Linfoma canino: clínica, hematologia e tratamento com o protocolo de Madison-Wisconsin

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Desempenho de bezerros em pastagem de capim-marandu recebendo suplementação com concentrados balanceados para diferentes níveis de produção

Avaliou-se o fornecimento de concentrado para bezerros mantidos em pastagens de Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu durante a época seca do ano. Utilizaram-se 16 machos não-castrados da raça Canchim, com 7 meses de idade e 250 kg, distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente ao acaso em esquema fatorial 2 × 2, no qual os fatores foram suplementos balanceados para dois potenciais de fermentação microbiana - 9,5 e 11,0 g de proteína bruta microbiana/MJ energia metabolizável fermentável e para ganhos de peso corporal (GPC) de 0,5 e 1,0 kg/dia. Os animais receberam suplementação individual diária por 168 dias, após 21 dias de adaptação. A ingestão diária de forragem foi estimada em 5,91 kg matéria seca/animal. A suplementação para ganho de peso corporal de 0,5 kg/dia proporcionou ganhos de peso e conversão alimentar de 0,94 kg/dia e 2,08 kg suplemento/kg ganho, respectivamente, resultados inferiores aos obtidos para ganho de peso corporal de 1 kg/dia (1,09 kg/dia e 3,18 kg suplemento/kg ganho, respectivamente). Não houve efeito do potencial de fermentação sobre o ganho de peso corporal, a conversão alimentar e a área de olho-de-lombo, no entanto, a espessura final de gordura de cobertura foi maior com o potencial de fermentação mais elevado. A suplementação para ganho de peso corporal de 0,5 kg/dia mostrou melhor resultado econômico, mas não permitiu obter peso apropriado para abate. A suplementação com concentrado formulado para aumentar a eficiência de síntese de proteína microbiana no rúmen, porém reduziu a rentabilidade do sistema.

A Study of Compost Added to a Casing Technique in Agaricus bisporus Cultivation from Phase III Bulk Compost

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Portable MP3 player as low-cost data logger

Non-audio signals have been recorded in the flash ROM memory of a portable MP3 player, in WAV format file, to examine the possibility of using these cheap and small instruments as general-purpose portable data loggers. A 1200-Hz FM carrier modulated by the non-audio signal has replaced the microphone signal, while using the REC operating mode of the MP3 player, which triggers the voice recording function. The signal recovery was carried out by a PLL-based FM demodulator whose input is the FM signal captured in the coil leads of the MP3 player's earphone. Sinusoidal and electrocardiogram signals have been used in the system evaluation. Although the quality of low frequency signals needs improvement, overall the results indicate the viability of the proposal. Suggestions are made for improvements and extensions of the work.

Structural damage detection by fuzzy clustering

The development of strategies for structural health monitoring (SHM) has become increasingly important because of the necessity of preventing undesirable damage. This paper describes an approach to this problem using vibration data. It involves a three-stage process: reduction of the time-series data using principle component analysis (PCA), the development of a data-based model using an auto-regressive moving average (ARMA) model using data from an undamaged structure, and the classification of whether or not the structure is damaged using a fuzzy clustering approach. The approach is applied to data from a benchmark structure from Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA. Two fuzzy clustering algorithms are compared: fuzzy c-means (FCM) and Gustafson-Kessel (GK) algorithms. It is shown that while both fuzzy clustering algorithms are effective, the GK algorithm marginally outperforms the FCM algorithm. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Climate and acute/subacute paracoccidioidomycosis in a hyper-endemic area in Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Variação sazonal na morfologia dos ductos eferentes distais em codorna doméstica mantida em cativeiro experimental

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

THE EXTENT of SEED PREDATION BY BRUCHINE BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE: BRUCHINAE) IN A HETEROGENEOUS LANDSCAPE IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

NiTiO3 nanoparticles encapsulated with SiO2 prepared by sol-gel method

NiTiO3 (NTO) nanoparticles encapsulated with SiO2 were prepared by the sol-gel method resulting on core-shell structure. Changes on isoelectric point as a function of silica were evaluated by means of zeta potential. The NTO nanoparticles heat treated at 600 degrees C were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. TEM observations showed that the mean size of NTO is in the range of 2.5-42.5 nm while the thickness of SiO2 shell attained 1.5-3.5 nm approximately.

Efeito do número de inseminações artificiais por ciclo sobre a fertilidade de éguas inseminadas com sêmen eqüino diluído, resfriado a 20ºC e transportado

Cento e vinte ciclos estrais de cento e cinco fêmeas eqüinas da raça Mangalarga Marchador foram analisados com o objetivo de estudar o efeito do número de inseminações artificiais por ciclo sobre a fertilidade de éguas inseminadas com sêmen resfriado. Os ciclos foram acompanhados por palpação retal e rufiação, e as inseminações realizadas a cada 48 horas, a partir de um folículo de 30-35 mm de diâmetro até a ovulação, com sêmen diluído, resfriado a 20ºC e transportado. As éguas foram aleatoriamente distribuídas nos seguintes grupos: T1 - uma IA/ciclo, T2 - duas IA/ciclo e T3 - três ou mais IA/ciclo. As taxas de concepção ao primeiro ciclo foram, respectivamente, para T1, T2 e T3, de 47,83% (11/23), 70,00% (21/30) e 45,16% (14/31) e, após cinco ciclos, de 51,43% (18/35), 48,89% (22/45), e 47,50% (19/40) (P>0,05). O número de IA/ciclo não teve efeito sobre a fertilidade das éguas.

Interpolating EFGM for computing continuous and discontinuous electromagnetic fields

Purpose - This paper proposes an interpolating approach of the element-free Galerkin method (EFGM) coupled with a modified truncation scheme for solving Poisson's boundary value problems in domains involving material non-homogeneities. The suitability and efficiency of the proposed implementation are evaluated for a given set of test cases of electrostatic field in domains involving different material interfaces.Design/methodology/approach - the authors combined an interpolating approximation with a modified domain truncation scheme, which avoids additional techniques for enforcing the Dirichlet boundary conditions and for dealing with material interfaces usually employed in meshfree formulations.Findings - the local electric potential and field distributions were correctly described as well as the global quantities like the total potency and resistance. Since, the treatment of the material interfaces becomes practically the same for both the finite element method (FEM) and the proposed EFGM, FEM-oriented programs can, thus, be easily extended to provide EFGM approximations.Research limitations/implications - the robustness of the proposed formulation became evident from the error analyses of the local and global variables, including in the case of high-material discontinuity.Practical implications - the proposed approach has shown to be as robust as linear FEM. Thus, it becomes an attractive alternative, also because it avoids the use of additional techniques to deal with boundary/interface conditions commonly employed in meshfree formulations.Originality/value - This paper reintroduces the domain truncation in the EFGM context, but by using a set of interpolating shape functions the authors avoided the use of Lagrange multipliers as well Mathematics in Engineering high-material discontinuity.

Protein deficiency and nutritional recovery modulate insulin secretion and the early steps of insulin action in rats

Maternal malnutrition was shown to affect early growth and leads to permanent alterations in insulin secretion and sensitivity of offspring. In addition, epidemiological studies showed an association between low birth weight and glucose intolerance in adult life. To understand these interactions better, we investigated the insulin secretion by isolated islets and the early events related to insulin action in the hind-limb muscle of adult rats fed a diet of 17% protein (control) or 6% protein [low (LP) protein] during fetal life, suckling and after weaning, and in rats receiving 6% protein during fetal life and suckling followed by a 17% protein diet after weaning (recovered). The basal and maximal insulin secretion by islets from rats fed LP diet and the basal release by islets from recovered rats were significantly lower than that of control rats. The dose-response curves to glucose of islets from LP and recovered groups were shifted to the right compared to control islets, with the half-maximal response (EC 50) occurring at 16.9 ± 1.3, 12.4 ± 0.5 and 8.4 ± 0.1 mmol/L, respectively. The levels of insulin receptor, as well as insulin receptor substrate-1 and phosphorylation and the association between insulin receptor substrate-1 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase were greater in rats fed a LP diet than in control rats. In recovered rats, these variables were not significantly different from those of the other two groups. These results suggest that glucose homeostasis is maintained in LP and recovered rats by an increased sensitivity to insulin as a result of alterations in the early steps of the insulin signal transduction pathway.

Attributable fraction of work accidents related to occupational noise exposure in a Southeastern city of Brazil

Noise is the most frequent type of occupational exposure and can lead to both auditory and extra-auditory dysfunction as well as increasing the risk of work accidents. The purpose of this study was to estimate the attributable fraction of work accidents related to occupational noise exposure in a medium-sized city in Southeast Brazil. In this hospital-based case-control study, including 600 cases and 822 controls, the odds ratio of work accidents (controlled for several covariables) was obtained classifying occupational noise exposure into four levels and determining the prevalence at each level. Based on these data, the calculated attributable fraction was 0.3041 (95%CI: 0.2341-0.3676), i.e., 30% of work accidents in the study area were statistically associated with occupational noise exposure. The authors discuss the causes of this association and the implications for the prevention of work accidents.