3D tuned porous carbon monolith as catalysts in the wet peroxide oxidation of paracetamol

In recent years, many pharmaceuticals have been identified at trace levels worldwide in the aquatic environment [1]. Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered the main sources of these pollutants as they are not generally prepared to deal with such complex substances and thus, they are usually ineffective in their removal [1]. Despite the low concentration of drugs contained in those effluents, the presence of pharmaceuticals, even in trace concentrations, affects the quality of water and constitutes a risk of toxicity for the ecosystems and living organisms [1-2]. Consequently, new regulation for micropollutants discharge and monitoring has been issued in Europe (Directive 2013/39/EU). Paracetamol (PCM) deserves particular attention, since it has recently been discovered as a potential pollutant of waters, largely accumulated in the aquatic environment [3]. This work deals with the treatment of PCM, used as a model pharmaceutical contaminant of emerging concern, by catalytic wet peroxide oxidation using carbon-based monoliths (Fig. 1a) as catalysts. Monoliths were prepared by stereolithographic 3D printing of a photoresin, which was later converted into porous carbon by oxidation in air (300 °C, 6 h) and subsequent pyrolysis in N2 (900 °C, 15 min) as described elsewhere [4]. The materials revealed catalytic activity in the CWPO of PCM allowing to reach PCM conversions up to 30% with a residence time of 3.5 min (Fig. 1b).This work is a result of the Project “AIProcMat@N2020 - Advanced Industrial Processes and Materials for a Sustainable Northern Region of Portugal 2020”, with the reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000006, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); the Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM - UID/EQU/50020/2019 - funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC); and CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2019) through FEDER under Program PT2020. The authors also acknowledge the joint financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) in Portugal and the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) in Germany.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A shifted hyperbolic augmented Lagrangian-based artificial fish two swarm algorithm with guaranteed convergence for constrained global optimization

This article presents a shifted hyperbolic penalty function and proposes an augmented Lagrangian-based algorithm for non-convex constrained global optimization problems. Convergence to an ε-global minimizer is proved. At each iteration k, the algorithm requires the ε(k)-global minimization of a bound constrained optimization subproblem, where ε(k) → ε. The subproblems are solved by a stochastic population-based metaheuristic that relies on the artificial fish swarm paradigm and a two-swarm strategy. To enhance the speed of convergence, the algorithm invokes the Nelder–Mead local search with a dynamically defined probability. Numerical experiments with benchmark functions and engineering design problems are presented. The results show that the proposed shifted hyperbolic augmented Lagrangian compares favorably with other deterministic and stochastic penalty-based methods.This work was supported by COMPETE [POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043]; FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia within the Project Scope [UID/CEC/00319/2013]; and partially supported by CMAT-Centre of Mathematics of the University of Minho

INTERCORRÊNCIAS EM TOXINA BOTULÍNICA

Esta revisão bibliográfica aborda as intercorrências no uso da toxina botulínica em procedimentos estéticos. Foram analisadas referências científicas, incluindo estudos clínicos, revisões sistemáticas e meta-análises. As principais complicações relatadas foram ptose palpebral, assimetria facial, efeitos indesejados no sorriso, dor no local da injeção, equimose e edema. Apesar disso, as intercorrências são geralmente de baixa incidência, leves e transitórias. A revisão ressalta a importância do conhecimento e da experiência do profissional de saúde na prevenção e no manejo adequado dessas complicações. A toxina botulínica continua sendo considerada um tratamento seguro e eficaz quando administrada corretamente.This bibliographical review approaches complications in the use of botulinum toxin in aesthetic procedures. Scientific references were analyzed, including clinical studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The main complications reported were eyelid ptosis, facial asymmetry, unwanted effects on the smile, pain at the injection site, ecchymosis and edema. Despite this, complications are generally of low incidence, mild and transient. The review emphasizes the importance of the health professional's knowledge and experience in the prevention and proper management of these complications. Botulinum toxin continues to be considered a safe and effective treatment when administered correctly.  Esta revisión de la literatura aborda las complicacionesen el uso de la toxina botulínica en procedimientos estéticos. Se analizaron referencias científicas, incluidos estudiosclínicos, revisiones sistemáticas y metanálisis. Las principalescomplicaciones reportadas fueron ptosis palpebral, asimetríafacial, efectos no deseados en la sonrisa, dolor en el lugar de la inyección, hematomas y edema. A pesar de ello, lascomplicaciones son generalmente de baja incidencia, leves y transitorias. La revisión destaca la importancia delconocimiento y la experiencia de los profesionales sanitariospara prevenir y gestionar adecuadamente estas complicaciones. La toxina botulínica sigue considerándose untratamiento seguro y eficaz cuando se administra correctamente.  Esta revisão bibliográfica aborda as intercorrências no uso da toxina botulínica em procedimentos estéticos. Foram analisadas referências científicas, incluindo estudos clínicos, revisões sistemáticas e meta-análises. As principais complicações relatadas foram ptose palpebral, assimetria facial, efeitos indesejados no sorriso, dor no local da injeção, equimose e edema. Apesar disso, as intercorrências são geralmente de baixa incidência, leves e transitórias. A revisão ressalta a importância do conhecimento e da experiência do profissional de saúde na prevenção e no manejo adequado dessas complicações. A toxina botulínica continua sendo considerada um tratamento seguro e eficaz quando administrada corretamente

Evaluación del comportamiento postcosecha de nuevas variedades de arándano en Tucumán, Argentina

Póster presentado en el 4° Congreso Argentino de Fitopatología, Mendoza, entre el 19 y 21 de abril de 2017La situación económica mundial y el desorden climático han llevado al sector a una pérdida de la superficie cultivada, eliminando todos aquellos lotes improductivos, hasta llegar al año 2017 con solo 2750 ha productivas. Esto provocó una necesidad de ampliar la curva de cosecha mediante la introducción de nuevas variedades. La postcosecha de la fruta se define tradicionalmente por aspectos estéticos como textura (firmeza, jugosidad y turgencia) y apariencia (color, frescura y ausencia de pudrición o desórdenes fisiológicos). Si bien estos términos son parte importante del concepto de calidad, se deberían considerar además los valores nutricionales, organolépticos y los de inocuidad. En la Argentina, la recolección de fruta fresca de arándano para exportación se realiza exclusivamente en forma manual. Por ello para los productores arandanero es importante obtener altos rendimientos en sus cosechas, y además que la fruta mantenga excelentes condiciones de calidad y condición para resistir largas distancias hacia los distintos canales de comercialización.Fil: Heredia, Ana Micaela. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; ArgentinaFil: Kirschbaum, Daniel Santiago. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; ArgentinaFil: Funes, Claudia Fernanda. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Famaillá; ArgentinaFil: Pavón, E. Tierra de Berries S.A.; ArgentinaFil: Ramallo, A.C. Vivero El Lapacho; Argentin

Neuropathology of animal prion diseases

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases are a fatal group of infectious, inherited and spontaneous neurodegenerative diseases affecting human and animals. They are caused by the conversion of cellular prion protein (PrPC) into a misfolded pathological isoform (PrPSc or prion- proteinaceous infectious particle) that self-propagates by conformational conversion of PrPC. Yet by an unknown mechanism, PrPC can fold into different PrPSc conformers that may result in different prion strains that display specific disease phenotype (incubation time, clinical signs and lesion profile). Although the pathways for neurodegeneration as well as the involvement of brain inflammation in these diseases are not well understood, the spongiform changes, neuronal loss, gliosis and accumulation of PrPSc are the characteristic neuropathological lesions. Scrapie affecting small ruminants was the first identified TSE and has been considered the archetype of prion diseases, though atypical and new animal prion diseases continue to emerge highlighting the importance to investigate the lesion profile in naturally affected animals. In this report, we review the neuropathology and the neuroinflammation of animal prion diseases in natural hosts from scrapie, going through the zoonotic bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the chronic wasting disease (CWD) to the newly identified camel prion disease (CPD).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chronic wasting disease risk assessment in Portugal: analysis of variability and genetic structure of the Portuguese roe deer population

Among the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in cervids is now the rising concern in wildlife within Europe after the first case detected in Norway in 2016. CWD shows a notable horizontal transmission, affecting both free-ranging and captive cervids. Furthermore, several genetic variants in the Prion Protein (PRNP) gene coding sequence of the cervid were identified, which increase the susceptibility to the disease.This work was supported by the project WastingPrionRisk [POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029,947/ PTDC/CVT-CVT/29947/2017] funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). FCT PhD grant [SFRH/BD/146961/2019] financed by FCT through FSE (Fundo Social Europeu). This work was also supported by national funds [UIDB/CVT/00772/2020], [LA/P/0059/2020] and [UIDB/04033/2020] by FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio