Electrochemical kinetic study of surface layer growth on natural pyrite in acid medium

This paper presents electrochemical experiments on natural pyrite that combine potentiostatic and voltammetric techniques. X-ray microanalysis is used as an auxiliary technique. The layer growth on pyrite surface is conducted in a wide range of pH and potential range: 3.4 <= pH <= 5.9 with E = 0.80 V (versus SHE), and 0.80 V <= E <= 1.00 V with pH 4.5 (versus SHE) in acetic acid-acetate buffer. This work is unique for two reasons: (1) phenomenological model about layer growth is applied and mathematical-physic consistence is verified and (2) Meyer's hypotheses of chemical mechanism are used to explain kinetic parameters of the phenomenological model. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic parameter estimates for feed efficiency and dry matter intake and their association with growth and carcass traits in Nellore cattle

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

Ranking of Nellore animals in cattle championships: genetic parameters and correlations with production traits

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Finishing precocity visual score and genetic associations with growth traits in Angus beef cattle

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Control Methods and Evaluation of Bacterial Growth on Fresh and Cooled Stallion Semen

The penis and prepuce of the stallion have a high bacterial load on its surface, forming a natural microbial flora that contaminates the semen during ejaculation. Bacterial growth in semen may cause a decline on sperm quality, viability, and fertility and predisposes the occurrence of endometritis in inseminated mares. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of penile wash before semen collection, the addition of different commercial skim milk-based extenders containing antibiotics (BotuSemen and INRA96), and the removal of seminal plasma by filtration on the quality, viability, and bacterial proliferation on fresh and cooled stallion semen. Animals that were never submitted to penile wash before semen collection tended to have lower bacterial contamination in the ejaculate. Semen samples extended in BotuSemen showed superiority in total motility, progressive motility, average path velocity, and rapid sperm and lower bacterial contamination in relation to semen samples extended in INRA96 after 24 hours of cooling. No difference was found in these parameters between the storage temperatures (5 degrees C and 15 degrees C). Furthermore, the removal of seminal plasma by filtration reduced the bacterial load in semen after cooling. In conclusion, the penile wash before semen collection tended to reduce the bacterial growth in fresh semen. The use of a semen extender with appropriate antibiotics and removal of seminal plasma by filtration were effective in reducing the bacterial contamination and preserved the quality of cooled stallion semen. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reaction norms for the study of genotype-environment interaction for growth and indicator traits of sexual precocity in Nellore cattle

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

Prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha in canine malignant mammary tumors

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

Genetic parameters and trends of morphometric traits of GIFT tilapia under selection for weight gain

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estimates of covariance functions for growth from birth to 630 days of age in Nelore cattle

Weight records of Brazilian Nelore cattle, from birth to 630 d of age, recorded every 3 mo, were analyzed using random regression models. Independent variables were Legendre polynomials of age at recording. The model of analysis included contemporary groups as fixed effects and age of dam as a linear and quadratic covariable. Mean trends were modeled through a cubic regression on orthogonal polynomials of age. Up to four sets of random regression coefficients were fitted for animals' direct and maternal, additive genetic, and permanent environmental effects. Changes in measurement error variances with age were modeled through a variance function. Orders of polynomial fit from three to six were considered, resulting in up to 77 parameters to be estimated. Models fitting random regressions modeled the pattern of variances in the data adequately, with estimates similar to those from corresponding univariate analysis. Direct heritability estimates decreased after birth and tended to be lowest at ages at which maternal effect estimates tended to be highest. Maternal heritability estimates increased after birth to a peak around 110 to 120 d of age and decreased thereafter. Additive genetic direct correlation estimates between weights at standard ages (birth, weaning, yearling, and final weight) were moderate to high and maternal genetic and environmental correlations were consistently high.

Phenotypic, genetic and environmental parameters for traits related to femur bone integrity and body weight at 42 days of age in a broiler population

Intense selection among broilers, especially for performance and carcass traits, currently favors locomotion problems and bone resistance. Conducting studies relating to development and growth of bone tissue in broilers is necessary to minimize losses. Thus, genetic parameters were estimated for a broiler population's phenotypic traits such as BW at 42 d of age (BW42), chilled femur weight (CFW) and its yield (CFY), and femur measurements: calcium, DM, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc content; breaking strength; rigidity; length; and thickness. Variance components were estimated through multitrait analyses using the restricted maximum likelihood method. The model included a fixed group effect (sex and hatch) and additive and residual genetic random effects. The heritability estimates we obtained ranged from 0.10 ± 0.05 to 0.50 ± 0.08 for chilled femur yield and BW42, respectively, and indicated that the traits can respond to the selection process, except for CFY, which presented low-magnitude heritability coefficients. Genetic correlation estimates between breaking strength, rigidity, and traits related to mineral content indicated that selection that aims to improve the breaking strength resistance of the femur is highly correlated with mineral content. Given the genetic correlation estimates between BW42 and minerals, it is suggested that in this population, selection for BW42 can be performed with greater intensity without affecting femoral integrity.

Subacute toxicity assessment of diflubenzuron, an insect growth regulator, in adult male rats

Difubenzuron (DFB), an insecticide and acaricide insect growth regulator, can be used in agriculture against insect predators and in public health programs, to control insects and vectors, mainly Aedes aegypti larvae. Due to the lack of toxicological assessments of this compound, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the toxicological effects of subacute exposure to the DFB insecticide in adult male rats. Adult male rats were exposed (gavage) to 0, 2, 4, or 8 mg/kg of DFB for 28 days. No clinical signs of toxicity were observed in the DFB-treated animals of the experimental groups. However, there was an increase in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase in the group that received 8 mg/Kg/DFB/day and urea at doses of 4 and 8 mg/Kg/DFB/day, without altering other biochemical or hematological parameters. The subacute exposure to the lowest dose of DFB caused significant decrease in testis weight, daily sperm production, and in number of sperm in the epididymis in relation to the control group. However, no alterations were observed in the sperm morphology, testicular, epididymis, liver and kindney histology, or testosterone levels. These findings unveiled the hazardous effects of DFB on male reproduction after the subacute exposure and special attention should be addressed to the effects of low doses of this pesticide.

Influence of thermal parameters on the dendritic arm spacing and the microhardness of Al-5.5wt.%Sn alloy directionally solidified

As ligas Al-Sn são amplamente utilizados em aplicações tribológicas. Nesse estudo, análises térmica, microestrutural e dureza (HV) foram realizadas ao longo de um lingote da liga Al-5,5%Sn, obtido por solidificação direcional horizontal transitória. Os principais parâmetros analisados incluem a velocidade de deslocamento da isoterma liquidus (V_L) e a taxa de resfriamento (T_R). Esses parâmetros térmicos desempenham um papel fundamental na formação da microestrutura. A microestrutura dendrítica foi caracterizada através dos espaçamentos dentríticos primários (λ₁), os quais foram determinados, experimentalmente, e correlacionados com V_L, e T_R. O comportamento apresentado pela liga Al- 5,5% Sn, durante a solidificação,é semelhante ao de outras ligas de alumínio, isto é, observa-se rede dendrítica mais grosseira com a diminuição da taxa de resfriamento, indicando que a imiscibilidade entre o alumínio e estanho não tem um efeito significativo sobre o relação entre o espaçamento dendrítico primário e taxa de resfriamento. A dependência da microdureza em V_L, T_R e no λ₁ foi também analisada. Verificaram-se menores valores de HV para maiores T_R. Por outro lado, os valores HV aumentam com valores crescentes de λ₁.

A New Birth-Interval Approach to Estimating Demographic Parameters of Humpback Whales

A demographic model is developed based on interbirth intervals and is applied to estimate the population growth rate of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Gulf of Maine. Fecundity rates in this model are based on the probabilities of giving birth at time t after a previous birth and on the probabilities of giving birth first at age x. Maximum likelihood methods are used to estimate these probabilities using sighting data collected for individually identified whales. Female survival rates are estimated from these same sighting data using a modified Jolly–Seber method. The youngest age at first parturition is 5 yr, the estimated mean birth interval is 2.38 yr (SE = 0.10 yr), the estimated noncalf survival rate is 0.960 (SE = 0.008), and the estimated calf survival rate is 0.875 (SE = 0.047). The population growth rate (l) is estimated to be 1.065; its standard error is estimated as 0.012 using a Monte Carlo approach, which simulated sampling from a hypothetical population of whales. The simulation is also used to investigate the bias in estimating birth intervals by previous methods. The approach developed here is applicable to studies of other populations for which individual interbirth intervals can be measured.

Allometric growth of a common Nassariidae (Gastropoda) in south-east Brazil

The allometric growth of two groups of Nassarius vibex on beds of the bivalve Mytella charruana on the northern coast of the State of Sao Paulo, was evaluated between September 2006 and February 2007 in the bed on Camaroeiro Beach, and from March 2007 to June 2007 at Cidade Beach. The shells from Camaroeiro were longer and wider and had a smaller shell aperture than those from Cidade; a principal components analysis also confirmed different morphometric patterns between the areas. The allometric growth of the two groups showed great variation in the development of individuals. The increase of shell width and height in relation to shell length did not differ between the two areas. Shell aperture showed a contrasting growth pattern, with individuals from Camaroeiro having smaller apertures. The methodology based on Kullback-Leibler information theory and the multi-model inference showed, for N. vibex, that the classic linear allometric growth was not the most suitable explanation for the observed morphometric relationships. The patterns of relative growth observed in the two groups of N. vibex may be a consequence of different growth and variation rates, which modifies the development of the individuals. Other factors such as food resource availability and environmental parameters, which might also differ between the two areas, should also be considered.

Subcritical crack growth and in vitro lifetime prediction of resin composites with different filler distributions

Objectives. Verify the influence of different filler distributions on the subcritical crack growth (SCG) susceptibility, Weibull parameters (m and sigma(0)) and longevity estimated by the strength-probability-time (SPT) diagram of experimental resin composites. Methods. Four composites were prepared, each one containing 59 vol% of glass powder with different filler sizes (d(50) = 0.5; 0.9; 1.2 and 1.9 mu m) and distributions. Granulometric analyses of glass powders were done by a laser diffraction particle size analyzer (Sald-7001, Shimadzu, USA). SCG parameters (n and sigma(f0)) were determined by dynamic fatigue (10(-2) to 10(2) MPa/s) using a biaxial flexural device (12 x 1.2 mm; n = 10). Twenty extra specimens of each composite were tested at 10(0) MPa/s to determine m and sigma(0). Specimens were stored in water at 37 degrees C for 24 h. Fracture surfaces were analyzed under SEM. Results. In general, the composites with broader filler distribution (C0.5 and C1.9) presented better results in terms of SCG susceptibility and longevity. C0.5 and C1.9 presented higher n values (respectively, 31.2 +/- 6.2(a) and 34.7 +/- 7.4(a)). C1.2 (166.42 +/- 0.01(a)) showed the highest and C0.5 (158.40 +/- 0.02(d)) the lowest sigma(f0) value (in MPa). Weibull parameters did not vary significantly (m: 6.6 to 10.6 and sigma(0): 170.6 to 176.4 MPa). Predicted reductions in failure stress (P-f = 5%) for a lifetime of 10 years were approximately 45% for C0.5 and C1.9 and 65% for C0.9 and C1.2. Crack propagation occurred through the polymeric matrix around the fillers and all the fracture surfaces showed brittle fracture features. Significance. Composites with broader granulometric distribution showed higher resistance to SCG and, consequently, higher longevity in vitro. (C) 2012 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.