Microbial activity in two soils with different clay content contaminated by different diesel/biodiesel mixtures

Biodiesel is an alternative energy source that has a high biodegradability potential and low toxicity, contributing to ecosystem impact reductions. The aim of this study was to determine, by the natural attenuation technique, the microbial activity of two soils: one clayey (CLA) and the other sandy (SAN), contaminated with different concentrations of biodiesel blended with diesel (B0, B5, B20 and B100) simulating a surface spill. The respirometry, fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis and cultivable heterotrophic bacteria and actinobacteria count techniques were used to determine the microbial activity in the different microcosms at up to 48 days of incubation. For the respiration activity, the CLA soil was most active at all mixed fuel concentrations (B0, B5, B20 and B100), as compared to the SAN. Furthermore, the biodiesel addition to the two soil types contributed to the microbial activity increase, and higher CO2 release values were found in the B20 and B100. For the FDA activity, it was found that the CLA soil showed higher activity at the B5 and B20 concentrations, and heterotrophic count showed a tendency towards a CFU g-1 decrease as the incubation time increased. This indicates that the CLA soil, due to a higher amount of nutrients, clay, organic matter and CEC, was associated with the addition of biodiesel and showed higher microbial activity. The results obtained in this study contribute to future studies of surface contamination by different mixtures of diesel/biodiesel in soils with similar physical and chemical characteristics

Tendinopathy of the anterior compartment of the ankle

OBJETIVO: Análise retrospectiva da etiopatogenia, diagnóstico e opções de tratamento nos casos de tendinopatias do compartimento anterior do tornozelo (TCAT). MÉTODO: No período de setembro de 1998 a fevereiro de 2009, 13 pacientes foram operados por tendinopatia do compartimento anterior do tornozelo. A casuística constou de 10 pacientes do sexo masculino e três do feminino. O lado direito foi acometido em 12 pés e um do esquerdo. A média de idade foi de 35 anos (15-67). A etiologia foi traumática em oito pacientes e em cinco, degenerativa (atraumática). O tempo médio do diagnóstico ao tratamento foi de 19 meses (1-60) e o seguimento foi de 34 meses (4-127). O diagnóstico foi feito através da história e exame clínico. A ressonância magnética foi realizada em nove pacientes para estadiamento e planejamento. O tratamento cirúrgico foi personalizado para cada caso (sinovectomia, ressecção de ventre muscular, solidarização com o tendão adjacente e enxerto livre de tendão semitendíneo). Para a avaliação dos resultados foram utilizadas as escalas: 1) graduação subjetiva de satisfação, 2) AOFAS e 3) Maryland. RESULTADO: Em relação à escala de graduação subjetiva de satisfação, 12 pacientes satisfeitos e um paciente insatisfeito. A média da escala AOFAS foi de 80 pontos, a média da escala Maryland foi de 86 pontos. CONCLUSÃO: O tratamento cirúrgico é eficaz para recuperação funcional. As técnicas cirúrgicas devem ser personalizadas. A opção do enxerto livre de tendão semitendíneo é eficiente nas falhas maiores que cinco centímetros.OBJECTIVE: To carry out a retrospective analysis of the etiopathogeny, diagnosis and therapeutic options in cases of tendinopathies of the anterior compartment of the ankle. METHOD: 13 patients underwent surgery between September 1998 and February 2009; ten men and three women. The right side was involved in twelve patients and the left in one. The averaging age was 35 years of age (15-67). The etiology was traumatic in eight patients and degenerative (non-traumatic) in five. The average time to diagnosis was 19 months (1 - 60) and the average follow-up time was 34 months (4 - 127). The diagnosis was made by anamnesis and clinical findings. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in nine patients, for staging and planning. The surgical treatment was personalized in each case (debridement, resection of the muscle, grafting with the adjacent tendon, and free graft of the semitendinosus tendon). The following scales were used for the evaluation: 1) subjunctive satisfaction scale, 2) AOFAS and 3) Maryland. RESULTS: In relation to the subjective satisfaction scale, 12 patients were satisfied and one was dissatisfied. The average AOFAS scale was 80 points, and the average Maryland scale was 86 points. CONCLUSION: Surgical treatment is effective for restoring function. The surgical techniques must also be personalized. The free graft of the semitendinosus tendon option is effective for gaps larger than five centimeters

Simulation of a surface spill of different diesel/biodiesel mixtures in an ultisol, using natural attenuation and bioaugmentation/biostimulation

Accidents caused by leaks and/or spills on soils need to be addressed. Natural attenuation, biostimulation and bioaugmentation can be useful bioremediation strategies for decontamination processes in soils of diesel/ biodiesel mixtures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degradation rate of the different fuels (B0, B20 and B100) in an ultisol under natural attenuation and biostimulation/bioaugmentation during 60 days of incubation in a controlled microcosm simulating a surface spill over soil. The degradation of different diesel/biodiesel mixtures was monitored for up to 60 days by dehydrogenase activity, respirometry by CO2 release, the most probable number of heterotrophic and degrading microorganism and gas chromatography. The bacterial inoculum employed for biostimulation/bioaugmentation strategy consisted of Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus pumilus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The two bioremediation strategies have showed great degradation rates. The natural attenuation was effective for B0 and B20 treatments. The addition of the bacterial consortium and macronutrients contributed to the increased degradation of pure biodiesel in relation to natural attenuation, with higher rates for CO2 release, enzymatic and degrading activity. It is suggested that the bacterial consortium has proven effective for presenting significant values for such parameters until the end of the 60-day incubation period

Influence of the external environment on the logistics strategies of industrial organizations

Context: Environments of uncertainty and instability force organizations to modify their actions. The reason for this change is that the minimum data and information needed to establish the logic of production cannot be obtained. Objective: This study aimed to identify the impacts of the external environment on the logistics strategies of the industrial organizations operating at the Manaus Industrial Pole. Methodology: The method was the survey, which used a research protocol as a guide, and had as its subject five managers of the logistics sector of five medium and large industries operating in the industrial center of Manaus, Brazil, intentionally chosen, whose Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews and the results were generated with the aid of content analysis. Results: The results showed that a) the logistics chain is made up of foreign suppliers and domestic consumers, b) the organizations are managed by professionals with adequate technical and scientific training and solid professional experience in the area, c) the impacts of the external environment are of economic, political, ecological and political-economic natures and d) all were perceived as threats to the logistics strategies of the surveyed industries. Conclusion: The impacts of the external environment caused organizations to reduce their logistics operations. Contribution of the study to the logistics area: the confirmation that turbulent outdoor environments force organizations to reduce their production activities

Avaliação fisica em meninas participantes do projeto segundo tempo da cidade de Americana-SP

O objetivo do estudo foi verificar se há correlação entre medidas antropométricas e capacidades físicas de 59 meninas participantes do Projeto Segundo Tempo da cidade de Americana-SP, com idades entre 10 a 19 anos. A correlação entre os resultados das medidas antropométricas e os resultados de testes físicos, foi verificado através do coeficiente de Spearman. Os resultados indicam que as medidas antropométricas influenciam as capacidades físicas observadas. Também foram verificadas correlações, estatisticamente significantes entre os resultados dos testes das capacidades físicas. Todos os testes com exceção a flexibilidade se correlacionaram entre si

Aplicações para smartphones com HTML5 e interação com Experimentos Remotos

Neste artigo é demonstrado o desenvolvimento de aplicações para smartphones com uso de HTML5 e que possam interagir com experimentos remotos, o aplicativo RExMobile do RExLab – UFSC é um exemplo desta junção de tecnologias. A junção dos conceitos de experimentação remota e mobilidade de smartphones e tablets é demonstrada na criação de aplicações que proporcionem um modo interativo e dinâmico para o uso de tecnologias de suporte ao ensino de ciências desde as séries iniciais ou mesmo outras aplicações de acionamento à distância como a experimentação remota. O desenvolvimento utilizou softwares gratuitos e os recursos de HTML5 e jQuery que permitem implementar páginas compatíveis com diferentes Sistemas Operacionais móveis (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, etc.). Ainda são apresentados padrões de layouts W3C que colaboram para uma expansível acessibilidade. Esta aplicação foir recentemente premiada na Campus Mobile do Instituto Claro, ficando na segunda colocação dos mais inovadores entre as mais de 1300 ideias de aplicativos móveis de todo o Brasil

Development of hybrid friction stir welding and adhesive bonding single lap joints in aluminium alloys

Aircraft have been manufactured for decades using a wide variety of welding and joining techniques. There have been significant developments in techniques over the last 15–20 years. In civil aeronautical industry the main materials used for the fuselage and structural parts are aluminium alloys. In order to reduce weight, leading to a better fuel and economic efficiency, there is the need to find innovative solutions to join aluminium components in a single lap joint (SLJ) configuration with higher strength to weight ratio than riveting and fastening. In this work, a combination of the friction stir welding (FSW) and adhesive bonding (AB) processes is presented. Quasi-static mechanical properties, fatigue behaviour and other properties of the friction stir weld-bonding joints were assessed and compared with adhesive only and friction stir welded only joints. The development of this new joining technology, the combination of FSW with AB, forming friction stir weld-bonding, aims to incorporate properties and characteristics of both joining technologies, as well as improving damage tolerance. The present research involved the production of two types of overlap joints - FSW and hybrid friction stir weld-bonding. The main objective of this study is to compare the different joining technologies in lap joint configuration and evaluate the influence of different parameters on the mechanical behavior of the joints.   The hybrid joints present better overall results, and the best joint was efficiency achieved with the hybrid joint produced with 450 kgf. The average efficiency value in this case was 73.75%, however in a particular specimen it reached the value of 85.21%. From the results it is possible to affirm that the hybridization process confers an improvement between 20-30 % in most cases

The effects of three different low-volume aerobic training protocols on cardiometabolic parameters of type 2 diabetes patients: A randomized clinical trial

ObjectiveTo compare the effects of different aerobic training protocols on cardiometabolic variables in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).MethodsThis study was a parallel clinical trial. Fifty-two men and women with T2DM (>40 years) were randomly allocated into three groups, and 44 (22 males/22 females) were included in the final analysis. Exercise intensity was based on the speed corresponding to the maximum oxygen consumption (vV˙O2max). Moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) involved 14 minutes at 70% of vV˙O2max; short interval high-intensity interval training (S-HIIT) consisted of 20 bouts of 30 seconds at 100% of V˙O2max with 30 seconds passive recovery; long interval high-intensity training (L-HIIT) consisted of 5 bouts of 2 minutes at 100% of vV˙O2max with 2 minutes passive recovery. Training protocols were performed on a motorized treadmill two times per week for eight weeks. Glycated hemoglobin (Hb1Ac), total cholesterol, triglycerides, resting systolic blood pressure (SBP), resting diastolic blood pressure (DBP), resting heart rate (resting HR) and maximum oxygen consumption (V˙O2max) were measured before and after the exercise intervention. The study was registered on the Brazilian clinical trial records (ID: RBR45 4RJGC3).ResultsThere was a significant difference between groups for changes on V˙O2max. Greater increases on V˙O2max were achieved for L-HIIT (p = 0.04) and S-HIIT (p = 0.01) in comparison to MICT group, with no significant difference between L-HIIT and S-HIIT (p = 0.9). Regarding comparison within groups, there were significant reductions on HbA1c and triglycerides levels only for L-HIIT (p< 0.05). V˙O2max significantly increased for both L-HIIT (MD = 3.2 ± 1.7 ml/kg/min, p< 0.001) and S-HIIT (MD = 3.4 ± 1.7, p< 0.001). There was a significant reduction on resting SBP for L-HIIT group (MD = -12.07 ± 15.3 mmHg, p< 0.01), but not for S-HIIT and MICT. There were no significant changes from pre- to post-training on fasting glycemia, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, resting HR and resting DBP for any group (p > 0.05).ConclusionLow-volume HIIT promoted greater improvements in cardiorespiratory capacity in comparison with low-volume MICT, independent of the protocols used. There were no other differences between groups. All protocols improved at least one of the variables analyzed; however, the most evident benefits were after the high-intensity protocols, especially L-HIIT

Experimental behavior of masonry wall-to-timber elements connections strengthened with injection anchors

Out-of-plane failure mechanisms observed in stone masonry buildings subjected to seismic action are often a direct result of poor connections between structural elements. During a seismic event these weak connections become incapable of assuring proper load transmission. Therefore, the need to prevent these phenomena is of critical importance in understanding the behavior of unstrengthened masonry buildings along with the necessity of developing effective strengthening solutions. This paper presents injection anchors as a viable option to improve anchorage between masonry and timber elements on historical buildings, as for example wall-to-timber framed wall or wall-to-timber diaphragm connections. The experimental campaign consisted of quasi-static monotonic and cyclic pullout tests performed on real scale specimens, representative of wall-to-timber framed wall connections found in late 19th century buildings of downtown Lisbon, Portugal. Combined cone-bond failure was obtained in all 7 tests. Boundary conditions of the specimens greatly affected the results in terms of maximum pullout force, dissipated energy, and strength degradation. Displacement ductility of the strengthened connections is high. The force-displacement curves clearly pointed out the influence on the results of the wall's compressive stress state and the contribution of friction in the grout/masonry interface.This work was partially funded by project FP7-ENV-2009-1-244123-NIKER of the 7th Framework Program of the European Commission, which is gratefully acknowledged. Authors would like to thank the technical staff of the Structures Lab. of University of Minho for the assistance provided preparing and carrying out the tests and also, Monumenta, Ltd. for the construction of the masonry walls and Cintec (R) for the installation of the injection anchors