AN IMPROVED ENRICHMENT PROCEDURE FOR THE ISOLATION OF YERSINIA-ENTEROCOLITICA AND RELATED SPECIES FROM MILK

A new enrichment procedure is proposed to improve the isolation of Yersinia enterocolitica and related species from milk. This procedure uses tryptic soy broth plus Polymyxin (5 IU/ml) and Novobiocin (10 mug/ml) - TSPN broth - incubated at 18-degrees-C for 3 d. Using raw milk and pasteurized milk inoculated with Yersinia strains, the efficiency of this procedure was compared to that of SB broth (sorbitol bile salts broth) incubated at 4-degrees-C for up to 21 d. Despite of the presence of antibiotics in TSPN broth, there were difficulties in recovering Yersinia organisms. Nevertheless, TSPN broth incubated at 18-degrees-C for 3 d showed better efficiency than that other method. In pasteurized milk samples, TSPN medium at 18-degrees-C for 3 d gave better results than the SB broth at 4-degrees-C for 7 d, showing that the proposed procedure is the preferable one due to the shorter period of incubation.

Procedure optimization of silicate rocks dissolution in open vessels for ICP-AES analysis.

The main variables found on procedure of the dissolution silicate rocks using acid dissolution in teflon open vessel for analysis of micro elements by ICP-AES has been determined. The results obtained for some samples showed strong dependence of the rock mineralogical composition, then it was recommended an alkaline fusion step after acid dissolution. The decomposition procedure use 20 mi of an acid mixture of HF:HNO3 in the proportion 3:1 for a fraction of 250 mg pulverized sample. The recommended temperatures were 60 degrees C for attack and 90 degrees C for acid volatilization. The fusion step with 50 mg LiBO2 at 1000 degrees C may be used if non-attacked residue is observed in the solution. The whole time was 6 h per sample. Nine types os silicate rocks that show mineralogical and chemical different compositions were chosen for obtaining the optimization of the variables. The elements used were Ce, Y, Yb and Zr. In addition, ultrassonic nebulization has been used. The percentual standard deviations obtained for five determinations were 0.7 and 1.4 for triplicate samples. The mineralogical and textural information from the petrographical analysis of the samples indicated the need of increasing the fusion step on the optimized procedure.

A procedure to estimate parameters of a line segment taking into account its representation through pi circuits: Theoretical development

The objective of this paper is to show an alternative methodology to estimate per unit length parameters of a line segment of a transmission line. With this methodology the line segment parameters can be obtained starting from the phase currents and -voltages in receiving and sending end of the line segment. If the line segment is represented as being one or more pi circuits whose frequency dependent parameters are considered lumped, its impedance and admittance can be easily expressed as functions of the currents and voltages at the sending and receiving end. Because we are supposing that voltages and currents at the sending and receiving end of the tine segment (in frequency domain) are known, it is possible to obtains its impedance and admittance and consequently its per unit length longitudinal and transversal parameters. The procedure will be applied to estimate the longitudinal and transversal parameters of a small segment of a single-phase line that is already built.

Effects of dominant follicle aspiration and treatment with recombinant bovine somatotropin (BST) on ovarian follicular development in Nelore (Bos indicus) heifers

Follicle ablation has been recognized as an efficient method of follicular wave synchronization. Treatment with recombinant bovine somatotropin (BST) has been shown to enhance follicular development in <(Bos taurus)under bar>. This experiment assessed the effects of these treatments in Nelore (<(B. indicus)under bar>) heifers. Eight cycling Nelore heifers were randomly assigned to 3 different treatments. on Day 2 of a synchronized cycle (Day 0 = day of ovulation), heifers assigned to Treatments 1 and 2 received 2 mL of saline, whereas heifers assigned to Treatment 3 received 320 mg of BST. on Day 5, the first-wave dominant follicle was ablated by ultrasoundguided transvaginal aspiration in heifers in Treatments 2 and 3, and all heifers received an injection of prostaglandin on Day 11. Aspiration of the dominant follicle advanced and synchronized (P < 0.05) the day of second-wave emergence (6.9 +/- 0.1 vs. 8.4 +/- 0.4) and the day of the pre-wave FSH peak (6.0 +/- 0.0 vs. 6.9 +/- 0.4), and increased FSH peak concentrations (381 +/- 21 vs. 292 +/- 30; pg/mL; P < 0.01). Recombinant bovine somatotropin treatment caused a two-fold increase in plasma insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations (P < 0.001) and resulted in a 36% increase in the number of small follicles (<5 mm; P < 0.001) compared with saline-treated heifers. In summary, in agreement with previous reports on <(B. taurus)under bar>, dominant follicle aspiration synchronized ovarian follicular development, and BST treatment increased peripheral concentrations of IGF-I in Nelore heifers. Recombinant bovine somatotropin also increased the number of small follicles, but this response appeared to be inferior to that reported for <(B. taurus)under bar>. (C) 2000 by Elsevier B.V.

A new procedure to derive transmission-line parameters: Applications and restrictions

The objective of this paper is to show an alternative methodology to calculate transmission-line parameters per unit length. With this methodology, the transmission-line parameters can be obtained starting from impedances measured in one terminal of the line. First, the article shows the classical methodology to calculate frequency-dependent transmission-line parameters by using Carson's and Pollaczeck's equations for representing the ground effect and Bessel's functions to represent the skin effect. After that, a new procedure is shown to calculate frequency-dependent transmission-line parameters directly from currents and voltages of an existing line. Then, this procedure is applied in a two-phase and a three-phase transmission line whose parameters have been previously calculated by using the classical methodology. Finally, the results obtained by using the new procedure and by using the classical methodology are compared. The article shows simulations results for a typical frequency spectrum of switching transients (10 Hz to 10 kHz).

Influence of sire breed (Bos indicus versus Bos taurus) and interval from slaughter to oocyte aspiration on heat stress tolerance of in vitro-produced bovine embryos

Based on in vitro experiments, Bos indicus embryos were more resistant to heat stress (HS) than Bos taurus embryos. To increase knowledge regarding differences between Bos indicus and Bos taurus in resistance to HS, the primary objective of this study was to determine if tolerance to HS is due to the breed, origin of the oocyte, sperm, or both. Additionally, the influence of the interval between ovary acquisition (in the abattoir) and oocyte aspiration in the laboratory, on early embryo development was ascertained. Oocytes were collected from Nelore and Holstein cows in an abattoir; 4.0 or 6.5 h later, oocytes were aspired in the laboratory, and then matured and fertilized using semen from Nelore (N), Gir (GIR), or Holstein (H) bulls. Ninety-six h post insemination (hpi), embryos with >= 16 cells were divided in two groups: control and HS. In the control group, embryos were cultured at 39 degrees C, whereas in the HS group, embryos were subjected to 41 degrees C for 12 h, and then returned to 39 degrees C. Rates of cleavage, and formation of morula and blastocysts were higher (P < 0.05) for oocytes aspirated at 4.0 versus 6.5 h after ovaries were acquired. Heat stress decreased rates of blastocyst formation for all breeds (N X N; H x H; and H X GIR) and in both time intervals (4.0 and 6.5 h). However, N X N had higher cleavage rate (P < 0.05) in both time intervals when compared with H X H and H X GIR. In addition, Nelore oocytes fertilized with Nelore semen (N X N) had higher blastocyst yields (P < 0.05) in the control and HS group, when compared with the other two breeds (H X H and H X GIR). We concluded that the breed of origin of the oocyte was more important than that of the sperm for development of thermotolerance, because bull breed did not influence embryo development after HS, and in vitro early embryonic development was impaired by increasing (from 4 to 6.5 h) the interval between ovary acquisition and oocyte aspiration. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Flammability limits: A review with emphasis on ethanol for aeronautical applications and description of the experimental procedure

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

Tooth separation: A risk-free procedure?

This article reports the case of a 12-year-old patient with tooth extrusion, pain, gingival bleeding, and localized periodontitis near the maxillary second premolar. Despite probing and radiographic examination, it was not possible to establish the etiology. Tooth extraction was indicated because of the severe tooth mobility and extrusion. Curettage of the tooth socket revealed a rubber separator. Preventive approaches are suggested to avoid iatrogenesis and legal problems. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2012; 142:402-5)

Step by step analyses of Clarke's matrix correction procedure for untransposed three-phase transmission line cases

The correction procedure for Clarke's matrix, considering three-phase transmission line analyzes, is analyzed step by step in this paper, searching to improve the application of this procedure. Changing the eigenvectors as modal transformation matrices, Clarke's matrix has been applied to analyses for transposed and untransposed three-phase transmission line cases. It is based on the fact that Clarke's matrix is an eigenvector matrix for transposed three-phase transmission lines considering symmetrical and asymmetrical cases. Because of this, the application of this matrix has been analyzed considering untransposed three-phase transmission lines. In most of these cases, the errors related to the eigenvalues can be considered negligible. It is not true when it is analyzed the elements that are not in main diagonal of the quasi-mode matrix. This matrix is obtained from the application of Clarke's matrix. The quasi-mode matrix is correspondent to the eigenvalue matrix. Their off-diagonal elements represent couplings among the quasi-modes. So, the off-diagonal quasi-mode element relative values are not negligible when compared to the eigenvalues that correspond to the coupled quasi-modes. Minimizing these relative values, the correction procedure is analyzed in detail, checking some alternatives for the correction procedure application.

Evaluation of aspiration method for bat brain collection for rabies diagnosis.

The diagnosis of rabies in bats is usually performed using the brain of suspected animals. The main hypothesis tested by the present study was whether the aspiration method using a plastic pipette (Pasteur type) was effective in the collection of bat brain sample for rabies diagnosis when compared to the skull-opening method. A total of 200 bats of 4 species were studied: Molossus rufus E. Geoffroy, 1805, Molossus molossus (Pallas, 1766), Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818) and Myotis nigricans (Schinz, 1821). The proportion of brain weight compared to body weight was statistically higher when using the traditional method, although the brain mass collected by the aspiration method was enough for rabies diagnosis and did not damage any skull biometric characteristics. The results demonstrate that both collection methods detected positive samples, while the aspiration method has the advantage of skull preservation, permitting the identification of the species.

Determination of Ca, Mg, and Zn in biodiesel microemulsions by FAAS using discrete nebulization

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