Innovation for Sustainability and Networking

Throughout human history, innovation has been the main factor in adapting humanity to its settings. On the basis of earlier practice, human creativity allows the finding of new, permanent ways to do things. their applications encourage new spaces, new necessities and new lifestyles. Innovation has been an element of human capacities from its earlier stages, but it has been recognized only recently as a clear device of social and economic change

Fungal diversity associated to the olive moth, prays oleae Bernard : a survey for potential entomopathogenic fungi

Olive production is one of the main agricultural activities in Portugal. In the region of Trás-os-Montes this crop has been considerably affected by Prays oleae. In order to evaluate the diversity of fungi on P. oleae population of Trás-os-Montes olive orchards, larvae and pupae of the three annual generations (phyllophagous, antophagous and carpophagous) were collected and evaluated for fungal growth on their surface. From the 3828 larvae and pupae, a high percentage of individuals exhibited growth of a fungal agent (40.6%), particularly those from the phyllophagous generation. From all the moth generations, a total of 43 species from 24 genera were identified, but the diversity and abundance of fungal species differed between the three generations. Higher diversity was found in the carpophagous generation, followed by the antophagous and phyllophagous generations. The presence of fungi displaying entomopathogenic features was highest in the phyllophagous larvae and pupae, being B. bassiana the most abundant taxa. The first report of B. bassiana presence on P. oleae could open new strategies for the biocontrol of this major pest in olive groves, since the use of an already adapted species increases the guarantee of success of a biocontrol approach. The identification of antagonistic fungi able to control agents that cause major olive diseases, such as Verticillium dahliae, will benefit future biological control approaches for limiting this increasingly spreading pathogen.This work was supported by Science and Technology Foundation (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia – FCT) project PTDC/AGR-AAM/102600/2008 “Entomopathogenic fungi associated to olive pests: isolation, characterization and selection for biological control”. The first author is grateful to the Science and Technology Foundation for the PhD grant SFRH/BD/44265/2008

Reconfiguração ótima de sistemas de distribuição para minimização de perdas de energia

This paper presents an algorithm for reconfiguration of Electrical Distribution Systems in order to minimize energy losses considering different load levels. This problem is considered as mixed integer non linear programming, in which a continuous function is used to handle the discrete variables. As consequence, the proposed model is solved using a step by step approach where the primal-dual interior point technique is solved at each step. The Lagrange multiplies are used to evaluate the sensitivity index for the reconfiguration process. The developed algorithm is tested in three systems of the literature.Este artigo apresenta um algoritmo para a reconfiguração ótima de Sistemas de Distribuição de Energia Elétrica (SDE), com o objetivo de minimizar a perda total de energia considerando diferentes níveis de carregamento. Trata-se de um problema de programação não linear inteira mista onde a variável discreta é modelada como uma função contínua. Como conseqüência, o problema proposto é resolvido através de um algoritmo passo a passo, onde em cada passo é utilizado o Método Primal-Dual de Pontos Interiores. Os multiplicadores de Lagrange são utilizados para compor o índice de sensibilidade no processo de reconfiguração. O algoritmo proposto é testado em três sistemas encontrados na literatura

Severe early onset preeclampsia: short and long term clinical, psychosocial and biochemical aspects

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy specific disorder commonly defined as de novo hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks gestational age. It occurs in approximately 3-5% of pregnancies and it is still a major cause of both foetal and maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide1. As extensive research has not yet elucidated the aetiology of preeclampsia, there are no rational preventive or therapeutic interventions available. The only rational treatment is delivery, which benefits the mother but is not in the interest of the foetus, if remote from term. Early onset preeclampsia (<32 weeks’ gestational age) occurs in less than 1% of pregnancies. It is, however often associated with maternal morbidity as the risk of progression to severe maternal disease is inversely related with gestational age at onset2. Resulting prematurity is therefore the main cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity in patients with severe preeclampsia3. Although the discussion is ongoing, perinatal survival is suggested to be increased in patients with preterm preeclampsia by expectant, non-interventional management. This temporising treatment option to lengthen pregnancy includes the use of antihypertensive medication to control hypertension, magnesium sulphate to prevent eclampsia and corticosteroids to enhance foetal lung maturity4. With optimal maternal haemodynamic status and reassuring foetal condition this results on average in an extension of 2 weeks. Prolongation of these pregnancies is a great challenge for clinicians to balance between potential maternal risks on one the eve hand and possible foetal benefits on the other. Clinical controversies regarding prolongation of preterm preeclamptic pregnancies still exist – also taking into account that preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the Netherlands5 - a debate which is even more pronounced in very preterm pregnancies with questionable foetal viability6-9. Do maternal risks of prolongation of these very early pregnancies outweigh the chances of neonatal survival? Counselling of women with very early onset preeclampsia not only comprises of knowledge of the outcome of those particular pregnancies, but also knowledge of outcomes of future pregnancies of these women is of major clinical importance. This thesis opens with a review of the literature on identifiable risk factors of preeclampsia

Reconstruction of primary vertices at the ATLAS experiment in Run 1 proton–proton collisions at the LHC

This paper presents the method and performance of primary vertex reconstruction in proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment during Run 1 of the LHC. The studies presented focus on data taken during 2012 at a centre-of-mass energy of √s=8 TeV. The performance has been measured as a function of the number of interactions per bunch crossing over a wide range, from one to seventy. The measurement of the position and size of the luminous region and its use as a constraint to improve the primary vertex resolution are discussed. A longitudinal vertex position resolution of about 30μm is achieved for events with high multiplicity of reconstructed tracks. The transverse position resolution is better than 20μm and is dominated by the precision on the size of the luminous region. An analytical model is proposed to describe the primary vertex reconstruction efficiency as a function of the number of interactions per bunch crossing and of the longitudinal size of the luminous region. Agreement between the data and the predictions of this model is better than 3% up to seventy interactions per bunch crossing

HIDROCARBONETOS EM SOLOS E SEDIMENTOS DO ENTORNO DA ESTAÇÃO ANTÁRTICA BRASILEIRA COMANDANTE FERRAZ

Despite being remote and uninhabited, the Antartic Continent is not free from the impact of human presence. Among the possible impacts, the presence of oilderived hydrocarbons has been a matter of concern. The ships operating in the region and the transportation of diesel oil to the power plant of Comandante Ferraz Station (EACF) have contributed to the introduction of oil hydrocartbons into the environment. This work, as part of Criosols project, aimed to evaluate the presence of oil hydrocarbons at the surrounds of EACF. Soils samples were collected in a prestablished area during the summer of 2003. The aliphatic and aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons were extracted by Soxhlet. The hydrocarbons were isolated, identified and quantified by CGMS. The aliphatic and aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons found in the soil and sediments were similar to those found in the diesel fuel and their areas of dispersion, mainly in the sub-surface, were larger than those of the volatile aromatic hydrocarbons. The aliphatic hydrocarbons with the highest concentrations were pentadecane, octadecane and pentacosane. Among the aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons, acenaftene, fluorantene and chysene had the highest concentrations and a larger area of dispersion.    Por mais remoto e desabitado que o continente Antártico seja, ele não está livre do impacto da presença humana. Dentre os possíveis impactos, a presença de hidrocarbonetos derivados de petróleo têm sido objeto de preocupação. A ocorrência de embarcações operando na região e o transporte de óleo diesel para os geradores da Estação Antártica Comandante Ferraz (EACF) tem contribuído para a introdução de hidrocarbonetos de petróleo no ambiente. Este trabalho, como parte do projeto Criossolos, teve como objetivo avaliar a presença de hidrocarbonetos de petróleo no entorno da EACF. As amostras de solos foram coletadas numa grade rígida durante o verão de 2003. Os hidrocarbonetos alifáticos e policíclicos aromáticos foram extraídos por Soxhlet. Os hidrocarbonetos foram separados, identificados e quantificados por meio de CGMS. Os hidrocarbonetos alifáticos e policíclicos aromáticos encontrados no solo e sedimentos assemelharam-se àqueles do diesel e a sua área de dispersão, principalmente em sub-superfície, foi maior que aquela dos hidrocarbonetos voláteis. Os hidrocarbonetos alifáticos com maiores concentrações foram o pentadecano, octadecano e o pentacosano. Dentre os hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos os compostos acenafteno, fluoranteno e criseno obtiveram maiores concentrações e uma maior área de dispersão

Emissão de gases de efeito estufa (GEE) e qualidade do solo em sistema de Integração Lavoura-Pecuária-Floresta (ILPF), na Zona da Mata de Alagoas.

O estudo demonstrou que a transição de pastagem convencional para o sistema ILPF aumentou o estoque de carbono no solo em três anos. O monitoramento de gases revelou que a adubação nitrogenada eleva o fluxo de óxido nitroso temporariamente, com pico após quatro dias. O sistema ILPF mostrou-se estratégico para a sustentabilidade

Stochastic Dynamic Programming Applied to Hydrothermal Power Systems Operation Planning Based on the Convex Hull Algorithm

This paper presents a new approach for the expected cost-to-go functions modeling used in the stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) algorithm. The SDP technique is applied to the long-term operation planning of electrical power systems. Using state space discretization, the Convex Hull algorithm is used for constructing a series of hyperplanes that composes a convex set. These planes represent a piecewise linear approximation for the expected cost-to-go functions. The mean operational costs for using the proposed methodology were compared with those from the deterministic dual dynamic problem in a case study, considering a single inflow scenario. This sensitivity analysis shows the convergence of both methods and is used to determine the minimum discretization level. Additionally, the applicability of the proposed methodology for two hydroplants in a cascade is demonstrated. With proper adaptations, this work can be extended to a complete hydrothermal system

NLP based model for individual plant dispatch in long term hydrothermal planning

This paper presents a method to the hydrothermal dispatch using optimization techniques based on non linear programming techniques. To do so, the expected cost-to-go functions from a long term operation plannning strategic decision model are used. This decision model is based on stochastic dual dynamic programming and energy equivalent reservoirs. The proposed method considers a set of historical water inflow scenarios to the hydroelectric reservoirs. Those scenarios are used to simulate the long term operation planning to a given horizon. The results obtained from this disaggregation model (MIUH) are compared with those from the model officially adopted in the Brazilian power system, SUISHI-O. The latter is based on operation heuristics aiming at operating the reservoir maintaining the water storag e in similar levels, that is, trying to operate them in parallel.Este trabalho apresenta um modelo de despacho hidrotérmico à usinas individualizadas, utilizando métodos de otimização baseados em programação não linear. Para tanto, considera-se funções de custo futuro geradas por um modelo de decisão estratégica baseado em programação dinâmica e sistemas equivalentes de energia. O modelo proposto considera diversos cenários históricos de afluências hidrológicas às usinas hidrelétricas, os quais são simulados para um horizonte de planejamento da operação de médio/longo prazo. Os resultados obtidos através do modelo proposto, denominado Modelo Individualizado de Usinas Hidráulicas (MIUH), são comparados com os resultados obtidos a partir da utilização do modelo SUISHI-O adotado pelo Operador Nacional do Sistema Elétrico Brasileiro (ONS)

Paternal resistance training induced modifications in the left ventricle proteome independent of offspring diet

Ancestral obesogenic exposure is able to trigger harmful effects in the offspring left ventricle (LV) which could lead to cardiovascular diseases. However, the impact of the father’s lifestyle on the offspring LV is largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 8 weeks of paternal resistance training (RT) on the offspring left ventricle (LV) proteome exposed to control or high-fat (HF) diet. Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: sedentary fathers and trained fathers (8 weeks, 3 times per week with weights secured to the animals’ tails). The offspring were obtained by mating with sedentary females. Upon weaning, male offspring were divided into 4 groups (5 animals per group): offspring from sedentary fathers, exposed to control diet (SFO-C); offspring from trained fathers, exposed to control diet (TFO-C); offspring from sedentary fathers, exposed to high-fat diet (SFO-HF); and offspring from trained fathers, exposed to highfat diet (TFO-HF). The LC-MS/MS analysis revealed 537 regulated proteins among groups. Offspring exposure to HF diet caused reduction in the abundance levels of proteins related to cell component organization, metabolic processes, and transport. Proteins related to antioxidant activity, transport, and transcription regulation were increased in TFO-C and TFO-HF as compared with the SFO-C and SFO-HF groups. Paternal RT demonstrated to be an important intervention capable of inducing significant effects on the LV proteome regardless of offspring diet due to the increase of proteins involved into LV homeostasis maintenance. This study contributes to a better understanding of the molecular aspects involved in transgenerational inheritance