Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida de painéis produzidos a partir de resíduos da cana-de-açúcar

A Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida (ACV) é uma ferramenta cada vez mais importante nos processos de tomadas de decisão em empresas do mundo todo e, sua aplicação no setor da construção também apresenta uma série de benefícios, como a possibilidade de melhorias ambientais e econômicas nos produtos. Assim, o que será apresentado neste trabalho, é justamente a aplicação desta ferramenta nos painéis de vedação habitacional compostos de bagaço da cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum spp) que vêm sendo desenvolvidos pela Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP Bauru. O estudo foi desenvolvido com base nas orientações metodológicas da série de Normas NBR ISO 14040 (2009), a unidade funcional adotada foi o m² dos painéis e, para a avaliação dos impactos foi empregado o método EDIP. De acordo com os resultados, a ACV possibilitou caracterizar os principais impactos ambientais decorrentes da produção destes painéis para uso habitacional, relacionados ao consumo de recursos, energia e emissão de poluentes. Além disso, a ACV também foi de grande valia na identificação dos pontos positivos e negativos do sistema de produto, possibilitando operar melhorias no processo produtivo dos painéis.Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an increasingly important tool in the decision processes of many companies worldwide, and its application in the construction sector also presents benefits, such as the possibility of developing environmental and economic improvements to the products. Thus that, what will be presented in this paper, is the application of this tool in residential panels composed of bagasse from sugar cane (Saccharum spp), which are being developed by the Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP Bauru. The study was developed based on the methodological guidelines of the standards series ISO 14040 (2009), the functional unit was the panels square meters and for the impact assessment the EDIP method was employed. According to the results, the LCA has enabled characterization of the main environmental impacts from the production of panels for residential use, related to resource consumption, energy and emissions. Furthermore, the LCA was also valuable in identifying strengths and weaknesses of the product system, allowing operating improvements in the productive process of the panels

ProPublica’s data journalism: how multidisciplinary teams and hybrid profiles create impactful data stories

Despite growing interest in the emergence of technologies in journalistic practices, especially from the production perspective, there is still very little research on organizational structures and professional culture in relation to the deployment of these technologies. Drawing on six interviews and observation in staff meetings, this study aims to explore the nuances behind the professional roles of data journalists and how these relate to structural aspects of news organizations. The study focuses on the case of ProPublica, a news organization internationally renowned for its global excellence in data stories. This work considers boundary‐making in the context of journalism and focuses on new professional roles in the news industry to produce a hybrid ethnography study based on qualitative data collected immediately before the Covid‐19 pandemic hit the United States. The findings reveal the importance of hybrid profiles at ProPublica. While some journalists have had to expand their knowledge to learn more about new areas, such as coding and design, some non‐journalistic professionals have had to develop writing skills, and this blurring of traditional boundaries forms an important aspect of ProPublica’s professional culture. The structure of the organization, divided into two teams engaged in cross‐sector activities, helps to promote data skills and collaboration with other journalists, which also serves to mitigate any individual lack of experience on certain topics. The article concludes by suggesting that the growing importance of these new professional roles has broader implications for the development of data skills in the newsroom, and also discusses the limitations that can arise from the increasing overlap between journalistic and non‐journalistic roles

Extrusion in food technology: applications, product characteristics, composition and future trends

A extrusão de alimentos envolve transformações moleculares complexas que permitem grande diversidade nos produtos extrudidos existentes e nas suas propriedades físicas, químicas, sensoriais e nutricionais. Neste artigo são apresentadas aplicações atuais da extrusão na indústria alimentar, assim como as características dos produtos extrudidos.Food extrusion involves complex molecular transformations that allow diversity in the existing extruded products and in their physical, chemical, sensory and nutritional properties. In this article, current applications of extrusion in food industry are presented, as well as the characteristics of the extruded products; it also describes the interactions between the relevant parameters involved in this particular food processing operation. Finally, future trends in the extruded products formulation are presented

The extrusion in food technology: types, advantages and equipments

A extrusão é uma etapa do processamento industrial de matérias-primas sólidas, a qual junta várias operações e processos num único equipamento, denominado extrusora ou extrusor. A extrusão apresenta várias vantagens na indústria alimentar, em termos operacionais e tecnológicos, pelo que o seu uso tem vindo a aumentar. Neste trabalho são apresentados os diferentes tipos de extrusão empregues na área alimentar, a sua classificação e respetivos equipamentos, assim como o seu modo de funcionamento, as suas vantagens e os parâmetros mais importantes para a sua regulação

A Fuzzy Logic Model to Enhance Quality Management on R&D Units

Nowadays, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), are becoming even more competitive, with the public ones, facing at the same time a greater restriction on public funding. Therefore, HEIs, have to be more effective and more efficient as well, on pursuing their own goals, which includes Research and Development (R&D) units as well. Such demands can be achieved, by enhancing R&D’s global performance. Therefore, the use of a framework such as European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), can bring value to an organization with the characteristics of a R&D unit. This work presents a new integrated method based on EFQM model, by using Fuzzy Logic, to enhance the organizations’ overall performance. The applicability of the proposed approach is demonstrated by a case study in a R&D unit, where an initial performance evaluation takes place, by using RADAR’s Logic approach. The proposed method, based on Fuzzy Logic, is then applied, followed by the identification of the strength points as well as the improvement areas, according to the EFQM framework. Then, the improvement actions with high priority are determined, followed by the correspondent action measures. Keywords: Quality management, Fuzzy logic, EFQ

Stability of pelargonidin 3-glucoside in model solutions in the presence and absence of flavanols

The stability of pelargonidin 3-g1ucoside (Pg3g1uc), the main anthocyanin in strawberry, has been studied in model citrate solutions (PH 3.5, 25°C) in the absence and presence flavanols (catechin and procyanidin B3) and/or oxygen. Changes in the solutions were monitorized by HPLC-DAD/MS and UV-visible spectra.Governo Português e Fundo Social Europeu através da medida n.º 5/Acção nº5.3 - PRODEP (III)(referência 5.3/N/199.006/00-Doutoramento)