Soils contaminated with hexavalent chromium : sorption, migration and remediation

The interest in environmental soil science has been growing in the last years due to the continuous degradation of this major natural resource. In this work, a representative sample of a typical loamy sand soil was collected in Porto, Portugal, in a zone of intensive agriculture activity. This soil was used for a series of tests concerning the adsorption, transport and fate of hexavalent chromium. The adsorption equilibrium and sorption kinetics were evaluated through the fitting of several mathematical models to the batch and flow experimental data. Generally, the results revealed a high retention of chromium for low pH values. Then, the application of a novel technique, comprising an electrochemical and a biological component was tested in the cleaning of soil contaminated with hexavalent chromium. Removal values of 60% and 79% were obtained with zeolite and activated carbon biobarriers, respectively. This work is integrated in a PhD thesis that pretends to be a tool for policies and decision makers, through the transport and fate studies, but also for the industrial sector aiming the development and application of the cleaning techniques explored

Evaluation of presence and echogenicity of the residual thrombus in the late phase of venous thrombosis and its association with post-thrombotic syndrome and disease recurrence

Orientadores: Joyce Maria Annichino-Bizzacchi, Fernanda Loureiro de Andrade OrsiTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências MédicasResumo: A trombose venosa profunda (TVP) é uma doença multifatorial em que ocorre a formação de um trombo no interior de um vaso do sistema venoso profundo. Atualmente, os maiores desafios após um episódio trombótico são prevenção das sequelas tardias relacionadas à doença, como a recidiva e o surgimento de síndrome pós-trombótica (SPT), que podem ser observadas mesmo frente a um manejo anticoagulante adequado. A avaliação do trombo venoso residual como fator de risco para ambas as sequelas vem sendo estudada nos últimos anos, mas até hoje não houve um consenso entre estudos publicados em relação ao seu papel na recidiva da doença e na manutenção e gravidade da SPT, sendo o fator mais importante para a ausência de consenso a falta da padronização de uma metodologia adequada para avaliação desse trombo. Desta forma, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar se a presença e ecogenicidade do trombo venoso residual, evidenciada pela análise GSM (grayscale median) de imagens obtidas por ultrassonografia, poderia ser uma ferramenta na avaliação de complicações tardias da TVP: SPT e recidiva. Para a avaliação do papel do trombo residual na SPT, o modelo de estudo utilizado foi o transversal, e na recidiva, o prospectivo. Foram incluídos no estudo 56 pacientes com TVP de membros inferiores. No momento da inclusão no estudo, os pacientes foram submetidos a análise ultrassonográfica e coleta de sangue para dosagem de dímero-D. Esses pacientes foram acompanhados durante dois anos, quando foram reconvocados para a realização de um novo exame ultrassonográfico, avaliação clínica (para detecção de SPT e obesidade) e coleta de sangue para dosagem dos níveis de proteína C reativa (PCR). Dos 56 pacientes incluídos, 41 apresentaram SPT, sendo que a SPT leve foi detectada em 23 pacientes, SPT moderada em 11, e grave em 7. Pacientes com SPT grave eram predominantemente obesos, apresentaram níveis elevados de PCR e também foram caracterizados pela presença de trombo hipoecóico quando comparados aos pacientes com SPT leve-moderada ou com pacientes sem SPT. Em relação a recidiva da doença, 10 pacientes tiveram esse desfecho e todos apresentaram trombo residual ao ultrassom. Valores de dímero-d acima de 630 ng/mL conferiram alto risco para recorrência, a ausência de trombo residual teve um efeito protetor, e a presença do trombo residual hipoecóico mostrou ser um marcador preditivo do risco de recorrência. Esses resultados permitem concluir que pacientes que apresentam trombo hipoecóico, após a fase aguda da TVP, parecem ter uma pior evolução clínica em comparação aos pacientes que não apresentam trombo hipoecóico. Assim, a ecogenicidade do trombo residual pela análise GSM, poderia representar uma nova estratégia para avaliação do prognóstico em relação às complicações tardias da TVPAbstract: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a multifactorial disease that occurs by formation of acute thrombus in the deep venous system. Currently, the major concerns related to DVT are the late sequelae, such as post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) and DVT recurrence, that may appear even after adequate anticoagulation therapy. The evaluation of residual venous thrombosis (RVT) as a risk factor for both complications has been extensively studied in recent years, but there is no consensus among investigators regarding the role of RVT in the recurrence of DVT and maintenance and severity of PTS, probably due to a lack of a standardized methodology for thrombi evaluation. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate if the presence and echogenicity of RVT, evidenced by GSM analysis (grayscale median) of ultrasound images, could be tools to assess late sequelae of DVT. We performed a cross-sectional study designed to evaluate the role of RVT in PTS and a prospective study to evaluate DVT recurrence. Fifty-six patients with previous diagnosis of DVT of lower limbs were included in the study. At the time of inclusion, patients were submited to an ultrasound examination to detect RVT and blood collection for d-dimer measurements. These patients were followed for two years, when they were reconvened to perform a new ultrasound examination, clinical evaluation (to detect PTS and Obesity) and blood collection for measurements of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Of the 56 patients included, 41 presented PTS. Mild PTS was detected in 23 patients, moderate PTS in 11 and severe PTS in 7. Patients with severe PTS presented obesity, higher CRP levels and were characterized by the presence of hypoechoechoic RVT when compared to patients with mild-moderate PTS or no PTS. DVT recurrence was observed in 10 patients, all of which presented RVT. D-Dimer levels above 630ng/mL conferred higher risk for recurrence, the absence of RVT was a protective marker for recurrence and the presence of hypoechoic RVT presented predictive value for recurrence. These results indicate that patients with hypoechoic thrombus, after the acute episode of DVT, seem to have a worse clinical outcome compared to patients without hypoechoic thrombus. Thus, the echogenicity of the RVT, by GSM analysis, could represent a new strategy for prognostic evaluation related to late sequelae of DVTDoutoradoFisiopatologia MédicaDoutora em Ciências2012/14082-6FAPES

Treatment of chromium solutions in a 15 dm3 pilot bioreactor

Chromium is a heavy metal with large industrial applications such as in textile dying, chemicals and pigments production, wood preservation, tanning activity and electroplating for surface treatment. The treatment of wastewater containing this metal with biological methods is strongly recommended, especially when in the form of Cr (VI) due its high toxicity. The biosorption system consists of a bacterial biofilm supported on granular activated carbon (GAC), placed in contact with the polluted solutions. The bacterium used for the formation of the biofilm was Arthrobacter viscosus. Two concentrations of chromium were used: 10 mg/l and 100 mg/l, with a flow rate of 25 mg/l. The data obtained in a pilot-scale reactor showed an average removal percentage of 99.9%, during the first 30 days, for the initial concentration of 10 mg/l and average removal percentage of 72%, for the same period and for the initial concentration of 100 mg/l. Uptake values of 11.35 mg/gGAC and 14.55 mg/gGAC were obtained, respectively, for the initial concentration of 10 and 100 mg/l. The presence of functional groups on the cell wall surface of the biomass that may interact with the metal ion was confirmed by FTIR. The results obtained are very promising and encourage the utilization of this biofilm in environmental applications

Competitive adsorption of heavy metals by two different types of soils

Soil is a key element in human survival and can be described by various definitions according to its main utility. Nowadays, it is accepted that soil is a very complex heterogeneous medium which consists of solid phases containing minerals and organic matter and soil solution, defined as the fluid phase where soil reactions, transport and adsorption occurs (Alloway, 1995). Unfortunately, in the last decades, soils have been used as a deposit of residues. Therefore, the contamination and pollution of soils, sediments, surface and groundwater are of main concern. There are several ions and compounds of organic or inorganic nature that can contaminate soil and water. The inorganic contaminants include heavy metals like cadmium, chromium, cooper, lead and zinc, which are focused in this study. These metals are commonly present in industrial wastes (electroplating, textile and dyes, etc.), in fertilizers or in sewage sludge, but they can also contaminate soils through atmospheric deposition or runoff water (Serrano et al., 2005). Since adsorption is well recognized as the main process affecting the mobility of heavy metals through soils (Bradl, 2004), the aim of this work is the study the non competitive adsorption of these five metals, as well as the competitive adsorption in two different typical soils of the North of Portugal The soil samples were collected in Póvoa de Varzim, from O-horizon and A-horizon (0 cm -30 cm), one from a culture land and another from a beach land. To evaluate the adsorption equilibrium, batch tests were performed by adding to 2 g of air dried soil, 20 mL of 0.01 M CaCl2 solution, containing different initial concentrations of Pb [Pb(NO3)2], Cd [CdN2O6·4H2O], Cu [Cu(NO3)2·3H2O], Zn [Zn(NO3)2·6H2O] and Cr [K2Cr2O7], isolated (non-competitive system) and coupled (competitive system).To eliminate the mass effect, the multi-metal solutions were prepared in terms of molar concentrations (Echeverría et al., 1998). To avoid precipitation the pH of initial solution was adjusted to 2. Isotherm models like Freundlich and Langmuir equations were adjusted to experimental data. Batch tests are useful for the understanding of the adsorption process. However, advection and dispersion may occur in dynamic systems justifying the need of flow experiments (Miretzky et al., 2006). For continuous experiments, soil samples were packed in a column (25 cm × 3.2 cm) and a single – or multi – element solution of 50 mg/L was pass upwards during seven days. Then, using the CXTFIT code, the convection-dispersion equation was adjusted to the breakthrough curves in order to determine the retardation factor (R) and to compare the behavior of the different ions and soils

Treatment of chromium(VI) solutions in a pilot-scale bioreactor through a biofilm of arthrobacter viscosus supported on GAC

The aim of this work is to evaluate the applicability of a biofilm to the removal of chromium in solution, at a pilot scale. The effect of the initial concentration of metal on the biosorption behavior of an Arthrobacter viscosus biofilm supported on granular activated carbon, in batch and column essays was also analyzed. Six isotherm equations have been tested in the present study. The best fit was obtained with the Freundlich model. It was observed that as the initial chromium concentration increases, the uptake increases too, but the removal percentage decreases, with values between 95.20% (C0 = 5 mg/l) and 38.28% (C0 = 1000 mg/l). The batch adsorption studies were used to develop a pilot bioreactor able to remove chromium from aqueous solutions. Data obtained in a pilot-scale reactor showed an average removal percentage of 99.9%, during the first 30 days, for the initial concentration of 10 mg/l and an average removal percentage of 72%, for the same period and for the initial concentration of 100 mg/l. Uptake values of 11.35 mg/g and 14.55 mg/g were obtained, respectively, for the initial concentration of 10 and 100 mg/l. The results obtained are very promising and encourage the utilization of this biofilm in environmental applications.FEDERFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Creative strategy and storytelling in advertising: conceptual systematization and empirical analysis of Brazilian restaurant brands

Purpose: Creativity plays a key role in marketing communication and especially in advertising. In this context, this research intends, on the one hand, to systematize the application of creative strategy and storytelling in advertising, as technical procedures that can guide the work of communication professionals. On the other hand, it intends to present an empirical application of these concepts through a content analysis of campaigns of restaurant brands in Brazil. Methodology: The first objective was answered through a literature review that configured an academic foundation for these concepts. The methodological approach applied in the empirical part involved a content analysis of television advertising of fastfood brands in Brazil focused on the creative and narrative components of the messages. Findings: We found that most advertisements focus their approach on only one product, highlighting its features and advantages. The main message and the unique selling proposition are often based on price and novelty. The most used creative format is the narrative one, confirming that storytelling has been a creative focus of brands in recent years. Originality/Value: The systematization of the advertising creative method is a contribution for professionals as a procedural orientation, and for the teaching of advertising as a roadmap for creative activity. The empirical work, operationalizing the concepts of creative strategy and storytelling, contributes to overcoming the scarcity of studies on this subject, and sheds light on the activity of brands in the field of advertising.691D-6753-BE59 | Manuel José Serra da Fonsecainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A perspetiva cultural sobre produtos de luxo em tempos de inflação

Diversos estudos abordaram as diferenças de comportamento de consumo entre ocidentais e orientais. Contudo, atualmente, ainda nenhum se concentrou em entender estas diferenças no consumo de produtos de luxo, em contexto de inflação. De forma a responder a esta lacuna reconhecida na literatura, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo compreender as diferenças de comportamento de consumo de produtos de luxo nas culturas ocidentais e orientais, em período de inflação. Para atingir este objetivo, foram recolhidos comentários a produtos de luxo de duas plataformas de comércio eletrónico da Amazon: Amazon Índia (IN), que representam a perspetiva oriental, e Amazon Reino Unido (UK), que representa a perspetiva ocidental. Os comentários foram tratados através de técnicas de text mining para criar um Document Term Matrix que serviu de input para testar as relações estruturais no Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Os resultados sugerem que, para ambas as culturas, o atendimento ao cliente e os atributos do produto exercem um efeito positivo na satisfação do consumidor, em período de inflação. No entanto, ao contrário dos consumidores ocidentais, os resultados sugerem que a satisfação não exerce um efeito positivo na confiança dos consumidores orientais, em período de inflação. Os resultados deste estudo contribuem para os profissionais de marketing de marcas de luxo através da identificação das diferenças culturais de comportamento de consumo, em contexto de inflação

Estudo sobre a violência entre parceiros íntimos LGB : impacto da homofobia internalizada

Com o objetivo geral de explorar a relação entre o impacto da homofobia internalizada na violência entre parceiros íntimos LGB em jovens adultos e adultos, foi estudada uma amostra de 150 sujeitos, com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 66 anos. Os participantes demonstraram ter na sua maioria uma orientação sexual assumida e serem gays (n = 76, 50.7%). Os instrumentos para analisar as variáveis principais foram as Escalas de Táticas de Conflito Revisadas e a Escala de Homofobia Internalizada. Os resultados obtidos demonstram uma influência da perceção interna do estigma no abuso físico sem sequelas, o que indica que os participantes que mais perpetuam atos de violência física, são aqueles que apresentam mais internalização da homofobia. Ainda, alguns resultados que se revelaram inovadores, demonstraram que os indivíduos que são bissexuais homens, que têm mais idade e mais escolaridade, são aqueles que mais perpetuam e são vítimas de violência. Por sua vez, os indivíduos com mais escolaridade e que têm como estado civil a categoria de “amigos/as coloridos/as”, são os que internalizam mais a homofobia. Os resultados foram discutidos com base no enquadramento teórico, e concluídos tendo em consideração as suas implicações para a prática psicológica nesta problemática.With the general objective of exploring the relationship between the impact of internalized homophobia on violence between LGB intimate partners in young adults and adults, was studied sample of 150 subjects, aged between 18 and 66 years. The majority of participants showed an assumed sexual orientation and were gay (n = 76, 50.7%). The instruments to analyze the main variables were the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales and the Internalized Homophobia Scale. The results obtained demonstrate an influence of the internal perception of stigma on physical abuse without sequelae, which indicates that the participants who most perpetuate acts of physical violence are those who present more internalization of homophobia. Also, some results that proved to be innovative, showed that individuals who are bisexual men, who are older and more educated, are those who most perpetuate and are victims of violence. In turn, individuals with more schooling and whose marital status is the category of “colored friends” are the ones who internalize homophobia more. The results were discussed based on the theoretical framework and concluded considering the implications for psychological practice in this problem