BENCHMARKING OF TWO SYSTEMS FOR TRANSMISSION OF MOTION FOR A DOUBLE ACTION STIRLING ENGINE

In a four-piston Stirling engine, Siemens configuration, the displacement of the pistons is governed by the motion transmission element, which converts the reciprocating motion of pistons into rotary motion. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the geometry of the transmission element in the mechanical efficiency of a Stirling engine. Analyses were performed using a mathematical computer simulation that uses the geometric and operating data of the engine to calculate the mechanical power and efficiency through a first order thermodynamic mathematical model, also known as the Schmidtmodel. First, an analysis was performed to evaluate the mechanical efficiency of the transmission element with a sinusoidal curve surface. Later, it was implemented in the transmission mechanism a segment based straight plans surface, and then the same analysis was performed with this new transmission element. The results showed that using the transmission element with segment based straight plans the engine showed a significant increase in efficiency. Moreover, one can observe an increase in the vibration of the system, making it necessary to develop an appropriate system for balancing

Irrigation Scheduling to Promote Corn Productivity in Central Alabama

Agriculture is the largest consumer of water in the United States. Results from previous studies have shown thatit is possible to substantially reduce irrigation amounts and maintain corn yield. The objectives of this study wereto evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of two irrigation scheduling methods for corn production inAlabama. Two irrigation scheduling methods evaluated were: a) Checkbook, which is one of the conventionalmethods used by farmers that is based on the soil water balance estimated using water lost by evapotranspirationand its replacement through rainfall or irrigation, and b) Sensor-based, which was based on soil matric potentialvalues recorded by soil moisture tension sensors installed in the field. The experimental field was divided intotwo irrigation management zones (zone A and zone B) based on soil properties of each field. During the 2014season in zone A, significant grain yield differences were observed between the two irrigation methods. TheCheckbook plots exhibited greater yield than Sensor-based plots: 10181 kg ha-1 and 9696 kg ha-1, respectively.The greater yield on the Checkbook plots could be associated with higher irrigation rate applied, 148 mm more,compared with the Sensor-based plots. In zone B, there were no significant yield differences between bothirrigation methods; however, Sensor-based plots out yielded Checkbook plots, with 9673 kg ha-1 and 9584 kgha-1, respectively. Even though the irrigation amount applied in Checkbook located in zone B was higher, 102mm more, there were no significant yield differences. Therefore, it suggests that the Sensor-based method waspromissory irrigation scheduling strategy under the conditions of zone B. In 2015, there were no significant grainyield differences between zone A and zone B when the data from the Checkbook plots were analyzed. However,the Sensor-based treatment produced a statistically significant difference of grain yield of 13597 kg ha-1 in zoneA and 11659 kg ha-1 in zone B, also both zones received the same amount of irrigation. Overall results of bothgrowing seasons indicated that the use of the Sensor-based irrigation scheduling treatment resulted in similarvalues of total profit per hectare when compared to Checkbook method. The Sensor-based method seems apromising strategy that could result in water and financial savings, but more research is required.Fil: Da Cunha Leme Filho, Jose F.. Virginia Polytechnic Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Ortiz, Brenda V.. Auburn University.; Estados UnidosFil: Damianidis, Damianos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Oliveros; ArgentinaFil: Balkcom, Kipling S.. Usda-soil Dynamics Research; Estados UnidosFil: Dougherty, Mark. Auburn University.; Estados UnidosFil: Poschel, Thorsten. Auburn University.; Estados Unido

Identificação de méis adulterados utilizando FT-NIR e quimiometria.

O mel é um produto alimentício que tem sofrido constantemente processos de adulteração devido ao seu custo e sua disponibilidade limitada. Desta forma, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar amostras de mel não adulteradas e adulteradas com glicose, melado de cana-de-açúcar e água, em diferentes proporções, 10%, 25%, 40% e 50% (m m-1). As amostras foram analisadas utilizando espectrometria na região do infravermelho próximo com transformada de Fourier (FT-NIR) e os resultados obtidos foram analisados utilizando a ferramenta quimiométrica de análise de componentes principais (PCA). A partir dos resultados obtidos, foi possível verificar a viabilidade da técnica NIR para verificação da adulteração de méis com água

Infestação por Varroa destructor em pré-pupas e pupas de Apis mellifera no Pantanal Sul-Mato-Grossense, 2018-2019.

Este estudo teve por objetivo determinar a taxa de infestação em crias operculadas (pré-pupas e pupas) para verificação da variação desta taxa, durante as estações do ano, em cinco colônias, de apiário localizado na fazenda Band'Alta, em Ladário-MS, durante os meses de setembro/2018 a agosto/2019, e em vinte colônias distribuídas em quatro apiários localizados na fazenda Nhumirim, sub-região da Nhecolândia, em Corumbá-MS, durante os meses de outubro/2018 a agosto/2019, sendo que os cinco apiários pertencem à Embrapa Pantanal

The response of male zebu calves to creep feeding, castration, diethylstilbestrol and supplental feeding on pasture

Suplementos foram dados aos bezerros machos da raça Zebu, em pasto de capim Colonião, durante períodos anterior e posterior à desmama, para determinar seu efeito sobre o comportamento do animal e as características da carcaça. O efeito da castração e implantação do dietilestilbestrol foi também estudado. A média do ganho de peso durante o período anterior à desmama e no inverno após a desmama, foi aumentada pelos suplementos quando fornecidos na quantidade de 2 kg diários, por animal. Um suplemento com alto teor em proteína foi superior ao com baixo teor em proteína durante o inverno seco, quando o pasto encontrava-se em más condições, mas esta vantagem desapareceu durante o verão seguinte. Durante o período todo de 370 dias, os bezerros recebendo suplementos pesaram uma média de ganho de peso de 30 kg mais do que os animais que não receberam suplemento. A castração reduziu a média de ganho de peso 56 g diárias por animal e o estilbestrol aumentou a média de ganho de peso de 60 g diárias por animal, de forma que a resposta ao estilbestrol foi igual aos efeitos prejudiciais da castração. Com respeito às características da carcaça, os suplementos aumentaram os rendimentos de carne e o tamanho da região do "olho do lombo", mas não teve efeito sobre a percentagem da gordura de rim ou espessura da gordura superficial. As carcaças dos novilhos tiveram uma porcentagem mais alta de gordura de rim, mas uma região do "olho do lombo" menor do que a correspondente à carcaça do animal inteiro. A implantação de estilbestrol parece não ter tido efeito sobre essas características, embora ela tenha aumentado a porcentagem do rendimento de carne.Supplements were fed to male Zebu calves grazing Colonial Guineagrass pastures during pre and post-weaning periods to determine their effect upon animal performance and carcass characteristics. The effect of castration and implantation of diethylstilbestrol was also studied. The rate of gain during the pre-weaning period and post-weaning winter period was increased by the supplements when fed at 2kg per animal per day. A high-protein supplement was superior to a low-protein supplement during the winter-dry season when the pasture was of poor quality, but this advantage disappeared during the following summer season. During the total period of 370 days, the calves receiving the supplements weighed an average of over 30kg more than animals receiving no supplement. (See Table 5). Castration reduced the rate of gain by 56g per animal per day and stilbestrol increased the rate of gain by 60g per animal per day, so that the response to stilbestrol was equal to the detrimental effects of castration (Table 11). With respect to carcass characteristics, the supplements increased the dressing percentage (Tables 13 and 14) and the size of the rib-eye area, (Table 17) but had no effect upon the percentage of kidney fat (Table 15) or thickness of surface fat (Table 16). The steer carcasses had a higher percentage of kidney fat, a greater thickness of surface fat, but a smaller rib-eye area than the corresponding bull carcasses. The implantation of stilbestrol appeared to have no effect upon these characteristics, although it did increase the dressing percentage

MicroRNA and protein profiles in invasive versus non-invasive oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells in vitro

Complex molecular pathways regulate cancer invasion. This study overviewed proteins and microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) invasion. The human highly aggressive OTSCC cell line HSC-3 was examined in a 3D organotypic human leiomyoma model. Non-invasive and invasive cells were laser-captured and protein expression was analyzed using mass spectrometry-based proteomics and miRNA expression by microarray. In functional studies the 3D invasion assay was replicated after silencing candidate miRNAs, miR-498 and miR-940, in invasive OTSCC cell lines (HSC-3 and SCC-15). Cell migration, proliferation and viability were also studied in the silenced cells. In HSC-3 cells, 67 proteins and 53 miRNAs showed significant fold-changes between non-invasive vs. invasive cells. Pathway enrichment analyses allocated "Focal adhesion" and "ECM-receptor interaction" as most important for invasion. Significantly, in HSC-3 cells, miR-498 silencing decreased the invasion area and miR-940 silencing reduced invasion area and depth. Viability, proliferation and migration weren't significantly affected. In SCC-15 cells, down-regulation of miR-498 significantly reduced invasion and migration. This study shows HSC-3 specific miRNA and protein expression in invasion, and suggests that miR-498 and miR-940 affect invasion in vitro, the process being more influenced by mir-940 silencing in aggressive HSC-3 cells than in the less invasive SCC-15.Peer reviewe

Serological survey for mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in free-living wild boars from Campos Gerais region, Paraná, Brasil.

The south region of Brazil was responsible for 80.3% of total pork meat export in the country in 2015 (2), with the state of Paraná accountable for 21% of the total pork meat production in that year. Pig farming represented 5.7% of the agricultural gross income of the state in 2016, and the Campos Gerais region accounted for 13.2% of that amount (2). Wild boars are the result of crossbreeding between boars (Sus scrofa scrofa) and domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus). The total population of free-living wild boars in Brazil is unknown (11), but sightings are common in the crop fields and near livestock farms of different regions of Paraná state, including in Campos Gerais (9). The health status of pig herds is important in terms of maintenance and growth of pork production and exports and there are evidences that domestic pigs and wild boars share vulnerabilities in certain viral and bacterial pathogen infections (12). Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhyo) is a bacterial pathogen that causes porcine enzootic pneumonia, an economically important disease that affects both domestic pigs and wild boars. Mhyo was first isolated in 1965, simultaneously in the United Kingdom (UK) and in the United States of America (USA) (3; 7). Economic losses related to this pathogen and mycoplasmal pneumonia in pig herds are associated with decreased feed efficiency, reduced average of the daily weight gain, and increased medication costs. Thus, knowing the health status of free-living wild boars in the regards of this pathogen is important for the biosecurity of the pork production. The aim of this study was to investigate antibodies against Mhyo in serum samples of free-living wild boars in Campos Gerais region

Protein synthesis and degradation gene SNPs related to feed intake, feed efficiency, growth, and ultrasound carcass traits in Nellore cattle.

We looked for possible associations of SNPs in genes related to protein turnover, with growth, feed efficiency and carcass traits in feedlot Nellore cattle. Purebred Nellore bulls and steers (N = 290; 378 ± 42 kg body weight, 23 months ± 42 days old) were evaluated for daily feed intake, body weight gain (BWG), gross feed efficiency, feed conversion ratio, partial efficiency of growth, residual feed intake (RFI), ultrasound backfat, rump fat, and ribeye area