Synthesis and thermal studies of solid state 2-chloro-benzylidenepyruvic acid and its compounds with sodium, aluminium (III), gallium (III) and indium (III) cations

The synthesis of sodium 2-chlorobenzylidenepyruvate and its corresponding acid as well as binary, binary together with it's acid or hydroxo-2-chorobenzylidenepyruvate of aluminium (III), gallium (III) and indium (III), were isolated. Chemical analysis, thermogravimetry, derivative thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), simultaneous thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and X-ray powder diffractometry have been employed to characterize and to study the thermal behaviour of these compounds. The results provided information concerning the stoichiometry, crystallinity, thermal stability and thermal decomposition.

Synthesis, characterization and thermal behaviour of solid state compounds of 4-methoxybenzoate with Manganese, Nickel and Copper

Solid state M-L compounds, where M stands for bivalent Mn, Ni, Cu and L is 4-methoxybenzoate, have been synthesized. Simultaneous thermogravimetry - differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray powder diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis and complexometry were used to characterize and to study the thermal behaviour of these compounds. The results led to information about the composition, dehydration, thermal stability and thermal decomposition of the isolated compounds.

Synthesis, characterization and thermal studies of solid state 4-methylbenzylidenepyruvate of some trivalent metal ions

Solid state compounds of 4-methylbenzylidenepyruvate with Al(III), Ga(III), In(III) and Sc(III) have been synthesized. Complexometry, X-ray powder diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy and simultaneous thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) have been used to characterize and to study the thermal behavior of these compounds. The results provided information concerning the stoichiometry, crystallinity, thermal stability and thermal decomposition of these compounds.

Synthesis, characterization and thermal behaviour of solid-state compounds of 2-methoxybenzoate with some bivalent transition metal ions

Solid-state M-2-MeO-Bz compounds, where M stands for bivalent Mn, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn and 2-MeO-Bz is 2-methoxybenzoate, have been synthesized. Simultaneous thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), thermogravimetry, derivative thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray powder diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy and complexometry were used to characterize and to study the thermal behaviour of these compounds. The results led to have information about the composition, dehydration, thermal stability and thermal decomposition of the isolated compounds.

Synthesis, characterization and thermal behaviour of solid-state compounds of 4-methoxybenzoate with lanthanum (III) and trivalent lighter lanthanides

Solid-state M-4-MeO-Bz compounds, where M stands for trivalent La, Ce, Pr, Nd and Sm and 4-MeO-Bz is 4-methoxybenzoate, have been synthesized. Simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray powder diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy and complexometry were used to characterize and to study the thermal behaviour of these compounds. The results led to information about the composition, dehydration, polymorphic transformation, ligand's denticity, thermal behaviour and thermal decomposition of the isolated compounds.

Electrochemical study and dependence of 'transition state' in Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes with some antibiotics and cephalothin

Electrode kinetics and study of 'transition state' with applied potential in case of [M - antibiotics - cephalothin] system were reported at pH = 7.30 ± 0.01 at suitable supporting electrolyte at 25.0ºC. The M = Co or Ni and antibiotics were doxycycline, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, tetracycline, minocycline, amoxicillin and chloramphenicol used as primary ligands and cephalothin as secondary ligand. Kinetic parameters viz. transfer coefficient (a), degree of irreversibility (l), diffusion coefficient (D) and rate constant (k) were determined. The values of a and k varied from 0.41 to 0.59 and 2.60 X 10-3 cm s-1 to 9.67 X 10-3 cm s-1 in case of [Co - antibiotics - cephalothin] system. In case of [Ni - antibiotics - cephalothin], a and k varied from 0.41 to 0.58 and 2.34 X 10-3 cm s-1 to 9.19 X 10-3 cm s-1 respectively confirmed that transition state behaves between oxidant and reductant response to applied potential and it adjusts it self in such a way that the same is located midway between dropping mercury electrode and solution interface. The values of rate constant confirmed the quasireversible nature of electrode processes. The stability constants (logb) of complexes were also determined.

Thermal decomposition of solid state compounds of lanthanide and yttrium benzoates in CO2 atmosphere

Solid-state Ln-Bz compounds, where Ln stands for trivalent lanthanides and Bz is benzoate have been synthesized. Simultaneous thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis in a CO2 atmosphere were used to study the thermal decomposition of these compounds.

Comparison of the dehydration kinetics of solid state compounds of 2-methoxybenzylidenepyruvate with some divalent metal ions

Divalent metal complexes of ligand 2-methoxybenzylidenepyruvate with Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn as well as sodium salt were synthesized and investigated in the solid state. TG curves of these compounds were obtained with masses sample of 1 and 5mg under nitrogen atmosphere. Different heating rates were used to characterize and study these compounds from the kinetic point of view. The activation energy and pre-exponential factor were obtained applying the Wall-Flynn-Ozawa method to the TG curves. The obtained data were evaluated and the values of activation energy (Ea / kJ mol-1) was plotted in function of the conversion degree (α). The results show that due to mass sample, different activation energies were obtained. The results are discussed mainly taking into account the linear dependence between the activation energy and the pre exponential factor, where was verified the effect of kinetic compensation (KCE) and possible linear relations between the dehydrations steps of these compounds.

Landscape structure in the northern coast of Paraná state, a hotspot for the brazilian Atlantic Forest conservation

The "Serra do Mar" region comprises the largest remnant of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The coast of the Paraná State is part of the core area of the "Serra do Mar" corridor and where actions for biodiversity conservation must be planned. In this study we aimed at characterizing the landscape structure in the APA-Guaraqueçaba, the largest protected area in this region, in order to assist environmental policies of this region. Based on a supervised classification of a mosaic of LANDSAT-5-TM satellite images (from March 2009), we developed a map (1:75,000 scale) with seven classes of land use and land cover and analyzed the relative quantities of forests and modified areas in slopes and lowlands. The APA-Guaraqueçaba is comprised mainly by the Dense Ombrophilous Forest (68.6% of total area) and secondary forests (9.1%), indicating a forested landscape matrix; anthropogenic and bare soil areas (0.8%) and the Pasture/Grasslands class (4.2%) were less representative. Slopes were less fragmented and more preserved (96.3% of Dense Ombrophilous Forest and secondary forest) than lowlands (71.3%), suggesting that restoration initiatives in the lowlands must be stimulated in this region. We concluded that most of the region sustains well-conserved ecosystems, highlighting the importance of Paraná northern coast for the biodiversity maintenance of the Atlantic Forest.

Environmental comfort in constructions for Sindi and Guzera calves in the agreste region of the State of Paraiba, Brazil

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of air, bioclimatic indexes of facilities and physiological indices of Guzera and Sindhi calves, reared in climatic conditions of Agreste. The study was conducted at the experimental station of Alagoinha, PB, Brazil, using 16 calves of Sindi and Guzerá races. The average concentration of oxygen (20.85%), ammonia (1.99 ppm), carbon monoxide (<0.01 ppm), methane (0.13 ppm) and hydrogen sulfide (<0.01) within facilities, were within the limits established by the Brazilian and international standards, for both animals and workers. The bioclimatic index of temperature and humidity and the temperature of the black globe and humidity index were within the thermal comfort zone for cattle in most of the experimental period, the mean values of respiratory frequency (26.0 min mov-1) and skin temperature (32.3 °C) were higher in the hottest time of the day (1 pm) and rectal temperature (39.3 ºC) in the late afternoon (5 pm), but remained within normal ranges for the studied races. The races have good adaptability to climatic conditions in the region of the Paraibano Agreste, Brazil.

Water consumption when exposed to sun and shade for native goats in the semiarid of the State of Paraiba, Brazil

This work aimed to evaluate the preference and water consumption of native goats in the semiarid of Brazil. The water was freely supplied, in individual buckets, one exposed to the sun and the other in the shade. The experiment was realized using 18 animals of Moxotó, Graúna and Azul breeds, with average weight of 16,6 ± 2,4 kg, kept in confinement in individual stalls equipped with feeders and drinkers, during the period from January to February of 2009. The water temperature was measured by sensors (thermocouples type T - copper/constantan), which were coupled to a system of data acquisition. It was observed that the average water temperature exposed to the sun was 29.02 ºC, and 23.85 ºC in the shade. For all breeds there was a preference for the water exposed to the sun, corresponding to an average consumption of 64.71% of the total. Among the breeds, the greatest preference for water exposed to the sun was the Azul (71.18%), followed by the Moxotó (65.95%) and the Graúna (57.00%). The animals consumed more water during the day, and the average water consumption was 1.15 grams day-1, corresponding to 6.9 % of body weight of the animals.

Probabilistic structure of an annual extreme rainfall series of a coastal area of the State of São Paulo, Brazil

This study aimed to describe the probabilistic structure of the annual series of extreme daily rainfall (Preabs), available from the weather station of Ubatuba, State of São Paulo, Brazil (1935-2009), by using the general distribution of extreme value (GEV). The autocorrelation function, the Mann-Kendall test, and the wavelet analysis were used in order to evaluate the presence of serial correlations, trends, and periodical components. Considering the results obtained using these three statistical methods, it was possible to assume the hypothesis that this temporal series is free from persistence, trends, and periodicals components. Based on quantitative and qualitative adhesion tests, it was found that the GEV may be used in order to quantify the probabilities of the Preabs data. The best results of GEV were obtained when the parameters of this function were estimated using the method of maximum likelihood. The method of L-moments has also shown satisfactory results.

Spatial autocorrelation of ndvi and gvi indices derived from landsat/tm images for soybean crops in the western of the state of Paraná in 2004/2005 crop season

This research aims at studying spatial autocorrelation of Landsat/TM based on normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and green vegetation index (GVI) of soybean of the western region of the State of Paraná. The images were collected during the 2004/2005 crop season. The data were grouped into five vegetation index classes of equal amplitude, to create a temporal map of soybean within the crop cycle. Moran I and Local Indicators of Spatial Autocorrelation (LISA) indices were applied to study the spatial correlation at the global and local levels, respectively. According to these indices, it was possible to understand the municipality-based profiles of tillage as well as to identify different sowing periods, providing important information to producers who use soybean yield data in their planning.

Climate trends in the municipality of Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

ABSTRACTChanges in the frequency of occurrence of extreme weather events have been pointed out as a likely impact of global warming. In this context, this study aimed to detect climate change in series of extreme minimum and maximum air temperature of Pelotas, State of Rio Grande do Sul, (1896 - 2011) and its influence on the probability of occurrence of these variables. We used the general extreme value distribution (GEV) in its stationary and non-stationary forms. In the latter case, GEV parameters are variable over time. On the basis of goodness-of-fit tests and of the maximum likelihood method, the GEV model in which the location parameter increases over time presents the best fit of the daily minimum air temperature series. Such result describes a significant increase in the mean values of this variable, which indicates a potential reduction in the frequency of frosts. The daily maximum air temperature series is also described by a non-stationary model, whose location parameter decreases over time, and the scale parameter related to sample variance rises between the beginning and end of the series. This result indicates a drop in the mean of daily maximum air temperature values and increased dispersion of the sample data.

Evidence of hantavirus infection in wild rodents captured in a rural area of the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Hantaviruses are the etiological agents of the Hantavirus Cardio-Pulmonary Syndrome, a serious rodent-borne disease in Brazil. In order to investigate the occurrence of hantavirus infection in wild rodents, a survey was conducted in three different suburban areas of the municipality of Pedreira, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Of the 145 wild animals captured belonging to 12 different species identified by morphology and karyological analysis, 107 were rodents of the following species: Akodon montensis, Bolomys lasiurus, Calomys tener, Oligoryzomys nigripes, Oligoryzomys flavescens, and Myocastor coypus. Blood samples from these rodents were assayed for the presence of antibodies against hantavirus by IgG ELISA using Andes recombinant nucleocapsid antigen. Antibody reactive to Andes virus was found in two different species, O. nigripes and O. flavescens. These results indicate a potential risk for hantavirus transmission to humans in this area, where reservoir rodents are present in peridomestic settings.