Efeito da água residuária do café em plantas de milho.

O processamento do café por via úmida gera água residuária (ARC), contendo material orgânico, com potencial de poluir o meio aquático. Este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar o efeito da aplicação da ARC sobre o crescimento e teores de minerais em plantas de milho, na fase vegetativa. Foram estudados oito tratamentos: 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 e 350 mL de ARC por planta, aplicada sobre as folhas, em 3 ocasiões. A aplicação da ARC não provocou injúrias visíveis nas plantas de milho e nem alterou o peso da matéria seca das plantas. O teor de K aumentou e o teor de Mg diminuiu linearmente com o aumento das doses de ARC aplicadas, enquanto os teores de Ca e Na nas folhas de milho não foram afetados

Float-polishing process and analysis of float-polished quartz

A fluid-mechanical model is developed for the float-polishing process. In this model laminar flow between the sample and the lap results in pressure gradients at the grooves that support the sample on a fluid layer. The laminar fluid motion also produces supersmooth, damage-free surfaces. Quartz substrates for applications in high-stress environments were float polished, and their surfaces were analyzed by optical scatterometry, photoacoustic spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The removal of 100 µm of material by a lapping-polishing process, with final float polishing, left low levels of subsurface damage, with a surface roughness of approximately 0.2-nm rms

Atmosfera modificada na conservação pós-colheita de Uva 'Centennial Seedless' .

Técnicas como armazenamento refrigerado e uso de atmosfera modificada em uvas são eficientes contra a degrana e a incidência de podridões, problemas que afetam diretamente a qualidade e a conservação pós-colheita das frutas. A cultivar Centennial Seedless apresenta potencial de consumo como uva fina de mesa devido à ausência de sementes. Objetivou-se nesse trabalho verificar o efeito da aplicação de atmosfera modificada passiva, com a utilização de filmes para embalagem na conservação pós-colheita de uvas cv. Centennial Seedless. Os frutos foram colhidos no estádio de casca verde amarelado, transportados, selecionados e acondicionados em diferentes filmes para embalagem: polietileno de baixa densidade (PEBD - 10 e 20 ?m) e polipropileno (PP - 6 e 10 ?m). Frutos não embalados foram utilizados como controle. Os cachos foram armazenados em câmara fria a 1°C e 85-90% UR durante 80 dias, sendo analisados a cada 20 dias, mais três dias a 22°C simulando-se a comercialização. Foram analisados: índice de abscisão das bagas, índice de podridões, desidratação do engaço e índice de escurecimento do engaço. O delineamento experimental adotado foi o inteiramente ao acaso em fatorial 5 x 4 (5 tratamentos e 4 períodos de armazenamento). Foram utilizadas 4 repetições de 3 cachos por tratamento. Os resultados foram submetidos à análise de variância e as médias foram comparadas pelo teste da diferença mínima significativa (p<0,05). Valores baixos de abscisão de bagas (3%) foram encontrados nos frutos embalados com o filme PP durante o armazenamento. A amostra controle foi a que apresentou maiores índices de podridão em todos os períodos avaliados. A desidratação do engaço foi semelhante nos tratamentos com embalagem nos períodos de comercialização simulada. As embalagens foram eficientes contra o escurecimento do engaço. Os resultados mostraram que o filme polipropileno foi o que melhor conservou a qualidade das uvas cv. Centennial Seedless

Detrended Fluctuation Analysis of Systolic Blood Pressure Control Loop

We use detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) to study the dynamics of blood pressure oscillations and its feedback control in rats by analyzing systolic pressure time series before and after a surgical procedure that interrupts its control loop. We found, for each situation, a crossover between two scaling regions characterized by exponents that reflect the nature of the feedback control and its range of operation. In addition, we found evidences of adaptation in the dynamics of blood pressure regulation a few days after surgical disruption of its main feedback circuit. Based on the paradigm of antagonistic, bipartite (vagal and sympathetic) action of the central nerve system, we propose a simple model for pressure homeostasis as the balance between two nonlinear opposing forces, successfully reproducing the crossover observed in the DFA of actual pressure signals

Grabbing attention while reading website pages: the influence of verbal emotional cues in advertising

The increasing use of the World Wide Web has promised a huge advertising platform for marketers. Investment in online advertising is growing and is expected to overcome traditional media. However, recent studies have reported that users avoid looking at advertising displayed on the World Wide Web. This study aimed at examining the impact of verbal emotional cues (negative/neutral/positive) to capture attention on website’s advertising areas through an eye tracker system. The results revealed significant statistical differences between fixations to negative, positive words and neutral words. Significant differences between the number of fixations and recognition of the target words were found only for the negative valence words. We conclude that negative emotional words could play a major role on user attention to advertising

Antemortem versus postmortem methods for detection of betanodavirus in Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis)

The suitability of nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (nRT-PCR) to detect betanodavirus in blood samples from naturally infected Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) was evaluated in comparison with other diagnostic methods. Results indicated that histologic examination of brain lesions could be regarded as the most consistent indicator of nodavirus infection in this species. The nRT-PCR showed low to moderate levels of detection; the best values were obtained in brain samples followed by blood samples. Inoculation of SSN-1 and SAF-1 cells with fish samples did not cause cytopathic effect, although virus was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in approximately 25% of the SSN-1 inoculated wells. The efficiency of detection of the viral genome was dramatically increased by the use of nRTPCR, reaching 90.6% of positives in brain samples and 84.4% in blood samples. The sensitivity and the negative predictive value of nRT-PCR in blood samples were slightly lower than those obtained using brain samples. Nevertheless, it is suggested that the advantage of being able to perform diagnosis on live fish adequately counterbalances the slightly lower sensitivity of nRT-PCR on blood samples. This technique is proposed as a useful tool, not only for the selection of nodavirus-free breeders but also to check the fish status during ongrowing

Juvenile Sphyraena viridensis, preyed by the lizard fish Synodus saurus. A new predatory association from the Azores

Copyright © 2008 Société Française d’Ichtyologie.Les juvéniles de Sphyraena viridensis, proies de Synodus saurus, une nouvelle association prédateur-proie aux Açores. Au cours d’un travail sur l’écologie (comportement, alimentation et reproduction) du poisson lézard, Synodus saurus, aux Açores (Atlantique NE) nous avons découvert, dans plusieurs contenus stomacaux, des exemplaires postlarvaires et des juvéniles de la bécune à bouche jaune Sphyraena viridensis. Non seulement cette découverte nous a permis d’obtenir, pour la première fois, des postlarves de cette espèce de barracuda mais nous avons réussi à décrire une action de prédation d’un poisson épibenthique envers une espèce pélagique