Determination of the minimum value of the safety factor from geodesic Alfven eigenmodes in Joint European Torus

An analysis of the experimental conditions under which low-frequency (70-150 kHz) Alfven eigertmodes (AE) are excited during the monster sawtooth in Joint European Torus [F Romanelli et al, Proceedings of the 22nd IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Geneva, Switzerland, 2008] is presented for the specific case of a discharge with ion cyclotron heating (5 MW) Using a simplified AE model for modes excited at the Alfven wave continuum maximum with geodesic corrections taken into account, the temporal evolution of the value of the safety factor q(0) at the magnetic axis is determined We describe a new scheme to determine the time variation of q(0) that works under conditions in which other standard diagnostics, such as the motional Stark effect do not give reliable results such as during a monster sawtooth [doi 10 1063/1 3494212]

f t value of the 0(+)-> 0(+) beta(+) decay of (32)Ar: A measurement of isospin symmetry breaking in a superallowed decay

We determined the absolute branch of the T=2 superallowed decay of (32)Ar by detecting the beta(+)-delayed protons and gamma decays of the daughter state. We obtain b(SA)(beta)=(22.71 +/- 0.16)%, which represents the first determination of a proton branch to better than 1%. Using this branch along with the previously determined (32)Ar half-life and energy release, we determined ft=(1552 +/- 12) s for the superallowed decay. This ft value, together with the corrected Ft value extracted from previously known T=1 superallowed decays, yields a measurement of the isospin symmetry breaking correction in (32)Ar decay delta(exp)(C)=(2.1 +/- 0.8)%. This can be compared to a theoretical calculation delta(C)=(2.0 +/- 0.4)%. As by-products of this work, we determined the gamma and proton branches for the decay of the lowest T=2 state of (32)Cl, made a precise determination of the total proton branch and relative intensities of proton groups that leave (31)S in its first excited state and deduced an improved value for the (32)Cl mass.

A new approach for in vitro bioassay to measure tannin biological effects based on a gas production technique

The aim of this paper was to study a method based on gas production technique to measure the biological effects of tannins on rumen fermentation. Six feeds were used as fermentation substrates in a semi-automated gas method: feed A - aroeira (Astronium urundeuva); feed B - jurema preta (Mimosa hostilis), feed C - sorghum grains (Sorghum bicolor); feed D - Tifton-85 (Cynodon sp.); and two others prepared mixing 450 g sorghum leaves, 450 g concentrate (maize and soybean meal) and 100 g either of acacia (Acacia mearnsii) tannin extract (feed E) or quebracho (Schinopsis lorentzii) tannin extract (feed F) per kg (w:w). Three assays were carried out to standardize the bioassay for tannins. The first assay compared two binding agents (polyethylene glycol - PEG - and polyvinyl polypirrolidone - PVPP) to attenuate the tannin effects. The complex formed by PEG and tannins showed to be more stable than PVPP and tannins. Then, in the second assay, PEG was used as binding agent, and this assay was done to evaluate levels of PEG (0, 500, 750, 1000 and 1250 mg/g DM) to minimize the tannin effect. All the tested levels of PEG produced a response to evaluate tannin effects but the best response was for dose of 1000 mg/g DM. Using this dose of PEG, the final assay was carried out to test three compounds (tannic acid, quebracho extract and acacia extract) to establish a curve of biological equivalent effect of tannins. For this, five levels of each compound were added to I g of a standard feed (Lucerne hay). The equivalent effect showed not to be directly related to the chemical analysis for tannins. It was shown that different sources of tannins had different activities or reactivities. The curves of biological equivalence can provide information about tannin reactivity and its use seems to be important as an additional factor for chemical analysis. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimization of the AZO dyes decoloration process through neural networks: Determination of the H2O2 addition critical point

The concentration of hydrogen peroxide is an important parameter in the azo dyes decoloration process through the utilization of advanced oxidizing processes, particularly by oxidizing via UV/H2O2. It is pointed out that, from a specific concentration, the hydrogen peroxide works as a hydroxyl radical self-consumer and thus a decrease of the system`s oxidizing power happens. The determination of the process critical point (maximum amount of hydrogen peroxide to be added) was performed through a ""thorough mapping"" or discretization of the target region, founded on the maximization of an objective function objective (constant of reaction kinetics of pseudo-first order). The discretization of the operational region occurred through a feedforward backpropagation neural model. The neural model obtained presented remarkable coefficient of correlation between real and predicted values for the absorbance variable, above 0.98. In the present work, the neural model had, as phenomenological basis the Acid Brown 75 dye decoloration process. The hydrogen peroxide addition critical point, represented by a value of mass relation (F) between the hydrogen peroxide mass and the dye mass, was established in the interval 50 < F < 60. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of hydrodynamic parameters of a fluidized-bed reactor with immobilized yeast

The fluidized bed reactor has successfully been used to perform biotechnological processes addressed to the production of high added value. The present work evaluates hydrodynamic parameters of a bench-scale fluidized bed reactor with cells of the yeast Candida guilliermondii immobilized either in calcium alginate beads or in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The effects of the following variables on cell immobilization were evaluated at 30 degrees C and feeding a synthetic medium containing 50 g L-1 xylose: total particle density (cells plus support), terminal velocity, particle drag force, minimum fluidization velocity and bed porosity. According to the results obtained, the reactor was shown to operate like a fixed-bed bioreactor at xi < 0.5 and a fluidized bed bioreactor at xi > 0.5. The maximum flow rate needed to obtain maximum bed fluidization in the reactor was equal to the terminal velocity of the immobilized cell particles. Particles of cells immobilized within these supports showed values of drag coefficient lower than those reported for other high-density supports. The evaluation of these hydrodynamic characteristics lead to an adequate bed fluidization inside the reactor, thus improving oxygen transference and availability in the fermentation medium, making the process more viable for future scale-up. (c) 2008 Society of Chemical Industry.

Hyperchaos in a Chua`s circuit with two new added branches

In this work a fourth-order Chua`s circuit, capable of generating hyperchaotic oscillations in a wide range of parameters, is presented. The circuit is obtained by adding two new branches to the original topology of the Chua`s double scroll circuit. One of the added branches is a linear inductor-resistor series connection, and the other one is a nonlinear voltage-controlled current source. A theoretical analysis of the circuit equations is presented, along with numerical and experimental results.

Nitrogen removal in a sequencing batch biofilm reactor with liquid circulation: Effect of feed strategy and carbon source in the denitrifying step

Ammonium nitrogen removal from a synthetic wastewater by nitrification and denitrification processes were performed in a sequencing batch biofilm reactor containing immobilized biomass on polyurethane foam with circulation of the liquid-phase. It was analyzed the effect of four external carbon sources (ethanol, acetate, carbon synthetic medium and methanol) acting as electron donors in the denitrifying process. The experiments were conducted with intermittent aeration and operated at 30+/-1 degrees C in 8-h cycles. The synthetic wastewater (100 mgCOD/L and 50 mgNH(4)(+)-N/L) was added batch-wise, while the external carbon sources were added fed-batch-wise during the periods where aeration was suspended. Ammonium nitrogen removal efficiencies obtained were 95.7, 94.3 and 97.5% for ethanol, acetate and carbon synthetic medium, respectively. As to nitrite, nitrate and ammonium nitrogen effluent concentrations, the results obtained were, respectively: 0.1, 5.7 and 1.4 mg/L for ethanol; 0.2, 4.1 and 1.8 mg/L for acetate and 0.2, 6.7 and 0.8 for carbon synthetic medium. On the other hand using methanol, even at low concentrations (50% of the stoichiometric value calculated for complete denitrification), resulted in increasing accumulation of nitrate and ammonium nitrogen in the effluent over time.

Penetration of hydrolysed soy protein-added brine and its effect on yield and pH of beef steaks from the biceps femoris muscle

This study was aimed to evaluate the penetration behaviour of different brines with tumbled beef steaks from the biceps femoris muscle, specifically their interactions with pH and effects on yield. Six muscles from different animals, divided into origin (OP) and insertion (IP) portions, were cut into 60 steaks of 2.5 cm thickness and tumbled for 30 or 60 min. The steaks were tumbled with two brines, with (WTB/HSP) or without (WTB) hydrolysed soy protein (HSP), and steaks that were not tumbled with brine or water were used as controls. Brine penetration was verified by measuring the amount of dye-containing brine (absorbance at 627 nm) recovered from homogenates of four thin (2 mm) slices from the surface of the beef steaks after tumbling. The WTB/HSP steaks exhibited greater (P < 0.05) brine penetration when tumbled for 60 min than for 30 min. The OP steaks showed greater yield and lower pH (P < 0.05) than IP steaks. HSP-added brine increased the water absorption and retention in the first slices of the steaks, and its efficiency was increased with a longer tumbling time. The portion of the biceps femoris muscle used influenced brine absorption and retention, impacting meat yield. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Forest certification in Amazonia: standards matter

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification promises international consumers that `green-label` timber has been logged sustainably. However, recent research indicates that this is not true for ipe (Tabebuia spp.), currently flooding the US residential decking market, much of it logged in Brazil. Uneven or non-application of minimum technical standards for certification could undermine added value and eventually the certification process itself. We examine public summary reports by third-party certifiers describing the evaluation process for certified companies in the Brazilian Amazon to determine the extent to which standards are uniformly applied and the degree to which third-party certifier requirements for compliance are consistent among properties. Current best-practice harvest systems, combined with Brazilian legal norms for harvest levels, guarantee that no certified company or community complies with FSC criteria and indicators specifying species-level management. No guidelines indicate which criteria and indicators must be enforced, or to what degree, for certification to be conferred by third-party assessors; nor do objective guidelines exist for evaluating compliance for criteria and indicators for which adequate scientific information is not yet available to identify acceptable levels. Meanwhile, certified companies are expected to monitor the long-term impacts of logging on biodiversity in addition to conducting best-practice forest management. This burden should reside elsewhere. We recommend a clarification of `sustained timber yield` that reflects current state of knowledge and practice in Amazonia. Quantifiable verifiers for best-practice forest management must be developed and consistently employed. These will need to be flexible to reflect the diversity in forest structure and dynamics that prevails across this vast region. We offer suggestions for how to achieve these goals.

Permanent Genetic Resources added to Molecular Ecology Resources Database 1 August 2010-30 September 2010

This article documents the addition of 229 microsatellite marker loci to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Acacia auriculiformis x Acacia mangium hybrid, Alabama argillacea, Anoplopoma fimbria, Aplochiton zebra, Brevicoryne brassicae, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Bucorvus leadbeateri, Delphacodes detecta, Tumidagena minuta, Dictyostelium giganteum, Echinogammarus berilloni, Epimedium sagittatum, Fraxinus excelsior, Labeo chrysophekadion, Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi, Paratrechina longicornis, Phaeocystis antarctica, Pinus roxburghii and Potamilus capax. These loci were cross-tested on the following species: Acacia peregrinalis, Acacia crassicarpa, Bruguiera cylindrica, Delphacodes detecta, Tumidagena minuta, Dictyostelium macrocephalum, Dictyostelium discoideum, Dictyostelium purpureum, Dictyostelium mucoroides, Dictyostelium rosarium, Polysphondylium pallidum, Epimedium brevicornum, Epimedium koreanum, Epimedium pubescens, Epimedium wushanese and Fraxinus angustifolia.

Sensory evaluation of precooked chicken meat with mate (Ilex paraguariensis) added as antioxidant

Dried mate leaves or aqueous extract of dried mate leaves added to chicken meat balls prior to cooking for antioxidant protection was found not to affect taste or smell of the product significantly for addition corresponding to 0.050% of dried mate leaves, while 0.10% changed the smell but not the taste and more significantly for dried leaves. Addition of aqueous mate extract corresponding to 0.050% of mate is recommended as an alternative to more strongly flavoured herbs for oxidative protection of meat products.

Chemical Composition and Nutritional Value of Unripe Banana Flour (Musa acuminata, var. Nanico)

Banana flour obtained from unripe banana (Musa acuminata, var. Nanico) under specific drying conditions was evaluated regarding its chemical composition and nutritional value. Results are expressed in dry weight (dw). The unripe banana flour (UBF) presented a high amount of total dietary fiber (DF) (56.24 g/100 g), which consisted of resistant starch (RS) (48.99 g/100 g), fructans (0.05 g/100 g) and DF without RS or fructans (7.2 g/100 g). The contents of available starch (AS) (27.78 g/100 g) and soluble sugars (1.81 g/100 g) were low. The main phytosterols found were campesterol (4.1 mg/100 g), stigmasterol (2.5 mg/100 g) and beta-sitosterol (6.2 mg/100 g). The total polyphenol content was 50.65 mg GAE/100 g. Antioxidant activity, by the FRAP and ORAC methods, was moderated, being 358.67 and 261.00 mu mol of Trolox equivalent/100 g, respectively. The content of Zn, Ca and Fe and mineral dialyzability were low. The procedure used to obtain UBF resulted in the recovery of undamaged starch granules and in a low-energy product (597 kJ/100 g).

Viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 added solely or in co-culture with a yoghurt starter culture and implications on physico-chemical and related properties of Minas fresh cheese during storage

The effect of a probiotic culture of Lactobacillus acidophilus (La-5), added solely or in co-culture with a starter culture of Streptococcus thermophilus, on texture, proteolysis and related properties of Minas fresh cheese during storage at 5 degrees C was investigated. Three cheese-making trials were prepared and produced with no addition of cultures (T1 - control), supplemented with La-5 (T2), and with La-5 + S. thermophilus (T3). Viable counts of La-5 remained above 6.00 log cfu g(-1) during the whole storage for T2, reaching 7.00 log cfu g(-1) on the 14th day. For T3, the counts of La-5 remained above 6.00 log cfu g(-1) after 7 days of storage. Due to the presence of S. thermophilus, T3 presented the highest proteolytic index increase and titratable acidity values. Nevertheless, these results and S. thermophilus addition had no influence on viability of La-5 which presented satisfactory populations for a probiotic food. Moreover, the use of a yoghurt culture for the production of Minas fresh cheese T3 supplemented with La-5 resulted in a good quality product, with a small rate of post-acidification, indicating that traditional yoghurt culture could be employed in co-culture with La-5 to improve the quality of this cheese. (C) 2008 Swiss Society of Food Science and Technology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The behavior of key enzymes of xylose metabolism on the xylitol production by Candida guilliermondii grown in hemicellulosic hydrolysate

A variety of raw materials have been used in fermentation process. This study shows the use of rice straw hemicellulosic hydrolysate, as the only source of nutrient, to produce high added-value products. In the present work, the activity of the enzymes xylose reductase (XR); xylitol dehydrogenase (XD); and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) during cultivation of Candida guilliermondii on rice straw hemicellulosic hydrolysate was measured and correlated with xylitol production under different pH values (around 4.5 and 7.5) and initial xylose concentration (around 30 and 70 g l(-1)). Independent of the pH value and xylose concentration evaluated, the title of XD remained constant. On the other hand, the volumetric activity of G6PD increased whereas the level of XR decreased when the initial xylose concentration was increased from 30 to 70 g l(-1). The highest values of xylitol productivity (Q (P) a parts per thousand 0.40 g l(-1)) and yield factor (Y (P/S) a parts per thousand 0.60 g g(-1)) were reached at highest G6PD/XR ratio and lowest XR/XD ratio. These results suggest that NADPH concentrations influence the formation of xylitol more than the activity ratios of the enzymes XR and XD. Thus, an optimal rate between G6PD and XR must be reached in order to optimize the xylitol production.

Sensory evaluation of probiotic Minas fresh cheese with Lactobacillus acidophilus added solely or in co-culture with a thermophilic starter culture

Sensory acceptance of formulations of probiotic Minas fresh cheese was investigated. Cheeses were prepared and supplemented with Lactobacillus acidophilus (T1 - probiotic), Lactobacillus acidophilus + Streptococcus thermophilus (T2 - probiotic + starter) or produced with no addition of cultures (T3 - control). Sensory acceptance tests were performed after 7 and 14 days of storage at 5 degrees C, using a 9-point hedonic scale (1 = dislike extremely; 9 = like extremely). After 7 days, no significant difference was detected among cheeses T1, T2 and T3 (P > 0.05). After 14 days, cheeses T1 and T2 presented higher acceptance and differed significantly from cheeses T3. Cheeses T3 presented significant difference between 7 and 14 days of storage (P < 0.05), whereas probiotic cheeses T1 and T2 were stable in the same period (P > 0.05). The addition of L. acidophilus, either solely or in co-culture with a thermophilic starter culture, resulted in good acceptance of Minas fresh cheese, improving sensory performance of the product during storage.