Sustainable plant polyesters as substrates for optical gas sensors.

The fast and non-invasive detection of odors and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by gas sensors and electronic noses is a growing field of interest, mostly due to a large scope of potential applications. Additional drivers for the expansion of the field include the development of alternative and sustainable sensing materials. The discovery that isolated cross-linked polymeric structures of suberin spontaneously self-assemble as a film inspired us to develop new sensing composite materials consisting of suberin and a liquid crystal (LC). Due to their stimuli-responsive and optically active nature, liquid crystals are interesting probes in gas sensing. Herein, we report the isolation and the chemical characterization of two suberin types (from cork and from potato peels) resorting to analyses of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The collected data highlighted their compositional and structural differences. Cork suberin showed a higher proportion of longer aliphatic constituents and is more esterified than potato suberin. Accordingly, when casted it formed films with larger surface irregularities and a higher C/O ratio. When either type of suberin was combined with the liquid crystal 5CB, the ensuing hybrid materials showed distinctive morphological and sensing properties towards a set of 12 VOCs (comprising heptane, hexane, chloroform, toluene, dichlormethane, diethylether, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, acetone, ethanol, methanol, and acetic acid). The optical responses generated by the materials are reversible and reproducible, showing stability for 3 weeks. The individual VOC-sensing responses of the two hybrid materials are discussed taking as basis the chemistry of each suberin type. A support vector machines (SVM) algorithm based on the features of the optical responses was implemented to assess the VOC identification ability of the materials, revealing that the two distinct suberin-based sensors complement each other, since they selectively identify distinct VOCs or VOC groups. It is expected that such new environmentally-friendly gas sensing materials derived from natural diversity can be combined in arrays to enlarge selectivity and sensing capacity.

The use and misuse of the "impact factor" as a parameter for evaluation of scientific publication quality: a proposal to rationalize its application.

We present a critical analysis of the generalized use of the "impact factor". By means of the Kruskal-Wallis test, it was shown that it is not possible to compare distinct disciplines using the impact factor without adjustments. After assigning the median journal the value of one (1.000), the impact factor value for each journal was calculated by the rule of three. The adjusted values were homogeneous, thus permitting comparison among distinct disciplines.

The use and misuse of the "impact factor" as a parameter for evaluation of scientific publication quality: a proposal to rationalize its application

We present a critical analysis of the generalized use of the "impact factor". By means of the Kruskal-Wallis test, it was shown that it is not possible to compare distinct disciplines using the impact factor without adjustments. After assigning the median journal the value of one (1.000), the impact factor value for each journal was calculated by the rule of three. The adjusted values were homogeneous, thus permitting comparison among distinct disciplines.

Ocorrências de Trichostrongylus axei (COBBOLD, 1879) em equídeos / Trichostrongylus axei (Cobbold, 1879): occurrence on equines

Em pesquisa de Trichostrongylus axei em equídeos, foram examinados os estômagos de 37 equinos, 18 asininos e 22 muares procedentes dos estados do Maranhäo, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Minas Gerais e Goiás, registrando-se as prevalências de 75,8, 94,4 e 95,4 por cento, respectivamente para equinos, asininos e muares, com as intensidades médias de 353, 1078 e 737 e as relaçöes macho/fêmea de T. axei de 1:2,50, 1:1,79 e 1:2,37 nos mesmos hospedeiros

Spirocamallanus inopinatus (Travassos, Artigas & Pereira, 1928) e Sspirocamallanus saofranciscensis sp. n. (Nematoda, Camallanidae) em peixes da Represa de Três Marias / Spirocamallanus inopinatus (Travassos, Artigas & Pereira, 1928) and Spirocamallanus saofranciscensis sp. n. (Nematoda, Camallanidae) from fishes of Tres Marias Reservoir

Em estudo de Nematoda, Camallanidae colhidos de peixes da Represa de Três Marias (MG), os autores fizeram a descriçäo de Spirocamallanus inopinatus, com a caracterizaçäo da abertura bucal, papilas peribucais e apresentaçäo de relaçöes entre micrometrias, além de aumentar a lista de hospedeiros para este helminto, com a inclusäo de Leporinus piau, L. taeniatus, L, reinhardti, Schizodon knerii e Serrasalmus brandtii. Descreve-se também Spirocamallanus saofranciscencis sp. n., parasito de Tetragonopterus chalceus e Acestrorhynchus lacustris, que difere de S. inopinatus pelo aspecto geral, pela presença de formaçöes à semelhança de dentes no fundo da cápsula bucal, pela relaçäo altura/largura da cavidade bucal e pela presença de quatro projeçöes semelhantes a dentes retráteis na abertura bucal

Cyathostomum tetracanthum (Mehlis, 1831) e Cylicocylus auriculatus (Loos, 1900) em asininos no Brasil / Cyathostomum tetracanthum (Mehlis, 1831) and Cylicocylus auriculatus (Loos, 1900) from Brazilian Equus asinus L

Em necropsias de asininos, procedentes dos estados do Maranhäo, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Bahia e Minas Garais, os autores identificaram as espécies Cyathostorum tetracanthum e Cylicocylus auriculatus, encontradas, respectivamente, em 78,9 e 57,9 por cento dos asininos necropsiados. As espécies foram descritas e tiveram suas morfologias bem ilustradas e comparadas com as descriçöes de outros autores

Cyathostominae parasite to Equus asinus L. in some Brazilian states

Foram necropsiados 18 jumentos procedentes dos Estados do Maranhäo, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Bahia e Minas Gerais e identificadas as seguintes espécies de Cyathostominae: Cyathostomum alveatum, C. catinatum, C. coronatum, C. labiatum, C. labratum, C. pateratum, C. tetracanthum, Cylicocyclus auriculatus, C. brevicapsulatus, C. elongatus, C. insigne, C. gyalocephaloides, C. leptostomus, C. nassatus, C. radiatus, C. ultrajectinus, Cylocostephanus calicatus, C. goldi, C. longibursatus, C. minutus, Cylicodontophorus bicoronatus, C. euproctus e Gyalocephalus capitatus. Säo analisadas as frequências, a composiçäo das infecçöes, a abundância relativa das espécies e as relaçöes macho/fêmea. Cyathostoma tetracanthum e Cylicocylus auriculatus säo notificados pela primeira vez no Brasil