Treatment of bimodality in proficiency test of pH in bioethanol matrix

The pH value in bioethanol is a quality control parameter related to its acidity and to the corrosiveness of vehicle engines when it is used as fuel. In order to verify the comparability and reliability of the measurement of pH in bioethanol matrix among some experienced chemical laboratories, reference material (RM) of bioethanol developed by Inmetro - the Brazilian National Metrology Institute - was used in a proficiency testing (PT) scheme. There was a difference of more than one unit in the value of the pH measured due to the type of internal filling electrolytic solutions (potassium chloride, KCl or lithium chloride, LiCl) from the commercial pH combination electrodes used by the participant laboratories. Therefore, bimodal distribution has occurred from the data of this PT scheme. This work aims to present the possibilities that a PT scheme provider can use to overcome the bimodality problem. Data from the PT of pH in bioethanol were treated by two different statistical approaches: kernel density model and the mixture of distributions. Application of these statistical treatments improved the initial diagnoses of PT provider, by solving bimodality problem and contributing for a better performance evaluation in measuring pH of bioethanol.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, Accepted for publication in Accreditation and Quality Assurance (ACQUAL

Modeling electrodialysis and a photochemical process for their integration in saline wastewater treatment.

Oxidation processes can be used to treat industrial wastewater containing non-biodegradable organic compounds. However, the presence of dissolved salts may inhibit or retard the treatment process. In this study, wastewater desalination by electrodialysis (ED) associated with an advanced oxidation process (photo-Fenton) was applied to an aqueous NaCl solution containing phenol. The influence of process variables on the demineralization factor was investigated for ED in pilot scale and a correlation was obtained between the phenol, salt and water fluxes with the driving force. The oxidation process was investigated in a laboratory batch reactor and a model based on artificial neural networks was developed by fitting the experimental data describing the reaction rate as a function of the input variables. With the experimental parameters of both processes, a dynamic model was developed for ED and a continuous model, using a plug flow reactor approach, for the oxidation process. Finally, the hybrid model simulation could validate different scenarios of the integrated system and can be used for process optimization

Experimental Observation of Quantum Correlations in Modular Variables

We experimentally detect entanglement in modular position and momentum variables of photon pairs which have passed through $D$-slit apertures. We first employ an entanglement criteria recently proposed in [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 106}, 210501 (2011)], using variances of the modular variables. We then propose an entanglement witness for modular variables based on the Shannon entropy, and test it experimentally. Finally, we derive criteria for Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Steering correlations using variances and entropy functions. In both cases, the entropic criteria are more successful at identifying quantum correlations in our data.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, comments welcom

Alterations in brain connectivity due to plasticity and synaptic delay

Brain plasticity refers to brain's ability to change neuronal connections, as a result of environmental stimuli, new experiences, or damage. In this work, we study the effects of the synaptic delay on both the coupling strengths and synchronisation in a neuronal network with synaptic plasticity. We build a network of Hodgkin-Huxley neurons, where the plasticity is given by the Hebbian rules. We verify that without time delay the excitatory synapses became stronger from the high frequency to low frequency neurons and the inhibitory synapses increases in the opposite way, when the delay is increased the network presents a non-trivial topology. Regarding the synchronisation, only for small values of the synaptic delay this phenomenon is observed

The anticancer properties of dietary polyphenols and its relation with apoptosis

Aberrantly regulated apoptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases and defective apoptosis leads to uncontrolled cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. Cancer is an example of a pathologic condition where the normal mechanisms of cell cycle regulation are dysfunctional either by excessive cell proliferation, inhibited/suppressed apoptosis or both. Dietary habits are estimated to contribute to, at least, one third of all human cancers, showing that dietary components can exacerbate or interfere with carcinogenesis. However, several epidemiological studies have revealed that some dietary factors can decrease the risk of different types of cancer. Apoptosis is suggested to be a crucial mechanism for the chemopreventive properties associated with several dietary factors by eliminating potentially deleterious (damaged/mutated) cells. Food, a readily available item, contains several promising chemopreventive agents. Polyphenols are serious candidates since they are responsible for the cancer protective properties of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits: numerous phenolic compounds showed antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects, and more specifically pro-apoptotic activities, in several cancer cells lines and animal tumor models. The aim of the present review is to analyze and summarize several aspects related to the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis induced by dietary factors with particular emphasis on polyphenols. Dietary factors that can activate cell death signals and induce apoptosis, preferentially in precancerous or malignant cells, and the study of their apoptotic inducing targets can represent a mean to devise new strategies for cancer prevention in the future

Improving the Knowledge on Seismogenic Sources in the Lower Tagus Valley for Seismic Hazard Purposes

The Lower Tagus Valley, that includes the metropolitan area of Lisbon, has been struck by several earthquakes which produced significant material damage and loss of lives. Their exact location remains unknown. Our goal is to shed some light into the seismogenic sources in the area using seismic reflection and geological data. In areas with no seismic coverage, potential-field data interpretation was carried out. Seismicity was overlaid to the potential seismogenic structures and high-resolution data was acquired in order to confirm which structures have been active into the Quaternary. Three major fault-zones affecting the Neogene were identified: V. F. Xira, Samora-Alcochete and Pinhal Novo. For the first fault, strong evidences suggest it is active. The other two fault-zones and other structures previously unknown can be correlated with several epicentres. Empirical relationships between maximum moment magnitude and fault area indicate that MW > 6.5 earthquakes can be expected for the larger structures