Using DNA metabarcoding for simultaneous inference of common vampire bat diet and population structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Bohmann, Kristine; Gopalakrishnan, Shyam; Nielsen, Martin; Nielsen, Luisa Dos Santos Bay; Jones, Gareth; Streicker, Daniel G; Gilbert, M Thomas P

2018-04-19

Metabarcoding diet analysis has become a valuable tool in animal ecology; however, co-amplified predator sequences are not generally used for anything other than to validate predator identity. Exemplified by the common vampire bat, we demonstrate the use of metabarcoding to infer predator population structure alongside diet assessments. Growing populations of common vampire bats impact human, livestock and wildlife health in Latin America through transmission of pathogens, such as lethal rabies viruses. Techniques to determine large-scale variation in vampire bat diet and bat population structure would empower locality- and species-specific projections of disease transmission risks. However, previously used methods are not cost-effective and efficient for large-scale applications. Using bloodmeal and faecal samples from common vampire bats from coastal, Andean and Amazonian regions of Peru, we showcase metabarcoding as a scalable tool to assess vampire bat population structure and feeding preferences. Dietary metabarcoding was highly effective, detecting vertebrate prey in 93.2% of the samples. Bats predominantly preyed on domestic animals, but fed on tapirs at one Amazonian site. In addition, we identified arthropods in 9.3% of samples, likely reflecting consumption of ectoparasites. Using the same data, we document mitochondrial geographic population structure in the common vampire bat in Peru. Such simultaneous inference of vampire bat diet and population structure can enable new insights into the interplay between vampire bat ecology and disease transmission risks. Importantly, the methodology can be incorporated into metabarcoding diet studies of other animals to couple information on diet and population structure. © 2018 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Resources Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

ALOG user's manual: A Guide to using the spreadsheet-based artificial log generator

Science.gov (United States)

Matthew F. Winn; Philip A. Araman; Randolph H. Wynne

2012-01-01

Computer programs that simulate log sawing can be valuable training tools for sawyers, as well as a means oftesting different sawing patterns. Most available simulation programs rely on diagrammed-log databases, which canbe very costly and time consuming to develop. Artificial Log Generator (ALOG) is a user-friendly Microsoft® Excel®...

Vampires and a Moco Jumbie

Science.gov (United States)

Blaisdell, Bob

2013-01-01

Vampires and a Moco Jumbie is a narrative-essay about teaching Basic Composition in New York City in the early 1990s. To the surprise and delight of the teacher, the students describe in class discussions and in their writings their beliefs in the supernatural. Contains one note.

Mark Rein•Hagen’s Foundational Influence on 21st Century Vampiric Media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Konzack, Lars

2015-01-01

Mark Rein•Hagen’s role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, set in the World of Darkness shared universe, is foundational to the 21st Century vampire. We aim to, through the cultural analysis of how ideas have been transferred from this role-playing game to other media, clearly demonstrate Mark...... Rein•Hagen’s cultural historical significance....

Dracula's children: molecular evolution of vampire bat venom.

Science.gov (United States)

Low, Dolyce H W; Sunagar, Kartik; Undheim, Eivind A B; Ali, Syed A; Alagon, Alejandro C; Ruder, Tim; Jackson, Timothy N W; Pineda Gonzalez, Sandy; King, Glenn F; Jones, Alun; Antunes, Agostinho; Fry, Bryan G

2013-08-26

While vampire bat oral secretions have been the subject of intense research, efforts have concentrated only on two components: DSPA (Desmodus rotundus salivary plasminogen activator) and Draculin. The molecular evolutionary history of DSPA has been elucidated, while conversely draculin has long been known from only a very small fragment and thus even the basic protein class was not even established. Despite the fact that vampire bat venom has a multitude of effects unaccounted by the documented bioactivities of DSPA and draculin, efforts have not been made to establish what other bioactive proteins are secreted by their submaxillary gland. In addition, it has remained unclear whether the anatomically distinct anterior and posterior lobes of the submaxillary gland are evolving on separate gene expression trajectories or if they remain under the shared genetic control. Using a combined proteomic and transcriptomic approach, we show that identical proteins are simultaneously expressed in both lobes. In addition to recovering the known structural classes of DSPA, we recovered a novel DSPA isoform as well as obtained a very large sequence stretch of draculin and thus established that it is a mutated version of the lactotransferrin scaffold. This study reveals a much more complex secretion profile than previously recognised. In addition to obtaining novel versions of scaffolds convergently recruited into other venoms (allergen-like, CRiSP, kallikrein, Kunitz, lysozyme), we also documented novel expression of small peptides related to calcitonin, PACAP, and statherin. Other overexpressed protein types included BPI-fold, lacritin, and secretoglobin. Further, we investigate the molecular evolution of various vampire bat venom-components and highlight the dominant role of positive selection in the evolution of these proteins. Conspicuously many of the proteins identified in the proteome were found to be homologous to proteins with known activities affecting vasodilation and

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: A Superheroine, but not in Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ljiljana Gavrilović

2016-02-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, more specifically, its enormous popularity in the United States, Western Europe and Australia, and the absence of any reaction to the series in Serbia. By comparing themes regarded as important in western societies to the current situation in Serbia, the analysis shows that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a series that could not have gained popularity in Serbia because it uses the language of fantasy to speak about reality and pose unpleasant questions, which the Serbian public does not wish to hear.

Reproductive seasonality, sex ratio and philopatry in Argentina's common vampire bats

Science.gov (United States)

Delpietro, H. A.; Russo, R. G.; Lord, R. D.; Delpietro, G. L.

2017-01-01

Common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) are a key rabies vector in South America. Improved management of this species requires long-term, region-specific information. To investigate patterns of demography and dispersal, we analysed 13 642 captures of common vampire bats in Northern Argentina from the period 1969–2004. In contrast with findings from more tropical regions, we found reproductive seasonality with peak pregnancy in September and peak lactation in February. Curiously, sex ratios were consistently male-biased both in maternity roosts and at foraging sites. Males comprised 57% of 9509 adults caught at night, 57% of 1078 juveniles caught at night, 57% of 603 juveniles caught in roosts during the day, and 55% of 103 newborns and mature fetuses. Most observed roosts were in man-made structures. Movements of 1.5–54 km were most frequent in adult males, followed by young males, adult females and young females. At night, males visited maternity roosts, and non-pregnant, non-lactating females visited bachelor roosts. Males fed earlier in the night. Finally, we report new longevity records for free-ranging vampire bats: 16 and 17 years of age for a female and male, respectively. Our results are consistent with model predictions that sex-biased movements might play a key role in rabies transmission between vampire bat populations. PMID:28484615

Reproductive seasonality, sex ratio and philopatry in Argentina's common vampire bats.

Science.gov (United States)

Delpietro, H A; Russo, R G; Carter, G G; Lord, R D; Delpietro, G L

2017-04-01

Common vampire bats ( Desmodus rotundus ) are a key rabies vector in South America. Improved management of this species requires long-term, region-specific information. To investigate patterns of demography and dispersal, we analysed 13 642 captures of common vampire bats in Northern Argentina from the period 1969-2004. In contrast with findings from more tropical regions, we found reproductive seasonality with peak pregnancy in September and peak lactation in February. Curiously, sex ratios were consistently male-biased both in maternity roosts and at foraging sites. Males comprised 57% of 9509 adults caught at night, 57% of 1078 juveniles caught at night, 57% of 603 juveniles caught in roosts during the day, and 55% of 103 newborns and mature fetuses. Most observed roosts were in man-made structures. Movements of 1.5-54 km were most frequent in adult males, followed by young males, adult females and young females. At night, males visited maternity roosts, and non-pregnant, non-lactating females visited bachelor roosts. Males fed earlier in the night. Finally, we report new longevity records for free-ranging vampire bats: 16 and 17 years of age for a female and male, respectively. Our results are consistent with model predictions that sex-biased movements might play a key role in rabies transmission between vampire bat populations.

Becoming a vampire without being bitten: the narrative collective-assimilation hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabriel, Shira; Young, Ariana F

2011-08-01

We propose the narrative collective-assimilation hypothesis--that experiencing a narrative leads one to psychologically become a part of the collective described within the narrative. In a test of this hypothesis, participants read passages from either a book about wizards (from the Harry Potter series) or a book about vampires (from the Twilight series). Both implicit and explicit measures revealed that participants who read about wizards psychologically became wizards, whereas those who read about vampires psychologically became vampires. The results also suggested that narrative collective assimilation is psychologically meaningful and relates to the basic human need for connection. Specifically, the tendency to fulfill belongingness needs through group affiliation moderated the extent to which narrative collective assimilation occurred, and narrative collective assimilation led to increases in life satisfaction and positive mood, two primary outcomes of belonging. The implications for the importance of narratives, the need to belong to groups, and social surrogacy are discussed.

Self-Identified Vampirism and Risk for False Positives: A Case Example of Team Homicide and Implications for Forensic Behavioral Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, D J

2017-05-01

Historically, reported cases of self-identified vampirism typically have been associated with psychopathology and sometimes a propensity for violence. However, scholars recently have noted a wide range of diverse practices and meanings that all fall under the general description of self-identified vampirism. This brief report focuses on a homicide case (male and female partnered offenders), wherein a single victim was murdered and dismembered. Due to specific case evidence, there was controversy regarding whether or not the homicide was motivated by ritualistic self-identified vampirism. Court documents were reviewed and assessed, and findings suggest that the evidence used to support assertions that homicidal motivations occurred due to ritualistic vampirism was misinterpreted due to the omission of a growing multidisciplinary literature on self-identified vampirism. It is important for forensic experts to be aware of emerging research on alternative identities, including vampirism, that challenge traditional theories and assumptions. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Clinical Vampirism: a review and illustrative case report

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Adele

by the many websites, books and films dedicated to it.8-10. Psychic vampirism ... 1940's and there is a paucity of research on the condition.4,16. The authors were ..... Thought content was of ..... Psycho-Analysis 1946; 27: 30 – 37. 23. Lemma A ...

Hologenomic adaptations underlying the evolution of sanguivory in the common vampire bat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zepeda Mendoza, M. Lisandra; Xiong, Zijun; Escalera-Zamudio, Marina

2018-01-01

Adaptation to specialized diets often requires modifications at both genomic and microbiome levels. We applied a hologenomic approach to the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), one of the only three obligate blood-feeding (sanguivorous) mammals, to study the evolution of its complex dietary...... adaptation. Specifically, we assembled its high-quality reference genome (scaffold N50 = 26.9 Mb, contig N50 = 36.6 kb) and gut metagenome, and compared them against those of insectivorous, frugivorous and carnivorous bats. Our analyses showed a particular common vampire bat genomic landscape regarding...

Chromosomal homologies among vampire bats revealed by chromosome painting (phyllostomidae, chiroptera).

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Sotero-Caio, C G; Pieczarka, J C; Nagamachi, C Y; Gomes, A J B; Lira, T C; O'Brien, P C M; Ferguson-Smith, M A; Souza, M J; Santos, N

2011-01-01

Substantial effort has been made to elucidate karyotypic evolution of phyllostomid bats, mostly through comparisons of G-banding patterns. However, due to the limited number of G-bands in respective karyotypes and to the similarity of non-homologous bands, an accurate evolutionary history of chromosome segments remains questionable. This is the case for vampire bats (Desmodontinae). Despite several proposed homologies, banding data have not yet provided a detailed understanding of the chromosomal changes within vampire genera. We examined karyotype differentiation of the 3 species within this subfamily using whole chromosomal probes from Phyllostomus hastatus (Phyllostominae) and Carollia brevicauda (Carolliinae). Painting probes of P. hastatus respectively detected 22, 21 and 23 conserved segments in Diphylla ecaudata, Diaemus youngi, and Desmodus rotundus karyotypes, whereas 27, 27 and 28 were respectively detectedwith C. brevicauda paints. Based on the evolutionary relationships proposed by morphological and molecular data, we present probable chromosomal synapomorphies for vampire bats and propose chromosomes that were present in the common ancestor of the 5 genera analyzed. Karyotype comparisons allowed us to relate a number of conserved chromosomal segments among the 5 species, providing a broader database for understanding karyotype evolution in the family. 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

10BASE5 Ethernet Cable & Vampire Tap

CERN Document Server

1983-01-01

10BASE5 Thick Ethernet Cable, 10Mbit/sec. In the 1980s and early 1990's, Ethernet became more popular and provided a much faster data transmission rate. This cable is one of the first ethernet cables from 1983, a thick, bulky affair. Computers were attached via "Vampire Taps" which were connectors screwed straight through the shielding of the cable.

Younger vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) are more likely than adults to explore novel objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Gerald G; Forss, Sofia; Page, Rachel A; Ratcliffe, John M

2018-01-01

The effects of age on neophobia and exploration are best described in birds and primates, and broader comparisons require reports from other taxa. Here we present data showing age-dependent exploration in a long-lived social species, the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus). A previous study found that vampire bats regurgitated food to partners trapped in a cage. Interestingly, while only a few adult bats visited the trapped bat, in every trial all or most of the eight young males in the colony would visit the trapped bat without feeding it. To test whether this behavioral difference resulted from age class differences in exploration, we compared responses of the bats to a trapped conspecific versus an inanimate novel object. Some adults and young showed interest in trapped conspecifics, but only the young males explored the novel objects. Additional novel object tests in a second captive colony showed that higher rates of novel object exploration were shown by young of both sexes. Our results corroborate past findings from other mammals and birds that age predicts exploration. If age-dependent exploration is indeed adaptive, then the role of age as a predictor of exploration tendency should depend on species-specific life history traits. Finally, because younger vampire bats also appear to have higher exposure to pathogens such as rabies virus, there may be implications for pathogen transmission if younger and more exploratory vampire bats are more likely to feed on novel hosts.

Experimental infection of Artibeus intermedius with a vampire bat rabies virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Obregón-Morales, Cirani; Aguilar-Setién, Álvaro; Perea Martínez, Leonardo; Galvez-Romero, Guillermo; Martínez-Martínez, Flor Olivia; Aréchiga-Ceballos, Nidia

2017-06-01

Experimental infection of Artibeus intermedius, the great fruit-eating bat, was performed with vampire bat rabies isolates. Bats (n=35) were captured in the wild and quarantined prior to experimental infection. No rabies antibodies were detected by rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT) prior to infection. Three doses of rabies virus (RV) and three different routes of infection were used. One out of 35 bats died without showing any clinical signs at day 14 and was positive for rabies. None of the 34 other bats showed clinical signs for rabies, but high antibody titers were detected post-inoculation, suggesting either innate immune response to the vampire bat rabies virus or possible pre-exposure to RV and inoculation leading to a booster effect. Rabies virus was detected by hemi-nested RT-PCR (hnRT-PCR) in the brain (n=3), stomach (n=1) of bats that were negative by immunofluorescence and that survived rabies infection. The bat that died on day 14 was positive by hnRT-PCR on the brain, heart and liver. These results suggest that either previous non-lethal exposure to RV or natural low susceptibility to vampire bat viruses somehow protected Artibeus intermedius from clinical rabies infection leading to a marginal lethality effect on this bats species population in the wild. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Representation of Marxism in Vampires in Havana

OpenAIRE

Abdul Aziz Turhan Kariko

2011-01-01

Article presents an animated film related to ideological development in Cuba. This effort brings an understanding of ideology and cultural policy of Cuba as a communist state. Presentation begins with summary of the story, history and background, ideological concepts, and the movie Vampires in Havana itself. It is concluded that the film represents ideological disputes between capitalism and Marxism in Cuba, as well as giving an ideal perspective on how the world should work.  

On a nonlinear Kalman filter with simplified divided difference approximation

KAUST Repository

Luo, Xiaodong; Hoteit, Ibrahim; Moroz, Irene M.

2012-01-01

We present a new ensemble-based approach that handles nonlinearity based on a simplified divided difference approximation through Stirling's interpolation formula, which is hence called the simplified divided difference filter (sDDF). The sDDF uses Stirling's interpolation formula to evaluate the statistics of the background ensemble during the prediction step, while at the filtering step the sDDF employs the formulae in an ensemble square root filter (EnSRF) to update the background to the analysis. In this sense, the sDDF is a hybrid of Stirling's interpolation formula and the EnSRF method, while the computational cost of the sDDF is less than that of the EnSRF. Numerical comparison between the sDDF and the EnSRF, with the ensemble transform Kalman filter (ETKF) as the representative, is conducted. The experiment results suggest that the sDDF outperforms the ETKF with a relatively large ensemble size, and thus is a good candidate for data assimilation in systems with moderate dimensions. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On a nonlinear Kalman filter with simplified divided difference approximation

KAUST Repository

Luo, Xiaodong

2012-03-01

We present a new ensemble-based approach that handles nonlinearity based on a simplified divided difference approximation through Stirling\\'s interpolation formula, which is hence called the simplified divided difference filter (sDDF). The sDDF uses Stirling\\'s interpolation formula to evaluate the statistics of the background ensemble during the prediction step, while at the filtering step the sDDF employs the formulae in an ensemble square root filter (EnSRF) to update the background to the analysis. In this sense, the sDDF is a hybrid of Stirling\\'s interpolation formula and the EnSRF method, while the computational cost of the sDDF is less than that of the EnSRF. Numerical comparison between the sDDF and the EnSRF, with the ensemble transform Kalman filter (ETKF) as the representative, is conducted. The experiment results suggest that the sDDF outperforms the ETKF with a relatively large ensemble size, and thus is a good candidate for data assimilation in systems with moderate dimensions. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Representation of Marxism in Vampires in Havana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Aziz Turhan Kariko

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Article presents an animated film related to ideological development in Cuba. This effort brings an understanding of ideology and cultural policy of Cuba as a communist state. Presentation begins with summary of the story, history and background, ideological concepts, and the movie Vampires in Havana itself. It is concluded that the film represents ideological disputes between capitalism and Marxism in Cuba, as well as giving an ideal perspective on how the world should work.  

Will the real Robert Neville please, come out? Vampirism, the ethics of queer monstrosity, and capitalism in Richard Matheson's I am legend?

Science.gov (United States)

Khader, Jamil

2013-01-01

In this article, I argue that Richard Matheson's (1954) vampire novella, I Am Legend, encodes the protagonist's, Robert Neville, traumatic recognition of his queer sexuality in its monstrosity (the unspeakability of male penetrability). Neville's identification with and desire for his undead neighbor, Ben Cortman, are symbolically codified through three different registers: intertextual references to vampiric conventions and codes, the semiotics of queer subculture, and a structure of doubling that links Neville to the queer vampire. Although Neville avoids encountering his unspeakable queer desire, which could be represented only at the level of the Lacanian Real, he must still confront Cortman's obsessive exhortations for him to come out. Only when he symbolically codifies his abnormality in its own monstrosity, by viewing himself through mutant vampires' eyes, can Neville reconfigure the ethical relationship between self and other, humans and mutant humans-vampires. However progressive Matheson's novella is in its advocacy of minority sexual rights, it still renders capitalism's problematic relationship with queer subjectivity invisible. Although capitalism overdetermines every aspect of the social field and makes Neville's daily life possible in its surplus enjoyment, the fundamental antagonism (class struggle) in capitalism is obscured by the assertion of identity politics.

Seasonal variation and food deprivation in common vampire bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. B. Freitas

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of seasonal variation and fasting on fat reserves of the common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus. Plasma free fatty acids (FFA, along with lipid content of the liver and muscles, and fatty acids from the carcass were obtained from bats fed bovine blood and from whom food was subsequently withheld for 24 and 48 h. Animals were caught during both dry and rainy seasons. In general, fat tissue stores were not significantly influenced by seasonal variation. Lipid content of liver, muscles, and carcass decreased during some food deprivation periods, although the concomitant increase expected in plasma FFA was not observed. Lipid metabolism is hypothesized as being continued by the tissues themselves. In addition, free access to food sources (e.g., domestic livestock throughout the year is believed to contribute to the low seasonal variations in fat reserves observed in the common vampire bat.

A new species of Biacantha (Nematoda: Molineidae), a parasite of the common vampire bat from the Yungas, Argentina.

Science.gov (United States)

Oviedo, Mirna C; Ramallo, Geraldine; Claps, Lucía E; Miotti, M Daniela

2012-12-01

A new species of Biacantha Wolfgang, 1954 (Nematoda: Molineidae), is described from the common vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus Geoffroy and St. Hilaire, 1810, from northwest Argentina. Biacantha normaliae n. sp. Oviedo, Ramallo, and Claps, is characterized by the disposition and number of ridges of the synlophe, the excretory pore located on a knob, 2 lateral processes on the tail of females, the male caudal bursa morphology, and lack of gubernaculum. This is the first species of nematode described in a vampire bat from Argentina.

Microsatellites loci reveal heterozygosis and population structure in vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Romero-Nava, Claudia; León-Paniagua, Livia; Ortega, Jorge

2014-06-01

A limited number of studies have focused on the population genetic structure of vampire bats (Desmous rotundus) in America. This medium-sized bat is distributed in tropical areas of the continent with high prevalence in forested livestock areas. The aim of this work was to characterize the vampire population structure and their genetic differentiation. For this, we followed standard methods by which live vampires (caught by mist-netting) and preserved material from scientific collections, were obtained for a total of 15 different locations, ranging from Chihuahua (North) to Quintana Roo (Southeast). Tissue samples were obtained from both live and collected animals, and the genetic differentiation, within and among localities, was assessed by the use of seven microsatellite loci. Our results showed that all loci were polymorphic and no private alleles were detected. High levels of heterozygosis were detected when the proportion of alleles in each locus were compared. Pairwise (ST) and R(ST) detected significant genetic differentiation among individuals from different localities. Our population structure results indicate the presence of eleven clusters, with a high percentage of assigned individuals to some specific collecting site.

Microsatellites loci reveal heterozygosis and population structure in vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae of Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Romero-Nava

2014-08-01

Full Text Available A limited number of studies have focused on the population genetic structure of vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus in America. This medium-sized bat is distributed in tropical areas of the continent with high prevalence in forested livestock areas. The aim of this work was to characterize the vampire population structure and their genetic differentiation. For this, we followed standard methods by which live vampires (caught by mist-netting and preserved material from scientific collections, were obtained for a total of 15 different locations, ranging from Chihuahua (North to Quintana Roo (Southeast. Tissue samples were obtained from both live and collected animals, and the genetic differentiation, within and among localities, was assessed by the use of seven microsatellite loci. Our results showed that all loci were polymorphic and no private alleles were detected. High levels of heterozygosis were detected when the proportion of alleles in each locus were compared. Pairwise F ST and R ST detected significant genetic differentiation among individuals from different localities. Our population structure results indicate the presence of eleven clusters, with a high percentage of assigned individuals to some specific collecting site. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (2: 659-669. Epub 2014 June 01.

Análise quantitativa das células de Langerhans em mucosa bucal de pacientes submetidos ao transplante de medula óssea alogênico com doença enxerto contra hospedeiro crônica

OpenAIRE

Érika Sinara Lenharo Orti-Raduan

2007-01-01

A doença enxerto contra hospedeiro é uma complicação comum nos pacientes submetidos ao transplante de medula óssea alogênico. Com o objetivo de contribuir para o esclarecimento da participação das células de Langerhans na doença enxerto contra hospedeiro crônica (GVHDc) quando de sua ocorrência na mucosa bucal, foram analisados 40 pacientes oncohematológicos e hematológicos submetidos ao transplante de medula óssea alogênico no Hospital Amaral Carvalho, Jaú - SP. Cortes microscópicos de 3µm d...

The spermatogenic process of the common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus under a histomorphometric view.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielle Barbosa Morais

Full Text Available Among all bat species, Desmodus rotundus stands out as one of the most intriguing due to its exclusively haematophagous feeding habits. However, little is known about their spermatogenic cycle. This study aimed at describing the spermatogenic process of common vampire bats through testicular histomorphometric characterization of adult specimens, spermatogenic production indexes, description of stages of the seminiferous epithelium cycle and estimative of the spermatogenic process duration. Morphometrical and immunohistochemical analyzes for bromodeoxiuridine were conducted under light microscopy and ultrastructural analyzes were performed under transmission electron microscopy. Vampire bats showed higher investment in gonadal tissue (gonadosomatic index of 0.54% and in seminiferous tubules (tubulesomatic index of 0.49% when compared to larger mammals. They also showed a high tubular length per gram of testis (34.70 m. Approximately half of the intertubular compartment was found to be comprised by Leydig cells (51.20%, and an average of 23.77x106 of these cells was found per gram of testis. The germline cells showed 16.93% of mitotic index and 2.51% of meiotic index. The overall yield of spermatogenesis was 60% and the testicular spermatic reserve was 71.44x107 spermatozoa per gram of testis. With a total spermatogenesis duration estimated at 37.02 days, vampire bats showed a daily sperm production of 86.80x106 gametes per gram of testis. These findings demonstrate a high sperm production, which is commonly observed in species with promiscuous mating system.

What Can Vampires Teach Us about Immunology?

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, David S

2016-04-01

Speculative fiction examines the leading edge of science and can be used to introduce ideas into the classroom. For example, most students are already familiar with the fictional infectious diseases responsible for vampire and zombie outbreaks. The disease dynamics of these imaginary ailments follow the same rules we see for real diseases and can be used to remind students that they already understand the basic rules of disease ecology and immunology. By engaging writers of this sort of fiction in an effort to solve problems in immunology we may be able to perform a directed evolution experiment where we follow the evolution of plots rather than genetic traits. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Vampirism as a Metaphor for Addiction in the Cinema of the Eighties (1987-1995

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Juan Antonio RODRÍGUEZ SÁNCHEZ

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The use of several substances, commonly known as drugs, increased considerably from the fiftiesonwards. Use, habit and dependence were linked as cause and effect to economic, health-related andpolitical implications, which contributed to the emergence of the “drug problem” and addiction. Themedia played an important part in the origin, in the decade of the seventies, of the stereotype of the drugaddict as an individual who injected heroine. This stereotype was also assumed by cinema, especially byhorror films in their postmodern tendencies in the eighties. Thus, the traditional vampire becomes acreature who is addicted to blood and whose dependence, and mainly withdrawal symptoms, are recreatedwith the same iconography and interpretations with which the most traditionalist society perceiveddrug addicts. The development of the vampire metaphor not only reflects social fears of the threateningtemptation of addiction and the fear of transgressors who use forbidden substances, but it influences theviewers in a thought-provoking way that reinforces social stereotypes.

The Last Gender Picture Show to Closure Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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Sven Grampp

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This work presents in (and especially on one detail what it means to practice gender analysis as formal image analysis in the context of television shows. The chosen example for that is the closing scene of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (USA 1997-2003. This television show engages in a highly self-reflexive manner with common pop cultural representations of gender, which becomes particularly prevalent and radically condensed in the series finale.

VAMPIR POLITIK INDONESIA SAMPUL DESAIN GRAFIS TABLOID DEMOKRAT EDISI 49 TANGGAL 23-30 JANUARI 2000 Representasi Senimannya Pada Masa Reformasi

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Handriyotopo -

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The Press Independency that have been opening and tend to be bold to voice feeling and all condition starts to counter each other in their news, headlines, and illustrations. Including, PDIP ( Partai Demokratik Indoesia Perjuangan shows in its tabloid ‘Demokrat’ that appears the slogan ‘yang penting srudukannya bung’ more over in which the cover illustrates Amien Rais as if a vampire creature ( makluk vampir. This illustration images encourage the PAN’ s (Partai Amanat Nasional anger. This seems to be a part of the graphics design function as a provocation to the consumers. Keyword : graphic design function

Hologenomic adaptations underlying the evolution of sanguivory in the common vampire bat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zepeda Mendoza, M. Lisandra; Xiong, Zijun; Escalera-Zamudio, Marina

2018-01-01

Adaptation to specialized diets often requires modifications at both genomic and microbiome levels. We applied a hologenomic approach to the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), one of the only three obligate blood-feeding (sanguivorous) mammals, to study the evolution of its complex dietary...... integrated viral elements, a dietary and phylogenetic influence on gut microbiome taxonomic and functional profiles, and that both genetic elements harbour key traits related to the nutritional (for example, vitamin and lipid shortage) and non-nutritional (for example, nitrogen waste and osmotic homeostasis...

Quantifying the burden of vampire bat rabies in Peruvian livestock.

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Julio A Benavides

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Knowledge of infectious disease burden is necessary to appropriately allocate resources for prevention and control. In Latin America, rabies is among the most important zoonoses for human health and agriculture, but the burden of disease attributed to its main reservoir, the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus, remains uncertain.We used questionnaires to quantify under-reporting of livestock deaths across 40 agricultural communities with differing access to health resources and epidemiological histories of vampire bat rabies (VBR in the regions of Apurimac, Ayacucho and Cusco in southern Peru. Farmers who believed VBR was absent from their communities were one third as likely to report livestock deaths from disease as those who believed VBR was present, and under-reporting increased with distance from reporting offices. Using generalized mixed-effect models that captured spatial autocorrelation in reporting, we project 4.6 (95% CI: 4.4-8.2 rabies cases per reported case and identify geographic areas with potentially greater VBR burden than indicated by official reports. Spatially-corrected models estimate 505-724 cattle deaths from VBR in our study area during 2014 (421-444 deaths/100,000 cattle, costing US$121,797-171,992. Cost benefit analysis favoured vaccinating all cattle over the current practice of partial vaccination or halting vaccination all together.Our study represents the first estimate of the burden of VBR in Latin America to incorporate data on reporting rates. We confirm the long-suspected cost of VBR to small-scale farmers and show that vaccinating livestock is a cost-effective solution to mitigate the burden of VBR. More generally, results highlight that ignoring geographic variation in access to health resources can bias estimates of disease burden and risk.

Iron storage disease (hemochromatosis) and hepcidin response to iron load in two species of pteropodid fruit bats relative to the common vampire bat.

Science.gov (United States)

Stasiak, Iga M; Smith, Dale A; Ganz, Tomas; Crawshaw, Graham J; Hammermueller, Jutta D; Bienzle, Dorothee; Lillie, Brandon N

2018-07-01

Hepcidin is the key regulator of iron homeostasis in the body. Iron storage disease (hemochromatosis) is a frequent cause of liver disease and mortality in captive Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus), but reasons underlying this condition are unknown. Hereditary hemochromatosis in humans is due to deficiency of hepcidin or resistance to the action of hepcidin. Here, we investigated the role of hepcidin in iron metabolism in one species of pteropodid bat that is prone to iron storage disease [Egyptian fruit bat (with and without hemochromatosis)], one species of pteropodid bat where iron storage disease is rare [straw-colored fruit bat (Eidolon helvum)], and one species of bat with a natural diet very high in iron, in which iron storage disease is not reported [common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus)]. Iron challenge via intramuscular injection of iron dextran resulted in significantly increased liver iron content and histologic iron scores in all three species, and increased plasma iron in Egyptian fruit bats and straw-colored fruit bats. Hepcidin mRNA expression increased in response to iron administration in healthy Egyptian fruit bats and common vampire bats, but not in straw-colored fruit bats or Egyptian fruit bats with hemochromatosis. Hepcidin gene expression significantly correlated with liver iron content in Egyptian fruit bats and common vampire bats, and with transferrin saturation and plasma ferritin concentration in Egyptian fruit bats. Induction of hepcidin gene expression in response to iron challenge is absent in straw-colored fruit bats and in Egyptian fruit bats with hemochromatosis and, relative to common vampire bats and healthy humans, is low in Egyptain fruit bats without hemochromatosis. Limited hepcidin response to iron challenge may contribute to the increased susceptibility of Egyptian fruit bats to iron storage disease.

VAMPIR - A two-group two-dimensional diffusion computer code for burnup calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zmijarevic, I.; Petrovic, I.

1985-01-01

VAMPIR is a computer code which simulates the burnup within a reactor coe. It computes the neutron flux, power distribution and burnup taking into account spatial variations of temperature and xenon poisoning. Its overall reactor calculation uses diffusion theory with finite differences approximation in X-Y or R-Z geometry. Two-group macroscopic cross section data are prepared by the lattice cell code WIMS-D4 and stored in the library form of multi entry tabulation against the various parameters that significantly affect the physical conditions in the reactor core. herein, the main features of the program are presented. (author)

MYOSITIS OSSIFICANS TRAUMATICA IN A VAMPIRE BAT (DESMODUS ROTUNDUS).

Science.gov (United States)

Hausmann, Jennifer C; Manasse, Jorden; Churgin, Sarah; Steinberg, Howard; Clyde, Victoria L; Wallace, Roberta

2016-09-01

A 15-yr-old sexually intact female vampire bat ( Desmodus rotundus ) was diagnosed with myositis ossificans traumatica of the abdominal wall. The bat presented with a large ulcerated firm mass along the abdomen. Radiographs and cytology were performed, followed by surgical exploration. The mass was determined to be nonresectable and the bat was euthanized. Histopathology showed severe necrotizing, degenerative, and pyogranulomatous myositis with osseous and cartilaginous metaplasia, fibrosis, and ulceration, which were consistent with myositis ossificans traumatica. Myositis ossificans traumatica is commonly associated with previous trauma to skeletal muscle. Two years prior, this bat had an emergency Caesarian section at this site, which was postulated to elicit a marked tissue response leading to this condition. Myositis ossificans traumatica is infrequently reported in humans, dogs, cats, pigs, and horses. To the author's knowledge, this is the first report of this condition in a bat.

Sound localization in common vampire bats: Acuity and use of the binaural time cue by a small mammal

Science.gov (United States)

Heffner, Rickye S.; Koay, Gimseong; Heffner, Henry E.

2015-01-01

Passive sound-localization acuity and the ability to use binaural time and intensity cues were determined for the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus). The bats were tested using a conditioned suppression/avoidance procedure in which they drank defibrinated blood from a spout in the presence of sounds from their right, but stopped drinking (i.e., broke contact with the spout) whenever a sound came from their left, thereby avoiding a mild shock. The mean minimum audible angle for three bats for a 100-ms noise burst was 13.1°—within the range of thresholds for other bats and near the mean for mammals. Common vampire bats readily localized pure tones of 20 kHz and higher, indicating they could use interaural intensity-differences. They could also localize pure tones of 5 kHz and lower, thereby demonstrating the use of interaural time-differences, despite their very small maximum interaural distance of 60 μs. A comparison of the use of locus cues among mammals suggests several implications for the evolution of sound localization and its underlying anatomical and physiological mechanisms. PMID:25618037

Desmolaris, a novel factor XIa anticoagulant from the salivary gland of the vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) inhibits inflammation and thrombosis in vivo

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Ma, C.; Mizurini, D.M.; Assumpção, T.C.F.; Li, Y.; Qi, Y.; Kotsyfakis, Michalis; Ribeiro, J.M.C.; Monteiro, R.Q.; Francischetti, I.M.B.

2013-01-01

Roč. 122, č. 25 (2013), s. 4094-4106 ISSN 0340-6245 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP502/12/2409 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Desmolaris * anticolagulant * vampire bat saliva * FXIa Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 5.760, year: 2013

Vampiros humanizados: análise da obra Interview with the vampire de Anne Rice

OpenAIRE

Patricia Hradec

2014-01-01

Esta dissertação tem por objetivo analisar o romance Interview with the Vampire de Anne Rice que é o primeiro livro dos dez que constituem suas Crônicas Vampirescas . Pretende-se com esta pesquisa demonstrar como os vampiros apresentados por Rice são humanizados. Inicia-se com um estudo histórico sobre os vampiros, tanto lendários quanto literários, depois há um estudo sobre a vida e obra da escritora norte-americana bem como um levantamento das diferenças entre os vampiros de Rice e outros ...

Detection of rabies virus nucleoprotein-RNA in several organs outside the Central Nervous System in naturally-infected vampire bats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luiz F. P Vieira

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Rabies is a neurological disease, but the rabies virus spread to several organs outside the central nervous system (CNS. The rabies virus antigen or RNA has been identified from the salivary glands, the lungs, the kidneys, the heart and the liver. This work aimed to identify the presence of the rabies virus in non-neuronal organs from naturally-infected vampire bats and to study the rabies virus in the salivary glands of healthy vampire bats. Out of the five bats that were positive for rabies in the CNS, by fluorescent antibody test (FAT, viral isolation in N2A cells and reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR, 100% (5/5 were positive for rabies in samples of the tongue and the heart, 80% (4/5 in the kidneys, 40% (2/5 in samples of the salivary glands and the lungs, and 20% (1/5 in the liver by RT-PCR test. All the nine bats that were negative for rabies in the CNS, by FAT, viral isolation and RT-PCR were negative for rabies in the salivary glands by RT-PCR test. Possible consequences for rabies epidemiology and pathogenesis are discussed in this work.

Grotesque manifestations of power in Dance of the vampires by Bole Butake

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Naomi Nkealah

2013-03-01

Full Text Available This article is an analysis of Dance of the vampires by Cameroonian playwright, Bole Butake. It looked at how the play projects itself as a narrative of the nation and, conversely, how the nation in the play functions as a narrative text on which ideologies of power are inscribed or expunged. Butake’s vision of the nation encompasses various discourses of power that are explored against the backdrop of the grotesque in systems of domination, as enunciated by Achille Mbembe. This article argues that whilst the play hinges on the ambivalence in power relations, the writer’s vision is un-ambivalent in its utopian conception of political change and its gendered representation of women within nationalist discourses.

Groteske manifestasies van mag in Dance of the vampires deur Bole Butake

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Naomi Nkealah

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Hierdie artikel is ’n ontleding vanDance of the vampires deur die Kameroense dramaturg, Bole Butake. Dit het die maniere ondersoek waarop die toneelstuk homself projekteer as verhaal van ’n nasie en omgekeerd, hoe die nasie in die toneelstuk as ’n narratiewe teks funksioneer waarin magsideologieë ingeskryf of uitgewis word. Butake se visie van die nasie omvat verskeie magsdiskoerse wat ondersoek word teen die agtergrond van die groteske in sisteme van dominasie, soos uiteengesit deur Achille Mbembe. Die artikel voer aan dat, terwyl die stuk van die ambivalensie in magsverhoudings afhang, die skrywer se visie onambivilant is in sy Utopiese konsepsie van politiese verandering en sy geslagtelike uitbeelding van vrouens binne nasionalistiese diskoerse.

On Ensemble Nonlinear Kalman Filtering with Symmetric Analysis Ensembles

KAUST Repository

Luo, Xiaodong; Hoteit, Ibrahim; Moroz, Irene M.

2010-01-01

However, by adopting the Monte Carlo method, the EnSRF also incurs certain sampling errors. One way to alleviate this problem is to introduce certain symmetry to the ensembles, which can reduce the sampling errors and spurious modes in evaluation of the means and covariances of the ensembles [7]. In this contribution, we present two methods to produce symmetric ensembles. One is based on the unscented transform [8, 9], which leads to the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) [8, 9] and its variant, the ensemble unscented Kalman filter (EnUKF) [7]. The other is based on Stirling’s interpolation formula (SIF), which results in the divided difference filter (DDF) [10]. Here we propose a simplified divided difference filter (sDDF) in the context of ensemble filtering. The similarity and difference between the sDDF and the EnUKF will be discussed. Numerical experiments will also be conducted to investigate the performance of the sDDF and the EnUKF, and compare them to a well‐established EnSRF, the ensemble transform Kalman filter (ETKF) [2].

A rabies virus vampire bat variant shows increased neuroinvasiveness in mice when compared to a carnivore variant.

Science.gov (United States)

Mesquita, Leonardo Pereira; Gamon, Thais Helena Martins; Cuevas, Silvia Elena Campusano; Asano, Karen Miyuki; Fahl, Willian de Oliveira; Iamamoto, Keila; Scheffer, Karin Correa; Achkar, Samira Maria; Zanatto, Dennis Albert; Mori, Cláudia Madalena Cabrera; Maiorka, Paulo César; Mori, Enio

2017-12-01

Rabies is one of the most important zoonotic diseases and is caused by several rabies virus (RABV) variants. These variants can exhibit differences in neurovirulence, and few studies have attempted to evaluate the neuroinvasiveness of variants derived from vampire bats and wild carnivores. The aim of this study was to evaluate the neuropathogenesis of infection with two Brazilian RABV street variants (variant 3 and crab-eating fox) in mice. BALB/c mice were inoculated with RABV through the footpad, with the 50% mouse lethal dose (LD 50 ) determined by intracranial inoculation. The morbidity of rabies in mice infected with variant 3 and the crab-eating fox strain was 100% and 50%, respectively, with an incubation period of 7 and 6 days post-inoculation (dpi), respectively. The clinical disease in mice was similar with both strains, and it was characterized initially by weight loss, ruffled fur, hunched posture, and hind limb paralysis progressing to quadriplegia and recumbency at 9 to 12 dpi. Histological lesions within the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by nonsuppurative encephalomyelitis with neuronal degeneration and necrosis were observed in mice infected with variant 3 and those infected with the crab-eating fox variant. However, lesions and the presence of RABV antigen, were more widespread within the CNS of variant-3-infected mice, whereas in crab-eating fox-variant-infected mice, RABV antigens were more restricted to caudal areas of the CNS, such as the spinal cord and brainstem. In conclusion, the results shown here demonstrate that the RABV vampire bat strain (variant 3) has a higher potential for neuroinvasiveness than the carnivore variant.

“Monstrous Appetites and Positive Emotions in True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and The Walking Dead.”

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schubart, Rikke

2013-01-01

Looking at television series True Blood (2008–), The Vampire Diaries (2009–), and The Walking Dead (2010–) the article analyzes positive emotions in horror: the sexual emotions, trust, and hope. First part substitutes the positive-negative dichotomy of emotions with seeing emotions as coming......, positive and negative, from a functional and evolutionary perspective. Comparing horror to play-fighting and fiction to the pretend of play, the article suggests four reasons why horror is attractive: we learn to feel emotions (sensation), to react to emotions (evaluation), control our emotions (action...... tendency in the here-and-now), and to experiment (action tendency and planning for what-comes-next)....

Překlad a stylistická analýza jedné kapitoly románu The Vampire Lestat od Anne Riceové

OpenAIRE

Dušková, Hana

2015-01-01

The main aim of this bachelor thesis is to point out the most common problems that the translators from English to Czech may encounter, exemplified by real solutions in the proces of translating modern fiction. This work consists of two parts. The theoretical part of is the the actual translation of one chapter of the novel The Vampire Lestat by american author Anne Rice. The theoretical part contains the stylistic analysis of the translated text and it is aimed at the probles I have encounte...

Aestheticizing the Downfall of Industrial Capitalism: Jim Jarmusch’s Tale of Intellectual Vampires in Zombies’ World

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Bahar Muratoğlu Pehlivan

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This study aims to read Jim Jarmusch’s movie Only Lovers Left Alive from the perspective of downfall of industrial capitalism and ecosocialist approach. The movie mainly takes place in Detroit Michigan, which is a symbol of the collapse of Fordism and industrialization. Ecosocialist critique of industrial capitalism has common notions with Jarmusch’s tale. Thus, theoretical framework of this study has been established on ecosocialist paradigm. In the movie, Jarmusch represents vampires as intellectuals with a wide accumulation of culture and knowledge and places his critique of industrialization from their point of view. Multimodal Discourse Analysis was applied to the movie to find out how the movie did use visual and literal signifiers to establish its narrative.

Factores diagnósticos endoscópicos y pronósticos relacionados con el Helicobacter Pylori en la enfermedad injerto contra huésped tras el trasplante alogénico de células hematopoyéticas

OpenAIRE

Velasco Guardado, Antonio

2016-01-01

[ES] INTRODUCCIÓN: El trabajo consta de tres artículos originales relacionados por un lado con el diagnóstico endoscópico e histológico en la Enfermedad de Injerto contra Huésped (EICH) tras el trasplante alogénico de células hematopoyéticas (TACH) y por otro sobre el papel que juega la infección por Helicobacter pylori (HP) en dicha enfermedad. El tracto gastrointestinal es la principal diana de la Enfermedad de Injerto contra Huésped. Su diagnóstico se basa en los hallazgos endoscópicos e ...

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Xena: Warrior Princess: reception of the texts by a sample of lesbian fans and web site users.

Science.gov (United States)

Collier, Noelle R; Lumadue, Christine A; Wooten, H Ray

2009-01-01

This qualitative study of television reception examined the ways in which a sample of lesbian fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Xena: Warrior Princess incorporated their experiences as viewers, fans, and Internet users with relation to their sexual identity as lesbians. Specifically, this study examined the ways in which participants used these television programs to inform their sexual identity development. Results indicated that participants used television and the Internet to normalize and affirm lesbian experience, to decrease negative feelings regarding their lesbian identities, and to decrease social isolation.

Citoquinas reguladoras de la respuesta al transplante renal alogénico Regulatory cytokines in the response to the allogeneic renal transplant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rita L. Cardoni

2005-03-01

Full Text Available La aceptación o el rechazo del riñón alogénico dependen principalmente de la respuesta inmune y de su compleja regulación en la cual la red de citoquinas y otros mediadores juegan un importante papel. Actualmente, la biopsia renal es, a pesar de lo invasor del procedimiento, la herramienta de mayor utilidad para el control del rechazo al trasplante y el diagnóstico de las nefropatías asociadas. Por ello, es de gran interés encontrar métodos alternativos para el diagnóstico. La evaluación de citoquinas reguladoras de la respuesta inmune es un procedimiento sencillo y de bajo costo que podría ser de utilidad para incrementar la sensibilidad de la detección de diferencias polimórficas, para pronosticar la aceptación del trasplante y para la detección precoz del rechazo. Los estudios recientes sugieren que la producción exagerada de mediadores pro-inflamatorios, incluyendo a citoquinas Th1, sería desventajosa para la sobrevida del trasplante, mientras que la producción de citoquinas reguladoras anti-inflamatorias, como la interleuquina (IL-10 y el factor de crecimiento tumoral (TGF-b, sería beneficiosa. En las primeras etapas, la respuesta Th1 puede incrementar la actividad citotóxica y la detección de moléculas citotóxicas está asociada al rechazo agudo. Luego podría ser más importante considerar el balance entre la producción de mediadores pro- y anti-inflamatorios y la regulación de sus niveles. Así, el TGF-b es también fibrogénico y su excesiva producción local puede contribuir al daño renal. Por otro lado, el incremento de la producción de IL-10 en respuesta al estímulo alogénico sería, en la mayoría de los casos, un marcador importante para pronosticar la aceptación prolongada.The outcome of the kidney allograft mainly depends on the immune response and on its complex regulation, where the cytokine network and other mediators play an important role. At present, kidney biopsy is the most useful tool for

Short interfering RNAs targeting a vampire-bat related rabies virus phosphoprotein mRNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Ono, Ekaterina Alexandrovna Durymanova; Taniwaki, Sueli Akemi; Brandão, Paulo

The aim of this study was to assess the in vitro and in vivo effects of short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) against rabies virus phosphoprotein (P) mRNA in a post-infection treatment for rabies as an extension of a previous report (Braz J Microbiol. 2013 Nov 15;44(3):879-82). To this end, rabies virus strain RABV-4005 (related to the Desmodus rotundus vampire bat) were used to inoculate BHK-21 cells and mice, and the transfection with each of the siRNAs was made with Lipofectamine-2000™. In vitro results showed that siRNA 360 was able to inhibit the replication of strain RABV-4005 with a 1log decrease in virus titter and 5.16-fold reduction in P mRNA, 24h post-inoculation when compared to non-treated cells. In vivo, siRNA 360 was able to induce partial protection, but with no significant difference when compared to non-treated mice. These results indicate that, despite the need for improvement for in vivo applications, P mRNA might be a target for an RNAi-based treatment for rabies. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Rezension von: Marcus Recht: Der sympathische Vampir. Visualisierungen von Männlichkeiten in der TV-Serie Buffy. Frankfurt am Main u.a.: Campus Verlag 2011.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hannah Bölling

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Marcus Recht leistet als einer der ersten deutschsprachigen Autoren eine ausführliche Analyse der besonderen Darstellung alternativer Geschlechtlichkeit in der TV-Serie Buffy. Mit Hilfe ausführlicher wissenschaftlicher Methodik zeigt Recht auf, dass die Serie sowohl soziale Konstrukte analysiert, widerspiegelt und karikiert als auch eine alternative Geschlechtlichkeit etabliert, welche die männlichen Vampire in einen zur Zeit der Serienausstrahlung gänzlich neuen Gender-Kontext stellt. Viele weitere klassische filmsoziologische Theorien zu Gender-Konstruktion und -Darstellung werden kritisch aufgegriffen und in die Analyse einbezogen. Eine gute Grundlage für Einsteiger/-innen als auch für Kenner/-innen des Feldes, um sich mit dem wissenschaftlichen Potential des popkulturellen Feldes auseinanderzusetzen.

WESCOM. A Fortran Code for Evaluation of Nuclear Weapon Effects on Satellite Communications. Volume 2. Code Structure

Science.gov (United States)

1981-01-31

DCREG WOX DEPDAT DEVICE FBREG HEACOM HEAVE1 JAMMER MAGLNK riODULT OPTION ORGIN PATH ATMOSN CONST CONWES ACCUM AMBABS ANLYT2...SQRT ALOG SQkV ALOG OCOS DMOD DSIN ALOG COS EXP SIN SQRT CONST DIGMOD DI6M0D WRATE WRATEH CINPUT CONST DCREG FBREG OPTION PROP...ATMOST FDSRAT WRATE ATMOST FDSRAT OUT WRATE BREG BURST DCREG PHEN BREG BURST CONST DBREG FBREG MAGLNK 25 ROUTINE EDEPG EDEPMD

Phylogeography of the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus: Marked population structure, Neotropical Pleistocene vicariance and incongruence between nuclear and mtDNA markers

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Morgante João S

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus is an excellent model organism for studying ecological vicariance in the Neotropics due to its broad geographic range and its preference for forested areas as roosting sites. With the objective of testing for Pleistocene ecological vicariance, we sequenced a mitocondrial DNA (mtDNA marker and two nuclear markers (RAG2 and DRB to try to understand how Pleistocene glaciations affected the distribution of intraspecific lineages in this bat. Results Five reciprocally monophyletic clades were evident in the mitochondrial gene tree, and in most cases with high bootstrap support: Central America (CA, Amazon and Cerrado (AMC, Pantanal (PAN, Northern Atlantic Forest (NAF and Southern Atlantic Forest (SAF. The Atlantic forest clades formed a monophyletic clade with high bootstrap support, creating an east/west division for this species in South America. On the one hand, all coalescent and non-coalescent estimates point to a Pleistocene time of divergence between the clades. On the other hand, the nuclear markers showed extensive sharing of haplotypes between distant localities, a result compatible with male-biased gene flow. In order to test if the disparity between the mitochondrial and nuclear markers was due to the difference in mutation rate and effective size, we performed a coalescent simulation to examine the feasibility that, given the time of separation between the observed lineages, even with a gene flow rate close to zero, there would not be reciprocal monophyly for a neutral nuclear marker. We used the observed values of theta and an estimated mutation rate for the nuclear marker gene to perform 1000 iterations of the simulation. The results of this simulation were inconclusive: the number of iterations with and without reciprocal monophyly of one or more clades are similar. Conclusions We therefore conclude that the pattern exhibited by the common vampire bat, with marked

From monster to ideal boyfriend:morality and family

OpenAIRE

Hillilä, M. (Miia)

2016-01-01

Abstract The aim of this thesis is to chronologically study the changes in morality and in the families of vampires represented in literature. The analysis focuses on three vampires from different eras: Dracula, Lestat and Edward. The material consists of the Gothic horror novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, the first two books of The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, (Interview with a Vampire and The Vampire Lestat), and all four...

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in common vampire bats Desmodus rotundus and livestock in Peru.

Science.gov (United States)

Benavides, J A; Shiva, C; Virhuez, M; Tello, C; Appelgren, A; Vendrell, J; Solassol, J; Godreuil, S; Streicker, D G

2018-06-01

Antibiotic resistance mediated by bacterial production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) is a global threat to public health. ESBL resistance is most commonly hospital-acquired; however, infections acquired outside of hospital settings have raised concerns over the role of livestock and wildlife in the zoonotic spread of ESBL-producing bacteria. Only limited data are available on the circulation of ESBL-producing bacteria in animals. Here, we report ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in wild common vampire bats Desmodus rotundus and livestock near Lima, Peru. Molecular analyses revealed that most of this resistance resulted from the expression of bla CTX-M-15 genes carried by plasmids, which are disseminating worldwide in hospital settings and have also been observed in healthy children of Peru. Multilocus sequence typing showed a diverse pool of E. coli strains carrying this resistance that were not always host species-specific, suggesting sharing of strains between species or infection from a common source. This study shows widespread ESBL resistance in wild and domestic animals, supporting animal communities as a potential source of resistance. Future work is needed to elucidate the role of bats in the dissemination of antibiotic-resistant strains of public health importance and to understand the origin of the observed resistance. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Computerized Method for the Generation of Molecular Transmittance Functions in the Infrared.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-04-01

RUGAS ,TX 103 FORMAT(I2,FlO.3,E1 .4,F9.3,E11.4,El3.6,E1.4,F7.4) RUGAS = RUGAS /CF WRITE(6,205) KGAS,FREQ,RPRES,RTEMP,PPM,RANGE, RUGAS ,TX 205 FORMAT(TlO,I2...10. GO TO.15 14 CONTINUE PRES(M,J,K)=ALOG10(RPRES/10 13.) TEMP(M,J,K)=ALOG1O(273. 15/RTEMP) UGAS(M,J,K)=ALOG10( RUGAS ) 15 CONTINUE C T=T+TX IT=IT+l RI(M

Avaliações clínica, ecográfica e anatomofisiológica do alotransplante parcial de vesícula urinária com células-tronco mesenquimais alogênicas derivadas do tecido adiposo em coelhos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. T. L. Pinto Filho

2015-10-01

Full Text Available RESUMOOs problemas relacionados ao armazenamento vesical são muitos e relevantes. Eles, além de influírem de forma efetiva na qualidade de vida, podem eventualmente evoluir para falência renal. Existem vários trabalhos, os quais descrevem as propriedades imunomoduladoras e imunossupressoras das células-tronco mesenquimais derivadas do tecido adiposo (ADSCs. Objetiva-se com o presente avaliar clínica, ecográfica e anatomofisiologicamente o alotransplante parcial de bexiga a fresco em coelhos, utilizando como agente imunomodulador ADSCs alogênicas. Para isso foram utilizados 25 coelhos, sendo um deles macho e doador das ADSCs, e os outros 24 eram fêmeas, submetidas a alotransplante parcial de bexiga, sendo tratadas com ciclosporina (GCi ou células-tronco mesenquimais (GCe. Conclui-se que as ADSCs foram suficientes para evitar sinais clínicos e ecográficos de rejeição ao alotransplante de vesícula urinária, mantendo a estrutura anatomofisiológica vesical por até 30 dias em coelhos.

On Ensemble Nonlinear Kalman Filtering with Symmetric Analysis Ensembles

KAUST Repository

Luo, Xiaodong

2010-09-19

The ensemble square root filter (EnSRF) [1, 2, 3, 4] is a popular method for data assimilation in high dimensional systems (e.g., geophysics models). Essentially the EnSRF is a Monte Carlo implementation of the conventional Kalman filter (KF) [5, 6]. It is mainly different from the KF at the prediction steps, where it is some ensembles, rather then the means and covariance matrices, of the system state that are propagated forward. In doing this, the EnSRF is computationally more efficient than the KF, since propagating a covariance matrix forward in high dimensional systems is prohibitively expensive. In addition, the EnSRF is also very convenient in implementation. By propagating the ensembles of the system state, the EnSRF can be directly applied to nonlinear systems without any change in comparison to the assimilation procedures in linear systems. However, by adopting the Monte Carlo method, the EnSRF also incurs certain sampling errors. One way to alleviate this problem is to introduce certain symmetry to the ensembles, which can reduce the sampling errors and spurious modes in evaluation of the means and covariances of the ensembles [7]. In this contribution, we present two methods to produce symmetric ensembles. One is based on the unscented transform [8, 9], which leads to the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) [8, 9] and its variant, the ensemble unscented Kalman filter (EnUKF) [7]. The other is based on Stirling’s interpolation formula (SIF), which results in the divided difference filter (DDF) [10]. Here we propose a simplified divided difference filter (sDDF) in the context of ensemble filtering. The similarity and difference between the sDDF and the EnUKF will be discussed. Numerical experiments will also be conducted to investigate the performance of the sDDF and the EnUKF, and compare them to a well‐established EnSRF, the ensemble transform Kalman filter (ETKF) [2].

Detection of Dengue Virus in Bat Flies (Diptera: Streblidae) of Common Vampire Bats, Desmodus rotundus, in Progreso, Hidalgo, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Abundes-Gallegos, Judith; Salas-Rojas, Monica; Galvez-Romero, Guillermo; Perea-Martínez, Leonardo; Obregón-Morales, Cirani Y; Morales-Malacara, Juan B; Chomel, Bruno B; Stuckey, Matthew J; Moreno-Sandoval, Hayde; García-Baltazar, Anahi; Nogueda-Torres, Benjamin; Zuñiga, Gerardo; Aguilar-Setién, Alvaro

2018-01-01

Blood-feeding arthropods play a major role in the transmission of several flaviviruses, which represent an important problem for human health. Currently, dengue is one of the most important arboviral emerging diseases worldwide. Furthermore, some previous studies have reported the presence of viral nucleic acids and antibodies against dengue virus (DENV) in wild animals. Our knowledge of the role played by wildlife reservoirs in the sylvatic transmission and maintenance of DENV remains limited. Our objective was to screen blood-feeding ectoparasites (bat flies) and their common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) hosts, for flaviviruses in Hidalgo, Mexico. We detected Flavivirus sequences in 38 pools of ectoparasites (Diptera: Streblidae, Strebla wiedemanni and Trichobius parasiticus) and 8 tissue samples of D. rotundus by RT-PCR and semi-nested PCR using FlaviPF1S, FlaviPR2bis, and FlaviPF3S primers specific for NS5, a gene highly conserved among flaviviruses. Phylogenetic inference analysis performed using the maximum likelihood algorithm implemented in PhyML showed that six sequences clustered with DENV (bootstrap value = 53.5%). Although this study supports other reports of DENV detection in bats and arthropods other than Aedes mosquitoes, the role of these ectoparasitic flies and of hematophagous bats in the epidemiology of DENV still warrants further investigation.

Assessing the potential impacts of a changing climate on the distribution of a rabies virus vector.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark A Hayes

Full Text Available Common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus occur throughout much of South America to northern México. Vampire bats have not been documented in recent history in the United States, but have been documented within about 50 km of the U.S. state of Texas. Vampire bats feed regularly on the blood of mammals and can transmit rabies virus to native species and livestock, causing impacts on the health of prey. Thus cattle producers, wildlife management agencies, and other stakeholders have expressed concerns about whether vampire bats might spread into the southern United States. On the other hand, concerns about vampire-borne rabies can also result in wanton destruction at bat roosts in areas occupied by vampire bats, but also in areas not known to be occupied by this species. This can in turn negatively affect some bat roosts, populations, and species that are of conservation concern, including vampire bats. To better understand the current and possible future distribution of vampire bats in North America and help mitigate future cattle management problems, we used 7,094 vampire bat occurrence records from North America and species distribution modeling (SDM to map the potential distribution of vampire bats in North America under current and future climate change scenarios. We analysed and mapped the potential distribution of this species using 5 approaches to species distribution modeling: logistic regression, multivariate adaptive regression splines, boosted regression trees, random forest, and maximum entropy. We then projected these models into 17 "worst-case" future climate scenarios for year 2070 to generate hypotheses about how the vampire bat distribution in North America might change in the future. Of the variables used in this analysis, minimum temperature of the coldest month had the highest variable importance using all 5 SDM approaches. These results suggest two potential near-future routes of vampire bat dispersal into the U.S., one via

Virtue as Adventure and Excess: Intertextuality, Masculinity, and Desire in the Twilight Series

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Lindén

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The vampire is still primarily a literary figure. The vampires we have seen on TV and cinema in recent years are all based on literary models. The vampire is at the same time a popular cultural icon and a figure that, especially women writers, use to problematize gender, sexuality and power. As a vampire story the Twilight se-ries both produces and problematizes norms in regard to gender, class and ethnici-ty. As the main romantic character in Twilight, Edward Cullen becomes interesting both as a vampire of our time and as a man. In a similar way as in the 19th century novel the terms of relationship are negotiated and like his namesake Edward Rochester, Edward Cullen has to change in important ways for the “happy end-ing” to take place. In spite of a strong interest in sexuality and gender norms in relation to vampires very few studies have focused exclusively on masculinity. This article examines the construction of masculinity in relation to vampirism in the Twilight series. It offers an interpretation of Stephenie Meyer’s novels and the character of Edward as part of a broader field of feminist (re-uses of the vampire in modern literature with its roots in the literary tradition from Austen and the Brontë-sisters as well as from classic Gothic fiction.

Von der aufklärung des vampirismus zum vampirismus der aufklärung: euine west-östliche debatte zwischen einst und heute

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Constantin Rauer

2010-12-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1677-2954.2008v7n1p87In the first part of this essay, I shall sketch the debate about vampirism during the age of Enlightenment historically, while in the second part, I will interpret this debate philosophically. The historical reconstruction mainly relies on Gábor Klaniczay’s brilliant essay The Decline of Witches and the Rise of Vampires in the Eighteenth-Century Habsburg Monarchy. My purpose, however, is different from that of Klaniczay. While he is interested in the connection between the decline of witches and the rise of vampires in the Eighteenth-Century Habsburg monarchy, I am interested in the relationship between the performances of vampirism in Eastern European countries, and their theoretical responses in Western Europe. In the second, philosophical part of this essay, I shall read this whole phenomenon of vampirism, both in the Western European theoretical debate and in Eastern European performances, as a symptom, behind which I see an entirely different discourse at work: the power struggle between the old faculty of theology, and the new faculty of medicine. I argue here that Western European Enlightenment vampirism transforms into medical Enlightenment vampirism, and that the Eastern European peoples criticized precisely this through their actual performances of vampirism. Thus, the debate about vampirism actually conceals the dialectics of the Enlightenment. Looking back from the present, we are surprised to find that perhaps Western European scholars with their allegedly enlightened knowledge were not the ones who had the final say, but, on the contrary, the Eastern European peoples with their popular beliefs.

Reports of the hairy-legged vampire bat Diphylla ecaudata Spix, 1823 (Chiroptera: Desmodontinae for the biogeographyc Colombian Chocó

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonard David Echavarría-R

2017-07-01

Full Text Available It is reported a new record of the hairy-legged vampire Diphylla ecaudata (SPIX, 1823 in the Choco region of Colombia, of which are known only few studies in the country, registered in the departments of Magdalena (1900, Vaupés (1966, Meta (1970, Caquetá (1999 y Amazonas (2016. This registry is based on two specimens that were properly analyzed and due to its curiosity, discusses the available information on this species in the country in terms of its distribution and ecology, based on specimens in collections and existing reports. This log helps fill a void of the known geographic distribution of the species in the country deposited in the Teriologica Scientific Collection Research Group on Management and Wildlife Management of the Chocó of the Technological University of Chocó (ColTer-Choco. This report extends the geographic distribution until the department of Choco, in contraendose to 464.794 km some of the record closest in Magdalena, adding the Tropical Dry Forest Ecosystem (BST to habitats that occurred for the species. Due to its curiosity, discusses the available information on this species in the country in terms of its distribution and ecology, based on specimens in collections and existing reports. This log helps fill a void of the known geographic distribution of the species in the country.

Evaluation of an improved technique for automated center lumen line definition in cardiovascular image data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gratama van Andel, Hugo A.F.; Meijering, Erik; Vrooman, Henri A.; Stokking, Rik; Lugt, Aad van der; Monye, Cecile de

2006-01-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate a new method for automated definition of a center lumen line in vessels in cardiovascular image data. This method, called VAMPIRE, is based on improved detection of vessel-like structures. A multiobserver evaluation study was conducted involving 40 tracings in clinical CTA data of carotid arteries to compare VAMPIRE with an established technique. This comparison showed that VAMPIRE yields considerably more successful tracings and improved handling of stenosis, calcifications, multiple vessels, and nearby bone structures. We conclude that VAMPIRE is highly suitable for automated definition of center lumen lines in vessels in cardiovascular image data. (orig.)

Inexpensive, Low Power, Open-Source Data Logging hardware development

Science.gov (United States)

Sandell, C. T.; Schulz, B.; Wickert, A. D.

2017-12-01

Over the past six years, we have developed a suite of open-source, low-cost, and lightweight data loggers for scientific research. These loggers employ the popular and easy-to-use Arduino programming environment, but consist of custom hardware optimized for field research. They may be connected to a broad and expanding range of off-the-shelf sensors, with software support built in directly to the "ALog" library. Three main models exist: The ALog (for Autonomous or Arduino Logger) is the extreme low-power model for years-long deployments with only primary AA or D batteries. The ALog shield is a stripped-down ALog that nests with a standard Arduino board for prototyping or education. The TLog (for Telemetering Logger) contains an embedded radio with 500 m range and a GPS for communications and precision timekeeping. This enables meshed networks of loggers that can send their data back to an internet-connected "home base" logger for near-real-time field data retrieval. All boards feature feature a high-precision clock, full size SD card slot for high-volume data storage, large screw terminals to connect sensors, interrupts, SPI and I2C communication capability, and 3.3V/5V power outputs. The ALog and TLog have fourteen 16-bit analog inputs with a precision voltage reference for precise analog measurements. Their components are rated -40 to +85 degrees C, and they have been tested in harsh field conditions. These low-cost and open-source data loggers have enabled our research group to collect field data across North and South America on a limited budget, support student projects, and build toward better future scientific data systems.

Improving the accuracy of ultrafast ligand-based screening: incorporating lipophilicity into ElectroShape as an extra dimension.

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, M Stuart; Finn, Paul W; Morris, Garrett M; Richards, W Graham

2011-08-01

In a previous paper, we presented the ElectroShape method, which we used to achieve successful ligand-based virtual screening. It extended classical shape-based methods by applying them to the four-dimensional shape of the molecule where partial charge was used as the fourth dimension to capture electrostatic information. This paper extends the approach by using atomic lipophilicity (alogP) as an additional molecular property and validates it using the improved release 2 of the Directory of Useful Decoys (DUD). When alogP replaced partial charge, the enrichment results were slightly below those of ElectroShape, though still far better than purely shape-based methods. However, when alogP was added as a complement to partial charge, the resulting five-dimensional enrichments shows a clear improvement in performance. This demonstrates the utility of extending the ElectroShape virtual screening method by adding other atom-based descriptors.

Hemoterapia en el trasplante de médula ósea: Experiencia en el instituto de hematología e inmunología

OpenAIRE

Alfonso Valdés, María E; Bencomo Hernández, Antonio; Dorticós Balea, Elvira; Hernández Díaz, Patricia; Alfonso Valdés, Yalile; González Otero, Alejandro

1999-01-01

Se describe la hemoterapia aplicada a 19 pacientes con enfermedades hematológicas malignas que recibieron trasplante de médula ósea autólogo (n=10) y alogénico (n=9). El consumo promedio de concentrados de eritrocitos y concentrados de plaquetas fue de 6,1 y 57,3, respectivamente. El uso de ambos componentes fue mayor en los enfermos que recibieron una médula ósea alogénica. Los pacientes que recibieron tratamiento con ciclosporina requirieron un número menor de concentrados de eritrocitos y ...

Inexpensive Open-Source Data Logging in the Field

Science.gov (United States)

Wickert, A. D.

2013-12-01

I present a general-purpose open-source field-capable data logger, which provides a mechanism to develop dense networks of inexpensive environmental sensors. This data logger was developed as a low-power variant of the Arduino open-source development system, and is named the ALog ("Arduino Logger") BottleLogger (it is slim enough to fit inside a Nalgene water bottle) version 1.0. It features an integrated high-precision real-time clock, SD card slot for high-volume data storage, and integrated power switching. The ALog can interface with sensors via six analog/digital pins, two digital pins, and one digital interrupt pin that can read event-based inputs, such as those from a tipping-bucket rain gauge. We have successfully tested the ALog BottleLogger with ultrasonic rangefinders (for water stage and snow accumulation and melt), temperature sensors, tipping-bucket rain gauges, soil moisture and water potential sensors, resistance-based tools to measure frost heave, and cameras that it triggers based on events. The source code for the ALog, including functions to interface with a a range of commercially-available sensors, is provided as an Arduino C++ library with example implementations. All schematics, circuit board layouts, and source code files are open-source and freely available under GNU GPL v3.0 and Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported licenses. Through this work, we hope to foster a community-driven movement to collect field environmental data on a budget that permits citizen-scientists and researchers from low-income countries to collect the same high-quality data as researchers in wealthy countries. These data can provide information about global change to managers, governments, scientists, and interested citizens worldwide. Watertight box with ALog BottleLogger data logger on the left and battery pack with 3 D cells on the right. Data can be collected for 3-5 years on one set of batteries.

Bottom of the Iceberg: The Archontic Text - Review of Fanged Fan Fiction (McFarland, 2013)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schubart, Rikke

2014-01-01

Anmeldelse af Lindgren, Maria og Malin Isaksson, Fanged Fan Fiction: Variations on Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries (McFarland, 2013)......Anmeldelse af Lindgren, Maria og Malin Isaksson, Fanged Fan Fiction: Variations on Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries (McFarland, 2013)...

O vampiro, um não morto ainda vivo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Max Kohn

2012-12-01

Full Text Available O que um vampiro representa? Por que ocupa tal lugar na cultura? O vampiro é um invariante cultural com diferenças culturais. O vivente é um não morto (undead, e o não morto ainda está vivo. Do ponto de vista psicanalítico, qual é, então, essa relação com os dentes e com a mordida que contamina, que faz com que o outro se torne também um vampiro? O vampiro é um bebê que morde e tem um desejo ambivalente de imortalidade. O leite materno é vital como o é o sangue para o vampiro. A brincadeira de mordiscar, para o bebê winnicottiano, conta mais do que a mordida para o bebê kleiniano. O bebê kleiniano é mais próximo do vampiro do que o bebê winnicottiano.The Vampire, a live undead. What does a vampire represent? Why does he have such a place in the culture? It is a cultural invariant with cultural differences. The living is an undead and the undead is still living. From a psychoanalytical point of view, what is the connection to teeth and to bites that contaminate, and make the other become a vampire? The vampire is a baby that bites and who has an ambivalent desire of immortality. Maternal milk is as vital as blood for the vampire. The game of biting for the Winnicottian baby is more important than the bite for the Kleinian baby. The Kleinian baby is closer to the vampire than the winnicotian baby.

Terrestrial locomotion of the New Zealand short-tailed bat Mystacina tuberculata and the common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus.

Science.gov (United States)

Riskin, Daniel K; Parsons, Stuart; Schutt, William A; Carter, Gerald G; Hermanson, John W

2006-05-01

Bats (Chiroptera) are generally awkward crawlers, but the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) and the New Zealand short-tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata) have independently evolved the ability to manoeuvre well on the ground. In this study we describe the kinematics of locomotion in both species, and the kinetics of locomotion in M. tuberculata. We sought to determine whether these bats move terrestrially the way other quadrupeds do, or whether they possess altogether different patterns of movement on the ground than are observed in quadrupeds that do not fly. Using high-speed video analyses of bats moving on a treadmill, we observed that both species possess symmetrical lateral-sequence gaits similar to the kinematically defined walks of a broad range of tetrapods. At high speeds, D. rotundus use an asymmetrical bounding gait that appears to converge on the bounding gaits of small terrestrial mammals, but with the roles of the forelimbs and hindlimbs reversed. This gait was not performed by M. tuberculata. Many animals that possess a single kinematic gait shift with increasing speed from a kinetic walk (where kinetic and potential energy of the centre of mass oscillate out of phase from each other) to a kinetic run (where they oscillate in phase). To determine whether the single kinematic gait of M. tuberculata meets the kinetic definition of a walk, a run, or a gait that functions as a walk at low speed and a run at high speed, we used force plates and high-speed video recordings to characterize the energetics of the centre of mass in that species. Although oscillations in kinetic and potential energy were of similar magnitudes, M. tuberculata did not use pendulum-like exchanges of energy between them to the extent that many other quadrupedal animals do, and did not transition from a kinetic walk to kinetic run with increasing speed. The gait of M. tuberculata is kinematically a walk, but kinetically run-like at all speeds.

Descending into the swamp. An analysis of the relationship between Louis and Lestat in Anne Rice's “Interview with the vampire” and the consequences of their unspoken love.

OpenAIRE

Haukås, Hege

2017-01-01

My thesis explores the relationship of Anne Rice's characters Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat Lioncourt, with emphasis on the consequences of their unspoken love. Focusing on the several emotional bonds that tie them together through transformation of becoming a vampire, of their vampire family and the consequences of their unrealised love.

Molecular diversity of rabies viruses associated with bats in Mexico and other countries of the Americas.

Science.gov (United States)

Velasco-Villa, Andrés; Orciari, Lillian A; Juárez-Islas, Víctor; Gómez-Sierra, Mauricio; Padilla-Medina, Irma; Flisser, Ana; Souza, Valeria; Castillo, Amanda; Franka, Richard; Escalante-Mañe, Maribel; Sauri-González, Isaias; Rupprecht, Charles E

2006-05-01

Bat rabies and its transmission to humans and other species in Mexico were investigated. Eighty-nine samples obtained from rabid livestock, cats, dogs, and humans in Mexico were studied by antigenic typing and partial sequence analysis. Samples were further compared with enzootic rabies associated with different species of bats in the Americas. Patterns of nucleotide variation allowed the definition of at least 20 monophyletic clusters associated with 9 or more different bat species. Several lineages associated with distinctive antigenic patterns were found in rabies viruses related to rabies in vampire bats in Mexico. Vampire bat rabies virus lineages associated with antigenic variant 3 are widely spread from Mexico to South America, suggesting these lineages as the most likely ancestors of vampire bat rabies and the ones that have been moved by vampire bat populations throughout the Americas. Rabies viruses related to Lasiurus cinereus, Histiotus montanus, and some other not yet identified species of the genus Lasiurus were found circulating in Mexico. Long-range dissemination patterns of rabies are not necessarily associated with migratory bat species, as in the case of rabies in Desmodus rotundus and Histiotus montanus. Human rabies was associated with vampire bat transmission in most cases, and in one case, rabies transmission from free-tailed bats was inferred. The occurrence of rabies spillover from bats to domestic animals was also demonstrated. Genetic typing of rabies viruses allowed us to distinguish trends of disease dissemination and to address, in a preliminary fashion, aspects of the complex evolution of rabies viruses in different host-reservoir species.

Evaluation of an improved technique for lumen path definition and lumen segmentation of atherosclerotic vessels in CT angiography.

Science.gov (United States)

van Velsen, Evert F S; Niessen, Wiro J; de Weert, Thomas T; de Monyé, Cécile; van der Lugt, Aad; Meijering, Erik; Stokking, Rik

2007-07-01

Vessel image analysis is crucial when considering therapeutical options for (cardio-) vascular diseases. Our method, VAMPIRE (Vascular Analysis using Multiscale Paths Inferred from Ridges and Edges), involves two parts: a user defines a start- and endpoint upon which a lumen path is automatically defined, and which is used for initialization; the automatic segmentation of the vessel lumen on computed tomographic angiography (CTA) images. Both parts are based on the detection of vessel-like structures by analyzing intensity, edge, and ridge information. A multi-observer evaluation study was performed to compare VAMPIRE with a conventional method on the CTA data of 15 patients with carotid artery stenosis. In addition to the start- and endpoint, the two radiologists required on average 2.5 (SD: 1.9) additional points to define a lumen path when using the conventional method, and 0.1 (SD: 0.3) when using VAMPIRE. The segmentation results were quantitatively evaluated using Similarity Indices, which were slightly lower between VAMPIRE and the two radiologists (respectively 0.90 and 0.88) compared with the Similarity Index between the radiologists (0.92). The evaluation shows that the improved definition of a lumen path requires minimal user interaction, and that using this path as initialization leads to good automatic lumen segmentation results.

Evaluation of an improved technique for lumen path definition and lumen segmentation of atherosclerotic vessels in CT angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Velsen, Evert F.S. van; Niessen, Wiro J.; Meijering, Erik; Stokking, Rik; Weert, Thomas T. de; Monye, Cecile de; Lugt, Aad van der

2007-01-01

Vessel image analysis is crucial when considering therapeutical options for (cardio-) vascular diseases. Our method, VAMPIRE (Vascular Analysis using Multiscale Paths Inferred from Ridges and Edges), involves two parts: a user defines a start- and endpoint upon which a lumen path is automatically defined, and which is used for initialization; the automatic segmentation of the vessel lumen on computed tomographic angiography (CTA) images. Both parts are based on the detection of vessel-like structures by analyzing intensity, edge, and ridge information. A multi-observer evaluation study was performed to compare VAMPIRE with a conventional method on the CTA data of 15 patients with carotid artery stenosis. In addition to the start- and endpoint, the two radiologists required on average 2.5 (SD: 1.9) additional points to define a lumen path when using the conventional method, and 0.1 (SD: 0.3) when using VAMPIRE. The segmentation results were quantitatively evaluated using Similarity Indices, which were slightly lower between VAMPIRE and the two radiologists (respectively 0.90 and 0.88) compared with the Similarity Index between the radiologists (0.92). The evaluation shows that the improved definition of a lumen path requires minimal user interaction, and that using this path as initialization leads to good automatic lumen segmentation results. (orig.)

The History of Rabies in Trinidad: Epidemiology and Control Measures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janine F. R. Seetahal

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Vampire bat-transmitted rabies was first recognized in Trinidad during a major outbreak reported in 1925. Trinidad is the only Caribbean island with vampire bat-transmitted rabies. We conducted a literature review to describe the changing epidemiology of rabies in Trinidad and give a historical perspective to rabies prevention and control measures on the island. The last human case of rabies occurred in 1937 and although no case of canine-transmitted rabies was reported since 1914, sporadic outbreaks of bat-transmitted rabies still occur in livestock to date. Over the last century, seven notable epidemics were recorded in Trinidad with the loss of over 3000 animals. During the 1950s, several measures were effectively adopted for the prevention and control of the disease which led to a significant reduction in the number of cases. These measures include: vampire bat population control, livestock vaccination, and animal surveillance. However, due to lapses in these measures over the years (e.g., periods of limited vampire control and incomplete herd vaccination, epidemics have occurred. In light of the significant negative impact of rabies on animal production and human health, rabies surveillance in Trinidad should be enhanced and cases evaluated towards the design and implementation of more evidence-based prevention and control programs.

A CADD-alog of strategies in pharma

Science.gov (United States)

Warr, Wendy A.

2017-03-01

A special issue on computer-aided drug design (CADD) strategies in pharma discusses how CADD groups in different environments work. Perspectives were collected from authors in 11 organizations: four big pharmaceutical companies, one major biotechnology company, one smaller biotech, one private pharmaceutical company, two contract research organizations (CROs), one university, and one that spans the breadth of big pharmaceutical companies and one smaller biotech.

DARK TOURISM, ROMANIA AND DRACULA. THE PERCEPTIONS OF POTENTIAL AMERICAN TOURISTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Drule Alexandra

2014-07-01

Full Text Available From a touristic point of view, Romania is a country with an extraordinary potential. In terms of consumers of touristic products, the United States of America (USA is a country with a tremendous potential. If analysing the actual tendencies in the film industry and a part of mass-media in the last years, it is possible to identify the interests of movie fans, but also of a certain market segment with its own characteristics, for vampires. Moreover, people have always shown a high interest in the mystic or dark aspects of life, namely related to death. Which could be the connection between these elements? The answer seems simple: Dracula. Transylvania is known as the land of vampires or, better said, the birthplace of Dracula, the most popular vampire of all times, and this reputation can be a touristic opportunity possible to exploit in the current trend on the USA market, the land with the most successful screen adaption of the vampire legend. The current paper presents the results of an empiric research, which aims to identity the degree of interest shown by Americans for a touristic product specific to “dark tourism” build around Dracula’s myth. The study was conducted on a sample of 254 respondents from the U.S.A, using as data collection means the questionnaire. Results have shown that over 70% of the persons interviewed agree that Romania is the land of vampires and the home of Dracula. Almost the same percentage considers attractive or very attractive a holiday in Romania for exploring the local myths and legends, visiting the land of vampires, respectively Dracula’s house. The current study offers a valuable perspective on the way in which dark tourism is perceived, on Romania and on a thematic tourism product build around the myth of Dracula. An important contribution to the research is brought by the main characteristics of such a package tour, from the American consumers’ point of view, information that could be used by

Vampire Apocalypse

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clasen, Mathias

2010-01-01

, cultural ecology, and authorial identity as my main analytical tools for understanding the appeal, the power, and the significance of Matheson's classic novel, which is basically an extrapolation on peculiar yet common anxieties and a meditation on what happens when basic adaptive needs are frustrated....

BEARER ON DEMAND

OpenAIRE

Mulholland, Craig

2005-01-01

A commissioned solo exhibition at Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, comprising of a multimedia installation.\\ud \\ud Take a little, leave a little. But they always take more then they leave by the basic nature of the vampire process of inconspicuous but inexorable consumption. The vampire converts quality-live blood, vitality, youth, talent – into quantity – food and time for himself. He Perpetrates the most basic betrayal of the spirit, reducing all human dreams to his shit.\\ud \\ud William Burou...

Experiment list: SRX122497 [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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Experiment list: SRX122498 [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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Experiment list: SRX122491 [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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Experiment list: SRX122567 [Chip-atlas[Archive

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Experiment list: SRX122490 [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

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Experiment list: SRX122492 [Chip-atlas[Archive

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Experiment list: SRX122570 [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available p antibody=Stat2 || treatment=LPS || time=120 min || chip antibody manufacturer 1=Abcam || chip antibody cat...alog number 1=ab53149 || chip antibody manufacturer 2=Santa Cruz || chip antibody catalog number 2=sc-839 ht

Experiment list: SRX122511 [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available ip antibody=Egr1 || treatment=LPS || time=120 min || chip antibody manufacturer 1=Abcam || chip antibody cat...alog number 1=ab54966-100 || chip antibody manufacturer 2=Santa Cruz || chip antibody catalog number 2=sc-11

Experiment list: SRX122471 [Chip-atlas[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available ip antibody=Rela || treatment=LPS || time=60 min || chip antibody manufacturer 1=Bethyl || chip antibody cat...alog number 1=A301-824A || chip antibody manufacturer 2=Santa Cruz || chip antibody catalog number 2=sc-372

Calculation of the CIPW norm: New formulas

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

A completely new set of formulas, based on matrix algebra, has been suggested for the calculation of the CIPW norm for ...... Techniques (New York: John Wiley & Sons) 527 pp. Johannsen A ... alogical Magazine 34 276–282. Le Bas M J, Le ...

Algoritm bulevskogo faktornogo analiza, osnovannyj na kombinirovanii nejrosetevogo podchoda i metoda maksimizacii funkcii pravdopodobija

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Frolov, A. A.; Húsek, Dušan; Polyakov, P.Y.

-, č. 3 (2014), s. 3-11 ISSN 1999-8554 Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : boolean factor analysis * attractor neural network * likelihood function maximization * KEGG database Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science http://www.radiotec.ru/ cat alog.php? cat =jr7&art=14354

Cowboys and Vampires

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ladegaard, Jakob

2015-01-01

investments. This territory was soon explored by a number of American novels: John Beckman’s The Winter Zoo (2002), Dave Eggers’s You Shall Know Our Velocity (2002), Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything Is Illuminated (2002), Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections (2001), William Gibson’s Pattern Recognition (2003......During half of the twentieth century, the socialist states in Eastern and Central Europe functioned as a political Other that helped shape collective identities in the USA. The collapse of the socialist regimes in the early 1990s opened up a new territory for economic, personal and imaginary......), Arthur Phillips’s Prague (2002) and Gary Shteyngart’s The Russian Debutante’s Handbook (2002). This article argues that in these novels post-communist Eastern Europe functions as a region off the symbolic map, a wilderness, often violent, replete with traces of an insistent past. The novels often view...

Reconocimiento alogénico: su papel protector durante la infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana tipo1 (VIH-1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Teresa Rugeles López

2004-03-01

Full Text Available

Varios estudios han señalado la importancia de la respuesta alogénica en la protección a la infección por el VIH-1; inclusive, se ha propuesto la aloinmunización como una vacuna profiláctica (1. Sin embargo, la evidencia más fuerte de que el aloreconocimiento contribuye a la protección contra la infección con el VIH-1 es aportada por un estudio de transmisión perinatal realizado en Nairobi. En este estudio la transmisión vertical se correlacionó con el grado de concordancia entre los alelos del CMH clase I entre la madre y el bebé: el máximo grado de concordancia se asoció con un 31% de incidencia de transmisión, mientras que la infección ocurrió solo en un 3% de niños que tenían el máximo grado de disparidad con su madre (2. La incidencia de la transmisión vertical del VIH-1 es del 25-30% en ausencia de terapia antirretroviral (3. El hecho de que el 70-75% de recién nacidos no nazca infectado, a pesar de haber estado expuesto en forma continua al virus, sugiere la existencia de barreras protectoras que previenen la transmisión vertical durante la gestación y el parto. Aunque existen reportes de inmunidad celular neonatal específica anti VIH-(4, otros mecanismos deben contribuir a la protección del feto y a prevenir la transmisión vertical. Recientemente, se reportó que factores solubles que se encuentran en la placenta, importantes para la implantación y el desarrollo del embrión, inhiben la replicación del VIH-1 in vitro.

Entre estos factores se destacan: el factor inhibidor de leucemias (LIF (5, la hormona gonadotropina coriónica humana (hCG (6 y el factor derivado de células estromales tipo 1 (SDF-1 (7. Adicionalmente, en 1996 se describió la producción in vitro de un factor soluble que se genera en cultivos mixtos de linfocitos (CML conocido como ASF (8

Metamorphic evolution of the contact aureole of the Jhirgadandi ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The granitoid pluton causes a high geothermal gradient resulted into the textural and miner- alogical changes in a narrow zone. The mineral assemblages of low pressure and low to high tem- perature conditions from outer to inner aureole along with textural and mineralogical changes. (figure 4) indicate the overprinting of ...

Developing a (Non-Linear) Practice of Design Thinking

Science.gov (United States)

Teal, Randall

2010-01-01

Design thinking can be a powerful way to engage the world, allowing interactive understandings that are both analytic and experiential. When fully functioning, design thinking necessarily calls upon faculties often considered a-rational, a-causal and a-logical. Unfortunately, such faculties often give rise to academic suspicion. That is to say,…

Bat Rabies in Guatemala

Science.gov (United States)

Ellison, James A.; Gilbert, Amy T.; Recuenco, Sergio; Moran, David; Alvarez, Danilo A.; Kuzmina, Natalia; Garcia, Daniel L.; Peruski, Leonard F.; Mendonça, Mary T.; Lindblade, Kim A.; Rupprecht, Charles E.

2014-01-01

Rabies in bats is considered enzootic throughout the New World, but few comparative data are available for most countries in the region. As part of a larger pathogen detection program, enhanced bat rabies surveillance was conducted in Guatemala, between 2009 and 2011. A total of 672 bats of 31 species were sampled and tested for rabies. The prevalence of rabies virus (RABV) detection among all collected bats was low (0.3%). Viral antigens were detected and infectious virus was isolated from the brains of two common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus). RABV was also isolated from oral swabs, lungs and kidneys of both bats, whereas viral RNA was detected in all of the tissues examined by hemi-nested RT-PCR except for the liver of one bat. Sequencing of the nucleoprotein gene showed that both viruses were 100% identical, whereas sequencing of the glycoprotein gene revealed one non-synonymous substitution (302T,S). The two vampire bat RABV isolates in this study were phylogenetically related to viruses associated with vampire bats in the eastern states of Mexico and El Salvador. Additionally, 7% of sera collected from 398 bats demonstrated RABV neutralizing antibody. The proportion of seropositive bats varied significantly across trophic guilds, suggestive of complex intraspecific compartmentalization of RABV perpetuation. PMID:25080103

Co-expression of cytokeratins and vimentin by highly invasive trophoblast in the white-winged vampire bat, Diaemus youngi, and the black mastiff bat, Molossus ater, with observations on intermediate filament proteins in the decidua and intraplacental trophoblast.

Science.gov (United States)

Badwaik, N K; Rasweiler, J J; Muradali, F

1998-11-01

Histological and immunocytochemical studies of gravid reproductive tracts obtained from the white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi) and the black mastiff bat (Molossus ater) have established that both species develop unusually invasive trophoblast. This is released by the developing discoidal haemochorial placenta, expresses both cytokeratins and vimentin, and invades the myometrium and adjacent tissues (including the ovaries) via interstitial migration within the walls of maternal blood vessels. Hence, this trophoblast is noteworthy for the extent to which it undergoes an epithelial-mesenchymal transformation. In Molossus, it originates from the cytotrophoblastic shell running along the base of the placenta, is mononuclear, and preferentially invades maternal arterial vessels serving the discoidal placenta. This trophoblast may have a role in dilatation of these vessels when the discoidal placenta becomes functional. In Diaemus, the highly invasive trophoblast appears to originate instead from a layer of syncytiotrophoblast on the periphery of the placenta is multinucleated, and vigorously invades both arterial and venous vessels. During late pregnancy, it becomes extensively branched and sends attenuated processes around many of the myometrial smooth muscle fibres. In view of its distribution, this trophoblast could have important influences upon myometrial contractility and the function of blood vessels serving the gravid tract. Other aspects of intermediate filament expression in the uteri and placentae of these bats are also noteworthy. Many of the decidual giant cells in Molossus co-express cytokeratins and vimentin, while the syncytiotrophoblast lining the placental labyrinth in Diaemus late in pregnancy expresses little cytokeratin.

Estimating the octanol/water partition coefficient for aliphatic organic compounds using semi-empirical electrotopological index.

Science.gov (United States)

Souza, Erica Silva; Zaramello, Laize; Kuhnen, Carlos Alberto; Junkes, Berenice da Silva; Yunes, Rosendo Augusto; Heinzen, Vilma Edite Fonseca

2011-01-01

A new possibility for estimating the octanol/water coefficient (log P) was investigated using only one descriptor, the semi-empirical electrotopological index (I(SET)). The predictability of four octanol/water partition coefficient (log P) calculation models was compared using a set of 131 aliphatic organic compounds from five different classes. Log P values were calculated employing atomic-contribution methods, as in the Ghose/Crippen approach and its later refinement, AlogP; using fragmental methods through the ClogP method; and employing an approach considering the whole molecule using topological indices with the MlogP method. The efficiency and the applicability of the I(SET) in terms of calculating log P were demonstrated through good statistical quality (r > 0.99; s < 0.18), high internal stability and good predictive ability for an external group of compounds in the same order as the widely used models based on the fragmental method, ClogP, and the atomic contribution method, AlogP, which are among the most used methods of predicting log P.

ELEFUNT, Testing of Elementary Function Subroutines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cody, W.J.

1981-01-01

1 - Description of problem or function: ELEFUNT is a FORTRAN test package for the elementary functions. Each program is an aggressive test of one or more of the elementary function subroutines generally supplied with the support library accompanying a FORTRAN compiler. Functions tested are ALOG/ALOG10, ASIN/ACOS, ATAN, EXP, POWER, SIN/ COS, SINH/COSH, SQRT, TAN/COTAN, and TANH. 2 - Method of solution: The programs check the accuracy of the functions by using purified random arguments from appropriate intervals in carefully selected identities. They also check special properties of each function, test for the handling of special arguments, and exercise the error returns. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: The package contains one subroutine (MACHAR) for dynamic determination of parameters describing the floating-point arithmetic system of the host machine, the test programs must be modified to insert the necessary machine- dependent parameters in DATA statements, or otherwise make them available. This computing environment inquiry routine is known to malfunction when the arithmetic registers are wider than the storage registers

Rhinosinusitis in autologous and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation: a retrospective study on the performance of imaging studies on severity and prognostic evaluation Rinossinusite em transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas autólogo e alogênico: um estudo retrospectivo sobre o desempenho de estudos de imagem na avaliação de severidade e prognóstico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leo Sekine

2010-02-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic performance of a traditional imaging staging system for rhinosinusitis in the bone marrow transplantation (BMT scenario. A retrospective cohort study was carried out at a bone marrow transplantation referral center involving subjects who underwent allogeneic or autologous BMT from September 1st 2005 to September 31st 2007 and later evolved with rhinosinusitis during the BMT inpatient period. Patients who had a previous history of sinusal disease or otolaryngologic surgery were excluded from the study. Data concerning mortality, the treatment of rhinosinusitis and BMT outcomes were extracted from medical files. The collected parameters were compared to the Lund-Mackay tomographic staging system score which was calculated based on available tomography films of each patient. A total of 85 BMT were performed and 23 allogeneic and 14 autologous (43.5% BMT patients evolved with rhinosinusitis during transplantation. A significant association with LMS was found for the absolute neutrophil count (ANC, with a higher ANC (>500/mm3 correlating with a higher LMS (Mean LMS for lower ANC 6.08 and higher ANC 9.71 points, pO objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o desempenho diagnóstico e prognóstico de um escore de estadiamento de rinossinusite (RS por tomografia em pacientes submetidos a transplante de medula óssea (TMO. Realizou-se um estudo de coorte retrospectivo de pacientes submetidos a transplante de medula óssea (autólogo e alogênico de 1º de setembro de 2005 a 31 de setembro de 2007 que desenvolveram RS durante o período de internação do transplante. Pacientes com história prévia de doença sinusal ou cirurgia otorrinolaringológica foram excluídos do estudo. Dados relacionados à mortalidade, resolução da RS e desfechos do TMO foram extraídos do prontuário médico. Os parâmetros coletados foram correlacionados com o escore de estadiamento de Lund-Mackay (ELM, que

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for primary myelodysplastic syndrome Transplante alogênico de células progenitoras hematopoiéticas para síndrome mielodisplásica primária

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos R. Medeiros

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Characteristics and outcomes of 52 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT were analyzed. Median age was 30 years (range 2-61 years and median time from diagnosis to allo-HSCT was 10 months (range 1-161 months. Thirty-six patients had advanced MDS or acute myeloid leukemia following MDS at transplant. Conditioning with busulfan and cyclophosphamide was administered to 73% of patients, and the median value of graft dose was 2.595 x 10(8 of total nucleated cells/kg. Overall survival and disease free survival at 4 years were 36% and 33%, respectively. Nineteen patients were alive, with a median follow-up of 3.8 years. Twelve patients relapsed and only one is alive, after donor lymphocyte infusion. Interval II occurred in 19 patients. Donor type (identical related versus non-related/partially matched related influenced the incidence of acute GVHD (P = 0.03. Eleven patients developed chronic GVHD and previous acute GVHD was a risk factor (P = 0.03. Thirty-three patients died, 22 (67% secondary to transplant-related complications. Patients with MDS should undergo allo-HSCT earlier, mainly if they have a compatible donor and are young.Características e resultados de 52 pacientes com síndrome mielodisplásica (MDS submetidos a transplante alogênico de células progenitoras hematopoiéticas (TCPH foram analisados. A idade mediana foi de 30 anos (variação de 2-61 anos e o tempo mediano entre o diagnóstico e transplante foi de dez meses (variação de 1-161 meses. Trinta e seis pacientes tinham MDS avançada ou leucemia mielóide aguda secundária a MDS ao transplante. O condicionamento com busulfano e ciclo­fosfamida foi recebido por 73% dos pacientes, e a dose celular mediana do enxerto foi de 2.56 x 10(8 células nucleadas/kg. A sobrevida global e a sobrevida livre de doença aos quatro anos foi de 36% e 33%, respectivamente. Dezenove pacientes estavam vivos, com um

Postcolonial Recycling of the Oriental Gothic: Habiby's Saraya, The Ghoul's Daughter and Mukherjee's Jasmine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed Gamal

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This article examines Emile Habiby's Saraya, The Ghoul's Daughter (1991 and Bharati Mukherjee's Jasmine (1989 as two postcolonial novels seeking to rewrite the history of Palestinian and Indian diaspora according to their respective myths of Oriental vampires. Habiby's recycling of the Palestinian folktale of the ghoul and Mukherjee's recuperation of the Hindu myth of Lord Shiva aim to spotlight the classical vampiric topoi of otherness, unspeakableness, foreignness, and border existences in colonial and post-colonial contexts. Postcolonial Gothic writing is thus shown to foreground gender, nationality, and ethnicity as sites of both power conflict and cultural exchange. Adopting a counter-Orientalist approach, the study sheds light on the different strategies these two postcolonial texts employ to deconstruct the demonic and ghostly constructions of Arabs and Indians.

Publications | Page 272 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Fighting the violet vampire. In the fields of sub-Saharan Africa, Alan Watson and McGill University's Weed Research Group are battling devastating parasites — naturally. Something big was happening in these agricultural fields of.

The use of QSAR methods for determination of n-octanol/water partition coefficient using the example of hydroxyester HE-1

Science.gov (United States)

Guziałowska-Tic, Joanna

2017-10-01

According to the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, the number of experiments involving the use of animals needs to be reduced. The methods which can replace animal testing include computational prediction methods, for instance, the quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR). These methods are designed to find a cohesive relationship between differences in the values of the properties of molecules and the biological activity of a series of test compounds. This paper compares the results of the author's own results of examination on the n-octanol/water coefficient for the hydroxyester HE-1 with those generated by means of three models: Kowwin, MlogP, AlogP. The test results indicate that, in the case of molecular similarity, the highest determination coefficient was obtained for the model MlogP and the lowest root-mean square error was obtained for the Kowwin method. When comparing the mean logP value obtained using the QSAR models with the value resulting from the author's own experiments, it was observed that the best conformity was that recorded for the model AlogP, where relative error was 15.2%.

The use of QSAR methods for determination of n-octanol/water partition coefficient using the example of hydroxyester HE-1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guziałowska-Tic Joanna

2017-01-01

Full Text Available According to the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, the number of experiments involving the use of animals needs to be reduced. The methods which can replace animal testing include computational prediction methods, for instance, the quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR. These methods are designed to find a cohesive relationship between differences in the values of the properties of molecules and the biological activity of a series of test compounds. This paper compares the results of the author's own results of examination on the n-octanol/water coefficient for the hydroxyester HE-1 with those generated by means of three models: Kowwin, MlogP, AlogP. The test results indicate that, in the case of molecular similarity, the highest determination coefficient was obtained for the model MlogP and the lowest root-mean square error was obtained for the Kowwin method. When comparing the mean logP value obtained using the QSAR models with the value resulting from the author's own experiments, it was observed that the best conformity was that recorded for the model AlogP, where relative error was 15.2%.

Let the Right One In : Motion picture (2008)

OpenAIRE

Buhagiar, Celaine; Lauri Lucente, Gloria

2009-01-01

Twilight: A teenage girl risks everything when she falls in love with a vampire. Let the Right One In: Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.

Colored Contact Lens Dangers

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... colored contact lenses to enhance their costumes. From blood-drenched vampire eyes to glow-in-the-dark ... properly fitted may scratch the eye or cause blood vessels to grow into the cornea. Even if ...

Las células dendríticas generadas en presencia de vitamina D3 y activadas con lipopolisacáridos incrementan la producción de IL-1β, IL-8 e IL-10 y disminuyen su capacidad de inducir LT CD4+CD25hiFoxp3+

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sindy M. Muñoz

2016-06-01

Conclusión. Las células dendríticas generadas con vitamina D3 y tratadas con lipopolisacáridos presentaron un fenotipo ‘semimaduro’, así como la capacidad de secretar citocinas antiinflamatorias y citocinas promotoras de la reacción inflamatoria. Además, no se aumentó su capacidad de promover la polarización de LTCD4+ vírgenes alogénicos hacia LTreg.

Logic Programming in LISP.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-01-01

Rapport, Groupe Intelligence Pasero, R., Artificielle , Universite d’Aix-Marseille, Roussel, P. Luminy, France, 1973. [Kowalski 1974] Kowalski, R. A...THIS PAGZ(Whan Doee Es tMord) Item 20 (Cont’d) ------ work in the area of artificial intelligence and those used in general program development into a...logic programming with LISP for implementing intelligent data base query systems. Continued developments will allow for enhancements to be made to the

Integrating Images, Applications, and Communications Networks. Volume 5.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-12-01

PREGNANCY GESTATION PREJUDICE BIAS PRESERVATION CONSERVATION PRICE COST EXPENSE PRIZE REWARD TROPHY PRODUCTION CREATION FABRICATION PROFESSIONAL EXPERT...the cable and plugging each of two ends on either side of the transceiver. Invasive or " vampire " transceivers connect by penetrating the insulation of

School Is Hell: Gendered Fears in Teenage Horror.

Science.gov (United States)

Jarvis, Christine

2001-01-01

Explores the use of schools as settings for teenage horror films. Asserts that these narratives reflect the stress of social pressures and uncertainties, particularly young girls. Focuses on the television show, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," while making this argument. Includes references. (CMK)

Tratamento da recidiva da leucemia mielóide crônica após transplante de medula óssea alogênico utilizando mesilato de imatinibe: relato de três casos Treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia relapse after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation with imatinib mesylate: report of three cases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronald Pallotta

2006-06-01

Full Text Available O mesilato de imatinibe (MI, inibidor seletivo da tirosinoquinase envolvido na patogênese da leucemia mielóide crônica (LMC, tem se constituído como terapia farmacológica de primeira linha para o tratamento desta doença. A infusão de linfócitos do doador (DLI tem sido considerada como tratamento padrão para recidiva da LMC após transplante de medula óssea (TMO alogênico, apesar de estar freqüentemente associado à ocorrência de doença do enxerto contra hospedeiro e mielossupressão. Por apresentar resultados satisfatórios e boa tolerabilidade no tratamento da LMC, os autores empregaram o mesilato de imatinib como terapêutica alternativa à DLI em pacientes que sofreram recidiva após o TMO. Obtiveram sucesso em dois casos, sendo que em um houve retorno comprovado do quimerismo do doador. No terceiro caso houve progressão da doença e o paciente foi encaminhado para segundo TMO. Desta forma, devido ao caráter recente do tema, este estudo descritivo sugere que esta opção terapêutica possa ser estudada como alternativa na recaída pós-TMO.Imatinib mesylate (MI, a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor involved in the pathogenesis of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML, has become the first-line treatment for this disease. Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI has been considered as the standard treatment for relapse after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT, even though it is frequently associated with graft versus host disease and myelosuppression. Because of the satisfactory results and tolerance of the treatment of CML, the authors used MI as an alternative therapy for DLI in patients that relapsed after BMT. They obtained cytogenetic remission in two cases, with, in one case, proven conversion to the donor chimera. The third case evolved with progression of the disease and a second BMT was required. Since this is a new alternative, this descriptive study suggests it should be considered as an alternative therapy for relapse

Isospin-symmetry-breaking effects in A∼70 nuclei within beyond-mean-field approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petrovici, A.; Andrei, O. [National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, R-077125 Bucharest (Romania)

2015-02-24

Particular isospin-symmetry-breaking probes including Coulomb energy differences (CED), mirror energy differences (MED), and triplet energy differences (TED) manifest anomalies in the A∼70 isovector triplets of nuclei. The structure of proton-rich nuclei in the A∼70 mass region suggests shape coexistence and competition between pairing correlations in different channels. Recent results concerning the interplay between isospin-mixing and shape-coexistence effects on exotic phenomena in A∼70 nuclei obtained within the beyond-mean-field complex Excited Vampir variational model with symmetry projection before variation using a realistic effective interaction in a relatively large model space are presented. Excited Vampir predictions concerning the Gamow-Teller β decay to the odd-odd N=Z {sup 66}As and {sup 70}Br nuclei correlated with the pair structure analysis in the T=1 and T=0 channel of the involved wave functions are discussed.

How Special We Are - Biodiversity in the U.S.

Science.gov (United States)

2004-08-01

May Delay Pregnancy ” --University at Buffalo, 12/6/1997 Pollution Chemical contamination of water, air and food supplies has been documented for...them later. Opportunities (DSPA) or desmoteplase from vampire bats could help fight clotting in heart attack victims. (GSPE) or grape seed

The Remediation of Nosferatu

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ghellal, Sabiha; Morrison, Ann; Hassenzahl, Marc

2014-01-01

In this paper we present The Remediation of Nosferatu, a location based augmented reality horror adventure. Using the theory of fictional universe elements, we work with diverse material from Nosferatu’s horror genre and vampire themes as a case study. In this interdisciplinary research we...

Dracula

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stoker, Bram

2005-01-01

When Jonathan Harker is summoned to Transylvania to finalise a property deal for the mysterious Count Dracula he little suspects that he is unleashing a terrible evil on his fellow countrymen. In this classic novel about vampires Stoker captured the fears of his age. Dracula represents everything

Retrofilm kultusõudukast / Aare Ermel

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Ermel, Aare, 1957-2013

2004-01-01

Mängufilm "Vampiiri vari" ("The Shadow of the Vampire") : režissöör E. Elias Merhige : Ameerika Ühendriigid - Suurbritannia 2000. Inspireerituna samast F.W. Murnau õudusfilmist "Nosferatu, õuduste sümfoonia" (1922), oli ka Werner Herzog loonud 1978.a. filmi "Nosferatu - öö fantoom"

Landscapes of Monstrosity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Munteán, L.; Post, H.C.

2016-01-01

Monsters have been with us since time immemorial. They have been present in the earliest creation myths and today populate all media of fantasy, horror, action and adventure, as well as science fiction. Over the past years, scholars have attentively studied the prominent presence of vampires,

Calmet y el vampiro: un personaje del mal. Aproximación desde la antropología a la literaturización del fenómeno vampírico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carme Agustí Aparisi

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Dom Augustin Calmet wrote one of the most important treaties of the 18th century, the Traité sur les Apparitions des Esprits, et sur les Vampires, ou les Revenans de Hongrie, de Moravie, &c. (1746. If this intellectual is of interest, it is for his contribution to the consolidation and posterior literary interpretation of the vampire myth, as his stories can be considered literary material that contributes to the representation of the malignancy of the character. The dissertation will start by identifying revenants, dead men that, after a considerable time leave their graves and frighten the living, provoking death. Then it will move on to the analysis of the Abbot’s stories, looking in depth at the malignant characteristics that will confer the idiosyncrasy of the actant. It will then establish, that these characteristics and many other peculiarities already expressed by Calmet regarding the revenants, were later inherited by the authors that created the literary character in the 19th century

Transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas e leucemia mieloide aguda: diretrizes brasileiras Hematopoietic stem cells transplantation and acute myeloid leukemia: Brazilian guidelines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucia Mariano R. Silla

2010-05-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi definir diretrizes para a indicação do transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas (TCTH no tratamento da leucemia mieloide aguda (LMA no Brasil. O papel do TCTH no tratamento da LMA foi discutido pelosautores e apresentado para a Sociedade Brasileira de Transplante de Medula Óssea na reunião sobre Diretrizes Brasileiras para o TCTH, que o ratificou. Este consenso foi baseado na revisão da literatura internacional e na experiência brasileira em TCTH para o tratamento da LMA. O tratamento ideal para leucemia mieloide aguda em primeira remissão completa (1RC ainda não está definido. Há consenso na indicação do TCTH alogênico, com condicionamento mieloablativo, para pacientes que apresentem alterações citogenéticas consideradas de alto risco. O TCTH alogênico não está indicado na 1RC para pacientes de baixo risco citogenético e, aparentemente, o TCTH alogênico, autólogo ou a quimioterapia de consolidação são equivalentes para os pacientes de risco intermediário.The objective of this work was to define guidelines for the indication of hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (HSCT in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML in Brazil. The role of HSCT in the treatment of AML was discussed by the authors and presented to the Brazilian Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation in a meeting to formulate and ratify the Brazilian Guidelines on HSCT. This consensus was based on a review of international publications and on the Brazilian experience in HSCT for the treatment of AML. The optimal treatment for AML in first complete remission (1CR has not been defined yet. There is consensus on the indication of allogeneic HSCT with myeloablative conditioning for patients who present high risk cytogenetic changes. Allogeneic HSCT is not indicated for low cytogenetic risk 1RC patients and, apparently, allogeneic and autologous HSCT and consolidation chemotherapy are similar for intermediate risk

JPRS Report, Near East & South Asia

Science.gov (United States)

1992-07-09

costly for our country to administer a birth spacing program than to support 800,000 pregnancies . The ONS’ population director, Mr. Khelladi... vampirize this entire petroleum-rich region, [passage omitted] It is 1500 hours on 29 April. The bus that has been provided to take the delegation to the

The City Fantastic

Science.gov (United States)

Donahue, Nannette Wargo

2008-01-01

Since ancient times, the supernatural has captivated storytellers and their audiences. Some of the earliest surviving literary forms--myths and folktales--feature such preternatural beings as gods, ghosts, fairies, witches, or vampires living among humans. Today, this fascination exists in the current boom in urban fantasy, a genre defined by John…

Reacciones Postransfusionales

OpenAIRE

Vázquez, JA; Vassallo, E; Storino, MA

2002-01-01

Las numerosas, variadas y potencialmente peligrosas reacciones y complicaciones de la transfusión de productos alogénicos hacen necesario el conocimiento de su clínica y tratamiento con el objeto de identificarlas precozmente y prevenir sus consecuencias. En esta revisión se detalla sobre las diversas reacciones que pueden presentar los pacientes a los que se le han transfundido productos sanguíneos. Se hace especial hincapié en aquellas reacciones que tradicionalmente no son objeto de una re...

Pathogenesis of Ovarian Serous Carcinoma as the Basis for Immunologic Directed Diagnosis and Treatment

Science.gov (United States)

2004-08-01

Co[ýVr/ lgbt t A eic , n Sc t 1t’.jar lni ttItrtii, I’alogy Review Ovarian Tumorigenesis A Proposed Model Based on Morphological and Molecular...surface epithelium. We tested muliplex detection of antibodies to candidate ovarian TAAs and statistical modeling for discrimination of sera of ovarian...cancer patients and controls. The best model generated an AUC of 0.86 (0.78-0.90) for discrimination of sera of EOC patients and healthy patients using

Mastering Fear

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schubart, Rikke

, and old age. Since the turn of the millennium, we have seen a new generation of female protagonists in horror. There are feisty teens in Ginger Snaps (Canada, 2000) and The Vampire Diaries (CW, 2009–), young women in Hostel: Part II (2007) and Bitten (Space, 2014–), troubled mothers in Grace (2009...

Sobrevida de Pacientes Submetidos a Transplante Alogênico de Medula Óssea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lillian Gonçalves Campos

2009-08-01

Métodos: Estudo de coorte prospectiva com análise de sobrevida de pacientes transplantados entre 1994 e 2003. Resultados: Foram analisados 133 pacientes com idade média de 30,8±14,8 anos com um tempo médio de 26,8 meses entre o diagnóstico e o TCTH. Cinco anos após o transplante, 71 pacientes (53,4% estavam vivos, 22 pacientes tinham leucemia mieloide aguda (LMA, 54, leucemia mieloide crônica (LMC, e seis padeciam de síndrome mielodisplásica (SMD, sendo que, em 5 anos, a sobrevida foi de 52, 50 e 33%, respectivamente. Dos 26 pacientes transplantados por anemia aplásica (AA, 66,7% tinham idade inferior a 20 anos, e 61,5% dos que tinham mais de 20 anos estavam vivos. Conclusão: Embora, no nosso estudo, o tempo médio entre o diagnóstico e o transplante tenha sido superior a 2 anos, e embora nossa análise tenha sido apenas estratificada pelo tipo da doença, independentemente do regime de condicionamento ou da fase da doença no momento do TCTH, nossos resultados são superponíveis aos descritos na literatura mundial

Evolutionary History and Phylogeography of Rabies Viruses Associated with Outbreaks in Trinidad

Science.gov (United States)

Seetahal, Janine F. R.; Velasco-Villa, Andres; Allicock, Orchid M.; Adesiyun, Abiodun A.; Bissessar, Joseph; Amour, Kirk; Phillip-Hosein, Annmarie; Marston, Denise A.; McElhinney, Lorraine M.; Shi, Mang; Wharwood, Cheryl-Ann; Fooks, Anthony R.; Carrington, Christine V. F.

2013-01-01

Bat rabies is an emerging disease of public health significance in the Americas. The Caribbean island of Trinidad experiences periodic outbreaks within the livestock population. We performed molecular characterisation of Trinidad rabies virus (RABV) and used a Bayesian phylogeographic approach to investigate the extent to which outbreaks are a result of in situ evolution versus importation of virus from the nearby South American mainland. Trinidadian RABV sequences were confirmed as bat variant and clustered with Desmodus rotundus (vampire bat) related sequences. They fell into two largely temporally defined lineages designated Trinidad I and II. The Trinidad I lineage which included sequences from 1997–2000 (all but two of which were from the northeast of the island) was most closely related to RABV from Ecuador (2005, 2007), French Guiana (1990) and Venezuela (1993, 1994). Trinidad II comprised sequences from the southwest of the island, which clustered into two groups: Trinidad IIa, which included one sequence each from 2000 and 2007, and Trinidad IIb including all 2010 sequences. The Trinidad II sequences were most closely related to sequences from Brazil (1999, 2004) and Uruguay (2007, 2008). Phylogeographic analyses support three separate RABV introductions from the mainland from which each of the three Trinidadian lineages arose. The estimated dates for the introductions and subsequent lineage expansions suggest periods of in situ evolution within Trinidad following each introduction. These data also indicate co-circulation of Trinidad lineage I and IIa during 2000. In light of these findings and the likely vampire bat origin of Trinidadian RABV, further studies should be conducted to investigate the relationship between RABV spatiotemporal dynamics and vampire bat population ecology, in particular any movement between the mainland and Trinidad. PMID:23991230

Evolutionary history and phylogeography of rabies viruses associated with outbreaks in Trinidad.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janine F R Seetahal

Full Text Available Bat rabies is an emerging disease of public health significance in the Americas. The Caribbean island of Trinidad experiences periodic outbreaks within the livestock population. We performed molecular characterisation of Trinidad rabies virus (RABV and used a Bayesian phylogeographic approach to investigate the extent to which outbreaks are a result of in situ evolution versus importation of virus from the nearby South American mainland. Trinidadian RABV sequences were confirmed as bat variant and clustered with Desmodus rotundus (vampire bat related sequences. They fell into two largely temporally defined lineages designated Trinidad I and II. The Trinidad I lineage which included sequences from 1997-2000 (all but two of which were from the northeast of the island was most closely related to RABV from Ecuador (2005, 2007, French Guiana (1990 and Venezuela (1993, 1994. Trinidad II comprised sequences from the southwest of the island, which clustered into two groups: Trinidad IIa, which included one sequence each from 2000 and 2007, and Trinidad IIb including all 2010 sequences. The Trinidad II sequences were most closely related to sequences from Brazil (1999, 2004 and Uruguay (2007, 2008. Phylogeographic analyses support three separate RABV introductions from the mainland from which each of the three Trinidadian lineages arose. The estimated dates for the introductions and subsequent lineage expansions suggest periods of in situ evolution within Trinidad following each introduction. These data also indicate co-circulation of Trinidad lineage I and IIa during 2000. In light of these findings and the likely vampire bat origin of Trinidadian RABV, further studies should be conducted to investigate the relationship between RABV spatiotemporal dynamics and vampire bat population ecology, in particular any movement between the mainland and Trinidad.

Rabies surveillance in bats in Northwestern State of São Paulo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daiene Karina Azevedo Casagrande

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction Rabies is an important zoonosis that occurs in mammals, with bats acting as Lyssavirus reservoirs in urban, rural and natural areas. Rabies cases in bats have been recorded primarily in urban areas in Northwestern State of São Paulo since 1998. This study investigated the circulation of rabies virus by seeking to identify the virus in the brain in several species of bats in this region and by measuring rabies-virus neutralizing antibody levels in the hematophagous bat Desmodus rotundus. Methods From 2008 to 2012, 1,490 bat brain samples were sent to the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP Rabies Laboratory in Araçatuba, and 125 serum samples from vampire bats that were captured in this geographical region were analyzed. Results Rabies virus was detected in the brains of 26 (2% of 1,314 non-hematophagous bats using the fluorescent antibody test (FAT and the mouse inoculation test (MIT. None of the 176 hematophagous bat samples were positive for rabies virus when a virus detection test was utilized. Out of 125 vampire bat serum samples, 9 (7% had levels of rabies virus neutralization antibodies (RVNAs that were higher than 0.5IU/mL; 65% (81/125 had titers between 0.10IU/mL and 0.5IU/mL; and 28% (35/125 were negative for RVNAs using the simplified fluorescent inhibition microtest (SFIMT in BHK21 cells. The observed positivity rate (1.7% was higher than the average positivity rate of 1.3% that was previously found in this region. Conclusions The high percentage of vampire bats with neutralizing antibodies suggests that recent rabies virus exposure has occurred, indicating the necessity of surveillance measures in nearby regions that are at risk to avoid diffusion of the rabies virus and possible rabies occurrences.

Using Innovative Pedagogies in the Classroom: Re-Storying Gothic Tales as Entrepreneur Stories

Science.gov (United States)

Cardow, Andrew; Smith, Robert

2015-01-01

It can be difficult to interest students in academic topics if they have no prior exposure to or experience of the subject. The authors introduce and discuss a pedagogic innovation designed to trigger interest in entrepreneurship and "enterprise culture". They use fiction in the form of Gothic context and the vampire motif to move the…

Taking a bite out of "Buffy": Carnivalesque play and resistance in fan fiction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda L. Hodges

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Popular culture provides a vital point of entry to examine discourses of hegemony and resistance at work within the growing culture of fandom. Drawing from epistemologies of feminism and poststructuralism, we deconstruct how fans read, co-construct, apply, and reenvision texts as they navigate societal notions of gender in their own constructions of subjectivity. We discuss subversive examples of sexuality and gender found in American popular culture, particularly the portrayal of femininity in the character of Faith, the bad girl from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Such examples are important because they impart crucial hegemonic lessons that may then be played out in everyday life. By focusing on the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, we examine the discourses of risk at play within the source text, fan sites, and online fan fiction. Bakhtin's ideas of carnival drive much of fan fiction, and Foucault's analysis of power relations as well as Butler's theories of performativity contribute to play that affords dynamic, critical perspectives with which to interrogate social metanarratives and their impact on the subject.

Transportadores de oxígeno en cirugía cardíaca

OpenAIRE

Molina Méndez,Francisco Javier

2006-01-01

Los transportadores de oxígeno pueden ser agrupados en dos categorías: Soluciones basadas en hemoglobina y emulsiones basadas en perfluoroquímicos. La transfusión de eritrocitos alogénicos representa un recurso limitado y está asociada con eventos adversos como reacciones de transfusión aguda, transmisión de enfermedades infecciosas, inmunosupresión e infecciones postoperatorias. Aunque la "sangre artificial" no es una realidad clínica, algunos "transportadores artificiales de oxígeno" están ...

The German Invasion of Yugoslavia: Insights for Crisis Action Planning and Operational Art in a Combined Environment

Science.gov (United States)

1993-04-21

Genral Rirt’ardtIs XLI Panzer Corps would head smthwest, frm the Rumnian city of Tweevar and join the attack on Belgrade. 77 Gwnral Alea r Larw took mmnd...XLVI Panzer Corps alog with the LI Infantry and X= Mountain Corps empted from their bridgeheads. The Fourth Army disnt -rate and the 14th Panzer took...Vrtovsk to make cotact with the Italians uhile he regrouped the XLIX mountain and LI Corps on the Saw river for an advarme an Sarajevo. The mays on

Dracula, the Vampire Lestat, and TESOL.

Science.gov (United States)

Gee, James Paul

1989-01-01

Argues that second language learning is a form of enculturation that involves learning the perspectives and identities that a culture allows and values. Proposes that a language teacher is actually changing the cultural identity of the student. (FMW)

"Cirque du Freak."

Science.gov (United States)

Rivett, Miriam

2002-01-01

Considers the marketing strategies that underpin the success of the "Cirque du Freak" series. Describes how "Cirque du Freak" is an account of events in the life of schoolboy Darren Shan. Notes that it is another reworking of the vampire narrative, a sub-genre of horror writing that has proved highly popular with both adult and…

Scare Tactics: There's Nothing Like a Good Ghost Story

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Saundra

2009-01-01

There's no doubt about it--paranormal fiction is hot right now. The author's shelves are full of vampires and werewolves, faeries and zombies. As a fan of all things supernatural, she is thrilled about this explosion of the immortal, the unknown, and the mythological. And yet, it feels like people missing the eternal constant in this renaissance:…

Carga de trabalho de enfermagem em transplante de células-tronco hematopoiéticas: estudo de coorte

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana Bastoni da Silva

2015-12-01

Full Text Available RESUMO Objetivo Mensurar a carga de trabalho de enfermagem requerida por pacientes submetidos ao transplante de células-tronco hematopoiéticas (TCTH, autólogo e alogênico e analisar as atividades do Nursing Activities Score (NAS executadas pela equipe de enfermagem durante a internação para o TCTH. Método Coorte prospectiva realizada de janeiro/2013 a abril/2014 com 62 pacientes internados na unidade de TCTH de um hospital universitário de Campinas/SP, Brasil. Mediu-se a carga de trabalho por meio do NAS e analisaram-se os dados utilizando os testes Qui-quadrado ou Exato de Fisher, Mann-Whitney e o coeficiente de correlação de Spearman; considerou-se nível de significância de 5%. Resultados A média da carga de trabalho de enfermagem foi de 67,3% (DP 8,2 em pacientes de TCTH autólogo e de 72,4% (DP 13,0 no TCTH alogênico (p=0,1380. O item Monitorização e controles apontou, em mais de 50% das observações, que os pacientes demandaram intensificação deste cuidado, exigindo duas horas ou mais em algum turno de trabalho por motivos de segurança, gravidade ou terapia. Conclusão A carga de trabalho de enfermagem e os itens do NAS mais pontuados refletem a magnitude, complexidade e especificidade dos cuidados demandados pelos pacientes submetidos ao TCTH.

Análisis de la transfusión sanguínea alogénica en cirugía oncológica oral y maxilofacial: Análisis de variables Analysis of allogeneic blood transfusion in oral and maxillofacial cancer surgery: Analysis of variables

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Altura Guillén

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Objetivo. Analizar las variables que influyen en los pacientes transfundidos y sometidos a cirugía oncológica. Material y método. Se han revisado y analizado los datos de 44 pacientes intervenidos quirúrgicamente de neoplasia, a los que se les ha practicado transfusión sanguínea peri operatoria, evaluando: edad, sexo, localización de la lesión, código de diagnostico, tratamiento realizado, hematocrito preoperatorio, hemoglobina preoperatoria y hemoglobina pretransfusional, numero de unidades transfundidas, estadio TNM, riesgo ASA y tiempo quirúrgico. Resultados. 44 pacientes fueron transfundidos, 32 varones, con una media de edad de 65 años y con localización lingual en un 36,36%. La cirugía mas frecuente fue la exéresis tumoral asociándose resecciòn ósea y vaciamiento cervical en el 56,82% y con reconstrucción simple en el 63% de los casos. La duración media fue 5,7 horas, con un riesgo ASA medio de 3 y con una media de 2,9 unidades transfundidas. Un 70% se encontraban en estadio IV. La Hb pretransfusional fue de media 7,71 g/dl. El tiempo quirúrgico, la Hb preoperatoria y el HTC preoperatorio son las variables que ha resultado estadísticamente significativas en el análisis multivariante. Conclusiones. La transfusión sanguínea alogénica presenta una serie de efectos adversos que pueden condicionar la evolución del paciente oncológico, para evitar o disminuir estos efectos deletéreos se debe mantener criterios transfusionales restrictivos con HbObjective. Analyze the variables that influence blood transfusion in patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Material and method. Data from 44 patients who underwent surgery for neoplasms and required perioperative blood transfusion was analyzed to evaluate: age, sex, tumor location, diagnostic code, treatment, preoperative hematocrit, preoperative hemoglobin and pretransfusion hemoglobin, number of units transfused, TNM stage, ASA risk, and surgical time. Results. Forty

Quantificação gênica pré-transplante renal : predição da rejeição aguda

OpenAIRE

Raphael Sahd

2012-01-01

Introdução. A rejeição aguda (RA) permanece entre as principais causas de perda de enxertos renais. A disponibilidade de biomarcadores prognósticos de RA no período pré-transplante poderia ser útil na individualização do tratamento destes pacientes. Neste estudo avaliamos o potencial da mensuração do RNA mensageiro de diferentes genes envolvidos na resposta alogênica como biomarcadores prognósticos pré-transplante. Material. Foram coletadas amostras pré-transplante de 51 pacientes que receber...

Caracterización fenotípica de células madre mesenquimales humanas de médula ósea y tejido adiposo. Resultados preliminares

OpenAIRE

Macías-Abraham, Consuelo; O del Valle-Pérez, Lázaro; Galván Cabrera, José Armando; de la Cuétara Bernal, Karelys; Socarrás Ferrer, Berta B; Hernández Ramírez, Porfirio; Ballester Santovenia, José M

2014-01-01

Introducción:las células madre mesenquimales (CMM) poseen características fenotípicas y funcionalesque les confieren un amplio potencial terapéutico por su posible uso en la terapia celular regenerativa, en el rechazo del trasplante alogénico y en enfermedades inflamatorias crónicas. Objetivo: evaluar la expresión de moléculas de membrana que permiten identificar la expresión de patrones moleculares característicos de CMM humanas mantenidas en cultivo. Métodos: se estudió la expresión fenotíp...

O transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas na leucemia linfoide crônica, uma proposta do I Encontro de Diretrizes do Transplante de Medula Óssea da Sociedade Brasileira de Transplante de Medula Óssea, Rio de Janeiro 2009 Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in chronic lymphoid leukemia: a proposal by the Brazilian Consensus on Bone Marrow Transplantation of the Brazilian Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation, Rio de Janeiro 2009

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milton A. Ruiz

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Portadores de leucemia linfoide crônica (LLC apresentam curso clínico indolente e prolongado que devem ser diferenciados daqueles que têm doença de evolução agressiva e fatal. Pacientes mais jovens e com critérios de alto risco podem se beneficiar com tratamento mais agressivo como o transplante de células-tronco hemopoéticas (TCTH. O transplante autólogo apresenta casos com remissão citogenética e molecular, baixa taxa de mortalidade, mas não demonstram platô nas curvas de sobrevivência e alta taxa de recaídas. Os transplantes alogênicos com regime mieloablativos têm altos índices de toxicidade e mortalidade, mas evidenciam o efeito enxerto versus leucemia, que aumenta a possibilidade de cura destes indivíduos. Assim, a opção dos transplantes alogênicos está dirigida para os transplantes com regime de condicionamento não mieloablativo, que pode ser aplicado inclusive a pacientes mais idosos ou portadores de comorbidades, e manter o potencial efeito GVL. A identificação dos pacientes que podem ser beneficiados por esses procedimentos, caracterizar e apontar os novos marcadores prognósticos permanece objeto de muitos estudos clínicos e foi o objetivo do grupo responsável em discutir as diretrizes do TCTH no consenso da Sociedade Brasileira de Transplante de Medula Óssea - SBTMO. Assim, consideramos que o TCTH para a leucemia linfoide crônica (LLC deve seguir, para sua indicação, os critérios do European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT e, quando houver disponibilidade de um doador aparentado, a opção deve ser do TCTH alogênico com regime não mieloablativo. O TCTH alogênico não aparentado e o autólogo devem ser considerados como opção secundária de indisponibilidade de doador, situações especiais e ensaios clínicos.Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia usually have an indolent and prolonged clinical course and need to be differentiated from those who have an aggressive and fatal

"Kurja lillede" kuus ärakeelatud luuletust / Charles Baudelaire ; saatesõna: Marek Tamm

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Baudelaire, Charles

2000-01-01

Sisu: Kalliskivid / tlk. Ain Kaalep ; Lethe / tlk. Märt Väljataga ; Temale, kes on liiga rõõmus / tlk. Ain Kaalep ; Lesbos / tlk. Ilmar Laaban ; Äraneetud naised (Delphine ja Hyppolyte) / tlk. Ain Kaalep ; Vampiiri metamorfoosid / tlk. August Sang. Orig.: Les Bijoux ; Le Léthé ; A celle qui est trop gaie ; Lesbos ; Femmes damnées. Delphine et Hippolyte ; Les Métamorphoses du vampire

O transplante de medula óssea na leucemia mielóide aguda: análise de 80 pacientes transplantados no complexo do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo

OpenAIRE

Bueno,Nadjanara D.; Saboya,Rosaura; Martins,Maria Cristina; Silva,Roberto L.; Chamone,Dalton A. F.; Rocha,Isamara F.; Sturaro,Daniel; Dulley,Frederico L.

2004-01-01

Oitenta pacientes consecutivos portadores de Leucemia Mielóide Aguda (LMA) submetidos a transplante de medula óssea alogênico (TMO alo) e autogênico (TMO auto), foram selecionados entre 1989 e 2001. Quarenta por cento dos mesmos estavam vivos ao final do estudo; no TMO alo 37,9% e no TMO auto 45,4%. Fatores como sexo, classificação Franco-Americano-Britânica de LMA, tratamento de indução, número de células infundidas e regime de condicionamentos não tiveram significância estatística na sobrev...

Modeling Phase-Aligned Gamma-Ray and Radio Millisecond Pulsar Light Curves

Science.gov (United States)

Venter, C.; Johnson, T.; Harding, A.

2012-01-01

Since the discovery of the first eight gamma-ray millisecond pulsars (MSPs) by the Fermi Large Area Telescope, this population has been steadily expanding. Four of the more recent detections, PSR J00340534, PSR J1939+2134 (B1937+21; the first MSP ever discovered), PSR J1959+2048 (B1957+20; the first discovery of a black widow system), and PSR J2214+3000, exhibit a phenomenon not present in the original discoveries: nearly phase-aligned radio and gamma-ray light curves (LCs). To account for the phase alignment, we explore models where both the radio and gamma-ray emission originate either in the outer magnetosphere near the light cylinder or near the polar caps. Using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique to search for best-fit model parameters, we obtain reasonable LC fits for the first three of these MSPs in the context of altitude-limited outer gap (alOG) and two-pole caustic (alTPC) geometries (for both gamma-ray and radio emission). These models differ from the standard outer gap (OG)/two-pole caustic (TPC) models in two respects: the radio emission originates in caustics at relatively high altitudes compared to the usual conal radio beams, and we allow both the minimum and maximum altitudes of the gamma-ray and radio emission regions to vary within a limited range (excluding the minimum gamma-ray altitude of the alTPC model, which is kept constant at the stellar radius, and that of the alOG model, which is set to the position-dependent null charge surface altitude). Alternatively, phase-aligned solutions also exist for emission originating near the stellar surface in a slot gap scenario (low-altitude slot gap (laSG) models). We find that the alTPC models provide slightly better LC fits than the alOG models, and both of these give better fits than the laSG models (for the limited range of parameters considered in the case of the laSG models). Thus, our fits imply that the phase-aligned LCs are likely of caustic origin, produced in the outer magnetosphere, and

Fighting the violet vampire | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2011-01-26

Jan 26, 2011 ... ... Marie Ciotola, collected diseased striga samples in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. ... Fusarium oxysporum is easy to grow (just take ground-up sorghum and add a few extra ... Food for the soil: Rock phosphate as fertilizer.

Bloody eroticism in interview with the vampire

OpenAIRE

Lima, Dante Luiz

2007-01-01

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão. Programa de Pós-graduação em Letras/Inglês e Literatura Correspondente Este estudo tem o intuito de investigar como textos literários são adaptados para o cinema. Esta investigação foi feita usando-se o romance Entrevista com o Vampiro (1976) de Anne O´Brien Rice e sua adaptação fílmica (1994) dirigida por Neil Jordan. O aspecto principal do romance e do filme analisados durante a pesquisa f...

Transplante alogênico de células-tronco hematopoéticas em leucemias agudas: a experiência de dez anos do Hospital das Clínicas da UFMG Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells transplantation in acute leukemia: ten years of experience in the Hospital das Clínicas - UFMG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosana M. Lamego

2010-01-01

Full Text Available As leucemias agudas são doenças com alta morbimortalidade para as quais o transplante alogênico de medula óssea é uma opção terapêutica eficaz. Neste artigo, relatamos a experiência de um centro brasileiro com pacientes apresentando leucemia aguda que receberam um enxerto de medula óssea ou células-tronco periféricas de um doador familiar HLA idêntico no período de julho de 1995 a dezembro de 2005. Foi realizado um estudo de coorte retrospectivo, analisando dados de 125 pacientes com mediana de idade de 28,7 anos. Oitenta e um pacientes (64,8% apresentavam leucemia mieloide aguda; 38 (30,4%, leucemia linfoide aguda; e seis (4,8%, leucemia bifenotípica. Trinta e dois pacientes encontravam-se em primeira remissão completa, 23 em segunda remissão e 70 com doença avançada (refratários, recidivados ou além da segunda remissão. A sobrevida global estimada em 10 anos foi de 22,9%. Em relação à situação clínica do paciente no momento do transplante, a sobrevida global em dez anos foi de 56,3% para pacientes em primeira remissão, 38% para os pacientes em segunda remissão, e 3,7% para os pacientes com doença avançada. Considerando-se os pacientes transplantados em primeira e segunda remissão, a evolução foi semelhante aos dados disponíveis na literatura. Entretanto, os resultados dos pacientes transplantados em fase avançada foram ruins, devendo-se discutir o papel do transplante para este grupo.Acute leukemias are a group of diseases with high morbimortality. Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation is an efficacious therapeutic option for their treatment. We report the experience of a Brazilian center in respect to acute leukemia patients who received a bone marrow or peripheral blood allograft from a HLA-matched sibling from July 1995 to December 2005. Data were retrospectively collected. The median age of the 125 patients included in the study was 28.7 years. Eighty-one patients presented with acute myeloid leukemia

Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Blanton, Jesse D.; Palmer, Dustyn; Dyer, Jessie; Rupprecht, Charles E.

2016-01-01

Summary During 2010, 48 states and Puerto Rico reported 6,154 rabid animals and 2 human rabies cases to the CDC, representing an 8% decrease from the 6,690 rabid animals and 4 human cases reported in 2009. Hawaii and Mississippi did not report any laboratory-confirmed rabid animals during 2010. Approximately 92% of reported rabid animals were wildlife. Relative contributions by the major animal groups were as follows: 2,246 raccoons (36.5%), 1,448 skunks (23.5%), 1,430 bats (23.2%), 429 foxes (6.9%), 303 cats (4.9%), 71 cattle (1.1%), and 69 dogs (1.1%). Compared with 2009, number of reported rabid animals decreased across all animal types with the exception of a 1% increase in the number of reported rabid cats. Two cases of rabies involving humans were reported from Louisiana and Wisconsin in 2010. Louisiana reported an imported human rabies case involving a 19-year-old male migrant farm worker who had a history of a vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) bite received while in Mexico. This represents the first human rabies case reported in the United States confirmed to have been caused by a vampire bat rabies virus variant. Wisconsin reported a human rabies case involving a 70-year-old male that was confirmed to have been caused by a rabies virus variant associated with tri-colored bats (Perimyotis subflavus). PMID:21916759

To Think and Watch the Evil: The Turn of the Screw as Cultural Reference in Television from Dark Shadows to C.S.I.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Viola Sborgi

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Since its first publication, Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw (1898 has always haunted the imagination of artists (Benjamin Britten, Jack Clayton, Amenábar and has been widely used as a source for television narratives (Dan Curtis, US TV version starring Colin Firth, Tim Fywell. In serial productions, James’s story has been the object of extensive quotation and allusion, from the 1960 gothic soap opera Dark Shadows to the C.S.I. episode Turn of the Screw (Season 4, Episode 21. A milestone in literary history, the story now embodies a set of cultural references conveying different, complex meanings, which can only be disclosed in the light of contemporary forms of representing reality. The novella appeals to two apparently opposite tendencies in contemporary television: the morbid display of the real (C.S.I. and the quest for the supernatural (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, among others. A line can be traced from Dark Shadows, the show that pioneered the genre, to contemporary horror soaps about vampires and supernatural phenomena. This paper shows the ways in which James’ sophisticated novella makes its way through popular culture, and how its constant ambiguous, dilemmatic interplay between reality and imagination can be related to the double-sided drive of the contemporary public towards hyper-reality and the supernatural.

Provisional in-silico biopharmaceutics classification (BCS) to guide oral drug product development.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolk, Omri; Agbaria, Riad; Dahan, Arik

2014-01-01

The main objective of this work was to investigate in-silico predictions of physicochemical properties, in order to guide oral drug development by provisional biopharmaceutics classification system (BCS). Four in-silico methods were used to estimate LogP: group contribution (CLogP) using two different software programs, atom contribution (ALogP), and element contribution (KLogP). The correlations (r(2)) of CLogP, ALogP and KLogP versus measured LogP data were 0.97, 0.82, and 0.71, respectively. The classification of drugs with reported intestinal permeability in humans was correct for 64.3%-72.4% of the 29 drugs on the dataset, and for 81.82%-90.91% of the 22 drugs that are passively absorbed using the different in-silico algorithms. Similar permeability classification was obtained with the various in-silico methods. The in-silico calculations, along with experimental melting points, were then incorporated into a thermodynamic equation for solubility estimations that largely matched the reference solubility values. It was revealed that the effect of melting point on the solubility is minor compared to the partition coefficient, and an average melting point (162.7 °C) could replace the experimental values, with similar results. The in-silico methods classified 20.76% (± 3.07%) as Class 1, 41.51% (± 3.32%) as Class 2, 30.49% (± 4.47%) as Class 3, and 6.27% (± 4.39%) as Class 4. In conclusion, in-silico methods can be used for BCS classification of drugs in early development, from merely their molecular formula and without foreknowledge of their chemical structure, which will allow for the improved selection, engineering, and developability of candidates. These in-silico methods could enhance success rates, reduce costs, and accelerate oral drug products development.

Bram Stoker's Dracula : undeath, insomnia and writing

OpenAIRE

Rolstad, Lajla

2006-01-01

The focus of this thesis is a reading of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It investigates the experience of horror and the link between horror and desire that can be found in the text. The reading centres on the vampire figure and the vampire’s metaphorical function. Themes like insomnia, undeath, blood, devouring and writing are examined. The reading of Dracula draws on a theoretical framework. In the discussion of horror, Julia Kristeva’s and Emmanuel Levinas’ phenomenological surveys of subjecti...

Perception of Scary Halloween Masks by Zoo Animals and Humans

OpenAIRE

Sinnott, Joan M.; Speaker, H. Anton; Powell, Laura A.; Mosteller, Kelly W.

2012-01-01

Zoo animals were tested to see if they perceived the scary nature of Halloween masks, using a procedure that measured the avoidance response latency to take food from a masked human experimenter. Human perception of the masks was also assessed using a rating scale, with results showing that a Bill Clinton mask was rated not scary, while a Vampire mask was rated very scary. Animal results showed that primate latencies correlated significantly with the human ratings, while non-primate latencies...

Log-ratio circuit for beam position monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wells, F.D.; Shafer, R.E.; Gilpatrick, J.D.; Shurter, R.B.

1990-01-01

A synopsis is given of work in progress on a new signal processing technique for obtaining real-time normalized beam position information from sensing electrodes in accelerator beam pipes. The circuit employs wideband logarithmic amplifiers in a configuration that converts pickup electrode signals to position signals that are substantially independent of beam current. The circuit functions as a ratio detector that computes the logarithm of (A/B) as (Log A-Log B), and presents the result in a video (real-time analog) format representing beam position. It has potential benefits of greater dynamic range and better linearity than other techniques currently used and it may be able to operate at substantially higher frequencies. 4 refs., 8 figs

DARK TOURISM, ROMANIA AND DRACULA. THE PERCEPTIONS OF POTENTIAL AMERICAN TOURISTS

OpenAIRE

Drule Alexandra; Chis Alexandru; Tomoaie Larisa

2014-01-01

From a touristic point of view, Romania is a country with an extraordinary potential. In terms of consumers of touristic products, the United States of America (USA) is a country with a tremendous potential. If analysing the actual tendencies in the film industry and a part of mass-media in the last years, it is possible to identify the interests of movie fans, but also of a certain market segment with its own characteristics, for vampires. Moreover, people have always shown a high interest i...

'I have a picture of the Monster!': Il mostro di Frankenstein and the search for Italian horror cinema

OpenAIRE

Hunter, Russ

2017-01-01

Typically accounts of Italian horror cinema have highlighted the production and release of Riccardo Freda's 'I vampiri' (Lust of the Vampire) in the late 1950s as marking the beginning of Italian engagement with the horror genre. The logic that follows is often that the nature of fascist censorship impeded any explorations of the genre in the 1920s and 1930s and that in the post war period it was only the commercial success of Hammer Horror that tempted Italian producers to venture into horro...

Pop Feminism: Televised Superheroines from the 1990s to the 2010s

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Bercuci Loredana

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses the construction of two superheroines, one from the 1990s (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and one from the 2010s (Jessica Jones. I contend that popular feminism has changed between the 1990s and the present and that this is evident in the representation of televised superheroines. While in the 1990s superheroines were more conformist, today they are more transparent in their feminist intentions. I suggest that this is due to contemporary cultural trends in the United States.

Outbreak of human rabies in the Peruvian jungle.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, A; Miranda, P; Tejada, E; Fishbein, D B

1992-02-15

Transmission of rabies to man by vampire bats has been known for 60 years but there have been few reports of the features of rabies transmitted in this way. These aspects of the disease were investigated during an outbreak in Peru in early 1990. Between Jan 1 and April 30, 1990, 29 (5%) of 636 residents of the two rural communities in the Amazon Jungle in Peru acquired an illness characterised by hydrophobia, fever, and headache and died shortly thereafter. A census in one of the two towns revealed that the proportion affected was significantly higher for 5-14 year olds (17%) than for other age-groups (p less than 10(-5). Interviews conducted with 23 of the patients or their families revealed that 22 (96%) had a history of bat bite, compared with 66 (22%) of 301 community members who remained healthy (p less than 10(-6). A rabies virus strain identical to those isolated from vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) was isolated from the brain of the only person on whom necropsy could be done. Because of the extreme isolation of this and other communities affected by bat-transmitted rabies, preventive measures should be directed at decreasing the risk of nocturnal exposure to bats by bat proofing dwellings or use of mosquito nets and at prompt wound care. Rabies pre-exposure or postexposure vaccination is clearly indicated, but may not be feasible in these isolated populations.

When Is Advertising a Plastic Surgeon's Individual "Brand" Unethical?

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Carly P; George, Daniel

2018-04-01

Advertising a plastic surgery practice on social media is fraught with both practical and ethical challenges. We use an institutional betrayal framework to explore the range of potential harms to patient well-being while also considering the pitfalls of social media activity, especially marketing, for practitioners. We also give consideration to the relative benefits that such online patient-clinician relationships can provide. In our analysis, we draw on specific examples of plastic surgery procedures prominently featured on social media, including the Vampire Facelift ® . © 2018 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.

Slottet i Transsylvanien

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ladegaard, Jakob

2011-01-01

The article investigates the hitherto largely ignored traces of the Gothic literary tradition in Franz Kafka’s novel The Castle (1926) by reading it in continuation of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula (1897). It is argued that the interpretation of the ghostlike presence of the Gothic vampire in Kafka...... features of the Gothic to reflect – the one mainly affirmatively, the other critically – on larger historical and ideological issues of gender, the modern state apparatus and the relation between Western and Eastern Europe around the turn of the century....

Scary Business

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Platts, Todd; Clasen, Mathias

2017-01-01

Despite horror films representing business ventures intended to turn profit, box office analyses of the genre have remained rare in scholarly literature. Our study fills that gap through an examination of 117 horror films that reached the top 100 in domestic grosses in the North American film...... statistical approach, we identify a strong presence of supernatural horror films in the period under discussion as well as a relatively weak presence of zombie, vampire, and torture porn films. We argue that supernatural horror films have dominated the top-grossing films in the timeframe because such films...

Diagnóstico de Fallos en Sistemas Híbridos Mediante Anidamiento Latente de Fallos

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Orestes Llanes Santiago

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 21 false false false ES-TRAD X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Este artículo presenta un nuevo enfoque para la detección y diagnóstico de fallos (SDDF en sistemas híbridos denominado de Anidamiento Latente de Fallos. La misma está basada en el uso de Redes de Petri Coloreadas (RdPCs que aportan su capacidad intrínseca de síntesis y de implementación en modelos realizables. Esta técnica se contrapone al clásico fenómeno de explosión combinacional que se produce mediante la utilización de metodologías basadas en Máquinas de Estados Finitos (MEFs.

SCExAO: First Results and On-Sky Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Currie, Thayne; Guyon, Olivier; Martinache, Frantz; Clergeon, Christophe; McElwain, Michael; Thalmann, Christian; Jovanovic, Nemanja; Singh, Garima; Kudo, Tomoyuki

2013-01-01

We present new on-sky results for the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics imager (SCExAO) verifying and quantifying the contrast gain enabled by key components: the closed-loop coronagraphic low-order wavefront sensor (CLOWFS) and focal plane wavefront control ("speckle nulling"). SCExAO will soon be coupled with a high-order, Pyramid wavefront sensor which will yield greater than 90% Strehl ratio and enable 10(exp 6) -10(exp 7) contrast at small angular separations allowing us to image gas giant planets at solar system scales. Upcoming instruments like VAMPIRES, FIRST, and CHARIS will expand SCExAO's science capabilities.

Vaincre le vampire violet | CRDI - Centre de recherches pour le ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

26 janv. 2011 ... ... de s'assurer que l'arme fongique découverte par Alan Watson ne se transforme en mercenaire et cause la destruction d'autres espèces végétales, Fusarium oxysporum a été soumis pendant deux ans à une batterie de tests dans les laboratoires hautement sécurisés de McGill, sur le campus Macdonald.

Hemoterapia en el trasplante de médula ósea: Experiencia en el instituto de hematología e inmunología Hemotherapy in bone marrow transplantation: Experience at the Institute of Hematology and Immunology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María E Alfonso Valdés

1999-08-01

Full Text Available Se describe la hemoterapia aplicada a 19 pacientes con enfermedades hematológicas malignas que recibieron trasplante de médula ósea autólogo (n=10 y alogénico (n=9. El consumo promedio de concentrados de eritrocitos y concentrados de plaquetas fue de 6,1 y 57,3, respectivamente. El uso de ambos componentes fue mayor en los enfermos que recibieron una médula ósea alogénica. Los pacientes que recibieron tratamiento con ciclosporina requirieron un número menor de concentrados de eritrocitos y plaquetas que los que no recibieron este inmunosupresor. En 3 casos existió incompatibilidad ABO donante-receptor, por lo que se adoptaron diversas medidas para evitar la hemólisis postrasplante. En el caso con incompatibilidad mayor se eliminaron los eritrocitos de la médula ósea, se realizaron 3 plasmaféresis al receptor y se le administró una transfusión de eritrocitos ABO incompatibles. En el caso con incompatibilidad menor se separó el plasma de la médula ósea. En 1 caso con incompatibilidad de tipo mixto se combinaron las medidas de los casos anteriores. En ninguno de los casos se produjo hemólisis postrasplanteThe hemotherapy applied to 19 patients with malignant hematological diseases that underwent autologous bone marrow transplantation (n=10 and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (n=9 is described. The average consumption of erythrocytes concentrates and of platelets concentrates was 6.1 and 57.3 respectively. The use of both component was higher among those patients that received an allogeneic bone marrow. The patients who were treated with cyclosporine required a higher number of erythrocyte and platelet concentrates than those who did not receive this immunosupressor. As ABO donor-recepient incompatibility was observed in 3 cases, some measures were taken to prevent posttransplantation hemolysis. In the case with mejor incompatibility erythrocytes were eliminated from the bone marrow, the recipient underwent

Interview with Azucena Vieites

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Oihana Cordero

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Azucena Vieites is an artist involved in editing, activism and feminist practices. Since the early nineties she develops a work in which the notion Do It Yourself and queer politics throb behind each creation. Vieites has found her own way to move inside art institutions, performing alone or togeth- er with Erreakzioa-Reacción, through work- shops and seminars like `Sólo para: el factor feminista en relación a las artes visuales´ (1997 or `Mutaciones del feminismo: gene- alogías y  prácticas  artísticas´  (2005.  Both inside and outside the university, our inter- viewed proposes new ways of looking at the reality around us, new perspectives for visual culture and music, and suggests us hidden realities for the hegemonic gaze. In this inter- view she reveals her concerns, her references and her working methods.

Construction, integration, and mind wandering in reading.

Science.gov (United States)

Dixon, Peter; Bortolussi, Marisa

2013-03-01

In two experiments, we investigated how text recall was related to moment-to-moment variations in mental state while reading, and how both recall and mental state were related to the interest value of the text. In both experiments, subjects read either an interesting text (a segment of Rice's Interview with the Vampire [A. Rice, 1997, Interview with the vampire, New York. NY: Ballantine Books] or a less interesting text (a segment of Thackery's The History of Pendennis [W. M. Thackery, 2009/1914, The history of Pendennis, Project Gutenberg, Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7265]). The texts were read sentence-by-sentence on a computer screen, and subjects were periodically interrupted to answer a probe question. In Experiment 1, the probe asked whether subjects were attending to the text; in Experiment 2, the probe asked whether subjects were engaged with the story world. After reading the text, subjects were asked to recall as much of the story as possible. Recall of the material just prior to the probe was examined as a function of the whether the ratings were high, medium, or low. As expected, both on-task ratings and engagement ratings were higher for Interview than for Pendennis, but there were a substantial number of medium ratings given to both stories. In Experiment 1, there was a clear effect of story on recall over and above the effect of on-task rating. However, in Experiment 2, recall was purely a function of engagement rating. The results were interpreted in terms of a model in which recall is largely determined by the situation model representation of the narrative and in which engagement ratings (but not on-task ratings) provide a relatively pure index of the allocation of resources to processing of the situation model.

Morphology of the axial skeleton of seven bat genera (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae

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PABLO J. GAUDIOSO

2017-10-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Here we present detailed descriptions and comparisons of the axial skeleton of seven species of bats belonging to five subfamilies of Phyllostomidae of different trophic guilds. The material examined consisted of 34 complete skeletons of seven species. For five of the studied species, previous descriptions have not been conducted, and for the vampires only limited information is available, so that descriptions for these species are here completed. The axial skeleton has characters that allow grouping of the species phylogenetically of the same subfamily and by feeding habits. At the same time, there are characters that associate species from different subfamilies with different types of diet or ways to obtain food.

Sammas ja labürint: Jüri Ehlvesti tekstuaalsest ruumist. Column and Labyrinth: On Jüri Ehlvest’s Textual Space

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Virve Sarapik

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to analyze the connections of spatial relations and settings with narrative, and the presentation of these relations in Jüri Ehlvest’s texts. Distinctions are made between textual space (as designation, description, or rhetorical presentation and fictional space (the space in which narrative action takes place and the site of the denouement of events. Fictional space can be expressed as textual space in one of the four following ways: (a perceived space (b experienced space (c logical space (d alogical space. The multilayeredness of Ehlvest’s texts, their fragmentariness and dislocated reality, entail a complicated reception. In contrast, however, the geographical space represented in the texts is generally quite clear and accessible, with the effect of seeming real and humanly possible. Indeed, specific spatial elements are one of the sources of the verisimilitude and plausibility of Ehlvest’s texts. For the most part, the place where ehlvestian narrative plays itself out is a clear topographical environment, usually an interior; the textual representation of spaces is minimalist, avoiding descriptions, and with practically no impression of movement. In addition to representation of places, rooms, houses, and open space using ordinary, direct, (yet very minimalist means, several more indirect strategies of creating space can be found in Ehlvest’s texts. This article calls attention to some characteristic devices from this indirect repertoire, grouping them as follows: things; window and picture; repetition, fragment, and mirror; body and emptiness. Of the four types of textual space mentioned above, the one most characteristic of Ehlvest’s stories is experienced space, which could also be described as haptic space of experience. However, due to the fragmentariness and bricolage typical of Ehlvest, there are certainly also plenty of examples of the other types, particularly perceived and alogical space

ALOGAMIA EM ARROZ (Oryza sativa L. E RELAÇÃO COM CARACTERÍSTICAS AGRONÔMICAS RICE (Oryza sativa L. ALLOGAMY AND RELATIONSHIP WITH AGRONOMIC TRAITS

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Péricles de Carvalho Ferreira Neves

2007-09-01

Full Text Available

A produção de sementes híbridas de arroz, utilizando a técnica chinesa, requer uma grande quantidade de mão-de-obra e é cara. Alternativas para aumentar a taxa de polinização cruzada podem ajudar a reduzir tal custo. A Embrapa Arroz e Feijão desenvolve um projeto de produção de híbridos através da transferência de caracteres alogâmicos (comprimento de estigma e antera da Oryza longistaminata A. Chev. para a cultivada Oryza sativa L. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar as correlações genética e fenotípica entre esses caracteres e os agronômicos. O. longistaminata foi cruzada com a O. sativa e retrocruzada duas vezes para a cultivada. Foram obtidas 25 linhagens F3:6 e estudadas as correlações entre os caracteres alogâmicos (comprimento de estigma, antera e espigueta e os agronômicos (comprimento de estigma, antera, espigueta, arista e panícula, esterilidade, degrane, altura de planta, perfilhos por planta, e exserção de panícula. O desenho experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições. Os ensaios foram conduzidos em dois locais dentro da área experimental da Embrapa Arroz e Feijão. Em geral, foram observadas pequenas correlações genética e fenotípica entre caracteres alogâmicos e agronômicos. Elevada e significativa associação foi observada entre o comprimento de estigma e o de anteras, o comprimento de estigma e o de arista, o comprimento de antera e o de arista, e o comprimento de panícula e a altura de planta.

PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Oryza longistaminata; taxa de autopolinização; arroz híbrido; produção de sementes.

Clinical vampirism A presentation of 3 cases and a re-evaluation of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

From childhood they cut themselves, drank their own, exogenous human or animal blood to relieve a craving, dreamed of bloodshed, asspciated with the dead, and had a changing identity. They were intelligent, with no family mental or social pathology. Some self-cutters are auto-vampirists; females are not likely to assault ...

Why do vampires avoid mirrors? Reflections on specularity in the visual arts

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Vangelis Athanassopoulos

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Vangelis Athanassopoulos, Ph.D. in Aesthetics, is an Associate Professor of Philosophy of Art at the Department of Visual Arts of the University Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne in Paris, France. He is a member of the LETA (Laboratory of Theoretical and Applied Aesthetics, University Paris I, the AICA (International Association of Art Critics, and co-editor of Proteus, an online French journal on aesthetics (www.revue-proteus.com. He has published two books on postmodernism and advertising (La publicité dans l'art contemporain, 2 t., Paris: L'Harmattan, 2009 as well as several articles on modern and contemporary art. His research fields include visual semiology, philosophy of language and critical theory.This article is an attempt to organize the general axes of a research on mirror image in the visual arts, addressing the concept of specularity and its problematic status in Western aesthetics. The argument is that, paradoxically, despite the central role of reflection in the theory of representation, specularity is constantly repressed as false and dangerous. Hence the historical duplicity of the mirror in its relation to art: on the one hand it consolidates the Western system of representation while on the other it deconstructs the very principles upon which this system is erected. Literary theory and psychoanalysis enable us to focus on the ways which, in the founding myths of representation such as the ones of Narcissus and Medusa, vision, discourse and identity are articulated around reflection, relating a physical phenomenon with the mental processes defining self-consciousness. In the field of visual arts, this articulation is operated through the opposition between two different conceptions of the image, “painting-as-window” and “painting-as-mirror”. Locating this opposition in Svetlana Alpers’ reading of Las Meninas and Louis Marin's approach of the Brunelleschian optical box, we point out the discontinuity which comes to the fore in the latter's description of the reflexive/reflecting apparatus and which constitutes the blind spot of the classical system of representation. In contemporary art, specularity returns as a tautological figure, “zero degree” representation establishing a closed circuit in which the gaze is sent back to itself like Joseph Kosuth's self-referent linguistic propositions. But in the same time it problematizes the process of self-reference, opening it to similar specular apparatuses which destabilize tautological circularity. Works by Dan Graham, Robert Smithson and other artists demonstrate that mirror, which in the classical system guarantees the subjugation of the gaze to the eye, can on the contrary be used in order to emancipate the former from the latter, displacing the relation between the art work and the viewer.

Os morcegos e a raiva na região oeste do Estado de São Paulo The bats and rabies in the Western region of the State of São Paulo, Brazil

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Avelino Albas

2011-04-01

characterization of daytime shelters of Desmodus rotundus vampire bats. METHODS: Samples for examination originated from nonhematophagous bats forwarded to the laboratory and subjected to direct fluorescent antibody test and mouse inoculation test. Positive samples were characterized by the monoclonal antibody test. Regarding the bats, they were identified and classified and mapping of their shelters was also performed. RESULTS: The laboratory received 1,113 nonhematophagous bats for rabies diagnosis, 11 (1% of which were positives, and among the positive samples, 5 (45.5% presented antigenic variant 3 (from the bat Desmodus rotundus and 4 (36.5% were compatible with samples derived from Brazilian insectivorous bats. Sixteen vampire bat shelters were investigated and observation confirmed the presence of another 3 species of nonhematophagous bats coexisting with them. CONCLUSIONS: The experiments showed that at least 3 antigenic variants of rabies virus are circulating in the region and that the cohabitation of vampire bats with nonhematophagous bats could be related to the dissemination of the rabies virus.

Evolución del método de transfusión sanguínea y alternativas terapéuticas Evolution of the blood transfusion method and therapeutic alternatives

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Arístides de Jesús Luna González

2010-07-01

Full Text Available La tendencia mundial sobre las transfusiones sanguíneas se dirige a restringir en lo posible su uso y el de los derivados alogénicos, teniendo en cuenta el riesgo asociado, los problemas de biodisponibilidad, ciertas creencias religiosas y la mejor comprensión de los mecanismos compensadores de la anemia.Al respecto se revisó la bibliografía médica disponible sobre el tema, con vista a exponer un esquema terapéutico basado en una reconsideración total del problema, en aras de disminuir o evitar la transfusión de sangre homóloga.The world trend on blood transfusions is directed at restricting their use if possible and that of allogeneic derivatives as well, taking into account the associated risk, bioavailability problems, certain religious beliefs and the best understanding of compensatory mechanisms of anemia. In this regard the available medical literature on the subject was reviewed to exhibit a therapeutic regime based on a total review of the problem with the purpose of reducing or avoiding homologous blood transfusion.

Motion correction in thoracic positron emission tomography

CERN Document Server

Gigengack, Fabian; Dawood, Mohammad; Schäfers, Klaus P

2015-01-01

Respiratory and cardiac motion leads to image degradation in Positron Emission Tomography (PET), which impairs quantification. In this book, the authors present approaches to motion estimation and motion correction in thoracic PET. The approaches for motion estimation are based on dual gating and mass-preserving image registration (VAMPIRE) and mass-preserving optical flow (MPOF). With mass-preservation, image intensity modulations caused by highly non-rigid cardiac motion are accounted for. Within the image registration framework different data terms, different variants of regularization and parametric and non-parametric motion models are examined. Within the optical flow framework, different data terms and further non-quadratic penalization are also discussed. The approaches for motion correction particularly focus on pipelines in dual gated PET. A quantitative evaluation of the proposed approaches is performed on software phantom data with accompanied ground-truth motion information. Further, clinical appl...

Cine Club

CERN Multimedia

Cine Club

2016-01-01

Wednesday 27 April 2016 at 20:00, CERN Council Chamber What We Do in the Shadows Directed by Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi (New Zealand/USA, 2014) 86 min. Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are vampires who are finding that modern life has them struggling with the mundane - like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts. Original version English; French subtitles   In Collaboration with "ConCERNed for Humanity": Wednesday 4 May 2016 at 20:00     CERN Council Chamber 13 Minutes / Elser Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel (Germany, 2015) 114 min.                                  &n...

The amazing bats: Friends, enemies or allies?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salim Mattar V

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Bats are a group of extraordinarily specialized vertebrates and are the only mammals capable of flying; their nocturnal habits have stigmatized them to such an extent that in the Hollywood film productions Count Dracula of the Carpathian Mountains was considered the first vampire man; even before Batman himself. In ecosystems, bats are actors with leading roles, 70% of them are insectivores, pollinators, or frugivorous and contribute to the regeneration of forests by disseminating seeds. Some are even fish hunters. Although their large population is mostly distributed in the tropics, they are cosmopolitan and are also found in the Northern Hemisphere. The population of these bats has been displaced in the South American tropics, due to, among many factors, illegal mining, pesticide spraying, indiscriminate deforestation to provide pasture for cattle, and the invasion of their habitats by humans (1.

Imaginative Geographies, Dracula and the Transylvania ‘Place Myth’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duncan Light

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Imaginative geographies have become a central concept in Anglo-American cultural geography in recent years. We all form knowledge, ideas and beliefs in our minds about what other places are ‘like’. In some cases these ideas may so strong that a distinct place ‘myth’ develops. In this paper I focus on the Western place myth of Transylvania. In the Western imagination this region has come to be constructed as a remote, backward, sinister place on the very edge of Europe, where vampires and the supernatural reign unchecked. I examine the historical development of this place myth in the West with particular reference to the role of popular culture in reproducing and circulating this myth on a global scale. I also seek to situate this place myth in its broader historical, political and social contexts.

Breve reflexão sobre autocuidado no planejamento de alta hospitalar pós-Transplante de medula óssea (TMO: relato de caso Breve reflexión sobre lo autocuidado en planeamiento de la alta después del Transplante de Médula Ósea: informe de caso A brief reflection on self-care in hospital discharge planning after a Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT: a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lúcia Marta Giunta da Silva

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Este estudo teve por objetivo construir um instrumento que caracterizasse as demandas de autocuidado terapêutico de um indivíduo submetido ao TMO, refletindo sobre as intervenções de enfermagem no planejamento de alta hospitalar na óptica da teoria de autocuidado de Orem. Pelos critérios de inclusão obteve-se um indivíduo pós-TMO alogênico, portador de Leucemia Mielóide Crônica. A análise dos dados possibilitou avaliar os requisitos de autocuidado alterados e as intervenções de enfermagem se inseriram no sistema apoio-educação e no sistema parcialmente compensatório. O instrumento deverá ser refinado, mas pode-se sugerir sua utilização como suporte para a elaboração do planejamento de alta para pacientes de TMO.Este estudio tuvo por objetivo construir un instrumento para caracterizar las demandas del autocuidado terapéutico de un individuo sometido al transplante de médula ósea, reflexionando acerca de las intervenciones de la enfermería en la planeación de la alta hospitalaria, desde la óptica de la teoría del autocuidado de Oren. Por los criterios de inclusión se obtuvo una persona sometida al transplante del médula ósea alogénico, Portador de Leucemia Mieloide Crónica. El análisis de los datos permitió la evaluación de los requisitos de autocuidado alterados y las intervenciones de enfermería se situaron en el sistema apoyo-educación y en el sistema parcialmente compensatorio. El instrumento deberá refinarse, pero se puede sugerir su utilización como apoyo para la elaboración de la planeación del alta hospitalaria, para los pacientes del transplante de médula ósea.The purpose of this work was to construct an instrument that would enable the characterization of therapeutic self-care needs of an individual submitted to bone marrow transplantation (BMT by reflecting on nursing interventions in the planning of hospital discharge based on Orem's self-care theory. The inclusion criteria consisted in the

Doctors and Vampires in Sub-Saharan Africa: Ethical Challenges in Clinical Trial Research

Science.gov (United States)

Peeters Grietens, Koen; Ribera, Joan Muela; Erhart, Annette; Hoibak, Sarah; Ravinetto, Raffaella M.; Gryseels, Charlotte; Dierickx, Susan; O'Neill, Sarah; Muela, Susanna Hausmann; D'Alessandro, Umberto

2014-01-01

Collecting blood samples from individuals recruited into clinical research projects in sub-Saharan Africa can be challenging. Strikingly, one of the reasons for participant reticence is the occurrence of local rumors surrounding “blood stealing” or “blood selling.” Such fears can potentially have dire effects on the success of research projects—for example, high dropout rates that would invalidate the trial's results—and have ethical implications related to cultural sensitivity and informed consent. Though commonly considered as a manifestation of the local population's ignorance, these rumors represent a social diagnosis and a logical attempt to make sense of sickness and health. Born from historical antecedents, they reflect implicit contemporary structural inequalities and the social distance between communities and public health institutions. We aim at illustrating the underlying logic governing patients' fear and argue that the management of these beliefs should become an intrinsic component of clinical research. PMID:24821846

Networking Vampires – Life in a social network seen through a game

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Christian Ulrik

Social networking sites and web services like Facebook, Second Life, Flickr, Del.icio.us, etc. can be seen as much more than merely functional spaces. Other spatial aspects can be highlighted. With our actions we also perform activities – we reach for objects in Second Life, we apply applications...... will demonstrate how traditional notions of social activity, work and leisure, public and private, reality and fiction are being challenged by our life in the network....... in Facebook, etc.; we take in space by moving and going to places – typically by RSS feeds or linking in LinkedIn, Del.icio.us, Facebook, etc.; we judge what we reach for and link to – by tagging, rating, social book marking as performed at digg.com e.g. These behaviours change the software space to a place...

Host-pathogen evolutionary signatures reveal dynamics and future invasions of vampire bat rabies

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Streicker, D. G.; Winternitz, Jamie Caroline; Satterfield, D. A.; Condori-Condori, R. E.; Broos, A.; Tello, C.; Recuenco, S.; Velasco-Villa, A.; Altizer, S.; Valderrama, W.

2016-01-01

Roč. 113, č. 39 (2016), s. 10926-10931 ISSN 0027-8424 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : Desmodus * zoonotic disease * forecasting * sex bias * spatial dynamics Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine Impact factor: 9.661, year: 2016

Shape isomerism and shape coexistence effects on the Coulomb energy differences in the N=Z nucleus 66As and neighboring T=1 multiplets

Science.gov (United States)

de Angelis, G.; Wiedemann, K. T.; Martinez, T.; Orlandi, R.; Petrovici, A.; Sahin, E.; Valiente-Dobón, J. J.; Tonev, D.; Lunardi, S.; Nara Singh, B. S.; Wadsworth, R.; Gadea, A.; Kaneko, K.; Bizzeti, P. G.; Bizzeti-Sona, A. M.; Blank, B.; Bracco, A.; Carpenter, M. P.; Chiara, C. J.; Farnea, E.; Gottardo, A.; Greene, J. P.; Lenzi, S. M.; Leoni, S.; Lister, C. J.; Mengoni, D.; Napoli, D. R.; Pechenaya, O. L.; Recchia, F.; Reviol, W.; Sarantites, D. G.; Seweryniak, D.; Ur, C. A.; Zhu, S.

2012-03-01

Excited states of the N=Z=33 nucleus 66As have been populated in a fusion-evaporation reaction and studied using γ-ray spectroscopic techniques. Special emphasis was put into the search for candidates for the T=1 states. A new 3+ isomer has been observed with a lifetime of 1.1(3) ns. This is believed to be the predicted oblate shape isomer. The excited levels are discussed in terms of the shell model and of the complex excited Vampir approaches. Coulomb energy differences are determined from the comparison of the T=1 states with their analog partners. The unusual behavior of the Coulomb energy differences in the A=70 mass region is explained through different shape components (oblate and prolate) within the members of the same isospin multiplets. This breaking of the isospin symmetry is attributed to the correlations induced by the Coulomb interaction.

River of Blood: George Martin’s Fevre Dream and the road to dark designr

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Andrew Howe

2017-01-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-8026.2017v70n1p81 With his publication of Fevre Dream in 1982, George R. R. Martin tried his hand at the “sympathetic vampire” tale, one popularized just a few years previously by Anne Rice.  A tale of vampires haunting the American South during the lead up to the Civil War, Fevre Dream focused upon moral ambiguity, the brutality of power, and other narrative aspects that would eventually emerge more fully developed in the author’s magnum opus, the acclaimed A Song of Ice and Fire series.  Largely forgotten, Fevre Dream is important in that a close reading of the text indicates Martin’s embrace of dark fantasy, not only in the bleak thematic material but also in the embrace of real-world historical events (the American Civil War and institutions (slavery.

O papel da Fludarabina no tratamento dos linfomas não Hodgkin de baixo grau de malignidade The role of Fludarabine in the treatment of low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

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Gino Santini

2001-09-01

Full Text Available Dentro das perspectivas futuras do tratamento dos linfomas não Hodgkin (LMH está aquela de melhorar os resultados com os denominados linfomas de baixo grau de malignidade. Dentro do estado-da-arte atual, este grupo de linfomas pode ser considerado incurável. Desde o observar-e-esperar até o transplante alogênico de medula óssea, muitas dúvidas existem e devem ser esclarecidas. O objetivo desta revisão é de apresentar e discutir a utilização da Fludarabina , isolada ou associada à antraciclínicos e alquilantes no tratamento dos linfomas não Hodgkin de baixo grau de malignidade (LBG.Concerning to the perspective of low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma remains the challenge to find the best treatment improving the objective responses and the possibility of cure . Low-grade lymphoma may be currently considered a group of incurable diseases. From watch-and-wait until allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, many doubts exist and should be clarify. The aim of this article is to present and to discuss the role of Fludarabine, alone or in combination with anthracyclines and/or cyclophosphamide, in the treatment of low-grade lymphomas.

Parallel screening of drug-like natural compounds using Caco-2 cell permeability QSAR model with applicability domain, lipophilic ligand efficiency index and shape property: A case study of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Rikin D.; Kumar, Sivakumar Prasanth; Patel, Chirag N.; Shankar, Shetty Shilpa; Pandya, Himanshu A.; Solanki, Hitesh A.

2017-10-01

The traditional drug design strategy centrally focuses on optimizing binding affinity with the receptor target and evaluates pharmacokinetic properties at a later stage which causes high rate of attrition in clinical trials. Alternatively, parallel screening allows evaluation of these properties and affinity simultaneously. In a case study to identify leads from natural compounds with experimental HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibition, we integrated various computational approaches including Caco-2 cell permeability QSAR model with applicability domain (AD) to recognize drug-like natural compounds, molecular docking to study HIV-1 RT interactions and shape similarity analysis with known crystal inhibitors having characteristic butterfly-like model. Further, the lipophilic properties of the compounds refined from the process with best scores were examined using lipophilic ligand efficiency (LLE) index. Seven natural compound hits viz. baicalien, (+)-calanolide A, mniopetal F, fagaronine chloride, 3,5,8-trihydroxy-4-quinolone methyl ether derivative, nitidine chloride and palmatine, were prioritized based on LLE score which demonstrated Caco-2 well absorption labeling, encompassment in AD structural coverage, better receptor affinity, shape adaptation and permissible AlogP value. We showed that this integrative approach is successful in lead exploration of natural compounds targeted against HIV-1 RT enzyme.

Lead-oriented synthesis: Investigation of organolithium-mediated routes to 3-D scaffolds and 3-D shape analysis of a virtual lead-like library.

Science.gov (United States)

Lüthy, Monique; Wheldon, Mary C; Haji-Cheteh, Chehasnah; Atobe, Masakazu; Bond, Paul S; O'Brien, Peter; Hubbard, Roderick E; Fairlamb, Ian J S

2015-06-01

Synthetic routes to six 3-D scaffolds containing piperazine, pyrrolidine and piperidine cores have been developed. The synthetic methodology focused on the use of N-Boc α-lithiation-trapping chemistry. Notably, suitably protected and/or functionalised medicinal chemistry building blocks were synthesised via concise, connective methodology. This represents a rare example of lead-oriented synthesis. A virtual library of 190 compounds was then enumerated from the six scaffolds. Of these, 92 compounds (48%) fit the lead-like criteria of: (i) -1⩽AlogP⩽3; (ii) 14⩽number of heavy atoms⩽26; (iii) total polar surface area⩾50Å(2). The 3-D shapes of the 190 compounds were analysed using a triangular plot of normalised principal moments of inertia (PMI). From this, 46 compounds were identified which had lead-like properties and possessed 3-D shapes in under-represented areas of pharmaceutical space. Thus, the PMI analysis of the 190 member virtual library showed that whilst scaffolds which may appear on paper to be 3-D in shape, only 24% of the compounds actually had 3-D structures in the more interesting areas of 3-D drug space. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modèles aléatoires en écologie et évolution

CERN Document Server

Méléard, Sylvie

2016-01-01

Le but du livre est de définir et développer une grande gamme d'outils probabilistes pour la modélisation en biologie des populations, afin de décrire des dynamiques temporelles de quantités biologiques telles que la taille d'une ou plusieurs populations, la proportion d'un allèle dans une population ou la position d'un individu. En partant de modèles markoviens discrets (marches aléatoires, processus de Galton-Watson), nous abordons progressivement le calcul stochastique et les équations différentielles stochastiques, puis les processus markoviens de saut, tels les processus de branchement à temps continu et les processus de naissance et mort. Nous étudions également les processus discret et continu pour l'évolution génétique et les généalogies: processus de Wright-Fisher et coalescent. Le livre détaille systématiquement les calculs de quantités d'intérêt pour les biologistes. De nombreux exercices d'application sont proposés. Le dernier chapitre montre l'apport de ces outils pour des...

New polymorphic microsatellite markers in the greater false vampire bat Megaderma lyra (Chiroptera: Megadermatidae)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tereba, A.; Čížková, Dagmar; Sundari, A. A.; Rajan, K. E.; Bogdanowicz, W.

2011-01-01

Roč. 3, č. 4 (2011), s. 749-751 ISSN 1877-7252 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60930519 Keywords : Chiroptera * Megaderma lyra * Microsatellites * Polymorphism Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 0.485, year: 2011

The Hippo Generation and the Vampire State: The Impact of Corruption on Failing Nations

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-13

state institutions and processes, and the growth of crime syndicates linked to ruling elites.൵ ’When corruption is prolific in a given country, the...kind of checks and balances required to eliminate widespread corruption and protect their people. As New York Times columnist Nicholas Christoff

Posthumous Humans, Modern Vampires: Re-use, seriality, chorality of horror tropes in True Blood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giulia Iannuzzi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Why are some of us – inhabitants of increasingly dense and complex narrative ecosystems – compulsive spectators of horrors? What determines the liveliness of horror tropes that already have a long history of being used and re-used in narratives across different media, and what favors their being used incessantly on the small screen? This essay argues that in analyzing contemporary television series, we need to takes into account specific productive and narrative aspects, and (intra- and inter-textual elements as well as sociological ones, starting from the theoretical assumption that the fortune of horror series (and not only of them is in fact determined by those territories where these elements come together. As a case in point, this essay takes a look at True Blood, which was created in 2008 for HBO by Alan Ball, and came to an end with its seventh season in 2014. Positioned within the broader context of horror proliferation in contemporary television series, True Blood offers striking examples of the new mechanisms and distinction practices utilized by the television genre which is bringing about an increasing differentiation of audience segment.

Vampires and Witches Go to School: Contemporary Young Adult Fiction, Gender, and the Gothic

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Michelle J.; Moruzi, Kristine

2018-01-01

In the twenty-first century, the Gothic has experienced a cultural resurgence in literature, film, and television for young adult audiences. Young adult readers, poised between childhood and adulthood, have proven especially receptive to the Gothic's themes of liminality, monstrosity, transgression, romance, and sexuality (James, 2009, p. 116). As…

Vampirical Stick Pins, Deleuzian Folds, Noir Pastiches and other Wearability Conundrums: Fashion in Film

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langkjær, Michael Alexander

2012-01-01

Anmeldelsesartikel (review article) overfjorten bidrag i antologien Fashion in Film, som belyser forskellige sider af forholdet mellem mode og film.Fashion in Film er redigeret af Adrienne Munich (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2011, 360 sider, ISBN 978-0-253-22299-2)....

A preliminary examination of genetic diversity in the Indian false vampire bat Megaderma lyra

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuvel Rajan, K.

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Habitat loss and fragmentation have serious consequences for species extinction as well as genetic diversity within a species. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD analysis was employed to assess the genetic diversity within and between four natural populations of M. lyra. Our results suggest that the genetic diversity varied from 0.21 to 0.26 with a mean of 0.11 to 0.13 (± SD. The mean Gst value of 0.15 was obtained from all four populations and estimated average Nm (1.41 showing gene flow between the populations. AMOVA analysis showed 88.96% within and 11.04% among the studied populations. Cluster analyses of RAPD phenotypes showed that specimens were not grouped by geographical origin. The genetic diversity found in the M. lyra population may be explained by its breeding behaviors. Though preliminary, the results indicate that all four populations should be considered to maintain the genetic diversity.

Desmodus rotundus and Artibeus spp. bats might present distinct rabies virus lineages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Willian Oliveira Fahl

Full Text Available In Brazil, bats have been assigned an increasing importance in public health as they are important rabies reservoirs. Phylogenetic studies have shown that rabies virus (RABV strains from frugivorous bats Artibeus spp. are closely associated to those from the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus, but little is known about the molecular diversity of RABV in Artibeus spp. The N and G genes of RABV isolated from Artibeus spp. and cattle infected by D. rotundus were sequenced, and phylogenetic trees were constructed. The N gene nucleotides tree showed three clusters: one for D. rotundus and two for Artibeus spp. Regarding putative N amino acid-trees, two clusters were formed, one for D. rotundus and another for Artibeus spp. RABV G gene phylogeny supported the distinction between D. rotundus and Artibeus spp. strains. These results show the intricate host relationship of RABV's evolutionary history, and are invaluable for the determination of RABV infection sources.

Desmodus rotundus and Artibeus spp. bats might present distinct rabies virus lineages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Willian Oliveira Fahl

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In Brazil, bats have been assigned an increasing importance in public health as they are important rabies reservoirs. Phylogenetic studies have shown that rabies virus (RABV strains from frugivorous bats Artibeus spp. are closely associated to those from the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus, but little is known about the molecular diversity of RABV in Artibeus spp. The N and G genes of RABV isolated from Artibeus spp. and cattle infected by D. rotundus were sequenced, and phylogenetic trees were constructed. The N gene nucleotides tree showed three clusters: one for D. rotundus and two for Artibeus spp. Regarding putative N amino acid-trees, two clusters were formed, one for D. rotundus and another for Artibeus spp. RABV G gene phylogeny supported the distinction between D. rotundus and Artibeus spp. strains. These results show the intricate host relationship of RABV's evolutionary history, and are invaluable for the determination of RABV infection sources.

Desmodus rotundus and Artibeus spp. bats might present distinct rabies virus lineages.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahl, Willian Oliveira; Carnieli, Pedro; Castilho, Juliana Galera; Carrieri, Maria Luiza; Kotait, Ivanete; Iamamoto, Keila; Oliveira, Rafael Novaes; Brandão, Paulo Eduardo

2012-01-01

In Brazil, bats have been assigned an increasing importance in public health as they are important rabies reservoirs. Phylogenetic studies have shown that rabies virus (RABV) strains from frugivorous bats Artibeus spp. are closely associated to those from the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus, but little is known about the molecular diversity of RABV in Artibeus spp. The N and G genes of RABV isolated from Artibeus spp. and cattle infected by D. rotundus were sequenced, and phylogenetic trees were constructed. The N gene nucleotides tree showed three clusters: one for D. rotundus and two for Artibeus spp. Regarding putative N amino acid-trees, two clusters were formed, one for D. rotundus and another for Artibeus spp. RABV G gene phylogeny supported the distinction between D. rotundus and Artibeus spp. strains. These results show the intricate host relationship of RABV's evolutionary history, and are invaluable for the determination of RABV infection sources. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Rabies in humans and non-human in the state of Pará, Brazilian Amazon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcus Emanuel Barroncas Fernandes

2013-04-01

Full Text Available We evaluate the relationship of positive cases of rabies with the continuing expansion of livestock production, and analyse the trends of this zoonosis in human population in the state of Pará, Brazilian Amazon. The distribution of rabies cases was recorded between 1999 and 2004. Of 148 cases of rabies, 21% were in humans and 79% in non-human mammals. The rapid growth in livestock numbers seems to be associated with the increase of positive cases in bovine livestock transmitted by vampire bats. This idea is supported by positive and significant relationship of both events in time (p < 0.01, but failed when spatial distribution among regions of the state was considered. However, rabies cases tend to occur toward the northeastern of the state of Pará, where rabies cases are proportionally five times greater than other mesoregions, suggesting that increased livestock production may influence the increase of this zoonosis.

Rabies in humans and non-human in the state of Pará, Brazilian Amazon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcus Emanuel Barroncas Fernandes

Full Text Available We evaluate the relationship of positive cases of rabies with the continuing expansion of livestock production, and analyse the trends of this zoonosis in human population in the state of Pará, Brazilian Amazon. The distribution of rabies cases was recorded between 1999 and 2004. Of 148 cases of rabies, 21% were in humans and 79% in non-human mammals. The rapid growth in livestock numbers seems to be associated with the increase of positive cases in bovine livestock transmitted by vampire bats. This idea is supported by positive and significant relationship of both events in time (p < 0.01, but failed when spatial distribution among regions of the state was considered. However, rabies cases tend to occur toward the northeastern of the state of Pará, where rabies cases are proportionally five times greater than other mesoregions, suggesting that increased livestock production may influence the increase of this zoonosis.

[Traces of blood. The significance of blood in criminology at the turn of the 19th century].

Science.gov (United States)

Bachhiesl, Christian

2010-03-01

In late 19th and early 20th century, criminology became institutionalized as an independent branch of science. Methodologically it focused on the 'exact' methods of the natural sciences, but also it tried to integrate the methods of the humanities. This mix of methods becomes visible in the treatment of blood, which on the one hand was an object of then brand new methods of scientific analysis (identification of human blood by the biological or precipitin method), and on the other hand was analyzed as a product of the magic and superstitious mentalities of criminals. The methodical tension resulting from this epistemological crossbreeding did not disturb the criminologists, for whom the reconciliation of opposite ways of thinking and researching seemed to be possible. In this encyclopaedic analysis of blood early criminology tried to combine the anthropological exploration of vampirism with the chemical and microscopic detection of antibodies and haemoglobin, thus mirroring the positivistic optimism that was then prevalent.

Assessing the accuracy of different simplified frictional rolling contact algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Vollebregt, E. A. H.; Iwnicki, S. D.; Xie, G.; Shackleton, P.

2012-01-01

This paper presents an approach for assessing the accuracy of different frictional rolling contact theories. The main characteristic of the approach is that it takes a statistically oriented view. This yields a better insight into the behaviour of the methods in diverse circumstances (varying contact patch ellipticities, mixed longitudinal, lateral and spin creepages) than is obtained when only a small number of (basic) circumstances are used in the comparison. The range of contact parameters that occur for realistic vehicles and tracks are assessed using simulations with the Vampire vehicle system dynamics (VSD) package. This shows that larger values for the spin creepage occur rather frequently. Based on this, our approach is applied to typical cases for which railway VSD packages are used. The results show that particularly the USETAB approach but also FASTSIM give considerably better results than the linear theory, Vermeulen-Johnson, Shen-Hedrick-Elkins and Polach methods, when compared with the 'complete theory' of the CONTACT program.

Lord Byron's physician: John William Polidori on somnambulism.

Science.gov (United States)

Finger, Stanley; Stiles, Anne

2013-01-01

John William Polidori (1795-1821) was the Edinburgh-trained physician hired by Lord Byron to accompany him to Switzerland, where he participated in the story-telling event proposed by Byron that led, with Polidori's help, to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Although those interested in English literature might also remember Polidori as the author of The Vampyre, one of the first extended works of fiction about vampires, his earlier interest in somnambulism and trance states is only beginning to be appreciated. Even more than students of Romantic literature, historians of science and medicine seem little aware of what Polidori had written about oneirodynia, a synonym for somnambulism, and how his thoughts from 1815 about such activities reflected the changing medical zeitgeist at this time. This chapter examines Polidori's medical thesis in a neuroscience context and compares what he wrote to the writings of several other physicians who were fascinated by nocturnal wanderings, their causes, their manifestations, and their possible treatments. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Borgesian Libraries and Librarians in Television Popular Culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iana Konstantinova

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In the works of Jorge Luis Borges, the library appears frequently as a metaphor representative of life and its secrets. It becomes a metaphysical location, posing questions about the nature of time, life, and the universe itself. The librarian becomes a metaphysical figure, leading the search for answers to life’s questions. This article examines the way in which the Borgesian library metaphor has crossed over from the realm of literature into the realm of popular television. By examining two episodes of the BBC series Doctor Who , the TNT franchise The Librarian , and several episodes of Joss Whedon’s cult television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer , it demonstrates that the metaphysical questions posed by the library and its librarian in Borges’s short stories are quite similar to the metaphysical questions posed by the library and its librarians in popular television, demonstrating that the Borgesian library has crossed over into the realms of popular culture.

The anthropology of death or the new anthropology and the religious complex connected to death

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivan Kovačević

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In this article the authors give a review of new anthropological work pertaining to dying, death and beliefs in life after death. Dying and the valorization of ways of dying are the subject of a paper by sociologist Todor Kuljić, while other relevant texts commented on by the authors are the results of the work done by anthropologists. Thus, the traditional belief in “prikoljiš” is analyzed in the text of Ivan Kovačević, while the folk belief in dying after death was analyzed by Dušan Bandić, and modern forms of grief in obituaries are analyzed by Ivan Čolović. The traditional belief in the vampire is the subject of analysis in papers by Dušan Bandić and Lidija Radulović, while the analysis of beliefs in immortality, present in a new religion, is the topic of a paper by Danijel Sinani.

The toxicogenomic multiverse: convergent recruitment of proteins into animal venoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Fry, Bryan G; Roelants, Kim; Champagne, Donald E; Scheib, Holger; Tyndall, Joel D A; King, Glenn F; Nevalainen, Timo J; Norman, Janette A; Lewis, Richard J; Norton, Raymond S; Renjifo, Camila; de la Vega, Ricardo C Rodríguez

2009-01-01

Throughout evolution, numerous proteins have been convergently recruited into the venoms of various animals, including centipedes, cephalopods, cone snails, fish, insects (several independent venom systems), platypus, scorpions, shrews, spiders, toxicoferan reptiles (lizards and snakes), and sea anemones. The protein scaffolds utilized convergently have included AVIT/colipase/prokineticin, CAP, chitinase, cystatin, defensins, hyaluronidase, Kunitz, lectin, lipocalin, natriuretic peptide, peptidase S1, phospholipase A(2), sphingomyelinase D, and SPRY. Many of these same venom protein types have also been convergently recruited for use in the hematophagous gland secretions of invertebrates (e.g., fleas, leeches, kissing bugs, mosquitoes, and ticks) and vertebrates (e.g., vampire bats). Here, we discuss a number of overarching structural, functional, and evolutionary generalities of the protein families from which these toxins have been frequently recruited and propose a revised and expanded working definition for venom. Given the large number of striking similarities between the protein compositions of conventional venoms and hematophagous secretions, we argue that the latter should also fall under the same definition.

Enabling Event Tracing at Leadership-Class Scale through I/O Forwarding Middleware

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ilsche, Thomas [Technische Universitat Dresden; Schuchart, Joseph [Technische Universitat Dresden; Cope, Joseph [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); Kimpe, Dries [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); Jones, Terry R [ORNL; Knuepfer, Andreas [Technische Universitat Dresden; Iskra, Kamil [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); Ross, Robert [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); Nagel, Wolfgang E. [Technische Universitat Dresden; Poole, Stephen W [ORNL

2012-01-01

Event tracing is an important tool for understanding the performance of parallel applications. As concurrency increases in leadership-class computing systems, the quantity of performance log data can overload the parallel file system, perturbing the application being observed. In this work we present a solution for event tracing at leadership scales. We enhance the I/O forwarding system software to aggregate and reorganize log data prior to writing to the storage system, significantly reducing the burden on the underlying file system for this type of traffic. Furthermore, we augment the I/O forwarding system with a write buffering capability to limit the impact of artificial perturbations from log data accesses on traced applications. To validate the approach, we modify the Vampir tracing tool to take advantage of this new capability and show that the approach increases the maximum traced application size by a factor of 5x to more than 200,000 processors.

The functionality of the gastrointestinal microbiome in non-human animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanning, Irene; Diaz-Sanchez, Sandra

2015-11-10

Due to the significance of the microbiome on human health, much of the current data available regarding microbiome functionality is centered on human medicine. For agriculturally important taxa, the functionality of gastrointestinal bacteria has been studied with the primary goals of improving animal health and production performance. With respect to cattle, the digestive functions of bacteria in cattle are unarguably critical to digestion and positively impact production performance. Conversely, some research suggests that the gastrointestinal microbiome in chickens competes with the host for nutrients and produces toxins that can harm the host resulting in decreased growth efficiency. Concerning many other species including reptiles and cetaceans, some cataloging of fecal bacteria has been conducted, but the functionality within the host remains ambiguous. These taxa could provide interesting gastrointestinal insight into functionality and symbiosis considering the extreme feeding regimes (snakes), highly specialized diets (vampire bats), and living environments (polar bears), which warrants further exploration.

Exotic primitivism of death in classical Hollywood living dead films

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Outi Hakola

2012-11-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-8026.2012n62p219 The classical Hollywood horror exhibited the undead monsters, such as mummies, zombies and vampires, at the time when cultural practices of death and dying were changing in the United States. Consequently, the way death is handled in these films is connected to the ongoing marginalization of death. In the classical films, heroes represent modern, medicalized, scientific and marginalized death. In contrast, the undead represent traditional, or irrational and magical, death. When the heroes hunt down and kill the monsters, they also claim the superiority of modern death. Furthermore, the exclusion of traditional death is highlighted by using (postcolonial tensions. The non-western monsters and realm of the world stand for traditional death and the past whereas western heroes represent modern death and the future. This article concentrates on how the classical living dead films narrate the cultural tension between the waning (traditional and emerging (modern practices of death.

Autotransfusión sanguínea en cirugía ortognática: necesario Autologous blood transfusions in orthognathic surgery: a necessity

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L. Naval

2006-12-01

Full Text Available El ahorro de sangre es un asunto que puede simplificar la asistencia médica diaria y mejorar su calidad tanto desde el punto de vista de morbilidad, seguridad y coste económico y social para los pacientes, profesionales de la salud como anestesistas, cirujanos, banco de sangre y de los equipos de dirección de hospitales públicos y privados. Inicialmente el interés por evitar los efectos adversos secundarios a la transfusión alogénica (TAL (transmisión de enfermedades infecciosas, reacciones transfusionales, como el Distress Respiratorio Agudo asociado a transfusión, costes, sensibilizaciones… y posteriormente el ahorro de recursos limitados hacen que múltiples grupos de trabajo desarrollen nuevas estrategias frente a un problema común: la reposición o el ahorro de la sangre perdida durante las intervenciones quirúrgicas y el postoperatorio inmediato. Asistimos en los últimos años a un menor uso durante las cirugías de cualquier tipo de sangre, especialmente la alogénica, gracias a la mejora de las técnicas quirúrgicas y anestésicas. Entre ellas la utilización de sangre del propio paciente (autóloga o autotransfusión (AUT en sus distintas modalidades. ¹ Llevamos a cabo una revisión de las distintas modalidades de AUT mostrando la experiencia de nuestro Servicio en el que se lleva practicando desde finales de los años 80.²Daily medical care can be simplified by saving blood, and the quality of care improved from the point of view of morbidity and safety. The economic and social cost can be reduced for patients and for health professionals such as anesthetists, surgeons, and for the blood banks and teams directing private and public hospitals. Initially the interest in avoiding the adverse secondary effects of allogenic transfusion (ALT (infectious disease transmission, transfusion reactions, such as Acute Respiratory Distress associated with transfusion, cost, sensitivity... followed by the desire to save limited

Furio Jesi, Irène Némirovsky e la macchina mitologica del sangue ebraico

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Andrea Rondini

2015-11-01

Full Text Available A partire dagli studi di Furio Jesi sull’accusa del sangue rivolta nei secoli contro gli ebrei, l’articolo analizza alcuni romanzi della scrittrice francese Irène Némirovsky in riferimento al tema del sangue. In particolare viene preso in considerazione Il Signore delle anime nel quale sembrano emergere tutte le caratteristiche mitologiche e gli stereotipi antisemiti collegati all’accusa del sangue, dal vampirismo alla natura selvaggia dell’ebreo alla sua capacità/necessità di mimetizzarsi all’interno della società. Starting from Furio Jesi’s studies on blood accusation directed against Jews over the centuries, the article analyses some novels of French writer Irène Némirovsky in reference to the theme of blood. In particular the article takes into consideration Master of souls in which seem to emerge all the mythological features and the  anti-Semitic stereotypes related to blood accusation, from vampirism to the wild nature of the Jew to his ability/need to camouflage himself within society.

Dracula Gramophone Dracula Gramophone

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Marc Porée

2009-05-01

Full Text Available The article draws on two 1987 lectures by Derrida, collected under the general heading, Ulysse Gramophone, for its own title. Its basic aim is to register the full (and so far little explored impact of the sense of hearing, and of the auditory imagination, on and within Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Departing from the obvious approach via a general theory of the visible (and the invisible, it focuses on the various novelistic strategies bent on recording, typing, harking (cf. Jonathan Harker and intoning, while taking into account the means, both technological (gramophone and supernatural (vampiric “sound bites”, whereby “negative audition” (achieved via hypnosis and Verstimmung are enacted in the writing itself. Based on various scriptural and semantic devices (e.g. the C/K divide modeled on the Barthesian S/Z and organized around four emblematic citations lifted from the novel, it ends on an emphatic vindication of the “tone of the revenant”, in the words of Baudelaire (freely translating Thomas de Quincey’s Suspiria De Profundis.

Wog Zombie: The De- and Re-Humanisation of Migrants, from Mad Dogs to Cyborgs

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Nikos Papastergiadis

2011-04-01

Full Text Available This essay examines several contemporary articulations of the figure of the migrant, exploring both the stigmatic representations of this figure in the public imaginary, and migrants’ own personal self-identifications. I argue that as today’s increasingly complex flows of capital, people and information continue to erode both the sovereign authority of nation-states and the hitherto dominant codes of belonging, the figure of the migrant has undergone a series of reconfigurations. In its contemporary manifestations, the migrant figure has been imagined variously as a mechanical, animalistic, spectral, zombified, vampiric or cyborg entity. I contend that this series of images reveals a complex set of cultural anxieties around issues of belonging, cultural identity, citizenship and mobility. Drawing on theoretical constructs including Giorgio Agamben’s notion of the homo sacer along with representations of the figure of the migrant that have emerged recently within popular culture, literature, political discourse and media reporting, I aim to examine the forms of dehumanisation that are expressed in contemporary debate on migration.

Nell’anno di Nikola Tesla

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Persida Lazarević Di Giacomo

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The 150th Anniversary Celebration of Nikola Tesla The paper deals with the 150th anniversary celebration of Nikola Tesla, the greatest ever Yugoslav scientist. Due to his origins, Tesla is contended between Serbia and Croatia, but he is also considered to be an American scientist since he registered most of his patents in the USA. Although there is some dissension between Serbia and Croatia regarding the historical facts about Tesla’s life, it can be asserted that Tesla appears to be an example of collaboration among the former Yugoslav countries. Tesla, however, deserves to be remembered as well as the author of autobiographical prose (My Inventions; Some Personal Recollections; A Strange Experience by Nikola Tesla and as the protagonist of many works published in Serbo-Croatian and in English, such as Miloš Crnjanski’s drama Tesla (1969 or The Hunger and Ecstasy of Vampires (1996 by Brian M. Stableford, for example. This fact should not be neglected and actually should be researched more fully.

Cine club

CERN Multimedia

Cine club

2016-01-01

Wednesday 21 September 2016 at 20:00 CERN Council Chamber The Phantom Carriage   Directed by Victor Sjöström Sweden, 1921, 93 minutes The story is based on an old Swedish folk tale which states that the last man to die just before the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve is doomed to drive the Phantom Carriage for the following year collecting all of the spirits of the dead. When David Holm proves to be that man, he learns of the selfish life he has led and how it has impacted on people around him. Original version Swedish; English subtitles Wednesday 28 September 2016 at 20:00 CERN Council Chamber Vampyr   Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer Germany / France, 1932, 75 minutes Traveler Allan Grey arrives in the village of Courtempierre and takes lodgings in a small inn. Grey has a great interest in the supernatural, particularly vampires. He's barely settled in when he feels a sinister force descending upon him. In the night an old man enters his room to te...

Education to Action: Improving Public Perception of Bats

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Eric Hoffmaster

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Public perception of bats has historically been largely negative with bats often portrayed as carriers of disease. Bats are commonly associated with vampire lore and thus elicit largely fearful reactions despite the fact that they are a vital and valuable part of the ecosystem. Bats provide a variety of essential services from pest control to plant pollination. Despite the benefits of bats to the environment and the economy, bats are suffering at the hands of humans. They are victims of turbines, human encroachment, pesticides, and, most recently, white nose syndrome. Because of their critical importance to the environment, humans should do what they can to help protect bats. We propose that humans will be more likely to do so if their perceptions and attitudes toward bats can be significantly improved. In a preliminary study we found some support for the idea that people can be educated about bats through bat oriented events and exhibits, and that this greater knowledge can inspire humans to act to save bats.

Posthumous Humans, Modern Vampires: Re-use, seriality, chorality of horror tropes in True Blood

OpenAIRE

Giulia Iannuzzi

2016-01-01

Cosa rende alcuni di noi – abitatori di ecosistemi narrativi sempre più densi e complessi – compulsivi spettatori dell'orrore? Cosa decreta la vivacità di tropi horror dotati di una storia già lunga alle spalle e il loro corrente, inesausto riuso catodico?La proposta critica che avanziamo in questa sede è un invito a contemperare nell'analisi delle produzioni televisive seriali contemporanee, aspetti narratologici e produttivi, fattori (intra- e inter)testuali e sociologici, a partire dalla c...

Kissing Brides and Loving Hot Vampires: Children's Construction and Perpetuation of Heteronormativity in Elementary School Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Caitlin L.

2016-01-01

This paper explores notions of (hetero)sexuality circulating in elementary school classrooms through an analysis of students' own talk and interactions. Data collected during a multi-site ethnography in a diverse set of elementary schools demonstrate that while curricular silences and teachers contribute to heteronormative classroom environments,…

Motivo de retirada do cateter de Hickman em pacientes submetidos ao transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas Rationale for Hickman catheter removal in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

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Lais Carvalho Castanho

2011-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Identificar os motivos da retirada do primeiro cateter de Hickman implantado em pacientes submetidos ao transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas alogênico, os micro-organismos envolvidos na ocorrência de infecção e o tempo de permanência do cateter in situ. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal retrospectivo. A amostra foi constituída por 57 prontuários de pacientes transplantados. Para a obtenção dos dados, elaborou-se um instrumento contendo variáveis relativas à identificação do paciente, tempo de permanência do cateter, motivo de retirada e micro-organismo isolado. RESULTADOS: Dentre os motivos de retirada do cateter, destacou-se como o mais frequente a infecção (49%. O Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (25% foi o micro-organismo identificado com maior frequência. CONCLUSÕES: Diante da elevada incidência de complicações infecciosas que levam à retirada do cateter de Hickman, faz-se necessária uma padronização de cuidados relacionados a esse cateter, tanto para a equipe de saúde como ao paciente e seu cuidador.OBJETIVO: Identificar los motivos del retiro del primer catéter de Hickman implantado en pacientes sometidos al transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas alogénico, los microorganismos involucrados en la ocurrencia de infección y el tiempo de permanencia del catéter in situ. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal retrospectivo. La muestra estuvo constituída por 57 historias clínicas de pacientes transplantados. Para la obtención de los datos, se elaboró un instrumento conteniendo variables relativas a la identificación del paciente, tiempo de permanencia del catéter, motivo del retiro y microorganismo aislado. RESULTADOS: Entre los motivos del retiro del catéter, se destacó como el más frecuente la infección (49%. El Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (25% fue el microorganismo identificado con mayor frecuencia. CONCLUSIONES: Frente a la elevada incidencia de complicaciones infecciosas que llevan al

[Hematophagous bats as reservoirs of rabies].

Science.gov (United States)

Scheffer, Karin Corrêa; Iamamoto, Keila; Asano, Karen Miyuki; Mori, Enio; Estevez Garcia, Andrea Isabel; Achkar, Samira M; Fahl, Williande Oliveira

2014-04-01

Rabies continues to be a challenge for public health authorities and a constraint to the livestock industry in Latin America. Wild and domestic canines and vampire bats are the main transmitter species and reservoirs of the disease. Currently, variations observed in the epidemiological profile of rabies, where the species of hematophagous bat Desmodus rotundus constitutes the main transmitting species. Over the years, knowledge has accumulated about the ecology, biology and behavior of this species and the natural history of rabies, which should lead to continuous development of methods of population control of d. Rotundus as well as prevention and diagnostic tools for rabies. Ecological relationships of this species with other hematophagous and non-hematophagous bats is unknown, and there is much room for improvement in reporting systems and surveillance, as well as creating greater awareness among the farming community. Understanding the impact of human-induced environmental changes on the rabies virus in bats should be cause for further investigation. This will require a combination of field studies with mathematical models and new diagnostic tools. This review aims to present the most relevant issues on the role of hematophagous bats as reservoirs and transmitters of the rabies virus.

Pediculosis pubis

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Chang Patricia

2011-07-01

Full Text Available We report a male patient of 24 years old with itching at groin and pubis. Pubic hair test showed the presence of lices (fig.2-4.Pediculosis is an infestation of man and animals by insects Anoplura (Lice Vampire ectoparasites. It´s important poor hygiene, promiscuity, fomites, sexual transmission. Etiology: Pediculus humanus capitis, Human Pediculus corporis, Phthirus pubis or pubic lice. Clinically pediculosis can be classify in :head lice, body lice, pubic pediculosis. Phthirus pubis or crab lice is the agent of pediculus pubis, the sites affected are pubic region other sites as thighs, trunk, armpit, eyebrows, eyelashes, beard and scalp. Pruritus hematic crusts, excoriations, stains 0.5 cm -1 blue cerulean spots may be associated with other STD. The diagnosis is based in the clinical aspect and observes the parasite. Phthirus short pubis or pubic lice parasite, it´s size: 0.8-1.2 mm his first legs resemble those of a crab with sucking, slow walking 10 cm / min. Treatment is based on head lice or nits destruction benzyl benzoate 25% 8 to 12 hrs once, crotramiton 10% 1 / day x 8 days and ivermectin 200 micrograms / kg in a single dose.

Gothic/Giallo/Genre: hybrid images in Italian horror cinema, 1956-82

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Keith H Brown

2012-11-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-8026.2012n62p173   Italian horror cinema is commonly divided into two periods and genres. An initial classical Gothic period spanned the years from 1956 to 1966 and was followed by a modern giallo (thriller period from 1970 to 1982. Whilst accepting this broad distinction, this paper seeks to add nuance by considering the hybrid elements of three key films by three of the most important directors working in the giallo and horror area, namely Riccardo Freda with I Vampiri (1956, Mario Bava with The Girl Who Knew too Much (1963 and Dario Argento with Deep Red (1975. Drawing in particular upon Nöel Carroll’s idea of “fearing fictions”, I contend that Freda’s film, the first Italian horror movie since the silent era, is notable for being a distinctively modern vampire film; that Bava’s film, a foundational giallo, may be seen as having a palimpsest in Jane Austen’s Gothic parody Northanger Abbey; and that Argento’s film, while often taken as the paradigmatic giallo, has supernatural horror elements that push it in the direction of the Gothic.

A tesselation-based model for intensity estimation and laser plasma interactions calculations in three dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Colaïtis, A.; Chapman, T.; Strozzi, D.; Divol, L.; Michel, P.

2018-03-01

A three-dimensional laser propagation model for computation of laser-plasma interactions is presented. It is focused on indirect drive geometries in inertial confinement fusion and formulated for use at large temporal and spatial scales. A modified tesselation-based estimator and a relaxation scheme are used to estimate the intensity distribution in plasma from geometrical optics rays. Comparisons with reference solutions show that this approach is well-suited to reproduce realistic 3D intensity field distributions of beams smoothed by phase plates. It is shown that the method requires a reduced number of rays compared to traditional rigid-scale intensity estimation. Using this field estimator, we have implemented laser refraction, inverse-bremsstrahlung absorption, and steady-state crossed-beam energy transfer with a linear kinetic model in the numerical code Vampire. Probe beam amplification and laser spot shapes are compared with experimental results and pf3d paraxial simulations. These results are promising for the efficient and accurate computation of laser intensity distributions in holhraums, which is of importance for determining the capsule implosion shape and risks of laser-plasma instabilities such as hot electron generation and backscatter in multi-beam configurations.

Numerical analysis of biosonar beamforming mechanisms and strategies in bats.

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Müller, Rolf

2010-09-01

Beamforming is critical to the function of most sonar systems. The conspicuous noseleaf and pinna shapes in bats suggest that beamforming mechanisms based on diffraction of the outgoing and incoming ultrasonic waves play a major role in bat biosonar. Numerical methods can be used to investigate the relationships between baffle geometry, acoustic mechanisms, and resulting beampatterns. Key advantages of numerical approaches are: efficient, high-resolution estimation of beampatterns, spatially dense predictions of near-field amplitudes, and the malleability of the underlying shape representations. A numerical approach that combines near-field predictions based on a finite-element formulation for harmonic solutions to the Helmholtz equation with a free-field projection based on the Kirchhoff integral to obtain estimates of the far-field beampattern is reviewed. This method has been used to predict physical beamforming mechanisms such as frequency-dependent beamforming with half-open resonance cavities in the noseleaf of horseshoe bats and beam narrowing through extension of the pinna aperture with skin folds in false vampire bats. The fine structure of biosonar beampatterns is discussed for the case of the Chinese noctule and methods for assessing the spatial information conveyed by beampatterns are demonstrated for the brown long-eared bat.

Blood test ordering for unexplained complaints in general practice: the VAMPIRE randomised clinical trial protocol. [ISRCTN55755886

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Bokhoven, Marloes A.; Koch, Hèlen; van der Weijden, Trudy; Grol, Richard P. T. M.; Bindels, Patrick J. E.; Dinant, Geert-Jan

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND: General practitioners (GPs) frequently order blood tests when they see patients presenting with unexplained complaints. Due to the low prevalence of serious pathology in general practice, the risk of false-positive test results is relatively high. This may result in unnecessary further

Variational approach to 68 Se

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrovici, A.; Schmid, K.W.; Faessler, A.; Baktash, C.; Shashi, P.

1999-01-01

For a unified description of the structure of medium mass proton-rich nuclei at low as well as high angular momenta we used the complex version of the Excited Vampir approach. We employed chains of variational calculations based on symmetry-projected essentially complex Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) vacua which include neutron-proton pairing and unnatural-parity correlations. Since the Vampir approaches allow the use of rather large model spaces and of general two-body interactions, large-scale nuclear structure studies going far beyond the abilities of the conventional shell-model configuration-mixing approach are possible. Furthermore, since these approaches provide detailed spectroscopic information for the lowest few states for each spin and parity, they also have considerable advantages with respect to the shell-model Monte Carlo method in which only expectation values of operators in the thermodynamic ensembles or the ground state can be calculated. Our previous investigations on microscopic aspects of shape coexistence in N∼Z nuclei in the A∼70 mass region indicated the presence of a strong competition between particular configurations based on large and small oblate and prolate quadrupole deformations. Furthermore, since in N = Z nuclei neutrons and protons fill the same single particle orbits, the isovector neutron-proton and the like-nucleon pairing correlations were found to be strongly competitive in even-even systems. In addition, the neutron and proton alignments with increasing angular momentum occur simultaneously in these nuclei. On the other hand the theoretical results suggest that certain properties of these nuclei are extremely sensitive to small variations of particular parts of the effective Hamiltonian. Thus, our results indicate that the oblate-prolate coexistence and mixing at low spins depend on the strengths of the neutron-proton T = 0 matrix elements involving nucleons occupying f 5/2 (f 7/2 ) and g 9/2 single particle orbits

Environmental surveillance: An integral part of the spill contingency plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salinas, J.; Bozzo, W.

1993-01-01

Typically, the initial response to spills is directed at containing, controlling, and stopping the flow of spilled materials. The primary goal of such a response is to limit the spread and further impact of spilled material, and to initiate timely cleanup and recovery of affected areas. Surveillance of actual spill impacts has often followed an after the fact approach, using only immediately available resources. Surveillance may occur quickly after a spill, but in most incidents its occurs as a follow-up action after initial response and containment have been achieved. Insufficient planning may produce spill surveillance that inadequately assesses impacts, fails to incorporate baseline data, and does not clearly identify a cleanup recovery and endpoint. The management and operations contractor for the US Dept. of Energy's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) conducts environmental surveillance activities in response to spill incidents when they occur at these facilities. These surveillance activities, when conducted as part of the response, are useful instruments in the initial assessment of spill incidents, management of spill response, containment, and cleanup activities, and for monitoring and documenting postspill impacts and recovery. An Environmental Surveillance Plan (ESP) incorporated in the SPR Spill Contingency Plan provides for initiation of environmental surveillance as part of the spill response. The ESP outlines, through alogic tree, conditions for activating the plan, key indicator parameters for evaluation, detailed methods for establishing surveillance stations, lists of key personnel, locations of equipment necessary to perform surveillance, and conditions for termination of environmental surveillance

Weighted voting-based consensus clustering for chemical structure databases

Science.gov (United States)

Saeed, Faisal; Ahmed, Ali; Shamsir, Mohd Shahir; Salim, Naomie

2014-06-01

The cluster-based compound selection is used in the lead identification process of drug discovery and design. Many clustering methods have been used for chemical databases, but there is no clustering method that can obtain the best results under all circumstances. However, little attention has been focused on the use of combination methods for chemical structure clustering, which is known as consensus clustering. Recently, consensus clustering has been used in many areas including bioinformatics, machine learning and information theory. This process can improve the robustness, stability, consistency and novelty of clustering. For chemical databases, different consensus clustering methods have been used including the co-association matrix-based, graph-based, hypergraph-based and voting-based methods. In this paper, a weighted cumulative voting-based aggregation algorithm (W-CVAA) was developed. The MDL Drug Data Report (MDDR) benchmark chemical dataset was used in the experiments and represented by the AlogP and ECPF_4 descriptors. The results from the clustering methods were evaluated by the ability of the clustering to separate biologically active molecules in each cluster from inactive ones using different criteria, and the effectiveness of the consensus clustering was compared to that of Ward's method, which is the current standard clustering method in chemoinformatics. This study indicated that weighted voting-based consensus clustering can overcome the limitations of the existing voting-based methods and improve the effectiveness of combining multiple clusterings of chemical structures.

Associação dos níveis de citocinas no pós-transplante de células-tronco hematopoiéticas com a Doença do Enxerto Contra o Hospedeiro aguda Association of cytokine levels with acute graft versus host disease following full match allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeane E. L. Visentainer

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Este estudo foi realizado para investigar se os níveis séricos de sIL-2R, TNF-alfa, IFN-gama, IL-6, IL-10 e TGF-beta1 estavam associados com o desenvolvimento de DECH (Doença do Enxerto Contra o Hospedeiro aguda. Os níveis de citocinas foram seqüencialmente mensurados por Elisa em 13 pacientes que haviam sido submetidos ao transplante alogênico de células progenitoras hematopoiéticas. Os níveis de sIL-2R e IL-10 da 1ª a 15ª semanas pós-transplante foram significativamente maiores no grupo que desenvolveu DECH aguda que naquele sem a doença. Os níveis de sIL-2R aumentaram em direta correlação com a pega do enxerto e ao tempo do DECH aguda, enquanto os níveis de IL-10 aumentaram transitoriamente pós-transplante. A média da concentração de TNF-alfa nas primeiras semanas após o transplante foi maior no grupo que desenvolveu DECH aguda. Além disso, uma queda dos níveis de TGF-beta1 após a pega esteve significativamente associada à DECH aguda. Nenhuma correlação foi encontrada entre DECH aguda e as outras citocinas investigadas. Estes resultados suportam a idéia de que um balanço entre as citocinas derivadas de linfócitos T auxiliadores do tipo 1 e 2 pode ser importante no desenvolvimento e controle da DECH aguda. Embora os níveis de sIL-2R, TNF-alfa, IL-10 e TGF-beta1 tenham sido correlacionados com a DECH aguda, os níveis de sIL-2R ao tempo da pega podem prover um melhor parâmetro para a detecção precoce de DECH aguda após o transplante alogênico.This study was performed to investigate whether the serum levels of sIL-2R, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-6, IL-10, and TGF-beta1 are associated with the development of acute GVHD. Serum cytokine levels were sequentially measured by sandwich Enzyme Linked-Immuno-Sorbent Assay (Elisa in 13 patients who had received full match allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Serum sIL-2R and IL-10 levels from the 1st to the 15th week post transplantation were significantly higher in the

Obtención y procesamiento de células progenitoras hematopoyéticas periféricas Obtention and processing of peripheral hematopoietic progenitor cells

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Jesús Diego de la Campa

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Se realizó un estudio descriptivo de la totalidad de las colectas de células progenitoras hematopoyéticas realizadas en el Banco de Sangre del Hospital "Hermanos Ameijeiras" desde abril del 2001 hasta abril del 2002, mediante leucoféresis. Se utilizó un equipo de flujo continuo (FRESENIUS ASTEC 204 y se empleó el programa mononucleares con el set P1Y. Se determinó peso, talla, hematócrito, hemoglobina, conteo de leucocitos y plaquetas de los donantes previo a la colecta. En el producto de la leucoféresis se analizó el conteo de leucocitos con diferencial, conteo de células CD34+/ CD45+ (mediante técnica de inmunofluorescencia en citómetro de flujo y determinación de viabilidad celular con yoduro de propidio en este mismo equipo (Facscan, Becton Dickinson. Recibieron trasplante autólogo 5 pacientes y 2 trasplantes alogénicos. Los primeros con diagnósticos de: linfoma no hodgkiniano (3, enfermedad de Hodgkin (1, artritis reumatoidea (1; y los segundos afectados de leucemia mieloide crónica (1 y linfoma no hodgkiniano (1 ; todos ellos atendidos en el Servicio de Hematología de nuestro centro. La media del conteo de células CD34+ por cada leucoféresis para trasplante autólogo fue 2,4 x 106 Kg y en el alogénico 2,96 x 106 Kg . Los resultados evidencian que mediante el ajuste del volumen de los ciclos, la velocidad centrífuga, el volumen de rebosado y el volumen celular, se obtuvo un conteo de células precursoras hematopoyéticas en la colecta similar a lo reportado por otros autores, lo que garantiza que el producto transfundido cuente con la celularidad necesaria para repoblar la médula ósea, luego que el paciente sea tratado con altas dosis de terapia inmunosupresora y/o radiacionesA descriptive study of all the collections of hematopoietic progenitor cells obtained by leukophoresis at the Blood Bank of "Hermanos Ameijeiras" Hospital from April, 2001, to April, 2002, was conducted. A continual flow equipment (FRESENIUS

Infusion of Hematopoietic Stem Cells: Types, Characteristics, Adverse and Transfusion Reactions and the Implications for Nursing Infusión de células madre hematopoyéticas: tipos, características, reacciones adversas y de transfusión y sus implicaciones para la enfermería Infusão de células-tronco hematopoéticas: tipos, características, reações adversas e transfusionais e implicações para a enfermagem

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Ana Carolina de Jesus Vieira Curcioli

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Hematopoietic stem cell infusion is an important procedure in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT. This study identifies transfusion and other adverse reactions that can occur during infusion and the nursing care related to the procedure. This epidemiologic study used transplantations performed between 2006 and 2008. A total of 166 transplantations were performed: 114 were autologous, 47 allogeneic and five haploidentical. Three transfusion reactions and 96 adverse reactions were observed. Adverse reactions were related to the presence of cryoprotectant, though the infusion rate and quantity of infused cryoprotectant were not related to the occurrence of reactions. The products were fresh and infused within the recommended time when transfusion reactions occurred. In regard to cell source, lower engraftment time was found in peripheral blood. Nursing documentation is relevant for patients' safety as well to planning an infusion in order to minimize the occurrence of reactions.La infusión de las células madre hematopoyéticas es un importante procedimiento en el trasplante de células madre hematopoyéticas. Este estudio se propuso identificar las reacciones adversas y de transfusión que pueden ocurrir durante la infusión y los cuidados de enfermería inherentes al procedimiento. Se trata de un estudio epidemiológico en trasplantes ocurridos en los años de 2006 a 2008. En ese período ocurrieron 166 trasplantes, siendo 114 autólogos, 47 alogénicos y 5 haploidénticos. Se observaron tres reacciones de transfusión y 96 reacciones adversas. Las reacciones adversas están ligadas a presencia del crioprotector. Sin embargo, la velocidad de infusión y la cantidad del crioprotector infundido, no tuvieron relación con la ocurrencia de las reacciones. En las reacciones de transfusión, los productos eran frescos e infundidos con la velocidad preconizada. En cuanto a las fuentes de células, hubo menor tiempo de injerto en la sangre

Purely in silico BCS classification: science based quality standards for the world's drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Dahan, Arik; Wolk, Omri; Kim, Young Hoon; Ramachandran, Chandrasekharan; Crippen, Gordon M; Takagi, Toshihide; Bermejo, Marival; Amidon, Gordon L

2013-11-04

BCS classification is a vital tool in the development of both generic and innovative drug products. The purpose of this work was to provisionally classify the world's top selling oral drugs according to the BCS, using in silico methods. Three different in silico methods were examined: the well-established group contribution (CLogP) and atom contribution (ALogP) methods, and a new method based solely on the molecular formula and element contribution (KLogP). Metoprolol was used as the benchmark for the low/high permeability class boundary. Solubility was estimated in silico using a thermodynamic equation that relies on the partition coefficient and melting point. The validity of each method was affirmed by comparison to reference data and literature. We then used each method to provisionally classify the orally administered, IR drug products found in the WHO Model list of Essential Medicines, and the top-selling oral drug products in the United States (US), Great Britain (GB), Spain (ES), Israel (IL), Japan (JP), and South Korea (KR). A combined list of 363 drugs was compiled from the various lists, and 257 drugs were classified using the different in silico permeability methods and literature solubility data, as well as BDDCS classification. Lastly, we calculated the solubility values for 185 drugs from the combined set using in silico approach. Permeability classification with the different in silico methods was correct for 69-72.4% of the 29 reference drugs with known human jejunal permeability, and for 84.6-92.9% of the 14 FDA reference drugs in the set. The correlations (r(2)) between experimental log P values of 154 drugs and their CLogP, ALogP and KLogP were 0.97, 0.82 and 0.71, respectively. The different in silico permeability methods produced comparable results: 30-34% of the US, GB, ES and IL top selling drugs were class 1, 27-36.4% were class 2, 22-25.5% were class 3, and 5.46-14% were class 4 drugs, while ∼8% could not be classified. The WHO list

The diurnal order of the image in Dracula

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Claudio Vescia Zanini

2015-02-01

Full Text Available the article analyses images from Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula having as a main theoretical frame the Diurnal regime of the Image, proposed by Gilbert Durand in The Anthropological Structures of the Imaginary and presented by Durand himself as the “order of antithesis”. By presenting the main kinds of images proposed by Durand in binary pairs (theriomorphic and diæretic, nyctomorphic and spectacular, catamorphic and ascensional, the analysis proposed here aims at staying in tune with both the theoretical approach and the context of production of the novel. Victorian England at the end of the nineteenth century was a time of anxieties, fears and doubts, recurrent in the Victorian cultural production as a whole and well-depicted in Dracula, a work where binary oppositions also seem to be recurrent: life and death, good and evil, moral and desire, among others. The focus is on how the main character is perceived by the other characters, which ultimately affects our perception as readers. Images related to animals, colors, weapons and movements are also included in the analysis. The conclusion points out that the Diurnal Order is a prolific and coherent approach towards an understanding of Bram Stoker’s vampire novel.

Prophetic Visions, Quality Serials: Twin Peaks’ new mode of storytelling

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Mikhail L. Skoptsov

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Following the April 1990 debut of Twin Peaks on ABC, the vision - a sequence of images that relates information of the narrative future or past – has become a staple of numerous network, basic cable and premium cable serials, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB, Battlestar Galactica (SyFy and Game of Thrones (HBO. This paper argues that Peaks in effect had introduced a mode of storytelling called “visio-narrative,” which draws on ancient epic poetry by focusing on main characters that receive knowledge from enigmatic, god-like figures that control his world. Their visions disrupt linear storytelling, allowing a series to embrace the formal aspects of the medium and create the impression that its disparate episodes constitute a singular whole. This helps them qualify as ‘quality TV’, while disguising instances of authorial manipulation evident within the texts as products of divine internal causality.As a result, all narrative events, no matter how coincidental or inconsequential, become part of a grand design. Close examination of Twin Peaks and Carnivàle will demonstrate how the mode operates, why it is popular among modern storytellers and how it can elevate a show’s cultural status.

A comparison of two methods of teaching. Computer managed instruction and keypad questions versus traditional classroom lecture.

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Halloran, L

1995-01-01

Computers increasingly are being integrated into nursing education. One method of integration is through computer managed instruction (CMI). Recently, technology has become available that allows the integration of keypad questions into CMI. This brings a new type of interactivity between students and teachers into the classroom. The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in achievement between a control group taught by traditional classroom lecture (TCL) and an experimental group taught using CMI and keypad questions. Both control and experimental groups consisted of convenience samples of junior nursing students in a baccalaureate program taking a medical/surgical nursing course. Achievement was measured by three instructor-developed multiple choice examinations. Findings demonstrated that although the experimental group demonstrated increasingly higher test scores as the semester progressed, no statistical difference was found in achievement between the two groups. One reason for this may be phenomenon of vampire video. Initially, the method of presentation overshadowed the content. As students became desensitized to the method, they were able to focus and absorb more content. This study suggests that CMI and keypads are a viable teaching option for nursing education. It is equal to TCL in student achievement and provides a new level of interaction in the classroom setting.

Trypanosoma evansi and Surra: A Review and Perspectives on Origin, History, Distribution, Taxonomy, Morphology, Hosts, and Pathogenic Effects

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Marc Desquesnes

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Trypanosoma evansi, the agent of “surra,” is a salivarian trypanosome, originating from Africa. It is thought to derive from Trypanosoma brucei by deletion of the maxicircle kinetoplastic DNA (genetic material required for cyclical development in tsetse flies. It is mostly mechanically transmitted by tabanids and stomoxes, initially to camels, in sub-Saharan area. The disease spread from North Africa towards the Middle East, Turkey, India, up to 53° North in Russia, across all South-East Asia, down to Indonesia and the Philippines, and it was also introduced by the conquistadores into Latin America. It can affect a very large range of domestic and wild hosts including camelids, equines, cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs and other carnivores, deer, gazelles, and elephants. It found a new large range of wild and domestic hosts in Latin America, including reservoirs (capybaras and biological vectors (vampire bats. Surra is a major disease in camels, equines, and dogs, in which it can often be fatal in the absence of treatment, and exhibits nonspecific clinical signs (anaemia, loss of weight, abortion, and death, which are variable from one host and one place to another; however, its immunosuppressive effects interfering with intercurrent diseases or vaccination campaigns might be its most significant and questionable aspect.

Dynamic Duos? Jamaican Fruit Bats (Artibeus jamaicensis Do Not Show Prosocial Behavior in a Release Paradigm

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Eric Hoffmaster

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Once thought to be uniquely human, prosocial behavior has been observed in a number of species, including vampire bats that engage in costly food-sharing. Another social chiropteran, Jamaican fruit bats (Artibeus jamaicensis, have been observed to engage in cooperative mate guarding, and thus might be expected to display prosocial behavior as well. However, frugivory and hematophagy diets may impose different selection pressures on prosocial preferences, given that prosocial preferences may depend upon cognitive abilities selected by different ecological constraints. Thus, we assessed whether Jamaican fruit bats would assist a conspecific in an escape paradigm in which a donor could opt to release a recipient from an enclosure. The test apparatus contained two compartments—one of which was equipped with a sensor that, once triggered, released the trap door of the adjacent compartment. Sixty-six exhaustive pairs of 12 bats were tested, with each bat in each role, twice when the recipient was present and twice when absent. Bats decreased their behavior of releasing the trapdoor in both conditions over time, decreasing the behavior slightly more rapidly in the recipient absent condition. Bats did not release the door more often when recipients were present, regardless of the recipient; thus, there was no clear evidence of prosocial behavior.

Avaliação da Barreira Hemato-Encefálica no transplante de medula óssea Blood-Brain Barrier evaluation in bone marrow transplantation

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Sérgio Monteiro de Almeida

1997-01-01

Full Text Available A barreira hemato-encefálica (BHE contribui para o isolamento imunológico do sistema nervoso central (SNC. Sua avaliação nunca foi realizada em pacientes submetidos a transplante de medula óssea (TMO. Neste estudo a integridade da BHE foi avaliada através das proteínas do LCR, de forma quantitativa, a fim de observar a incidência e entender a fisiopatologia da doença do enxerto contra o hospedeiro crônica (DECH-C no SNC. Foram estudadas amostras pareadas de LCR e soro de 33 pacientes com leucemia mielóide crônica submetidos a TMO alogênico, de doador aparentado, HLA idêntico. As amostras foram coletadas nos períodos pré TMO, pós TMO e concomitante à DECH-C. Não foi evidenciada quebra de BHE durante a DECH-C em nenhum dos casos estudados.The blood-brain barrier (BBB contributes to the central nervous system (CNS immunological isolation. BBB has never been studied in patients who developed chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD after allogeneic bone marrow transplants (BMT, from HLA identical related donors. BBB disruption was investigated through the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF proteins, quantitative and graphically, in order to detect the incidence and possible pathophysiology of the CNS involvement in chronic GVHD. Thirty three CSF and matched serum samples from chronic myeloid leukemia patients were collected pre BMT, pos BMT and during chronic GVHD. There was no evidence of BBB disruption in any patient studied.

Células tronco mesenquimales: definiciones, cultivo y aplicaciones potenciales

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Willy Ceron

Full Text Available En los últimos años, las células troncales mesenquimales (Mesenchymal Stem Cells, MSC han adquirido mucha importancia debido a su gran plasticidad y su capacidad de liberar factores paracrinos con capacidad de interactuar con diversos tipos celulares, tejidos y órganos. El uso de MSC en medicina regenerativa es importante debido a que, al no expresar las moléculas del complejo mayor de histocompatibilidad (MHC clase II ni moléculas co-estimuladoras y tener baja expresión del MHC clase I, haría que no sean rechazadas por individuos de la misma especie, es posible utilizarlas no sólo de manera autóloga, sino también, eventualmente, alogénica. Sin embargo, es importante demostrar científicamente muchas de sus propiedades, entre ellas las inmunomoduladoras. Al tener varias fuentes de obtención, se debe estandarizar la que sea la mejor para garantizar la pureza y calidad de las MSC. Finalmente, es importante que cuando se trabaje con estas células se demuestre completamente las características del cultivo celular, la inmunotipificación y su capacidad de diferenciación. Se están ensayando muchas aplicaciones clínicas de las MSC. Dentro de ellas, su capacidad para mejorar la recuperación y potencial curación de úlceras crónicas como las diabéticas, ha atraído la atención por su potencial impacto terapéutico.

WEB LOG EXPLORER – CONTROL OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL DYNAMICS OF WEB PAGES

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Mislav Šimunić

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Demand markets dictate and pose increasingly more requirements to the supplymarket that are not easily satisfied. The supply market presenting its web pages to thedemand market should find the best and quickest ways to respond promptly to the changesdictated by the demand market. The question is how to do that in the most efficient andquickest way. The data on the usage of web pages on a specific web site are recorded in alog file. The data in a log file are stochastic and unordered and require systematicmonitoring, categorization, analyses, and weighing. From the data processed in this way, itis necessary to single out and sort the data by their importance that would be a basis for acontinuous generation of dynamics/changes to the web site pages in line with the criterionchosen. To perform those tasks successfully, a new software solution is required. For thatpurpose, the authors have developed the first version of the WLE (WebLogExplorersoftware solution, which is actually realization of web page multidimensionality and theweb site as a whole. The WebLogExplorer enables statistical and semantic analysis of a logfile and on the basis thereof, multidimensional control of the web page dynamics. Theexperimental part of the work was done within the web site of HTZ (Croatian NationalTourist Board being the main portal of the global tourist supply in the Republic of Croatia(on average, daily "log" consists of c. 600,000 sets, average size of log file is 127 Mb, andc. 7000-8000 daily visitors on the web site.

Promiscuity and selectivity of bitter molecules and their receptors.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Pizio, Antonella; Niv, Masha Y

2015-07-15

Bitter taste is essential for survival, as it protects against consuming poisonous compounds, which are often bitter. Bitter taste perception is mediated by bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs), a subfamily of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). The number of TAS2R subtypes is species-dependent, and varies from 3 in chicken to 50 in frog. TAS2Rs present an intriguing case for studying promiscuity: some of the receptors are still orphan, or have few known agonists, while others can be activated by numerous, structurally dissimilar compounds. The ligands also vary in the repertoire of TAS2Rs that they activate: some bitter compounds are selective toward a single TAS2R, while others activate multiple TAS2Rs. Selectivity/promiscuity profile of bitter taste receptors and their compounds was explored by a chemoinformatic approach. TAS2R-promiscuous and TAS2R-selective bitter molecules were found to differ in chemical features, such as AlogP, E-state, total charge, number of rings, globularity, and heavy atom count. This allowed the prediction of bitter ligand selectivity toward TAS2Rs. Interestingly, while promiscuous TAS2Rs are activated by both TAS2R-promiscuous and TAS2R-selective compounds, almost all selective TAS2Rs in human are activated by promiscuous compounds, which are recognized by other TAS2Rs anyway. Thus, unique ligands, that may have been the evolutionary driving force for development of selective TAS2Rs, still need to be unraveled. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sustitutos e injertos de piel desarrollados por ingeniería de tejidos

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María Inés Chaves-Rodríguez

2015-05-01

Full Text Available La reconstrucción de tejidos y órganos mediante ingeniería de tejidos ha permitido la elaboración y comercialización de diversos sustitutos o equivalentes epiteliales, que han sido utilizados desde hace más de 30 años a escala internacional para el tratamiento de lesiones en pacientes humanos. Estos injertos o implantes se confeccionan con materiales biodegradables (naturales o polímeros sintéticos que sirven como matrices para la adhesión y proliferación celular y pueden contener células de diversos orígenes (autólogas, alogénicas o xenogénicas. Su principal ventaja clínica consiste en proporcionar una reepitelización efectiva en lesiones de gran extensión, lo que es particularmente relevante cuando hay poco tejido disponible para hacer autoinjertos. Además, ofrecen una cobertura al lecho de la lesión, evitando la deshidratación y las infecciones microbianas. Sin embargo, aún existen numerosos retos para asegurar la funcionalidad inmediata y la permanencia a largo plazo de los implantes, así como la reproducción exacta de la estructura y fisiología normal del tejido. En Costa Rica, el Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología del Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica cuenta con el único laboratorio en el país dedicado al cultivo in vitro de células de piel para la reconstrucción de equivalentes epiteliales con fines terapéuticos.

Feminist Aliens, Black Vampires, and Gay Witches: Creating a Critical Polis Using SF Television in the College Composition Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Eyestone, Dawn

2013-01-01

The ability to "critically" consume entertainment media is a necessary skill for an educated and functional society--a polis; however, contemporary college students are experienced consumers of pop culture but not necessarily critical ones. Since categories of identity (race, class, gender, sexual orientation, dis/ability, culture) are…

Molecular Detection of Bartonella Species in Blood-Feeding Bat Flies from Mexico.

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Moskaluk, Alexandra E; Stuckey, Matthew J; Jaffe, David A; Kasten, Rickie W; Aguilar-Setién, Alvaro; Olave-Leyva, José Ignacio; Galvez-Romero, Guillermo; Obregón-Morales, Cirani; Salas-Rojas, Mónica; García-Flores, María Martha; Aréchiga-Ceballos, Nidia; García-Baltazar, Anahí; Chomel, Bruno B

2018-05-01

Bartonellae are emerging blood-borne bacteria that have been recovered from a wide range of mammalian species and arthropod vectors around the world. Bats are now recognized as a potential wildlife reservoir for a diverse number of Bartonella species, including the zoonotic Candidatus B. mayotimonensis. These bat-borne Bartonella species have also been detected in the obligate ectoparasites of bats, such as blood-feeding flies, which could transmit these bacteria within bat populations. To better understand this potential for transmission, we investigated the relatedness between Bartonella detected or isolated from bat hosts sampled in Mexico and their ectoparasites. Bartonella spp. were identified in bat flies collected on two bat species, with the highest prevalence in Trichobius parasiticus and Strebla wiedemanni collected from common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus). When comparing Bartonella sequences from a fragment of the citrate synthase gene (gltA), vector-associated strains were diverse and generally close to, but distinct from, those recovered from their bacteremic bat hosts in Mexico. Complete Bartonella sequence concordance was observed in only one bat-vector pair. The diversity of Bartonella strains in bat flies reflects the frequent host switch by bat flies, as they usually do not live permanently on their bat host. It may also suggest a possible endosymbiotic relationship with these vectors for some of the Bartonella species carried by bat flies, whereas others could have a mammalian host.

SAT's infrared equipment using second-generation detectors

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Siriex, Michel B.

1995-09-01

In 1982 SAT proposed for the first time a second generation detector in the design of FLIRs for the TRIGAT program, since then different types of IR equipment have been developed on the basis of this technology: (1) An infra-red seeker for the MICA missile. (2) Three types of IRST: VAMPIR MB for naval applications, SIRENE for the Army and OSF for the Rafale aircraft. (3) Three thermal imagers: Condor 1 for the mast mounted sight equipping the long range anti tank system, Tiger installed on the sight of the medium range antitank system, and Condor 2 for the pilot sight of the TRIGAT French-German helicopter. Infra-red detectors are MCT IR-CCD focal plane arrays developed by SOFRADIR with the objective of the best standardization possible in spite of different configurations and specifications for each program. In this paper, we intend to present the main features of this technology for these programs and the advantages obtained by comparison with the first generation in terms of performance. Industrialization of these products is starting now, and a specific effort has been made to standardize the components, especially the driving and read out electronics. A set of ASICs has been developed to make compact detection modules including a detector in his dewar, a cooling machine, and a proximity electronic.

Assessment of radiopacity of restorative composite resins with various target distances and exposure times and a modified aluminum step wedge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bejeh Mir, Arash Poorsattar [Dentistry Student Research Committee (DSRC), Dental Materials Research Center, Dentistry School, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Bejeh Mir, Morvarid Poorsattar [Private Practice of Orthodontics, Montreal, Quebec (Canada)

2012-09-15

ANSI/ADA has established standards for adequate radiopacity. This study was aimed to assess the changes in radiopacity of composite resins according to various tube-target distances and exposure times. Five 1-mm thick samples of Filtek P60 and Clearfil composite resins were prepared and exposed with six tube-target distance/exposure time setups (i.e., 40 cm, 0.2 seconds; 30 cm, 0.2 seconds; 30 cm, 0.16 seconds, 30 cm, 0.12 seconds; 15 cm, 0.2 seconds; 15 cm, 0.12 seconds) performing at 70 kVp and 7 mA along with a 12-step aluminum stepwedge (1 mm incremental steps) using a PSP digital sensor. Thereafter, the radiopacities measured with Digora for Windows software 2.5 were converted to absorbencies (i.e., A=-log (1-G/255)), where A is the absorbency and G is the measured gray scale). Furthermore, the linear regression model of aluminum thickness and absorbency was developed and used to convert the radiopacity of dental materials to the equivalent aluminum thickness. In addition, all calculations were compared with those obtained from a modified 3-step stepwedge (i.e., using data for the 2nd, 5th, and 8th steps). The radiopacities of the composite resins differed significantly with various setups (p<0.001) and between the materials (p<0.001). The best predicted model was obtained for the 30 cm 0.2 seconds setup (R2=0.999). Data from the reduced modified stepwedge was remarkable and comparable with the 12-step stepwedge. Within the limits of the present study, our findings support that various setups might influence the radiopacity of dental materials on digital radiographs.

Estudio retrospectivo de la aplicación de la amplificación génica cualitativa en muestras biológicas para el seguimiento de la toxoplasmosis en pacientes pediátricos receptores de trasplante de células progenitoras hematopoyéticas

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Mónica G Nigro

Full Text Available La toxoplasmosis es una infección oportunista causada por el parásito Toxoplasma gondii; su infección es grave y de difícil diagnóstico en pacientes que reciben un trasplante alogénico de células progenitoras hematopoyéticas (TCPH. En el Hospital de Pediatría S.A.M.I.C. "Profesor Dr. Juan P. Garrahan"� se realizó la vigilancia postrasplante de 12 pacientes receptores de TCPH mediante la técnica de PCR cualitativa. La necesidad de seguimiento de estos pacientes fue definida por el antecedente de serología positiva para toxoplasmosis en el donante o receptor y ante la imposibilidad de iniciar el uso profiláctico de trimetoprima-sulfametoxazol a causa de la condición hematológica. Dos pacientes presentaron signos de enfermedad por T. gondii con resultado de PCR positivo y recibieron tratamiento con pirimetamina-clindamicina. En otros dos, la toxoplasmosis fue causa de muerte y hallazgo de autopsia, con resultado de PCR negativo. Cuatro pacientes recibieron tratamiento contra toxoplasmosis por la detección de una PCR positiva, sin manifestaciones clínicas. En los cuatro pacientes restantes no se detectaron signos de enfermedad por toxoplasmosis, con resultados de PCR negativos durante el seguimiento. La técnica de PCR cualitativa demostró ser útil para detectar la reactivación de la toxoplasmosis en receptores de TCPH, pero tiene limitaciones para el seguimiento y la toma de decisiones clínicas en pacientes con PCR positiva que persiste en el tiempo y manifestaciones de toxicidad por el tratamiento.

Ordering blood tests for patients with unexplained fatigue in general practice: what does it yield? Results of the VAMPIRE trial.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koch, H.; Bokhoven, M.A. van; Riet, G. ter; Alphen-Jager, J.T. van; Weijden, T.T. van der; Dinant, G.J.; Bindels, P.J.

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: Unexplained fatigue is frequently encountered in general practice. Because of the low prior probability of underlying somatic pathology, the positive predictive value of abnormal (blood) test results is limited in such patients. AIM: The study objectives were to investigate the

Ordering blood tests for patients with unexplained fatigue in general practice: what does it yield? Results of the VAMPIRE trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koch, Hèlen; van Bokhoven, Marloes A.; ter Riet, Gerben; van Alphen-Jager, Jm Tineke; van der Weijden, Trudy; Dinant, Geert-Jan; Bindels, Patrick Je

2009-01-01

Background Unexplained fatigue is frequently encountered in general practice. Because of the low prior probability of underlying somatic pathology, the positive predictive value of abnormal (blood) test results is limited in such patients. Aim The study objectives were to investigate the

Consenso brasileiro em transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas: comitê de hemoglobinopatias Brazilian consensus meeting on stem cell transplantation: hemoglobinopathies comittee

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Belinda P. Simões

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Os distúrbios hereditários das hemoglobinas são as doenças genéticas mais frequentes do homem e mais difundidas no mundo, abrangendo sobretudo continentes como África, Américas, Europa e extensas regiões da Ásia. Estima-se que haja 270 milhões de portadores de hemoglobinopatias no mundo, dos quais 80 milhões são portadores de talassemia. Aproximadamente 60 mil crianças nascem anualmente no mundo com talassemia e 250 mil com anemia falciforme, dando uma frequência de 2,4 crianças afetadas para cada 1.000 nascimentos. No Brasil, a doenca falciforme é a doença hereditária monogênica mais comum, estimando-se que haja entre 20 a 30 mil pacientes portadores desta doenca. O transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas alogênico (TCTH alo é atualmente a única modalidade terapêutica capaz de curar pacientes com hemoglobinopatias. Neste artigo discutiremos os dados disponíveis na literatura e sugerimos os critérios para a indicação do TCTH nas hemoglobinopatias.Hemoglobinopathies are the most prevalent genetic diseases in man. Most cases are described in Europe, Africa and in the Americas. About 270 million hemoglobinopathy carriers are alive today with 80 million being carriers of thalassemia. We estimate that, throughout the world, about 60,000 children are born annually with thalassemia and 250,000 with sickle cell disease with an estimated frequency of 2.4 children in every 1000 births. Sickle cell disease is the most common monogenic hereditary disease in Brazil with a total of from 20,000 to 30,000 patients. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is the only curative approach. Here we describe published data and propose criteria to indicate stem cell transplantation in thalassemia and sickle cell disease patients.

Uso de medicamentos inmunosupresores en pacientes con trasplante renal, hepático y de médula ósea, en una clínica de nivel III de Bogotá.

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Jorge J. López G.

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Antecedentes. El trasplante de órganos en la actualidad es una opción terapéutica para los pacientes que cursan estadíos terminales de ciertas patologías; el uso de inmunosupresores contribuye en gran medida a la efectividad de este tipo de tratamientos, ya que es fundamental para evitar el rechazo. El no seguimiento del consumo de medicamentos nuevos, como es el caso de los inmunosupresores que suelen tener precios relativamente elevados, junto con la ampliación injustificada de indicaciones, puede ocasionar un aumento de los costos de la terapia farmacológica y, lo más importante, causar riesgos en el paciente trasplantado. Objetivos. Describir y caracterizar el uso de medicamentos inmunosupresores en pacientes con trasplante renal, de médula ósea alogénico y hepático. Material y métodos. Estudio observacional-descriptivo de corte transversal con recolección retrospectiva de la información a un año. Se trata de un estudio de utilización de medicamentos sobre hábitos de prescripción. Resultados. El desenlace global de la terapia del trasplante produce resultados satisfactorios en un 92,5 por ciento (49 pacientes, 5,7 por ciento (3 pacientes presentan rechazo con retiro del injerto, mientras que un paciente fallece después de ser sometido al trasplante. El medicamento más prescrito es el micofenolato de mofetil, con 41 prescripciones (28%, mientras que el más consumido es la prednisona con 2,38 dosis diaria definidas /100 pacientes/día. Conclusiones. Se evidencia la presencia de micofenolato, ciclosporina y corticoides en la mayoría de los esquemas con algunas prescripciones de anticuerpos monoclonales y globulina antitimocítica.

« Brouillard sanglant » sur Sunnydale !

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Isabelle-Rachel Casta

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Le « Buffyverse » (l’univers de Buffy contre les Vampires, créé par Joss Whedon, 1997-2003 a tellement fasciné le public – du cœur de cible original à l’ensemble du spectre des âges au fil des saisons – qu’il a connu toute une série de mutations génériques et transmédiatiques, propres à prolonger et diversifier le plaisir de la rencontre. L’« Urtext » de BtVS est un film complètement raté, devenu « culte » par le contraste entre son échec cuisant et l’éclatante réussite de la série ; série qui elle-même sera l’objet d’un spin-off entre l’œuvre matricielle et un épigone, Angel, axé sur le personnage du vampire romantique dont s’est éprise la tueuse. D’autre part, une cinquantaine de romans viendront essaimer autour des scénarios originaux, instaurant ce qu’on appelle un « univers étendu », par le biais d’une multitude de réalités alternatives où se meuvent les personnages. Des produits dérivés aux « fanzines », des jeux vidéo aux « quiz » régulièrement proposés, des « guides » à l’édition de la BO, c’est toute une industrie qui se déploie autour du « scooby gang » (Buffy et ses meilleurs amis, pour garder, bien après l’arrêt officiel du feuilleton (2003, l’effervescence et la passion suscitées par cette histoire d’amour et de mort, typique de ce que la dark fantasy peut produire de meilleur. Le réalisateur lui-même, à jamais amoureux fou de son héroïne, continue de la « dessiner » sous forme de BD, esquissant une « huitième saison » déjà mythique, pour oublier peut-être l’impossibilité de continuer le show avec l’actrice principale, Sarah Michelle Gellar, sur qui tout reposait. Cette étude souhaite donc montrer comment et pourquoi cette série a soulevé un tel enthousiasme, une telle ferveur – et comment sa dissémination transmédiatique participe du culte que lui rendent ses fans.  Adressée d’abord aux

Microbat paraphyly and the convergent evolution of a key innovation in Old World rhinolophoid microbats.

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Teeling, Emma C; Madsen, Ole; Van den Bussche, Ronald A; de Jong, Wilfried W; Stanhope, Michael J; Springer, Mark S

2002-02-05

Molecular phylogenies challenge the view that bats belong to the superordinal group Archonta, which also includes primates, tree shrews, and flying lemurs. Some molecular studies also challenge microbat monophyly and instead support an alliance between megabats and representative rhinolophoid microbats from the families Rhinolophidae (horseshoe bats, Old World leaf-nosed bats) and Megadermatidae (false vampire bats). Another molecular study ostensibly contradicts these results and supports traditional microbat monophyly, inclusive of representative rhinolophoids from the family Nycteridae (slit-faced bats). Resolution of the microbat paraphyly/monophyly issue is essential for reconstructing the temporal sequence and deployment of morphological character state changes associated with flight and echolocation in bats. If microbats are paraphyletic, then laryngeal echolocation either evolved more than once in different microbats or was lost in megabats after evolving in the ancestor of all living bats. To examine these issues, we used a 7.1-kb nuclear data set for nine outgroups and twenty bats, including representatives of all rhinolophoid families. Phylogenetic analyses and statistical tests rejected both Archonta and microbat monophyly. Instead, bats are in the superorder Laurasiatheria and microbats are paraphyletic. Further, the superfamily Rhinolophoidea is polyphyletic. The rhinolophoid families Rhinolophidae and Megadermatidae belong to the suborder Yinpterochiroptera along with rhinopomatids and megabats. The rhinolophoid family Nycteridae belongs to the suborder Yangochiroptera along with vespertilionoids, noctilionoids, and emballonuroids. These results resolve the apparent conflict between previous molecular studies that sampled different rhinolophoid families. An important implication of rhinolophoid polyphyly is independent evolution of key anatomical innovations associated with the nasal-emission of echolocation pulses.

Re-emergence of rabies virus maintained by canid populations in Paraguay.

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Amarilla, A C F; Pompei, J C A; Araujo, D B; Vázquez, F A; Galeano, R R; Delgado, L M; Bogado, G; Colman, M; Sanabria, L; Iamamoto, K; Garcia, R; Assis, D; Recalde, R; Martorelli, L F; Quiñones, E; Cabello, A; Martini, M; Cosivi, O; Durigon, E L; Favoretto, S R

2018-02-01

Paraguay has registered no human cases of rabies since 2004, and the last case in dogs, reported in 2009, was due to a variant maintained in the common vampire bat "Desmodus rotundus". In 2014, a dog was diagnosed as positive for rabies with aggression towards a boy and all required measures of control were successfully adopted. Epidemiological investigation revealed that the dog was not vaccinated and had been attacked by a crab-eating fox, "zorro" (Cerdocyon thous). The sample was diagnosed by the Official Veterinary Service of the Country and sent to the Center on Rabies Research from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, for antigenic and genetic characterization. A second sample from a dog positive for rabies in the same region in 2015 and 11 samples from a rabies outbreak from Asuncion in 1996 were also characterized. The antigenic profile of the samples, AgV2, was compatible with one of the variants maintained by dogs in Latin America. In genetic characterization, the samples segregated in the canine (domestic and wild species)-related group in an independent subgroup that also included samples from Argentina. These results and the epidemiology of the case indicate that even with the control of rabies in domestic animals, the virus can still circulate in wildlife and may be transmitted to domestic animals and humans, demonstrating the importance of continuous and improved surveillance and control of rabies, including in wild species, to prevent outbreaks in controlled areas. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Whole genome sequence phylogenetic analysis of four Mexican rabies viruses isolated from cattle.

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Bárcenas-Reyes, I; Loza-Rubio, E; Cantó-Alarcón, G J; Luna-Cozar, J; Enríquez-Vázquez, A; Barrón-Rodríguez, R J; Milián-Suazo, F

2017-08-01

Phylogenetic analysis of the rabies virus in molecular epidemiology has been traditionally performed on partial sequences of the genome, such as the N, G, and P genes; however, that approach raises concerns about the discriminatory power compared to whole genome sequencing. In this study we characterized four strains of the rabies virus isolated from cattle in Querétaro, Mexico by comparing the whole genome sequence to that of strains from the American, European and Asian continents. Four cattle brain samples positive to rabies and characterized as AgV11, genotype 1, were used in the study. A cDNA sequence was generated by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) using oligo dT. cDNA samples were sequenced in an Illumina NextSeq 500 platform. The phylogenetic analysis was performed with MEGA 6.0. Minimum evolution phylogenetic trees were constructed with the Neighbor-Joining method and bootstrapped with 1000 replicates. Three large and seven small clusters were formed with the 26 sequences used. The largest cluster grouped strains from different species in South America: Brazil, and the French Guyana. The second cluster grouped five strains from Mexico. A Mexican strain reported in a different study was highly related to our four strains, suggesting common source of infection. The phylogenetic analysis shows that the type of host is different for the different regions in the American Continent; rabies is more related to bats. It was concluded that the rabies virus in central Mexico is genetically stable and that it is transmitted by the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trasplante no mieloablativo de células hematopoyéticas Nonmyeloablative transplantation of haematopoietic cells

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Valia Pavón Morán

2003-12-01

Full Text Available El trasplante de células hematopoyéticas es una opción terapéutica para muchas enfermedades. Los tratamientos preparatorios convencionales están asociados con una alta morbimortalidad por toxicidad sobre órganos y tejidos, lo que limita su indicación a individuos jóvenes y con un estado de salud competente. El papel beneficioso del efecto injerto contra tumor y ante la evidencia de inducción de una nueva remisión con infusión de linfocitos del donante, en pacientes que recayeron después de un trasplante alogénico, sentaron las bases para el desarrollo de tratamientos preparatorios menos agresivos, no mieloablativos, pero sí intensamente inmunosupresores, que permitieran lograr la toma del injerto y un estado de quimerismo mixto que pudiera ser modulado a un estado de quimera total. Los resultados demuestran que puede lograrse el implante después de un tratamiento no mieloablativo. Actualmente están por determinarse los esquemas ideales, así como la terapia inmunosupresora postraThe transplantation of haematopoietic cells is a therapeutic option for many diseases. The conventional preparatory treatments are associated with a high morbimortality due to toxicity over organs and tissues, which limits their indications to young individuals and with a competent health status.The beneficial role of the graft versus tumor effect and the evidence of induction of a new remission with infusion of lymphocytes from the donor in patients that relapsed after an allogeneic transplant, laid the foundations for the development of less aggressive and nonmyeloablative but intensively immunosupressor preparatory treatments that would allow the taking of the graft and a state of mixed chimerism that may be modulated by a state of total chimera. The results show that the implant may be attained after a nonmyeloablative treatment. At present, the ideal schemes, as well as the posttransplant immunosupressor therapy are to be determined

Daño medular espinal: tratamiento y posibles usos de la terapia celular

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Penélope Mantilla F

2017-12-01

Full Text Available El daño medular espinal, representa la principal causa de parálisis (total o parcial, que se acompaña de secuelas irreversibles y de gran impacto negativo para el paciente, entorno familiar y laboral. Con el advenimiento y avances en tecnología, técnicas de inmunohistoquímica, citología y bioingeniería, se han podido desarrollar numerosos estudios a nivel experimental, dirigidos a la recuperación de la función vertebro-espinal, con una inmensa gama de resultados, que sirven de asiento a futuras investigaciones en seres humanos. En su mayoría, evalúan funciones motoras y sensitivas durante las 3 fases de la lesión espinal. Para ello se emplean técnicas de implantación de células madre (de origen alogénico, autólogo o xenogénico a través de la inyección intratecal o directa en parénquima nervioso. Los resultados a nivel experimental son alentadores; sin embargo, aún queda mucho por dilucidar en torno a la formación de la cicatriz glial, de los factores inductores que se expresan y su repercusión en humanos. Las directrices actuales en el tratamiento de la lesión espinal, incluyen desde mejoras en las técnicas de inmovilización y traslado pre-hospitalario del paciente lesionado espinal, pasando por el empleo de fármacos (Esteroides, Lazaroides, Calcio antagonistas, diuréticos osmóticos, etc., hasta el uso de estimulación cortical, epidural y nanoimplantes medulares, así como la aplicación de exoesqueletos y de la Terapia Celular. En este artículo se reúnen los resultados de la revisión de estudios con más de 21mil publicaciones (hasta octubre del 2017, donde se han empleado células madre para tratar la lesión medular espinal (traumática.

Ação dos linfócitos T regulatórios em transplantes T regulatory lymphocytes action in transplants

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Bruno A. Faria

2008-08-01

Full Text Available O sistema imunológico humano possui um significado comum de proteção contra antígenos estranhos com potencialidade patogênica ou não, ativando uma ação coletiva e coordenada entre células e moléculas. Embora sendo um sistema benéfico, deve ser controlado para evitar que auto-antígenos sejam alvejados. Recentemente, por meio de novas técnicas, tem-se observado uma corrente de estudo para as células T CD4+CD25+ Foxp3 como células reguladoras que controlam ativamente a função de outras células imunes impedindo sua atividade e, conseqüentemente, o desenvolvimento de doenças auto-imunes, rejeição de enxerto e combate a células tumorais. Em pacientes submetidos ao transplante alogênico, os mecanismos que levam a hiporresponsividade, assim como os mecanismos que permitem uma maior sobrevida do enxerto ainda são pouco conhecidos. Este artigo aborda uma revisão da literatura sobre as células T regulatórias, vislumbrando uma nova possibilidade de terapia imunomoduladora para pacientes transplantados.The human immune system mounts specific responses against a vast array of foreign antigens, pathogenic or otherwise, activating a coordinated action between cells and molecules. Although this is beneficial, it must be carefully controlled to ensure that normal self antigens are not targeted. Recently, with the development of new techniques, it has been observed that T CD4+CD25+Foxp3 act as regulatory cells which actively control the properties of other immune cells by suppressing their functional activity to prevent autoimmunity and transplant rejection as well as to trigger the immune system against tumor cells. In patients submitted to allogeneic transplantation, specific unresponsive mechanisms and mechanisms that induce and maintain graft tolerance are little understood. This article reviews what is currently known about these so-called regulatory T cells and discusses the potential use of these cells in transplantation

Flora bacteriana aeróbica del tracto digestivo del vampiro común, Desmodus rotundus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae

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Gloriana Chaverri

2006-09-01

Full Text Available El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar la flora bacteriana del vampiro común (Desmodus rotundus primordialmente debido a que los datos al respecto están desactualizados, y además por la gran importancia económica de esta especie de murciélago. Veintiún murciélagos fueron recolectados y su flora bacteriana identificada separadamente a nivel de estómago e intestino. Las bacterias fueron identificadas con el Analytical Profile Index (API, y los resultados analizados con el paquete APILAB. Un total de treinta especies fueron aisladas en 16 hembras y cinco machos. Las especies más comunes fueron Escherichia coli y Staphylococcus aureus, aunque otras especies, como Acinetobacter johnsonii, Enterobacter sakazakii, Staphylococcus chromogenes, S. hyicus y S. xylosus también se aislaron con frecuencia. El número de especies identificadas en el estómago y el intestino fue significativamente diferente, siendo el intestino más diverso. Esto ha sido encontrado anteriormente en otros mamíferos, y se atribuye probablemente a la reducción en acidez. Asimismo, la mayoría de las especies identificadas en este estudio forman parte de la flora bacteriana normal del tracto digestivo de mamíferos, aunque también se encontraron otras bacterias comunes en la piel de mamíferos y en ambientes acuáticos Las bacterias de la piel podrían estar colonizando el estómago y/o intestino del vampiro cuando éste tiene contacto con sus presas, lo que sugiere que el hábito alimentario de esta especie facilita su colonización por microorganismos que no se encontrarían comúnmente en su tracto digestivo. Ya que también se identificaron bacterias comunes en ambientes acuáticos, es probable que D. rotundus consuma agua cuando esté disponible, lo que respalda los resultados de otros investigadores, y sugiere que esta podría ser una fuente adicional de invasión microbiana.Aerobic bacterial flora from the digestive tract of the common vampire bat

Cloning, expression and characterization of a gene from earthworm Eisenia fetida encoding a blood-clot dissolving protein.

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GangQiang Li

Full Text Available A lumbrokinase gene encoding a blood-clot dissolving protein was cloned from earthworm (Eisenia fetida by RT-PCR amplification. The gene designated as CST1 (GenBank No. AY840996 was sequence analyzed. The cDNA consists of 888 bp with an open reading frame of 729 bp, which encodes 242 amino acid residues. Multiple sequence alignments revealed that CST1 shares similarities and conserved amino acids with other reported lumbrokinases. The amino acid sequence of CST1 exhibits structural features similar to those found in other serine proteases, including human tissue-type (tPA, urokinase (uPA, and vampire bat (DSPAα1 plasminogen activators. CST1 has a conserved catalytic triad, found in the active sites of protease enzymes, which are important residues involved in polypeptide catalysis. CST1 was expressed as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3. The molecular mass of recombinant CST1 (rCST was 25 kDa as estimated by SDS-PAGE, and further confirmed by Western Blot analysis. His-tagged rCST1 was purified and renatured using nickel-chelating resin with a recovery rate of 50% and a purity of 95%. The purified, renatured rCST1 showed fibrinolytic activity evaluated by both a fibrin plate and a blood clot lysis assay. rCST1 degraded fibrin on the fibrin plate. A significant percentage (65.7% of blood clot lysis was observed when blood clot was treated with 80 mg/mL of rCST1 in vitro. The antithrombotic activity of rCST1 was 912 units/mg calculated by comparison with the activity of a lumbrokinase standard. These findings indicate that rCST1 has potential as a potent blood-clot treatment. Therefore, the expression and purification of a single lumbrokinase represents an important improvement in the use of lumbrokinases.

First isolation and genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii from bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera).

Science.gov (United States)

Cabral, A D; Gama, A R; Sodré, M M; Savani, E S M M; Galvão-Dias, M A; Jordão, L R; Maeda, M M; Yai, L E O; Gennari, S M; Pena, H F J

2013-03-31

There are currently no reports on the isolation and molecular examination of Toxoplasma gondii from bats. Here, we report the isolation and genotypic characterisation of two T. gondii isolates from bats. A total of 369 bats from different municipalities in São Paulo state, southeastern Brazil, were captured and euthanised, and collected tissues (heart and pectoral muscle) were processed for each bat or in pools of two or three bats and bioassayed in mice (a total of 283 bioassays). Eleven PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) markers were used to genotype positive samples: SAG1, SAG2 (5'-3'SAG2 and alt. SAG2), SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, L358, c22-8, c29-2, PK1, CS3 and Apico. The parasite was isolated from two bats from São Paulo city: an insectivorous bat, the velvety free-tailed bat Molossus molossus, and a hematophagous bat, the common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus. Isolates were designated TgBatBr1 and TgBatBr2, respectively. The genotype of the isolate from M. molossus (TgBatBr1) has been previously described in an isolate from a capybara from São Paulo state, and the genotype from the D. rotundus isolate (TgBatBr2) has already been identified in isolates from cats, chickens, capybaras, sheep, a rodent and a common rabbit from different Brazilian states, suggesting that this may be a common T. gondii lineage circulating in some Brazilian regions. Isolation of T. gondii from a hematophagous species is striking. This study reveals that bats can share the same isolates that are found in domesticated and wild terrestrial animals. This is the first report of the isolation and genotyping of T. gondii in chiropterans. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Actualización bibliográfica sobre el uso de preparaciones ricas en plaquetas en la cicatrización de heridas Updated review of the use of platelet rich preparations in wound healing

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D.A. Mateo de Acosta Andino

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Las plaquetas poseen más de 20 factores de crecimiento en sus gránulos. Su secreción promueve la reparación de heridas. La cicatrización es un intrincado proceso en el cual intervienen no solo los factores plaquetarios proangiogénicos sino también factores antiangiogénicos. La preservación por congelación de las plaquetas empleada para su preservación, desestabiliza y activa la membrana plaquetaria alterando sus propiedades. En el campo del tratamiento de heridas recalcitrantes en pacientes debilitados o con enfermedades crónicas, el uso de preparaciones plaquetarias en forma de plasma fresco congelado, las preparaciones plaquetarias sonicadas, las preparaciones congeladas y deshidratadas y el uso de fragmentos de dermis alogénica, confiere efectos beneficiosos, logrando mejores tiempos de cierre en las heridas y menor alteración de la morfología de la cicatriz final. En el presente artículo, describiremos los estudios que han demostrado estos efectos, así como las encrucijadas actuales y los estudios que debemos esperar en un futuro no lejano.Platelets store more than 20 growth factors in their granules. Their secretion promotes wound healing and repair. The intricate wound healing process involves not only the angiogenic platelet factors but also de anti-angiogenic ones. The process of platelet preservation, such as freezing, disrupt the platelet membrane structure and their angiogenic properties causing platelet activation. In the field of wound healing and the management of recalcitrant wounds in debilitated and chronically ill patients, there have been several studies. These studies have focused on the use of the different platelet preparations such as fresh frozen plasma, frozen-dried platelet rich plasma, sonicated platelet rich plasma and the use of alogenic acelular dermis. Platelet preparations posses positive effects on wound healing with little alterations of the final scar tissue. In this article we will describe

Recommended screening and preventive practices for long-term survivors after hematopoietic cell transplantation Práticas recomendadas para triagem e prevenção de complicações em sobreviventes de longo prazo após transplante de células hematopoéticas

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Navneet Singh Majhail

2012-01-01

ções. Esta revisão fornece as recomendações atualizadas para o diagnóstico precoce e práticas para prevenção de complicações aos sobreviventes de TCH autólogo e alogênico, adultos e crianças.

Enfermedad injerto contra huesped: sus manifestaciones bucales

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Claudia Marcela Hernández Cancino

Full Text Available La enfermedad injerto contra huésped es la principal complicación que sufren los pacientes que han recibido trasplante alogénico. Se produce como consecuencia de una reacción inflamatoria exagerada mediada por los linfocitos del donante y estimulada por aquellos tejidos que han sido lesionados por la enfermedad de base, por las infecciones previas o por el tratamiento de acondicionamiento. El diagnóstico es clínico e histopatológico. Los pacientes presentan rash maculopapular pruriginoso y doloroso que puede extenderse por toda la superficie corporal, fiebre, vómito, náuseas, diarrea y anorexia. En la mucosa bucal se observan erosiones ulceradas, extremamente dolorosas y pueden ser la primera o la única manifestación detectable clínicamente de esta enfermedad. El objetivo es presentar un caso de enfermedad de injerto contra huésped. Se trata de una mujer de 54 años de edad con linfoma no-Hodgking, que recibió tratamiento con quimioterapia, radioterapia y trasplante de células madre hematopoyéticas en el 2009. Tres meses después, presentó lesiones en la piel diagnosticadas como enfermedad injerto contra huésped y tratadas con corticoesteroides, a los seis meses fue remitida al odontólogo porque se quejaba de ardor en la boca, xerostomía y dificultad para masticar, tenía úlceras en la mucosa bucal y en la lengua. En la ocasión recibió tratamiento con corticoesteroides, clorhexidina, orientaciones de higiene bucal y controles clínicos permanentes. Aunque existen protocolos para la prevención y el tratamiento de la enfermedad injerto contra el huésped, su frecuencia ha aumentado en los últimos años debido al incremento en el número de trasplantes. Por esta razón, es fundamental que el odontólogo forme parte del grupo multidisciplinario que asiste al paciente y que esté familiarizado con los signos y síntomas de esta enfermedad en la mucosa bucal, pues las manifestaciones clínicas pueden ser las únicas para

Caracterización fenotípica de células madre mesenquimales humanas de médula ósea y tejido adiposo. Resultados preliminares

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Consuelo Macías-Abraham

Full Text Available Introducción:las células madre mesenquimales (CMM poseen características fenotípicas y funcionalesque les confieren un amplio potencial terapéutico por su posible uso en la terapia celular regenerativa, en el rechazo del trasplante alogénico y en enfermedades inflamatorias crónicas. Objetivo: evaluar la expresión de moléculas de membrana que permiten identificar la expresión de patrones moleculares característicos de CMM humanas mantenidas en cultivo. Métodos: se estudió la expresión fenotípica de células mononucleares procedentes de médula ósea obtenidas mediante aspiración medular, separadas por gradiente de Ficoll y cultivadas ex vivo entre los pases o subcultivos 3 y 16; y adipocitos cultivados procedentes de la extracción enzimática de tejido adiposo de donantes sanos. Se realizó doble marcaje para las moléculas CD34/CD45, CD34/CD90, CD34/CD117, y CD34/CD44. Resultados: en los resultados preliminares obtenidos se observó que las células cultivadas procedentes de médula ósea, entre los pases 4 y 8 de cultivo expresaron 45,13 % de células CD34-/CD45- (doblemente negativas, lo que correspondió con el 25,24 % de células CD34-/CD90+ y el 96,90 % de CD34-/CD117-. En las células procedentes de cultivo de adipocitos se observó el52,3 % de CD34-/CD45- (doblemente negativas,12,31 % de CD34-/CD90+,43,31 % de CD34-/CD117- y 64,68 % de CD34-/CD44+.Estos resultados sugieren que ambos cultivos se diferenciaron a CMM. Las CMM procedentes de adipocitos mostraron el 64,68 % de células con expresión de la molécula de adhesión CD44 a la que se atribuyen propiedades funcionalescomo el asentamiento tisular. Conclusiones: estos resultados preliminares permiten corroborar que ambos métodos experimentales de cultivo son efectivos para la obtención de CMM con fines terapéuticos.

Epidemiology of neglected tropical diseases in transplant recipients: review of the literature and experience of a Brazilian HSCT center Epidemiologia das doenças tropicais negligenciadas em receptores de transplantes: revisão da literatura e experiência de um centro brasileiro

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Clarisse Martins Machado

2009-12-01

manejo das DTNs do Serviço de Transplante de Medula Óssea da Fundação Amaral Carvalho, atualmente o maior centro de TCTH alogênico do Brasil.

Floral visitors and reproductive strategies in five melittophilous species of Bignoniaceae in Southeastern Brazil

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Yuriko A. N. Pinto Yanagizawa

2007-11-01

Full Text Available In order to evaluate the pollination strategies of Bignoniaceae, the floral biology and the floral visitors in five species, three cerrado shrubs (Arrabidaea brachypoda (DC. Bor., Jacaranda decurrens Cham., and Jacaranda oxyphylla Cham., and two lianas from the border of a semideciduous seasonal forest (Arrabidaea samydoides (Cham. Sandw., and Arrabidaea triplinervia H. Baill. were studied in Botucatu, São Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil. The flowering periods were partially overlapping, especially between species in the same habitat. All the five species were functionally allogamous, melittophilous, nototribic and mainly pollinated by long tongued large bees. Some medium-sized and small pollen-foraging bees were occasional legitimate visitors, whereas others visitors were robbers/thieves. Each species showed a particular set of pollinators. Only two pollinator species were observed in more than one bignon. There was no partition of pollinators even among the species of bignons blooming at the same time at the same habitat.Com objetivo de avaliar as estratégias de polinização de espécies de Bignoniaceae, foram estudados a biologia floral e os visitantes florais de cinco espécies, três arbustivas do cerrado (Arrabidaea brachypoda (DC. Bor., Jacaranda decurrens Cham. e Jacaranda oxyphylla Cham. e duas lianas da orla da floresta estacional semidecidual (Arrabidaea samydoides (Cham. Sandw. e Arrabidaea triplinervia H. Baill., na região de Botucatu (22º52'20" S e 48(026'37" W, estado de São Paulo, sudeste do Brasil. Os períodos de florescimento, principalmente entre espécies do mesmo habitat, apresentaram sobreposição parcial. Observou-se que as cinco espécies são alogâmicas funcionais, melitófilas, nototríbicas, polinizadas principalmente por abelhas grandes de língua comprida. Algumas abelhas coletoras de pólen de tamanho médio e pequeno atuaram como polinizadoras ocasionais, enquanto outros visitantes foram pilhadores. Cada

Description of nuclear properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faessler, A.

1991-01-01

The lectures want to give a survey about new developments in the description of nuclei. In a first chapter we try to derive nuclear properties from the basis theory of quantum chromodynamics. This is not rigorously possible. There are still many cracks in the bridge between QCD and nuclear structure. The basic ingredient for nuclear structure calculations is the nucleon-nucleon interaction. We shall discuss the nucleon-nucleon interaction in a quark model. In a further chapter we discuss the way to come from a bare nucleon-nucleon interaction in free space to an effective nucleon-nucleon interaction in a limited model space for nuclear structure calculations. Such nuclear structure calculations can be done as shell model calculations. But they are due to the large number of configurations limited to light nuclei. We discuss possibilities (MONSTER and VAMPIR) to enlarge the model space for medium heavy and heavy nuclei. As the example of the low lying isovector 1 + states we discuss collective models (Bohr - Mottelson Model, interacting Boson Model) with proton and neutron degrees of freedom. The same states can also be described microscopically with the Quasi-Particle Random Phase Approximation (QRPA). We discuss the removal of spurious states in RPA. We also discuss the calculation of form factors and compare with inelastic electron scattering data. Finally we apply QRPA to the double-beta decay. Grand unified models predict, that the neutrino is identical with his antiparticle, that it has a finite mass and a weak right-handed interaction. If these properties are found the standard model of the strong and the electro-weak interaction can not be correct. Presently we can only derive from lower limits of the half lives of neutrinoless double-beta decays upper limits of the neutrino mass and of the right-handedness of the weak interaction and lower limits of the mass of the right handed heavy vector boson, if a specific grand unified model is given. (author)

Hemoglobinúria paroxística noturna: relato de dois casos Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria: two case reports

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Carlos J. Araújo

2002-12-01

Full Text Available A Hemoglobina Paroxística Noturna (HPN é uma doença adquirida da stem cell hematopoética caracterizada por anemia hemolítica crônica, episódios trombóticos, e com freqüência pancitopenia. É uma desordem clonal, causada por mutação somática do gene PIG-A ligado ao cromossomo X, o qual é requisitado para a formação da estrutura da âncora glicosil-fosfatidil-inositol (GPI. A deficiência da GPI ancorada á proteína CD59 explica a hemólise intravascular na PNH, resultando da inabilidade dos eritrócitos inativar a superfície do complemento. Uma imensa relação clínica existe entre HPN e a anemia aplástica (AA. A ausência de GPI ancorada às proteínas é facilmente detectada pelos métodos de citometria de fluxo aplicados aos eritrócitos e leucócitos; os testes de Ham a da sucrose são absolutos. Em algumas vezes o tratamento com corticóides e/ou androgênio é útil. O transplante de medula óssea alogênico é curativo. O objetivo deste artigo é relatar dois casos de HPN com revisão, enfatizando os aspectos fisiopatológicos, clínicos, diagnósticos e tratamento da HPN.Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH is an acquired hematopoietic stem cell disease characterized by chronic hemolytic anemia, thrombotic episodes and often pancytopenia. It is a chronic disorder caused by a somatic mutation of the X-linked gene PIG-A, which is required for formation of the glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPI - anchor structure. Deficiency of the GPI-anchored protein CD59 explains intravascular hemolysis in PNH, which results from the inability of erythrocytes to inactivate the surface complement. A very strong clinical relationship exists between aplastic anemia (AA and PNH. Absence of GPI-anchored proteins is easily detected by flow cytometric methods applied to both erythrocytes and leukocytes; the Ham and sucrose tests are now obsolete. Treatment with glucocorticoids and / or androgen is sometimes helpful. Allogeneic

Reversible posterior leucoencephalopathy syndrome associated with bone marrow transplantation Leucoencefalopatia posterior reversível associada a transplante de medula óssea

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Hélio A.G. Teive

2001-09-01

Full Text Available Reversible posterior leucoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS has previously been described in patients who have renal insufficiency, eclampsia, hypertensive encephalopathy and patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy. The mechanism by which immunosuppressive agents can cause this syndrome is not clear, but it is probably related with cytotoxic effects of these agents on the vascular endothelium. We report eight patients who received cyclosporine A (CSA after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation or as treatment for severe aplastic anemia (SSA who developed posterior leucoencephalopathy. The most common signs and symptoms were seizures and headache. Neurological dysfunction occurred preceded by or concomitant with high blood pressure and some degree of acute renal failure in six patients. Computerized tomography studies showed low-density white matter lesions involving the posterior areas of cerebral hemispheres. Symptoms and neuroimaging abnormalities were reversible and improvement occurred in all patients when given lower doses of CSA or when the drug was withdrawn. RPLS may be considered an expression of CSA neurotoxicity.A síndrome de leucoencefalopatia posterior reversível (SLPR tem sido descrita em pacientes com insuficiência renal, eclâmpsia, encefalopatia hipertensiva e em pacientes que recebem terapia imunossupressora. O mecanismo pelo qual os agentes imunossupressores podem causar a síndrome ainda não são conhecidos, porém estão provavelmente relacionados aos efeitos citotóxicos destes agentes no endotélio vascular. Relatamos oito pacientes que receberam ciclosporina A (CSA após transplante de medula óssea alogênico ou para tratamento de anemia aplástica severa e que desenvolveram a SLPR. Os sinais e sintomas mais comuns foram convulsões e cefaléia. A disfunção neurológica ocorreu simultaneamente ou precedida por elevação da pressão arterial sistêmica e disfunção renal aguda em seis pacientes. O exame de

Occurrence of white-winged vampire bat, Diaemus youngi (Mammalia, Chiroptera, in the Cerrado of Distrito Federal, Brazil Ocorrência de Diaemus youngi (Mammalia, Chiroptera no Cerrado do Distrito Federal

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Ludmilla M. de S. Aguiar

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Authors cite Diaemus youngi (Jentik, 1893 as occurring in all the Brazilian territory. In spite of that, there are no reports of capture sites for D. youngi in the literature for Distrito Federal or Cerrado of Central Brazil. Here we report the first precise record of this species for Central Brazil, rural area of Distrito Federal, and provide information on its biology, conservation and distribution in Brazil, according to our data and information from the literature.A espécie Diaemus youngi (Jentik, 1893 é considerada por alguns autores como ocorrendo para todo o Brasil incluindo o bioma Cerrado e área rural do Distrito Federal. No entanto não há na literatura nenhum registro do local de coleta dessa espécie para essas regiões. Reportamos aqui o primeiro registro no Cerrado do Brasil Central, área rural do Distrito Federal, e alguns dados sobre a biologia, conservação e distribuição geográfica da espécie no Brasil, de acordo com dados desse trabalho e da literatura.

“And You, Vampire, Admiral Napier, Don’t Expect the Banquet”. The Case on the Surveillance of the British Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier in St. Petersburg in 1856

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Aleksandr A. Orlov

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The Crimean War of 1853-1856 provoked the hostility between the Russian and the English peoples. This had contributed to the confrontational thinking in the consciousness of the two peoples. The changes in mentality had for a long time been anchored through the efforts of the authorities and the media of that time (newspapers, magazines and cartoons. Military operations had led to the fact that their members had realized the disparity of the imposed stereotypes. Disappointment with propaganda clichés prompted some British to think over the reason for their personal failure, to get acquainted closer with the life of former enemies and to inform the public of their country about truth. The author carries out the analysis of unpublished archival documents from the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GA RF, which allow talking about the visit of former commander of the Baltic squadron of the English fleet, Vice-Admiral Ch.J. Napier to St. Petersburg in July 1856, and the surveillance of him by the Russian security police. Ch. J. Napier, motivated by the concepts of personal honour, aimed to get the Russian authorities’ confirmation of the correctness of his actions in the maritime campaign of 1854. He partially succeeded, but the Emperor Alexander II was not willing to meet with him. Ch.J. Napier had not succeeded in gaining justification from the British authorities either. Apparently, neither Russian nor British government no longer needed a positive image of the other country. The Russian-British relations had been tense (or worse throughout the rest part of the 19th century. Russia reoriented to France and (to a lesser extent to the United States, while Britain found itself at the threshold of the “splendid isolation” era. Only the appearance of Germany as a dangerous enemy, which had established at the borders of the British colonial possessions in different parts of the world and had finally broken the “balance of powers” in Europe, made London and St. Petersburg forget the disputes and jointly oppose Berlin in 1914.

Antifibrinolíticos e cirurgia cardíaca com circulação extracorpórea Antifibrinolíticos y cirugía cardíaca con circulación extracorpórea Antifibrinolytics and cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass

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Ari-Tadeu Lírio dos Santos

2007-10-01

Full Text Available JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: A cirurgia cardíaca é a especialidade cirúrgica que com mais freqüência está associada a sangramento, coagulopatia e necessidade de derivados de sangue. Os agentes farmacológicos aprotinina, ácido epsilon-aminocapróico e ácido tranexâmico são os mais utilizados para auxiliar na hemostasia dos pacientes submetidos à circulação extracorpórea. O objetivo deste trabalho foi apresentar a fisiopatologia do sangramento em cirurgia cardíaca e a atual situação dos antifibrinolíticos quanto à sua eficácia e complicações quando usados nesses procedimentos, dando maior ênfase ao ácido tranexâmico e à aprotinina. CONTEÚDO: São discutidos os mecanismos pelos quais a circulação extracorpórea provoca alteração na hemostasia e de que maneira os antifibrinolíticos agem para diminuir o sangramento e o uso de sangue alogênico em cirurgia cardíaca. É dada ênfase ao problema do tromboembolismo que pode ocorrer com o emprego desses antifibrinolíticos, com revisão da literatura. CONCLUSÃO: A fibrinólise é um dos principais fatores relacionados com o aumento do sangramento em cirurgia cardíaca com circulação extracorpórea. A inibição da fibrinólise, juntamente com a preservação da função plaquetária, é, provavelmente, o mecanismo pelo qual os antifibrinolíticos diminuem o sangramento. O emprego desses fármacos reduz o sangramento em cirurgia cardíaca com circulação extracorpórea num percentual que pode chegar a 50%. Com relação à preocupação com o tromboembolismo, os ácidos tranexâmico e epsilon-aminocapróico são opções que oferecem maior segurança que a aprotinina.JUSTIFICATIVA Y OBJETIVOS: La cirugía cardiaca es la especialidad quirúrgica que más frecuentemente está asociada al sangramiento, cuagulopatía y con necesidad de derivados de sangre. Los agentes farmacológicos aprotinina, ácido epsilon-aminocapróico y el ácido tranexámico son los más utilizados

Los rostros de Ana: Tres comentarios sobre Darío Morales

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Paul Marcelo Velázquez Sabogal

2016-03-01

where figures like the masturbator and the vampire make their appearance, in order, at last, to broaden the spectrum of meaning around the work of the Cartagena-born artist. Keywords Ambiguous body, life-death, sacred-profane, onanism.

Reactive polymer coatings: A robust platform towards sophisticated surface engineering for biotechnology

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hsien-Yeh

storage time prior to bonding, and (iii) well-defined surface functionalities for subsequent surface modifications. Finally, we have also prepared surface microstructures and surface patterns using reactive coatings via photopatterning, projection lithography, supramolecular nanostamping (SuNS), and vapor-assisted micropatterning in replica structures (VAMPIR). These patterning techniques can be complimentarily used and provide access to precisely confined microenvironments on flat and curved geometries. Reactive coatings provide a technology platform that creates active, long-term control and may lead to improved mimicry of biological systems for effective bio-functional modifications.

Leucemia mieloide crônica e outras doenças mieloproliferativas crônicas Chronic myeloid leukemia and other chronic myeloproliferative disorders

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Vaneuza M. Funke

2010-05-01

Full Text Available A leucemia mieloide crônica (LMC é uma doença clonal da medula óssea caracterizada pela presença do cromossomo Philadelphia (Ph, resultante da translocação entre os cromossomos 9 e 22. O gene híbrido assim formado, BCR-ABL codifica proteínas com atividade de tirosinoquinases que regulam o crescimento celular. A partir da década de 80, o transplante alogênico de células-tronco hematopoéticas (TCTH se tornou tratamento de escolha para pacientes com idade menor que 55 anos de idade e doador compatível. Não obstante, a partir do advento dos inibidores de tirosinoquinases, drogas de alta eficácia e baixa toxicidade, houve uma mudança no algoritmo de tratamento da LMC. As indicações do TCTH foram restritas em decorrência da mortalidade relacionada a este procedimento e o mesilato de imatinibe tornou-se o novo tratamento de escolha para esta enfermidade. No Brasil e possivelmente em outros países em desenvolvimento, as condições socioeconômicas fazem com que o TCTH ainda seja considerado como primeira linha de tratamento em algumas situações. O TCTH permanece indicado nas doenças (ou neoplasias mieloproliferativas, como a mielofibrose primária em situações de alto risco e pacientes portadores de policitemia vera ou trombocitose essencial que tenham evoluído para mielofibrose com características de alto risco.Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML is a clonal disease of the bone marrow characterized by the presence of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph which results from translocation between chromosome nine and 22. The hybrid gene, BCR-ABL, encodes proteins with tyrosine kinase activity that regulate cell growth. From the 80´s allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT has become the treatment of choice for patients younger than 55 years of age and donor. However, from the advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, drugs of high efficacy and low toxicity, there was a change in the treatment algorithm of CML. The indications of

O PARADOXO DA ENCARNAÇÃO: CRÍTICA DE KIERKEGAARD À TEOLOGIA ESPECULATIVA DO SEU TEMPO

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Domingos Salgado de Sousa

2016-01-01

paradox as alogical contradiction. It is pointed out that by viewing faith as the only away of gaining access to the paradox, Kierkegaard is demanding that the believer put logic aside and embrace what is unintelligible to human reason. The incarnation as an object of faith, however, is not paradoxical in the sense that it violates the principles of logic, but in the sense that it absolutely transcends human understanding.

Les Turcs dans Ţiganiada de Ion Budai-Deleanu Turcs in Ţiganiada of Ion Budai-Deleanu

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Silviu Petcu

2012-05-01

Full Text Available La Ţiganiada d’Ion Budai-Deleanu, un des pères de la langue roumaine moderne, est une épopée placée dans la Munténie du XVe siècle et structurée sur deux plans : d'une part, un plan comique créé par le pittoresque du campement des « Tsiganes », mobilisés pour combattre les Turcs par le prince Vlad l'Empaleur, surnommé Dracula, et, d'autre part, un plan héroïque constitué par les actions de ce prince et son armée. La promesse d’émancipation des Rroms esclaves, avec attribution d'un territoire, en échange de leur alliance au combat est une pure fiction et même un anachronisme pour le XVe siècle. Mais à travers cette idée, Budai-Deleanu se révèle visionnaire et partisan du mouvement d’abolition de l'esclavage des Rroms qui n'arrivera à ses fins que le 20 février 1856. En raison de son insoumission entêtée au sultan Mahomet II, son courage et ses capacités stratégiques, Vlad l'Empaleur devait rester dans l'histoire roumaine comme un patriote qui voulait protéger son pays contre l'expansion ottomane – même s'il est plus connu à l'étranger sous la caricature d'un vampire. La Ţiganiada doit être appréciée avant tout comme une allégorie où le plan de la fiction remplace souvent le plan réel. Mais l'auteur, chargé d’un idéal patriotique, nous présente aussi le plan réel avec ses particularités historiques et nationales. La lutte opiniâtre de la petite armée roumaine formée de paysans et de boyards permet de retarder l'avancée des Turcs vers l'Europe centrale. Elle laisse ainsi le temps nécessaire à l'Europe de se préparer et de livrer des batailles dans des périodes plus favorables, avec des armes plus puissantes et plus efficaces que celles des Turcs. L'image des Turcs y est en tous points conforme à leur réputation, largement répandue dans les Balkans. Cruauté, perfidie, corruption et absence de compassion les caractérisent d'un bout à l'autre de l'œuvre, l’auteur montre

Modelo de risco para circulação do vírus da raiva em herbívoros no estado de São Paulo, Brasil Risk model to assess livestock rabies exposure in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

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Ricardo Augusto Dias

2011-10-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Propor uma metodologia qualitativa de avaliação do risco de circulação do vírus da raiva mantido por morcegos hematófagos (variante 3 em populações de herbívoros de interesse econômico do Vale do Rio Paraíba do Sul, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. MÉTODOS: A partir de árvores de cenário que levam em conta a exposição e a difusão da raiva, estimou-se a probabilidade de ocorrência da raiva em herbívoros de grande porte e a sua associação à localização geográfica das propriedades. RESULTADOS: Com base na série histórica de focos do primeiro semestre de 2006, utilizada para validar o modelo de risco, observou-se que 81,8% dos focos de raiva foram adequadamente previstos pelo modelo e poderiam ter sido prevenidos caso fosse adotada vacinação estratégica em áreas de risco elevado para a circulação do vírus. CONCLUSÕES: Caso fossem desencadeadas medidas de controle direcionadas somente para áreas de risco elevado, a diminuição dos focos poderia ser substancial, a um custo reduzido e com deslocamento otimizado das equipes de campo.OBJECTIVE: To propose a qualitative risk assessment model for the study of livestock exposure to rabies virus from the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus (antigenic variant 3 in the Paraíba do Sul river valley, state of São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: Based on scenario trees generated considering rabies exposure and its spread, we estimated the probability of rabies cases in large livestock and its association with the geographic location of livestock farms. RESULTS: Assessment of the historical series of rabies focal points in the first semester of 2006, which was used to validate the risk assessment model, revealed that 81.8% of the focal points were adequately foreseen by the model and could have been prevented with strategic vaccination in high-risk areas. CONCLUSIONS: The adoption of control measures specifically targeting high-risk areas might entail a substantial decrease in the

Transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas em linfoma Hodgkin Stem cell transplantation in Hodgkin lymphoma

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Rosane I. Bittencourt

2010-05-01

Full Text Available O linfoma Hodgkin(LH é uma malignidade hematológica que conta com um armamentário terapêutico selecionado de acordo com o estadiamento e a classificação prognóstica de cada doente. A sobrevida dos pacientes tratados para o LH clássico vem aumentando significativamente, com taxas de cura entre 80%-85%. Entretanto, 20%-25% são refratários aos tratamentos iniciais e cerca de 30% recaem após ter alcançado resposta completa. Os pacientes considerados com falha à terapia de primeira linha ainda têm uma segunda chance de cura se apresentarem quimiossensibilidade aos esquemas de salvamento, seguido por uma das modalidades de transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas (TCTH. O TCTH autólogo representa uma estratégia atrativa para os pacientes com LH que falham ao tratamento convencional de primeira linha. Os resultados em termos de sobrevidas livre de doença e global são superiores aos esquemas de salvamento com quimioterapia convencional. Este procedimento tem finalidade curativa para 50% dos pacientes em segunda remissão quimiossensíveis e pode levar a remissões duráveis naqueles com mais de duas linhas de terapia. Atualmente, o TCTH alogênico, basicamente com condicionamento de intensidade reduzida (RIC, está indicado em pacientes com recaída precoce após o TCTH autólogo ou em pacientes bastante jovens com refratariedade a mais de duas linhas de tratamento convencional.Hodgkin's Lymphoma is a hematologic malignancy with a wide range of therapeutic options that must be chosen according to the stage and the prognostic classification of each patient. The overall survival of patients treated for classic Hodgkin's Lymphoma is increasing significantly, with current cure rates being between 80% and 85%. Nevertheless, 20% to 25% are refractory to the initial treatment and about 30% relapse after having reached a complete response. Patients that have failed standard therapy still have a second chance of cure if they present

Gene therapy in chronic granulomatous disease Importancia de la terapia génica en la enfermedad granulomatosa crónica

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Andrés Augusto Arias Sierra

2005-03-01

la curación de la enfermedad. El tratamiento curativo consiste en el trasplante alogénico de médula ósea (TMO; sin embargo, este método enfrenta dificultades como la incompatibilidad de HLA, la inmunosupresión debida a las condiciones mieloablativas necesarias para el trasplante y el riesgo de desarrollar la enfermedad injerto contra hospedero. Como una alternativa al TMO, ha surgido la terapia génica ex vivo en células progenitoras hematopoyéticas. Las características genéticas de la EGC le han permitido convertirse en un modelo para el estudio de la terapia génica ex vivo. En este artículo se describen y analizan los resultados que hasta la fecha se han obtenido en el campo de la terapia génica aplicada a la EGC.

Las células T reguladoras y su influencia en la sobrevida del trasplante renal Regulatory T cells and their influence in kidney allograft survival

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Sonia Y. Velásquez

2007-10-01

Full Text Available La respuesta inmune desencadenada frente a un trasplante alogénico conduce usualmente a una respuesta efectora que resulta en el rechazo del aloinjerto; sin embargo, algunos individuos mantienen un trasplante funcionante a largo plazo sin signos de rechazo (tolerancia operacional, aun en ausencia de inmunosupresión. Se ha sugerido que los mismos mecanismos son responsables para la tolerancia hacia antígenos propios y aloantígenos. Uno de estos mecanismos es la regulación inmune y se han identificado varias subpoblaciones de células con propiedades reguladoras. Entre ellas, la población celular mejor caracterizada corresponde a las células T reguladoras (Tregs. Aunque las Tregs en ratones son CD4+CD25+, en humanos el fenotipo de las Treg está restringida a las células T CD4 con alta expresión de CD25 (CD25high y del factor de transcripción Foxp3. El análisis fenotípico y funcional de las células T reguladoras o supresoras circulantes en pacientes trasplantados tal vez sea útil para la detección de pacientes tolerantes operacionales. Además, una futura manipulación in vitro de estas células con fines terapéuticos podría conducir a lograr la inducción de tolerancia in vivo en el trasplante clínico. Aquí, revisamos la evidencia experimental y clínica del papel de las células reguladoras en la biología del trasplante.The immune response elicited by an allogenic transplant usually leads to an effector response resulting in allograft rejection; however, some individuals maintain a long-term functioning transplant without signs of rejection (operational tolerance even in the absence of immunosuppression. It has been suggested that the same mechanisms are responsible for tolerance to self-antigens and alloantigens. One of such mechanisms is immune regulation and several cell subsets with regulatory properties have been identified. Among them, the best characterized cell populations are the regulatory T cells (Treg. Although

Ticking Stellar Time Bomb Identified - Astronomers find prime suspect for a Type Ia supernova

Science.gov (United States)

2009-11-01

Using ESO's Very Large Telescope and its ability to obtain images as sharp as if taken from space, astronomers have made the first time-lapse movie of a rather unusual shell ejected by a "vampire star", which in November 2000 underwent an outburst after gulping down part of its companion's matter. This enabled astronomers to determine the distance and intrinsic brightness of the outbursting object. It appears that this double star system is a prime candidate to be one of the long-sought progenitors of the exploding stars known as Type Ia supernovae, critical for studies of dark energy. "One of the major problems in modern astrophysics is the fact that we still do not know exactly what kinds of stellar system explode as a Type Ia supernova," says Patrick Woudt, from the University of Cape Town and lead author of the paper reporting the results. "As these supernovae play a crucial role in showing that the Universe's expansion is currently accelerating, pushed by a mysterious dark energy, it is rather embarrassing." The astronomers studied the object known as V445 in the constellation of Puppis ("the Stern") in great detail. V445 Puppis is the first, and so far only, nova showing no evidence at all for hydrogen. It provides the first evidence for an outburst on the surface of a white dwarf [1] dominated by helium. "This is critical, as we know that Type Ia supernovae lack hydrogen," says co-author Danny Steeghs, from the University of Warwick, UK, "and the companion star in V445 Pup fits this nicely by also lacking hydrogen, instead dumping mainly helium gas onto the white dwarf." In November 2000, this system underwent a nova outburst, becoming 250 times brighter than before and ejecting a large quantity of matter into space. The team of astronomers used the NACO adaptive optics instrument [2] on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) to obtain very sharp images of V445 Puppis over a time span of two years. The images show a bipolar shell, initially with a very narrow

Análise clínica e epidemiológica do transplante de medula óssea em um serviço de oncologia pediátrica Clinical and epidemiological analysis of bone marrow transplantation in a pediatric oncology unit

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Cláudio Galvão de Castro Jr.

2003-10-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVOS: Descrever o perfil e as complicações agudas mais importantes das crianças que receberam transplante de medula óssea no serviço de oncologia pediátrica do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODOS: Análise retrospectiva de 41 pacientes, menores de 21 anos, transplantados entre agosto de 1997 até junho de 2002. Deste total, 20 pacientes receberam transplante alogênico, e 21 transplante autogênico. RESULTADOS: No transplante de medula óssea alogênico, a média de idade foi de 8,9 + 5,4 anos, sendo 12 pacientes do sexo masculino. As fontes de células foram: medula óssea, 12; sangue periférico, 5; e sangue de cordão umbilical não aparentado, 3. As doenças tratadas foram: leucemia linfóide aguda em 7 pacientes, leucemia mielóide crônica em 2, leucemia mielóide aguda em 4, síndrome mielodisplásica em 2, linfoma de Burkitt em 1, anemia aplástica grave em 1, anemia de Fanconi em 1, síndrome Chediak-Higashi em 1, e imunodeficiência congênita combinada grave em 1. Um paciente desenvolveu doença do enxerto contra hospedeiro aguda grau 2, três pacientes grau 4, e outros três desenvolveram doença do enxerto contra hospedeiro crônica. Todos haviam recebido sangue periférico como fonte de células. A sobrevida global aos 4 anos foi de 70,0 + 10,3%. A principal causa do óbito foi doença do enxerto contra hospedeiro, em três pacientes, e sepse, em outros três. Todos os óbitos ocorreram antes do centésimo dia. Um dos pacientes que recebeu sangue de cordão umbilical não aparentado está vivo, em bom estado e sem uso de medicações 3 anos e 6 meses pós-transplante. No transplante de medula óssea autogênico, a média de idade foi de 8,7 + 4,3 anos, sendo 11 pacientes do sexo masculino. As fontes de células foram: sangue periférico, 16; medula óssea, 3; sangue periférico mais medula óssea, 2. As doenças tratadas foram: tumor de Wilms em 5 pacientes, tumores da família do sarcoma de

Stellar Firework in a Whirlwind

Science.gov (United States)

2007-09-01

VLT Image of Supernova in Beautiful Spiral Galaxy NGC 1288 Stars do not like to be alone. Indeed, most stars are members of a binary system, in which two stars circle around each other in an apparently never-ending cosmic ballet. But sometimes, things can go wrong. When the dancing stars are too close to each other, one of them can start devouring its partner. If the vampire star is a white dwarf - a burned-out star that was once like our Sun - this greed can lead to a cosmic catastrophe: the white dwarf explodes as a Type Ia supernova. In July 2006, ESO's Very Large Telescope took images of such a stellar firework in the galaxy NGC 1288. The supernova - designated SN 2006dr - was at its peak brightness, shining as bright as the entire galaxy itself, bearing witness to the amount of energy released. ESO PR Photo 39/07 ESO PR Photo 39/07 SN 2006dr in NGC 1288 NGC 1288 is a rather spectacular spiral galaxy, seen almost face-on and showing multiple spiral arms pirouetting around the centre. Bearing a strong resemblance to the beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 1232, it is located 200 million light-years away from our home Galaxy, the Milky Way. Two main arms emerge from the central regions and then progressively split into other arms when moving further away. A small bar of stars and gas runs across the centre of the galaxy. The first images of NGC 1288, obtained during the commissioning period of the FORS instrument on ESO's VLT in 1998, were of such high quality that they have allowed astronomers [1] to carry out a quantitative analysis of the morphology of the galaxy. They found that NGC 1288 is most probably surrounded by a large dark matter halo. The appearance and number of spiral arms are indeed directly related to the amount of dark matter in the galaxy's halo. The supernova was first spotted by amateur astronomer Berto Monard. On the night of 17 July 2006, Monard used his 30-cm telescope in the suburbs of Pretoria in South Africa and discovered the supernova as an

Las histiocitosis Histiocytosis

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Eva Svarch

2001-12-01

Full Text Available El término histiocitosis identifica un grupo de alteraciones que tienen en común la proliferación de células dendríticas (CD y los macrófagos, y se diagnostican más frecuentemente en niños. Dentro de las relacionadas con las CD las fundamentales son las histiocitosis a células de Langerhans (HCL. Las HCL tienen un comportamiento clínico muy variable, que puede ir desde una lesión que involucra un solo sitio o sistema hasta una enfermedad multisistémica. El tratamiento depende de la extensión del proceso. Una lesión única tiende a desaparecer espontáneamente. También la biopsia diagnóstica con o sin inyección de un esteroide puede iniciar la curación. Los pacientes con enfermedad multisistémica pueden beneficiarse con el tratamiento esteroideo y citostático o inclusive con el trasplante de células progenitoras hematopoyéticas. La histiocitosis sinusal con linfoadenopatías masivas o enfermedad de Rosai Dorfman se debe a la proliferación de los macrófagos, es de naturaleza benigna y usualmente autolimitada. Afecta sobre todo a niños y adultos jóvenes. La linfohistiocitosis hemofagocítica también se produce por la proliferación de los macrófagos y es una enfermedad rara con una alta mortalidad. Puede ser familiar (autosómica recesiva o secundaria a infecciones virales. Esta última forma se presenta más frecuentemente en el lactante pequeño. En la actualidad, sobre todo en la variedad familiar, el trasplante alogénico de células progenitoras hematopoyéticas puede ser la única medida curativaThe term histiocytosis identifies a group of disorders that have in common the proliferation of dentritic cells (DC and macrophages and is frequently diagnosed in children. Among the fundamental variants of histiocytosis related with DC, we find Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH. Langerhans cell histiocytosis has very variable clinical behavior that ranges from a lesion involving only one site or system to a multisystem

Indicações de transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas em pediatria: consenso apresentado no I Encontro de Diretrizes Brasileiras em Transplante de Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas - Sociedade Brasileira de Transplante de Medula Óssea, Rio de Janeiro, 2009 Indications for pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: consensus presented at the First Meeting on Brazilian Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Guidelines - Brazilian Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation, Rio de Janeiro, 2009

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Adriana Seber

2010-01-01

Full Text Available A Sociedade Brasileira de Transplante de Medula (SBTMO promoveu o I Encontro de Diretrizes do Transplante de Medula Óssea em 2009. Para revisão das indicações de transplante em Pediatria baseadas em evidências foi constituído grupo de trabalho com oncologistas e hematologistas com experiência em pediatria. Os artigos científicos foram cuidadosamente avaliados e, para cada doença, foram definidas as evidências para recomendação dos transplantes (de A a C e a qualidade destas evidências (de 1 a 3. As recomendações incluem doenças hematológicas malignas e não malignas, tumores sólidos, imunodeficiências e doenças de depósito tratadas com transplantes de células-tronco hematopoéticas, quer autólogos, alogênicos de irmão HLA compatível ou não aparentados (doadores adultos ou sangue de cordão umbilical. Como não existem recomendações uniformemente aceitas em pediatria, não foram incluídas recomendações para transplantes de intensidade reduzida, com manipulação do enxerto e nem parcialmente compatíveis. É importante ressaltar que todas as indicações são baseadas no conhecimento atual e podem modificar-se com o tempo. Assim, esta revisão não deve ser utilizada para aplicação direta no cuidado do paciente sem levar em conta características da doença, do doador e fatores de risco do próprio paciente. Este trabalho não deve ainda ser utilizado como documento que limite o acesso do paciente ao transplante adequadamente indicado. Ressaltamos ainda, nesta revisão, diferenças entre transplantes em crianças e em adultos, com algumas recomendações específicas para os transplantes em pediatria.The Brazilian Bone Marrow Transplant Society (SBTMO held its First Meeting on Bone Marrow Transplant Guidelines in 2009. A working group of hematologists and oncologists with experience in pediatrics was formed to review evidence-based indications for pediatric transplants. Scientific publications were carefully

O transplante de medula óssea na leucemia mielóide aguda: análise de 80 pacientes transplantados no complexo do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo The allogeneic and autologous bone marrow transplantation in acute myeloid leukemia: analysis of 80 patients - Bone Marrow Transplantation Service - Hospital das Clínicas of the Medical School, University of São Paulo

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Nadjanara D. Bueno

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Oitenta pacientes consecutivos portadores de Leucemia Mielóide Aguda (LMA submetidos a transplante de medula óssea alogênico (TMO alo e autogênico (TMO auto, foram selecionados entre 1989 e 2001. Quarenta por cento dos mesmos estavam vivos ao final do estudo; no TMO alo 37,9% e no TMO auto 45,4%. Fatores como sexo, classificação Franco-Americano-Britânica de LMA, tratamento de indução, número de células infundidas e regime de condicionamentos não tiveram significância estatística na sobrevida. Pacientes portadores de LMA M1 a M4 e que foram submetidos à consolidação com altas doses de arabinosídeo tiveram melhor sobrevida (p= 0,0148. Pacientes em 1º remissão completa se beneficiaram com TMO alo e auto, com uma sobrevida de 52,6% e 69,2% respectivamente. A presença de doença enxerto contra o hospedeiro (DECH aguda teve impacto na sobrevida dos pacientes quando se comparou ausência de DECH aguda, grau I/II com III/IV (p= 0,0285. Infecção foi a causa de óbito mais freqüente no TMO alo. No TMO auto, a recidiva foi a principal causa de óbito. Morte por toxicidade relacionada ao procedimento ocorreu em 38,9% dos pacientes que morreram no TMO alo e em 16,7% no TMO auto. Na análise univariada de Cox para fatores prognósticos, tiveram significância a fase da doença e a DECH aguda, que perderam significância na análise multivariada (p=0,069.The patients records of eighty consecutive patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML submitted to allogeneic (allo BMT and autologous (auto BMT bone marrow transplantation (BMT between 1989 and 2001 were assessed. Forty percent were alive in the end of the study; 37.9% of allogeneic patients and 45.4% of autologous. Factors such as gender, the French-American-British AML classification, induction treatment, number of infused cells and the conditioning regiment did not have any impact in survival. Patients with AML from M1 to M4, and who were consolidated with high doses of arabinoside

Estudo da refratariedade plaquetária do dia 0 ao 50, em pacientes submetidos a transplante de medula óssea Study of the platelet refractoriness in patients submitted to bone marrow transplant from day 0 to day 50

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Gerson G. de Paula

2004-03-01

Full Text Available Entre outubro de 1997 e julho de 1999 pesquisou-se a refratariedade plaquetária em 15 pacientes na fase precoce do TMO alogênico e autoplástico, com idade variando de 1 a 66 anos no Hospital São Camilo. Para esta avaliação, foram utilizados os seguintes parâmetros: evolução clínica, cálculo corrigido do incremento plaquetário (CCI, teste de microlinfocitotoxicidade dependente de complemento (CDC e ensaios plaquetários por aderência de células vermelhas em fase sólida (SPRCA. A refratariedade plaquetária foi definida como falha de resposta a uma transfusão de dois concentrados de plaquetas ABO compatíveis, quando o cálculo corrigido do incremento plaquetário (CCI de uma hora pós-transfusional era inferior a 7,5 ou de 24 horas From October 1997 to July 1999, platelet refractoriness was studied in 15 patients, aged from 1 to 66 years old, in the early stage of allogeneic and autologous BMT, carried out at the São Camilo Hospital. The following parameters were used for this analysis: daily clinical progress, 1- and 24 hour-post-transfusion platelet corrected count increment (CCI,complement-dependent microlymphocytotoxicity test (CDC sensitized by human antiglobulin (AGH and solid phase red blood cell adherence (SPRCA platelet analysis. Platelet concentrated products were obtained from automated cell separator machines, filtered through retention filters of pre-storage leukocyte reduction and, subsequently, stored at room temperature for a maximum of 96 hours. Each platelet unit featured on average 0.51 x 10(4 leukocytes, with platelet cell counts of 3.58 x 10(11. The mean pH of each thrombocytapherese concentrate was 6.34 and was storage for 32 hours and 21 minutes. Platelets concentrates were transfused on a prophylactic basis, when the platelet counts were below 20 x 10(9 /L or above these values in cases of therapeutic intervention or bleeding. The platelet refractory potential was defined as the lack of response to a

Colonic complications following human bone marrow transplantation

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Paulino Martínez Hernández-Magro

2015-01-01

versus hospedeiro (DEVH e o tratamento de pacientes padecendo com as complicações colônicas do transplante de medula óssea humana. Pacientes e Métodos: Revisamos os registros de todos os pacientes que receberam um transplante de medula óssea alogênica e foram avaliados em nosso Departamento de Cirurgia do Cólon e Reto em função de sintomas gastrointestinais, entre janeiro de 2007 e janeiro de 2012. O estudo teve por base os pacientes que desenvolveram complicações do cólon, todos com diagnóstico clínico, histopatológico ou laboratorial. Resultados: O grupo de estudo foi constituído por 77 pacientes, sendo 43 homens e 34 mulheres. Identificamos complicações do cólon em 30 pacientes (38,9%; cinco pacientes exibiam toxicidade intestinal por quimioterapia antes do transplante (6,4%; DEVH estava presente em 16 pacientes (20%, 13 pacientes (16,8% foram acometidos por DEVH colônica aguda três pacientes (3,8% DEVH crônica. Infecção foi detectada em 9 pacientes (11,6%. Conclusões: As três principais complicações do cólon são: toxicidade por quimioterapia, DEVH e superinfecção. O surgimento dos sintomas poderia ajudar a levantar suspeitas sobre o tipo de complicação (0–20 dias, toxicidade por quimioterapia; 20 ou mais dias, DEVH. Infecções podem ocorrer em qualquer momento do transplante. Keywords: Colonic complications, Human bone marrow transplantation, Superinfection, Palavras-chave: Complicações do colo, Transplante de medula óssea humana, Superinfecção

O transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas como opção no tratamento de doenças não hematológicas Hematopoietic stem cell transplant: a therapeutic option for non-hematologic diseases

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Milton A. Ruiz

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Nesta revisão são abordadas as doenças em que existem dados e perspectivas do uso de transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas em suas diversas modalidades. São apresentados também os aspectos referentes aos regimes de condicionamento empregados, e sua relação com toxicidade e taxa de mortalidade ligadas ao transplante. São apresentadas as doenças autoimunes e particularizados dados específicos do lúpus eritematoso sistêmico, esclerose sistêmica e esclerose múltipla e diabetes mellitus tipo 1. A base do procedimento nas doenças autoimunes é a reprogramação imunológica. Aparentemente o procedimento tem sua indicação nas doenças em que os tratamentos convencionais de imunossupressão tenham falhado, e o dano orgânico não tenha sido definitivo, mas tenha chance de ocorrer caso não seja realizado o transplante. A modalidade aparentemente indicada no momento deve ser o transplante de células-tronco autogênico com regimes de condicionamento não mieloablativo para se obter sobrevivência estimada em mais de 50% em todas as doenças, com baixa toxicidade e com mortalidade nula ligada ao transplante. São apresentados também os resultados nos tumores sólidos, que são discutíveis, e particularidades no câncer de mama. A aparente indicação para os tumores sólidos é transplante de células-tronco alogênico e se baseia no tratamento intensivo com doses mieloablativas com a finalidade de se induzir o efeito enxerto contra o tumor. Os regimes não mieloablativos são preconizados com a finalidade de redução da toxicidade e indução de imunossupressão, sendo os dados insuficientes e discutíveis, o que obriga a introdução de novas estratégias terapêuticas baseadas na terapia imune e celular.In this report we discuss data and perspectives of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in non-hematologic diseases. Aspects related to the conditioning regimen and its relationship with toxicity and mortality are also

Tumores ósseos benignos e lesões ósseas Pseudotumorais: tratamento atual e novas tendências Benign bone tumors and tumor-like bone lesions: treatment update and new trends

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José Marcos Nogueira Drumond

2009-10-01

Full Text Available O tratamento dos tumores ósseos benignos (TOB e lesões ósseas pseudotumorais (LOP tem visto surgir novos medicamentos, como os bisfosfonatos de uso intravenoso, que têm mostrado bons resultados no controle das lesões da displasia fibrosa. O cisto ósseo aneurismático tem sido tratado com agentes esclerosantes com sucesso. Tratamentos adjuvantes permitem a realização de cirurgias que preservam a articulação e a função, com baixas taxas de recidiva. Têm sido mais utilizados o cimento ósseo (PMMA, o fenol, a crioterapia com nitrogênio líquido, a água oxigenada, o álcool etílico e a radioterapia. Entre os novos métodos de tratamento surgidos destaca-se a ablação térmica por radiofrequência e por laser, utilizada principalmente para tratamento do osteoma osteoide. A artroscopia permite a ressecção de lesões benignas intra-articulares e assiste na ressecção de tumores subcondrais. Um grande avanço foi a utilização de substitutos sintéticos do osso, que associam substâncias osteoindutivas com material osteocondutivo e têm apresentado resultados comparáveis aos do enxerto ósseo autógeno. Há uma tendência atual para tratamentos fechados, fazendo-se a injeção percutânea de matriz óssea desmineralizada (DBM associada com sulfato de cálcio. O enxerto ósseo esponjoso autógeno permanece como o padrão ouro. O enxerto de fíbula vascularizado apresenta os melhores resultados para incorporação em lesões maiores e agressivas. Também o suporte cortical alogênico provê resistência estrutural aumentada nessas lesões mais agressivas. O aloenxerto liofilizado tem indicação para preencher defeitos contidos e para reforço do enxerto autógeno. As endopróteses articulares são utilizadas em grandes lesões destrutivas no fêmur distal, no quadril e no ombro.The treatment of benign bone tumors (BBT and tumor-like bone lesions (TBL has observed the introduction of new drugs, such as intravenous bisphosphonates

Hemoglobinúria paroxística noturna: da fisiopatologia ao tratamento Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria: from physiopathology to treatment

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Martha Mariana de Almeida Santos Arruda

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Hemoglobinúria paroxística noturna (HPN é uma anemia hemolítica crônica adquirida rara, de curso clínico extremamente variável. Apresenta-se frequentemente com infecções recorrentes, neutropenia e trombocitopenia, e surge em associação com outras doenças hematológicas, especialmente com síndromes de falência medular, como anemia aplásica e síndrome mielodisplásica. É considerada ainda um tipo de trombofilia adquirida, apresentando-se com tromboses venosas variadas, com especial predileção por trombose de veias hepáticas e intra-abdominais, sua maior causa de mortalidade. A tríade anemia hemolítica, pancitopenia e trombose faz da HPN uma síndrome clínica única, que deixou de ser encarada como simples anemia hemolítica adquirida para ser considerada um defeito mutacional clonal da célula-tronco hematopoética (CTH. A mutação ocorre no gene da fosfaditilinositolglicana classe-A, e resulta no bloqueio precoce da síntese de âncoras de glicosilfosfaditilinositol (GPI, responsáveis por manter aderidas à membrana plasmática dezenas de proteínas com funções específicas. A falência em sintetizar GPI madura gera redução de todas as proteínas de superfície normalmente ancoradas por ela. Dentre elas estão o CD55 e o CD59, que controlam a ativação da cascata do complemento. Assim, na HPN há aumento da susceptibilidade de eritrócitos ao complemento, gerando hemólise. Revisa-se aqui sua fisiopatologia, curso clínico, os tratamentos disponíveis com ênfase para o transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas alogênicas e para o eculizumab, um anticorpo monoclonal humanizado que bloqueia a ativação do complemento terminal no nível C5 e previne a formação do complexo de ataque à membrana, a primeira droga a demonstrar eficácia no tratamento da HPN.Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH is a rare disorder, an acquired chronic hemolytic anemia, often associated with recurrent nocturnal exacerbations

Le « chamanisme » et la comédie ancienne. Recours générique à un atavisme et guérison.

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Anton Bierl

2007-04-01

and theatrical device of phantasy. The performative potential of the goes is able to convey the sudden fall, constitutive of the genre, into grotesque-atavistic spaces and modes of playing on the comic stage. In particular, the themes of healing and of journeys to Hades or heaven, which up until now have hardly received due treatment, as well as the ambiguous and excessive comic hero and the alogical-nonnaturalistic poetics of Old Comedy can be elucidated on the foil of a shamanic goes. In popular plays of the marketplace such a theater of buffoons and quack-doctors remains actual through the history. At the end, the theoretical approach is put into practice by taking Aristophanes' Peace as an example. The relatively simple plot where the comic hero rides to heaven in order to find some sort of therapy for the city is enriched with a new all-encompassing meaning beyond the strictly political.

Sistema reprodutivo de Anadenanthera peregrina (L. Speg e Vochysia haenkiana (Spreng. Mart. em fragmento de cerrado na Chapada dos Guimarães - MT Reprodutive system of Anadenanthera peregrina and Vochysia haenkiana in a fragment of "Cerrado forest" from Chapada dos Guimarães - MT, Brazil

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Reginaldo Brito da Costa

2003-04-01

Full Text Available O presente estudo objetivou avaliar o sistema reprodutivo das espécies Anadenanthera peregrina (L. Speg. e Vochysia haenkiana (Spreng. Mart. Foram estudados aspectos do sistema de cruzamento, complementados pelas observações de maturação dos frutos e a germinação das sementes em função dos tipos de cruzamentos testados. As síndromes de dispersão das sementes foram também avaliadas através das características morfológicas dos frutos e sementes. O estudo foi realizado em um fragmento de cerrado com aproximadamente 32 ha, no município de Chapada dos Guimarães, MT, a 15(010' S, 55(035' W, e à altitude de 450m. O delineamento experimental utilizado na determinação do sistema de cruzamento para cada espécie foi o de blocos ao acaso, com seis tratamentos para a espécie Vochysia haenkiana e cinco tratamentos para Anadenanthera peregrina, ambas com três repetições. O sistema de cruzamento detectado para as duas espécies foi o preferencialmente alogâmico, porém, com a possibilidade, não desprezível, de produção de frutos/sementes por autofertilização, sugerindo um aumento gradual de autocompatibilidade genética como estratégia de geração de descendência no ambiente florestal fragmentado. A polinização cruzada em Anadenanthera peregrina é favorecida tanto pelo alto grau de auto-incompatibilidade genética quanto pela protandria detectada. O padrão de maturação dos frutos e sementes e o período de dispersão das sementes foram distintos em ambas as espécies, ocorrendo, entretanto, durante ou no final da estação seca, facilitando a distribuição dos propágulos anemocóricos. A germinação em ambas as espécies foi rápida e em alta percentagem.The study of the breeding system of Anadenanthera peregrina (L. Speg. and Vochysia haenkiana (Spreng. Mart. was the main purpose of this work. It was also studied fruit maturation, seed dispersal and seed germination to characterize the reproductive system of these

Variación de los Organismos Fitoplanctónicos y la Calidad del Agua en el Lago de Chapala, Jalisco, México Variación de los Organismos Fitoplanctónicos y la Calidad del Agua en el Lago de Chapala, Jalisco, México

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Judith García Rodríguez

2012-02-01

organismos fitoplanctónicos en este sistema acuático durante todo el año, y analizar las variaciones de la calidad del agua y sus relaciones en tres zonas del lago. Este estudio, se realizó en el período comprendido entre mayo de 1992 y febrero de 1993, monitoreando 21 estaciones en el Lago de Chapala cada tres meses, tanto en la superficie como a un metro de profundidad, posteriormente se realizó el análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo de los organismos fitoplanctónicos.La calidad del agua se evaluó considerando 23 parámetros con datos proporcionados por el Centro de Estudios Limnológicos (CEL de Guadalajara, Jal. La mayor abundancia fitoplanctónica fue de 16 048 cel/mL en superficie y a un metro de profundidad de 8 309 cel/mL. Se presentaron procesos alogénicos relacionados con las diferentes condiciones que presentó la estructura del fitoplancton, la turbiedad fue causada en menor escala por la abundancia algal y afectó directamente la abundanciade los organismos, el pH fue básico y los nutrientes como el fósforo total, ortofosfatos y nitrógeno orgánico fueron abundantes por lo que no se consideraron limitantes. Los resultados indican que a través del tiempo el Lago de Chapala ha mostrado valores continuos de calidad del agua con fluctuacionesen algunos registros pero se mantiene la fase de eutrofia como resultado del aporte indiscriminado de contaminantes de diversos tipos.

Alterações pós-anestésicas do hematócrito em cirurgias ortognáticas Alteraciones pos-anestésicas del hematócrito en cirugías ortognáticas Postanesthetic hematocrit changes in orthognathic surgery

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Tailur Alberto Grando

2005-02-01

Full Text Available JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: Com o aumento de doenças transmissíveis através das transfusões sangüíneas, as suas indicações estão sendo muito questionadas. Os objetivos deste trabalho são avaliar a perda sangüínea peri-operatória, e a recuperação do hematócrito após 14 dias, em pacientes submetidos à cirurgia ortognática, realizada sob anestesia geral e hipotensão controlada, com três diferentes técnicas de reposição volêmica. MÉTODO: Foi realizado um estudo prospectivo em pacientes submetidos consecutivamente à cirurgia ortognática, no período entre agosto de 1985 a julho de 2003. Os pacientes foram divididos em três grupos; grupo I, com autodoação prévia de 7 dias; grupo II, com autodoação intra-operatória; e grupo III, com hemodiluição normovolêmica. A medicação pré-anestésica, a indução, a manutenção, os fármacos e a monitorização foram padronizados. Os pacientes foram submetidos à anestesia geral com hipotensão arterial induzida e controlada. Foram analisados a perda sangüínea, o tempo anestésico, as pressões sistólica, diastólica e média, a freqüência cardíaca, o hematócrito e a hemoglobina antes da indução anestésica, e o hematócrito e a hemoglobina após 60 horas e 14 dias do pós-operatório bem como as complicações peri-operatórias. RESULTADOS: A perda sangüínea foi de 1340,03 ± 427,97 no grupo I; 1098,08 ± 429,30 no grupo II; e 1044,71 ± 526,56 no grupo III, com diferença estatística significativa no grupo I em relação aos grupos II e III. Houve diminuição significativa do hematócrito antes da indução da anestesia (24%, comparado aos resultados obtidos em 60 horas, e restauração de 83% do hematócrito, em 14 dias. CONCLUSÕES: A perda sangüínea peri-operatória nos três grupos foi considerável, com mínima necessidade de transfusão de sangue alogênico. A quase totalidade dos pacientes tolerou a perda sangüínea, pois eram em geral jovens, estado

Estratégias de tratamento da leucemia linfóide crônica recidivada ou resistente incluindo o transplante de célula progenitora hematopoiética Strategies of treatment for relapsed or resistant chronic lymphocytic leukemia including to hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation

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Cármino A. Souza

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Apesar dos importantes progressos terapêuticos, a leucemia linfóide crônica (LLC, a mais comum leucemia do adulto nos países ocidentais, permanece incurável. A utilização da fludarabina isolada ou associada à ciclofosfamida e/ou antraciclínicos elevou de maneira importante as respostas objetivas, inclusive com a obtenção de respostas completas (até mesmo moleculares e as sobrevidas livres de progressão e de recidiva. Alguns autores sugerem a introdução de anticorpos monoclonais para elevar ainda mais estes resultados. Apesar disto, todos os pacientes tratados devem apresentar recidiva ou progressão da LLC e tratamento de salvamento deve ser instituído. No presente momento, as estratégias de tratamento de salvamento são muito semelhantes às disponíveis para o tratamento de primeira linha. Os critérios para se iniciar o tratamento de salvamento são semelhantes aos definidos pelo NCI (National Cancer Institute para o primeiro tratamento. Assim, a utilização de fludarabina, isolada ou associada, deve ser a terapêutica de escolha para os pacientes recidivados, mesmo que tenham sido previamente tratados com fludarabina como primeira linha. A utilização de anticorpos monoclonais, particularmente o rituximab, é desejável nesta segunda tentativa, mesmo que não se possa dizer ainda que esta indicação seja formal. O alemtuzumab é um anticorpo monoclonal muito eficiente e tem mostrado ter a capacidade de promover importantes benefícios clínicos e hematológicos, mesmo em pacientes "pesadamente" tratados ou mesmo refratários à fludarabina. O TCPH tem indicações limitadas tendo em vista os riscos da terapia de alta dose em pacientes que são, geralmente, idosos. Assim, o transplante autólogo pode ser indicado em pacientes jovens, preferentemente em remissão completa, no sentido de prolongar a sobrevida livre de progressão. Os transplantes alogênicos, convencional ou de intensidade reduzida, podem ser utilizados em

AMDLIBAE, IBM 360 Subroutine Library, Special Function, Polynomials, Differential Equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jesse Y.

1980-01-01

Description of problem or function: AMDLIBAE is a subset of the IBM 360 Subroutine Library at the Applied Mathematics Division at Argonne National Laboratory. This subset includes library categories A-E: Identification/Description: A152S A MPA: Mult. prec. floating point arith. package; B156S A ARSIN: Arcsine, arccosine; B158S A DSIN/DCOS: DP sine, cosine; B159S A DTAN/DCOT: DP tangent, cotangent; B252S A SINH/COSH: Hyperbolic sine, cosine; B353S A ALOG: SP logarithm; B354S A DEXP: DP exponential; B355S A DLOG: DP logarithm; B456S A DCUBRT: DP cube root; B457S A ARGPOWER: X Y ; B458S A ARGFDXPD: DP X Y ; C150S F DQD: Q. D. algorithm applied to a power series; C151S F DCONF1: Eval. cont. fract. Q. D. of power series; C250S F CUBIC: Roots of cubic polynomial equation; C251S F QUARTIC: Roots of quartic polynomial equation; C252S F RSSR: All roots of poly eqs. with real coef.; C253S F POLDRV: Driver for C254S; C254S F CPOLY: Roots arb. poly. Jenkins-Traub algorithm; C353S F1 CLEBSH: Ang. mom. coef. - Clebsch, Racah, Wigner; C365S A ALGAMA: Logarithm of the gamma function; C366S A DGAMMA/DLGAMA: DP gamma and log(gamma) functions; C368S F EONE: Exponential integral E1; C370S F BESJY: Bessel functions J and Y; C371S F BESIK: Bessel functions I and K; C372S F CHIPRB: Chi-square integral; C380S F DRZETA: Long precision zeta, zeta-1 functions; C382S F DCGAM: Long precision complex gamma; C383S A DERF/DERFC: DP error function; C384S F BFJ1: Bessel function J1; C385S F COULMB: Regular Coulomb wave functions; C386S F1 DSGMAL: Coulomb phase shift; C387S F BFJYR: Bessel functions J0,J1,Y0,Y1; C388S F IRCOUL: LP irregular Coulomb wave functions; C389S F GAMIN: Incomplete gamma function; C390S F LQ: Assoc. Legendre functions of 2. kind; C392S A DAERF: Inverse error function; C393S F CDEONE: Modified complex exponential integral; D153S F DROMB: Two-dimensional Romberg quadrature; D153S P DROMBP: Two-dimensional Romberg quadrature; D158S F ANC4: Adap. quad. using 4. order Newton

Estudo retrospectivo do tratamento de leucemia mielóide aguda com o transplante de medula óssea: a experiência brasileira Retrospective study of stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia (AML: the Brazilian experience

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Nelson Hamerschlak

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Dados do Registro Internacional de Transplante de Medula Óssea, International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR contribuem para o progresso do transplante de medula óssea (TMO em todo o mundo. Neste artigo relatamos a experiência brasileira em leucemia mielóide aguda e comparamos os resultados do TMO com os dados internacionais. Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo com dados de tratamento de LMA com o TMO de 16 instituições brasileiras. A análise estatística dos transplantes da modalidade autogênica (TMO auto e alogênica (TMO alo foi realizada com o método de Kaplan-Meier e log-rank. Todos os valores de p foram bicaudados. Foram avaliados os dados de 731 pacientes (205 TMO auto e 526 TMO alo. A mediana de sobrevida global dos pacientes submetidos ao TMO auto foi superior à dos submetidos ao TMO alo (1.035 vs 466 dias, p=0,0012. A origem das células-tronco (OCT no TMO alo em 73% dos pacientes foi de medula óssea (CTMO, em 23% de sangue periférico (CTSP e em 4% de cordão umbilical. No TMO auto, a OCT foi 63% de CTSP, 22% CTMO e 15% de ambas as fontes. A OCT não teve impacto na sobrevida global (SG. Não houve diferença na SG também entre os pacientes segundo a classificação FAB no TMO alo, mas os pacientes com LMA M3 com o TMO auto tiveram SG longa. Como esperado, a principal causa de óbito entre os pacientes do TMO auto foi relacionada à recidiva de doença (60%, enquanto no TMO alo as principais causas foram a doença enxerto versus hospedeiro e infecções (38%. Em ambos os grupos foi observada SG mais longa nos pacientes tratados em primeira remissão completa (1RC quando comparados aos de segunda remissão (2RC e outras fases (pData from the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR contribute for the improvement of Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT worldwide. We studied the Brazilian experience in BMT for AML to compare this with international data. We performed a retrospective study by sending

Análisis de la coestimulación en la respuesta inmune de pacientes con síndrome de hiperinmunoglobulinemia E con infecciones recurrentes

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Pablo Javier Patiño Grajales

2000-02-01

éculas coestimuladoras en 6 pacientes con SHIEIR y sus respectivos controles. Como modelo de activación celular elegimos el cultivo mixto de linfocitos porque el estímulo alogénico permite cuantificar adecuadamente una respuesta inmune primaria. Con fines prácticos, el desarrollo metodológico del proyecto lo hemos dividido en 2 fases. La primera parte contempla: la evaluación de la expresión superficial de las moléculas CD28, CD80, CD86, CD40, CD40L, CD11a y CD54 mediante citometría de flujo; ensayos de proliferación por medio de la incorporación de timidina tritiada, y la medición de IL-2, IL-4 e IFNg en los sobrenadantes de los cultivos por medio de ELISA. Durante la segunda fase se cuantificarán los flujos de calcio intracelular con la técnica del Fluo-3 y se modulará la coestimulación aplicando anticuerpos monoclonales bloqueadores y agonistas de las moléculas coestimuladoras mencionadas. Actualmente adelantamos la estandarización de la primera fase. Hemos realizado ensayos de linfoproliferación, medición de las citoquinas IFNg e IL-4 y cinética de la expresión de las moléculas CD28 y CD86.

Antigenic and genetic characterization of the first rabies virus isolated from the bat Eumops perotis in Brazil Caracterização antigênica e genética do primeiro isolado de vírus da raiva em morcego Eumops perotis no Brasil

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Juliana Galera Castilho

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Although the main transmitters of rabies in Brazil are dogs and vampire bats, the role of other species such as insectivorous and frugivorous bats deserves special attention, as the rabies virus has been isolated from 36 bat species. This study describes the first isolation of the rabies virus from the insectivorous bat Eumops perotis. The infected animal was found in the city of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo. The virus was identified by immunofluorescence antibody test (FAT in central nervous system (CNS samples, and the isolation was carried out in N2A cell culture and adult mice. The sample was submitted to antigenic typing using a panel of monoclonal antibodies (CDC/Atlanta/USA. The DNA sequence of the nucleoprotein gene located between nucleotides 102 and 1385 was aligned with homologous sequences from GenBank using the CLUSTAL/W method, and the alignment was used to build a neighbor-joining distance-based phylogenetic tree with the K-2-P model. CNS was negative by FAT, and only one mouse died after inoculation with a suspension from the bat's CNS. Antigenic typing gave a result that was not compatible with the patterns defined by the panel. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the virus isolated segregated into the same cluster related to other viruses isolated from insectivorous bats belonging to genus Nyctinomops ssp. (98.8% nucleotide identity with each other.No Brasil, embora os principais transmissores da raiva sejam cães e morcegos hematófagos, o papel de outras espécies, tais como morcegos insetívoros e frugívoros, merece atenção especial, uma vez que o vírus da raiva já foi isolado em 36 espécies de morcegos. Este estudo descreve o primeiro isolamento do vírus da raiva em um morcego insetívoro Eumops perotis. O animal infectado foi encontrado na cidade de Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo. O vírus foi identificado pelo teste de imunofluorescência direta (IFD em amostras de sistema nervoso central (SNC, e o isolamento foi

Institute for Sustained Performance, Energy, and Resilience (SuPER)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jagode, Heike [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Bosilca, George [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Danalis, Anthony [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Dongarra, Jack [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Moore, Shirley [Univ. of Texas, El Paso, TX (United States)

2016-11-30

The University of Tennessee (UTK) and University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) partnership supported the three main thrusts of the SUPER project---performance, energy, and resilience. The UTK-UTEP effort thus helped advance the main goal of SUPER, which was to ensure that DOE's computational scientists can successfully exploit the emerging generation of high performance computing (HPC) systems. This goal is being met by providing application scientists with strategies and tools to productively maximize performance, conserve energy, and attain resilience. The primary vehicle through which UTK provided performance measurement support to SUPER and the larger HPC community is the Performance Application Programming Interface (PAPI). PAPI is an ongoing project that provides a consistent interface and methodology for collecting hardware performance information from various hardware and software components, including most major CPUs, GPUs and accelerators, interconnects, I/O systems, and power interfaces, as well as virtual cloud environments. The PAPI software is widely used for performance modeling of scientific and engineering applications---for example, the HOMME (High Order Methods Modeling Environment) climate code, and the GAMESS and NWChem computational chemistry codes---on DOE supercomputers. PAPI is widely deployed as middleware for use by higher-level profiling, tracing, and sampling tools (e.g., CrayPat, HPCToolkit, Scalasca, Score-P, TAU, Vampir, PerfExpert), making it the de facto standard for hardware counter analysis. PAPI has established itself as fundamental software infrastructure in every application domain (spanning academia, government, and industry), where improving performance can be mission critical. Ultimately, as more application scientists migrate their applications to HPC platforms, they will benefit from the extended capabilities this grant brought to PAPI to analyze and optimize performance in these environments, whether they use PAPI

Ocorrência de Giardia, Cryptosporidium e microsporídios em animais silvestres em área de desmatamento no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil Occurrence of Giardia, Cryptosporidium and microsporidia in wild animals from a deforestation area in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

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Maria Anete Lallo

2009-08-01

municipalities of Mogi das Cruzes, Salesópolis and Biritiba-Mirim, in the state of São Paulo (Brazil. Samples were obtained from 46 rodents, 21 marsupials, 16 frogs, 9 bats, 3 tamarins and 3 lizards. For the detection of Giardia, Cryptosporidium and microsporidia it was used, respectively, the floatation technique with lead sulphate, the Kinyoun method and the Gram-Chromotrope staining. The total number of parasitized animals by one of these protozoans was 17.35% (17/98. Cysts of Giardia were found in faecal samples from 2 prehensile-tailed porcupines (Coendou villosus. The three positive animals for Cryptoporidium were rodents - 1 montane akodont (Akodon montensis, 1 ebony akodont (Thaptomyces nigrita and 1 guainan squirrel (Sciurus aestuans. Microporidia spores were seen in the stools of 12 animals - 6 small rodents, including 3 montane akodonts, 1 prehensile-tailed porcupine and 2 pigmy rice rats (Oligoryzomys sp.; 3 marsupials, including 1 gray slender mouse opossum (Marmosops incanus and 2 big eared opossums (Didelphis aurita; 3 hairy-legged vampire bats (Diphylla ecaudata. This is the first description of microsporidiosis in wildlife animals in Brazil. The present study emphasizes the importance of these animals, particularly small mammals, as potential sources of protozoan infection to other animal populations, including man, in areas of deforestation.

O transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas no tratamento dos linfomas não Hodgkin Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for non-Hodgkin lymphomas

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Renata Baldissera

2010-05-01

Full Text Available No final da década de 70, ocorreu o primeiro relato de sucesso com a utilização de quimioterapia de alta dose, seguida de transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas autólogo (TCTH auto, em pacientes com linfoma não Hodgkin (LNH. Desde então, o TCTH autólogo vem se constituindo em um importante instrumento na estratégia de tratamento dos LNH. Inúmeros estudos, em vários subtipos de linfomas, têm consolidado o papel do TCTH autólogo, principalmente como resgate em recidivas de doença. O melhor momento para a incorporação desta estratégia depende do subtipo do linfoma, do status de doença previamente ao transplante (sensível ou resistente e de fatores clínico-biológicos associados à doença. Em recidiva sensível de linfoma difuso de grandes células, o TCTH autólogo é a terapia de escolha. Nestes pacientes, o transplante promove taxas de resposta completa em até 50% dos casos, comparado a aproximadamente 15%, quando esse resgate é realizado com protocolos quimioterápicos convencionais. O seu papel como parte da terapia de indução de remissão não está totalmente estabelecido. Em linfomas indolentes, principalmente folicular, é a terapia de escolha nas recidivas sensíveis à quimioterapia de resgate. Em linfomas de células do manto, o TCTH autólogo tem se incorporado à terapia de primeira linha, como consolidação de remissão. As indicações de TCTH alogênico em LNH têm se limitado aos casos de refratariedade ao tratamento convencional e recidiva pós-transplante autólogo, em pacientes jovens e sem comorbidades, em decorrência da alta toxicidade associada à utilização de regimes de condicionamento mieloablativos. A utilização de regimes de condicionamento de intensidade reduzida tem reduzido a toxicidade e ampliado o seu uso nos LNH recidivados ou refratários.High-dose chemotherapy (HDT followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT has proved to provide significant advantage regarding

Alotransplante de ilhotas de Langerhans no fígado de ratos submetidos a manipulação tímica com células não-parenquimatosas Allogenic islet transplantation on the rat liver after allogenic nonparenchymal cells injection in the thymus

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Eleazar Chaib

2006-12-01

Full Text Available RACIONAL: A maior indicação do transplante de pâncreas ou de ilhotas de Langerhans é o diabetes mellitus do tipo I. O processo deve suprir as necessidades de insulina, mantendo os níveis glicêmicos dentro da normalidade OBJETIVOS: Estudar o alotransplante de ilhotas de Langerhans no fígado de ratos Lewis (RT1¹, tendo como doadores de ilhotas ratos Wistar (RT1u. No grupo controle (n = 8 injetava-se, no timo, solução de Hanks e no grupo de estudo(n = 8, células não-parenquimatosas hepáticas MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: No grupo controle com o método de separação e purificação das ilhotas de Langerhans obteve-se 3.637 ± 783,3 ilhotas com pureza de 85 ± 3,52%. No grupo de estudo obteve-se 3.270 ± 770 ilhotas de Langerhans com pureza de 84,25 ± 2,76% e com o método de isolamento e purificação das células não-parenquimatosas hepáticas obteve-se 2 x 10(6 células RESULTADOS: No grupo controle, o transplante de 3.637 ± 783,3 ilhotas de Langerhans no fígado, quase normalizou a glicemia que chegou a 17,95 ± 5,33 mmol/L no 2º dia do pós-operatório (diferença significante com relação ao pré-operatório. Do pós-operatório imediato até o 8º dia do pós-operatório a glicemia não se elevou significativamente, porém a partir do 10º dia do pós-operatório houve aumento significativo deste parâmetro, o que pode ser compatível com rejeição aguda do enxerto. No grupo de estudo, o transplante de 3.270 ± 770 ilhotas de Langerhans no fígado, quase normalizou a glicemia que chegou a 17,95 ± 5,33 mmol/L no 2º dias do pós-operatório (diferença significante com relação ao pré-operatório. Do 4º ao 10º pós-operatório a glicemia elevou-se significativamente, o que pode ser compatível com quadro de rejeição aguda do enxerto e certamente precoce CONCLUSÃO: A inoculação de células alogênicas apresentadoras de antígenos (células não-parenquimatosas hepáticas no timo de ratos imunossuprimidos e diab

Spurring climate-friendly behaviour change: a case study of the university of Grenoble

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanchard, Odile

2016-01-01

% of energy consumption. 'Energy vampires' at home (i.e. the standby power of all electric and electronic devices) represent almost 11% of US energy use. Two similar daily diets in terms of energy intake may differ by a factor of four in terms of life-cycle energy inputs, depending on the content of the diet. Although the cumulative potential gains drawn from individual actions are substantial, they may be hard to reach in reality, because barriers are numerous for individuals to change their behaviour and actually reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Even individuals with positive attitudes may show much reluctance to behave in a climate-friendly way. Against this background, our paper aims to investigate how these barriers can be overcome so that individuals take action. The investigation that we carry out relies on a climate-friendly initiative that has been going on at the university of social sciences of Grenoble, France, for six years. The goal of the initiative is to stabilize the greenhouse gas emissions of the university in 2010 relative to 1999. Various actions have been taken, such as building a greenhouse gas emissions inventory to monitor those emissions, improving the efficiency of the heating system, organizing internal communication campaigns to help people reduce their carbon footprint. Only a few people are currently acting, although all members of the university could be contributing to reducing the university's emissions. Various barriers prevent them from acting. The first part of the paper presents the university actors, and their mission in the climate-friendly initiative. The second part identifies the university members' main motivations and barriers to a climate-friendly behaviour. Finally, the third part discusses potential ways of overcoming those barriers, calls for an inter-disciplinary research program to successfully address the issue. It should be noted that the methodology adopted in the paper, the barriers

Late Holocene vegetation dynamics and lake geochemistry at Laguna Miranda, XI Region, Chile Dinámica vegetaciónal y geoquímica lacustre del Holoceno tardío en Laguna Miranda, XI Región, Chile

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. G. HABERLE

2000-12-01

autogenic processes that may result from disturbance such as volcanic/tectonic activity in reconstructing past vegetation dynamics from pollen recordsAnálisis palinológicos y geoquímicos de sedimentos lacustres del holoceno tardío y análisis dendrocronológicos de Pilgerodendron uviferum en una zona volcánica activa del sur de Chile revelan el impacto a largo plazo de diversas caidas de tefra y actividad tectónica en la sedimentación lacustre y la vegetación de la zona. Una sección sedimentaria superior de 0,75 m traslapa una columna de pistón Livingstone de 4,35 m de largo para dar un registro de sedimentación de 4,60 m de longitud extendiéndose 4800 años AP. Datos geoquímicos muestran el cambio de dominancia alogénica a dominancia autígena y biogénica según se formaban los terrenos anegadizos dentro de la cuenca. Se presume que esto pudo producirse bajo la influencia de la llegada constante de nutrientes a la cuenca del lago procedentes del depósito de materias volcánicas conjuntamente con una alta sedimentación. El registro palinológico de este lugar está dominado por el tipo Nothofagus dombeyi y Filicales. Los cambios más notables que registra el polen son, no obstante, la declinación gradual del polen Podocarpus nubigena durante los últimos 4800 años; la aparición y aumento del polen Geamineae durante los pasados 2100 años; y el rápido aumento del polen Pilgerodendron uviferum en los últimos 300 a 400 años. El análisis de los anillos de leño de Pilgerodendron y los resultados que da el polen en los últimos 400 años muestran que la expansión más reciente de Pilgerodendron en las márgenes norte y este del lugar es una respuesta, bien a cambios periódicos de la capa freática por interacción tectónica, o es parte de un lento proceso de desarrollo de gimnospermas en las márgenes poco profundas del lago. La disminución de Weinmannia y Podocarpus, hace alrededor de 2100 años AP, se podría deber a procesos autogénicos resultando

ESO PR Highlights in 2006

Science.gov (United States)

2007-01-01

unprecedented detailed map of a proto-disc galaxy, showing how galaxies looked like 10 billion years ago (PR 31/06). The VLT also helped to discover a large primordial (more than 10 billion years away) 'blob', explained as the early stage formation of a galaxy (PR 23/06). Not only far away galaxies are rich of surprises: also our own Galaxy was the object of investigations during 2006 and its history is now less obscure (PR 34/06 and 41/06). ESO's Very Large Telescope unveiled that the stellar cluster Messier 12 must have lost to our Milky Way galaxy close to one million low-mass stars (PR 04/06). Stealing is not uncommon in astronomy: evidence of stellar vampires - star sucking off material from another - was unearthed in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae (PR 37/06). Still closer to home, the VLT observed Schwassmann-Wachmann 3, a comet that is breaking apart and revealed many mini-comets (PR 15/06). At Paranal, a fourth Auxiliary Telescope was installed for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (PR 51/06), and since January 2006, not only do natural stars shine: the first artificial star twinkles in the Southern Hemisphere. It does not guide the sailors (it is too faint to be seen by the unaided eye), but it conducts the eye of the present and future telescopes (PR 07/06). And 2006 proved an important year for the future project of ESO, the Extremely Large Telescope. After approval from the ESO council, the European community can now start the final design of this telescope that will without doubt revolutionise astronomy (PR 25/06 and 46/06). ESO PR Photos 2006 2006 was without doubt an explosive year: the explosion of a supernovae of Type Ia in the enchanting Hooked Galaxy was followed from the middle of 2005 for more than a year (PR 22/06) and using observations of 17 supernovae Ia astronomers could make light on the nature of such explosions, that are likely to occur at supersonic speed (PR 44/06). Supernovae are proved to be linked to X-ray flashes (PR 33/06) and to the

El pintor de un ocaso. Enrique Loncán entre brindis y charlas de amigo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Rodríguez Pérsico

2012-10-01

émoire collective, les récits nationaux fonctionnent comme des archives conservant les traditions et fondant des généalogies témoins d’un passé originaire.Enrique Loncán publie entre 1923 et 1936 quatre volumes de causeries au titre typiquement portègne, Las charlas de mi amigo, où il réactive le genre en lui imprimant une marque politique. Il choisit les formes et le ton de la causerie du dix-neuvième siècle pour les doter de contenus politiques. La drôlerie et la moquerie s’unissent pour produire un type de textualité qui prend des distances tant avec le geste pédagogique qu’avec la pose de l’indignation. La causerie saisit le présent comme une époque de décadence.Les formes littéraires de l’essai national et du récit costumbrista mettent en scène des manières de concevoir l’histoire : l’archive, la mémoire et la continuité s’opposent à la fragmentation, l’instantané et le présent.During the 1920’s and 1930’s, a great number of writers and journalists produced texts of political criticism combining humour with a particular form of regionalism (costumbrismo. With some exceptions, most of them preferred brief forms : short stories, literary etchings (aguafuertes or causeries. Because they were regular contributors to journals and magazines such as La Nación, El Hogar, Caras y Caretas, Arturo Cancela, Enrique Loncán and Enrique Méndez Calzada were able to reach large audiences. They were deeply sceptic, openly against Yrigoyen’s policy and, because of their intense negativity, antidemocratic. The target of their mockery is the popular and national government. They show an Argentina that can be glimpsed as a shattered society, amidst the ruins of institutions.But they do not confine themselves to present times. Their texts set up a strategy of extensive demystification of major national narratives. Laughter and stereotype undermine the myths created by Centenario authors, such as Leopoldo Lugones, Manuel Gálvez, Ricardo Rojas �

Sinais clínicos, distribuição das lesões no sistema nervoso e epidemiologia da raiva em herbívoros na região Nordeste do Brasil Clinical signs, distribution of the lesions in the central nervous system and epidemiology of rabies in northeastern Brazil

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Everton Ferreira Lima

2005-12-01

ões histológicas e os corpúsculos de Negri foram menos freqüentes que no SNC. Esses resultados mostram que na raiva dos herbívoros os sinais clínicos e a distribuição das lesões histológicas do SNC são variáveis, e que para o correto diagnóstico da enfermidade são necessários um bom exame clínico e o estudo histológico das diferentes regiões do SNC. Sugere-se, também, que perante resultados negativos nos testes de imunofluo-rescência e inoculação em camundongos, estes devam ser repetidos com amostras de diferentes regiões do SNC. Utilizando-se dados sobre a freqüência de doenças, de 4 laboratórios de diagnóstico, foi realizada uma estimativa das mortes de bovinos causadas pela raiva, anualmente, em 3 Estados. Na Paraíba, com uma população de 918.262 bovinos, o número de mortes é estimado em 8.609 cabeças por ano. No Mato Grosso do Sul, com uma população de 23 milhões de bovinos, as perdas por raiva são estimadas em 149.500 cabeças e, no Rio Grande do Sul, com uma população de 13 milhões de bovinos, as mortes são estimadas em 13.000 a 16.250 animais por ano. Se estas estimativas forem extrapoladas para todo o Brasil, com 195 milhões de bovinos, as mortes podem ser estimadas em 842.688 cabeças por ano.Twenty four outbreaks of rabies in cattle, 4 in horses, 2 in sheep, and 2 in goats are reported in northeastern Brazil. All outbreaks occurred in the state of Paraíba, except one in horses that occurred in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. All outbreaks, except one in sheep, were probably transmitted by vampire-bats, but the transmission by foxes (Dusicyon vetulus is also possible. Clinical signs were characteristic for distribution of the lesions in the central nervous system (CNS. In cattle, signs were mainly of the paralytic form of rabies, caused by lesions on the spinal cord, brain stem and cerebellum; but some animals showed also depression, excitation and other signs due to cerebral lesions. In 3 out of 5 horses, the main

Lifting the veil on the X-ray universe

Science.gov (United States)

1999-11-01

Universe. The mission will study X-rays that originate from "vampire stars" that feed upon their companions, where intense gravitational fields swirl matter from one sphere to the other in strange and terrifying ballets. XMM's high-speed cameras will examine celestial sources whose X-rays pulse rhythmically and mysteriously, and those that flash briefly, pinpointing perhaps gigantic explosions that result from colliding black holes in far off galaxies. XMM will delve into enigmatic black holes, cosmic dustbins that consign matter and light to oblivion, where tired X-rays have lost energy and time itself is slowing down. The golden X-ray eyes of ESA's observatory will try to make sense of a 'bigger picture', ascertaining how galaxies aggregate millions of stars, how these galaxies themselves form clusters and groups scattered across cosmic space. XMM will also attempt to understand the nature of the invisible dark matter that fills interstellar space. A high-flying mission The XMM spacecraft, the largest science satellite ever built in Europe, is due to be launched in December 1999 by an Ariane-5 from the European Spaceport in Kourou. After being released by the launcher, XMM will be placed in a highly eccentric 48-hour orbit, rising to a distance of 114 000 km from the Earth, then returning to within 7 000 km of our planet. This orbit has been chosen for several reasons. It offers an optimal contact between ground tracking stations and the satellite; it will allow the satellite to pass rapidly through the Earth's radiation belts which could harm its delicate science instruments; and above all it will offer astronomers the longest possible observation periods. Note to editors: No X-rays from space can penetrate the Earth's atmosphere so all X-ray astronomy is carried out with instruments on rockets, stratospheric balloons or satellites. X-rays from the Sun were first detected during sounding rocket flights in the 1950s. By 1970, more than forty X-rays sources had been

Carnaria: The Festival of the Goddess Carna

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marjeta Šašel Kos

2012-07-01

hot spelt. She is a goddess of the olden time, and subsists upon the foods to which she was inured before; no voluptuary is she to run after foreign viands’ (6.169–172. His description of expensive foreign dishes, which had not been served at the Roman tables of old, concludes: ‘The pig was prized, people feasted on slaughtered swine: the ground yielded only beans and hard spelt. Whoever eats at the same time these two foods on the [C]alends of the sixth month, they affirm that nothing can hurt his bowels’ (178–182. The June Calends were popularly known as Kalendae fabariae because it was in June that the first beans were harvested in Italy and brought as offerings to the altars. This is attested by Macrobius, and while his details slightly diverge from Ovid’s, the two accounts are easily amalgamated into a whole. Macrobius further mentions a temple on Mount Caelius dedicated to Carna by Lucius Iunius Brutus. The Greeks believed that whitethorn twigs attached to doors or windows would repel witches (Dioscorides, De natura medica 1.119. Judging by Ovid’s tale of Carna, similar superstitious beliefs proliferated among the Romans. And since superstition dies hard, the belief still lingers in many places that strongly scented plants, if hung about the room, will repel bloodsuckers and vampires. Moreover, it was believed into late antiquity that whitethorn offered protection against spirits on the day when they supposedly stalked and harassed the living. For the territory of present-day Slovenia, Johann Weikhard von Valvasor’s ‘Glory of the Duchy of Carniola’ (Die Ehre, vol. 3, 400 preserves a note about evil spirits who kill children by sucking their blood, not unlike the Roman striges repelled by Carna. The rumour about the spirits is cited in connection with the Prestranek (Prostranigkh castle: ‘As for this area around Pivka, it is said that at certain times, such as Christmas Eve, there is a host of apparitions to be seen; called vedavci in the