ABSTRACT The present research aimed to verify the effect of 10 weeks of structured FT grouped by muscular actions (GFT) or alternating actions (AFT) on scapular and lumbar-pelvic girdle stability. One hundred and twenty adults (60 men; 60 women) were allocated into three groups, GFT (n= 40) that performed the actions in sequence (squat - squat - pull - pull), AFT (n= 40) that performed alternate actions (squat - pull - squat - pull) and the control group (CG, n= 40). The shoulder girdle and pelvic girdle stability were assessed using the Octobalance Upper Body Test. The GFT increased stability after the intervention and compared to the CG (p= 0.003) as assessed by the relative range of the right (ES= 0.53) and left (ES= 0.57) hemispheres. Besides, most results were within the instrument’s error value and the magnitude of the effect was moderate to trivial among the experimental groups. Therefore, ten weeks of functional training performed in a grouped sequence promoted improvements in scapular and lumbar-pelvic girdle stability.

Abstract Dielectric properties of a material are of paramount importance in many areas of knowledge. All scientific fields that deal with the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter demand this information. Consequently, suitable methods for obtaining accurate dielectric data are required. In the microwave community, the dielectric metrology with the coaxial probe method is well known due to its simplicity and practicality. It is also pointed out as a broadband and wide temperature range technique. Despite this, a detailed study of the implications of thermal effects at calibration with this technique has not been plainly reported in the literature. In the present work, a concise exposition of the problem is made. Using air, short and water as standards, we have analyzed a set of calibration procedures with different thermal conditions and compared them with the isothermal case. With the aid of statistical analysis, we have made recommendations for precise and accurate dielectric measurements at high temperatures. Using glycerol as material under test (MUT) we also demonstrated that measurements at temperatures up to 50°C above the calibration temperature can provide reliable data. Thus, measurements of glycerol up to 140°C were performed by calibrating the system with water at 90°C. This important issue was raised due to the lack of standard material data in the literature for temperatures above 100°C. From the measured data we also have derived the Cole-Davidson model parameters of glycerol from 30 to 140°C.

The aim of this study was to investigate impacts of Amazon Forest (AF) fire and conversion to pasture on carbon accumulation in particle size fractions and organic matter (OM) composition of an Acrisol. Soil samples were collected (0.00-2.00 m depth) in three sites: native AF (NAF); AF under natural regeneration for two years after burning (BAF); 23-years old Brachiaria pasture after AF burning (BRA). Assuming NAF area as reference, BAF and BRA areas showed negative carbon balance when carbon emitted to the atmosphere at AF burning is taken into account. Soil OM aromaticity and hydrophobicity, assessed via 13C nuclear magnetic resonance, in BRA and BAF were similar to that in NAF. Fire and post-fire land use altered the carbon distribution in sand, silt and clay along the soil profile and seem to have affected organo-mineral and OM self-assemblage interactions, since the relation between total soil carbon and carbon in clay was asymptotic in BAF and linear in NAF and BRA.

Abstract In this paper we propose an improved version of a single receiver DF system that combines a PLL scheme with the MUSIC algorithm to obtain both azimuthal and zenithal angles. The new approach uses a more efficient algorithm to remove the typical ambiguities of PLL-based schemes. We carry out several experiments to assess the algorithm performance. Among them, we consider complex environments, such as wireless communication channels where the received signal is corrupted by noise and suffers from distortion, interference, and multipath effects. The new scheme is tested for BPSK and QPSK signals under these conditions. The simulated results show superior performance of the proposed PLL algorithm when compared to previous techniques.

Este trabalho descreve um estudo sobre a síntese da perovsquita LaNiO3 via método do gel proteico, variando quantidade de colágeno e sobre a atividade catalítica de LaNiO3 e LaNiO3/Al2O3 na produção de gás de síntese (CO + H2). Os padrões de difração de raios X revelaram a formação da estrutura perovsquita em todas as amostras preparadas pelo método de síntese do gel protéico, variando a quantidade de colágeno e após calcinações a 700 ºC por 2 h. O catalisador LaNiO3/Al2O3 preparado pelo método de impregnação mostrou picos de difração nos difratogramas atribuídos a LaNiO3 e ao suporte (Al2O3). Este catalisador apresentou: área superficial específica de 46,1 m² g-1, dois picos de redução no perfil de redução à temperatura programada (RTP) e 46% de conversão do metano (através da oxidação parcial do metano utilizando oxigênio) depois de 18 h de reação.

This work describes a study on the synthesis of LaNiO3 perovskites via the modified proteic gel method, varying collagen content and on the catalytic activity of LaNiO3 and LaNiO3/Al2O3 in the syngas (CO + H2) production. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the formation of perovskite structure in all samples prepared by proteic gel synthesis method, varying collagen content and after calcinations at 700 ºC for 2 h. LaNiO3/Al2O3 catalyst prepared by the impregnation method showed diffraction peaks due to the perovskite structure and to the support (Al2O3). This catalyst presented: specific surface of 46.1 m² g-1, two reduction peaks in the temperature programmed reduction (TPR) profile and 46% of methane conversion (by the partial oxidation of methane using oxygen) after 18 h of reaction.

Thermal baths to decrease ambient temperature are an indispensable tool for most research and teaching laboratories, especially those in tropical or equatorial regions. A simple and inexpensive thermal bath has been developed based on a scratched compressor. It has three possible setups for cooling: sample immersed into the bath, sample flowing through the bath, and cooling liquid flowing in a jacket around the sample. It has been tested for 40 months. The temperature ranges from room temperature to 0 °C, when using water. The repeatability is better than 3% and the precision varies from 0.5% to 2%.