Economic and environmental assessment of small and decentralized wastewater treatment systems

The aim of the present work was the assessment of economic and environmental aspects of decentralised energy-saving wastewater treatment systems. The formulated investment and operation cost functions were adjusted by a power law function. The different wastewater systems serving population settlements between 50 p.e. and 250 p.e., presented associated investment costs varying from 400 €/p.e. to 200 €/p.e. and annual operation costs in the range of 70 €/p.e. to 20 €/p.e., respectively. A Life Cycle Analysis approach was used to compare the environmental impact alternative wastewater systems. The assessment was focused on two energy-saving systems (constructed wetland and slow rate infiltration) and a conventional one (activated sludge process). The low environmental impact of the energy-saving wastewater treatment systems was demonstrated, being the most relevant the global warming indicator. Options for reduction of life cycle impacts were assessed including materials used in construction and operation lifetime of the systems. A 10 % extension of operation lifetime of constructed wetland and slow rate infiltration systems lead to a 5 % and 7 % decrease in the abiotic depletion indicator, respectively, and to a 1 % decrease in CO2 emissions in both systems. Replacing steel with HDPE in the activated sludge tank resulted in a 1 % reduction in CO2 emission and 1 % in the abiotic depletion indicator. In the case of the Imhoff tank a 1 % reduction in CO2 emissions and 5 % in abiotic depletion indicator were observed when concrete was replaced by HDPE. Therefore, considering the huge potential of energy saving wastewater treatment systems, the overall environmental impact of such design alternatives should not be discarded.EU Program INTERREG III-B Atlantic Arc, Depuranat project (n.º 54)

Economic and environmental assessment of small and decentralized wastewater treatment systems

The aim of the present work was the assessment of economic and environmental aspects of decentralized energy-saving wastewater treatment systems. The formulated investment and operation cost functions were adjusted by a power law function. The different wastewater systems serving population settlements between 50 p.e. and 250 p.e., presented associated investment costs varying from €400/p.e. to €200/p.e. and annual operation costs in the range of €70/p.e.– €20/ p.e., respectively. A life cycle analysis approach was used to compare the environmental impact of alternative wastewater treatment systems. The assessment was focused on two energy-saving systems (constructed wetland and slow rate infiltration) and a conventional one (activated sludge process). Low environmental impact of energy-saving wastewater treatment systems was demonstrated, being the most relevant the global warming indicator. Options for reduction of life cycle impacts were assessed including materials used in construction and operation lifetime of the systems. A 10% extension of operation lifetime of constructed wetland and slow rate infiltration systems lead to a 5% and 7% decrease in the abiotic depletion indicator, respectively, and to a 1% decrease in CO2 emissions in both systems. Replacing steel with HDPE in the activated sludge tank resulted in a 1% reduction in CO2 emission and 1% in the abiotic depletion indicator. In the case of the Imhoff tank a 1% reduction in CO2 emissions and 5% in abiotic depletion indicator were observed when concrete was replaced by HDPE. Therefore, considering the huge potential of energy saving wastewater treatment systems, the overall environmental impact of such design alternatives should not be discarded.EU Program INTERREG III-B Atlantic Arc, Depuranat project (No. 54

Influência do ritmo circadiano na morte súbita inesperada em epilepsia

Universidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto Departamento de Neurologia, Psiquiatria e PsicologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de FisiologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Disciplina de Neurologia ExperimentalUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de FisiologiaUNIFESP, EPM, Disciplina de Neurologia ExperimentalSciEL

Epilepsia e morte súbita?: Coma mais peixe! A hipótese de um grupo

Epilepsy is the commonest serious neurological disorder and individuals with epilepsy are at higher risk of death than the general population and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the most important direct epilepsy-related cause of death. Potential pathomechanisms for SUDEP are unknown, but it is very probable that cardiac arrhythmias during and between seizures play a potential role. The ultimate goal of SUDEP research is to develop methods to prevent it and nutritional aspects such as omega-3 fatty acid deficiency may have an interesting role in this scenario. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality and are important for treating or preventing some neurological diseases, including epilepsy. A dietary modification or nutritional supplements increasing the ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids may help to ''save the brain".A epilepsia é uma das doenças neurológicas sérias mais comuns e está associada a um maior risco de morte do que o observado na população geral e a morte súbita em epilepsia é uma importante causa de morte relacionada à epilepsia. Os potenciais patomecanismos da morte súbita em epilepsia são desconhecidos, mas é bastante provável que arritmias cardíacas durante ou entre as crises tenham um papel preponderante. O objetivo final das pesquisas em morte súbita em epilepsia é o desenvolvimento de métodos que levem à sua prevenção e aspectos nutricionais, como a deficiência de ômega-3 pode ter um papel interessante neste contexto. A suplementação com ômega-3 reduz o risco de mortalidade de origem cardiovascular e é importante no tratamento e prevenção de algumas doenças neurológicas, incluindo a epilepsia. A modificação dietética ou a suplementação nutricional aumentando a ingesta de ômega-3 pode ajudar a "salvar o cérebro".FAPESPCInAPCe-FAPESPINCT/MCT Ministério de Ciência e TecnologiaCNP

Consumo de álcool e morte súbita em epilepsia: uma abordagem experimental

Using the pilocarpine model of epilepsy, we investigated the effects of alcohol consumption on the frequency of seizures in animals with epilepsy as well the underlying a possible association between alcohol intake and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) occurrence. Rats were divided randomly into two groups: (A) rats with epilepsy and (B) rats with epilepsy that received a daily dose of ethanol solution (350 mg kg-1, i.p.) for 30 days. The basal frequency of seizures observed in the A and B groups during the first 30 days were 3.4±1.5 and 3.2±1.9 seizures per week per animal, respectively. In B group, it was observed a significant seizure increase (11.6±5.3) during the first 2 weeks of alcohol administration and quite interesting, one rat died suddenly after a generalized tonic-clonic seizure during this period. We concluded in our experimental study that exist a possible association between alcohol abuse and SUDEP occurrence.Utilizando o modelo de epilepsia induzido pela pilocarpina, investigamos os efeitos do consumo de álcool sobre a frequência de crises epilépticas em animais com epilepsia, como também uma possível associação entre a ingestão de álcool e ocorrência de morte súbita e inesperada nas epilepsias (SUDEP). Os animais foram randomicamente divididos em dois grupos: (A) ratos com epilepsia e (B) ratos com epilepsia que receberam uma dose diária de etanol (350 mg kg-1, i.p.) por 30 dias consecutivos. A frequência basal de crises epilépticas observadas nos grupos A e B durante os primeiros 30 dias foram de 3,4±1,5 e 3,2±1,9 crises por semana/animal, respectivamente. No grupo B, ocorreu aumento significativo na frequência de crises (11,6±5,3) durante as duas primeiras semanas de administração do álcool e de forma interessante, um animal morreu subitamente após uma crise generalizada tônico-clonica durante esse período. Concluímos em nossa abordagem experimental que existe uma possível associação entre o consumo de álcool e a ocorrência de SUDEP

Sudden unexpected death in an adolescent with epilepsy: All roads lead to the heart?

The incidence of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) has been estimated from 0.5-1.4/1,000 person-years in people with treated epilepsy, and 9/1,000 person-years in candidates for epilepsy surgery. Potential risk factors for SUDEP include: age, early onset of epilepsy, duration of epilepsy, uncontrolled seizures, seizure type and winter temperatures. The arrythmogenic side-effect of antiepileptic drugs and seizures may increase the risk of SUDEP. In this report, we describe a patient with prolonged post-ictal tachycardia in EEG video recordings with a typical case of SUDEP: a 16-year-old boy with medically intractable complex partial seizures. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed left mesial temporal sclerosis. During non-invasive video-EEG monitoring, the patient presented a post-ictal heart rate increased for five hours. Two months after video-EEG, he died from SUDEP during a tonic-clonic secondary generalized seizure. The possibility of cardiac involvement in the pathogenesis of SUDEP has been suggested by many studies. Evaluation of this patient with EEG-video monitoring, including measurement of heart rate, contributed to an identification of ictal tachycardia that may have played a role in the SUDEP. Premature mortality seems to be increased in patients with epilepsy, and cardiac abnormalities may be a possible cause of SUDEP. (Cardiol J 2011; 18, 2: 194-196

Synthesis, molecular Docking and biological evaluation of new 1-Aryl-3-[3-(thieno[3,2-b]pyridin-7-ylthio)phenylureas as Potent Type II VEGFR-2 Tyrosine Kinase inhibitors

The vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) is a tyrosine kinase receptor, expressed primarily in endothelial cells, and is activated by the specific binding of VEGF to the VEGFR-2 extracellular regulatory domain. Once activated, VEGFR-2 undergoes autophosphorylation, triggering signaling pathways leading to endothelial cell proliferation and subsequent angiogenesisY1 Small molecules may act as inhibitors by competing for the ATP-binding s'1te of the VEGFR-2 intracellular tyrosine kinase domain, thereby preventing the intracellular signa ling that leads to angiogenesis. [ZJ Here, we present the synthesis of new 1-aryl-3-[3-(thieno[3,2-b]pyridin-7-ylthio)phenyl]ureas la-c, as potent type 11 VEGFR-2 inhibitors based on molecular docking (Figure A) and biological evaluation including enzymatic assays using the VEGFR-2 tyrosine kinase domain (ICso=l0-28 nM) and studies in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The latter included cell viability (MTS), proliferation (BrdU) and Western blot for total and phosphorylated VEGFR-2 (Figure B). The predicted docked poses were analyzed in detail and a plausible explanation for compounds 1 potency was obtained base9 on the simultaneous presence of a S-linker and the arylurea moiety in the meta position as a new substitution pattern for the type 11 VEGFR-2 inhibitors. These chemical features place the thieno[3,2-b]pyridine and the terminal aryl ring in close superimposition to a pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine derivative. The presence of hydrofobic substituents (F and Me) in the terminal aryl ring is also important. For these compounds a significant inhibition in HUVECs proliferation upon VEGF stimulation was observed at low concentrations (0.5-1.0 IJ.M) without affecting cell viability. Westernblot analysis demonstrated that compounds 1 significantly the inhibited VEGFR-2 phosphorylation at 1.0 jlM, thus confirming their anti-angiogenic potential

Active Flexible Films for Food Packaging: A Review

This article belongs to the Special Issue Active and Intelligent Food Packaging Polymers.Active food packaging is a dynamic area where the scientific community and industry have been trying to find new strategies to produce innovative packaging that is economically viable and compatible with conventional production processes. The materials used to develop active packaging can be organized into scavenging and emitting materials, and based on organic and inorganic materials. However, the incorporation of these materials in polymer-based flexible packaging is not always straightforward. The challenges to be faced are mainly related to active agents' sensitivity to high temperatures or difficulties in dispersing them in the high viscosity polymer matrix. This review provides an overview of methodologies and processes used in the production of active packaging, particularly for the production of active flexible films at the industrial level. The direct incorporation of active agents in polymer films is presented, focusing on the processing conditions and their effect on the active agent, and final application of the packaging material. Moreover, the incorporation of active agents by coating technologies and supercritical impregnation are presented. Finally, the use of carriers to help the incorporation of active agents and several methodologies is discussed. This review aims to guide academic and industrial researchers in the development of active flexible packaging, namely in the selection of the materials, methodologies, and process conditions.Conducted under the project “MobFood-Mobilizing scientific and technological knowledge in response to the challenges of the agri-food market” (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-024524), by “Mob Food” Consortium, and financed by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Incentive System to Research and Technological development, within the Portugal2020 Competi tiveness and Internationalization Operational Program. IPC researchers acknowledge also funding by National Funds through FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, References UIDB/05256/2020 and UIDP/05256/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synthesis, antiangiogenesis evaluation and molecular docking studies of 1-Aryl-3-[(thieno[3,2-b]pyridin-7-ylthio)phenyl]ureas: Discovery of a new substitution pattern for type II VEGFR-2 Tyr kinase inhibitors

The synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 1-aryl-3-[2-, 3- or 4-(thieno[3,2-b]pyridin-7-ylthio)phenyl]ureas 3, 4 and 5 as VEGFR-2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors, are reported. The 1-aryl-3-[3-(thieno[3,2-b]pyridin-7-ylthio)phenyl]ureas 4a-4h, with the arylurea in the meta position to the thioether, showed the lowest IC50 values in enzymatic assays (10-206 nM), the most potent compounds 4d-4h (IC50 10-28 nM) bearing hydrophobic groups (Me, F, CF3 and Cl) in the terminal phenyl ring. A convincing rationalization was achieved for the highest potent compounds 4 as type II VEGFR-2 inhibitors, based on the simultaneous presence of: (1) the thioether linker and (2) the arylurea moiety in the meta position. For compounds 4, significant inhibition of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) proliferation (BrdU assay), migration (wound-healing assay) and tube formation were observed at low concentrations. These compounds have also shown to increase apoptosis using the TUNEL assay. Immunostaining for total and phosphorylated (active) VEGFR-2 was performed by Western blotting. The phosphorylation of the receptor was significantly inhibited at 1.0 and 2.5 microM for the most promising compounds. Altogether, these findings point to an antiangiogenic effect in HUVECs.To the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT–Portugal) for financial support through the NMR Portuguese network (Bruker 400 Avance III-Univ Minho). FCT and FEDER (European Fund for Regional Development)-COMPETE/QREN/EU for financial support through the research unities PEst-C/QUI/UI686/2013-2014, PEst-OE/SAU/UI0038/2013 and 2014 and PEst OE/AGR/UI0690/2013 and 2014, the research project PTDC/QUI-QUI/111060/2009, the PhD grant attributed to V.M. (SFRH/BD/77373/2011) and the post-Doctoral grant attributed to R.C.C. (SFRH/BPD/68344/2010), also financed by the POPH and FSE