New insight into zinc oxide doped with iron and its exploitation to pollutants abatement

This study aims to investigate how the photocatalytic efficiency of zinc oxide can be improved by introducing doping species into its crystal lattice. New materials based on zinc oxide doped with iron, have been synthesized using different methods, characterized and tested toward the abatement of selected organic molecules. The different synthetic strategies followed comprised sol-gel, precipitation and hydrothermal processes, in order to identify which one is capable of guaranteeing the best photocatalytic performances.The photoactivity of the new semiconductors was firstly tested using phenol as a model molecule subjected to irradiation under UV-A light. Phenol abatement is particularly favoured when using ZnO prepared via hydrothermal method and doped with iron at 0.5%. These materials were then tested toward the elimination of ketoprofen, an emerging pollutant substance, from water and real wastewater. Ketoprofen and its transformation products are completely abated within 30 min in pure water or in 1 h in wastewater

Lattice microstructure design for cathode electrodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

The electrode geometry is an essential parameter affecting the cycling performance of batteries. In this work, the effect of lattice geometry of the cathode electrode on battery performance was studied by theoretical simulations keeping its volume constant. It was observed that the variation of the lattice geometry improves the cycling performance when compared to conventional planar geometry. The improvement of the cycling performance in the lattice geometry is related to variations in the electrolyte current density. It was demonstrated that the lattice geometry allows to improve the discharge performance in lithium-ion batteries at higher discharge rates.511F-603F-4B30 | Francisco MirandaN/

Lettuce growth and nutrient uptake response to winery waste compost and biochar

The composting process of winery wastewater sludge with grape stalks enables these wastes to be recycled as soil organic amendments or pot substrate components. However, it is necessary to assess the potential of this compost as crop fertilizer. This assessment is also needed for the use of biochar as soil amendment because negative effects on crop growth and nutrient uptake may occur depending on application rates and biochar physical and chemical characteristics. With this aim, a randomized block design pot experiment with lettuce was set up with four treatments including: (i) 5% (w/w) of winery waste compost; (ii) 4% (w/w) biochar (commercial charcoal); (iii) 5% (w/w) winery waste compost with 4% (w/w) biochar; and (iv) a control treatment without soil amendments (T0). Lettuce shoot yield increased 13% with compost application but decreased 18% with biochar in comparison to T0 and 25% with compost and biochar compared to compost alone. Similarly, lettuce root weight increased with compost, but not with biochar. Lettuce shoot dry matter (DM), N and Ca contents clearly increased with compost application compared to lettuce grown in the treatment with biochar. The same happened for root Ca and Mg contents. The lowest P and K contents of lettuce shoots and roots were recorded in T0. However, lettuce root N content decreased with biochar compared to T0. Therefore, root and shoot growth and nutrient uptake decreased with soil application of 4% (w/w) of biochar whereas the winery waste compost showed positive effects as soil fertilizer.6B1D-516F-1A2A | Lu?s Miguel Cortez Mesquita de BritoN/

?bitos relacionados ao contato com energia el?trica : estudo de 224 laudos necrosc?picos.

?bitos e les?es relacionados ? energia el?trica (EE) s?o um importante problema de sa?de p?blica no Brasil. A investiga??o m?dico legal das mortes envolvendo EE ? dificultada pela aus?ncia de les?es espec?ficas em grande parte das v?timas. Tendo em vista a import?ncia para as ci?ncias forenses, este trabalho objetivou investigar laudos de necropsias com hist?rico de contato pr?vio dos periciados com EE. Foram resgatados 224 casos dos quais em 73,2% a causa da morte foi atribu?da exclusivamente ao contato com EE, em 8,5% foi decorrente de trauma contuso ap?s contato com EE e em 18,3% permaneceu indeterminada mesmo ap?s a realiza??o da necropsia. A maioria dos ?bitos ocorreu em contexto acidental, predominaram os casos relacionados a EE artificial (90,6%), a maior parte das autopsias foram realizadas na primavera e no ver?o. Houve predomin?ncia de periciados do sexo masculino, de cor parda, solteiros, que apresentava m?dia et?ria de 32 anos, que n?o receberam atendimento m?dico previamente ao ?bito. Queimaduras foram as les?es externas mais observadas; os sinais de Jellinek e de Lichtenberg foram descritos em 64 e em 10 laudos, respectivamente. Pet?quias subpleurais e subepic?rdicas foram os achados internos mais frequentes. Houve positividade em 22,2% dos exames de alcoolemia realizados e em 13,2% dos de toxicologia. O estudo aponta para a previsibilidade epidemiol?gica das fatalidades envolvendo EE, para as dificuldades m?dico legais no estabelecimento da causa m?dica da morte, o que destaca a import?ncia da integra??o entre a per?cia de local com os achados necrosc?picos na investiga??o destes casos.Deaths and injuries related to electrical energy (EE) are an important public health problem in Brazil. Medicolegal investigation of EE-related deaths is hampered by the absence of specific injuries in most victims. Considering the importance for the forensic sciences, this work aimed to investigate autopsy reports of victims with history of previous contact with EE prior to death. A total of 224 cases were studied, of which 73.2% were attributed exclusively to contact with EE, 8.5% were due to blunt trauma after contact with EE, 18.3% remained undetermined even after the contact with EE. The majority of the deaths occurred in an accidental context, the cases related to artificial EE (90.6%) predominated, and most autopsies were performed in the spring and summer. There was a predominance of males, of a brown color, unmarried, who had an average age of 32 years, and who did not receive medical care prior to death. Burns were the most observed external lesions; the Jellinek and Lichtenberg signs were described in 64 and 10 reports, respectively. Subpleural and subepicardial petechiae were the most frequent internal findings. Blood alcohol was positive in 22.2% of the tests performed and 13.2% of the toxicology tests were positive. The study points to the epidemiological predictability of fatalities involving EE and to the medicolegal difficulties in establishing the cause of death, which highlights the importance of the integration between the crime scene investigation and the necroscopic findings in the investigation of these cases

Effect of ultraviolet radiation on the color of freij\uf3 wood ( Cordia goeldiana Huber) after application of finishing products

A radia\ue7\ue3o ultravioleta \ue9 considerada a mais prejudicial ao uso da madeira afetando suas propriedades, sobretudo a sua cor superficial. A aplica\ue7\ue3o de produtos de acabamentos, como os vernizes, os stains, as tintas, podem minimizar a atua\ue7\ue3o dessa radia\ue7\ue3o. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito da radia\ue7\ue3o ultravioleta, relativo ao envelhecimento artificial acelerado, na colora\ue7\ue3o da madeira de freij\uf3 ( Cordia goeldiana Huber) tratadas com polisten e seladora (nitrocelulose), com monitoramento por meio de um espectrocolorimetrico. As amostras da madeira foram submetidas a ciclos de radia\ue7\ue3o ultravioleta em um reator fotoqu\uedmico, em tempos de 84 e 168 horas. Os par\ue2metros colorim\ue9tricos (L*, a*, b* C e h*) foram medidos antes a ap\uf3s os tratamentos. O tratamento com polisten foi o que ofereceu maior prote\ue7\ue3o \ue0s radia\ue7\uf5es ultravioletas, dando uma maior estabilidade aos par\ue2metros. O tratamento com seladora foi o que apresentou uma maior altera\ue7\ue3o da cor ap\uf3s a simula\ue7\ue3o de envelhecimento no reator fotoqu\uedmico.Ultraviolet radiation is considered the most damaging radiation to wood, affecting its properties and especially its color. The application of finishing products such as varnishes, stains and inks can minimize the action of this radiation. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ultraviolet radiation, through artificially accelerated aging, on the color of freij\uf3 wood ( Cordia goeldiana Huber) treated with \u201cpolisten\u201d and sealer (nitrocellulose), by means of spectrocolorimetric tracking. The samples of wood were subjected to cycles of ultraviolet radiation in a photochemical reactor for 84 and 168 hours. The colorimetric parameters (L*, a*, b*, C, h*) were measured before and after the treatments. The treatment with \u201cpolisten\u201d offered greater protection against ultraviolet radiation, yielding greater stability to the parameters. The treatment with sealer led to a greater change in color after the simulation of aging in the photochemical reactor

Intake and digestibility of silages of Brachiaria brizantha cv marandu with additives

Avaliaram-se o consumo e a digestibilidade aparente da mat?ria seca, da prote?na bruta e da energia e o balan?o de nitrog?nio de silagens de Brachiaria brizantha cvmarandusem aditivos (T1), B. brizantha cvmarandu + inoculante bacteriano Sil-ALL C4 (T2), B. brizantha cvmarandu + inoculante bacteriano Bactosilo C Tropical (T3) e B. brizantha cvmarandu + 30% de cana-de-a??car (T4) em ovinos. N?o foram observadas diferen?as no consumo de mat?ria seca (MS), prote?na bruta (PB), energia bruta (EB), energia digest?vel (ED) e energia metaboliz?vel (EM) entre os tratamentos (P>0,05). Os maiores valores de digestibilidade aparente da MS, PB e EB foram para o T2, de 60,9%, 44,3% e 57,5%, respectivamente, e os menores para o T4, 53,0%, 30,0% e 49,5%, respectivamente (P0.05). The highest apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and crude energy were observed for T2, being 60.8%, 44.2% and 57.5%, respectively, and the lowest for T4, with 53.0%, 30.0% and 49.5%, respectively (P<0.05). All treatments showed positive nitrogen balance and did not differ among them. The use of an inoculant or sugar cane did not result in voluntary intake increase of dry matter, fibrous fractions and energy of silages. The inoculant Sil ALL C4 was efficient in increasing the intake and digestibility of CP and nitrogen balance

The role of biological agents in the microstructural and mineralogical transformations in aluminium lateritic deposit in Central Brazil.

Petrological studies using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and micromorphological analyses (Optical Microscopy and SEM), were done to understand the role of biological activity in the evolution of Barro Alto bauxite. The results indicated that this influence came through structural (or microstructural) and mineralogical transformations, namely: I ? the bioturbation caused by termites and II ? themechanical degradation and geochemical transformation promoted by roots. In the bioturbation caused by termiteswere formed: I ? a intergrainmicro-aggregate structure, characterised by gibbsite crystals from isalteritic bauxite fragmentation on the bottom of the profile and II ? a granular structure characterised by a termitic microaggregates with fragments of gibbsite immersed in a kaolinite?gibbsite?goethite?boehmite micromass, formed by bioturbation of the degradation clay with nodules of gibbsite,whose origin is the geochemistry degradation of isalteritic bauxite. The processes associatedwith geochemical andmechanical degradation caused by roots were responsible for the genesis of: I?a porphyric texture with bauxite fragments surrounded by nonaggregate material and II ? fine monic structure where the gibbsite neoformation has the mould cavities left by old roots, generating riziform features