Measuring The Co2 Flux At The Air/water Interface In Lakes Using Flow Injection Analysis.

The carbon dioxide flux at the air/water interface in lakes was calculated after the determination of H2CO3* (free CO2) and atmospheric CO2 using flow injection analysis (FIA) coupled to a conductometric detector. The method is based on the diffusion of CO2 through a hydrophobic membrane into a flow of deionized water, generating a gradient of conductivity proportional to the concentration of CO2 in the sample. Using one experimental set-up, the speciation of the inorganic carbon (H2CO3* and dissolved inorganic carbon) was accomplished by simply adjusting the sample pH. The determination of CO2 in the atmosphere was carried out by direct injection of the gaseous samples. The FIA apparatus was taken into the field and CO2 fluxes were evaluated in several Brazilian lakes. In these lakes, representing different eutrophic stages, the CO2 flux varied from -242 (invasive) up to 3227 (evasive) mumol CO2 m-2 h-1.3317-2

Caffeine as an indicator of estrogenic activity in source water

Caffeine has already been used as an indicator of anthropogenic impacts, especially the ones related to the disposal of sewage in water bodies. In this work, the presence of caffeine has been correlated with the estrogenic activity of water samples measured using the BLYES assay. After testing 96 surface water samples, it was concluded that caffeine can be used to prioritize samples to be tested for estrogenic activity in water quality programs evaluating emerging contaminants with endocrine disruptor activity.Caffeine has already been used as an indicator of anthropogenic impacts, especially the ones related to the disposal of sewage in water bodies. In this work, the presence of caffeine has been correlated with the estrogenic activity of water samples measur16818661869FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO2008/57808-1 ; 2012/00303-0573894/2008-6This is a contribution of the INCTAA (FAPESP, proc. 2008/57808-1 and CNPq proc. 573894/2008-6). C.C.M. is grateful to FAPESP for the PhD fellowship (proc. 2012/00303-0)

Estudo comparativo entre métodos de contrôle quantitativo da produção leiteira

This paper deals with the estimation of milk production by means of weekly, biweekly, bimonthly observations and also by method known as 6-5-8, where one observation is taken at the 6th week of lactation, another at 5th month and a third one at the 8th month. The data studied were obtained from 72 lactations of the Holstein Friesian breed of the "Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz" (Piracicaba), S. Paulo, Brazil), being 6 calvings on each month of year and also 12 first calvings, 12 second calvings, and so on, up to the sixth. The authors criticize the use of "maximum error" to be found in papers dealing with this subject, and also the use of mean deviation. The former is completely supersed and unadvisable and latter, although equivalent, to a certain extent, to the usual standard deviation, has only 87,6% of its efficiency, according to KENDALL (9, pp. 130-131, 10, pp. 6-7). The data obtained were compared with the actual production, obtained by daily control and the deviations observed were studied. Their means and standard deviations are given on the table IV. Inspite of BOX's recent results (11) showing that with equal numbers in all classes a certain inequality of varinces is not important, the autors separated the methods, before carrying out the analysis of variance, thus avoiding to put together methods with too different standard deviations. We compared the three first methods, to begin with (Table VI). Then we carried out the analysis with the four first methods. (Table VII). Finally we compared the two last methods. (Table VIII). These analysis of variance compare the arithmetic means of the deviations by the methods studied, and this is equivalent to compare their biases. So we conclude tht season of calving and order of calving do not effect the biases, and the methods themselves do not differ from this view point, with the exception of method 6-5-8. Another method of attack, maybe preferrable, would be to compare the estimates of the biases with their expected mean under the null hypothesis (zero) by the t-test. We have: 1) Weekley control: t = x - 0/c(x) = 8,59 - 0/ = 1,56 2) Biweekly control: t = 11,20 - 0/6,21= 1,80 3) Monthly control: t = 7,17 - 0/9,48 = 0,76 4) Bimonthly control: t = - 4,66 - 0/17,56 = -0,26 5) Method 6-5-8 t = 144,89 - 0/22,41 = 6,46*** We denote above by three asterisks, significance the 0,1% level of probability. In this way we should conclude that the weekly, biweekly, monthly and bimonthly methods of control may be assumed to be unbiased. The 6-5-8 method is proved to be positively biased, and here the bias equals 5,9% of the mean milk production. The precision of the methods studied may be judged by their standard deviations, or by intervals covering, with a certain probability (95% for example), the deviation x corresponding to an estimate obtained by cne of the methods studied. Since the difference x - x, where x is the mean of the 72 deviations obtained for each method, has a t distribution with mean zero and estimate of standard deviation. s(x - x) = √1+ 1/72 . s = 1.007. s , and the limit of t for the 5% probability, level with 71 degrees of freedom is 1.99, then the interval to be considered is given by x ± 1.99 x 1.007 s = x ± 2.00. s The intervals thus calculated are given on the table IX

Application of flow cytometry for the identification of Staphylococcus epidermidis by peptide nucleic acid fluorescence in situ hybridization (PNA FISH) in blood samples

Staphylococcus epidermidis is considered to be one of the most common causes of nosocomial bloodstream infections, particularly in immune-compromised individuals. Here, we report the development and application of a novel peptide nucleic acid probe for the specific detection of S. epidermidis by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The theoretical estimates of probe matching specificity and sensitivity were 89 and 87%, respectively. More importantly, the probe was shown not to hybridize with closely related species such as Staphylococcus aureus. The method was subsequently successfully adapted for the detection of S. epidermidis in mixed-species blood cultures both by microscopy and flow cytometry.This work was supported by the Portuguese Institute Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (PhD Fellowship SFRH/BD/29297/2006 and Post-Doc Fellowship SFRH/BPD/42208/2007)

Emissões de gases de efeito estufa do cultivo de arroz irrigado em ecossistemas subtropical e tropical.

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