948 resultados para Relative and point positioning
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This work investigates the effects of carbon-supported Pt, Pt-Ru, Pt-Rh and Pt-Ru-Rh alloy electrocatalysts oil the yields of CO2 and acetic acid as electro-oxidation products of ethanol. Electronic and structural features of these metal alloys were studied by in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The electrochemical activity was investigated by polarization experiments and the reaction intermediates and products were analyzed by in situ Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR). Electrochemical stripping of CO. which is one of the adsorbed intermediates, presented a faster oxidation kinetics on the Pt-Ru electrocatalyst, and similar rates of reaction on Pt-Rh and Pt. The electrochemical current of ethanol oxidation showed a higher value and the onset potential was less positive oil Pt-Ru. However, in situ FTIR spectra evidenced that the CO2/acetic acid ratio is higher for the materials with Rh, mainly at lower potentials. These results indicate that the Ru atoms act mainly by providing oxygenated species for the oxidation of ethanol intermediates, and point out ail important role of Rh on the C-C bond dissociation. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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In this paper we report here new considerations about the relationship between the mass and charge variations (m/z relationship) in underpotential deposition (UPD), bulk deposition and also in the H(2)Se formation reaction. Nanogravimetric experiments were able to show the adsorption of H(2)SeO(3) on the AuO surface prior to the voltammetric sweep and that, after the AuO reduction, 0.40 monolayer of H(2)SeO(3) remains adsorbed on the newly reduced Au surface, which was enough to gives rise to the UPD layer. The UPD results indicate that the maximum coverage with Se(ads) on polycrystalline gold surface corresponds to approximately 0.40 monolayer, in good agreement with charge density results. The cyclic voltammetry experiments demonstrated that the amount of bulk Se obtained during the potential scan to approximately 2 Se monolayers, which was further confirmed by electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) measurements that pointed out a mass variation corresponding of 3 monolayers of Se. In addition, the Se thin films were obtained by chronoamperometric experiments, where the Au electrode was polarized at +0.10V during different times in 1.0 M H(2)SO(4) + 1.0 mM SeO(2). The topologic aspects of the electrodeposits were observed in Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) measurements. Finally, in highly negative potential polarizations, the H(2)Se formation was analyzed by voltammetric and nanogravimetric measurements. These finding brings a new light on the selenium electrodeposition and point up to a proposed electrochemical model for molecule controlled surface engineering. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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This research explores the downstream perceptions of liquid carton board versus competing materials in packaging applications for juice. The methodology used is focus groups. The context is sustainability and functional performance, and related potential implications for the beverage industry value chain. The purpose is to get a deeper insight and understanding of functionality in relation to juice beverage packaging. The results confirm that there is no optimal packaging for every juice product, but a multitude, depending on the distribution channel, retail outlet, customer preferences, and context of consumption. There are some general packaging preferences, but the main deciding criteria for purchase seem to be the product characteristics in terms of quality, taste, brand, price and shelf life. For marketing reasons, packaging has to be adopted to the product and its positioning, liquid carton board packaging seem to have some functional advantages in distribution and is considered as sustainable and functional among many consumers. Major drawbacks seem to be shape limitations, lack of transparency, and lack of a “premium look”. To improve packaging performance and avoid sub-optimization, actors in the beverage industry value chain need to be integrated in development processes.
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Antenna arrays are able to provide high and controlled directivity, which are suitable for radiobase stations, radar systems, and point-to-point or satellite links. The optimization of an array design is usually a hard task because of the non-linear characteristic of multiobjective, requiring the application of numerical techniques, such as genetic algorithms. Therefore, in order to optimize the electronic control of the antenna array radiation pattem through genetic algorithms in real codification, it was developed a numerical tool which is able to positioning the array major lobe, reducing the side lobe levels, canceling interference signals in specific directions of arrival, and improving the antenna radiation performance. This was accomplished by using antenna theory concepts and optimization methods, mainly genetic algorithms ones, allowing to develop a numerical tool with creative genes codification and crossover rules, which is one of the most important contribution of this work. The efficiency of the developed genetic algorithm tool is tested and validated in several antenna and propagation applications. 11 was observed that the numerical results attend the specific requirements, showing the developed tool ability and capacity to handle the considered problems, as well as a great perspective for application in future works.
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GPS active networks are more and more used in geodetic surveying and scientific experiments, as water vapor monitoring in the atmosphere and lithosphere plate movement. Among the methods of GPS positioning, Precise Point Positioning (PPP) has provided very good results. A characteristic of PPP is related to the modeling and/or estimation of the errors involved in this method. The accuracy obtained for the coordinates can reach few millimeters. Seasonal effects can affect such accuracy if they are not consistent treated during the data processing. Coordinates time series analyses have been realized using Fourier or Harmonics spectral analyses, wavelets, least squares estimation among others. An approach is presented in this paper aiming to investigate the seasonal effects included in the stations coordinates time series. Experiments were carried out using data from stations Manaus (NAUS) and Fortaleza (BRFT) which belong to the Brazilian Continuous GPS Network (RBMC). The coordinates of these stations were estimated daily using PPP and were analyzed through wavelets for identification of the periods of the seasonal effects (annual and semi-annual) in each time series. These effects were removed by means of a filtering process applied in the series via the least squares adjustment (LSQ) of a periodic function. The results showed that the combination of these two mathematical tools, wavelets and LSQ, is an interesting and efficient technique for removal of seasonal effects in time series.
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One of the main drawbacks of the GPS accuracy for L1 users is the error due to ionosphere. This error depends on the total electron content presents in the ionosphere, as well as of the carrier frequency. Some models have been developed to correct GPS observables of the systematic error due to the ionosphere. The model more known and used is the Klobuchar model, which corrected 50-60% of the ionospheric error approximately. Alternatively, IGS (International GNSS Service) also has developed a model called Global Ionospheric Map (GIM). These maps, in format IONEX, are available in the site of the IGS, and one of the applications of them is to correct the GPS observables of the error due to ionosphere. This work aims at evaluating the quality of GPS point positioning using the IGS ionospheric model in the southerm region of Brazil. Tests carried out had shown an average improvement in the horizontal and vertical determination of 44% and 77%, respectively, when GIM is used in the point positioning.
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The ionosphere is a major source of systematic error in the GPS observables. As this error is directly proportional to the TEC (Total Electron Content), the quality of GPS positioning (especially with single frequency receivers) can be significantly affected by regular changes of TEC. The ionosphere factor is even more relevant in the Brazilian region, where ionospheric phenomena, such as the Equatorial Anomaly, intensify these variations. Taking the above mentioned factors into account, experiments were conducted in this research to evaluate the daily and seasonal behavior of the TEC and the point positioning with GPS (single frequency) in periods of high and low solar activity in the Brazilian region. The results showed a direct correlation between the decrease in electrons density in the ionosphere (period of low solar activity) and improvement in positioning accuracy, as well as a large influence of Equatorial Anomaly on the results of point positioning.
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Organisms are constantly subjected to stressful stimuli that affect numerous physiological processes and activate the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, increasing the release of glucocorticoids. Exposure to chronic stress is known to alter basic mechanisms of the stress response. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effect of two different stress paradigms (chronic restraint or variable stress) on behavioral and corticosterone release to a subsequent exposure to stressors. Considering that the HPA axis might respond differently when it is challenged with a novel or a familiar stressor we investigated the changes in the corticosterone levels following the exposure to two stressors: restraint (familiar stress) or forced novelty (novel stress). The changes in the behavioral response were evaluated by measuring the locomotor response to a novel environment. In addition, we examined changes in body, adrenals, and thymus weights in response to the chronic paradigms. Our results showed that exposure to chronic variable stress increased basal plasma corticosterone levels and that both, chronic restraint and variable stresses, promote higher corticosterone levels in response to a novel environment, but not to a challenge restraint stress, as compared to the control (non-stressed) group. Exposure to chronic restraint leads to increased novelty-induced locomotor activity. Furthermore, only the exposure to variable stress reduced body weights. In conclusion, the present results provide additional evidence on how chronic stress affects the organism physiology and point to the importance of the chronic paradigm and challenge stress on the behavioral and hormonal adaptations induced by chronic stress. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Regarding the growing number of human beings with physical and mental pathologies associated to different stressor agents, attempts are being made to validate animal models with a close phylogenetic resemblance to man, to study stress response. Callithrix jacchus has been widely used in biomedical research, including on stress, but there is scarce information in the literature about how individual and social factors modulate stressor response in this species. This study uses 4 approaches to investigate the response of male and female adult C. jacchus, under situations of stress, and in the first we show evidence of the importance of this animal as an experimental model in research involving the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. And we investigate if sex and baseline cortisol levels modulate the behavioral and hormonal response to separation. In two additional approaches investigate if type of social support (co-specific parent or non-parent) and social rank interfere in behavioral and hormonal when the animal are exposure to a new environment, paired with a co-specific (F2), exposure of the animal to a new environment, isolated (F3) or during reunion (F4). Finally, we also investigated the androgen levels in the males, with a focus on the challenge hypothesis, referring to environmental responsiveness and male-male exposure to relatives and non-relatives of C. jacchus. It was observed that: (1) the baseline cortisol of the animal is predictive of cortisol reactivity at separation; (2) males and females do not show dimorphism in the response of cortisol to stressors, although the females have higher baseline levels of this hormone and exhibit higher frequencies of anxiety-related behaviors; (3) only social support provided by relatives proved to be effective in buffering the cortisol response. In behavioral terms this response was dimorphic, showing that only the male dyads displayed an attenuated response to stress; (4) the males showed differences in cortisol levels as a function of social rank and study phases, whereas in the females no such alterations were observed. The males with indefinite dominance hierarchy (IDH) had reduced cortisol in F2 and F4, while the IDH females showed an increase in F3 and F4; (5) the males of relative and non-relative dyads did not exhibit variations in androgen levels as a function of a new environment. These results, taken together, (a) corroborate the use of C. jacchus as a good animal model for stress-related studies, given that they exhibit similar behavioral and physiological alterations to those of human beings in response to stressor agents; (b) point to the importance of considering individual and social modulating factors during experiments with stressors; (c) provide more reliable comparison parameters in studies where these primates are used as animal models, and (d) show that androgens vary as a function of genetic proximity (relative or non-relative) when the animals are faced with physical and social environmental challenges, thus providing important information for studying the challenge hypothesis in this species
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Sexual selection is a crucial element to understand behavioral evolution. Teleost fish have been considered as good models for research on sexual selection in the last decades due to their variety of sexual behavior. Female fish can choose males based on body and behavioral traits, such as body size, body color, ornaments, territorial quality, nest size and courtship behavior. Choices are based upon several types of sensorial inputs, such as visual, chemical, sonorous and electrical signals. Intrasexual selection also acts on females because they can mate with a dominant individual in male-male competitions. For both approaches, there is an expectation regarding the benefits of sexual selection by means of female choice. However, in several cases females do not choose the dominant male. In this mini-review, we present and discuss both intersexual and intrasexual mechanisms of sexual selection in fish and point out that females do not always choose a male for mating.
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Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)
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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)
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The phenomenology of a QCD-Pomeron model based on the exchange of a pair of non-perturbative gluons, i.e. gluon fields with a finite correlation length in the vacuum, is studied in comparison with the phenomenology of QCD chiral symmetry breaking, based on non-perturbative solutions of Schwinger-Dyson equations for the quark propagator including these non-perturbative gluon effects. We show that these models are incompatible, and point out some possibles origins of this problem.
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Point positioning from GPS data can provide precision varying from 100 meters to a few millimeters at the level of 95% probability. To reach the best level of accuracy, users need proper equipment and software, as well as access capability to GPS products available at the International GPS Geodynamics Service. In this paper, the theory related to point positioning using GPS is presented as well as the results of an experiment conducted using data from the Brazilian Active Control System. The results show repeatability better than 5mm and 10mm for the N and E baseline components respectively, and 6mm + 4ppb (parts per billion) for the vertical. Comparison with SIRGAS campaign showed results at the same level of uncertainty as that of the stations used to tie the SIRGAS frame to ITRF94. Therefore, precise point positioning is a powerful tool to be used in applications requiring high level of precision, such as Geodynamics.
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The present experiment aimed to study the influence of point positioning in an irradiated field to produce a planialtimetric plant. A planialtimetric evaluation was carried out in a 14-acre experimental area with well-defined topographic variations. Planialtimetric maps were designed using manual procedures, Datageosis and Topoesalq. Datageosis built all the curves after numerical surface modeling. Topoesalq provided only height reports and the drawing of curves was done manually. The third method was a manual procedure. Because there were planialtimetry representation differences, longitudinal profiles were used in the sites where there was a great divergence among plants. When obtained profiles and plants were compared, it was verified that the one produced by Datageosis represented the relief plant better. Later, only the irradiated field points were evaluated and each point presented positioned readings before and after each relief map variation. The processing through the three methods resulted in significant plants of the local planialtimetry, according to the control profiles. It was concluded that the planning of the field procedure should be suitable to the posterior treatment method of obtained data in order to make a planialtimetric plant to accord to the evaluated local topography.