Islet isolation assessment in man and large animals

Recent progress in islet isolation from the pancreas of large mammals including man, accentuated the need for the development of precise and reproducible techniques to assess islet yield. In this report both quantitative and qualitative criteria for islet isolation assessment were discussed, the main topics being the determination of number, volume, purity, morphologic integrity and in vitro and in vivo function tests of the final islet preparations. It has been recommended that dithizone should be used as a specific stain for immediate detection of islet tissue making it possible to estimate both the total number of islets (dividing them into classes of 50 μ diameter range increments) and the purity of the final preparation. Appropriate morphological assessment should include confirmation of islet identification, assessment of the morphological integrity and of the purity of the islet preparation. The use of fluorometric inclusion and exclusion dyes together have been suggested as a viability assay to simultaneously quantitate the proportion of cells that are intact or damaged. Perifusion of islets with glucose provides a dynamic profile of glucose-mediated insulin release and of the ability of the cells to down regulate insulin secretion after the glycemic challenge is interrupted. Although perifusion data provides a useful guide to islet viability the quantity and kinetics of insulin release do not necessarily predict islet performance after implantation. Therefore, the ultimate test of islet viability is their function after transplantation into a diabetic recipient. For this reason, in vivo models of transplantation of an aliquot of the final islet preparation into diabetic nude (athymic) rodents have been suggested. We hope that these general guidelines will be of assistance to standardize the assessment of islet isolations, making it possible to better interpret and compare procedures from different centers. © 1990 Casa Editrice il Ponte

Resistência a antimicrobianos em Campylobacter jejuni isolados de frangos de corte entre 2010 e 2011.

Projeto/Plano de Ação: 03.08.06.004

Estudo longitudinal da colonização de frangos de corte por campylobacter termófilos.

Projeto/Plano de Ação: 03.08.06.004

Perfis de resistência a antimicrobianos identificados em campylobacter jejuni isolados de frangos de corte.

Projeto/Plano de Ação: 03.08.06.004

Investigação de Campylobacter termófilos em frangos de corte ao longo do período de alojamento.

Projeto/Plano de Ação: 03.08.06.004

A greenhouse gas inventory in the municipal landfill of the city of Limeira, Brazil

Landfill main gases are methane and carbon dioxide, and result mainly from the anaerobic digestion of organic waste. The exact distribution of gases in the landfill varies with the landfill age among other factors such as waste composition, moisture, particle size, temperature, pH, age of waste, landfill design and operation. The current Brazilian environmental legislation has encouraged the municipalities to adopt measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from landfills. The implementation of projects to reduce GHG requires the estimation of the gases produced in the landfill. This research presents a GHG inventory performed in the landfill of the city of Limeira, located in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The inventory was conducted by using the Brazilian GHG Protocol that follows the methodology of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and also IPCC guidelines. The inventory comprised data from 1985 to 2013; however, data prior to 2000 were estimated, because until that year the landfill was in fact a dump, with no monitoring of the amounts of wastes disposed of. Three categories of emissions were considered: a) direct emissions of CO2 and CH4 from the decomposition of municipal solid waste (MSW) and non-hazardous industrial waste and the emissions produced from waste transportation within the landfill and landfill operation; b) emissions resulting from electricity consumption within the operating limits of the landfill; and, c) indirect emissions from waste transportation throughout the city to the landfill and also from industries to the landfill. The results showed that in the year 2013 were emitted 35,996.91 t of CO2 e into the atmosphere. From the total, 98.91 % of emissions were produced by MSW decomposition; 0.002 % by industrial waste decomposition; 0.332 % by burning fossil fuels during landfill operation; 0.003 % by electricity consumption of electricity in the landfill and 0.75 % by waste transportation.Landfill main gases are methane and carbon dioxide, and result mainly from the anaerobic digestion of organic waste. The exact distribution of gases in the landfill varies with the landfill age among other factors such as waste composition, moisture, part4320832088sem informaçãosem informaçã

Characterisation of the rigid diaphragm conditions for cross laminated timber floors

This paper presents a comprehensive numerical study aimed at defining the conditions for which Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) floor diaphragms of platform-type CLT buildings can be assumed rigid in linear seismic analyses. Numerical analyses are conducted on a regular CLT archetype within a framework of parametric analyses, in which different geometrical and mechanical parameters including the stiffness of the floor panel-to-panel connections, the stiffness of the floor-to-wall connections, the floor span, the distance between two consecutive shear-walls, the lateral stiffness of the shear-walls, and the number of storeys are varied. The conditions to ensure a rigid diaphragm behaviour are derived by calculating the discrepancies in terms of floor displacements, distribution of lateral forces in the shear-walls, and fundamental vibration period of the structure, between numerical models where the floor is modelled with its actual deformability and as rigid. The discrepancies are compared with threshold values given in Eurocode 8 and used to derive the conditions for which CLT floor diaphragms can be assumed rigid. The study reveals that the behaviour of the floor tends toward the rigid diaphragm condition by increasing the stiffness of the floor panel-to-panel connections and the number of storeys, and by decreasing the stiffness of the floor-to-wall connections, the ratio between the distance between two consecutive shear-walls and the floor span, and the stiffness of the shear-walls. Specific threshold values ensuring a rigid diaphragm behaviour are determined for the properties of the system, delivering the geometrical and mechanical conditions for rigid CLT floor diaphragms

Nitrogen and potassium fertilization on the yield and intensity of the maize white spot.

ABSTRACT - A plant’s nutritional balance can influence its resistance to diseases. In order to evaluate the effect of increasing doses of N and K on the yield and severity of the maize white spot, two experiments were installed in the field, one in the city of Ijaci, Minas Gerais, and the other in the city of Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais. The experimental delimitation was in randomized blocks with 5 x 5 factorial analysis of variance, and four repetitions. The treatments consisted of five doses of N (20; 40; 80; 150; 190 Kg ha-1 of N in the experiments 1 and 2) and five doses of K (15; 30; 60; 120; 180 Kg ha-1 of K in experiment 1 and 8.75; 17.5; 35; 50; 100 Kg ha-1 of K in experiment 2). The susceptible cultivar 30P70 was planted in both experiments. The plot consisted of four rows 5 meters long, with a useful area consisting of two central rows 3 meters each. Evaluations began 43 days after emergence (DAE) in the first experiment and 56 DAE in the second one. There was no significant interaction between doses of N and K and the disease progress. The effect was only observed for N. The K did not influence the yield and the severity of the disease in these experiments. Bigger areas below the severity progress curve of the white spot and better yield were observed with increasing doses of N. Thus, with increasing doses of N, the white spot increased and also did the yield. RESUMO - O equilíbrio nutricional de plantas pode influenciar a resistência a doenças. Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito de doses crescentes de N e de K na produtividade e na severidade da mancha branca do milho, foram instalados em campo, dois experimentos, um em Ijaci, MG e o outro em Sete Lagoas, MG. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados com esquema de análise de variância fatorial 5 x 5 e quatro repetições. Os tratamentos consistiram de 5 doses de N (20; 40; 80; 150; 190 Kg ha-1 de N nos experimentos 1 e 2) e de 5 doses de K (15; 30; 60; 120; 180 Kg ha-1 de K no experimento 1 e 8,75; 17,5; 35; 50; 100 Kg ha-1 de K no experimento 2). Foi plantado nos dois experimentos o cultivar suscetível 30P70. As parcelas foram constituídas de quatro fileiras de 5 m de comprimento, sendo a área útil composta por duas linhas centrais com 3 m cada. As avaliações iniciaram-se aos 43 dias após emergência (DAE) no primeiro e aos 56 DAE, no segundo experimento. Não houve interação significativa entre as doses de N e de K e o progresso da doença. O efeito foi observado apenas para o N. O K não influenciou a produtividade e a severidade da doença nesses experimentos. Observaram-se maiores áreas abaixo da curva de progresso da severidade da mancha branca e maior produtividade com o aumento das doses de N. Sendo assim, com o aumento das doses de N houve aumento da mancha branca do milho e também da produtividade