Patterns of Distribution of Bivalve Populations in a Mediterranean Temporary River

In the south of the Iberian Peninsula, many rivers are intermittent, a state most likely to be exacerbated by climate change, strongly affecting river biota. An additional challenge for native biota in this area is the arrival of new species, frequently aided by humans, and bivalves are particularly at risk. Here we assessed whether the native (Unio delphinus) and invasive (Corbicula fluminea) bivalves differed in habitat use. To address this question, we sampled populations of both species in six isolated permanent pools in the same river during summer in three consecutive years. U. delphinus occurred in all pools, while C. fluminea occurred only in the two most downstream pools. U. delphinus, but not C. fluminea, was found preferentially in patches under riparian vegetation cover. Both species were found in similar sediment types (coarse and fine gravel respectively). Although U. delphinus was present in all pools, recruitment was detected only in 2016, in one pool. We concluded that both species have the potential to compete for space, but a well-developed riparian vegetation cover may provide U. delphinus some advantage against C. fluminea

Effect of questionnaire structure on recall of drug utilization in a population of university students

Background. Self-reported data are a common source of information about drug exposure. Modes of data collection differ considerably and the questionnaire's structure may affect prevalence estimates. We compared the recall of medication use evaluated by means of two questionnaires differing in structure and length. Methods. Drug utilization was assessed by two alternative versions of a questionnaire (A 4 pages, including specific questions for 12 indications/pharmacological groups and one question for "other medicines"; B 1 page, including 1 open-ended question to cover overall drug consumption). Each of 32 classes in a private University in Maputo, Mozambique, was randomly assigned questionnaire A (233 participants) or B (276 participants). Logistic regression (allowing for clustering by classroom) was used to compare the two groups in terms of socio-demographic characteristics and medication used during the previous month. Results. Overall, 67.4% of the subjects had used at least one drug during the previous month. The following prevalences were greater among participants completing questionnaire A: use of drugs from two or more pharmacological groups (60.5% vs. 34.4%, p < 0.001), use of two or more drugs (66.2% vs. 43.0%, p < 0.001), and use of antibiotics (14.6% vs. 6.9%, p = 0.001), antifungals (9.4% vs. 4.0%, p = 0.013), antiparasitics (5.6% vs. 1.8%, p = 0.031) and antacids (8.6% vs. 3.6%, p = 0.024). Information about duration of treatment and medical advice was more complete with version A. Conclusion. The indication/drug-specific questions (questionnaire A) revealed a significantly higher prevalence of use of medicines antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitics and antacids without compromising the completeness of the information. © 2009 Gama et al

The effect of polydispersity on the ordering transition of adsorbed self-assembled rigid rods

Extensive Monte Carlo simulations were carried out to investigate the nature of the ordering transition of a model of adsorbed self-assembled rigid rods on the bonds of a square lattice [Tavares et. al., Phys. Rev E 79, 021505 (2009)]. The polydisperse rods undergo a continuous ordering transition that is found to be in the two-dimensional Ising universality class, as in models where the rods are monodisperse. This finding is in sharp contrast with the recent claim that equilibrium polydispersity changes the nature of the phase transition in this class of models [L`opez et. al., Phys. Rev E 80, 040105(R)(2009)].Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure

Factors influencing MOW deinking : laboratory scale studies

The deinking of MOW is examined at laboratorial scale. The effect of deinking aids, pre-washing and mixing are studied. The operating conditions during pulp treatment affect the pulp and paper properties, interfering with the mechanism of ink removal and modifying the ink particle characteristics. Pre-washing the pulp facilitates the deinking process. Cellulolytic enzymes and deinking chemicals are comparable in terms of ink removal ability.Portucel Vian

Dense Visual Word Spatial Arrangement Dan Penerapannya Pada Pengenalan Gambar Secara Otomatis

Bag of visual word (BoVW) merupakan metode yang menjelaskan isi dari gambar. Metode ini hanya menghitung banyaknya word dan tidak memberikan informasi spatial. Terdapat metode Visual word spatial arrangement (WSA) dimana metode ini memberikan informasi spatial tentang word tertentu pada gambar dengan menggunakan interest point sebagai detektor. WSA kurang dapat memberikan informasi yang penting pada gambar dikarenakan interest point yang dihasilkan oleh detektor dapat memberikan titik-titik yang berpotensi tidak merupakan representasi yang penting dari gambar tersebut. Pada paper ini diusulkan metode dense visual word spatial arrangement (DVSA) yang merupakan modifikasi metode dari WSA. Metode ini tidak menggunakan detektor interest point untuk menghitung deskriptor lokal melainkan dengan menghitung deskriptor lokal pada bagian komponen piksel-piksel yang saling berdekatan. Hasil pengujian pada 4485 gambar dengan 15 jenis kelas menggunakan 10-fold cross validation untuk 2 word metode yang diusulkan memberikan peningkatan performa sebesar 12.68 % dari akurasi BoVW sedangkan akurasi WSA lebih baik 15.62 % dari BoVW. Untuk 4 word metode yang diusulkan memberikan peningkatan performa akurasi sebesar 30.99 % dari akurasi BoVW dan peningkatan performa 18.16 % dari WSA. Sedangkan untuk 6 word metode yang diusulkan memberikan peningkatan performa sebesar 29.98 % dari akurasi BoVW dan peningkatan performa 18.75 % dari WSA. Peningkatan performa akurasi sebesar 36.2 % didapatkan oleh metode yang diusulkan dengan 6 word terhadap BoVW dengan 2 word. Peningkatan performa sampai 18.75 % yang dihasilkan DVSA dibandingkan WSA dan peningkatan performa sampai 30.99 % dibandingkan BoVW dengan jumlah word yang sama menunjukkan metode yang diusulkan kompetitif untuk mengenali jenis gambar

Modification of secondary pulp fibre fractions by enzymatic treatment

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Laboratory paper pulp deinking : an evaluation based on image analysis, ISO Brightness and ERIC

Image analysis, ERIC and ISO Brightness measurements were used to evaluate the effectiveness of laboratory deinking assays. The accurate measurement of the residual ink amount is difficult and the results depend on the methodology used. The three techniques correlate only when the same paper pulp sample is analysed and when the ink particle size distribution profile is similar. As the relative amount of each particle size depends on the deinking protocol used, the ink removal effectiveness is measured differently according to each test method. Image analysis was shown to be the most reliable method

Enzymatic depolymerisation of cellulose

Cellulose degree of polymerisation (DP) was determined in paper pulps and commercial powder celluloses before and after the enzymatic treatment with a blend of cellulases and hemicellulases. Three different methods were used: (i) chemical method, based on the measurement of the cellulose reducing power; (ii) viscosimetry; and (iii) gel permeation chromatography. Although based in very different principles, the three methods find similar DP values in the case of pure cellulose with narrow molecular weight distributions. The chemical method is more sensitive to detect enzymatic depolymerisation and appears to provide a good estimation of the number-average DP. GPC data offers more detailed information about the enzymes mode of action on the fibres, showing that cellulose hydrolysis in the presence of the commercial preparation Celluclast 1.5L follows a layer-by-layer solubilisation mechanism.University of Beira Interior – Department of Paper Science and Technology; Portucel Viana

Enzymatic modification of paper fibres

The enzymatic mode of action in paper fibre upgrading is still uncertain. In an attempt to clarify how enzymes modify pulp and paper properties, several parameters were analysed in the present work: (i) thermal analysis of the water–solid surface interactions; (ii) fibre cake permeability; (iii) particle size analysis. The results obtained suggest that enzymes modify the interfacial properties of fibres, increasing the water affinity, which in turn change the technical properties of pulp and paper, such as drainability and strength. The modification of paper and pulps following a treatment with cellulosebinding domains further supports this hypothesis