Black and green pigments based on chromium-cobalt spinels

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Detecção de hipertensão arterial em adolescentes através de marcadores gerais e adiposidade abdominal

FUNDAMENTO: A obesidade está ligada à hipertensão arterial (HA) na infância. Entretanto, o papel da gordura como preditor de HA em adolescentes permanece desconhecido. OBJETIVO: Investigar a associação entre obesidade geral e abdominal com HA e identificar a sensibilidade e especificidade desses indicadores para detectar HA em adolescentes. MÉTODOS: A amostra consistiu em 1.021 adolescentes com idade de 10-17 anos. Os indivíduos foram classificados como normal, sobrepeso/obesidade, de acordo com as medidas do IMC, e como não-obeso com obesidade abdominal, de acordo com as medidas da circunferência da cintura (CC). A pressão arterial sistólica (PAS) e diastólica (PAD) foi avaliada através de um dispositivo oscilométrico. Regressão logística e curvas ROC foram usadas na análise estatística. RESULTADOS: A prevalência geral de HA foi 11,8% (13,4% em meninos e 10,2% em meninas). A prevalência de HA em meninos e meninas com sobrepeso/obesidade foi 10% e 11,1%, respectivamente. A prevalência de HA em meninos com obesidade abdominal foi 28,6%. Para ambos os sexos, o odds ratio (OR) para HA foi mais alto na obesidade abdominal do que no sobrepeso/obesidade geral (4,09 [OR IC95% = 2,57-6,51]) versus 1,83 [OR IC95% = 1,83-4,30]). O OR para HA foi mais alto quando sobrepeso/obesidade geral e obesidade abdominal estavam agrupados (OR = 4,35 [OR IC95% = 2,68 -7,05]), do que quando identificados como sobrepeso/obesidade geral ou obesidade abdominal apenas (OR = 1,32 [OR IC95% = 0,65- 2,68]). Entretanto, ambos os tipos de obesidade apresentavam baixo poder preditivo na detecção de HA. CONCLUSÃO: Obesidade geral e obesidade abdominal foram associadas com HA; entretanto, a sensibilidade e especificidade dessas variáveis na detecção de HA são baixas em adolescentes brasileiros.

Associação genética de escores de conformação com características de crescimento em bovinos da raça Angus

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a associação genética entre escores visuais de conformação e as características de ganho de peso médio diário e de velocidade de crescimento em bovinos da raça Angus à desmama e ao sobreano. Os componentes de covariância foram estimados por modelo animal de análise tetracaracterística, com uso do método de inferência bayesiana, tendo-se assumido o modelo linear para: ganho de peso médio diário do nascimento à desmama (GMD) e da desmama ao sobreano (GMS); e velocidade de ganho de peso do nascimento à desmama (VD) e da desmama ao sobreano (VS). Um modelo não linear (de limiar) foi utilizado para os escores de conformação à desmama (CD) e ao sobreano (CS). As médias a posteriori, para a herdabilidade direta, foram: 0,12±0,023 (CD), 0,15±0,020 (GMD), 0,15±0,024 (VD), 0,17±0,020 (CS), 0,17±0,023(GMS), e 0,17±0,023 (VS). A correlação genética variou de -0,09±0,11 a 0,60±0,06, entre os escores CD e CS e as características de ganho médio diário de peso e velocidade de ganho de peso. A correlação entre CD e CS foi 0,52±0,089. A seleção direta para escores visuais de conformação, ganho médio diário e velocidade de ganho responde de forma lenta à seleção, tanto à desmama como ao sobreano.

Biologia populacional e reprodutiva de Callinectes danae Smith (Crustacea, Portunidae), no Balneário Shangri-lá, Pontal do Paraná, Paraná, Brasil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Coating residual stress effects on fatigue performance of 7050-T7451 aluminum alloy

The tendency of the aircraft industry is to enhance customer value by improving performance and reducing environmental impact. In view of availability, aluminum alloys have a historically tendency to faster insertion due to their lower manufacturing and operated production infrastructure. In landing gear components, wear and corrosion control of many components is accomplished by surface treatments of chrome electroplating on steel or anodizing of aluminum. One of the most interesting environmentally safer and cleaner alternatives for the replacement of hard chrome plating or anodizing is tungsten carbide thermal spray coating, applied by the high velocity oxy fuel (HVOF) process. However, it was observed that residual stresses originating from these coatings reduce the fatigue strength of a component.An effective process as shot peening treatment, considered to improve the fatigue strength, pushes the crack sources beneath the surface in most of medium and high cycle cases, due to the compressive residual stress field induced. The objective of this research is to evaluate a tungsten carbide cobalt (WC-Co) coating applied by the high velocity oxy fuel (HVOF) process, used to replace anodizing. Anodic films were grown on 7050-T7451 aluminum alloy by sulfuric acid anodizing, chromic acid anodizing and hard anodizing. The influence on axial fatigue strength of anodic films grown on the aluminum alloy surface is to degrade the stress-life performance of the base material. Three groups of specimens were prepared and tested in axial fatigue to obtain S-N curves: base material, base material coated by HVOF and base material shot peened and coated.Experimental results revealed increase in the fatigue strength of Al 7050-T7451 alloy associated with the WC 17% Co coating. on the other hand, a reduction in fatigue life occurred in the shot peened and coated condition. Scanning electron microscopy technique and optical microscopy were used to observe crack origin sites, thickness and coating/substrate adhesion. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of soy protein and resistance exercise on body composition and blood lipids in postmenopausal women

Objective: To assess the effect of soy protein and progressive resistance training on body composition and lipids in postmenopausal women.Design: In a controlled trial, 46 postmenopausal women were randomized to one of four groups: 25 g of soy protein (SP, n = 10), 25 g of soy protein plus resistance exercise (SPE, n = 14), 25 g of maltodextrine (placebo) (PL, n = 11), or placebo plus resistance exercise (PLE, n = 11). Progressive resistance training was held three times a week for 16 weeks and included 8 exercises (3 series of 8-12 repetitions). At baseline and after 16 weeks, body mass index, waist circumference (WC), body fat, muscle mass and serum lipid levels were measured. To confirm isoflavone absorption, urinary concentrations were determined. The t-test of Student and ANOVA were used in the statistical analysis.Results: Subjects were classified as overweight and showed android fat distribution: Urinary isoflavone excretion indicated compliance to soy protein treatment. After 16 weeks of intervention, both SPE and PLE groups showed a significant increase of 1.3 kg in muscle mass and reduction in WC of -1.4 and -2.1 cm, respectively (p < 0.05). Significant decreases in the mean values of total cholesterol and LDL (-29.0 and -24.0 mg/dL, p < 0.001 and p < 0.006, respectively) were observed in the users of soy protein alone (SP).Conclusions: Soy protein supplementation did not influence the indicators of body composition. However, it exerted possible favorable effects on lipid profile in postmenopausal women. The increase in muscle mass and reduction in abdominal fat were correlated with resistance training. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.

Non-isothermal kinetic of oxidation of tungsten carbide

Tungsten carbide, WC, has shown dissimilar thermal behavior when it is heated on changeable heating rate and flow of oxidant atmosphere. The oxidation of WC to WO3 tends to be in a single and slow kinetic step on slow heating rate and/or low flux of air. Kinetic parameters, on non-isothermal condition, could be evaluated to the oxidation of WC to heating rate below 15 degrees C min(-1) or low flow of air (10 mL min(-1)). The reaction is governed by nucleation and growth at 5 to 10 degrees C min(-1) then the tendency is to be autocatalytic, JMA and SB, respectively.

Non-stationary frequency analysis of extreme daily rainfall in São Paulo, Brazil

This work is an assessment of frequency of extreme values (EVs) of daily rainfall in the city of São Paulo. Brazil, over the period 1933-2005, based on the peaks-over-threshold (POT) and Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD) approach. Usually. a GPD model is fitted to a sample of POT Values Selected With a constant threshold. However. in this work we use time-dependent thresholds, composed of relatively large p quantities (for example p of 0.97) of daily rainfall amounts computed from all available data. Samples of POT values were extracted with several Values of p. Four different GPD models (GPD-1, GPD-2, GPD-3. and GDP-4) were fitted to each one of these samples by the maximum likelihood (ML) method. The shape parameter was assumed constant for the four models, but time-varying covariates were incorporated into scale parameter of GPD-2. GPD-3, and GPD-4, describing annual cycle in GPD-2. linear trend in GPD-3, and both annual cycle and linear trend in GPD-4. The GPD-1 with constant scale and shape parameters is the simplest model. For identification of the best model among the four models WC used rescaled Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) with second-order bias correction. This criterion isolates GPD-3 as the best model, i.e. the one with positive linear trend in the scale parameter. The slope of this trend is significant compared to the null hypothesis of no trend, for about 98% confidence level. The non-parametric Mann-Kendall test also showed presence of positive trend in the annual frequency of excess over high thresholds. with p-value being virtually zero. Therefore. there is strong evidence that high quantiles of daily rainfall in the city of São Paulo have been increasing in magnitude and frequency over time. For example. 0.99 quantiles of daily rainfall amount have increased by about 40 mm between 1933 and 2005. Copyright (C) 2008 Royal Meteorological Society

Desempenho e Digestibilidade in vivo de Cordeiros Alimentados com Dietas Contendo Canola em Grão Integral em Diferentes Formas

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effects of tungsten carbide thermal spray coating by HP/HVOF and hard chromium electroplating on AISI 4340 high strength steel

In cases of decorative and functional applications, chromium results in protection against wear and corrosion combined with chemical resistance and good lubricity. However, pressure to identify alternatives or to improve conventional chromium electroplating mechanical characteristics has increased in recent years, related to the reduction in the fatigue strength of the base material and to environmental requirements. The high efficiency and fluoride-free hard chromium electroplating is an improvement to the conventional process, considering chemical and physical final properties. One of the most interesting, environmentally safer and cleaner alternatives for the replacement of hard chrome plating is tungsten carbide thermal spray coating, applied by the high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) process. The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of the tungsten carbide thermal spray coating applied by the HP/HVOF process and of the high efficiency and fluoride-free hard chromium electroplating (in the present paper called 'accelerated'), in comparison to the conventional hard chromium electroplating on the AISI 4340 high strength steel behaviour in fatigue, corrosion, and abrasive wear tests. The results showed that the coatings were damaging to the AISI 4340 steel behaviour when submitted to fatigue testing, with the tungsten carbide thermal spray coatings showing the better performance. Experimental data from abrasive wear tests were conclusive, indicating better results from the WC coating. Regarding corrosion by salt spray test, both coatings were completely corroded after 72 h exposure. Scanning electron microscopy technique (SEM) and optical microscopy were used to observe crack origin sites, thickness and adhesion in all the coatings and microcrack density in hard chromium electroplatings, to aid in the results analysis. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The electronic detail of a digital pH-meter

This paperwork presents the complete circuitry used to build a microcontroller-based pH-meter. Key control software is also discussed. An industry-standard glass combination electrode has been employed for pH detection. Electrode parameter extraction procedure is presented. Good measurement results, with 1 % error, have been attained. Copyright© (2006) by the International Measurement Federation (IMEKO).

Initial concentration profile influence on migration measurements from plastic packaging: A simulation study

Migration of components from plastic packaging into foodstuffs or into medicines is a very important issue, concerning public health. Using experimental techniques, like gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, these essays measure total migration and specific migration of components from plastic packaging. This work presents an explanation and applications of a numerical technique tool for this measurement, allowing the comprehension of the diffusion process and the estimate of component migration in difficult or impractical measurements. As an application example, the non-uniform influence of initial concentration profile on the migration is presented, demonstrating the necessity of this profile determination for high quality considerations on involved metrology.

Síndrome metabólica em mulheres na pós-menopausa tratadas de câncer de mama

PURPOSE: To assess the occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. METHODS: A total of 158 breast cancer survivors were included in this cross-sectional study. Eligibility criteria were: women with amenorrhea >12 months and age ≥45 years, treated for breast cancer and no metastasis for at least five years. Clinical history and anthropometric indicator data (body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference, (WC) were collected. Biochemical parameters, including total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides (TG), glucose and C-reactive protein (CRP), were measured. MetS was diagnosed as the presence of at least three of the following diagnostic criteria: WC>88 cm, blood pressure≥130/85 mmHg, triglycerides≥150 mg/dl, HDL <50 mg/dL,and glucose≥100 mg/dL. The Student's t-test and χ 2 test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of breast cancer survivors was 63.1±8.6 years, with a mean follow-up of 9.1±4.0 years. MetS was diagnosed in 48.1% (76/158) and the most prevalent diagnostic criterion was abdominal obesity (WC>88 cm), affecting 54.4% (86/158) of the women. The patients without MetS had a longer follow-up compared those with MetS (p<0.05). Regarding the current BMI, PN average, those without MetS were overweight, and those with MetS were obese (p<0.05). Among the latter, comparison of BMI at the time of cancer diagnosis and current BMI (27.8±5.4 versus 33.4±5.4 kg/m2) showed a significant weight gain (p<0.05). Mean CRP values were higher in women with MetS (p<0.05). In the comparison of tumor characteristics and cancer treatments there was no difference between groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors had a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome and central obesity.

Waist circumference, but not body mass index, is a predictor of ventricular remodeling after anterior myocardial infarction

Objective: The impact of obesity on ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI) is still poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the role of waist circumference (WC) and body mass index as predictors of cardiac remodeling in patients after an anterior MI. Methods: Eighty-three consecutive patients with anterior MI were prospectively evaluated. Clinical characteristics and echocardiographic data were analyzed at admission and at a 6-mo follow-up. Ventricular remodeling was defined as a 10% increase in left ventricular end-systolic or end-diastolic diameter at the 6-mo follow-up. Results: In our study, 83 consecutive patients were evaluated (72% men). Ventricular remodeling was present in 31% of the patients (77% men). Patients with remodeling had higher creatine phosphokinase and creatine phosphokinase-MB peak values, a higher resting heart rate, a larger left atrial diameter, and a larger interventricular septum diastolic thickness. In addition, patients with remodeling had lower peak velocity of early ventricular filling deceleration time and ejection fraction. Patients with remodeling presented higher WC values (with remodeling, 99.2 ± 10.4 cm; without remodeling, 93.9 ± 10.8 cm, P = 0.04), but there were no differences in the body mass index values. In the logistic regression analysis, WC, adjusted by age, gender, ejection fraction, and creatine phosphokinase levels, was an independent predictor of left ventricular remodeling (odds ratio 1.067, 95% confidence interval 1.001-1.129, P = 0.02). Conclusion: Waist circumference, but not body mass index, is a predictor of ventricular remodeling after an anterior MI. Therefore, the WC of these patients should be measured in clinical practice. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Evaluation of mature cow weight: Genetic correlations with traits used in selection indices, correlated responses, and genetic trends in Nelore cattle

Genetic correlations of selection indices and the traits considered in these indices with mature weight (MW) of Nelore females and correlated responses were estimated to determine whether current selection practices will result in an undesired correlated response in MW. Genetic trends for weaning and yearling indices and MW were also estimated. Data from 612,244 Nelore animals born between 1984 and 2010, belonging to different beef cattle evaluation programs from Brazil and Paraguay, were used. The following traits were studied: weaning conformation (WC), weaning precocity (WP), weaning muscling (WM), yearling conformation (YC), yearling precocity (YP), yearling muscling (YM), weaning and yearling indices, BW gain from birth to weaning (BWG), postweaning BW gain (PWG), scrotal circumference (SC), and MW. The variance and covariance components were estimated by Bayesian inference in a multitrait analysis, including all traits in the same analysis, using a nonlinear (threshold) animal model for visual scores and a linear animal model for the other traits. The mean direct heritabilities were 0.21 ± 0.007 (WC), 0.22 ± 0.007 (WP), 0.20 ± 0.007 (WM), 0.43 ± 0.005 (YC), 0.40 ± 0.005 (YP), 0.40 ± 0.005 (YM), 0.17 ± 0.003 (BWG), 0.21 ± 0.004 (PWG), 0.32 ± 0.001 (SC), and 0.44 ± 0.018 (MW). The genetic correlations between MW and weaning and yearling indices were positive and of medium magnitude (0.30 ± 0.01 and 0.31 ± 0.01, respectively). The genetic changes in weaning index, yearling index, and MW, expressed as units of genetic SD per year, were 0.26, 0.27, and 0.01, respectively. The genetic trend for MW was nonsignificant, suggesting no negative correlated response. The selection practice based on the use of sires with high final index giving preference for those better ranked for yearling precocity and muscling than for conformation generates only a minimal correlated response in MW. © 2013 American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved.