We develop a workflow based on the full-waveform inversion (FWI) to estimate P-wave velocities in a deepwater Brazilian presalt field using the recently introduced circular shot ocean bottom node ...(OBN) acquisition geometry. Such a geometry comprises a source vessel sailing in large radius concentric circular trajectories and seismic signals are recorded by OBN arrays. The circular shot OBN survey provides mostly refracted waves separately from reflected waves, so the FWI process is mainly driven by diving waves. We introduce a new FWI workflow to analyze non-preprocessed OBN refraction data, which includes automated steps, such as data selection solving an Eikonal equation, estimation of a source signature that accounts for ghost and bubble effects, and gradient preconditioning using a nonstationary filter and seismic illumination. We consider two objective functions based on the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">L^{1} </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">L^{2} </tex-math></inline-formula> norms. The FWI results demonstrated that using our proposed workflow with the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">L^{1} </tex-math></inline-formula> norm objective function and the circular OBN survey can lead to an improvement in presalt velocity models. Furthermore, using these improved models we construct reverse-time migration (RTM) images of the conventional OBN dataset, showing significant improvements in the salt stratification, the base of salt, and the lateral resolution of the presalt area. The Brazilian presalt case study demonstrated that the circular shot OBN acquisition maximizes the illumination of deep reservoirs through the ultralong offset and full-azimuth coverage that prioritizes the recording of diving waves.
Although it is well known that allergic diseases involve a strong Th2 immune response, with production of high levels of specific IgE allergen, knowledge on the association between filarial infection ...and allergies, among paediatric patients is scarce.
To evaluate the allergic response patterns in cases of filarial infection by comparing peripheral eosinophils, total IgE levels, immediate hypersensitivity and cytokine levels in children and adolescents in Brazil.
This was an exploratory study with three groups: (I) with filarial infection and without allergic diseases; (II) without filarial infection and with allergic diseases; and (III) without filarial infection and without allergic diseases. The prick test and specific IgE tests for aeroallergens were performed using five antigens. Peripheral eosinophils and total IgE were also evaluated. IL-4 and IL-5 were determined using whole-blood culture stimulated by three antigens.
Eosinophilia and elevated levels of total IgE (≥400IU/dl) were observed in all groups. The prick test was positive in 56.6% of the cases. Group I presented hypersensitive responses similar to the allergic disease groups. In the whole-blood culture stimulated by Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, average IL-4 production did not differ significantly among the groups, but IL5 production resulting from stimulation was greater in the allergic disease groups (p<0.05).
The allergic response pattern in group with filarial infection was similar to that of the groups with and without allergic diseases, but the response to IL-5 in the culture stimulated by D. pteronyssinus was an exclusive characteristic of the allergic group.
Obesity has been linked to metabolic syndrome (MS), which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Polymorphisms of Apolipoprotein E have also been associated with increased CVD risk. ...Therefore, this study investigated the association between MS and Apo E polymorphisms.
We measured anthropometric and biochemical variables and determined the Apo E genotype of 147 grade III obese patients.
The percentage of female subjects was 86.4%. The mean age and BMI of the subjects were 41 years and 53.5kg/m2, respectively. MS had been diagnosed in 79% of the subjects. The proportions of those exhibiting MS risk factors were as follows: 100% had a high BMI, 80% had hypertension, 65% had low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), 38% had diabetes, and 39% had hypertriglyceridemia. We found five genotypes for which the allelic distribution was different in the MS group compared to the general population. The ε4 allele was more frequent in the group with neither MS nor hypertension.
The morbidly obese patients exhibited a higher incidence of MS and a different allelic distribution when compared with other populations. The ε4 allele was associated with the absence of MS and hypertension.
We test the hypothesis that changes in physical and psychological health are associated with construals of stressful life events. At two points in time, approximately 10 years apart, participants ...(n=1038) rated their physical health and psychological distress. At the second assessment, participants also reported their most stressful life event since the first assessment and indicated whether they considered the event a turning point and/or lesson learned. Lower self-ratings of health and higher ratings of psychological distress, controlling for baseline health and distress, and relevant demographic factors, were associated with perceiving the stressful life event as a turning point, particularly a negative turning point. The two health measures were primarily unrelated to lessons learned. How individuals construe the most stressful events in their lives are associated with changes in self-rated health and distress.
Using a sample of 315 adult men and women, self-reports on Wiggins's revised Interpersonal Adjective Scales were jointly factored with self-reports, peer ratings, and spouse ratings on the NEO ...Personality Inventory to examine the relations between the two models. Results suggest that the interpersonal circumplex is defined by the two dimensions of Extraversion and Agreeableness, and that the circular ordering of variables is not an artifact of response biases or cognitive schemata. Circumplex and dimensional models appear to complement each other in describing the structure of personality, and both may be useful to social psychologists in understanding interpersonal behavior.
According to classical models of drug-receptor interactions, competitive antagonists share with agonists the ability to bind to a common site on the receptor molecule. However, they are different ...from agonists, as they cannot trigger the ``stimulus'' that leads to biological responses--i.e., they lack intrinsic activity. For those receptors whose signals are transduced to effector systems by GTP-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins), a mechanistic equivalent of such a stimulus is an increased ability of agonist-bound receptor to accelerate nucleotide exchange and thus GTPase activity on the G-protein molecule. Here we show that for a member of this family of receptors (δ opioid receptors in membranes of NG108-15 neuroblastoma-glioma cells), two types of competitive antagonists can be distinguished. One type has no intrinsic activity, since it neither stimulates nor inhibits the GTPase activity of G proteins and its apparent affinity for the receptor is not altered by pertussis toxin-mediated uncoupling of receptor and G protein. The second type, however, can inhibit GTPase and thus exhibits negative intrinsic activity; its affinity for receptors is increased following uncoupling from G proteins. The existence of antagonists with negative intrinsic activity may be a general feature of several classes of neurotransmitters or hormone receptors and calls for a reevaluation of biological effects produced by competitive antagonists.
Mangroves provide many benefits to human welfare, but they are disappearing rapidly; Ecuador and countries within the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) region have lost over 40% of their mangrove ...coverage in the last 40 years. One reason for this destruction is that the benefits of mangroves have not been valued in a way that policymakers and markets can understand. Here, we present the first economic valuation of multiple ecosystem services (ES) for Ecuador and the TEP using the Galapagos mangroves as a case study. We focused on three ES of high value and policy relevance: carbon storage, support for small-scale fisheries, and mangrove-based tourism. Our data suggest that over 778,000 tons of carbon are stored in Galapagos mangroves, with mean belowground carbon being 211.03 ± 179.65 Mg C/ha, valued at $2940/ha or $22,838/ha depending on the valuation methodology. We identified mangrove-dependent fish targeted by the local finfish fishery, with net benefits of $245 ha−1, making this fishery the second most profitable in the Archipelago. The value of mangrove-based recreation was estimated at $16,958/ha, contributing $62 million to the industry. By accounting for stakeholders and existing property rights, our results allow for the discussion of institutionalizing ES payments for the Galapagos Islands.
The SO2 + H2O reaction is proposed to be the starting process for the oxidation of sulfur dioxide to sulfate in liquid water, although the thermal reaction displays a high activation barrier. Recent ...studies have suggested that the reaction can be promoted by light absorption in the near UV. We report ab initio calculations showing that the SO2 excited triplet state is unstable in water, as it immediately reacts with H2O through a water-assisted proton coupled electron transfer mechanism forming OH and HOSO radicals. The work provides new insights for a general class of excited-state promoted reactions of related YXY compounds with water, where Y is a chalcogen atom and X is either an atom or a functional group, which opens up interesting chemical perspectives in technological applications of photoinduced H-transfer.
The Montes Claros City is located in an endemic area for visceral leishmaniosis in the Minas Gerais State, Brazil. With the implementation of a program for the control of visceral leishmaniosis in ...1994, a sectional study was carried out to evaluate the infection by viscerotropic
Leishmania in the population of dogs from Montes Claros, basically using indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT). Blood samples were collected on filter paper from 33,937 dogs, representing 96.1% of the canine local population. The prevalence for visceral leishmaniosis was found to be 9.7% in the municipality, being 9.9% in the urban area and 8.8% in the rural area. The annual incidence showed to be 64.3/1000 dogs. Prevalence of infection was not correlated with dogs age. The most affected breeds were: Boxer (24.6%) and Cocker (26.9%); Mongrel dogs had a prevalence of 7.8%. Short-hair animals had a prevalence of 11.9%, while long-furred animals had a prevalence of 8.9%. The isoenzymatic profile indicated that
Leishmania (
Leishmania)
chagasi was the visceral leishmaniosis etiological agent in Montes Claros City, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The main geographical areas for the parasite transmission were identified, and control measures were immediately started. The role of the dog as a reservoir for
L. chagasi was confirmed. It was demonstrated that short-furred animals are at a higher risk of acquiring visceral leishmaniosis than the long-furred dogs.
The A-Z of Zika drug discovery Mottin, Melina; Borba, Joyce V V B; Braga, Rodolpho C ...
Drug discovery today,
11/2018, Letnik:
23, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Despite the recent outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV), there are still no approved treatments, and early-stage compounds are probably many years away from approval. A comprehensive A-Z review of the ...recent advances in ZIKV drug discovery efforts is presented, highlighting drug repositioning and computationally guided compounds, including discovered viral and host cell inhibitors. Promising ZIKV molecular targets are also described and discussed, as well as targets belonging to the host cell, as new opportunities for ZIKV drug discovery. All this knowledge is not only crucial to advancing the fight against the Zika virus and other flaviviruses but also helps us prepare for the next emerging virus outbreak to which we will have to respond.
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