Office paper recyclability: first recycling

Paper recyclability implies in the paper capacity to be recycled maintaining its properties to the maximum. Four commercial papers from Argentina and Brazil were studied, including three eucalyptus kraft (A, B, C) and one sugar cane bagasse soda-AQ (D), all with different bleaching processes. Their physical and chemical properties and a first laboratory recycling were evaluated. A refining of the pulp with a PFI mill, applying two energy levels at two different intensities - measured by number of revolutions and load - was accomplished to reach the same °SR (between 30 and 40, approximately). The refining energy and the yield were registered in each case. The properties of laboratory handsheets, and the aging to 24, 48, 72 and 144 hours were evaluated. The statistical analysis of the results indicates that the properties of the initial eucalyptus papers were similar, whereas they were generally inferior in the case of the bagasse paper. The bagasse and eucalyptus papers presented similar initial whiteness, but the first one had a higher reversion than the others. Once repulped, the eucalyptus papers A, B and C required, respectively, 4, 7 and 10 times greater energy than D, to obtain the same °SR. In all cases, the required energy to achieve the same °SR is slightly greater with the smaller refining intensity. The physical properties of the handsheets from the first recycle of paper D were, in general, lower. Among eucalyptus papers, B showed a slightly higher resistance and C, a slightly lower one. The mechanical properties of pulp sheets A, and D to a lesser extension, were more affected by the refining intensity than the rest, indicating a higher sensitivity of the fibers. The whiteness of the sheets of pulp B is lower than the rest. Opacity and light scattering coefficient of the sheets of pulp C were much higher than those of the other pulps.Fil: Benitez, Julieta Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Koga, Mariza E. T.. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas de São Paulo (ipt); BrasilFil: Otero D'Almeida, Maria L.. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas de São Paulo (ipt); BrasilFil: Felissia, Fernando Esteban. Universidad Nacional de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Park, Song W.. Escola Politecnica, Universidad de Sao Paulo (usp); BrasilFil: Area, Maria Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Office paper recyclability: fibrous characteristics

Recyclability is the ability of a material to reacquire the same properties it had originally. The aim of this work was to verify the recyclability of three printing and writing papers, from the characteristics of their fibers after two recycles. Three ECF bleached kraft eucalyptus commercial bond papers from Argentina and Brazil were studied (A, B, C). The papers were repulped and refined using different levels and intensities of energy (1st recycle). Laboratory sheets were produced, and they were repulped and refined again (2nd recycle). The microscopic characteristics of repulped papers were obtained by automatic equipment based on image analysis. Differences found in the behavior of the different samples can be explained by fiber parameters. The fiber length was significantly different in the three papers (A > B > C) and globally decreased in the second recycle (about 6%). Sample A had the highest initial fiber length and length/width, but it largely decreased with refining conditions in the 1st recycle (length fall 12%, generating fines by cutting), whereas it fall 9% between the 1st and 2nd recycles, and nothing with refining conditions in the 2nd recycle. Sample B fall by 5% with refining conditions in the 1st recycle, and 9% between the 1st and the 2nd recycle, but suffered few alteration in the second recycle. Fiber length of sample C was unaffected by refining conditions and only decreased 9% between the 1st and 2nd recycles. In all cases, the generated fines increased lightly with refining in the first recycle, but were two-fold higher in the second recycle than in the first one. The fiber coarseness of the 3 samples was similar in the first recycle, but decreases significantly in the 2nd recycleFil: Benitez, Julieta Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Cs.exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Koga, Mariza E. T.. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnologicas de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Otero D'Almeida, Maria L.. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnologicas de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Felissia, Fernando Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Cs.exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Park, Song W.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Area, Maria Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Cs.exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; Argentin

Increased risk of breast cancer among female relatives of patients with ataxia-telangiectasia: a causal relationship?

International audienc

Uma reflexão sobre o papel das preposições na distinção entre complementos nominais de substantivos e adjuntos adnominais preposicionados

The similar way in which the noun complements of substantives and the prepositional noun adjuncts are presented, usually causes some embarrassment in the distinction of these sentence terms for categorization purposes. Normative and pedagogical manuals tend to anchor this distinction in the concreteness/abstraction of the noun that precedes the preposition and in the agentivity of the prepositional term, which follows from an analogy with the use of certain prepositions together with the genitive and dative cases of Latin for the purposes of clarity. Thus, this work sought, from a bibliographic analysis in Latin and Portuguese manuals, to elucidate the distinction between these two terms and to propose a merely syntactic criterium to distinguish them. The analysis was delimited to the prepositional terms that bind to substantive nouns and the hypothesis was explored that the type of preposition could be relevant to determine the syntactic function considering the classification of the essential and accidental prepositions. The results obtained indicate that there is a distinction between the two terms, but that this derives not from the type of preposition that heads it, but from the property of the substantive noun to require or only admit a prepositional term.A forma pela qual se apresentam os complementos nominais de substantivos e os adjuntos adnominais preposicionados é similar, o que, normalmente, causa algum embaraço na distinção desses termos oracionais para fins de categorização. Os manuais normativos e pedagógicos tendem a ancorar essa distinção na concretude/abstração do nome que antecede a preposição e na agentividade do termo preposicionado, o que decorre de uma analogia com o emprego de determinadas preposições junto aos casos genitivo e dativo do latim. Assim, este trabalho buscou, a partir de uma análise comparativa de cunho intertextual empreendida entre manuais do latim e do português, tentar elucidar a distinção entre esses dois termos e propor um critério prioritariamente sintático para distingui-los. Delimitou-se a análise aos termos preposicionados que se ligam a nomes substantivos e explorou-se a hipótese de que o tipo de preposição pudesse ser relevante para se determinar a função sintática, levando-se em conta a classificação das preposições em essenciais e acidentais. Os resultados obtidos indicam que existe distinção entre os dois termos, mas que esta decorre não do tipo de preposição que o encabeça, mas da propriedade do nome substantivo de exigir ou de apenas admitir um termo preposicionado

Ordering in a spin glass under applied magnetic field

Torque, torque relaxation, and magnetization measurements on a AuFe spin glass sample are reported. The experiments carried out up to 7 T show a transverse irreversibility line in the (H,T) plane up to high applied fields, and a distinct strong longitudinal irreversibility line at lower fields. The data demonstrate for that this type of sample, a Heisenberg spin glass with moderately strong anisotropy, the spin glass ordered state survives under high applied fields in contrast to predictions of certain "droplet" type scaling models. The overall phase diagram closely ressembles those of mean field or chiral models, which both have replica symmetry breaking transitions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted for PR

Evolution of the levels of human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) in Beninese infant during the first year of life in a malaria endemic area : using latent class analysis

Background: HLA-G, a non-classical HLA class I antigen, is of crucial interest during pregnancy by inhibiting maternal immune response. Its role during infections is discussed, and it has been described that high levels of soluble HLA-G during childhood increase the risk of malaria. To explore more precisely interactions between soluble HLA-G and malaria, latent class analysis was used to test whether distinct sub-populations of children, each with distinctive soluble HLA-G evolutions may suggest the existence of groups presenting variable malaria susceptibility. Method: A study was conducted in Benin from 2010 to 2013 and 165 children were followed from birth to 12 months. Evolution of soluble HLA-G was studied by the latent class method. Results: Three groups of children were identified: one with consistently low levels of soluble HLA-G during follow-up, a second with very high levels and a last intermediate group. In all groups, low birth weight, high number of malaria infections and high exposure to malaria transmission were associated with high level of soluble HLA-G. Placental malaria was not. Presence of soluble HLA-G in cord blood increased the probability of belonging to the highest trajectory. Conclusion: These results, together with previous ones, confirm the important role of HLA-G in the individual susceptibility to malaria. Assaying soluble HLA-G at birth could be a good indicator of newborns more fragile and at risk of infections during childhood

Evaluation of MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism and homocysteine level in coronary atherosclerotic disease

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphism and correlate it with plasma homocysteine levels in coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: Ninety-three patients with documented CAD from Hospital Universitário Oswaldo Cruz (Recife, PE, Brazil) and 108 healthy controls were evaluated. Homocysteine and folate levels were determined by HPLC and chemoluminescence, respectively, and lipid profile was considered. Genotyping was done by RFLP/PCR. RESULTS: The groups were homogeneous for the C677T polymorphisms. The homocysteine level in cases (11.7 µmol/L) was statistically different from that observed in controls (8.84 µmol/L, p< 0.05). It was also observed that 72% of the patients had homocysteine values above12 µmol/L while the control group presented only 32% in this range. There was no relationship between homozigosity for the C677T polymorphism and the homocysteine level (p= 0.634). We noticed statistical differences between folate levels from patients and controls (6.22 and 7.69 ng/dL, p< 0.05, respectively). However, there was no correlation between homocysteine and folate concentrations in the entire group (r= -0.202). Comparing cases and controls, the odds ratio (OR) when homocysteine is high and folate is low was OR= 11.9; CI 95%= 4.16-34.42, p< 0.01. CONCLUSION: A lack of correlation between C677T mutation and homocysteine level suggests that environmental factors and others genetic factors seem to exert more influence on homocysteine level in this population.OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste trabalho é determinar a prevalência do polimorfismo C677T do gene metilenotetraidrofolato redutase (MTHFR) e associá-la com a concentração plasmática de homocisteína plasmática na doença arterial coronariana (DAC). MÉTODOS: Foram avaliados 93 pacientes com DAC documentada, atendidos no Hospital Universitário Oswaldo Cruz (Recife, PE, Brasil), e 108 controles sem a doença. Foram determinados os perfis lipídicos de pacientes e controles. As concentrações plasmáticas de homocisteína e folato foram determinadas por HPLC e quimioluminescência, respectivamente. A genotipagem foi realizada por RFLP/PCR. RESULTADOS: Os grupos de pacientes e controles foram homogêneos quanto aos perfis genéticos do polimorfismo investigado. Nos pacientes, as concentrações plasmáticas médias de homocisteina (11,7 ± 4,4 µmol/L) e de folato (6,22 ± 3,0 ng/dL) foram estatisticamente diferentes daquelas observadas nos controles (8,84 ± 3,2 µmol/L e 7,69 ± 3,1 ng/dL, respectivamente), ao nível de significância de 0,05. Entretanto, não houve correlação entre concentração plasmática de homocisteína e folato nos pacientes (r= -0,202). Não foi observada associação entre a homozigosidade 677TT para MTHFR e a concentração plasmática de homocisteína sérica (p= 0,634). A comparação dos casos e controles que apresentaram simultaneamente alta concentração plasmática de homocisteína e baixa concentração de folato, resultou numa razão de chance superior à de cada variável analisada independentemente (RC= 11,9; IC 95%= 4,16-34,42, p< 0,01). CONCLUSÕES: A mutação C677T não parece ser um fator genético importante capaz de explicar a hiperhomocisteinemia moderada observada nos pacientes com DAC. Outros fatores, ambientais e genéticos, devem ser investigados.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Pediatria Laboratório de Erros Inatos de MetabolismoUniversidade de Pernambuco ICB Departamento de Ciências FisiológicasUniversidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto Hospital das ClínicasUNIFESP, Depto. de Pediatria Laboratório de Erros Inatos de MetabolismoSciEL

Lidar temperature series in the middle atmosphere as a reference data set – Part 1: Improved retrievals and a 20-year cross-validation of two co-located French lidars

The objective of this paper and its companion (Wing et al., 2018) is to show that ground-based lidar temperatures are a stable, accurate, and precise data set for use in validating satellite temperatures at high vertical resolution. Long-term lidar observations of the middle atmosphere have been conducted at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP), located in southern France (43.93°&thinsp;N, 5.71°&thinsp;E), since 1978. Making use of 20 years of high-quality co-located lidar measurements, we have shown that lidar temperatures calculated using the Rayleigh technique at 532&thinsp;nm are statistically identical to lidar temperatures calculated from the non-absorbing 355&thinsp;nm channel of a differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system. This result is of interest to members of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) ozone lidar community seeking to produce validated temperature products. Additionally, we have addressed previously published concerns of lidar–satellite relative warm bias in comparisons of upper-mesospheric and lower-thermospheric (UMLT) temperature profiles. We detail a data treatment algorithm which minimizes known errors due to data selection procedures, a priori choices, and initialization parameters inherent in the lidar retrieval. Our algorithm results in a median cooling of the lidar-calculated absolute temperature profile by 20&thinsp;K at 90&thinsp;km altitude with respect to the standard OHP NDACC lidar temperature algorithm. The confidence engendered by the long-term cross-validation of two independent lidars and the improved lidar temperature data set is exploited in Wing et al. (2018) for use in multi-year satellite validations.</p