Femur Mineral Density of Broilers with Femoral Degeneration Fed High Nutritional Density Diets

A study was carried out in the experimental facilities of FMVZ/UNESP-Botucatu, with the aim of following-up the development and the incidence of femoral degeneration (FD). A total of 305 one-day-old male broilers were housed in six pens of 5m(2) each. A completely randomized experimental design, with 3 treatments (T1-traditional nutritional density diet; T2-high nutritional density diet) of 3 replicates each was applied. Femoral head of the broilers were submitted to gross examination at 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 days of aged. At 42 days of age, 60 birds (30 per treatment) were submitted to the Veterinary Hospital of FMVZ to determine bone mineral density by radiography. Birds were then sacrificed for gross examination of the legs, and FD scoring. Five legs per treatment within each FD score were submitted to computed tomography for femur head integrity and bone mineral density. Treatments did not influence FD incidence, and the first gross FD lesions appeared when birds were 28 days old. It was concluded that radiographic optical densitometry and computed tomography are efficient methods to evaluate femoral degeneration, and both techniques expressed the same profile. In addition, using radiographic optical densitometry and computed tomography, these results also allowed us to establish bone mineral density value ranges within each gross FD score. These finding may provide an excellent non-invasive tool to describe femoral degeneration.

Bulk density and relationship air/water of horticultural substrate

Alterações na densidade do substrato durante o cultivo das plantas modificam suas propriedades físicas. O trabalho teve como objetivos caracterizar fisicamente dois substratos hortícolas e avaliar o efeito da densidade na relação ar/água dos mesmos, elaborando funções matemáticas que permitam estimar tal relação a partir da densidade do substrato. Para tanto, determinou-se a distribuição do tamanho das partículas, a densidade e a curva de retenção de água. Procedeu-se o acondicionamento dos substratos em três valores de densidade: 10 (D1), 20 (D2) e 30% (D3) maior que a densidade (D) determinada na fase de caracterização. Partindo das amostras com diferentes densidades, determinou-se a curva de retenção de água dos substratos. A influência do aumento da densidade do substrato na porosidade total (PT), no espaço de aeração (EA), na água disponível (AD), na água facilmente disponível (AFD), na água tamponante (AT) e na água remanescente (AR) foi avaliada pela análise de regressão linear simples e análise polinomial. A composição granulométrica e a curva de retenção de água foram significativamente diferentes para os dois substratos. O aumento da densidade diminuiu a PT e o EA e aumentou a AT e AR. Os maiores valores de AD e AFD foram observados para D1. Foram obtidas equações de regressão que podem auxiliar na escolha da relação ar/água mais adequada para cada condição.

Digital radiographic evaluation of optical density of porcelains used for fabrication of inlay/onlay prosthesis

The purpose of this article was to compare the mean value of optical density of four porcelains commonly used for fabrication of inlay/ onlay prostheses using direct digital radiograph. The sample consisted of 20 2-mm thick porcelain specimens (measured by digital pachymeter): Empress (Ivoclair), Simbios (Degussa), Vita Omega 900 and Vitadur Alpha (Vita Zahnfabrik). The values of optical density of the specimens were expressed in millimeters aluminum equivalent (mm eq Al). The samples were X-rayed using two charge coupled devices (CCD) - RVG (Trophy) - Visualix (Gendex) and a phosphor plate system - Digora (Soredex). The optical density reading was performed with Image Tool 1.28 in a total of 110 measurements. Statistical analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in all materials studied (p < 0.05) regardless of the radiographic system used. The highest optical density value was found for Omega 900 (1.8988 mmeqAl - Visualix - Gendex) and the lowest for Vitadur Alpha (0.8647 - Visualix - Gendex). Thus, the material presenting the highest degree of optical density was Omega 900, Empress and Simbios presented intermediate optical density values, Vitadur Alpha presented the lowest value, and the optical density of porcelains was not influenced by the digital radiography systems.

Influence of current density on crystalline structure and magnetic properties of electrodeposited Co-rich CoNiW alloys

The influence of current density, at the interval 5-100 mA cm-2, on the structural and magnetic properties of electrodeposited (Co 100-xNix)100-yWy alloys (x = 23-33.5 at. % Ni, y = 1.7-7.3 at. % W) was studied from a glycine-containing bath. W-content decreases with the increase of the current density magnitude. X-ray data have shown stabilization of hexagonal close packed, face centered cubic or a mixture of these structures by modulating the applied cathodic current density, for values lower than 50 mA cm-2. Two structural phase transitions were observed: one from hexagonal close packed to face centered cubic structural transition occurring for a current density of 20 mA cm -2, and another one, from cubic crystalline phase to amorphous state, which happens for values higher than 50 mA cm-2. These structural phase transitions seem to be associated with the W-content as well as average crystalline grain sizes that reduce with increasing the current density value. The grain size effect may explain the face centered cubic stabilization in Co-rich CoNiW alloys, which was initially assumed to be basically due to H-adsorption/incorporation. Magnetic properties of Co-rich CoNiW alloys are strongly modified by the current density value; as a result of the changes on the W-content and their structural properties© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Standing stock density estimates (kg/hectare) for fish from 1969 through 70 UNDP/FAO and 1976 EAFFRO trawl surveys in the Kenya waters of Lake Victoria

A statistical comparison of standing stock density estimates (Kg/hectare) from 26 UNDP/FAO 1%9 thru 70 and 63 EAFFRO 1976 bottom trawl surveys revealed the following; 1) Statistically significant differences between mean density values at 4 of 7 depths {4-9 to 30-39 m}. 2) The 1969 thru 70 UNDP/FAO Values were higher at the 4 levels. 3) No statistically significant menn density value differences at 3 depths (40-49 to 60-69 m), but decreased values for the 1976 EAFFRO survey at 40-49 and 50-59 m depth. It was concluded from these comparisons that no capital investment should be made into a trawler industry for fish meal production in the Kenya waters of Lake Victoria until further bottom trawl surveys can be conducted to either substantiate or disapprove these differences over the six year time span.

X-ray microtomography of Larger Foraminifera

X-ray microtomography has become a new tool in earth sciences to obtain non-destructive 3D-image data from geological objects in which variations in mineralogy, chemical composition and/or porosity create sufficient x-ray density contrasts.We present here first, preliminary results of an application to the external and internal morphology of Permian to Recent Larger Foraminifera. We use a SkyScan-1072 high-resolution desk-top micro-CT system. The system has a conical x-ray source with a spot size of about 5µm that runs at 20-100kV, 0-250µA, resulting in a maximal resolution of 5µm. X-ray transmission images are captured by a scintillator coupled via fibre optics to a 1024x1024 pixel 12-bit CCD. The object is placed between the x-ray source and the scintillator on a stub that rotates 360°around its vertical axis in steps as small as 0.24 degrees. Sample size is limited to 2 cm due to the absorption of geologic material for x-rays. The transmission images are back projected using a Feldkamp algorithm into a vertical stack of up to 1000 1Kx1K images that represent horizontal cuts of the object. This calculation takes 2 to several hours on a Double-Processor 2.4GHz PC. The stack of images (.bmp) can be visualized with any 3D-imaging software, used to produce cuts of Larger Foraminifera. Among other applications, the 3D-imaging software furnished by SkyScan can produce 3D-models by defining a threshold density value to distinguish "solid" from "void. Several models with variable threshold values and colors can be imbricated, rotated and cut together. The best results were obtained with microfossils devoid of chamber-filling cements (Permian, Eocene, Recent). However, even slight differences in cement mineralogy/composition can result in surprisingly good x-ray density contrasts.X-ray microtomography may develop into a powerful tool for larger microfossils with a complex internal structure, because it is non-destructive, requires no preparation of the specimens, and produces a true 3D-image data set. We will use these data sets in the future to produce cuts in any direction to compare them with arbitrary cuts of complex microfossils in thin sections. Many groups of benthic and planktonic foraminifera may become more easily determinable in thin section by this way.

Physical quality of a yellow latossol under integrated crop-livestock system

Soil physical quality is essential to global sustainability of agroecosystems, once it is related to processes that are essential to agricultural crop development. This study aimed to evaluate physical attributes of a Yellow Latossol under different management systems in the savanna area in the state of Piaui. This study was developed in Uruçuí southwest of the state of Piauí. Three systems of soil management were studied: an area under conventional tillage (CT) with disk plowi and heavy harrow and soybean crop; an area under no-tillage with soybean-maize rotation and millet as cover crop (NT + M); two areas under Integrated Crop-Livestock System, with five-month pasture grazing and soybean cultivation and then continuous pasture grazing (ICL + S and ICL + P, respectively). Also, an area under Native Forest (NF) was studied. The soil depths studied were 0.00-0.05, 0.05-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m. Soil bulk density, as well as porosity and stability of soil aggregates were analyzed as physical attributes. Anthropic action has changed the soil physical attributes, in depth, in most systems studied, in comparison to NF. In the 0.00 to 0.05 m depth, ICL + P showed higher soil bulk density value. As to macroporosity, there was no difference between the management systems studied and NF. The management systems studied changed the soil structure, having, as a result, a small proportion of soil in great aggregate classes (MWD). Converting native forest into agricultural production systems changes the soil physical quality. The Integrated Crop-Livestock System did not promote the improvement in soil physical quality.

Laser-induced forward transfer of liquids: Study of the droplet ejection process

Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) is a laser direct-write technique that offers the possibility of printing patterns with a high spatial resolution from a wide range of materials in a solid or liquid state, such as conductors, dielectrics, and biomolecules in solution. This versatility has made LIFT a very promising alternative to lithography-based processes for the rapid prototyping of biomolecule microarrays. Here, we study the transfer process through the LIFT of droplets of a solution suitable for microarray preparation. The laser pulse energy and beam size were systematically varied, and the effect on the transferred droplets was evaluated. Controlled transfers in which the deposited droplets displayed optimal features could be obtained by varying these parameters. In addition, the transferred droplet volume displayed a linear dependence on the laser pulse energy. This dependence allowed determining a threshold energy density value, independent of the laser focusing conditions, which acted as necessary conditions for the transfer to occur. The corresponding sufficient condition was given by a different total energy threshold for each laser beam dimension. The threshold energy density was found to be the dimensional parameter that determined the amount of the transferred liquid per laser pulse, and there was no substantial loss of material due to liquid vaporization during the transfer.

Intervalo hídrico ótimo no monitoramento da compactação e da qualidade física de um latossolo vermelho cultivado com soja

A qualidade física do solo é essencial ao crescimento das plantas e à sustentabilidade dos sistemas agrícolas. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a eficiência do intervalo hídrico ótimo (IHO) no monitoramento da compactação e qualidade física do solo para soja em cultivo de sequeiro e irrigado. O experimento foi realizado em Latossolo Vermelho eutroférrico (21 ° 14 ' 53S; 48 ° 17 ' 20W; 540 m de altitude). O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 6 x 2, com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos de compactação foram: T1 = sem compactação; T2 = 1 passada de trator de 4 t; T3 = 1; T4 = 2; T5 = 4; e T6 = 6 passadas de um trator de 11 t, no mesmo local. Foi semeada a soja (Glycine max (L.) Merrill), cultivar IAC Foscarim 31. Foram coletadas amostras indeformadas de solo nas camadas de 3-6, 8-11, 15-18 e 22-25 cm, para determinação dos atributos físicos. Na colheita, foi avaliada a produtividade de soja em microparcela de 3,37 m². No cultivo de soja sequeiro e irrigado, a produtividade diminui a partir da resistência à penetração (RP) de 1,30 e 1,64 MPa e da densidade do solo (Ds) de 1,26 e 1,29 kg dm-3, com perdas de 19,15 e 11,71 % no maior nível de compactação (RP = 2,84 MPa; Ds = 1,45 kg dm-3), respectivamente. O IHO foi reduzido pela RP até atingir a Dsc(IHO = 0) de 1,33 e 1,38 kg dm-3, no cultivo de soja sequeiro e irrigado. O IHO é adequado no monitoramento da compactação e da qualidade física do solo para soja, quando sua aplicação é realizada com base no valor de resistência à penetração limitante e no valor de densidade crítica do solo (IHO = 0). A soja em cultivo irrigado tolera maior compactação.

Thermodynamic response of an ultrasonic densitometer

An ultrasonic densitometer is experimentally characterized as a function of temperature. The measurement of propagation velocity and density of several liquids is performed in the 15 to 40°C temperature range. Results are compared to tabulated values in the case of distilled water, showing accuracy of 0.07% for the propagation velocity. Density values are compared to those obtained with a pycnometer, showing 0.2% accuracy in density measurement for stabilized temperature and 0.4% under thermal gradient conditions.

Search for a standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a top-quark pair and decaying to bottom quarks using a matrix element method

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Densidade, seleção de micro-habitat e distribuição de Phylloscartes eximius (Aves: Tyrannidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Geochemistry and fluxes at DSDP Hole 83-504B

This chapter documents the chemical changes produced by hydrothermal alteration of basalts drilled on Leg 83, in Hole 504B. It interprets these chemical changes in terms of mineralogical changes and alteration processes and discusses implications for geochemical cycling. Alteration of Leg 83 basalts is characterized by nonequilibrium and is heterogeneous on a scale of centimeters to tens or hundreds of meters. The basalts exhibit trends toward losses of SiO2, CaO, TiO2; decreases in density; gains of MnO, Na2O, CO2, H2O+ , S; slight gains of MgO; increased oxidation of Fe; and variable changes in A12O3. Some mobility of rare earth elements (REE) also occurred, especially the light REE and Eu. The basalts have lost Ca in excess of Mg + Na gains. Variations in chemical trends are due to differing water/rock ratios, substrate control of secondary mineralogy, and superimposition of greenschist and zeolite facies mineralogies. Zeolitization resulted in uptake of Ca and H2O and losses of Si, Al, and Na. These effects are different from the Na uptake observed in other altered basalts from the seafloor attributed to the zeolite facies and are probably due to higher temperatures of alteration of Leg 83 basalts. Basalts from the transition zone are enriched in Mn, S, and CO2 relative to the pillow and dike sections and contain a metal-sulfide-rich stockwork zone, suggesting that they once were located within or near a hydrothermal upflow zone. Samples from the bottom of the dike section are extensively fractured and recrystallized indicating that alteration was significantly affected by local variations in permeability.

Relativistic current collection by a cylindrical Langmuir probe

The current I to a cylindrical Langmuir probe with a bias Φp satisfying β≡eΦp/mec2∼O(1) is discussed. The probe is considered at rest in an unmagnetized plasma composed of electrons and ions with temperatureskTe∼kTi≪mec2. For small enough radius, the probe collects the relativistic orbital-motion-limited (OML) current I OML , which is shown to be larger than the non-relativistic result; the OML current is proportional to β1/2 and β3/2 in the limits β≪1 and β≫1, respectively. Unlike the non-relativistic case, the electron density can exceed the unperturbed density value. An asymptotic theory allowed to compute the maximum radius of the probe to collect OML current, the sheath radius for probe radius well below maximum and how the ratio I/I OML drops below unity when the maximum radius is exceeded. A numerical algorithm that solves the Vlasov-Poisson system was implemented and density and potential profiles presented. The results and their implications in a possible mission to Jupiter with electrodynamic bare tethers are discussed density value. An asymptotic theory allowed to compute the maximum radius of the probe to collect OML current, the sheath radius for probe radius well below maximum and how the ratio I/IOML drops below unity when the maximum radius is exceeded. A numerical algorithm that solves the Vlasov-Poisson system was implemented and density and potential profiles presented. The results and their implications in a possible mission to Jupiter with electrodynamic bare tethers are discussed.

Estudo do comportamento da sinterização de compactos de cavacos de um aço SAE 1050 obtidos sob alta pressão

From an economic standpoint, the powder metallurgy (P/M) is a technique widely used for the production of small parts. It is possible, through the P/M and prior comminution of solid waste such as ferrous chips, produce highly dense sintered parts and of interest to the automotive, electronics and aerospace industries. However, without prior comminution the chip, the production of bodies with a density equal to theoretical density by conventional sintering techniques require the use of additives or significantly higher temperatures than 1250ºC. An alternative route to the production of sintered bodies with high density compaction from ferrous chips (≤ 850 microns) and solid phase sintering is a compression technique under high pressure (HP). In this work, different compaction pressures to produce a sintered chip of SAE 1050 carbon steel were used. Specifically, the objective was to investigate them, the effect of high pressure compression in the behavior of densification of the sintered samples. Therefore, samples of the chips from the SAE 1050 carbon steel were uniaxially cold compacted at 500 and 2000 MPa, respectively. The green compacts obtained were sintered under carbon atmosphere at 1100 and 1200°C for 90 minutes. The heating rate used was 20°C/min. The starting materials and the sintered bodies were characterized by optical microscopy, SEM, XRD, density measurements (geometric: mass/volume, and pycnometry) and microhardness measurements Vickers and Rockwell hardness. The results showed that the compact produced under 2000 MPa presented relative density values between 93% and 100% of theoretical density and microhardness between 150 HV and 180 HV, respectively. In contrast, compressed under 500 MPa showed a very heterogeneous microstructure, density value below 80% of theoretical density and structural conditions of inadequate specimens for carrying out the hardness and microhardness measurements. The results indicate that use of the high pressure of ferrous chips compression is a promising route to improve the sinterability conditions of this type of material, because in addition to promoting greater compression of the starting material, the external tension acts together with surface tension, functioning as the motive power for sintering process. Additionally, extremely high pressures allow plastic deformation of the material, providing an intimate and extended contact of the particles and eliminating cracks and pores. This tends to reduce the time and / or temperature required for good sintering, avoiding excessive grain growth without the use of additives. Moreover, higher pressures lead to fracture the grains in fragile or ductile materials highly hardened, which provides a starting powder for sintering, thinner, without the risk of contamination present when previous methods are used comminution of the powder.