Behavior and foraging technique of the Ingram's squirrel Guerlinguetus ingrami (Sciuridae: Rodentia) in an Araucaria moist forest fragment

This work describes the foraging techniques, body positions and behavior of free-ranging Ingram's squirrel Guerlinguetus ingrami Thomas, 1901 in a region of the Araucaria moist forest, in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil. The animals were observed using the all occurrence sampling method with the aid of binoculars and a digital camcorder. All behaviors were described in diagrams and an ethogram. We recorded five basic body positions, 24 behaviors, two food choices, and three feeding strategies utilized to open fruits of Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.), the main food source of Ingram's squirrels. We also observed a variance in the animals' stance, which is possibly influenced by predation risk, and discuss the causes of some behaviors.

A New and Simple Visual Technique Based on Indigo Dye for Determination of Ozone in Ambient Air

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Structural properties of beds packed with agro-industrial solid by-products applicable for solid-state fermentation: Experimental data and effects on process performance

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Development of a method for sampling and determination of corrosion inhibitors in modified atmospheres

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Modeling of multiple cracks in reinforced concrete members using solid finite elements with high aspect ratio

This paper presents a new technique to model interfaces by means of degenerated solid finite elements, i.e., elements with a very high aspect ratio, with the smallest dimension corresponding to the thickness of the interfaces. It is shown that, as the aspect ratio increases, the element strains also increase, approaching the kinematics of the strong discontinuity. A tensile damage constitutive relation between strains and stresses is proposed to describe the nonlinear behavior of the interfaces associated with crack opening. To represent crack propagation, couples of triangular interface elements are introduced in between all regular (bulk) elements of the original mesh. With this technique the analyses can be performed integrally in the context of the continuum mechanics and complex crack patterns involving multiple cracks can be simulated without the need of tracking algorithms. Numerical tests are performed to show the applicability of the proposed technique, studding also aspects related to mesh objectivity.

The Use of Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction (HS-SPME) to Assess the Quality and Stability of Fruit Products: An Example Using Red Mombin Pulp (Spondias purpurea L.)

The present study aimed to evaluate the volatiles profile of red mombin (Spondias purpurea) pulp and its powder produced by spray-drying (SD) as an example to show utility of headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) in the analysis of parameters such as the quality and stability of fruit products. Volatiles profiles of the pulp were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), quantified by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and compared to the profile of the powder stored at 0, 60 and 120 days in plastic (PP) or laminated packages (LP). The results showed that the technique was able to identify 36 compounds in the red mombin pulp, 17 out of which have been described for the first time in this fruit, showing that red mombin fresh pulp appears to be unique in terms of volatiles composition. However, only 24 compounds were detected in the powder. This decrease is highly correlated (r(2) = 0.99), at least for the majority of compounds, to the degree of volatility of compounds. Furthermore, the powder stored in PP or LP showed no statistical differences in the amounts of its components for a period of 120 days of storage. Finally, this work shows how HS-SPME analysis can be a valuable tool to assess the quality and stability of fruit products.

SEQUENTIAL SAMPLING AND MICROSATELLITES FOR EVALUATION OF THE GENETIC QUALITY IN CORN SEEDS LOTS

In the seed production system, genetic purity is one of the fundamental requirements for its commercialization. The present work had the goal of determined the sample size for genetic purity evaluation, in order to protect the seed consumer and the producer and to evaluate the sensitivity of microsatellite technique for discriminating hybrids from their respective relatives and for detecting mixtures when they are present in small amounts in the samples. For the sequential sampling, hybrid seeds were marked and mixed in with the seed lots, simulating the following levels of contamination: 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0%. After this, groups of 40 seeds were taken in sequence, up to a maximum of 400 seeds, with the objective of determining the quantity of seeds necessary to detect the percentage of mixture mentioned above. The sensitivity of microsatellite technique was evaluated by mixing different proportions of DNA from the hybrids with their respective seed lines. For the level of mixture was higher than 1:8 (1P1:8P2; 8P1:1P2), the sensitivity of the marker in detecting different proportions of the mixture varied according to the primer used. In terms of the sequential sampling, it was verified that in order to detect mixture levels higher than 1% within the seed lot- with a risk level for both the producer and the consumer of 0.05- the size of the necessary sample was smaller than the size needed for the fixed sample size. This also made it possible to reduce costs, making it possible to use microsatellites to certify the genetic purity of corn seeds lots.

Subsídios para elaboração de plano municipal de gestão de resíduos sólidos orgânicos para o município de Rio Claro-SP

The research aims to propose grants for development of Municipal Plan for the Management of Organic Solid Waste generated in the municipality of Rio Claro. The research universe was composed of organic waste generators establishments (markets and grocers). From the registry of commercial establishments provided by the municipal government were identified who presented this typology, which totaled 38 establishments. In this universe the interview was conducted in 15 establishments obtained by directed sampling based on the characteristics of size, type and location. The data collected were the amount generated, disposal of waste, waste separation, collection frequency, reasons for the disposal of waste, frequency of purchase of products. From the data obtained in the field, we estimated the total generation of organic waste in this segment for the municipality. Then, the estimated costs for implementation and operation of a composting center, a way to subsidize the implementation of the management plan was carried out. We opted for the aerobic composting process by the simplicity of operation and because it is a technique already known. The average waste generation was established by tracks (size) with: stores up to 4 boxes (classified as small) generate on average 1511 kg / month, 40% of organic waste, the 5-9 boxes (small/midsize) generate on average 4338 kg / month, 35% organic and the 10 to 19 boxes (midsize) generate on average 7647 kg / month with 32% organic. In total establishments generate 105 t/ month of waste, with 35t / month of organics. 94% of establishments are in font segregation of waste into recyclable, organic and waste, indicating that the proposed management of organic waste is amenable to application without many changes in existing routine in stores. Recyclables are sent for recycling through selective collection held by the cooperative, while the organics are destined for the landfill and feed. The results indicate...

Determinação de manganêsem águas no entorno de minerações de urânio

The studies of this work aimed to determine the labile fractions of manganese (Mn) in natural and drainage water samples collected around the Osamu Utsumi uranium mine, located in the municipality of Caldas, south-central region of Poços de Caldas- MG, using the technique of diffusion gradient in thin films (DGT). The DGT devices were mounted with Chelex-100 resin, polyacrylamide-agarose hydrogel (conventional porosity) and cellulose acetate membrane. The device were deployed up to 48 hours in six water samples collected from different areas around the uranium mine (075, 076, 022-E, 025-E, 014, and 041). The DGT devices immersed in each sample were gradually removed after 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours. The pH of the samples ranged from 3.0 to 10.5, which influenced the lability and the sampling of the analyte by the Chelex-100 resin. The results showed a linear relationship between accumulated mass and sampling time (immersion curve) for samples 014 and 025-E (pH between 6 and 8) suggesting the ability of the DGT technique for sampling the analyte. The results obtained for samples 075 and 076 (pH<5) and samples 041 and 022-E (pH around 10) were characterized by nonlinear relationships. The values obtained by DGT were compared with Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) technique using Chelex-100. For samples 014 and 025-E, there was a good agreement between the results obtained by both techniques

Sequential sampling of Euschistus heros (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in soybean

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Co-deposition of gold nanoparticles and metalloporphyrin using the langmuir-blodgett (LB) technique for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS)

The synergistic effect produced by metallic nanoparticles when incorporated into different systems empowers a research field that is growing rapidly. In addition, organometallic materials are at the center of intensive research with diverse applications such as light-emitting devices, transistors, solar cells, and sensors. The Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique has proven to be suitable to address challenges inherent to organic devices, since the film properties can be tuned at the molecular level. Here we report a strategy to incorporate gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into the LB film by co-deposition in order to achieve surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of the zinc(II)-protoporphyrin (IX) dimethyl ester (ZnPPIX-DME). Prior to the LB co-deposition, the properties of the Langmuir monolayer of ZnPPIX-DME at the air-water interface, containing AuNPs in the subphase, are studied through the surface-pressure versus mean molecular area (π-A) isotherms. The ZnPPIX-DME+AuNPs π-A isotherm presented a significant shift to higher molecular area, suggesting an interaction between both ZnPPIX-DME molecules and AuNPs. Those interactions are a key factor allowing the co-deposition of both AuNPs and ZnPPIX-DME molecules onto a solid substrate, thus forming the LB film. SERS of ZnPPIX-DME was successfully attained, ensuring the spatial distribution of the AuNPs. Higher enhancement factors were found at AuNP aggregates, as a result of the intense local electromagnetic field found in the metal nanoparticle aggregates. The main vibrational bands observed in the SERS spectra suggest a physical adsorption of the ZnPPIX-DME onto the surface of AuNPs. The latter is not only in agreement with the interactions pointed out by the π-A isotherms but also suggests that this interaction is kept upon LB film co-deposition.

Life cycle assessment applied to municipal solid waste management: a case study

This study analyzes the environmental performance of the Municipal Solid Waste Management System (MSWMS) of Piedade, São Paulo, from a systemic perspective. A life cycle assessment (LCA) technique was applied according to an attributional approach to evaluate both the current operational situation and different prospective scenarios, which were devised based on the application of targets for recycling dry and wet waste suggested by the pre-draft version of the Brazilian Plan for Solid Waste. The life cycle impact assessment method EcoIndicator 99, in association with normalization and weighting procedures, was used to conduct the analysis. It was observed that the adoption of goals of 30%, 50% and 70% for recovering of the recyclable dry waste, resulted in improvement of the environmental performance of the waste management system under analysis, respectively of 10%, 15% and 20%. It was also possible to detect an evolution in the order of 54% in reducing impacts resulting from the adoption of targets for composting. LCA proved to be effective for the evaluation of the environmental performance of MSWMS-Piedade. However, for future evaluations, the attributional approach should be replaced by the methodological practice of substitution to enable the avoided burdens to be considered in estimations of the environmental performance municipal solid waste management systems.

Thermal, spectroscopic and DFT studies of solid benzamide

Thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and DFT theoretical calculations were used to study benzamide. The TG-DTA and DSC curves provided information concerning the melting point, evaporation and thermal stability of the compound. Using the FTIR technique it was possible to confirm the evaporation of the compound with no degradation. Density functional theory (DFT) at the 6-311++G (3df, 3dp) level, provided information regarding the energies involved in HOMO-LUMO transitions and the chemical stability of the compound.

Determinação de vanádio em águas usando a técnica de difusão em filmes finos por gradientes de concentração

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)