Evaluation of hearing protection used by police officers in the shooting range

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

Avaliação de método digital para análise do índice funcional do ciático em ratos

This work aimed to study the reproduction and description of technique for digital sampling images during rats gait and determination of the sciatic functional index (SFI), through a glass walkway to obtain shoots with a digital camera. After controlled injury by strangulation of sciatic nerve, with 3mm of length, during 30 seconds, using hemostatic forceps, a group of 32 rats was performed 24 hours before the lesion which served as control and 24 hours, 7, 14 and 21 days after injury. The tests consisted in the filming and shooting each animal in order to observe the view from below (by a mirror to 45 degrees) and subsequently analyzed using the IMAGE-J program. Measures were taken from the lengths of the legs (right and left), and the distance between the ankle. In the analysis of IFC, values close to zero (0) suggest that the function of the sciatic nerve is still preserved and values coming from "less one hundred" (-100) indicate total loss of function. It was verified in this study that 24 hours before surgery the average SFI was -7.07 +/- 7.88 and 24 hours after injury these values rose to an average of -77.95 +/- 13.81, being about 10 times larger, where 78% of the animals showed 60 to 100% of functional loss in motor activity, demonstrated by the gradual recovery over the days analyzed, confirming the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed methodology. These results suggest that studies can be conducted to simplify and reduce costs using the technique for digital images of footprints during rats gait in the laboratory.

Dinâmica do surgimento de brotos de alfafa em função de diferentes fontes de fósforo, da aplicação de gesso e do momento de calagem

O fósforo (P) é um importante nutriente para o surgimento de brotos em alfafa. Através do estudo da dinâmica do aparecimento de brotos pode-se obter informações que auxiliam na adoção de um manejo eficiente. Diversas fontes de P estão disponíveis no mercado, sendo que a eficiência deste nutriente é afetada pela acidez do solo. O uso do gesso com fosfato de rocha pode corrigir o perfil do solo em relação ao alumínio e diminuir a fixação de P. Num experimento conduzido em vasos, superfosfato triplo (ST), fosfato de Gafsa (FG) e FG com gesso, aplicados antes e depois da calagem, foram avaliados para se estudar o número de brotos laterais e basais em alfafa, assim como a dinâmica do surgimento destes brotos em função das seguintes doses: 0, 50, 100 e 200 mg P dm-3. A avaliação envolveu três cortes da cultura. A dose de 100 mg P dm-3 retardou em 6 a 15 dias o surgimento do segundo broto basal quando comparada à dose de 200 mg P dm-3. Os brotos laterais surgiram 24 dias após o aparecimento dos brotos basais quando empregou-se a dose de 200 mg P dm-3. A adição de fósforo aumentou o número de brotos basais e laterais de 1,5 e 0,5 broto/planta para 8,0 e 6,9 brotos/planta, respectivamente. Verificou-se um maior número de hastes basais com a utilização do FG (5,1 brotos/planta) do que com o uso de ST (2,9 brotos/planta). Não houve efeito do gesso sobre os brotos laterais. O uso do FG mais gesso resultou em 5,9 brotos basais/planta, enquanto que o uso do FG não combinado com gesso resultou em 3,9 brotos basais/planta. Não houve efeito do momento de calagem sobre o número de brotos da alfafa.

Optimal attitude corrections for cylindrical spacecraft

A first order analytical model for optimal small amplitude attitude maneuvers of spacecraft with cylindrical symmetry in an elliptical orbits is presented. The optimization problem is formulated as a Mayer problem with the control torques provided by a power limited propulsion system. The state is defined by Seffet-Andoyer's variables and the control by the components of the propulsive torques. The Pontryagin Maximum Principle is applied to the problem and the optimal torques are given explicitly in Serret-Andoyer's variables and their adjoints. For small amplitude attitude maneuvers, the optimal Hamiltonian function is linearized around a reference attitude. A complete first order analytical solution is obtained by simple quadrature and is expressed through a linear algebraic system involving the initial values of the adjoint variables. A numerical solution is obtained by taking the Euler angles formulation of the problem, solving the two-point boundary problem through the shooting method, and, then, determining the Serret-Andoyer variables through Serret-Andoyer transformation. Numerical results show that the first order solution provides a good approximation to the optimal control law and also that is possible to establish an optimal control law for the artificial satellite's attitude. (C) 2003 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

EFEITO do ETHEPHON em VIDEIRA 'RUBI' (Vitis vinifera L.), CULTIVADA NA REGIÃO NOROESTE do ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

O experimento foi conduzido em vinhedo comercial da cv. Rubi, localizado na região Noroeste do Estado de São Paulo. Teve, como objetivo, verificar o efeito do ethephon, aplicado antes da poda de produção, na porcentagem de desfolhamento, tempo de realização da poda, brotação dos ramos, produção da videira, tentando reduzir os custos, melhorando a produtividade e a qualidade. Concluiu-se que a aplicação de 7500ppm de ethephon, 20 dias antes da poda, foi o tratamento que proporcionou maior porcentagem de desfolhamento, menor tempo de realização da poda, maior porcentagem de gemas brotadas e maior produção.

Acoustic and psychoacoustic analysis of the noise produced by the police force firearms

Police officers are exposed to impact noise coming from firearms, which may cause irreversible injuries to the hearing system.Aim: To evaluate the noise exposure in shooting stands during gunfire exercises, to analyze the acoustic impact of the noise produced by the firearms and to associate it with tonal audiometry results.Study design: Cross-sectional.Materials and methods: To measure noise intensity we used a digital sound level meter, and the acoustic analysis was carried out by means of the oscillations and cochlear response curves provided by the Praat software. 30 police officers were selected (27 males and 3 females).Results: The peak level measured was 113.1 dB(C) from a .40 pistol and 116.8 dB(C) for a .38 revolver. The values obtained for oscillation and Praat was 17.9 +/- 0.3 Barks, corresponding to the rate of 4,120 and 4,580 Hz. Audiometry indicated greater hearing loss at 4,000Hz in 86.7% of the cases.Conclusion: With the acoustic analysis it was possible to show cause and effect between the main areas of energy excitation of the cochlea (Praat cochlear response curve) and the frequencies of low hearing acuity.

Uso de paclobutrazol como estratégia para redução do porte e da brotação lateral de plantas de tomateiro

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Optimal and sub-optimal control in Dengue epidemics

This work concerns the application of the optimal control theory to Dengue epidemics. The dynamics of this insect-borne disease is modelled as a set of non-linear ordinary differential equations including the effect of educational campaigns organized to motivate the population to break the reproduction cycle of the mosquitoes by avoiding the accumulation of still water in open-air recipients. The cost functional is such that it reflects a compromise between actual financial spending (in insecticides and educational campaigns) and the population health (which can be objectively measured in terms of, for instance, treatment costs and loss of productivity). The optimal control problem is solved numerically using a multiple shooting method. However, the optimal control policy is difficult to implement by the health authorities because it is not practical to adjust the investment rate continuously in time. Therefore, a suboptimal control policy is computed assuming, as the admissible set, only those controls which are piecewise constant. The performance achieved by the optimal control and the sub-optimal control policies are compared with the cases of control using only insecticides when Breteau Index is greater or equal to 5 and the case of no-control. The results show that the sub-optimal policy yields a substantial reduction in the cost, in terms of the proposed functional, and is only slightly inferior to the optimal control policy. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Produção antecipada de mudas de videira Rubi (Vitis vinifera) através de enxertia verde

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Breeding of Ornidia obesa (Diptera: Syrphidae: Eristalinae) on Pig Carcasses in Brazil

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

Improved numerical approach for the time-independent Gross-Pitaevskii nonlinear Schrödinger equation

In the present work, we improve a numerical method, developed to solve the Gross-Pitaevkii nonlinear Schrödinger equation. A particular scaling is used in the equation, which permits us to evaluate the wave-function normalization after the numerical solution. We have a two-point boundary value problem, where the second point is taken at infinity. The differential equation is solved using the shooting method and Runge-Kutta integration method, requiring that the asymptotic constants, for the function and its derivative, be equal for large distances. In order to obtain fast convergence, the secant method is used. © 1999 The American Physical Society.

Efeitos do tipo de rizoma de multiplicação e da cobertura morta no desenvolvimento e produtividade de cúrcuma (Curcuma longa L.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different types of rhizomes utilized as seed and the effects of mulch in the culture of Turmeric. This work was conducted in the experimental cultivation area of the Universidade de Ribeirão Preto - UNAERP, in Ribeirao Preto, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil from September/1997 to July/1998. The experiments were arranged in a randomized complete block with a factorial arrangement 2x3, design with 4 replications (32 plants each). The treatments consisted of the use of types of rhizomes utilized to proliferation (head and finger) and types of mulch (absent, grass and leaves/branches). This study investigated proliferation (61, 88 and 124 days after installation), length, shooting and number of leaves of the mother plant besides the number of leaves of the shoot (112, 146 and 233 days after installation), number of finger rhizomes and head rhizomes, fresh and dry biomass of rhizomes and the yield of essential oil (after harvest - July 1998). Obtained results showed a great influence of the type of rhizome used to proliferation. Head rhizomes produced, in weight, about 30% more, when compared to plants from finger rhizomes. Mulching almost duplicated rhizome productivity from 2338 kg.ha -1 of dry rhizomes to 4499 kg.ha -1, when rhizome used to proliferation was finger and from 3046 kg.ha -1 to 5943 kg.ha -1, when using head rhizomes. The yield of essential oil did not show any alteration, independently of the treatments realized.

Espermidina e espermina exogena na micropropagação de Aloe vera (L.) Burm

The lateral shoots of the Aloe vera L. Burm have been inoculated in culture medium. The work has been divided in two phases. In the phase I different concentrations of NAA and BAP were added to the MS . In the phase II, plants proceeding of the MS were inoculated in medium containing or not spermidine and/or spermine. In the phase I the best results for mass production and shooting came out with the use of MS + 8,88 m mol L -1 BAP + 5,36 m mol L -1 NAA and these treatments didn't induce the rooting. Plants submitted to treatments with polyamines presented emission of roots during the phase II, suggesting possible inductor effect when used by isolated means during the rooting. No traces of oxidation were noted in the culture medium containing the polyamines. The use of spermidine in the culture-medium promoted a greater mass increasing and the most number of shoots was obtained with the use of the combination of polyamines. © 2008 1999, Editorial Ciencias Médicas.

Efeito de poliaminas exógenas no crescimento inical in vitro e nos teores de fenóis, poliaminas e atividade da peroxidase em Aloe vera (L.) Burm.

Lateral shoots of the Aloe vera (L.) Burm. cultivated in vitro, without addition vegetal regulators, for 90 days, were inoculated in MS culture-medium, containing or not spermine and/or spermidine. After 30 days of cultivation, the plants were submitted to biochemical analysis together with micropropagated plants - that were under in vitro cultivation for 90 days - (denominated as characterization), and matrix plants (in vivo). The levels of free polyamines, total phenols, total flavonoids, and the activity of peroxidase were evaluated in the biochemical analyses. The exogenous application of spermidine have promoted large number of shoots. Spermidine and spermine have promoted, when associated, an increase in the number of shoots as well as an increase of the contents of putrescine and and flavonoids. The putrescine has presented the most significant alterations, enabling to be utilized as marker of morphogenesis in the micropropagated Aloe vera. Tissues under active growth have presented high activity of peroxidase as well as those with greater rate of oxidation. In these tissues, there were noticed also higher contents of total flavonoids, indicating the need of antioxidative compounds. The action of polyamines jointly tseemed to be benefic for the shooting of micropropagated Aloe vera.

Interventions to promote the wearing of hearing protection

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)