bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
With Luce Irigaray, toward a Theology of Hospitality
Authors: De Vries Roland J.
Published: October 2012

Luce Irigaray takes up the logic of hospitality in order to illuminate her ethics of sexual difference. This paper demonstrates that Irigaray’s constructive account of hospitality, as creating a free space of encounter and becoming in difference, is consistent with a theologically derived account of hospitality between woman and man.
Le Souffle, le chant et le sacré dans La Croyance même et Prières quotidiennes de Luce Irigaray : une poétique du sujet féminin ?
Authors: de Marenne Eric Touya
Published: October 2012

Cet article examine la place du sacré dans l’œuvre récente de Luce Irigaray, notamment dans sa tentative de contrecarrer l’exclusion des femmes de la subjectivité. Sortir du phallocentrisme et de l’hégémonie patriarcale implique la découverte d’un autre souffle et une transformation du langage par laquelle le divin “en elles” pourra figurer le devenir d’une subjectivité féminine.
Luce Irigaray on Love and Political Behavior: Reading Enrico Berlinguer and the Julian Assange Affair
Authors: Lehtinen Virpi
Published: October 2012

The article scrutinizes the case of WikiLeaks and allegations against its creator Julian Assange through the conceptual and methodological resources offered by Luce Irigaray’s philosophy of love. In contrast to the idea of the relation of private intimacy and public politics as a strict dualism, the article suggests a continuity between the two spheres.
Dirty Media: Tom McCarthy and the Afterlife of Modernism
Authors: Nieland Justus
Published: October 2012

This essay explores the remainders of aesthetic modernism in the fiction and art of Tom McCarthy. Reading McCarthy as a media archaeologist of the modern, the essay places McCarthy’s work in dialogue with recent scholarly approaches to modernist media environments. McCarthy understands modernism not as a repertoire of forms, or a utopian techno-poetics, but as confrontation between the noble subjectivity of the human and inhuman media. Recalling modernism’s sustained attentiveness to the inhuman, McCarthy’s paean to dirty media aligns his experimental work with the renewed prestige of certain strands of modernism in contemporary media theory.
PLACING THE CROSS IN COLONIAL MEXICO
Authors: Taylor William B.
Published: October 2012

In 1960 the May 3 feast of the Invention of the Holy Cross was removed from the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church in order to reduce the number of major feasts and to focus devotion to the Holy Cross on September 14, the day commemorating its Exaltation. For many Mexicans, this change was more distressing than papal authorities had anticipated. People from various walks of life and places were not inclined to give up this favorite feast day, which they felt was a lifeline to well-being here and now and the promise of salvation hereafter. For them it was an essential practice, not a vestigial one Workers in the building trades were conspicuous dissenters. Virtually every construction site in Mexico must have its protective cross, to be decorated and honored on May 3. And communities all over Mexico, especially in rural towns and villages, celebrated the day by decorating their special crosses in public and private places, attending mass, praying for rain and an abundant harvest, and celebrating with food, drink, fireworks, music, and dancing. For many, it was the only Day of the Holy Cross they had known. To steer clear of a prolonged dispute over popular traditions of faith, Mexican bishops successfully appealed to Rome for May 3 to remain a major feast there.
RSVP Bibliography: 2009-2011
Authors: Malone Katherine
Published: October 2012

The RSVP Bibliography catalogues essays, theses, and books published in the field of Victorian periodicals studies from December 2009 through December 2011. It includes entries relevant to newspapers and magazines of Great Britain and the British Empire, 1837-1901.
Threads of Life: Matilda Marian Pullan (1819-1862), Needlework Instruction, and the Periodical Press
Authors: Van Remoortel Marianne
Published: October 2012

Charting the life and career of needlework instructor and periodical contributor Matilda Marian Pullan (1819-1862), this essay demonstrates the importance of examining Victorian women writers' professional trajectories in the context of their private lives. Biographical research reveals a profound disconnect between the middle-class discourse of domesticity and respectability that Pullan adopted in public and the unconventional circumstances, events, and choices that shaped her private life. Pressed to generate her own income, Pullan cleverly responded to the market demands of the mid-Victorian periodical press by becoming one of its most prolific contributors of needlework patterns. A quintessentially feminine accomplishment, needlework enabled Pullan to support herself through early widowhood, illegitimate birth, and spousal separation without losing her genteel status.
An Expert System for Classification of Potato Tubers using Image Processing and Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Ebrahimi Ebrahim , Mollazade Kaveh , Arefi Arman
Published: October 2012

In this paper, a novel approach to classify the potato tubers based on their moisture content has been proposed using image processing and multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network. Some experiments were conducted on 300 independent potato samples during three storing stages. Images of 576×768 pixel sizes from potato samples, with three different moisture contents, were captured using a color CCD camera. After preprocessing and segmentation, 84 features were extracted from the acquired images. Sensitivity analysis was used for feature selection process. Results of feature reduction showed that features in color spaces are more important than those in texture and fast Fourier transform (FFT). A process of trial-and-test procedure was carried out to find the optimum topology, the number of hidden layers and the number of neurons in hidden layers, of MLP network. Results obtained from the final ANN models showed encouraging accuracy (more than 96.22%) to apply the approach to develop an expert system for online potato quality monitoring.
Modeling of Drying Process of Bittim Nuts (pistacia terebinthus) in a Fixed Bed Dryer System by Using Extreme Learning Machine
Authors: Balbay Asım , Avci Engin , Şahin Ömer , Coteli Resul
Published: October 2012

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been widely used in modeling of various systems. Training of ANNs is commonly performed by backpropagation based on a gradient-based learning rule. However, it is well-known that such learning rule has several shortcomings such as slow convergence and training failures. This paper proposes a modeling technique based on Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) eliminating disadvantages of backpropagation based on a gradient-based learning rule for the drying of bittim (pistacia terebinthus). The samples for ELM based model are obtained by experimental studies. In experimental studies, the sample mass loss rate as a function time was investigated in different air velocities (0.5 and 1 m/s) and air temperatures (40, 60 and 80°C) in a designed dryer system. The obtained samples from experiments are used for training and testing of ELM. Further, some parameters of ELM such as type of activation function and the number of hidden neurons are set to obtain the best possible modelling results. The obtained prediction results show that ELM algorithm with tangent sigmoid activation function and 20 hidden neurons is appeared to be most optimal topology since maximum R2 and minimum rms (0.0500) and cov (0.2256) values are obtained. Thus, it is concluded that ELM can be used as an effective modelling tool in the drying of bittim (pistacia terebinthus) in fixed bed dryer system.
Delay in the measurement of eosin-5′-maleimide (EMA) binding does not affect the test result for the diagnosis of hereditary spherocytosis
Authors: Ciepiela Olga , Kotuła Iwona , Górska Elżbieta , Stelmaszczyk-Emmel Anna , Popko Katarzyna , Szmydki-Baran Anna , Adamowicz-Salach Anna , Demkow Urszula
Published: October 2012

Background: The eosin-5′-maleimide (EMA) binding test is a flow cytometric test widely used to detect hereditary spherocytosis (HS). EMA binds to plasma membrane proteins of red blood cells (RBCs), mainly to band 3 protein. The mean fluorescence of EMA-stained RBCs in HS patients is lower when compared with control RBCs due to the decreased amount of target proteins. EMA dye in aqueous solution is sensitive to light and high temperature. Its fluorescence can decrease when exposed to light or ambient temperatures higher than 4°C. The aim of the study was to evaluate the stability of fluorescence readings of EMA-labeled RBCs over a period of 24 h.

Methods: The EMA test was performed in peripheral blood from 35 patients with microcytic anemia (five with HS, and 30 without HS). Peripheral blood samples were stained immediately after blood collection and analyzed using a flow cytometer at three time points: 0, after 1 and 24 h of storage at 4°C in the darkness. The results are presented as the percentage of normal control RBCs fluorescence. Flow cytometric studies were performed with Cytomics FC500 (Beckman Coulter, USA).

Results: In HS patients the mean result of the test reached 66.72%±9.26% of normal controls, and in non-HS patients the EMA result was 99.48%±5.03% of normal control cells. The results of patients with HS were 66.72%±9.26%, 66.90%±10.24% and 67.86%±11.31% at 0 h, and after 1 and 24 h of storage, respectively. The results obtained from non-HS patients at time 0, after 1 and 24 h of storage reached 99.48%±5.03%, 99.49%±5.34% and 99.78%±6.13%, respectively. There was no difference between the results from each time point in samples from patients with or without HS.

Conclusions: Results of the EMA binding test do not depend on storage time of stained samples when stored at 4°C up to 24 h after staining.
DSP-based Mitigation of RF Front-end Non-linearity in Cognitive Wideband Receivers
Authors: Grimm Michael , Sharma Rajesh K. , Hein Matthias A. , Thomä Reiner S.
Published: October 2012

Software defined radios are increasingly used in modern communication systems, especially in cognitive radio. Since this technology has been commercially available, more and more practical deployments are emerging and its challenges and realistic limitations are being revealed. One of the main problems is the RF performance of the front-end over a wide bandwidth.

This paper presents an analysis and mitigation of RF impairments in wideband front-ends for software defined radios, focussing on non-linear distortions in the receiver. We discuss the effects of non-linear distortions upon spectrum sensing in cognitive radio and analyse the performance of a typical wideband software-defined receiver. Digital signal processing techniques are used to alleviate non-linear distortions in the baseband signal. A feed-forward mitigation algorithm with an adaptive filter is implemented and applied to real measurement data. The results obtained show that distortions can be suppressed significantly and thus increasing the reliability of spectrum sensing.
Steroids and their metabolites in CSF from shunt as potential predictors of further disease progression in patients with hydrocephalus and the importance of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase
Authors: Sosvorová Lucie , Bičíková Marie , Mohapl Milan , Hampl Richard
Published: October 2012

Hydrocephalus is the result of an imbalance between the formation and drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), characterized by an elevation of the CSF pressure within the brain. A primary method of its treatment is the surgical insertion of a shunt. The patient’s condition is usually improved and he or she attends the hospital for periodic controls, at which CSF can be easily and repeatedly collected. Unfortunately, the effect of the operation is not durable and the number of patients in which the improvement of the clinical stage is recorded sinks considerably, and many of them develop dementia. Various biochemical markers in CSF have been searched to assess the response to surgical treatment and the further prognosis. They include classic clinical biochemistry parameters, some proteins occurring in excess in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, other biomarkers generally reflecting the overall neuronal injury, and hormones, including steroids. The existing as well as the potential biomarkers enabling to predict the patient’s fate after shunt operation are critically reviewed here. Special attention is paid to corticosteroids with respect to their role in influencing electrolyte balance in choroidal cells and consequently CSF and water flow among the ventricles. The importance of the local activity of steroid 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD) of both types for regulation of the actual corticosteroid concentration is emphasized, and an original method for determination of cortisol/cortisone concentration in CSF is described. Preliminary results showing the changes of 11β-HSD activity in ten patients with hydrocephalus immediately after shunt introduction and after 1 month are provided.
From tissue invasion to glucose metabolism: the many aspects of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pro-oncogenic activities
Authors: Pensa Sara , Demaria Marco , Avalle Lidia , Barbieri Isaia , Camporeale Annalisa , Poli Valeria
Published: October 2012

Background: The pro-oncogenic transcription factor STAT3 is constitutively active in tumours of many different origins, which often become addicted to its activity. STAT3 is believed to contribute to the initial survival of pre-cancerous cells as well as to hyper-proliferation and, later, metastasis.

Materials and methods: To evaluate the contribution of enhanced STAT3 activation in a controlled model system, we generated knock-in mice in which a mutant constitutively active Stat3C allele replaces the endogenous wild-type allele and analysed its contribution to breast tumorigenesis. Moreover, we generated Stat3C/C MEF cells and analysed their gene expression and metabolic profiles.

Results: Constitutively active STAT3 could enhance the tumorigenic power of the rat Neu oncogene in MMTV-Neu transgenic mice and trigger the production of earlier onset and more invasive mammary tumours. Tumour-derived cell lines displayed higher migrating, invading and metastatic ability and showed disrupted distribution of cell-cell junction markers. These features were mediated by STAT3-dependent over-expression of the C-terminal tensin-like (Cten) focal adhesion protein. Moreover, STAT3C alone was able to induce aerobic glycolysis and down-regulate mitochondrial activity, both in primary fibroblasts and in STAT3-dependent tumour cell lines, acting via both HIF-1α-dependent and independent mechanisms.

Conclusions: STAT3 can induce a metabolic switch that predisposes cells to aberrant survival, enhanced proliferation and, finally, tumour transformation. Later, enhanced Cten expression contributes to tissue infiltration and metastasis. While not excluding the contribution of many other tumour-specific STAT3 target genes, our data provide a unifying explanation of several pro-oncogenic STAT3 activities.
The role of Stat3 in mammary gland involution: cell death regulator and modulator of inflammation
Authors: Hughes Katherine , Watson Christine J.
Published: October 2012

Mammary gland regression post-weaning (involution) is a highly regulated, complicated process in which the transcription factor Stat3 is a key player. Over the last decade, microarray analyses have had a profound impact on our understanding of this role. Studies using mammary epithelial cells in which Stat3 was activated in a ligand-independent manner have allowed direct transcriptional targets of Stat3 to be identified. Additionally, global gene expression changes during involution have been profiled by microarray analyses, which allowed characterization of clusters of genes with distinct expression profiles during the first 4 days of involution. Such expression profiling led to the observation that one of the most strikingly upregulated genes in the absence of Stat3 is the serpin Spi2a. This led to the discovery that mammary epithelial cell lysosomes undergo lysosomal membrane permeablisation and leak cathepsins during involution. Stat3 upregulates the expression of cathepsins B and L within 24 h of weaning and is thus the critical inducer of lysosomal-mediated cell death during this process. In addition to its pivotal role in the control of cell death during involution, microarray-based studies have demonstrated that the expression of acute phase and inflammatory genes is regulated by Stat3 and that mammary epithelial expression of this transcription factor modulates the phenotype of macrophages present in the gland during second phase remodelling. Thus, Stat3 signalling may have effects that are not cell-autonomous, in addition to its cell-autonomous role in involution.
Hormones: electron emission, communication, mutual interaction, regeneration, metabolites, carcinogenesis and receptor action
Authors: Getoff Nikola
Published: October 2012

This review discusses the highlights of the recently made discovery about the ability of hormones to eject ‘solvated electrons’ (eaq
–) in water containing media. The resulting consequences for communication with other biological systems by the electron-transfer process, formation of metabolites, the possible initiation of cancer, hormone regeneration and the action of hormone-receptor systems are briefly discussed. The molecular structure of the hormones and the environment are hereby found to be the most important determining factors for the yield of ejected eaq
–. Furthermore, the hormone transients, which result from emission of eaq
–, are reviewed, as well as the formation of metabolites, which can be involved in various biological processes. The hormone-transients can also be regenerated by electron-transfer from a potent electron donor, at least partly, as long as they are in a ‘status nascendi state’. The discussion of all these effects is supported by corresponding experimental data and experiments in vitro. This review presents a complete new conception of the action mechanisms of hormones.
The Technology of Plasma Spray Physical Vapour Deposition
Authors: Goral Marek , Kotowski Slawomir , Sieniawski Jan
Published: October 2012

The article presents a new technology of thermal barrier coating deposition called Plasma Spray – Physical Vapour Deposition (PS-PVD). The key feature of the process is the option of evaporating ceramic powder, which enables the deposition of a columnar ceramic coating. The essential properties of the PS-PVD process have been outlined, as well as recent literature references. In addition, the influence of a set of process conditions on the properties of the deposited coatings has been described. The new plasma-spraying PS-PVD method is a promising technology for the deposition of modern thermal barrier coatings on aircraft engine turbine blades.
Synthesis and Characterization of BaCO3 Nanoparticles with Different Morphologies by Microwave Homogenous Precipitation
Authors: Chen Guo , Chen Jin , Liu Lijun , Srinivasakannan C. , Peng Jinhui
Published: October 2012

BaCO3 nanoparticles with different morphologies including needle-like, rod-like, bird's nest-like and flower-like have been successfully synthesized by the microwave homogeneous precipitation method using BaCl2·2H2O, NaOH and (NH2)2CO as raw materials with the help of different guide reagents, such as citric acid (CA), sodium triphosphate (STPP) and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA). Their phases and morphologies were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The characterization results show that different guide reagents have little effect on the phase structure and composition of products while they play significant roles in determining the morphology of products. All the synthesized BaCO3 nanoparticles have typical orthorhombic structures that are well-crystallized.
Can nanotechnology potentiate photodynamic therapy?
Authors: Huang Ying-Ying , Sharma Sulbha K. , Dai Tianhong , Chung Hoon , Yaroslavsky Anastasia , Garcia-Diaz Maria , Chang Julie , Chiang Long Y. , Hamblin Michael R.
Published: October 2012

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses the combination of nontoxic dyes and harmless visible light to produce reactive oxygen species that can kill cancer cells and infectious microorganisms. Due to the tendency of most photosensitizers (PS) to be poorly soluble and to form nonphotoactive aggregates, drug-delivery vehicles have become of high importance. The nanotechnology revolution has provided many examples of nanoscale drug-delivery platforms that have been applied to PDT. These include liposomes, lipoplexes, nanoemulsions, micelles, polymer nanoparticles (degradable and nondegradable), and silica nanoparticles. In some cases (fullerenes and quantum dots), the actual nanoparticle itself is the PS. Targeting ligands such as antibodies and peptides can be used to increase specificity. Gold and silver nanoparticles can provide plasmonic enhancement of PDT. Two-photon excitation or optical upconversion can be used instead of one-photon excitation to increase tissue penetration at longer wavelengths. Finally, after sections on in vivo studies and nanotoxicology, we attempt to answer the title question, “can nanotechnology potentiate PDT?”
Raising the Stakes. Passing State Budgets in Scandinavia
Authors: Christiansen Flemming Juul
Published: October 2012

State budget reforms in Sweden and Norway have increased the political importance of annual parliamentary state budget votes. Informal changes of the process in Denmark have had a similar effect. This article analyzes state budget agreements in the Scandinavian countries over the last 35 years. Its results indicate that the governments of the three countries have become more prone to commit themselves to binding coalitional arrangements with other parties. In these countries with frequent minority governments, this involves institutionalized incorporation of support parties and legislative accommodations in securing a majority for the state budget.
Tert-Pentanol Adsorption on Ag(100) and Ag(110) from an Aqueous Solution and its Comparison with that on Ag(111), Hg, Ga and Bi(001)
Authors: Foresti Maria Luisa , Innocenti Massimo , Guidelli Rolando
Published: October 2012

The adsorption behavior of tert-pentanol (TPT) on Ag(100) and Ag(110) single-crystal faces from aqueous 0.05 M KClO4 was investigated on the basis of chronocoulometric and differential capacity measurements. The adsorption data on Ag(100) were analyzed thermodynamically and the standard Gibbs energy of adsorption, ΔG
0
ads
, was determined as a function of the electrode potential and of the charge density, σ
M
, on the metal. The adsorption parameters for TPT adsorption on Ag(100) were compared with those on Ag(111), Hg, liquid Ga and Bi(001), available in the literature. The surface dipole potential of the TPT film at maximum coverage on the above metal surfaces was estimated by a novel approach that requires no a priori assumptions as to the predominance of either water desorption or TPT adsorption on the value of the shift, E
N
, of the potential of zero charge from zero to maximum coverage. Instead, the E
N
values for the different metals were estimated a posteriori, under the assumption that the water molecules that are still present at maximum TPT coverage maintain the same orientation as on the bare metal surface at the same charge density σ
M
. The lack of a correlation between the ΔG
0
ads
values on the different metal surfaces and their hydrophilicity indicates that TBT adsorption depends primarily on its particular conformation and on the metal surface structure.
Uso de alteplase no tratamento do acidente vascular encefálico isquêmico agudo: o que sabem os enfermeiros?
Authors: Maniva Samia Jardelle Costa de Freitas , Freitas Consuelo Helena Aires de
Published: October 2012

O estudo objetivou analisar o conhecimento de enfermeiros acerca do uso de alteplase no tratamento do acidente vascular encefálico (AVE) isquêmico agudo. Estudo descritivo-exploratório realizado em uma unidade de AVE de um hospital público localizado na cidade de Fortaleza-CE, durante o mês de outubro de 2010. Participaram do estudo dez enfermeiros, com idade média de 25 anos. Os benefícios da medicação foram apresentados em justaposição com as limitações do uso. Estratégias para ampliar a utilização de alteplase foram apontadas pelos enfermeiros. O conhecimento da realidade investigada contribui na construção do saber de enfermagem e pode auxiliar o enfermeiro que presta assistência direta ao paciente que se submete a este tratamento.
Produção de mudas de pimenteira-do-reino em substrato comercial fertilizado com adubo de liberação lenta
Authors: Serrano Luiz Augusto Lopes , Marinato Fábio Altoé , Magiero Marcelo , Sturm Gustavo Martins
Published: October 2012

As doenças provocadas por patógenos de solo vêm causando sérios prejuízos pipericultura nacional, em consequência da morte prematura das plantas. Em razão disso, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a produção de mudas de três genótipos de pimenteira-do-reino, em substrato comercial isento de solo, e determinar as doses adequadas de adubo de liberação lenta, para cada genótipo, nesse substrato. Foram produzidas mudas clonais dos genótipos 'Guajarina', 'Iaçará' e 'Cingapura', em substrato comercial composto por casca de pínus e vermiculita. Ao substrato, foram misturadas cinco doses de adubo de liberação lenta, fórmula NPK 15-09-12: 0,0; 2,5; 5,0; 7,5 e 10 kg m-3. Aos 120 dias após a repicagem, os resultados mostraram que houve diferenças de crescimento entre os genótipos para todas as características avaliadas, com exceção de altura de plantas. Houve efeito das doses do adubo para todas as características avaliadas, porém a interação entre genótipos e doses do adubo foi constatada somente para o número de folhas e massas de matérias secas do sistema radicular e total. As mudas de 'Guajarina' foram as que obtiveram maior massa de matéria seca total, enquanto as de 'Cingapura' obtiveram o menor valor. As doses do adubo que proporcionaram os valores máximos de massa de matéria seca total das mudas foram 4,4 kg m-3 para 'Guajarina'; 6,4 kg m-3 para 'Iaçará' e 5,3 kg m-3 para 'Cingapura'.
Manga 'Ubá' tratada com ethephon na pré-colheita
Authors: Silva Danielle Fabíola Pereira da , Salomão Luiz Carlos Chamhum , Siqueira Dalmo Lopes de , Cecon Paulo Roberto , Rocha Aline
Published: October 2012

A manga 'Ubá' amadurece, geralmente, de novembro a janeiro, e a maturação desuniforme em uma mesma planta exige colheita escalonada, que pode prolongar-se por até um mês. Foram avaliados os efeitos de diferentes concentrações de ethephon na antecipação e na uniformização do amadurecimento e nos atributos de qualidade da manga 'Ubá'. Na 17ª semana após a antese, 25 mangueiras, sendo cinco por tratamento, foram pulverizadas com ethephon, nas concentrações de 0, 250, 500, 750 e 1000 mg L-1, acrescido de 0,5% de óleo mineral. Foram colhidos cinco frutos de cada planta, diariamente, até o completo amadurecimento, com exceção da dose 0 mg L-1, em que, a partir de seis dias após aplicação do ethephon (DAAE), a colheita foi semanal, até 41 DAAE. Os frutos colhidos foram armazenados a 20,0 ± 0,8 °C e a 90 ± 5% de umidade relativa e avaliados após o completo amadurecimento. A aplicação do ethephon em pré-colheita antecipou a colheita de manga 'Ubá' em até 36 dias, uniformizou o amadurecimento dos frutos na planta e dispensou a climatização em pós-colheita. Após a aplicação do ethephon, quanto mais tardia a colheita, mais rapidamente completou-se o amadurecimento e melhor foi a qualidade final do fruto. A concentração de 750 mg L-1 de ethephon, seguida da colheita três dias depois, foi a que proporcionou frutos de melhor qualidade.
Case-control study of an outbreak of acute toxoplasmosis in an industrial plant in the state of São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Ekman Claudio Cesar Jaguaribe , Chiossi Maria Fernanda do Valle , Meireles Luciana Regina , Andrade Júnior Heitor Franco de , Figueiredo Walter Manso , Marciano Maria Aparecida Moraes , Luna Expedito José de Albuquerque
Published: October 2012

Foodborne diseases represent operational risks in industrial restaurants. We described an outbreak of nine clustered cases of acute illness resembling acute toxoplasmosis in an industrial plant with 2300 employees. These patients and another 36 similar asymptomatic employees were diagnosed with anti-T. gondii IgG titer and avidity by ELISA. We excluded 14 patients based on high IgG avidity and chronic toxoplasmosis: 13 from controls and one from acute disease other than T. gondii infection. We also identified another three asymptomatic employees with T.gondii acute infection and also anti-T. gondii IgM positive as remaining acute cases. Case control study was conducted by interview in 11 acute infections and 20 negative controls. The ingestion of green vegetables, but not meat or water, was observed to be associated with the incidence of acute disease. These data reinforce the importance of sanitation control in industrial restaurants and also demonstrate the need for improvement in quality control regarding vegetables at risk for T. gondii oocyst contamination. We emphasized the accurate diagnosis of indexed cases and the detection of asymptomatic infections to determine the extent of the toxoplasmosis outbreak.
Desigualdade social no adoecimento e morte por câncer de boca e orofaríngeo no município de São Paulo, Brasil: 1997 a 2008
Authors: Ferreira Maria Angela Fernandes , Gomes Murilo Novaes , Michels Fernanda Alessandra Silva , Dantas Aldo Aluísio , Latorre Maria do Rosário Dias de Oliveira
Published: October 2012

A ocupação do espaço geográfico é determinada historicamente pelo modelo socioeconômico e pelo dinamismo de suas relações sociais, políticas e ideológicas. O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a distribuição espacial e o efeito de indicadores socioeconômicos no adoecimento e morte por câncer de boca e orofaríngeo no Município de São Paulo, Brasil, no período de 1997 a 2008. Os dados foram coletados no Registro de Câncer de Base Populacional e no Programa de Aprimoramento das Informações de Mortalidade - PRO-AIM e georreferenciados pelos softwares Terraview e GeoDa. O referencial teórico para avaliação dos resultados foi baseado na teoria de Milton Santos. As taxas de incidência apresentaram um índice de autocorrelação Global de Moran de 0,226 e as taxas de mortalidade de 0,337. A Incidência de câncer de boca e orofaríngeo não apresenta um padrão espacial bem definido no Município de São Paulo, mas é bastante desigual no que se refere à Mortalidade, concentrando as suas menores taxas na área central, mais rica e economicamente menos desigual.
Sleep duration and health status self-assessment (SF-36) in the elderly: a population-based study (ISA-Camp 2008)
Authors: Lima Margareth Guimarães , Barros Marilisa Berti de Azevedo , Alves Maria Cecília Goi Porto
Published: October 2012

The aim of this study was to determine the association between sleep duration and health status among the elderly. A population-based study was carried out with 1,418 elderly individuals using data from the health survey of Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil (ISA-Camp 2008). Linear regression models were used to determine associations between the physical and mental components and subscales of the SF-36 and sleep duration. Elderly male individuals who slept > 6 hours obtained lower mean SF-36 scores for the vitality and mental health scales and the mental component summary than those who slept for seven to eight hours. All scales were negatively associated with sleep duration < 10 hours, except bodily pain. Scores for the mental health, vitality and role-emotional subscales were lower among women who slept for less than five hours. Mental health was negatively associated with < 10 hours of sleep. Sleep deprivation and excessive sleep were associated with poorer health status, with differences between genders, principally in the long duration sleep categories.
Avaliação em saúde e repercussões no trabalho do agente comunitário de saúde
Authors: Fonseca Angélica Ferreira , Machado Felipe Rangel de Souza , Bornstein Vera Joana , Pinheiro Roseni
Published: October 2012

Este artigo apresenta resultados de uma pesquisa qualitativa que analisa as características do processo de avaliação relacionado ao trabalho do agente comunitário de saúde. A investigação foi desenvolvida em três municípios, tendo nela participado agentes de saúde, seus supervisores e gestores da Atenção Primária com os quais foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas e grupos focais. A discussão foi organizada com base na análise de conteúdo e apoiada na noção de processo de trabalho em saúde. Foram compostas quatro categorias: minimização da carga de trabalho, produtivismo, controle de agravos e supervisão. Estas apontam o predomínio de práticas de avaliação, que enfatizam o alcance de resultados quantitativos, sobretudo relativos às metas de cobertura e à realização de atividades com enfoque biomédico. As conclusões sinalizam a importância de pensar as limitações deste tipo de práticas avaliativas difundidas na Atenção Primária e de elaborar proposições teórico-metodológicas que contribuam para o componente educativo do trabalho do agente comunitário.
Qualidade de vida de pacientes com câncer no período de quimioterapia
Authors: Mansano-Schlosser Thalyta Cristina , Ceolim Maria Filomena
Published: October 2012

Trata-se de estudo descritivo e transversal com o objetivo de avaliar a qualidade de vida em pacientes com câncer sob quimioterapia. Oitenta pacientes de ambos os sexos, com 18 anos completos ou mais de idade, diagnóstico de câncer confirmado, em tratamento com quimioterapia a partir do segundo ciclo e participação voluntária no estudo foram incluídos. Utilizou-se o instrumento WHOQOL-Bref, validado no Brasil, por meio de entrevista, no período de abril a junho de 2008. A comparação entre os escores dos domínios apresentou diferença significativa em função da autoavaliação de saúde. Os maiores escores foram no grupo com melhor avaliação da própria saúde. O domínio Psicológico atingiu os escores mais elevados, diferente dos outros, que avaliaram melhor o domínio Meio Ambiente. Os resultados sugerem que a autoavaliação de saúde pode ser preditor confiável da qualidade de vida nesses pacientes, sendo relevante a ampliação dos estudos.
Violência contra a mulher na rede de atenção básica: o que os enfermeiros sabem sobre o problema?
Authors: Baraldi Ana Cyntia Paulin , Almeida Ana Maria de , Perdoná Gleici Castro , Vieira Elisabeth Meloni
Published: October 2012

OBJETIVOS: descrever o conhecimento dos enfermeiros das Unidades Distritais Básicas de Saúde do município de Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil, acerca da violência contra a mulher, particularmente aquela cometida pelo parceiro íntimo. MÉTODOS: estudo quantitativo, transversal e descritivo. Participaram 51 enfermeiros, extraídos de um estudo maior com 221 profissionais de saúde. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionário que investigava o conhecimento em relação à violência cometida contra as mulheres. RESULTADOS: os enfermeiros acertaram de 76% a 90,2% das questões sobre definição de violência de gênero e 78% obtiveram altos escores em questões sobre epidemiologia da violência; no entanto, 70,6% demonstraram desconhecer sua epidemiologia nos serviços de pré-natal. 83,7% dos enfermeiros demonstraram bom conhecimento sobre como abordar as vítimas para obter a revelação da violência ocorrida e 52% demonstraram conhecimento elevado sobre o manejo dos casos. CONCLUSÕES: os enfermeiros conhecem bem a definição de violência, têm conhecimentos sobre o manejo de casos, a necessidade de notificação e encaminhamentos de casos em situação de risco. Entretanto, desconhecem características epidemiológicas importantes da violência contra a mulher, o que pode ser uma barreira para a atuação dos enfermeiros no atendimento a mulheres em situação de risco, principalmente durante a atenção no pré-natal.
Judicialização da política e controle judicial de políticas públicas
Authors: Barboza Estefânia Maria de Queiroz , Kozicki Katya
Published: October 2012

O presente artigo analisa a judicialização da política demonstrando que não se trata apenas de um fenômeno brasileiro, mas de algo comum a diversos países ocidentais. Esse movimento tem sofrido severas críticas, que questionam a sua legitimidade e apontam o esvaziamento da esfera política. Em contraponto, é traçado um paralelo com a doutrina da autorrestrição judicial, a qual defende que as questões políticas devem ser enfrentadas pelos poderes eleitos. Por fim, procura-se demonstrar, por meio da análise de decisões do STF e do STJ, como o Poder Judiciário brasileiro tem se manifestado em questões de políticas públicas, de modo a realizar os direitos fundamentais plasmados na Carta de 1988.
Formação técnica do agente comunitário de saúde: desafios e conquistas da Escola Técnica de Saúde do Tocantins
Authors: Silva Clemilson Antonio da , Rocha Iolanda Querido , Siqueira Márcia Cristina Godoy , Modesto Maria do Socorro Andrade , Silva Fernanda Pereira da , Costa Ana Maria Ferreira
Published: October 2012

Este relato versa sobre a experiência da Escola Técnica de Saúde do Tocantins no processo educativo de formação técnica dos agentes comunitários de saúde. Trata-se aqui de apresentar como esses agentes foram capacitados para atuar junto à equipe multiprofissional de saúde em uma perspectiva profissional transformadora da realidade, crítica, reflexiva e ética, destacando-se o desenvolvimento das ações de integração social, promoção da saúde e prevenção de agravos na família e na comunidade. A formação técnica do agente comunitário de saúde incluiu três módulos, totalizando uma carga horária de 1.200 horas. No primeiro módulo, foram contemplados temas como a contextualização, aproximação e dimensionamento do perfil profissional do agente; no segundo, a promoção da saúde e a prevenção de doenças dirigidas a grupos específicos e doenças prevalentes; e no terceiro, a promoção, a prevenção e o monitoramento das situações em Vigilância em Saúde. Para esta formação, a Escola Técnica de Saúde do Tocantins optou pela descentralização das salas de aula (69 turmas) em 18 polos formativos, atendendo a demanda dos 139 municípios do estado, facilitando a participação dos 2.219 alunos-servidores que concluíram o itinerário completo da formação.
Diagnosis, Treatment, and Follow-Up of Borderline Ovarian Tumors
Authors: Fischerova Daniela , Zikan Michal , Dundr Pavel , Cibula David
Published: October 2012

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, the reader will be able to: Compare the epidemiologic and reproductive risk factors in BOTs with those in ovarian cancers and describe the molecular background of development of BOTs.Use the pathological terminology with either original grouping of borderline category or new subclassification of BOTs and assess the major predictor of recurrence and survival.Determine an appropriate diagnostic algorithm for patients with symptoms suggesting malignant ovarian tumors that will identify borderline ovarian tumors when present.

CME This article is available for continuing medical education credit at CME.TheOncologist.com

Borderline ovarian tumors represent a heterogeneous group of noninvasive tumors of uncertain malignant potential with characteristic histology. They occur in younger women, are present at an early stage, and have a favorable prognosis, but symptomatic recurrence and death may be found as long as 20 years after therapy in some patients. The molecular changes in borderline ovarian tumors indicate linkage of this disease to type I ovarian tumors (low-grade ovarian carcinomas). The pathological stage of disease and subclassification of extraovarian disease into invasive and noninvasive implants, together with the presence of postoperative macroscopic residual disease, appear to be the major predictor of recurrence and survival. However, it should be emphasized that the most important negative prognostic factor for recurrence is just the use of conservative surgery, but without any impact on patient survival because most recurrent diseases are of the borderline type—easily curable and with an excellent prognosis. Borderline tumors are difficult masses to correctly preoperatively diagnose using imaging methods because their macroscopic features may overlap with invasive and benign ovarian tumors. Over the past several decades, surgical therapy has shifted from a radical approach to more conservative treatment; however, oncologic safety must always be balanced. Follow-up is essential using routine ultrasound imaging, with special attention paid to the remaining ovary in conservatively treated patients. Current literature on this topic leads to a number of controversies that will be discussed thoroughly in this article, with the aim to provide recommendations for the clinical management of these patients.
Assessing the two-dimensional behaviour of drystone retaining walls by full-scale experiments and yield design simulation
Authors: COLAS A.-S. , MOREL J.-C. , GARNIER D.
Published: October 2012

Drystone walling is a widespread form of construction that utilises local materials. It has received growing interest over the past few years, owing to the recognition of its rich heritage in the framework of sustainable development. However, the growth of dry masonry has been slowed by the lack of scientific evidence proving its reliability. The authors have previously established a model based on yield design to assess drystone wall stability. This theoretical approach has been supplemented by field experiments on full-scale drystone retaining walls that were backfilled until failure with a cohesionless soil. These field experiments followed a first set of experiments in 2002–2003 in which the walls were loaded using hydrostatic pressure. The aim of these experimental programmes was to achieve better understanding of drystone masonry behaviour under loading, and of its failure mode. The present paper consists of a comparative analysis of these theoretical and experimental results, and provides a richer understanding of drystone retaining wall phenomenology. Further perspectives on this work are presented in the conclusion.
RELATIONAL LEARNING IN A CONTEXT OF TRANSPOSITION: A REVIEW
Authors: Lazareva Olga F.
Published: October 2012

In a typical transposition task, an animal is presented with a single pair of stimuli (for example, S3+ S4—, where plus and minus denote reward and nonreward and digits denote stimulus location on a sensory dimension such as size). Subsequently, an animal is presented with a testing pair that contains a previously reinforced or nonreinforced stimulus and a novel stimulus (for example, S2‐S3 and S4–S5). Does the choice of a novel S2 instead of previously reinforced S3 in a testing pair S2–S3 indicate that the animal has learned a relation (i.e., “select smaller”)? This review of empirical evidence and theoretical accounts shows that an organism's behavior in a transposition task is undoubtedly influenced by prior reinforcement history of the training stimuli (Spence, 1937). However, it is also affected by two other factors that are relational in nature—a similarity of two testing stimuli to each other and an overall similarity of the testing pair as a whole to the training pair as a whole. The influence of the two latter factors is especially evident in studies that use multiple pairs of training stimuli and a wide range of testing pairs comprising nonadjacent stimuli (Lazareva, Miner, Young, & Wasserman, 2008; Lazareva, Wasserman, & Young, 2005). In sum, the evidence suggests that both prior reinforcement history and relational information affect an animal's behavior in a typical transposition task.
Origins of mass
Authors: Wilczek Frank
Published: October 2012

Newtonian mechanics posited mass as a primary quality of matter, incapable of further elucidation. We now see Newtonian mass as an emergent property. That mass-concept is tremendously useful in the approximate description of baryon-dominated matter at low energy — that is, the standard “matter” of everyday life, and of most of science and engineering — but it originates in a highly contingent and non-trivial way from more basic concepts. Most of the mass of standard matter, by far, arises dynamically, from back-reaction of the color gluon fields of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Additional quantitatively small, though physically crucial, contributions come from the intrinsic masses of elementary quanta (electrons and quarks). The equations for massless particles support extra symmetries — specifically scale, chiral, and gauge symmetries. The consistency of the standard model relies on a high degree of underlying gauge and chiral symmetry, so the observed non-zero masses of many elementary particles (W and Z bosons, quarks, and leptons) requires spontaneous symmetry breaking. Superconductivity is a prototype for spontaneous symmetry breaking and for mass-generation, since photons acquire mass inside superconductors. A conceptually similar but more intricate form of all-pervasive (i.e. cosmic) superconductivity, in the context of the electroweak standard model, gives us a successful, economical account of W and Z boson masses. It also allows a phenomenologically successful, though profligate, accommodation of quark and lepton masses. The new cosmic superconductivity, when implemented in a straightforward, minimal way, suggests the existence of a remarkable new particle, the so-called Higgs particle. The mass of the Higgs particle itself is not explained in the theory, but appears as a free parameter. Earlier results suggested, and recent observations at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) may indicate, the actual existence of the Higgs particle, with mass m
H ≈ 125 GeV. In addition to consolidating our understanding of the origin of mass, a Higgs particle with m
H ≈ 125 GeV could provide an important clue to the future, as it is consistent with expectations from supersymmetry.
Virtual screening of imidazole analogs as potential hepatitis C virus NS5B polymerase inhibitors
Authors: Patil Vaishali , Gupta Satya , Samanta Subeer , Masand Neeraj
Published: October 2012

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a global health threat and current therapies warrant the need for novel HCV therapies. Several synthetic analogs targeting HCV serine protease and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase have entered clinical development. To investigate the novel HCV NS5B RdRp polymerase inhibitor, screening of a designed data set consisting of benzimidazole analogs by the FlexX docking approach was performed. Binding interactions at the active sites (PDB ID: 2DXS) were evaluated leading to the rationalization of further synthesis and evaluation procedures.