Comparison of the ant assemblages in three phytophysionomies: Rocky field, secondary forest, and riparian forest - A case study in the state park of Ibitipoca, Brazil

Ant assemblages are almost all related with the vegetation composition and so can provide us important information for conservation strategies, which are especially relevant to an environmentally protected area. We sampled the ant fauna in three different phytophysionomies in order to verify if the composition of ant species is different among the areas, especially because one of the areas is a Rocky Field and there is little information about the ant fauna in this habitat. A total of 8730 individuals were registered and an NMDS analysis showed that the ant assemblies are different at the three phytophysionomies (Rocky Field, Riparian Forest, and Secondary Forest). This study shows that the species that compose the ant assemblies in different phytophysionomies are a reflex of the environment, supporting the hypothesis that the vegetational composition results in different compositions in the ant assembly. Vegetal composition is determinant in the formation of the litter and consequently in the occurrence of ant species that depend on this layer of organic matter for nesting and foraging. © 2012 Juliane Floriano Santos Lopes et al.

Solid-state hydrolysis of postconsumer polyethylene terephthalate after plasma treatment

Plasma treatments were applied on the surface of postconsumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles to increase their wettability and hasten the subsequent hydrolysis process. Sixty-four treatments were tested by varying plasma composition (oxygen and air), power (25-130 W), pressure (50-200 mTorr), and time (1 and 5 min). The best treatment was the one applied in air plasma at 130 W and 50 mTorr for 5 min, as it provided the lowest contact angle, 9.4°. Samples of PET before and after the optimized plasma condition were subjected to hydrolysis at 205°C. Although the treatment changed only a thin surface layer, its influence was evident up to relatively high conversion rates, as the treated samples presented more than 40% higher conversion rates than the untreated ones after 2 h of reaction. Infrared spectroscopy showed that the terephthalic acid obtained from 99% of depolymerization was similar to the commercial product used in PET synthesis. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Synthesis, characterization and thermal behavior of solid state compounds of heavy trivalent lanthanide succinates

Solid-state Ln-L compounds, where Ln stands for heavy trivalent lanthanides or yttrium(III) (Tb-Lu, Y) and L is succinate, have been synthesized. Simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy, TG-DTA coupled to FTIR, elemental analysis, X-ray powder diffractometry and complexometry were used to characterize and study the thermal behavior of these compounds. For the terbium to thulium and yttrium compounds, the dehydration, as well the thermal decomposition of the anhydrous compound occurs in two consecutive steps, while ytterbium and lutetium the dehydration occurs in a single step. The results also led to information about the ligand's denticity, thermal stability and thermal decomposition of these compounds. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Comparing submerged and solid-state fermentation of agro-industrial residues for the production and characterization of lipase by Trichoderma harzianum

Lipase production by Trichoderma harzianum was evaluated in submerged fermentation (SF) and solid-state fermentation (SSF) using a variety of agro-industrial residues. Cultures in SF showed the highest activity (1.4 U/mL) in medium containing 0.5 % (w/v) yeast extract, 1 % (v/v) olive oil and 2.5 C:N ratio. This paper is the first to report lipase production by T. harzianum in SSF. A 1:2 mixture of castor oil cake and sugarcane bagasse supplemented with 1 % (v/w) olive oil showed the best results among the cultures in SSF (4 U/g ds). Lipolytic activity was stable in a slightly acidic to neutral pH, maintaining 50 % activity after 30 min at 50 C. Eighty percent of the activity remained after 1 h in 25 % (v/v) methanol, ethanol, isopropanol or acetone. Activity was observed with vegetable oils (olive, soybean, corn and sunflower) and long-chain triacylglycerols (triolein), confirming the presence of a true lipase. The results of this study are promising because they demonstrate an enzyme with interesting properties for application in catalysis produced by fermentation at low cost. © 2012 Springer-Verlag and the University of Milan.

Synthesis, characterization and thermal behaviour of solid-state compounds of folates with some bivalent transition metals ions

Solid-state M-L compounds, where M stands for bivalent Mn, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn and L is folate (C19H17N7O6), have been synthesized. Simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), X-ray powder diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), TG-DSC coupled to FTIR, elemental analysis and high-resolution continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometry technique (HR-CS FAAS) were used to characterize and to study the thermal behaviour of these compounds. The results provided information concerning the composition, dehydration, thermal stability and thermal decomposition. © 2013 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.

Magnetocrystalline interactions and oxidation state determination of Mn(2-x)V(1+x)O4 (x=0, 1/3 and 1) magnetorresistive spinel family

Oxidation states of transition metal cations in spinels-type oxides are sometimes extremely difficult to determine by conventional spectroscopic methods. One of the most complex cases occurs when there are different cations, each one with several possible oxidation states, as in the case of the magnetoresistant Mn(2-x)V(1+x)O4 (x=0, 1/3 and 1) spinel-type family. In this contribution we describe the determination of the oxidation state of manganese and vanadium in Mn(2-x)V(1+x)O4 (x=0, 1/3,1) spinel-type compounds by analyzing XANES and high-resolution K beta X-ray fluorescence spectra. The ionic models found are Mn22+V4+O4, Mn5/32+V4/33.5+O4 and Mn2+V23+O4. Combination of the present results with previous data provided a reliable cation distribution model. For these spinels, single magnetic electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) lines are observed at 480 K showing the interaction among the different magnetic ions. The analysis of the EPR parameters show that g-values and relative intensities are highly influenced by the concentration and the high-spin state of Mn2+. EPR broadening linewidth is explained in terms of the bottleneck effect, which is due to the presence of the fast relaxing V3+ ion instead of the weak Mn2+ (S state) coupled to the lattice. The EPR results, at high temperature, are well explained assuming the oxidation states of the magnetic ions obtained by the other spectroscopic techniques. (c) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Potential application of Ganoderma lucidum in solid state fermentation of primary sludge and wheat straw

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The steady-state behavior of the synthetic and side-sensitive synthetic double sampling (X)over-bar charts

The steady-state average run length is used to measure the performance of the recently proposed synthetic double sampling (X) over bar chart (synthetic DS chart). The overall performance of the DS X chart in signaling process mean shifts of different magnitudes does not improve when it is integrated with the conforming run length chart, except when the integrated charts are designed to offer very high protection against false alarms, and the use of large samples is prohibitive. The synthetic chart signals when a second point falls beyond the control limits, no matter whether one of them falls above the centerline and the other falls below it; with the side-sensitive feature, the synthetic chart does not signal when they fall on opposite sides of the centerline. We also investigated the steady-state average run length of the side-sensitive synthetic DS X chart. With the side-sensitive feature, the overall performance of the synthetic DS X chart improves, but not enough to outperform the non-synthetic DS X chart. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley &Sons, Ltd.

Synthesis, characterisation and thermal behaviour of solid state compounds of 4-methylbenzylidenepyruvate with heavier trivalent lanthanides and yttrium(III)

Solid state Ln-4-Me-BP compounds, where Ln stands for heavier trivalent lanthanides (gadolinium to lutetium) and yttrium(III) and 4-Me-BP is 4-methylbenzylidenepyruvate (CH3-C6H4-CH=CH-COCOO-), have been synthesized. Elemental analysis, complexometry, X-ray powder diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy and simultaneous thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), have been used to characterise and to study the thermal behaviour of these compounds. The results provided information concerning the stoichiometry, crystallinity, ligand's denticity, thermal stability and thermal decomposition. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Production and Characterization of β-glucosidase Obtained by the Solid-State Cultivation of the Thermophilic Fungus Thermomucor indicae-seudaticae N31

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

Solid-state compounds of 2-methoxybenzylidenepyruvate with some bivalent metal ions - Synthesis, characterization and thermal behavior studies

Solid-state M-2-MeO-BP compounds, where M represents bivalent Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and 2-MeO-BP is 2-methoxybenzylidenepyruvate have been synthesized. Simultaneous thermogravinietry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray powder diffractometry, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis and complexometry were used to characterize and to study the thermal stability and thermal decomposition of these compounds. The results led to information about the composition, dehydration, crystallinity and thermal decomposition of the isolated compounds.

The preparation and thermal decomposition of solid state compounds of 4-dimethylaminobenzylidenepyruvate and trivalent lanthanides and yttrium

Solid state Ln-DMBP compounds, where Ln represents trivalent lanthanides (except for promethium) and yttrium, and DMBP is 4-dimethylaminobenzylidenepyruvate, were prepared. Thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and other methods of analysis were used to characterize and to study the thermal stability and thermal decomposition of these compounds. © 1993.

Excited-state dynamics of meso-tetrakis(sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin J-aggregates

The excited-state dynamics of free-base meso-tetrakis(sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin J-aggregates obtained by the Z-scan technique in femto- and picosecond time scales, along with UV-Vis spectroscopy and flash photolysis is reported. Besides obtaining the S-1 state lifetime, the discrimination between internal conversion and intersystem crossing nonradiative processes from that state was also possible, and their rates and respective quantum yields were found. The aggregates present reverse saturable absorption at 532 nm for both singlet and triplet excited states. The data shown is important for several applications such as optical limiting, photodynamic therapy and others. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.