Polymer treatment by plasma immersion ion implantation of nitrogen for formation of diamond-like carbon film

Nitrogen ions were implanted by plasma immersion in Kapton, Mylar and polypropylene, with the objective of forming a diamond-like carbon layer on these polymers. The Raman spectrum of the implanted polypropylene showed typical Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) graphite (G) and disorder (D) peaks, with an sp 3/sp2 hybridization ratio of approximately 0.4 to 0.6. The XPS analysis of the three implanted polymers also showed peaks of C-C and N-C bonds in the sp3 configuration, with hybridization ratios in the same range as the Raman result. The implanted polymers were exposed to oxygen plasma to test the resistance of the polymers to oxygen degradation. Mass loss rate results, however, showed that the DLC layer formed is not sufficiently robust for this application. Nevertheless, the layer formed can be suitable for other applications such as in gas barriers in beverage containers. Further study of implantation conditions may improve the quality of the DLC layer.

Evaluation of alternative containers to determining the working width of fertilizer spreaders

Os ensaios de largura de trabalho e uniformidade de distribuição são de difícil execução para o agricultor por exigirem equipamentos, recursos e métodos complexos. Portanto, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar coletores alternativos para tornar mais acessível a regulagem e a avaliação de distribuidores de fertilizantes sólidos a lanço. Foram utilizados quatro diferentes conjuntos de coletores: i) coletores construídos segundo a norma ISO 5690/1; ii) coletores de polietileno (bandejas plásticas) com tela de sombreamento para evitar o ricochete de material; iii) coletores formados por caixas de leite longa vida, e iv) coletores formados por vasos de polietileno (número 3,5). Também foram utilizados três diferentes distribuidores para as avaliações. Os coletores alternativos apresentaram maior retenção de partículas que os coletores normatizados. A largura efetiva de trabalho obtida para os coeficientes de variação de 12,5; 15; 17,5 e 20% variou entre os coletores nos diferentes percursos. O coletor que mais se assemelhou à norma foram os vasos de polietileno. Constatou-se que a altura dos coletores foi mais importante para sua eficiência do que a sua área de coleta.

PET containers in Brazil: Opportunities and challenges of a logistics model for post-consumer waste recycling

The use of post-consumer materials is directly related to reducing the cost of production and extraction of natural resources. Non-recyclable materials are randomly disposed in the environment. Brazil is one of the largest consumers of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles. The purpose of this paper is to describe the opportunities and challenges of the logistics model for post-consumer PET bottle recycling in Brazil, while providing knowledge of its practices along the recycling chain. The results describe the need to educate those directly and indirectly involved in the process: to reduce consumption in order to reduce the amount of waste generated: to structure the post-consumer reverse chain and engage industrial sectors and government, through public policies, to support cleaner technologies along the PET bottle production chain. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of carrageenan and total solids content on the rheological properties of lactic beverage made with yogurt and whey

The purpose of this work was to study the influence of carrageenan level (X 1) and total solids content of yogurt/whey mixture (X 2) on starter culture fermentation time, physicochetnical properties (pH, fat and total solids contents) and rheological characteristics of lactic beverages using response surface methodology. The physicochemical characteristics of the lactic beverages were similar to those of commercial products. All beverages showed non-Newtonian fluid behavior with thixotropy and yield stress. The total solids content of the lactic beverages had a greater influence on the rheological behavior of these products than the carrageenan level. Wide ranges of consistency measurements were observed by varying the stabilizer level and total solids content.

Effects of an isotonic beverage on autonomic regulation during and after exercise

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

Green and brown propolis: efficient natural biocides for the control of bacterial contamination of alcoholic fermentation of distilled beverage

This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of natural biocides, brown and green propolis, for the control of bacterial contamination in the production of sugarcane spirit. The treatments consisted of brown and green propolis extracts, ampicillin, and a control and were assessed at the beginning and end of harvest season in ten fermentation cycles. In the microbiological analyses, the lactic acid bacteria were quantified in the inoculum before and after the treatment with biocides, and the viability of yeast cells during fermentation was evaluated. The levels of acids, glycerol, total residual reducing sugars, and ethanol were analyzed for the wine resulting from each fermentation cycle. A reduction in the number of bacterial contaminants in the inoculum in the treatments with the natural biocides was observed, but it did not affect the viability of yeast cells. The control of the contaminants led to the production of higher levels of ethanol and reduced acidity in the wine produced. The results of the use of brown and green propolis to control the growth microorganisms in the fermentation of sugarcane spirit can be of great importance for using alternative strategies to synthetic antibacterials in fermentation processes including other distilled beverage or spirits.

Potentially synbiotic fermented beverage with aqueous extracts of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) and soy

The aim of this study was to develop a potentially synbiotic beverage fermented with Lactobacillus casei LC-1 based on aqueous extracts of soy and quinoa with added fructooligosaccharides (FOS). Five formulations with differing proportions of soy and quinoa extracts were tested. The viability of the microorganism, the pH, and the acidity of all formulations were monitored until the 28th day of storage at 5 ℃. The chemical composition of the extracts and beverages and the rheological and sensory properties of the final products were analyzed. Although an increase in acidity and a decrease in pH were observed during the 28 days of storage, the viability of the probiotic microorganism was maintained at 10(8) CFU·mL(-1) in all formulated beverages throughout the storage period. An increase in viscosity and consistency in the formulations with higher concentrations of quinoa (F1 and F2) was observed. Formulation F4 (70% soy and 30% quinoa extracts) showed the least hysteresis. Formulations F4 and F5 (100% soy extract) had the best sensory acceptance while F4 resulted in the highest intention to purchase from a group of 80 volunteers. For chemical composition, F3 (50% soy and 50% quinoa extracts) and F4 showed the best results compared to similar fermented beverages. The formulation F4 was considered the best beverage overall.

Development of a synbiotic low-calorie beverage made from soy and yacon extracts

The objective of this study was to develop a new low-calorie symbiotic beverage made from yacon (prebiotic source) and soy extracts, containing probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB-12. The synbiotic beverage was first produced with a range of sucrose concentrations in order to determine ideal sweetness by an acceptance test using a “just-about-right scale”. Sucrose was then replaced by sucralose or aspartame to produce sugar-free beverages. Characteristics including viable cell numbers, physicochemical properties, sensorial characteristics and fructooligosaccharides content were investigated. The ideal sweetness of the beverages with sucrose, aspartame and sucralose were 7.28%, 0.0486% and 0.0167%, respectively. Sucralose exhibited higher scores in acceptance test and was used to replace sucrose in the low-calorie symbiotic beverage. The synbiotic beverage exhibited counts of Bifidobacterium spp. of 108 CFU·mL-1 , sufficient condition to be considered probiotic. The chemical composition of the product was (g/100 g): 2.91 of protein, 1.41 of fat, 2.41 of total carbohydrate; 0.82 of FOS and 148.22 Kj of energy value. The synbiotic beverage developed in this study may be successful in health applications, due to their functional ingredients (soy, probiotic bacteria and yacon prebiotics) that can afford benefits to health or can present disease-preventing properties, beyond their inherent nutritional value. In addition this low-calorie beverage can be consumed by diabetic individuals and people concerned about the ingestion of calories.

Production of alcoholic beverage from ginger: study of fermentation process and final product quality

Introduction: In Brazil part of the production of ginger is of inadequate quality for export. The production of spirit from felt-over rhizomes is an alternative of great interest to producers of these rhizomes. Aim: Aiming to increase the value of felt-over rhizomes, this work aimed to study the use of ginger as a raw material for alcoholic beverage production. It was evaluated the effect of fermentation conditions on the components of fermented alcoholic, as well as, the quality of alcoholic distilled beverage of ginger. Methods: Dehydrated ginger passed by enzymatic hydrolysis-saccharification processes. The hydrolysate obtained was analyzed for sugar profile in HPLC. The alcoholic fermentation process followed the central composite rotational design for three factors: fermentation temperature (23 to 37ºC), time of fermentation (17 to 33 h) and concentration of inoculum (0.22 to 3.00%). The fermented alcoholic obtained was analyzed in HPLC for the contents of ethanol, methanol, glycerol and residual sugars. The distillated alcoholic beverage of ginger was analyzed for ethanol, methanol, acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate and higher alcohols in the gas chromatography (GC). In addition, copper content and acidity were analyzed Results: Sugar profile of the ginger hydrolysate revealed the presence of 77.8% of glucose. Data analysis of fermentation process showed influence of temperature on ethanol and methanol content of the fermented alcoholic of ginger. Time of fermentation had effect on glycerol content. All parameters of process had influence on residual sugars contents. The HPLC analysis has shown presence of methanol, ethyl acetate, aldehyde, acids, higher alcohols and esters in distilled alcoholic beverage of ginger. Conclusion: Fermented alcoholic of ginger with higher levels of ethanol can be obtained under the conditions of 1.5% w/w of inoculum, 30°C of temperature and 24 hours of fermentation time. In this condition of fermentation process the beverage of ginger had good quality.

Propagação de Camellia sinensis: efeito do genótipo, estaca, substrato, recipiente e ácido indolbutírico

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

Photoacoustics as a tool for the diagnosis of radicular stress: Measurements in eucalyptus seedlings

In reforesting companies (cellulose industry), eucalyptus is usually cultivated in small plastic containers (50 mL). As seedlings remain for about 120 days in these containers-until transplantation-their roots become space restricted, with consequent limitations in water and nutrient absorption. These restrictions may lead to plant stress, decreasing productivity. In this work, we used the photoacoustic technique to evaluate the photosynthetic activity of Eucalyptus grandis, E. urophylla and E. urograndis seedlings subjected to this limited space availability, seeking a correlation with morphological parameters and fluorescence measurements in these seedlings. Photoacoustic, fluorescence, and morphological analysis were conducted every 15 days, from 45 to 120 days after sowing. Fluorescence and photosynthetic rate were evaluated in vivo and in situ, the latter one using the open photoacoustic technique. Data show that root dry matter diminished markedly at 90 and 120 days after sowing; this behavior showed a high correlation with the gas exchange component of the photoacoustic signal, as well as with the fluorescence ratio Fv/Fm. These results indicate that the soil volume of the container becomes insufficient for the roots after 90 days, probably leading to a nutritional deficiency in plants, which explains the decrease observed in the photosynthetic rate of seedlings. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

Interferência da palhada de capim-braquiária, sobre o crescimento inicial de eucalipto

O presente trabalho foi conduzido com o objetivo de avaliar os possíveis efeitos da interferência, particularmente a alelopática, da palhada de Brachiaria decumbens (BRADC), resultante de controle químico com glyphosate (1440 g e.a./ha), sobre o crescimento inicial de plantas de Eucalyptus grandis. Os tratamentos experimentais foram os seguintes: eucalipto convivendo com a BRADC até 230 dias após o transplante (D.A.T.); eucalipto convivendo com BRADC, mas sendo essa controlada aos 106 D.A.T. com capina manual ou com uso de glyphosate; eucalipto sem convivência com BRADC, mas com simulação dos controles aos 106 D.A.T.; eucalipto sem conviver com BRADC e recebendo a palhada da planta daninha obtida em área tratada com os dois métodos de controle, adotando como testemunha a cobertura com Sphagnum. Ao final do período experimental (230 D.A.T.) constatou-se que as plantas de eucalipto que cresceram em convivência com BRADC apresentaram reduções significativas na altura, diâmetro do caule, número de folhas e de ramos e área foliar quando comparadas com as plantas que cresceram nos recipientes que receberam a cobertura morta de BRADC, independente do método de controle empregado. Observou-se, que tanto o controle químico como a capina manual, não afetaram o crescimento inicial das plantas de eucalipto, independentemente da situação de convivência ou de simulação. Com base nesses resultados, pode-se concluir que o capim-braquiária, quando controlado quimicamente com glyphosate, não exerceu efeito sobre o crescimento inicial do eucalipto.

Mobilidade do sulfentrazone em latossolo vermelho e em chernossolo

Este trabalho objetivou determinar a mobilidade do sulfentrazone em duas classes de solos em função de índices pluviométricos, bem como possíveis influências das propriedades químicas e físicas de Latossolo Vermelho e Chernossolo com diferentes teores de ferro na ação do herbicida. Foram utilizados como recipientes 36 tubos de PVC de 10 cm de diâmetro por 50 cm de comprimento. Os recipientes foram preenchidos com os solos e umedecidos a 65% (p/p) da capacidade de saturação, quando se fez a aplicação do sulfentrazone (800 g ha-1 de i.a.) na área exposta dos solos. Na seqüência, foram simuladas chuvas diárias de 10 mm até atingir o índice pluviométrico desejado (30, 60 e 90 mm), sendo, posteriormente, desmontados seis tubos de cada solo (com e sem aplicação). Foram semeadas cinco sementes de sorgo (Sorghum bicolor) nas profundidades de 2,5; 7,5; 12,5; 17,5; 22,5; e 30,0 cm, mantidas em casa de vegetação por 15 dias para avaliação da germinação e do crescimento inicial. Decorrido esse tempo, foi realizada avaliação de possíveis alterações morfofisiológicas que pudessem ser caracterizadas como efeitos tóxicos do produto e mediu-se o comprimento da parte aérea até a última lígula visível. As partes aéreas foram secas em estufa com circulação forçada de ar (70 ºC por 96 horas), para obtenção de matéria seca. No Chernossolo ocorreu uniformidade da distribuição do produto ao longo do tubo, proporcional à precipitação, e no Latossolo Vermelho o sulfentrazone foi pouco móvel, permanecendo na camada superficial, independentemente da precipitação.

Comparative biology and production costs of Podisus nigrispinus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) when fed different types of prey

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Quantificação de macronutrientes no solo e em folhas de cana-de-açúcar em função de doses de resíduo da mineração de bauxita

The experiment was carried out in green house with the objective of evaluating the effect of the bauxite mining residue in the rates of macronutrients in sugarcane and soil. Containers of 10 L were used. They received the following rates of bauxite residue: 0; 28; 56; 84; 112 and 140 t ha(-1). The used culture was the sugarcane (SP92 4221). The incorporation of the bauxite residue in the soil provided an increase in the levels of the soil macronutrients, and only for sulphur levels above 83 t ha(-1), it was possible to provide reductions of this nutrient. For rates of determined macronutrients in the leaf, levels above 70, 5; 125; 101; 56 t ha (-1) diminished the rates of nitrogen, phosphorum, potassium and sulphur, respectively. However, for calcium and magnesium the use of the residue provided the reduction of leaf rates. The level of the bauxite residue which had the largest production of dry mass was 64 t ha(-1).