Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the acute toxicity of the essential oils (EOs) of Aloysia triphylla, Lippia gracilis and Piper aduncum in juvenile tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), and evaluate the possible histopathological alterations in their gills. For the acute toxicity tests, juvenile tambaqui (n=24/treatment) were distributed in six treatments with three replicates, which comprised the control and five EO concentrations of A. triphylla (60, 80, 100, 120 and 140 mg L-1), L. gracilis (35, 40, 45, 50 and 55 mg L-1) and P. aduncum (42.5, 45, 47.5, 50 and 52.5 mg L-1), with an exposure period of 4 h. The mortality rate and severity of damage to the tambaqui gills were proportional to the increase in the concentration of the EO, with LC50-4 h values estimated at 109.57 mg L -1 for A. triphylla, 41.63 mg L -1 for L. gracilis and 48.17 mg L -1 for P. aduncum. The main morphological damages observed in the gills of the tambaqui exposed to the three EOs, were Grade I: hypertrophy and hyperplasia of lamellar epithelial cells, lamellar fusion, epithelial detachment, capillary dilation and constriction, proliferation of chloride cells and mucosal cells and edema; in low frequency Grade II damage as epithelial rupture and lamellar aneurysm. Necrosis (Grade III damage) was observed only in gill lamellae exposed to P. aduncum EO (47.5, 50.0 and 52.5 mg L-1). Concentrations of EOs below LC50-4 h can be used sparingly, for short periods of exposure for the treatment of diseases in tambaqui breeding.

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar a toxicidade aguda dos óleos essenciais (OEs) de Aloysia triphylla, Lippia gracilis e Piper aduncum em juvenis de tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), e avaliar as possíveis alterações histopatológicas em suas brânquias. Para os testes de toxicidade aguda, juvenis de tambaqui (n=24/tratamento) foram distribuídos em 6 tratamentos, com três repetições, sendo o controle e cinco concentração do OE de A. triphylla (60, 80, 100, 120 e 140 mg L-1), L. gracilis (35, 40, 45, 50 e 55 mg L-1) e P. aduncum (42,5, 45, 47,5, 50 e 52,5 mg L-1), com exposição de 4 h. A taxa de mortalidade e a severidade dos danos nas brânquias de tambaqui foram proporcionais ao aumento da concentração do OE, com os valores de CL50-4 h estimados em 109,57 mg L-1 para A. triphylla, em 41,63 mg L-1 para L. gracilis e em 48,17 mg L-1 para P. aduncum. Os principais danos morfológicos observados nas brânquias de tambaqui, expostos aos três OEs, foram os de grau I: hipertrofia e hiperplasia das células do epitélio lamelar, fusão lamelar, descolamento epitelial, dilatação e constrição capilar, proliferação de células de cloreto e de células mucosas e edema; em baixa frequência os de grau II como ruptura epitelial e aneurisma lamelar. Necrose (dano de grau III) foi observado somente nas lamelas branquiais expostas ao OE de P. aduncum (47,5, 50,0 e 52,5 mg L-1). Concentrações do OEs abaixo dos valores de CL50-4 h podem ser utilizados com parcimônia, em curtos períodos de exposição para o tratamento de doenças na criação de tambaqui.

The correlation between iron distribution in octahedral or tetrahedral sites in synthetic magnetite and zinc spinel ferrites and their catalytic properties were investigated in this work. The zinc-doped nanomagnetites were prepared by co-precipitation method and annealed at 420 °C. X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis, X-ray absorption and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopies were used to identify iron sites. The obtained results showed that ZnII replaces the relatively smaller FeIII cation in the tetrahedral sites, increasing the cubic lattice dimension, and this replacement remarkably enhances the catalytic effectiveness of the Zn-spinel ferrite towards the indigo carmine degradation compared to undoped magnetite. The indigo carmine degradation experiments were carried out using photo-Fenton method in which 50 mL of indigo carmine dye aqueous solutions (20 mg L−1, pH 3.0), 20 mg ZnxFe(3-x)O4, and 2.0 mL H2O2 (aqueous solution at 0.028 mol L−1) were placed under UV light at 25 °C. Under these experimental conditions the degradation rate of indigo carmine was superior to 98%.

Resumo Infecções do trato urinário são responsáveis pela maior parte das infecções humanas, sendo causadas por bactérias, fungos, protozoários, e por microrganismos associados. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a frequência de agentes causadores de infecções vaginais nos exames citológicos de rotina, bem como avaliar as características dos esfregaços positivos. Foi realizada uma pesquisa do tipo documental retrospectiva de aspecto descritivo, com abordagem quantitativa, em um Laboratório de Patologia Clínica de Maceió-AL. Nesse sentido, os resultados dos exames colpocitológicos para Trichomonas vaginalis, Gardnerella vaginalis, Candida spp e HPV foram organizados em um banco de dados, contendo os resultados para estes agentes, bem como a coinfecção bacteriana, protozoária, fúngica e viral. A amostra foi composta por 18.645 mulheres que realizaram exame colpocitológico, no período de 2013 a 2017. Destes exames analisados 27,4% em 2013, 10,9% em 2014, 10,6% em 2015, 15,2% em 2016 e 13,67% em 2017, estavam dentro do limite da normalidade, porém mais que a metade desses exames analisados apresentou algumas infecções causadas por agentes inespecíficos ou microbiológicos. Do total de laudos analisados, 4.073 (21,84%), apresentaram inflamações causadas por algum tipo de agente infeccioso, com a seguinte ordem de frequência: G. vaginalis, e T. vaginalis. Além disto, foi possível confirmar a elevada frequência de coinfecção entre G. vaginalis e Candida spp. Os índices de infecções genitais nesse trabalho mostram que há um problema de saúde pública que deve ser controlado, apontando uma necessidade maior de acompanhamento, orientações e de ações para uma maior conscientização para prevenir esses problemas.

Abstract Urinary tract infections are responsible for most human infections, these are caused by bacteria, fungi, protozoa and associated microorganisms. The goal of this study was to determine the rate of vaginal infection-causing agents in routine cytological exams and also to evaluate the characteristics of positive tested Pap smears. A retrospective documental with descriptive aspect research was performed in a Clinical Pathology laboratory from Maceió-AL. The results of the Pap smears exams for Trichomonas vaginalis, Gardnerella vaginalis, Candida spp and HPV were arranged in a database as well as other data such as bacterial, protozoan, fungal and viral coinfections. The sample was composed by 18.645 women who have undergone Pap smear exams from 2013 to 2017. Of these analyzed exams, 27.4% in 2013, 10.9% in 2014, 10.6% in 2015, 15.2% in 2016 and 13.67% in 2017 were within normal range, however more than half of these exams presented some infections caused by unspecific or microbiological agents. By analyzing all the reports, 4.073 (21.84%) presented inflammations caused by some species of infectious agent with the following rate order: G. vaginalis and T. vaginalis. Furthermore, it was possible to confirm high rates of coinfection by and Candida spp. The rate of genital infections in this study highlights that there is a public health matter that must be controlled, which points a greater need for monitoring, guidance and actions towards greater awareness in order to prevent these problems.

Myracrodruon urundeuva (“aroeira-do-sertão”) is a species threatened with extinction due to anthropogenic exploitation. Phytochemical analysis of bark, branch and leaf extracts revealed the presence of several compounds such as flavonoids, phenols, tannins, quercetin derivatives and anacardic acids. Dereplication methodology was performed to tentatively identify 50 compounds analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with an electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry operating in MSE mode (UPLC-QTOF-MSE). The extracts exhibited anti-tumor effect in cancer cells HCT-116 (colorectal), SF-295 (glioblastoma), HL-60 (leukemia), and RAJI (leukemia). Also, these results correlate with the principal component analysis (PCA) data that identified three distinct groups indicating, efficiently, metabolic differences between organs of M. urundeuva. Through discriminatory analysis of the orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS-DA), the variable of importance in the projection (VIP) and S-Plot, we were able to determine 30 potential biomarkers. The fingerprint of hydroethanolic extracts was correlated with the cytotoxicity assay and demonstrated a significant difference in the composition of plant extract.

Antioxidants are used to increase the shelf life of food and oils. The most common extraction method of antioxidants from natural sources is the use of organic solvents, like methanol and ethanol. Evaporation of all the organic solvent is necessary to prevent health diseases. In this study, we present a new "organic solvent-free" method to extract antioxidants, which uses canola oil as extraction solvent to incorporate natural antioxidants from oregano and ginger without the use of organic solvent. The oil solvent extraction capacity was assessed by assays of oxygen radical absorbance capacity method for hydrophilic (721.9 ± 10.5 and 89.0 ± 2.5 µmol TE g-1 to canola oil with oregano and ginger, respectively) and lipophilic (118.8 ± 7.4 and 48.2 ± 9.7 µmol TE g-1 to canola oil with oregano and ginger, respectively) compounds, oxidation test (Oxitest®) (1,434 and 1,018 minutes to canola oil with oregano and ginger, respectively) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (0.01 ± 0.02 and 0.11 ± 0.06 mg MA g-1 to canola oil with oregano and ginger, respectively). Results provide evidence of the efficiency of canola oil as antioxidants extractor. Nine antioxidant compounds from canola oil incorporated with antioxidants compounds were identified using high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Uma tendência atual na área agrícola é o desenvolvimento de robôs móveis e veículos autônomos para sensoriamento remoto. Um dos grandes desafios no projeto desses robôs é o desenvolvimento da arquitetura eletrônica para integração e controle dos dispositivos. Em aplicações recentes desses robôs tem-se utilizado arquiteturas distribuídas baseadas em redes de comunicação. Uma tecnologia amplamente usada como rede embarcada é o protocolo CAN. A implementação da norma ISO11783 representa a padronização do protocolo CAN para aplicações agrícolas. Este artigo apresenta o projeto e a implementação de uma arquitetura eletrônica para um robô agrícola móvel. As discussões são focadas na arquitetura desenvolvida, no sistema de comunicação sem fio para teleoperação e no controle distribuído através da rede CAN e da ISO11783. A avaliação dos sistemas é baseada na análise de parâmetros de desempenho como resposta dos motores e tempo de resposta da arquitetura, obtidos com a operação do robô. Os resultados mostram que a arquitetura desenvolvida pode ser aplicada para teleoperação e controle distribuído de robôs agrícolas cumprindo os requisitos para a obtenção de uma movimentação precisa e um tempo aceitável de resposta para comandos de controle e supervisão do robô.

A current trend in the agricultural area is the development of mobile robots and autonomous vehicles for remote sensing. One of the major challenges in the design of these robots is the development of the electronic architecture for the integration and control of the devices. Recent applications of mobile robots have used distributed architectures based on communication networks. A technology that has been widely used as an embedded network is the CAN protocol. The implementation of the ISO11783 standard represents the standardization of the CAN for application in agricultural machinery. This work describes the design and implementation of an electronic architecture for a mobile agricultural robot. The discussions are focused on the developed architecture, the wireless communication system for teleoperation and the distributed control based on CAN protocol and ISO11783. The evaluation of the developed system was based on the analysis of performance parameters such as motor response and architectural time delay obtained with the robot operation. The results show that the developed architecture can be applied for teleoperation and distributed control of agricultural robots meeting the requirements for accurate robot movement and an acceptable response time for robot control commands and supervision.

Continuous chips removed by single point diamond turning of single crystal silicon have been investigated by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy/Transmission Electron Microscopy and micro-Raman Spectroscopy. Three different chip structures were probed with the use of electron diffraction pattern: (i) totally amorphous lamellar structure, (ii) amorphous structure with remnant crystalline material and, (iii) partially amorphous together with amorphous with remnant crystalline material. Furthermore, micro-Raman spectroscopy from the chips left in the cutting tool rake face showed different silicon phases. We have found, from a detailed analysis of the debris, five different structural phases of silicon in the same debris. It is proposed that material removal mechanisms may change along the cutting edge from shearing (yielding lamellar structures) to extrusion. Shearing results from structural changes related to phase transformation induced by pressure and shear deformation. Extrusion, yielding crystalline structures in the chips, may be attributed to a pressure drop (due to an increase in the contact area) from the tool tip towards the region of the cutting edge where brittle-to-ductile transition occurs. From this region upwards, pressure(stress) would be insufficient to trigger phase transformation and therefore amorphous phase would not form integrally along the chip width.

This work presents the experimental results of the facing turning of an Al-Mg alloy. This aluminium alloy was mechanically and metallurgically modified, by means of cold rolling reduction and refining grain size previous to machining. The samples were cut and compared with samples in the as-received form, machined under the same cutting conditions. Surface finishing and work hardening were measured. Results show that theoretical surface roughness values are always smaller than the measured ones for all samples. Also, the surface roughness of the as-received samples is larger than that of mechanically modified samples. This difference of surface roughness was attributed to the swelling effect of the material. Microhardness values of the machined samples showed a decreasing trend with increasing loads. The surface of the cold rolled sample did not present a detectable microhardness alteration. Optical microscopy was used to observe qualitative aspects of the machined surface.

The evolution of digital circuit technology, leadind to higher speeds and more reliability allowed the development of machine controllers adapted to new production systems (e.g., Flexible Manufacturing Systems - FMS). Most of the controllers are developed in agreement with the CNC technology of the correspondent machine tool manufacturer. Any alterations or adaptation of their components are not easy to be implemented. The machine designers face up hardware and software restrictions such as lack of interaction among system's elements and impossibility of adding new function. This is due to hardware incompatibility and to software not allowing alterations in the source program. The introduction of open architecture philosophy propitiated the evolution of a new generation of numeric controllers. This brought the conventional CNC technology to the standard IBM - PC microcomputer. As a consequence, the characteristics of the CNC (positioning) and the microcomputer (easy of programming, system configuration, network communication etc) are combined. Some researchers have addressed a flexible structure of software and hardware allowing changes in the hardware basic configuration and all control software levels. In this work, the development of open architecture controllers in the OSACA, OMAC, HOAM-CNC and OSEC architectures is described.