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Carbon dioxide fixation by [Cu(bpca)(H2O)]2+ resulted in a chain having CO32− and HCO3− as ligands that shows a weak intrachain ferromagnetic interaction.

Abstract Cu-based shape memory alloys belong to one important class of functional alloys, presenting shape memory effect and superelasticity due to their reversible martensitic transformation. Although they have been extensively studied since the middle of the last century, there are still many challenges to be solved. In the last decades, these alloys were extensively studied regarding new compositions, processing routes, phase transformation, mechanical and functional properties. Aspects of the thermoelastic phase transformation have been described using thermodynamic and thermo-mechanical studies, while the role of metallurgical features (such as grain size and morphology, ordering, precipitates and second phases) have been described mainly by phenomenological approach. In this sense this review discusses the advances in the general fundamentals of Cu-based shape memory alloys, the recent developments in processing routes, compositions, and applications in the last years. Graphical abstract

Adaptation of islet β-cell mass and function under limiting or excess nutrient availability is critical for maintenance of glucose homeostasis. Taurine regulates islet function of obese mice in normal and low dietary protein conditions, but whether this involves remodeling of the endocrine pancreas architecture is not well understood. Here, we carried functional and morphometric evaluation of the endocrine pancreas of normal and protein-restricted mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and investigated the role of taurine supplementation. Weaned mice were placed in a normal (C) or a low-protein diet (R) for 6 weeks, followed by HFD for 8 weeks (CH and RH). Half of HFD groups received 5% taurine supplementation since weaning (CHT and RHT) until the end of the experiment. Isolated islets from both CH and RH groups showed increased insulin release in association with increased pancreas weight and independently of changes in islet or β-cell area. In normal protein CHT mice, taurine supplementation prevented obesity-induced insulin hypersecretion and promoted increased islet and β-cell areas in association with increased protein expression of the proliferation marker, PCNA. On a low-protein background, taurine effects on islet function and morphology were blunted, but it prevented obesity-induced DNA fragmentation. In summary, taurine regulates islet function and morphology to improve the adaptive response to diet-induced obesity, but these effects are dependent on adequate dietary protein levels.

The present study aimed to establish, using the bioremediation technique, the most efficient treatment strategy for remediation of a sandy soil that is artificially contaminated with light crude oil. The experiment was conducted for 180 days to monitor the biodegradation of oils and greases (OG’s), aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHs), and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The removal of these compounds was evaluated using three different strategies, the addition of nutrients (III), addition of a biosurfactant produced from Pseudomonas sp. (IV), and the addition of the biosurfactant plus nutrients (V). The remediation strategies were compared with the control containing only soil (I) and the control with natural crude oil attenuation (II). At the end of the study, it was observed that the strategies III and V showed the best OG’s removal rates, i.e., 90.40% and 78.00%, the best AHs removal rates, i.e., 96.82% and 98.35%, and best PAH removal rates, i.e., 83.58% and 72.3% respectively. Based on the above results, it was concluded that the bioestimulation methods are important tools in the remediation of the environment impacted by oil spills. In addition, the study suggests that the knowledge of the native microbiota is important to improve the efficiency of these bioestimulation techniques.

Previous studies in the largest coal mining region of Brazil showed the strong influence of the coal-fired power plant in spatial distribution of As, especially in prevailing wind direction. However, it was not evaluated the risk of As on the local population. Thus, this study aims to assess the human health risk of As in a region under influence of atmospheric deposition of As from the coal-fired power plant. The human health risk assessment model was based on established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). It estimate the average daily dose (ADD), non-carcinogenic (HQ) and carcinogenic risk by in oral, dermal and inhalation exposure routes, as well as, the contribution of each via to ADD, HQ and carcinogenic risk to soil and air. Separately, both air and soil exposure pathways show HQ and HI below the risk threshold (

This study aimed to investigate the presence of BRAF V600E mutation in mandibular ameloblastoma by comparing the results of molecular detection and immunohistochemical analysis. A 128 cases of mandibular ameloblastoma and 30 cases of dentigerous cyst (control group) were selected for analysis. Detection of BRAF V600E mutation was performed with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and polymerase chain reaction techniques. Clinico-pathologic data were collected in order to investigate possible associations with the mutation. Of the 128 cases submitted to IHC, 81.2% (108 cases) showed positivity for anti-BRAF V600E antibody, whereas 24 were negative (18.8%). Molecular analysis of the BRAF V600E mutation by polymerase chain reaction was possible in 116 cases due to DNA quality. Of these cases, 96 were positive (82.8%) and 20 negative (17.2%). All cases of dentigerous cyst were negative for BRAF V600E mutation in both techniques. Considering the sequencing as a gold standard method, the receiver operating characteristics curve analysis showed sensitivity of 0.99 and specificity of 1 (area under the curve=0.995, standard error=0.006; P

This study aimed to examine how a novice Physical Education teacher unfolded her pedagogical practice as a facilitator of learning during a hybrid Sport Education/Step-Game-Approach volleyball season; and to investigate students’ perceptions about their lived learning experiences and active involvement in building their own learning process. For this purpose, an insider action-research design was implemented throughout one school term (20 lessons of 45 minutes each in total). Twenty-five students (aged between16 and17 years old), enrolled in the 12th grade at a Portuguese high school took part in this investigation. The novice teacher, who held two years of professional experience, assumed the dual role of teacher-researcher, facilitating an in-depth understanding of the complexity featuring of the teaching-learning process. Qualitative data were collected using multiple data sources (i.e., teacher’s lesson plans and field diary, and student’s focus-group interviews), and analyzed using a hybrid approach of inductive and deductive thematic analysis. The results revealed that the use of this hybrid season helped the teacher to act as facilitator of learning, namely by: (i) using two student-centered models with unique internal structures and functionalities, (ii) increasing the level of responsibility taken by students for their own learning experiences, (iii) adapting the lesson plans to students’ individual needs, and (iv) combining a more supportive intervention with the use of more indirect teaching strategies. Together, these strategies seemed to prompt students’ autonomy and sense of active control of the class activities, the development of students’ abilities and volleyball-based knowledge, leading them to be more interested and engaged in Physical Education. In conclusion, the alliance between the student-centered environment (Sport Education) and the specificity of the content subject-knowledge (Step-Game Approach for non-invasion games) seems to have allow the novice teacher to adjust her pedagogical intervention as facilitator of learning to students’ individual learning needs.

The interest in Be as an impurity in GaN stems from the challenge to understand why GaN can be doped p type with Mg, while this does not work for Be. While theory has actually predicted an acceptor level for Be that is shallower than Mg, it was also argued that Be is not a suitable acceptor because its am-photeric nature, i.e. its tendency to occupy substitutional Ga as well as interstitial sites, would be considerably more pronounced than for Mg and hence lead to self-compensation. Using the emission channeling technique at the ISOLDE/CERN facility, we determined the lattice location of 11Be (t1/2 = 13.8 s) in different doping types of GaN as a function of implantation temperature. We find within an accuracy of 0.08 Å that the location of interstitial Be is the one predicted by theory. The room temperature interstitial fraction of 11Be was correlated with the GaN doping type, being highest (up to ~80%) in p type and lowest in n-GaN, thus giving direct evidence for the amphoteric character of Be. We find that interstitial 11Be fractions are generally much higher than for Mg, which confirms that indeed self-compensation should be consid-erably more pronounced for Be. With rising implantation temperature, an increasing conversion of interstitial to substitutional Be is observed, involving at least two clearly identifiable steps at 50–150 °C and 350–500 °C. This suggests that the migration of interstitial Be may be subject to two different activation ener-gies.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T01:10:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-02-01 In this paper, the semiconductor material BiVO4 was obtained by an adapted process of solution combustion synthesis, using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG 6000) as an additional stabilizing agent, and deposited on indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrate, by the dip-coating deposition process, to build an ITO/BiVO4 thin film heterostructure, which can be used as photoanode in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell. The ITO/BiVO4 photoanode has its performance evaluated by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques, under blue monochromatic light, provided by an InGaN LED source. The LSV curve shows that the photoactivity of the photoanode presents a drastic jump in the current density under illumination and negligible dark current density. Reproducibility of the electrode photoactivity is observed under light-chopped illumination. The decay profile of photocurrent suggests that despite of charge carriers recombination process occurring in the ITO/BiVO4 electrode, it still presents good photoelectrocatalytic efficiency. Additionally, the long-term current stability indicates that the current density stays stable, without considerable decay, for at least one hour. The steady-state photocurrent density obtained is equal 91 µA cm− 2. EIS results showed that under illumination, the charge transfer resistance (Rct) is considerably lower than the dark condition. The PEC performance evaluated for discoloration reaction in rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) shows that the photoelectrochemical system is quite efficient. Industrial Technical College Engineering College UNESP – São Paulo State University Department of Physics UNESP – São Paulo State University Department of Chemistry UEL – State University of Londrina Industrial Technical College Engineering College UNESP – São Paulo State University Department of Physics UNESP – São Paulo State University

We consider the possible existence of gravitationally bound stringlike objects in the framework of the generalized hybrid metric-Palatini gravity theory, in which the gravitational action is represented by an arbitrary function of the Ricci and of the Palatini scalars, respectively. The theory admits an equivalent scalar-tensor representation in terms of two independent scalar fields. Assuming cylindrical symmetry, and the boost invariance of the metric, we obtain the gravitational field equations that describe cosmic stringlike structures in the theory. The physical and geometrical properties of the cosmic strings are determined by the two scalar fields, as well by an effective field potential, functionally dependent on both scalar fields. The field equations can be exactly solved for a vanishing, and a constant potential, respectively, with the corresponding string tension taking both negative and positive values. Furthermore, for more general classes of potentials, having an additive and a multiplicative algebraic structure in the two scalar fields, the gravitational field equations are solved numerically. For each potential we investigate the effects of the variations of the potential parameters and of the boundary conditions on the structure of the cosmic string. In this way, we obtain a large class of stable stringlike astrophysical configurations, whose basic parameters (string tension and radius) depend essentially on the effective field potential, and on the boundary conditions., 27 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in PRD

Phishing é um tipo de crime cibernético que visa o roubo de dados pessoais do usuário por meios de disfarces e enganação. Este artigo propõe o Xphide, um sistema especialista para a detecção de páginas maliciosas. A base da construção do sistema foi feita através de uma análise aprofundada a respeito de atributos relevantes para descrição de páginas web. Esta análise serviu de insumo para a elaboração das regras do processo decisório do Xphide. O sistema proposto foi avaliado em três diferentes bases de dados. Os resultados mostraram que o mesmo superou algoritmos de classificação tradicionais em termos de precisão e revocação, se mostrando uma alternativa promissora para a classificação de página web.

Solidification is probably one of most important phase transformations in materials manufacturing. Additionally, a wide range of solidification microstructural features is obtained depending on processing parameters. Mechanical properties of the cast are influenced by the microstructure obtained after solidification. The aim of this work is to investigate how solidification conditions affect solidification and the resulting microstructure of the Al– 3wt.%Cu–1wt.%Li (ternary system) alloy. The alloy was solidified unidirectionally upward through a water-cooled steel plate. Results include secondary dendritic arm spacing (SDAS), hardness and microstructure analysis using optical microscopy. Results showed that SDAS values tended to increase as the distance from the heat-exchange surface increased (P). Conversely, hardness decreases as P increased.

The Scheil equation, which estimates the concentration of solute in the solid at the solid/liquid interface, does not account for the curvatures of liquidus and solidus lines. We modified the equation to account for these curvatures and compared some microsegregation indexes obtained by the original and the new equations with data from the literature about the Cu-Sn system. The new one can furnish a better approximation of the range of concentration of solute, but a poorer estimate of the maximum volume fraction of the eutectoid mixture. At last, we compared the hardness and electrical conductivity of an upward solidified alloy of this system with its equivalent commercial one. The as-cast alloy has a lower hardness and a higher conductivity due to its columnar structure.

This study aimed to investigate the toxicity of BTEX (benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene) on a microcosm scale using the MS-3 multispecies system. The multispecies system (MS-3) was employed to investigate the BTEX diluted in water and ethanol. The columns for the test were prepared in PVC tubes, open at the top and the bottom was covered by a mesh. In each system were added soil macro-decomposers (earthworm and woodlice) and plant species (mustard and lettuce). The soil used in the column was dried beforehand and sieved. It was placed in MS-3 system up to 20 cm height of soil and approximately 6 kg of soil. During the 14 days of experiment, five applications of BTEX were performed and, at the end of the period, the growth and survival of organisms and enzymatic activity in the soil were analyzed. After the exposure time, it observed the decrease in the weight of the woodlice and a reduction in lettuce and mustard seed germination in BTEX water system, while there was no statistically significant difference between the BTEX + ethanol system and their respective control. There were no changes of mortality in macro-invertebrates, length of seedlings or alterations of the soil microbial activity. With our data, we conclude that the implementation of this model to evaluate the quality of the soil constitutes a promising alternative in ecotoxicological investigations and that the BTEX can affect soil organisms in different ways.

In this article, a computer aided diagnostic system for BI-RADS classification of breast cancer is proposed. The approach involves image processing capabilities to extract features from tumors in mammography and image mining to classify them as BI-RADS 2, BI-RADS 3, BI-RADS 4C or BI-RADS 5. Images from the BCDR repository were used for the experiments. The results showed the efficacy of the proposed method, which classified tumors with considerable accuracy in four BI-RADS categories.

The transcription factor FOXP3 is an essential marker of the development and activation of regulatory T cells (Tregs), which are cells specialized in the regulation and normal tolerance of the immune response. In the context of chronic viral liver diseases, Tregs participate in the maintenance of infections by promoting histopathological control and favor the immune escape of viral agents by suppressing the antiviral response. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may influence the function of FOXP3 in a number of pathological conditions. The present study sought to evaluate the influence of SNPs in the

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a qualidade de agua de pocos, quanto a salinidade, de tres barragens subterrâneas localizadas no municipio de Canudos no estado da Bahia, em julho de 2016

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T16:39:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-10-22 Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) This paper deals with a simple FTO/p–n heterojunction electrode assembly formed by BiVO4 and NiO thin films, where the precursor solution is obtained by solution combustion synthesis and precipitation in aqueous media techniques, respectively, whereas the thin films were deposited by the dip-coating deposition process. The FTO/p–n electrodes are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The performance analysis based on the methylene blue degradation reaction have shown that the p–n electrodes, FTO/p-NiO/n-BiVO4 and FTO/n-BiVO4/p-NiO have higher electroactivity under visible light irradiation condition when compared to single BiVO4 thin film, deposited separately, with estimated kobs value of 340 × 10−4 min−1, 270 × 10−4 min−1 and 150 × 10−4 min−1, respectively. Engineering College CTI UNESP – São Paulo State University Department of Physics – FC UNESP –São Paulo State University Department of Chemistry UEL – State University of Londrina Engineering College CTI UNESP – São Paulo State University Department of Physics – FC UNESP –São Paulo State University

In order to study the effect of use organic agriculture avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers and emphasizes the use of organic inputs to provide nutrients to the plants. This study had as aim to evaluate the effect of organic management time on nutrition and productivity of sugarcane. The nutrition levels and the productivity of sugarcane plantations were evaluated in areas cultivated for two, six and ten years in the organic production system compared with a sugarcane plantation cultivated for ten years in the conventional system. The sugarcane organic production system enhanced the nutrition levels of the plants and raised the crops productivity. After ten years of organic cultivation, there was an increase of 43, 42.8 and 32% in the leaf contents of potassium (K), phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N), respectively, in relation to the conventional production system and an increase of 209% in the sugarcane productivity. The management of the fertilizers inputs used in the sugarcane organic production system is adequate for the plants nutrition, with positive result on the crops productivity. The effects are more visible after six and ten years of management in the organic production system. In the organic production system, after ten and six years, it could be suggested that the productivity was 209 and 98% higher in comparison to the productivity of the cane cultivated under the conventional system, areas Org.10 and Org.6, respectively.