Evaluation of Lubricating Oil Preparation Procedures for the Determination of Al, Ba, Mo, Si and V by High-Resolution Continuum Source FAAS

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

Effect of the type of environmental stress on the emergence of sunflower (Helianthus annus L.), soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril) and maize (Zea mays L.) seeds with different levels of vigor

Sowing is a critical time in the cycle of a crop and the seeds are frequently exposed to adverse conditions that may compromise the establishment of seedlings in the field. on this basis, the objective of the present study was to determine the effect of types of environmental stress on the emergence of sunflower, maize and soybean seeds with different levels of vigor. High vigor seeds were artificially aged in order to obtain medium and low vigor seeds and then they were sown in clay soil in plastic boxes and submitted to the following types of environmental stress during the germination process : 1) high temperature (35degreesC), 2) low temperature (15 or 18degreesC), 3) water excess (Psi > -0.0001 MPa), 4) water deficiency (Psi approximately equal to -1.1; -1.2 and -0.6 MPa for sunflower, maize and soybean, respectively), 5) sowing at a depth of 7 cm and 6) pathogenic infection of sunflower seeds with Alternaria helianthi, of maize seeds with Fusarium moniliforme and of soybean seeds with Colletotrichum dematium, var. truncata. The results were compared to those obtained with controls sown under optimal condition. It was concluded that: 1) the effect of seed vigor on emergence depends on the type of enviromental stress to which the seeds are exposed, 2) the stress to which the the seeds demonstrated highest sensitivity varied with species and 3) high temperature stress was the one that most impaired the emergence of the three species.

Simplified multiresidue method for the determination of organophosphorus insecticides in olive oil

A simple and rapid method for the determination of 13 organophosphorus insecticides and their metabolites in olive oil by GC is described. The pesticide was extracted from oil with acetonitrile and no cleanup was needed. GC-nitrogen-phosphorus detection response factors of pesticides were affected by solvents and coextractive substances. Pesticides in hexane showed on average higher response factors. Standards were prepared in the residue-free oil extract solubilized in hexane to handle effects of matrix and solvent. The low amount of coextractive substances does not decrease the column efficiency, even after a few hundred analyses. Recovery at three fortification levels (ca. 0.1, 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg) ranged from 74 to 118%, With coefficients of variation ranging from 1 to 16.

Developing a research agenda for promoting physical activity in Brazil through environmental and policy change

Objective. To identify the highest priorities for research on environmental and policy changes for promoting physical activity (PA) in Brazil; to uncover any gaps between researchers' and practitioners' priorities; and to consider which tools, methods, collaborative strategies, and actions could be useful to moving a research agenda forward.Methods. This was a mixed-methods study (qualitative and quantitative) conducted by Project GUIA (Guide for Useful Interventions for Activity in Brazil and Latin America) in February 2010-January 2011. A total of 240 individuals in the PA field (186 practitioners and 54 researchers) were asked to generate research ideas; 82 participants provided 266 original statements from which 52 topics emerged. Participants rated topics by "importance" and "feasibility;" a separate convenience sample of 21 individuals categorized them. Cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling were used to create concept maps and pattern matches.Results. Five distinct clusters emerged from the concept mapping, of which " effectiveness and innovation in PA interventions" was rated most important by both practitioners and researchers. Pattern matching showed a divergence between the groups, especially regarding feasibility, where there was no consensus.Conclusions. The study results provided the basis for a research agenda to advance the understanding of environmental and policy influences on PA promotion in Brazil and Latin America. These results should stimulate future research and, ultimately, contribute to the evidence-base of successful PA strategies in Latin America.

Natural Conditions and Environmental Impacts in a Coastal Hydrographic Basin in the Brazilian Amazon

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The reliability of experts' opinions in constructing a composite environmental index: The case of ESI 2005

The complexity of the environment demands a well-constructed composite environmental index (CEI) to provide a useful tool to draw attention to environmental conditions and trends for policy purposes. Among the common difficulties in constructing a proper CEI are uncertainties due to the selection of the most representative underlying variables or indicators. A degree of uncertainty accompanies experts' judgments, and to deal with vague, subjective or inconsistent information, logic other than classic is required. This study analyzes a procedure that uses different experts' opinions in constructing a CEI. with the use of paraconsistent annotated logic. For this, a sensitivity analysis of the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI 2005) was used as an example to assess the reliability of experts' opinions. The uncertainty due to the disagreement in experts' opinions clearly indicates that the forms we presently use to measure and monitor the actual environment are insufficient, that is, there is a lack of a "science of sustainability". (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling and identification of fertility maps using artificial neural networks

The application of agricultural fertilizers using variable rates along the field can be made through fertility maps previously elaborated or through real-time sensors. In most of the cases applies maps previously elaborated. These maps are identified from analyzes done in soil samples collected regularly (a sample for each field cell) or irregularly along the field. At the moment, mathematical interpolation methods such as nearest neighbor, local average, weighted inverse distance, contouring and kriging are used for predicting the variables involved with elaboration of fertility maps. However, some of these methods present deficiencies that can generate different fertility maps for a same data set. Moreover, such methods can generate inprecise maps to be used in precision farming. In this paper, artificial neural networks have been applied for elaboration and identification of precise fertility maps which can reduce the production costs and environmental impacts.

In vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of a castor oil-based irrigant

The antimicrobial activity of irrigating solutions - Endoquil (castor oil detergent), 2% chlorhexidine gluconate solution, and 0.5% NaOCI solution - was evaluated against Gram-positive cocci (Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus mutans, and Streptococcus sobrinus), Gramnegative rods (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and the yeast Candida albicans. Activity was evaluated using the two-layer agar diffusion technique. The base layer was obtained by pouring 10.0 ml of Muller Hinton Medium or 10.0 ml of Brain Heart Infusion agar in a Petri dish. After solidification a 5.0 ml seed layer of Muller Hinton Medium or Brain Heart Infusion agar with inoculum (106/ml) was added. Absorbent paper disks (6.0 mm in diameter) immersed in the solutions were placed at equidistant points. Plates were maintained at room temperature for 2 h for prediffusion of the solutions and incubated at 37°C for 24 h. The candle jar system was used for the Brain Heart Infusion agar plates. All tests were performed in duplicate. After incubation the medium was optimized with 0.05 g% triphenyltetrazolium chlorate gel and inhibition halos were measured. All bacterial strains were inhibited by 2.0% chlorhexidine gluconate. Endoquil was effective against Grampositive microorganisms, and 0.5% NaOCI was effective only against S. aureus. Copyright © 2001 by The American Association of Endodontists.

GIS_EM (Geographic information system for environmental monitoring) - A software implemented at Paulínia refinery (REPLAN) for management of environmental data

The computational program called GIS_EM (Geographic Information System for Environmental Monitoring), a software devised to manage geographic information for monitoring soil, surface, and ground water, developed for use in the Health, Safety, and Environment Division of Paulinia Refinery is presented. This program enables registering and management of alphanumeric information pertaining to specific themes such as drilling performed for sample collection and for installation of monitoring wells, geophysical and other tests, results of chemical analyses of soil, surface, and groundwater, as well as reference values providing orientation for soil and water quality, such as EPA, Dutch List, etc. Management of such themes is performed by means of alphanumeric search tools, with specific filters and, in the case of spatial search, through the selection of spatial elements (themes) in map view. Documents existing in digital form, such as reports, photos, maps, may be registered and managed in the network environment. As the system centralizes information generated upon environmental investigations, it expedites access to and search of documents produced and stored in the network environment, minimizing search time and the need to file printed documents. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the AIChE Annual Meeting and Fall Showcase (Cincinnati, OH 10/30/2005-11/4/2005).

Digital radiography for the inspection of weld seams of pipelines - better sensitivity

Conventional radiography, using industrial radiographic films, has its days numbered. Digital radiography, recently, has taken its place in various segments of products and services, such as medicine, aerospace, security, automotive, etc. As well as the technological trend, the digital technique has brought proven benefits in terms of productivity, sensitivity, the environment, tools for image treatment, cost reductions, etc. If the weld to be inspected is on a serried product, such as, for example, a pipe, the best option for the use of digital radiography is the plane detector, since its use can reduce the length of the inspection cycle due to its high degree of automation. This work tested welded joints produced with the submerged arc process, which were specially prepared in such a way that it shows small artificial cracks, which served as the basis forcomparing the sensitivity levels of the techniques involved. After carrying out the various experiments, the digital meth odshowed the highest sensitivity for the image quality indicator (IQI) of the wire and also in terms of detecting small discontinuities, indicating that the use of digital radiography using the plane detector had advantages over the conventional technique (Moreira et al. Digital radiography, the use of plane detectors for the inspection of welds in oil pipes and gas pipes.9th COTEQ and XXV National Testing Congress for Non Destructive Testing and Inspection; Salvador, Bahia, Brazil and Bavendiek et al. New digital radiography procedure exceeds film sensitivity considerably in aerospace applications. ECNDT; 2006; Berlin). The works were carried out on the basis of the specifications for oil and gas pipelines, API 5L 2004 edition (American Petroleum Institute. API 5L: specification for line pipe. 4th ed. p. 155; 2004) and ISO 3183 2007 edition (International Organization for Standardization, ISO 3183. Petroleum and gas industries - steel pipes for pi pelines transportation systems. p. 143; 2007). © 2010 Taylor & Francis.

Development and validation of an environmentally friendly attenuated total reflectance in the mid-infrared region method for the determination of ethanol content in used engine lubrication oil

Lubricating oils are crucial in the operation of automotive engines because they both reduce friction between moving parts and protect against corrosion. However, the performance of lubricant oil may be affected by contaminants, such as gasoline, diesel, ethanol, water and ethylene glycol. Although there are many standard methods and studies related to the quantification of contaminants in lubricant oil, such as gasoline and diesel oil, to the best of our knowledge, no methods have been reported for the quantification of ethanol in used Otto cycle engine lubrication oils. Therefore, this work aimed at the development and validation of a routine method based on partial least-squares multivariate analysis combined with attenuated total reflectance in the mid-infrared region to quantify ethanol content in used lubrication oil. The method was validated based on its figures of merit (using the net analyte signal) as follows: limit of detection (0.049%), limit of quantification (0.16%), accuracy (root mean square error of prediction=0.089% w/w), repeatability (0.05% w/w), fit (R 2 =0.9997), mean selectivity (0.047), sensitivity (0.011), inverse analytical sensitivity (0.016% w/w-1) and signal-to-noise ratio (max: 812.4 and min: 200.9). The results show that the proposed method can be routinely implemented for the quality control of lubricant oils. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical characterization and acaricide potential of essential oil from aerial parts of Tagetes patula L. (Asteraceae) against engorged adult females of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806)

Rhipicephalus sanguineus, commonly known as the brown dog tick, is one of the most widely distributed species of tick. In dogs, it can cause anemia and provide the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms such as Babesia canis, Ehrlichia canis, Hepatozoon canis, Anaplasma platys, and Mycoplasma haemocanis. To man, it can transmit the intracellular parasites Rickettsia rickettsii and Rickettsia conorii, the causative agents of the Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the Americas and Mediterranean and spotted fever in Europe and North Africa. Its control is performed by applying synthetic formulations composed of pyrethroids; however, continued use of these products results in environmental damage and acquisition of resistance. Alternatively, studies with botanical insecticides have been increasingly recurrent. Therefore, this study aimed to test the efficacy of essential oil of Tagetes patula, a ruderal species widely described in the literature for its insecticidal properties, in engorged females of R. sanguineus by the adults immersion test (AIT) and impregnated paper disk test (IPDT). The essential oil used, through gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, revealed the presence of 55 compounds, being the 4-vinyl guaiacol and gamma terpinene the majority ones. The AIT compared to the IPDT was more efficient in inhibiting oviposition of tick; however, the eggs laid by the females submitted to saturated atmosphere with essential oil, from IPDT, not hatched, interrupted their development cycle. Besides being a pioneer work, the results presented here contributes to new researches, aiming the incorporation of essential oil in an acaricide for use in the environment. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Action of neem oil (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) on cocoon spinning in Ceraeochrysa claveri (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)

Neem oil is a biopesticide that disturbs the endocrine and neuroendocrine systems of pests and may interfere with molting, metamorphosis and cocoon spinning. The cocoon serves protective functions for the pupa during metamorphosis, and these functions are dependent on cocoon structure. To assess the changes in cocoon spinning caused by neem oil ingestion, Ceraeochrysa claveri larvae, a common polyphagous predator, were fed with neem oil throughout the larval period. When treated with neem oil, changes were observed on the outer and inner surfaces of the C. claveri cocoon, such as decreased wall thickness and impaired ability to attach to a substrate. These negative effects may reduce the effectiveness of the mechanical and protective functions of cocoons during pupation, which makes the specimen more vulnerable to natural enemies and environmental factors. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Estabelecimento de um índice de sensibilidade ambiental ao óleo em ambientes fluviais, com o suporte da ferramenta MORPH

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Mapeamento de sensibilidade ambiental ao óleo do arquipélago de Ilha Bela - SP

Pós-graduação em Geociências e Meio Ambiente - IGCE