Thermotectonic and fault dynamic analysis of Precambrian basement and tectonic constraints with the Parana basin

The Precambrian crystalline basement of southeast Brazil is affected by many Phanerozoic reactivations of shear zones that developed during the end of the Neoproterozoic in the Brasiliano orogeny. These reactivations with specific tectonic events, a multidisciplinary study was done, involving geology, paleostress, and structural analysis of faults, associated with apatite fission track methods along the northeastern border of the Parana basin in southeast Brazil.The results show that the study area consists of three main tectonic domains, which record different episodes of uplift and reactivation of faults. These faults were brittle in character and resulted in multiple generations of fault products as pseudotachylytes and ultracataclasites, foliated cataclasites and fault gouges.Based on geological evidence and fission track data, an uplift of basement rocks and related tectonic subsidence with consequent deposition in the Parana basin were modeled.The reactivations of the basement record successive uplift events during the Phanerozoic dated via corrected fission track ages, at 387 +/- 50 Ma (Ordovician); 193 +/- 19 Ma (Triassic); 142 +/- 18 Ma (Jurassic), 126 +/- 11 Ma (Early Cretaceous); 89 +/- 10 Ma (Late Cretaceous) and 69 +/- 10 Ma (Late Cretaceous). These results indicate differential uplift of tectonic domains of basement units, probably related to Parana basin subsidence. Six major sedimentary units (supersequences) that have been deposited with their bounding unconformities, seem to have a close relationship with the orogenic events during the evolution of southwestern Gondwana. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of haemoglobin I from the armoured catfish Liposarcus anisitsi

Liposarcus anisitsi is an armoured catfish that presents accessorial air oxygenation through a modified stomach, which allows this species to survive in waters with very low oxygen content. Analysis of its haemolysate has shown the presence of four haemoglobins; this work focuses on the main component, haemoglobin I. It has been crystallized in two different forms and X-ray diffraction data have been collected to 2.77 and 2.86 Angstrom resolution using synchrotron radiation. Crystals were determined to belong to the space groups C2 and P2(1) and preliminary structural analysis revealed the presence of one tetramer in the asymmetric unit in both crystal forms. The structure was determined using a standard molecular-replacement technique.

Crystallization, preliminary X-ray analysis and molecular-replacement solution of the carboxy form of haemoglobin I from the fish Brycon cephalus

Haemoglobin, the 'honorary enzyme' [Brunori (1999), Trends Biochem. Sci. 24, 158-161], constitutes a prime prototype for allosteric models. Here, the crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of haemoglobin I from the South American fish Brycon cephalus are reported. X-ray diffraction data have been collected to 2.5 Angstrom resolution using synchrotron radiation (LNLS). Crystals were determined to belong to the space group P6(1)22 and preliminary structural analysis revealed the presence of one dimer (alpha beta) in the asymmetric unit. The structure was determined using standard molecular-replacement techniques.

Impedance-based structural health monitoring with artificial neural networks

This paper presents a non-model based technique to detect, locate, and characterize structural damage by combining the impedance-based structural health monitoring technique with an artificial neural network. The impedance-based structural health monitoring technique, which utilizes the electromechanical coupling property of piezoelectric materials, has shown engineering feasibility in a variety of practical field applications. Relying on high frequency structural excitations (typically >30 kHz), this technique is very sensitive to minor structural changes in the near field of the piezoelectric sensors. In order to quantitatively assess the state of structures, multiple sets of artificial neural networks, which utilize measured electrical impedance signals for input patterns, were developed. By employing high frequency ranges and by incorporating neural network features, this technique is able to detect the damage in its early stage and to estimate the nature of damage without prior knowledge of the model of structures. The paper concludes with experimental examples, investigations on a massive quarter scale model of a steel bridge section and a space truss structure, in order to verify the performance of this proposed methodology.

Effect of in concentration in the starting solution on the structural and electrical properties of ZnO films prepared by the pyrosol process at 450°C

Undoped and indium-doped Zinc oxide (ZnO) solid films were deposited by the pyrosol process at 450°C on glass substrates from solutions where In/Zn ratio was 2, 5, and 10 at.%. Electrical measurements performed at room temperature show that the addition of indium changes the resistance of the films. The resistivities of doped films are less than non-doped ZnO films by one to two orders of magnitude depending on the dopant concentration in the solution. Preferential orientation of the films with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate was detected by X-ray diffraction and polarized extended X-ray absorption fine structures measurements at the Zn K edge. This orientation depends on the indium concentration in the starting solution. The most textured films were obtained for solutions where In/Zn ratio was 2 and 5 at.%. When In/Zn = 10 at.%, the films had a nearly random orientation of crystallites. Evidence of the incorporation of indium in the ZnO lattice was obtained from extended X-ray absorption fine structures at the In and Zn K edges. The structural analysis of the least resistive film (Zn/In = 5 at.%) shows that In substitutes Zn in the wurtzite structure. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural analyzes of the use of residues of tires in reinforced concrete

The search for an adequate destination to the tires without use is a problem for many countries. The use of tire rubber in concrete through the partial substitution of the small aggregate has for objective the withdrawal of this material of the environment besides serving as alternative material in places that present sand scarcity. However, to use this type of concrete in civil construction it's necessary to verify its structural behavior. The behavior of the adherence enters the bar of armor and the concrete surrounding it has decisive importance with relation to the load capacity of the structures of reinforced concrete. In this context, this work presents, argues and evaluates the results of the experimental studies for determination of the adherence tension according to pulling up assays pull-out normalized for CEB RC6 and also related in the ASTM C-234 in concrete with and without rubber residues. Armors of nominal diameter of 10,0; 12,5 and 16 mm had been used and concrete contend 10% of rubber fibres in substitution to the sand in volume.

Identification of structural damage in flexible structures using system norm and neural networks

Nowadays there is great interest in damage identification using non destructive tests. Predictive maintenance is one of the most important techniques that are based on analysis of vibrations and it consists basically of monitoring the condition of structures or machines. A complete procedure should be able to detect the damage, to foresee the probable time of occurrence and to diagnosis the type of fault in order to plan the maintenance operation in a convenient form and occasion. In practical problems, it is frequent the necessity of getting the solution of non linear equations. These processes have been studied for a long time due to its great utility. Among the methods, there are different approaches, as for instance numerical methods (classic), intelligent methods (artificial neural networks), evolutions methods (genetic algorithms), and others. The characterization of damages, for better agreement, can be classified by levels. A new one uses seven levels of classification: detect the existence of the damage; detect and locate the damage; detect, locate and quantify the damages; predict the equipment's working life; auto-diagnoses; control for auto structural repair; and system of simultaneous control and monitoring. The neural networks are computational models or systems for information processing that, in a general way, can be thought as a device black box that accepts an input and produces an output. Artificial neural nets (ANN) are based on the biological neural nets and possess habilities for identification of functions and classification of standards. In this paper a methodology for structural damages location is presented. This procedure can be divided on two phases. The first one uses norms of systems to localize the damage positions. The second one uses ANN to quantify the severity of the damage. The paper concludes with a numerical application in a beam like structure with five cases of structural damages with different levels of severities. The results show the applicability of the presented methodology. A great advantage is the possibility of to apply this approach for identification of simultaneous damages.

Distortional buckling of simple lipped channel in bending results of the experimental analysis versus direct strength methods

Cold-formed steel members are subject to failure caused by buckling, normally under loads smaller than those corresponding to partial or total yielding of the cross section. The buckling of members in bending can be classified as local or global, and the occurrence of one or the other type is expected by the members' geometric characteristics and by the constraints and load conditions. One of the local instability modes that can characterize a member's failure is distortional buckling of the cross section occurring on its own plane and involving lateral displacements and rotations. This paper presents and discusses the procedures and results obtained from experimental tests of cold-formed steel members under bending. Forty-eight beams were carried out on members in simple lipped channel, in pairs, with 6-meter spans and loads applied by concentrated forces at every 1/3 of the span. The thickness, width and dimensions, of the stiffeners were chosen so that the instability by distortion buckling of the cross section was the principal failure mode expected. The experimental results are compared with the obtained results by using the direct strength method.

Brazilian results on structural masonry concrete blocks

The purpose of this paper is to study the mechanical behavior of concrete blocks and prisms when performing axial compression tests within the Brazilian base of knowledge, intending to foment data of this kind for a world-based network. The blocks were built using five different mixtures in which the quantity of cement and the compacting ratio (density) were varied (during the fabrication process). The three-course-high prisms were assembled using 1 cm (0.39 in.) thick full-bedded joints, always trying to leave the mortar's characteristics constant. The axial compression tests were conducted according to Brazilian practice code recommendations, because most of these standards are very similar to international practice codes. The compressive strength, strains, and rupture form of each mixture studied were recorded. Attempts were made to correlate the strength, efficiency ratio (block strength/prism strength) of the prisms, strains, and rupture form; with the quantity of cement and compacting ratio. The data are presented in tables and figures, and the obtained results are discussed throughout the text. Copyright © 2007, American Concrete Institute. All rights reserved.

Structural real time control using fluid magnetorheologic damper

In the last decades there was a great development in the study of control systems to attenuate the harmful effect of natural events in great structures, as buildings and bridges. Magnetorheological fluid (MR), that is an intelligent material, has been considered in many proposals of project for these controllers. This work presents the controller design using feedback of states through LMI (Linear Matrix Inequalities) approach. The experimental test were carried out in a structure with two degrees of freedom with a connected shock absorber MR. Experimental tests were realized in order to specify the features of this semi-active controller. In this case, there exist states that are not measurable, so the feedback of the states involves the project of an estimator. The coupling of the MR damper causes a variation in dynamics properties, so an identification methods, based on experimental input/output signal was used to compare with the numerical application. The identification method of Prediction Error Methods - (PEM) was used to find the physical characteristics of the system through realization in modal space of states. This proposal allows the project of a semi-active control, where the main characteristic is the possibility of the variation of the damping coefficient.

Structural insights into selectivity and cofactor binding in snake venom l-amino acid oxidases

l-Amino acid oxidases (LAAOs) are flavoenzymes that catalytically deaminate l-amino acids to corresponding α-keto acids with the concomitant production of ammonia (NH 3) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2). Particularly, snake venom LAAOs have been attracted much attention due to their diverse clinical and biological effects, interfering on human coagulation factors and being cytotoxic against some pathogenic bacteria and Leishmania ssp. In this work, a new LAAO from Bothrops jararacussu venom (BjsuLAAO) was purified, functionally characterized and its structure determined by X-ray crystallography at 3.1å resolution. BjsuLAAO showed high catalytic specificity for aromatic and aliphatic large side-chain amino acids. Comparative structural analysis with prokaryotic LAAOs, which exhibit low specificity, indicates the importance of the active-site volume in modulating enzyme selectivity. Surprisingly, the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor was found in a different orientation canonically described for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic LAAOs. In this new conformational state, the adenosyl group is flipped towards the 62-71 loop, being stabilized by several hydrogen-bond interactions, which is equally stable to the classical binding mode. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.

Phylogenetic and structural studies of a novel equine papillomavirus identified from aural plaques

Papillomaviruses (PVs) infect a wide range of animal species and show great genetic diversity. To date, excluding equine sarcoids, only three species of PVs were identified associated with lesions in horses: Equus caballus papillomavirus 1 (EcPV1-cutaneous), EcPV2 (genital) and EcPV3 (aural plaques). In this study, we identified a novel equine PV from aural plaques, which we designated EcPV4. Cutaneous samples from horses with lesions that were microscopically diagnosed as aural plaques were subjected to DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing. Rolling circle amplification and inverse PCR with specific primers confirmed the presence of an approximately 8. kb circular genome. The full-length EcPV4 L1 major capsid protein sequence has 1488 nucleotides (495 amino acids). EcPV4 had a sequence identity of only 53.3%, 60.2% and 51.7% when compared with the published sequences for EcPV1, EcPV2 and EcPV3, respectively. A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis indicated that EcPV4 clusters with EcPV2, but not with EcPV1 and EcPV3. Using the current PV classification system that is based on the nucleotide sequence of L1, we could not define the genus of the newly identified virus. Therefore, a structural analysis of the L1 protein was carried out to aid in this classification because EcPV4 cause lesion similar to the lesion caused by EcPV3. A comparison of the superficial loops demonstrated a distinct amino acid conservation pattern between EcPV4/EcPV2 and EcPV4/EcPV3. These results demonstrate the presence of a new equine PV species and that structural studies could be useful in the classification of PVs. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Expression, purification and molecular analysis of the human ZNF706 protein

Background: The ZNF706 gene encodes a protein that belongs to the zinc finger family of proteins and was found to be highly expressed in laryngeal cancer, making the structure and function of ZNF706 worthy of investigation. In this study, we expressed and purified recombinant human ZNF706 that was suitable for structural analysis in Escherichia coli BL21(DH3). Findings. ZNF706 mRNA was extracted from a larynx tissue sample, and cDNA was ligated into a cloning vector using the TOPO method. ZNF706 protein was expressed according to the E. coli expression system procedures and was purified using a nickel-affinity column. The structural qualities of recombinant ZNF706 and quantification alpha, beta sheet, and other structures were obtained by spectroscopy of circular dichroism. ZNF706's structural modeling showed that it is composed of α-helices (28.3%), β-strands (19.4%), and turns (20.9%), in agreement with the spectral data from the dichroism analysis. Conclusions: We used circular dichroism and molecular modeling to examine the structure of ZNF706. The results suggest that human recombinant ZNF706 keeps its secondary structures and is appropriate for functional and structural studies. The method of expressing ZNF706 protein used in this study can be used to direct various functional and structural studies that will contribute to the understanding of its function as well as its relationship with other biological molecules and its putative role in carcinogenesis. © 2013 Colombo et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Fluazuron-induced morphological changes in Rhipicephalus sanguineus Latreille, 1806 (Acari: Ixodidae) nymphs: An ultra-structural evaluation of the cuticle formation and digestive processes

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

Structural properties of cerium doped siloxane-PMMA hybrid coatings with high anticorrosive performance

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