Comportamentos, térmico e mecânico, de compósitos de polipropileno e resíduo da hidrólise enzimática do bagaço de cana de açúcar

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEG

Eficiência reprodutiva e comportamento parental de camundongos isogênicos e heterogênicos produzidos em ambiente modificado

Pós-graduação em Zootecnia - FMVZ

Biodegradation of films of low density polyethylene (LDPE), poly(hydroxibutyrate-co-valerate) (PHBV), and LDPE/PHBV (70/30) blend with Paecilomyces variotii

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Biodegradation of PP and PE blended with PHBV in soil samples

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Strategies to improve the mechanical properties of starch-based materials: plasticization and natural fibers reinforcement

Biodegradable polymers are starting to be introduced as raw materials in the food-packaging market. Nevertheless, their price is very high. Starch, a fully biodegradable and bioderived polymer is a very interesting alternative due to its very low price. However, the use of starch as the polymer matrix for the production of rigid food packaging, such as trays, is limited due to its poor mechanical properties, high hidrophilicity and high density. This work presents two strategies to overcome the poor mechanical properties of starch. First, the plasticization of starch with several amounts of glycerol to produce thermoplastic starch (TPS) and second, the production of biocomposites by reinforcing TPS with promising fibers, such as barley straw and grape waste. The mechanical properties obtained are compared with the values predicted by models used in the field of composites; law of mixtures, Kerner-Nielsen and Halpin-Tsai. To evaluate if the materials developed are suitable for the production of food-packaging trays, the TPS-based materials with better mechanical properties were compared with commercial grades of oil-based polymers, polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene-terphthalate (PET), and a biodegradable polymer, polylactic acid (PLA).

Jato de plasma frio em pressão atmosférica para tratamento de materiais e esterilização

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A influência do anel na evolução ponderal após quatro anos da derivação gátrica em Y-de-Roux laparoscópica

Use of ring in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is still a matter of controversy among bariatric surgeons. There is no consensus on its impact in relation to weight loss and weight maintenance in the long term. AIM: To evaluate the influence of the ring on the evolution of body weight over four years after bariatric surgery. METHODS: Retrospective analyzis of 143 women who underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass paired on the use or not use of Silastic® ring. Follow-up time was 48 months. Inclusion criteria were age over 18 years, primary bariatric operation and regular attendance at the clinic during the period of interest for research. The technique kept small gastric reservoir estimated in a volume of 30 ml. The food limb had in average 150 cm and the bile one 40 cm from the duodenojejunal angle. The group "ring" used Silastic® device with length of 6.5 cm, placed 2 cm from gastrojejunal anastomosis. The ring was closed for five polypropylene surgical thread sutures. In the morning after surgery the patients received isotonic fluids; on the second day salty liquid diet and were discharged on the third day. Semisolid diet started from the 20th day and solid on the 30th, with daily tablet of polivitamins. RESULTS: The weight loss was larger on the ring than without ring groups in all periods, respectively 10% and only 5% in the third postoperative year. The proportion of not having reached the 50% excess weight loss expectative was significantly higher in the group without ring than in the group with the ring (31% and 8% respectively in the fourth year). There was no difference between groups in delayed recovery of weight lost with the operation. CONCLUSIONS: The results were favorable to use the ring exclusively when it is analyzed only the weight loss.

Utilização das tecnologias assistidas na concepção, no desenvolvimento e no projeto de uma escova dental sustentável e ergonômica

The toothbrush is identified as one of the most importants inventions in human history. Most of them are made by polypropylene, a recyclable polymer. Some are made of polypropylene and polyethylene leftovers from others industrial processes. However, the toothbrushes are discarded incorrectly and end up in landfills, which could be avoided by using a material and design suitable for the manufacture of the product. This study aimed, based on research, develop and design a toothbrush model with great features. For the conception of the prototype, was used rapid prototyping technologies. With the intention of improving the product quality, was created an ergonomic, sustainable and environmentally friendly model, seeking maximally reduce the generation of waste and environmental damages. The solution adopted was the use of "interchangeable head", which can be discarded after their useful life, keeping the rest of the body.

Aluminas macro-mesoporosas produzidas pelo método sol-gel para aplicação em catálise heterogênea

Pós-graduação em Química - IQ

Elaboração de pão com casca de abacate hass: valor nutricional e aceitabilidade

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Telas de polipropileno e de submucosa de intestino de suíno na reparação de falhas na parede abdominal de ratos (Rattus norvegicus Albinus)

Pós-graduação em Cirurgia Veterinária - FCAV

Gamma irradiation can control the number of psychotrophic bacteria in Agaricus bisporus during storage

We evaluated the effect of gamma irradiation doses (0, 125, 250, and 500 Gy) in control of psychrotrophic bacteria in different strains of Agaricus bisporus (ABI-07/06, ABI-05/03, and PB-1) during storage, cultivated in composts based on oat straw (Avena sativa) and Brachiaria spp. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial scheme 4  2  3 (irradiation doses  composts  strains), with 24 treatments, each consisting of 2 replicates, totaling 48 experimental units (samples of mushrooms). The mushrooms collected from all culture conditions were packaged in plastic polypropylene with 200 g each and subjected to Cobalt-60 irradiator, type Gammacell 220, and dose rate 0.740 kGy h–1 , according to the treatments. Subsequently, the control (nonirradiated) and other treatments were maintained at 4 ± 1°C and 90% relative humidity (RH) in a climatic chamber to perform the microbiological analysis of mushrooms on the 1st and 14th day of storage. According to the results, it was found that the highest mean colony psychotrophic count, after 14 days of storage, was observed in strain ABI-07/06 1.30 × 108 g -1 most probable number (MPN) in nonirradiated mushrooms, coming from Brachiaria grass-based compost, and this same strain under the same storage conditions, coming from the same type of compost that underwent a dose of 500 Gy, obtained a significant reduction in mean colonies of psychrotrophic bacteria (2.25 × 104 g –1 MPN). Thus, the irradiation doses tested favored reducing the number of colonies of psychrotrophic bacteria, regardless of the type of compound and strain of A. bisporus.

Unmanned platform for long-range remote analysis of volatile compounds in air samples

This paper describes a long-range remotely controlled CE system built on an all-terrain vehicle. A four-stroke engine and a set of 12-V batteries were used to provide power to a series of subsystems that include drivers, communication, computers, and a capillary electrophoresis module. This dedicated instrument allows air sampling using a polypropylene porous tube, coupled to a flow system that transports the sample to the inlet of a fused-silica capillary. A hybrid approach was used for the construction of the analytical subsystem combining a conventional fused-silica capillary (used for separation) and a laser machined microfluidic block, made of PMMA. A solid-state cooling approach was also integrated in the CE module to enable controlling the temperature and therefore increasing the useful range of the robot. Although ultimately intended for detection of chemical warfare agents, the proposed system was used to analyze a series of volatile organic acids. As such, the system allowed the separation and detection of formic, acetic, and propionic acids with signal-to-noise ratios of 414, 150, and 115, respectively, after sampling by only 30 s and performing an electrokinetic injection during 2.0 s at 1.0 kV.

Linear viscoelasticity of immiscible blends: The application of creep

A new method to characterize the long-time linear relaxation mechanisms of immiscible blends based on creep experiment was developed. Small-amplitude oscillatory shear and incomplete creep/recovery experiments were combined to characterize immiscible blends of polypropylene with dispersed droplets of polystyrene. An experimental protocol was defined such that the full creep compliance function could be obtained while minimizing morphological changes. Dynamic experiments were performed to characterize the shorter time relaxation processes, and creep and recovery measurements were used to detect the longer time portions of the relaxation spectra. Extended retardation and relaxation spectra were constructed by combining these data. It was found that using this technique, very long-time relaxation peaks which were inaccessible with dynamic experiments alone could be detected. (C) 2012 The Society of Rheology. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1122/1.4720081]

Materials prepared from biopolyethylene and curaua fibers: Composites from biomass

Composites of high-density biopolyethylene (HDBPE) obtained from ethylene derived from sugarcane ethanol and curaua fibers were formed by first mixing in an internal mixer followed by thermopressing. Additionally, hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (LHPB), which is usually used as an impact modifier, was mainly used in this study as a compatibilizer agent. The fibers, HDBPE and LHPB were also compounded using an inter-meshing twin-screw extruder and, subsequently, injection molded. The presence of the curaua fibers enhanced some of the properties of the HDBPE, such as its flexural strength and storage modulus. SEM images showed that the addition of LHPB improved the adhesion of the fiber/matrix at the interface, which increased the impact strength of the composite. The higher shear experienced during processing probably led to a more homogeneous distribution of fibers, making the composite that was prepared through extruder/injection molding more resistant to impact than the composite processed by the internal mixer/thermopressing. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.