Intraocular pressure and its correlation with blood gas parameters in crested caracaras (Caracara plancus) anesthetized with isoflurane and sevoflurane

Avaliou-se a pressão intra-ocular (PIO) e estimaram-se as correlações entre PIO e pressão de dióxido de carbono (PaCO2) e pH arterial de cinco caracarás (Caracara plancus), anestesiados com isofluorano (ISO) ou sevofluorano (SEV). Valores basais da PIO foram aferidos em ambos os olhos (M0). Cateterizou-se previamente a artéria braquial para obtenção de parâmetros hemogasométricos e cardiorrespiratórios. Anestesia foi induzida com ISO a 5V% e mantida por 40 minutos com 2,5V%. PIO e amostras de sangue foram avaliadas em diferentes momentos até o final do procedimento. Após recuperação, uma segunda anestesia foi realizada com SEV a 6% e mantida com 3,5%. Os parâmetros foram aferidos nos mesmos momentos estabelecidos previamente. A PIO decresceu significativamente (P=0,012) de M0 em todos os momentos e não houve diferença estatística entre ISO e SEV. Correlações significativas entre PIO e PaCO2 e entre PIO e pH sangüíneo foram observadas apenas para a anestesia com SEV. O pH sangüíneo decresceu paralelamente a PIO, enquanto a PaCO2 aumentou, em carcarás anestesiados com isofluorano e sevofluorano.

On determining spectral parameters, tracking jitter, and GPS positioning improvement by scintillation mitigation

A method of determining spectral parameters p (slope of the phase PSD) and T (phase PSD at 1 Hz) and hence tracking error variance in a GPS receiver PLL from just amplitude and phase scintillation indices and an estimated value of the Fresnel frequency has been previously presented. Here this method is validated using 50 Hz GPS phase and amplitude data from high latitude receivers in northern Norway and Svalbard. This has been done both using (1) a Fresnel frequency estimated using the amplitude PSD (in order to check the accuracy of the method) and (2) a constant assumed value of Fresnel frequency for the data set, convenient for the situation when contemporaneous phase PSDs are not available. Both of the spectral parameters (p, T) calculated using this method are in quite good agreement with those obtained by direct measurements of the phase spectrum as are tracking jitter variances determined for GPS receiver PLLs using these values. For the Svalbard data set, a significant difference in the scintillation level observed on the paths from different satellites received simultaneously was noted. Then, it is shown that the accuracy of relative GPS positioning can be improved by use of the tracking jitter variance in weighting the measurements from each satellite used in the positioning estimation. This has significant advantages for scintillation mitigation, particularly since the method can be accomplished utilizing only time domain measurements thus obviating the need for the phase PSDs in order to extract the spectral parameters required for tracking jitter determination.

Determination of the oxygen and nitrogen interstitial diffusion coeficient in niobium by mechanical spectroscopy

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

Photocatalytic decomposition of diclofenac potassium using silver-modified TiO(2) thin films

The effects of silver insertion on the TiO(2) photocatalytic activity for the degradation of diclofenac potassium were reported here. Techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used to comprehend the relation between structure and properties of the silver-modified TiO(2), thin films obtained by the sol-gel method. The lattice parameters and the crystallinity of TiO(2) anatase phase were affected by inserted silver, and the film thickness increased about 4 nm for each 1 wt.% of silver inserted. The degradation of diclofenac potassium and by-products reached an efficiency of 4.6 mg(C) W(-1) when the material was modified with silver. Although the first step of degradation involves only the photochemical process related to the loss of the chlorine and hydrogen atoms. This cyclization reaction leads to the formation of intermediate, which degradation is facilitated by the modified material. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aspects of solid state formation and properties of Sn(0.9)Ti(0.1)O(2) system doped with CoO and Nb(2)O(5)

The effect of calcination temperature during the formation of the solid solution Sn(0.9)Ti(0.1)O(2) doped with 1.00 mol % CoO and 0.05 mol % Nb(2)O(5) is presented. The structural characteristics of this system were studied using X-ray diffraction, and the changes in phase formation were analyzed using the Rietveld method. With an increase in calcination temperature, there is increasing miscibility of Ti into the (Ti,Sn)O(2) phase and near 1000 degrees C, and the remaining TiO(2) (anatase) was transformed into the rutile phase. The sintering process, monitored using dilatometry, suggests two mass transport mechanisms, one activated close to 900 degrees C associated with the presence of TiO(2) (anatase) and the second mechanism, occurring between 1200 and 1300 degrees C, is attributed to a faster grain boundary diffusion caused by oxygen vacancies. (C) 2008 International Centre for Diffraction Data.

Application of Nonisothermal Cure Kinetics to the Interaction of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) with Alkyd Resin Varnish

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Determination of Copper, Iron, Nickel and Zinc in fuel kerosene by FAAS after adsorption and pre-concentration on 2-aminothiazole-modified silica gel

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

Start-up of horizontal anaerobic reactors with sludge blanket and fixed bed for wastewater treatment from coffee processing by wet method

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Study of alternative schemes for the parameterization step of the continuation power flow method based on physical parameters, part II: Performance evaluation

New parameterization schemes have been proposed by the authors in Part I of this paper. In this part these new options for the parameterization of power flow equations are tested, namely, the total power losses (real and reactive), the power at the slack bus (real or reactive), the reactive power at generation buses, and the transmission line power losses (real and reactive). These different parameterization schemes can be used to obtain the maximum loading point without ill-conditioning problems, once the singularity of Jacobian matrix is avoided. The results obtained with the new approach for the IEEE test systems (14, 30, 57, and 118 buses) show that the characteristics of the conventional method are not only preserved but also improved. In addition, it is shown that the proposed method and the conventional one can be switched during the tracing of PV curves to determine, with few iterations, all points of the PV curve. Several tests were also carried out to compare the performance of the proposed parameterization schemes for the continuation power flow method with the use of both the secant and tangent predictors.

Genetic parameters and principal component analysis for egg production from White Leghorn hens

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estudo da segregação de dopantes no contorno de grão e sua influência nas propriedades elétricas de cerâmicas à base de 'SN''O IND.2'

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Desenvolvimento de eletrodos de pasta de carbono modificada com 2-aminotiazol sílica gel para a determinação de metais em etanol combustível

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Effects of excessive energy intake and supplementation with chromium propionate on insulin resistance parameters in nonlactating dairy cows

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

Sílica mesoporosa como suporte sólido para o ancoramento da molécula 4-amino-3-hidrazino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole e aplicação na adsorção de Cu(II), Cd(II), Ni(II), Pb(II) e Co(II) em amostras aquosas

Pós-graduação em Química - IQ

Analytical method for determination of nitric oxide in zebrafish larvae: Toxicological and pharmacological applications

Zebrafish are currently used at various stages of the drug discovery process and can be a useful and cost-effective alternative to some mammalian models. Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in physiology of zebrafish. The availability of appropriate analytical techniques to quantify the NO is crucial for studying its role in physiological and pathological conditions. This work aimed at establishing a high-performance liquid chromatography method for determination of NO levels in zebrafish larvae. Attempts were also made to assess the normal levels of NO at the first days postfertilization and the possible changes under pathological conditions. The method validation was quantitatively evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy, linearity, and recovery. NO levels from zebrafish larvae at the first days postfertilization and larvae challenged to N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, sodium nitroprusside, Escherichia coil lipopolysaccharide, and copper sulfate were analyzed. The samples were derivatized with 2,3-diaminonaphthalene, and fluorescence detection was used for the indirect determination of NO. The method showed a good performance for all validation parameters evaluated and was efficient to monitor changes in NO concentration under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. This method might represent a powerful tool to be applied in NO studies with zebrafish larvae. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.