Emprego da fluorescência de raios X por dispersão de energia para o mapeamento de troncos de árvores em Campinas, São Paulo

Dendrochemistry is based on the determination of elements retained in tree rings, which can be useful to characterize environmental occurrences. This work shows elemental mappings obtained by EDXRF of the cross section of a tree stem. The tree is originated from a polluted area in Campinas, São Paulo. Some profiles, as the sulfur one, show variations that can be attributed to external contributions, whereas the silicon one can be inferred to a protection defense natural mechanism. Besides being simultaneous and multielementar, the main advantages here are its performance through a non-destructive sample treatment and the ease of operation of XRF equipments.

Princípios fundamentais e modelos de transferência de energia inter e intramolecular

This work outlines the historic development of the concept and main theories of energy transfer, as well as the principal experiments carried out to confirm or refute the proposed theories. Energy transfer in coordination compounds is also discussed with a focus on rare earth systems.

Are skeletally mature female rats a suitable model to study osteoporosis?

OBJECTIVE: To analyze if female Wistar rats at 56 weeks of age are a suitable model to study osteoporosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Female rats with 6 and 36 weeks of age (n = 8 per group) were kept over a 20-week period and fed a diet for mature rodents complete in terms of Ca, phosphorous, and vitamin D. Excised femurs were measured for bone mass using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, morphometry, and biomechanical properties. The following serum mar-kers of bone metabolism were analyzed: parathyroid hormone (PTH), osteocalcin (OC), osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of nuclear factor Κappa B ligand (RANKL), C-terminal peptides of type I collagen (CTX-I), total calcium, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. RESULTS: Rats at 56 weeks of age showed important bone metabolism differences when compared with the younger group, such as, highest diaphysis energy to failure, lowest levels of OC, CTX-I, and ALP, and elevated PTH, even with adequate dietary Ca. CONCLUSION: Rats at 26-week-old rats may be too young to study age-related bone loss, whereas the 56-week-old rats may be good models to represent the early stages of age-related changes in bone metabolism.