Otimização dos circuitos de recolha de resíduos urbanos indiferenciados no Concelho de Silves

A otimização de rotas de veículos têm-se revelado importante em diversas áreas, desde a recolha de resíduos à entrega de correio, por exemplo. Os vários estudos já realizados mostram que é possível melhorar sistemas já implantados, com recurso a diferentes algoritmos e métodos computacionais. A abordagem deste problema direcionado à recolha de resíduos urbanos já demonstrou serem possíveis poupanças significativas, tanto financeiramente como em redução de tempo por percurso. Posto isto, surgiu a proposta da Câmara Municipal de Silves em otimizar o atual sistema de recolha de resíduos urbanos, tendo em conta os vários percursos estabelecidos no concelho. Este relatório apresenta então o trabalho desenvolvido no âmbito da otimização de circuitos de recolha de resíduos, aplicado ao concelho de Silves. Usou-se como ferramenta uma extensão do ArcGIS, designada Network Analyst. Foram obtidos circuitos para toda a área de estudo, sendo que o foco da otimização foram os circuitos de resíduos indiferenciados destinados a recolher contentores de superfície. Foram modelados dois cenários que geraram diferentes percursos, com base em vários pressupostos inicialmente estabelecidos para a otimização. Ainda foi simulado um terceiro cenário que avaliava as consequências dum presumível aumento na quantidade de resíduos a recolher, de forma a perceber até que ponto o sistema otimizado seria resiliente à mudança.The vehicle routing optimization has proven to be important in many areas, from waste collecting to mail delivery, for example. A couple of studies already carried out show that it is possible to improve already deployed systems, using different algorithms and computational methods. The approach to this problem, aimed to urban waste collection, has already shown that significant savings are possible, both financially and in reducing journey time. Hereupon, the proposal of Câmara Municipal de Silves arose to optimize the current urban waste collection system, considering the several routes established in the municipality. This exposition presents the work developed within the scope of the waste collecting routes optimization, applied to the municipality of Silves. An ArcGIS extension, called Network Analyst, was used as tool. Routes were obtained for the whole study area, with the focus on the optimization process being the undifferentiated waste routes which collect specifically surface containers. Based on several assumptions initially established for the optimization, two scenarios were modeled which generated different routes. A third scenario was also simulated to evaluate the consequences of a presumed increase in the amount of waste to be collected, in order to understand how resilient the optimized system would be to change

Processos corporalizados na compreensão da linguagem: a influência dos estados percetivos, motores, e emocionais na compreensão

O modo como compreendemos a linguagem tem sido sobejamente investigado ao longo dos anos. Recentemente, as abordagens corporalizadas da cognição vieram sugerir que este processo é modulado pelas nossas perceções, ações e emoções. No entanto, estudos conduzidos no âmbito desta abordagem raramente têm explorado os processos de compreensão de conteúdos socialmente relevantes, ou o papel de variáveis individuais nesses processos. O presente estudo procurou explorar o papel da corporalização na compreensão de frases descrevendo problemas ambientais socialmente relevantes e de que forma as atitudes individuais face ao ambiente influenciam esta compressão. Para tal, foram construídas frases descrevendo acontecimentos ambientais (e.g., resíduos de plástico) com três tipos de manipulação do verbo crítico: centrado na emoção, na ação, ou no alvo e solicitou-se aos participantes (N = 59) que avaliassem a gravidade e frequência dos acontecimentos descritos nas frases. Esperava-se que os eventos descritos em termos emocionais ou de ação promovessem julgamentos de gravidade e frequência mais elevados. Esperava-se ainda que participantes mais preocupados com o ambiente avaliassem os eventos como mais graves e mais frequentes. Contrariamente ao esperado os resultados demonstraram que as avaliações da gravidade e da frequência foram mais elevadas para frases foco-emoção e foco-alvo comparativamente às realizadas para as frases foco-ação. De acordo com a nossa segunda hipótese, os participantes mais preocupados com o ambiente, avaliaram os problemas descritos como mais graves e mais frequentes. A tese termina com uma discussão onde são avançadas possíveis explicações para os resultados obtidos assim como sugestões de investigação futura.The way humans understand language has been thoroughly investigated for many years. Recently, embodied approaches to cognition suggested that language processing arises from the simulation (or re-enactment) of perceptive, action, and emotional states. However, studies conducted under this approach rarely explored the processes of understanding socially relevant content, or the role of individual variables to language processing. The present research thus considered how individual attitudes towards the environment affect language comprehension processes. To this end, we constructed three sentence types that shifted the attention focus towards the emotion and action states of the comprehender, as well as to the environmental problem (e.g., plastic debris). Participants’ (N = 59) task was to evaluate the seriousness and the frequency of the environmental problems mentioned in the sentences. The first prediction was that emotion-focused and action-focused sentences would prompt higher ratings of seriousness and frequency, as compared to object-focus (i.e., environmental problem) sentences. The second prediction was that participants with a higher level of environmental concern would provide higher ratings of seriousness and frequency. Contrary to our first prediction, results showed that ratings of seriousness and frequency (e.g. plastic rubbish, mud from rains) were higher for emotion-focused and object-focused sentences (whose ratings were not statistically different), as compared to lower ratings of action-focused sentences. In line with our second prediction, participants with higher environmental concern evaluated the problems described as more serious and more frequent. The thesis ends with a discussion of potential explanations for the obtained findings and suggestions for future research

The potent vasodilator ethyl nitrite is formed upon reaction of nitrite and ethanol under gastric conditions

By acting as a bioreactor, affording chemical and mechanical conditions for the reaction between dietary components, the stomach may be a source of new bioactive molecules. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry we here demonstrate that, under acidic gastric conditions, ethyl nitrite is formed in µM concentrations from the reaction of red wine or distilled alcoholic drinks with physiological amounts of nitrite. Rat femoral artery rings and gastric fundus strips dose-dependently relaxed upon exposure to nitrite:ethanol mixtures. In contrast, when administered separately in the same dose ranges, nitrite evoked only minor vasorelaxation while ethanol actually caused a slight vasoconstriction. Mechanistically, the relaxation effect was assigned to generation of nitric oxide (-NO) as supported by direct demonstration of -NO release from ethyl nitrite and the absence of relaxation in the presence of the soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, ODQ. In conclusion, these results suggest that ethanol in alcoholic drinks interacts with salivary-derived nitrite in the acidic stomach leading to the production of the potent smooth muscle relaxant ethyl nitrite. These findings reveal an alternative chemical reaction pathway for dietary nitrate and nitrite with possible impact on gastric physiology and pathophysiology.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T38-4SCDB0R-4/1/5f2ae4cd1ef8af7eca3f5d4ee8f353a

Rapid screening of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carrying the mecC gene in a Portuguese hospital

Background: The discovery of mecC gene in MRSA isolates and its report in neighboring Spain and France, advices for monitoring its presence in Portuguese hospitals since changes in local epidemiology can occur quickly. The implementation of rapid procedures based on the automated system VITEK2 allow for simple screening of mecC MRSA isolates with the profile of susceptibility to oxacillin and resistance to cefoxitin signaling positive results for detailed analysis. Methods: This works aims to perform a retrospective study for the presence of suspect mecC MRSA in a Portuguese hospital recurring to the two methodologies included in microbiology laboratories routine. Result: Our results do not suggest the presence of mecC MRSA, but highlight the possibility of introducing a simple method in clinical laboratories with high percentage of S. aureus isolates. Conclusion: The implementation of this simple procedure in the laboratory routine is a rapid and economic way to monitoring the presence of mecC MRSA.publishe

Tripyridinium cis-tetra­chlorido­dioxido­molybdate(VI) chloride

In the title compound, (C5H6N)3[MoCl4O2]Cl, the pyridinium cations are N—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonded to the anionic [MoCl4O2]2− complexes and to the two crystallographically independent chloride anions (located on C2 axes). The Mo6+ centre adopts a highly distorted octa­hedral geometry, being surrounded by four chloride and two terminal oxide groups. The oxide ligands are mutually cis

Dichlorodioxomolybdenum(VI) complexes bearing oxygen-donor ligands as olefin epoxidation catalysts

Treatment of the solvent adduct [MoO2Cl2(THF)2] with either 2 equivalents of N,N-dimethylbenzamide (DMB) or 1 equivalent of N,N'-diethyloxamide (DEO) gave the dioxomolybdenum(vi) complexes [MoO2Cl2(DMB)2] () and [MoO2Cl2(DEO)] (). The molecular structures of and were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Both complexes present a distorted octahedral geometry and adopt the cis-oxo, trans-Cl, cis-L configuration typical of complexes of the type [MoO2X2(L)n], with either the monodentate DMB or bidentate DEO oxygen-donor ligands occupying the equatorial positions trans to the oxo groups. The complexes were applied as homogeneous catalysts for the epoxidation of olefins, namely cis-cyclooctene (Cy), 1-octene, trans-2-octene, α-pinene and (R)-(+)-limonene, using tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant. In the epoxidation of Cy at 55 °C, the desired epoxide was the only product and turnover frequencies in the range of ca. 3150-3200 mol molMo(-1) h(-1) could be reached. The catalytic production of cyclooctene oxide was investigated in detail, varying either the reaction temperature or the cosolvent. Complexes and were also applied in liquid-liquid biphasic catalytic epoxidation reactions by using an ionic liquid of the type [C4mim][X] (C4mim = 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium; X = NTf2, BF4 or PF6] as a solvent to immobilise the metal catalysts. Recycling for multiple catalytic runs was achieved without loss of activity

A Novel and Versatile Class of Coronavirus non-covalent Mpro Inhibitors based on 1,4,4-Trisubstituted Piperidines

This pilot study shows that a significant proportion of Long COVID-19 cases are positive for HERV-W ENV expression along with a subgroup of ME/CFS samples from a pre-COVID pandemia collection, raising the question of whether the presence of HERV-W ENV protein, known to induce TLR4-driven immuno- and neuro-pathogenicity, could be a common factor to their overlapping symptoms. Being this the case, HERV-W ENV could constitute a future therapeutic target, following the steps of other neurologic or autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis or diabetes type I. Particularly since ongoing clinical trials assaying HERV-directional therapies based on antiretroviral agents or monoclonal antibodies are showing promising results.The COVID19 pandemia has greatly encouraged the development of vaccines and novel antivirals to control SARS-CoV-2 infection. Based on the promising anti-coronavirus activity observed for a class of anti-influenza H1N1 1,4,4-trisubstituted piperidines, developed in our goup, we performed a SAR analysis of these unique inhibitors that allowed to define the structural elements essential for antiHcoV-229E activity. Four of the best molecules were confirmed to be equally active against SARS-CoV-2. A TOA experiment indicated that these new CoV inhibitors interact at a post virus entry point lying at the stage of viral poly protein processing and the start of viral RNA synthesis. Enzymatic assays were performed with different CoV proteins involved in these processes. The compounds clearly inhibited the nsp5 main protease (Mpro). Although the inhibitory activity was modest, the ability to bind to the catalytic site of Mpro was assessed by in silico studies. The combination of results from TOA, enzymatic assays, resistance selection and in silico molecular modeling allowed us to conclude that the 1,4,4-trisubstituted piperidines represent a structurally novel and unique class of compounds that inhibit CoV Mpro inhibitors via a non-covalent mechanism, making these inhibitors fundamentally different from other Mpro inhibitors represented by the approved drug nirmatrelvir. The five points of diversity make these N-substituted piperidinebased compounds highly versatile and amenable to further rational optimization to maximize their activity and selectivity and gain full insight their antiviral mechanism.6th Innovative Approaches for Identification of Antiviral Agents Summer School September 26th-30th 2022, Santa Margherita di Pula, Sardinia, Ital

Antifungal Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC)-Lipid Composite Edible Coatings and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) to Reduce Postharvest Decay and Improve Storability of ‘Mollar De Elche’ Pomegranates

Pomegranate exhibits important postharvest quality losses that limit its storage potential, caused mainly by weight loss, chilling injury and fungal diseases. In this work, we evaluated the effect of novel hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) edible coatings (ECs) formulated with three different lipids (beeswax (BW), carnauba wax, and glycerol monostearate), as hydrophobic components, and two different GRAS salts (potassium bicarbonate (PBC) and sodium benzoate (SB)), as antifungal ingredients, to control weight loss and natural fungal decay of ‘Mollar de Elche’ pomegranates during storage at 20 °C. Afterwards, selected antifungal ECs and commercial modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) films were assayed alone or in combination to control natural decay and preserve fruit quality of pomegranates stored at 5 °C for 4 months plus 1 week at 20 °C. Results showed that ECs amended with SB reduced pomegranate latent infections caused by Botrytis cinerea and wound diseases caused by Penicillium spp. Moreover, MAP technologies were confirmed as an efficient mean to preserve freshness, prevent fruit shriveling and rind browning, and reduce fungal decay, thus extending storage life of pomegranates. The combination HPMC-BW-SB + MAP was the most promising treatment as it reduced weight loss and decay, without negatively affecting the fruit physicochemical and sensory quality