In this study, three raw Brazilian clays from João Pessoa, Paraíba State (Aço AP, AVL and Verde Lodo) were characterized before and after purification and acid activation. Several instrumental techniques were used, and the raw clays were classified as dioctahedral smectites with different compositions, where the AVL sample had the highest content of montmorillonite. In addition, analyses showed modification in clay mineral compositions, mainly due to removal of impurities and octahedral sheet cation leaching during acid activation, which resulted in specific areas ranging from 42 to 93 m2 g-1 and increase of the Brønsted/Lewis acid site ratio, until 1.52 (AVL). Then, methyl esterification reactions were performed using the acid-activated clays as catalysts. The maximum acid conversions obtained were of 92 and 64%, for acetic acid using activated AVL and for lauric acid using activated Verde Lodo, respectively, and these data were correlated mainly to the Brønsted-Lowry acidity.

Carrapatos de bovinos são responsáveis por grandes perdas econômicas para a pecuária bovina mundial e seu principal método de controle, o químico, vem apresentando problemas, seja pelo desenvolvimento de amostras de carrapatos resistentes ou pela contaminação ambiental. Na tentativa de diminuir a utilização dos acaricidas, surgem pesquisas direcionadas ao desenvolvimento de vacinas contra carrapatos. Uma maneira de avaliar essas vacinas é pelo cálculo de percentagem de eficácia. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar as publicações científicas indexadas no PubMed que utilizaram este método de avaliação e discutir os principais fatores que podem interferir no seu cálculo. Dessa maneira, selecionaram-se 25 artigos que tratavam desse assunto. A percentagem de eficácia apareceu sendo calculada de duas formas, uma considerando a redução da fertilidade dos ovos e a outra não. Essa última pode subestimar a eficiência da vacina, e a fórmula de cálculo da eficácia mais completa representa o quanto da infestação a vacina realmente reduziu. Em nosso entendimento, a utilização da fórmula completa para o cálculo da percentagem de eficácia é mais abrangente e representativa do efeito da vacina na população de carrapatos.

Cattle ticks are responsible for great economic losses in cattle farming worldwide, and their main control method, chemicals, has been showing problems, whether resulting from the development of resistant strains of ticks or environmental contamination. Research studies directed toward developing vaccines against ticks are emerging. One way to evaluate those vaccines is to calculate the percentage of efficacy. The aim of this study was to analyze scientific publications archived in PubMed that used this method of assessment and discuss the main factors that may affect its calculation. Thus, 25 articles addressing this subject were selected. The percentage of efficacy was usually calculated in one of two ways, with one considering the reduced fertility of eggs and the other not. The latter method may underestimate the vaccine efficacy, and the most complete formula for calculating the efficacy reflects how much the vaccine actually affects the infestation. In our view, the use of the complete formula for calculating the percentage of efficacy is broader and more representative of the vaccine effect on the tick population.

Three samples of hydrotalcite-like materials (HTC) were synthesized and their structural characteristics were compared with two HTCs obtained commercially. Thermal analyses, FT-IR, PXRD and textural analyses were used to investigate the structural differences between commercial and synthetic samples. Particularly, the memory effect was observed at temperature higher than 600 ºC. The Rietveld refinements were obtained with expressive accuracy and the statistical parameters of goodness of fit are quite satisfactory. In conclusion, the procedures adopted in synthesis of HTC produced crystalline materials with high surface area materials.