Electrochemical Reduction of CO2: Influence of Pre-treating the Carbon Support

The production of useful chemicals by electroreducing CO2 it is a promising approach to reduce the levels of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. This is not a straightforward process due to the high stability of the CO2 molecule and low selectivity however, these barriers can be overcome by using an appropriate catalyst. This research focus on the effect of pre-treating the carbon supports before incorporating the catalyst on the electroreduction of CO2. We found that the electrochemical behaviour of the carbon supports is modified by the nature of the pre-treatment used. From the structure perspective, the results showed partial destruction of the carbon structure mainly after the oxidative treatments nevertheless, the introduction of defect sites in the carbon structure contributed to catalyst performance. This improvement was proved by the LSV data that showed the reduction of the current associated with the hydrogen reduction reaction

Effect of chitosan-based solutions applied as edible coatings and water glazing on frozen salmon preservation : a pilot-scale study

The aim of this research was to compare the effect of chitosan solutions on frozen salmon preservation with that of water glazing. For this purpose, three chitosan solutions (0.25%, 0.50% and 0.75% w/v) and water were applied in different amounts (6%, 8% and 11% of coated fillet weight) directly on the surface of frozen salmon. In order to accelerate the deterioration processes, salmon was stored during 14 weeks at −5 °C. Microbial and chemical indices were used to assess deterioration during storage and the coating stability was evaluated through weight loss measurements. The results obtained showed that chitosan coatings can be a good barrier to protect frozen fish from deterioration. Microbial growth, assessed by total viable counts (TVC), and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) were maintained below the maximum limits recommended which are 5 × 105 CFU/g and 35 mg nitrogen/100 g fish, respectively. The use of 0.50% and 0.75% chitosan solutions generally demonstrated to be more efficient in preventing salmon weight loss

Animal model for chronic massive rotator cuff tear: behavioural and histologic analysis

Purpose Massive rotator cuff tears (MRCT) are usually chronic lesions that present associated degenerative changes of the myotendinous unit that have been implicated in limitations for surgical repair. In order to develop effective therapies, it is important to establish animal models that mimic the hallmarks of the injury itself. Therefore, in the present work, we aimed to (1) optimize a rodent animal model of MRCT that closely reproduces the fatty infiltration of the cuff muscles seen in humans and (2) describe the effects of unilateral or bilateral lesion in terms of histology and behaviour. Methods Massive tear was defined as two rotator cuff tendons—supraspinatus and infraspinatus—section. Twenty-one Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups: bilateral lesion (five animals), right-sided unilateral lesion (five animals), left-sided unilateral lesion (five animals) and control (six animals). Behaviour was analyzed with open field and staircase test, 16 weeks after lesion. After that, animals were killed, and the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles were processed. Results Histologic analysis revealed adipocytes, fatty infiltration and atrophy in the injured side with a greater consistency of these degenerative changes in the bilateral lesion group. Behaviour analysis revealed a significant functional impairment of the fine motor control of the forepaw analyzed in staircase test where the number of eaten pellets was significantly higher in sham animals (sham = 7 ± 5.0; left unilateral = 2.6 ± 3.0; right unilateral = 0 ± 0; and bilateral = 0 ± 0, p left unilateral = 2 ± 2.1 > right unilateral = 0.8 ± 1.3 > bilateral = 0.8 ± 1.1). Conclusions The present study has been able to establish an animal model that disclosed the hallmarks of MRCT. This can now be used as a valuable, cost-effective, pre-clinical instrument to assist in the development of advanced tissue engineered strategies. Moreover, this animal model overcomes some of the limitations of those that have been reported so far and thus represents a more reliable source for the assessment of future therapeutic strategies with potential clinical relevance.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2—O Novo Norte), ao abrigo do Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional (QREN), através do Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER

Limpets (Patella and Haliotis) aquaculture in the Azores.

43rd European Marine Biology Symposium. Ponta Delgada, Açores, 8-12 de Setembro de 2008

A 2.4-GHz low-power/low-voltage wireless plug-and-play module for EEG applications

This paper presents a plug-and-play module for wireless electroencephalogram (EEG) applications. The wireless module is composed by an electrode, processing electronics, a radio-frequency (RF) transceiver, and an associated antenna. The RF transceiver was fabricated in the UMC RF 0.18 mum CMOS process, and operates in the 2.4-GHz ISM band. The receiver has a sensitivity of -60 dBm and a power consumption of 6.3 mW from a 1.8 V supply. The transmitter delivers an output power of 0 dBm with a power consumption of 11.2 mW, for a range of 10 m. It is also presented the electrical performance and comparison between different electrodes for EEG applications, namely sputtered titanium nitride (TiN) electrodes, standard sintered silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) ring electrodes and sputtered iridium oxide (IrO2) electrodes. The experimental results show a better performance of the sputtered IrO2 electrodes compared with the standard sintered Ag/AgCl ring electrodes. These results promise a new opportunity for the application of a dry IrO2 electrodes in wireless modules for using in a wearable EEG braincap. These wireless EEG modules will allow patients to wear a brain cap and maintain their mobility, while simultaneously having their electrical brain activity monitored

Multisensor inspection of laser-brazed joints in the automotive industry

Funding Information: Acknowledgments: Authors acknowledge the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa (Lisb@2020 e Portugal2020), for its financial support via the project PROBING (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-040042, Ref. 40042) and the Portuguese company INTROSYS—Integration for Robotic Systems (www.introsys.eu accessed 3 November 2021) for technical collaboration. Authors also acknowledge FCT—MCTES for its financial support via the project UIDB/00667/2020 (UNIDEMI).Automobile laser brazing remains a complex process whose results are affected by several process variables that may result in nonacceptable welds. A multisensory customized inspection system is proposed, with two distinct non-destructive techniques: the potential drop method and eddy current testing. New probes were designed, simulated, produced, and experimentally validated in automobile’s laser-brazed weld beads with artificially introduced defects. The numerical simulations allowed the development of a new four-point probe configuration in a non-conventional orthogonal shape demonstrating a superior performance in both simulation and experimental validation. The dedicated inspection system allowed the detection of porosities, cracks, and lack of bonding defects, demonstrating the redundancy and complementarity these two techniques provide.publishersversionpublishe

Dual-Cathode CsI Covered Microstrip Plate as VUV High Efficiency Photosensor

A Gas Proportional Scintillation Counter based on a dual-cathode Microstrip Plate covered with a CsI film is described. This new dual-cathode technique has the advantage of increasing the VUV sensitive area of the Microstrip Plate. A detailed description of the technique is presented together with a discussion of the performance. The results obtained for a xenon filled Gas Proportional Scintillation Counter show an improvement of the energy resolution for 5.9 keV X-rays from 12.7%, for a single cathode device, to 11.1% for the dual-cathode devic

Urban football narratives and the colonial process in Lourenço Marques

Support for Portuguese football teams, in Mozambique as well as in other former Portuguese colonies, could be interpreted either as a sign of the importance of a cultural colonial heritage in Africa or as a symbol of a perverse and neo-colonial acculturation. This article, focused on Maputo, the capital of Mozambique – formerly called Lourenc¸o Marques – argues that in order to understand contemporary social bonds, it is crucial to research the connection between the colonial process of urbanisation and the rise of urban popular cultures. Despite the existence of social discrimination in colonial Lourenc¸o Marques, deeply present in the spatial organisation of a city divided between a ‘concrete’ centre and the immense periphery, the consumption of football, as part of an emergent popular culture, crossed segregation lines. I argue that football narratives, locally appropriated, became the basis of daily social rituals and encounters, an element of urban sociability and the content of increasingly larger social networks. Therefore, the fact that a Portuguese narrative emerged as the dominant form of popular culture is deeply connected to the growth of an urban community

COVID-19 salivary protein profile: unravelling molecular aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infection

COVID-19 is the most impacting global pandemic of all time, with over 600 million infected and 6.5 million deaths worldwide, in addition to an unprecedented economic impact. Despite the many advances in scientific knowledge about the disease, much remains to be clarified about the molecular alterations induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this work, we present a hybrid proteomics and in silico interactomics strategy to establish a COVID-19 salivary protein profile. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD036571. The differential proteome was narrowed down by the Partial Least-Squares Discriminant Analysis and enrichment analysis was performed with FunRich. In parallel, OralInt was used to determine interspecies Protein-Protein Interactions between humans and SARS-CoV-2. Five dysregulated biological processes were identified in the COVID-19 proteome profile: Apoptosis, Energy Pathways, Immune Response, Protein Metabolism and Transport. We identified 10 proteins (KLK 11, IMPA2, ANXA7, PLP2, IGLV2-11, IGHV3-43D, IGKV2-24, TMEM165, VSIG10 and PHB2) that had never been associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, representing new evidence of the impact of COVID-19. Interactomics analysis showed viral influence on the host immune response, mainly through interaction with the degranulation of neutrophils. The virus alters the host’s energy metabolism and interferes with apoptosis mechanisms.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bacteriocin production by Escherichia coli during biofilm development

Escherichia coli is a highly versatile bacterium ranging from commensal to intestinal pathogen, and is an important foodborne pathogen. E. coli species are able to prosper in multispecies biofilms and secrete bacteriocins that are only toxic to species/strains closely related to the producer strain. In this study, 20 distinct E. coli strains were characterized for several properties that confer competitive advantages against closer microorganisms by assessing the biofilm-forming capacity, the production of antimicrobial molecules, and the production of siderophores. Furthermore, primer sets for E. coli bacteriocins–colicins were designed and genes were amplified, allowing us to observe that colicins were widely distributed among the pathogenic E. coli strains. Their production in the planktonic phase or single-species biofilms was uncommon. Only two E. coli strains out of nine biofilm-forming were able to inhibit the growth of other E. coli strains. There is evidence of larger amounts of colicin being produced in the late stages of E. coli biofilm growth. The decrease in bacterial biomass after 12 h of incubation indicates active type I colicin production, whose release normally requires E. coli cell lysis. Almost all E. coli strains were siderophore-producing, which may be related to the resistance to colicin as these two molecules may use the same transporter system. Moreover, E. coli CECT 504 was able to coexist with Salmonella enterica in dual-species biofilms, but Shigella dysenteriae was selectively excluded, correlating with high expression levels of colicin (E, B, and M) genes observed by real-time PCR.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio