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The Ambiguity Dilution of Precision (ADOP) is a well-known scalar measure that can be used to infer the strength of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) model of the carrier phase ambiguities involved in precise relative GNSS positioning. Odijk and Teunissen (2008a) derived closed-form expressions for single-baseline GNSS models that allow verifying the factors affecting the ambiguity resolution as well as the probability of its correct resolution as integer values. However, this weighted-ionosphere ADOP closed form assumes that the standard deviation of the ionosphere delay is dependent on a function associated with the baseline length. This means that a baseline of the same length at different locations around the world and in different moments in time would have the same standard deviation, which in practice is not true. This becomes even worse in regions like Brazil, where the ionospheric anomalies are more intense and frequent, especially in periods of high solar activity. In this work, a new method for calculating the ionospheric delay standard deviation that considers the ionospheric scintillation S4 index is proposed to improve the closed-form ADOP performance. Experiments with a baseline of 280 m located in Presidente Prudente, Brazil (magnetic latitude of around −13°), were carried out. The results showed that in periods of both weak and strong ionospheric scintillation, the introduction of S4 into the ionospheric delay standard deviation was beneficial for ADOP. The average improvement of the ADOP closed form was of around 72% in the analyzed period of weak scintillation and of 35% in the period of strong scintillation. In addition, the results showed that in periods of strong scintillation, relative positioning accuracy is around 100 times worse, up to 30 m, when compared to periods of weak ionospheric scintillation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the co-occurrence of aflatoxins, zearalenone and fumonisin in Brazilian corn. Determination on the contamination level of the substance; Effects of mycotoxins in corn products; Importance of corn in food and feed production.

To perform network RTK positioning, a user must receive and apply the information generated from a network. Corrections are generated for the user to consider the atmospheric delays (ionosphere and troposphere) between ther location and the network stations. In order to generate reliable corrections and send them to users, one must resolve the ambiguities in the processing step of the network stations. Ambiguities are the number of integer cycles of the carrier phase in the first data collection epoch and are introduced as parameters to be estimated in the processing. Thus, the ambiguity resolution process becomes a prerequisite for obtaining high accuracy in network RTK positioning. This process can be divided into two steps: estimation and validation. The estimation step aims to obtain the integer values of ambiguities and in the validation step it is inferred if the estimated integer value may or may not be accepted. In this work, the LAMBDA (Least squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment) method was used to obtain the integer ambiguity estimate and for the validation the Ratio and FF-RT (Fixed Failure Ratio Test) tests were used. The objective of this work was to investigate the performance of the ambiguities validation tests for long baselines. The results showed that the FF-RT test presented the highest fixed ambiguity percentages when compared to the Ratio test in all analyzed periods. Thus, for long baselines positioning, in periods of either weak or strong ionospheric activity, the use of the FF-RT test will cause a greater number of fixed ambiguities to be used in the process of generating the corrections for the user. • Evaluation of ionospheric activity effects on GNSS ambiguity resolution. • Data considering the last solar maximum (2012–2014). • Evaluation at the south crest of the equatorial anomaly in Brazil, one of the most affect countries. • The use of fixed failure rate for the critical value in ratio test improves the number of fixed ambiguities when compared to the commonly used critical value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The chemical composition of the lipophilic extracts of the inner and outer bark fractions of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus urograndis (E. grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla) cultivated in Brazil and Eucalyptus maidenii, cultivated in Portugal was studied by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The extracts were shown to be mainly composed of triterpenic compounds (along with mono and sesquiterpenes in E. maidenii) followed smaller amounts of fatty acids, fatty alcohols, and aromatic compounds. Triterpenic acids (mainly ursolic, betulinic and oleanolic acids), are particularly abundant in outer barks representing 5.2g/kg, 5.7g/kg and 9.3g/kg in E. urograndis, E. grandis and E. maidenii outer barks, respectively. Although these compounds were found in considerably smaller amounts than those previously reported for Eucalyptus globulus, the total amounts of bark generated every year in South American pulp mills using E. urograndis and E. grandis, as well as the growth potential of E. maidenii plantations, the bark residues from these species are obvious candidates for the extraction of valuable triterpenic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The natural radioactivity of an uranium-anomalous area utilized for agricultural activities in Pedra, Brazil, was monitored. For this, samples from the granite and calcium-silicate amphibole rocks underlying this area and also from samples of the soil derived from these rocks were collected and analyzed by high-resolution gamma spectrometry. The equivalent radium (Raeq) was used as a reference for estimating the rate of the effective equivalent dose. The average, minimum and maximum values for the samples were of 319.2 Bq kg−1 (91.1–758.5 Bq kg−1) for soil; 327.5 Bq kg−1 (36.3–1624.0 Bq kg−1) for granitic rocks and 70,124.5 Bq kg−1 (16,979.6–147,159.0 Bq kg−1) for the calcium-silicate amphibole rocks. An estimation of the external exposition was carried out based on the calculation of the parameters obtained. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Since July 2006, the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score has served as the national basis for allocation of donor livers for transplantation in Brazil. Patients with higher MELD scores receive greater priority for allocation regardless of the time on the waiting list. Purpose: To investigate the impact of MELD score implementation on the survival of waiting list patients. Methods: A retrospective study of patients registered at the national Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) for the liver transplantation waiting list between January 2004 and June 2006 (pre-MELD) and between July 2006 and December 2008 (post-MELD). Results: We included listed patients awaiting liver transplantation in the pre-MELD era (n = 250, 48.4%) and in the post-MELD era (n = 266, 51.6%). The times awaiting transplant prior to and after the MELD system were 487.2 ± 384.8 days and 183.9 ± 157.2 days, respectively. Prior to the MELD score, waiting list survivals were greater when compared to rates in the current system. Early posttransplant patient survival rates were significantly reduced in the post-MELD era (83.4%) compared to the period before MELD implementation (93.2%). Conclusions: MELD score provides a transparent, objective system to drive allocation policy; however, it presents several important limitations. Constant need of changes and reevaluation are needed as an evolutionary process. Future changes in the present system may be addressed by adjusting the MELD system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]