Production Systems to Integrate Livestock Grazing and Grain Production in Southern Brazil and Midwestern USA

Agriculture in the USA and Brazil has undergone similar and dramatic changes in the past 20 years. In both countries, production systems have become increasingly specialized. Large farms are characterized by single enterprises, simple crop rotations, and livestock production is segregated from grain production. The lack of diversification and high production costs expose producers to risk from economic swings of single enterprises and greater reliance on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers to maintain profitability, along with greater risk of soil erosion from continuous row crop production. Scientists in southern Brazil and Ohio are collaborating to develop no-tillage systems that integrate livestock grazing with cash grain production. The goal is diversified production systems that are profitable as well as biologically and environmentally sound

Lipase-producing fungi for potential wastewater treatment and bioenergy production

The use of fungal biomass as a lipase biocatalyst represents an attractive approach for the treatments of oil wastewater as well as for the production of biodiesel from oil and residual grease, due to its greater  stability, possibility of reuse, and lower cost. In this work, 20 filamentous fungi were isolated from the grease trap scum of a restaurant at the Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The fungi included those belonging to the genera Aspergillus, Beauveria, Botrytis, Cladosporium, Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Geotrichum, Penicillium, Rhizomucor, and Verticillium. Fungal lipase activity and biomass production were quantified. Lipase activity ranged from 0.13 U mg-1 protein of Rhizomucor sp. ECGF18 to 18.06 U mg-1 protein of Penicillium sp. ECGF02, and the biomass production ranged from 7.61 mg mL-1 for  Cladosporium sp. ECGF19 to 12.68 mg mL-1 for Rhizomucor sp. ECGF18. In the sequence, Penicillium sp. ECGF02 and Rhizomucor sp. ECGF18, were previously select and, further evaluated in solid-state fermentation. Results confirmed the high extracellular lipase-activity of Penicillium sp.ECG02 and the high intracellular lipase activity of Rhizomucor sp. ECG18. Rhizomucor sp. ECG18 showed potential for use in future research, in the form of whole-cell lipases, wastewater treatment, and as a biocatalyst in the production of biodiesel from oil residues.Key words: Lipase-producing fungi, wastewater treatment, bioenergy

Efeito da solução desinfetante de iodo a 2% sobre a adesão à dentina

INTRODUCTION: Disinfection of dentin surfaces is desirable so long as it does not interfere with subsequent bonding of adhesive resins. OBJECTIVE: To test the null hypothesis that bond strengths to dentin are not affected by previous application of an iodine disinfecting solution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four extracted non-carious molars were selected. Occlusal enamel was removed producing a flat dentin substrate. Test teeth were all treated with 2% Iodine disclosing/disinfecting solution (I2DDS) for 20 sec and rinsed for 20 sec followed by the application of self- or total- etching bonding systems, generating five adhesive groups (n=3): Single Bond; ; Prime & Bond NT; Clearfil SE Bond; Opti-Bond Plus. The control groups (n=3 per adhesive) had no disclosing/disinfectant application prior to adhesive application. A 4-mm thick resin restoration was built up on each tooth for microtensile testing. Statistical analyses between experimental and control groups were performed by student's t-test (alpha= 0.05). RESULTS: In general, experimental groups (previously treated with I2DDS) showed significantly lower bond strength values when compared with their respective controls (p;0.05). CONCLUSION: Acetone-base adhesive systems seem not to be affected by the application of I2DDS prior to etching and bonding procedures.INTRODUÇÃO: A desinfecção das superfícies de dentina é desejada desde que não haja interferência na adesão dos agentes adesivos. OBJETIVO: Testar a hipótese nula de que a resistência adesiva não é afetada pela aplicação prévia de uma solução desinfetante de iodo. MATERIAL AND MÉTODO: Vinte e quatro molares hígidos foram selecionados. O esmalte oclusal destes dentes foi removido, e sobre as superfícies planas de dentina expostas foi aplicada da solução desinfetante de Iodo a 2% (I2DDS), que permaneceu sobre a superfície por 20 s e foi lavada por 20 s com água deionizada. Sobre as superfícies desinfetadas foram aplicados um dos seguintes sistemas adesivos (n=3): Single Bond; Prime & Bond NT; Clearfil SE Bond; Opti-Bond Plus. Os grupos controle (n=3) não tiveram a supeficie de dentina tratada com I2DDS antes dos precedimentos adesivos. Em todos os grupos, após hibridização da dentina, foi construída uma "restauração" de resina composta com cerca de 4 mm de espessura. Após 7 dias de armazenagem em água destilada, os dentes foram secionados de modo a originarem espécimes a serem submetidos ao teste de microtração (palitos). Análise estatística para comparação dos dados foi realizada pelo teste t de student (alfa=0,05). RESULTADOS: De forma geral, os grupos experimentais (tratados com I2DDS) apresentraram resistência adesiva significativamente menor do que os respectivos grupos controle (p;0.05). Assim, a hipótese nula deve ser rejeitada para os adesivos a base de etanol e/ou a base de água, mas aceita para o adesivo a base de acetona. CONCLUSÃO: O uso da solução experimental de iodo previamente à realização dos procedimentos adesivos afetou a efetividade da união à dentina apenas quando do emprego de sistemas adesivos a base de etanol e/ou água

The Interactive Sphere for Three-Dimensional Control in Games and Virtual Reality

In electronic games, the controller is the mean through which the player can interact with the game’s virtual world, being an essential factor in all of the user experience. New controllers may, therefore, completely modify the player experience, also serving as a tool to investigate new ways of interacting with interactive systems of various purposes. In this context, this paper presents the Interactive Sphere, a spherical device to be employed specially with games and virtual reality environments. This novel device combines the pressing of certain regions of the sphere with gestural interaction, in addition to providing haptic, auditive and visual feedback. The paper describes all of the rationale behind the decisions taken during the design and development process of the device, in addition to the techniques employed for implementing the detection of the acts of pressing and moving the Interactive Sphere. In this project, accessible, low-cost materials and techniques were prioritized, which could be more easily adapted to other contexts. We envision that the lessons learned and the guidelines derived from its design and development process may assist in the idealization and construction of new ways of interacting, by providing a set of methods, techniques and technologies that were employed in the development of a new physical artifact of interaction presented in this work

Solving a capacitated waste collection problem using an open-source tool

Increasing complexity in municipal solid waste streams worldwide is pressing Solid Waste Management Systems (SWMS), which need solutions to manage the waste properly. Waste collection and transport is the first task, traditionally carried out by countries/municipalities responsible for waste management. In this approach, drivers are responsible for decision-making regarding collection routes, leading to inefficient resource expenses. In this sense, strategies to optimize waste collection routes are receiving increasing interest from authorities, companies and the scientific community. Works in this strand usually focus on waste collection route optimization in big cities, but small towns could also benefit from technological development to improve their SWMS. Waste collection is related to combinatorial optimization that can be modeled as the capacitated vehicle routing problem. In this paper, a Capacitated Waste Collection Problem will be considered to evaluate the performance of metaheuristic approaches in waste collection optimization in the city of Bragança, Portugal. The algorithms used are available on Google OR-tools, an open-source tool with modules for solving routing problems. The Guided Local Search obtained the best results in optimizing waste collection planning. Furthermore, a comparison with real waste collection data showed that the results obtained with the application of OR-Tools are promising to save resources in waste collection.This work has been supported by FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R &D Units Project Scope: UIDB/05757/2020, UIDB/00690/2020, UIDB/50020/2020, and UIDB/00319/2020. Adriano Silva was supported by FCT-MIT Portugal PhD grant SFRH/BD/151346/2021, and Filipe Alves was supported by FCT PhD grant SFRH/BD/143745/2019

White matter abnormalities in the fornix are linked to cognitive performance in SZ but not in BD disorder: An exploratory analysis with DTI deterministic tractography

Background In psychosis, white matter (WM) microstructural changes have been detected previously; however, direct comparisons of findings between bipolar (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) patients are scarce. In this study, we employed deterministic tractography to reconstruct WM tracts in BD and SZ patients. Methods Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data was carried out with n=32 euthymic BD type I patients, n=26 SZ patients and 30 matched healthy controls. Deterministic tractography using multiple indices of diffusion (fractional anisotropy (FA), tract volume (Vol), tract length (Le) and number of tracts (NofT)) were obtained from the fornix, the cingulum, the anterior thalamic radiation, and the corpus callosum bilaterally. Results We showed widespread WM microstructural changes in SZ, and changes in the corpus callosum, the left cingulum and the fornix in BD. Fornix fiber tracking scores were associated with cognitive performance in SZ, and with age and age at disease onset in the BD patient group. Limitations Although the influence of psychopharmacological drugs as biasing variables on morphological alterations has been discussed for SZ and BD, we did not observe a clear influence of drug exposure on our findings. Conclusions These results confirm the assumption that SZ patients have more severe WM changes than BD patients. The findings also suggest a major role of WM changes in the fornix as important fronto-limbic connections in the etiology of cognitive symptoms in SZ, but not in B

Changes in medicine course curricula in Brazil encouraged by the Program for the Promotion of Medical School Curricula (PROMED)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Program for the Promotion of Changes in Medical School Curricula (PROMED) was developed by the Brazilian Ministries of Health and Education. The objective of this program was to finance the implementation of changes to the curricula of medical schools directed towards the Brazilian national healthcare system (SUS). This paper reports research carried out together with the coordinators responsible for the PROMED of each medical school approved, in which interviews were used to evaluate whether this financial support succeeded in stimulating changes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of this program three years after implementation in the universities that received funding.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The 19 course coordinators of the medical schools in which the PROMED project was implemented were interviewed using a questionnaire containing 12 questions for qualitative analysis. This paper focuses partially on the reports of the results of this qualitative analysis. Laurence Bardin's.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The universities interviewed were found to have some common concerns: the decoupling of basic and professional training difficulties in achieving proximity to the network of services; insufficient funding; and the emphasis of most teachers being on teaching hospitals and specialization. These findings indicate that the direction of curriculum reform (PROMED) is toward providing a targeted training for this system.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The interviewees were aware that this program would trigger future changes in all aspects of healthcare and represents an ongoing challenge to the academic field. PROMED provided the momentum for change in the nature of medical training in Brazil and was seen as powerful enough to override other processes and as a basis for guidance regarding the methodology, pedagogical approach and scenarios of practical experience.</p

A high-resolution Holocene record on the Southern Brazilian shelf: 1 paleoenvironmental implications 2 3

ABSTRACT 22 A high resolution multi-proxy record has been used to determine environmental changes during the Holocene on 23 the southern Brazilian shelf. Present oceanographic conditions reveal wind and freshwater input as determinants 24 of short-term productivity changes in the study area. Thus, magnetic susceptibility and grain size parameter 25 variations, together with proxies of productivity (organic carbon, carbon accumulation rate, Ba, Sr and Ca 26 content, Ba/Al, Ba/Ti and Al/Ti ratios) were analyzed and compared with proxies of redox condition (V/T