Crosslinking of Poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) in the Coating of Cotton Yarn

Coating of cotton yarn is employed in the textile industry to increase the mechanical resistance of the yarns and resistance to vibration, friction, impact, and elongation, which are some of the forces to which the yarn is subjected during the weaving process. The main objective of this study is to investigate the usage of a synthetic hydrophilic polymer, poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP), to coat 100% cotton textile yarn, aiming to give the yarn a temporary mechanical resistance. For the improvement of the mechanical resistance of the yarn, the following crosslinking processes of PVP were investigated: UV-C (ultraviolet) radiation, the Fenton and photo-Fenton reactions, and sensitized UV-C radiation. The influence of each crosslinking process was determined through tensile testing of the coated yarns. The results indicated that the best crosslinking process employed was UV-C radiation; increasing the mechanical resistance of the yarn up to 44% if compared with the pure cotton yarn, that is, without polymeric coating and crosslinking. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 51:445-453, 2011. (C) 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers

Removal of metal ions from aqueous solution by chelating polymeric hydrogel

Polysaccharide natural seed coat from the tree Magonia pubescens, in the form of hydrogel was used to remove metals in aqueous solution. Swelling tests indicate that seed coat presents hydrogel behavior, with maximum water absorption of 292 g water/g. Adsorption experiments performed using Na(+), Mg(2+), K(+), Ca(2+), Cr(3+), Fe(3+) and Zn(2+) demonstrated that the polysaccharide structure has a high capacity to extract these ions from the aqueous solution. Scanning electron microscopy revealed significant morphological changes of the material before and after water contact. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements indicate a signal shift of the water evaporation temperature in the material with adsorbed zinc. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis combined with theoretical studies by the density functional theory and on Hartree-Fock (HF) level evidence that the metallic ions were adsorbed through coordination with hydroxyl groups of polysaccharide. In the case of Zn(2+) the lowest HF energy was observed for the tetracoordination mode, where Zn(2+) is coordinated by two hydroxyl groups and two water molecules.

Internally Displaced Persons Rights in Human Rights Perspective(Specifically Focused on Pakistani IDPs Example) : “Basic Human Rights of IDPs to Attain Equality in Dignity and Rights”

After the WWII, there was much concern to protect human rights situation all over the world. During the cold wars, huge displacement took place within different countries due to internal arms/ethnic conflicts. Millions of IDPs, who were uprooted by armed conflict or ethnic strife faced human rights violence. In 2002, there were estimated between 20-25 millions IDPs in the world (Phuong, p.1). Internally displacement is a worldwide problem and millions of the people displaced in Africa and Asia. These all Internal displacements of the people are only the result of the conflicts or the violations of the Human Rights but also sometimes it happened because of the natural disasters. “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights..."(Streich, Article 1) This article works as the foundation of human rights which gives every human being an equal rights and opportunity to maintain his/her dignity. Human Rights issues related to human dignity must be taken very seriously and should not be ignored at any level; Many human rights issues are not always visible, issues such as: privacy, security, equality, protection of social and cultural values etc. In this paper I am going to apply theoretical approach of “all human being are equal in dignity and rights” to defend IDPs rights.

New Meanings to Old Rituals : The Emergence of Mourning Rituals in Shiʿite Islam

This paper will discuss the emergence of Shiʿite mourning rituals around the grave of Husayn b. ʿAli. After the killing of Husayn at Karbala’ in 61/680, a number of men in Kufa feel deep regret for their neglect to come to the help of the grand­son of the Prophet. They gather and discuss how they can best make penitence for this crime. Eventually, they decide to take to arms and go against the Umayyad army – to kill those that killed Husayn, or be killed them­selves in the attempt to find revenge for him. Thus, they are called the Penitents (Ar. Tawwābūn). On their way to the battlefield they stop at Husayn’s tomb at Karbala’, dedicat­ing themselves to remorseful prayer, crying and wailing over the fate of Husayn and their own sin. When the Penitents perform certain ritual acts, such as weeping and wailing over the death of Husayn, visiting his grave, asking for God’s mercy upon him on the Day of Judgment, demand blood revenge for him etc., they enter into already existing rituals in the pre-Islamic Arab and early Muslim context. That is, they enter into rituals that were traditionally performed at the death of a person. What is new is that the rituals that the Penitents perform have partially received a new content. As described, the rituals are performed out of loyalty towards Husayn and the family of the Prophet. The lack of loyalty in connection with the death of Husayn is conceived of as a sin that has to be atoned. Blood revenge thus be­comes not only a pure action of revenge to restore honor, but equally an expression for true religious conversion and penitence. Humphrey and Laidlaw argue that ritual actions in themselves are not bearers of meaning, but that they are filled with mean­ing by the performer. Accord­ing to them, ritual actions are apprehensible, i.e. they can be, and should be filled with meaning, and the people who perform them try to do so within the context where the ritual is performed. The story of the Penitents is a clear example of mourning rituals as actions that survive from earlier times, but that are now filled with new meaning when they are performed in a new and developing move­ment with a different ideology. In later Shiʿism, these rituals are elaborated and become a main tenet of this form of Islam.

Analysis of the restructuring of the Russian defence industry (by the example of aviation industry and knaapo) and the creation of United Aviation Construction Corporation

The present study is focused on the analysis of the three main governmental measures occurred in 2000-2006 in Russian defense industry: the creation of the holding structures, the establishing of the state monopoly in arms export, and creation of the United Aviation Construction Corporation (Ob¿edinennaya Aviastroitel¿naya Corporatziya), which was initiated by the President and Government of Russian Federation in 2006. The last project assumes the consolidation and joining of all producers of civil and military aviation into one united corporation in order to save the technological and productive potential of the sector after serious crisis in 1990-s. On the other hand, this project can be considered as one of the measures to establish state control and hierarchy in the defense industry. The current project tries to analyze the necessity and the possible impacts of restructuring processes. In order to perform such analysis, I need to observe the evolution of the sector, which involves the description of the restructuring and reforming of the industry since the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The current situation in aviation sector was shaped by number of reforms performed by Government of Russian Federation, which I describe in phases: conversion, privatization, decentralization, followed by evident desire of the state to establish control over some companies. Later on, I am trying to understand the reasons lying behind all reforms of 2000-2006 and the integration of the industry. I also try to predict which impacts on the companies it will have. The last part presents the main conclusions of the paper.

A technological innovation for capsicums production in Peru: the mechatronics arms

Peru agricultural exports have increased in recent years due to (i) free trade agreements with many countries (United States, Canada, European Union, China, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Chile, among others), (ii) an increasing international demand for healthy products, (iii) country´s economic development and (iv) more private investments in this sector (Velazco 2012). Also, if we can compare among Peru three main regions (Coast, Andean highlands and the Jungle), It is the Coast (western region) that has a developed agricultural production due to unique weather conditions, private investments, public infrastructure, transport costs and quality of land (Gomez, 2008). This country development is also related to the production of non-traditional products for export like asparagus, artichokes, capsicums, bananas, grapes, among others; produced by agro industrial companies and small farmers and that are mainly labor intensive (Gomez, 2008 and Velazco, 2012). This very successful export diversification and self-discovery process was the result of a combination of strong natural comparative advantages (mainly excellent agro climatic conditions) and a significant innovation effort. It meant the introduction and expansion of new products and markets, the entry of new firms, and experimental research and the adoption of new techniques and process technologies developed abroad (in irrigation, crop management, post-harvesting, sanitary control, storage and packing) to produce high-quality, niche (gourmet) and higher value-added products, in line with consumer trends in sophisticated food markets. In products such as asparagus, mango, organic coffee and capsicums, Peru has become a leading world exporter (OECD). For this reason one of the government main tasks for the next years is to meet urgent agriculture producer’s needs in the areas of technological Innovation and business management (MINAG). In this context, this thesis analyzes the applicability of a new technology – the mechatronic arms – specifically to capsicums production sector in Peru. We chose Capsicums production sector (paprika, chilli pepper) because is mainly labor intensive and is the sector where my family company (DIROSE SAC) operates. This innovation consists in a 40 arms mechatronic combine, and it was first created in order to improve the efficiency on the labor intensive phase of harvest for this kind of agriculture products. It is estimated that a laborer with brief training operating the machine would be equivalent to 40 people that not only would work during daytime, but also on the night shift as well. Also, using this new technology can allow a company to make additional crops that would increase their yields and annual revenues. This thesis was developed as a business plan to make this new product available for other agriculture companies that operates in the capsicums production sector in Peru; however, this new technology has the potential to be modified in order to be available to other kind of agriculture products, in Peru and other countries.

Boundary decisions of the firm: make, buy, cooperate

Firms are not atomistic hierarchies only linked with one another at arm’s-length distance in markets. Instead, a myriad of long-lived, highly cooperative relationships between suppliers and customers are pervasively found in the B2B world. And it is within those enmeshed relationships and networks that the co-evolution of capabilities and business specialisms is brought about and developed. If that is the actual ‘topography’ of the business landscape, then the coordination of economic activities in general, and the boundary decisions of each and every firm in particular, are unlikely to be reduced to a (dual) choice between ‘making’ or ‘buying’. Inter-firm cooperation is in itself a third governance structure, in alternative to the hierarchical and the market modes of coordination. And, what is also equally important to note, it is through the make-or-buy-or-cooperate decisions that the (embedded) firm is able to change its nature and scope, redefine its (fuzzy) boundaries, and thus adapt to an ever-changing business setting.

Evaluation of thyroxine (T4) and progesterone-17-alpha-OH circadian rhythm in swine females (Sus scrofa domestica - Linnaeus, 1758)

No presente trabalho foram utilizadas quatro fêmeas suínas, adultas, mestiças, não-gestantes e sem sinais clínicos de estro, criadas e mantidas sob condições industriais de criação. Objetivou-se avaliar a ocorrência de ritmicidade biológica circadiana para tiroxina e 17-alfa -OH progesterona. Os ensaios para dosagens hormonais foram executados utilizando-se a técnica de radioimunoensaio (RIE) em fase sólida e para isso foi empregado conjunto de reagentes comerciais (COAT-A-COUNT R). As análises séricas de tiroxina mostraram valores mais elevados ao redor das 15 horas, decrescendo a partir dai até atingir níveis menores no intervalo da zero às 4 horas. Quanto a 17-alfa -OH progesterona, observaram-se níveis mais elevados por volta das 3 horas, decrescendo gradativamente ao longo do dia, até atingir menor concentração no intervalo das 12 às 15 horas.

Serologic evidence of equine granulocytic anaplasmosis in horses from central West Brazil

A Erliquiose é uma doença zoonótica causada por bactérias gram-negativas e intracelulares obrigatórias. A Anaplasmose Granulocítica Equina - AGE (anteriormente denominada Erliquiose Granulocítica Equina, EGE) é uma enfermidade sazonal, normalmente auto-limitante em equinos. No Brasil, existem poucos relatos deste agente erliquial, bem como de seus vetores naturais. Atualmente, veterinários têm levantado a suspeita de casos de AGE em equinos com sinais clínicos sugestivos de erliquiose e não responsivos ao tratamento para a piroplasmose equina. O objetivo do presente estudo foi identificar equinos expostos a A. phagocytophilum por meio de técnicas sorológicas e moleculares. Vinte amostras de sangue e soro de equinos da região Centro-oeste do Brasil foram avaliados por meio do exame microscópico de capa leucocitária, ensaio imunoenzimático indireto (ELISA), reação de imunofluorescência indireta (RIFI) e reação em cadeia da polimerase (nested PCR). Adicionalmente, o diagnóstico sorológico de Theileria equi pela RIFI e ELISA foram realizados, assim como o diagnóstico molecular pelo nPCR. Treze (65%) amostras de soro foram positivas para A. phagocytophilum pelo teste de ELISA, entretanto nenhum equino foi positivo pelo exame microscópico da capa leucocitária ou nPCR. Anticorpos IgG anti-T. equi foram detectados em 18 (90%) e 17 (85%) equinos pela RIFI e ELISA, respectivamente e o agente foi detectado em 9 (45%) animais pelo nPCR. Estes dados sugerem importante informação para o entendimento da ocorrência da AGE e piroplasmose equina no Centro-oeste do Brasil.

Optimising tetrazolium test procedures to evaluate the physiological potential of peanut seeds

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

Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Mycoplasma ovis in Selected Free-Ranging Brazilian Deer Populations

Mycoplasma ovis is a hemoplasma that may cause anemia and mortality in small ruminants. Our aim was to determine whether M. ovis infects populations of free-ranging deer in Brazil. Bully coat samples from 64 Blastocerus dichotomus from Porto Primavera, 18 Ozotocerus bezoarticus from Pantanal, and 21 O. bezoarticus from Emas National Park were tested. Using a M. ovis PCR protocol to amplify extracted DNA, 46/64 (72%) of deer froth Porto Primavera, 10/18 (56%) from Pantanal, and 4/21 (19%) from Emas National Park were positive, giving an overall positive rate of 58% for hemoplasma in these wild deer. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 168 rRNA gene revealed 3 genetically distinct hemoplasmas including M. ovis, 'Candidatus Mycoplasma erythrocervae', and a hemoplasma most closely related to M. ovis. Phylogenetic analysis of the 23S rRNA gene from selected sequences confirmed these relationships.

Latent heat loss of dairy cows in an equatorial semi-arid environment

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A classification of Pepper yellow mosaic virus isolates into pathotypes

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

Physiological quality of soybean and wheat seeds produced with alternative potassium sources

O uso de fontes não convencionais para fornecimento de K às plantas tem sido amplamente estudado, mas os efeitos de materiais alternativos na qualidade fisiológica das sementes não são conhecidos. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade fisiológica de sementes de soja e trigo em função da aplicação fontes de potássio em uma sucessão de culturas. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos constaram de três fontes de K (KCl, rocha alcalina e fonolito moído, com 58%, 11% e 8.42% de K2O, respectivamente) aplicados em quatro doses (0, 25, 50 e 100 kg K2O ha-1). As doses de potássio foram aplicadas na soja e seu efeito residual foi avaliado na cultura do trigo, cultivado em sucessão. Logo após a colheita, as sementes de soja e trigo foram avaliadas pelos testes de teor de água, massa de sementes, germinação, primeira contagem, condutividade elétrica, comprimento de plântulas e massa da matéria seca de plântulas. Plantas de soja adubadas com fontes alternativas para fornecimento de K produzem sementes com maior massa e menor permeabilidade de membranas comparado às com KCl; maior qualidade fisiológica de sementes de soja e massa de sementes de trigo são obtidas com maiores doses de K2O independente da fonte.

Molecular and biological characterization of Lettuce mosaic virus (LMV) isolates reveals a distinct and widespread type of resistance-breaking isolate: LMV-Most

Lettuce mosaic virus (LMV) causes an economically important seedborne and aphid-transmitted disease of lettuce and ornamental crops worldwide. The genetic diversity among 73 LMV isolates was examined based on a 216-nucleotide sequence at the variable region encoding the NIb-coat protein junction, Three clusters of LMV isolates were distinguished: LMV-Yar, LMV-Greck, and LMV-RoW. In the latter cluster, two subgroups of isolates, LMV-Common and LMV-Most, accounted for a large proportion of the LMV isolates analyzed. These two subgroups included the seedborne isolates, consistent with this property contributing a selective advantage and resulting in widespread distribution. In addition to being seedborne, LMV-Most isolates overcome the two resistance genes commonly used in lettuce, mol(1) and mol(2), and thus represent a potential threat to lettuce cultivation. The complete sequence of an LMV-Most isolate (LMV-AF199) was determined, allowing a better definition of the genetic relationships among LMV-Most, LMV-Common, and an additional isolate of the LMV-RoW cluster.