Performance and hormonal profile in broiler chickens fed with different energy levels during post restriction period

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Fermentative characteristics and aerobic stability of sorghum silages containing different tannin levels

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

Effects of different lipid levels on protozoa population, microbial protein synthesis and rumen degradability in cattle

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

Feed restriction on performance and blood parameters of broilers fed diets with different sodium levels

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of feed restriction and different sodium levels in the diet on the performance and hematological values (erythrocyte, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean cell volume, mean cell hemoglobin, mean cell hemoglobin concentration and white blood cell) of broilers from 22 to 42 days of age. A completely randomized design was used in a 4 x 2 x 2 factorial (levels of sodium: 0.16%, 0.19%, 0.22% and 0.25%; with or without feed restriction; male and female), and two replicates of thirty broilers each. Sodium levels did not affect performance (p>0.05). Feed restriction resulted in increased feed intake and affected weight gain and feed conversion negatively (p<0.05). Better weight gain and feed conversion (p<0.05) were seen in male broilers. Hematological values were not affected by sodium levels, feed restriction or sex (p>0.05).

Nutrition, dry matter accumulation and partitioning and phosphorus use efficiency of potato grown at different phosphorus levels in nutrient solution

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Fabrication and characterization of chemical sensors made from nanostructured films of poly(o-ethoxyaniline) prepared with different doping acids

Chemical sensors made from nanostructured films of poly(o-ethoxyaniline) POEA and poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) PSS are produced and used to detect and distinguish 4 chemicals in solution at 20 mM, including sucrose, NaCl, HCl, and caffeine. These substances are used in order to mimic the 4 basic tastes recognized by humans, namely sweet, salty, sour, and bitter, respectively. The sensors are produced by the deposition of POEA/PSS films at the top of interdigitated microelectrodes via the layer-by-layer technique, using POEA solutions containing different dopant acids. Besides the different characteristics of the POEA/PSS films investigated by UV-Vis and Raman spectroscopies, and by atomic force microscopy.. it is observed that their electrical response to the different chemicals in liquid media is very fast, in the order of seconds, systematical, reproducible, and extremely dependent on the type of acid used for film fabrication. The responses of the as-prepared sensors are reproducible and repetitive after many cycles of operation. Furthermore, the use of an "electronic tongue" composed by an array of these sensors and principal component analysis as pattern recognition tool allows one to reasonably distinguish test solutions according to their chemical composition. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.

The Effect of Mechanical Cycling and Different Misfit Levels on Vicker's Microhardness of Retention Screws for Single Implant-Supported Prostheses

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of mechanical cycling and different misfit levels on Vicker's microhardness of retention screws for single implant-supported prostheses.Materials and Methods: Premachined UCLA abutments were cast with cobalt-chromium alloy to obtain 48 crowns divided into four groups (n = 12). The crowns presented no misfit in group A (control group) and unilateral misfits of 50 mu m, 100 mu m, and 200 mu m in groups B, C, and D, respectively. The crowns were screwed to external hexagon implants with titanium retention screws (torque of 30 N/cm), and the sets were submitted to three different periods of mechanical cycling: 2 x 10(4), 5 x 10(4), and 1 x 10(6) cycles. Screw microhardness values were measured before and after each cycling period. Data were evaluated by two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (p < 0.05).Results: Mechanical cycling statistically reduced microhardness values of retention screws regardless of cycling periods and groups. In groups A, B, and C, initial microhardness values were statistically different from final microhardness values (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference for initial screw microhardness values (p > 0.05) among the groups; however, when the groups were compared after mechanical cycling, a statistically significant difference was observed between groups B and D (p < 0.05).Conclusions: Mechanical cycling reduced the Vicker's microhardness values of the retention screws of all groups. The crowns with the highest misfit level presented the highest Vicker's microhardness values.

Seed size and genotype effects on maize (Zea mays L.) yield under different technology levels

Final plant population in maize crop was used as a basis to identify the technology level of a given farmer. Final population of 50,000 plants/hectare was considered as an indication of a high technology level farmer; 35,000 of a medium, and 20,000 of a low technology level farmer. These populations were artificially obtained for the hybrids HT-2X, BR-201, and BR-205 from small, medium and large seeds. The results showed the triple cross hybrid HT-2X to be the most indicated for low technology level regions, due to its lesser sensitivity to variations in seed size and also to its significant outyielding of the other two hybrids. The double cross hybrids BR-201 and BR-205 exhibited much higher sensitivity to variations in seed size so that if they have to be used in a low technology region, the most recommended procedure would be to make use of the largest possible seeds. In conclusion, genotype and seed size seem to be factors capable of compensating for plant population reductions in maize crops. The more prolific hybrids and the largess seeds are more indicated for low technology level regions.

In vitro susceptibility of oral Candida albicans strains to different pH levels and calcium hydroxide saturated aqueous solution

Candida albicans is present in the oral cavity and in the whole digestive tract of humans and other animals, being frequently related to endodontic treatment failure. The present study determined the incidence of C. albicans in the oral cavity and the susceptibility of isolates to different pH values and saturated calcium hydroxide aqueous solution at pH 12.5. Sixty-five patients attending the Endodontic Clinic at the Sagrado Coração University participated in the study. The collected samples were cultivated in selective media for C. albicans and the isolates were tested in terms of resistance to both alkaline pH and saturated aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide. In relation to time variables, yeast viability was assessed by the Sabouraud's agar culture and fluorescein diacetate and ethidium bromide fluorescent staining method. Results from the different pHs and experimental times, including those from different techniques measuring fungal viability, were compared using the chi-square and Fisher's exact tests (α=0.05). The yeasts became completely inviable after 48 h of contact with the calcium hydroxide solution. On the other hand, when exposed to the alkaline culture broth, the yeasts were found to be viable at pHs 9.5 and 10.5 for up to 7 days. In conclusion, C. albicans can only be completely inhibited by direct contact with saturated calcium hydroxide aqueous solution after 48 h of exposure.

Blue upconversion enhancement by a factor of 200 in Tm 3+-doped tellurite glass by codoping with Nd 3+ ions

We investigated near-infrared-to-blue upconversion from thulium (Tm 3+) doped in tellurite glasses upon continuous wave excitation near 800 nm. We observed an enhancement of over two orders of magnitude of the upconverted emission at ∼480nm when neodymium (Nd 3+) ions were codoped with Tm 3+ ions. For comparison, using a Tm 3+:Nd 3+ codoped fluorozirconate glass as a reference material we observed a 40-fold enhancement of the blue emission. Analysis of the blue emission for samples with different doping levels of Nd 3+ ions showed that energy transfer between Nd 3+ and Tm 3+ is the mechanism responsible for the enhancement in upconversion. © 2002 American Institute of Physics. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Estudo, construção e caracterização de diodos orgânicos tipo Schttky

During the twentieth century the inorganic electronics was largely developed being present in various industrial equipment or household use. However, at the end of that century were verified electronic properties in organic compounds, giving rise to the field of organic electronics. Since then, the physical properties of elementary devices such as diodes and organic transistors have been studied. In this work was studied the properties of diode devices fabricated with a semiconductor polymer, the poly-o-methoxyaniline (POMA). Devices containing electrodes of Au and Al were fabricated with semiconductor polymer of different doping levels. We found that the rectifying behavior for the heterojunctions metal/polimer are reached only for high doping level (with conductivity greater than 1,77. 10-9 S / cm), which gives the devices characteristic of a Schottky diode. The rectifying behavior was observed for electric fields of low magnitude, below the operating field (~ 600 V/cm), while for electric field greater than 600 V/cm the a linear behavior I vs.V was obtained. We determined that this Ohmic behavior arises from the charge transport over the volume of the semiconductor material after the lowering of the metal/semiconductor barrier. In devices with weakly doped semiconductor, the electrical resistance of the volume becomes high and the process of charge transportation is dominated by the volume, for any intensity of the applied electric field

Fabricação e caracterização de diodo Schottky orgânico com arquitetura planar

Usually organic polymeric diodes are made with a semiconductor layer placed between two electrodes in a sandwich-like architecture, where the electrodes are deposited on the surfaces of a polymeric semiconductor film. This methodology leads to two main problems: i) the polymeric film top surface is rough and irregular, resulting in non-uniform electric field into the device; ii) during the deposition of metallic electrode in the top surface polymeric film, by thermal evaporation, occurs the diffusion of metal atoms into the polymeric film, changing the material electronic structure. Thus, the metal-semiconductor junction is not well defined, which is essential for the production of good quality Schottky diode, which exhibits ideality factor close to the unity and low turn-on voltage. In order to avoid these two problems, in the present research was proposed to manufacture an organic diode with the semiconductor polymeric layer deposited over bimetallic (gold and aluminum) interdigitated electrodes. The doping of the active layer was performed by immersing the device in hydrochloric acid solution with pH 2 during different times in order to promote different doping levels of the semiconductor polymer. Was verified that the proposed diode, which exhibits well-defined metal-semiconductor junction, operates as a Schottky diode, with good ideality factor, 10 ± 3, and low turn-on voltage, 1,2 ± 0,2 V, in comparison with conventional organic polymeric diodes. Contrasting with the ideality factor and turn-on voltage, the diode rectification ratio was obtained as 7, a value lower than the expected for a good organic diode. Was also showed that the diode characteristics were dependent on the semiconductor polymer doping level, and that the diode characteristics were optimized with doping promoted by immersion in the acid solution for times longer than 50 s. Furthermore, as was showed that the diodes properties are dependent on the semiconductor...

Antimicrobial resistance of heterotrophic marine bacteria isolated from seawater and sands of recreational beaches with different organic pollution levels in southeastern Brazil: evidences of resistance dissemination

Antimicrobial resistance of marine heterotrophic bacteria to different antimicrobials agents were evaluated in seawater, dry and wet sands from three marine recreational beaches with different pollution levels. In all studied beaches, the greatest frequencies of resistance were found in relation to penicillin. on Gonzaguinha, the most polluted beach, 72.3% of all isolated strains showed simple resistance, whilst 8.33% had multiple resistance. The values found on Ilha Porchat beach, were 70.8% and 6.9% for simple and multiple resistances, respectively. on GuaraA(0), the less polluted beach, only 35.3% of isolated strains had simple resistance. Multiple resistance was not observed. While samples from Gonzaguinha and Ilha Porchat beach showed isolated strains resistant to seven and six different antimicrobial agents, respectively, samples from GuaraA(0) beach were resistant only to penicillin and erytromicin. The positive correlations obtained between the degree of seawater contamination and frequency and variability of bacterial resistance indicate that polluted marine recreational waters and sands are sources of resistant bacteria contributing thus, to the dissemination of bacterial resistance.

Morphometric analysis of the intestine of domestic quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) treated with different levels of dietary calcium

The aim of this study was to perform a morphometric analysis of the various parts of the intestine of the domestic quail. Twenty-four female quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) aged 37 weeks were used and accommodated in laying cages for 12 weeks. Each group was fed a standardized diet containing different quantities of calcium: 2.0%, 2.5%. 3.0% and 3.5%. The birds were weighed, killed, and samples of 1 cm were collected from the duodenum, jejunum and ileum and submitted to the histological routine. The sections obtained were stained in haematoxylin & eosin (H&E). For morphometric analysis, 30 villi and 30 crypts of each segment of the small intestine were measured in order to determine the height and area of the villi, as well as the depth of the crypts. The results showed that although the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract was maintained in all the birds treated with the different calcium levels, a calcium level of 3.0% showed the most promise, as the levels of 2.0% and 2.5% did not cause any alteration in the intestinal tract. Furthermore, a calcium level of 3.5% led to a significant reduction in the height of the villosities, and in consequence reduced the digestive and absorptive capabilities.