Potentially toxic elements’ contamination of soils affected by mining activities in the Portuguese Sector of the Iberian Pyrite

Both sectors of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, Portuguese and Spanish, have been exploited since ancient times, but more intensively during and after the second half of the 19th century. Large volumes of polymetallic sulfide ore were extracted in open pits or in underground works, processed without environmental concerns, and the generated waste rocks and tailings were simply deposited in the area. Many of these mining sites were abandoned for years under the action of erosive agents, leading to the spread of trace elements and the contamination of soils, waters and sediments. Some of these mine sites have been submitted to rehabilitation actions, mostly using constructive techniques to dig and contain the contaminated tailings and other waste materials, but the remaining soil still needs to be treated with the best available techniques to recover its ecosystem functions. Besides the degraded physical structure and poor nutritional status of these soils, they have common characteristics, as a consequence of the pyrite oxidation and acid drainage produced, such as a high concentration of trace elements and low pH, which must be considered in the remediation plans. This manuscript aims to review the results from studies which have already covered these topics in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, especially in its Portuguese sector, considering: (i) soils’ physicochemical characteristics; (ii) potentially toxic trace elements’ concentration; and (iii) sustainable remediation technologies to cope with this type of soil contamination. Phytostabilization, after the amelioration of the soil’s properties with organic and inorganic amendments, was investigated at the lab and field scale by several authors, and their results were also considered

Viabilidade de Bifidobacterium animalis (Bb12) em sorvete dietético potencialmente simbiótico de leite cabra, sabor chocolate.

Resumo: O consumo de alimentos funcionais como os probióticos e prebióticos, que ajudam no equilíbrio da microbiota intestinal, pode contribuir de forma relevante para a promoção da saúde. Em virtude da crescente prevalência da diabetes mellitus, o desenvolvimento de um sorvete dietético que permita a adição de prebióticos que possam promover um baixo índice glicêmico, ainda agregado de produtos regionais como o leite de cabras, é promissor. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a viabilidade do Bifidobacterium animalis (Bb12) em duas formulações de sorvete dietético de leite de cabras potencialmente simbióticos e verificar se houve alteração do pH durante o armazenamento. A viabilidade do probiótico e o pH foram avaliados aos 1, 28 e 56 dias após o processamento do sorvete adicionado com frutooligossacarídeos (FOS) e do sorvete adicionado de inulina, através de contagens em meio MSR-LP. A população de B. animalis nos sorvetes manteve-se superior a 8 log UFC/g durante todo o período de estocagem estudado e o pH de ambos sorvetes manteve-se em torno de 6,0. Os sorvetes desenvolvidos mostraram-se bons veículos para a Bb12, atendendo à legislação brasileira para produtos probióticos

Durability of carbon fibre reinforced polymer laminates

Due to their excellent mechanical properties and easy application Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) are being successfully used to repair and renew old and damaged civil engineering infrastructures. In particular, the method of strengthening concrete members with externally bonding of CFRP laminates has become increasingly popular. In fact, extensive research has shown that this technique can lead to a substantial improvement in the fl exural and shear strength capacities of the member repaired. In such applications, materials involved will be exposed to outdoor environmental conditions, including humidity, water from rain, saline-water, ground water and high alkalinity solutions due to chemical composition of the concrete itself, as well as solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Thus, it is of great relevancy to study the durability of the materials involved, namely epoxy adhesives and CFRP laminates, as well as, the integrity of the entire system, when subjected to those environmental factors. This work is part of a much larger research study to predict the long-term behaviour of several commercial CFRP laminate/adhesive systems used in the rehabilitation of concrete structures. In the whole project it is recognised that the durability of these solutions depends not only on the durability of the composite materials but also on the performance of the systems used to bond them to the concrete. This present document provides details about the durability of CFRP laminates and the study carried out to investigate the environmental and accelerated ageing effects on three types of commercially available CFRP laminates. The changes in CFRP laminates properties after exposure up to 18 months under different environmental conditions – immersion in demineralised water, saline and alkaline solutions at room temperature, 40 ° C and 60 °C, as well as under constant humidity condensation atmosphere at 40 ° C – are reported and discussed. The results of tests performed in accelerated weathering chambers – with UV radiation – are also included. Results obtained offer valuable information about the progression of material degradation under different ageing conditions (some of them accelerated), which can be used, not only to characterise the behaviour of CFRP laminates, but also for a better understanding of the degradation mechanisms involved, which is a base for the design of service life-prediction models

Grafting ofchitosan with fatty acyl derivatives

The internal plasticization of chitosan with covalently linked long aliphatic branches, typically 12C, was accomplished through the condensation of the amino groups of chitosan with acidic derivatives of lauric acid, as lauroyl anhydride or lauroyl chloride, that are more reactive than the fatty acid itself. The chemical pathway led to selective N-acylation. The degree of substitution was quantitatively determined by FTIR and ¹H NMR and varied between 3 and 35%. The FTIR quantitative analysis was based in a calibration mmethod with good accuracy. The modified chitosan products were soluble in neutral water and/or DMF according to the degree of substitution. The modified chitosan films were more flexible than the pristine, non-modified ones

Baccharis dracunculifolia, the main source of green propolis, exhibits potent antioxidant activity and prevents oxidative mitochondrial damage

Baccharis dracunculifolia DC (Asteraceae) is the main botanical source used by honeybees to produce Brazilian green propolis whose hepatoprotective properties have been already described. in this work we investigated the protective effects of the glycolic extract of B. dracunculifolia (GEBd) against oxidative stress in isolated rat liver mitochondria (RLM). the GEBd was prepared by fractionated percolation using propylene glycol as solvent. the total phenols and flavonoids, which are substances with recognized antioxidant action, were quantified in GEBd and the phytochemical analysis was carried out by HPLC. GEBd exhibited significant scavenger activity towards DPPH radicals and superoxide anions in a concentration-dependent manner, and also a Fe2+ chelating activity. GEBd decreased the basal H2O2 generation and the Fe2+- or t-BuOOH-induced ROS production in isolated mitochondria. Lipid oxidation of mitochondrial membranes, protein thiol groups and GSH oxidation were also prevented by GEBd. This shows that B. dracunculifolia exhibit potent antioxidant activity protecting liver mitochondria against oxidative damage and such action probably contribute to the antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of green propolis. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Univ Mogi das Cruzes UMC, Ctr Interdisciplinar Invest Bioquim CIIB, Mogi Das Cruzes, SP, BrazilUniv Estadual Paulista UNESP, Inst Quim, São Paulo, BrazilFac Ciencias Farmaceut Ribeirao Preto FCFRP USP, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Bioquim, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed ABC UFABC, Ctr Ciencias Nat & Humanas CCNH, Santo Andre, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Bioquim, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 2008/01724-4FAPESP: 2008/07246-7CNPq: 301672/2009-1CNPq: 136255/2009-4Web of Scienc

Development of biocompatible plasmonic thin films composed of noble metal nanoparticles embedded in a dielectric matrix to enhance Raman signals

This work focused on the production of nanocomposite thin films, composed of noble nanoparticles embedded in a dielectric matrix, to be tested as biocompatible plasmonic platforms for detection of molecules using Surface Enhance Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). Three different thin films systems were deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering, namely Au-Al2O3, Au-TiO2 and Ag-TiO2. The depositions were followed by a thermal treatment at different temperatures to promote the growth of the nanoparticles. Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) bands appeared already at 300 °C, related to the presence of Au nanoparticles, and at 500 °C in the case of Ag nanoparticles. Furthermore, at 700 °C, the Ag-TiO2 films showed a broadband optical response due to the formation of Ag clusters at the film's surface. The biological experiments showed that the presence of the thin films didn't affect the growth of C. albicans, which is very convenient if one needs to detect low concentrations of this microorganism using SERS platforms. As for the SERS measurements, an enhancement of R6G Raman spectra intensity was clearly perceivable, but only for the TiO2 matrix. Furthermore, the application of a plasma treatment allowed to better expose the nanoparticles, providing a further enhancement of Raman signals.FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PTDC/FIS-NAN/1154/2014

Targeting the mitochondrial VDAC in hepatocellular carcinoma using a polyclonal antibody-conjugated to a nitrosyl ruthenium complex

The rational design of anti-cancer agents includes a new approach based on ruthenium complexes that can act as nitric oxide (NO) donor agents against specific cellular targets. One of the most studied classes of those compounds is based on bis(bipyridine) ruthenium fragment and its derivative species. In this work, we present the chemical and cytotoxicity properties against the liver hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2 of cis-[RuII(NO+)Cl(dcbpy)2]2− conjugated to a polyclonal antibody IgG (anti-VDAC) recognizing a cell surface marker. UV–visible bands of the ruthenium complex were assigned with the aid of density functional theory, which also allowed estimation of the structures that explain the biological effects of the ruthenium complex–IgG conjugate. The interaction of cis-[RuII(NO+)Cl(dcbpy)2]3− with mitochondria was evaluated due to the potential of these organelles as anti-cancer targets, and considering they interact with the anti-VDAC antibody. The cytotoxicity of cis-[RuII(NO+)Cl(dcbpy)2]3−-anti-VDAC antibody was up to 80% greater in comparison to the free cis-[RuII(NO+)Cl(dcbpy)2]3− complex. We suggest that this effect is due to site-specific interaction of the complex followed by NO release.Fil: Ramos, Loyanne C. B.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Rodrigues, Fernando P.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Biazzotto, Juliana C.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: de Paula Machado, Sergio. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Slep, Leonardo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; ArgentinaFil: Hamblin, Michael R.. Harvard Medical School; Estados UnidosFil: da Silva, Roberto S.. Harvard Medical School; Estados Unidos. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasi

MELISSA: System Description and Spectral Features of Pre- and Post-Midnight F-Region Echoes

Most of the low‐latitude ionospheric radar observations in South America come from the Jicamarca Radio Observatory, located in the western longitude sector (∼75°W). The deployment of the 30 MHz FAPESP‐Clemson‐INPE (FCI) coherent backscatter radar in the magnetic equatorial site of São Luis, Brazil, in 2001 allowed observations to be made in the eastern sector (∼45°W). However, despite being operational for several years (2001–2012), FCI only made observations during daytime and pre‐midnight hours, with a few exceptions. Here, we describe an upgraded system that replaced the FCI radar and present results of full‐night F‐region observations. This radar is referred to as Measurements of Equatorial and Low‐latitude Ionospheric irregularities over São Luís, South America (MELISSA), and made observations between March 2014 and December 2018. We present results of our analyses of pre‐ and post‐midnight F‐region echoes with focus on the spectral features of post‐midnight echoes and how they compare to spectra of echoes observed in the post‐sunset sector. The radar observations indicate that post‐midnight F‐region irregularities were generated locally and were not a result of “fossil” structures generated much earlier in time (in other longitude sectors) and that drifted into the radar field‐of‐view. This also includes cases where the echoes are weak and that would be associated with decaying equatorial spread F (ESF) structures. Collocated digisonde observations show modest but noticeable F‐region apparent uplifts prior to post‐midnight ESF events. We associate the equatorial uplifts with disturbed dynamo effects and with destabilizing F‐region conditions leading to ESF development

Sequential Colocalization of ERa, PR, and AR Hormone Receptors Using Confocal Microscopy Enables New Insights into Normal Breast and Prostate Tissue and Cancers

Multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) use markers staining different cell populations applying widefield optical microscopy. Resolution is low not resolving subcellular co-localization. We sought to colocalize markers at subcellular level with antibodies validated for clinical diagnosis, including the single secondary antibody (combination of anti-rabbit/mouse-antibodies) used for diagnostic IHC with any primary antibody, and confocal microscopy. We explore colocalization in the nucleus (ColNu) of nuclear hormone receptors (ERa, PR, and AR) along with the baseline marker p63 in paired samples of breast and prostate tissues. We established ColNu mIHCF as a reliable technique easily implemented in a hospital setting. In ERa+ breast cancer, we identified different colocalization patterns (nuclear or cytoplasmatic) with PR and AR on the luminal epithelium. A triple-negative breast-cancer case expressed membrane-only ERa. A PR-only case was double positive PR/p63. In normal prostate, we identified an ERa+/p63+/AR-negative distinct population. All prostate cancer cases characteristically expressed ERa on the apical membrane of the AR+ epithelium. We confirmed this using ERa IHC and needle-core biopsies. ColNu mIHCF is feasible and already revealed a new marker for prostate cancer and identified sub-patterns in breast cancer. It could be useful for pathology as well as for functional studies in normal prostate and breast tissues