Evaluation and optimization of ASM1 parameters using large-scale WWTP monitoring data from a subtropical climate region in Brazil

This study aimed at providing a set of optimal kinetic and stoichiometric parameters of ASM1 representative of wastewater from a subtropical climate region in Brazil. ASM1 was applied on the STOAT program, and the model parameters were evaluated and optimized with sensitivity analysis and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to reach minimum prediction errors of effluent TSS, COD, and NH3. Six sensitive parameters were identified: YH, YA, μA, KNH, bA, and kOA. Predictions of RSM regression models were strongly correlated to the STOAT predictions. YH mainly affected TSS and COD, and the other parameters affected NH3. ASM1 calibration with estimated optimal values of sensitive parameters resulted in approximately null prediction errors for modeling state variables. NH3 presented similar results in the ASM1 validation; meanwhile, TSS and COD presented high errors related to the increase in YH due to the RSM optimization. The optimal parameters, mainly YA, μA, KNH, bA, and kOA, constitute references for other studies on ASM1 modeling using wastewater data from a subtropical climate region. YH optimal value should be evaluated as well as the effect of sludge wastage methods and the simulation periods

Mythes et croyances pendant la grossesse dans la région Nord-Ouest du Portugal et ses implications dans la santé des femmes

Tout au long de sa vie, la femme est confrontée à des récits narrant des expériences et des histoires qui se transmettent successivement de parents à enfants et qui, sauf en de rares cas, préfigurent des croyances et des mythes déterminants de ses comportements. Ceux-ci sont générateurs de craintes et de peurs à partir desquelles elle commence à construire la représentation de sa propre grossesse. Le présent article a pour base une étude que nous avons menée dans la région du Nord-Ouest du Portugal et qui a eu pour objectifs de rechercher si les femmes enceintes fréquentant les services de santé sont influencées par les mythes ou croyances et d´identifier des comportements découlant des croyances. L’élément principal de cette étude est que 82 % des femmes interrogées déclarent avoir été, plus ou moins, influencées par les mythes et les croyances.Throughout her life, the woman is confronted with tales of experiences and stories which are eternally passed on from parents to children, which in rare cases precede beliefs and myths determinants of their behaviours. These beliefs and myths generate fears and worries from which a woman bases the representation of her pregnancy. The main objective of this study held in the north-western region of Portugal is to confirm if the pregnant women who attend the public health services are, or not, influenced by myths or beliefs and to identify behaviours expressed by these woman that are directly dependent on the beliefs. The main conclusion that we may learn from this study is that 82 % of the one hundred women whom were interviewed mentioned to have been influenced, in greater or less importance, by myths and beliefs

La sagesse des femmes enceintes dans la région nord-ouest du Portugal

Le présent article, que nous avons intitulé «la sagesse des femmes enceintes dans la région nord-ouest du Portugal» a pour base une étude que nous avons réalisée et qui a eu pour objectifs de rechercher si les femmes enceintes qui fréquentent les services de santé sont influencées par les mythes ou croyances et d’identifier des comportements indus par ces croyances. Géographiquement, cette étude s’est limitée aux communes d’Amares, Braga, Póvoa de Lanhoso, Terras de Bouro, Vieira do Minho et Vila Verde qui appartiennent à la région Nord-Ouest du Portugal. Nous avons réalisé 10 entrevues exploratoires à des femmes avec des savoirs en traditions et à 100 femmes qui ont vécu, récemment, la grossesse. 82% des cent femmes interrogées ont démontré des comportements, pendant sa grossesse, en conformation avec des mythes et croyances. L´analyse de contenu des entrevues nous a permis de rencontrer trois catégories de croyances: croyances liées au sexe do foetus, croyances liées aux interdictions et croyances liées aux recommandations. Celles ci ont eu pour finalité protéger le foetus, comme un être qui n´est pas autonome mais dépendant de sa mère.This paper, entitled ―The wisdom of pregnant women in the Northwest of Portugal‖, is based on a study which main objective was to confirm if the pregnant women that attend the public health services are influenced by myths or beliefs and to identify behaviors expressed by these women that are directly dependent on the beliefs. The study was made in six municipalities – Amares, Braga, Póvoa de Lanhoso, Terras de Bouro, Vieira do Minho and Vila Verde – in the Northwest of Portugal. The main conclusion from this study is that 82 of the 100 women that were interviewed said they were influenced, in greater or less degree, by myths and beliefs. We also studied three types of myths and beliefs: myths concerned with the fetus sex, myths concerned with prohibitions and myths concerned with recommendations to protect the fetus

Photo-mediated and advanced oxidative processes applied for the treatment of effluents with drugs used for the treatment of early COVID-19 : review

The COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be one of the most challenging health and social crises ever faced by humanity. Several drugs have been proposed as potential antiviral agents for the treatment of COVID-19 since the beginning of the health crisis. Among them are chloroquine (CQ), hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), ivermectin (IVM), and the combination of QC or HCQ and azithromycin (AZI). The use of these and several other drugs has grown sharply, even if there is proof of ineffectiveness in the early treatment or mild cases of COVID-19. Thus, there is great concern about the potential environmental impacts of the effluents released with the presence of these drugs. Therefore, this work aimed to carry out a literature review on wastewater treatment processes, focusing on removing these substances through advanced oxidation process. As the conventional effluent treatment processes do not have high efficiency for removal, it was concentrated in the literature that had as scope advanced and photo-mediated techniques to remove CQ, HCQ, IVM, and AZI. It is expected,with this work, to highlight the importance of conducting research that contributes to the control of pollution and contamination

Cuidado humanizado: el actuar con respeto en la concepción de capacitados de enfermería

OBJETIVOS: Verificar aspectos da rotina hospitalar, nos quais o aprimorando em enfermagem percebe os princípios bioéticos (PB) no atendimento; verificar em que situações esse aprimorando percebe que o conceito de respeito é ancorado em sua rotina, com o paciente; e, avaliar se existem diferenças na concepção de respeito entre os enfermeiros que atuam em um hospital escola e aqueles formados há pouco tempo, ingressos em um Programa de Aprimoramento de Pessoal. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória, com abordagem qualitativa, realizada em um hospital de grande porte envolvendo, como sujeitos do estudo, 20 aprimorandos. RESULTADOS: Verificou-se que os aprimorandos percebem que os PB auxiliam em sua rotina; que o conceito de respeito aplica-se em todas as situações com o paciente; que a sobrecarga de trabalho dificulta a ancoragem desse conceito. CONCLUSÃO: Os aprimorandos apresentaram mais dificuldade que os enfermeiros com maior experiência profissional para superar a rotina de trabalho e identificar formas de ancoragem desse conceito.OBJECTIVES: To investigate aspects of the hospital routine, recognizing bioethical principles (PB) impacting the delivery of nursing; verify that improving this situation requires that the concept of respect is rooted in this routine, with the patients; and, assess whether differences exist in the concept of respect among nurses working in a teaching hospital and those who graduated recently from a Program for Improvement of Personnel. METHODS: This was an exploratory, qualitative approach, performed in a large hospital involving, as participants in the study, 20 recent graduates. RESULTS: It was found that graduated student realizes that the PB helped in their routine; that the concept of respect applies in all situations with patients; and that the workload makes it difficult to anchor this concept in practice. CONCLUSION: Recently graduated students had more difficulty than more experienced nurses in overcoming the routine of work and identifying ways of anchoring this concept.OBJETIVOS: Verificar aspectos de la rutina hospitalaria, en los cuales el que está siendo perfeccionado en enfermería percibe los principios bioéticos (PB) en la atención; verificar en qué situaciones ese capacitado percibe que el concepto de respeto está anclado en su rutina, con el paciente; y, evaluar si existen diferencias en la concepción de respeto entre los enfermeros que actúan en un hospital Escuela y aquellos formados hace poco tiempo, ingresados en un Programa de Perfeccionamiento de Personal. MÉTODOS: Se trata de una investigación exploratoria, con abordaje cualitativo, realizada en un hospital de gran porte que involucró, como sujetos del estudio a 20 que se estaban perfeccionando. RESULTADOS: Se verificó que los capacitados perciben que los PB los auxilian en su rutina; que el concepto de respeto se aplica en todas las situaciones con el paciente; que la sobrecarga de trabajo dificulta el anclaje de ese concepto. CONCLUSIÓN: Los que están siendo perfeccionados en enfermería presentaron más dificultad que los enfermeros con mayor experiencia profesional para superar la rutina de trabajo e identificar formas de establecimiento de ese concepto

Evaluation of nitrogen dioxide and ozone levels at the Universidade do Vale do Taquari (Univates) using low cost passive samplers

O crescimento urbano e industrial vem agravando a qualidade do ar, provocando danos ao meio ambiente e à saúde humana. Uma alternativa para o monitoramento dos poluentes atmosféricos é a utilização de amostradores passivos, construídos a partir de materiais de baixo custo. O presente estudo busca analisar, por meio da construção de amostradores passivos de baixo custo, os níveis de liberação de 2 poluentes atmosféricos – Dióxido de Nitrogênio (NO2) e Ozônio (O3). Os amostradores foram alocados em 8 diferentes pontos da Universidade do Vale do Taquari – Univates – Lajeado/RS, escolhidos considerando o fluxo de veículos e pessoas. As campanhas de amostragem foram realizadas de forma trimestral, abrangendo um período aproximado de 1 ano, com exposição variando de 7 a 8 dias. Os resultados da extração dos poluentes contidos nos amostradores foram obtidos através de espectrofotometria ultravioleta/visível, e seus respectivos valores calculados através da primeira Lei de Fick. As concentrações obtidas mostram que os índices de NO2 e O3 foram satisfatórios. A maior concentração de NO2 observada ocorreu durante a campanha de abril/17, com 13,5 μ/m³. Já o O3 apresentou valores superiores à 27 μ/m³, nas campanhas de novembro/16, julho e setembro/17. Além disso, realizou-se a espacialização dos dados de concentração obtidos durante o estudo, a fim de verificar a distribuição das mesmas pelo Campus. Esta espacialização apresentou melhores resultados com o método de interpolação Inverso da Distância ao Quadrado. Conforme o método utilizado, a maior área com concentração de NO2 é compreendida entre os pontos 1 e 4. Já as concentrações de O3 apresentaram maior variabilidade, sendo que as maiores concentrações obtidas ocorreram próximas ao ponto 5. Considerando os resultados obtidos, conclui-se que o método de amostragem passiva com materiais acessíveis é viável, podendo ser utilizado em diferentes locais.Urban and industrial growth has worsened air quality, causing damage to the environment and human health. An alternative for the monitoring of air pollutants is from the use of passive samplers, built from low cost materials. The present study aims to analyze, through the construction of passive samplers of low cost, the levels of liberation of 2 atmospheric pollutants - Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Ozone (O3). These were allocated in 8 different spots of the Universidade do Vale do Taquari - Univates - Lajeado/RS, and were chosen considering the flow of vehicles and people. Sampling campaigns were carried out on a quarterly basis, covering an approximate period of 1 year, with exposure varying from 7 to 8 days. The results of the extraction of the pollutants contained in the samplers were obtained through ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry, and their respective values calculated through the first Law of Fick. The concentrations obtained show that the NO2 and O3 - values were satisfactory. The highest observed NO2 concentration occurred during the April/17 campaign, with 13.5 μ/m³. O3 presented some values higher than 27 μ/m³, in the campaigns of November/16, July and September/17. In addition, the concentration data obtained during the study were spatialized in order to verify the distribution of the same by the Campus. This spatialization presented better results with the Inverse Distance to Square interpolation method. According to the method used, the largest area with NO2 concentration is comprised between points 1 and 4. The concentrations of O3 presented greater variability, and the highest concentrations obtained occurred close to point 5. Considering the results obtained, it’s concluded that the method of passive sampling with accessible materials is viable and can be used in different places

Social security for fishworkers in Brazil: a case study of Pará

This study explores the status of Brazil's social welfare system for the fisheries sector, from the point of view of democratization of access, the methodologies used and the extent to which demands have been taken into account. Brazil's social welfare system is currently the focus of restructuring programmes by the government, which aim to reduce the growing 'deficits' of the system. Reductions in the scope of benefits can be expected from the ongoing reforms. Though the Brazilian social security system has made great progress and acquired universal contours by including every category of workers, in practice, it is still very far from being a truly widespread and egalitarian system. (43pp.

Sexual and reproductive health: the impact of technological and communicational advances on the male role

In Portugal, the Health Ministry’s family planning programmes have traditionally focused on women. However, the involvement of men in family planning is crucial to the promotion of equal opportunities in health. Recent advances in technology and the means of communication that support Sexual and Reproductive Health seemed to mark the beginning of a new era in family planning in which men and women could be equal partners in the decision making processes, but these hopes have not been realised. In this chapter, we present semi-structured interviews conducted with 66 men from the Northwest of Portugal between May and June 2010. The results show that 90% of the respondents consider their involvement in the vigilance of Sexual and Reproductive Health important. However, 83.3% have not, to date, participated in any kind of consultation for family planning. The results identify a need to create new strategies for the promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health among men, employing for example social marketing strategies, in which new technologies and certain means of communication could have an important role.(undefined

Avaliação dos níveis de dióxido de nitrogênio e ozônio na Universidade do Vale do Taquari (Univates) utilizando amostradores passivos de baixo custo

O crescimento urbano e industrial vem agravando a qualidade do ar, provocando danos ao meio ambiente e à saúde humana. Uma alternativa para o monitoramento dos poluentes atmosféricos é a utilização de amostradores passivos, construídos a partir de materiais de baixo custo. O presente estudo busca analisar, por meio da construção de amostradores passivos de baixo custo, os níveis de liberação de 2 poluentes atmosféricos – Dióxido de Nitrogênio (NO2) e Ozônio (O3). Os amostradores foram alocados em 8 diferentes pontos da Universidade do Vale do Taquari – Univates – Lajeado/RS, escolhidos considerando o fluxo de veículos e pessoas. As campanhas de amostragem foram realizadas de forma trimestral, abrangendo um período aproximado de 1 ano, com exposição variando de 7 a 8 dias. Os resultados da extração dos poluentes contidos nos amostradores foram obtidos através de espectrofotometria ultravioleta/visível, e seus respectivos valores calculados através da primeira Lei de Fick. As concentrações obtidas mostram que os índices de NO2 e O3 foram satisfatórios. A maior concentração de NO2 observada ocorreu durante a campanha de abril/17, com 13,5 µ/m³. Já o O3 apresentou valores superiores à 27 µ/m³, nas campanhas de novembro/16, julho e setembro/17. Além disso, realizou-se a espacialização dos dados de concentração obtidos durante o estudo, a fim de verificar a distribuição das mesmas pelo Campus. Esta espacialização apresentou melhores resultados com o método de interpolação Inverso da Distância ao Quadrado. Conforme o método utilizado, a maior área com concentração de NO2 é compreendida entre os pontos 1 e 4. Já as concentrações de O3 apresentaram maior variabilidade, sendo que as maiores concentrações obtidas ocorreram próximas ao ponto 5. Considerando os resultados obtidos, conclui-se que o método de amostragem passiva com materiais acessíveis é viável, podendo ser utilizado em diferentes locais.  http://dx.doi.org/10.18226/23185279.v7iss3p3