Different criteria of feed formulation for broilers aged 43 to 49 days

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

Production of fibrolytic enzymes by Aspergillus japonicus C03 using agro-industrial residues with potential application as additives in animal feed

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

Efeito da adição de argila expandida e adições minerais na formulação de concretos estruturais leves autoadensáveis

The search for alternative materials with lower density, reduction in heat transfer and propagation of noise associated with the ease of handling and application in concrete structures, represents an enormous challenge in the formulation and knowledge of the performance of self-compacting lightweight concrete, which has technology little known nationally, and appears on the international scene as an innovative material and alternative to conventional concrete. Based on these, this study set out to study self-compacting lightweight concrete made with two distinct grades of expanded clay associated with the addition of plasticizing/superplasticizers additives and mineral additions of metakaolin and bagasse ash of sugar cane. There is also an object of study, evaluation of pozzolanic activity of mineral admixtures and their influence on the durability characteristics of concrete. The rheological, physical, mechanical and microstructural analysis in this study served as basis in the classification of concretes autoadensáveis, targeting the national technical requirements for their classification in the category autoadensável and lightweight structural. The inclusion of mineral admixtures (metakaolin and bagasse ash of sugar cane), partial replacement of cement, pozzolanic activity and demonstrated maintenance of mechanical properties through the filler effect, a reduction of up to 76% of the nitrogen gas permeability in blend with 20% bagasse ash. All concretes had rheology (cohesion and consistency) suitable for self-adensability as well as strength and density inherent structural lightweight concrete without presenting phenomena of segregation and exudation

Estudo da introdução de resíduo de britagem de rocha calcária e cinza de biomassa de cana-de-açúcar em formulações de argamassas colantes

The adhesive mortars are a mixture of cement, sand, and additives to polymers that retain the mixing water and promotes adherence, being used in setting on various ceramic substrates. The sand used in the production of these mortars is from the riverbeds, and with the increasing restriction of these sands extraction by environmental agencies, and often having to be transported over long distances to the consumer center. This work aims to design and physical and mechanical characterization of ecological adhesive mortar with total replacement of natural sand by sand from the crushing of limestone, and the addition of mineral ash biomass of cane sugar in partial replacement cement used in the production of adhesive mortar , aiming compositions that meet the regulatory specifications for use adhesive mortar. Standardized tests to determine the tensile bond strength (NBR 14081-4), determination of open time (NBR 14081-3) and determination of slip (NBR 14081-5) were performed. Were also conducted trials squeeze flow in different formulation, the mortar with addition of 15 % gray biomass of cane sugar for cement mortars as well as the total replacement of natural sand by sand limestone crushing, got the best performance among the mortars studied, it was found that the addition of biomass to replace cement is perfectly feasible due to its pozzolanic activity, which contributed to this reduction in the cement matrix formation of adhesive mortar

Secagem de misturas de polpa de frutas tropicais em leito de jorro

Drying of fruit pulps in spouted beds of inert particles has been indicated as a viable technique to produce fruit powders. Most of the processes employed to produce dried fruit pulps and juices, such as Foam Mat, encapsulation by co-crystallization and spray drying utilize adjuvant and additives (such as thickeners, coating materials, emulsifiers, acidulants, flavors and dyes), which is not always desirable. The fruit pulp composition exerts an important effect on the fruit powder production using a spouted bed. In the study by Medeiros (2001) it was concluded that lipids, starch and pectin contents play an important role on the process performance, enhancing the powder production; however, the drying of fruit pulps containing high content of reducing sugars (glucose and fructose) is practically unviable. This work has the objective of expanding the studies on drying of fruit pulps in spouted bed with aid of adjuvant (lipids, starch and pectin) aiming to enhance the dryer performance without jeopardizing the sensorial quality of the product. The optimum composition obtained by Medeiros (2001) was the basis for preparing the mixtures of pulps. The mixture formulations included pulps of mango (Mangifera indica), umbu (Spondias tuberosa) and red mombin (Spondia purpurea) with addition of cornstarch, pectin and lipids. Different products were used as lipids source: olive and Brazil nut oils, coconut milk, heavy milk, powder of palm fat and palm olein. First of all, experiments were conducted to define the best formulation of the fruit pulps mixture. This definition was based on the drying performance obtained for each mixture and on the sensorial characteristics of the dry powder. The mixture formulations were submitted to drying at fixed operating conditions of drying and atomizing air flow rate, load of inert particles, temperature and flow rate of the mixture. The best results were obtained with the compositions having powder of palm fat and palm olein in terms of the drying performance and sensorial analysis. Physical and physicochemical characteristics were determined for the dry powders obtained from the mixtures formulations. Solubility and reconstitution time as well as the properties of the product after reconstitution were also evaluated. According to these analyses, the powder from the mixtures formulations presented similar characteristics and compatible quality to those produced in other types of dryers. Considering that the palm olein is produced in Brazil and that it has been used in the food industry substituting the palm fat powder, further studies on drying performance were conducted with the composition that included the palm olein. A complete factorial design of experiments 23, with three repetitions at the central point was conducted to evaluate the effects of the air temperature, feeding flow rate and intermittence time on the responses related to the process performance (powder collection efficiency, material retained in the bed and angle of repose of the inert particles after the process) and to the product quality (mean moisture content, loss of vitamin C and solubility). Powder production was uniform for the majority of the experiments and the higher efficiency with lower retention in the bed (59.2% and 1.8g, respectively) were obtained for the air temperature of 80°C, mixture feed rate of 5ml/min in intervals of 10 min. The statistical analysis of the results showed that the process variables had individual or combined significant influences on the powder collection efficiency, material retention in the bed, powder moisture content and loss of vitamin C. At the experimental ranges of this work, the angle of repose and solubility were not influenced by the operating variables. From the results of the experimental design, statistical models were obtained for the powder moisture content and loss of vitamin C

Tailoring the Structural Properties of PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE) by Using Natural Polymers as Additives

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

PLGA nanoparticles containing praziquantel: effect of formulation variables on size distribution

Praziquantel has been shown to be highly effective against all known species of Schistosoma infecting humans. Spherical nanoparticulate drug carriers made of poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) acid with controlled size were designed. Praziquantel, a hydrophobic molecule, was entrapped into the nanoparticles with theoretical loading varying from 10 to 30% (w/w). This investigates the effects of some process variables on the size distribution of nanoparticles prepared by emulsion-solvent evaporation method. The results show that sonication time, PLGA and drug amounts, PVA concentration, ratio between aqueous and organic phases, and the method of solvent evaporation have a significant influence on size distribution of the nanoparticles. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the performance of a castor-oil based formulation in limiting pesticide residues in strawberry crops

A study was made to evaluate the effect of a castor oil-based detergent on strawberry crops treated with different classes of pesticides, namely deltamethrin, folpet, tebuconazole, abamectin and mancozeb, in a controlled environment. Experimental crops of greenhouse strawberries were cultivated in five different ways with control groups using pesticides and castor oil-based detergent. The results showed that the group 2, which was treated with castor oil-based detergent, presented the lowest amount of pesticide residues and the highest quality of fruit produced.

Notes on Newton-Euler formulation of robotic manipulators

The equations corresponding to Newton-Euler iterative method for the determination of forces and moments acting on the rigid links of a robotic manipulator are given a new treatment using composed vectors for the representation of both kinematical and dynamical quantities. It is shown that Lagrange equations for the motion of a holonomic system are easily found from the composed vectors defined in this note. Application to a simple model of an industrial robot shows that the method developed in these notes is efficient in solving the dynamics of a robotic manipulator. An example is developed, where it is seen that with the application of appropriate control moments applied to each arm of the robot, starting from a given initial position, it is possible to reach equilibrium in a final pre-assigned position.

Analysis of the Coupled Stretching-Bending Problem of Stiffened Plates by a BEM Formulation Based on Reissner's Hypothesis

In this work, the plate bending formulation of the boundary element method - BEM, based on the Reissner's hypothesis, is extended to the analysis of plates reinforced by beams taking into account the membrane effects. The formulation is derived by assuming a zoned body where each sub-region defines a beam or a slab and all of them are represented by a chosen reference surface. Equilibrium and compatibility conditions are automatically imposed by the integral equations, which treat this composed structure as a single body. In order to reduce the number of degrees of freedom, the problem values defined on the interfaces are written in terms of their values on the beam axis. Initially are derived separated equations for the bending and stretching problems, but in the final system of equations the two problems are coupled and can not be treated separately. Finally are presented some numerical examples whose analytical results are known to show the accuracy of the proposed model.

A BEM formulation for analysing the coupled stretching-bending problem of plates reinforced by rectangular beams with columns defined in the domain

In this work, a boundary element formulation to analyse plates reinforced by rectangular beams, with columns defined in the domain is proposed. The model is based on Kirchhoff hypothesis and the beams are not required to be displayed over the plate surface, therefore eccentricity effects are taken into account. The presented boundary element method formulation is derived by applying the reciprocity theorem to zoned plates, where beams are treated as thin sub-regions with larger rigidities. The integral representations derived for this complex structural element consider the bending and stretching effects of both structural elements working together. The standard equilibrium and compatibility conditions along interface are naturally imposed, being the bending tractions eliminated along interfaces. The in-plane tractions and the bending and in-plane displacements are approximated along the beam width, reducing the number of degrees of freedom. The columns are introduced into the formulation by considering domain points where tractions can be prescribed. Some examples are then shown to illustrate the accuracy of the formulation, comparing the obtained results with other numerical solutions.

Electrical load forecasting formulation by a fast neural network

The objective of this work is to develop a methodology for electric load forecasting based on a neural network. Here, backpropagation algorithm is used with an adaptive process that based on fuzzy logic and using a decaying exponential function to avoid instability in the convergence process. This methodology results in fast training, when compared to the conventional formulation of backpropagation algorithm. The results are presented using data from a Brazilian Electric Company, and shows a very good performance for the proposal objective.

Novas formulações de fluidos de corte: otimização, propriedades e recuperação do óleo usado

Cutting fluids are lubricants used in metal-mechanical industries. Their complex composition varies according to the type of operation carried out, also depending on the metals under treatment or investigation. Due to the high amount of mineral oil produced in Northeastern Brazil, we have detected the need to better use this class of material. In this work, two novel formulations have been tested, both based on naphthenic mineral oil and additives, such as: an emulsifying agent (A), an anticorrosion agent (B), a biocide (C) and an antifoam agent (D). Each formulation was prepared by mixing the additives in the mineral oil at a 700-rpm stirring velocity for 10 min, at 25°C, employing a 24 factorial planning. The formulations were characterized by means of density, total acid number (TAN), viscosity, flash point and anticorrosion activity. In a subsequent study, oil-in-water emulsions were prepared from these novel formulations. The emulsions were analyzed in terms of stability, corrosion degree, percentage of foam formation, conductivity, accelerated stability and particle size. The samples were appropriately labeled, and, in special, two of them were selected for featuring emulsion properties which were closer to those of the standards chosen as references (commercial cutting oils). Investigations were undertaken on the ability of NaCl and CaCl2 to destabilize the emulsions, at concentrations of 2%, 5% and 10%, at an 800-rpm stirring velocity for 5 min and temperatures of 25º, 40º, 50º and 60ºC. The recovered oils were chemically altered by reincorporating the same additives used in the original formulations, followed by preparation of emulsions with the same concentrations as those of the initial ones. The purpose was to assess the possibility of reusing the recovered oil. The effluents generated during the emulsion destabilization step were characterized via turbidity index, contents of oil and grease, pH, and contents of anions and cations, observing compliance with the parameters established by the current environmental legislation (Brazil s CONAMA 357/05 resolution). It could be concluded that the formulations presented excellent physicochemical properties as compared to commercial cutting fluids, showing that the quality of the newly-prepared fluids is superior to that of the formulations available in the market, enabling technically and environmentally-safe applications

Screening of Formulation Variables for the Preparation of Poly(epsilon-caprolactone) Nanocapsules Containing the Local Anesthetic Benzocaine

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

Secagem de misturas de polpa de frutas tropicais em leito de jorro

Drying of fruit pulps in spouted beds of inert particles has been indicated as a viable technique to produce fruit powders. Most of the processes employed to produce dried fruit pulps and juices, such as Foam Mat, encapsulation by co-crystallization and spray drying utilize adjuvant and additives (such as thickeners, coating materials, emulsifiers, acidulants, flavors and dyes), which is not always desirable. The fruit pulp composition exerts an important effect on the fruit powder production using a spouted bed. In the study by Medeiros (2001) it was concluded that lipids, starch and pectin contents play an important role on the process performance, enhancing the powder production; however, the drying of fruit pulps containing high content of reducing sugars (glucose and fructose) is practically unviable. This work has the objective of expanding the studies on drying of fruit pulps in spouted bed with aid of adjuvant (lipids, starch and pectin) aiming to enhance the dryer performance without jeopardizing the sensorial quality of the product. The optimum composition obtained by Medeiros (2001) was the basis for preparing the mixtures of pulps. The mixture formulations included pulps of mango (Mangifera indica), umbu (Spondias tuberosa) and red mombin (Spondia purpurea) with addition of cornstarch, pectin and lipids. Different products were used as lipids source: olive and Brazil nut oils, coconut milk, heavy milk, powder of palm fat and palm olein. First of all, experiments were conducted to define the best formulation of the fruit pulps mixture. This definition was based on the drying performance obtained for each mixture and on the sensorial characteristics of the dry powder. The mixture formulations were submitted to drying at fixed operating conditions of drying and atomizing air flow rate, load of inert particles, temperature and flow rate of the mixture. The best results were obtained with the compositions having powder of palm fat and palm olein in terms of the drying performance and sensorial analysis. Physical and physicochemical characteristics were determined for the dry powders obtained from the mixtures formulations. Solubility and reconstitution time as well as the properties of the product after reconstitution were also evaluated. According to these analyses, the powder from the mixtures formulations presented similar characteristics and compatible quality to those produced in other types of dryers. Considering that the palm olein is produced in Brazil and that it has been used in the food industry substituting the palm fat powder, further studies on drying performance were conducted with the composition that included the palm olein. A complete factorial design of experiments 23, with three repetitions at the central point was conducted to evaluate the effects of the air temperature, feeding flow rate and intermittence time on the responses related to the process performance (powder collection efficiency, material retained in the bed and angle of repose of the inert particles after the process) and to the product quality (mean moisture content, loss of vitamin C and solubility). Powder production was uniform for the majority of the experiments and the higher efficiency with lower retention in the bed (59.2% and 1.8g, respectively) were obtained for the air temperature of 80°C, mixture feed rate of 5ml/min in intervals of 10 min. The statistical analysis of the results showed that the process variables had individual or combined significant influences on the powder collection efficiency, material retention in the bed, powder moisture content and loss of vitamin C. At the experimental ranges of this work, the angle of repose and solubility were not influenced by the operating variables. From the results of the experimental design, statistical models were obtained for the powder moisture content and loss of vitamin C