Improving Quality and Quality Assurance of Engineering Study Programmes

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - "a plan for people, planet and prosperity", which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that serve as a roadmap for the national and international policies that should be implemented to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Society, Economy, and Environment are recognized as the three pillars for sustainable development. After several attempts to identify and agree upon a global policy for a sustainable future, it is time for implementation. It is time now for global Engineers to get involved in order to bring results in the direction of the implementation of the SDGs. Two European Civil Engineering associations, the European Civil Engineering Education and Training Association (EUCEET) and the Association of European Civil Engineering Faculties (AECEF) join forces to investigate the very important issue of "The role of education for Civil Engineers in the implementation of the SDGs". The topics of the conference are related, but not limited, to the following SDGs: SDG4 - Quality education SDG6 - Clean water and sanitation SDG7 - Affordable and clean energy SDG8 - Decent work and economic growth SDG9 - Industry, innovation, and infrastructure SDG11 - Sustainable cities and communities SDG13 - Climate action SDG14 - Life below water SDG15 - Life on lan

Lutte biologique contre les stomoxes des bovins à la Réunion : l'exemple du "Poseidom vétérinaire"

Le programme POSEIDOM : "Eradication de l'Anaplasmose et des Babésioses à la Réunion", mis en oeuvre en 1994 présente l'originalité d'être axé sur une lutte intégrée, associant une lutte chimique contre les tiques et les stomoxes, et une lutte biologique contre ces mêmes mouches piqueuses du bétail (mouches boeufs). L'objectif de cette lutte biologique est le développement d'insectes hyménoptères, parasitoïdes des larves et pupes de stomoxes et la diffusion de stomoxes d'élevage ainsi parasités, sur les élevages bovins afin d'assurer la transmission de l'infestation et une réduction drastique des deux populations de stomoxes (S. calcitrans, S. nigra) par l'utilisation d'un complexe parasitaire : Tachninaephagus, Spalangia et Trichopria. Un bilan sérologique réalisé en début et fin de programme (1995-1998) a mis en évidence une situation épidémiologique instable pour les hémoparasitoses, contrainte majeure à l'élevage des ruminants. Les objectifs à long terme prévoient de ramener de façon pérenne les populations d'insectes piqueurs à un niveau compatible avec de bonnes performances zootechniques et une situation épidémiologique stable. Les perspectives de cette lutte bilogique menée à la Réunion résident dans sa diversification : mise en place de piège (lutte mécanique), modification des pratiques culturales (lutte environnementale), lutte biologique contre les tiques et réseau d'entomosurveillance ainsi que dans l'intensification de cette lutte intégrée

Ultrasonographic evaluation of the eyes' posterior segment of diabetic and non-diabetic dogs with cataracts

Cataracts jeopardize the light penetration into the eye and may restrain direct exam of eye structures. It is necessary to identify very early any eye disease that could cause the failure of cataract surgery. The ocular ultrasonography or echography is a safe, non invasive, inexpensive and easy procedure that complements ocular examination. Two hundred and twenty five eyes of 123 dogs were evaluated using a 10 Mhz linear transducer ultrasound. The dogs were divided into three groups, as there is Group 1: 36 healthy control dogs; Group 2: 52 non diabetic dogs with cataracts; and Group 3: 35 diabetic dogs with cataracts; all of them were patients of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of São Paulo. The ultrasonographic findings were in Group 1: vitreous degeneration in 43%, posterior vitreous detachment in 7.7%, asteroid hyalosis in 4.6% of the eyes; in Group 2: vitreous degeneration in 58.9%, posterior vitreous detachment in 8.4%, asteroid hyalosis in 2.1%, inflammatory or haemorrhagic process in 2.1%, retinal detachment in 4.3% of the eyes; and in Group 3: vitreous degeneration in 50.7%, posterior vitreous detachment in 13.8%, asteroid hyalosis in 12.3%, inflammatory or haemorrhagic process in 3.1%, retinal detachment in 3.1% of the eyes. It could be concluded that (1) diabetic dogs, mainly the ones with diabetes for more than 2 years, have greater chances to develop asteroid hyalosis; (2) there were no significant differences in retinal detachment frequencies for the diabetic and non diabetic dogs; and (3) the ocular ultrasonography is a safe, effective and important exam for the pre-operatory evaluation of dogs with cataracts.A catarata impossibilita a passagem de luz dentro do olho, dificultando o exame físico direto das estruturas oculares. É necessária a identificação prévia de quaisquer alterações oculares que contra-indiquem a cirurgia de catarata. A ultra-sonografia, ou ecografia ocular, é um exame seguro, de baixo custo, não invasivo, de fácil realização, que completa o exame oftálmico. Foi realizada avaliação ultra-sonográfica, com transdutor linear, freqüência de 10 MHz, de 225 olhos de 123 cães, sendo cães controle (Grupo 1), 52 cães não diabéticos portadores de catarata (Grupo 2) e 35 cães diabéticos portadores de catarata (Grupo 3), todos eles atendidos no Hospital Veterinário da Universidade de São Paulo. Foram encontradas as seguintes alterações ultra-sonográficas no Grupo 1: degeneração vítrea em 43%, descolamento de vítreo posterior em 7,7%, hialose asteróide em 4,6% dos olhos; no Grupo 2: degeneração vítrea em 58,9%, descolamento de vítreo posterior em 8,4%, hialose asteróide em 2,1%, processo inflamatório e/ou hemorrágico em 2,1% e descolamento de retina em 4,3% dos olhos; e no Grupo 3: degeneração vítrea em 50,7%, descolamento de vítreo posterior em 13,8%, hialose asteróide em 12,3%, processo inflamatório e/ou hemorrágico em 3,1% e descolamento de retina em 3,1% dos olhos. Concluiu-se, que (1) cães diabéticos, principalmente os que apresentam a doença há mais de 2 anos, tem maior predisposição para o desenvolvimento de hialose asteróide; (2) não houve diferença entre a freqüencia de descolamento de retina encontrada em cães diabéticos e não diabéticos; e (3) a ultra-sonografia ocular é em exame seguro, eficaz e importante na avaliação pré-operatória de cães portadores de catarata.Universidade de São Paulo Departamento de Cirurgia da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e ZootecniaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Departamento de OftalmologiaUSP Hospital Veterinário Serviço de OftalmologiaUSP FMVZ Departamento de CirurgiaUNIFESP, EPM, Depto. de OftalmologiaSciEL

Study of the dynamic behavior of earthflows, with particular reference to the solid-to-fluid transition characterizing stages of rapid movement

Earthflows are landslide developing in clay-rich soil, characterized by elongated tongue-like shapes. Their behavior has been largely debated in literature. The periods of rapid motion have been interpreted in two different ways. Some authors suggest that, in spite of their flow-like morphology, earthflows essentially move like rigid bodies along well-defined slip surfaces. Other authors report that during the surging earthflow material becomes softer and can be considered as a viscous fluid. However, collecting data during the stages of rapid motion is still challenging and only minimal data concerning the real acceleration stage had been presented in literature. The purpose of the current study is to provide an insight into the reactivation stage in order to understand if any fluidization process can occur. Geophysical data have been treated: seismic techniques have been applied to detect shear stiffness variation over time in the periods near the rapid surging and two-pass conventional interferometry has been used to monitor landslide deformation patterns. Seismic data indicate that earthflow soils are affected by stiffness drops during the acceleration stage; the process is slowly reversed in the period following the rapid motion during which the materials become stiffer. This process is probably related to changes in void ratio and soil water content: after the failure the water content decreases, and the porosity of the soils decreases too. Data demonstrate that during the stages of rapid motion earthflows behave like viscous fluids; far from the failure they turn to be stiff and a rigid-like behavior is more likely. Mathematical theories can be used to fully describe the behavior but different types of field data concerning the rapid motion stage are necessary: to obtain a whole dataset we need to know in advance information about earthflow reactivation. Thus, conventional two-pass interferometry has been successfully applied to derive deformation patterns

Barrier-to-autointegration factor (BAF) involvement in prelamin a-related chromatin organization changes

Chromatin disorganization is one of the major alterations linked to prelamin A processing impairment. In this study we demonstrate that BAF is necessary to modulate prelamin A effects on chromatin structure. We show that when prelamin A and BAF cannot properly interact no prelamin A-dependent effects on chromatin occur; similar to what is observed in human Nestor Guillermo Progeria Syndrome cells harboring a BAF mutation, in HEK293 cells expressing a BAF mutant unable to bind prelamin A, or in siRNA mediated BAF-depleted HEK293 cells expressing prelamin A. BAF is necessary to induce histone trimethyl-H3K9 as well as HP1-alpha and LAP2-alpha nuclear relocalization in response to prelamin A accumulation. These findings are enforced by electron microscopy evaluations showing how the prelamin A-BAF interaction governs overall chromatin organization. Finally, we demonstrate that the LAP2-alpha nuclear localization defect observed in HGPS cells involves the progerin-BAF interaction, thus establishing a functional link between BAF and prelamin A pathological forms

Organic and Conventional Bean Pesticides in Development of Autochthonous Trichoderma Strains

[EN] Pesticides of chemical synthesis have mainly been used to control pests, diseases and adventitious plants up until now. However, it has been shown that some pesticides can remain in the soil for long periods of time, thus affecting the development of organisms in the rhizosphere as well as human health, which are two of the most noteworthy side effects. The aim of this research was to analyze the compatibility of autochthonous Trichoderma strains with different synthetic fungicides, acaricides, insecticides (including an entomopathogenic fungus) and herbicides. Sulfur encouraged the growth of all autochthonous strains assayed, and the combination Trichoderma-B. bassiana did not disturb their growth. So, the combination of the autochthonous Trichoderma strains with these organic pesticides will be a positive strategy to apply in the field to control pests and some diseases. Conventional pesticides modified the development of all autochthonous Trichoderma strains, demonstrating that not only do they affect weeds, fungus or pests but also rhizosphere microorganisms. In conclusion, conventional pesticides indiscriminately used to control pests, diseases and weeds could reduce the development of autochthonous Trichoderma strains, especially fungicides and herbicides.SIThis research was funded by Junta de Castilla y León, Consejería de Educación for the project “Application of Trichoderma strains in sustainable quality bean production” (LE251P18), co-financed by the European Social Fund, and the grants to Alejandra Porteous Álvarez (FPU19/03650) of Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Spain) and to Guzmán Carro Huerga (FPU 15/04681) of Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (Spain)

Antimicrobial effect and cytotoxic evaluation of MG-doped hydroxyapatite functionalized with au-nano rods

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is the main inorganic mineral that constitutes bone matrix and represents the most used biomaterial for bone regeneration. Over the years, it has been demonstrated that HA exhibits good biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, and osteoinductivity both in vitro and in vivo, and can be prepared by synthetic and natural sources via easy fabrication strategies. However, its low antibacterial property and its fragile nature restricts its usage for bone graft applications. In this study we functionalized a MgHA scaffold with gold nanorods (AuNRs) and evaluated its antibacterial effect against S. aureus and E. coli in both suspension and adhesion and its cytotoxicity over time (1 to 24 days). Results show that the AuNRs nano-functionalization improves the antibacterial activity with 100% bacterial reduction after 24 h. The toxicity study, however, indicates a 4.38-fold cell number decrease at 24 days. Although further optimization on nano-functionalization process are needed for cytotoxicity, these data indicated that Au-NRs nano-functionalization is a very promising method for improving the antibacterial properties of HA

Pd/Au based catalyst immobilization in polymeric nanofibrous membranes via electrospinning for the selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

Innovative nanofibrous membranes based on Pd/Au catalysts immobilized via electrospinning onto different polymers were engineered and tested in the selective oxidation of 5- (hydroxymethyl)furfural in an aqueous phase. The type of polymer and the method used to insert the active phases in the membrane were demonstrated to have a significant effect on catalytic performance. The hydrophilicity and the glass transition temperature of the polymeric component are key factors for producing active and selective materials. Nylon-based membranes loaded with unsupported metal nanoparticles were demonstrated to be more efficient than polyacrylonitrilebased membranes, displaying good stability and leading to high yield in 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid. These results underline the promising potential of large-scale applications of electrospinning for the preparation of catalytic nanofibrous membranes to be used in processes for the conversion of renewable molecules