Utilization of Estremoz marbles sawing sludge in ceramic industry – Preliminary Approach

Portugal is in forefront of world marble production, the marble quarries and processing industries in Estremoz region has an important role in economic life. The amount of waste produced by this activity is massive and cause several problems. The aim of this study is to investigate the suitability and the effect of Estremoz marble sawing sludge in mixtures with clay to ceramic industry. Another main concern is the manufacture of environmental friend ceramics. Plasticity behavior of clay mixtures with 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20wt% of marble powder were evaluated. The incorporation of waste reduces the liquid limit and plastic index of pastes. Clay bodies were molded by uniaxial pressure and fired at maximum temperature of 950ºC. The results reveal that the addiction of marble powder increases the water absorption, apparent porosity while the bulk density decreases. Due to their influence in the melted phase an improvement in mechanical strength characteristics was registered, namely in rupture modulus. This preliminary study shows that the use such mixtures are promising in term of ceramics technological properties. Keywords: Estremoz marbles, clay, reuse, ceramics

In vitro co-cultures of Pinus pinaster with Bursaphelenchus xylophilus: a biotechnological approach to study pine wilt disease

Abstract Main conclusion Co-cultures of Pinus pinaster with Bursaphelenchus xylophilus were established as a biotechnological tool to evaluate the effect of nematotoxics addition in a host/parasite culture system. The pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the causal agent of pine wilt disease (PWD), was detected for the first time in Europe in 1999 spreading throughout the pine forests in Portugal and recently in Spain. Plant in vitro cultures may be a useful experimental system to investigate the plant/nematode relationships in loco, thus avoiding the difficulties of field assays. In this study, Pinus pinaster in vitro cultures were established and compared to in vivo 1 year-old plantlets by analyzing shoot structure and volatiles production. In vitro co-cultures were established with the PWN and the effect of the phytoparasite on in vitro shoot structure, water content and volatiles production was evaluated. In vitro shoots showed similar structure and volatiles production to in vivo maritime pine plantlets. The first macroscopic symptoms of PWD were observed about 4 weeks after in vitro co-culture establishment. Nematode population in the culture medium increased and PWNs were detected in gaps of the callus tissue and in cavities developed from the degradation of cambial cells. In terms of volatiles main components, plantlets, P. pinaster cultures, and P. pinaster with B. xylophilus co-cultures were all b- and a-pinene rich. Cocultures may be an easy-to-handle biotechnological approach to study this pathology, envisioning the understanding of and finding ways to restrain this highly devastating nematode. Keywords Maritime pine ! Monoxenic culture ! Pinewood nematode ! Relative water content ! Shoots structure ! Volatiles Abbreviations BAP 6-Benzylaminopurine DAI Days after inoculation EPPO European and Mediterranean Plant Protectio

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Consolidating efficacy of diammonium hydrogen phosphate on artificially aged and naturally weathered coarse-grained marble

The effects induced by diammonium hydrogen phosphate (DAP) on coarse marble varieties susceptible to granular disintegration as consolidation material is still poorly addressed. The work aims at investigating the behavior and efficacy of diammonium hydrogen phosphate(DAP)-based consolidant prepared in labo- ratory onto weathered coarse-grained marbles and, in the process, to unveil if the treatment investigated is a possible option to consolidate Trigaches marble elements from Roman Villa of Pisões. Sound, artificially and naturally weathered coarse marble samples were used for the purpose. The condition of naturally weathered marble slabs was assessed to reproduce artificially aged samples and used for testing the efficacy of DAP consolidant. Naturally weathered slab fragments showed a uniform damage in depth, an increased porosity and water absorption, and very similar conditions were success- fully achieved in laboratory by heating sound marbles up to 300 °C for 1 h. DAP consolidant has low viscosity and can easily penetrate within the porous structure of coarse mar- ble in granular disintegration. It promotes the formation of new calcium phosphate phases with binding capabilities that partially restore cohesion in-depth. Alteration of the color was negligible which is also a positive characteristic. Pilot tests in naturally weathered marbles revealed some interference of superficial bioorganisms residues in the absorption of DAP, however this was able to treat the entire thickness of the slab frag- ments, improving its cohesion state to an acceptable or good condition. Good correlations between the results of artificial aged samples with those of naturally weathered marble were achieved and the DAP-based treatment revealed to be an effective option to consolidate Trigaches marble elements from Roman Villa of Pisões

Accelerated action of external sulfate and chloride to study corrosion of tensile steel in reinforced concrete

Corrosion of the reinforcing steel may cause significant loss of strength of reinforced concrete structures. The study focuses on accelerating such corrosion and examining the degradation of (i) the compressive strength of concrete due to sodium sulfate in a wet atmosphere; and (ii) the flexural strength by a solution of sodium sulfate and sodium chloride. Three types of concrete were used and different beam specimens were reinforced by steel rebars of different diameters (6, 8 and 10mm), part of the beams being pre-cracked. The concrete with least strength allowed higher sulfate penetration along the entire process and the compressive strength increased slightly, possibly due to lower porosity of concrete after contamination. The results of the flexural tests showed decrease of strength in all cases. Pre-cracked beams exhibited smaller influence of porosity of concrete. Beams with 6mm rebars showed the largest loss of strength due to the contamination and corrosion proces

Influence of GFRP Confinement of Reinforced Concrete Columns on the Corrosion of Reinforcing Steel in a Salt Water Environment

This paper concentrates on the changes on the corrosion rate of the steel bars of RC columns due to their wrapping with glass fiber-reinforced polymers (GFRPs). RC cylindrical laboratorial specimens, both unwrapped and wrapped with GFRP, were immersed in a sodium chloride solution for 20 months. The changes on concrete resistivity and the corrosion process were followed by open potential measurements and electrochemical impedance. It was possible to quantify the influence of the GFRP jackets in the solution uptake and on the corrosion of the steel reinforcement. The results showed a delay on the diffusion of the solution into concrete due to the presence of the GFRP, which allowed that the bars remained in a passive state for longer immersion periods. The GFRP barrier lowered the rate of uptake of the solution and the chloride ion penetration. However, the GFRP jacket may have the properties as a physical barrier reduced due to imperfect application. The incomplete concrete saturation makes oxygen available, thus promoting an intense corrosion activity at the rebars. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers