Bioacumulação de metais pesados e nutrientes no mexilhão dourado do reservatório da Usina Hidrelétrica de Itaipu Binacional

This study aims to evaluate the bioaccumulation of macronutrients and heavy metals in the golden mussel according to its collection site and seasonality in the aquaculture area of the reservoir from April/2009 to March/2010. There is no difference (p > 0.05) in the concentration of metals with respect to the point of collection. The concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd and Pb were higher (p < 0.05) in spring and summer than in fall and winter. Values of the heavy-metal pollution index (MPI) for collection point and seasonality indicate environmental contamination in the aquaculture area.

Elementos traço em material particulado atmosférico de uma região agroindustrial do sudeste do Brasil

Trace element concentrations were measured in atmospheric particulate matter collected in 2009 and 2010, in a Brazilian region influenced by pre-harvest burning of sugar cane crops. For coarse particles, high concentrations of Al, Fe, K and Ca suggested that re-suspended soil dust was the main source of aerosol trace elements, subsequently confirmed by XRD analysis. High levels of K, Zn, As, Cd and Pb were found in fine particles, confirming the contribution of biomass burning and vehicle emissions, whereas Na, Al, K, Fe and Zn were the representative elements in ultrafine particles, influenced by a diversity of sources.

Avaliação do potencial de uso da hidroxiapatita para fertilização de solos

Plants absorb phosphorus from the soil, which has low levels of this element due to the poor solubility of these compounds in soil and high adsorption capacity of the element by soil particles. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess, using hydroxyapatite nanoparticles synthesized in the laboratory, the amount of phosphorus available under different conditions. The results showed that the phosphorus compound had highest solubility in hydroxyapatite sintered at 300°C in an oven for 2h and diluted to 0.05M with MilliQ water, corroborating the theory that the stronger the agglomeration of the nanoparticles, the fewer the pores and the poorer their solubility.

ARSÊNIO E ARROZ: TOXICIDADE, METABOLISMO E SEGURANÇA ALIMENTAR

Arsenic is considered a semimetal, and its wide distribution in the Earth's crust in different chemical forms, including organic and inorganic species, has a great deal of influence on the mechanisms of toxicity. Exposure to arsenic can be either through occupational practice (use of pesticides) or by the consumption of water and food containing the element. Rice is considered a fundamental constituent of the basic diet of Brazilians and is usually cultivated in flooded conditions. Such a plantation system results in an increased amount of As in the soil and hence a greater accumulation of As in the plant, which is highlighted by the inorganic species' classification as highly toxic. Besides the use of mitigation techniques to reduce the toxicological risk, monitoring the concentration of As and its chemical species in rice and rice products is required through the establishment of legislation in the area. Thus, some world organizations are conducting improved research to determine and establish acceptable concentrations of As and its chemical species in rice, e. g., in 2012, FDA researchers described a chemical speciation methodology for As in rice and rice products. Hence, the application of existing chemical speciation methods and the establishment of parameters for ensuring food security and exposure risk assessment deserve particular consideration.

METODOLOGIAS DE COLETA, PRESERVAÇÃO E ARMAZENAMENTO DE AMOSTRAS DE ÁGUA PARA ANÁLISE DE MERCÚRIO - UMA REVISÃO

Knowing the mercury levels of an environment allows a diverse array of biogeochemical studies into the mercury cycle on a local or global scale. Among matrices commonly evaluated, water remains a challenge for research because its mercury levels can be very low, requiring development of complex analytical protocols. Currently, sample preservation methods, protocols that avoid contamination, and analytical techniques with low detection limits allow analysis of mercury in pristine waters. However, different protocols suggest different methods depending on a range of factors such as the characteristics of water sampled and storage time. In remote areas, such as oceanic and Amazonian regions, sample preservation and transport to a laboratory can be difficult, requiring processing of the water during the sampling expedition and the establishment of a field laboratory. Brazilian research on mercury in water can be limited due to difficulty obtaining reagents, lack of laboratory structure, qualified personnel, and financial support. Considering this complexity for analyzing water, we reviewed methodologies for sampling, preservation, and storage of water samples for analysis of the most commonly evaluated mercury species (dissolved gaseous mercury, reactive mercury, methylmercury and total mercury).

HTML-teknologian hyödyntäminen Web-sovelluksen prototypoinnissa

Käyttöliittymä on rajapinta käyttäjän ja järjestelmän tarjoamien toimintojen välillä ja sen toimivuus vaikuttaa toimintojen suorittamiseen joko positiivisesti tai negatiivisesti. Täten sovelluksen suunnitteluvaiheessa on hyvä arvioida käyttöliittymän ja sen toimintojen laatua ja kokeilla ideoiden toimivuutta rakentamalla asiasta prototyyppejä. Prototypoinnilla voidaan tunnistaa ja korjata mahdolliset ongelmat jo suunnittelupöydällä. Tämä diplomityö käsittelee Web-sovelluksen kehityksen aikana toteutettua käyttöliittymän ja sen toimintojen prototypointia. Käyttöliittymien mallintamista voidaan toteuttaa erilaisilla menetelmillä, joita työssä käydään läpi teknologisista näkökulmista eli miten prototypointimenetelmiä voidaan soveltaa projektin eri vaiheissa. Prototypoinnin apuna käytettäviin työkaluihin luodaan lyhyt katsaus esitellen yleisellä tasolla muutamia eri sovelluskategorian ohjelmistoja ja lisäksi käsitellään suunnittelumallien hyödyntämistä. Työ osoittaa, että yleisiä prototypointimenetelmiä ja -periaatteita voidaan soveltaa Web-sovellusten prototypoinnissa. Prototypointi on hyödyllistä aloittaa luonnostelemalla ja jatkaa aikaisessa vaiheessa HTML-malleihin, joilla päästään lähelle toteutuksen teknologioita ja mallintamaan sovelluksen luonnetta, ilmettä, tuntumaa ja vuorovaikutusta. HTML-prototyypeistä voidaan jalostaa sekoitetun tarkkuuden malleja ja ne toimivat toteutuksen perustana. Jatkokehityksessä ideoita voidaan esittää useilla eri tarkkuuden tekniikoilla.

Silicon and rice disease management

The element silicon (Si) is not considered an essential nutrient for plant function. Nevertheless, Si is absorbed from soil in large amounts that are several fold higher than those of other essential macronutrients in certain plant species. Its beneficial effects have been reported in various situations, especially under biotic and abiotic stress conditions. The most significant effect of Si on plants, besides improving their fitness in nature and increasing agricultural productivity, is the restriction of parasitism. There has been a considerable amount of research showing the positive effect of Si in controlling diseases in important crops. Rice (Oryza sativa), in particular, is affected by the presence of Si, with diseases such as blast, brown spot and sheath blight becoming more severe on rice plants grown in Si-depleted soils. The hypothesis underlying the control of some diseases in both mono- and di-cots by Si has been confined to that of a mechanical barrier resulting from its polymerization in planta. However, some studies show that Si-mediated resistance against pathogens is associated with the accumulation of phenolics and phytoalexins as well as with the activation of some PR-genes. These findings strongly suggest that Si plays an active role in the resistance of some plants to diseases rather than forming a physical barrier that impedes penetration by fungal pathogens.

Test automation scheme for LTE core network element

Modern sophisticated telecommunication devices require even more and more comprehensive testing to ensure quality. The test case amount to ensure well enough coverage of testing has increased rapidly and this increased demand cannot be fulfilled anymore only by using manual testing. Also new agile development models require execution of all test cases with every iteration. This has lead manufactures to use test automation more than ever to achieve adequate testing coverage and quality. This thesis is separated into three parts. Evolution of cellular networks is presented at the beginning of the first part. Also software testing, test automation and the influence of development model for testing are examined in the first part. The second part describes a process which was used to implement test automation scheme for functional testing of LTE core network MME element. In implementation of the test automation scheme agile development models and Robot Framework test automation tool were used. In the third part two alternative models are presented for integrating this test automation scheme as part of a continuous integration process. As a result, the test automation scheme for functional testing was implemented. Almost all new functional level testing test cases can now be automated with this scheme. In addition, two models for integrating this scheme to be part of a wider continuous integration pipe were introduced. Also shift from usage of a traditional waterfall model to a new agile development based model in testing stated to be successful.

Characteristics of pyridine adsorption on Au(111) and Au(210) by EIS parameters fitting procedure

Some aspects of the application of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to studies of solid electrode / solution interface, in the absence of faradaic processes, are analysed. In order to perform this analysis, gold electrodes with (111) and (210) crystallographic orientations in an aqueous solution containing 10 mmol dm-3 KF, as supporting electrolyte, and a pyridine concentration varying from 0.01 to 4.6 mmol dm-3, were used. The experimental data was analysed by using EQUIVCRT software, which utilises non-linear least squares routines, attributing to the solid electrode / solution interface behaviour described by an equivalent circuit with a resistance in series with a constant phase element. The results of this fitting procedure were analysed by the dependence on the electrode potential on two parameters: the pre-exponential factor, Y0, and the exponent n f, related with the phase angle shift. By this analysis it was possible to observe that the pyridine adsorption is strongly affected by the crystallographic orientation of the electrode surface and that the extent of deviation from ideal capacitive behaviour is mainly of interfacial origin.

The mathematics of McTaggart's paradox

Mc Taggart's celebrated proof of the unreality of time is a chain of implications whose final step asserts that the A-series (i.e. the classification of events as past, present or future) is intrinsically contradictory. This is widely believed to be the heart of the argument, and it is where most attempted refutations have been addressed; yet, it is also the only part of the proof which may be generalised to other contexts, since none of the notions involved in it is specifically temporal. In fact, as I show in the first part of the paper, McTaggart's refutation of the A-series can be easily interpreted in mathematical terms; subsequently, in order to strengthen my claim, I apply the same framework by analogy to the cases of space, modality, and personal identity. Therefore, either McTaggart's proof as a whole may be extended to each of these notions, or it must embed some distinctly temporal element in one of the steps leading up to the contradiction of the A-series. I conclude by suggesting where this element might lay, and by hinting at what I believe to be the true logical fallacy of the proof.

Boron influence on concentration of polyols and other sugars in Eucalyptus

Although the functions of the element Boron (B) in plants have not been sufficiently clarified, several hypotheses have been raised. Some of the functions attributed to this element are synthesis and transport of carbohydrates. To evaluate the effect of B on the synthesis of some polyols and sugars in Eucalyptus grandis and hybrids "urograndis", these species were submitted to situations of supply and restriction of B. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, arranged in a randomized block design in a 2 x 2 factorial scheme, with 5 replicates of each genotype. The B levels were provided in the form of nutrient solution. No significant difference was observed in the content of mannitol, sorbitol, myo-inositol and scyllo-inositol and sugars α-glucose and β-glucose between E. grandis and hybrids. Arabinose was the only one to present a higher content in E. grandis on restriction of B. The effect of the presence of B was very expressive, but regarding B supply, the plants showed significant increase in the synthesis of the compounds evaluated.

Pollution trends using bark of morus alba in the cities of buenos aires and mendoza (Argentina)

A comparative study of elements deposited on tree bark was carried out for urban and periurban areas of two of the most important cities in Argentina. The content of Fe, Mg, Al, Mn, Zn, Pb, Ba, Cr, Hg, Cu, Ni, Cd and Sb was determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) in Morus alba tree bark collected in the cities of Buenos Aires and Mendoza. The main air pollutants detected in the Buenos Aires urban area were Ba, Cr, Cu and Ni and indicate significative difference from the Mendoza urban and periurban areas. Significantly, higher concentrations of Zn, Ba, Cr and Cu were recorded in the periurban area of the city of Buenos Aires than in Mendoza. Bark samples were strongly influenced by dust and show Al, Fe, Mg and other element accumulations that indicate that soil particles were carried out by wind. Elements like Ba and Zn, commonly linked to traffic emissions, showed the highest concentrations in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, possibly due to more intensive vehicular traffic. Our results indicated that intensity of vehicular traffic and not city structure is responsible for air pollution.

Numerical evaluation of the modulus of longitudinal elasticity in structural round timber elements of the Eucalyptus genus

Currently, the standards that deal with the determination of the properties of rigidity and strength for structural round timber elements do not take in consideration in their calculations and mathematical models the influence of the existing irregularities in the geometry of these elements. This study has as objective to determine the effective value of the modulus of longitudinal elasticity for structural round timber pieces of the Eucalyptus citriodora genus by a technique of optimization allied to the Inverse Analysis Method, to the Finite Element Method and the Least Square Method.

The position effect of structural Eucalyptus round timber on the flexural modulus of elasticity

Round timber has great use in civil construction, performing the function of beams, columns, foundations, poles for power distribution among others, with the advantage of not being processed, such as lumber. The structural design of round timber requires determining the elastic properties, mainly the modulus of elasticity. The Brazilian standards responsible for the stiffness and strength determination of round timber are in effect for over twenty years with no technical review. Round timber, for generally present an axis with non-zero curvature according to the position of the element in the bending test, may exhibit different values of modulus of elasticity. This study aims to analyze the position effect of Eucalyptus grandis round timber on the flexural modulus of elasticity. The three-point bending test was evaluated in two different positions based on the longitudinal rotation of the round timber element. The results revealed that at least two different positions of the round timber element are desired to obtain significant modulus of elasticity.