Spectroscopic investigation of the interactions between emeraldine base polyaniline and Eu(III) ions

The interactions of emeraldine base form of polyaniline (EB-PANI) and Eu(III) ions in 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) solution and in films have been investigated by UV-vis-NIR, resonance Raman. luminescence and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies. These spectroscopic techniques allowed to characterize quinone and semiquinone segments in the polymeric chains. and the oxidation state of europium ions in Eu-PANI samples. For high values of Eu(III)/N molar ratio (24/1) the presence of a weak polaronic absorption band at 980 nm in UV-vis-NIR spectrum and the observation of bands at 1330 and 1378 (nu(center dot)(C-N+)) cm(-1) due to emeraldine salt in the Raman spectrum at 1064 nm indicate a low doping degree. Oxidation of EB-PANI to pernigraniline base (PB-PANI) occurs in diluted solutions. The experimental data showed that the solvent plays an important role on the nature of formed species. The narrow EPR signal at g = 2.006 (line width 8G) confirms the presence of PANI radical cations in Eu-PANI film. The absence of broad signal characteristic of Eu(II) in EPR spectrum suggested that europium ions are primarily at Eu(III) oxidation state. The luminescence spectra of Eu-PANI film presented emission bands at 405 and 418 nm assigned to PANI moieties and bands at 594,615 and 701 nm assigned to (5)D(0) -> (7)F(J) (J = 1, 2 and 4, respectively) transitions of Eu(III). EPR and photoluminescence data confirm that europium ions are mainly in Eu(III) oxidation state in Eu(III)/PANI films. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Isoelectric Point Determination for Glossoscolex paulistus Extracellular Hemoglobin: Oligomeric Stability in Acidic pH and Relevance to Protein-Surfactant Interactions

The extracellular hemoglobin from Glossoscolex paulistus (HbGp) has a molecular mass of 3.6 M Da, It has a high oligomeric stability at pH 7.0 and low autoxidation rates, as compared to vertebrate hemoglobins. In this work, fluorescence and light scattering experiments were performed with the three oxidation forms of HbGp exposed to acidic pH. Our focus is on the HbGp stability at acidic pH and also on the determination of the isoelectric point (pI) of the protein. Our results show that the protein in the cyanomet form is more stable than in the other two forms, in the whole range. Our zeta-potential data are consistent with light scattering results. Average values apt obtained by different techniques were 5.6 +/- 0.5, 5.4 +/- 0.2 and 5.2 +/- 0.5 for the oxy, met, and cyanomet forms. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments have shown that, at pH 6.0, the aggregation (oligomeric) state of oxy-, met- and cyanomet-HbGp remains the same as that at 7.0. The interaction between the oxy-HbGp and ionic surfactants at pH 5.0 and 6.0 was also monitored in the present study. At pH 5,0, below the protein pI, the effects of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) are inverted when compared to pH 7.0. For CTAC, in acid pH 5.0, no precipitation is observed, while for SDS an intense light scattering appears due to a precipitation process. HbGp interacts strongly with the cationic surfactant at pH 7.0 and with the anionic one at pH 5.0. This effect is due to the predominance, in the protein surface, of residues presenting opposite charges to the surfactant headgroups. This information can be relevant for the development of extracellular hemoglobin-based artificial blood substitutes.

Dynamic whole system testing of combined renewable heating systems : the current state of the art

Objective: For the evaluation of the energetic performance of combined renewable heating systems that supply space heat and domestic hot water for single family houses, dynamic behaviour, component interactions, and control of the system play a crucial role and should be included in test methods. Methods: New dynamic whole system test methods were developed based on “hardware in the loop” concepts. Three similar approaches are described and their differences are discussed. The methods were applied for testing solar thermal systems in combination with fossil fuel boilers (heating oil and natural gas), biomass boilers, and/or heat pumps. Results: All three methods were able to show the performance of combined heating systems under transient operating conditions. The methods often detected unexpected behaviour of the tested system that cannot be detected based on steady state performance tests that are usually applied to single components. Conclusion: Further work will be needed to harmonize the different test methods in order to reach comparable results between the different laboratories. Practice implications: A harmonized approach for whole system tests may lead to new test standards and improve the accuracy of performance prediction as well as reduce the need for field tests.

Quasi-experimental estimates of fiscal spillovers and spatial interactions among Brazilian cities

Nós usamos a metodologia de Regressões em Descontinuidade (RDD) para estimar o efeito causal do Fundo de Participação dos Municípios (FPM) recebido por um município sobre características dos municípios vizinhos, considerando uma variedade de temas: finanças públicas, educação, saúde e resultados eleitorais. Nós exploramos a regra que gera uma variação exógena da transferência em munícipios próximos às descontinuidades no repasse do fundo de acordo com faixas de população. Nossa principal contribuição é estimar separadamente e em conjunto o efeito spillover e o efeito direto do FPM, considerando ambos municípios vizinhos ou apenas um deles próximos às mudanças de faixa. Dessa forma, conseguimos entender melhor a interação entre municípios vizinhos quando há uma correlação na probabilidade de receber uma transferência federal. Nós mostramos que a estimativa do efeito direto do FPM sobre os gastos locais diminui em cerca de 20% quando controlamos pelo spillover do vizinho, que em geral é positivo, com exceção dos gastos em saúde e saneamento. Nós estimamos um efeito positivo da transferência sobre notas na prova Brasil e taxas de aprovação escolares em municípios vizinhos e na rede estadual do ensino fundamental. Por outro lado, o recebimento de FPM por municípios vizinhos de pequena população reduz o provimento de bens e serviços de saúde em cidades próximas e maiores, o que pode ocorrer devido à redução da demanda por serviços de saúde. A piora de alguns indicadores globais de saúde é um indício, no entanto, de que podem existir problemas de coordenação para os prefeitos reterem seus gastos em saúde. De fato, quando controlamos pela margem de vitória nas eleições municipais e consideramos apenas cidades vizinhas com prefeitos de partido diferentes, o efeito spillover é maior em magnitude, o que indica que incentivos políticos são importantes para explicar a subprovisão de serviços em saúde, por um lado, e o aumento da provisão de bens em educação, por outro. Nós também constatamos um efeito positivo do FPM sobre votos para o partido do governo federal nas eleições municipais e nacionais, e grande parte desse efeito é explicado pelo spillover do FPM de cidades vizinhas, mostrando que cidades com dependência econômica do governo federal se tornam a base de sustentação e apoio político desse governo. Por fim, nós encontramos um efeito ambíguo do aumento de receita devido ao FPM sobre a competição eleitoral nas eleições municipais, com uma queda da margem de vitória do primeiro colocado e uma redução do número de candidatos, o que pode ser explicado pelo aumento do custo fixo das campanhas locais.

Estudo paramétrico da recuperação de óleo no processo de drenagem gravitacional com injeção de CO2

The gas injection has become the most important IOR process in the United States. Furthermore, the year 2006 marks the first time the gas injection IOR production has surpassed that of steam injection. In Brazil, the installation of a petrochemical complex in the Northeast of Brazil (Bahia State) offers opportunities for the injection of gases in the fields located in the Recôncavo Basin. Field-scale gas injection applications have almost always been associated with design and operational difficulties. The mobility ratio, which controls the volumetric sweep, between the injected gas and displaced oil bank in gas processes, is typically unfavorable due to the relatively low viscosity of the injected gas. Furthermore, the difference between their densities results in severe gravity segregation of fluids in the reservoirs, consequently leading to poor control in the volumetric sweep. Nowadays, from the above applications of gas injection, the WAG process is most popular. However, in attempting to solve the mobility problems, the WAG process gives rise to other problems associated with increased water saturation in the reservoir including diminished gas injectivity and increased competition to the flow of oil. The low field performance of WAG floods with oil recoveries in the range of 5-10% is a clear indication of these problems. In order to find na effective alternative to WAG, the Gas Assisted Gravity Drainage (GAGD) was developed. This process is designed to take advantage of gravity force to allow vertical segregation between the injected CO2 and reservoir crude oil due to their density difference. This process consists of placing horizontal producers near the bottom of the pay zone and injecting gás through existing vertical wells in field. Homogeneous models were used in this work which can be extrapolated to commercial application for fields located in the Northeast of Brazil. The simulations were performed in a CMG simulator, the STARS 2007.11, where some parameters and their interactions were analyzed. The results have shown that the CO2 injection in GAGD process increased significantly the rate and the final recovery of oil

Mãe-esposa e professora: educadoras no final do século XIX

This text is organized through discussions undertaken in the area of the History of Education in Rio Grande do Norte, circumscribed to the History of Women from the first decades of the Brazilian Republic, and to the analysis of what was expected of this education. We examined representations of women in Natal, between 1889 and 1914, with the goal of configuring relations between the sexes with the emphasis on moral, intellectual and pedagogical aspects required of these women. As documental sources we utilized the educational, civil and criminal Legislation, on a National scope, as well as on a State and Municipal scope. We circumscribed our search to the newspaper A República, in which we found literature that circulated in Natal in the form of pamphlets, short stories and poetry, as well as other texts by authors that were part of the corpus of analysis of this study, located in public and private archives in Rio Grande do Norte, such as the Historical and Geographic Institute of Rio Grande do Norte (IHGRN) and the State Public Archive of Rio Grande do Norte (APE-RN). The use of the indexing method and the propositions of Cultural History were the appropriate theoretical-methodological framework to complete studies of this nature. This operational perspective permitted us to elaborate nuances about this time of transition from the 19th to the 20th Century, and to spotlight the fire of the women from this period. The basis of the argument that related women to maternity and domesticity, and within the ideals of abnegation and religious leadership, aligned to a demand coming from the increase in the quantity of schools for women, allocated women as the most appropriate for superior in educational performance in the country, based on its foundations: primary education. Beyond the universe of formal education, the other side of women appeared in republican politics. The mother-spouse and the institutionalization of domestic education associated the female gender with the role of educator at home as well. Be it in the public sphere, as a teacher, or in private, as mother-spouse, female care is perceived in this configuration, as an educational base that the Republic, and in transition, bequeathed to the Brazilian 20th Century

Diagnóstico e avaliação das áreas de destino final dos resíduos sólidos urbanos no estado do rio grande do norte

This work aims to present the diagnosis and the evaluation of areas of final destination of urban solid waste in Rio Grande do Norte (RN) state. The survey was based on the experience of the State of São Paulo, which made its first inventory in 1997, through its Companhia de Tecnologia de Saneamento Ambiental CETESB. The methodology for the structuring of diagnosis was the Índice de Qualidade de Aterros de Resíduo -- IQR, developed by the Institute for Technological Research of São Paulo (ITRP). The calculation is based on the completion of a matrix that contains information about the main features of the site, infrastructure and operating conditions of the area of waste disposal. This study intends to subsidize the state government of Rio Grande do Norte through its State Secretariat of Environment and Water Resources and the Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável e Meio Ambiente do RN (IDEMA), as well as federal, state and municipal authorities, in the definition of public policies for integrated management of municipal solid wastes to take account of environmental preservation and improvement of sanitary conditions of Natal-RN population.

Diagnóstico Socioambiental da disposição final dos resíduos sólidos no distrito de Guajiru São Gonçalo do Amarante/RN, ressaltando a situação socioeconômica dos catadores

One of the concerns of this century is with the handling and the final destination of urban solid waste (RSU), where depending on the form as they will be made use, they can cause diverse problems, they are of ambient or social order, being able to generate the loss of the quality of life and illnesses to the population, of direct or indirect form. The objective of the present work was to diagnosis the environmental partner situation of the Final Destination of the urban solid residues in the District of Guajiru, city of São Gonçalo do Amarante/RN, standing out the partner-economic situation of the scavengers. The research was carried through in the period of March of 2008 the October of 2009, with a methodology developed through analyzes them of documents made available for the state ambient agency, the Air base of Christmas and managing agencies of the city. For collection of the date, it was used directly application of the questionnaire with 20 existing scavengers in points of destination of residues, evaluation of the old place of final destination through the use of the spread sheet of the IQR (Index of Quality of the Residues), developed for the CETESB, identification of the matter dump and photographic register. For effect of treatment of the data, a descriptive analysis with regard to the answers of the interviewed scavengers was carried through. The acquired date, Scale had been according to tabulated and analyzed in Excel 2003, where they had been generated graphical to observe the behavior of the data. The results show that of the twenty interviewed scavengers, 35% possess age between 20 and 30 years; 75% possess incomplete basic education; 60% inhabit in houses of waal or huts (cardboard or wood); 55% do not make use of system of water supply and system of sanitary exhaustion; with regard to income monthly for scavengers, 35% had presented income between R$ 200,00 and R$300,00 and 20% possess income above of R$ 500,00 for possessing another source of income; 80% of the interviewed ones, use some type of equipment of individual protection; In the year of 2009, confirming what it was informed by the State agency of Environment, during the field visit, we evidence that the city of Is Gonçalo do Amarante, currently, destines its residues in Sanitary landfill of São Region Metropolitan of Natal in the District of Massaranduba in the city of Ceará-Mirim, after some interventions of the State Public prosecution service. However, in the district of Guajiru some diggings still exist that today are used as final destination of RCD' s (Residues of Construction and Demolition) of the cities of Natal and São Gonçalo do Amarante, as well as private dumps that are used by scavengers that deviate the final destination (Sanitary landfill) of the residues of the great generators (supermarkets, shopping Center and hotels), with presence of urubus, generating a new ambient problem for the city and the aeroportuária security. Ahead of this scene, the study it suggests viable alternatives for the elimination of the private dumps and for the social situation of the escavengers, aiming at to improve its quality of life and 10 to minimize the ambient impacts caused by the inadequate destination of the solid waste in the community of Guajiru, São Gonçalo do Amarante/RN, being able to contribute so that the public managers carry through action in the handling and the control of the final destination of the urban solid waste

Avaliação dos impactos ambientais gerados por uma industria cerâmica típica da Região do Seridó/RN

The present work deals with an evaluation of the environmental impacts arised from a typical ceramics industry located in the Seridó region of Rio Grande do Norte State. That region contains the largest State s producing basin of red ceramics. The district of Parelhas stands out as the largest producing nucleus. The studied company is located in the rural zone of Parelhas, it was selected as study object because it possesses a great part of the representative characteristics of the Region s ceramics park as a whole. Impacts produced at the implantation and operation phases of the Company had been evaluated, being this last phase subdivided in stages of the productive process. Among found adverse impacts, they are distinguished: losses in air quality, undesirable noises, microclimatic alterations, impoverishment of the ground, elimination of the vegetal covering, agricultural exodus, crisis in cattle agriculture and, superficial and underground water contamination, beyond risks ocupational diseases and industrial accidents. The Leopold s interactive matrix, that summarizes results of the work, was presented in form of 15 (fifteen) tables that display impacts classified in qualitative and quantitative way. Totally, 175 (one hundred and seventy-five) significant impacts produced by this Company had been identified, being 114 (one hundred and fourteen) negative, 38 (thirty-eight) positive and 23 (twenty-three) among mixed, indefinite and inert ones. In the work, before the evaluation of impacts properly said, it was constructed a diagnostic table of the ambient situation at a previous moment to implantation of the Company, elaborated on basis of inferences and historical researches. It was proposed still, mitigative steps for adverse impacts identified, as also elaborated a program to accompaniment and observing that the fulfilment of indicated mitigative steps guarantees. The final part of the work contemplates conclusions and suggestions that aim to influence positively the presented sight in terms of environmental management

Levantamento da infestação de plantas aquáticas em Porto Primavera antes do enchimento final do reservatório

O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar as plantas aquáticas e os níveis de infestação de cada espécie em Porto Primavera antes do enchimento final do reservatório. Foram avaliados todos os focos de vegetação aquática no reservatório (72 pontos), sendo os pontos demarcados com um aparelho de GPS. As espécies foram identificadas e estimouse visualmente (tamanho da área) a distribuição proporcional das plantas no foco de infestação. Após a identificação, foram encontradas 18 espécies de plantas aquáticas vegetando no reservatório, das quais foram determinadas a frequência de espécie de planta aquática e a distribuição dentro do sistema de geração de energia. As espécies encontradas no reservatório foram: Eichhornia crassipes, Eichhornia azurea, Pistia stratiotes, Paspalum repens, Cyperus brevifolius, Paspalum conspersum, Echinochloa polystachya, Egeria densa, Egeria najas, Polygonum hidropiperoides, Polygonum lapathifolium, Alternanthera philoxeroides, Eleocharis sellowiana, Nymphaea ampla, Pontederia cordata, Salvinia auriculata, Salvinia rotundifolia e Typha angustifolia. As maiores frequências relativas foram observadas em: E. azurea (36,11%), E. crassipes (16,67%), P. stratiotes (13,89%), S. auriculata (13,89%), C. brevifolius (11,11%) e P. lapathifolium (6,94%).

Seasonality of macroalgal communities in a subtropical drainage basin in Paraná state, southern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Bee communities (Hymenoptera: Anthophila) of the Cerrado ecosystem in São Paulo State, Brazil

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

Monitoring of the dissemination of Salmonella in the chicken Frankfurt-sausage production line of a sausage factory in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Poultry meat and its derivatives are among the foodstuffs considered by environmental health authorities to present the highest risks to the public. A total of 185 samples were collected in five monthly batches, from different processing stages in a sausage plant that uses mechanically-deboned chicken meat (MDCM) and tested for the presence of Salmonella. Enrichment was carried out in both Kauffman tetrathionate broth and Rappaport-Vassiliadis broth and isolation on Salmonella-Shigella agar and brilliant-green agar. Live Salmonella bacteria were isolated from six samples of the raw meat and from the emulsion, in batches three, four and five, but not from any sample in batches one or two. The six isolated strains were all classified as Salmonella Albany, which has not previously been reported in MDCM. of the two enrichment broths, Rappaport-Vassiliadis gave the better results. The Pattern of contamination suggests a probable common source, given that a new supplier was used in the third, fourth, and fifth months. It was also shown that the industrial cooking was effective in preventing Salmonella surviving in the final product.

Synthesis, characterization and thermal behaviour of solid-state compounds of benzoates with some bivalent transition metal ions

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

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in ostriches (Struthio camelus) from commercial breeding facilities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Toxoplasmosis is widespread zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii,a protozoan that may infect mammals and birds. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of T. gondii in ostriches (Struthio camelus) from commercial breeding facilities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in a way to increase the knowledge on the behavior and importance of the parasite in this animal species. A total of 195 serum samples were collected from ostriches from Sorocaba, Campinas, São Carlos, Aracatuba, São Paulo, Vale do Ribeira, Botucatu and sao Jose do Rio Preto, in the state of São Paulo. These samples were analyzed by means of the Modified Agglutination Test (MAT) in order to investigate the occurrence of Toxoplasmagondii antibodies. The test showed that 14.36% of the animals were seropositive to Toxoplasmagondii. Minimum titer was considered to be equal or greater than 1:16, and the greatest dilution observed was 1:16,384. No statistically significant differences were found between males and females. Seronegative animals occurred in only two regions (São Paulo and Sao Jose do Rio Preto). These results point out the importance of further studies on this infection in ostriches, and on management practices that may minimize the risk of toxoplasmosis transmission in these birds which would, in their turn, decrease the risk for the final consumer.