Qualidade da água utilizada na ordenha de propriedades leiteiras do Meio Oeste Catarinense, Brasil

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of water used on dairy farms in the Midwest region of Santa Catarina State, Brazil, considering the current legal Standards of drinking water. A structured questionnaire was applied to farmers and water samples were collected in 76 dairy farms for chemical and microbiological analysis of the water. Hardness, pH, Standard Plate Count of heterotrophic bacteria counting (PPC), total and fecal coliforms were analyzed. The results of the application questionnaires were analyzed through the test χ2. To evaluate the influence of the data obtained from the application of questionnaires on the water quality, data were submitted to analysis of variance. The water was collected from protected sources, source Caxambu, artesian well or unprotected sources. Mean PPC was 3,2±0,83log10 UFC mL-1, with only 5% of the samples without total coliforms and 24% contaminated by fecal coliforms. The presence or absence of fecal coliforms was not related to the PPC. The PPC was not related to the type of water source, but farms with water tank had water with better microbiological quality. The pH and hardness of the water were within legal limits and not affect the PPC of the water. The water used in dairy farms of the Midwest region of Santa Catarina State, Brazil, has coliform contamination, characterizing the need of actions that improve its quality or additional treatments in order to adapt it to legal standards.O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade da água utilizada em propriedades leiteiras na Região do Meio Oeste Catarinense, considerando os atuais padrões legais de potabilidade da água. Para tal foi aplicado questionário estruturado aos produtores e realizadas coletas e análises químicas e microbiológicas de amostras de água em 76 propriedades leiteiras, sendo realizadas análises de dureza, pH e contagem padrão em placa de bactérias heterotróficas (CPP). Os resultados da aplicação dos questionários foram analisados através do teste de χ2 e para avaliar a influência dos dados obtidos a partir da aplicação dos questionários sobre a qualidade da água os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância. Toda a água era captada a partir de fontes protegidas, fonte Caxambu, poço artesiano ou fonte desprotegida. A CPP média foi 3,2±0,83log10 UFC mL-1. Somente 5% das propriedades não apresentaram coliformes totais nas amostras analisadas, e 24% apresentaram contaminação por coliformes fecais. A CPP não está relacionada ao tipo de fonte existente na propriedade ou local de captação, sendo que propriedades com caixa d'água apresentaram água com melhor qualidade microbiológica. O pH e dureza da água encontraramse dentro dos limites legais, não apresentando relação (P>0,05) com a CPP da água. A água utilizada nas propriedades leiteiras da região do Meio Oeste Catarinense apresenta contaminação por coliformes, caracterizando a necessidade da implementação de ações para a melhoria da sua qualidade ou da adoção de tratamentos adicionais visando adequá-la aos padrões legais vigentes

Genome-Wide Linkage Analysis of Malaria Infection Intensity and Mild Disease

Although balancing selection with the sickle-cell trait and other red blood cell disorders has emphasized the interaction between malaria and human genetics, no systematic approach has so far been undertaken towards a comprehensive search for human genome variants influencing malaria. By screening 2,551 families in rural Ghana, West Africa, 108 nuclear families were identified who were exposed to hyperendemic malaria transmission and were homozygous wild-type for the established malaria resistance factors of hemoglobin (Hb)S, HbC, alpha(+) thalassemia, and glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase deficiency. Of these families, 392 siblings aged 0.5–11 y were characterized for malaria susceptibility by closely monitoring parasite counts, malaria fever episodes, and anemia over 8 mo. An autosome-wide linkage analysis based on 10,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms was conducted in 68 selected families including 241 siblings forming 330 sib pairs. Several regions were identified which showed evidence for linkage to the parasitological and clinical phenotypes studied, among them a prominent signal on Chromosome 10p15 obtained with malaria fever episodes (asymptotic z score = 4.37, empirical p-value = 4.0 × 10(−5), locus-specific heritability of 37.7%; 95% confidence interval, 15.7%–59.7%). The identification of genetic variants underlying the linkage signals may reveal as yet unrecognized pathways influencing human resistance to malaria

Survey of the Current Activities in the Field of Modeling the Space Debris Environment at TU Braunschweig

The Institute of Space Systems at Technische Universität Braunschweig has long-term experience in the field of space debris modeling. This article reviews the current state of ongoing research in this area. Extensive activities are currently underway to update the European space debris model MASTER. In addition to updating the historical population, the future evolution of the space debris environment is also being investigated. The competencies developed within these activities are used to address current problems with regard to the possibility of an increasing number of catastrophic collisions. Related research areas include, for example, research in the field of orbit determination and the simulation of sensor systems for the acquisition and cataloging of orbital objects. In particular, the ability to provide simulated measurement data for object populations in almost all size ranges is an important prerequisite for these investigations. Some selected results on the distribution of space debris on Earth orbit are presented in terms of spatial density. Furthermore, specific fragmentation events will be discussed

Simancas - Ein Archiv um die Welt zu regieren? Archivwissen und Verwaltungshandeln zur Zeit Philipps II.

Grebe M-A. Simancas - Ein Archiv um die Welt zu regieren? Archivwissen und Verwaltungshandeln zur Zeit Philipps II. In: Horstmann A, Kopp V, eds. Archiv-Macht-Wissen. Organisation und Konstruktion von Wissen und Wirklichkeiten in Archiven. Frankfurt am Main: Campus Verlag; 2010: 23-37

Trade costs, FDI incentives and the intensity of price competition

Contrary to theoretical predictions, empirical evidence shows that an increase in trade liberalization causes an increase in foreign direct investment. We propose an explanation for this apparent puzzle by exploiting Dastidar’s approach, which delivers a continuum of Bertrand–Nash equilibria ranging above marginal cost pricing. We show that allowing for softer price competition may indeed more than offset the standard effect generated by a decrease in trade costs, thereby restoring foreign direct investment incentives

Tidally Forced Planetary Waves in the Tachocline of Solar-like Stars

Can atmospheric waves in planet-hosting solar-like stars substantially resonate to tidal forcing, perhaps at a level of impacting the space weather or even being dynamo-relevant? In particular, low-frequency Rossby waves, which have been detected in the solar near-surface layers, are predestined to respond to sunspot cycle-scale perturbations. In this paper, we seek to address these questions as we formulate a forced wave model for the tachocline layer, which is widely considered as the birthplace of several magnetohydrodynamic planetary waves, i.e., Rossby, inertia-gravity (Poincaré), Kelvin, Alfvén, and gravity waves. The tachocline is modeled as a shallow plasma atmosphere with an effective free surface on top that we describe within the Cartesian β -plane approximation. As a novelty to former studies, we equip the governing equations with a conservative tidal potential and a linear friction law to account for viscous dissipation. We combine the linearized governing equations into one decoupled wave equation, which facilitates an easily approachable analysis. Analytical results are presented and discussed within several interesting free, damped, and forced wave limits for both midlatitude and equatorially trapped waves. For the idealized case of a single tide-generating body following a circular orbit, we derive an explicit analytic solution that we apply to our Sun for estimating leading-order responses to Jupiter. Our analysis reveals that Rossby waves resonating to low-frequency perturbations can potentially reach considerable velocity amplitudes on the order of 10 ^1 –10 ^2 cm s ^−1 , which, however, strongly rely on the yet unknown frictional damping parameter