Response of different types of wood treatment regarding the different products application to the management of drywood termites Cryptotermes brevis populations in the Azores

A térmita de madeira seca das Índias Ocidentais, a Cryptotermes brevis (Walker, 1953) (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) está perfeitamente estabelecida nos Açores, sendo considerada uma praga urbana com grande impacto económico e social pelos graves prejuízos que causa, através da destruição estrutural, principalmente das madeiras de suporte dos telhados. Espera-se com esta contribuição: i) determinar qual o produto com a maior taxa de absorção em todas as madeiras usadas na estrutura dos telhados açorianos; ii) contribuir de uma forma decisiva para que as empresas dos Açores possam adoptar esta prática no tratamento de todas as madeiras a usar nas estruturas; iii) contribuir, indirectamente, para a redução do ataque das térmitas nas madeiras, através do seu tratamento com estes produtos, tendo em vista o controlo desta praga nas zonas urbanas afectadas. De todos os seis produtos utilizados, o XT-2000 (d-limonene), líquido com propriedades insecticidas extraído da casca de citrinos, foi o que melhor foi absorvido e se difundiu no interior da madeira tratada em todas as modalidades ensaiadas. Analisando esta capacidade de difusão no interior da madeira por cada tipo de produto e atendendo ao facto de se tratar de madeira do cerne ou do borne (superfície), o XT-2000 (d-limonene) e o TERMINATE (cialotrina) foram os que registaram a maior percentagem de absorção. Na madeira do cerne, o WOCOSEN (permetrina) foi o que melhor foi absorvido por todas as madeiras. É de referir que a acácia, o sapé e o eucalipto foram as madeiras que registaram a menor taxa de absorção após a aplicação dos produtos ensaiados.ABSTRACT: The West Indian drywood termite, Cryptotermes brevis (Walker, 1953) (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae), is a well-established and serious pest of structural wood in the Azores. It is therefore important to study different ways to fight against this insect, and among the several research studies in progress, in these contribution we discuss the rate of diffusion of six products inside five different kinds of wood that are normally used for construction of Azorean building roofs. Our aims are: i) to test which product is best absorbed in each type of wood tested and used in the building of Azorean roofs; ii) to contribute with methods that can be adopted by Azorean commercial enterprises to develop a domestic termite control industry; iii) to contribute indirectly in understanding the best woods and products we expect to enhance control of these pest in the affected urban areas. Of the six products tested, XT-2000 (d-limonene), a liquid extracted from citrus peels, gave the best results in terms of diffusion on all the wood types tested. When we compared the performance of each kind of product tested in both heartwood and sapwood, XT-2000 and TERMINATE were the products with the greatest amount absorbed in the woods tested. In the heartwood alone, WOCOSEN (permethrin) was the one that gave the best results for all woods. It is also important to note that acácia, sapé and Eucalyptus sp. were the woods that absorbed the least with all the products tested

Chloroform formation by chlorination of aqueous algae suspensions: online monitoring via membrane introduction mass spectrometry

Membrane introduction mass spectrometry (MIMS) was used to perform on-line monitoring of the chloroform formation via the chlorination of aqueous suspensions of several green and blue-green Brazilian algae (Microcystis panniformis, Selenastrum sp., Scenedesmus sp., Monoraphidium sp. (strain 354), Monoraphidium sp. (strain 960), and Staurastrum sp.). The influence of major parameters, such as temperature, pH, initial concentration of sodium hypochloride, filtration, and reaction time, on chloroform formation was evaluated. It was verified that the chloroform formation is strongly dependent on the alga type and is favored by high temperatures, pH, sodium hypochloride initial concentration and reaction time. Finally, filtered algae samples produce smaller amounts of chloroform in comparison to the rough suspension.A técnica MIMS (membrane introduction mass spectrometry) foi utilizada para monitorar a formação de clorofórmio durante a cloração de suspensões aquosas de várias espécies brasileiras de algas verdes e azuis (Microcystis panniformis, Selenastrum sp., Scenedesmus sp., Monoraphidium sp. (strain 354), Monoraphidium sp. (strain 960), and Staurastrum sp.). Foram avaliadas as influências de parâmetros como temperatura, pH, concentração inicial de hipoclorito de sódio, filtração e tempo de reação. Foi constatado que o teor de clorofórmio é fortemente dependente da espécie de alga e também é favorecido com o aumento da temperatura, pH, dosagem de cloro inicial e do tempo de reação. Amostras de suspensões de algas submetidas a filtração produziram menores quantidades de clorofórmio em comparação com as amostras brutas.950955Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Handling strategies for termites in the Azores

As térmitas estão perfeitamente estabelecidas nos Açores e constituem já uma praga de dimensões apreciadas nas zonas urbanas. Com base no conhecimento actual, é impossível erradicar as térmitas dos Açores. São conhecidas, actualmente, três espécies de térmitas nos Açores: uma térmita de madeira seca, a Cryptotermes brevis, uma térmita de madeira viva, a Kalotermes flavicollis, e uma térmita subterrânea, a Reticulitermes grassei. Qualquer que seja a estratégia de infestação, todas estas espécies irão causar grandes prejuízos económicos aos açorianos, nas próximas décadas, sendo as formas de combate e gestão diferentes para as três espécies. Com base na investigação científica realizada no último ano, em relação à espécie de térmita de madeira seca, Cryptotermes brevis, torna-se claro que as principais estratégias de gestão passam por: 1) evitar a dispersão das espécies entre ilhas; 2) melhorar as medidas de quarentena para, assim, evitar a entrada de novas espécies no arquipélago; 3) melhorar as técnicas de inspecção e treinar novos inspectores; 4) educar as pessoas para lidarem com a gestão dos insectos alados; 5) tratar o mobiliário com uma série de técnicas recentemente disponibilizadas (Bolhas de gás com CO2 ou N2) ou através do simples uso do frio, bem como do calor do sol; 6) remover as peças de madeira muito infestadas e proceder à sua substituição por peças de metal ou madeira pré-tratada com químicos em autoclave; 7) usar químicos em tratamentos localizados, apenas, quando a infestação tiver um carácter de fraca ou média infestação e ter sempre o cuidado de seleccionar o químico considerado mais adequado com base nos dados experimentais; 8) testar a possibilidade de utilizar medidas de controlo em grande escala, com base no uso de fumigação por gases ou por calor; 9) criar nova legislação.ABSTRACT: Termites are well-established and are serious pest of structural wood in the Azores. Eradication of termites cannot currently be achieved. Three species of termites are currently known from the archipelago (dry-wood termite Cryptotermes brevis, living trees Kalotermes flavicollis and subterranean termite Reticulitermes grassei). Whatever the infestation strategy, all these three species will cause enormous economic impact in the next decades in the Azores, and the types of control that are needed are entirely different for the three. As a result of the scientific research performed with the dry-wood termite Cryptotermes brevis in the last year it is now clear that the main management strategies are: 1) to avoid further dispersal between islands; 2) to improve quarantine measures in order to avoid the entrance in the archipelago of new termite species; 3) to improve inspection techniques and train new inspectors; 4) to educate home-owners to manage alates spread; 5) to treat furniture with newly available techniques (e.g., Gas Bubble with non-toxic physical controls such as CO2, or N2 gas) or simple use of "sun heat" or extreme cold; 6) to remove all highly infested wood and replace it with new materials such as metal parts or pressure-treated wood when (re)building; 7) to use chemicals in spot-treatments only when the infestation is moderate to small and selecting the most adequate chemical based on experimental grounds; 8) to test the possibility of using in the Azores whole-block control usually by gas or heat fumigation; 9) to create new legislation

A co-cretion process for premium traditional portuguese pocket knifes

During an eight weeks DEMOLA project, from March to June 2019, a team of five students together with the representative of Martins Cutelaria Tradicional de Palaçoulo, putted into practice the steps towards an innovative design of a new premium series, the “Portuguese History Collection”. This design project was driven through a co-creation process with the traditional Portuguese pocket knifes company Martins Cutelaria Tradicional de Palaçoulo, based in the old village of Palaçoulo, Bragança, Portugal (see [1]). Martins Cutelaria, which has a long history in the design, production and innovation of traditional Portuguese pocket knifes, launched the challenge of designing a new premium line for their traditional pocket knifes segment. The challenge was to innovate while keeping untouched the identity, tradition and the solid values that are the pillars of the company since it was founded in 1954. Based on the company's motto: “Ter uma navalha Martins Palaçoulo, é ter nas mãos um pedaço da nossa história."(*) and inspired by the fact that the year 2019 celebrates the 500th anniversary of the departure of the navigator Fernão de Magalhães for his circumnavigation of the globe by sea, the team worked out the new pocket knifes collection “Portuguese History Collection – The Navigations”.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A new long-term composite drug delivery system based on thermo-responsive hydrogel and nanoclay

Several problems and limitations faced in the treatment of many diseases can be overcome by using controlled drug delivery systems (DDS), where the active compound is transported to the target site, minimizing undesirable side effects. In situ-forming hydrogels that can be injected as viscous liquids and jellify under physiological conditions and biocompatible clay nanoparticles have been used in DDS development. In this work, polymer–clay composites based on Pluronics (F127 and F68) and nanoclays were developed, aiming at a biocompatible and injectable system for long-term controlled delivery of methylene blue (MB) as a model drug. MB release from the systems produced was carried out at 37◦C in a pH 7.4 medium. The Pluronic formulation selected (F127/F68 18/2 wt.%) displayed a sol/gel transition at approx. 30◦C, needing a 2.5 N force to be injected at 25◦C. The addition of 2 wt.% of Na116 clay decreased the sol/gel transition to 28◦C and significantly enhanced its viscoelastic modulus. The most suitable DDS for long-term application was the Na116-MB hybrid from which, after 15 days, only 3% of the encapsulated MB was released. The system developed in this work proved to be injectable, with a long-term drug delivery profile up to 45 days.publishersversionpublishe

A Review

This work is co-financed by FEDER, European Funds, through the COMPETE 2020 POCI and PORL, National Funds through FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, and POR Lisboa2020, under the projects PIDDAC (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007688, Reference UIDB/50025/2020-2023) and PTDC/CTMCTM/30623/2017 (DREaMM). P.S. also acknowledges the individual contract CEECIND.03189.2020. C.T. acknowledges i3N for the Ph.D. grant with reference UI/BD/151541/2021. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.In recent decades, new and improved materials have been developed with a significant interest in three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds that can cope with the diverse needs of the expanding biomedical field and promote the required biological response in multiple applications. Due to their biocompatibility, ability to encapsulate and deliver drugs, and capacity to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM), typical hydrogels have been extensively investigated in the biomedical and biotechnological fields. The major limitations of hydrogels include poor mechanical integrity and limited cell interaction, restricting their broad applicability. To overcome these limitations, an emerging approach, aimed at the generation of hybrid materials with synergistic effects, is focused on incorporating nanoparticles (NPs) within polymeric gels to achieve nanocomposites with tailored functionality and improved properties. This review focuses on the unique contributions of clay nanoparticles, regarding the recent developments of clay-based nanocomposite hydrogels, with an emphasis on biomedical applications.publishersversionpublishe

Indolbutyric Acid (IBA) in the african mahogany (Khaya grandifoliola C. DC.) cuttings and mini-cuttings development

The current expansion of the forest sector in the Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah), especially of the species of genus Khaya sp. (African Mahogany), requires several silvicultural and technical studies of various natures. Seed and clonal propagation enable noble and vigorous seedlings, which will future compose commercial plantations aiming timber production. The species Khaya grandifoliola C. DC is considered of distinct wood characteristics and with great economic potential. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different indolbultyric acid (IBA) concentrations – between 0 and 12 g.L-1– on the rooting of K. grandifoliola cuttings and mini-cuttings. The experiment was carried out at the "Mudas Nobres" private nursery, located in Goiânia (Goiás State, Brazil). The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design in a 5 × 2 factorial scheme. Each treatment consisted of four replications with 20 cuttings (clonal origin) or mini-cuttings (seed origin) per repetition. Models were also applied to estimate the number of shoots in clonal cuttings, according to the data observed in seed mini-cuttings. The results indicate that IBA has the opposite effect on the two evaluated types of propagule origin, being more suitable for seed mini-cuttings (should apply 8 g.L-1of IBA) and less for clonal cuttings (should not apply IBA). If a standard application must be recommended (to cuttings either mini-cuttings), the most appropriate concentration is 6 g.L-1of IBA

Reduction of pollutants emissions on si engines : accomplishments with efficiency increase

This paper presents an experimental study aiming to identify the means to minimize the reduction of the overall performance of a gasoline engine when employing the Exhaust- Gas Recirculation (EGR) technique that reduces NOx emissions. The increase of the compression ratio and turbocharging was evaluated as a mean to recover the original performance. The formation of pollutants and the engine performance were verified at full and partial loads. The results show that the combination of exhaust gas recirculation with turbocharger or through an increase of the compression ratio enhance the relation between the engine performance and the emission of NO. However, the turbocharger seemed to be more sensitive to the negative effects of the EGR technology

Assessment of solar driven TiO2-assisted photocatalysis efficiency on amoxicillin degradation

The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of a solar TiO2-assisted photocatalytic process on amoxicillin (AMX) degradation, an antibiotic widely used in human and veterinary medicine. Firstly, solar photolysis of AMX was compared with solar photocatalysis in a compound parabolic collectors pilot scale photoreactor to assess the amount of accumulated UV energy in the system (Q (UV)) necessary to remove 20 mg L-1 AMX from aqueous solution and mineralize the intermediary by-products. Another experiment was also carried out to accurately follow the antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli DSM 1103 and Staphylococcus aureus DSM 1104 and mineralization of AMX by tracing the contents of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), low molecular weight carboxylate anions, and inorganic anions. Finally, the influence of individual inorganic ions on AMX photocatalytic degradation efficiency and the involvement of some reactive oxygen species were also assessed. Photolysis was shown to be completely ineffective, while only 3.1 kJ(UV) L-1 was sufficient to fully degrade 20 mg L-1 AMX and remove 61 % of initial DOC content in the presence of the photocatalyst and sunlight. In the experiment with an initial AMX concentration of 40 mg L-1, antibacterial activity of the solution was considerably reduced after elimination of AMX to levels below the respective detection limit. After 11.7 kJ(UV) L-1, DOC decreased by 71 %; 30 % of the AMX nitrogen was converted into ammonium and all sulfur compounds were converted into sulfate. A large percentage of the remaining DOC was in the form of low molecular weight carboxylic acids. Presence of phosphate ions promoted the removal of AMX from solution, while no sizeable effects on the kinetics were found for other inorganic ions. Although the AMX degradation was mainly attributed to hydroxyl radicals, singlet oxygen also plays an important role in AMX self-photosensitization under UV/visible solar light