Se realizó una exploración inicial sobremedidas de adaptación implementadas frente a Eventos Hidrometeorológicos Extremos (EHE) en zonas rurales, extraídas de sitios seleccionados en Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia y Ecuador; el primer desafío encontrado fue la definición de EHE; puesto que la misma cambia si se la enfoca desde el punto de vistameteorológico o hidrológico; además, no existe acuerdo en la definición de valores límites para caracterizar estos eventos dentro de la región; finalmente, en muchos de los sitios donde se realizó este estudio no existen registros lo suficientemente largos y confiables para poder cuantificar los EHE; en consecuencia se decidió utilizar una definición "empírica" de EHE, dejando que sean los actores sociales que vivieron la experiencia los que determinen cuando ocurrió un evento de esa naturaleza. A pesar de las diferencias en la vulnerabilidad y los impactos sobre los paisajes rurales de cada sitio, las evidencias sugieren que la gestión integrada de los paisajes a nivel comunitario permite a los productores agrícolas adoptar medidas de adaptación a su debido tiempo y preparar a las comunidades rurales para enfrentarse y responder ante la ocurrencia de EHE. Entre las lecciones aprendidas más importantes se identificaron: La demanda de una adecuada transferencia de información relacionada a EHE; la necesidad de promoción del capital social; la importancia de tener un Estado desempeñando un rol proactivo; la relevancia de tener una prensa que oriente y no escandalice; y la necesidad de contar con mecanismos óptimos para estimación de costos.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a influência da simulação de orvalho na eficiência do herbicida glyphosate sobre Brachiaria decumbens. Para isso, foram realizados dois ensaios simultâneos. No primeiro, os tratamentos foram constituídos pela combinação de duas doses de glyphosate (270 e 540 g ha-1), três intervalos de tempo entre a pulverização do herbicida e a simulação de orvalho (0,0; 4,0 e 8,0 horas) e cinco volumes de orvalho (250, 500, 750, 1.000 e 2.000 mL m-2), além de três testemunhas adicionais, dispostos em esquema fatorial (2x3x5)+3, com quatro repetições. No segundo ensaio, os tratamentos foram constituídos pela combinação da aplicação do orvalho simulado em cinco volumes (250, 500, 750, 1.000 e 2.000 mL m-2) com a pulverização do glyphosate, logo após o orvalho simulado, em duas doses (270 e 540 g ha-1), dispostos em esquema fatorial (5x2), com quatro repetições. A dose de 270 g ha-1 de glyphosate, independentemente do intervalo de tempo entre a pulverização do herbicida e a aplicação do orvalho simulado ou dos volumes de orvalho, não proporcionou controle de B. decumbens. Os volumes crescentes de orvalho sobre o glyphosate pulverizado na dose de 540 g ha-1 interferiram no controle de B. decumbens, sendo necessário intervalo de oito horas entre a aplicação do glyphosate e a ocorrência do orvalho para se obter controle satisfatório da planta daninha. Aplicações de glyphosate sobre plantas de B. decumbens na presença do orvalho resultaram em baixos níveis de controle na dose de 540g ha-1, não apresentando qualquer controle na dose menor. Embora tenha havido interferência do volume de orvalho simulado na eficácia do herbicida, o controle de B. decumbens pelo glyphosate pareceu estar mais relacionado com o tempo de ocorrência do orvalho após as pulverizações.

The histopathology of the liver is fundamental for the differential diagnosis between intra- and extrahepatic causes of neonatal cholestasis. However, histopathological findings may overlap and there is disagreement among authors concerning those which could discriminate between intra- and extrahepatic cholestasis. Forty-six liver biopsies (35 wedge biopsies and 11 percutaneous biopsies) and one specimen from a postmortem examination, all from patients hospitalized for neonatal cholestasis in the Pediatrics Service of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, were prospectively studied using a specially designed histopathological protocol. At least 4 of 5 different stains were used, and 46 hepatic histopathological variables related to the differential diagnosis of neonatal cholestasis were studied. The findings were scored for severity on a scale from 0 to 4. Sections which showed less than 3 portal spaces were excluded from the study. Sections were examined by a pathologist who was unaware of the final diagnosis of each case. Bile tract permeability was defined by scintigraphy of the bile ducts and operative cholangiography. The F test and discriminant analysis were used as statistical methods for the study of the hepatic histopathological variables. The chi-square method with Yates correction was used to relate the age of the patients on the date of the histopathological study to the discriminatory variables between intra- and extrahepatic cholestasis selected by the discriminant function test. The most valuable hepatic histopathological variables for the discrimination between intra- and extrahepatic cholestasis, in decreasing order of importance, were periportal ductal proliferation, portal ductal proliferation, portal expansion, cholestasis in neoductules, foci of myeloid metaplasia, and portal-portal bridges. The only variable which pointed to the diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis was myeloid metaplasia. Due to the small number of patients who were younger than 60 days on the date of the histopathological study (N = 6), no variable discriminated between intra- and extrahepatic cholestasis before the age of 2 months and all of them, except for the portal expansion, were discriminatory after this age. In infants with cholestasis, foci of myeloid metaplasia, whenever present in the liver biopsy, suggested intrahepatic cholestasis. Periportal ductal proliferation, portal ductal proliferation, portal expansion, cholestasis in neoductules, portal cholestasis and portal-portal bridges suggested extrahepatic obstructive cholestasis.

Biliary atresia, the most common cause of liver transplantation in children, remains a challenge for clinicians and investigators. The development of new therapeutic options, besides the typical hepatoportoenterostomy, depends on a greater understanding of its pathogenesis and how it relates to the clinical phenotypes at diagnosis and the rate of disease progression. In this review, we present a perspective of how recent research has advanced the understanding of the disease and has improved clinical care protocols. Molecular and morphological analyses at diagnosis point to the potential contributions of polymorphism in the CFC1 and VEGF genes to the pathogenesis of the disease, and to an association between the degree of bile duct proliferation and long-term outcome. In experimental models, cholangiocytes do not appear to have antigen-presenting properties despite a substantial innate and adaptive immune response that targets the biliary epithelium and produces duct obstruction. Initial clinical trials assessing the efficacy of corticosteroids in decreasing the inflammation and improving outcome do not show a superior effect of corticosteroids as an adjuvant treatment following hepatoportoenterostomy. The best outcome still remains linked to an early diagnosis and surgical treatment. In this regard, the Yellow Alert campaign by the Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria and the inclusion of the Stool Color Card in the health booklet given to every neonate in Brazil have the potential to decrease the age of diagnosis, shorten the time between diagnosis and surgical treatment, and improve the long-term outcome of children with this devastating disease.

The characterístics of automatic and digitalized recording of drilling parameters in destrutive bore-holes and its application in the design of dam foundation grouting in soils or rock formations, and also in the quality control during the construction, are described. The use of this quality control during the construction, are described. The use of this technique can eventually reduce the required number of Lugeon permeability tests for design and quality control. Also, the use of modem measuring and recording equipment can reduce the Lugeon test duration to 30% of previous pratices. The advantages of the electronic recording of grouting parameters (pressure, flow and amount of grout) and its use in the automatic control of grouting plants are referred.

This paper aims to examine the Portuguese influence in Tenerife during the Iberian Union period. We will analyse the importance of this community from a quantitative point of view, in comparison to other communities, and from a qualitative point of view, to find out the true extent of this foreign influence upon the Canary Islands. Additionally, it is significant here to consider the kind of activities the Portuguese developed in the Canary Islands, as well as knowing their birth regions, which could help to contextualize the traditionally close links between the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira.

Ion exchange resins produce a salt effluent with a high colour content and a high salt concentration. Some of the colourants can be removed by precipitation with lime. Colourants which are not removed can be degraded by microorganisms. The white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium has been widely studied, due to its capacity of metabolising xenobiotics coming from several chemical and food industries. This organism has an enzymatic system related with lignin degradation, which was also shown to be able to degrade such compounds as DDT, lindane, pentachlorophenol, melanoidins, etc. In the sugar industry, melanoidins and polyphenols are among the most important coloured compounds in the process, and appear in great quantities in the effluents from the regeneration of ion-exchange resins. The study was made at laboratory scale to investigate the possibility of using Phanerochaete chrysosporium in the removal of these compounds. Growth studies performed in the effluent were made in order to optimize the colour removal (and the culture medium), varying several conditions - micronutrients, pH, salt content, carbon and nitrogen source, etc. In ideal conditions, 76% colour reduction and 81% polyphenolic compounds removal was obtained.

Road traffic accidents represent one of the greatest causes of morbidity and mortality, mainly in countries like Portugal, where the accident rate is one of the highest in Europe. The constant increasing number and variety of circulating vehicles tends to amplify the phenomenon dimension, with resulting human and social costs. Although, in our country, there have been several reports on injuries to occupants of cars in read traffic accidents, there are no more than a few studies on injuries to pedestrians in such accidents. With this goal, a retrospective study of all lawsuits concerning these victims of being run over [correction of trampling], which were examined and concluded at the Clinical Department of the Institute of Legal Medicine of Lisbon during the quinquennium 1985-1989. The population satisfying these requirements consists of 324 persons of both sexes and the results are presented on the basis of some parameters considered helpful to a better understanding of this kind of victims, injuries sustained and medico-legal consequences. In conclusion, we try to define the main injury patterns and to discuss several aspects of medico-legal and social nature concerning this particular road traffic accidents.

This paper describes the characteristics, principles of interpretation and field of aplication of automatic record of drilling parameters.  Continuous «logging while drilling» is the measuring and recording as a functions of depth of a physical quantity, measured directly on the drill machine during the drilling, the variations of these parameters being in connection with the mechanical properties of the rock mass.

Although drugs are developed with therapeutics intentions, sometimes some substances are used for purposes other than those the pharmacologist had in mind. The word “drug” also involves psychoactive substances that can be used for medicinal or non-medicinal purposes in which it is included substances that are legal or illegal. The use of drugs for intentions other than their therapeutic purposes has become a growing public concern making their study very important from the toxicological standpoint. When alleged victims report that they were robbed or assaulted while incapacitated by a drug, toxicological chemical analysis is imperative to help substantiate the victim’s claim. These criminal offenses are known as drug facilitated crimes.The branch of science dedicated to toxicology studies has two application fields, forensic and analytical toxicology, that are interdisciplinary and that comprise all the scientific facts related with crimes committed through the use of drugs. Most often, the cases of crimes facilitated by drugs involve substances that have strong central nervous system depressant effects that are availed to easily render victims to robberies or sexual assaults. As new drugs are continuously being synthetized and new methods are used for drugging victims without their knowledge or consent it is important to develop new analytical methods that can assist in the investigation for figuring out all the details about this sort of crimes or enable ways of their prevention. For example, one way of drugging victims without being aware of is through drink spiking in social entertainment places, during parties, raves, etc. In these cases, the spiked beverages are the “crime weapons”. In this paper, it will be presented the relation of drug facilitated crimes and the toxicology science and also a review focused on the available analytical methods for the detection of adulterated beverages with drugs.