Effects of Interactions Among Alloying Elements on the Microstructure, Phase Transitions, and Electrical Resistivity of the Cu81Al19 Alloy

R. D. A. Pinto,L. D. R. Ferreira,R. A. G. Silva 대한금속·재료학회 2022 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.28 No.8

Cu–Al alloys have been used for marine applications due to their corrosion resistance and smart materials based on the shapememory effect. A technological tendency for Cu–Al alloys is the development of increasingly complex formulations, althoughthe role of alloying elements still unclear in comparison to other metallurgical systems, such as steels. In the present study,2 at% Cu were substituted by equal quantities of Ni and Ga in the Cu81Al19alloy, which are elements from the same periodand similar in size to the Cu atom. The obtained alloys were analyzed by several characterization techniques. The resultsshowed that the Ni addition increases the critical temperatures and decreases the microhardness values. The Ga additionhas the opposite effect. Both alloying elements produce new phases in the microstructures, hamper the α phase ordering,accelerate the β phase decomposition, and increase the conductivity of the Cu81Al19alloy. From this study, it is possible torealize that small changes in atomic features (electronic structure, atomic radius, valence, electronegativity) from a portionof atoms are enough to obtain distinctive materials, which turns the design of new Cu–Al alloys and the prediction of theirproperties a challenging task.

Sentinel Lymph Node Navigation Surgery for Early Gastric Cancer: Is It a Safe Procedure in Countries with Non- Endemic Gastric Cancer Levels? A Preliminary Experience

Guilherme Pinto Bravo Neto,Elizabeth Gomes Dos Santos,Felipe Carvalho Victer,Marcelo Soares Neves,Carlos Eduardo De Souza Carvalho,Marcia Ferreira Pinto 대한위암학회 2016 Journal of gastric cancer Vol.16 No.1

Purpose: Early diagnosis of gastric cancer is still the exception in Western countries. In the East, as in Japan and Korea, this disease is an endemic disorder. More conservative surgical procedures are frequently performed in early gastric cancer cases in these countries where sentinel lymph node navigation surgery is becoming a safe option for some patients. This study aims to evaluate preliminary outcomes of patients with early gastric cancer who underwent sentinel node navigation surgeries in Brazil, a country with non-endemic gastric cancer levels. Materials and Methods: From September 2008 to March 2014, 14 out of 205 gastric cancer patients underwent sentinel lymph node navigation surgeries, which were performed using intraoperative, endoscopic, and peritumoral injection of patent blue dye. Results: Antrectomies with Billroth I gastroduodenostomies were performed in seven patients with distal tumors. The other seven patients underwent wedge resections. Sentinel basin resections were performed in four patients, and lymphadenectomies were extended to stations 7, 8, and 9 in the other 10. Two patients received false-negative results from sentinel node biopsies, and one of those patients had micrometastasis. There was one postoperative death from liver failure in a cirrhotic patient. Another cirrhotic patient died after two years without recurrence of gastric cancer, also from liver failure. All other patients were followed-up for 13 to 79 months with no evidence of recurrence. Conclusions: Sentinel lymph node navigation surgery appears to be a safe procedure in a country with non-endemic levels of gastric cancer.

Sentinel Lymph Node Navigation Surgery for Early Gastric Cancer: Is It a Safe Procedure in Countries with Non-Endemic Gastric Cancer Levels? A Preliminary Experience

Neto, Guilherme Pinto Bravo,Santos, Elizabeth Gomes Dos,Victer, Felipe Carvalho,Neves, Marcelo Soares,Pinto, Marcia Ferreira,Carvalho, Carlos Eduardo De Souza The Korean Gastric Cancer Association 2016 Journal of gastric cancer Vol.16 No.1

Purpose: Early diagnosis of gastric cancer is still the exception in Western countries. In the East, as in Japan and Korea, this disease is an endemic disorder. More conservative surgical procedures are frequently performed in early gastric cancer cases in these countries where sentinel lymph node navigation surgery is becoming a safe option for some patients. This study aims to evaluate preliminary outcomes of patients with early gastric cancer who underwent sentinel node navigation surgeries in Brazil, a country with non-endemic gastric cancer levels. Materials and Methods: From September 2008 to March 2014, 14 out of 205 gastric cancer patients underwent sentinel lymph node navigation surgeries, which were performed using intraoperative, endoscopic, and peritumoral injection of patent blue dye. Results: Antrectomies with Billroth I gastroduodenostomies were performed in seven patients with distal tumors. The other seven patients underwent wedge resections. Sentinel basin resections were performed in four patients, and lymphadenectomies were extended to stations 7, 8, and 9 in the other 10. Two patients received false-negative results from sentinel node biopsies, and one of those patients had micrometastasis. There was one postoperative death from liver failure in a cirrhotic patient. Another cirrhotic patient died after two years without recurrence of gastric cancer, also from liver failure. All other patients were followed-up for 13 to 79 months with no evidence of recurrence. Conclusions: Sentinel lymph node navigation surgery appears to be a safe procedure in a country with non-endemic levels of gastric cancer.

Can a spontaneous smile invalidate facial identification by photo-anthropometry?

Pinto, Paulo Henrique Viana,Rodrigues, Caio Henrique Pinke,Rozatto, Juliana Rodrigues,da Silva, Ana Maria Bettoni Rodrigues,Bruni, Aline Thais,da Silva, Marco Antonio Moreira Rodrigues,da Silva, Ricar Korean Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology 2021 Imaging Science in Dentistry Vol.51 No.3

Purpose: Using images in the facial image comparison process poses a challenge for forensic experts due to limitations such as the presence of facial expressions. The aims of this study were to analyze how morphometric changes in the face during a spontaneous smile influence the facial image comparison process and to evaluate the reproducibility of measurements obtained by digital stereophotogrammetry in these situations. Materials and Methods: Three examiners used digital stereophotogrammetry to obtain 3-dimensional images of the faces of 10 female participants(aged between 23 and 45 years). Photographs of the participants' faces were captured with their faces at rest (group 1) and with a spontaneous smile (group 2), resulting in a total of 60 3-dimensional images. The digital stereophotogrammetry device obtained the images with a 3.5-ms capture time, which prevented undesirable movements of the participants. Linear measurements between facial landmarks were made, in units of millimeters, and the data were subjected to multivariate and univariate statistical analyses using Pirouette^® version 4.5 (InfoMetrix Inc., Woodinville, WA, USA) and Microsoft Excel^® (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA), respectively. Results: The measurements that most strongly influenced the separation of the groups were related to the labial/buccal region. In general, the data showed low standard deviations, which differed by less than 10% from the measured mean values, demonstrating that the digital stereophotogrammetry technique was reproducible. Conclusion: The impact of spontaneous smiles on the facial image comparison process should be considered, and digital stereophotogrammetry provided good reproducibility.

Evaluation of Antihyperglycemia and Antihypertension Potential of Native Peruvian Fruits Using In Vitro Models

Pinto, Marcia Da Silva,Ranilla, Lena Galvez,Apostolidis, Emmanouil,Lajolo, Franco Maria,Genovese, Maria Ines,Shetty, Kalidas The Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition 2009 Journal of medicinal food Vol.12 No.2

Local food diversity and traditional crops are essential for cost-effective management of the global epidemic of type 2 diabetes and associated complications of hypertension. Water and 12% ethanol extracts of native Peruvian fruits such as Lucuma (Pouteria lucuma), Pacae (Inga feuille), Papayita arequipe$\tilde{n}$a (Carica pubescens), Capuli (Prunus capuli), Aguaymanto (Physalis peruviana), and Algarrobo (Prosopis pallida) were evaluated for total phenolics, antioxidant activity based on 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay, and functionality such as in vitro inhibition of $\alpha$-amylase, $\alpha$-glucosidase, and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) relevant for potential management of hyperglycemia and hypertension linked to type 2 diabetes. The total phenolic content ranged from 3.2 (Aguaymanto) to 11.4 (Lucuma fruit) mg/g of sample dry weight. A significant positive correlation was found between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity for the ethanolic extracts. No phenolic compound was detected in Lucuma (fruit and powder) and Pacae. Aqueous extracts from Lucuma and Algarrobo had the highest $\alpha$-glucosidase inhibitory activities. Papayita arequipe$\tilde{n}$a and Algarrobo had significant ACE inhibitory activities reflecting antihypertensive potential. These in vitro results point to the excellent potential of Peruvian fruits for food-based strategies for complementing effective antidiabetes and antihypertension solutions based on further animal and clinical studies.

Improved Decoupled Control and Islanding Detection of Inverter-Based Distribution in Multibus Microgrid Systems

Pinto, Smitha Joyce,Panda, Gayadhar The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2016 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.16 No.4

This work mainly discusses an accurate and fast islanding detection based on fractional wavelet packet transform (FRWPT)for multibus microgrid systems. The proposed protection scheme uses combined desirable features retrieved from discrete fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) and wavelet packet transform (WPT) techniques, which provides precise time-frequency information on minute perturbation signals introduced in the system. Moreover, this study focuses on the design of decoupling control with a distributed controller based on state feedback for the efficient operation of microgrid systems that are transitioning from the grid-connected mode to the islanded mode. An IEEE 9-bus test system with inverter based distributed generation (DG) units is considered for islanding assessment and smooth operation. Finally, tracking errors are greatly reduced with stability improvement based on the proposed controller. FRWPT based islanding detection is demonstrated via a time domain simulation of the system. Simulated results show an improvement in system stability with the application of the proposed controller and accurate islanding detection based on the FRWPT technique in comparison with the results obtained by applying the wavelet transform (WT) and WPT.

Critical Drivers and Barriers of Corporate Social Responsibility in Saudi Arabia Organizations

Luisa PINTO,Alwyia ALLUI 한국유통과학회 2020 The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Busine Vol.7 No.11

Several studies demonstrate that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is becoming a dominant issue in both research and companies’ management due to stakeholders’ pressure. The identification of internal and external drivers and barriers is an initial stage of the corporate social responsibility implementation. The study aims to identify and analyze the drivers and barriers of CSR in Saudi Arabia’s private organizations. For this purpose, primary data were collected using a survey questionnaire that was administered to a representative sample of companies from different sectors in Saudi Arabia. The results show that the main drivers behind the adoption of CSR among Saudi companies are improvement of corporate image, ethical/moral commitment, and to some extend customers’ requirements and risk management. The findings of this study also suggest that there are important barriers hindering the adoption of corporate social responsibility. Among these, the lack of management commitment and the lack of investors’ interests together with the lack of economic resources and lack of employees’ competencies are the most prominent. The findings of this study not only contribute to a deeper understanding of CSR drivers and barriers, but could also encourage firms’ managers and stakeholders to improve CSR activities for more effective implementation.

Microbial symbionts of Leaf-cutting ants (Atta and Acromyrmex )

Adrián Pinto-Tomás 한국응용곤충학회 2018 한국응용곤충학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2018 No.10

Mature colonies of leaf-cutting ants (LCA) in the genus Atta are among the largest of any social insect. These “superorganisms” harvest substantial amounts of leaf material per year, which they use to cultivate a specialized symbiotic fungus for food (Basidiomycota, Agaricales, Leucoagaricus). This complex symbiosis is not bipartite as originally thought, as it includes at least four coevolved and integrated organisms: the farming ants, the fungi that the ants cultivate for food, a genus of fungi (Escovopsis) that are specialized mycoparasites of the ant’s fungal gardens, and actinomycete bacteria (genus Pseudonocardia) that the ants culture on their bodies and from which they obtain antibiotics against the Escovopsis parasites. More recently we described an additional symbiosis with Nitrogen-fixing bacteria that colonize the fungus gardens and contribute to supplement the ants’ nutrition. Our present research efforts in Costa Rica focus on potential biotechnological application of the ants’ microbial symbionts, including bioprospecting for novel antibiotics. We currently investigate the contributions of symbiotic bacteria in cellulose degradation within the fungus garden, employing a combination of culture-dependent and independent techniques coupled with ultrastructural analysis based on high resolution microscopy. Further, given that the ants constitute one of the main agricultural pests in Latin America, we study microbial parasites of both the ants and the fungus gardens to develop biocontrol products that can be incorporated into Integrated Management Strategies to control the detrimental effects of these insects.

TOURIST ENGAGEMENT AND THE IDENTIFICATION WITH THE BRAND OF DESTINATION: THE CASE OF (RE)VISITING THE CITY OF PORTO

Ana Pinto Borges,Elvira Vieira,Paula Rodrigues 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2018 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2018 No.07

We evaluate the loyalty of a tourist destination considering tangible and intangible factors using the city of Porto as a case study. We observed that the main dimensions that the tourists associate with the visit and consequently with the city, in order of importance, were: i) engagement with the city of Porto, ii) identification with city of Porto, iii) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the city of Porto, iv) experiences in the city of Porto, and v) having visited visiting the city of Porto. Direct interviews were administered in the main tourist’s points in the city during the month of October 2017. The survey was only applied to the respondents who pursued tourism in the city of Porto, with 958 valid questionnaires. The questionnaire included the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents, the evaluation of level of importance of the eleven factors related to the trip, the level of agreement with the eight statements on the engagement with Porto developed by Sprott et al. (2009) – applied for the first time to a destination - and, in the final part, the evaluation of the intention to return to city of Porto. The eleven statements related to the importance of various factors associated to the trip and the eight statements that evaluate the engagement with the city were subjected to a principal components analysis with varimax rotation in order to identify the main dimensions. A logistic regression was used to explore the determinants of the likelihood to return to Porto considering the respondents’ sociodemographic variables and the main dimensions obtained in the factorial analysis (related to the important factors on the trip and the engagement with the city). Regarding the intention to return, which is the proxy of tourists’ loyalty to the destination, we observed that it is positively influenced by the engagement with the city, the tourist’s perception of CSR, the good experience in the city and having visited the city. These results connect the political, economic and marketing objectives in the tourism sector. The goals need to be aligned and the stakeholders(visitors, local residents and business, public bodies and government) must work together to maintain a solid and unified destination image. Considering that the city of Porto has been in the spotlight at an international level as one of the top cities’ destinations, this kind of information is fundamental for Porto to continue to be an attractive city tourism destination.

Disinfection exhibits systematic selective pressures on the drinking water microbiome

Ameet PINTO 대한환경공학회 2019 대한환경공학회 학술발표논문집 Vol.2019 No.-