separate variances with minor differences with respect to QTL location. However, the variance component method made it possible to detect QTL segregating in the paternal line (e.g. HAMB), the maternal lines (e.g. Ham) or in both (e.g. pHu). Combining association and linkage information among haplotypes improved slightly the significance of the QTL compared to an analysis using linkage information only. PMID:19284675

Increased hematocrit after applications of conducted energy weapons (including TASER(®) devices) to Sus scrofa.

PubMed

Jauchem, James R

2011-01-01

Conducted energy weapons (CEWs) are used by law enforcement personnel to incapacitate individuals quickly and effectively, without intending to cause lethality. CEWs have been deployed for relatively long or repeated exposures in some cases. In laboratory animal models, central venous hematocrit has increased significantly after CEW exposure. Even limited applications (e.g., three 5-sec applications) resulted in statistically significant increases in hematocrit. Preexposure hematocrit was significantly higher in nonsurvivors versus survivors after more extreme CEW applications. The purpose of this technical note is to address specific questions that may be generated when examining these results. Comparisons among results of CEW applications, other electrical muscle stimulation, and exercise/voluntary muscle contraction are included. The anesthetized swine appears to be an acceptable animal model for studying changes in hematocrit and associated red blood cell changes. Potential detrimental effects of increased hematocrit, and considerations during law enforcement use, are discussed. 2010 American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Published 2010. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the U.S.A.

CNV analysis of host responses to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a devastating disease with a significant impact on the swine industry causing major economic losses. Recent studies revealed a region on Sus Scrofa chromosome (SSC) 4 associated with serum viremia and weight gain in pigs infected with the PRRS ...

Hispanos en la EPA: Neftalí Hernández-Santiago

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La diversidad de la fuerza laboral es importante para la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU. (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés). Los empleados hispanos de la EPA contribuyen diariamente hacia la protección de la salud y el medio ambiente.

Hispanos en la EPA: Grace Robiou

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La diversidad de la fuerza laboral es importante para la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU. (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés). Los empleados hispanos de la EPA contribuyen diariamente hacia la protección de la salud y el medio ambiente.

Comparisons of Wartime and Peacetime Disease and Non-Battle Injury Rates Aboard Ships of the British Royal Navy

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-01

Kenya Cleopatra Maur itius Enterprise Sirius Kenya Sussex Mauritius Orion Penelope Si rius Sus sex Detors Aligt1ion Ledbury Anthony Liddesdale Beaufurt...Diseases of the Rectum and Anus Diseases of the Liver Other Digestive Diseases DISEASES OF NUTRITION OR METABOLISM Scurvy Beri-Beri Gout Diabetes

Genome-wide association of porcine lung lesions using DNA pooling

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Respiratory disease in swine is a primary health concern for producers. Pleuropneumonia and enzootic pneumonia occur at a high incidence on most farms and have a negative effect on feed efficiency, growth, and animal welfare. Mycoplasma pneumonia is one of the most important because it increases sus...

Unidades generadoras de energía eléctrica para servicios públicos: Revocación del Plan de Energía Limpia: Propuesta

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La EPA está proponiendo la revocación del Plan de Energía Limpia (CPP, por sus siglas en inglés) – después de completar una revisión minuciosa como fue dictaminada por la Orden Ejecutiva de Independencia Energética.

Hispanos en la EPA: Sally Gutiérrez

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La diversidad de la fuerza laboral es importante para la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU. (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés). Los empleados hispanos de la EPA contribuyen diariamente hacia la protección de la salud y el medio ambiente.

Constitutively overexpressing a tomato fructokinase gene (lefrk1) in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. coker 312) positively affects plant vegetative growth, boll number and seed cotton yield.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increasing fructokinase (FRK) activity in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants may reduce fructose inhibition of sucrose synthase (Sus) and lead to improved fibre yield and quality. Cotton was transformed with a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fructokinase gene (LeFRK1) under the control of the C...

Better long-term management enhances soil C and N stocks

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Traditional practices, such as conventional tillage with crop–fallow, have reduced dryland soil carbon and nitrogen over the last several decades by 30 to 50% of their original levels in the northern Great Plains. Improved management practices are needed to restore carbon and nitrogen levels and sus...

Detection of zoonotic protozoa Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis suihominis in wild boars from Spain

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Food safety regulations require the control of presence of protozoa in meats destined for human consumption. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) meat may constitute a source of zoonoses. A 23.8% (688/2881) seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies, and 72.2% (662/910) Sarcocystis sarcocysts prevalence ...

Hispanos en la EPA: Matthew Tejada

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La diversidad de la fuerza laboral es importante para la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU. (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés). Los empleados hispanos de la EPA contribuyen diariamente hacia la protección de la salud y el medio ambiente.

Hispanos en la EPA: Fabiola Estrada

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La diversidad de la fuerza laboral es importante para la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU. (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés). Los empleados hispanos de la EPA contribuyen diariamente hacia la protección de la salud y el medio ambiente.

Hispanos en la EPA: Joel Corona

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La diversidad de la fuerza laboral es importante para la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU. (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés). Los empleados hispanos de la EPA contribuyen diariamente hacia la protección de la salud y el medio ambiente.

Hispanos en la EPA: Rafael DeLeón

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La diversidad de la fuerza laboral es importante para la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU. (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés). Los empleados hispanos de la EPA contribuyen diariamente hacia la protección de la salud y el medio ambiente.

Hispanos en la EPA: Nadtya Y. Hong

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La diversidad de la fuerza laboral es importante para la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU. (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés). Los empleados hispanos de la EPA contribuyen diariamente hacia la protección de la salud y el medio ambiente.

Hispanos en la EPA: Evelyn Rivera-Ocasio

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La diversidad de la fuerza laboral es importante para la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU. (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés). Los empleados hispanos de la EPA contribuyen diariamente hacia la protección de la salud y el medio ambiente.

Hispanos en la EPA: Elias Rodríguez

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

La diversidad de la fuerza laboral es importante para la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE.UU. (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés). Los empleados hispanos de la EPA contribuyen diariamente hacia la protección de la salud y el medio ambiente.

NASA Applied Sciences Disasters Program Support for the September 2017 Mexico Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glasscoe, M. T.; Kirschbaum, D.; Torres-Perez, J. L.; Yun, S. H.; Owen, S. E.; Hua, H.; Fielding, E. J.; Liang, C.; Bekaert, D. P.; Osmanoglu, B.; Amini, R.; Green, D. S.; Murray, J. J.; Stough, T.; Struve, J. C.; Seepersad, J.; Thompson, V.

2017-12-01

The 8 September M 8.1 Tehuantepec and 19 September M 7.1 Puebla earthquakes were among the largest earthquakes recorded in Mexico. These two events caused widespread damage, affecting several million people and causing numerous casualties. A team of event coordinators in the NASA Applied Sciences Program activated soon after these devastating earthquakes in order to support decision makers in Mexico, using NASA modeling and international remote sensing capabilities to generate decision support products to aid in response and recovery. The NASA Disasters Program promotes the use of Earth observations to improve the prediction of, preparation for, response to, and recovery from natural and technological disasters. For these two events, the Disasters Program worked with Mexico's space agency (Agencia Espacial Mexico, AEM) and the National Center for Prevention of Disasters (Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres, CENAPRED) to generate products to support response, decision-making, and recovery. Products were also provided to academic partners, technical institutions, and field responders to support response. In addition, the Program partnered with the US Geological Survey (USGS), Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), and other partners in order to provide information to federal and domestic agencies that were supporting event response. Leveraging the expertise of investigators at NASA Centers, products such as landslide susceptibility maps, precipitation models, and radar based damage assessments and surface deformation maps were generated and used by AEM, CENAPRED, and others during the event. These were used by AEM in collaboration with other government agencies in Mexico to make appropriate decisions for mapping damage, rescue and recovery, and informing the population regarding areas prone to potential risk. We will provide an overview of the response activities and data products generated in support of the earthquake response, partnerships with

Evolving Hazard Monitoring and Communication at San Vicente Volcano, El Salvador

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowman, L. J.; Gierke, J. S.

2014-12-01

El Salvador has 20 potentially active volcanoes, four of which have erupted in the last 100 years. Since San Vicente Volcano has had no historic eruptions, monitoring is not a high priority; especially given the current eruptive crisis at San Miguel Volcano. Though probability of eruptive hazards remains low at San Vicente, it is arguably one of the most hazardous volcanoes in the country due to rainfall-induced landslides and debris-flow risk. At least 250 deaths occurred in November 2009 from landslides and debris flows triggered by Hurricane Ida. This disaster caused the Universidad de El Salvador - Facultad Multidisciplinaria Paracentral (UES-FMP, San Vicente, El Salvador) to partner with governmental and nongovernmental organizations (including the U.S. Peace Corps, U.S. Fulbright Program, Korean International Cooperation Agency, Protección Civil and the Centro de Protección para Desastres (CEPRODE)) to focus its faculty and student research toward hazard monitoring and risk studies. Newly established monitoring efforts include: measurement of surface cracks and localized rainfall by Protección Civil and local residents using crude extensometers and rain gauges; installation of six weather stations that operate within the most at-risk municipalities; seismic refraction surveys to better characterize stratigraphy and seasonal water table changes; and most recently, a USAID/NSF-funded initiative partnered with the UES-FMP to monitor seasonal hydrologic conditions related to flooding and groundwater recharge. The information from these initiatives is now used to communicate current conditions and warnings through a network of two-way radios established by CEPRODE and Protección Civil. Representatives from the multi-institutional team also communicate the data to authorities who make better-informed decisions regarding warnings and evacuations, as well as determine suitable areas for population relocation in the event of a crisis. Data will eventually be used

Enhancing Diversity In The Geosciences; Intensive Field Experience In USA And Mexico For Middle And High School Teachers Serving Large Hispanic Populations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leal-Bautista, R. M.; Kitts, K. B.; Velazquez Oliman, G.; Perry, E. C.

2008-12-01

To encourage Hispanic participation and enrolment in the geosciences and ultimately enhance diversity within the discipline, we recruited ten middle and high school science teachers serving large Hispanic populations (60-97%) for a paid three-week field experience supported by an NSF Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences grant. In 2006, the field experiences focused on volcanic events and the water problems of the Central part of Mexico. In 2008, the field experiences focused on karstic and hydrogeological conditions of the Yucatan Peninsula. In addition to the geological aspects of the fieldwork experience, the trip to Mexico exposed the teachers to a social environment outside of their community where they interacted with a diverse group of scientists from the Universidad National Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), Centro de Investigacion Cientifica de Yucatan (CICY) and Centro Nacional de Desastres (CENAPRED). A key part of this project was the encounter between American and Mexican teachers that included a day of presentations, panel discussion and some class-room activities. Direct interaction between the cooperating teachers and the American and Mexican geoscientists provided actual scientific research experiences to educate and to help dispel misconceptions the teachers themselves may have had about who geoscientists really are and what they do. Teachers of the 2006 group produced educational materials from their field experiences and presented these materials at professional conferences. We measured the efficacy of these activities quantitatively via pre- and post-tests assessing confidence levels, preconceptions and biases, NIU staff observations of participants in their home institutions, and evaluations of participants' field books and pedagogical materials. We present these data here and identify specific activities that are both effective and efficient in changing teacher behaviours and attitudes enabling them to better connect with their

[Management policy-making for work and education in health: the case of the Bahia State Health Department, Brazil, 2007-2008].

PubMed

Pinto, Isabela Cardoso de Matos; Teixeira, Carmen Fontes

2011-09-01

The construction of Brazil's Unified National Health System (SUS) has raised a set of challenges for the health sector's administrators and personnel, including issues of work management and continuing education for health workers, in view of the financial, political, and organizational constraints in the process of changing the healthcare model. The current study aimed to analyze the process of formulating the Health Work and Education Management Policy by the Bahia State Health Department. Public policy cycle was used as the theoretical framework. The study analyzed data from institutional documents and records of participant observation by one of the authors. The results include mapping the governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders that participated in the process. The analysis highlights a series of problems in the SUS in Bahia related to work management and health workers' profile, taken as the point of departure for priority-setting in the State Strategic Agenda and Health Plan for 2008-2011.

Development of the Ni-based Metallic glassy bipolar plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaura, S.; Yokoyama, M.; Kimura, H. M.; Inoue, A.

2009-01-01

Alloy optimization in the Ni80-xCrxP16B4 (x = 9-30 at%) alloy system was conducted in order to achieve low Tg, Tx and a large ΔTx. From this study, the Ni65Cr15P16B4 glassy alloy was found to be the optimal alloy. The static and potentiodynamic corrosion behaviours of this alloy were measured. As a result of polarization measurements, it was found that the current density of the non-polished glassy alloy sample was smaller than that of a SUS316L sample. By contrast, the current density of the surface-polished glassy sample was slightly larger than that of the SUS316L sample in the voltage range of 0.3-0.8 V. A bipolar plate was successfully produced by hot-pressing the glassy alloy sheet in a supercooled liquid state. The I-V characteristics of a single cell with the glassy bipolar plates were measured.