Second-harmonic generation of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by laser ablation of solids in liquids

We report the synthesis of small zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) based colloidal suspensions and the study of second-harmonic generation from aggregated ZnO NPs deposited on glass substrates. The colloidal suspensions were obtained using the laser ablation of solids in liquids technique, ablating a Zn solid target immersed in acetone as the liquid medium, with ns-laser pulses (1064 nm) of a Nd-YAG laser. The per pulse laser fluence, the laser repetition rate frequency and the ablation time were kept constant. The absorption evolution of the obtained suspensions was optically characterized through absorption spectroscopy until stabilization. Raman spectroscopy, SEM and HRTEM were used to provide evidence of the ZnO NPs structure. HRTEM results showed that 5–8 nm spheroids ZnO NPs were obtained. Strong second-harmonic signal is obtained from random ZnO monocrystalline NPs and from aggregated ZnO NPs, suggesting that the high efficiency of the nonlinear process may not depend on the NPs size or aggregation state

Webexpert – tool for knowledge acquisition by web

Knowledge acquisition for systems based on knowledge can be called knowledge engineering, according to Feigenbaum (1980) who used the term to describe the reduction of a wide context of knowledge for a set of facts and rules. The term Knowledge Engineer started to be used to denote the responsible person by development of such systems. The basic function of Knowledge Engineering is to play the role of mediator between the expert and the Knowledge Base, to extract the knowledge from the expert, to codify the same in contribution with the expert to reach an acceptable performance.Eje: Sistemas inteligentesRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Webexpert – tool for knowledge acquisition by web

Knowledge acquisition for systems based on knowledge can be called knowledge engineering, according to Feigenbaum (1980) who used the term to describe the reduction of a wide context of knowledge for a set of facts and rules. The term Knowledge Engineer started to be used to denote the responsible person by development of such systems. The basic function of Knowledge Engineering is to play the role of mediator between the expert and the Knowledge Base, to extract the knowledge from the expert, to codify the same in contribution with the expert to reach an acceptable performance.Eje: Sistemas inteligentesRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Serpentine bacteria influence metal translocation and bioconcentration of Brassica juncea and Ricinus communis grown in multi-metal polluted soils

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of inoculation of rhizosphere or endophytic bacteria (Psychrobacter sp. SRS8 and Pseudomonas sp. A3R3, respectively) isolated from a serpentine environment on the plant growth and the translocation and accumulation of Ni, Zn, and Fe by Brassica juncea and Ricinus communis on a multi-metal polluted serpentine soil (SS). Field collected SS was diluted to 0, 25, 50, and 75% with pristine soil in order to obtain a range of heavy metal concentrations and used in microcosm experiments. Regardless of inoculation with bacteria, the biomass of both plant species decreased with increase of the proportion of SS. Inoculation of plants with bacteria significantly increased the plant biomass and the heavy metal accumulation compared with non-inoculated control in the presence of different proportion of SS, which was attributed to the production of plant growth promoting and/or metal mobilizing metabolites by bacteria. However, SRS8 showed a maximum increase in the biomass of the test plants grown even in the treatment of 75% SS. In turn, A3R3 showed maximum effects on the accumulation of heavy metals in both plants. Regardless of inoculation of bacteria and proportion of SS, both plant species exhibited low values of bioconcentration factor (<1) for Ni and Fe. The inoculation of both bacterial strains significantly increased the translocation factor (TF) of Ni while decreasing the TF of Zn in both plant species. Besides this contrasting effect, the TFs of all metals were <1, indicating that all studied bacteria–plant combinations are suitable for phytostabilization. This study demonstrates that the bacterial isolates A3R3 and SRS8 improved the growth of B. juncea and R. communis in SS soils and have a great potential to be used as inoculants in phytostabilization scenarios of multi-metal contaminated soils.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Microstructural and mechanical properties analysis of extruded Sn–0.7Cu solder alloy

AbstractThe properties and performance of lead-free solder alloys such as fluidity and wettability are defined by the alloy composition and solidification microstructure. Rapid solidification of metallic alloys is known to result in refined microstructures with reduced microsegregation and improved mechanical properties of the final products as compared to normal castings. The rapidly solidified Sn-based solders by melt spinning were shown to be suitable for soldering with low temperature and short soldering duration. In the present study, rapidly solidified Sn–0.7wt.%Cu droplets generated by impulse atomization (IA) were achieved as well as directional solidification under transient conditions at lower cooling rate. This paper reports on a comparative study of the rapidly solidified and the directionally solidified samples. Different but complementary characterization techniques were used to fully analyze the solidification microstructures of the samples obtained under the two cooling regimes. These include X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In order to compare the tensile strength and elongation to fracture of the directionally solidified ingot and strip castings with the atomized droplet, compaction and extrusion of the latter were carried out. It was shown that more balanced and superior tensile mechanical properties are available for the hot extruded samples from compacted as-atomized Sn–0.7wt.%Cu droplets. Further, elongation-to-fracture was 2–3× higher than that obtained for the directionally solidified samples

Seed Coating: A Tool for Delivering Beneficial Microbes to Agricultural Crops

Plant beneficial microbes (PBMs), such as plant growth-promoting bacteria, rhizobia, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and Trichoderma, can reduce the use of agrochemicals and increase plant yield, nutrition, and tolerance to biotic-abiotic stresses. Yet, large-scale applications of PBM have been hampered by the high amounts of inoculum per plant or per cultivation area needed for successful colonization and consequently the economic feasibility. Seed coating, a process that consists in covering seeds with low amounts of exogenous materials, is gaining attention as an efficient delivery system for PBM. Microbial seed coating comprises the use of a binder, in some cases a filler, mixed with inocula, and can be done using simple mixing equipment (e.g., cement mixer) or more specialized/sophisticated apparatus (e.g., fluidized bed). Binders/fillers can be used to extend microbial survival. The most reported types of seed coating are seed dressing, film coating, and pelleting. Tested in more than 50 plant species with seeds of different dimensions, forms, textures, and germination types (e.g., cereals, vegetables, fruits, pulses, and other legumes), seed coating has been studied using various species of plant growth-promoting bacteria, rhizobia, Trichoderma, and to a lesser extent mycorrhizal fungi. Most of the studies regarding PBM applied via seed coating are aimed at promoting crop growth, yield, and crop protection against pathogens. Studies have shown that coating seeds with PBM can assist crops in improving seedling establishment and germination or achieving high yields and food quality, under reduced chemical fertilization. The right combination of biological control agents applied via seed coating can be a powerful tool against a wide number of diseases and pathogens. Less frequently, studies report seed coating being used for adaptation and protection of crops under abiotic stresses. Notwithstanding the promising results, there are still challenges mainly related with the scaling up from the laboratory to the field and proper formulation, including efficient microbial combinations and coating materials that can result in extended shelf-life of both seeds and coated PBM. These limitations need to be addressed and overcome in order to allow a wider use of seed coating as a cost-effective delivery method for PBM in sustainable agricultural systems.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perceptual blindless in nutrition: We are in a critical time to be connected

Our health and well-being are affected by our food systems. The new nutrition reality has been linked to complex food systems, interrelated with several pathways and determinants, including physical, socioeconomic, environmental, and ecological, and lately, has been strongly associated with population health, the increase in chronic diseases, and climate change. We briefly comment on four pillars, namely food environments, food security, food supply, and safety and nutritional epidemiology, all of which are key determinants of food systems. We overview some highlights, challenges, and methodologies with a view to advancing food and nutrition science as an integrated field of research. By modifying food systems, we are able to improve the aging and well-being of populations and the health of the planet. Trusted science, nutritional education, new scientific-public communication, integrated policy, investment, food availability, and cultural strategies are all essential for creating better food systems. Perceptual blindness in nutrition must be transformed

The hyperaccumulator Sedum plumbizincicola harbors metal-resistant endophytic bacteria that improve its phytoextraction capacity in multi-metal contaminated soil

Endophyte-assisted phytoremediation has recently been suggested as a successful approach for ecological restoration of metal contaminated soils, however little information is available on the influence of endophytic bacteria on the phytoextraction capacity of metal hyperaccumulating plants in multimetal polluted soils. The aims of our study were to isolate and characterize metal-resistant and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) utilizing endophytic bacteria from tissues of the newly discovered Zn/Cd hyperaccumulator Sedum plumbizinci cola and to examine if these endophytic bacterial strains could improve the efficiency of phytoextraction of multi-metal contaminated soils. Among a collection of 42 metal resistant bacterial strains isolated from the tissues of S. plumbizinci cola grown on Pb/Zn mine tailings, five plant growth promoting endophytic bacterial strains (PGPE) were selected due to their ability to promote plant growth and to utilize ACC as the sole nitrogen source. The five isolates were identified as Bacillus pumilus E2S2, Bacillus sp. E1S2, Bacillus sp. E4S1, Achromobacter sp. E4L5 and Stenotrophomonas sp. E1L and subsequent testing revealed that they all exhibited traits associated with plant growth promotion, such as production of indole-3-acetic acid and siderophores and solubilization of phosphorus. These five strains showed high resistance to heavy metals (Cd, Zn and Pb) and various antibiotics. Further, inoculation of these ACC utilizing strains significantly increased the concentrations of water ektractable Cd and Zn in soil. Moreover, a pot experiment was conducted to elucidate the effects of inoculating metal-resistant ACC utilizing strains on the growth of S. plumbizincicola and its uptake of Cd, Zn and Pb in multi-metal contaminated soils. Out of the five strains, B. pumilus E2S2 significantly increased root (146%) and shoot (17%) length, fresh (37%) and dry biomass (32%) of S. plumbizincicola as well as plant Cd uptake (43%), whereas Bacillus sp. E1S2 significantly enhanced the accumulation of Zn (18%) in plants compared with non-inoculated controls. The inoculated strains also showed high levels of colonization in rhizosphere and plant tissues. Results demonstrate the potential to improve phytoextraction of soils contaminated with multiple heavy metals by inoculating metal hyperaccumulating plants with their own selected functional endophytic bacterial strains.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Ontogenia larval comparativa de duas esp?cies (Characiformes e Siluriformes) end?micas do rio S?o Francisco

Objetivou-se com este trabalho comparar histologicamente o desenvolvimento ontogen?tico de duas esp?cies de peixes end?micos da bacia do rio S?o Francisco, Prochilodus argenteus (curimat?-pacu) e Lophiosilurus alexandri (pacam?). As coletas para as an?lises histol?gicas foram realizadas a cada 24 horas a partir do momento da eclos?o at? o 14? dia p?s-eclos?o (DPE) para a observa??o do desenvolvimento larval e at? o 39? DPE para a observa??o do desenvolvimento gonadal. As larvas foram fixadas inteiras em solu??o de Bouin e as l?minas histol?gicas foram coradas pelo m?todo de Hematoxilina-Eosina. Larvas de pacam? exibiram um tamanho corporal maior em rela??o ?s larvas de curimat?-pacu desde a eclos?o. Larvas de pacam? apresentaram a abertura da boca e in?cio da pigmenta??o dos olhos no momento da eclos?o, enquanto que nas larvas de curimat?-pacu, esses eventos foram observados no 1? DPE. No curimat?-pacu a visualiza??o e a insufla??o da bexiga natat?ria ocorreram no 1? e 3? DPE, respectivamente, sendo esses eventos mais tardios no pacam?, com visualiza??o no 2? e insufla??o no 8? DPE. Os gr?nulos de vitelo foram absorvidos no 4? DPE pelo curimat?-pacu e no 10? DPE pelo pacam?. No 7? DPE, o tubo digest?rio do pacam? apresentou-se mais diferenciado em rela??o ao curimat?-pacu. O sistema digest?rio de ambas as esp?cies ao 14? DPE demonstraram caracter?sticas relacionadas aos seus respectivos h?bitos alimentares, com est?mago amplo e intestino curto no pacam?, t?picos de h?bito carn?voro; est?mago com fun??o mec?nica e intestino longo no curimat?-pacu, t?picos de h?bito detrit?voro. O tecido epitelial de revestimento, formado por uma ?nica camada de c?lulas nas larvas rec?m-eclodidas (0 DPE), apresentou diferencia??o ao longo dos dias, exibindo presen?a de escamas no curimat?-pacu e numerosas c?lulas ?club? na regi?o epitelial intermedi?ria do pacam?, em avalia??es realizadas ao 39? DPE. Analisando os indiv?duos com 39 DPE, verificou-se a presen?a de g?nadas indiferenciadas com c?lulas som?ticas e c?lulas germinativas primordiais que foram observadas realizando migra??o no sentido caudo-cranial desde o 1? DPE em ambas as esp?cies. P?de-se concluir que as altera??es anat?micas observadas durante a ontogenia de larvas P. argenteus e L. alexandri est?o diretamente relacionadas ao h?bito alimentar e ao comportamento inerente ? cada esp?cie, sendo uma detrit?vora que nada ativamente na coluna d??gua, e outra carn?vora que habita regi?es de fundo, respectivamente. Aos 39 dias p?s-eclos?o, em ambas as esp?cies n?o foram observados ind?cios histol?gicos de diferencia??o sexual.Banco do Nordeste do Brasil (BNB)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico (CNPq)Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES)Disserta??o (Mestrado) ? Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Zootecnia, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2016.The objective of this work was to compare histologically the ontogenetic development of two endemic species of fish from the S?o Francisco river basin, Prochilodus argenteus (curimat?-pacu) and Lophiosilurus alexandri (pacam?). The samples for the histological analyzes were performed every 24 hours since the moment of hatching until the 14th day post-hatching (DPH) for observation of the larval development and until the 39th DPH for the observation of gonadal development. The whole larvae were fixed in Bouin's solution and the histological slides were stained by the Hematoxylin-Eosin method. Pacam? larvae exhibited a larger body size relative than the curimat?-pacu larvae since hatching. Pacam? larvae presented the mouth opening and pigmentation of eyes beginning at the time of hatching, whereas in curimat?-pacu larvae, these events were observed in the 1st DPH. The visualization and the inflation of the swim bladder in the curimat?-pacu, occurred in the 1st and 3rd DPH, respectively, being these events in the pacam? later, with visualization in the 2nd and insufflation in the 8th DPH. The yolk granules were absorbed in the 4th DPH by the curimat?-pacu and in the 10th DPE by the pacam?. In the 7th DPH, the pacam??s digestive tube was more differentiated than curimat?-pacu. The digestive system of both species at the 14th DPH has features of it eating habits the pacam?, with a broad stomach and a short intestine in the pacam?, typical of a carnivorous habit; stomach with a mechanical function and a long intestine in curimat?-pacu, typical of detritivorous habit. The epithelial lining tissue, formed by a single layer of cells in the newly hatched larvae (0 DPH), showed a differentiation throughout the days, exhibiting scales in curimat?-pacu and numerous club cells in the middle epithelial region of the pacam?, at evaluations carried at the 39th DPH. Analyzing the individuals with 39 DPH, the presence of undifferentiated gonads with somatic cells and primordial germinative cells were observed, which has a caudate-cranial migration since 1st DPH in both species. It was concluded that the anatomical alterations of the ontogeny of P. argenteus and L. alexandri larvae are directly associated to the feeding habit and the inherent behavior of each species, being these detritivorous that nothing actively in the column of water and carnivorous that inhabits bottom regions, respcectively. At the 39 day post-hatching, both species hasn't evidenced of sexual differentiation

Prognostic impact of moderate renal dysfunction in acute coronary syndromes

INTRODUCTION: End-stage renal disease is associated with high cardiovascular mortality. The prognostic importance of milder degrees of renal impairment in patients who have had an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is less well defined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of baseline renal dysfunction assessed by estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) on mortality in patients admitted with an ACS. METHODS: We studied all patients with an ACS consecutively admitted to an Intensive Cardiac Care Unit over 18 months. The GFR was estimated by means of the four-component Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study equation. Patients were grouped according to their estimated GFR (less than 45.0; 45.0 to 59.9; 60.0 to 74.9; and at least 75.0 ml/min/1.73 m2). Primary outcome was death from any cause. RESULTS: The mean age of the 589 study patients was 64.1 years, 73.7% were male, and 49.2% had an ACS with ST-segment elevation. Arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, prior myocardial infarction, and Killip class > I were incrementally more common across increasing renal dysfunction strata (p < 0.01). The use of reperfusion therapy, beta-blockers, and coronary angioplasty was lower in groups with reduced estimated GFR (p < 0.001). Overall six-month mortality was 13.6%. Using the group with an estimated GFR of at least 75.0 ml/min/1.73 m2 as the reference group yielded odds ratios for six-month mortality that increased with the degree of renal impairment. After adjusting for baseline characteristics, impaired renal funtion remained associated with increased mortality. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratio for six-month mortality in patients with mild renal impairment (GFR 60.0 to 74.9 ml/min/1.73 m2) was 2.71 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09 to 6.69), compared with 7.53 (95% CI, 3.21 to 17.71) and 8.10 (95% CI, 3.18 to 20.60) in patients with moderate and more severe renal dysfunction, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline renal dysfunction, as assessed by estimated GFR, is a potent and easily identifiable determinant of outcome after an ACS. Even mild levels of renal impairment are independently associated with increased mortality after an ACS