CRITICAL ECONOMIC FACTORS FOR SUCCESS OF A BIOMASS CONVERSION PLANT FOR AGRICULTURAL RESIDUE, YARD RESIDUE AND WOOD WASTE IN FLORIDA

This model evaluates the potential success of a cellulosic ethanol plant in Florida. Critical Economic factors of the plant were simulated to assess the ability of this project. These critical factors include the feedstock to be used, the cost of the facility, transportation costs and the discount rate for the net present value (NPV). Results and observations are presented in this paper.Biofuels, renewable energy, cellulosic ethanol, biomass, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Crop Production/Industries, Financial Economics, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Risk and Uncertainty,

Electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) degradation: An in vitro and in vivo study

This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through the following projects: CDRSP: UIDB/04044/2020, UIDP/04044/2020 and MARE: UIDB/04292/2020 and UIDP/04292/2020. This study was also supported by PAMI-ROTEIRO/0328/2013 (No. 022158), MATIS (CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000014-3362), SpinningTNT (POCI-01-02B7-FEDER-069285), and the project LA/P/0069/2020 granted to the Associate Laboratory ARNET.Polycaprolactone (PCL) is widely used in tissue engineering due to its interesting properties, namely biocompatibility, biodegradability, elastic nature, availability, cost efficacy, and the approval of health authorities such as the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The PCL degradation rate is not the most adequate for specific applications such as skin regeneration due to the hydrophobic nature of bulk PCL. However, PCL electrospun fiber meshes, due to their low diameters resulting in high surface area, are expected to exhibit a fast degradation rate. In this work, in vitro and in vivo degradation studies were performed over 90 days to evaluate the potential of electrospun PCL as a wound dressing. Enzymatic and hydrolytic degradation studies in vitro, performed in a static medium, demonstrated the influence of lipase, which promoted a rate of degradation of 97% for PCL meshes. In an in vivo scenario, the degradation was slower, although the samples were not rejected, and were well-integrated in the surrounding tissues inside the subcutaneous pockets specifically created.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Friction and wear behaviour of bacterial cellulose against articular cartilage

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a natural and biocompatible material with unique properties, such as high water holding capacity, ultra-fine fibre network and high strength that makes it an attractive material for the repair of articular cartilage lesions. However, data on the tribological properties of BC is very scarce, particularly if natural articular cartilage is involved in the contact. In this work, unmodified BC pellicles were grown from Gluconacetobacter xylinus in order to be used as tribological samples against bovine articular cartilage (BAC) in the presence of phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The tribological assessment of the sliding pairs was accomplished using reciprocating pin-on-flat tests at 37ºC. The reciprocating sliding frequency and stroke length were kept constant at 1 Hz and 8 mm, respectively. Contact pressures ranging from 0.80 to 2.40 MPa were applied. The friction coefficient evolution was continuously monitored during the tests and the release of total carbohydrates into the lubricating solution was followed by means of the phenol-H2SO4 method as an attempt to evaluate wear losses. The morphology of worn surfaces was characterized by SEM/EDS and the main wear mechanisms were identified. Low friction coefficient values (~ 0.05) combined with the preservation of the mating surfaces (BC and BAC) indicate the potential of BC to be used as artificial cartilage for articular joints.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Sectoral indices to evaluate the sustainability of wastewater utilities

Wastewater systems are a structural part of public utilities and as such are vital to the general wellbeing, public health, economic activities and environment protection. These services, with the primary objective of protecting the interests of users, shall be governed by principles of universality of access, continuity and quality of service, efficiency, equity and sustainability of price. The aim of this paper is to contribute for the improvement of the Portuguese performance assessment system, through the development and application of a complementary methodology to define sectoral and global indices of sanitation service performance in order to evaluate the sustainability of a given wastewater utility. This methodology allows a truly quantitative evaluation in which each performance indicator represents a criterion to be considered and judiciously weighted. The sectoral indices are calculated as a weighted linear combination of the normalized scores of each performance indicator, which is one of the most common aggregation procedures available in the context of multicriteria evaluation. The criteria normalization process essentially based on fuzzy sets defined for each indicator. A sensitivity analysis of indices values to different weighting methods was also performed.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Atributos físicos e químicos de argissolo amarelo sob cultivo orgânico.

A utilização de sistemas orgânicos de produção agrícola tem ganhado destaque no cenário mundial principalmente devido à busca por alimentos de maior qualidade, mas também por outros benefícios como a conservação/melhoria de características físicas, químicas e biológicas do solo, aliada ao menor impacto ambiental. O presente trabalho propõe a avaliar a qualidade física e química de um Argissolo após dois anos de cultivo orgânico de videira de vinho, tendo como referência uma área de pousio. A avaliação se deu através da análise da estabilidade de agregados, dos cálculos dos índices de e de dispersão floculação do solo, da densidade do solo e do teor de carbono orgânico, a partir de amostras coletadas nas linhas e entrelinhas da videira e área de pousio, nas profundidades de 0-0,10, 0,10-0,20; 0,20-0,30 m e 0,30-0,60 m. Observou-se que o sistema influenciou a agregação do solo; o manejo nas linhas com a implantação de coquetéis vegetais possivelmente elevou o conteúdo de matéria orgânica quando comparado à entrelinha e pousio; e foram encontrados maiores teores dos elementos Mg e Ca na área de pousio e na linha de plantio, o mesmo não ocorrendo para K e Na

ECM-enriched alginate hydrogels for bioartificial pancreas: an ideal niche to improve insulin secretion and diabetic glucose profile

Introduction: The success of a bioartificial pancreas crucially depends on ameliorating encapsulated beta cells survival and function. By mimicking the cellular in vivo niche, the aim of this study was to develop a novel model for beta cells encapsulation capable of establishing an appropriate microenvironment that supports interactions between cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Methods: ECM components (Arg-Gly-Asp, abbreviated as RGD) were chemically incorporated in alginate hydrogels (alginate-RGD). After encapsulation, INS-1E beta cells outcome was analyzed in vitro and after their implantation in an animal model of diabetes. Results: Our alginate-RGD model demonstrated to be a good in vitro niche for supporting beta cells viability, proliferation, and activity, namely by improving the key feature of insulin secretion. RGD peptides promoted cell–matrix interactions, enhanced endogenous ECM components expression, and favored the assembly of individual cells into multicellular spheroids, an essential configuration for proper beta cell functioning. In vivo, our pivotal model for diabetes treatment exhibited an improved glycemic profile of type 2 diabetic rats, where insulin secreted from encapsulated cells was more efficiently used. Conclusions: We were able to successfully introduce a novel valuable function in an old ally in biomedical applications, the alginate. The proposed alginate-RGD model stands out as a promising approach to improve beta cells survival and function, increasing the success of this therapeutic strategy, which might greatly improve the quality of life of an increasing number of diabetic patients worldwide.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by FCT/MEC through National Funds and co-financed by FEDER through the PT2020 Partnership Agreement under the 4293 Unit I&D, FCT Strategic Project PEst-C/SAU/UI3282/2011-2013 and UID/NEU/04539/2013, FCT in the framework of project UID/BIM/04293/2013, FCT in the framework of project IF/00939/2013/CP1179/CT0001, FCT for Joana Crisóstomo (grant number SFRH/BD/72964/2010), FCT for Sílvia J Bidarra (grant number SFRH/BPD/80571/2011), and FCT and POPH/ESF (EC) for Cristina C Barrias research position FCT Investigator (IF2013)

Late Holocene natural and man induced environmental changes in Western Iberian coast: assessing forcing factors

The Western coast of the Iberian Peninsula stands as an interface between both the Atlantic and Mediterranean climatic influences and marine / fluvial conditions. The paper aims to assess the environmental changes in the last ca 6000 years (both natural and anthropogenic induced) using multiproxy analysis (geomorphological and sedimentological data, elemental and stable isotope content, microfossil assemblages, radiocarbon dating, and historical records) applied to an embayed coast. The results showed the prevalence of marine environment until 6272-6000 cal BP, but with fluvial infilling of the inner embayment, even before present sea level was reached (ca 4500-4000 cal BP). The influx of sediments was probably the result of the four recorded wet episodes (at modelled age cal BP (2σ): E1 – 6067-4770, E2 – 5806-4409, E3 – 5383-4088, and E4 – 4086-3905). These great sediment influxes along the previous 3000 years continues until 2110-1962 cal BP triggering the downstream migration of the river mouth, the development of a sand barrier coast and of a sheltered lagoon inside the palaeo-embayment.Afterwards the sedimentation rate (SR) reached high values (0.19-0.48 cmyr-1), as the result of Roman intervention in the drainage basin where pastures and local fires are recorded, together with an increasing dryness. A major disturbance is recorded in the Pollen Assemblages Zones (between PAZ II and PAZ III) and in the sediments around 1863-1706 cal BP (2σ), in the transition from the Roman Age to the Muslim invasion period, probably reflecting a hiatus in the sedimentary record. Onwards, SR reached 0.21-0.57 cmyr-1. Two major hydro marine episodes may have contributed to this fact: the latter is the Lisbon tsunami (1755 AD) while the former may reflect the 16th Century tsunamis or a great marine storm episode. An aeolian environment prevailed since then and the embayment was transformed into a dune field interrupted only by the narrow channel of the river whose mouth is often closed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio