Evaluation of Philips and Ziegler-Natta high-density polyethylene degradation during processing in an internal mixer using the chain scission and branching distribution function analysis

The oxidative and thermo-mechanical degradation of HDPE was studied during processing in an internal mixer under two conditions: totally and partially filled chambers, which provides lower and higher concentrations of oxygen, respectively. Two types of HDPEs, Phillips and Ziegler-Natta, having different levels of terminal vinyl unsaturations were analyzed. Materials were processed at 160, 200, and 240 degrees C. Standard rheograrns using a partially filled chamber showed that the torque is much more unstable in comparison to a totally filled chamber which provides an environment depleted of oxygen. Carbonyl and transvinylene group concentrations increased, whereas vinyl group concentration decreased with temperature and oxygen availability. Average number of chain scission and branching (n(s)) was calculated from MWD curves and its plotting versus functional groups' concentration showed that chain scission or branching takes place depending upon oxygen content and vinyl groups' consumption. Chain scission and branching distribution function (CSBDF) values showed that longer chains undergo chain scission easier than shorter ones due to their higher probability of entanglements. This yields macroradicals that react with the vinyl terminal unsaturations of other chains producing chain branching. Shorter chains are more mobile, not suffering scission but instead are used for grafting the macroradicals, increasing the molecular weight. Increase in the oxygen concentration, temperature, and vinyl end groups' content facilitates the thermo-mechanical degradation reducing the amount of both, longer chains via chain scission and shorter chains via chain branching, narrowing the polydispersity. Phillips HDPE produces a higher level of chain branching than the Ziegler-Natta's type at the same processing condition. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seletividade do nicosulfuron em três estádios fenológicos de milho-pipoca

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

Biomechanical and histologic evaluation of non-washed resorbable blasting media and alumina-blasted/acid-etched surfaces

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

Extração e caracterização do amido de diferentes genótipos de bananeira

A banana, uma das principais herbáceas cultivadas em grande quantidade no mundo e importante fonte de energia para as pessoas, tem obtido interesse como matéria-prima para a produção de farinha e fécula para uso alimentício e outros fins industriais, devido ao elevado conteúdo de amido nos frutos verdes. O trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar os frutos verdes de sete genótipos de bananeira quanto à composição química e avaliar o conteúdo de amilose, propriedades de pasta e térmicas dos amidos destes genótipos. Os resultados obtidos mostraram diferenças significativas na composição química dos frutos, com maior teor de amido na cultivar Figo Cinza. As análises dos amidos mostraram valores de amilose de 26,68 a 33,95% e propriedades de pasta com elevado pico de viscosidade, baixa resistência à temperatura e agitação (quebra de viscosidade) e tendência à retrogradação para todos os amidos. Nas propriedades térmicas, os amidos mostraram um endoderma, temperatura de gelatinização na faixa de 60 a 73ºC com DH variando de 11,6 a 16,99 J g-1 na gelatinização e 4,11 a 7,97 J g-1 na retrogradação.

The role of chain scission and chain branching in high density polyethylene during thermo-mechanical degradation

The mechanical and thermo-oxidative degradation of high density polyethylene (HDPE) was measured in a twin-screw extruder using various processing conditions. Two types of HDPE, Phillips and Ziegler-Natta, having different levels of terminal vinyl unsaturation were analysed. Mild screw profiles, having mainly conveying elements, have short mean residence times then profiles with kneading discs and left hand elements. Carbonyl and traps-vinylene group concentrations increased, whereas vinyl group concentration decreased with number of extrusions. Higher temperature profiles intensified these effects. The thermo-mechanical degradation mechanism begins with chain scission in the longer chains due to their higher probability of entanglements. These macroradicals then react with the vinyl terminal unsaturations of other chains producing chain branching. Shorter chains are more mobile, not suffering scission but instead are used for grafting the macroradicals, increasing the molecular weight. Increase in the levels of extrusion temperature, shear and vinyl end groups content facilitates the thermo-mechanical degradation reducing the amount of both, longer chains via chain scission and shorter chains via chain branching, narrowing the polydispersity. Phillips HDPE produces a higher level of chain branching than does the Ziegler-Natta type. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efeito do fresamento com alta velocidade de corte na integridade superficial de aços ferríticos com grãos ultrafinos

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

Estudo semiótico sobre a verbovisualidade em manuais de língua inglesa

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The phonological and visual basis of developmental dyslexia in Brazilian Portuguese reading children

Evidence from opaque languages suggests that visual attention processing abilities in addition to phonological skills may act as cognitive underpinnings of developmental dyslexia. We explored the role of these two cognitive abilities on reading fluency in Brazilian Portuguese, a more transparent orthography than French or English. Sixty-six children with developmental dyslexia and normal Brazilian Portuguese children participated. They were administered three tasks of phonological skills (phoneme identification, phoneme, and syllable blending) and three visual tasks (a letter global report task and two non-verbal tasks of visual closure and visual constancy). Results show that Brazilian Portuguese children with developmental dyslexia are impaired not only in phonological processing but further in visual processing. The phonological and visual processing abilities significantly and independently contribute to reading fluency in the whole population. Last, different cognitively homogeneous subtypes can be identified in the Brazilian Portuguese population of children with developmental dyslexia. Two subsets of children with developmental dyslexia were identified as having a single cognitive disorder, phonological or visual; another group exhibited a double deficit and a few children showed no visual or phonological disorder. Thus the current findings extend previous data from more opaque orthographies as French and English, in showing the importance of investigating visual processing skills in addition to phonological skills in children with developmental dyslexia whatever their language orthography transparency.

Correlação entre habilidades cognitivo-linguísticas em escolares com dificuldades de aprendizagem

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

Análise de efluente e histologia da pele, fígado e rim de Pacus (Piaractus mesopotamicus) suplementados com cromo trivalente

The objective of this work was to evaluate the skin, liver and kidney histology of young pacus supplemented in diet with trivalent chromium and to evaluate the residue of chromium in water effluent. Randomised delineation by using factorial scheme 4x2, with four levels of chromium (0, 6, 12, 18 mg/L), two stocking densities (4 and 20 kg/m(3)), and four repetitions were used. Pacus with 100 g were used, for 90 days. An increase of the number of mucus cells and club cells in the epidermis of the pacus supplemented with 18 chromium mg/kg was observed in any stocking density. The same effect was observed in the liver, and in the highest density (20 kg/m(3)) the alterations already occurred at the level of 6 mg/kg with the inclusion of chromium, initially with congestion of sinusoids and getting worse at the level of 18 mg/kg with necrosis. The kidney didn't present visible morphologic alterations when supplemented and submitted to the stocking densities. The concentration of chromium in the effluent of pacus was 3.27 mu g/L in the higher level of supplementation (18 mg/L). In conclusion the level of 18 supplement mg/kg was not shown beneficial to the growth of pacus and the stocking density, due to the possible stress, accelerated the alteration histology process of tissues.

Teores nutricionais em folhas e frutos de figueira, submetida a épocas de poda e irrigação

The present study aimed to evaluating the nutritional content in leaves and fruits of the fig tree 'Roxo de Valinhos', pruned at different periods corresponding to the months of July, August, September and October in the years of 2004 and 2005, with and without the use of irrigation, in the county of Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. To achieve this objective, the adopted experimental design was in blocks with subdivided plots and 5 replications, in which plots corresponded to treatments with and without irrigation and subplots included prunings done in the above-mentioned four months. The levels of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Mn and Zn in leaves and fruits were evaluated in the two crop cycles. The results indicated no significant differences among macro and micronutrient levels in the leaves subjected to treatments with and without irrigation in the cycle 2004/05, except for cupper which showed higher level with the treatment including irrigation (6 mg kg(-1)). In the fruits, there was no difference, except for Zn, which also showed the highest levels (28 mg kg(-1)) with irrigation. In the crop cycle 2005/06, there were differences for N (40 g kg(-1)) and K (20 g kg(-1)) in the leaves, where the highest levels were observed with the treatment including irrigation. In the fruits, N had significant difference and its highest level was observed without irrigation (21 g kg(-1)). In relation to the pruning periods, significant differences were observed for Ca, Fe and Zn content in the leaves and Ca, K, Mg, S and Zn content in the fruits in the crop cycle 2004/05. In the cycle 2005/06, there were not differences among the levels of the evaluated nutrients in the leaves, and in the fruits there was difference for N, Ca and Cu.

Política externa no período FHC: a busca de autonomia pela integração

Durante o governo FHC buscou-se substituir a agenda reativa da política externa brasileira, dominada pela lógica da autonomia pela distância, por uma nova agenda internacional proativa, determinada pela lógica da autonomia pela integração. Segundo essa agenda, o país deveria ampliar o poder de controle sobre o seu destino e resolver seus problemas com uma adesão ativa à elaboração das normas e das pautas de conduta da gestão da ordem mundial. No entanto, essa política de integração, adesão e participação não foi plenamente acompanhada de tomadas de posições que implicassem responsabilidades práticas, em virtude de debilidades estruturais. As responsabilidades teriam como função preparar tanto o governo como a sociedade civil para uma inserção internacional de perfil mais elevado no pós-Guerra Fria. Os ganhos ocorridos nos governos FHC não foram suficientes para alterar significativamente o peso brasileiro no contexto mundial.

Programa de remediação fonológica em escolares com dificuldades de aprendizagem

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Hipertireoidismo na gravidez: repercussões materno-fetais

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