Intrauterine Exposure to Chronic 22 kHz Sound Affects Inhibitory Avoidance and Serotonergic Parameters in Forebrain Areas of Dams and Rat Offspring

In the present study we evaluated the effects of chronic exposure to sounds at 22 kHz during pregnancy on the central serotonergic and behavioral parameters in Wistar rat dams after the suckling period and on their male rat offspring. In addition, we also assessed the effects of an acute 22 kHz sound, associated with the chronic intrauterine exposure, on the emotional responses of adult offspring. The primary hypothesis was that experiencing 22 kHz stimuli during an early stage of development would interfere with brain serotonergic parameters and, later, with the adult rat’s defensive responses. The corollary question was whether a 22 kHz sound exposure would differentially affect inhibitory avoidance and escape responses and central serotonergic parameters. Female rats were divided into four groups: non-pregnant control;non-pregnant chronic exposure;pregnant control;and pregnant chronic exposure. Male offspring were divided into four groups: chronic intrauterine sound exposure;acute sound exposure in adulthood;chronic intrauterine exposure with acute exposure in adulthood;and no exposure. Chronic sound exposure affected inhibitory avoidance and serotonergic parameters in female rats. For offspring, there was an interaction between chronic and acute sound exposure effects on inhibitory avoidance response but not on escape response. There were significant effects of chronic intrauterine exposure on serotonin turnover in the hippocampus and PFC of females. For offspring, the turnover was increased by chronic exposure only in PFC, and in amygdala it was increased by acute exposure. These results illuminate the potential of an early acoustic sound exposure for causing central serotonergic and emotional behavioral changes that can persist into later periods of life.

Influence of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean’s Sea Surface Temperature in the Eastern Northeast Brazil Precipitation

An analysis of the rainfall of the Eastern Northeast Brazil (ENEB) during the period from April to June and the processes of ocean-atmosphere interaction were performed during different episodes of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) inter-hemispheric gradient of Atlantic tropical (GRAD). For this, we used a dataset covering the 1981 to 2010 period, composed by: monthly data of accumulated precipitation of the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP);surface fluxes obtained from reanalysis of the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP);vertically integrated moisture flux divergence of the global model of European Centre for Medium Range Forecasting (ECMWF) reanalysis;SST data from the NCEP. Seven GRAD_S (southward SST gradient in the intertropical Atlantic) and five GRAD_N (northward SST gradient in the intertropical Atlantic) were selected. When the South Atlantic Ocean is warmer, the oceanic and atmospheric conditions are favorable to higher monthly precipitation near to the ENEB. We also observed a pronounced moisture convergence over parts of the ENEB during both, GRAD_S and GRAD_N episodes. The weather phenomena that operates remotely amplifying or inhibiting the rain also helps the rainy season;however, it appears that the contribution was greater than the spatial distribution of rainfall intensity.

Modelling Animal Activity as Curves: An Approach Using Wavelet-Based Functional Data Analysis

Temporal activity patterns in animals emerge from complex interactions between choices made by organisms as responses to biotic interactions and challenges posed by external factors. Temporal activity pattern is an inherently continuous process, even being recorded as a time series. The discreteness of the data set is clearly due to data-acquisition limitations rather than a true underlying discrete nature of the phenomenon itself. Therefore, curves are a natural representation for high-frequency data. Here, we fully model temporal activity data as curves integrating wavelets and functional data analysis, allowing for testing hypotheses based on curves rather than on scalar and vector-valued data. Temporal activity data were obtained experimentally for males and females of a small-bodied marsupial and modelled as wavelets with independent and identically distributed errors and dependent errors. The null hypothesis of no difference in temporal activity pattern between male and female curves was tested with functional analysis of variance (FANOVA). The null hypothesis was rejected by FANOVA and we discussed the differences in temporal activity pattern curves between males and females in terms of ecological and life-history attributes of the reference species. We also performed numerical analysis that shed light on the regularity properties of the wavelet bases used and the thresholding parameters.

Dialectic Approaches and Public Policy Interactions for Social, Environmental and Health Problems: Challenges for Health Promotion across Territorial Scales

A constant reproduction of environmental injustices and health iniquities has demanded the employment of participatory/dialectic approaches to research and to intervene in the reality making possible the involvement of social actors in healthy public policies. On this framework, the aim of this paper is to analyse scientific production with dialectic approaches associated with public policies in the context of social, environmental and health problems, considering territorial scales of intervention and the correspondence with some relevant strategies of health promotion. A systematic bibliographic review was applied on a wide pan-disciplinary scientific data base and 36 papers were analysed and classified by their territorial scales of approach. The amount of papers found and their spread through a variety of journals showed a modest, but increasing production which has been dispersed in terms of knowledge areas. Within the classification of territorial approaches, 14 papers were classified as local, 5 as expanded and 17 as a multi-level. Although the papers classified as local approaches were in a good structure of stakeholders’ participation, they are limited to dealing with the global driving forces that reproduce the environmental injustices. Regarding this limitation, the multilevel approaches were identified as more opportune to jointly deal with social, environmental and health problems by means of allowing interaction through multiple territorial scales, fomenting the strengthening of community action, creating supportive environments, and building healthy public policies.

Isolation of Filamentous Fungi from the Caatinga Region and Production of Amylolytic Enzymes of Great Industrial Interest

The industrial importance and the high cost of the commercial amylase require the study of microorganisms that produce these enzymes. For this reason, the objective of this work was to isolate filamentous fungi from a region of the caatinga and evaluate their potential for the production of amylase. Four soil samples were collected from a deactivated dump located in the city of Diamantina, MG, in a region of the caatinga. The analysis of amylolytic production in a submerged medium at the ideal temperature of each microorganism was performed using the saccharification method, and the reducing sugars formed were quantified by DNS. Fourteen filamentous fungi were isolated, which had different morphological aspects. Regarding amylase production, a mean activity of 0.477 U·mL-1 was obtained with the isolates I 1.2.1 and I 4.4.1. These results bring important information regarding the biodiversity of the caatinga, in addition to the isolation of microorganisms that can be used as biological machinery to obtain metabolites with high biotechnological and industrial potential.

Investment in Generation of Photovoltaic Solar Energy: A Fezsibility Study with Flexibility and Uncertainty

The objective of this research will be to calculate the feasibility of investing in a solar energy generation project through the development of a methodology that allows the capture of environmental uncertainties by improving decision making. The article presents a comparative study of the feasibility analysis of investment in a solar mini solar energy for a Shopping, considering a regime of certainty and uncertainty. The assumed stochastic variables were energy tariff and price of solar panels. The trajectories were simulated with the binomial approach that combined resulted in a quadratic diagram. The applied methodology presented the best recommendation and the option to wait was the most valuable. The exchange of the energy obtained from LIGHT by own generation of energy with solar photovoltaic source will be viable for the manager since it observes the behavior of the variables over time and follows the rules of optimal decision.

Use of Caffeine for the Evaluation of the Anthropic Influence over the Upper and Middle Iguaçu River Basins

Many parameters are usually used as gauges to describe water quality worldwide, such as the concentrations of phosphorus, forms of nitrogen, dissolved oxygen (DO), among others. Though legislative limits for the concentrations of these substances are in place, such is not the case for caffeine. Caffeine is a pharmacologically active alkaloid, from the xanthine group, which can be used as a chemical tracer for anthropic influence over water resources. The objective of this study was to analyze the pollution indicators over the Igua?u River, one of the main rivers in Southern Brazil, through the examination of nutrients, DO and their correlations to caffeine. The water samples were collected from 10 sampling sites along the river course, unevenly spaced to better represent the different environmental scenarios present in its basin, extracted from 2014 to 2017. Caffeine was detected and quantified through high-efficiency liquid state chromatography. Results show that both nutrient and caffeine concentrations increased in intensely urbanized areas, specially from IG2 to IG5 sampling sites. Downstream from IG6 the contaminant concentrations decreased mainly due to higher river flows and lower population density. Caffeine was detected in 82% of the samples, indicating that most of the sampling sites were under anthropic influence.

Evaluation of Physical and Mental Quality of Life of Motorcycle Taxi Drivers

Motorcycle taxi drivers are workers who use motorcycle to carry passengers. Objectives: to identify the sociodemographic profile and evaluate the physical and mental quality of life of motorcycle taxi drivers. Methods: Cross-sectional study, held in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul-Brazil, from May to July 2015 with 301 participants. To calculate the sample size, the margin of error was 5%, confidence level, 95%;and the drivers were randomly selected. For data collection, two instruments were used: the demographic questionnaire and the SF-36 Health Status Questionnaire. Results: Among the 301 respondents, predominance fell on males (98.7%, n = 297), married or in a stable relationship (63.5%, n = 191), with completed high school education (44.9%, n = 135). More than half felt discomfort while working (52.8%, n = 159). Of those with diagnosed disease the predominant type of disease was hypertension (55.5%, n = 30). When male and female were compared, men had lower average in the mental health aspect (63.39 ± 13.22);and women, in the emotional aspect (41.66 ± 31.91). There were significant differences in the scores of physical functioning (p = 0.002), bodily pain (0.043) and general health perceptions (p = 0.003) of the drivers reporting disease, compared to those who did not reported it. Conclusion: The studied motorcycle taxi drivers are mostly male, married, with high school education. Regarding quality of life, men had lower perception in the general mental health aspect whereas women showed lower perception in the emotional aspects. The individuals with disease had lower perceived quality of life in the physical functioning, bodily pain and general health concepts.

Concrete Compressive Strength Estimation by Means of Nondestructive Testing: A Case Study

Estimation of the mechanical properties of concrete in an existing structure is possible with the results of surface hardness and ultrasound tests (nondestructive tests (NDTs)). For both the use of correlation curves is necessary, it is established between NDT and the results of the compressive strength of test specimens or extracted from structure. The objective of this study is to produce correlations between the results of surface hardness and ultrasound NDTs and the compressive strength of the structural concrete in the bleachers of a soccer stadium in the city of Cianorte, which is located in the northwest part of the state of Paraná, Brazil. This concrete structure, which is approximately 26 years old, has some defects, such as corrosion, concrete segregation and cracks. Concrete spalling in one of the slabs has recently raised some concern. Another significant issue is the absence of records regarding concreting of the bleachers’ structure. Therefore, mapping the reinforcement was initially performed according to the results of a surface hardness test, as recommended by standard [1]. An ultrasound test was simultaneously performed according to standard [2] for the same points employed in the surface hardness test. The concrete specimens were extracted according to the recommendations of standard [1] to determine compressive strength, perform the NDT and construct the correlation curves for the results. A total of 26 concrete specimens were obtained from all structures of the bleachers. From the methodology and the results of the study, highly reliable equations were obtained from the correlation curves among the compressive strength of the concrete specimens and the values of the surface hardness index and the ultrasound wave propagation velocity.

Impact of the Objective Function on the Construction of Internal Grids of Wind Farms Using Genetic Algorithm

The macro complex of the construction industry is energy intensive. Solutions that enable the supply of this demand while meeting the principles of sustainability are needed. The construction of wind farms has been a strategy employed by many countries to produce clean energy. An increase in the construction of wind farms has also been witnessed in Brazil. This calls for different activities, such as the design and construction of infrastructure. This article focuses on the design of internal medium voltage distribution grids for wind farms. The purpose is to find a radial configuration that connects a set of wind generators to the substation, in an optimum way, minimizing operational and construction costs, reducing loss and therefore contributing to sustainability. In large farms, the project design consists of a large combinatorial optimization problem, given the large number of possible configurations to be deployed. Finding the best solution for the internal grid depends on the criterion adopted for the objectives pursued. This article analyzes the different criteria that can be adopted in the design of the wind farm’s internal grid using a methodology based on genetic algorithm (GA). Its aim is to identify their influence on the solution of the problem and help decision-making by finding the most adequate criterion for the objectives pursued. The results show that the design of the internal grid is sensitive to the criteria adopted for the objective function. In addition, the degree of sensitivity is analyzed, showing that, in some cases, the solutions are not economically attractive and do not contribute to the reduction of losses.

First Record in Brazil of Epistylis sp. (Ciliophora) Adhered to Argulus sp. (Argulidae), a Parasite of Hoplias aimara (Eritrhinidae)

This paper records the first occurrence of Epistylis sp. on the body surface of Argulus sp. parasitizing Hoplias aimara from the upper Araguari River, in the eastern Amazon region, in the north of Brazil. Of the 16 specimens of H. aimara examined, 93.7% had their pelvic, caudal and pectoral fins and tegument infested by Argulus sp. (n = 73), which in turn were infested by Epistylis sp. The specimens of Epistylis sp. from the body surface of Argulus sp. were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The present study also identified a widening of the geographic distribution of these two species of ectoparasites to the eastern Amazon region of Brazil.

Persistence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM Antibody up to 8 Months Post-COVID-19

Here, we present a longitudinal analysis of two patients who recovered from COVID-19 more than 8 months prior but showed persistent serological detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM. We still do not know the exact reason for this prolonged persistence of IgM in these patients. To our knowledge, these are the first reports of IgM persistence in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection and point to the need for no longer using IgM as a diagnostic criterion for acute or recent COVID-19. One should opt for gold standard molecular methodologies due to their high sensitivity and specificity.

Dengue Climate Variability in Rio de Janeiro City with Cross-Wavelet Transform

Dengue is one of the most prominent tropical epidemic diseases present in the Rio de Janeiro city and Southeast part of Brazil, due to the widespread conditions of occurrence of the dengue vector, the mosquito Aedesaegypti, such as high-temperature days interlaced with afternoon or nocturnal rainstorms in summer. This work has the objective of investigating the relationships between variabilities of the El Ni?o-South Oscillation (ENSO) and greater epidemics of dengue in Rio de Janeiro city. To accomplish this goal, the analysis and signal decomposition by cross-wavelet transform (WT) was applied to obtain the cross variability associated with variations of power and phase of both signals by characteristic periods and along with the time series. Data considered in the analysis are (the decimal logarithm of normalized value) of the monthly available notifications of dengue worsening, provided by the public health system of Brazil, and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) Ni?o 3.4 data, provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in the period 2000-2017. A maximum cross-wavelet power close to 0.45 was obtained for the representative period of 1 year and also to periods between 3 and 4 years, associated with the positive phase of the SOI index (i.e. , La Ni?a) or with a transition to the positive phase. The evolution of the combined variability of SOI and dengue can be expressed by progressive differences in phase along the time, eventually resulting in yielding phases (i.e., La Niña-Dengue epidemic).