Correlation between metal-ceramic bond strength and coefficient of linear thermal expansion difference

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the metal-ceramic bond strength (MCBS) of 6 metal-ceramic pairs (2 Ni-Cr alloys and 1 Pd-Ag alloy with 2 dental ceramics) and correlate the MCBS values with the differences between the coefficients of linear thermal expansion (CTEs) of the metals and ceramics. Verabond (VB) Ni-Cr-Be alloy, Verabond II (VB2), Ni-Cr alloy, Pors-on 4 (P), Pd-Ag alloy, and IPS (I) and Duceram (D) ceramics were used for the MCBS test and dilatometric test. Forty-eight ceramic rings were built around metallic rods (3.0 mm in diameter and 70.0 mm in length) made from the evaluated alloys. The rods were subsequently embedded in gypsum cast in order to perform a tensile load test, which enabled calculating the CMBS. Five specimens (2.0 mm in diameter and 12.0 mm in length) of each material were made for the dilatometric test. The chromel-alumel thermocouple required for the test was welded into the metal test specimens and inserted into the ceramics. ANOVA and Tukey's test revealed significant differences (p=0.01) for the MCBS test results (MPa), with PI showing higher MCBS (67.72) than the other pairs, which did not present any significant differences. The CTE (10-6 oC-1) differences were: VBI (0.54), VBD (1.33), VB2I (-0.14), VB2D (0.63), PI (1.84) and PD (2.62). Pearson's correlation test (r=0.17) was performed to evaluate of correlation between MCBS and CTE differences. Within the limitations of this study and based on the obtained results, there was no correlation between MCBS and CTE differences for the evaluated metal-ceramic pairs.

Apparent digestibility coefficient of protein and amino acids of acid, biological and enzymatic silage for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Using the fish silage to partially replace proteic feedstuff in aquafeeds is an alternative to mitigate sanitary and environmental problems caused by the lack of adequate destination for fisheries residues. It would also lower feed costs, consequently improving fish culture profitability. However, using fish silages in aquafeeds depends on determination of its apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC). This work aimed to determining the ADC of crude protein and amino acids of acid silage (AS), biological silage (BS) and enzymatic silage (ES) for juvenile Nile tilapia (94.5 +/- 12.7 g). The ADC(CP) was: 92.0%, 89.1% and 93.7% for AS, BS and SE respectively. The average ADC of amino acids was: 91.8%, 90.8% and 94.6% for AS, BS and ES respectively. Results encourage the use of AS, BS and ES to partially replace protein sources in balanced diets for neotropical fish.

Assessment of the differential linear coherent scattering coefficient of biological samples

New differential linear coherent scattering coefficient, mu(CS), data for four biological tissue types (fat pork, tendon chicken, adipose and fibroglandular human breast tissues) covering a large momentum transfer interval (0.07 <= q <= 70.5 nm(-1)), resulted from combining WAXS and SAXS data, are presented in order to emphasize the need to update the default data-base by including the molecular interference and the large-scale arrangements effect. The results showed that the differential linear coherent scattering coefficient demonstrates influence of the large-scale arrangement, mainly due to collagen fibrils for tendon chicken and fibroglandular breast samples, and triacylglycerides for fat pork and adipose breast samples at low momentum transfer region. While, at high momentum transfer, the mu(CS) reflects effects of molecular interference related to water for tendon chicken and fibroglandular samples and, fatty acids for fat pork and adipose samples. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of the utilization of homeopathic elements in commercial diluent on swine sperm viability

It has been speculated that the homeopathic treatment of sperm cells in order to improve semen quality could be promising. However, few data is available and its use in spermatozoa requires investigation. It is well established that mitochondrial membrane potential is an important viability parameter of spermatozoa and it is intimately related to reproductive efficiency. In this manner, new technologies in order to improve the activity of sperm cells and, finally, the fecundity of swine herds are of extremely importance. Due to the lack of knowledge of homeopathic treatment effect on spermatozoa, the aim of the present study was to verify the effect of three different homeopathic treatments on viability of boar sperm cells. Three homeopathic treatments composed by Pulsatila CH6, Pulsatila and Avena CH6, Avena CH6 and one control treatment (sucrose) were added to diluted boar semen, which were cooled for 24 or 48 h. Interestingly, no positive effect of homeopathic treatments was observed over semen viability. However, it was demonstrated that the 24 h of cooling storage provided more viable sperm cells when compared to the 48-h period. This effect of storage period on sperm viability was assessed by intact plasmatic membrane, intact acrosome and mitochondrial membrane potential evaluation.

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.

Growth performance and body composition of pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus (Holmberg 1887) in response to dietary protein and energy levels

Improper dietary protein and energy levels and their ratio will lead to increased fish production cost. This work evaluated effects of dietary protein : energy ratio on growth and body composition of pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus. Fingerling pacu (15.5 +/- 0.4 g) were fed twice a day for 10 weeks until apparent satiation with diets containing 220, 260, 300, 340 or 380 g kg-1 crude protein (CP) and 10.9, 11.7, 12.6, 13.4 or 14.2 MJ kg-1 digestible energy (DE) in a totally randomized experimental design, 5 x 5 factorial scheme (n = 3). Weight gain, specific growth rate increased and feed conversion ratio (FCR) decreased significantly (P < 0.05) when CP increased from 220 to 271, 268 and 281 g kg-1 respectively. Pacu was able to adjust feed consumption in a wide range of dietary DE concentration. Fish fed 260 CP diets showed best (P < 0.05) protein efficiency ratio and FCR with 11.7-12.6 MJ kg-1; but for the 380 CP-diets group, significant differences were observed only at 14.2 MJ kg-1 dietary energy level, suggesting that pacu favours protein as energy source. DE was the chief influence on whole body chemical composition. Minimum dietary protein requirement of pacu is 270 g kg-1, with an optimum CP : DE of 22.2 g MJ-1.

Validation of a food frequency questionnaire for women with osteoporosis

The importance of nutrient intakes in osteoporosis prevention in treatment is widely recognized. The objective of the present study was to develop and validate a FFQ for women with osteoporosis. The questionnaire was composed of 60 items, separated into 10 groups. The relative validation was accomplished through comparison of the 3-Day Food Record (3DR) with the FFQ. The 3DR was applied to 30 elderly women with confirmed osteoporosis, and after 45 days the FFQ was administrated. Statistical analysis comprised the Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Student T test and Pearson correlation coefficient. The agreement between two methods was evaluated by the frequency of similar classification into quartiles, and by the Bland-Altman method. No significant differences between methods were observed for the mean evaluated nutrients, except for carbohydrate and magnesium. Pearson correlation coefficients were positive and statistically significant for all nutrients. The overall proportion of subjects classified in the same quartile by the two methods was on average 50.01% and in the opposite quartile 0.47%. For calcium intake, only 3% of subjects were classified in opposite extreme quartiles by the two methods. The Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated that the differences obtained by the two methods in each subject were well distributed around the mean of the difference, and the disagreement increases as the mean intake increases. These results indicates that the FFQ for elderly women with osteoporosis presented here is highly acceptable and is an accurate method that can be used in large-scale or clinical studies for evaluation of nutrient intakes in a similar population.

Development and validation of a simple and rapid capillary zone electrophoresis method for determination of nnrti nevirapine in pharmaceutical formulations

A simple and fast capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method has been developed and validated for quantification of a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) nevirapine, in pharmaceuticals. The analysis was optimized using 10 mmol L-1 sodium phosphate buffer pH 2.5, +25 kV applied voltage, hydrodynamic injection 0.5 psi for 5 s and direct UV detection at 200 µm. Diazepam (50.0 µg mL-1) was used as internal standard. Under these conditions, nevirapine was analyzed in approximately less than 2.5 min. The analytical curve presented a coefficient of correlation of 0.9994. Limits of detection and quantification were 1.4 µg mL-1 and 4.3 µg mL-1, respectively. Intra- and inter-day precision expressed as relative standard deviations were 1.4% and 1.3%, respectively and the mean recovery was 100.81%. The active pharmaceutical ingredient was subjected to hydrolysis (acid, basic and neutral) and oxidative stress conditions. No interference of degradation products and tablet excipients were observed. This method showed to be rapid, simple, precise, accurate and economical for determination of nevirapine in pharmaceuticals and it is suitable for routine quality control analysis since CE offers benefits in terms of quicker method development and significantly reduced operating costs.

Cross-cultural adaptation, validation and reliability of the Body Area Scale for Brazilian adolescents

The aim of this study was to translate, validate and verify the reliability of the Body Area Scale (BAS). Participants were 386 teenagers, enrolled in a private school. Translation into Portuguese was conducted. The instrument was evaluated for internal consistency and construct validation analysis. Reproducibility was evaluated using the Wilcoxon test and the coefficient of interclass correlation. The BAS demonstrated good values for internal consistency (0.90 and 0.88) and was able to discriminate boys and girls according to nutritional state (p = 0.020 and p = 0.026, respectively). BAS scores correlated with adolescents' BMI (r = 0.14, p = 0.055; r = 0.23, p = 0.001) and WC (r =0.13, p = 0.083; r = 0.22, 0.002). Reliability was confirmed by the coefficient of inter-class correlation (0.35, p < 0.001; 0.60, p < 0.001) for boys and girls, respectively. The instrument performed well in terms of understanding and time of completion. BAS was successfully translated into Portuguese and presented good validity when applied to adolescents.

Eqüidade e provisão de serviços públicos odontológicos no estado do Paraná

OBJETIVO: Analisar a associação entre indicadores socioeconômicos, de provisão de serviços públicos odontológicos e de alocação de recursos financeiros em saúde, e identificar se o sentido das associações ocorre em favor da eqüidade vertical. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado um estudo transversal de abordagem ecológica, com dados do Ministério da Saúde referentes a 399 municípios do estado do Paraná, no período de 1998 a 2005. A condição socioeconômica foi aferida por meio do Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano dos municípios, além de indicadores de renda, educação e saneamento básico, os quais foram obtidos nas bases de dados do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Os dados foram submetidos a testes estatísticos não-paramétricos: coeficiente de correlação de Spearman, Friedman e Mann-Whitney. RESULTADOS: Houve tendência redistributiva dos recursos federais transferidos aos municípios para o custeio da atenção básica, intensificada a partir do lançamento da Estratégia Saúde da Família. Observou-se expansão das ações de saúde bucal no período analisado, bem como tendência pró-eqüidade na oferta e utilização dos serviços odontológicos em atenção básica. CONCLUSÕES: Houve tendência redistributiva, ou pró-eqüidade, na provisão de serviços odontológicos no estado do Paraná, com maior provisão per capita de recursos ou serviços para municípios com piores indicadores socioeconômicos. Esta tendência se mostrou compatível com as diretrizes programáticas recentes do Ministério da Saúde.

Scanning electron microscopy of the corneal endothelium of ostrich

The aim of this study was to examine the endothelial surface morphology and perform a morphometric analysis of the corneal endothelial cells of ostrich (Struthio camelus) using scanning electron microscopy. Polygonality, mean cell area, cell density and coefficient of variation of mean cell area were analyzed. The normal corneal endothelium consisted of polygonal cells of uniform size and shape with few interdigitations of the cell borders. Microvilli appeared as protusions on the cellular surface. The average cell area was 269±18µm² and the endothelial cell density was 3717±240cells mm-2. The coefficient of variation of the cell area was 0.06, and the percentage of hexagonal cells was 75%. The parameters evaluated did not differ significantly between the right and the left eye from the same ostrich. The results of this study showed that the ostrich corneal endothelial cells appear quite similar to those of the other vertebrates.

A critical analysis of Doppler velocimetry in the differential diagnosis of malignant and benign ovarian masses

Objectives: To evaluate the intratumoral reliability of color Doppler parameters and the contribution of Doppler sonography to the gray-scale differential diagnosis of ovarian masses. Methods: An observational study was performed including 67 patients, 15 (22.4%) with malignant ovarian neoplasm and 52 (77.6%) with benign ovarian diseases. We performed the Doppler evaluation in two distinct vessels selected after decreasing the Doppler gain to sample only vessels with higher velocity flow. Doppler measurements were obtained from each identified vessel, and resistive index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), peak systolic velocity (PSV), and end-diastolic velocity (EDV) were measured. Intraclass coefficient of correlation (ICC), sensitivity, specificity, and potential improvement in gray-scale ultrasound performance were calculated. Results: The general ICC were 0.60 (95% CI 0.42- 0.73) for RI, 0.65 (95% CI 0.49- 0.77) for PI, 0.07 (95% CI- 0.17-0.30) for PSV, and 0.19 (95% CI -0.05-0.41) for EDV. The sensitivity and specificity were respectively 84.6% and 86.7% for RI, 69.2% and 93.3% for PI, 80.0% and 65.4% for gray-scale sonography, and 93.3% and 65.4% for gray-scale plus RI (p = 0.013). Conclusions: Gynecologists must be careful in interpreting results from Doppler evaluation of ovarian masses because PSV and EDV present poor intratumoral reliability. The lower RI value, evaluated in at least two distinct sites of the tumor, was able to improve the performance of gray-scale ultrasound in differential diagnosis of ovarian masses.

Nutritional status of pre-school children from low income families

Background: We evaluated growth and nutritional status of preschool children between 2 and 6 years old from low income families from 14 daycare centers. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 1544 children from daycare centers of Santo Andre, Brazil. Body weight (W), height (H) and body mass index (BMI) were classified according to the 2000 National Center for Health Statistics (CDC/NCHS). Cutoff points for nutritional disorders: -2 z scores and 2.5 and 10 percentiles for malnutrition risk, 85 to 95 percentile for overweight and above BMI 95 percentile for obesity. Stepwise Forward Regression method was used including age, gender, birth weight, breastfeeding duration, age of mother at birth and period of time they attended the daycare center. Results: Children presented mean z scores of H, W and BMI above the median of the CDC/NCHS reference. Girls were taller and heavier than boys, while we observed similar BMI between both genders. The z scores tended to rise with age. A Pearson Coefficient of Correlation of 0.89 for W, 0.93 for H and 0.95 for BMI was documented indicating positive association of age with weight, height and BMI. The frequency of children below -2 z scores was lower than expected: 1.5% for W, 1.75% for H and 0% for BMI, which suggests that there were no malnourished children. The other extremity of the distribution evidenced prevalence of overweight and obesity of 16.8% and 10.8%, respectively. Conclusion: Low income preschool children are in an advanced stage of nutritional transition with a high prevalence of overweight.

Genetic analysis of average annual productivity of Nellore breeding cows (COWPROD)

With the aim of estimating the coefficient of heritability of average annual productivity of Nellore cows (COWPROD), a data set from 24,855 animals with known pedigree was analyzed. COWPROD is defined as the amount (in kilograms) of weaned calves produced yearly by one cow during her remaining time in herd ignoring a fixed period of 365 days. COWPROD was calculated regarding three standards: a) based on the post-weaning weight from the calves ignoring any kind of adjustment (COWPROD_NAJ), b) adjusted weight for the fixed effects (COWPROD_AJFIX) and c) adjusted weight for the fixed effects and for the genetic merit of the sire (COWPROD_AJFIN). The obtained heritabilities were 0.15, 0.15 and 0.16 for COWPROD_NAJ, COWPROD_AJFIX and COWPROD_AJFIN, respectively. A complete set composed of 105,158 COWPROD records on 130,740 animals in pedigree was also analyzed for predicting the genetic merit of all animals in the data set and for the calculation of the genetic, phenotypic and residual trends. Ranking correlation was high for the adjusted and non-adjusted data, yet, for some of the animals, the difference among the genetic values was large. This would be an indication that it would be better to work always with the adjusted weaning weights. The genetic trend was positive, but was of small magnitude (0.26% of the trait average) and the residual trend was negative as a consequence of the large intensification of the production system, which has been occurring in the last years in the farms studied. The phenotypic trend was also negative and intermediate between the genetic and the residual ones.

Suppression Pattern of Neutral Pions at High Transverse Momentum in Au plus Au Collisions at root S(NN)=200 GeV and Constraints on Medium Transport Coefficients

For Au + Au collisions at 200 GeV, we measure neutral pion production with good statistics for transverse momentum, p(T), up to 20 GeV/c. A fivefold suppression is found, which is essentially constant for 5 < p(T) < 20 GeV/c. Experimental uncertainties are small enough to constrain any model-dependent parametrization for the transport coefficient of the medium, e. g., <(q) over cap > in the parton quenching model. The spectral shape is similar for all collision classes, and the suppression does not saturate in Au + Au collisions.