AQUA: um sistema de informação para análise e a validação de parâmetros de qualidade da água em Alqueva

A fiabilidade de dados disponíveis em domínios como os da hidrologia, das infra-estruturas (hidráulicas e sanitárias) e das variáveis biofísicas e sócio-económicas constitui elemento de base fundamental para a alimentação de qualquer sistema de suporte à decisão numa bacia hidrográfica. Isto significa que a transformação de dados brutos em informação com qualidade controlada, deve ser processada de forma eficiente e compatível com exigências dos ambientes hidroinformáticos, dos decisores e do público em geral. O sistema de informação AQuA, criado no âmbito do projecto ODeAnA, tem como objectivo principal o desenvolvimento de um sistema para análise e validação de parâmetros de qualidade da água no Empreendimento de Fins Múltiplos de Alqueva. Este sistema visa recolher os dados provenientes de leituras sobre a qualidade da água efectuadas pelas estações de recolha automática ou por técnicos de laboratório, analisando e validando esses mesmos dados e, posteriormente, integrando os dados limpos e consolidados numa base de dados projectada especificamente para o efeito. O sistema assegura mecanismos de detecção de anomalias, bem como a manutenção de esquemas de resolução para alguns tipos dessas ocorrências. Em termos de análise, é permitida a exploração dos dados, tendo o apoio de algumas funcionalidades de geo-referenciação, e a geração de relatórios ou gráficos específicos. O sistema está preparado para acolher os diversos perfis de utilização definidos: administrador de sistemas, supervisor de resultados, utilizadores internos e externos e público em geral. A implementação do sistema foi organizada e desenvolvida segundo dois módulos operacionais: (i) AQuA Wrapper – responsável por tratar os serviços relacionados com extracção, processamento e armazenamento dos dados provenientes das diversas estações de recolha; (ii) AQuA Web – responsável por tratar os serviços relacionados com validação e exploração dos dados recolhidos. Este módulo disponibiliza uma plataforma Web para acesso aos dados resultantes das leituras efectuadas sobre a qualidade da água nas diversas redes do sistema e constitui o principal elo de ligação dos utilizadores com o sistema de monitorização.Empresa de Desenvolvimento e Infra-estruturas do Alqueva, (EDIA

Solid-state fermentation as green technology to improve the use of plant feedstuffs as ingredients in diets for european sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles

This study aimed to evaluate the utilization by juvenile European sea bass of a SSFed PF mixture with Aspergillus niger CECT 2088. A 22-day digestibility and a 50-day growth trial were performed testing four diets, including 20 or 40% of an unfermented or SSFed PF mixture (rapeseed, soybean, rice bran, and sunflower seed meals, 25% each). SSF of the PF added cellulase and β-glucosidase activity to the diets. Mycotoxin contamination was not detected in any of the experimental diets except for residual levels of zearalenone and deoxynivalenol (100 and 600 times lower than that established by the European Commission Recommendation-2006/576/EC). In diets including 20% PF, SSF did not affect growth but increased apparent digestibility coefficients of protein and energy, feed efficiency, and protein efficiency ratio. On the contrary, in diets including 40% PF, SSF decreased growth performance, feed intake, feed and protein efficiency, and diet digestibility. SSF decreased the intestinal amylase activity in the 40% SSFed diet, while total alkaline proteases decreased in the 20% and 40% SSFed diets. Hepatic amino acid catabolic enzyme activity was not modulated by SSF, and plasma total protein, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were similar among dietary treatments. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of moderate levels of the SSFed PF, up to 20%, improves the overall feed utilization efficiency without negatively impacting European sea bass growth performance. The replacement of PF with the SSFed PF mixture may contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of aquaculture production.Simple Summary: The rapid growth of the world’s population has increased the demand for seafood, leading to the expansion of aquaculture to fulfill these needs and reduce the pressure on wild fish stocks. Plant feedstuffs (PFs) are often used as the main protein source in aquafeeds due to their wide availability and low cost. However, PFs usually contain high levels of non-starch polysaccharides that limit their utilization in aquafeeds, mainly for carnivorous fish. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) is a cost-effective technological process that may reduce anti-nutritional factor levels while improving nutrient digestibility and the production of several bioactive compounds, enhancing feedstuffs’ nutritional value in aquafeeds. Hence, this study evaluated the effects of using a PF mixture (rapeseed, soybean, rice bran, and sunflower seed meals, 25% each) solid-state fermented (SSFed) with Aspergillus niger CECT 2088 at two inclusion levels (20% and 40%) on European sea bass juveniles’ growth performance, feed digestibility, digestive and catabolic enzyme activity, and plasma metabolites. Overall, the SSFed PF mixture improved the overall feed digestibility, and utilization efficiency, when included at balanced level (20%) without negatively impacting fish growth performance, but not at the higher level (40%).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. UIDB/04423/2020Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. UIDP/04423/2020Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. 2020.05525.BDFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. SFRH/BD/115870/2016Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. SFRH/BD/137919/2018Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. SFRH/BD/143614/201

SYPHILIS AND HIV INFECTION: PROZONE EFFECT IN A PATIENT WITH NEUROSYPHILIS

É apresentado um caso de sífilis secundária prolongada com envolvimento neurológico assintomático em um paciente infectado pelo HIV. Paciente do sexo masculino, 26 anos de idade, com diagnóstico de infecção pelo HIV há três anos, apresentando há um ano lesões cutâneas nos pés e nas mãos, alopecia, febre, artralgia, perda ponderal de 8 Kg e VDRL negativo. Durante a internação, o VDRL foi de 1:1024 e VDRL positivo no líquor. Foi tratado com penicilina cristalina com excelente resposta clínica. O diagnóstico de sífilis deve ser considerado nos pacientes infectados pelo HIV com quadro clínico exuberante, mesmo quando o VDRL for negativo. PALAVRAS-CHAVE – Doenças sexualmente transmissíveis; HIV; Neurossífilis; Sífilis. We report a case of prolonged secondary syphilis with asymptomatic neurological involvement in HIV- -infected patient. A 26-year-old male patient who was diagnosed three years earlier with HIV infection presented with skin lesions on the feet and hands, alopecia, fever, arthralgia, weight loss of 8 Kg which began one year before and had a negative VDRL. During hospitalization, his VDRL was 1:1024 and a CSF-VDRL positive. The patient had an excel- lent clinical response to treatment with crystalline penicillin. The syphilis diagnosis should be considered in HIV-infected patients with severe clinical disease, even when the VDRL is negative. KEYWORDS – Sexually transmitted diseases; HIV infections; Neurosyphilis; Syphilis.

Balanço hídrico e excreção renal de metabólitos em cabras leiteiras alimentadas com feno de alfafa e palma forrageira

Objetivou-se determinar os efeitos da substituição do feno de Tifton (Cynodon spp.) por feno de alfafa (Medicago Sativa) em dietas à base de palma forrageira (Nopalea cochenillifera) sobre o balanço hídrico, funções renais e excreção mineral de cabras leiteiras. Utilizou-se 12 cabras da raça Saanen, com peso vivo de 46,23±7,5kg, produção de 3,0 kg leite/dia. O delineamento experimental foi quadrado latino (4x4), com quatro tratamentos (0%; 33,3%; 66,7% e 100% de substituição) e quatro períodos para coleta de dados e amostras. O consumo de matéria seca (CMS), expresso em kg/dia e consumo de água total apresentaram aumento linear (p<0,05) em função da substituição do feno de Tifton pelo feno de alfafa, variando de 2,25 a 2,49 kg/dia e de 10,4 a 11,6 L/dia, para os níveis 0 a 100%, respectivamente. As perdas de água, taxa de depuração endógena de creatinina (TDECr), taxa de excreção de urina (TEU), Ca, P, Mg e ureia no plasma e urina, assim como índice de excreção urinária (IEUr) e taxas de excreção fracionadas (TEF) de cabras alimentadas com feno de alfafa em substituição ao feno de Tifton em dietas à base de palma forrageira, não foram influenciados (P>0,05) pelas dietas. A substituição do feno de Tifton por feno de alfafa em até 300 g/kg de matéria seca, em dietas à base de palma forrageira para cabras em lactação, influencia no consumo de água, sem alterar os índices de excreção urinária

A knowledge management model in the support of engineering education / Um modelo de gestão de conhecimentos no apoio ao ensino de engenharia

 Gestão de Conhecimentos – GC no ensino de engenharia, ainda, são carentes de pesquisa. Os modelos de GC, normalmente, tratam do armazenamento e compartilhamento do conhecimento ou tratam da sua criação por meio do modelo SECI. É de fundamental importância que esses dois fundamentos sejam explicitados em um modelo de GC. Dessa forma, este trabalho tem como objeto de pesquisa o ensino de engenharia e tem como objetivo geral uma proposta de um modelo de GC no apoio ao ensino de engenharia que explicite tanto o armazenamento e compartilhamento do conhecimento, quanto a sua criação. O modelo foi aplicado na criação de conhecimento na área de ensino de engenharia e se mostrou adequado quanto aos resultados obtidos.

Enrichment of a Plant Feedstuff Mixture’s Nutritional Value through Solid-State Fermentation

Plant feedstuffs are the main ingredients of animal feed. Owing to food–feed competition, increasing the utilization efficiency of these feedstuffs is important for animal nutrition. This can be achieved via solid-state fermentation (SSF). SSF of a plant feedstuff mixture (PFM) (25% rapeseed meal, soybean meal, rice bran, and sunflower meal) by three fungi (Aspergillus ibericus MUM 03.29, Aspergillus niger CECT 2088, and Aspergillus niger CECT 2915) resulted in an increase in protein content by 5%, irrespective of fungi, a reduction in cellulose content by 9 to 11%, and of hemicellulose content by 21 to 34%, relative to unfermented PFM. Enzyme production was measured: the highest cellulase (123.7 U/g), xylanase (431.8 U/g), and beta-glucosidase (117.9 U/g) activity were achieved with A. niger CECT 2088. Principal component analysis showed a positive correlation between all fermented PFMs and enzyme production, protein content, digestibility, and fiber reduction. Bioprocessing of the PFM by SSF increased its nutritional value and digestibility, making it more appealing for animal feeds

Pre-treatment of Ulva rigida improves its nutritional value for European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles

Macroalgae are promising ingredients for aquafeeds, but their recalcitrant polysaccharide structure limits their wide use. To disrupt this structure, different physical (ultra-sounds, autoclave, microwaves), chemical (acid, alkaline), and biotechnological (solid-state fermentation, SSF; SSF followed by sequential hydrolysis, SSF-SH) treatments were carried out in Ulva rigida. The chemical composition, morphological microstructure, release of reducing sugars, soluble protein, and phenolic compounds were evaluated in the final products. All treatments increased U. rigida protein content, while lipid content increased after autoclave, ultra-sound, microwave, and SSF treatments. SSF-SH treatment was more effective in disrupting the cellulose and hemicellulose fractions, resulting in a higher reducing sugars release. The alkaline treatment was more efficient in reducing lignin content and increasing phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and soluble protein of U. rigida. The most promising products were then included at 5% in diets for European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles. Crude, ultra-sound, alkaline, and SSF-SH-treated U. rigida reduced fish growth, while SSF-treated U. rigida resulted in similar growth as the positive control (fish meal-based diet). Feed intake was reduced in all experimental groups, but the feed efficiency of fish fed SSF-U. rigida diet and the protein efficiency ratio of fish fed crude, alkaline, and SSF-treated U. rigida were higher than the positive control. The highest total alkaline proteases activity was achieved with the crude U. rigida diet, while no differences were observed in fish fed the positive control, ultra-sound, and SSF diets. Overall, of the processing methods tested, the most efficient was SSF, which improved feed efficiency of European seabass juveniles fed U. rigida-including diet without affecting growth performance.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/ 04469/2020 unit, the BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000004), funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte 2020 – Programa Operacional Regional do Norte, the R&D&I project “Development of innovative sustainable protein and omega-3 rich feedstuffs for aquafeeds, from local agro-industrial byproducts”, reference POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030377, funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and FCT. Helena Fernandes was supported by the PhD grant with the reference SFRH/BD/131219/2017, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Nicole Martins was supported by the PhD grant with the reference SFRH/BD/137919/2018, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

On the Dissolution of Metals in Ionic Liquids 1. Iron, Cobalt, Nickel, Copper, and Zinc

Ionic liquids are critical reagents for science and technical processes nowadays. Metals are the most used reagents in the industry. It is crucial to have a deeper understanding of how ionic liquids and metals could interact. In this article the interaction of those two families of compounds is accessed. The dissolution (reaction) of metals with ionic liquids is studied, namely the influence of temperature, redox potential, and availability of an oxidant in the process. The final state achieved by the iron metal samples was also addressed by Mössbauer spectroscopy