In this work, two catalysts, lanthanum manganite strontium-doped perovskite without (LSM) and with (LSMMO) mixed molybdenum oxides, were synthesized by the sol-gel route and deposited by immersion in carbon cloth substrates. Their performance as cathodes in the hydrogen peroxide reduction reaction (HPRR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was investigated through cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the electrocatalytic efficiency of these electrodes in the HPRR was analyzed in KOH and H2O2 medium at 298 K. The performance of the cathodes, in a single compartment, using a nickel plate as an anode was also investigated. The results showed that for the reduction reactions, electrodes developed with LSMMO have more significant catalytic activity than LSM after polarization, resulting in 32% higher current densities, lower electrical resistance after polarization, and a 21% increase in power density.

Abstract A practice used to prevent corrosion in buried slurry pipelines is the hibernation of pipelines with an aqueous solution containing corrosion inhibitors before beginning the mining operation. The aim of this work is to evaluate the corrosion resistance of API 5L X70 steel used in the slurry pipelines in hibernation solution containing sodium sulphite, sodium hydroxide and glutaraldehyde in a synthetic river water. The electrochemical techniques used are the Tafel analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The synergistic effect of the components of hibernation solution on the corrosion resistance of the API 5L X70 steel was evaluated. A lower corrosion resistance was obtained for the API steel in aqueous solution of sodium sulphite, and in solution of sodium sulphite with glutaraldehyde. The hibernation solution was efficient in inhibiting steel corrosion but the highest corrosion inhibition efficiency was obtained with the glutaraldehyde aqueous solution.

The prevalence of metabolic disorders varies among ethnic populations and these disorders represent a critical health care issue for elderly women. This study investigated the correlation between genetic ancestry and body composition, metabolic traits and clinical status in a sample of elderly women. Clinical, nutritional and anthropometric data were collected from 176 volunteers. Genetic ancestry was estimated using 23 ancestry-informative markers. Pearsons correlation test was used to examine the relationship between continuous variables and an independent samples t-test was used to compare the means of continuous traits within categorical variables. Overall ancestry was a combination of European (57.49%), Native American (25.78%) and African (16.73%). Significant correlations were found for European ancestry with body mass index (r = 0.165; p = 0.037) and obesity (mean difference (MD) = 5.3%; p = 0.042). African ancestry showed a significant correlation with LDL (r = 0.159, p = 0.035), VLDL (r = -0.185; p = 0.014), hypertriglyceridemia (MD = 6.4%; p = 0.003) and hyperlipidemia (MD = 4.8%; p = 0.026). Amerindian ancestry showed a significant correlation with triglyceride levels (r = 0.150; p = 0.047) and hypertriglyceridemia (MD = 4.5%; p = 0.039). These findings suggest that genetic admixture may influence the etiology of lipid metabolism-related diseases and obesity in elderly women.

The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is an essential protein related to bone metabolism. Some VDR alleles are differentially distributed among ethnic populations and display variable patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD). In this study, 200 unrelated Brazilians were genotyped using 21 VDR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 28 ancestry informative markers. The patterns of LD and haplotype distribution were compared among Brazilian and the HapMap populations of African (YRI), European (CEU) and Asian (JPT+CHB) origins. Conditional regression and haplotype-specific analysis were performed using estimates of individual genetic ancestry in Brazilians as a quantitative trait. Similar patterns of LD were observed in the 5' and 3' gene regions. However, the frequency distribution of haplotype blocks varied among populations. Conditional regression analysis identified haplotypes associated with European and Amerindian ancestry, but not with the proportion of African ancestry. Individual ancestry estimates were associated with VDR haplotypes. These findings reinforce the need to correct for population stratification when performing genetic association studies in admixed populations.