Sao Paulo State University

About: Sao Paulo State University is a education organization based out in São Paulo, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 55715 authors who have published 100436 publications receiving 1375332 citations.

Facile Synthesis of Sub-20 nm Silver Nanowires through a Bromide-Mediated Polyol Method

Abstract: Essentially all of the Ag nanowires reported in the literature have sizes larger than 30 nm in diameter. In this article, we report a simple and robust approach to the synthesis of Ag nanowires with diameters below 20 nm and aspect ratios over 1000 using a one-pot polyol method. The Ag nanowires took a penta-twinned structure, and they could be obtained rapidly ( 85% of the as-obtained solid product) under atmospheric pressure. The key to the success of this synthesis is to restrain the nanowires from lateral growth by employing both Br– ions and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) with a high molecular weight of 1 300 000 g/mol to cap the {100} side faces, together with the use of a syringe pump to slowly introduce AgNO3 into the reaction solution. By optimizing the ratios between the capping agents and AgNO3, we were able to slow down the reduction kinetics and effectively direct the Ag nanowires to grow along the longitudinal direction only. The nanowires showed great mechani...

Are supplier selection criteria going green? Case studies of companies in Brazil

Abstract: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to verify if Brazilian companies are adopting environmental requirements in the supplier selection process. Further, this paper intends to analyze whether there is a relation between the level of environmental management maturity and the inclusion of environmental criteria in the companies' selection of suppliers. Design/methodology/approach - A review of mainstream literature on environmental management, traditional criteria in the supplier selection process and the incorporation of environmental requirements in this context. The empirical study's strategy is based on five Brazilian case studies with industrial companies. Face-to-face interviews and informal conversations are to be held, explanations made by e-mail with representatives from the purchasing, environmental management, logistics and other areas, and observation and the collection of company documents are also employed. Findings - Based on the cases, it is concluded that companies still use traditional criteria to select suppliers, such as quality and cost, and do not adopt environmental requirements in the supplier selection process in a uniform manner. Evidence found shows that the level of environmental management maturity influences the depth with which companies adopt environmental criteria when selecting suppliers. Thus, a company with more advanced environmental management adopts more formal procedures for selecting environmentally appropriate suppliers than others. Originality/value - This is the first known study to verify if Brazilian companies are adopting environmental requirements in the supplier selection process. © 2009 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.

Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract: Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disorder that results in cognitive and behavioral impairment. Conventional treatment strategies, such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitor drugs, often fail due to their poor solubility, lower bioavailability, and ineffective ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Nanotechnological treatment methods, which involve the design, characterization, production, and application of nanoscale drug delivery systems, have been employed to optimize therapeutics. These nanotechnologies include polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, microemulsion, nanoemulsion, and liquid crystals. Each of these are promising tools for the delivery of therapeutic devices to the brain via various routes of administration, particularly the intranasal route. The objective of this study is to present a systematic review of nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Searches for invisible decays of the Higgs boson in pp collisions at √s = 7, 8, and 13 TeV

Abstract: Searches for invisible decays of the Higgs boson are presented. The data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC correspond to integrated luminosities of 5.1, 19.7, and 2.3 fb−1 at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, respectively. The search channels target Higgs boson production via gluon fusion, vector boson fusion, and in association with a vector boson. Upper limits are placed on the branching fraction of the Higgs boson decay to invisible particles, as a function of the assumed production cross sections. The combination of all channels, assuming standard model production, yields an observed (expected) upper limit on the invisible branching fraction of 0.24 (0.23) at the 95% confidence level. The results are also interpreted in the context of Higgs-portal dark matter models.