Espectroscopia ��ptica de vidros fluoroindatos dopados com ��ons Er3+ e Yb3+

Optical spectroscopy in the 400-1700nm wavelength range was performed on rare earth doped heavy metal fluoride (HMF) glasses. In the present work In-based fluoride glasses with a fixed 2 mol % YbF3 concentration and an ErF3 content ranging from 0 to 8 mol % were investigated. According to the experimental spectroscopic data a dependence in the absorption coefficient, the photoluminescence intensity and in the radiative lifetime could be verified as a function of the ErF3 content. In addition, at liquid nitrogen temperature, light emission corresponding to indirect transitions in the infrared energy range could be easily observed as a consequence of the low phonon frequency characteristic of this class of fluoride glasses. For all the studied compositions, strong upconversion to the green and red light was observed by pumping these Er3+- and Yb3+-doped HMF glasses with 790 and 980nm photon sources.

Effects of starter diet supplementation with arginine on broiler production performance and on small intestine morphometry

The effects of starter diet (days 1 to 21) supplemented with arginine (Arg) on the production performance and duodenum and jejunum mucosa morphometry of broilers were studied. Male Cobb broiler chickens (990) were randomly assigned to one of five treatments in a complete random design. Measurements of 33 chicks per treatment were made in six repetitions. The treatments consisted of a basal diet with 1.390% digestible Arg (no supplementation) and four dietary levels (1.490%, 1.590%, 1.690%, and 1.790%), providing a relationship with lysine of 1.103; 1.183; 1.262; 1.341 and 1.421%, respectively. From the age of 22 days on, all birds received conventional grower diet. The data were submitted to regression analysis by polynomial decomposition of the degrees of freedom in relation to the levels of Arg. The Arg supplementation increased (P<0.05) the live weight and the feed conversion ratio without increasing the feed intake of the birds. However, no effect was observed (P&gt;0.05) in the growth phase (days 22 to 42) in the absence of the Arg supplementation. The supplementation of Arg over of NRC recommendation during the starter phase may be necessary for the expression of the maximal weight gain potential in birds. No effect (P<0.05) of Arg dietary supplementation was observed either on small intestine weight and length at any age. However, the duodenum villus:crypt ratio increased and the crypt depth decreased in the first week in response to increasing dietary Arg. It is concluded that broiler Arg dietary supplementation in the starter diet improved production performance and small intestine morphometry, especially in the first week.

Gastrointestinal parasites of swine raised in different management systems in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract: From 2012 to 2013 were surveyed gastrointestinal parasites from pig farms located in different municpaliyies in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Fecal samples from 790 pigs were collected from the rectum on 88 family farms and 702 farms with industrial production. The samples were subjected to Faust et al., Sheather, Ritchie, Lutz and direct examination faecal techniques. The estimated parasite prevalence was 93.1% in family farms and 59.1% in industrial farms. Balantidium coli, coccidia and Entamoeba sp. were the parasites with the highest frequencies, and the male and female reproductive categories and fatteners pigs the most infected (p<0.05). Trophozoites of B. coli were most evident in stool samples from semi-solid followed by solid and diarrheal consistencies. Strongyles eggs and Trichuris suis have been detected exclusively in family farms. Ascaris suum eggs and Strongyloides ransomi showed low frequency. The high degree of parasitism, especially protozoa, indicates the need to reassess the management of pigs in both types of production.

Phytosociology of the remaining xerophytic woodland associated to an environmental gradient at the banks of the S��o Francisco river - Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil

Floristic and phytosociological surveys were carried out for 12 months in the Embrapa-SPSB, Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. A transect was laid on starting at the river bank extending for 790 m away from the river and divided into 140 10 �� 10 m contiguous plots. In each plot, all standing plants, alive or dead, with stem diameter at soil level > 3 cm and total height > 1 m were sampled. Along this transect, an elevation range of 9.40 m was registered and five topographical environments were identified: riverside (MR), dike (D), floodable depression (DI), boundary terrace (TL) - all of them belonging to the fluvial terrace with Fluvic Neosol and Haplic Cambisol both silty textured eutrophic soils - and the inlander tableland (TS), with medium sandy-textured Red-Yellow Argisols. Fourty-eight species/morphospecies, distributed into 39 genera and 21 families, were identified. Four phytogeoenvironments (MR, D + TL, DI + TL, and TS) were registered based on environmental variations and floristic similarities among plots using cluster analyses. The MR environment showed the largest total density, total basal area, maximum and medium heights and maximum diameter. Moreover, it had 8.1% of plants with heights above 8 m against 0.6% for D + TL, 0.2% for DI + TL, and 0% for TS. The species with the largest importance value were Inga vera subsp. affinis (DC.) T.D. Pennington in MR, Mimosa bimucronata Kunth in D + TL and DI + TL and M. tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir. in TS.

Sleep disorders, sleepiness and traffic safety: a public health menace

Sleep disorders are not uncommon and have been widely reported throughout the world. They have a profound impact on industrialized 24-h societies. Consequences of these problems include impaired social and recreational activities, increased human errors, loss of productivity, and elevated risk of accidents. Conditions such as acute and chronic insomnia, sleep loss, excessive sleepiness, shift-work, jet lag, narcolepsy, and sleep apnea warrant public health attention, since residual sleepiness during the day may affect performance of daily activities such as driving a car. Benzodiazepine hypnotics and zopiclone promote sleep, both having residual effects the following day including sleepiness and reduced alertness. In contrast, the non-benzodiazepine hypnotics zolpidem and zaleplon have no significant next-day residual effects when taken as recommended. Research on the effects of wakefulness-promoting drugs on driving ability is limited. Countermeasures for excessive daytime sleepiness have a limited effect. There is a need for a social awareness program to educate the public about the potential consequences of various sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, sleep apnea, shift-work-related sleep loss, and excessive daytime sleepiness in order to reduce the number of sleep-related traffic accidents.

Time course of the hemodynamic responses to aortic depressor nerve stimulation in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats

The time to reach the maximum response of arterial pressure, heart rate and vascular resistance (hindquarter and mesenteric) was measured in conscious male spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive control rats (NCR; Wistar; 18-22 weeks) subjected to electrical stimulation of the aortic depressor nerve (ADN) under thiopental anesthesia. The parameters of stimulation were 1 mA intensity and 2 ms pulse length applied for 5 s, using frequencies of 10, 30, and 90 Hz. The time to reach the hemodynamic responses at different frequencies of ADN stimulation was similar for SHR (N = 15) and NCR (N = 14); hypotension = NCR (4194 �� 336 to 3695 �� 463 ms) vs SHR (3475 �� 354 to 4494 �� 300 ms); bradycardia = NCR (1618 �� 152 to 1358 �� 185 ms) vs SHR (1911 �� 323 to 1852 �� 431 ms), and the fall in hindquarter vascular resistance = NCR (6054 �� 486 to 6550 �� 847 ms) vs SHR (4849 �� 918 to 4926 �� 646 ms); mesenteric = NCR (5574 �� 790 to 5752 �� 539 ms) vs SHR (5638 �� 648 to 6777 �� 624 ms). In addition, ADN stimulation produced baroreflex responses characterized by a faster cardiac effect followed by a vascular effect, which together contributed to the decrease in arterial pressure. Therefore, the results indicate that there is no alteration in the conduction of the electrical impulse after the site of baroreceptor mechanical transduction in the baroreflex pathway (central and/or efferent) in conscious SHR compared to NCR.

Effect of exercise training on Ca2+ release units of left ventricular myocytes of spontaneously hypertensive rats

In cardiomyocytes, calcium (Ca2+) release units comprise clusters of intracellular Ca2+ release channels located on the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and hypertension is well established as a cause of defects in calcium release unit function. Our objective was to determine whether endurance exercise training could attenuate the deleterious effects of hypertension on calcium release unit components and Ca2+ sparks in left ventricular myocytes of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Male Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive rats (4 months of age) were divided into 4 groups: normotensive (NC) and hypertensive control (HC), and normotensive (NT) and hypertensive trained (HT) animals (7 rats per group). NC and HC rats were submitted to a low-intensity treadmill running protocol (5 days/week, 1 h/day, 0% grade, and 50-60% of maximal running speed) for 8 weeks. Gene expression of the ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2) and FK506 binding protein (FKBP12.6) increased (270%) and decreased (88%), respectively, in HC compared to NC rats. Endurance exercise training reversed these changes by reducing RyR2 (230%) and normalizing FKBP12.6 gene expression (112%). Hypertension also increased the frequency of Ca2+ sparks (HC=7.61��0.26 vs NC=4.79��0.19 per 100 ��m/s) and decreased its amplitude (HC=0.260��0.08 vs NC=0.324��0.10 &#916;F/F0), full width at half-maximum amplitude (HC=1.05��0.08 vs NC=1.26��0.01 ��m), total duration (HC=11.51��0.12 vs NC=14.97��0.24 ms), time to peak (HC=4.84��0.06 vs NC=6.31��0.14 ms), and time constant of decay (HC=8.68��0.12 vs NC=10.21��0.22 ms). These changes were partially reversed in HT rats (frequency of Ca2+ sparks=6.26��0.19 ��m/s, amplitude=0.282��0.10 &#916;F/F0, full width at half-maximum amplitude=1.14��0.01 ��m, total duration=13.34��0.17 ms, time to peak=5.43��0.08 ms, and time constant of decay=9.43��0.15 ms). Endurance exercise training attenuated the deleterious effects of hypertension on calcium release units of left ventricular myocytes.

Energy system contribution in a maximal incremental test: correlations with pacing and overall performance in a 10-km running trial

This study aimed to verify the association between the contribution of energy systems during an incremental exercise test (IET), pacing, and performance during a 10-km running time trial. Thirteen male recreational runners completed an incremental exercise test on a treadmill to determine the respiratory compensation point (RCP), maximal oxygen uptake (V&#729;O2max), peak treadmill speed (PTS), and energy systems contribution; and a 10-km running time trial (T10-km) to determine endurance performance. The fractions of the aerobic (WAER) and glycolytic (WGLYCOL) contributions were calculated for each stage based on the oxygen uptake and the oxygen energy equivalents derived by blood lactate accumulation, respectively. Total metabolic demand (WTOTAL) was the sum of these two energy systems. Endurance performance during the T10-km was moderately correlated with RCP, V&#729;O2maxand PTS (P<@0.05), and moderate-to-highly correlated with WAER, WGLYCOL, and WTOTAL (P<0.05). In addition, WAER, WGLYCOL, and WTOTAL were also significantly correlated with running speed in the middle (P<0.01) and final (P<0.01) sections of the T10-km. These findings suggest that the assessment of energy contribution during IET is potentially useful as an alternative variable in the evaluation of endurance runners, especially because of its relationship with specific parts of a long-distance race.

UTILIZA����O TECNOL��GICA DOS FRUTOS DE JATOB��-DO-CERRADO E DE JATOB��-DA-MATA NA ELABORA����O DE BISCOITOS FONTES DE FIBRA ALIMENTAR E ISENTOS DE A����CARES

Este trabalho teve como objetivo investigar a aplica����o das farinhas de jatob��-do-cerrado (Hymenaea stigonocarpa Mart.) e jatob��-da-mata (Hymenaea stilbocarpa Mart.) adicionadas �� farinha de trigo na elabora����o de biscoitos fontes de fibra alimentar e isentos de a����cares. A composi����o centesimal das farinhas de jatob�� foi determinada, e posteriormente, foram elaborados biscoitos com substitui����o de 10, 15, 20 e 25% da farinha de trigo pelas farinhas de jatob�� das duas esp��cies. Os biscoitos foram avaliados nas suas caracter��sticas f��sicas, qu��micas e sensoriais. As farinhas de jatob��-do-cerrado e de jatob��-da-mata apresentaram, em base seca, teores de prote��na bruta de 7,60��0,22 e 8,37��0,12g/100g, lip��dios de 3,03��0,05 e 2,92��0,11g/100g, cinzas de 4,60��0,06 e 5,48��0,07, fibra alimentar sol��vel de 11,01��0,50 e 9,81��0,58g/100g, fibra alimentar insol��vel de 42,86��0,27 e 45,79��0,61g/100g e carboidratos de 18,54��0,55 e 20,18�� 0,46g/100g, respectivamente. O fator de expans��o foi maior nos biscoitos elaborados com farinha de jatob��-do-cerrado nos n��veis 20 e 25% de substitui����o e nos biscoitos contendo 15 e 25% de farinha de jatob��-da-mata. Os biscoitos com substitui����o de 10% das farinhas de jatob�� foram os que apresentaram maior n��vel de aceita����o, n��o diferindo significativamente (p<0,05), quanto aos escores para degusta����o e apar��ncia. Os biscoitos elaborados com 10% de farinha de jatob��-do-cerrado e de jatob��-da-mata apresentaram teor de fibra alimentar total de 6,05��0,09 e 6,77��0,53g/100g, respectivamente. Biscoitos isentos de a����cares e fontes de fibra alimentar podem ser produzidos com a substitui����o de 10% de farinha de trigo pelas farinhas de jatob��.