Descrição da Vocalização e do Girino de Pseudopaludicola Mineira Lobo, 1994, com Notas sobre a Morfologia de Adultos (Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae)

Vocalization, Tadpole, Color In Life, Sexual Dimorphism, And Reproductive Traits Of Pseudopaludicola Mineira Lobo, 1994 Are Described From Populations Of The Serra Do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil. The Advertisement Call Is Composed Mainly By Notes With Two Pulses And Is Distinguished From Other Congeneric Species By The Number Of Pulses By Note And Frequency Range. Males Called From The Low Vegetation On Swampy Soil At High Altitudinal Open Fields And Around Temporary Ponds. Eggs, In Lower Number Than In P. Falcipes (Hensel, 1867), Are Pigmented. The Main Differences Among The Larvae Of The Species Of Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926 Are Related To Number Of Labial Teeth Row And The Shape Of The Marginal Papillae And The Jaw. Males Are Smaller Than Females And Present Well Developed Vocal Sac And Nuptial Pads On Thumbs.Vocalização, Girino, Coloração Em Vida, Dimorfismo Sexual E Aspectos Reprodutivos De Pseudopaludicola Mineira Lobo, 1994 São Descritos De Populações Da Serra Do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Sudeste Do Brasil. O Canto De Anúncio É Composto Geralmente Por Notas De Dois Pulsos E Distingue-Se De Outras Espécies Congenéricas Pelo Número De Pulsos Por Nota E Pela Faixa De Freqüência Ocupada. Machos Vocalizavam Entre A Vegetação Baixa, Sobre Solo Encharcado Em Campos Abertos De Altitude E Ao Redor De Poças Temporárias. Os Ovos, Em Número Menor Que De P. Falcipes (Hensel, 1867), São Pigmentados. As Principais Diferenças Entre As Larvas Das Espécies De Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926 São A Fórmula Dentária Dos Girinos, O Número De Fileiras De Papilas Marginais E O Formato Da Mandíbula. Machos São Menores Que As Fêmeas E Apresentam Saco Vocal Desenvolvido E Calosidades Nupciais No Prepólex

Tailoring carbon nanotubes to enhance their efficiency as electron shuttle on the biological removal of acid orange 10 under anaerobic conditions

Anaerobic treatments have been described for the biodegradation of pollutants. However, the reactions proceed slowly due to the recalcitrant nature of these compounds. Carbon nanomaterials (CNM) intermediate in, and favor, the electron transfer, accelerating the anaerobic reduction of pollutants, which act as final electron acceptors. In the present work, different carbon nanotubes (CNT) with modified surface chemistry, namely CNT oxidized with HNO3 (CNT_HNO3) and CNT doped with nitrogen in a ball milling process (CNT_N_MB) were prepared using commercial CNT as a starting material. The new CNM were tested as redox mediators (RM), 0.1 g L−1, in the biological reduction of the azo dye, Acid Orange 10 (AO10), with an anaerobic granular sludge, over 48 h of reaction. Methane production was also assessed to verify the microorganism’s activity and the CNM’s effect on the methanogenic activity. An improvement in the biological removal of AO10 occurred with all CNM (above 90%), when compared with the control without CNM (only 32.4 ± 0.3%). The best results were obtained with CNT_N_MB, which achieved 98.2 ± 0.1% biological AO10 removal, and an 11-fold reduction rate increase. In order to confer magnetic properties to the CNM, tailored CNT were impregnated with 2% of iron-samples: CNTThis study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE‐01‐0145‐ FEDER‐000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 ‐ Programa Operacional Regional do Norte, as well as FCT/MCTES trough national funds (PIDDAC) and Base Funding – UIDB/50020/20 of the Associate Laboratory LSRE‐LCM – funded by national funds rough FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). Ana Rita Silva holds a Grant from FCT, reference SFRH/BD/131905/2017. Salomé. G.P. Soares acknowledges FCT funding under the Scientific Employment Stimulus ‐ Institutional Call CEECINST/00049/2018.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Magnetic carbon composites as recycling electron shuttles on anaerobic biotransformations

Book of Abstracts of CEB Annual Meeting 2017[Excerpt] The unique properties of magnetic nanoparticles (MNP), such as high surface area, magnetic, sorption and catalytic characteristics, make them very versatile for many applications in different areas including environmental remediation, as catalysts, adsorbents, immobilising agents for microorganisms and enzymes, and as supports for biofilm growth and water disinfectants. In order to improve their stability and to introduce additional surface properties and functionalities, MNP can be coated with carbon materials (CM) due to their chemical stability, biocompatibility and possibility of tailoring their textural and surface chemical properties for specific applications [1]. We have previously proved that various CM, including activated carbon, carbon xerogels and carbon nanotubes (CNT), can be used as redox mediators (RM) in anaerobic biotransformation, accelerating the electron transfer and, consequently, the reduction rates of organic compounds [1,2]. The combination of CM with MNP offers the possibility of creating magnetic carbon composites with synergistic properties: the adsorptive and catalytic properties of both and the magnetic character of MNP, improving the material performance and rendering it easier to be retained and recovered, by applying a magnetic field. [...]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Azo dye mineralization by Phanerochaete chysosporium in a sequencing bath reactor

The mineralization of the azo dye congo red by the fungi Phanerochaete chrysosporium was studied in two sequential batch bioreactors (R1 and R2), operated in cycles of 48 h (step I) and 24 h (step II). In step I, glucose concentration was 1 g.L-1 in both reactors and in step II, 1 g.L-1 of glucose was maintained in R1, but R2 received no addition of glucose. In step I, the average dye removal efficiencies were 76 ± 29 % (R1) and 53 ± 15% (R2), while in step II the averages recorded for dye removal for R1 and R2 were 84 ± 15 and 70 ± 28%, respectively. The rates of dye removal were 0.04 h-1 in R1 and 0.03 h-1 in R2 in step I. Higher rates were obtained in step II, 0,07 h-1 and 0,02 h-1 for R1 and R2, respectively. The highest dye removal occurred in R1 and, in R2, the residual dye was further removed. Laccase was the oxidised at higher amount, in step I was 54 mol.min-1 for R1 and 38 molmin-1 for R2. The proposed treatment system was very effective in removing the azo dye, however the mineralization may not be complete and some by-products may have been formed, according to spectrofotometric analysis, were the peak corresponding to benzene, 220 nm, persisted.Acknowledges to the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) - Brazil for financial assistance Process no. 479374/2012-0.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of conductive and non-conductive materials on the activity of a hydrogenotrophic methanogen

Several conductive materials (CM), such as carbon nanotubes (CNT), activated carbon (AC), and magnetite, have been reported to mediate interspecies electron transfer in methanogenic environments. However, CNT also accelerated methane production (MP) of pure cultures of methanogens. We hypothesize that other CM and also non-CM may affect the methanogenic activity of pure cultures. For that purpose, we incubated the hydrogenotrophic methanogen, Methanobacteriun formicicum strain DSM 1535T, with AC, zeolite (Zeo), sand and glass beads (at 0.5 g/L), and followed MP. All materials reduced lag phases preceding the MP, and the time for complete conversion of H2/CO2 to methane. The best results were obtained with Zeo, since total hydrogen conversion occurred in less than 5 days (instead of 8 days as in the control incubated without materials). Approximately 5 days with sand, and 6 days with glass beads and AC, were necessary to achieve the complete conversion. The lag phases with AC were quite short (1 day) when compared with the control assay without materials (5 days). The initial MP (determined during the first 3 days of incubation) was improved 16 times with Zeo and 11 times with AC, when compared with the cultures incubated without materials. The results show that there is not a direct relationship between conductivity and the improvement of methanogenic activity. Other physicochemical properties of the materials might be related with the beneficial effects towards methanogens.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Zeolite stimulates the activity of microbial enrichments converting butyrate to methane

Conductive materials have been tested as a strategy to improve methane production (MP) in anaerobic digestion (AD) processes1,2. The effect of zeolite (0.5 g/L) towards microbial enrichments converting butyrate (10 mmol/L) to methane was investigated and compared with a microbial enrichment in the absence of the material. The enrichments were initiated with granular anaerobic sludge from a brewery WWTP as inoculum. Incubations were carried out under strict anaerobic conditions (at 37 °C) and periodically transferred to fresh medium. The results showed that, after an initial adaptation period (3 transfers), the presence of zeolite significantly accelerated the total conversion of butyrate to methane, since it took approximately 30d with zeolite and around 45d without zeolite. However, both enrichment cultures after extended adaptation (more than 8 transfers) behaved similarly, degrading butyrate in approximately 15d. Nevertheless, zeolite addition to active butyrate enrichment cultures without previous contact with zeolite, slightly accelerated MP, while the highly adapted zeolite-enrichment decreased activity when incubated without zeolite. Thus, the presence of zeolite showed to stimulate the microbial activity enhancing MP from butyrate degradation. This material possess natural ion-exchange properties, absorptive capacity and could function as a support for biomass which makes its application very attractive to AD processes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pure cultures of hydrogenotrophic methanogens are affected by modified activated carbons, zeolite, sand and glass beads

The metabolism of hydrogenotrophs has been showed to be improved in the presence of carbon nanotubes, which is relevant since they are crucial microorganisms in the conversion of waste to methane1. In this study, we investigated if other materials, with different physicochemical properties, also affect the hydrogenotrophic activity of Methanobacterium formicicum. M. formicicum was incubated separately with 0.5 g/L of sand, and commercial zeolite, glass beads and activated carbon (AC0) with and without modifications on the AC0 surface. Modifications were obtained by chemical oxidation with HNO3 (AC_HNO3), H2SO4 (AC_ H2SO4) or both (AC_HNO3_ H2SO4) and thermal treatments. All materials, with exception of AC_HNO3_ H2SO4, improved the methanogenic activity. Carbon-based materials significantly reduced the lag phases preceding methane production (MP) (from approximately 5 days in the control to circa 1 day). Zeolite, sand and glass beads also reduced the lag phases but less than carbon materials (i.e., from 5 days to 1.5, 2.7 and 3.5 days, respectively). Additionally, exponential MP rates were up to 1.5 times higher in the assays with non-carbon materials. All materials tested have different physical/chemical properties including conductivities, but all stimulated the methanogenic activity. Thus, further studies are necessary to identify the mechanisms behind the underlying observations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TEMPORAL PARAMETERS OF DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES OF THE FREESTYLE FLIP TURN

This study aimed to describe and compare temporal parameters of four different turning techniques of Freestyle swimming flip turn. 17 national level swimmers participated in this study. After practicing sessions, the swimmers performed three times each of the four analyzed techniques. Performance was videotaped using six video cameras and the analyzed variables were: rolling time, wall contact time, pushing time, gliding time and total turn time. No differences were found between the techniques for any variable. Apparently, the choice of the technique can be made accordingly to the swimmer’s subjective preference, or based on the objective performance differences casuistically sustained. However, future studies are needed and additional performance indicators should be analyzed to provide a better understating regarding the different technique

Ciprofloxacin removal catalysed by conductive carbon materials

Current wastewater treatment technologies are not effective in the removal of pharmaceuticals. In anaerobic bioreactors, the electrons produced during the oxidation of organic matter can potentially be used for the biological reduction of pharmaceuticals. However, these reactions occur generally at a slow rate, due to electron transfer limitations, and might be accelerated through redox mediators (RM). Carbon nanomaterials (CM) have been effective RM in the biological reduction of other pollutants. For instance, CNT@2%Fe were found to increase 76-fold the biological reduction of Acid Orange 10. The magnetic properties of those composites allow their easier recover after the process by using a magnetic field. In this study, CNT and CNT@2%Fe were studied in the anaerobic removal of Ciprofloxacin (CIP). Furthermore, the potential contribution of adsorption and biodegradation processes for CIP removal was assessed. Toxicity assessment is highly important as it is desired that the products formed after the process are not more toxic than the initial compound. Moreover, the evaluation of the possible contribution of nanomaterials used in the process for the final toxic effect of threated solution, is crucial. In this sense, the detoxification of the treated solutions was evaluated towards Vibrio fischeri.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio