Nannochloropsis gaditana grown outdoors in annular photobioreactors: operation strategies

Microalgae are a topic of intense research due to their potential applications in bio-based economy. However, sustainable commercial production is still overpriced due to high cultivation costs, harvesting and dewatering processes. In the present study, trials were conducted with the aim to improve daily operation strategies related to microalgae harvesting processes that did not compromise biomass productivity or the biochemical composition of the cultivated microalgae. Two experimental trials were performed in outdoor tubular annular photobioreactors to evaluate the effects of harvesting and medium dilution time (sunrise vs sunset) on Nannochloropsis gaditana biomass productivity, lipid and fatty acid content. Results showed that harvesting time had no significant effect on cell concentration and biomass productivity. Harvesting and medium dilution time did not affect lipid content. However, lipid content in samples collected at sunset was significantly higher than in samples collected at sunrise for both experimental treatments. The fatty acids profiles were mainly composed by polyunsaturated fatty acids, followed by mono-unsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids. Regardless of medium dilution time, harvesting at sunset indicated that lipidic production (higher polyunsaturated fatty acids and lower saturated fatty acids) was favored without affecting the biomass productivity. The current study showed harvesting in the afternoon is a viable option for large production units that use semi-continuous strategy, without compromising biomass cell and lipid productivity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prevalência da exposição ao fumo ambiental do tabaco em casa e do tabagismo na população Portuguesa – o estudo INAsma

ResumoIntroduçãoNeste estudo, pretendemos: 1) estimar a prevalência, na população portuguesa, da exposição ao fumo ambiental do tabaco em casa; 2) estimar a prevalência de tabagismo em Portugal; 3) identificar as características sociais e pessoais associadas ao tabagismo ou à exposição ao fumo ambiental do tabaco.MétodosEstudo transversal consistindo na aplicação, à população, a nível nacional, de questionário telefónico. Completaram a entrevista 6 003 indivíduos. A exposição ao fumo ambiental do tabaco em casa foi definida como a exposição, em casa, ao fumo do tabaco de, pelo menos, um fumador atual. Por fumador entendeu-se um indivíduo com ≥ 15 anos que fumou, pelo menos, um cigarro por dia durante um período de um ano; um fumador atual fumou no último mês.ResultadosReferiram exposição ao fumo ambiental do tabaco em casa 26,6% dos participantes (IC 95%: 25,5-27,7). Viver num agregado familiar constituído por ≥ 4 pessoas (OR=2,31; IC 95%: [1,81-2,96]), ser fumador atual (OR=7,29; IC 95%: [5,74-9,26]) ou ter asma atual (OR=2,06; IC 95%: [1,45-2,94]) associaram-se positivamente à exposição ao fumo ambiental do tabaco. Na análise estratificada por sexo, o efeito da asma atual manteve-se apenas nas mulheres.Atualmente, 19,0% (IC 95%: 18,0-20,0) da população portuguesa é fumadora e 17,2% (IC 95%: 16,2-18,2) são ex-fumadores. A prevalência de fumadores atuais é mais elevada nos homens do que nas mulheres (26,5 versus 12,2%, p<0,001). A probabilidade de ser um fumador atual foi maior nos homens, nas pessoas mais instruídas e nos indivíduos expostos, em casa, ao fumo ambiental do tabaco. Na análise estratificada por sexo, o efeito da escolaridade manteve-se apenas nas mulheres.ConclusãoA exposição ao fumo ambiental do tabaco em casa foi mais elevada do que a anteriormente publicada. Crianças/adolescentes e doentes com asma podem ter um risco de exposição ambiental mais elevado. Este estudo apoia uma tendência decrescente da prevalência de tabagismo nos homens portugueses, mas uma tendência crescente nas mulheres.AbstractBackgroundWe aimed to: 1) estimate the prevalence of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) at home in the Portuguese population; 2) estimate tobacco smoking prevalence in Portugal; 3) identify social and personal characteristics associated with smoking or exposure to ETS.MethodsNationwide, cross-sectional, population-based telephone survey. Overall, 6003 individuals completed the interview. ETS exposure at home was defined as exposure to at least one current smoker at home. A smoker was defined as someone with 15 years or older, smoking at least 1 cigarette per day during a year; a current smoker (CS) smoked in the last month.ResultsExposure to ETS at home was reported by 26.6% (95%CI 25.5-27.7) of the participants. Living in households with ≥4 persons (OR=2.31; 95%CI[1.81-2.96]), being a current smoker (OR=7.29; 95%CI[5.74-9.26]) or having current asthma (OR=2.06; 95%CI[1.45-2.94]) were factors positively associated with ETS exposure. When analyzed by gender, the effect of current asthma was only relevant to females.Currently 19.0% (95%CI 18.0-20.0) of the Portuguese population smokes tobacco and 17.2% (95%CI 16.2-18.2) are ex-smokers. CS prevalence is higher in males than females (26.5%versus 12.2%, p<0,001). The odds of being a CS were higher for males, the more educated, and those exposed to ETS at home. When analyzed by gender, school education only affected females.ConclusionExposure to ETS at home was higher than previously reported. Children/adolescents and asthma patients may have a higher risk of exposure. This report endorses a decreasing trend in the prevalence of tobacco smoking in Portuguese males, but a tendency to increase in females

BWDAT: A research tool for analyzing the consumption of VOD content at home

Introduction: New approaches to the study of the binge-watching phenomenon require new technology, leading to the development of a non-intrusive and low-cost analytical research software that facilitates a holistic understanding of binge-watching in an uncontrolled environment remotely (e.g., the home). BWDAT was developed to allow the collection of three types of data: users’ physiological data gathered from a smartwatch, users’ interactions from video-on-demand interfaces, and self-reported data. This tool offers the possibility to generate automatic data analysis reports, facilitating researchers’ data analysis tasks. Methods: Two trial studies and a long-term study were used to evaluate the design and the technical implementation of the BWDAT tool. The metrics used were the BWDAT smartwatch's App data coverage of the viewing sessions, and the data's reliability of the viewer's interactions with the Netflix interface, collected by the BWDAT Chrome Extension. Results: High percentages of data coverage and content coverage were verified in the sessions collecting the smartwatch's data. The reporting system developed proved to be useful in the collection and synchronization of physiological and users’ interaction data with Netflix interface, both generated in uncontrolled environments. Furthermore, the BWDAT tool facilitated the analysis of a large amount of nuanced data. Conclusion: The results obtained confirm the reliability, accuracy, and usability of BWDAT. This tool has the potential to help researchers shed new light on the field of media and audience studies, and in particular on binge-watching