Start-up of horizontal anaerobic reactors with sludge blanket and fixed bed for wastewater treatment from coffee processing by wet method

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Neuroethologic differences in sleep deprivation induced by the single- and multiple-platform methods

It has been proposed that the multiple-platform method (MP) for desynchronized sleep (DS) deprivation eliminates the stress induced by social isolation and by the restriction of locomotion in the single-platform (SP) method. MP, however, induces a higher increase in plasma corticosterone and ACTH levels than SP. Since deprivation is of heuristic value to identify the functional role of this state of sleep, the objective of the present study was to determine the behavioral differences exhibited by rats during sleep deprivation induced by these two methods. All behavioral patterns exhibited by a group of 7 albino male Wistar rats submitted to 4 days of sleep deprivation by the MP method (15 platforms, spaced 150 mm apart) and by 7 other rats submitted to sleep deprivation by the SP method were recorded in order to elaborate an ethogram. The behavioral patterns were quantitated in 10 replications by naive observers using other groups of 7 rats each submitted to the same deprivation schedule. Each quantification session lasted 35 min and the behavioral patterns presented by each rat over a period of 5 min were counted. The results obtained were: a) rats submitted to the MP method changed platforms at a mean rate of 2.62 ± 1.17 platforms h-1 animal-1; b) the number of episodes of noninteractive waking patterns for the MP animals was significantly higher than that for SP animals (1077 vs 768); c) additional episodes of waking patterns (26.9 ± 18.9 episodes/session) were promoted by social interaction in MP animals; d) the cumulative number of sleep episodes observed in the MP test (311) was significantly lower (chi-square test, 1 d.f., P<0.05) than that observed in the SP test (534); e) rats submitted to the MP test did not show the well-known increase in ambulatory activity observed after the end of the SP test; f) comparison of 6 MP and 6 SP rats showed a significantly shorter latency to the onset of DS in MP rats (7.8 ± 4.3 and 29.0 ± 25.0 min, respectively; Student t-test, P<0.05). We conclude that the social interaction occurring in the MP test generates additional stress since it increases the time of forced wakefulness and reduces the time of rest promoted by synchronized sleep.

Effects of topical levobunolol or fixed combination of dorzolamide-timolol or association of dorzolamide-levobunolol on intraocular pressure, pupil size, and heart rate in healthy cats

Estudaram-se e compararam-se os efeitos do levobunolol, da combinação fixa de dorzolamida 2%-timolol 0,5% e da associação de dorzolamida 2% com levobunolol 0,5% sobre a pressão intra-ocular (PIO), o diâmetro pupilar (DP), a freqüência cardíaca (FC) e a hiperemia conjuntival em 18 gatos saudáveis. PIO, DP, FC e hiperemia conjuntival foram aferidos diariamente, em três horários distintos (9h, 14h e 18h). Três grupos foram formados (n=6) e um olho de cada animal recebeu, aleatoriamente, uma gota de levobunolol (L), ou a combinação comercial à base de dorzolamida-timolol (DT), ou a associação de dorzolamida com levobunolol (DL). Parâmetros basais foram aferidos no primeiro dia (dia 0). Nos quatro dias consecutivos, os fármacos foram instilados às 8h e 20h e os parâmetros aferidos nos mesmos horários. Todos os parâmetros decresceram significativamente em relação aos valores basais (P<0,001) e não se observou hiperemia conjuntival. O levobunolol reduziu significativamente a PIO, o DP e a FC e o foi o fármaco que mais reduziu a FC. Não se observou efeito sinérgico na redução da PIO quando a dorzolamida foi adicionada ao levobulol.

Characterization of ceramic powders used in the inCeram systems to fixed dental Prosthesis

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

Case-based reasoning in offshore well design

Petroleum well drilling is an expensive and risky operation. In this context, well design presents itself as a fundamental key to decrease costs and risks involved. Experience acquired by engineers is notably an important factor in good drilling design elaborations. Therefore, the loss of this knowledge may entail additional problems and costs. In this way, this work represents an initiative to model a petroleum well design case-based architecture. Tests with a prototype showed that the system built with this architecture may help in a well design and enable corporate knowledge preservation. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Heat transfer in fixed bed: a model non-linearity approach

Studies have been carried out on the heat transfer in a packed bed of glass beads percolated by air at moderate flow rates. Rigorous statistic analysis of the experimental data was carried out and the traditional two parameter model was used to represent them. The parameters estimated were the effective radial thermal conductivity, k, and the wall coefficient, h, through the least squares method. The results were evaluated as to the boundary bed inlet temperature, T-o, number of terms of the solution series and number of experimental points used in the estimate. Results indicated that a small difference in T-o was sufficient to promote great modifications in the estimated parameters and in the statistical properties of the model. The use of replicas at points of high parametric information of the model improved the results, although analysis of the residuals has resulted in the rejection of this alternative. In order to evaluate cion-linearity of the model, Bates and Watts (1988) curvature measurements and the Box (1971) biases of the coefficients were calculated. The intrinsic curvatures of the model (IN) tend to be concentrated at low bed heights and those due to parameter effects (PE) are spread all over the bed. The Box biases indicated both parameters as responsible for the curvatures PE, h being somewhat more problematic. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.