Calibration of angles of nozzles and deposition of an axial-flow sprayer on dwarf cashew

The study aimed to determine an optimum angle for the nozzles axial-flow sprayers a deposition for better vertical distribution focused on cashew. In laboratory tests were conducted adjusting the angle of the nozzle axial-flow sprayers. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a 2x3 factorial with four replications. The treatment for this test were two settings (with and without the adjustment of the angles of the nozzles ) and tree application volumes 273, 699 and 954 L ha-¹.The study was conducted in an orchard of dwarf cashew, with eight years of age. It was concluded that the volumetric distribution profile showed better vertical distribution uniformity when the angles of the nozzles were regulated for the canopy, the adjustment of the angles of the nozzles for the canopy provided greater deposition of droplets, the increased volume of application resulted in higher depositions in the leaves of the crop.

Fighting climate change in the air: lessons from the EU directive on global aviation

The European Union's (EU) decision to include aviation into the Emissions Trade Scheme was heatedly contested. Countries around the world, but mainly the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa group (BRICS) and the US, denounced the EU's initiate as illegal and unilateral. Following a decade of frustrated negotiations at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), this paper interrogates why such measure, in principle climate-friendly, inspired so much global resentment. I argue that concerns with competitiveness and risks of legal inconsistency are important, but insufficient elements to explain the core of the conflict. The paper suggests that the EU was strongly criticized because third countries perceived this action as an imposed solution, which fostered an environment of distrust. Therefore, I claim that the problem has more to do with a normative divide than with a substantive divergence on what should be done regarding aviation emissions. My analysis is informed by the present literature on the links between trade and climate change, but gives particular weight to first-hand information through interviews with key stakeholders. The paper is divided in three parts. First, it presents the scope of the EU directive in historical perspective. Second, it explores the EU's measure through three different angles: legal, economical and political. The final part explores some possible solutions to overcome these divergences.

Sample surveys via electronic mail: a comprehensive perspective

Although postal questionnaires, personal interviewing, and telephone interviewing are the main methods of survey-based research, there is an increasing use of e-mail as a data collection medium. However, little, if any, published Western research in general and that of Turkish in particular have investigated e-mail survey technique from pure survey research perspective. Attempting to develop a framework to assess e-mail as a data collection mean, the purpose of this study is to explore e-mail-based questionnaire technique from complementary angles. To this goal, sample representativeness, data quality, response rates, and advantages and disadvantages of e-mail surveying are discussed.

Biochemical and nutritional evaluation of patients with visceral leishmaniasis before and after treatment with leishmanicidal drugs

Introduction Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is caused by the intracellular protozoan Leishmania donovani complex. VL may be asymptomatic or progressive and is characterized by fever, anemia, weight loss and the enlargement of the spleen and liver. The nutritional status of the patients with VL is a major determinant of the progression, severity and mortality of the disease, as it affects the clinical progression of the disease. Changes in lipoproteins and plasma proteins may have major impacts in the host during infection. Thus, our goal was evaluate the serum total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides, glucose, albumin, globulin and total protein levels, as well as the body composition, of VL patients before and after treatment. Methods Nutritional evaluation was performed using the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to assess body composition. Biochemical data on the serum total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, glucose, albumin, globulin and total protein were collected from the medical charts of the patients. Results BIA indicated that both pre-treatment and post-treatment patients exhibited decreased phase angles compared to the controls, which is indicative of disease. Prior to treatment, the patients exhibited lower levels of total body water compared to the controls. Regarding the biochemical evaluation, patients with active VL exhibited lower levels of total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and albumin and higher triglyceride levels compared to patients after treatment and the controls. Treatment increased the levels of albumin and lipoproteins and decreased the triglyceride levels. Conclusions Our results suggest that patients with active VL present biochemical and nutritional changes that are reversed by treatment.

Multi-temporal analysis of radiometric changes in satellite images of forest edges to infer selective-logging areas in the Amazon forest

Radiometric changes observed in multi-temporal optical satellite images have an important role in efforts to characterize selective-logging areas. The aim of this study was to analyze the multi-temporal behavior of spectral-mixture responses in satellite images in simulated selective-logging areas in the Amazon forest, considering red/near-infrared spectral relationships. Forest edges were used to infer the selective-logging infrastructure using differently oriented edges in the transition between forest and deforested areas in satellite images. TM/Landsat-5 images acquired at three dates with different solar-illumination geometries were used in this analysis. The method assumed that the radiometric responses between forest with selective-logging effects and forest edges in contact with recent clear-cuts are related. The spatial frequency attributes of red/near infrared bands for edge areas were analyzed. Analysis of dispersion diagrams showed two groups of pixels that represent selective-logging areas. The attributes for size and radiometric distance representing these two groups were related to solar-elevation angle. The results suggest that detection of timber exploitation areas is limited because of the complexity of the selective-logging radiometric response. Thus, the accuracy of detecting selective logging can be influenced by the solar-elevation angle at the time of image acquisition. We conclude that images with lower solar-elevation angles are less reliable for delineation of selecting logging.

Taxonomia da subfamília Corinninae (Araneae, Corinnidae) nas regiões neotropical e neártica

The subfamily Corinninae is characterized and diagnosed. Two synapomorphies are hypothesized for the subfamily, both regarding the male palpal reservoir, which is primarily coiled and presents a sclerotized distal sector. Seventeen genera are recognized, six of which are new: Abapeba (type species Corinna lacertosa Simon), Erendira (type species Corinna pallidoguttata Simon), Septentrinna (type species Corinna bicalcarata Simon), Simonestus (type species Diestus validus Simon), Tapixaua (type species T. callida sp. nov.) and Tupirinna (type species T. rosae sp. nov.). The genera Creugas Thorell, Falconina Brignoli and Paradiestus Mello-Leitão are revalidated. Diestus Simon and Lausus Simon are newly synonymized with Corinna C. L. Koch. Chemmis Simon is included in the synonymy of Megalostrata Karsch. Hypsinotus L. Koch is removed from the synonymy of Corinna and included in the synonymy of Creugas. Thirteen new species are described: Septentrinna yucatan and S. potosi from Mexico; Tupirinna rosae from Venezuela and Brazil; Tapixaua callida from Brazil and Peru; Abapeba hoeferi, A. rioclaro, A. taruma, Corinna ducke, C. colombo, C. mourai, C. recurva and Parachemmis manauara from Brazil; Creugas lisei from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Twenty seven species are redescribed. Fifty eight new combinations are presented: from Chemmis, Septentrinna steckleri (Gertsch); from Corinna, Abapeba abalosi (Mello-Leitão), A. cleonei (Petrunkevitch), A. echinus (Simon), A. grassima (Chickering), A. guanicae (Petrunkevitch), A. lacertosa (Simon), A. luctuosa (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge), A. lugubris (Schenkel), A. pennata (Caporiacco), A. kochi (Petrunkevitch), A. saga (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge), A. wheeleri (Petrunkevitch), Creugas annamae (Gertsch & Davis), C. apophysarius (Caporiacco), C. bajulus (Gertsch), C. bellator (L. Koch), C. bicuspis (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge), C. epicureanus (Chamberlin), C. falculus (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge), C. mucronatus (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge), C. navus (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge), C. nigricans (C. L. Koch), C. plumatus (L. Koch), C. praeceps (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge), C. silvaticus (Chickering), C. uncatus (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge), Erendira luteomaculatta (Petrunkevitch), E. pallidoguttata (Simon), E. subsignata (Simon), Falconina albomaculosa (Schmidt), F. crassipalpis (Chickering), F. gracilis (Keyserling), Megalostrata raptrix (L. Koch), Paradiestus egregius (Simon), P. giganteus (Karsch), P. penicillatus (Mello-Leitão), P. vitiosus (Keyserling), Septentrinna bicalcarata (Simon), S. paradoxa (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge), S. retusa (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge), Simonestus pseudobulbolus (Caporiacco), S. robustus (Chickering), S. semiluna (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge), Stethorrhagus maculatus (L. Koch) and Xeropigo smedigari (Caporiacco); from Diestus, Corinna alticeps (Keyserling), C. kochi (Simon), Simonestus occidentalis (Schenkel), S. separatus (Schmidt) and S. validus (Simon); from Lausus, Corinna grandis (Simon) and Abapeba sicarioides (Mello-Leitão); from Medmassa, Corinna andina (Simon) and C. venezuelica (Caporiacco); from Megalostrata, Erendira atrox (Caporiacco) and Erendira pictitorax (Caporiacco); from Parachemmis, Tupirinna trilineata (Chickering). Five combinations are restaured: Corinna aenea Simon, Creugas cinnamius Simon, Creugas gulosus Thorell, Falconina melloi (Schenkel), Paradiestus aurantiacus Mello-Leitão. Twenty five new synonymies are proposed: Diestus altifrons Mello-Leitão with Corinna nitens (Keyserling); Corinna tomentosa Simon, C. tridentina Mello-Leitão, Hypsinotus flavipes Keyserling, H. humilis Keyserling and Xeropigo scutulatus Simon with Xeropigo tridentiger (O. Pickard-Cambridge); Corinna cribosa Mello-Leitão and C. stigmatica Simon with Falconina gracilis (Keyserling); Corinna casueta Chickering with SIMONestus separatus (Schmidt); Corinna abnormis Petrunkevitch, C. antillana BRYANT, C. consobrina Simon, C. inornata Kraus, C. nervosa F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, C. wolleboeki Banks, Creugas cetratus Simon, C. senegalensis Simon and Hypsinotus gracilipes Keyserling with Creugas gulosus Thorell; Chemmis frederici Simon, Delozeugma formidabile O. Pickard-Cambridge, D. mordicans O. Pickard-Cambridge, Megalostrata sperata Kraus and M. venifica KARSCH with Megalostrata raptrix (L. Koch); Megalostrata lohmanderi Caporiacco with Erendira atrox (Caporiacco); Corinna tenubra Chickering with Parachemmis fuscus Chickering. One new name, Creugas berlandi, is erected for Corinna bellatrix Schmidt. Males of Creugas cinnamius, Corinna kochi, Methesis semirufa Simon, Paradiestus aurantiacus, Septentrinna steckleri and Xeropigo smedigari, the females of Paradiestus giganteus, Septentrinna bicalcarata and the adult female of S. steckleri are described for the first time.

Rejanellus, a new genus of Thomisidae (Araneae, Stephanopinae)

A new genus, Rejanellus, type species Onocolus venustus Bryant, 1940, is established for four species of spiders of the subfamily Stephanopinae from Cuba and Haiti. The presence of dorsal tubercles on the male carapace is a possible synapomorphy for the genus. The four known species by now Onocolus venustus Bryant, 1948, O. pallescens Bryant, 1940, O. granulata [sic] Bryant, 1940 and Epicadus mutchleri Petrunkevitch, 1930 are transferred to the new genus. All species are redescribed and illustrated.

Novo gênero Neotropical de Spintharinae (Araneae, Theridiidae)

Neopisinus gen. nov. é proposto com designação da espécie-tipo Neopisisnus fiapo sp. nov., com base em ambos os sexos, do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Neopisinus distingue-se de todos os gêneros de Spintharinae pelo palpo do macho com enorme condutor trífido, com duas projeções afiladas e uma com ápice bifurcado; pela forma característica da apófise tegular de theridioideos com um lobo terminal e outro dorsal. Nas fêmeas, epígino com aberturas inconspícuas junto à fenda transversal no terço anterior e, internamente, por um espessamento mediano-longitudinal tubular, por onde correm os ductos de copulação em seu percurso inicial. Neopisinus urucu sp. nov. é descrita do norte do Brasil, com base em ambos os sexos. Sete espécies são transferidas de Episinus para Neopisinus: N. bigibbosus (O. P.-Cambridge, 1896), N. bruneoviridis (Mello-Leitão, 1948), N. cognatus (O. P.-Cambridge, 1893), N. gratiosus (Bryant, 1940), N. longipes (Keyserling, 1884), N. putus (O. P.-Cambridge, 1894) e N. recifensis (Levi, 1964). São descritos pela primeira vez o macho de N. longipes e a fêmea de N. recifensis. Novas ocorrências e ilustrações são apresentadas para N. bruneoviridis.

Taxonomy of the Brazilian firefly Cladodes illigeri (Coleoptera, Lampyridae): morphology and new records

ABSTRACT Cladodes illigeri (Kirby, 1818) is redescribed, and can be distinguished by the following features: color pattern overall black, paired spots and elytral margins pale yellow; pygidium bisinuate, posterior angles rounded, as long as median margin; and aedeagus with phallus 1/3 shorter than the parameres, which are sinuated apically. Cladodes lamellicornis (Motschulsky, 1854) is proposed as a junior synomym of C. illigeri. New records from the Atlantic Rainforest and illustrations for structural features are provided.

Basic Surface Properties of Mononuclear Cells from Didelphis marsupialis

The electrostatic surface charge and surface tension of mononuclear cells/monocytes obtained from young and adult marsupials (Didelphis marsupialis) were investigated by using cationized ferritin and colloidal iron hydroxyde, whole cell electrophoresis, and measurements of contact angles. Anionic sites were found distributed throughout the entire investigated cell surfaces. The results revealed that the anionic character of the cells is given by electrostatic charges corresponding to -18.8 mV (cells from young animals) and -29.3 mV (cells from adult animals). The surface electrostatic charge decreased from 10 to 65.2% after treatment of the cells with each one of trypsin, neuraminidase and phospholipase C. The hydrophobic nature of the mononuclear cell surfaces studied by using the contact angle method revealed that both young and adult cells possess cell surfaces of high hidrofilicity since the angles formed with drops of saline water were 42.5°and 40.8°, respectively. Treatment of the cells with trypsin or neuraminidase rendered their surfaces more hydrophobic, suggesting that sialic acid-containing glycoproteins are responsible for most of the hydrophilicity observed in the mononuclear cell surfaces from D. marsupialis.

Circulating natural killer and γδ T cells decrease soon after infection of rhesus macaques with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus

Rhesus macaques infected with the WE strain of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV-WE) serve as a model for human infection with Lassa fever virus. To identify the earliest events of acute infection, rhesus macaques were monitored immediately after lethal infection for changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Changes in CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD20 subsets did not vary outside the normal fluctuations of these blood cell populations; however, natural killer (NK) and γδ T cells increased slightly on day 1 and then decreased significantly after two days. The NK subsets responsible for the decrease were primarily CD3-CD8+ or CD3-CD16+ and not the NKT (primarily CD3+CD56+) subset. Macaques infected with a non-virulent arenavirus, LCMV-Armstrong, showed a similar drop in circulating NK and γδ T cells, indicating that this is not a pathogenic event. V³9 T cells, representing the majority of circulating γδ T cells in rhesus macaques, displayed significant apoptosis when incubated with LCMV in cell culture; however, the low amount of cell death for virus-co-cultured NK cells was insufficient to account for the observed disappearance of this subset. Our observations in primates are similar to those seen in LCMV-infected mice, where decreased circulating NK cells were attributed to margination and cell death. Thus, the disappearance of these cells during acute hemorrhagic fever in rhesus macaques may be a cytokine-induced lymphopenia common to many virus infections.

Structural and magnetic characterization of maghemites prepared from Al-substituted magnetites

Synthetic aluminum-substituted maghemites were characterized by total chemical analysis, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Mössbauer spectroscopy (ME), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The aim was to determine the structural, magnetic, and hyperfine properties of γ-Fe2-xAl xO3 as the Al concentration is varied. The XRD results of the synthetic products were indexed exclusively as maghemite. Increasing Al for Fe substitution decreased the mean crystalline dimension and shifted all diffraction peaks to higher º2θ angles. The a0 dimension of the cubic unit cell decreased with increasing Al according to the equation a o = 0.8385 - 3.63 x 10-5 Al (R²= 0.94). Most Mössbauer spectra were composed of one sextet, but at the highest substitution rate of 142.5 mmol mol-1 Al, both a doublet and sextet were obtained at 300 K. All hyperfine parameters from the sub-spectra were consistent with high-spin Fe3+ (0.2 a 0.7 mms-1) and suggested a strong superparamagnetic component associated with the doublet. The magnetic hyperfine field of the sextets decreased with the amount of Al-substitution [Bhf (T) = 49.751 - 0.1202Al; R² = 0.94] while the linewidth increased linearly. The saturation magnetization also decreased with increasing isomorphous substitution.

Bone histomorphometry of broilers submitted to different phosphorus sources in growing and finisher rations

The objective of this work was to identify alterations in the histomorphology of the cortical bone tissue of broilers submitted to growing and finisher rations formulated with five different sources of phosphorus: dicalcium phosphate, simple superphosphate, triple superphosphate, monoammonium phosphate and Araxá rock phosphate. Histological images had their components segmented, and were called regions of interest (ROI). Images were analyzed through developed algorithms, using the SCILAB mathematical environment. Eleven features were considered in order to obtain a complete description of the bone images: percentage of bone by area, ROI area, ROI perimeters, ROI elongation, ROI angle and their respective standard deviations, besides entropy of ROI angles and a texture-oriented measure (lacunarity). The substitution of dicalcium phosphate in growing and finisher rations for any other tested source of phosphorus caused significant changes on the hystomorphology of the cortical broilers bones, for example: diminution of bone percentage by area, increase of lacuna area and worse matrix homogeneity. Changes were more pronounced in the Araxá rock phosphate treatments, with the highest fluorine content, than in simple superphosphate, triple superphosphate and monoammonium phosphate treatments, which were similar.

Rotational assessment of distal femur and its relevance in total knee arthroplasty: analysis by magnetic resonance imaging

AbstractObjective:To define the distal femur rotation pattern in a Brazilian population, correlating such pattern with the one suggested by the arthroplasty instruments, and analyzing the variability of each anatomic parameter.Materials and Methods:A series of 101 magnetic resonance imaging studies were evaluated in the period between April and June 2012. The epidemiological data collection was performed with the aid of the institution's computed imaging system, and the sample included 52 male and 49 female patients. The measurements were made in the axial plane, with subsequent correlation and triangulation with the other plans. The posterior condylar line was used as a reference for angle measurements. Subsequently, the anatomical and surgical transepicondylar axes and the anteroposterior trochlear line were specified. The angles between the reference line and the studied lines were calculated with the aid of the institution's software.Results:The mean angle between the anatomical transepicondylar axis and the posterior condylar line was found to be 6.89°, ranging from 0.25° to 12°. For the surgical transepicondylar axis, the mean value was 2.89°, ranging from –2.23° (internal rotation) to 7.86°, and for the axis perpendicular to the anteroposterior trochlear line, the mean value was 4.77°, ranging from –2.09° to 12.2°.Conclusion:The anatomical transepicondylar angle showed mean values corresponding to the measurement observed in the Caucasian population. The utilized instruments are appropriate, but no anatomical parameter proved to be steady enough to be used in isolation.

Defeitos superficiais em 2H-WS2 observados por microscopia de tunelamento

Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) was used to characterise the basal surface of fresh cleaved crystals of 2H-WS2. Although no impurity or stacking faults could be detected by X-ray diffraction, STM images obtained with negative bias voltage showed two kinds of defects. These defects were attributed to an iodine derivative used as transport agent. In a flat surface free of defects, an image with atomic resolution was achieved with sulphur distances and angles as expected for hexagonal symmetry of 2H-WS2.