From nose to nuisance: A collaborative approach to assess the odour problem in an oilseed plant

Odour nuisance is an ignored environmental problem, an invisible face of air quality analysis and monitoring in Portugal. Local and governmental authorities have been receiving odour complaints, but only in recent years this issue is seen as a growing concern and not just a matter of licensing and inspection. This fact and the lack of specific ambient air odour regulation in Portugal originated a bottom up approach focused on citizens and their contribution to a more comprehensive analysis. Despite the existence of odour measuring instruments, the human nose is a universal sensor with higher sensitivity that allows to assess the impact of discomfort on sensitive receptors. From this point of view, a sensorial method has been conducted with community neighbours of an odour emission source as an integrative approach to the problem and a complementary vector to a quantitative analysis. The human nose used as a "tool", allows to address the issue instantly and at a local level, which is not always possible with other methodologies, even in situations where the detection limit is reduced and therefore not measurable with certain equipment. It should be noted that this olfactory evaluations are the ones responsible for triggering formal complaints to the authorities whether it is the National Guard, the municipality or the environmental regulators. But the lack of a unified form to register the complaints is a mandatory issue to help addressing the correct odour sources and better understand the problem. So, this sensorial approach also aims to develop a tool to aggregate the needed elements to a valid form, to ensure that the complaints can be verified and validated. This would help to make a comparison and create a record history database, at the odour emitter level or at local and national scale. The results obtained with this approach have led to the application of several actions such as the real knowledge of the problem from an industrial operator perspective, inclusion of public stakeholders, and the design and implementation of an odour management plan with the purpose of the establishment of mitigation measures.publishersversionpublishe

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome in a Spontaneous Pregnancy

Introdução: O Síndrome de Hiperestimulação do Ovário (SHO) geralmente é descrito como uma complicação iatrogénica dos tratamentos de indução da ovulação. Raramente, pode estar associado a ciclos ovulatórios espontâneos, sendo mais frequente em gravidez múltipla, patologia molar e hipotiroidismo. A apresentação clínica é variável, podendo nos casos mais graves ser fatal. Caso clínico: Grávida de 13 semanas, nulípara, sem história de tratamentos de infertilidade, referenciada por aumento bilateral do volume ovárico e ascite. Apresentava ligeiro desconforto abdominal, tendo a ecografia revelado ovários aumentados de volume, multiquísticos e ascite ligeira. Os níveis de estradiol estavam aumentados, com hCG e TSH normais. A terapêutica foi expectante, com uma evolução favorável. Discussão: O SHO espontâneo apesar de ser uma entidade rara, deve ser equacionada como hipótese diagnóstica nas situações de massa pélvica na gravidez. Estão descritos 3 possíveis mecanismos para o SHO espontâneo, baseados na permissividade do receptor ovárico da FSH para a hCG e/ou TSH, podendo ocorrer com níveis normais ou elevados de hCG e/ou TSH.

Study of the kinematics of a high-course steering system

30th International Conference on Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing (FAIM2021) 15-18 June 2021, Athens, GreeceIn a context of mobility disruption, due to the accelerated growth of new technologies and sustainability policies, a new class of vehicles is emerging, depending on the type and its function, requiring new technologies suited to its goal. The autonomous modular platforms emerged, in this scenario, to reduce the time of placing electric vehicles on the market, the complexity of the supply and the total cost of production of the vehicle. To facilitate and adapt maneuverability of vehicles to the future challenges of mobility, this paper presents the study of different solutions for a steering system integrated in a modular platform already existing, that enables the vehicles 360° and 90° movements. The difficulty of developing this project is to find a mechanism that meets all kinematic requirements, without compromising the other systems of control and stability of the movement. Thus, considering the parameters of traction and suspension, possible solutions are developed, subsequently tested with the use of the SolidWorks software. Finally, it is concluded that of the solutions tested, the most satisfactory is the one that presents the best kinematic characteristics allied to the smallest course, despite being one of the solutions with more components.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Exactly Solvable Interacting Spin-Ice Vertex Model

A special family of solvable five-vertex model is introduced on a square lattice. In addition to the usual nearest neighbor interactions, the vertices defining the model also interact alongone of the diagonals of the lattice. Such family of models includes in a special limit the standard six-vertex model. The exact solution of these models gives the first application of the matrix product ansatz introduced recently and applied successfully in the solution of quantum chains. The phase diagram and the free energy of the models are calculated in the thermodynamic limit. The models exhibit massless phases and our analyticaland numerical analysis indicate that such phases are governed by a conformal field theory with central charge $c=1$ and continuosly varying critical exponents.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure

Multicomponent complex formation between vinpocetine, cyclodextrins, tartaric acid and water-soluble polymers monitored by NMR and solubility studies

This work deals with multicomponent complex formation of vinpocetine (VP) with [beta]-cyclodextrin ([beta]CD), sulfobutyl ether [beta]-cyclodextrin (SBE[beta]CD) and tartaric acid (TA), in the presence or absence of water-soluble polymers, in aqueous solution. Complexation was monitored by phase-solubility and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) studies. TA demonstrated a synergistic effect on VP solubility, and in the complexation efficiency of [beta]CD and SBE[beta]CD. Additionally, water-soluble polymers increased even more the complexation efficiency of the CDs that was reflected by a 2.1-2.5 increase on KC values for VP-CD-TA-polymer multicomponent complexes. SBE[beta]CD was more effective in VP solubilization, as KC values of VP-SBE[beta]CD-TA multicomponent complexes were notably higher than in corresponding [beta]CD complexes. The large chemical shift displacements from protons located in the interior of the hydrophobic CD cavities (i.e., H-3 and H-5) coupled with significant chemical shift displacements of VP aromatic protons suggested that this moiety was included in the cavity of both [beta]CD and SBE[beta]CD. Two-dimensional rotating frame nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY) experiments were carried out in order to obtain information about the multicomponent complex geometry in solution. Inspection of ROESY spectra allowed the establishment of spatial proximities between all aromatic protons of VP and the internal protons of the CDs, confirming that the aromatic moiety of VP is included in CD cavities being deeply inserted in SBE[beta]CD multicomponent complexes, since additional interactions with the sulfobutyl side chains were evidenced.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T25-4DT2KX7-1/1/a543ba03bff16fe4ef579956893c94b