Modelling of an IR scintillation counter

A systematic study of the excitation and de-excitation mechanisms in ternary gas mixtures Ar+CO2+N2 is presented regarding the possibility of developing a proportional scintillation counter based on the detection of the infrared molecular emissions associated with the lowest vibrational states of molecules. The use of visible or near-infrared photons ([lambda]<1 [mu]m) for applications like imaging and quality control of microstructure detectors has been reported. In view of these applications we analyse the processes leading to near-infrared emissions in pure argon and give an estimation of the number of photons emitted per electron, at several pressures, as a function of the charge gain.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TJM-3YXB101-2M/1/b5bfeb3739389bb6dbe4d84c8746dbf

A diagnostic procedure for improving the structure of approximated kinetic models

Kinetic models of chemical and biochemical phenomena are frequently built from simplifying assumptions. Whenever a model is falsified by data, its mathematical structure should be modified embracing the available experimental evidence. A framework based on maximum likelihood inference is illustrated in this work for diagnosing model misspecification and improving the structure of approximated models. In the proposed framework, statistical evidence provides a measure to justify a modification of the model structure, namely a reduction of complexity through the removal of irrelevant parameters and/or an increase of complexity through the replacement of relevant parameters with more complex state-dependent expressions. A tailored Lagrange multipliers test is proposed to support the scientist in the improvement of parametric models when an increase in model complexity is required

Model-based design of experiments in the presence of structural model uncertainty: an extended information matrix approach

The identification of a parametric model, once a suitable model structure is proposed, requires the estimation of its non-measurable parameters. Model-based design of experiment (MBDoE) methods have been proposed in the literature for maximising the collection of information whenever there is a limited amount of resources available for conducting the experiments. Conventional MBDoE methods do not take into account the structural uncertainty on the model equations and this may lead to a substantial miscalculation of the information in the experimental design stage. In this work, an extended formulation of the Fisher information matrix is proposed as a metric of information accounting for model misspecification. The properties of the extended Fisher information matrix are presented and discussed with the support of two simulated case studies

Micobiota do solo de uma área de duna na restinga da Marambaia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ.

Este trabalho avaliou a micobiota do solo de uma duna nos terços inferior, médio e superior de encosta, localizada na Restinga da Marambaia, RJ. A área de estudo com aproximadamente 500 m2 está dividida em três terços, com a vegetação variando de arbustiva a arbórea. Foi delimitada uma gleba de dimensões de 50 x 50 m, onde foram abertas cinco minitrincheiras até a profundidade de 10 cm para coleta, sendo coletadas três amostras compostas formadas a partir da reunião de cinco amostras simples para análise do solo e caracterização da micobiota. A fertilidade do solo indicou que o terço inferior apresentou maiores teores de alumínio e menores de nutrientes. As unidades formadoras de colônias de fungos variaram de 4,6 x 103 a 9 x 104 ufc.g-1. Quarenta e nove fungos, num total de 85 isolados, pertencentes a 13 gêneros e 32 espécies foram identificados. Os gêneros mais frequentes foram Penicillium, Aspergillus e Trichoderma. A maior riqueza ocorreu no terço médio, porém uma espécie (Trichoderma pseudokoningi) foi comum entre as áreas. Este trabalho sugere que a Restinga da Marambaia apresenta grande diversidade fúngica

Validation of the Software “Recycling of Nutrients” in Dairy-Farms of Western Cuba

To maintain a good productivity in the soil-plant-animal system it is necessary to achieve an equilibrium between input and output of nutrients and energy. Models and simulation software have been proposed for this purpose. For dairy farms, models have been utilised to show the behaviour of different aspects, such as: feed utilisation, energy flow, digestibility values and daily weight gains (Freer et al., 1970; Assis & France, 1983, Bruce et al., 1984). However, there are few models showing the interaction between soil-plant- animal components of these systems. The objective of the present study was to validate the software Recycling of Nutrients proposed by Ortiz (2000) for dairy farms of western Cuba

Hematological disorders detected in dogs infected by Hepatozoon Canis in a municipality in Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil

A retrospective review of hematological reports of nine dogs detected with Hepatozoon canis infection by microscopic examination of blood smears in a laboratory in the municipality of Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil was conducted. This study aimed to evaluate the hematological profile of these infected dogs, in addition to the occurrence of coinfections with other agents that infect blood cells, since studies concerning canine hepatozoonosis in Brazil are scarce and there are some divergences regarding H. canis infection that still require a resolution. The nine cases of H. canis infection were identified among all dogs examined at the studied laboratory in 2009 and 2010, with an occurrence of 7/1,192 ( 0.59%; 95% CI 0.15 - 1.02%) positive dogs in the first year and 2/1,313 ( 0.15%; 95% CI 0.02 - 0.55%) cases in 2010. The analysis of the hematological reports showed an occurrence of coinfection between H. canis and other agents in two ( 2/9; 22.22%; 95% CI 2.81 - 60.00%) dogs, one with E. canis and another with Babesia spp. ( 1/9; 11.11%; 95% CI 0.28 - 48.24%). Only the blood test of one dog had no alterations, based on reference values. Anemia was the most frequent hematological alteration ( 6/9; 66.67%; 95% CI 29.93 - 92.51%). Although the occurrence of H. canis infection was low, significative hematological alterations were observed in most infected dogs. Coinfection with Babesia spp. and E. canis was detected in two dogs and the hematological alterations cannot be attributed exclusively to H. canis in these animals. Longitudinal studies would be of fundamental importance to determine the causality of these alterations. These results highlight the importance of differential diagnosis in dogs when there is clinical suspicion of infection by hemoparasites, since the hematological changes in dogs infected by H. canis are quite variable6851187119