New designsns of solar collectors for heterogeneous TiO2 photocatalytic processes

Solar hardware design for photocatalytic processes includes aspects of optics, geometry and reactor materials. Compound parabolic collectors (CPCs) have widely been used to promote heterogeneous and homogeneous photocatalytic reactions. In this work, different reflective surface (RS) materials (anodized aluminum with [MS] and without [R85] protective coating, soiled aluminum [R85s] and stainless steel [SS]) and geometries (flat [F], single piece-double parabola [SP] and two pieces-double parabola [DP]) were tested aiming the degradation of a recalcitrant organic compound, gatifloxacin (GAT), by using a heterogeneous TiO2 photocatalytic system. Firstly, the photonic flux entering the system was measured by 2-nitrobenzaldehyde actinometry, considering the different RSs. After that, the catalyst (TiO2-P25) was immobilized in the surface of a static mixer and axially inserted in the tubular borosilicate photoreactor. Finally, the efficiency of the heterogeneous photocatalytic system was evaluated for GAT removal from aqueous solution using the best photoreactor configuration.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Proposal for a radiation shielding study aiming the implantation of neutrons beam shutter in the J-9 radiation channel of the Argonauta reactor of the Nuclear Engineering Institute.

Argonauta, the only nuclear research reactor situated in Rio de Janeiro, located at the Institute of Nuclear Engineering (IEN), regularly serves a network of users focused on research and development, and also provides its infrastructure for experimental classes and completion work course. Due to increasing demand for non-destructive thermal neutron assays and production of radioisotopes, there is a search for new procedures and/or devices that optimize users' exposure to neutrons. The implementation of mechanisms that allow access to the irradiation channels without the reactor being turned off and with a shielding configuration that limits the occupational doses at this location is very useful for the operation of the reactor. In order to achieve this, the present work proposes the establishment of a neutron beam shutter of the J-9 irradiation channel of the IEN’s Argonauta reactor. In a first step, experimental measurements were made in the irradiation channel of the reactor using a BF3 detector, which is coupled to a spectrometer. In this phase, the neutron beam was aligned to the spectrometer, and different materials were used as shields, aiming the attenuation of the beam. To validate and/or change the configuration of the barrier that best meets the material irradiation needs, a second planned phase is involving the neutron flux simulation of the reactor and the various shields with different boundary conditions using the particle transport code, Monte Carlo N-Particle Extended (MCNP- X)

Characteristics of two conditioning regimens cyclophosphamide plus antithymocyte globulin versus cyclophosphamide plus busulfan in allogeneic stem cell transplantation for severe aplastic anemia

Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilHosp Santa Marcelina, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Multivariate Analysis Applied to Forestry Agricultural Sciences: The Model-Directed Study

This is a literature review that aimed to find articles that exemplify and describe the use of multivariate analysis in different fields of Forest Agricultural Sciences, considering effective practices using multivariate statistical techniques for the simultaneous processing of data. For data collection were selected for the meta-analysis of 70 technical articles of which 54 were employed in the study directed to the use of multivariate techniques applied in the areas of agricultural sciences. The results showed thatstudies directed to certain areas within the Forest Agricultural Sciences exhibit some regularity in the use of multivariate analysis, and most application analyzes were more usual as the Cluster Analysis (AA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Thus the use of multivariate analysis studies and evaluations of experiments in Agricultural Sciences proved to great value to allow greater clarity and better interpretation of dealing with complex phenomena

Craft beers fermented by potential probiotic yeast or lacticaseibacilli strains promote antidepressant-like behavior in swiss webster mice

This study aimed to produce a probiotic-containing functional wheat beer (PWB) by an axenic culture system with potential probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae var boulardii 17 and probiotic-containing functional sour beer (PSB) by a semi-separated co-cultivation system with potential probiotic Lacticaseibacillus paracasei DTA 81 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae S-04. Additionally, results obtained from in vivo behavioral tests with Swiss Webster mice treated with PWB or PSB were provided, which is scarce in the current literature. Although the use of S. boulardii to produce beers is not a novelty, this study demonstrated that S. boulardii 17 performance on sugar wort stills not completely elucidated; therefore, further studies should be considered before using the strain in industrial-scale production. Co-culture systems with lacticaseibacilli strain and S. cerevisiae have been reported in the literature for PSB production. However, lacticaseibacilli survivability in beer can be improved by semi-separated co-cultivation systems, highlighting the importance of growing lacticaseibacilli in the wort before yeast pitching. Besides, kettle hopping must be chosen as the method for hop addition to produce PSB. The dry-hopping method may prevent iso-alpha formation in the wort; however, a tendency to sediment can drag cells at the tank bottom and negatively affect L. paracasei DTA 81 viability. Despite stress factors from the matrices and the stressful conditions encountered during GI transit, potential probiotic S. boulardii 17 and potential probiotic L. paracasei DTA 81 withstood at sufficient doses to promote antidepressant effects in the mice group treated with PWB or PSB, respectively.The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) provided financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020) and the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Epidemiology of COVID-19 in the State of Sergipe/Brazil and Its Relationship with Social Indicators

A pandemic is capable of generating a great impact, not only from the point of view of health, but also socioeconomically. In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that a new pandemic situation had arisen, due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, whose probable origin was zoonotic. The largest number of cases of this disease is concentrated in the United States of America (USA), India, and Brazil. The mortality rate is estimated at 3.4%, but regional differences may exist, and places with a high demographic density have become true epicentres and may be related to higher rates of transmission. In addition to the above, lower human development indexes (HDI) can be related to worse outcomes, especially in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil since they are the least developed places. The Northeast region is the second-most-affected place in the number of COVID-19 cases in Brazil. An analytical observational study of an ecological type was carried out from April to October 2020 to assess the epidemiological situation of COVID-19 in the state of Sergipe and specifically to analyse the incidence of cases and deaths resulting from COVID-19 in the different health regions of the state of Sergipe, in relation to the values of the HDI and demographic density. During the study period, 84,325 cases of COVID-19 were identified, in which 2205 resulted in death. In most of the regions studied, there was a positive association between the number of cases and deaths and the greater the demographic density, but there was no increase in the risk of becoming ill, nor of dying the lower the HDI. Large and crowded cities are places of greatest vulnerability to illness, due to their greater capacity of transmitting the virus; however, further studies are needed to identify other factors that are decisive in the outcomes of this new disease.This research received no external funding.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Análise de patologias em instalações hidráulicas e sanitárias de edificações residenciais e comerciais / Analysis of pathologies in hydraulic and sanitary installations of residential and commercial buildings

Este artigo realiza uma revisão bibliográfica e análise de patologias em instalações hidráulicas de água fria, água quente, esgoto sanitário e pluvial, além das instalações relacionadas ao combate a incêndio, uma vez que embora as normas vigentes determinem que essas instalações prediais ofereçam conforto e segurança aos usuários, as patologias continuam presentes nas edificações. Elas podem ser originadas por erros de projetos e de execução, qualidade dos materiais inferior ao exigido para atender as especificações normativas e de projeto, além da má utilização pelos usuários. Foi feita uma pesquisa em fontes escritas e em campo, em edificações residenciais e comerciais, afim de reconhecer e identificar de forma correta essas patologias. Na sequência, analisou-se suas causas e consequências. Como resultado do estudo foram propostas soluções para tais problemas. Essa análise é de grande importância, uma vez que o surgimento das patologias pode ser evitado ou minimizado, através de condutas preventivas e corretivas, visto que quando se conhece a origem do problema, a possibilidade de repeti-lo torna-se menor, garantindo dessa forma, a integridade da edificação e bem estar dos usuários.

Variabilidade genética estimada entre cultivares de bananeira por meio de marcadores microssatélites.

O Brasil é o quarto produtor mundial de banana, tendo produzido 7,0 milhões de toneladas em 2008, em uma área aproximada de 500 mil hectares. A falta de variedades comerciais de banana que sejam produtivas, com porte adequado e resistentes às principais pragas, constituem-se em fatores limitantes da cultura, sendo uma estratégia para a solução deste problema o desenvolvimento de cultivares mediante programas de melhoramento genético. As cultivares mais difundidas no Brasil são Maçã, Prata, Pacovan, Prata-Anã, Mysore, Terra e D?Angola, pertencentes ao grupo genômico AAB, e Nanica, Nanicão e Grand Naine, do subgrupo Cavendish, utilizadas principalmente para exportação. A caracterização agronômica e a estimativa da variabilidade genética disponível para o melhoramento são informações úteis, tanto na escolha de genitores para cruzamentos entre genótipos divergentes quanto para explorar a heterose. Vários marcadores moleculares, em especial microssatélites têm sido amplamente utilizados na estimativa da variabilidade genética, na escolha de genitores e em estudos ?logenéticos em bananeira. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estimar a variabilidade genética entre 21 cultivares comerciais de bananeira, por meio de marcadores moleculares microssatélites.PDF. 047

H1N1pdm Influenza Infection in Hospitalized Cancer Patients: Clinical Evolution and Viral Analysis

BACKGROUND: The novel influenza A pandemic virus (H1N1pdm) caused considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide in 2009. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical course, duration of viral shedding, H1N1pdm evolution and emergence of antiviral resistance in hospitalized cancer patients with severe H1N1pdm infections during the winter of 2009 in Brazil. METHODS: We performed a prospective single-center cohort study in a cancer center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Hospitalized patients with cancer and a confirmed diagnosis of influenza A H1N1pdm were evaluated. The main outcome measures in this study were in-hospital mortality, duration of viral shedding, viral persistence and both functional and molecular analyses of H1N1pdm susceptibility to oseltamivir. RESULTS: A total of 44 hospitalized patients with suspected influenza-like illness were screened. A total of 24 had diagnosed H1N1pdm infections. The overall hospital mortality in our cohort was 21%. Thirteen (54%) patients required intensive care. The median age of the studied cohort was 14.5 years (3-69 years). Eighteen (75%) patients had received chemotherapy in the previous month, and 14 were neutropenic at the onset of influenza. A total of 10 patients were evaluated for their duration of viral shedding, and 5 (50%) displayed prolonged viral shedding (median 23, range=11-63 days); however, this was not associated with the emergence of a resistant H1N1pdm virus. Viral evolution was observed in sequentially collected samples. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged influenza A H1N1pdm shedding was observed in cancer patients. However, oseltamivir resistance was not detected. Taken together, our data suggest that severely ill cancer patients may constitute a pandemic virus reservoir with major implications for viral propagation