Resumo A comprovação do encurvamento da luz devido a efeitos gravitacionais constitui um importante marco na história da ciência, porque as medidas da deflexão da luz nas observações astronômicas durante o eclipse de 1919 confirmaram o valor previsto pela teoria da relatividade geral de Einstein, concluída em 1915. O fato teve uma repercussão extraordinária na imprensa, o que levou Einstein ao reconhecimento mundial e a se tornar o cientista mais midiático do século XX. No entanto, a deflexão da luz foi motivo de atenção desde Newton. Este artigo discute os avanços e cálculos realizados por predecessores de Einstein e detalha sua trajetória no desenvolvimento da teoria da relatividade até a determinação exata da deflexão gravitacional da luz.

Abstract Evidence of light bending due to gravitational effects is an important milestone in the history of science because measurements of light deflection in astronomical observations during the 1919 eclipse confirmed the value predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity in 1915. This had an extraordinary repercussion in the press, which led Einstein to worldwide recognition and to becoming the most famous scientist in the non-scientific media of the twentieth century. However, light deflection had been a matter of attention since Newton. This paper discusses the advances and calculations performed by Einstein's predecessors and details his trajectory in the development of relativity theory until the exact determination of the gravitational deflection of light.

We address this work to investigate symbolic sequences with long-range correlations by using computational simulation. We analyze sequences with two, three and four symbols that could be repeated l times, with the probability distribution p(l) ∝ 1/l µ. For these sequences, we verified that the usual entropy increases more slowly when the symbols are correlated and the Tsallis entropy exhibits, for a suitable choice of q, a linear behavior. We also study the chain as a random walk-like process and observe a nonusual diffusive behavior depending on the values of the parameter µ.

Coletores de fósforo feitos de papel filtro e pano sintético (perfex) foram usados no estudo da determinação da necessidade de adubação fosfatada. Foram preparados coletores impregnados com óxido de ferro e outros com óxido de alumínio. A capacidade foi testada colocando-os em 2 mL de uma solução padrão de fósforo (na forma de fosfato) com 0,0; 1,00; 3,00; 5,00; 7,00; 9,00 e 11;00 µg.mL-1 , depois foram colocados em contato com 4 tipos de solos (Lba, LRd, Led e Ca) e incubados por 0,0 e 24 horas. No teste, os solos foram mantidos com uma umidade equivalente a 150 mmHg de sucção. Os resultados mostraram que os coletores foram mais eficientes, na extração de fósforo, no solo LED e menos eficiente no LBa e Ca (Cambissolo). O pano sintético foi a matriz (material suporte) que proporcionou melhores resultados. O óxido de ferro foi o substrato foi o mais adequado. O teor de fósforo extraído é função direta do tempo de incubação.

Phosphorus collectors made from filter paper and synthetic cloth, were tested to evaluate their feasibility of determining the need for phosphate application. The collectors were coated with two types of oxides, iron oxide and aluminium oxide. The capacity of the collectors was tested by placing them in a 2 mL of solution containing phosphorus (PO4(3-)) in the concentration of 0.0, 1.00, 3.00, 5.00, 7.00, 9.00 and 11.00 µ g.mL-1, respectively, after which they were placed in contact with four types of soil (LBa, LRd, LEd and Ca) and incubed for 0.0 and 24 h. In this test the soils were kept at a humidity equivalent to 150 mmHg suction. The amount of phosphorus extracted from the solutions was tested at intervals between 0,0 and 11.0 µ g of phosphorus/mL. Results indicated that collectors were most efficient in Dystrophic Dark-Red Latosol (LEd) and less efficient in "Bruno álico" Latosol (LBa) and Cambisol (Ca). Synthetic cloth was the support yielding the best performance, whereas iron oxide lining was the most adequate lining material. Phosphorus collection increased with time of incubation.

The collagen structure of isolated and in situ liver granuloma from Swiss Webster mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni was sequentially and three-dimensionally analyzed during different times of infection (early acute, acute, transitional acute-chronic, and chronic phases) by laser scanning confocal microscopy and electron scanning variable vacuum microscopy. The initial granuloma structure is characterized by vascular collagen residues and by anchorage points (or fiber radiation centers), from where collagenous fibers are angularly shed and self-assembled. During the exudative-productive stage, the self-assembly of these fibers minimizes energy and mass through continuous tension and focal compression. The curvature or angles between collagen fibers probably depends on the fibroblastic or myofibroblastic organization of stress fibers. Gradually, the loose unstable lattice of the exudative-productive stage transforms into a highly packed and stable architecture as a result of progressive compactness. The three-dimensional architecture of granulomas provides increased tissue integrity, efficient distribution of soluble compounds and a haptotactic background to the cells.

During Schistosoma mansoni infection, there is morphological evidence of involvement of various hematopoietic growth factors, which cause eosinophil, neutrophil, megakaryocytic and erythroid extramedullary foci in the liver, lymph nodes and omental and mesenteric milky spots. While the eosinophil metaplasia in the periphery of hepatic granulomas roughly reproduced the intensity of the medullary eosinopoiesis, the neutrophil metaplasia, on the contrary, was more intense during the period of neutrophil depression in the bone marrow. This fact suggests that extramedullary hematopoietic foci are locally regulated, and amplify and/or compensate the systemic hematopoietic response during the infection.

Twenty Calomys callosus, Rengger, 1830 (Rodentia-Cricetidae) were studied in the early stage of the acute schistosomal mansoni infection (42nd day). The same number of Swiss Webster mice were used as a comparative standard. Liver and intestinal sections, fixed in formalin-Millonig and embedded in paraffin, were stained with hematoxilin and eosin, PAS-Alcian Blue, pH = 1.0 and 2.5, Lennert's Giemsa, Picrosirius plus polarization microscopy, Periodic acid methanamine silver, Gomori's silver reticulin and resorcin-fuchsin. Immunohistological study (indirect immunofluorescence and peroxidase labeled extravidin-biotin methods) was done with antibodies specific to pro-collagen III, fibronectin, elastin, condroitin-sulfate, tenascin, alpha smooth muscle actin, vimentin and desmin. The hepatic granulomas were small, reaching only 27 of the volume of the hepatic Swiss Webster granuloma. They were composed mainly by large immature macrophages, often filled by schistosomal pigment, characterizing an exsudative-macrophage granuloma type. The granulomas were situated in the parenchyma and in the portal space. They were often intravascular, poor of extracellular matrix components, except fibronectin and presented, sometimes alpha smooth muscle actin and vimentin positive cells. The C. callosus intestinal granulomas were similar to Swiss Webster, showing predominance of macrophages. Therefore, the C. callosus acquire very well the Schistosoma mansoni infection, without developing strong hepatic acute granulomatous reaction, suggesting lack of histopathological signs of hypersensitivity.

Milky spots (MS), considered by the authors as a Coelomatic Lympho-myelopoietic Organ (CLMO), present a strong reactivity during experimental schistosomal mansoni infection, characterized by an increase of lymphocytes, macrophages, plasmocytes, mast cells, neutrophils and expression of eosinophil metaplasia. Intraperitoneal injection of purified Schistosoma mansoni (Sm) eggs provoked a rise in the number and size of MS, which developed the sessile marginal and pedunculated types. The authors conclude that egg antigens are, at least partially, responsible for MS reactivity during Sm infection.

Moluscos coletados em cinco localidades no estado do Rio Grande do Sul (Brasil) foram digeridos e examinados. As lesmas infectadas foram identificadas como Phyllocaulis variegatus e as larvas encontradas foram inoculadas per os em camundongos albinos. Após 50 dias, parasitos com as características de A. costaricensis foram recuperados do sistema arterial mesentérico. Estes resultados estabelecem o papel do P. variegatus como hospedeiro intermediário de A. costaricensis no sul do Brasil, onde diversos casos de angiostrongilíase abdominal têm sido diagnosticados.

Molluscs collected in five localities in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) were digested and examined. The infected slugs were identified as Phyllocaulis variegatus and the larvae found were inoculated per os into mice. After 50 days, worms with the caracteristics of Angiostrongylus costaricensis were recovered from the mesenteric arterial system. The results establish the role of P. variegatus as intermediate host of A. costaricensis in south Brazil, where many cases of abdominla angiostrongyliasis have been diagnosed.

Modification of the immune response to schistosomal infection in children or offspring born to mother R infected with Schistosoma mansoni has been demonstrated in human and in experimental schistosomiasis. One of the hypothesis to explain this fact could be the transfer of circulating antigens and antibodies from mother to foetus through the placenta or from mother to child by milk. The results of this spontaneous transference are controversial in the literature. In an attempt to investigate these questions, we studied one hundred and twenty offspring (Swiss mice), sixty born to infected-mothers (group A) and sixty born to non-infected mothers (group B). These were percutaneously infected with 50 cercariae/mouse, and divided in six sub-groups (20 mice/sub-group), according to the following schedule: after birth (sub-groups A.I and B.I), 10 days old (sub-groups A.II and B.II) and 21 days old (sub-groups A.III and B.III). After the exposure period, the young mice returned to their own mothers for nursing. Six weeks later, the mice were killed. We obtained the following results: 1) There is transference of antibody to cercariae (CAP), adult worms (SWAP) and egg antigens (SEA) from the infected mothers to the offspring, probably through placenta and milk; 2) Offspring born to infected mothers exhibit much less coagulative hepatic necrosis and show a lower number of eggs in the small intestine and a less intense and predominant exsudative stage of the hepatic granulomas when compared with the exsudative-productive stage of the control groups. The findings suggest that congenital and nursing factors can interfere on the development of the schistosomiasis infection, causing an hyporesponse to the eggs.

During the schistosomiasis infection there is a [quot ]dance of the cells[quot ], varying from site to site and related to the time of infection. 1 - Eosinophil levels exhibit a bimodal pattern, with the first peak related to the egg deposition and maturation and increased Kupfferian hyperplasia; the second peak precedes the death of some adult worms; 2 - The peritoneal eosinophilic levels are inversely proportional to the blood eosinophilic levels; 3 - Eosinopoiesis in the bone marrow begins at day 40, reaching the highest levels at day 50 and coincides with hepatic eosinophilic and neutrophilic metaplasia; 4 - Peritoneal mast cell levels present a bimodal pattern similar to the blood eosinophils, and inverse to the peritoneal eosinophils. They also show a cyclic behaviour within the hepatic and intestinal granulomas. Integral analysis of the events related to the eosinophils in the blood, bone marrow, peritoneal cavity and hepatic and intestinal granulomas allows the detection of two important eosinophilic phases: the first is due to mobilization and redistribution of the marginal pool and the second originates from eosinophilic production in the bone marrow and liver. The productive phase is characterized by an increase in the number of eosinophils and monocyte/macrophages, and a decrease in neutrophils and stabilization of megakariocytes and erithroid lineages.