REPRESENTAÇÕES SOCIAIS DOS ADOLESCENTES ACERCA DA VIOLÊNCIA DOMÉSTICA

Com o objetivo de analisar as representações sociais dos adolescentes sobre a violência doméstica realizou-se esta pesquisa qualitativa junto a 18 alunos de escolas de ensino médio em Passo Fundo - RS, com técnicas projetivas e entrevistas semi-estruturadas, evidenciando-se a representação da violência como um fenômeno presente na sociedade, ancorada no consumo de drogas, na defesa pessoal com porte de armas e na conduta anti-social. A violência doméstica é representada como uma atitude de fuga e defesa, maléfica, intencional e impune e como uma banalização legitimada. Essas representações ancoram-se na sensação de abandono e rejeição, cuja superação deverá ser buscada de forma multidimensional para a internalização de novas práticas e condutas socialmente aceitas

Evaluation of Mater Bi and Polylactic Acid as materials for biodegradable innovative mini-radiosondes to track small scale fluctuations within clouds

Turbulence plays an important part in determining the chemical and physical processes, on both the micro- and macro-scales, whereby clouds are formed and behave. However, exactly how these are linked together and how turbulence impacts each of these processes is not yet fully understood. This is partly due to a lack of in-situ small scale fluctuation measurements due to a limitation in the available technology. It is in this context that the radiosondes, for which the material characterisation is presented in this paper, are being developed to generate a Lagrangian set of data which can be used to improve the ever-expanding knowledge of atmospheric processes and, in particular, the understanding of the interaction between turbulence and micro-physical phenomenologies inside clouds (www.complete-h2020network.eu). Specifically, the materials developed for the balloons are discussed in further detail within this paper. Mater Bi and polylactic acid are the two common biodegradable thermoplastics that were used initially to make the balloons. To tailor their properties, the balloons were then coated with carnauba wax blended with either pine resin or SiO2 nanoparticles. The properties such as hydrophobicity, toughness, elasticity and helium gas permeability are investigated and improved in order to keep the density of the radiosondes as constant as possible for a couple of hours. This will allow them to float inside and outside clouds on an isopycnic surface, to measure various properties such as velocity, temperature, pressure and humidity by means of solid state sensors and to transmit them to receivers on Earth. Tests have been made under a rigorous metrological approach comparing the 6 new materials with two reference balloon materials, latex and mylar. It was found that Mater Bi with the two carnauba wax coatings is the most suited though its roughness and water vapour permeability should be improved

Genomic stability in Arabidopsis thaliana transgenic plants obtained by floral dip

. The occurrence of DNA modification is an undesired phenomenon accompanying plant cell transformation. The event has been correlated with the stress imposed by the presently utilised transformation procedures, all depending on plant differentiation from in vitro cell culture, but other causes have not been excluded. In this work, transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants have been produced by an approach that does not require cell dedifferentiation, being based on in planta Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer by flower infiltration, which is followed by recovery and selection of transgenic progeny. Genomic DNA changes in transgenic and control plants have been investigated by AFLP and RAMP analysis. Results show no statistically relevant genomic modifications in transgenic plants, as compared with control untreated plants. Variations were observed in callus-derived A. thaliana plants, thus supporting the conclusion that somaclonal variation is essentially correlated with the stress imposed by the in vitro cell culture, rather than with the integration of a foreign gene

Agricultura de precisão no manejo de pragas na cultura da soja no sul do Brasil.

Entre os fatores que podem interferir negativamente no rendimento de grãos da soja, destacam-se os insetos-praga. O estudo da distribuição espacial de insetos-praga é fundamental para a utilização de estratégias de controle, aperfeiçoamento de técnicas de amostragens, quantificação de danos econômicos e incorporação de um programa de agricultura de precisão (AP) voltado para manejo integrado de pragas. Avaliar a distribuição espacial de pragas na cultura da soja por meio de ferramentas de AP e a possibilidade de controle sítio específico foi o objetivo desse estudo. O estudo foi realizado na safra agrícola 2007/2008 em uma área de 99,75 ha, localizada no município de Boa Vista das Missões, RS, Brasil. A área foi amostrada em malha de 100 m x 100 m (1 ha) totalizando 98 pontos amostrais. Para fins de comparação, 40,27 ha foram manejados segundo princípios da AP e 59,48 ha segundo a metodologia convencional. Durante a safra investigada realizaram-se 13 avaliações de pragas semanalmente. Este estudo indicou que a utilização das ferramentas de AP em associação as do Manejo Integrado de Pragas - MIP mostram-se promissoras na redução do custo de produção e no incremento da sustentabilidade da produção de soja

Ruminal Fermentation of Sheep Fed Corn Silage Inoculated with Microbial Additives

An obligatory heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Lactobacillus buchneri, has been suggested as an additive to improve the aerobic stability of silages, mainly of corn silage, due to troubles during feedout of silos, when mishandled. Usually, heterolactic fermentation is deemed as undesirable compared with homolactic fermentation because the dry matter losses are greater. Otherwise, L. plantarum, a homo-fermentative LAB can be combined with L. buchneri in an attempt to decrease the fermentation losses and also protein degradation by greater production of lactate and, enhance the aerobic stability of silages. Nowadays, these LAB have been studied as their ability to change ruminal fermentation, well as to provide a probiotic effect. Thus, the aim was to evaluate the ruminal fermentation of sheep fed corn silage inoculated with L. buchneri alone or combined with L. plantarum

Developing and testing a robotic MRI/CT fusion biopsy technique using a purpose-built interventional phantom.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to target tumour components in biopsy procedures, while the ability to precisely correlate histology and MRI signal is crucial for imaging biomarker validation. Robotic MRI/computed tomography (CT) fusion biopsy offers the potential for this without in-gantry biopsy, although requires development. METHODS: Test-retest T1 and T2 relaxation times, attenuation (Hounsfield units, HU), and biopsy core quality were prospectively assessed (January-December 2021) in a range of gelatin, agar, and mixed gelatin/agar solutions of differing concentrations on days 1 and 8 after manufacture. Suitable materials were chosen, and four biopsy phantoms were constructed with twelve spherical 1-3-cm diameter targets visible on MRI, but not on CT. A technical pipeline was developed, and intraoperator and interoperator reliability was tested in four operators performing a total of 96 biopsies. Statistical analysis included T1, T2, and HU repeatability using Bland-Altman analysis, Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), and intraoperator and interoperator reliability. RESULTS: T1, T2, and HU repeatability had 95% limits-of-agreement of 8.3%, 3.4%, and 17.9%, respectively. The phantom was highly reproducible, with DSC of 0.93 versus 0.92 for scanning the same or two different phantoms, respectively. Hit rate was 100% (96/96 targets), and all operators performed robotic biopsies using a single volumetric acquisition. The fastest procedure time was 32 min for all 12 targets. CONCLUSIONS: A reproducible biopsy phantom was developed, validated, and used to test robotic MRI/CT-fusion biopsy. The technique was highly accurate, reliable, and achievable in clinically acceptable timescales meaning it is suitable for clinical application

Análise de componentes principais de atributos químicos e físicos do solo limitantes à produtividade de grãos.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar, por meio da análise dos componentes principais, a redução na dimensionalidade de atributos químicos e físicos do solo para a compreensão da variabilidade espacial e temporal da produtividade de culturas de grãos. A área experimental, de 54 ha, é manejada em agricultura de precisão há oito anos. Com base em seis mapas de colheita (soja - safra 2000/2001; milho - 2001/2002; soja - 2002/2003; trigo - 2003; soja - 2003/2004; e milho - 2004/2005), a área foi dividida em três zonas de produtividade de grãos (alta, média e baixa). Foram definidos 15 pontos georreferenciados representativos, para determinação de atributos químicos e físicos do solo, o que totalizou 63 variáveis analisadas. Entre os atributos químicos, o elevado teor de K no solo é o que melhor explica a variabilidade espacial da produtividade das culturas de grãos, provavelmente em razão do desbalanço das relações Ca:K e Mg:K. A zona de baixa produtividade apresentou baixa qualidade física do solo. Neste caso, a infiltração de água no solo, isoladamente, é a variável que melhor explica o desempenho das culturas de grãos. A análise dos componentes principais dos atributos químicos e físicos do solo é estratégia eficiente para explicar a variabilidade espacial e temporal da produtividade de culturas de grãos

Bifurcation Boundary Conditions for Switching DC-DC Converters Under Constant On-Time Control

Sampled-data analysis and harmonic balance analysis are applied to analyze switching DC-DC converters under constant on-time control. Design-oriented boundary conditions for the period-doubling bifurcation and the saddle-node bifurcation are derived. The required ramp slope to avoid the bifurcations and the assigned pole locations associated with the ramp are also derived. The derived boundary conditions are more general and accurate than those recently obtained. Those recently obtained boundary conditions become special cases under the general modeling approach presented in this paper. Different analyses give different perspectives on the system dynamics and complement each other. Under the sampled-data analysis, the boundary conditions are expressed in terms of signal slopes and the ramp slope. Under the harmonic balance analysis, the boundary conditions are expressed in terms of signal harmonics. The derived boundary conditions are useful for a designer to design a converter to avoid the occurrence of the period-doubling bifurcation and the saddle-node bifurcation.Comment: Submitted to International Journal of Circuit Theory and Applications on August 10, 2011; Manuscript ID: CTA-11-016

THE VIRTUAL BATCAVE: A PROJECT FOR THE SAFEGUARD OF A UNESCO WHL FRAGILE ECOSYSTEM

Abstract. This abstract illustrates an interdisciplinary research project which focuses on the study, conservation and enhancement, through 3D digitization and virtual fruition, of an asset of great naturalistic, historical and ethnoanthropological value: Grotta dei Pipistrelli of Pantalica Nature Reserve (Sortino, SR). The cave (located in the Calcinara necropolis) is characterized by a great beauty as well as by a high cultural relevance and a remarkable scientific importance. In 2005, it awarded the UNESCO World Heritage title for its high historic, archaeological and speleological profile. Despite the site is being studied by specialists in chiropterofauna, nowadays there is not a comprehensive and reliable documentation of the plano-altimetric morphology of the cave, able to constitute a 3D database of essential information (e.g. morphological, geological, textural and wildlife information) for current and future studies, and to preserve the memory of this fragile ecosystem. The process of 3D digitization aims to create a model of the cave that allows us to enjoy this place, to explore it and to closely understand it in order to limit the anthropic pressure caused by visitors on the real site. Consequently, it is proposed the creation of a virtual environment, as a reproduction of the real one, which can be enjoyed by all categories of users.</p