PDCA Cycle Application in the Beer Filtration Process

The brewing process requires that the manufacturing of your product be done and controlled in such a way that the entire characteristic of the product is preserved from receipt of raw material to finished product. Thus, this work aims to propose actions that allow identifying possible critical steps of oxygen increases during the beer filtration process. Using the PDCA cycle methodology to analyze possible failures, be it people, management or equipment, and seek improvements through the analysis and monitoring of objective actions capable of identifying and addressing all problems at the process stage, thus ensuring, improving the sensory quality of beer and producing with, lower dissolved oxygen content. The PDCA cycle will be used because it is a sequence of activities that are cyclically performed to improve activities and continuous application and allows a real use of the processes generated in the company, aiming at reducing costs and increasing productivity. Therefore, the scientific problem of this work refers to the evaluation of points of the manufacturing process that causes premature aging and oxidation in the produced beers

Salivary pellicles equalise surfaces' charges and modulate the virulence of Candida albicans biofilm

Numerous environmental factors influence the pathogenesis of Candida biofilms and an uderstanding of these is necessary for appropriate clinical management. Aims: To investigate the role of material type, pellicle and stage of biofilm development on the viability, bioactivity, virulence and structure of C. albicans biofilms. Methods: The surface roughness (SR) and surface free energy (SFE) of acrylic and titanium discs was measured. Pellicles of saliva, or saliva supplemented with plasma, were formed on acrylic and titanium discs. Candida albicans biofilms were then generated for 1.5 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h. The cell viability in biofilms was analysed by culture, whilst DNA concentration and the expression of Candida virulence genes (ALS1, ALS3 and HWP1) were evaluated using qPCR. Biofilm metabolic activity was determined using XTT reduction assay, and biofilm structure analysed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Results: Whilst the SR of acrylic and titanium did not significantly differ, the saliva with plasma pellicle increased significantly the total SFE of both surface. The number of viable microorganisms and DNA concentration increased with biofilm development, not differing within materials and pellicles. Biofilms developed on saliva with plasma pellicle surfaces had significantly higher activity after 24 h and this was accompanied with higher expression of virulence genes at all periods. Conclusion: Induction of C. albicans virulence occurs with the presence of plasma proteins in pellicles, throughout biofilm growth. To mitigate such effects, reduction of increased plasmatic exudate, related to chronic inflammatory response, could aid the management of candidal biofilm-related infections

Salivary pellicles equalise surfaces’ charges and modulate the virulence of candida albicans biofilm

Numerous environmental factors influence the pathogenesis of Candida biofilms and an understanding of these is necessary for appropriate clinical management. Aims To investigate the role of material type, pellicle and stage of biofilm development on the viability, bioactivity, virulence and structure of C. albicans biofilms. Methods The surface roughness (SR) and surface free energy (SFE) of acrylic and titanium discs was measured. Pellicles of saliva, or saliva supplemented with plasma, were formed on acrylic and titanium discs. Candida albicans biofilms were then generated for 1.5 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h. The cell viability in biofilms was analysed by culture, whilst DNA concentration and the expression of Candida virulence genes (ALS1, ALS3 and HWP1) were evaluated using qPCR. Biofilm metabolic activity was determined using XTT reduction assay, and biofilm structure analysed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Results Whilst the SR of acrylic and titanium did not significantly differ, the saliva with plasma pellicle increased significantly the total SFE of both surface. The number of viable microorganisms and DNA concentration increased with biofilm development, not differing within materials and pellicles. Biofilms developed on saliva with plasma pellicle surfaces had significantly higher activity after 24 h and this was accompanied with higher expression of virulence genes at all periods. Conclusion Induction of C. albicans virulence occurs with the presence of plasma proteins in pellicles, throughout biofilm growth. To mitigate such effects, reduction of increased plasmatic exudate, related to chronic inflammatory response, could aid the management of candidal biofilm-related infections66129140COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP007355/2013-002012/07436-

Dinâmica da flora arbustivo-arbórea colonizadora em uma área degradada pela extração de ouro em Diamantina, MG

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509812355The main goal was to understand the dynamic process of vegetation colonizing an area degraded by theextraction of gold. The study area was stratified into three environments and, in each environment, contiguousten plots of 100m ² each were allocated. For the realization of the dynamics, two surveys of shrub-tree withlevel of inclusion (DAS30 > 3 cm) were carried out. The first one was realized in 2008 and second in 2010.In 2010, the new individuals that met the criterion for inclusion (recruits) were marked and measured, the dead registered and the survivors were measured again. The rates of mortality, recruitment, gain andloss in basal area of each environment were calculated and it became evident the importance of dynamicsas a tool to help understand the relationships of ecological succession of species. The Shannon diversityindex among the three environments were compared by t-test of Hutcheson and it was used the analysis ofindicator species to determine species preferences of each of the three pre-determined environments.Thetotal number of individuals passed of 707 to 909 in two years of interval, reinforcing the importance ofnatural regeneration processes of ecological succession. The environment II remained the most abundantone despite it presented a high mortality rate, which can be explained by the high rate of recruitment. Thespecies Eremanthus incanus, Trembleya laniflora, Trembleya parviflora, Roupala montana, Coccolobabrasiliensis and Tibouchina candoleana, presented higher importance of value in the two surveys, showingsuperiority in the colonization of the area degraded by the extraction of gold and could be indicated inprograms for the recuperation of degraded areas that are in similar conditions in the region of Diamantinamunicipality.http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509812355O objetivo deste trabalho foi conhecer o processo de dinâmica da vegetação colonizadora em uma área degradada pela extração de ouro. A área em estudo foi estratificada em três ambientes, sendo que em cada ambiente foram alocadas dez parcelas contiguas de 100 m² cada. Para a abordagem da dinâmica foram realizados dois inventários da vegetação arbustivo-arbórea incluindo todos os indivíduos com DAS30 > 3 cm. O primeiro inventário foi realizado no ano de 2008 e o segundo no ano de 2010. Em 2010, os novos indivíduos que atingiram o critério de inclusão (recrutas) foram marcados e medidos, os mortos foram registrados e os sobreviventes mensurados novamente. Foram calculadas as taxas de dinâmica: mortalidade, recrutamento, ganho e perda em área basal de cada ambiente, ficando evidente a importância da dinâmica como ferramenta para auxiliar no entendimento das relações de sucessão ecológicas das espécies. Os índices de diversidade de Shannon entre os três ambientes foram comparados pelo teste t de Hutcheson e foi utilizada a análise de espécies indicadoras na determinação das espécies preferências de cada um dos três ambientes pré-determinados. O número total de indivíduos passou de 707 para 909 em dois anos de intervalo, reforçando ainda mais a importância de regeneração natural nos processos de sucessão ecológica. O ambiente II manteve-se como o mais abundante, apesar de apresentar elevada taxa de mortalidade, o que pode ser explicado pela alta taxa de recrutamento. As espécies Eremanthus incanus, Trembleya laniflora, Trembleya parviflora, Roupala montana, Coccoloba brasiliensis e Tibouchina candoleana, apresentaram maior valor de importância nos dois levantamentos realizados, mostrando, assim, superioridade na colonização da área degradada pela extração de ouro, podendo vir a ser indicadas em programas de recuperação de áreas degradadas que se encontram em condições semelhantes na região de Diamantina

Corpora amylacea are associated with tau burden and cognitive status in Alzheimer\u27s disease

Corpora amylacea (CA) and their murine analogs, periodic acid Schiff (PAS) granules, are age-related, carbohydrate-rich structures that serve as waste repositories for aggregated proteins, damaged cellular organelles, and other cellular debris. The structure, morphology, and suspected functions of CA in the brain imply disease relevance. Despite this, the link between CA and age-related neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD), remains poorly defined. We performed a neuropathological analysis of mouse PAS granules and human CA and correlated these findings with AD progression. Increased PAS granule density was observed in symptomatic tau transgenic mice and APOE knock-in mice. Using a cohort of postmortem AD brain samples, we examined CA in cognitively normal and dementia patients across Braak stages with varying APOE status. We identified a Braak-stage dependent bimodal distribution of CA in the dentate gyrus, with CA accumulating and peaking by Braak stages II-III, then steadily declining with increasing tau burden. Refined analysis revealed an association of CA levels with both cognition and APOE status. Finally, tau was detected in whole CA present in human patient cerebrospinal fluid, highlighting CA-tau as a plausible prodromal AD biomarker. Our study connects hallmarks of the aging brain with the emergence of AD pathology and suggests that CA may act as a compensatory factor that becomes depleted with advancing tau burden

DYNAMICS OF THE SHRUB AND TREE VEGETATION COLONIZING AN AREA DEGRADED BY GOLD MINED IN DIAMANTINA, MINAS GERAIS STATE

O objetivo deste trabalho foi conhecer o processo de din\ue2mica da vegeta\ue7\ue3o colonizadora em uma \ue1rea degradada pela extra\ue7\ue3o de ouro. A \ue1rea em estudo foi estratificada em tr\ueas ambientes, sendo que em cada ambiente foram alocadas dez parcelas contiguas de 100 m2 cada. Para a abordagem da din\ue2mica foram realizados dois invent\ue1rios da vegeta\ue7\ue3o arbustivo-arb\uf3rea incluindo todos os indiv\uedduos com DAS30 > 3 cm. O primeiro invent\ue1rio foi realizado no ano de 2008 e o segundo no ano de 2010. Em 2010, os novos indiv\uedduos que atingiram o crit\ue9rio de inclus\ue3o (recrutas) foram marcados e medidos, os mortos foram registrados e os sobreviventes mensurados novamente. Foram calculadas as taxas de din\ue2mica: mortalidade, recrutamento, ganho e perda em \ue1rea basal de cada ambiente, ficando evidente a import\ue2ncia da din\ue2mica como ferramenta para auxiliar no entendimento das rela\ue7\uf5es de sucess\ue3o ecol\uf3gicas das esp\ue9cies. Os \uedndices de diversidade de Shannon entre os tr\ueas ambientes foram comparados pelo teste t de Hutcheson e foi utilizada a an\ue1lise de esp\ue9cies indicadoras na determina\ue7\ue3o das esp\ue9cies prefer\ueancias de cada um dos tr\ueas ambientes pr\ue9determinados. O n\ufamero total de indiv\uedduos passou de 707 para 909 em dois anos de intervalo, refor\ue7ando ainda mais a import\ue2ncia de regenera\ue7\ue3o natural nos processos de sucess\ue3o ecol\uf3gica. O ambiente II manteve-se como o mais abundante, apesar de apresentar elevada taxa de mortalidade, o que pode ser explicado pela alta taxa de recrutamento. As esp\ue9cies Eremanthus incanus , Trembleya laniflora , Trembleya parviflora , Roupala montana , Coccoloba brasiliensis e Tibouchina candoleana , apresentaram maior valor de import\ue2ncia nos dois levantamentos realizados, mostrando, assim, superioridade na coloniza\ue7\ue3o da \ue1rea degradada pela extra\ue7\ue3o de ouro, podendo vir a ser indicadas em programas de recupera\ue7\ue3o de \ue1reas degradadas que se encontram em condi\ue7\uf5es semelhantes na regi\ue3o de Diamantina.The main goal was to understand the dynamic process of vegetation colonizing an area degraded by the extraction of gold. The study area was stratified into three environments and, in each environment, contiguous ten plots of 100m2 each were allocated. For the realization of the dynamics, two surveys of shrub-tree with level of inclusion (DAS30 > 3 cm) were carried out. The first one was realized in 2008 and second in 2010. In 2010, the new individuals that met the criterion for inclusion (recruits) were marked and measured, the dead registered and the survivors were measured again. The rates of mortality, recruitment, gain and loss in basal area of each environment were calculated and it became evident the importance of dynamics as a tool to help understand the relationships of ecological succession of species. The Shannon diversity index among the three environments were compared by t-test of Hutcheson and it was used the analysis of indicator species to determine species preferences of each of the three pre-determined environments.The total number of individuals passed of 707 to 909 in two years of interval, reinforcing the importance of natural regeneration processes of ecological succession. The environment II remained the most abundant one despite it presented a high mortality rate, which can be explained by the high rate of recruitment. The species Eremanthus incanus , Trembleya laniflora , Trembleya parviflora , Roupala montana , Coccoloba brasiliensis and Tibouchina candoleana , presented higher importance of value in the two surveys, showing superiority in the colonization of the area degraded by the extraction of gold and could be indicated in programs for the recuperation of degraded areas that are in similar conditions in the region of Diamantina municipality

Protected transport in the epigraphene edge state

The graphene edge state has long been predicted to be a zero energy, one-dimensional electronic waveguide mode that dominates transport in neutral graphene nanostructures, with potential application to graphene devices. However, its exceptional properties have been observed in only a few cases, each employing novel fabrication methods without a clear path to large-scale integration. We show here that interconnected edge-state networks can be produced using non-conventional facets of electronics grade silicon carbide wafers and scalable lithography, which cuts the epitaxial graphene and apparently fuses its edge atoms to the silicon carbide substrate. Measured epigraphene edge state (EGES) conduction is ballistic with mean free paths exceeding tens of microns, thousands of times greater than for the diffusive 2D bulk. It is essentially independent of temperature, decoupled from the bulk and substantially immune to disorder. Remarkably, EGES transport involves a non-degenerate conductance channel that is pinned at zero energy, yet it does not generate a Hall voltage, implying balanced electron and hole components. These properties, observed at all tested temperatures, magnetic fields, and charge densities, are not predicted by present theories, and point to a zero-energy spin one-half quasiparticle, composed of half an electron and a half a hole moving in opposite directions

ElecSim: Monte-Carlo Open-Source Agent-Based Model to Inform Policy for Long-Term Electricity Planning

Due to the threat of climate change, a transition from a fossil-fuel based system to one based on zero-carbon is required. However, this is not as simple as instantaneously closing down all fossil fuel energy generation and replacing them with renewable sources -- careful decisions need to be taken to ensure rapid but stable progress. To aid decision makers, we present a new tool, ElecSim, which is an open-sourced agent-based modelling framework used to examine the effect of policy on long-term investment decisions in electricity generation. ElecSim allows non-experts to rapidly prototype new ideas. Different techniques to model long-term electricity decisions are reviewed and used to motivate why agent-based models will become an important strategic tool for policy. We motivate why an open-source toolkit is required for long-term electricity planning. Actual electricity prices are compared with our model and we demonstrate that the use of a Monte-Carlo simulation in the system improves performance by $52.5\%$. Further, using ElecSim we demonstrate the effect of a carbon tax to encourage a low-carbon electricity supply. We show how a {\pounds}40 ($\$50$) per tonne of CO2 emitted would lead to 70% renewable electricity by 2050.Comment: e-Energy '19 Proceedings of the Tenth ACM International Conference on Future Energy System

TAO Conceptual Design Report: A Precision Measurement of the Reactor Antineutrino Spectrum with Sub-percent Energy Resolution

The Taishan Antineutrino Observatory (TAO, also known as JUNO-TAO) is a satellite experiment of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO). A ton-level liquid scintillator detector will be placed at about 30 m from a core of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant. The reactor antineutrino spectrum will be measured with sub-percent energy resolution, to provide a reference spectrum for future reactor neutrino experiments, and to provide a benchmark measurement to test nuclear databases. A spherical acrylic vessel containing 2.8 ton gadolinium-doped liquid scintillator will be viewed by 10 m^2 Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) of >50% photon detection efficiency with almost full coverage. The photoelectron yield is about 4500 per MeV, an order higher than any existing large-scale liquid scintillator detectors. The detector operates at -50 degree C to lower the dark noise of SiPMs to an acceptable level. The detector will measure about 2000 reactor antineutrinos per day, and is designed to be well shielded from cosmogenic backgrounds and ambient radioactivities to have about 10% background-to-signal ratio. The experiment is expected to start operation in 2022