The main definition for meat quality should include factors that affect consumer appreciation of the product. Physical laboratory analyses are necessary to identify factors that affect meat quality ...and specific equipment is used for this purpose, which is expensive and destructive, and the analyses are usually time consuming. An alternative method to performing several beef analyses is near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS), which permits to reduce costs and to obtain faster, simpler, and nondestructive measurements. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of NIRS to predict shear force Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), marbling, and color (*a = redness; b* = yellowness; and L* = lightness) in meat samples of uncastrated male Nelore cattle, that were approximately 2-yr-old. Samples of longissimus thoracis (n = 644) were collected and spectra were obtained prior to meat quality analysis. Multivariate calibration was performed by partial least squares regression. Several preprocessing techniques were evaluated alone and in combination: raw data, reduction of spectral range, multiplicative scatter correction, and 1st derivative. Accuracies of the calibration models were evaluated using the root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC), root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), coefficient of determination in the calibration (R2C), and prediction (R2P) groups. Among the different preprocessing techniques, the reduction of spectral range provided the best prediction accuracy for all traits. The NIRS showed a better performance to predict WBSF (RMSEP = 1.42 kg, R2P = 0.40) and b* color (RMSEP = 1.21, R2P = 0.44), while its ability to accurately predict L* (RMSEP = 1.98, R2P = 0.16) and a* (RMSEP = 1.42, R2P = 0.17) was limited. NIRS was unsuitable to predict subjective meat quality traits such as marbling in Nelore cattle.
Abstract
The main definition for meat quality should include factors that affect consumer appreciation of the product. Physical laboratory analyses are necessary to identify factors that affect meat ...quality and specific equipment is used for this purpose, which is expensive and destructive, and the analyses are usually time consuming. An alternative method to performing several beef analyses is near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS), which permits to reduce costs and to obtain faster, simpler, and nondestructive measurements. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of NIRS to predict shear force Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), marbling, and color (*a = redness; b* = yellowness; and L* = lightness) in meat samples of uncastrated male Nelore cattle, that were approximately 2-yr-old. Samples of longissimus thoracis (n = 644) were collected and spectra were obtained prior to meat quality analysis. Multivariate calibration was performed by partial least squares regression. Several preprocessing techniques were evaluated alone and in combination: raw data, reduction of spectral range, multiplicative scatter correction, and 1st derivative. Accuracies of the calibration models were evaluated using the root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC), root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), coefficient of determination in the calibration (R2C), and prediction (R2P) groups. Among the different preprocessing techniques, the reduction of spectral range provided the best prediction accuracy for all traits. The NIRS showed a better performance to predict WBSF (RMSEP = 1.42 kg, R2P = 0.40) and b* color (RMSEP = 1.21, R2P = 0.44), while its ability to accurately predict L* (RMSEP = 1.98, R2P = 0.16) and a* (RMSEP = 1.42, R2P = 0.17) was limited. NIRS was unsuitable to predict subjective meat quality traits such as marbling in Nelore cattle.
Nickel–titanium shape memory alloys (NiTi SMA) working in superelastic regime have been applied in several fields, such as health (medicine and dentistry) and engineering, in a static or dynamic way. ...The aim of this paper is to study the behavior of these smart metals when subjected to dynamic mechanical stresses (fatigue). Cyclic stress-controlled tensile tests were performed to evaluate the functional and structural superelastic fatigue properties of NiTi SMA wires. The functional parameters were defined as energy dissipation, transformation stresses, residual strain, and superelastic strain, for peak stresses between 500 and 800 MPa, at frequencies of 1, 2, and 3 Hz. These frequencies were determined after a preliminary evaluation of self-heating of the NiTi wires. The number of cycles until failure (
N
f
) was plotted as a function of peak stresses (
S
) in an
S
–
N
f
fatigue curve, for each studied frequency. It was verified that both frequency and peak stress affected the functional behavior of the NiTi wires. However, the fatigue life was between 5.0 × 10
3
and 1.6 × 10
4
cycles, with a faster degradation in this range as higher is the applied peak stress, irrespective of the loading frequency.
The objective of this study was to evaluate agronomic characteristics of 32 sorghum cultivars (Sorghum bicolor(L). Moench) in the Brazilian semi-arid region. The experimental design was set up in ...randomized blocks with three replications. Treatments were the 32 sorghum cultivars. The evaluated variables were: plant height, stem diameter, tiller density, number of green leaves per tiller, average leaf length, dry matter content, fresh matter production and dry matter production (DMP) in kg/ha, and the percentage of the components panicle, leaf blade and stem. To avoid associative effects due to the presence of positive correlation with DMP, the variables plant height, number of plants per hectare and fresh matter production were excluded for being part of the discriminatory variables of the cluster. Based on the cluster analysis and subjective cutting in 20% dissimilarity, five groups were hierarchically set up. It was not possible to find groups with higher values of panicle and DMP simultaneously; however, group number 5 met significant values for both variables, with mean values of 15,037.63 kg/ha of DMP and 11.36% of panicle, besides 13.65% of leaf. Groups 3, 4 and 5 show high potential for dry matter production, especially group 5. The presence of evident variation among cultivars allows for a selection of more productive and, thus, more suitable cultivars for silage production in semi-arid regions.
The present study evaluated the microbial population, fermentation profile, losses and dry matter recovery, and chemical composition of silages of buffel grass at different cutting heights. To ...evaluate the microbial fermentation dynamics, the treatments resulted from a 4 × 5 factorial combination consisting of 4 cutting heights and 5 fermentation periods, in a completely randomized design with three replications. The fermentation was evaluated at the end of 1, 3, 7, 15 and 30 days. The other characteristics of silages with 30 days were evaluated following a completely randomized design with four treatments, consisting of 4 cutting heights (30, 40, 50 and 60 cm), and five replications. Fermentation period and cutting height effects and interaction between both factors were observed on the populations of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), enterobacteria and molds and yeasts. The peak of development of LAB populations was observed on the seventh day of fermentation for the heights of 40 and 50 cm, with 8.25 and 8.30 log cfu/g, respectively. The pH values of silages ranged with different cutting heights, in which at the height of 50 cm the decrease was most pronounced. However, the pH values were similar between the cutting heights at the end of 30 days of fermentation. Quadratic relationship was observed between lactic acid concentrations and cutting heights. The crude protein content behaved linearly, initially showing 128.5 g/kg DM at 30 cm, decreasing as the cutting heights increased. The neutral detergent fiber and ether extract contents increased linearly with the cutting heights. Based on microbial populations, fermentation, losses and chemical composition, it is recommended to harvest buffel grass for silage from 50 cm on.
This study aimed to evaluate the fermentation characteristics, losses and the chemical composition of two pearl millet genotypes silages submitted to nitrogen fertilization. The experimental design ...was a completely randomized blocks in a split plot scheme 2x5 (two nitrogen genotypes doses x five doses of nitrogen), with four replicates. Nitrogen doses were 0, 20, 40, 60, 80kg ha-1 and the pearl millet genotypes were the variety ADR300 and the hybrid ADR7010. The hybrid ADR 7010 showed average lactic acid content higher than the variety ADR 300, at all doses of N, recording values ranging from 4.09 to 10.46dag kg-1. There was an interaction between nitrogren doses and genotypes for the neutral detergent fiber, which ranged from 51.81 to 63.63dag kg-1 of dry matter. Dry matter recovery decreased linearly with increasing nitrogen doses only for hybrid ADR7010, the same did not happen for the ADR300. The nitrogen fertilization does not favor the fermentation characteristics and increases DM losses of the hybrid ADR7010.
Objetivou-se avaliar o perfil fermentativo, as perdas e a composição bromatológica de silagens de dois genótipos de milheto, submetidos à adubação nitrogenada. O delineamento utilizado foi em blocos casualizados em um esquema de parcelas subdivididas 2x5 (dois genótipos x cinco doses de nitrogênio), com quatro repetições. As doses de nitrogênio foram 0, 20, 40, 60, 80kg ha-1 e os genótipos de milheto foram a variedade ADR300 e o híbrido ADR7010. O híbrido ADR 7010 apresentou teores médios de ácido lático superiores aos da variedade ADR 300 em todos os níveis de N, registrando valores que variaram de 4,09 a 10,46 dag kg-1. Houve interação entre os níveis de adubo e os genótipos para a fibra em detergente neutro, que variaram de 51,81 a 63,63dag kg-1 de matéria seca. A recuperação de matéria seca diminuiu linearmente com o aumento das doses de nitrogênio somente para o híbrido ADR7010, o mesmo não acontecendo para a ADR300. A adubação nitrogenada não favorece o perfil fermentativo e incrementa as perdas de matéria seca do híbrido ADR7010.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the divergence of bromatological and fermentative characteristics of silages of 25 sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) hybrids. The experimental design was ...completely randomized with 25 treatments and four replications. The mean values of pH differed with variation from 3.45 to 3.87 for hybrids 866005 and 870051, respectively, and the mean pH value was 3.66. The average percentage of lactic acid ranged from 2.90 to 7.43 dag/kg of dry matter (DM) in hybrids 870035 and 866005, respectively, with an average of 4.65 dag/kg DM. Through cluster analysis by the Tocher method and average Euclidean distance based on the fermentative characteristics, five groups were formed: one with 18 hybrids, another with four and three groups with one hybrid in each. In group three, there were the hybrids that showed the highest values of lactic acid. Hybrids 870025, 870035, 870081, 870095, 866034, and 870031 showed higher DM content and the hybrid BRS 610 had the lowest average compared with the others. Hybrids 1F305, BRS 610, Volumax, and XBS60329 had the lowest levels of non-fiber carbohydrates and higher neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein. Despite the fermentative and bromatological divergences between hybrids, they are not a limiting factor to silage production.
Context and results
This work aims to study the influence of the absence and presence of permanent charges on the electronic and dynamical properties of the non-covalent bound diatomic systems ...involving He and Li, Be as neutral and ionic partners. The charge displacement results suggest that in the formation of HeLi
+
, HeBe
+
, and HeBe
2
+
, the neutral He atom undergoes, in the electric field of the ion, a pronounced electronic polarization, and the natural bond order theoretical approach indicates that in the formation of the molecular orbital He acts as a weak electron donor. The energy decomposition analysis provides the dispersion and induction components as the attractive leading terms controlling the stability of all systems, confirming that the formed bond substantially maintains a non-covalent nature which is also supported by the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) analysis. Finally, it was found that the HeLi and HeBe neutral systems are unstable under any condition, HeLi
+
and HeBe
+
ionic systems are stable below 317K and 138K, respectively, while the HeBe
2
+
system becomes unstable only after 3045K.
Computational and theoretical techniques
The potential energy curves and interactions in all systems were studied theoretically based on coupled-cluster singles and doubles method with perturbative inclusion of triples CCSD(T) method with an aug-cc-pV5Z basis set. More precisely, it was determined the potential energy curves describing the stability of the HeLi, HeLi
+
, HeBe, HeBe
+
, and HeBe
2
+
systems, the charge displacement within the formed adducts, the decomposition of their total interaction energy, the topological analysis of their bonds, their rovibrational energies, their spectroscopic constants and lifetimes.
In early September 2019, dense crude oil began to wash the beaches of Brazil's tropical coast. Four months after the first report, the oil has already been found along >3000 km of the Brazilian ...coastline on >980 beaches and was recently observed along the Amazon coast, making this oil spill the most extensive and severe environmental disaster ever recorded in Brazilian history, in the South Atlantic basin, and in tropical coastal regions worldwide. Four features of this oil-spill disaster make it unique: 1) the characteristics of the oil spill; 2) the characteristics of the affected region in tropical Brazil; 3) the significant number of protected areas (>55) and tropical ecosystems affected by the oil; and 4) the absence of measures and/or flaws in the measures taken by the federal government to address this environmental and social emergency. The affected species and poor human communities in Brazil should receive focused attention in the coming decades owing to the long-term impacts of the oil contamination. Environmental monitoring and response measures must be implemented to minimize the ecological, economic, and social effects of the spill. Biodiversity and climate regulation losses considering blue carbon environments should drive discussions regarding mining accidents and global consequences related to pre-salt oil exploitation, new spill events, and their global impacts. These measures are particularly relevant in areas with high tropical biodiversity and high social inequality, as in the present case, which represents one of the worst-case scenarios of an environmental and governmental disaster.
Display omitted
•This oil spill disaster is unique owing to four main features.•The affected Brazilian tropical region is unique considering coral endemism.•The significant number of protected areas and tropical ecosystems affected by the oil.•The characteristics of the oil spill itself.•The absence of and/or flaws in the measures taken by the federal governmental to address this emergency.
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