Brazilian scientific production in science education

In the present study we analyzed the Brazilian scientific production in the area of science education. The study was structured on: data by research groups registered in Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico; analysis of the post-graduate strictu sensu programs; analysis of theses and dissertations linked to post-graduate programs; and papers in international databases. Our research was conducted strictly via world wide web, from December 2009 to September 2010. It was found that both number of research groups, researchers, post-graduate programs, thesis, dissertations and papers presented a marked increase, especially in the last decade (from 2000 onwards). The major research centers were found to be located in public universities from Brazilian southeast and south regions. However, it was observed a tendency of decentralization, due to a recent investment in new public universities in the other Brazilian regions. So, this study sought to present an overview of the scientific production about science education and we expect that this information can help to expand the vision about the development of this research area in Brazil.     

Interconnection between the solidification and precipitation hardening processes of an AlSiCu alloy

Horizontal directional solidification and precipitation hardening experiments were performed with the Al5.5Si3Cu alloy. Solidification thermal and microstructural parameters such as growth and cooling rates (V_L and T_R, respectively) and the secondary dendrite arm spacing (λ₂) were determined experimentally. As-solidified samples were selected and submitted to the T6-heat treatment (T6-HT). The T6-HT was carried out considering two solution times: 8 and 5?h at 490?±?2°C, followed by quenching in warm water (60?±?2°C), aging for 5?h at 155?±?2°C and air-cooling. Higher HV values were observed for the solution time of 5 h. As highlights of this work, the influence of the processing parameters (V_L, T_R and λ₂) on the distribution, morphology and size of the eutectic Si particles has been investigated.     

Strategies for Software Engineering Implementation

For the past several years, automating the functions of systems development through computer-aided software engineering (CASE) and software reengineering have promised quality systems in shorter time. This article discusses the advantages of these two technologies and how IS managers can best implement them in their organizations.     

Corn grain-processing method interacts with calcium salts of palm fatty acids supplementation on milk production and energy balance of early-lactation cows grazing tropical pasture

The objective of our study was to investigate the associative effects of feeding Ca salts of palm fatty acids (FA) and corn grain-processing method on production, nutrient digestibility, energy balance, and carryover effects of early-lactation dairy cows grazing a tropical pasture. Treatment diets were offered from 3 to 16 wk postpartum (treatment period), in which all cows grazed elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum L. Cameroon) and treatments were added to a concentrate supplement. Treatments were flint corn grain-processing method either as fine ground (FGC) or steam-flaked (SFC) associated with Ca salts of palm FA supplementation either not supplemented or supplemented (CSPO). From 17 to 40 wk postpartum (carryover period) all cows received a common diet fed as total mixed ration. During the treatment period, a tendency for an interaction between CSPO and corn grain-processing method were observed for milk yield, milk fat yield, and energy-corrected milk (ECM), as CSPO caused them to increased to a greater extent in the FGC diet compared with the SFC diet. Furthermore, a tendency for an interaction between CSPO and corn grain-processing method was observed for body weight change, because CSPO increased body weight loss in the FGC diet but not in the SFC diet. The CSPO increased milk yield, milk fat yield, 3.5% fat-corrected milk, ECM, and cumulative milk yield compared with not supplemented. Also, CSPO increased energy intake, milk energy output, and energy partitioning toward milk, whereas reduced energy was allocated to body reserves. The SFC increased milk yield, ECM, milk protein yield, milk casein yield, and cumulative milk yield, and decreased milk urea N compared with FGC. The SFC compared with FGC also increased body condition score and body weight change, and increased energy partitioning toward body reserves. During the carryover period, an interaction between CSPO and corn grain-processing method was observed for milk yield, which occurred because CSPO maintained higher milk yield in the FGC diet but not in the SFC diet. Therefore, in the carryover period, the additive effect between SFC and CSPO that occurred in the treatment period was not maintained throughout the carryover period. However, CSPO increased yields of milk fat, protein, casein as well as fat-corrected milk and ECM. In conclusion, corn grain-processing method interacts with CSPO supplementation on production responses and carryover effects of grazing cows. When CSPO was fed in the FGC diet, milk production increased to a greater extent than when fed in the SFC diet, but also caused greater mobilization of reserves at early lactation. This suggests an interaction between fat supplementation and corn grain-processing method on energy partitioning of dairy cows. Also, both supplementation with CSPO and SFC were effective strategies to increase energy intake and yields of milk and milk solids. The carryover effect on milk production was greater for CSPO supplementation than corn grain-processing method, whereas feeding SFC diets had lower mobilization of reserves and less body weight and body condition score variation throughout lactation.     

Hydrogen Effervescence from Aluminum Alloy Melts

With expansion of integrated computational materials engineering, new mathematical models are required for the assessment of processes that traditionally were manually monitored on factory production floors. The Richards logistic function is used to describe the total amount of porosity in an as-cast aluminum alloy sample after treatment under near vacuum and atmospheric pressures. The acquired function constants were correlated to the different process parameters during solidification. It is found that the Richards logistic function describes the best formation of porosity in aluminum alloy melts. The maximum porosity (M _P) and lowest porosity level (L _P) constants are directly related to the highest and lowest porosity levels in the analyzed samples, while the rate (r) defines the increase of porosity with respect to an increase in dissolved hydrogen between the threshold and mass transfer limits. The Richards logistic function can be used instead of traditional low-order mathematical equations to predict threshold limit and amount of porosity in solidified aluminum alloys by assessing the hydrogen concentration in aluminum alloy melts.     

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.     

Pressure-induced structural phase transitions and amorphization in selected molybdates and tungstates

High pressure has been one of key tools for discovering and accessing new phases and novel properties of materials. Under these extreme conditions, it is possible to obtain information about the structural instabilities and to probe the delicate balance between short and long range interactions, which is fundamental for understanding the emergence of many properties. In this paper we reviewed the high-pressure behavior of some molybdate and tungstate materials, which comprises a large class of inorganic compounds that exhibit interesting physical properties (optical, ferroelastic, ferroelectric, negative thermal expansion) and have technological applications in different fields. These materials have a rich polymorphism in high pressures and some of them exhibit pressure-induced amorphization, thus making molybdates and tungstates compounds good prototypes to exploit new concepts about the physics of amorphization processes and about chemical decomposition under high pressure. We discussed how the combination of short and long-range probe techniques (which gives detailed information on the structural changes occurring in these materials) under high-pressures provides significant insight into the origin of lattice instabilities and pressure-induced amorphization in this particular class of inorganic materials. Furthermore, we reviewed in detail, how these structural changes affect their optical and ferroelectric properties. The conclusions derived from the high-pressure studies duly reviewed herewith have important implications for science and applications of these materials.