Are high energy cosmic rays magnetic monopoles?

We argue that the hypothesis of magnetic monopoles as being the highest energy cosmic ray events is unlikely. For reasonable values of the monopole mass both the observed spectrum and the arrival direction disagree with observation. Our conclusions could be evaded if (i) monopoles are accelerated in the extragalactic magnetic fields to energies much above the observed energies and (ii) the amount of energy that the monopole yields to the shower is small. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. B.V.

Albendazole sulfoxide enantiomers: Preparative chiral separation and absolute stereochemistry

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

Viabilidade econômica para produção de mel em propriedade familiar

Em 2009, o Brasil quebrou o seu recorde de exportação de mel, gerando receita superior a US$ 65 milhões. Entretanto, existe uma lacuna nos aspectos econômicos, para grande parte dos apicultores inseridos nesta cadeia. Desta forma, levantou-se o investimento necessário para a produção de mel, em uma propriedade familiar de Cajuru (SP), com estimativas de investimento e custos de produção baseados no Custo Operacional Total (COT) utilizado pelo Instituto de Economia Agrícola, obtendo-se R$ 97.093,00 como valor total do investimento. Para a análise econômica, avaliando-se a produção de mel originária de flor de laranjeira e silvestre, o custo operacional total foi de R$ 16.400,13, considerando-se que as despesas com insumos perfizeram 70% do Custo Operacional Efetivo (COE) e 26% do COT, obtendo-se índice de lucratividade de 46%. em relação ao ponto de nivelamento, o apicultor precisa produzir 4.659 kg de mel, ou vender ao preço mínimo de R$ 1,93/kg a produção obtida, para cobrir os custos. Constatou-se, com base no fluxo de caixa, TIR de 7,24% e que o investimento inicial retorna em 10 anos, mostrando resultados atrativos para este segmento agropecuário, considerando-se a racionalidade de uso dos fatores de produção, bem como um aumento progressivo na quantidade produzida.

Enraizamento de estacas herbáceas de diferentes espécies de maracujazeiro

O trabalho foi realizado na Área de Propagação de Fruteiras do Departamento de Produção Vegetal da Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), em Jaboticabal-SP, com o objetivo de verificar a possibilidade de obtenção de mudas por estaquia de maracujá (Passiflora spp.), nas espécies comerciais P. edulis Sims f. flavicarpa Degener e P. alata Dryander, e nos porta-enxertos P. giberti N.E.Brown, P. nitida H.B.K. e P. setacea D.C. O experimento foi realizado no período de junho de 2000 a junho de 2001, em câmara de nebulização intermitente, em condições de telado (50% de sombreamento). As estacas foram coletadas de plantas adultas, oriundas do Banco de Germoplasma Ativo (BAG) do Departamento de Produção Vegetal da FCAV/UNESP e de pomares comerciais, no caso a espécie P. edulis f. flavicarpa, coletando-se a parte intermediária de ramos em estádio de crescimento vegetativo, preparando-se estacas herbáceas com, aproximadamente, 15cm de comprimento, três nós e duas folhas reduzidas ao meio, coletadas em junho e outubro de 2000, e abril de 2001. As estacas foram tratadas com ácido indolbutírico (IBA) nas concentrações de 500; 1.000 e 2.000mg.L-1, por cinco segundos, e sem tratamento (testemunha), e plantadas em bandejas plásticas (40x30x10cm), com vermiculita de textura média, por 60 dias. A percentagem de enraizamento foi maior na espécie P. edulis f. flavicarpa (76,7%), na primavera. A P. giberti e a P. nitida enraizaram na primavera e no inverno, e a P. alata em todas as épocas estudadas. A P. setacea não enraizou. A sobrevivência, o número e o comprimento de raízes foram maiores na primavera.

Comparação entre diversos substratos no enraizamento de estacas de crotón (Codiaeum variegatum L.)

Com o objetivo de determinar o melhor substrato para o enraizamento de estacas de crotón (Codiaeum variegatum L.), utilizou-se areia, vermiculita média, areia x vermiculita (75% x 25%); (50% x 50%); (25% x 75%), esponja fenólica e solo. O experimento foi conduzido em câmara de nebulização com delineamento em blocos casualizados com quatro repetições de vinte estacas cada. Determinaram-se as propriedades físicas dos substratos e foram efetuadas as seguintes avaliações: porcentagem de estacas enraizadas, porcentagem de estacas brotadas, número de raízes por estaca, comprimento da maior raiz e peso da matéria seca das raízes. Os resultados permitem concluir que o substrato vermiculita média é o mais indicado para o enraizamento de estacas de crotón, embora os demais, exceto o solo e areia que apresentaram os piores desempenhos, também possam ser utilizados.

O cromossomo Y na raça Chianina no Brasil

Foram cariotipados 95 touros puros de origem, da raça Chianina, ditribuidos em 19 empresas pastoris, em 5 estados brasileiros. O objetivo foi investigar a incidência de indivíduos portadores de cromossomo Y acrocêntrico, típico das raças de Bos taurus indicus, face às especulações de que as raças indianas poderiam ter contribuido para a formação do Chianina. Todos os indivíduos avaliados mostraram o cromossomo Y de Bos taurrus taurus. O índice centromérico obtido foi de 43,91%, o que permitiu classificar o centrômero deste cromossomo como localizado na região mediana. Foram avaliados também 29 touros com o objetivo de verificar a presença do polimorfismo intraracial do cromossomo Y. O índice centromérico e o tamanho relativo do Y foi determinado. O tamanho do cromossomo X serviu como base para estimar o tamano relativo do Y. A análise de variância mostrou diferenças entre touros apenas no tamanho relativo do Y, sendo que o índice centromérico não difereiu entre os mesmos. Concluimos que este polimorfismo indica que a raça Chianina pode ter recebido contribuição de outras raças em passado remoto ou pode também indicar a possibilidade de cruzamentos mais recentes.

Row-column response surface designs

Factorial experiments are widely used in industry to investigate the effects of process factors on quality response variables. Many food processes, for example, are not only subject to variation between days, but also between different times of the day. Removing this variation using blocking factors leads to row-column designs. In this paper, an algorithm is described for constructing factorial row-column designs when the factors are quantitative, and the data are to be analysed by fitting a polynomial model. The row-column designs are constructed using an iterative interchange search, where interchanges that result in an improvement in the weighted mean of the efficiency factors corresponding to the parameters of interest are accepted. Some examples illustrating the performance of the algorithm are given.

Observing documentary reading by verbal protocol

Verifies the applicability to research on indexers' reading strategies of the process observing technique known as Verbal Protocol or Thinking Aloud. This interpretative-qualitative data collecting technique allows the observation of different kinds of process during the progress of different kinds of tasks. Presents a theoretical investigation into reading and into formal methodological procedures to observe reading processes. Describes details of the methodological procedures adopted in five case studies with analysis of samples of data. The project adopted three kinds of parameters for data analysis: theoretical, normative, empirical (derived from observations made in the first case study). The results are compared, and important conclusions regarding documentary reading are drawn.

Joint (X)over-bar and R charts with two-stage samplings

When joint (X) over bar and R charts are in use, samples of fixed size are regularly taken from the process, and their means and ranges are plotted on the (X) over bar and R charts, respectively. In this article, joint (X) over bar and R charts have been used for monitoring continuous production processes. The sampling is performed, in two stages. During the first stage, one item of the sample is inspected and, depending on the result, the sampling is interrupted if the process is found to be in control; otherwise, it goes on to the second stage, where the remaining sample items are inspected. The two-stage sampling procedure speeds up the detection of process disturbances. The proposed joint (X) over bar and R charts are easier to administer and are more efficient than the joint (X) over bar and R charts with variable sample size where the quality characteristic of interest can be evaluated either by attribute or variable. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

A neural network-based preset generation tool for a steel tandem cold mill

This paper traces the development of a software tool, based oil a combination of artificial neural networks (ANN) and a few process equations. aiming to serve as a backup operation instrument in the reference generation for real-time controllers of a steel tandem cold mill By emulating the mathematical model responsible for generating presets under normal operational conditions, the system works as ail option to maintain plant operation in the event of a failure in the processing unit that executes the mathematical model. The system, built from the production data collected over six years of plant operation, steered to the replacement of the former backup operation mode (based oil a lookup table). which degraded both product quality and plant productivity. The study showed that ANN are appropriated tools for the intended purpose and that by this instrument it is possible to achieve nearly the totality of the presets needed by this land of process. The text characterizes the problem, relates the investigated options to solve it. justifies the choice of the ANN approach, describes the methodology and system implementation and, finally, shows and discusses the attained results. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Monitoring the covariance matrix with the VMAX chart

In this article, we propose a new statistic to control the covariance matrix of bivariate processes. This new statistic is based on the sample vat-lances of the two quality characteristics, shortly VMAX statistic. The points plotted on the chart correspond to the maximum of the values of these two variances. The reasons to consider the VMAX statistic instead of the generalized variance vertical bar S vertical bar are faster detection of process changes and better diagnostic feature, that is, with the VMAX statistic It is easier to identify the out-of-control variable.

Agreement between direct, oscillometric and Doppler ultrasound blood pressures using three different cuff positions in anesthetized dogs

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

Desarrollo ontogénico de plántulas de Guazuma ulmifolia (Sterculiaceae)

Guazuma ulmifolia is as popular reforestation tree all over Latin America. It is characteristic of the initial stages of the secondary sucession and presents potential utility in the restoring of degraded areas. There is no information about fruit, seed and seedling morphology, which is of fundamental importance for identification, extraction, management and seed germination as well as for the characterization of post-seminal development and normal seedling pattern. To obtain such information, external fruit, and external and internal seed structures were studied considenng shape, size, micropile and embryo localization, and tegumentar structures. All stages of this work were conduced in the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Campus of Jaboticabal city. The fruits were collected in a mixed plantation in Jaboticabal city, State of São Paulo, Brazil. For the biometric study eight repetitions of ten fruits and eight repetitions of 100 seeds were utilized. For seed internal traits study, 50 seeds were drenched in a distiled water, cut, and observed with a scanning electron microscope and a stereomicroscope. For post-seminal study ten repetitions of seven seeds were scarificated chemically with sulphuric acid during 50 min, and placed to germinate in a culture medium, at 30°C, and eight hours of photoperiod. We found elipsoid, woody, indehiscent, pentacarpelar fruits, with a mean lenght of 22.61 mm (diameter 24.88 mm) and 64.0 seeds per fruit. Seed shape varies, mean length is 3.07 mm (width of 2.36 mm).The seed is bitegumented, tegmic, with a continuous, axial and curved embryo. The germination is epigeal and the seedlings are fanerocotiledoneus. Drawings of all stages are included.

Relativistic quark spin coupling effects in the nucleon electromagnetic form factors

We investigate the effect of different forms of relativistic spin coupling of constituent quarks in the nucleon electromagnetic form factors. The four-dimensional integrations in the two-loop Feynman diagram are reduced to the null-plane, such that the light-front wave function is introduced in the computation of the form factors. The neutron charge form factor is very sensitive to different choices of spin coupling schemes, once its magnetic moment is fitted to the experimental value. The scalar coupling between two quarks is preferred by the neutron data, when a reasonable fit of the proton magnetic momentum is found. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.

Encapsulação da rifampicina em matrizes poliméricas flutuantes obtidas por liofilização a partir de metilcelulose e ftalato de hidroxipropilmetilcelulose. Avaliação da liberação in vitro

Floating multiparticles for oral administration with different compositions were studied from a matricial polymeric system to obtain sustained release. The polymers used in the multiparticles constitution were methylceullose (MC) and hydroxypropylmethylcelullose phthalate (HPMCP) in several proportions. Spherical and isolated structures were obtained using HPMCP/MC in the range from 1:3 to 1: 13. The diameters of the floating multiparticles were in the range from 3 to 3.25 mm, while the non-floating particles were between 1.75 and 2.1 mm. The morphological analysis by confocal microscopy showed that the probable mechanism of drug release was the diffusion from the inner of particles to external media. The encapsulation of hydrophilic model substances (tartrazin and bordeaux S), showed that the maximum incorporation was about 38%, while for the lipophilic model substances (rifampicin) was 45%. The in vitro release of rifampicin in acid medium was dependent on the ratio HPMCP/MC. In alkaline medium the release followed a two-step profile, with slow release in the initial times and subsequent increase in the higher times The initial drug delivery profile was not dependent on the MC/HPMCP ratio and can be related with the release of the antibiotic from multiparticle inner caused by the swelling of polymers by the presence of water in the system. However, afterwards the release proceeds with typical profile of process involving hydrogels systems.