Urban sprawl and energy use for transportation in the largest Brazilian cities

A study of the relationships between the amount of energy consumed for transportation purposes and a few selected variables related to urban form and socioeconomic characteristics of some of the largest Brazilian cities is conducted in this work. The studied cities include all 27 state capitals regardless of their size and population and 184 urban areas each with more than 20,000 inhabitants located in the state of São Paulo. Two different techniques were applied for data analyses: a more traditional regression analysis approach and artificial neural networks. In general, the results found in the analyses conducted here support the assumption that urban sprawl increases the energy use for transportation. In the case of the 27 state capitals, the analysis indicated that two spatial variables have a strong impact on the energy consumed for urban transportation: urban density and the ratio between the longest distances in the east-west and north-south directions. In the case of the 184 urbanized areas we also reached a similar conclusion. In that case, however, income and employment level apparently have a stronger influence on the amount of energy consumed. The results of the present study stress the importance of physical planning in developing country cities in order to reduce energy use for transportation. © 2007 International Energy Initiative, Inc.

Prevalence of enamel white spots and risk factors in children up to 36 months old

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of enamel white spots and the quality of oral hygiene in children up to 36 months old, in municipalities with different fluoride levels in the water supply, analyzing the contribution of several variables. After approval of the Ethics Committee, the parents signed an informed consent form and were interviewed about their educational level, economic classification of the family, nursing habits, use of toothpaste, access to dental service and other information. The children were clinically examined using the same codes and criteria established by the WHO (World Health Organization) and ADA (American Dental Association). The data were processed and analyzed with the Epi-info software program, version 3.2, and Microsoft Excel. Fisher's exact test (p<0.05) was applied to assess the association among the variables. The enamel white spot prevalence was 30.8% and the age group, duration of the bedtime milk feeding habit, age of initial practice of oral hygiene and presence of caries lesions with cavitation were considered statistically significant with regard to enamel white spot prevalence (p < 0.05). No association was found between oral hygiene quality and the study variables. © 2009 Sociedade Brasileira de Pesquisa Odontológica.

Soursop (Annona muricata L.) and sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.): Antioxidant activity, fatty acids profile and determination of tocopherols

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the soursop and sugar apple seeds as to its composition, to evaluate the antioxidant potential of seeds extract and characterize the oil extracted from them, regarding the fatty acids profile and content of tocopherols. Design/methodology/approach: To obtain the extracts, dried and crushed seeds were extracted with ethanol for 30 minutes, at a ratio of 1:3 (m/m, seed: ethyl alcohol) under continuous stirring at room temperature. Then, the mixture was filtered and the supernatants subjected to rotoevaporator at 40°C aiming to determine, by direct weighing, the yields of dry extracts. Findings: According to the results, the soursop and sugar apple seeds constituted significant sources of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates and can therefore be used in food and feed, and offer relevant antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds. The oil seeds are a good source of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic and linoleic acids and they have significant amounts of total tocopherol. Research limitations/implications: Implications are the identification of bioactive compounds extracted from seeds of tropical and subtropical fruits, and to prevent certain types of diseases. Practical implications: The information presented might be directly used for developing of functional foods such as fruits. Originality/value: The article tries to identify new source of compounds extracted from fruits. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Upland rice growth and mineral nutrition as affected by cultivars and sulfur availability

A better understanding of the differential growth of upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars with increasing soil S availability could help improve rice yield under upland conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate root and shoot growth and nutrition of upland traditional and modern rice cultivars as affected by S availability. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 3 (rates of S) × 3 (cultivars) factorial with four replications. Low availability of S in the soil reduces root and shoot development and the efficiency of N, P, and S uptake, as well as the concentration and content of these nutrients in rice cultivars. At 0 mg dm-3 of S, rice cultivars prioritize root growth over shoots, and the traditional cultivar does so with greater intensity. Our results suggested that more development of traditional cultivars under low S availability facilitates its adaptation in soils under this condition. On the other hand, the intermediate and modern cultivars are more responsive to S fertilization. Moreover, S fertilization allows significant increases in upland rice growth and must be considered in cropping systems aiming for high yields. © Soil Science Society of America.

Chromosome painting of Z and W sex chromosomes in Characidium (Characiformes, Crenuchidae)

Some species of the genus Characidium have heteromorphic ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes with a totally heterochromatic W chromosome. Methods for chromosome microdissection associated with chromosome painting have become important tools for cytogenetic studies in Neotropical fish. In Characidium cf. fasciatum, the Z chromosome contains a pericentromeric heterochromatin block, whereas the W chromosome is completely heterochromatic. Therefore, a probe was produced from the W chromosome through microdissection and degenerate oligonucleotide-primed polymerase chain reaction amplification. FISH was performed using the W probe on the chromosomes of specimens of this species. This revealed expressive marks in the pericentromeric region of the Z chromosome as well as a completely painted W chromosome. When applying the same probe on chromosome preparations of C. cf. gomesi and Characidium sp., a pattern similar to C. cf. fasciatum was found, while C. cf. zebra, C. cf. lagosantense and Crenuchus spilurus species showed no hybridization signals. Structural changes in the chromosomes of an ancestral sexual system in the group that includes the species C. cf. gomesi, C. cf. fasciatum and Characidium sp., could have contributed to the process of speciation and could represent a causal mechanism of chromosomal diversification in this group. The heterochromatinization process possibly began in homomorphic and homologous chromosomes of an ancestral form, and this process could have given rise to the current patterns found in the species with sex chromosome heteromorphism. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Deposição de sílica e teor de nitrogênio e silício em arroz

The nitrogen fertilization is an important practice to reach high productivity, however, nitrogen high level can cause lodging and make the plants more sensitive to disease. Numerous studies has demonstrate that a lot of grasses accumulate silicon at its tissues, and the biggest part of this element is deposited on the leaf, that would work like a mechanical barrier to diseases come in. However, high levels of nitrogen can reduce the silica deposition at the plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate silicon and nitrogen content in shoot and silica deposition in upland rice leaf as a result of Si and N levels. The experimental design used was completely randomized in factorial schema 3 x 2 with five replications. The treatments consisted from levels of N (5, 75 and 150 mg dm-3 of soil) in urea form and two levels of SiO2 (0 e 400 mg dm-3) in calcium silicate form (Wollastonita). The increased of urea fertilization reduced the silicon content of rice plants and the silica deposition at the external cells wall the epidermal rice leafs.

Eumelanin thin films: Solution-processing, growth, and charge transport properties

Eumelanin pigments show hydration-dependent conductivity, broad-band UV-vis absorption, and chelation of metal ions. Solution-processing of synthetic eumelanins opens new possibilities for the characterization of eumelanin in thin film form and its integration into bioelectronic devices. We investigate the effect of different synthesis routes and processing solvents on the growth, the morphology, and the chemical composition of eumelanin thin films using atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We further characterize the films by transient electrical current measurements obtained at 50% to 90% relative humidity, relevant for bioelectronic applications. We show that the use of dimethyl sulfoxide is preferable over ammonia solution as processing solvent, yielding homogeneous films with surface roughnesses below 0.5 nm and a chemical composition in agreement with the eumelanin molecular structure. These eumelanin films grow in a quasi layer-by-layer mode, each layer being composed of nanoaggregates, 1-2 nm high, 10-30 nm large. The transient electrical measurements using a planar two-electrode device suggest that there are two contributions to the current, electronic and ionic, the latter being increasingly dominant at higher hydration, and point to the importance of time-dependent electrical characterization of eumelanin films. This journal is © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

As interrogativas de conteúdo na história do Português brasileir o: uma abordagem discursivo-funcional

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

O trabalho docente para além do ensino: o uso do tempo destinado ao preparo de aula por professoras alfabetizadoras de escola estadual de ciclo I do ensino fundamental

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Produção, digestibilidade e amido resistente em biscoitos extrusados a partir de farinha e fécula de batata doce e mandioca

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Os movimentos matemática moderna: compreensões e perspectivas a partir da análise da obra Matemática - Curso Ginasial do SMSG

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

Dissolução e aleatoriedade: a estética do romance na obra Almoço nu de William S. Burroughs. -

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Fontes e doses de corretivos de acidez no solo na nutrição e produção de alface

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

História da Geografia escolar: uma possibilidade de estudo da cultura escolar através da história oral temática híbrida

Pós-graduação em Geografia - IGCE

Formação de professores de educação física e avaliação: investigando a reestruturação curricular dos cursos de licenciatura

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)