EVALUATION OF THE APPLICABILITY OF A TURBULENT WAKE INLET BOUNDARY CONDITION

With the objective of reducing the computational cost of the iterative processes of aerodynamic components design, tests were carried out to study under what conditions, and with what difference, only part of the calculation domain can be solved using as input information obtained from complete simulations already solved. An experimental study of an airfoil exposed to the wake interference of an upstream airfoil at a Reynolds number of 150,000 was used to verify the solutions of the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations solved applying the k-ω Shear Stress Transport model for turbulence closure. A Grid Convergence Index study was performed to verify if the solution of the equations for the adopted discretization leads to results within the asymptotic range. With the physical coherence of the numerical methodology verified, comparisons between the simulations with the domain comprising the two airfoils and the domain comprising only the downstream airfoil were performed. Computational time reductions in the order of 40% are observed. The differences in the aerodynamic coefficients for the two types of simulation are presented as a function of distances non-dimensionalized by the characteristic length of the body that disturbs the flow forming the wake, showing that the difference between the two methods was inversely proportional to the distance between the two bodies. Behavior that was maintained until a point where the simulation diverges, equivalent to 25% of the characteristic length of the body that generates the wake

Generation of photons from vacuum in cavity via time-modulation of a qubit invisible to the field

We propose a scheme for generation of photons from vacuum due to time-modulation of a quantum system coupled indirectly to the cavity field through some ancilla quantum subsystem. We consider the simplest case when the modulation is applied to an artificial 2-level atom (we call t-qubit), while the ancilla is a stationary qubit coupled via the dipole interaction both to the cavity and t-qubit. We find that tripartite entangled states with a small number of photons can be generated from the system ground state under resonant modulations, even when the t-qubit is far detuned from both the ancilla and the cavity, provided its bare and modulation frequencies are properly adjusted as function of other system parameters. We attest our approximate analytic results by numeric simulations and show that photon generation from vacuum persists in the presence of common dissipation mechanisms

Modelos de regressão para determinar a estabilização da variabilidade de dados de energia metabolizábel em aves.

O objetivo do presente foi demonstrar o uso do modelo de platô com resposta linear como ferramenta para a tomada de decisão em experimentos biológicos. Foram utilizados dados de um experimento conduzido na Embrapa Suínos e Aves Concórdia/SC, cujo objetivo era determinar o tempo mínimo de coleta total de excretas para determinação da energia metabolizável com pintos de corte. A avaliação dos dados foi baseada no coeficiente de variação (como medida de variabilidade) em função do tempo de coleta, ajustando-se um modelo de platô com resposta linear, de forma que em certo tempo de coleta ocorreria a estabilização da variabilidade dos dados. Esse modelo permitiu identificar e recomendar que quatro dias de coleta total de excretas já seriam suficientes para estabilizar o coeficiente de variação da energia metabolizável aparente

Reproductive biology and food habits of Pseudoboa nigra (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) from the Brazilian cerrado

Neste trabalho fornecemos informações sobre tamanho corporal, dimorfismo sexual, ciclo reprodutivo e hábitos alimentares da serpente Pseudoboini Pseudoboa nigra, que ocorre no domínio do Cerrado na região central da América do Sul. Com base na dissecção de 147 espécimes preservados, mostramos que as fêmeas são em média maiores e atingem maturidade sexual com maior tamanho corporal que os machos. O dimorfismo sexual não foi significativo para o tamanho da cabeça, mas os machos possuem caudas relativamente mais longas que as fêmeas. A vitelogênese, a postura de ovos e a espermatogênese ocorrem durante todo o ano, e os machos não armazenam esperma no ducto deferente por longos períodos. A principal presa dessa espécie são lagartos; não há evidências de variação ontogenética ou de diferenças relacionadas ao sexo na dieta dessa espécie.Herein we provide data on body size, sexual size dimorphism, reproductive cycle, and food habits of the pseudoboini snake Pseudoboa nigra, which is distributed mainly in central South America throughout the Cerrado domain. Based on dissections of 147 preserved specimens, it is shown that females attain, and mature at, larger body sizes than males. There is no significant sexual dimorphism in head length, but males have longer tails relative to their body sizes. Vitellogenesis, egg-laying, and sperm production occur throughout the year, but males do not exhibit long-term sperm storage. The main prey of P. nigra is lizards; there is no evidence of ontogenetic change or sex differences in the diet of this species

Dose-response effects of systemic anandamide administration in mice sequentially submitted to the open field and elevated plus-maze tests

The endocannabinoid system is involved in the control of many physiological functions, including the control of emotional states. In rodents, previous exposure to an open field increases the anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus-maze. Anxiolytic-like effects of pharmacological compounds that increase endocannabinoid levels have been well documented. However, these effects are more evident in animals with high anxiety levels. Several studies have described characteristic inverted U-shaped dose-response effects of drugs that modulate the endocannabinoid levels. However, there are no studies showing the effects of different doses of exogenous anandamide, an endocannabinoid, in animal models of anxiety. Thus, in the present study, we determined the dose-response effects of exogenous anandamide at doses of 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 mg/kg in C57BL/6 mice (N = 10/group) sequentially submitted to the open field and elevated plus-maze. Anandamide was diluted in 0.9% saline, ethyl alcohol, Emulphor® (18:1:1) and administered ip (0.1 mL/10 g body weight); control animals received the same volume of anandamide vehicle. Anandamide at the dose of 0.1 mg/kg (but not of 0.01 or 1 mg/kg) increased (P < 0.05) the time spent and the distance covered in the central zone of the open field, as well as the exploration of the open arms of the elevated plus-maze. Thus, exogenous anandamide, like pharmacological compounds that increase endocannabinoid levels, promoted a characteristic inverted U-shaped dose-response effect in animal models of anxiety. Furthermore, anandamide (0.1 mg/kg) induced an anxiolytic-like effect in the elevated plus-maze (P < 0.05) after exposing the animals to the open field test.FAPESPCNP

Avaliação do efeito da exposição à nanofibra de celulose em invertebrados aquáticos.

Resumo: As nanofibras de celulose mostram uso promissor na indústria de alimentos. Apesar da esperada inocuidade, é necessário avaliar seus possiveis efeitos adversos decorrentes do seu despejo em corpos de água. Avaliaram-se parametros toxicológicos decorrentes da exposição às nanofibras de celulose nos microcrustáceos Daphnia similis e Artemia salina. A nanofibra de celulose não ocasionaria um risco apreciável para organismos zooplanctônicos já que a concentração de efeito não observado (CENO), segundo os parâmetros avaliados, é superior a 100 mg L-1

Irrigation cutoff on 'BRS Clara' seedless grapevines during berry ripening stage.

The seedless table grape cultivar 'BRS Clara' (Vitis vinifera L.) presents yellowish-green berries and was developed for growing in tropical regions. In Brazilian tropical areas irrigation is usually an essential tool. Irrigation cutoff during berry ripening stage is sometimes adopted by grape growers to reduce water application and to increase water use efficiency. This study aimed to evaluate the response of 'BRS Clara' grapevines to irrigation cutoff during ripening stage. The experiment was carried out in Jales, SP, Brazil (20º16'S, 50º33'W, 483m), from June to October 2010, using ?BRS Clara? plants grafted on ?IAC-572? and conducted in a overhead trellis system. The vineyard was irrigated by microsprinklers and covered with polyethylene screen, that is a common practice in the region to protect the grapes against bat and bird attacks. The soil moisture conditions were monitored employing tensiometers installed at 15 cm and 45 cm deep. The experimental design was completely randomized with two treatments, with irrigation (CI) and without irrigation (SI) during fruit ripening. Production and fruit quality variables were evaluated including berry and bunch mass, yield per plant, diameter and length of berries, soluble solids and titratable acidity. There was no difference between treatments for all parameters evaluated. In irrigation treatment (CI) it was applied 41.9 mm during the ripening period, representing 16.1% of total irrigation. The soil water potential in the CI treatment stayed near field capacity, whereas the treatment without irrigation (SI) showed a decrease trend during part of the period, reaching values closed to 70kPa. This reduction did not affect subsequent culture performance. It must be considered, however, that rainfall occurrence was registered since the last week of September and during October, rewetting the soil and approaching the soil water potential values in both treatments.Resumo expandido apresentado no 18º Simpósio Internacional GiESCO, 7 a 11 de julho de 2013, Porto

Pragas com potencial quarentenário para a cultura da cana-de-açúcar.

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Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 5 regulates proliferation and biosynthetic processes in procyclic forms of Trypanosoma brucei

The pathogenic protozoan T. brucei alternates into distinct developmental stages in the mammalian and insect hosts. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways transduce extracellular stimuli into a range of cellular responses, which ultimately lead to the adaptation to the external environment. Here, we combined a loss of function approach with stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)-based mass spectrometry (MS) to investigate the role of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 5 (MKK5) in T. brucei. The silencing of MKK5 significantly decreased the proliferation of procyclic forms of T. brucei. To shed light on the molecular alterations associated with this phenotype, we measured the total proteome and phosphoproteome of cells silenced for MKK5. In the total proteome, we observed a general decrease in proteins related to ribosome and translation as well as down-regulation of several components of the fatty acids biosynthesis pathway. In addition, we observed alterations in the protein levels and phosphorylation of key metabolic enzymes, which point toward a suppression of the oxidative metabolism. Taken together, our findings show that the silencing of MKK5 alters cell growth, energy metabolism, protein and fatty acids biosynthesis in procyclic T. brucei

Pragas com potencial quarentenário para culturas oleaginosas envolvidas na produção da agroenergia.

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