Development of Novel Guava Puree Films Containing Chitosan Nanoparticles

One of the overall goals of industries is to use packages that do not cause environmental problems at disposal time, but that have the same properties as the conventional ones. The goal of this study is to synthesize edible films based on hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) with guava puree and chitosan (CS) nanoparticles. This was divided into two stages, the first is the synthesis of chitosan nanoparticles and the second is the production of the films. For the nanoparticles, average size and zeta potential measurements were performed. The characterizations of mechanical and thermal properties, solubility and water vapor permeability tests were conducted in the films. It was observed that when the nanoparticles were added to HPMC and guava puree films, they improved their mechanical and thermal properties, as well as decreased the films solubility and permeability. The potential application of the films prepared would be in edible films with flavor and odor to extend the shelf life of products.

Density and spatial distribution of Atta sexdens rubropilosa and Atta laevigata colonies (Hym., Formicidae) in Eucalyptus spp. forests

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

DIAGNOSIS of REGIONAL CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW ABNORMALITIES USING SPECT: AGREEMENT BETWEEN INDIVIDUALIZED STATISTICAL PARAMETRIC MAPS and VISUAL INSPECTION BY NUCLEAR MEDICINE PHYSICIANS WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS of EXPERTISE IN NUCLEAR NEUROLOGY

INTRODUCTION: Visual analysis is widely used to interpret regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) SPECT images in clinical practice despite its limitations. Automated methods are employed to investigate between-group rCBF differences in research Studies but have rarely been explored in individual analyses.OBJECTIVES: To compare visual inspection by nuclear physicians with the automated statistical parametric mapping program using a SPECT dataset of patients with neurological disorders and normal control images.METHODS: Using statistical parametric mapping, 14 SPECT images from patients with various neurological disorders were compared individually with a databank of 32 normal images using a statistical threshold of p<0.05 (corrected for multiple comparisons at the level of individual voxels or clusters). Statistical parametric mapping results were compared with Visual analyses by a nuclear physician highly experienced in neurology (A) as well as a nuclear physician with a general background of experience (B) who independently classified images as normal or altered, and determined the location of changes and the severity.RESULTS: of the 32 images of the normal databank, 4 generated maps showing rCBF abnormalities (p<0.05, corrected). Among the 14 images from patients with neurological disorders, 13 showed rCBF alterations. Statistical parametric mapping and physician A completely agreed on 84.37% and 64.28% of cases from the normal databank and neurological disorders, respectively. The agreement between statistical parametric mapping and ratings of physician B were lower (71.18% and 35.71%, respectively).CONCLUSION: Statistical parametric mapping replicated the findings described by the more experienced nuclear physician. This finding suggests that automated methods for individually analyzing rCBF SPECT images may be a valuable resource to complement visual inspection in clinical practice.

Surgical Management of Impacted Teeth Using Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography

The surgical removal of impacted, supernumerary, or ectopic teeth is a routine procedure to the dental surgeon. Because any and all surgical interventions involve anatomic considerations that predispose the patient to a high risk of incidents or complications, it is absolutely necessary to precisely determine the location of the enclosed teeth, to better plan the procedure. Even though the conventional radiographic techniques are commonly used to detect the presence of such teeth, they can present deficiencies. In those situations, additional examinations can be requested. In this article, we are reporting the case of a 12-year-old patient, whose third superior molars appeared in a very atypical position. We chose to request a computed tomography and three-dimensional manipulation of the obtained images. This article, as its main goal, highlighted the importance of computed tomography and of three-dimensional reconstructions as a tool to precisely determine the location of enclosed teeth, thus allowing for a better planning of the surgery and a safer surgical intervention.

INFLUENCE of THE EVAPORATOR POSITION IN STATIC DOMESTIC REFRIGERATORS

The temperature and velocity distributions of the air inside the cabinet of domestic refrigerators affect the quality of food products. If the consumer knows the location of warm and cold zones in the refrigerator, the products can be placed in the right zone. In addition, the knowledge of the thickness of thermal and hydrodynamic boundary layers near the evaporator and the other walls is also important. If the product is too close to the evaporator wall, freezing can occur, and if it is too close to warm walls, the products can be deteriorated. The aim of the present work is to develop a steady state computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for domestic refrigerators working on natural convection regime. The Finite Volume Methodology is chosen as numerical procedure for discretizing the governing equations. The SIMPLE-Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure-Linked Equations algorithm applied to a staggered mesh was used for solving the pressure-velocity coupling problem. The Power-Law scheme is employed as interpolation function for the convective-diffusive terms, and the TDMA-Tri-Diagonal Matrix Algorithm is used to solve the systems of algebraic equations. The model is applied to a commercial static refrigerator, where the cabinet is considered an empty three-dimensional rectangular cavity with one drawer at the bottom of the cabinet, but without shelves. In order to analyze the velocity and temperature fields of the air flow inside the cabinet the evaporator temperature, Te, was varied from -20 degrees C to 0 degrees C, and nine different evaporator positions are evaluated for evaporator temperature of -15 degrees C. The cooling capacity of the evaporator for the steady state regime is also computed for each case. One can conclude that the vertical positioning of the evaporator inside the cabinet plays an important role on the temperature distribution inside the cabinet.

Effects of ambient colour on colour preference and growth of juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)

Colour preference of individual juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss was tested at 1 and 12 degrees C, and also at 12 degrees C after a 42 day growth experiment under white, blue, green, yellow or red ambient colour. All experiments were carried out under controlled laboratory conditions and the preference was assessed by the location of the fish in a preference tank with four chambers. Rainbow trout showed a preference for blue and green at 1 degrees C and for green at 12 degrees C. After the growth experiment the fish reared in blue tanks preferred blue and green but green was the most preferred colour for the fish reared in green, yellow and red tanks. Yellow and especially red chambers were avoided, irrespective of the ambient colour during the growth trial. The final mass of fish reared in the red aquaria was significantly smaller than that of the fish in green tanks. In addition, when the data of the preference tests were correlated with the data of the growth experiment using mean values of the four tested colours, a very good linear relationship was observed between the preference (i.e. visit frequency in coloured compartments) and growth rate as well as food intake. When considering the results both from the preference and growth trials it is suggested that green is the best environmental colour for rearing juvenile rainbow trout while rearing in a red environment cannot be recommended. (c) 2008 The Authors Journal compilation (c) 2008 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Enamel Defects in Maxillary Central Incisors of Infants With Unilateral Cleft Lip

Objective: To evaluate the presence of enamel alterations in deciduous maxillary central incisors of infants with unilateral cleft lip and alveolar ridge, with or without cleft palate, and to compare the occurrence and location of these alterations between the central incisor adjacent to the cleft and the contralateral incisor.Design: Intraoral clinical examination was performed after tooth cleaning and drying by a single examiner with the aid of a dental mirror, dental probe, and artificial light, with the child positioned on a dental chair. The defects were recorded in a standardized manner according to the criteria of the Modified Developmental Defects of Enamel Index.Setting: Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies (HRAC) at Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil.Patients: One hundred one infants were evaluated. All were white, of both genders, aged 12 to 36 months and had at least two thirds of the crowns of maxillary incisors erupted.Results: Demarcated opacity was the most common defect at both cleft and noncleft sides, followed by diffuse opacity. The occurrence of hypoplasia at the cleft side was 11.8%. Most defects affected less than one third of the crown.Conclusion: The occurrence of enamel defects in deciduous maxillary central incisors of patients with unilateral cleft lip was 42.6%, mainly affecting the cleft side as to both number and severity.

Prevalence and molecular characterization of Anaplasmataceae agents in free-ranging Brazilian marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus)

Anaplasmataceae organisms comprise a group of obligate intracellular gram-negative, tick-borne bacteria that can infect both animals and humans. In the present work we investigate the presence of Ehrlichia, Anaplasrna, and Neorickettsia species in blood samples from Brazilian marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus), using both molecular and serologic techniques. Blood was collected from 143 deer captured along floodplains of the Parana River, near the Porto Primavera hydroelectric power plant. Before and after flooding, marsh deer were captured for a wide range research program under the financial support of São Paulo State Energy Company (CESP), between 1998 and 2001. Samples were divided into four groups according to time and location of capture and named MS01 (n = 99), MS02 (n = 18) (Mato Grosso do Sul, before and after flooding, respectively), PX (n = 9; Peixe River, after flooding), and AGUA (n = 17; Aguapei River, after flooding). The seroprevalences for Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum were 76.76% and 20.2% in MS01, 88.88% and 5.55% in MS02, 88.88% and 22.22% in PX, and 94.12% and 5.88% in AGUA, respectively. Sixty-one animals (42.65% of the total population) were PCR-positive for E. chaffeensis PCR (100.0% identity based on 16S rRNA, dsb, and groESL genes). Seventy deer (48.95% of the total population) were PCR-positive for Anaplasma spp. (99.0% of identity with A. platys, and in the same clade as A. phagocytophilum, A. bovis, and A. platys based on 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis). Our results demonstrate that Brazilian marsh deer are exposed to E. chaffeensis and Anaplasma spp. and may act as reservoirs for these rickettsial agents, playing a role in disease transmission to humans and other animals. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optical emission and electron capture of rare-earth trivalent ions located at distinct sites in SnO(2) thin films

We present photoluminescence and decay of photo excited conductivity data for sol-gel SnO(2) thin films doped with rare earth ions Eu(3+) and Er(3+), a material with nanoscopic crystallites. Photoluminescence spectra are obtained under excitation with several monochromatic light sources, such as Kr(+) and Ar(+) lasers, Xe lamp plus a selective monochromator with UV grating, and the fourth harmonic of a Nd: YAG laser (4.65eV), which assures band-to-band transition and energy transfer to the ion located at matrix sites, substitutional to Sn(4+). The luminescence structure is rather different depending on the location of the rare-earth doping, at lattice symmetric sites or segregated at grain boundary layer, where it is placed in asymmetric sites. The decay of photo-excited conductivity also shows different trapping rate depending on the rare-earth concentration. For Er-doped films, above the saturation limit, the evaluated capture energy is higher than for films with concentration below the limit, in good agreement with the different behaviour obtained from luminescence data. For Eu-doped films, the difference between capture energy and grain boundary barrier is not so evident, even though the luminescence spectra are rather distinct.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization with rDNA probes on chromosomes of two nucleolus organizer region phenotypes of a species of Eigenmannia (Pisces, Gymnotoidei, Sternopygidae)

Nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) were analysed in two related and geographically close populations of Eigenmannia sp.1 (Pisces, Gymnotoidei, Sternopygidae) using silver staining and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The two populations differed in their AS-NOR phenotypes, displaying fixed differences in the NOR-bearing chromosome pairs. FISH with rDNA probes showed that these differences were due to the location of rDNA cistrons. This finding, showing fixed NOR differences between two populations belonging to the same species in a connected river system, is highly significant in terms of evolutionary change, possibly indicating an initial step of genetic differentiation. This result also has important implications from the cytosystematic point of view, as NORs usually have a very constant karyotypic location in fish species and have been used as species-specific chromosome markers.

Intrachromosomal distribution of telomeric repeats in Eumops glaucinus and eumops perotis (Molossidae, Chiroptera)

The location of chromosomal telomeric repeats (TTAGGG)(n) was investigated in two species of the Molossidae family, Eumops glaucinus and Eumops perotis. The diploid chromosome number (2n) is 40 in E. glaucinus and 48 in E. perotis and the fundamental numbers (FN) are 64 and 58, respectively. It has been suggested that the E. glaucinus karyotype has evolved from the E. perotis karyotype through Robertsonian fusion events. In the present study, the telomeric sequences were detected at the termini of chromosomes in both species. In addition, E. glaucinus also displayed telomeric repeats in centromeric and pericentromeric regions in almost all biarmed chromosomes. Conversely, in E. perotis pericentromeric signals were only observed in two biarmed chromosomes. In both E. glaucinus and E. perotis, such telomeric sequences were observed as part of the heterochromatin. The interstitial sites of telomeric sequences suggest that they are remnants of telomeres of ancestral chromosomes that participated in the fusion event.

Molecular and cytogenetic analysis of the telomeric (TTAGGG)n repetitive sequences in the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Teleostei: Cichlidae)

The majority of chromosomes in Oreochromis niloticus, as with most fish karyotyped to date, cannot be individually identified owing to their small size. As a first step in establishing a physical map for this important aquaculture species of tilapia we have analyzed the location of the vertebrate telomeric repeat sequence, (TTAGGG)n, in O. niloticus. Southern blot hybridization analysis and a Bal31 sensitivity assay confirm that the vertebrate telomeric repeat is indeed present at O. niloticus chromosomal ends with repeat tracts extending for 4-10 kb on chromosomal ends in erythrocytes. Fluorescent in situ hybridization revealed that (TTAGGG)n is found not only at telomeres, but also at two interstitial loci on chromosome 1. These data support the hypothesis that chromosome 1, which is significantly larger than all the other chromosomes in the karyotype, was produced by the fusion of three chromosomes and explain the overall reduction of chromosomal number from the ancestral teleost karyotype of 2n=48 to 2n=44 observed in tilapia.

Chromosome localization of the ribosomal genes 18S and 5S in four stocks of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) from cultivated and naturalized stocks in Brazil

In the present study, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was employed to determine the chromosomal location of genes 18S rDNA and 5S rDNA in four rainbow trout stocks. In specimens from the stocks of Núcleo Experimental de Salmonicultura de Campos do Jordão and Gavião river, 18S genes were located at a subterminal position in the long arms of two submetacentric chromosomes, whereas in specimens from stocks of Mount Shasta and Teresópolis they were found in the short arms. In all analyzed stocks, 5S genes were located in two chromosome pairs. In a subtelocentric pair, 5S genes were present in the short arms and, in the other submetacentric pair, 5S genes were at an interstitial position. In the latter, 18S and 5S genes were contiguous. Taking into account that both 18S and 5S rDNA genes have been localized in the short arm of a submetacentric chromosome in almost all rainbow trout samples so far studied, the presence of such genes in the long arm, as seen in the samples from Núcleo Experimental de Salmonicultura de Campos do Jordão and Gavião river, supports the hypothesis of a pericentric inversion involving this chromosome segment in the ancestor line of these stocks. The observed polymorphism allowed the identification of a very useful genomic marker, and may therefore constitute an important tool in the genetic management of rainbow trout stocks.

Windrowing and prismatic baling of sugar cane vegetal residues: Some operational parameters and energetic efficiency

It was evaluated the energetic efficiency and operational parameters of a windrowing and prismatic baling, both from CASE NEW HOLLAND® operations in sugarcane vegetal residues (green leaves, dry leaves and tops) picked mechanically in green cane. The area belongs to COSTA PINTO MILL (COSAN® Group) which was harvested mechanically by combines in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The geographic location of the area is: Latitude 22°40'30S, Longitude 47°36'38W and Altitude of 605m. The variety was RB 82-5336, planted in 1.40m row spacing, with 78t.ha-1 yield. The vegetal residues analysis obtained 69.93% of leaves, 21.44% of stalks fractions, 2.27% of tops and 6.36% of total strange matter. The vegetal residues values were: gross heat of 18.43MJ.kg-1, low heat of 17.00MJ.kg'1 and useful heat of 12.94MJ.kg-1. The vegetal residues average energetic potential was 342.48GJ.ha-1. The treatments were simple, double and triple windrowing. The use of the rake and prismatic baler to pick up the residues was viable. The simple windrowing treatment presented the best results: effective capacity of 83.06t.ha-1, fuel consumption of 0.18L.t -1 and 99.95% of positive energetic efficiency. The bales obtained in the treatment of triple windrowing presented the largest specific mass average of 221.11kg.m-3. The soil amount in the bales increased with successive windrowing. The baling operation in the triple windrowing treatment obtained better results, presenting the effective capacities of 20.29t.h -1 and 1.45ha.h-1 and fuel consumption of for baled in 1.37L.t-1. The high total energetic efficiency of 99.53% indicates that is technically viable the withdrawal of the vegetal residues.

Windrowing and cylindrical baling of sugar cane vegetal residues: Some operational parameters and energetic efficiency

The objective of this study was to analyze the sugar cane vegetal residues collection, as well as determining its energetic potential, using a rake and cylindrical baler, both from NEW HOLLAND® under two different windrowing process (simple and double). The field tests were carried out in an area that belongs to COSTA PINTO MILL (COSAN® Group) in the city of Piracicaba, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The geographic location of the area is: Latitude 22°4030'S, Longitude 47°3633'W and altitude of 605m. From the trash analysis, before the baling, the following average results were obtained: 69.93% of leaves; 2.27% of stalks fractions; 21.44% of tops and 6.36% of total strange matter. The estimated residues yield was 27.01 tons.ha -1 with a gross heat of 18.43 MJ.kg-1, low heat of 17.01 MJ.kg-1, useful heat of 13.32 MJ.kg-1, average moisture of 20.76% and an energetic potential of 494,875.09 MJ.ha-1. In the windrowing operations (simple and double) the averages of the 5 out of 13 analyzed variable presented differences between them in a 1% level of significance in the Tukey Test. The averages comparison of the results for bale's specific mass and the effective capacities (ton.h-1) e (ha.h-1) had been significant at a 5% level in the Tukey Test. The comparisons of the averages for the results had been significant to 1% level. The strange matter averages of the bales did not differed between them.