Nutritional Responses of Rats to Diets Based on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Seed Meal or Its Protein Fractions

The aim of this study was to isolate the protein fractions from chickpea, var. IAC-Marrocos, as well as to evaluate its in vivo nutritional protein quality. Among the proteins, albumins showed better nutritional value in the in vivo assays and amino acid contents, despite their higher trypsin inhibitor contents. Trypsin inhibitors were found to be heat labile in all samples, but the digestibility results for unheated and heated flour and albumins suggest that their contents are not very decisive. The PER values for casein (not supplemented) were very similar to those of heated flour and unheated or heated albumin and total globulins. The albumin and glutelin fractions showed the best results for PDCAAS, however, lower than those of casein. Despite the high digestibility of the globulin the very low essential amino acid content lowered its PDCAAS, and it had the lowest values.

Inclusion complex of piroxicam with beta-cyclodextrin and incorporation in hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide based microemulsion

The interaction of piroxicam with beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD), hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide-based microemulsion (ME), and ME in the presence of beta-CD aimed at the optimization of topical drug delivery was studied. UV-VIS absorption spectra at pH 5.5 were obtained with and without beta-CD and ME. The stability constant (K) values for the piroxicam/beta-CD complex in the pH range 4.5-6.0 varied from 87 to 29 M-1. The cationic microemulsion was characterized by pseudo-ternary phase diagram. The association constant (K-s) of piroxicam/ME was determined using the framework of the pseudophase model. The value of K-s obtained for piroxicam at pH 5.5 was 132 M-1. At the same pH, the value of K-s for the incorporation of piroxicam/beta-CD complex in the ME was 150 M-1. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Power performance evaluation of an electric home fan with triac-based automatic speed control system

In order to provide a low cost system of thermal comfort, a common model of home fan, 40 cm diameter size, had its manual four-button control system replaced by an automatic speed control. The new control system has a temperature sensor feeding a microcontroller that, by using an optic coupling, DIAC or TRIAC-based circuit, varies the RMS value of the fan motor input voltage and its speed, according to the room temperature. Over a wide range of velocity, the fan net power and the motor fan input power were measured working under both control system. The temperature of the motor stator and the voltage waveforms were observed too. Measured values analysis showed that the TRIAC-based control system makes the fan motor work at a very low power factor and efficiency values. The worst case is at low velocity range where the higher fan motor stator temperatures were registered. The poor power factor and efficiency and the harmonics signals inserted in the motor input voltage wave by the TRIAC commutation procedure are correlated.

Comparative degradation of ZnO- and SnO(2)-based polycrystalline non-ohmic devices by current pulse stress

The degradation behaviour of SnO(2)-based varistors (SCNCr) due to current pulses (8/20 mu s) is reported here for the first time in comparison with the ZnO-based commercial varistors (ZnO). Puncturing and/or cracking failures were observed in ZnO-based varistors possessing inferior thermo-mechanical properties in comparison with that found in a SCNCr system free of failures. Both systems presented electric degradation related to the increase in the leakage current and decrease in the electric breakdown field, non-linear coefficient and average value of the potential barrier height. However, it was found that a more severe degradation occurred in the ZnO-based varistors concerning their non-ohmic behaviour, while in the SCNCr system, a strong non-ohmic behaviour remained after the degradation. These results indicate that the degradation in the metal oxide varistors is controlled by a defect diffusion process whose rate depends on the mobility, the concentration of meta-stable defects and the amount of electrically active interfaces. The improved behaviour of the SCNCr system is then inferred to be associated with the higher amount of electrically active interfaces (85%) and to a higher energy necessary to activate the diffusion of the specific defects.

The influence of area/volume ratio on microstructure and non-Ohmic properties of SnO2-based varistor ceramic blocks

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

Knowledge-based integrated production management model

Purpose - This paper aims to propose a model of production management that integrates knowledge management, as a third dimension, to the production and work dimensions and to identify factors that promote a favorable context for knowledge sharing and results achievement in the production operations shop floor environment.Design/methodology/approach - The model proposed is built from opportunities identified in the literature review.Findings - The factors in the model integrate its three main components: knowledge management, production organization and work organization, providing a representation of the dynamics of the workplace and shop floor environment.Practical implications - The proposed model and its factors allow managers to better understand and to improve the organization activities, because it integrates knowledge management with the production organization and work organization components of traditional models.Originality/value - Literature acknowledges the role of knowledge as competitive advantage, but it is still dealt in an implicit way within the traditional models of production management. This paper proposes a model and factors that provide a favorable context for tacit knowledge sharing and results achievement in the production operations shop floor environment. The model explicitly integrates knowledge management with traditional models' components.

In silico network topology-based prediction of gene essentiality

The identification of genes essential for survival is important for the understanding of the minimal requirements for cellular life and for drug design. As experimental studies with the purpose of building a catalog of essential genes for a given organism are time-consuming and laborious, a computational approach which could predict gene essentiality with high accuracy would be of great value. We present here a novel computational approach, called NTPGE (Network Topology-based Prediction of Gene Essentiality), that relies on the network topology features of a gene to estimate its essentiality. The first step of NTPGE is to construct the integrated molecular network for a given organism comprising protein physical, metabolic and transcriptional regulation interactions. The second step consists in training a decision-tree-based machine-learning algorithm on known essential and non-essential genes of the organism of interest, considering as learning attributes the network topology information for each of these genes. Finally, the decision-tree classifier generated is applied to the set of genes of this organism to estimate essentiality for each gene. We applied the NTPGE approach for discovering the essential genes in Escherichia coli and then assessed its performance. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic diversity in section Rhizomatosae of the genus Arachis (Fabaceae) based on microsatellite markers

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

Copper determination in ethanol fuel by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry at a solid paraffin-based carbon paste electrode modified with 2-aminothiazole organofunctionalized silica

Solid paraffin-based carbon paste electrodes modified with 2-aminothiazole organofunctionalized silica have been applied to the anodic stripping determination of copper ions in ethanol fuel samples without any sample treatment. The proposed method comprised four steps: (1) copper ions preconcentration at open circuit potential directly in the ethanol fuel sample; (2) exchange of the solution and immediate cathodic reduction of the absorbate at controlled potential; (3) differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry; (4) electrochemical surface regeneration by applying a positive potential in acid media. Factors affecting the preconcentration, reduction and stripping steps were investigated and the optimum conditions were employed to develop the analytical procedure. Using a preconcentration time of 20 min and reduction time of 120 s at -0.3 V versus Ag/AgCl(sat) a linear range from 7.5 x 10(-8) to 2.5 x 10(-6) mol L(-1) with detection limit of 3.1 x 10(-8) mol L(-1) was obtained. Interference studies have shown a decrease in the interference effect according to the sequence: Ni > Zn > Cd > Pb > Fe. However, the interference effects of these ions have not forbidden the application of the proposed method. Recovery values between 98.8 and 102.3% were obtained for synthetic samples spiked with known amounts of Cu(2+) and interfering metallic ions. The developed electrode was successfully applied to the determination of Cu(2+) in commercial ethanol fuel samples. The results were compared to those obtained by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy by using the F-test and t-test. Neither F-value nor t-value have exceeded the critical values at 95% confidence level, confirming that there are no significant differences between the results obtained by both methods. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Review on the main differences between organic and conventional plant-based foods

P>The present review reports on the main characteristics and properties of plants cultivated following organic and conventional procedures, in the attempt to clarify give a deeper insight into some possible differences and to compare the two cultivation procedures. Here, we summarise research results regarding nutritional and safety properties of vegetable foods, evidencing qualitative differences observed between the two cultivation methods. It appears that the intake of organic foods leads to some advantages, such as the ingestion of a higher content of phenolic compounds and some vitamins, such as vitamin C, and a lower content of nitrates and pesticides. From literature, it appears that a special care should be taken about the ingestion of foods in relation to the content of some substances, e.g. polyamines, substances stimulating cellular division, because some foods coming from organic origin present a higher content of these compounds, which could explain some of the effect of the diet on patients affected by certain syndromes.

EMG amplitude and frequency parameters of muscular activity: Effect of resistance training based on electromyographic fatigue threshold

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Lobatto deferred correction for stiff two-point boundary value problems

An iterated deferred correction algorithm based on Lobatto Runge-Kutta formulae is developed for the efficient numerical solution of nonlinear stiff two-point boundary value problems. An analysis of the stability properties of general deferred correction schemes which are based on implicit Runge-Kutta methods is given and results which are analogous to those obtained for initial value problems are derived. A revised definition of symmetry is presented and this ensures that each deferred correction produces an optimal increase in order. Finally, some numerical results are given to demonstrate the superior performance of Lobatto formulae compared with mono-implicit formulae on stiff two-point boundary value problems. (C) 1998 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dressing approach to the nonvanishing boundary value problem for the AKNS hierarchy

We propose an approach to the nonvanishing boundary value problem for integrable hierarchies based on the dressing method. Then we apply the method to the AKNS hierarchy. The solutions are found by introducing appropriate vertex operators that takes into account the boundary conditions.

Implantação do método activity based costing na logística interna de uma empresa química

Este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar como o método ABC - activity based costing foi implantado para realizar o custeio da logística interna da empresa química BASF SA., situada na cidade de Guaratinguetá - SP. Apresentam-se: a descrição do processo de mudança do método de custeio tradicional para o método ABC, as dificuldades encontradas e como foram ultrapassadas, bem como as vantagens constatadas pela empresa. O departamento de logística da empresa funciona como um prestador de serviços, atendendo a todos os processos produtivos das divisões (unidades de negócio) existentes na planta de Guaratinguetá, no que concerne à armazenagem e ao fornecimento de matérias-primas, além de atuar na retirada e na armazenagem de produto acabado. Como principais resultados, obteve-se uma distribuição de custos mais justa entre as divisões da planta, identificação de oportunidades de melhoria nos processos logísticos, identificação de processo e atividades que não agregavam valor aos produtos, entre outros. Finalmente, o processo de implantação e os resultados foram muito bem avaliados pelos gestores, o que foi decisivo para a adoção do método ABC como sistema gerencial de custos logísticos da empresa.

Iterated deferred correction for linear two-point boundary value problems

An analysis of iterated deferred correction based on various classes of implicit Runge-Kutta formulae is given. Out of different possibilities considered, it is shown that those based purely on Lobatto formulae have the best stability. The enhanced stability of Lobatto schemes is very important for the efficient integration of excessively stiff boundary value problems and this is demonstrated by means of some numerical results.