Avaliação de estratégias de controlo da poluição atmosférica

Mestrado em Engenharia do AmbienteA Qualidade do Ar na União Europeia (UE) tem vindo a melhorar nos últimos anos, no entanto esta melhoria não é suficiente para que todas as zonas e aglomerações cumpram os requisitos da Diretiva Quadro da Qualidade do Ar. Esta Diretiva define a obrigatoriedade de serem elaborados Planos de Qualidade do Ar (PQA) para as zonas e aglomerações onde os valores limite e alvo excedam os definidos na legislação, visando a melhoria da qualidade do ar. Verificou-se que as partículas (PM10) e o dióxido de azoto (NO2) são os poluentes que mais frequentemente excedem os valores limite, levando à elaboração da maioria dos PQA na UE. Estes planos focam as medidas de melhoria da qualidade do ar nos setores dos transportes, indústria e combustão residencial. É no contexto dos PQA que surge a presente dissertação, que tem como objetivo a avaliação de medidas de melhoria da qualidade do ar, estabelecidas no âmbito de PQA da região do Porto. Pretende-se avaliar o impacte de medidas selecionadas nas emissões e na qualidade do ar na aglomeração do Porto Litoral, recorrendo à aplicação do modelo de qualidade do ar TAPM (The Air Pollution Model). A aglomeração do Porto Litoral segue a tendência verificada na UE, pois apesar das melhorias nos últimos anos, ainda são verificadas excedências. Os poluentes mais críticos nesta aglomeração são as PM10 e NO2, com origem nos setores dos transportes, indústria e, combustão comercial e residencial. O modelo TAPM foi aplicado ao cenário de referência e a dois cenários de redução: introdução de veículos híbridos e substituição de despoeiradores nas fontes industriais. Os resultados obtidos para os cenários, em comparação com a situação de referência, permitiram avaliar a eficiência das medidas para a melhoria da qualidade do ar da área de estudo. Concluiu-se que as medidas testadas não permitem resolver os problemas de qualidade do ar identificados no cenário de referência, pelo que seriam necessárias medidas adicionais ou mais exigentes.The Air Quality in the European Union (EU) has improved in the last years; however this improvement is not sufficient so that all areas and agglomerations fulfill the norms of the Air Quality Framework Directive. This Directive defines the obligation to elaborate Air Quality Plans (AQP) for the areas and agglomerations where limit or target values exceed the values established by law, seeking to set measures to improve air quality. It was found that the particles (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are the pollutants that most frequently exceed the limit value, originating the development of the AQP in the EU. These plans focus on measures to improve air quality in the transport, industry and residential combustion sectors. This dissertation emerges in the context of the AQP and intends to evaluate the air quality improvement measures established in the AQP for the Porto Region. It is intended to assess the impact of selected measures on emissions and air quality in the agglomeration of Porto Litoral, by applying the air quality model TAPM (The Air Pollution Model). The Porto Litoral agglomeration follows the European trend line, where despite the improvements verified in the last years, there are still some exceedances. The most critical pollutants in this agglomeration are PM10 and NO2, emitted by the transport, industry and, commercial and residential combustion sectors. The TAPM model was applied to the reference and to two reduction scenarios: introduction of hybrid vehicles and replacement of dust extractors in industrial sources. The results obtained from the scenarios, compared to the reference one, allowed us to evaluate the effectiveness of measures to improve air quality in the study area. We can conclude that the two tested measures will not solve the air quality problems identified in the reference scenario, therefore it would be necessary to implement additional or more stringent measures

PRELIMINARY LABORATORY AND FIELD TRIALS OF CURB, A POSSIBLE AVIAN REPELLENT

Grape growers in California lose between three and four million dollars annually from damage caused principally by two bird species: Linnets (carpodacus mexicanus) and Starlings (sturnus vulgaris) (DeHaven, 1974; Crase, et al., 1975),. Few effective tools exist for the growers to use in reducing crop losses from bird damage; and current bio-political trends may preclude the use of toxicants to control local depredating bird populations, especially Linnets. The use of chemical repellents is a possible alternative. Testing of the chemical repellent methiocarb [3,5-dimethyl-4-(methylthio) phenol methylcarbamate] to protect California wine grapes has been conducted by Denver Wildlife Research Center personnel (Guarino, 1972; DeHaven, 1974; Crase, et al., 1975; and Crase & DeHaven, 1976). Results with methiocarb on grapes appear successful on a small scale. Other researchers (Stone & Toms, 1970) investigated a compound called CURB, aluminum am- monium sulfate, and obtained limited success when used on vegetable, cereal, and fruit crops including grapes. Leinati (1968) used CURB as a seed dressing to reduce seedling pulling by pheasants. Dar (1974) completed a series of trials at eight different Israeli agricultural stations, using CURB on seedling sugar beets, cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, celery, beans, kohlrabi, and strawberries. Data indicate that CURB provides good protection for plants with large leaf surface area, but results of trials to reduce seedling pulling by birds varied too much for valid conclusions. Trials on legumes raised for seed and sorghum were encouraging. Tests with CURB-treated wine grapes in Australia and South Africa have yielded inconclusive results about its effectiveness as an avian repellent. In Israel, specialists indicate that the metallic salts of CURB affect wine flavor (Stone, 1976). Although test results with CURB appear variable and inconclusive, General Vineyard Services in Salinas Valley, California, offered grape acreage for test plots to evaluate the potential of CURB as an avian repellent. This paper reports on preliminary cage and field trials

Control of Phage Bxb1 Excision by a Novel Recombination Directionality Factor

Mycobacteriophage Bxb1 integrates its DNA at the attB site of the Mycobacterium smegmatis genome using the viral attP site and a phage-encoded integrase generating the recombinant junctions attL and attR. The Bxb1 integrase is a member of the serine recombinase family of site-specific recombination proteins and utilizes small (<50 base pair) substrates for recombination, promoting strand exchange without the necessity for complex higher order macromolecular architectures. To elucidate the regulatory mechanism for the integration and excision reactions, we have identified a Bxb1-encoded recombination directionality factor (RDF), the product of gene 47. Bxb1 gp47 is an unusual RDF in that it is relatively large (˜28 kDa), unrelated to all other RDFs, and presumably performs dual functions since it is well conserved in mycobacteriophages that utilize unrelated integration systems. Furthermore, unlike other RDFs, Bxb1 gp47 does not bind DNA and functions solely through direct interaction with integrase–DNA complexes. The nature and consequences of this interaction depend on the specific DNA substrate to which integrase is bound, generating electrophoretically stable tertiary complexes with either attB or attP that are unable to undergo integrative recombination, and weakly bound, electrophoretically unstable complexes with either attL or attR that gain full potential for excisive recombination

Dissecting protein-induced DNA looping dynamics in real time

Many proteins that interact with DNA perform or enhance their specific functions by binding simultaneously to multiple target sites, thereby inducing a loop in the DNA. The dynamics and energies involved in this loop formation influence the reaction mechanism. Tethered particle motion has proven a powerful technique to study in real time protein-induced DNA looping dynamics while minimally perturbing the DNA–protein interactions. In addition, it permits many single-molecule experiments to be performed in parallel. Using as a model system the tetrameric Type II restriction enzyme SfiI, that binds two copies of its recognition site, we show here that we can determine the DNA–protein association and dissociation steps as well as the actual process of protein-induced loop capture and release on a single DNA molecule. The result of these experiments is a quantitative reaction scheme for DNA looping by SfiI that is rigorously compared to detailed biochemical studies of SfiI looping dynamics. We also present novel methods for data analysis and compare and discuss these with existing methods. The general applicability of the introduced techniques will further enhance tethered particle motion as a tool to follow DNA–protein dynamics in real time

Prevalence of contagious and environmental mastitis-causing bacteria in bulk tank milk and its relationships with milking practices of dairy cattle herds in São Miguel Island (Azores)

This study aimed to assess the degree of contamination of bulk tank milk (BTM) by Staphylococcus spp. and coliform bacteria and to identify major milking practices that help perpetuate them in dairy cattle herds in São Miguel Island. In July 2014, BTM was sampled and a survey concerning local milking practices was conducted on 100 herds. Semi quantitative multiplex polymerase chain reaction detected coagulase-negative staphylococci, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and other coliform bacteria (Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumoniae, andSerratia marcescens) in 100, 75, 59, and 35 % of BTM, respectively. According to multivariable univariate models, on herds not using hot water for cleaning the milking machine and teat liners, there was at least 3.4 more odds (P<0.01) to have S. aureus or coliform bacteria contamination in BTM. The likelihoodoffinding S.aureus inBTMwas higher(P<0.001)on herds without high hygiene during milking, when milking mastitic cows at the end, on abrupt cessation of milking at dry-off, and official milk control implementation. The glove use also favored (odds ratio (OR) 5.8; P<0.01)thedetection ofcoliformbacteriainBTM.Poormilkingpracticesidentified in this study should be avoided in order to decrease S. aureus and coliform bacteria contamination of BTM. Other factors associated with milk quality in São Miguel Island also should be further investigated

"Eficiência Reprodutiva de Explorações Leiteiras".

Medicina VeterináriaVeterinary Medicin

A gênese e o desenvolvimento da empatia: fatores formativos implicados = Genesis and development of empathy: formative factors involved

Este artigo tem por objetivo apresentar resultados parciais de uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, em andamento, sobre a gênese da empatia e sobre o modo como ocorre o seu desenvolvimento na infância. A metodologia utilizada compõe-se de revisão bibliográfica e análise hermenêutica. Os dados da pesquisa permitiram compreender a empatia como a capacidade natural que um indivíduo tem de ser tocado pelo estado emocional alheio. Ademais, do estudo emergiram outros três aspectos referentes à empatia. O primeiro, oriundo de uma aproximação histórico-conceitual, permite entender a empatia como uma competência já conhecida, primariamente denominada ‘simpatia’, e relacionada à experiência estética do ser humano. O segundo relaciona a gênese da empatia a duas vertentes: uma vinculada aos estudos com crianças, que detectou a presença da empatia em bebês, e outra que compreende a empatia em um contexto evolucionista, como uma característica compartilhada com outros animais mamíferos. O terceiro aspecto aponta a possibilidade de formar a empatia e outros elementos da moralidade humana desde o nascimento. Dado que a empatia consiste em uma competência fundamental à convivência humana, presente desde o nascimento, é preciso e possível promovê-la pela via da formação familiar e escola