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Sweet corn (Zea mays subsp. saccharata) is mainly intended for industrial processing. Optimizing time and costs during plant breeding is fundamental. An alternative is the use of high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) indirect associated with agronomic traits and chlorophyll contents. This study aimed to (i) verify whether HTP by digital images is useful for screening sweet corn genotypes and (ii) investigate the correlations between the traits evaluated by conventional methods and those obtained from images. Ten traits were evaluated in seven S3 populations of sweet corn and in two commercial hybrids, three traits by classical phenotyping and the others by HTP based on RGB (red, green, blue) and multispectral imaging analysis. The data were submitted to the analyses of variance and Scott-Knott test. In addition, a phenotypic correlation graph was plotted. The hybrids were more productive than the S3 populations, showing an efficient evaluation. The traits extracted using HTP and classical phenotyping showed a high degree of association. HTP was efficient in identifying sweet corn genotypes with higher and lower yield. The vegetative canopy area (VCA), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and visible atmospherically resistant index (VARI) indices were strongly associated with grain yield. RESUMO O milho doce (Zea mays subsp. saccharata) destina-se principalmente ao processamento industrial. Otimizar tempo e custos durante o melhoramento de plantas é fundamental. Uma alternativa é o uso de fenotipagem de alto rendimento (HTP) indiretamente associada a caracteres agronômicos e teores de clorofila. Este trabalho teve como objetivo (i) verificar se a HTP por imagens digitais é útil para a seleção de genótipos de milho doce e (ii) investigar as correlações entre as características avaliadas por métodos convencionais e obtidas por imagens. Dez características foram avaliadas em sete populações S3 de milho doce e em dois híbridos comerciais, três características por fenotipagem clássica e as demais por HTP baseado em análises de imagens RGB (red, green, blue) e imagem multiespectral. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância e teste de Scott-Knott. Em adição, foi obtido um gráfico de correlação fenotípica. Os híbridos foram mais produtivos que as populações S3, demonstrando uma avaliação eficiente. As características extraídas por HTP e pela fenotipagem clássica apresentaram alto grau de associação. A HTP foi eficiente na identificação de genótipos de milho doce com maior e menor produtividade. Os índices VCA (vegetative canopy area), NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) e VARI (visible atmospherically resistant index) estiveram fortemente associados à produtividade de grãos.

High temperatures interfere with lettuce cropping. Thermoinhibition of seed germination and early flowering cause important losses for farmers. The objectives of this work were to evaluate the tolerance to early flowering, to verify the genetic dissimilarity and to select lettuce cultivars tolerant to seed thermoinhibition. 18 cultivars were evaluated. The number of days until the first anthesis was verified for early flowering. Regarding seed thermoinhibition, the first and final germination counting and germination speed index were evaluated, using temperatures of 20, 25, 30 and 35ºC. The analyses were performed immediately after harvest and after six months under storage. The genetic dissimilarity was obtained using the Tocher Graph optimization and hierarchical UPGMA methods. Regression models were adjusted, and curves’ clustering was performed by testing the identity of the models. Early flowering was observed in cultivars Floresta, Colorado, Grand Rapids, and Everglades. Cultivars showed genetic variability and are dissimilar regarding tolerance to thermoinhibition. By clustering the regression equations, it was possible to select thermoinhibition tolerant cultivars. RESUMO As altas temperaturas interferem no cultivo da alface. A termoinibição da germinação das sementes e florecimento precoce causam perdas importantes para os produtores. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar a tolerância ao florescimento precoce, verificar a dissimilaridade genética e selecionar cultivares de alface tolerantes à termoinibição de sementes. Foram avaliadas 18 cultivares. Para florecimento precoce verificou-se o número de dias para a primeira antese. Em relação à termoinibição de sementes avaliou-se a primeira e última contagem de germinação e o índice de velocidade de germinação, utilizando-se as temperaturas de 20, 25, 30 e 35ºC. As análises foram realizadas imediatamente após a colheita e após seis meses de armazenamento. O estudo da dissimilaridade genética foi realizado por meio do método de otimização de Tocher Gráfico e hierárquico UPGMA. Os modelos de regressão foram ajustados e o agrupamento das curvas foi realizado testando a identidade dos modelos. Florescimento precoce foi observado nas cultivares Floresta, Colorado, Grand Rapids e Everglades. As cultivares apresentaram variabilidade genética e são diferentes quanto à tolerância à termoinibição. Ao agrupar as equações de regressão foi possível selecionar cultivares tolerantes à termoinibição.

Central micturition control and urine storage involve a multisynaptic neuronal circuit for the efferent control of the urinary bladder. Electrical stimulation of the lateral preoptic area (LPA) at the level of the decussation of the anterior commissure in cats evokes relaxation of the bladder, whereas ventral stimulation of LPA evokes vigorous contraction. Endogenous Angiotensin-(1–7) [(Ang-(1–7)] synthesis depends on ACE-2, and its actions on binding to Mas receptors, which were found in LPA neurons. We aimed to investigate the Ang-(1–7) actions into the LPA on intravesical pressure (IP) and cardiovascular parameters. The gene and protein expressions of Mas receptors and ACE-2 were also evaluated in the LPA. Angiotensin-(1–7) (5 nmol/μL) or A-779 (Mas receptor antagonist, 50 nmol/μL) was injected into the LPA in anesthetized female Wistar rats; and the IP, mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and renal conductance (RC) were recorded for 30 min. Unilateral injection of Ang-(1–7) into the LPA increased IP (187.46 ± 37.23%) with peak response at ∼23–25-min post-injection and yielded no changes in MAP, HR, and RC. Unilateral or bilateral injections of A-779 into the LPA decreased IP (−15.88 ± 2.76 and −27.30 ± 3.40%, respectively) and elicited no changes in MAP, HR, and RC. The genes and the protein expression of Mas receptors and ACE-2 were found in the LPA. Therefore, the LPA is an important part of the circuit involved in the urinary bladder control, in which the Ang-(1–7) synthetized into the LPA activates Mas receptors for increasing the IP independent on changes in RC and cardiovascular parameters.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many countries opted for strict public health measures, including closing schools. After some time, they have started relaxing some of those restrictions. To avoid overwhelming health systems, predictions for the number of new COVID-19 cases need to be considered when choosing a school reopening strategy. Using a computer simulation based on a stochastic compartmental model that includes a heterogeneous and dynamic network, we analyse different strategies to reopen schools in the São Paulo Metropolitan Area, including one similar to the official reopening plan. Our model allows us to describe different types of relations between people, each type with a different infectiousness. Based on our simulations and model assumptions, our results indicate that reopening schools with all students at once has a big impact on the number of new COVID-19 cases, which could cause a collapse of the health system. On the other hand, our results also show that a controlled school reopening could possibly avoid the collapse of the health system, depending on how people follow sanitary measures. We estimate that postponing the schools' return date for after a vaccine becomes available may save tens of thousands of lives just in the São Paulo Metropolitan Area compared to a controlled reopening considering a worst-case scenario. We also discuss our model constraints and the uncertainty of its parameters.

The selection of genotypes with agronomic potential associated with drought tolerance is considered of high complexity. An alternative could be the use of selection indexes that can evaluate multiple characteristics simultaneously. This study aimed to select tomato genotypes with agronomic potential and drought tolerance by selection indexes. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with three replications. Ten treatments were evaluated: seven genotypes F2RC3, donor genitor (Solanum pennellii), recurrent genitor (UFU-040), and cv. Santa Clara. The irrigation was suspended until the substrate reached a matric potential of ≤-25 kPa for water stress simulation during the tomato cycle at 45, 60, 80 and 100 days after sowing. The control treatment (donor genitor) and cv. Santa Clara, were resistant and susceptible to water deficit, respectively. The UFU-102-RC3#91335 genotype presented agronomic potential and satisfactory tolerance level to water deficit and presented 58.2% higher production than the recurrent genitor (UFU-040). The genotype-ideotype distance selection index was the most appropriate for the selection of tomato genotypes for agronomic potential allied to drought tolerance. RESUMO A seleção visando obtenção de genótipos com potencial agronômico aliado a tolerância a déficit hídrico é considerada de alta complexidade. Uma alternativa poderia ser o uso de índices de seleção pois é capaz de avaliar múltiplas características. Objetivou-se com este trabalho selecionar genótipos de tomateiro com potencial agronômico e tolerância a déficit hídrico por diferentes índices de seleção. O experimento foi conduzido em delineamento de blocos ao acaso com três repetições. Foram avaliados dez tratamentos sendo sete genótipos F2RC3, genitor doador (Solanum pennellii), recorrente (UFU-040) e cv. Santa Clara. Para a simulação de vulnerabilidade hídrica durante o ciclo foram realizados quatro sucessivos déficit hídricos (45, 60, 80 e 100 DAS) até que as parcelas atingissem potencial matricial ≤-25 kPa. As testemunhas, genitor doador (S. pennellii) e cv. Santa Clara foram de fato resistente e suscetível ao déficit hídrico, respectivamente. O genótipo UFU-102-RC3#91335 apresentou potencial agronômico e níveis satisfatórios de tolerância ao déficit hídrico sendo 58,2% superior em produção em relação ao genitor recorrente UFU-040. O índice de seleção de distância genótipo-ideótipo é o mais apropriado para seleção de genótipos de tomateiro visando potencial agronômico aliado a tolerância à seca.

A high demand for materials with defined geometry and size is required in a wide range of fields. Inorganic compounds, especially silica-based, arise as a cheap source and chemically flexible for the purpose. Silica display unique properties, like easy functionalization and good optical features making an interesting material to manipulate. In this work, we developed a method to create thin silica microsheets with defined size and high-fidelity shape using superhydrophobic-hydrophilic microarrays. These microstructures were produced through sol-gel process using biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces decorated with wettable spots. The results confirm the manufacture of porous silica microstructures with defined design (squares and circles) and thickness around 7 µm. The methodology applied in this work enables the high throughput fabrication of shaped silica materials in a single step, unlocking an extensive number of applications in areas that require miniaturization, like microelectronics or in fields like sensing and biomedicine., The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) for project ATLAS (ERC-2014-ADG-669858) and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the PhD grant PD/BD/139117/2018 (M. Maciel) and individual contract CEECIND/03202/2017 (J. Borges). This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/ 50011/2020 & UIDP/50011/2020, financed by national funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology/MCTES., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This paper presents a novel generalized quadrature spatial modulation (GQSM) transmission scheme using antenna grouping. The proposed GQSM scheme combines QSM and conventional spatial multiplexing (SMux) techniques in order to improve the spectral efficiency (SE) of the system. Analytical and simulation results show that the proposed transmission scheme has minimal losses in terms of the average bit error probability along with the advantage of an increased SE compared with previous SM and QSM schemes. For the case studies, this advantage represents a reduction of up to 81% in terms of the number of required transmit antennas compared with QSM. In addition, a detection architecture based on the ordered successive interference cancellation scheme and the QR decomposition is presented. The proposed QRD‐M adaptive algorithm showed a near‐maximum‐likelihood performance with a complexity reduction of approximately 90%.

The prevailing approach for characterizing the Doppler shift (DS) of mobile radio channels assumes the transmission of an unmodulated carrier. This consideration is valid for the analysis of narrowband channels, but its pertinence is questionable in regards to the modeling of wideband channels. In this correspondence, we redefine the DS from a time-frequency analysis perspective that does not depend on the aforementioned assumption. We systematically demonstrate that the DS can be characterized by the instantaneous frequency of the channel transfer function. This generic definition makes evident a fundamental aspect of the DS that is seldom acknowledged, namely, the DS is a frequency-varying quantity. We show that the second-order statistics of wideband mobile radio channels are non-stationary due to the DS's frequency variations. In addition, we present numerical results of a case study showing that such non-stationarities can cause significant system performance degradations.

A two-dimensional class of mean-field models serving as a minimal frame to study long-range interaction in two space dimensions is considered. In the case of an anisotropic mixed attractive-repulsive interaction, an initially spatially homogeneous cold fluid is dynamically unstable and evolves towards a quasi-stationary state in which the less energetic particles get trapped into clusters forming a Bravais-like lattice, mimicking a crystalline state. Superimposed to this, one observes in symplectic numerical simulations a flux of slightly more energetic particles channeling through this crystalline background. The resultant system combines the rigidity features of a solid, as particles from a displaced core are shown to snap back into place after a transient, and the dynamical diffusive features of a liquid for the fraction of channeling and free particles. The combination of solid and liquid properties is numerically observed here within the classical context. The quantum transposition of the model may be experimentally reached using the latest ultracold atoms techniques to generate long-range interactions.

Biomaterials processed in the form of electrospun fiber mats have already been explored to mimic different types of extracellular matrix in the human body once human body shows both aligned and randomly oriented cell/tissues. Knowing that numerous cell functions are regulated by mechanical signals, it is of key importance to quantitatively taken into account the influence of the fiber alignment on the tensile properties of such biomaterials as they will determine suitability of the materials for specific applications. In this way, this work reports on the development of nano-engineered poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) aligned and randomly oriented fibers and in the influence of fiber orientation on their mechanical properties. It was found that the Young's modulus depends significantly on the angle between the stretch direction and the fiber direction (225 MPa, 27 MPa and 23 MPa for the 0°, 45° and 90° angles, respectively), being independent of the deformation direction on the randomly oriented fibers. Nevertheless, with the applied stress, all samples undergo a reorientation of the fibers towards the stretching direction and a decrease of the fiber diameter. The addition of CoFe2O4 magnetostrictive nanoparticles, that induces the magnetoelectric response on the composite fiber mats and opens large application potential for non-contact tissue engineering strategies, slightly changed the Young's Modulus of the fibers (increased to 308,71 MPa for the sample with 10 wt% of CoFe2O4). All the features allied with the non-cytotoxicity of the developed composite fibers makes them good candidates for scaffold in tissue engineering applications., MINECO -Eusko Jaurlaritza(MAT2016-76039-C4-3-R), info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Objectives: About one-quarter of patients with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) have inherited disease due to mutations in the RET gene. A rare mutation in exon 8 (G533C) of RET, previously described in a large Brazilian family with MEN2A, also appeared to be clustering in Greece, whereas it was rarely reported in other ethnic groups. The aim of this study was to identify a possible common ancestry between these carriers. Patients and methods: Twelve RET G533C mutation carriers, four randomly selected from the Brazilian cohort and eight from apparently unrelated Greek families, were studied for a possible common ancestral origin. RET flanking microsatellite markers at chromosome 10q (D10S197, D10S196, D10S1652 and D10S537) were used. Results: Genomic DNA analysis using these markers showed that many of these apparently unrelated individuals shared a common haplotype indicating a common ancestral origin. Conclusion: Our data suggest that Brazilian and Greek patients with MTC carrying the G533C mutation in exon 8 of RET gene originate from a common ancestor. Due to historical reasons, we speculate that the more plausible explanation for the origin of this mutation is in Greece. © 2017 European Society of Endocrinology Printed in Great Britain.

A carcinicultura causa impactos ambientais significativos devidos, sobremaneira, à elevada demanda de água e ao descarte de efluentes, agravando o problema de assoreamento e poluição dos mananciais. Este trabalho teve como objetivo buscar uma alternativa para o reaproveitamento do efluente da carcinicultura na própria atividade e assim mitigar os impactos causados. Os experimentos foram realizados em três etapas, a primeira relacionada à toxicidade, para as pós-larvas das águas de despesca, a segunda com a mortalidade das pós-larvas em curto prazo e a terceira relacionada com a sobrevivência em longo prazo e produtividade do camarão ao longo de um ciclo de engorda, utilizando-se água de despesca. Os resultados mostraram que o índice de sobrevivência é de 42,1% quando o camarão é cultivado em águas de despesca; no entanto, a maior mortalidade dos camarões ocorre principalmente na primeira semana do ciclo de engorda, indicando que uma mudança de estratégia na produção de camarão pode aumentar a produtividade da fazenda.The shrimp farming cause significant environmental impacts due to high water consumption and effluent discharge, which worsen problems of sediment deposition and water pollution. This study aims to find an alternative for the use of shrimp farming effluent, and to mitigate the aforementioned impacts. The experiments were carried out in three phases, where the first dealt with the toxicity of the reused effluent on the post-larvae of shrimp, the second dealt with the short term mortality of the shrimps and the third dealt with the long-term survival and productivity of the shrimps along the entire growing cycle. The results show that the survival index is 42.1% when the shrimps are cultivated in shrimp farm effluent. However, most of the mortality occurred within the first week of the growing cycle. This indicates that a change in production strategy can increase productivity of the farm.

O trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar o potencial agronômico de híbridos de tomateiro a partir da linhagem TOM-687, rica em acilaçúcares e de resistência comprovada a pragas. O experimento foi instalado na HortiAgro, município de Ijaci, MG. Foi constituído de 30 genótipos (5 híbridos comerciais, 1 linhagem pré-comercial (TOM-687), e 24 híbridos nos quais TOM-687 foi utilizada como um dos pais), os quais foram conduzidos em tutoramento com haste dupla, no espaçamento de 1,30 x 0,50 m, totalizando 15.385 plantas por hectare. Foram realizadas nove colheitas, entre as datas de 01/11/08 a 28/11/08. Foram avaliadas as características de massa média por fruto (g fruto-1) e produção por hectare (t ha-1). Os 24 híbridos que tiveram TOM-687 como um dos pais apresentaram potencial produtivo similar ao das testemunhas comerciais Débora Max, Bravo, Bônus, Kombat e Atyna. Dos 24 híbridos experimentais, quatro (TEX-298, TEX-310, TEX-315 e TEX-316) foram avaliados quanto à resistência à traça-do-tomateiro (Tuta absoluta) e mostraram-se mais resistentes do que as testemunhas comerciais.This experiment was designed to assess the agronomic potential of tomato hybrids obtained from the tomato line TOM-687, an acylsugar-rich line with confirmed resistance to an array of tomato pests. The experiment was carried out at the HortiAgro Sementes research station, in Ijaci, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The treatments comprised 30 genotypes (5 commercial hybrid checks, 1 high acylsugar line (TOM-687), and 24 hybrids in which TOM-687 was one of the parents). Plants were trained to two stems, in a spacing of 1.30 m between rows x 0.50 m between plants within a row, totaling 15,385 plants per hectare. Nine harvests were performed between November 1st, 2008 and November 28th,2008. Traits assessed were mean fruit weight (g fruit-1) and total yield (t ha-1). All 24 hybrids with TOM-687 as a parent showed yields similar to those of the commercial check hybrids Débora Max, Bravo, Bônus, Kombat and Atyna. Four of these experimental hybrids (TEX-298, TEX-310, TEX-315 and TEX-316) were assessed for resistance to the South American tomato pinworm Tuta absoluta, and were shown to possess higher degrees of pest resistance than the current commercial hybrid checks.

A traça-do-tomateiro foi constatada pela primeira vez no Brasil em 1980 estando hoje dentre as principais pragas da tomaticultura nacional. O controle desta praga é feito principalmente por inseticidas, sendo realizada em casos extremos, até três pulverizações semanais. Acessos silvestres de tomateiro como S. pennellii LA-716 possuem resistência a pragas, mediada pela presença de acilaçúcares nos folíolos. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram obter genótipos de tomateiro com características comerciais e altos teores foliares de acilaçúcares (AA), e avaliar seus níveis de resistência à traça do tomateiro Tuta absoluta. Os genótipos foram obtidos a partir de populações segregantes (F2) oriundas do cruzamento entre AF-8665 (linhagem elite com baixos teores de AA) e as linhagens BPX370E-30-275-11-7, BPX370E-30-275-11-8, BPX370E-30-380-68-6 e BPX370E-30-380-68-8 (linhagens pré-comerciais com altos teores, obtidas a partir do cruzamento interespecífico S. lycopersicum x S. pennellii LA-716). Plantas F2 previamente selecionadas com base nos teores de AA foram clonadas e em seguida testadas quanto à resistência à traça-do-tomateiro. Genótipos selecionados para altos teores de AA expressaram menor ovoposição da traça e níveis inferiores de danos causados à planta pela infestação do microlepidóptero do que genótipos (comerciais ou não) com baixos teores de AA. Embora genótipos com altos teores de AA tenham sido mais resistentes à traça do que os demais, seus níveis de resistência podem ser dependentes do background genotípico: clones BPX-410H (alto teor de AA) mostraram-se em geral ligeiramente mais resistentes do que o dos clones BPX-370G (também alto teor de AA). Os clones BPX-410H-01pl#281, BPX-410H-04pl#348 e BPX-410H-04pl#481 foram superiores nas avaliações de resistência à traça e são recomendados para a continuidade do programa de melhoramento.The South American tomato pinworm was first detected in Brazil in 1980 and today it is among the major pests of tomato in Brazil. The control of this pest has been done primarily with the use of insecticides, and three sprays per week may be necessary in extreme cases. Wild tomato accessions such as S. pennellii LA-716 possess high levels of insect resistance, mediated by high foliar contents of acylsugars. The objectives of this study were obtain improved tomato genotypes with high contents of leaf acylsugars, and to assess their levels of resistance to the South American tomato pinworm Tuta absoluta. These genotypes were obtained from segregating (F2) populations from the cross between AF-8665 (an elite low AS tomato line) and lines BPX370E-30-275-11-7, BPX370E-30-275-11-8, BPX370E-30-380-68-6 and BPX370E-30-380-68-8 (pre-commercial high AS inbreds derived from an original interspecific cross between S. lycopersicum x S. pennellii LA-716). F2 plants selected for high AS contents were cloned and subsequently tested for pinworm resistance. The high AS genotypes showed smaller ovoposition counts and lower plant damage levels than low AS genotypes (commercial or not). Even though high AS genotypes were generally more resistant to the South American tomato pinworm than low AS genotypes, their actual levels of resistance may be background-dependent: high AS clones with BPX-410H background had slightly higher levels of resistance than high AS clones with BPX-370G background. Clones BPX-410H-01pl#281, BPX-410H-04pl#348 and BPX-410H-04pl#481 had the highest levels of pinworm resistance, and were recommended for further use in breeding programs.

The effectiveness of microemulsions (ME) of saponified coconut oil (OCS-ME) and diphenylcarbazide (DC-ME) on a carbon steel corrosion inhibition process was evaluated using an electrochemical method of polarization resistance. The ME was prepared with OCS, butanol, kerosene and saline solutions. OCS-ME and DC-ME showed highest inhibitions effects (77% and 92%, respectively) at lower concentrations (0.5% and 0.48 - 0.50%, respectively). The surfactant OCS (in H2O) showed lower efficiency (63% at 0.20 - 0.25% concentration). The greatest inhibitory effect of DC-ME could be correlated with the chemical structure and the rich O/W ME system, which are very important for adsorption phenomena in interfacial ME systems.

Plant extracts are usually complex mixtures which contain several molecules of different sizes with varied functional groups. Such extracts are a challenge to the chemist of natural products. Ion exchange chromatography in non-aqueous medium, used for separation of basic or acidic fractions from plant extracts, is an important unit operation in preparative scale separations. Anionic macroporous resin in non-aqueous medium was used with success in this study for separation of the acid fraction of Copaifera multijuga (Copaiba oil), rich in labdanic diterpenes and for the methanolic extract of Croton cajucara (acetyl aleuritoric acid).

Pectolinarin, a flavone heteroside, was isolated from Distictella elongata (Vahl) Urb. leaves ethanol extract, along with a mixture of ursolic, pomolic and oleanolic acids, besides β-sitosterol. Their structures were established on the basis of spectral analysis (1H and 13C NMR, 1D and 2D) and they were compared with literature. This is the first report on the occurrence of this flavonoid in a species of the Bignoniaceae family. Pectolinarina, uma flavona heterosídica, foi isolada do extrato etanólico das folhas de Distictella elongata (Vahl) Urb., além de uma mistura de ácidos ursólico, pomólico e oleanólico, além de β-sitosterol. Suas estruturas foram estabelecidas com base em análise espectral (RMN de 1H e 13C 1D e 2D) em comparação com a literatura. Esta é a primeira vez em que se relata a ocorrência deste flavonoide em uma espécies da família Bignoniaceae.

[EN] The European natural stone sector is declining; sales and imports are decreasing, owing to growing competition from Asiatic coun-tries concerning the diversity of low-cost materials and European cultural and historical traditions demanding a commitment to invest in the best equipment and technology available. Design plays an important role in a company regarding the development, innova-tion and creation of competitive products. The present research involved a questionnaire being given to Portuguese and Spanish companies working in the natural stone sector to ascertain the companies¿ characteristics, identifying those working with internal departments specialising in innovation for developing new products and studying the feasibility of working with a new concept by studying the relationship between these companies and the importance they attach to the sensation of well-being which a natural stone product offers. The results showed that companies recognised most feelings presented here as being ¿important¿, mainly those referring to social factors. It could be concluded that a company working with an internal design department for product develop-ment appreciates such concepts and adds more value to them., [ES] El sector de la piedra natural en Europa vive un mal momento; por un lado, las ventas y las importaciones disminuyen debido a la elevada competitividad de los países asiáticos, que utilizan diversidad de material a bajos precios; por otra parte, su tradición cultu-ral e histórica les induce a trabajar con el compromiso de invertir en los mejores equipos y tecnologías disponibles. El diseño desem-peña un papel importante en las funciones de una empresa, dado que el objetivo es el desarrollo de productos, lo cual implica la creación de conceptos innovadores y competitivos. En el presente estudio y mediante la aplicación de un cuestionario se investiga la respuesta de empresas portuguesas y españolas del sector de la piedra natural, con la pretensión de conocer, desde la perspec-tiva del diseño, las características de las empresas, e identificar las que trabajan con departamentos internos especializados en la innovación para el desarrollo de nuevos productos, así como analizar la viabilidad del trabajo con nuevas orientaciones, analizan-do la relación que existe entre las empresas y la importancia que atribuyen a las sensaciones que nos aporta un producto en pie-dra natural (concepto de bienestar). Los resultados muestran que las empresas reconocen como ¿Importante¿ la mayoría de las sensaciones de bienestar analizadas. Podemos concluir que son las empresas que trabajan internamente con el diseño en el desa-rrollo de productos, las que mejor valoran y aprecian estos conceptos.

TPC-E is the new benchmark approved by the TPC council. It is designed to exercise a brokerage firm workload, which is representative of current On-Line Transaction Processing workloads. In this paper we present DBT-5, a fair usage open-source implementation of the TPC-E benchmark. In addition to reporting about the design and implementation of the tool, experimental results from a system running database engine are also described. The significance of this work is that it provides an environment where recent innovations in the OLTP workload field can be evaluated.

The present work is part of a research program on the energetics of the linear 4-n-alkoxybenzoic acids, aiming the study of the enthalpic effect of the introduction of an alkoxy chain in the position 4- of the benzoic acid ring. In this work, we present the results of the thermochemical research on 4-n-alkoxybenzoic acids with the alkoxy chain length n = 2, 4, and 8. The standard ( p ∘ = 0.1 MPa ) molar enthalpy of formation of crystalline 4-ethoxybenzoic acid, 4-butoxybenzoic acid, and 4-(octyloxy)benzoic acid was measured, at T = 298.15 K, by static-bomb calorimetry. These values, combined with the values of standard molar enthalpies of sublimation, were used to derive the standard molar enthalpies of formation in the gaseous phase. 4-Alkoxybenzoic acid - Δ c U m ∘ ( cr ) / ( kJ · mol - 1 ) - Δ f H m ∘ (cr ) / ( kJ · mol - 1 ) - Δ f H m ∘ ( g ) / ( kJ · mol - 1 ) 4-Ethoxybenzoic acid 4362.7 ± 1.3 605.5 ± 1.8 482.2 ± 2.0 4-Butoxybenzoic acid 5677.3 ± 2.0 647.1 ± 2.5 518.1 ± 2.6 4-(Octyloxy)benzoic acid 8269.0 ± 3.3 767.9 ± 3.9 604.9 ± 4.1 From those experimental values, the standard molar enthalpies of formation, in the gaseous phase, at T = 298.15 K, are interpreted in terms of structural contributions to the energetics of the substituted benzoic acids and compared with the same parameters estimated from the Benson’s Group Method.