The Animated Database Courseware (ADbC) and the Database Design Module

There is a need to extend the breadth and depth of database curricula and to find ways to incorporate newer technologies. One way to address this challenge is through supplementary instructional materials. However, very few supporting materials exist that aid in the teaching of teach database concepts. This was the motivation for constructing the Animated Database Courseware (ADbC) that is funded by NSF Grant #0717707. ADbC has four main modules: database design, SQL, database transactions and database security. The software has a low learning curve. It hasbeen made freely available and is located on the Internet at http://adbc.kennesaw.edu. This demonstration focuses on the Database Design Module

Rentabilidade das explorações leiteiras em Portugal - dados técnicos e económicos

Com este trabalho, pretendemos avaliar os principais factores que condicionam a rentabilidade da exploração leiteira. Destaca-se o custo da alimentação que representa 50 a 68% do custo total de litro de leite produzido. Ao utilizar aplicações informáticas que formulem regimes alimentares ao mínimo custo, o produtor de leite consegue tomar decisões muito rápidas sobre as matérias-primas que vai utilizar no misturador Unifeed no dia seguinte. Só desta forma poderá ajustar ao regime alimentar as constantes variações dos preços das matérias-primas. A produção de milho e de azevém para silagem na própria exploração vai reforçar a menor dependência dos preços dos alimentos comprados fora, preços que o produtor individual não controla. Os parâmetros produtivos e reprodutivos adequados vão contribuir para o sucesso económico da exploração leiteira. O parâmetro produtivo DEL deve situar-se em 150 dias já que o seu aumento vai ter implicações directas na diminuição da produção média diária de leite. Parâmetros reprodutivos como o IP-P, o número de IA/IAF e a idade das novilhas ao primeiro parto com valores médios por estábulo, respectivamente, de 365 dias, 1,7 IA/IAF e 24 meses deverão ser o objectivo da exploração. Valores mais elevados vão ter implicações no custo do litro de leite produzido. As mamites contribuem para diminuir a quantidade e a qualidade do leite produzido. As bonificações atribuídas ao preço do leite com baixa CCS associada à redução da produção diária de leite pelas vacas com mamite são dois factores com implicações directas na rentabilidade da exploração.FC

Quality Of Strawberry Grown In Brazilian Tropical Humid Conditions For Breeding Programs

Introduction. The preliminary study of the post-harvest quality of the fruit from strawberry cultivars in a new growing region is necessary for both farmers and consumers. The objective of the present study was to evaluate strawberry cultivars at different harvest times with regard to fruit quality aiming at the selection of possible parents for breeding programs for cultivation in the tropical humid conditions of the city Datas, in Minas Gerais State (Brazil), and in other regions with similar soil-climatic conditions. Materials and methods. The strawberry fields were cultivated on the Mape Frutas Farm, located in the city of Datas-MG. Eight cultivars ('Aromas', 'Camarosa', 'Campinas', 'Diamante', 'Dover', 'Festival', 'Oso Grande', and 'Toyonoka') were assessed in a randomized block design with a split-plot in time. Four replicates and three harvest times (June, August, and October 2012) were evaluated. Fruit from the different cultivars were analyzed for their physicochemical and antioxidant properties. Results and discussion. There was a genetic variability and the predominance of genetic factors over environmental effects for the evaluated traits. Fruits harvested at the end of the crop cycle (October) had the highest levels of total reducing sugars, vitamin C, phenols, anthocyanins, carotenoids, soluble solids, and total antioxidant activity. Cultivars Camarosa, Festival, and Toyonoka showed better fruit quality. Conclusion. Based on the genetic dissimilarity and fruit quality, the cross between 'Toyonoka' and 'Camarosa' or 'Festival' is indicated for the genetic improvement of strawberry in the region and other places with similar soil-climatic conditions. © Cirad/EDP Sciences 2016.71315116

Isolation, characterization and selection of indigenous Bradyrhizobium strains with outstanding symbiotic performance to increase soybean yields in Mozambique.

Article purchasedSoybean inoculation with effective rhizobial strains makes unnecessary the use of N-fertilizers in the tropics. A frequently reported problem is the failure of the inoculant strains to overcome the competition imposed by indigenous rhizobial populations. The screening of indigenous rhizobia, already adapted to local conditions, searching for highly effective strains for use as inoculants represents a promising strategy in overcoming inoculation failure. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize indigenous rhizobia and to identify strains that hold potential to be included in inoculant formulations for soybean production, with both promiscuous and non-promiscuous soybean cultivars, in Mozambican agro-climatic conditions. A total of 105 isolates obtained from nodules of promiscuous soybean grown at 15 sites were screened for N2-fixation effectiveness in the greenhouse along with five commercial strains. Eighty-seven isolates confirmed the ability to form effective nodules on soybean and were used for genetic characterization by rep-PCR (BOX) and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, and also for symbiotic effectiveness. BOX-PCR fingerprinting revealed remarkable genetic diversity, with 41 clusters formed, considering a similarity level of 65%. The 16S rRNA analysis assigned the isolates to the genera Bradyrhizobium (75%) and Agrobacterium/Rhizobium (25%). Great variability in symbiotic effectiveness was detected among the indigenous rhizobia from Mozambique, with ten isolates performing better than the commercial strain B. diazoefficiens USDA 110, the best reference strain, and 51 isolates with lower performance than all reference strains. Thirteen of the best isolates from the first greenhouse trial were evaluated, along with the five commercial strains, in two promiscuous (TGx 1963-3F and TGx 1835-10E) and one non-promiscuous (BRS 284) soybean cultivars in a second greenhouse trial. In general the promiscous soybeans responded better to inoculation. The 13 isolates were also characterized for tolerance to acidity and alkalinity (pH 3.5 and 9.0, respectively), salinity (0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 mol L−1 of NaCl) and high temperatures (35, 40 and 45 °C) in vitro. Five isolates, three (Moz 4, Moz 19 and Moz 22) belonging to the superclade B. elkanii and two (Moz 27 and Moz 61) assigned to the superclade B. japonicum, consistently showed high symbiotic effectiveness, suggesting that the inoculation with indigenous rhizobia adapted to local conditions represents a possible strategy for increasing soybean yields in Mozambique. Phylogenetic position of the five elite isolates was confirmed by the MLSA with four protein-coding housekeeping genes, dnaK, glnII, gyrB and recA

Full-time education, full-time school: a dialogue on the times

O presente texto propõe-se a trazer indagações sobre a escola de tempo integral e a educação integral no contexto atual. Essa reflexão implica a leitura do contexto e do cenário social e político, nos quais as concepções de educação e sociedade são forjadas atreladas aos ditames da economia global. Em termos sociológicos, a educação integral faz um chamamento contrário à visão fragmentada do ser, da vida, do tempo, mas, por outro lado, em termos políticos, não altera drasticamente a realidade, mantendo o conjunto de contradições socioeconômicas, de classe, acirrando a exclusão em escala global.39108223236The present text proposes to bring inquiries about the “full-time school” and “full-time education” in the current context. This reflection implies the reading of the context and social and political scenario in which the conceptions of education and society are forged tied to the dictates of global economy. In sociological terms, full-time education makes a contrary call to the fragmented vision of being, of life, of time… But on the other hand, in political terms, it does not drastically alter reality, maintaining the set of socioeconomic and class contradictions, exacerbating exclusion on a global scale

Hyperhomocysteinemia in Renal Transplantation: Preliminary Results

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after renal transplantation (RT).[1] and [2] The excess risk of CVD in RT is due in part to a higher prevalence of established atherosclerotic risk factors, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity.[1] and [2] However, some renal-related risk factors like immunosuppressive medication and residual renal insufficiency also contribute to this excess CVD risk and may complicate the management of dyslipidemia and hypertension in this population.[1] and [2] Accordingly, there is a compelling need to identify and safely manage other putative CVD risk factors among RT patients. Elevated plasma homocysteine is emerging as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in general populations.[3] and 4 R Clarke, L Daly and K Robinson et al., N Engl J Med 324 (1991), p. 1149. View Record in Scopus | Cited By in Scopus (1372)[4] Some studies have demonstrated that hyperhomocysteinemia is present in patients with impaired renal function and is associated with CVD.[5], [6] and [7] Only a small number of studies are available on the prevalence and determinants of hyperhomocysteinemia in renal transplant recipients.[8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14] and [15] We undertook this study to 1. estimate the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia in renal transplant recipients; 2. examine the relationships between plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) and its metabolic determinants vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folic acid; and 3. identify other determinants of tHcy

Transfer to the continuum and Breakup reactions

Reaction theory is an essential ingredient when performing studies of nuclei far from stability. One approach for the calculation of breakup reactions of exotic nuclei into two fragments is to consider inelastic excitations into the single particle continuum of the projectile. Alternatively one can also consider the transfer to the continuum of a system composed of the light fragment and the target. In this work we make a comparative study of the two approaches, underline the different inputs, and identify the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Our test cases consist of the breakup of $^{11}$Be on a proton target at intermediate energies, and the breakup of $^8$B on $^{58}$Ni at energies around the Coulomb barrier. We find that, in practice the results obtained in both schemes are in semiquantitative agreement. We suggest a simple condition that can select between the two approaches.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures. Replaced by accepted version. To appear in Nucl. Phys.

Conservação Pós-colheita De Frutos De Morangueiro Em Diferentes Condições De Armazenamento

Strawberry is a product appreciated by consumers due to the organoleptic characteristics. However, strawberry fruits are highly perishable after harvest, so alternative measures to prolong the shelf life of fruits are necessary. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the fruit postharvest conservation of strawberry cultivars under different storage conditions. Strawberry fruits of eight cultivars (Festival, Campinas, Toyonoka, Dover, Oso Grande, Camarosa, Diamante and Aromas) were grown at “Mape Frutas” farm, in Datas municipality, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Strawberry fruits were stored at cold storage (2.34±0.78°C; 89.93±4.14% RH) and environmental conditions (17.43±2.68°C; 74.11±10.44%). The experimental design was randomized blocks in a factorial arrangement with eight strawberry cultivars and five storage times, with three replications. Fruits appearance, disease incidence, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, vitamin C and firmness were evaluated every 3 days, until 12 days. At room condition, strawberry fruit could be stored for only three days. Fruits kept in cold chamber kept quality until 12 days. Cv. Festival had the best postharvest shelf life in both storage conditions and cvs. Toyonoka and Campinas showed higher incidence of diseases and less fruit firmness when compared to the other cultivars. © 2016, Sociedade de Olericultura do Brasil. All rights reserved.34340541

Elastic Scattering and Total Reaction Cross Section for the 6He + 27Al System

The elastic scattering of the radioactive halo nucleus 6He on 27Al target was measured at four energies close to the Coulomb barrier using the RIBRAS (Radioactive Ion Beams in Brazil) facility. The Sao Paulo Potential(SPP) was used and its diffuseness and imaginary strength were adjusted to fit the elastic scattering angular distributions. Reaction cross-sections were extracted from the optical model fits. The reduced reaction cross-sections of 6He on 27Al are similar to those for stable, weakly bound projectiles as {6,7}Li, 9Be and larger than stable, tightly bound projectile as 16O on 27Al.Comment: 7 pages, 1 table, 3 figure

Perfil de ácidos grasos y comportamiento reológico de aceite y grasa de semillas de achiote (Bixa orellana), y de cacao blanco (Theobroma grandiflorum) y sus mezclas

Annatto seed oil (ASO) and cupuassu seed fat (CSF) were combined at the ratios: 30:70, 50:50, and 70:30 (% w/w). Their fatty acid profile, nutritional quality, FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) spectra, and rheological behavior were evaluated. ASO increased the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the blends; whereas CSF conferred higher contents of monounsaturated fatty acids. The blends exhibited low atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices, suggesting nutritional advantages. The Newtonian fluid behavior and FTIR results suggested that mixing ASO and CSF at different proportions did not affect the functional groups. ASO showed an activation energy value which indicated that this fat viscosity was more sensitive to temperature changes. The Newtonian model proved to be suitable to describe the behavior of samples, according to statistical fit parameters R2, χ2, and RSS. The resulting blends presented improved physicochemical properties and nutritional attributes, indicating their feasibility for the development of new products.Se combinaron aceite de semilla de achiote (ASO) y grasa de semilla de cacao blanco (CSF) en las proporciones: 30:70, 50:50 y 70:30 (% p/p), respectivamente. Se evaluó su perfil de ácidos grasos, calidad nutricional, espectros FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) y comportamiento reológico. ASO incrementó el contenido de ácidos grasos poliinsaturados en las mezclas, mientras que CSF confirió mayores contenidos de ácidos grasos monoinsaturados. Las mezclas exhibieron bajos índices de aterogenicidad y trombogenicidad, lo que sugiere ventajas nutricionales. El comportamiento del fluido newtoniano y los resultados de FTIR sugirieron que mezclar ASO y CSF en diferentes proporciones no afectó a los grupos funcionales. ASO mostró un valor de energía de activación que indicó que la viscosidad de esta grasa era más sensible a los cambios de temperatura. El modelo newtoniano demostró ser adecuado para describir el comportamiento de las muestras, según los parámetros de ajuste estadístico R2, χ2 y RSS. Las mezclas resultantes presentaron propiedades fisicoquímicas y atributos nutricionales mejorados, lo que indica su viabilidad para el desarrollo de nuevos productos