Approaches in biotechnological applications of natural polymers

Natural polymers, such as gums and mucilage, are biocompatible, cheap, easily available and non-toxic materials of native origin. These polymers are increasingly preferred over synthetic materials for industrial applications due to their intrinsic properties, as well as they are considered alternative sources of raw materials since they present characteristics of sustainability, biodegradability and biosafety. As definition, gums and mucilages are polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates consisting of one or more monosaccharides or their derivatives linked in bewildering variety of linkages and structures. Natural gums are considered polysaccharides naturally occurring in varieties of plant seeds and exudates, tree or shrub exudates, seaweed extracts, fungi, bacteria, and animal sources. Water-soluble gums, also known as hydrocolloids, are considered exudates and are pathological products; therefore, they do not form a part of cell wall. On the other hand, mucilages are part of cell and physiological products. It is important to highlight that gums represent the largest amounts of polymer materials derived from plants. Gums have enormously large and broad applications in both food and non-food industries, being commonly used as thickening, binding, emulsifying, suspending, stabilizing agents and matrices for drug release in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the food industry, their gelling properties and the ability to mold edible films and coatings are extensively studied. The use of gums depends on the intrinsic properties that they provide, often at costs below those of synthetic polymers. For upgrading the value of gums, they are being processed into various forms, including the most recent nanomaterials, for various biotechnological applications. Thus, the main natural polymers including galactomannans, cellulose, chitin, agar, carrageenan, alginate, cashew gum, pectin and starch, in addition to the current researches about them are reviewed in this article.. }To the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfíico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for fellowships (LCBBC and MGCC) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nvíel Superior (CAPES) (PBSA). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, the Project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) (JAT)

Dipole rescattering and the nuclear structure function

In the framework of the dipole model, we study the effects of the dipole multiple scatterings in a nuclear target and compute the nuclear structure function. We compare different unitarization schemes and confront our results with the E665 data.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Ciencias Exatas & Terra, São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Ciencias Exatas & Terra, São Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

O perfil dos ortodontistas em relação aos aspectos odontolegais dos prontuários odontológicos The profile of orthodontists in relation to the legal aspects of dental records

OBJETIVO: o objetivo deste estudo foi conhecer os principais aspectos legais relacionados ao exercício da Ortodontia que podem ser utilizados como importantes instrumentos de defesa em caso de ação ética e/ou judicial. MÉTODOS: realizou-se um estudo transversal com ortodontistas de Belo Horizonte/MG, por meio de instrumento próprio (questionário), abordando os aspectos éticos e judiciais que envolvem essa especialidade. Foi solicitado, no questionário, o preenchimento dos seguintes campos: identificação pessoal, formação acadêmica, acessórios ortodônticos, higiene bucal, plano de tratamento, prestação de serviço, documentação ortodôntica, prescrição medicamentosa e vias de comunicação com o paciente, dentre outros. RESULTADOS: um montante de 237 ortodontistas, registrados no CRO-MG e domiciliados em Belo Horizonte, receberam o instrumento de coleta de dados. Desse universo, 69 (29,11%) responderam e devolveram os questionários. Dos 69 respondentes, 57,97% eram do gênero masculino e 42,03% do feminino. Em relação às instituições onde esses profissionais se graduaram, constatou-se que 52,17% deles se formaram em Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) privadas. Observou-se que 34,78% dos ortodontistas concluíram a especialização entre 5 e 10 anos após o término da graduação. A maioria dos profissionais (94,2%) registra nos prontuários as quebras dos acessórios ortodônticos utilizados pelos pacientes e 53,62% desses ortodontistas arquivam, por todo o período de atividade profissional, a documentação ortodôntica dos pacientes. CONCLUSÕES: por intermédio desse estudo, ficou evidente que alguns parâmetros de análise foram bastante satisfatórios, como: a existência de modelos contratuais para a prestação de serviços, a comunicação com os pacientes e/ou os responsáveis por eles em caso de abandono de tratamento, o arquivo da documentação ortodôntica e o registro, no prontuário, de quebras e danos de acessórios ortodônticos. Contudo, algumas práticas ainda precisam ser adotadas, tais como: coleta da assinatura dos pacientes em caso de danos em acessórios ortodônticos e arquivo de cópia de prescrição medicamentosa e atestados.<br>OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to acquire knowledge about the key legal aspects of orthodontic practice, which may be used as important defense tools in the event of ethical and/or legal actions. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with dentists in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, by means of a specific instrument (questionnaire) addressing the ethical and legal disputes that involve the orthodontic specialty. Participants were asked to fill out the following questionnaire fields: personal identification, academic background, orthodontic accessories, oral hygiene, treatment plan, service provision, orthodontic documentation, drug prescription and forms of communication with patients, among others. RESULTS: A total of 237 orthodontists, all members of the Regional Council of Dentistry, Minas Gerais State (CRO-MG) and living in Belo Horizonte, were given the data collection instrument. Out of this total, 69 (29.11%) answered and returned the questionnaires. Of the 69 respondents, 57.97% were male and 42.03% female. It was found that 52.17% of these professionals graduated from Higher Education Institutions (ISEs). It was observed that 34.78% of these orthodontists completed specialization between 5 and 10 years after graduation. Most professionals (94.2%) enter into their medical records information about any damage caused to the orthodontic accessories used by their patients and 53.62% of the orthodontists keep their patients' orthodontic documentation on file throughout their active professional life. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that some analysis parameters were very satisfactory, such as: the availability of service provision contract models, communication with patients and/or their lawful guardians in case of abandonment of treatment, orthodontic documentation files and the entering into the dental records of information concerning the breakage of and damage to orthodontic accessories. However, some practices have yet to be adopted, such as: patient signature should be collected in the event of damage to orthodontic accessories and copies of drug prescriptions and certificates should be kept on file

Efeito da solarização e da adubação sobre artrópodes em solo cultivado com alface Solarization, organic and chemical fertilization combined effects on arthropods community in soil cultivated with lettuce

Avaliou-se o efeito da solarização e da adubação química e orgânica na comunidade de artrópodes de solo na cultura da alface, cv. Verônica. Foram conduzidos dois experimentos, em blocos ao acaso, um com solarização e o outro sem solarização, em casa de vegetação, ambos com cinco tratamentos: adubação orgânica; nitrogênio na forma amoniacal (NH4); adubação com NPK; adubação orgânica + NPK; testemunha (sem adubação). No experimento solarizado, o solo foi coberto durante 132 dias com plástico transparente. Os artrópodes foram coletados por meio de armadilhas tipo alçapão em três épocas (antes da implantação do experimento, após a solarização e após a colheita). Foram utilizados índices faunísticos e de diversidade em cada experimento, tratamento e épocas. Os principais grupos coletados foram: Collembola (82,8%), Acari (7,1%), Hymenoptera (6,1%) Coleoptera (1,3%) e outros (2,7%). A classe Collembola foi a mais abundante, mesmo na colheita, quando a subordem Acari aumentou substancialmente. As espécies de Collembola predominantes foram: Proisotoma tenella (Reuter) (34,3%); Seira atrolutea (Arlé) (29%); Folsomides centralis (Denis) (7,2%); Isotomurus sp. 161 (2,4%) e Sminthurides sp. 98 (1,6%). Observou-se que a diversidade e abundância da comunidade de artrópodes não foi influenciada pela solarização ou adubação.<br>To evaluate the effect of solarization, chemical and organic fertilization on soil arthropods community in lettuce, two blocks plots trials were carried out in Brasília, Brazil. One research was conducted with solarization and the other without solarization in a soil cultivated with lettuce, cv Veronica, under protected cultivation. Each trial consisted of five fertilization treatments: T1= organic fertilization; T2= amoniacal nitrogen (ammonium sulphate); T3= chemical fertilization; T4= organic and chemical fertilization; T5= control (without fertilization). In the solarized trial, the soil was covered for 132 days with transparent plastic. The arthropods were collected by pitfalls at three moments: 1) before solarization, 2) after solarization and 3) at harvest. Faunistic indexes were calculated in each trial, treatment and moments. The main collected groups were: Collembola (82.8%), Acari (7.1%), Hymenoptera (6.1%), Coleoptera (1.3%) and others (2.7%). Collembola class represented the largest proportion of the arthropods, even at harvest when the sub-order Acari substantially increased. The predominant species of Collembola were: Proisotoma tenella (Reuter) (34.3%); Seira atrolutea (Arlé) (29%); Folsomides centralis (Denis) (7.2%); Isotomurus sp.161 (2.4%) and Sminthurides sp. 98 (1.6%). Arthropods community was not affected by solarization or fertilization