Structural characterization of wild rubbers, microstructure of the rubber extracted from ficus elastica by C-13-NMR

Low molecular weight fractions of polyisoprene extracted from Ficus elastica Herb. ex Hornem. were studied by C-13-NMR. The identification of 2-3 trans terminal units at the end of the polymer chain needed the acquisition of more than 17 000 transients. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Caracterização mecânica e térmica da borracha natural formulada e vulcanizada dos clones: GT 1, IAN 873, PB 235 e RRIM 600

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

Comparative Study on the Technological Properties of Latex and Natural Rubber from Hancornia speciosa Gomes and Hevea brasiliensis

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

Fatores de risco associados à mastite bovina causada por Prototheca zopfii

Este trabalho teve como objetivo o estudo de fatores de risco associados à mastite bovina causada por Prototheca zopfii. Foram analisadas 13 propriedades leiteiras dos Estados do Paraná e de São Paulo, segundo os seguintes critérios de seleção: confirmação prévia de casos de mastite por Prototheca spp., triagem pela pesquisa de Prototheca spp. em tanques de expansão e latões e rebanhos com contagem de células somáticas acima de 5x105cel mL-1. As amostras coletadas consistiram de: leite, água, solo, fezes e swab de teteiras. Prototheca spp. foi isolada de amostras de leite dos quartos mamários com mastite clínica ou subclínica em uma propriedade e de amostras de leite e do ambiente em quatro propriedades, nas quais foi isolada em amostras de: água de bebedouro, abastecimento, esgoto, empoçada no piso de estábulo e sala de ordenha, solo de piquete e pasto, teteiras, fezes de bezerros e suínos. do total de 383 vacas examinadas, Prototheca spp. foi isolada em 20 (5,2%) vacas, sendo caracterizada como P. zopfii em 18. Os fatores de risco associados à mastite causada por P. zopfii foram: criação das vacas a pasto, alimentação dos animais com pasto e silagem, realização de ordenha mecânica em estábulo, permanência das vacas após ordenha em piquete sem alimento, criação de suínos próxima às instalações dos bovinos, existência de cães, gatos e roedores, falta de higienização dos tetos com água, pré-imersão dos tetos em aplicador com retorno e sem a troca do anti-séptico, alimentação dos bezerros com leite de vacas com mastite clínica e serem as vacas da raça holandesa.

Studies on thermal-oxidative degradation behaviours of raw natural rubber: PRI and thermogravimetry analysis

Thermal-oxidative degradation behaviours of raw natural rubber (NR) have been investigated by using thermogravimetry analysis in inert and oxidative atmospheres and the plasticity retention index (PRI). The activation energy E a, was calculated using Horowitz-Metzger and Coats-Redfern methods and compared with PRI. The E a values obtained by each method were in good agreement with each other. The June samples are the least stable rubbers among the studied ones, whereas February samples exhibited the highest values of activation energy, therefore in agreement with the PRI behaviour, which indicates that the thermo-oxidative stability of the June samples are the poorest during the thermo-oxidative degradation reaction. Natural rubber is a product of biological origin, and thus these variations in the values of thermal behaviour and PRI might be related to the genetic differences and alterations of climatic conditions that act directly on the synthesis of non-rubber constituents, which are generally reflected in latex and rubber properties. © 2013 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.

Prevulcanização do látex natural extraído da hancornia speciosa gomes (Mangabeira) e da hevea brasiliensis (seringueira)

Pós-graduação em Ciência dos Materiais - FEIS

Ocorrência de fungos negros em ambientes domésticos

Black fungi are able to adapt to extreme environmental conditions, such as: high temperatures, the presence of toxic chemical substances and lack of nutrients. Besides, they are also potential pathogens to humans. The natural environment of many black fungi is still unknown and some studies are being conducted to evaluate the biodiversity of this group and their different habitats. This study aimed to isolate black fungi in domestic environments and facilities, such as toothbrushes, fridge sealing rubbers, bathroom strainers and divisions, windows, wall tiles and bath sponge. For the collection, material surfaces were scratched with a scalpel and the resulting fragments were sewed in Mycosel agar (DifcoTM), supplemented with actidione to inhibit the growth of highly-sporulating fungi. Plates were incubated at 25ºC for three weeks. The 46 isolated fungi were maintained on MA2% slants at 8ºC and cryopreserved at -80ºC. Fungal identification was performed through the analysis of macro and microscopic features and ITS rDNA sequencing. The following black fungi taxa were found: Ascomycota sp., Cladosporium spp., Dothideomycete sp., Exophiala alcalophila, Ochroconis mirabilis and Rhinocladiella atrovirens. Non-melanized fungi were also found, such as Geosmithia sp., Penicillium sp. and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. The temperature tests showed that isolated black fungi were not able to grow at 37°C, however, this temperature proved to be fungistatic to 43% of them. According to literature, all black fungi isolated in this study are opportunistic pathogens and additional studies are necessary to evaluate the risk that these micro-organisms offer to health, once they were isolated from domestic environments