263 research outputs found
Measurement of the effective B0s→K+K− lifetime
No full textA measurement of the effective lifetime is presented using approximately 37 pb−1 of data collected by LHCb during 2010. This quantity can be used to put constraints on contributions from processes beyond the Standard Model in the meson system and is determined by two complementary approaches as
τKK=1.440±0.096 (stat)±0.008 (syst)±0.003 (model) ps
Observations of Bºs→ψ(2S)η and Bº(s)→ψ(2S)π+π- decays
No full textFirst observations of the B0s
→ψ(2S)η, B0 →ψ(2S)π
+
π
− and B0s
→ψ(2S)π
+
π
− decays are made
using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1 collected by the LHCb experiment in
proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of
√
s = 7 TeV. The ratios of the branching fractions
of each of the ψ(2S) modes with respect to the corresponding J/ψ decays are
B(B0s
→ψ(2S)η)
÷
B(B0s
→J/ψη)
= 0.83± 0.14 (stat)±0.12 (syst) ±0.02 (B),
;
B(B0→ψ(2S)π
+
π
−
)
÷
B(B0→J/ψπ
+
π
−
)
= 0.56± 0.07 (stat)±0.05 (syst)± 0.01 (B),
;
B(B0s
→ψ(2S)π
+
π
−
)
÷
B(B0s
→J/ψπ
+
π
−
)
= 0.34± 0.04 (stat)±0.03 (syst)± 0.01 (B),
where the third uncertainty corresponds to the uncertainties of the dilepton branching fractions of the J/ψ
and ψ(2S) meson decays
Holomorphy of Igusa's and topological zeta functions for homogeneous polynomials
No full textLet F be a number eld and f 2 F [x 1 ; : : : ; x n ] n F . To any completion K of F and any character of the group of units of the valuation ring of K one associates Igusa's local zeta function Z (; f; s). The holomorphy conjecture states that for all except a nite number of completions K of F we have that if the order of does not divide the order of any eigenvalue of the local monodromy of f at any complex point (; f; s) is holomorphic on C . The second author already showed that this conjecture is true for curves, i.e. for n = 2. Here we look at the case of an homogeneous polynomial f , so we can consider ff = 0g P . Under the condition that (P C n ff = 0g) 6= 0 we prove the holomorphy conjecture. Together with some results in the case when (P C n ff = 0g) = 0, we can conclude that the holomorphy conjecture is true for an arbitrary homogeneous polynomial in three variables
Performance of dairy cows fed rations produced with sugarcane silages treated with additives or fresh sugarcane.
No full textAn experiment was performed aiming at evaluating the performance of dairy cows fed sugarcane silages treated with additives compared to cows fed fresh forage. Twenty-four Holstein cows were grouped in blocks of three cows, according to parity order and milk production level, in multiple 3 × 3 Latin Square design to evaluate three types of ration (63% roughage and 37% concentrate in dry matter - DM): ration with silage treated with urea (5.0 g/kg of fresh forage - FF) + sodium benzoate (0.5 g/kg FF); ration with silage inoculated with Lactobacillus buchneri (5 × 104 cfu/g FF); ration with fresh sugarcane. Each evaluation period consisted of two weeks for adaptation and one week for data collection. Cows fed rations with silages treated with urea + benzoate and L. buchneri showed lower DM intake (18.5 vs 21.4 kg/day) and lower milk production (17.4 vs 18.6 kg/day) in comparison to those fed fresh forage ration. Fat content was higher in the milk of cows fed silage inoculated with L. buchneri compared to cows in the fresh forage group resulting in similar 3.5% fat corrected milk (FCM) among cows in both groups. Cows fed ration with silage treated with urea + benzoate presented intermediate fat content in milk but inferior FCM production compared to animals fed fresh sugarcane. Feed efficiency (kg FCM/kg DMI) was higher for cows fed ration produced with the inoculated silage (0.95), intermediate for cows that received silage treated with the combination of chemical additives (0.91) and lower for cows fed the ration with fresh sugarcane (0.83)
Hagenulopsis perere Campos & Rodrigues & Lima & Mariano & Costa & Marulanda & Salles 2022, sp. nov.
No full textHagenulopsis perere Campos, Costa & Salles sp. nov. (Figs 2A–D, 3A–J, 4G, 5F, 6A–H, 7A–D) Diagnosis. Hagenulopsis perere can be separated from its congeners by the following combination of characters. Nymph: (i), outer surface of fore and mid femur with a brown spot nearly at apex; (ii), 14 denticles on fore claw. Male Imago: (i), general coloration dark brown (Figs 3A, B); (ii), dorsal portion of eyes meeting dorsally on head; (iii), 21–33 facets on the longest row; (iv), outer surface of mid femur with a brown spot at midlength; (v), cross veins between C and RP 1 clouded with brown. Female imago: (i), general coloration dark brown; (ii), cross veins between C and RP 1 clouded with brown; (iii), egg guide dark brown, apically acute. Male imago. Body length: 7.0– 7.8 mm (n = 7). General coloration: dark brown (Fig. 2A–D). Head: orange brown (Fig. 3A–B). Upper portion of compound eye orange, area surrounding facets dark orange, lower portion black. Eyes meeting dorsally on head and with around 21–33 facets on the longest row. Ocelli white surrounded with orange, lateral ocelli larger than the median ocellus (Fig. 3A). Antenna: scape and pedicel brown washed black, flagellum pale brown. Thorax (Fig. 3B): pronotum brown, dark brown submedially and on lateral margins. Mesonotum brown, median longitudinal and medioparapsidal sutures brown, lateroparapsidal suture and anterolateral corner of scutellum pale. Metanotum brown, dark brown on posterior margin. Pleural sclerites brown, membranous area washed with gray (Fig. 3A). Sterna brown. Legs yellowish-brown (Fig. 3F–I). Foreleg (Fig. 3F): coxa and trochanter brown; femur yellowish-brown, washed with brown on basal half and with a brown band at midlength; tibia light yellow, dark brown on apex; tarsi light yellow, dark brown on apex of each tarsomere. Mid leg (Fig. 3G): coxa and trochanter brown; femur yellowish-brown with outer surface with a brown spot at midlength and an apical brown band; tarsi yellowish-brown. Hind leg (Fig. 3H): yellowish-brown; femur with median and apical brown bands. Claws yellowish-brown (Fig. 3I), both dissimilar. Wings (Fig. 4G–J): membrane hyaline, longitudinal and cross veins yellowish tinged with brown, area between costal brace dark brown; cross veins between C and RP 1 clouded with brown, clouds more extensive between Sc and RP 1;six cross veins basal to bulla, 14 distal to bulla. Abdomen (Fig. 3C–D): terga hyaline gray washed with brown. Tergum I entirely washed with brown; terga II–IX with a hyaline longitudinal stripe; terga VII, VIII and IX with hyaline anteromedial spot; tergum X with a hyaline median oblong mark. Sterna translucent gray washed with brown. Sterna II–VIII with hyaline anteromedial mark. Genitalia (Figs 3E, 5F). Styliger plate brown and quadrangular; forceps segment I brown, curved medially; forceps segment II brown washed with white; forceps segment III white; penes pale, acuminating towards apex and not covered by styliger plate; spine ventrally oriented on subapex of each penis lobe. Caudal filaments white with black annulations basally and on apex of each annulation. Male subimago (Fig. 2B). General coloration brown, similar to male imagos. Wings opaque, covered by microtrichia; longitudinal veins yellowish opaque tinged with brown, cross veins dark brown; cross veins between C and RP 1 clouded. Female imago (Fig. 3J–K). General coloration: dark brown (n = 5). Head: Brown, lighter brown around eyes and medially. Eyes black. Thorax: brown, pleural sclerites brown with membranes whitish. Sterna brown. Wings: membrane hyaline, longitudinal and cross veins yellowish-brown, costal brace dark brown; cross veins between longitudinal veins C and RP 1 clouded with brown, clouds more extensive on cross veins between Sc and RP 1; 4–5 cross veins basal to bulla, 15–16 distal to bulla. Abdomen: dark brown with light brown lines U shaped, terga IX similar to male; egg guide dark brown, apically acute (Fig. 3J–K). Caudal filaments white with black annulations on basal fourth and apex of each annulation. Female subimago (Fig. 2C) General coloration brown, similar to female imago. Wings opaque, covered by microtrichia; longitudinal veins yellowish opaque tinged with brown, cross veins dark brown; cross veins between C and RP 1 clouded. Egg guide brown, whitish brown toward apex. Nymph (Figs 6A–F, 7A–F). Body length: 5.3–5.7 mm (n = 3). General coloration (Fig. 6A–B): yellowishbrown. Head: yellowish-brown, frons and vertex washed with black, and with vertical black stripes. Eyes black. Ocelli white surrounded with black. Antenna broken off and lost. Labrum (Fig. 7A) almost as wide as clypeus; anteromedial emargination with 5 denticles, submedial denticles larger. Mandible (Fig. 7E) yellowish-brown, dark brown on incisors and molar; outer margin with 9–10 filiform long setae. Hypopharynx translucent yellow (Fig. 7D). Maxilla (Fig. 7B–C) yellowish-brown, washed with black on base of stipe; maxillary palp, segment I (0.18–0.24 mm), segment II (0.27–0.30 mm), segment III (0.14–0.15 mm). Labium (Fig. 7F) translucent yellow, postmentum washed with black; labial palp translucent yellow, segment I (0.25–0.29 mm) covered by strong setae, segment II (0.27–0.34 mm) covered by filiform setae, and segment III (0.12–0.15 mm) with dorsal spine-like setae. Thorax: pronotum yellowish-brown with middle and lateral margins washed with black. Mesothorax yellowishbrown, washed with black on lateral margins. Fore wing pad yellowish-brown, with clouded cross veins on mature nymphs (Fig. 6B). Legs yellowish-brown (Fig. 6C–F); outer surface of fore (Fig. 6E) and mid (Fig. 6D) femora with a brown spot nearly at apex; mid femur washed brown at midlength; hind femur with two dark brown bands (Fig. 6C). Claws yellowish-brown; about 14 denticles progressively larger toward apex (Fig. 6F). Abdomen (Fig. 6A): yellowish-brown washed with black, darker on lateral margins; posterolateral spines on segments V–IX progressively larger posteriorly (Fig. 6A). Gills translucent gray, tracheae black. Caudal filaments yellowish-brown. Eggs (Figs 8A–D). Length 161–189 µm (n = 5). Elliptic in shape (Fig. 8A). Chorionic surface perforated; sucker-like discs irregularly distributed on surface, each located in a small concavity (Fig. 8B–D). One micropylar area located in the equatorial region (Fig. 8B). Etymology. This species name is given in apposition after “Saci-Pererê”, a remarkable character from the Brazilian folklore. The word “pererê” means leaping in the Tupi Guarani language. Material examined. Holotype, ♂ imago. BRAZIL, Espírito Santo, Santa Teresa, Reserva Biológica Augusto Ruschi, Córrego Bragacho (19°52′2.53″S, 40°33′34.27″W; 830 m a.s.l), 18.xii.2017 – 17.i.2018, Malaise trap, Salles FF. & Costa V. leg. (UFVB). Paratypes. BRAZIL, Espírito Santo, Santa Teresa, Reserva Biológica Augusto Ruschi, Córrego Bragacho, (19°52′2.53″S, 40°33′34.27″W; 830 m a.s.l), 19.xii.2017, D-net Salles FF & Costa V. leg., 3 N, 2 ♀♀ (UFVB); same data as for preceding except for: 30.ix.2017, 3 ♂♂ (INPA); Minas Gerais, Araponga, Serra do Brigadeiro, Vale das Luas (20°39′37″S, 42°26′55″W; 990 m a.s.l), 24.i.2014, Entomological net, Salles FF. leg., 2 ♂♂ (MZUSP). Remarks. Pigments in forewings are usual in Hagenulopsis species and it may occur on cross veins, longitudinal veins, on the membrane or surrounding longitudinal and cross vein (Fig. 4). The males of H. perere sp. nov. are somewhat similar to males of H. diptera sharing with them the general color, the upper portion of compound eye meeting dorsally, and the brown bands on middle and apex of hind femur. However, the males of H. perere sp. nov. can be differentiated from the males of H. diptera by the remarkable brown clouds surrounding the cross veins located between longitudinal veins C to RP 1 and by a brown spot at the midlength on the outer surface of the middle femur. In addition, mature nymphs and females of H. perere sp. nov. can also be distinguished from all other species by the presence of clouds surrounding the cross veins between longitudinal veins C and RP 1.Published as part of Campos, Rogério, Rodrigues, Jackson A. O., Lima, Lucas R. C., Mariano, Rodolfo, Costa, Vini- Cius, Marulanda, Jhon & Salles, Frederico F., 2022, Hagenulopsis Ulmer (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae): re-description, morphological notes and a new species from South America, Brazil, pp. 73-88 in Zootaxa 5100 (1) on pages 74-82, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5100.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/612776
Kontrolle des Verwaltungsrates : eine Untersuchung der internen und externen Kontrollinstitutionen, -instrumente und -mechanismen
No full textEine wichtige Erkenntnis dieser Arbeit ist, dass eine effiziente und effektive Kontrolle des Verwaltungsrates nur über das Zusammenspiel der internen körperschaftlichen Kontrollinstitutionen und -instrumente mit den externen Kontrollinstitutionen und Kontrollmechanismen des Marktes erreicht wird.
Die Vorschriften der VegüV betreffend transparente Entschädigungspolitik und unabhängige Stimmrechtsvertreter sowie die in der Aktienrechtsrevision angestrebte Stärkung der Informations-, Mitwirkungs- und Klagerechte des Aktionärs sind zu begrüssen. Insbesondere die Modernisierung des Instituts der Generalversammlung ist überfällig. Die formellen und administrativen Hürden für die Stimmrechtsausübung müssen gesenkt, die prohibitiv hohen Klagekosten für Aktionäre und Gläubiger, die die Verwaltungsräte vor Verantwortlichkeitsklagen schützen, reduziert werden. All diese Massnahmen reichen jedoch nicht aus, um die Probleme der Informationsasymmetrie, der «collective action» und des «free riding» zu lösen.
Gemäss Ansicht des Autors können diese kritischen Punkte durch die institutionellen Investoren und die Stimmrechtsberater und -vertreter effizient angegangen werden. Sie werden in Zukunft der grosse Gegenspieler des Verwaltungsrates sein, da sie dem Aktionär eine weniger aufwendige und risikolosere Machtausübung ermöglichen. Hier wird es Aufgabe des Gesetzgebers und von Organisationen sein, deren Macht zu regulieren und die rechtlichen Grenzen ihrer Einflussnahme zu definieren.
Eine verstärkte Kontrolle verursacht immer Kosten. Dabei gilt es, bei jeder neu vorgeschlagenen Kontrollinstitution und jedem propagierten Kontrollinstrument zu prüfen, wie das Kosten-Nutzen-Verhältnis ausfällt. Überwiegen die Kosten den Nutzen, wie beispielsweise beim Aktionärsausschuss, sollte darauf verzichtet werden. Letztlich steht jede Gesellschaftsform im Wettbewerb mit anderen in- und ausländischen Gesellschaftsformen. Insbesondere die zunehmende weltweite Vernetzung der Kapitalmärkte trägt zu einem verstärkten internationalen Wettbewerb bei. Reguliert man eine Gesellschaftsform zu stark, hat sie im internationalen Wettbewerb schlechtere Erfolgschancen. Die nationalen Gesetzgeber scheinen sich dessen bewusst zu sein. So verzichten heutzutage immer mehr Staaten auf zwingende gesetzliche Vorschriften im Bereich der Corporate Governance. Das Wahlmodell des italienischen Gesellschaftsrechts und der Societas Europaea sowie die unzähligen Differenzierungsmöglichkeiten, die das neue japanische Gesellschaftsrecht den Gesellschaften bietet, sind Ausdruck dafür.
Auf keinen Fall darf der Schweizer Gesetzgeber den Unternehmen eine Zwangsjacke anziehen. Jede Gesellschaft soll die Möglichkeit haben, eigene Gestaltungsideen zu verwirklichen. Vorschriften auf Verfassungsebene mit unpräzisen Handlungsanweisungen und Verbote in Verbindung mit rigorosen Strafandrohungen sind der falsche Weg. Dies schadet dem schweizerischen Kapitalmarkt, der Kapitalbeschaffung von Unternehmen und der Schweizer Wirtschaft als Ganzem.
Anstelle der nationalen Gesetze treten Vereinbarungen und Vorschriften von Organisationen und Börsen, Kodizes, Selbstregulierungsinstrumente und Richtlinien, die keine strengen rechtlichen Bindungen erzeugen – sogenanntes «soft law», basierend auf dem Grundsatz «comply or explain». Der Druck der Marktteilnehmer und die drohende adverse Publizität sorgen dafür, dass die Unternehmen der Einhaltung der Bestimmungen des «soft law» hohes Gewicht beimessen. Diese Regelsysteme definieren den Handlungsspielraum der Unternehmen und deren Verwaltungsräte somit stark und beeinflussen bspw. die Sorgfalts-Definition von Art. 717 OR und das diskretionäre Verhalten des Verwaltungsrates wesentlich.
Dies ist zwar der Rechtssicherheit und der Kohärenz des Gesellschaftsrechts nicht immer dienlich. Angesichts des schnellen Wandels und der geforderten Flexibilität im Gesellschaftsrecht sind solche Minimalstandards aber geeignet, für eine gewisse Ordnung zu sorgen und gleich lange Spiesse zu gewährleisten.
Der Gesetzgeber darf Organisationen und Börsen das Feld aber keinesfalls ganz überlassen. Vielmehr muss ein guter Mix zwischen staatlichen und privatautonomen Regulierungen gefunden werden
Performance of dairy cows fed rations produced with sugarcane silages treated with additives or fresh sugarcane Desempenho de vacas leiteiras alimentadas com rações produzidas com silagens de cana-de-açúcar tratadas com aditivos ou cana-de-açúcar fresca
No full textAn experiment was performed aiming at evaluating the performance of dairy cows fed sugarcane silages treated with additives compared to cows fed fresh forage. Twenty-four Holstein cows were grouped in blocks of three cows, according to parity order and milk production level, in multiple 3 x 3 Latin Square design to evaluate three types of ration (63% roughage and 37% concentrate in dry matter - DM): ration with silage treated with urea (5.0 g/kg of fresh forage - FF) + sodium benzoate (0.5 g/kg FF); ration with silage inoculated with Lactobacillus buchneri (5 x 10(4) cfu/g FF); ration with fresh sugarcane. Each evaluation period consisted of two weeks for adaptation and one week for data collection. Cows fed rations with silages treated with urea + benzoate and L. buchneri showed lower DM intake (18.5 vs 21.4 kg/day) and lower milk production (17.4 vs 18.6 kg/day) in comparison to those fed fresh forage ration. Fat content was higher in the milk of cows fed silage inoculated with L. buchneri compared to cows in the fresh forage group resulting in similar 3.5% fat corrected milk (FCM) among cows in both groups. Cows fed ration with silage treated with urea + benzoate presented intermediate fat content in milk but inferior FCM production compared to animals fed fresh sugarcane. Feed efficiency (kg FCM/kg DMI) was higher for cows fed ration produced with the inoculated silage (0.95), intermediate for cows that received silage treated with the combination of chemical additives (0.91) and lower for cows fed the ration with fresh sugarcane (0.83).Um experimento foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar o desempenho de vacas leiteiras alimentadas com silagens de cana-de-açúcar tratadas com aditivos em comparação ao de vacas alimentadas com a forragem fresca. Vinte e quatro vacas holandesas foram agrupadas em blocos de três vacas, de acordo com a ordem do parto e com o nível de produção de leite, em um delineamento quadrado latino múltiplo 3 x 3, para avaliação de três tipos de ração (63% volumoso e 37% concentrado na matéria seca - MS): ração com silagem tratada com ureia (5,0 g/kg de matéria verde - MV) + benzoato de sódio (0,5 g/kg MV); ração com silagem inoculada com Lactobacillus buchneri (5 x 10(4) ufc/g MV); ração com cana-de-açúcar fresca. Cada período de avaliação foi composto de duas semanas de adaptação e uma semana de coleta de dados. As vacas alimentadas com as rações com silagens tratadas com ureia + benzoato e com L. buchneri tiveram menor consumo de matéria seca (18,5 vs 21,4 kg/dia) e menor produção de leite (17,4 vs 18,6 kg/dia) em comparação àquelas alimentadas com a ração com forragem fresca. O teor de gordura no leite das vacas que receberam silagem inoculada com L. buchneri foi mais alto que no daquelas alimentadas com forragem fresca, o que resultou em valor de produção de leite corrigida para 3,5% de gordura (LCG) similar entre os grupos. As vacas que receberam ração com silagem tratada com ureia + benzoato apresentaram nível intermediário de gordura no leite, mas produção inferior de leite corrigida em comparação às alimentadas com cana fresca. A eficiência alimentar (kg LCG/kg MS consumida) foi mais alta nas vacas alimentadas com a ração produzida com silagem inoculada (0,95), intermediária para as vacas que receberam silagem tratada com a combinação de aditivos químicos (0,91) e mais baixa para as vacas alimentadas com a cana-de-açúcar fresca (0,83)
Novel Approaches in the Control of Schistosomiasis: from Rapid Identification to Chemoprophylaxis
No full textHuman schistosomiasis is the second most prevalent parasitic disease in the tropics, and has a huge impact on public health and socio-economic development. It is estimated that 652 million people live at risk of infection and that 193 million people are actually infected. Of the 120 million symptomatic cases, 20 million are suffering from severe disease. At present, 85% of all these cases are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and they cause an estimated morbidity burden of 3.5 million disability adjusted live years (DALYs). Since the advent of safe, effective, single dose drugs, the emphasis in schistosomiasis control has been on morbidity control. Since praziquantel is active against all schistosome species and has become relatively inexpensive, it is used as the drug of choice. For effective control of schistosomiasis, it is now of central importance to make the drug available to the communities at highest risk of infection. The distribution of schistosomiasis is extremely focal and since resources for health are seriously limited in most schistosomiasis endemic countries, there is a great need to identify high risk communities, so that resources can be better allocated. Due to the focal nature of the disease, neighbouring villages often show different patterns of schistosomiasis morbidity, resulting in large inter-village variation in perceived disease and actual public health importance. A simple procedure using questionnaires has been developed for rapid screening for Schistosoma haematobium infection and it proved to be reliable, non-intrusive and highly cost-effective in 8 African countries. Based on these experiences, WHO published guidelines for district health managers to be used as a first stage in the process of schistosomiasis control. Côte d’Ivoire is now the first country, that has taken advantage of these guidelines and translated them into direct application. In a first step, the feasibility and diagnostic performance of the questionnaire was rigorously validated in an S. haematobium endemic area in central Côte d’Ivoire. Correctly completed questionnaires were obtained from 124 schools (return rate: 91%), with 12,479 children interviewed. Following, previously trained teachers screened 5,959 children with reagent sticks. The questionnaire showed a good diagnostic performance with sensitivity and specificity values between 79% and 96% to detect correctly those schools where the pupils were at high risk of infection. These findings were in agreement with previous studies from other African countries, and the questionnaire approach was recommended for use at the national level. At present, the questionnaires are already being applied in 5 out of 16 districts. The active involvement of University students in distributing and collecting questionnaires in this survey, is a promising innovative approach. Based on the excellent performance of questionnaires for rapid screening of S. haematobium and linked to the ongoing process in Côte d’Ivoire, there was a demand asking for support with implementing this technique also in the Niger State of north-western Nigeria. Questionnaires were returned from 58 schools (return rate: 97%). A total of 3,033 children were interviewed and 2,479 children were screened with reagent sticks by previously trained teachers. Questionnaires also proved to be reliable in this setting, and identified schools at high risk of S. haematobium with sensitivity and specificity values ranging between 64% and 96%. The identification of high risk communities is an important component in the management and implementation of cost-effective schistosomiasis control programmes. For S. mansoni infection, reliable rapid methods have not yet been developed. Therefore possible ways of extending the questionnaire method for S. mansoni were assessed in Côte d’Ivoire. In a first study, perceived signs and symptoms for intestinal morbidity were assessed in focus group discussions with schoolchildren in an area highly endemic for S. mansoni. The most frequently perceived signs and symptoms were then used in a preliminary questionnaire in three schools. Comparison of the results with levels of S. mansoni infection revealed that reported blood in stool was the most reliable symptom to predict an infection (adjusted odds ratio: 2.87; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.56-5.31). Based on these findings, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to 134 schools. Correctly filled-in questionnaires were returned from 121 schools (90%), with 12,227 children interviewed. 5,047 children were screened by a biomedical team with two consecutive Kato- Katz thick smears. For an individual diagnosis, the two symptoms “blood in stool” and “bloody diarrhoea” were significantly correlated with an S. mansoni infection: adjusted odds ratio 1.59 (95% CI: 1.38-1.83) and 1.34 (95% CI: 1.14-1.58), respectively. For community diagnosis, these two symptoms showed a high sensitivity (88%) and a moderate specificity (58%). Subsequently, it was assessed whether the diagnostic performance of the questionnaire could be improved by asking questions about water contact patterns. Although a positive response to a particular water contact pattern correlated significantly with an infection with S. mansoni, the diagnostic performance was again only moderate. In view of these findings, it was concluded that there is still a considerable amount of research needed before questionnaires can be adopted as a tool to screen for S. mansoni at the community level. Morbidity control in schistosomiasis requires effective initial treatment and the prevention of re-infection. In view of recent concern that praziquantel-tolerance/resistance might develop, there is a great need for research and development of novel substances with antischistosomal properties. Artemether has been identified in China as a promising product for early treatment and prophylaxis. It showed prophylactic effects in animals experimentally infected with S. japonicum, and was a successful prophylactic agent in humans exposed to S. japonicum. Further laboratory experiments showed a prophylactic effect also against S. mansoni. We conducted the first randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of oral artemether to prevent S. mansoni infections. 354 schoolchildren were enrolled. Stool samples were examined over four consecutive days, followed by two mass treatments with praziquantel four weeks apart. All S. mansoni negative children were randomly assigned to receive 6 repeated doses of a placebo (n=151) or artemether (n=138) at a dose of 6 mg/kg, spaced by 3 weeks. At the end of the study, the incidence and mean intensity of S. mansoni infection were assessed by examining four consecutive stool samples from the children. The group that received artemether had a significantly lower incidence of S. mansoni infection (31/128 vs. 68/140, relative risk: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.35-0.71, p<0.001). Furthermore, the geometric mean egg output among positive children in the artemether group (19 eggs/g stool) was significantly lower than in placebo recipients (32 eggs/g, p=0.017). Oral artemether was found to be safe and no adverse events occurred. Since artemether is already widely and effectively used against malaria, the use of artemether against schistosomiasis should not be recommended for widespread application in areas where malaria is endemic because of the potential risk of developing drug resistance in the malaria parasite. However, the use of artemether might contribute to a more effective schistosomiasis control in particular epidemiological settings. The findings of the present investigations clearly contributed to means of rapid identification of high risk areas of urinary and intestinal schistosomiasis in general and to the development and management of a national schistosomiasis control programme in Côte d’Ivoire in particular. We are optimistic that in the years to come considerable progress will be seen with the use of artemether (and hopefully also other drugs yet to be discovered) and that these products will take a promising place in a comprehensive strategy for schistosomiasis control
O ritual da plenitude poética: uma análise da obra de E. T. A. Hoffmann, a partir do conto "Der goldene topf - ein märchen aus der neuesten zeit" (O pote de ouro - um conto de fadas atual) /
No full textDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão.Nesta dissertação, discuto um aspecto que considero importante da obra de E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776-1822), a partir da leitura e análise do conto "O Pote de Ouro". O estudante Anselmo, herói desse "conto de fadas dos dias atuais", cumpre um ritual de iniciação, passando por uma "transformação ontológica", que é seu primeiro contato com o mundo maravilhoso. Ao longo de 12 vigílias, Anselmo distancia-se, gradualmente, da dimensão terrena da vida e ascende ao reino da Atlântida. Personagens de outros contos hoffmannianos, como o jovem artista Kreisler, o anacoreta Serapião e o famoso compositor Ritter Gluck, também perseguem a utopia da Atlântida, que é o final da jornada de todos eles. Será uma referência à criação estética, à alienação ou à loucura? Comparando os estágios da aventura de Anselmo com as experiências desses protagonistas de outros contos, tento circunscrever o possível sentido simbólico da Atlântida. Meu propósito é compreender o significado dessa procura na literatura de Hoffmann
Search for the decay D-0 -> pi(+)pi(-)mu(+)mu(-)
No full textA search for the D-0 -> pi(+)pi(-)mu(+)mu(-) decay, where the muon pair does not originate from a resonance, is performed using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb(-1) recorded by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. No signal is observed and an upper limit on the relative branching fraction with respect to the resonant decay mode D-0 -> pi(+)pi(-)phi(-> mu(+)mu(-)), under the assumption of a phase-space model, is found to be B(D-0 -> pi(+)pi(-)mu(+)mu(-))/B(D-0 -> pi(+)pi(-)phi(-> mu(+)mu(-))) pi(+)pi(-)mu(+)mu(-)) < 5.5 x 10(-7) at 90% confidence level. This is the most stringent to date
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