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RESUMO Este comentário é uma resposta à proposta de política salarial promulgada por Paulo Renato Souza no vol 4, n. Número 2/1984 da Revista Brasileira de Economia Política. Nosso ponto principal é o desafio de decidir o nível correto de salário médio a ser preservado num contexto de inflação elevada.

Quasicrystalline Al93Fe3Cr2Ti2 (at.%) gas-atomized powders, which exhibit a metastable composite microstructure, were used to produce coatings by cold spray additive manufacturing processing (CSAM) using different processing parameters. The metastable composite microstructure provides the Al93Fe3Cr2Ti2 alloy with excellent mechanical properties. At the same time, the metastability of its microstructure, achieved by the high cooling rates of the gas atomization process, limits the processability of the Al93Fe3Cr2Ti2 powder. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of process parameters on the CSAM of quasicrystalline Al93Fe3Cr2Ti2 powder. The powder was sieved and classified to a size range of −75 µm. Using N2 carrier gas combined with different temperatures, pressures, nozzle apertures, and deposition substrate conditions, cold-sprayed coatings were produced. The porosity and thickness of the coatings were evaluated by image analyses. By SEM, XRD, DSC, and TEM, the microstructure was identified, and by Vickers microhardness, the mechanical properties of the coatings were investigated. Dense (≤0.50% porosity) and thick (~185.0 µm) coatings were obtained when the highest pressure (4.8 MPa), highest temperature (475 °C), and lowest nozzle aperture (A) were used in combination with an unblasted substrate. The SEM, XRD, and DSC data showed that the composite powder’s microstructure was retained in all coatings with no decomposition of the metastable i-phase into equilibrium crystalline phases. Supporting these microstructural results, all coatings presented a high and similar hardness of about 267 ± 8 HV. This study suggests that the CSAM process could, therefore. produce metastable quasicrystalline Al93Fe3Cr2Ti2 coatings with a composite microstructure and high hardness.

2-Deoxy-2-18F-fluoro-d-glucose (2-FDG) with PET is undeniably useful in the clinic, being able, among other uses, to monitor change over time using the 2-FDG SUV metric. This report suggests some potentially serious caveats for this and related roles for 2-FDG PET. Most critical is the assumption that there is an exact proportionality between glucose metabolism and 2-FDG metabolism, called the lumped constant, or LC. This report describes that LC is not constant for a specific tissue and may be variable before and after disease treatment. The purpose of this work is not to deny the clinical value of 2-FDG PET; it is a reminder that when one extends the use of an appropriately qualified imaging method, new observations may arise and further validation would be necessary. The current understanding of glucose-based energetics in vivo is based on the quantification of glucose metabolic rates with 2-FDG PET, a method that permits the noninvasive assessment of various human disorders. However, 2-FDG is a good substrate only for facilitated-glucose transporters (GLUTs), not for sodium-dependent glucose cotransporters (SGLTs), which have recently been shown to be distributed in multiple human tissues. Thus, the GLUT-mediated in vivo glucose utilization measured by 2-FDG PET would be masked to the potentially substantial role of functional SGLTs in glucose transport and use. Therefore, under these circumstances, the 2-FDG LC used to quantify in vivo glucose utilization should not be expected to remain constant. 2-FDG LC variations have been especially significant in tumors, particularly at different stages of cancer development, affecting the accuracy of quantitative glucose measures and potentially limiting the prognostic value of 2-FDG, as well as its accuracy in monitoring treatments. SGLT-mediated glucose transport can be estimated using α-methyl-4-deoxy-4-18F-fluoro-d-glucopyranoside (Me-4FDG). Using both 2-FDG and Me-4FDG should provide a more complete picture of glucose utilization via both GLUT and SGLT transporters in health and disease states. Given the widespread use of 2-FDG PET to infer glucose metabolism, it is relevant to appreciate the potential limitations of 2-FDG as a surrogate for glucose metabolic rate and the potential reasons for variability in LC. Even when the readout for the 2-FDG PET study is only an SUV parameter, variability in LC is important, particularly if it changes over the course of disease progression (e.g., an evolving tumor).

Ferritic stainless steels armored with borides had their endurance tested in demanding both abrasive and corrosive environment. The degradation was investigated through a very aggressive plate-on-cylinder wear test in water-based drilling mud containing chlorides, which was designed to simulate, in laboratorial scale, the corrosive tribosystem found in the wear of risers and casings used in deep water oil exploitation. A commercially-grade 430 ferritic stainless steel containing boron content far beyond its solubility limity, namely 1.2 and 3.5 wt.%, was processed by spray-forming to induce a ferritic stainless steel matrix protected by a boride skeleton. Additional corrosion assessment was performed by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 0.27 M KCl solution, since KCl is a common clay swelling inhibitor. For comparison, API 5L X80 steel was also included since this material is used in risers and casings manufacture. The addition of boron (1.2 and 3.5 wt.%) led to the formation of microstructures composed of an α-ferrite matrix with homogeneously distributed M2B-type borides of different morphologies. Electrochemical tests revealed high corrosion resistance of the alloy with 1.2 wt.% B. However, the alloy with 3.5 wt.% B showed a considerable decrease in corrosion resistance due to Cr-depletion of the ferritic matrix given the M2B formation richer in Cr. Therefore, the alloy with 1.2 wt.% B offered the best tribocorrosion resistance.

The microstructure of Fe76·5Nb8·5B15 (at.%) ultrafine eutectic (UE) coatings were processed by laser cladding, then the bulk alloy coating and wear debris were evaluated by advanced electron microscopy techniques in order to understand the ultrafine matrix and nanoscale intermetallic sub-micron and nanoscale phases formed, as a result of rapid solidification. In addition, according to the laser cladding processing parameters used, the coatings presented nanoscale borides that increased mechanical properties, with the coating michohardness values reached being four times higher than those of the AISI mild steel substrate. Combined with the sliding speeds, it played an important role in the definition of different wear mechanisms. The wear performance of the coatings and substrate was evaluated by three-body wear tests using a pin-on-disc device. It can be seen at lowest sliding speed a plastic deformation and for higher slidding speed, an accumulation of debris on the laser clad coating surface. Different wear mechanisms were observed in the coatings samples: abrasive, adhesive, shearing and delamination. The presence of oxide particles, responsible for the formation of a tribofilm, was also observed for some coatings. Debris nanoparticles from 10 to 100 nm, resulting from fracture or breakage of the coatings during wear tests, were also be identified as Fe-based and oxide nanoparticles. Thus, the Fe–Nb–B ultrafine eutectics laser clad coatings showed wear resistance properties comparable to or even superior to commercial alloys and other materials processed by rapid solidification.

Abstract We describe a new taxon of terrestrial bird of the genus Aphrastura (rayaditos) inhabiting the Diego Ramírez Archipelago, the southernmost point of the American continent. This archipelago is geographically isolated and lacks terrestrial mammalian predators as well as woody plants, providing a contrasted habitat to the forests inhabited by the other two Aphrastura spp. Individuals of Diego Ramírez differ morphologically from Aphrastura spinicauda, the taxonomic group they were originally attributed to, by their larger beaks, longer tarsi, shorter tails, and larger body mass. These birds move at shorter distances from ground level, and instead of nesting in cavities in trees, they breed in cavities in the ground, reflecting different life-histories. Both taxa are genetically differentiated based on mitochondrial and autosomal markers, with no evidence of current gene flow. Although further research is required to define how far divergence has proceeded along the speciation continuum, we propose A. subantarctica as a new taxonomic unit, given its unique morphological, genetic, and behavioral attributes in a non-forested habitat. The discovery of this endemic passerine highlights the need to monitor and conserve this still-pristine archipelago devoid of exotic species, which is now protected by the recently created Diego Ramírez Islands-Drake Passage Marine Park.

Testing the association between objects is central in ecology, evolution, and quantitative sciences in general. Two types of variables can describe the relationships between objects: point variables (measured on individual objects), and distance variables (measured between pairs of objects). The Mantel test and derived methods have been extensively used for distance variables. Yet, these methods have been criticized due to low statistical power and inflated type I error when spatial autocorrelation is present. Here, we assessed the statistical power between different types of tested variables and the type I error rate over a wider range of autocorrelation intensities than previously assessed, both on univariate and multivariate data. We also illustrated the performance of distance matrix statistics through computational simulations of genetic diversity. We show that the Mantel test and derived methods are not affected by inflated type I error when spatial autocorrelation affects only one variable when investigating correlations, or when either the response or the explanatory variable(s) is affected by spatial autocorrelation while investigating causal relationships. As previously noted, with autocorrelation affecting more variables, inflated type I error could be reduced by modifying the significance threshold. Additionally, the Mantel test has no problem of statistical power when the hypothesis is formulated in terms of distance variables. We highlight that transformation of variable types should be avoided because of the potential information loss and modification of the tested hypothesis. We propose a set of guidelines to help choose the appropriate method according to the type of variables and defined hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated two outbreaks of spontaneous poisoning by Baccharis coridifolia (Asteraceae) in early-weaned beef calves in Tacuarembó, Uruguay. A total of 34 affected calves showed signs of salivation, anorexia, apathy, marked dehydration, and diarrhea. Deaths occurred 36–72 h after consumption and mortality varied from 37.5% to 43.3% for outbreak 1 and outbreak 2, respectively. The main pathological findings include diffuse severe necrosis of the prestomachs and lymphoid tissues. Ultrastructurally, epithelial cells of the rumen showed swelling, lysis of the organelles, degradation of intercellular attachments, and degradation of the nuclear chromatin. Using LC-MS with diagnostic fragmentation filtering, 56 macrocyclic trichothecenes including glycosyl and malonyl conjugates were identified. The total concentration of macrocyclic trichothecenes, including conjugates, was estimated to be 1.2 ± 0.1 mg/g plant material. This is the first report of these malonyl–glucose conjugates from Baccharis coridifolia.