Three-dimensional numerical modeling and analysis of multiphase distribution in a UASB reactor with experimental validation of biogas volumetric flow rate

Research involving numerical simulations to model physical processes, such as the behavior of multiphase flow in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors, requires a validation step for the numerical data to ensure that the model accurately represents the physical dynamics of the studied process. In this context, the present study aimed to develop a mathematical model and perform numerical simulations to investigate the multiphase flow behavior in a UASB reactor, validating the numerical data regarding the biogas volumetric flow rate based on real data collected from the three-phase separator. Using Ansys® CFX software, three-phase, turbulent, transient, Eulerian-Eulerian simulations were conducted with different gas volume fractions (GVF of 0.026; 0.130; and 0.260) at the inlet of the model to examine their influence on phase distribution, velocity, and solid deformation rate. To validate the model, experimental biogas volumetric flow data at the liquid-gas interface were compared with the numerical results, showing a relative error of 4.2% for the case simulated with a GVF of 0.026. In the cases studied, the phase distribution behavior remained consistent. The velocities showed that the gas moved approximately 200 times faster than the liquid, while the solids reached speeds 10 to 30 times higher than the liquid, but in the opposite direction. It was also found that higher GVF led to increased solid deformation rates due to shear stresses. The validated model is suitable for future studies aiming to improve UASB reactor flow behavior.Pesquisas envolvendo simulação numérica para modelar processos físicos, como o comportamento do escoamento multifásico em reator anaeróbio de fluxo ascendente e manta de lodo (UASB), requerem uma etapa de validação dos dados numéricos, a fim de assegurar a adequação do modelo para representar a dinâmica física do processo estudado. Neste contexto, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo desenvolver uma modelagem matemática e realizar simulações numéricas para investigar o comportamento do escoamento multifásico em um reator UASB , validando os dados numéricos relativos à vazão volumétrica de biogás por meio de dados reais captados no separador trifásico. Utilizando o software Ansys® CFX, foram simulados casos trifásicos, turbulentos, transientes, Eulerian-Eulerian, considerando diferentes frações volumétricas de gás (FVG de 0,026; 0,130 e 0,260) na entrada do modelo, para investigar sua influência na distribuição e velocidade das fases e na taxa de deformação dos sólidos. Para validação do modelo, dados experimentais da vazão volumétrica de biogás na interface líquido-gás foram comparados com os resultados numéricos, ocorrendo um erro relativo de 4,2% no caso simulado com a FVG de 0,026. Nos casos estudados, o comportamento da distribuição das fases permaneceu constante. As velocidades mostraram que o gás se movia cerca de 200 vezes mais rápido que o líquido, enquanto os sólidos alcançaram velocidades de 10 a 30 vezes superiores às do líquido, porém no sentido contrário ao fluxo. Constatou-se ainda que uma maior FVG resulta em uma taxa mais elevada de deformação dos sólidos por tensões de cisalhamento. O modelo validado é adequado para investigações futuras visando melhorias no escoamento de reatores UASB

Cocriação em biblioteca universitária: uma proposta de implantação do serviço de comunidades através do WhatsApp

This experience report presents the ideation and planning stages for proposing a remote service through WhatsApp communities, based on the idea of the cocreation in academic libraries. As a theoretical approach, the concepts of cocreation, as well as the quantity of Brazilian theses and dissertations about this subject, are briefly discussed. As a methodological approach, the case study and the benchmarking technique were used, in order to identify if there is a remote service through WhatsApp in academic libraries placed in the Northeast of Brazil, and also the Google Trends was used to compare the search interests on Google by Telegram and WhatsApp. In the results section, the beginning, development and current functionalities of WhatsApp are presented, as well as the stages of testing and prototyping WhatsApp communities as a remote service in an academic library. Therefore, the conclusion is the cocreation paradigm results in proposing new products and services, which are designed, prototyped and managed in concern with digital transformation, collaborative innovation and also selective dissemination of information from social media.Este relato de experiência apresenta as etapas da ideação e do planejamento para a implantação do serviço de comunidades através do aplicativo WhatsApp, como parte das atividades de cocriação em biblioteca universitária. Como embasamento teórico, discutem-se, brevemente, os conceitos de cocriação e o quantitativo de teses e dissertações brasileiras acerca dessa temática. Como embasamento metodológico, trata-se de um estudo de caso que se utilizou da técnica de benchmarking, na finalidade de identificar o uso do WhatsApp em bibliotecas universitárias localizadas na Região Nordeste do Brasil, e da pesquisa de mercado na ferramenta Google Trends, os interesses de busca no Google pelos aplicativos Telegram e WhatsApp. Na seção dos resultados, apresentam-se o histórico, desenvolvimento e funcionalidades do aplicativo WhatsApp e o percurso da fase de testes e prototipação do serviço de comunidades no WhatsApp em biblioteca universitária. Conclui que o paradigma da cocriação resulta na proposição de novos produtos e serviços, que são pensados, prototipados e administrados no contexto da transformação digital, inovação colaborativa e disseminação seletiva de informação nas mídias sociais

Otoliths-composed gelatin/sodium alginate scaffolds for bone regeneration

Evidence that otoliths, mineral-rich limestone concrescences present in the inner ear of bone fishes, can accelerate bone formation in vivo has been previously reported. The goal of this work was the development, characterization, and evaluation of the cytocompatibility of otoliths-incorporated sodium alginate and gelatin scaffolds. Cynoscion acoupaderived otoliths were characterized by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (FRX), particle size, free lime, and weight loss by calcination. Furthermore, otoliths were incorporated into sodium alginate (ALG/OTL-s) or gelatin (GEL/OTL-s) scaffolds, previously developed by freeze-drying. Then, the scaffolds were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transform (FTIR), swelling tests, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cytotoxicity assays were run against J774.G8 macrophages and MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts. Data obtained from TGA/DTG, DSC, and FTIR analyses confirmed the interaction between otoliths and the polymeric scaffolds. SEM showed the homogeneous porous 3D structure rich in otolith micro-fragments in both scaffolds. Swelling of the GEL/OTL-s (63.54±3.0%) was greater than of ALG/OTL-s (13.36±9.9%) (p0.05) and significantly higher than that treated with Triton-X (p0.05). However, by 48 h, only ALG/OTL-s showed growth similar to control (p>0.05), whereas GEL/OTL showed a significantly lower growth index (p<0.05). In conclusion, the physicochemical profiles suggest proper interaction between the otoliths and the two developed polymeric 3D scaffolds. Moreover, both materials showed cytocompatibility with J774.G8 macrophages but the growth of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts was higher when exposed to ALG/OTL-s. These data suggest that sodium alginate/otoliths scaffolds are potential biomaterials to be used in bone regeneration applications.We would like to thank the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Foundation for Research and Technological Innovation Support of the State of Sergipe for the financial support in this study. EMBS acknowledges the sponsorship of the projects M-ERA-NET-0004/2015-PAIRED and UIDB/04469/2020 (strategic fund), received support from the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation, Ministry of Science and Education (FCT/MEC) through national funds, and was co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

ASSISTÊNCIA DE SAÚDE A IDOSOS INTERNADOS EM UNIDADES DE TERAPIA INTENSIVA: REFLEXÕES ACERCA DA SEGURANÇA DO PACIENTE

Introduction: The changes caused by the aging process cause the emergence of new challenges for society, and a longer life expectancy also implies an increase in the number of elderly people hospitalized in an Intensive Care Unit. Therefore, it is up to professionals to provide an integrated and humanized care. Objective: to reflect on nursing care for elderly patients in the ICU, and to transcend a reflection for the safety of these patients. Methodology: This is a narrative-type review of a theoretical-scientific nature. The search took place in the BDENF, LILACS and SciELO portal, with the inclusion criteria, articles published in full that addressed the topic of the study, theses, dissertations, documents in Portuguese and English, using the Boolean operator "AND" . Results: In this scenario, the joint construction of reflections and acquisition of new knowledge that makes sense for the care of elderly people in intensive care is stuttered. Conclusion: therefore, all actions and protocols related to professional training and standardization of care are important, in order to avoid the incidence of adverse events.Introducción: Los cambios provocados por el proceso de envejecimiento provocan la aparición de nuevos retos para la sociedad, y una mayor esperanza de vida implica también un aumento del número de ancianos hospitalizados en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos. Por lo tanto, depende de los profesionales proporcionar una asistencia integrada y humanizada. Objetivo: reflexionar sobre la atención de enfermería a pacientes ancianos en UCI, y trascender una reflexión por la seguridad de estos pacientes. Metodología: Se trata de una revisión del tipo narrativo de carácter teórico-científico. La búsqueda ocurrió en las Bases BDENF, LILACS y en el portal SciELO, con los criterios de inclusión, artículos publicados en el integra para abordar el tema del estudio, tesis, disertaciones, documentos en portugués e inglés, y se utilizó el operador booleano "AND". Resultados: En este escenario, se tartamudea la construcción conjunta de reflexiones y adquisición de un nuevo conocimiento que tenga sentido para el cuidado de los ancianos en cuidados intensivos. Conclusión: por lo tanto, todas las acciones y protocolos relacionados con la formación profesional y la estandarización de la atención son importantes, con el fin de evitar la incidencia de eventos adversos.Introdução: As alterações causadas pelo processo de envelhecimento ocasionam o surgimento de novos desafios para a sociedade, e uma maior expectativa de vida implica também no aumento do número de idosos internados em uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva. Diante disso, cabe aos profissionais prestar uma assistência integra e humanizada. Objetivo: refletir acerca dos cuidados de enfermagem ao paciente idoso em UTI, e transcender uma reflexão para a segurança desses pacientes. Metodologia: Trata-se de uma revisão do tipo narrativa de cunho teórico-científico. A busca ocorreu nas bases BDENF, LILACS e no portal da SciELO, com os critérios de inclusão, artigos publicados na integra que abordassem a temática do estudo, teses, dissertações, documentos nos idiomas português e inglês, e utilizado o operador booleano “AND”. Resultados: Nesse cenário, gagueia-se a construção conjunta de reflexões e aquisição de um novo conhecimento que faça sentido para o cuidado a pessoas idosas em terapia intensiva. Conclusão: portanto, são importantes todas as ações e protocolos relacionados a capacitação profissional e padronização do cuidado, para assim, evitar a incidência de eventos adversos

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost