Ethyl Carbamate Analysis in German Fruit Spirits and Brazilian Sugarcane Spirits (Cachaca): Improved Sample Cleanup with Automated Parallel Evaporation

The analysis of alcoholic beverages for the important carcinogenic contaminant ethyl carbamate is very time-consuming and expensive. Due to possible matrix interferences, sample cleanup using diatomaceous earth (Extrelut) column is required prior to gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric measurement. A limiting step in this process is the rotary evaporation of the eluate containing the analyte in organic solvents, which is currently conducted manually and requires approximately 20-30 min per sample. This paper introduces the use of a parallel evaporation device for ethyl carbamate analysis, which allows for the simultaneous evaporation of 12 samples to a specified residual volume without manual intervention. A more efficient and, less expensive analysis is therefore possible. The method validation showed no differences between the fully-automated parallel evaporation and the manual operation. The applicability was proven by analyzing authentic spirit samples from Germany, Canada and Brazil. It is interesting to note that Brazilian cachacas had a relatively high incidence for ethyl carbamate contamination (55% of all samples were above 0.15 mg/l), which may be of public health relevance and requires further evaluation.

O ensino da filosofia segundo Hegel: contribuições para a atualidade

É possível ensinar filosofia? O filósofo alemão G. W. F. Hegel (1770-1831) não somente responde afirmativamente à questão posta, como também indica o que deve ser ensinado e como em filosofia. A resposta hegeliana tem como fonte sua atividade como diretor do ginásio de Nürnberg, onde ele procura estabelecer diretrizes e procedimentos para que a filosofia seja ensinada aos jovens. Segundo Hegel, a filosofia sempre é pertinente na medida em que se manifesta sobre o que é fundamental para o homem, isto é, sobre sua vida com as questões que lhe dizem respeito. Para tanto, a filosofia deve assumir o homem como seu objeto de consideração. Isto deve resultar na apreciação da realidade humana para que a partir dela sejam levados e elevados à sua maior e melhor compreensão pela reflexão e pela especulação. Tais habilidades não são adquiridas senão pelo contato direto com a filosofia em sua especificidade na sua produção histórica, ou seja, nos textos. Conhecer a história da filosofia já é aprender filosofia, mas tal aprendizagem necessita da mediação do professor. A mediação se faz necessária, pois a aprendizagem não é natural e, portanto, não se dá espontaneamente. Aprender é sempre aprender com alguém.

Environmental education and the health risk question: how do we educate the educators working with this theme?

Our society is presently seeing a trend of continuous increase of risk with severe consequences, especially those linked to environmental aspects. It has obligated us to reflect on this production and its effects, either positive or negative, and, after a long reflection, to think about the adopted model of civilization and the possibilities of changing such a model. The educational institution is among the social departments responsible for this revision process, since it represents one possibility to promote a more critical vision from society, providing it with tools needed for a more responsible action. However, schools are dominated by a traditional work, which does not allow for enough and proper attention to these relevant and current questions, and which involve a critical analysis of the conceptions and values established by our civilization, resulting in the present patterns of science-technology-society relations and their influence on the environment and health. Several research works have indicated a diversity of barriers that obstruct this necessary change. Since formal education plays an important role in the education of society for this theme, in this paper the possibilities and difficulty dealing with this problem are discussed, focusing on the question of teacher education, based on investigations related to teacher education programs for environmental education. The data collected show the urgency for introducing this theme in teacher training programs, taking into account the fact that educators have their own conceptions, values and attitudes that should be considered in these programs.

The distribution of agricultural land and the question of agrarian reform in Brazil

Agrarian reform has long been an acute issue in Brazil, where the distribution of cultivable land is extremely unequal. The Land Statute adopted by the military in 1964 constituted a genuine reform programme, which, however, was never implemented as the government chose to modernize agriculture and expand cultivated areas. This has prevented the poorest from having access to the land.-from English summary

A simple solution for the flavor question

We consider a simple way of solving the flavor question by embedding the three-family standard model in a semisimple gauge group extending minimally the weak isospin factor. Quantum chiral anomalies between families of fermions cancel with a matching of the number of families and the number of color degrees of freedom. Our demonstration shows how the theory leads to determination of families structure when the standard model is the input at low energies. The new physics is limited to start below a few TeVs within the reach of the next generation colliders.

Brésil: les territoires de la question agraire

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

Actual Brazilian habitations in wood: A technology in development or a question of fashion?

Over the past few years there have significantly been increased the articles that approach the constructions in wood or with structure in wood in the specialized Brazilian magazines. This increase brings up indications that the incorporated values to these habitations are modifying, however it is not so simple to conclude that these issues can be associated to the development of incorporated technologies to the constructive system. The work presents, firstly, a survey performed in these publications that had the objective to verify which the constructive systems in wood is being more executed, under which cultural and technician standards. From that survey it was performed a study of the habitations constructed in mixing system whose structures are timbers and walls in masonry. The aesthetic and cultural questions involved are argued considering mainly that these habitations belong to a social class whose purchasing power increased.

De platon à candido: la littérature en question

Cette étude propose, à partir de quelques conceptions de littérature qui circulent dans le domaine de la critique littéraire, une approche théorico-critique. Pour ce faire, on partira de la vision platonicienne et aristotélicienne, pour ensuite discuter les contradictions observables dans les concepts mêmes de littérature. A la fin, on se décidera pour une conception spécifique, en raison de sa flexibilité.

Kinematic analysis in healthy and hip-dysplastic German Shepherd dogs

This study investigated kinematic patterns in clinically normal German Shepherd dogs (GSDs) compared to those with hip dysplasia and with no clinical signs of lameness. Two groups of GSDs, including 10 clinically healthy dogs (G1) and 10 with hip dysplasia (G2), were trotted on a treadmill at a constant speed. Kinematic data were collected by a 3-camera system and analysed by a motion-analysis program. Flexion and extension joint angles and angular velocities were determined for the shoulder, elbow, carpal, hip, stifle, and tarsal joints.Within each group, the differences between the right and left limbs in all kinematic variables were not significant. Minimum angle, angular displacement and minimum angular velocity did not differ between groups. Significant differences were observed in the maximum angular velocity and maximum angle of the hip joint (dysplastic. >. healthy), and in the maximum angular velocity of the carpal joint (healthy. >. dysplastic). It was concluded that, when trotting on a treadmill, dysplastic dogs with no signs of lameness may present joint kinematic alterations in the hind as well as the forelimbs. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.