Ferramenta de modelação desenvolvida em ambiente web para apoio à gestão de albufeiras

A utilização das tecnologias de informação e comunicação no caso específico da gestão de recursos hídricos, em que a incerteza associada aos processos hidrológicos determina um grau de dificuldade acrescido, revela-se essencial. Desta forma, o desenvolvimento de ferramentas que permitam a consulta de dados de redes de monitorização hidrológica, de previsões meteorológicas e de resultados de simulação em ambientes de múltiplas plataformas, fixas ou móveis, é uma das tarefas fundamentais para a incorporação das tecnologias de informação nos processos correntes de gestão de recursos hídricos. No presente trabalho apresenta-se uma ferramenta, desenvolvida para ambiente web, que permite consultar informação e operar modelos hidráulicos de simulação de barragens e respetivas albufeiras. A interface é adaptável a cada caso de estudo e poderá ser desenvolvida com diferentes tipos de software de modelação hidrológica e hidrodinâmica, considerando as necessidades estabelecidas pelo conjunto dos seus utilizadores. A partir da interface é possível estabelecer as condições de fronteira definidas para cada modelo, aplicar o modelo e visualizar os resultados de simulações dinâmicas. A aplicabilidade da ferramenta desenvolvida é demonstrada em exemplos de implementação em diversas albufeiras situadas no rio Guadiana (Empreendimento de Fins Múltiplos de Alqueva, Portugal

A web-based hydroinformatic platform for water quality modelling in a river basin

This paper presents a hydroinformatic platform specifically designed for a Portuguese north-western river basin (river Cávado) in order to define, simulate and analyze hydrodynamics and water quality management scenarios. The software solution was designed to be operated in a web environment, taking advantage of the integration capabilities of this software environment and the user friendliness of web interfaces

Improving operational management of wastewater systems: a case study

Wastewater treatment facilities collecting wastewater from longstanding sewer networks of five municipalities in the Ave River basin (located in NW Portugal) are especially vulnerable to water inflows since they have considerable extensions of sewers installed in stream and riverbeds. TRATAVE, the company responsible for operating the system, designed and implemented a monitoring network to measure discharges along the entire drainage network and treatment facilities in order to reduce those water inflows. Several flow measurement devices were installed at strategic locations within the sewer network and integrated with a SCADA system responsible for its operation. A decision support system (DSS) is being implemented using the Delft-FEWS platform, integrating monitoring data and models. Based on monitored data and model results, an estimation of infiltration volumes during wet periods is presented. Moreover, the capabilities of the DSS are illustrated in: (i) location of manholes losses along sewer networks during wet periods; (ii) identification and location of unknown connections to the sewer network using wastewater balances; and (iii) design of a PID controller for a pumping station using on-line tank water level measurement. Acquired knowledge resulting from the DSS greatly improved the utility performance both in terms of economic revenue and environmental protectionThe authors thank TRATAVE for the financial support in the installation of measurement devices, the first author’s scholarship for PhD tuition fees, and in making available the monitoring data used in this research

A DSS for operational management of wastewaters under uncertain conditions

Wastewater treatment facilities of the Ave River basin (located in NW Portugal) are especially vulnerable to infiltration since they present considerable extensions of sewers installed in streams and rivers and collect wastewaters from longstanding sewer networks of five municipalities. The operational management of this complex system involves decision variables such as the selection of the treatment plant where collected wastewater will be treated, with implications for pumped volumes and consequent energy consumption. Aiming to reduce these inflows and increase the management performance of TRATAVE, the company responsible for operating the system, a monitoring network that includes the entire drainage network and treatment facilities operated by the company was designed and implemented. Several flow measurement devices were installed at strategic locations within the sewer network and integrated with a SCADA system responsible for its operation. All measured data was organized in databases. This monitoring platform will support the implementation of a decision support system (DSS) based on a hydrological model of the basin, a hydrodynamic model of the river network and the sewer network. The DSS is being implemented using the Delft-FEWS platform, integrating monitoring data and models. The DSS conceptual framework and the first results of the estimated infiltration volumes are presentedinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

MRI laxity assessment

Knee laxity, by definition, is a dynamic and multifactorial condition. MRI evaluation, due to its known capacity in achieving high soft tissue contrast (e.g., meniscus, synovia, ligaments, cartilage) and multiplanar joint assessment without ionizing radiation, has contributed to its popularity in the last decades. However, “traditional�? MRI studies provide static evaluation, thus requiring careful correlation to clinical findings, particularly when dealing with functional ligament stability. This work aims to describe the most important features of current MRI studies when dealing with anterior cruciate ligaments injuries, while also presenting the evolving possibilities of dynamic and objective MRI assessment of knee instability.(undefined

An integrative approach assesses the intraspecific variations of Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) inopinatus, a common parasite in Neotropical freshwater fishes, and the phylogenetic patterns of Camallanidae

Integrative taxonomy was used to evaluate two component populations of Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) inopinatus in Brazil and the phylogeny Camallanidae. Parasite populations were collected in the characiform Anostomoides passionis from River Xingu (Amazon basin) and Megaleporinus elongatus from River Miranda (Paraguay basin). Morphology was analysed using light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Genetic characterization was based on partial sequences of the 18S and 28S rDNA, and COI mtDNA. Phylogenies were based on 18S and COI due to data availability. Generalized Mixed Yule Coalescent (GMYC), Poisson Tree Process (PTP) and BEAST were used for species delimitation and validation. SEM revealed for the first time the presence of minute denticles and pore-like structures surrounding the oral opening, phasmids in females and confirmed other important morphological aspects. Statistical comparison between the two-component populations indicated morphometric variations, especially among males. The different component population of P. (S.) inopinatus showed variable morphometry, but uniform morphology and were validated as conspecific by the GMYC, PTP and BEAST. Some camallanid sequences in GenBank have incorrect taxonomic labelling. Host, environment and geographic aspects seem to be related to some lineages within Camallanidae; however, their real phylogenetic meanings are still unclear.Fil: Ailan Choke, Lorena Gisela. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto para el Estudio de la Biodiversidad de Invertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta; ArgentinaFil: Tavares, Luiz E. R.. Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul; BrasilFil: Luque, José L.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Pereira, Felipe B.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; Brasi

Revisiting the outstanding flooding episode of November 1967 in the greater metropolitan Lisbon area

The deadliest storm affecting Portugal since, at least, the early 19th century, took place on the 25 and 26 November 1967 causing more than 500 fatalities. Here we provide a comprehensive multi-disciplinary assessment of this episode, including the main socio-economic impacts, particularly the numbers and location of victims (dead, injured, homeless and evacuated). Based on the sub-daily time series of a representative station, and its Intensity-Duration-Frequency curves, we have found that the exceptionality of this rainfall event is particularly linked to rainfall intensities ranging in duration from 4 to 9 hours compatible with return periods of 100-years or more. This range of time scale is similar to the estimated concentration time values of the hydrographic basins affected by the flash flood event. Most victims were sleeping or were caught by surprise at home in the small river catchments within the greater metropolitan Lisbon area. The majority of people who died or who were severely affected by the flood lived in degraded housing conditions often raised in a clandestine way, occupying flood plains near the stream beds. This level of destruction observed at the time is in stark contrast to what was observed in subsequent episodes of similar amplitude. In particular, since 1967 the Lisbon area, was struck by two comparable intense precipitation events in 1983 and 2008 but generating considerably fewer deaths and evacuated people.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biological saline produced water treatment, a sustainable process towards lipids production

Oil and gas industry is responsible for the generation of large volumes of oil-contaminated wastewaters, such as saline produced water (PW), that without proper treatment can cause environmental contamination. Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2 is a biosurfactant producer capable of degrading and converting hydrocarbons into bacterial lipids under nutrient limiting conditions (e.g. nitrogen and/or oxygen). Recently, the industrial interest in biosurfactants and bacterial lipids for biotechnological applications (e.g. bioremediation or biofuels production) is increasing. Pursuing the interest of treating and simultaneously valorizing PW, a sequencing batch airlift reactor (SBAR) strategy consisting of sequential cycles of feast and famine stages was developed. A. borkumensis SK2 was used as bioreactor inoculum and the effect of cycle duration, total petroleum hydrocarbon to nitrogen ratio (TPH/N) and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration (7-8 mg L-1 and 2-3 mg L-1 (famine and feast stage); and 7-8/1-2 mg L-1 (famine/feast stage)) were investigated. The system provided an efficient PW treatment, achieving TPH removal efficiencies in a narrow range from 90 ± 2.1 to 96 ± 1.8 %. Intracellular lipid production increased from 0.48 to 0.74 g g-1 of cellular dry weight (CDW) with the application of higher feast stage duration and lower TPH/N ratios suggesting that nitrogen availability is the most relevant factor to promote accumulation. Under 2-3 mg L-1 and 7-8/1-2 mg L-1 of oxygen, lipid accumulation dropped to 0.50 g g-1 of CDW. Intracellular lipid profile changed according to the DO concentration. Triacylglycerols (TAG) and wax esters (WE) were accumulated under maximum and limiting DO concentrations, while polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) accumulation was triggered by the application of alternated DO conditions, indicating that the type of intracellular compound can be selected by manipulating the oxygen concentration in the SBAR. Extracellular lipid production (TAG and WE) was not significantly affected by none of the operational conditions applied (0.06 g L-1). Moreover, the production of a cell-bound and an extracellular glycolipid biosurfactant capable of reducing the medium surface tension from 65 to approximately 41 mN m-1 was observed. The proposed strategy showed that biological PW treatment in a SBAR can be a sustainable process through the production of added-value compounds contributing to a circular economy model.This research was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT I.P.) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the scope of project SaltOil+ (POCI-01- 0145- FEDER-030180) (Portugal 2020, COMPETE 2020); Rita M. Silva PhD grant (SFRH/BD/116154/2016) was funded by FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Potential of silicon fertilization in the resistance of chestnut plants toink disease(Phytophthora cinnamomi)

The European chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) is a specie with great economic importance in Europe that have been present for thousands of years. In Portugal, the chestnut helps to maintain a positive trade balance, by contributing to the gross national product (GDP). One of the biggest threats for the chestnut is the ink disease caused by Phytophthoracinnamomi, this disease is problematic to chestnut crop with a damaging impact. Silicon (Si) is classified as a beneficial nutrient, having the ability to make plants more resistant to attacks by pathogens. Studies on the effect of silicon on chestnut are practically non-existent, so the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of silicon in the resistance of chestnut plants to P. cinnamomi. The plants were treated by 0 mM, 5 mM, 7.5mM and 10 mM SiK® with the analyzed mad at 0, 15 and 30 days after inoculation by P. cinnamomi. These findings showed that the Si-treated plants had higher survival rate resulted from the presence of phytoliths in root tissues, that acted as a mechanical barrier reducing the development of pathogenic structures and they arealso associated with the improvement on antioxidant activity through the increase of CAT and SOD, higher values of total phenols compounds and less oxidative damage. The presence of Si in PDA medium reduced the growth of P. cinnamomi all over the time, presenting high PI. This work shows that the Si fertilization in chestnut plants contributes to increase the resistance against P. cinnamomi infection