Histopathological Changes of Vocal Folds Induced by Chronic Pollutant Exposure: An Experimental Study

Calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) particles, the main component of chalk, are an important pollutant in the Brazilian school environment. However, there are few reports of the effect of this pollutant in the vocal folds and its influence in voice disorder in the literature. METHODS: Thirty rats (Wistar), randomly divided into two groups, the control group and the experimental group, were submitted to air or to CaCO(3) inhalation, respectively, during 15, 30, and 90 days. Then, the larynx region was dissected and embedded in paraffin, and 5-mum sections were obtained for microscopic analysis. RESULTS: No histopathological alteration was found on the vocal folds in the control group. In the experimental group, a moderate chronic inflammatory infiltrate, characterized by macrophage cells, was found in the vocal folds after 30 and 90 days of the CaCO(3) inhalation. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the inhalation of pollutant particles, such as CaCO(3), induces inflammatory alterations in the larynx; this can affect the vibration of the vocal folds, which influence vocal function.     

Image fusion by color texture extraction

In this paper, we present a method to extract shape and color information simultaneously of a colorful object by projecting sequentially sinusoidal fringe patterns onto object's surface. Distorted fringe patterns are captured by digital CCD color camera. It is applied the phase shifting method to evaluate the phase of the projected fringes. We obtain both topography details and color texture information.     

Micro- and macro deformation measurement by extension of correlation technique

In this work, we present the implementation of Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI), Digital Speckle Photography (DSP) and Digital Image Correlation (DIC) as complementary techniques to measure in-plane micro and macro displacement. The main advantage of ESPI is its great sensitivity to small displacements (smaller than the size of the speckle). However, the contrast of fringes in this technique is severely affected by de-correlation effects when the in-plane displacement exceeds the size of the speckle. To eliminate the de-correlation effects, we use the DSP technique. It is possible to generate artificial speckles, usually bigger than those generated by means of illumination of the sample with laser light. By combining DSP and DIC the displacement field can be obtained when the ESPI method cannot be applied due to image de-correlation. The experimental results show that the combination of these techniques is useful to analyze deformations over a wider range.     

Comparative study of inorganic elements determination in whole blood from Crioula breed horse by EDXRF and NAA analytical techniques

The World Health Organization states that envenomation is responsible for a high number of deaths per year, especially in equatorial areas. The only effective specific treatment is the use of hyperimmune serum (antivenom). In Brazil, Crioula breed horses are used for antivenom production, with great importance in the maintenance of public health programs. A strict biochemical and metabolic control is required to attain specificity in antiserum. Inorganic elements represent only a small fraction of whole blood. Nonetheless, they play important roles in mammalian metabolism, being responsible for controlling enzymatic reactions, respiratory and cardiac functions and ageing. In this work, whole blood samples from Crioula breed horses were analyzed by EDXRF technique. The reference interval values were determined for the elements Na (1955–2013 μg g⁻¹), Mg (51–75 μg g⁻¹), P (523–555 μg g⁻¹), S (1628–1730 μg g⁻¹), Cl (2388–2574 μg g⁻¹), K (1649–1852 μg g⁻¹), Ca (202–213 μg g⁻¹), Cu (4.1–4.5 μg g⁻¹) and Zn (2.4–2.8 μg g⁻¹) and a comparative study with NAA results was outlined. The samples were obtained from Instituto Butantan. Both techniques showed to be appropriate for whole blood sample analyses and offer a new perspective in Veterinary Medicine.     

Non-monotonic response of waxy oil gel strength to cooling rate

The oil at high temperatures in the reservoir loses heat to the surroundings and is submitted to different shear stresses while it is produced and transported. Thermal and shear histories have great influence on the rheological characteristics of waxy oils at low temperature. Wax crystals precipitate during cooling, building up a percolated matrix that entraps the oil and consequently, forms a gel-like structure. One of the main parameters that affect the crystals’ morphology and therefore the gel strength is the cooling rate. Although the oil static cooling has been widely studied in the literature, many questions are still open. The current work analyzes the influence of the cooling rate on the gel strength and on the dynamic moduli (G′ and G″) of a waxy model oil. Microscopic images of wax crystals were obtained and a hypothesis to explain the non-monotonic response of the rheological parameters as a function of the cooling rate is proposed based on the crystals’ morphology.     

Electric field driven flow in natural porous media

Electric fields were applied to fluid-saturated packed sand beds (0.23+/-0.03 mm average pore diameter), and the effects on the mobility of the water molecules were monitored using stimulated echo (STE) and pulsed field gradient (PFG) experiments. The mean flow velocity, averaged over the entire sample, is expected to vanish in closed systems, but the PFG and time dependent signal decay was enhanced beyond the effects of thermal diffusion, due to velocity dispersion. The internal flow generated by the electric field was shown to be fully time-reversible upon inverting the electric field polarity (for total flow times of up to 0.4s), a strong indication that the NMR detected displacements were mainly due to electro-osmotic flow (EOF). However, a comparison of the velocity dispersion for different electrolyte concentrations showed that the measured effect scaled with the applied power VI (V = voltage, I = electric current), rather than with the voltage alone, contrary to the prediction of the basic model for EOF in a single capillary channel.     

XRF applications in archaeometry: analysis of Marajoara pubic covers and pigments from the sarcophagus cartonage of an Egyptian mummy

This work presents two applications of XRF in archaeometry. The first case involved a female mummy from the Roman period, which is considered one of the most important pieces of the National Museum (Rio de Janeiro), because of its unconventional embalming with legs and arms swathed separately. The objective was to characterize the elemental composition of the pigments found in the sarcophagus cartonage and to verify whether they were in accordance with those used by Egyptian craftsmen in the cited period. The elements identified were Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Hg, and Pb. In the second case, the composition of decorated pottery pubic covers (tangas) from the Marajoara culture was evaluated using EDXRF. Ceramics from the Marajó Island (at the mouth of Amazon River, Brazil) represent one of the most beautiful and sophisticated styles of the pre‐Columbian art. Decorated tangas were used by Marajoara girls probably as part of puberty rites. The analyzed samples were two tangas and four fragments from the National Museum's collection. One fragment (sample 22245) presented a different design pattern that seemed to indicate a different provenance. The elements identified were K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, and Pb. Multivariate statistical analysis was applied to the results. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A 3D network of helicates fully assembled by pi-stacking interactions

The neutral dinuclear dihelicate [Cu2(L)2] x 2CH3CN (1) forms a unique 3D network in the solid state due to pi-stacking interactions, which are responsible for intermolecular antiferromagnetic coupling between Cu(II) ions.     

Synthetic organic pigments in contemporary Balinese painting: a Raman microscopy study

The colour palette from two 20th century and one 21st century Indonesian paintings from the island of Bali was determined by Raman microscopy. There is very little information concerning the artistic techniques from this region of the world and the influences in materials introduced by western artists. The most interesting finding of our study was the increasing substitution of natural pigments by modern synthetic organic pigments. The findings were also compared with samples of representative pigments commonly used by Bali artists, donated by a renowned Balinese painter. Raman microscopy, combined with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high‐performance liquid chromatography and μ‐EDXRF, was able to separate the different components on several colours, and to identify both synthetic organic pigments and inorganic components. Three azo pigments from the diarylide subclass, PY 83, PY 55 and PO 16, were identified on the yellow, brown, red and orange colours. A copper phthalocyanine blue PB 15:x and a basic dye BB 26 were responsible for the blue colours, the former admixed with ultramarine blue. Goethite was sometimes introduced to create the green colour. Two other basic dyes, BY2 and PG 4, were the main chromophores of the yellow and green samples of local pigments. The inorganic pigments comprised bone white, bone black, carbon‐based black pigment, haematite, goethite, vermilion, ultramarine blue and anatase. Finally, the ground layer of all the paintings was identified as rice starch, with a double function of a white pigment. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.