Influence of Copper Layer Content in the Elastic and Damping Behavior of Glass-Fiber/Epoxy-Resin Composites

The impact in the elastic behavior and internal friction, caused by the introduction of Copper layers in Glass-Fiber/Epoxy Resin composites and temperature effects, were studied and evaluated recurring to Dynamic Mechanical Analysis. It is shown that the introduction of Copper layers increases the storage modulus of the composites and delays their glass transition temperature, however, it allows a faster transformation. Additionally, it is concluded that the introduction of Copper layers elevates the internal friction during the glass transition phase by the inversion of the deformation mechanism due to thermal expansion and increase in the Poisson’s ratio of the epoxy resin to a value near 0.5 where its deformation is approximately isochoric. This increase in damping capacity is relevant in application with cyclic fatigue and mechanical vibration.     

Response of Corn Seedlings (Zea mays L.) to Different Concentrations of Nitrogen in Absence and Presence of Silicon

Silicon - Corn plants are highly demanding of nitrogen and the application of silicon has been studied because it minimizes stress from different natures, and for the better utilization of some...     

A Low-Power Wakeup Radio for Application in WSN-Based Indoor Location Systems

This paper presents a low-power wakeup radio (WUR) for application in indoor location systems. The presented radio has a better performance than the state-of-the-art radios, since it has low-power consumption, only 10 μW and it is perfectly integrated into a wireless sensor network based on ZigBee, which is used for location purposes. This performance was achieved due to an optimised radio frequency design of the WUR, which was embedded with a low-cost/low-power processor, and due to an enhanced control algorithm. Moreover, a software defined radio approach has been used to implement the WUR protocol. The WUR was designed and integrated in an existing WSN-based indoor location system which was originally based on a periodic sleep-wake up duty-cycled protocol. In the WUR protocol the location sensor is kept in deep sleep mode until it receives an external wake-up order. According to estimates, with this scheme, the battery lifetime can be increased from 200 days (using conventional duty-cycle protocol) up to almost 8000 days (sensor waken-up few times per day).     

Characterizing landscape changes in central Rondonia using Landsat TM imagery

An analysis of landscape changes in a region of pioneer settlements in central Rondonia, western Brazilian Amazon, was derived from Landsat TM data. Total deforested area increased from 206 x 103 ha in 1977, to 565 x 103 ha in 1985 and to 1210 x 103 ha, or 35.5% of the region, in 1995. Eighty-one per cent of the total 1995 deforestation had occurred in regions within 12.5km from areas of pioneer colonization deforested by 1977. Deforested area exceeded 79% in regions within 12.5km from the region's first road.     

Microbiological,immunological, and histological changes in the gut of Salmonella Enteritidis-challenged rats fed goat cheese containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus EM1107

Cheeses are able to serve as suitable matrices for supplying probiotics to consumers, enabling appropriate conditions for bacteria to survive gastric transit and reach the gut, where they are assumed to promote beneficial processes. The present study aimed to evaluate the microbiological, immunological, and histological changes in the gut of Salmonella Enteritidis-challenged rats fed goat cheese supplemented with the probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus EM1107. Thirty male albino Wistar rats were randomly distributed into 5 experimental groups with 6 animals each: negative (NC) and positive (PtC) control groups, control goat cheese (CCh), goat cheese added with L. rhamnosus EM1107 (LrCh), and L. rhamnosus EM1107 only (EM1107). All animals, except NC group were challenged with Salmonella Enteritidis (10⁹ cfu in 1 mL of saline through oral gavage). Microbial composition was assessed with high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing by means of Illumina MiSeq (Illumina, San Diego, CA). Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) from the animal cecum tissue was determined by real-time PCR and interleukins (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-10, and IFN-γ) by means of ELISA. Myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde levels were determined biochemically. The administration of the L. rhamnosus EM1107 probiotic strain, either as a pure culture or added to a cheese matrix, was able to reduce Salmonella colonization in the intestinal lumen and lessen tissue damage compared with rats from PtC group. In addition, the use of cheese for the probiotic strain delivery (LrCh) was associated with a marked shift in the gut microbiota composition toward the increase of beneficial organisms such as Blautia and Lactobacillus and a reduction in NF-κB expression. These findings support our hypothesis that cheeses might be explored as functional matrices for the efficacious delivery of probiotic strains to consumers.     

The effect of co-encapsulation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ATCC 53103 with inulin on alginate/chitosan matrix: the viability in fermented soy blend and simulated digestive system

This research verified the ability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus encapsulated with inulin to tolerate the simulated digestive system and their viability in a soy blend. Probiotic encapsulated in alginate-chitosan matrix without inulin presented a better encapsulation efficiency (80.92%) than encapsulation with inulin (57.39%). On the 28th day, the count of probiotics decreased by 3.42 and 1.99 logarithmic cycles of free and encapsulated cells without inulin, respectively. In contrast, the microorganisms encapsulated with inulin showed an increase of 1.26 logs CFU g⁻¹. During gastrointestinal simulation, cell counts decreased by 0.78, 1.55 and 1.95 CFU g⁻¹ logs for encapsulated cells without inulin, free and encapsulated with inulin, respectively. Sensory panellists liked the fermented soy blend with encapsulated lactobacilli, and this result shows the possibility to create new probiotic foods of plant origin. Therefore, the alginate/chitosan matrix can be considered adequate for the encapsulation of L. rhamnosus. The inulin reduces the encapsulation efficiency and increases the cell loss in gastrointestinal simulation. Considering cellular losses, the best option for preparing a fermented soy blend is to use L. rhamnosus encapsulated without inulin.     

Highly translucent nanostructured glass-ceramic

Transparent and translucent glass-ceramics (GCs) are found in an increasing number of domestic and high-technology applications. In this paper, we evaluated and optimized the effects of two-stage heat treatments on the resulting crystalline phases and microstructure of a glass of the SiO₂–Li₂O–P₂O₅–TiO₂–CaO–ZnO–Al₂O₃ system. The objective was to develop a transparent nanostructured glass-ceramic (GC). After numerous heat treatment trials, we found that a long nucleation period of 72 h at 455 °C followed by a crystal growth treatment at 660 °C for 2 h resulted in a highly translucent GC having homogenously distributed nanocrystals. The relatively high amount of P₂O₅ (2.5 mol%) induced the formation of lithium disilicate as the main crystal phase. We thus developed a GC having crystals under 50 nm, with a high crystallized fraction (52%vol. Li₂Si₂O₅ and 26% vol Li₂SiO₃), transmittance of approximately 80% in the visible spectrum for 1.2 mm thick specimens, nano hardness of 8.7 ± 0.1 GPa (load of 400 mN), a high elastic modulus of 138 ± 3 GPa as measured by nanoindentation, and good flexural strength (350 ± 40 MPa) as measured by ball-on-3 balls tests. Due to its high content of Li⁺, this GC has the potential to be chemically strengthened and can be further developed to be used in a number of applications, such as on displays of electronic devices.     

Silica nanoparticles functionalized with a thermochromic dye for textile applications

The aim of this work was the fabrication of mesoporous silica nanoparticles functionalized with thermochromic dye for further incorporation onto textiles. The nanosilicas were prepared under alkaline conditions in the presence of the surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride and functionalized with the organosilane dimethyloctadecyl[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ammonium chloride (C18-NTMS). The dye was incorporated onto the mesoporous silica nanoparticles by two different methods: co-condensation and post-grafting, i.e. by adding the dye during or after the synthesis of the nanosilica, respectively. The morphology, particle and pore size, chemical composition, and textural properties of the silica nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering, N₂ adsorption isotherms at ?196 °C, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetry. The silica nanoparticles prepared with and without dye presented spherical shape (by SEM) and particle size ranging from 15 to 40 nm. The infrared spectra revealed the characteristic bands of silica and organosilane (in the cases where it was used). The prepared materials presented colour change when submitted to different conditions. The thermochromic dye-functionalized nanosilicas were efficiently immobilized into cotton fabric and tests were performed to verify the washing fastness. After washing, a slight decrease on the amount of silica was noticed, but much of it remained on the textile. The functionalized textiles presented a colour change within different conditions.