Study of Gaseous Emissions Derived from the Combustion of Diesel/Beef Tallow Biodiesel Blends

Air pollution is one of the main environmental problems of modern society. The road and transportation segment is a key source of polluting gases worldwide. In its research for transportation’s emission reduction alternatives, the Brazilian government instituted a wide-spread biodiesel, adding 7% (B7) of biodiesel to the diesel used in the country. Therefore, studies such as this must be carried out to guarantee the environmental sustainability of the new matrix of renewable energies, with the useof biofuels, as well as evaluate the gases emitted to for the environment by the combustion of the same ones. This work was detected CO, CO2 and NO gas emissions released into the atmosphere from the combustion of blends diesel/beef tallow biodiesel in a bench-scale engine. Using electrochemical sensors, the of these gases concentration were successfully registered for two modes of operation of the engine diesel, low rotation, 3500 rpm, and high rotation, 7000 rpm. The CO levels in this experiment in low rotation varied between values minimum and maximum range of 866.7 to 1333.3 ppm, and in high rotation, ranging of 666 and 1000 ppm respectively. For the CO2 concentration in low rotation varied between values minimum and maximum range of 2.1 to 2.4%, and high rotation, ranging of 2.2 to 2.5%, and for NO concentrations of the samples for the mode low rotation had a variation of 83 to 109.5 ppm, and for high rotation were 81.7 to 98.7 ppm respectively

Glutathione status and antioxidant enzymes in a crocodilian species from the swamps of the Brazilian Pantanal

AbstractIn a previous study oxidative damage markers – lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation – were determined in organs of wild Caiman yacare captured in winter-2001 and summer-2002 at various developmental stages. An increase in oxidative damage occurred in the hatchling-juvenile transition (but not in the juvenile-adult transition) and winter–summer transition (in juveniles), suggesting that oxidative stress is associated with development and season. Herein the effect of development and season on glutathione (GSH) metabolism and the effect of development on the activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glutathione S-transferase) and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase were analyzed. The ratio GSSG:GSH-eq increased in lung, liver, kidney and brain by 1.8- to 4-fold in the embryo/hatchling to juvenile transition. No changes occurred in juvenile–adult transition. GSSG:GSH-eq across seasons was significantly elevated in summer. Total-glutathione content was mostly stable in various organs; in liver it increased in the embryo–juvenile transition. Enzyme activities were only determined in summer-animals (embryos, hatchlings and juveniles). For most antioxidant enzymes, activities increased from embryo/hatchling to juvenile in liver and Kidney. In lung, there was an inverse trend for enzyme activities and total glutathione content. Thus, increased metabolic rates during early caiman growth – in embryo–juvenile transition – appears to be related to redox imbalance as suggested by increased GSSG:GSH-eq and activation of antioxidant defenses. Differences in oxidative stress across seasons were related with summer–winter nocturnal temperatures. These results, as a whole, were interpreted in the context of ecological biochemistry

The tadpole of Hypsiboas atlanticus (Anura, Hylidae) from northeastern Brazil

The tadpole of Hypsiboas atlanticus (Caramaschi & Velosa, 1996) is described from the municipality of Maceió, State of Alagoas, Brazil. At stage 36 the larvae have an overall elliptical body in lateral and dorsal views, oral disc anteroventral, spiracular tube sinistral, and labial tooth row formula 2(1,2)/3(1). The oral disc is surrounded, almost completely (anterior medial gap present) by a single row of marginal papillae. Described tadpoles of the H. punctatus species group can be differentiated by a combined disc oral features. Additional descriptions of H. punctatus (Schneider, 1799) tadpoles from populations throughout South America may be helpful in determining the status of these populations

Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Martius) supplementation in the diet during gestation and lactation attenuates liver steatosis in dams and protects offspring.

Purpose: Maternal high-fat diet affects offspring and can induce metabolic disorders such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). New therapeutic strategies are being investigated as way to prevent or attenuate this condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of açaí supplementation in the maternal high-fat diet on dams and offspring lipid metabolism. Methods: Female Fisher rats were divided in four groups and fed a control diet (C), a high-fat diet (HF), an açaí supplemented diet (CA) and a high-fat diet supplemented with açaí (HFA) 2 weeks before mating, during gestation and lactation. The effects of açaí were evaluated in the male offspring after birth (P1) and weaning (P21). Results: HFA reduced relative liver weight, fat and cholesterol liver content in dams and improved liver steatosis as confirmed by histological analyses. HFA increased serum cholesterol and expression of Srebpf1 and Fasn genes. In offspring, HFA decreased relative liver weight, and serum cholesterol only in P21. An increase in the Sirt1, Srebpf1 and Fasn genes expression was observed in P21. Conclusions: These results suggest that açaí supplementation may attenuate NAFLD in dams and protect offspring from the detrimental effects of lipid excess from a maternal high-fat diet

Recurrent multicentric peripheral ossifying fibroma-like lesion in a child: a case report

Abstract\ud \ud Background\ud Gingival hyperplasias are peculiar conditions that may produce extreme growth that impairs masticatory function and causes psychological and aesthetic disturbances. They can vary from mild interdental papillae localized growth to marked swelling affecting both jaws.\ud \ud \ud Case presentation\ud The aim of this case report is to present a rare case of generalized gingival growth diagnosed in a 4 year-old Caucasian child and followed for 9 years. The lesion covered almost all of the upper and lower teeth and recurred thirty times with the same clinical and histopathological aspects. The clinical features suggested the diagnosis of idiopathic gingival fibromatosis, but the histopathological aspects did not confirm this hypothesis and were consistent with peripheral ossifying fibroma.\ud \ud \ud Conclusion\ud The present case reports a rare gingival growth with challenging diagnosis and treatment

Water Replenishment in Agricultural Soils: Dissemination of the IrrigaPot Technology

The challenge confronted by farmers during prolonged periods of soil water stress is to guarantee the restoration of water and maintain the productivity of agricultural crops. Even in regions such as Amazon, the variability in the precipitation regime should be considered in agricultural planning. There are regions in which 80% of annual rainfall is concentrated between December and June. It is exactly during this period of low rainfall that small-scale family-based farmers need technological assistance to guarantee that their crops remain irrigated in order to maintain their income in this rural environment. The IrrigaPot arises as an alternative that is able to access rainfall that has been stored since the rainy season and provide it to plants when the soil is dry. The pots are maintained full with 20 liters of water, and through capillary action the soil maintains them constantly humid. This technology does not require specific knowledge with respect to irrigation regimes and is necessary for the farmer to dedicate his time to replacing water. The technology is totally automated through a simple system using a float, tubes, and connectors that connect a rubber hose to the lids of the pots buried in the soil

Use of retinoids during oocyte maturation diminishes apoptosis in caprine embryos

Exposure of caprine oocytes and embryos to retinoids enhances embryonic development, but the mechanisms governing this phenomenon have not been characterised. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if the incidence of apoptosis is affected by the addition of retinyl acetate (RAc) and 9-cis-retinoic acid (RA) during in vitro maturation (IVM) of caprine oocytes. Embryonic development was recorded on days 3 and 8 post-fertilisation, and apoptosis was measured by caspase activity and DNA fragmentation (TUNEL assay). Control zygotes had lower capacity to cleave and reach the blastocyst stage (24.45 ± 2.32 and 5.32 ± 0.81, respectively) than those of RAc- (29.96 ± 1.62 and 7.94 ± 0.93, respectively) and RA-treated groups (30.12 ± 1.51 and 7.36 ± 1.02, respectively). Oocytes and blastocysts positive for TUNEL assay were more frequent, respectively, in the controls (8.20 ± 0.78, 8.70 ± 1.05) than in RAc (5.60 ± 0.52, 4.80 ± 0.51) and RA (6.40 ± 0.69, 5.40 ± 0.69). Caspase activity did not differ between control oocytes (7.20 ± 0.91), RAc (6.60 ± 0.68) and RA (7.30 ± 0.67), but it was reduced in RAc- (5.05 ± 0.62) and RA-treated blastocysts (5.75 ± 0.22) compared to controls (8.35 ± 0.71). These results indicate that the addition of retinoids during IVM increases the developmental potential of goat embryos with a concomitant reduction in apoptosis rates

Coherent coupling between radio frequency, optical, and acoustic waves in piezo-optomechanical circuits

The interaction of optical and mechanical modes in nanoscale optomechanical systems has been widely studied for applications ranging from sensing to quantum information science. Here, we develop a platform for cavity optomechanical circuits in which localized and interacting 1550 nm photons and 2.4 GHz phonons are combined with photonic and phononic waveguides. Working in GaAs facilitates manipulation of the localized mechanical mode either with a radio frequency field through the piezo-electric effect, or optically through the strong photoelastic effect. We use this to demonstrate a novel acoustic wave interference effect, analogous to coherent population trapping in atomic systems, in which the coherent mechanical motion induced by the electrical drive can be completely cancelled out by the optically-driven motion. The ability to manipulate cavity optomechanical systems with equal facility through either photonic or phononic channels enables new device and system architectures for signal transduction between the optical, electrical, and mechanical domains