Avaliação preliminar da viabilidade de produção in vitro de um isolado brasileiro de baculovírus Spodoptera frugiperda MNPV

In vivo production of viral biopesticides is the major source of viral insecticides currently in the marketplace. However, this system presents limitations during production scale-up. For the Spodoptera frugiperda nucleopolyhedrovirus (SfMNPV), the insect used for replication has cannibalistic characteristics, thus production is even more difficult. Insect cells are commonly used for in vitro baculovirus production. Most of these cell lines are derived from Lepidoptera species. The Sf21 cell line is derived from Spodoptera frugiperda caterpillar ovarian tissue, and its clonal isolate Sf9 has been used for biopesticide production due to its ease of growth in suspension cultures. In this work, the in vitro production capabilities of a Brazilian SfMNPV isolate obtained from cornfields was evaluated. Comparison of polyhedra production was carried out using both Sf21 and Sf9 cells, based on volumetric and specific yields. Both cell lines were cultivated in Hyclone medium supplemented with different fetal bovine serum concentrations (2,5 and 5%). The best results were obtained using Sf9 cells supplemented with 5% serum. These results were further confirmed quantitively through kinetic parameter estimation for both cells lines and different serum concentrations. After seven successive passages, this system still presented high specific polyhedra production

Estudo da hidrodinâmica de um novo separador líquido-líquido: aplicação ao sistema óleo-bruto/água produzida

This work aims to use a different hydrodynamic condition applied to a new design of mixer-settler on treating wastewater produced by petroleum industry, called MDIF (Misturador-Decantador à Inversão de Fases/ Mixer-Settler based on Phase Inversion MSPI). The use of this different hydrodynamic behaviour is possible due to vertical disposition of the device and the principle of Phase Inversion that controls the MDIF, providing the generation (creation) of a cascade of drops, into an organic layer, that works as micro-decanters, thus making possible the formation of a bed of non-coalesced drops, called Bed Formation . The use of this new hydrodynamics condition allows to increase the residence time of the oil carrier drops, into an organic layer, and the device can treat a greater volume of wastewater. In view of to get this condition it is necessary to operate at high throughput (58,6 m3.m-2.h-1). By results, the condition of Bed Formation is the best one to be used when MSPI operates with throughput up to 58,6 m3.m-2.h-1. The results using the condition of Bed Formation show that increasing the height of the bed of non-coalesced drops and/or decreasing the volumetric ratio (O/A) an increase of the separation efficiency is detected

Planejamento experimental aplicada a um novo separador líquido-líquido utilizado no tratamento de águas residuais contaminadas com petróleo

The present work had as objective to apply an experimental planning aiming at to improve the efficiency of separation of a new type of mixer-settler applied to treat waste water contaminated with oil. An unity in scale of laboratory, was installed in the Post-graduation Program of Chemical Engineering of UFRN. It was constructed in partnership with Petrobras S.A. This called device Misturador-Decantador a Inversão de Fases (MDIF) , possess features of conventional mixer-settler and spray column type. The equipment is composed of three main parts: mixing chamber; chamber of decantation and chamber of separation. The efficiency of separation is evaluated analyzing the oil concentrations in water in the feed and the output of the device. For the analysis one used the gravimetric method of oil and greases analysis (TOG). The system in study is a water of formation emulsified with oil. The used extractant is a mixture of Turpentine spirit hydro-carbons, supplied for Petrobras. It was applied, for otimization of the efficiency of separation of the equipment, an experimental planning of the composite central type, having as factorial portion fractionary factorial planning 2 5-2, with the magnifying of the type star and five replications in the central point. In this work, the following independents variables were studied: contents of oil in the feed of the device; volumetric ratio (O/A); total flowrate ; agitation in the mixing chamber and height of the organic bed. Minimum and maximum limits for the studied variables had been fixed according previous works. The analysis of variance for the equation of the empirical model, revealed statistically significant and useful results for predictions ends. The variance analysis also presented the distribution of the error as a normal distribution and was observed that as the dispersions do not depend on the levels of the factors, the independence assumption can be verified. The variation around the average is explained by 98.98%, or either, equal to the maximum value, being the smoothing of the model in relation to the experimental points of 0,98981. The results present a strong interaction between the variable oil contents in the feed and agitation in the mixing chamber, having great and positive influence in the separation efficiency. Another variable that presented a great positive influence was the height of the organic bed. The best results of separation efficiency had been obtained for high flowrates when associates the high oil concentrations and high agitation. The results of the present work had shown excellent agreement with the results carried out through previous works with the mixer-settler of phase inversion

Efeito da adição de colesterol e ecdisona na produção in vitro do baculovírus spodoptera frugiperda MNPV

Among the pests that attack corn crop in Brazil, there is Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), known as fall armyworm, which is the major corn pest. Due to genetic instability during serial passage of baculoviruses in insect cell culture, the viral bioinseticides in vitro production development is the greatest challenge for mass production of this bioproduct. Successive passages of virus using extracellular viruses (BVs), necessary during viral bioinseticides production scaling up, leads to the appearance of aberrant forms of virus, a process so called as "passage effect ". The main consequence of passage effect is the production of occlusion bodies (OB) decrease, preventing its production using in vitro process. In this study, it was carried out a serial passage of baculovirus Spodoptera frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus, isolate 18, using Sf21 cells. A decrease in the production of occlusion bodies from 170 to 92 in the third to fourth passage was observed. A factorial experimental design (22) was employed to verify the influence of two input variables, concentration of the hormone 20 - hydroxyecdysone (CH) and cholesterol (CC) on the values of response variables (volumetric and the specific OB production) of the process, seeking to define the optimum operating ranges trying to reverse or minimize the passage effect. The result indicated a negative influence of the cholesterol addition and positive effect in the hormone supplementation which the optimum range found for the concentrations studied were 8 to 10μg/mL and 5 to 6.5 mg / mL, for cholesterol and hormone concentrations respectively. New experiments were performed with addition of hormone and cholesterol in order to check the influence of these additives on the OB production independently. While the best result obtained from the factorial experiment was 9.4 x 107 OB/mL and 128.4 specific OB/cell, with the addition of only 6μg/mL 20-hydroxyecdysone these concentrations increased to 1.9 x 108 OB/mL and 182.9 OB/cell for volumetric and specific OB production, respectively. This result confirms that the addition of the hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone enhances the SfMNPV in vitro production process performance using Sf21 cells

Estudo dos parâmetros de extração de fenol de efluentes aquosos por um tensoativo não iônico

Environmental sustainability has become one of the topics of greatest interest in industry, mainly due to effluent generation. Phenols are found in many industries effluents, these industries might be refineries, coal processing, pharmaceutical, plastics, paints and paper and pulp industries. Because phenolic compounds are toxic to humans and aquatic organisms, Federal Resolution CONAMA No. 430 of 13.05.2011 limits the maximum content of phenols, in 0.5 mg.L-1, for release in freshwater bodies. In the effluents treatment, the liquid-liquid extraction process is the most economical for the phenol recovery, because consumes little energy, but in most cases implements an organic solvent, and the use of it can cause some environmental problems due to the high toxicity of this compound. Because of this, exists a need for new methodologies, which aims to replace these solvents for biodegradable ones. Some literature studies demonstrate the feasibility of phenolic compounds removing from aqueous effluents, by biodegradable solvents. In this extraction kind called "Cloud Point Extraction" is used a nonionic surfactant as extracting agent of phenolic compounds. In order to optimize the phenol extraction process, this paper studies the mathematical modeling and optimization of extraction parameters and investigates the effect of the independent variables in the process. A 32 full factorial design has been done with operating temperature and surfactant concentration as independent variables and, parameters extraction: Volumetric fraction of coacervate phase, surfactant and residual concentration of phenol in dilute phase after separation phase and phenol extraction efficiency, as dependent variables. To achieve the objectives presented before, the work was carried out in five steps: (i) selection of some literature data, (ii) use of Box-Behnken model to find out mathematical models that describes the process of phenol extraction, (iii) Data analysis were performed using STATISTICA 7.0 and the analysis of variance was used to assess the model significance and prediction (iv) models optimization using the response surface method (v) Mathematical models validation using additional measures, from samples different from the ones used to construct the model. The results showed that the mathematical models found are able to calculate the effect of the surfactant concentration and the operating temperature in each extraction parameter studied, respecting the boundaries used. The models optimization allowed the achievement of consistent and applicable results in a simple and quick way leading to high efficiency in process operation.

Influência da intensidade de aeração na formação do floco de lodo ativado e na eficiência de remoção de matéria orgânica

In wastewater treatment, activated sludge systems have been a technology widely applied as secondary treatment. During this step, which has a strong biological aspect, it is necessary to introduce oxygen supply for the maintenance of metabolic activity of the bacteria through the aerators. Aeration devices are responsible for most of the energy consumption in this stage. In this background, the influence of three aeration intensities (atmospheric air flow 3.5, 7.0 and 10.5 L.min-1) and the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) on the dimension of activated sludge flocs as well as on the efficiency of organic matter removal were assessed using a traditional activated sludge system which was fed with synthetic domestic wastewater. Samples were taken weekly from the three units that make up the system feed, aeration and storage tank in order to verify the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). It was established the process efficiency through a comparison between the initial and final COD. Besides the parameters already mentioned, this monitoring work on activated sludge batch system was also observed by Mixed Liquor Suspend Solids (MLSS), Volatile Suspend Solids (VSS), pH and temperature measures. The results have showed a maximum removal efficiency around 75% in the first aeration sequence and approximately 85% for the second and third one. For the first aeration, the DO concentration remained higher than 3.0 mg.L-1 and a diameter range from 10 to 60 μm was observed. In the second e third sequence, the DO concentration remained higher than 4.0 mg.L-1 with a diameter range of 10 until 200 μm. Although the sequence 1 and 2 have presented similar performances for organic matter removal, the sequence 2 promoted a regular floc size distribution and with lower values of Sludge Volumetric Index (SVI) meaning a better flocculating ability. In addition, the results reaffirmed what the literature has reported: higher DO concentrations produce flocs with greater dimensions

Produção de bioetanol a partir de pedúnculo de caju (Anacardium occidentale L.) por fermentação submersa

Recently, global demand for ethanol fuel has expanded very rapidly, and this should further increase in the near future, almost all ethanol fuel is produced by fermentation of sucrose or glucose in Brazil and produced by corn in the USA, but these raw materials will not be enough to satisfy international demand. The aim of this work was studied the ethanol production from cashew apple juice. A commercial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used for the production of ethanol by fermentation of cashew apple juice. Growth kinetics and ethanol productivity were calculated for batch fermentation with different initial sugar (glucose + fructose) concentration (from 24.4 to 103.1 g.L-1). Maximal ethanol, cell and glycerol concentrations (44.4 g.L-1, 17.17 g.L-1, 6.4 g.L-1, respectively) were obtained when 103.1 g.L-1 of initial sugar concentration were used, respectively. Ethanol yield (YP/S) was calculated as 0.49 g (g glucose + fructose)-1. Pretreatment of cashew apple bagasse (CAB) with dilute sulfuric acid was investigated and evaluated some factors such as sulfuric acid concentration, solid concentration and time of pretreatment at 121°C. The maximum glucose yield (162.9 mg/gCAB) was obtained by the hydrolysis with H2SO4 0.6 mol.L-1 at 121°C for 15 min. Hydrolysate, containing 16 ± 2.0 g.L-1 of glucose, was used as fermentation medium for ethanol production by S. cerevisiae and obtained a ethanol concentration of 10.0 g.L-1 after 4 with a yield and productivity of 0.48 g (g glucose)-1 and 1.43 g.L-1.h-1, respectively. The enzymatic hydrolysis of cashew apple bagasse treated with diluted acid (CAB-H) and alkali (CAB-OH) was studied and to evaluate its fermentation to ethanol using S. cerevisiae. Glucose conversion of 82 ± 2 mg per g CAB-H and 730 ± 20 mg per g CAB-OH was obtained when was used 2% (w/v) of solid and loading enzymatic of 30 FPU/g bagasse at 45 °C. Ethanol concentration and productivity was achieved of 20.0 ± 0.2 g.L-1 and 3.33 g.L-1.h-1, respectively when using CAB-OH hydrolyzate (initial glucose concentration of 52.4 g.L-1). For CAB-H hydrolyzate (initial glucose concentration of 17.4 g.L-1), ethanol concentration and productivity was 8.2 ± 0.1 g.L-1 and 2.7 g.L-1.h-1, respectively. Hydrolyzates fermentation resulted in an ethanol yield of 0.38 g/g glucose and 0.47 g/g glucose, with pretreated CABOH and CAB-H, respectively. The potential of cashew apple bagasse as a source of sugars for ethanol production by Kluyveromyces marxianus CE025 was evaluated too in this work. First, the yeast CE025 was preliminary cultivated in a synthetic medium containing glucose and xylose. Results showed that it was able to produce ethanol and xylitol at pH 4.5. Next, cashew apple bagasse hydrolysate (CABH) was prepared by a diluted sulfuric acid pre-treatment. The fermentation of CABH was conducted at pH 4.5 in a batch-reactor, and only ethanol was produced by K. marxianus CE025. The influence of the temperature in the kinetic parameters was evaluated and best results of ethanol production (12.36 ± 0.06 g.L-1) was achieved at 30 ºC, which is also the optimum temperature for the formation of biomass and the ethanol with a volumetric production rate of 0.25 ± 0.01 g.L-1.h-1 and an ethanol yield of 0.42 ± 0.01 g/g glucose. The results of this study point out the potential of the cashew apple bagasse hydrolysate as a new source of sugars to produce ethanol by S. cerevisiae and K. marxianus CE025. With these results, conclude that the use of cashew apple juice and cashew apple bagasse as substrate for ethanol production will bring economic benefits to the process, because it is a low cost substrate and also solve a disposal problem, adding value to the chain and cashew nut production

Avaliação e modelagem da absorção de H2S do gás natural em coluna de leito estagnado

Natural gas, although basically composed by light hydrocarbons, also presents contaminant gases in its composition, such as CO2 (carbon dioxide) and H2S (hydrogen sulfide). The H2S, which commonly occurs in oil and gas exploration and production activities, causes damages in oil and natural gas pipelines. Consequently, the removal of hydrogen sulfide gas will result in an important reduction in operating costs. Also, it is essential to consider the better quality of the oil to be processed in the refinery, thus resulting in benefits in economic, environmental and social areas. All this facts demonstrate the need for the development and improvement in hydrogen sulfide scavengers. Currently, the oil industry uses several processes for hydrogen sulfide removal from natural gas. However, these processes produce amine derivatives which can cause damage in distillation towers, can cause clogging of pipelines by formation of insoluble precipitates, and also produce residues with great environmental impact. Therefore, it is of great importance the obtaining of a stable system, in inorganic or organic reaction media, able to remove hydrogen sulfide without formation of by-products that can affect the quality and cost of natural gas processing, transport, and distribution steps. Seeking the study, evaluation and modeling of mass transfer and kinetics of hydrogen removal, in this study it was used an absorption column packed with Raschig rings, where the natural gas, with H2S as contaminant, passed through an aqueous solution of inorganic compounds as stagnant liquid, being this contaminant gas absorbed by the liquid phase. This absorption column was coupled with a H2S detection system, with interface with a computer. The data and the model equations were solved by the least squares method, modified by Levemberg-Marquardt. In this study, in addition to the water, it were used the following solutions: sodium hydroxide, potassium permanganate, ferric chloride, copper sulfate, zinc chloride, potassium chromate, and manganese sulfate, all at low concentrations (»10 ppm). These solutions were used looking for the evaluation of the interference between absorption physical and chemical parameters, or even to get a better mass transfer coefficient, as in mixing reactors and absorption columns operating in counterflow. In this context, the evaluation of H2S removal arises as a valuable procedure for the treatment of natural gas and destination of process by-products. The study of the obtained absorption curves makes possible to determine the mass transfer predominant stage in the involved processes, the mass transfer volumetric coefficients, and the equilibrium concentrations. It was also performed a kinetic study. The obtained results showed that the H2S removal kinetics is greater for NaOH. Considering that the study was performed at low concentrations of chemical reagents, it was possible to check the effect of secondary reactions in the other chemicals, especially in the case of KMnO4, which shows that your by-product, MnO2, acts in H2S absorption process. In addition, CuSO4 and FeCl3 also demonstrated to have good efficiency in H2S removal

Incorporação do resíduo oriundo do beneficiamento de caulim em concreto asfáltico

The municipal district of Equador-RN is located in an area of great amounts of ores, being your main economical activity the extraction and the kaolin improvement. The main originating from environmental problem that activity is the amount of generated residue, about 70% of the extracted kaolin. The residues are simply piled up in lands of the improvement companies, occupying like this a large area and causing impact in the existent flora. When dry, the residues transform powdered and for the action of the wind, they disperse, polluting the air. Being like this, the present work has as objective evaluates the incorporation of the great residue, originating from of the kaolin improvement, in partial substitution of all the employed aggregates in a conventional mixture of asphalt concrete, which was used in the paving of BR101/RN061 - passage between Ponta Negra and Ares. That evaluation was accomplished in three stages. The first refers to the evaluation of the physical, thermal and mineralogical characteristics of the residue with the intention of to classify it and to define your application as aggregate (small and great). The second refers to the physical characterization of the aggregates and of the asphalt material used in the conventional mixture. And the third, to the evaluation of the mixtures containing residue, which were elaborated starting from the conventional mixture with the gradual incorporation of the residue, from 5 to 40%, in substitution to the part of the conventional aggregates, in way to obtain similar particle size curves the one of the conventional mixture. That evaluation was accomplished through the comparison between the volumetric composition, the mechanical behavior and the susceptibility to the humidity of the mixtures containing residue with the one of the conventional mixture, and with the one of the DNIT specifications. The results show that the great residue originating from of the kaolin improvement has grains of the most varied size, being like this, it can substitute part of all the conventional aggregates and of the filler in an asphalt mixture. Besides, your mineralogical composition presented the same present minerals in the composition of conventional aggregates used in paving. The results evaluation of the volumetric composition of the mixtures containing residue indicates that it can use up to 30% of residue in substitution to the conventional aggregates. The evaluation of the mechanical behavior of those mixtures indicates that the residue increment in the studied mixtures caused an increase of the stability and a reduction of the resistance to the traction. The values obtained in the resistance to the traction meet below the minimum value specified by DNIT, but close to the value obtained in the conventional mixture. When taking in consideration the susceptibility of the same ones to the humidity, the results indicate that she can use up to 25% of residue

Caracterização e avaliação do macro sistema urbano de distribuição de água de Natal RN

The aim of this study is to characterize and evaluate the Macro System of Regional Water Distribution Natal North (RNN) and Southern Regional Natal (RNS), covering 35% and 65% respectively of the Natal-RN City. The terms of the quality and quantity of water (surface and groundwater) were also evaluated in order to adjust the parameters that contribute to proper distribution and control in water reserves. The methodology of the work took place from collecting volumetric data of production capacity and distribution of the two treatment plants for Regional as well as the flow rates of wells. Yet the quantitative capacity of reservation, distribution and consumption of the main reservoirs, population numbers and consumption of members neighborhoods were collected. Data were tabulated and used in computational simulator EPANET to diagnose possible through the water balance, the offers and demands on the water supply system in the neighborhoods of the capital, linking them to specific distribution points. We also evaluated the wells in the levels of nitrate in water consumed. As a result it was found that some neighborhoods in the South Regional Natal, was ranked as critical supply situation: City of Hope, Lagoa Nova and Nova Descoberta, where demand exceeds supply. While in most Northern Regional Natal present deficiency in the supply system as: Lagoa Azul, the Parque dos Coqueiros, igapó, Amarante and Salinas. The rates of nitrate in the city were significant, but manageable with corrective and preventive measures. The averages were 12 mg /l-N in Candelária, 10 mg/l-N in Lagoa Nova, 9 mg/l-N in Satelite, 20 mg/l-N in Gramore and 15 mg/l-N in N. Sra. Apresentação. Therefore proper distribution of water abstracted and implementation of quality control ensures the supply required by the system, associated with preservation of Water Resources of the Metropolitan Region of Natal

Incorporação do lodo de tanque séptico como matéria-prima de uma mistura asfáltica

In Natal/RN, 68% of the population uses some kind of individual system for their domestic sewers treatment, being that the most used it is septic tank, followed by sumidouro. Every treatment system of sewers, usually used, generates a by-product denominated sludge. That residue presents some components, in its constitution, undesirable under the environmental and sanitary point of view. In such case, to assure that the system treatment has satisfactory results, it is necessary to do the adjusted disposition of the sludge sewage. Several countries are looking for technical alternatives for the use and disposition of residues. Under technical and environmental conditions appropriate, these materials can be used, decreasing the consumption of the natural resources and the treatment need, storage or elimination of the wastes, what decrease the risks created. Some of the alternatives of recycling of the sludge sewage are: the application in the agriculture, in the production of energy and as raw material in the civil construction. This study evaluated asphalt mixtures behavior that partially substituted conventional aggregates by septic tank sludge. The septic tank sludge gave origin to two raw materials called raw sludge and sludge ash. The raw sludge was put as a small aggregate and the sludge ash as filler. In the first experiment it was made a comparison between the mixture with conventional aggregates and the mixtures that replaced sand by raw sludge in the proportions from 5% to 40%. In the second experiment, it was made comparison between mixtures with 1%, 2% and 3% of sludge ash and cement. The stages developed along the study were: physical characterization of the conventional materials; physical, chemistry, thermal, mineralogical characterizations and analysis of environmental risk of the raw sludge; physical characterization and analysis of environmental risk of the sludge ash; analysis of the mixtures performance through its volumetric and mechanical characteristics; forecast of the mixtures susceptibility in the moisture presence. For the grain size composition used and with the percentage asphalt adopted, the mixtures with up to 7,5% of raw sludge in his composition attend to the National Department of Transports Infrastructure (DNIT) specifications. However, in agreement with the mixtures susceptibility in the moisture presence, the mixtures with addition of raw sludge don't present satisfactory acting. In such case, they could be used in arid and semi-arid areas. The raw sludge application in mixtures increased their voids volume and their stability. However, it damaged mixtures adhesiveness. Mixtures with sludge ash and with cement presented similar behavior. However, mixtures with sludge ash presented a better performance than mixtures with cement as for their stability and their tensile strength ratio. The mixture with 1% of sludge ash is better. The wastes studied don't represent environmental risk

Ecologia alimentar e comportamento de forrageamento de Ameivula aff. ocellifera (Squamata: Teiidae) em área de caatinga do nordeste do Brasil

This study investigated the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the feeding ecology and foraging behavior of the whiptail lizard Ameivula aff. ocellifera, a new species widely distributed in the Brazilian Caatinga, and that is in process of description. In attendance to the objectives, the Dissertation was structured in two chapters, which correspond to scientific articles, one already published and the other to be submitted for publication. In Chapter 1 were analyzed the general diet composition, the relationship between lizard size and prey size, and the occurrence of sexual and ontogenetic differences in the diet. Chapter 2 contemplates a seasonal analysis of diet composition during two rainy seasons interspersed with a dry season, and the quantitative analysis of foraging behavior during two distinct periods. The diet composition was determined through stomach analysis of lizards (N = 111) collected monthly by active search, between September 2008 and August 2010, in the Estação Ecológica do Seridó (ESEC Seridó), state of Rio Grande do Norte. Foraging behavior was investigated during a rainy and a dry month of 2012 also in ESEC Seridó, by determining percent of time moving (PTM), number of movements per minute (MPM) and prey capture rate by the lizards (N = 28) during foraging. The main prey category in the diet of Ameivula aff. ocellifera was Insect larvae, followed by Orthoptera, Coleoptera and Araneae. Termites (Isoptera) were important only in numeric terms, having negligible volumetric contribution (<2%) and low frequency of occurrence, an uncommon feature among whiptail lizards. Males and females did not differ neither in diet composition nor in foraging behavior. Adults and juveniles ingested similar prey types, but differed in prey size. Maximum and minimum prey sizes were positively correlated with lizard body size, suggesting that in this population individuals experience an ontogenetic change in diet, eating larger prey items while growing, and at the same time excluding smaller ones. The diet showed significant seasonal differences; during the two rainy seasons (2009 and 2010), the predominant prey in diet were Insect larvae, Coleoptera and Orthoptera, while in the dry season the predominant prey were Insect larvae, Hemiptera, Araneae and Orthoptera. The degree of mobility of consumed prey during the rainy seasons was lower, mainly due to a greater consumption of larvae (highly sedentary prey) during these periods. Population niche breadth was higher in the dry season, confirming the theoretical prediction that when food is scarce, the diets tend to be more generalized. Considering the entire sample, Ameivula aff. ocellifera showed 61,0 ± 15,0% PTM, 2,03 ± 0,30 MPM, and captured 0,13 ± 0,14 per minute. Foraging mode was similar to that found for other whiptail lizards regarding PTM, but MPM was relatively superior. Seasonal differences were verified for PTM, which was significantly higher in the rainy season (66,4 ± 12,1) than in the dry season (51,5 ± 15,6). It is possible that this difference represents a behavioral adjustment in response to seasonal variation in the abundance and types of prey available in the environment in each season

RR3D: Uma solução para renderização remota de imagens médicas tridimensionais

The visualization of three-dimensional(3D)images is increasigly being sed in the area of medicine, helping physicians diagnose desease. the advances achived in scaners esed for acquisition of these 3d exames, such as computerized tumography(CT) and Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI), enable the generation of images with higher resolutions, thus, generating files with much larger sizes. Currently, the images of computationally expensive one, and demanding the use of a righ and computer for such task. The direct remote acess of these images thruogh the internet is not efficient also, since all images have to be trasferred to the user´s equipment before the 3D visualization process ca start. with these problems in mind, this work proposes and analyses a solution for the remote redering of 3D medical images, called Remote Rendering (RR3D). In RR3D, the whole hedering process is pefomed a server or a cluster of servers, with high computational power, and only the resulting image is tranferred to the client, still allowing the client to peform operations such as rotations, zoom, etc. the solution was developed using web services written in java and an architecture that uses the scientific visualization packcage paraview, the framework paraviewWeb and the PACS server DCM4CHEE.The solution was tested with two scenarios where the rendering process was performed by a sever with graphics hadwere (GPU) and by a server without GPUs. In the scenarios without GPUs, the soluction was executed in parallel with several number of cores (processing units)dedicated to it. In order to compare our solution to order medical visualization application, a third scenario was esed in the rendering process, was done locally. In all tree scenarios, the solution was tested for different network speeds. The solution solved satisfactorily the problem with the delay in the transfer of the DICOM files, while alowing the use of low and computers as client for visualizing the exams even, tablets and smart phones

Imageamento digital de paleocavernas colapsadas com georadar

In this study, the methodological procedures involved in digital imaging of collapsed paleocaves in tufa using GPR are presented. These carbonate deposits occur in the Quixeré region, Ceará State (NE Brazil), on the western border of the Potiguar Basin. Collapsed paleocaves are exposed along a state road, which were selected to this study. We chose a portion of the called Quixeré outcrop for making a photomosaic and caring out a GPR test section to compare and parameterize the karst geometries on the geophysical line. The results were satisfactory and led to the adoption of criteria for the interpretation of others GPR sections acquired in the region of the Quixeré outcrop. Two grids of GPR lines were acquired; the first one was wider and more spaced and guided the location of the second grid, denser and located in the southern part of the outcrop. The radargrams of the second grid reveal satisfactorily the collapsed paleocaves geometries. For each grid has been developed a digital solid model of the Quixeré outcrop. The first model allows the recognition of the general distribution and location of collapsed paleocaves in tufa deposits, while the second more detailed digital model provides not only the 3D individualization of the major paleocaves, but also the estimation of their respective volumes. The digital solid models are presented here as a new frontier in the study of analog outcrops to reservoirs (for groundwater and hydrocarbon), in which the volumetric parameterization and characterization of geological bodies become essential for composing the databases, which together with petrophysical properties information, are used in more realistic computer simulations for sedimentary reservoirs.