Clean forest – project concept and preliminary results

The Clean Forest project aims to valorize forest biomass wastes (and then prevent their occurrence as a fuel source in forests), converting it to bioenergy, such as the production of 2nd generation synthetic biofuels, like bio-methanol, bio-DME, and biogas, depending on the process operating conditions. Valorization of potential forest waste biomass thus enhances the reduction of the probability of occurrence of forest fires and, therefore, presents a major value for local rural communities. The proposed process is easy to implement, and energetically, it shows significantly reduced costs than the conventional process of gasification. Additionally, the input of energy necessary to promote electrolysis can be achieved with solar energy, using photovoltaic panels. This paper refers to the actual progress of the project, as well as the further steps which consist of a set of measures aimed at the minimization of the occurrence of forest fires by the valorization of forest wastes into energy sources.The aim of this project is to valorize forest biomass wastes (and then prevent their occurrence as a fuel source in forests) into bioenergy, more precisely, production of 2nd generation synthetic biofuels, such as biogas, biomethanol, bio-DME, etc., depending on the process operating conditions, such as pressure, temperature, and type of solid catalyst used. The valorization of potential forest waste biomass enhances the reduction of the probability of occurrence of forest fires and presents a major value for local communities, especially, in rural populations. Biogas produced can be burned as biofuel to produce heat and/or electricity, for instance, in cogeneration engines applied for domestic/industrial purposes. After the removal of forest wastes from the forest territory, this biomass is dried, grounded to reduce its granulometry, and liquified at temperatures between 100-200 ºC. Then, using the electrocracking technology, this liquified biomass is mixed with an alkaline aqueous electrolyte located in an electrolyzer (electrochemical reactor which performs an electrolysis process), using a potential catalyst, in order to produce syngas (fuel gas, mainly composed of CO, H2, and CO2). In a second reaction step, the syngas produced can be valorized in the production of synthetic biofuels, in a tubular catalytic reactor. The whole process is easy to implement and energetically, shows significative fewer costs than the conventional process of syngas gasification, as the energy input in the conventional pyrolysis/gasification process is higher than 500 ºC, with higher pressures, while, in the electrochemical process, applied in this project, the temperatures are not higher than 70 ºC, with 4 bars of pressure, at maximum. Besides that, the input of energy necessary to promote the electrolysis process can be achieved with solar energy, using a photovoltaic panel. In the production of biogas in the catalytic reactor, there is another major value from this process, which is the co-production of water, as Sabatier reaction converts CO2 and H2 into biomethane (CH4) and steam water, at atmospheric pressure, with 300 ºC of temperature, maximum, with a high selective solid catalyst. Finally, it is expected to produce a new bio-oil from this kind of biomass, with properties closer to a fossil fuel than wood bio-oils, which can be used as a fuel or as a diolefins/olefins source and, also, to produce, from forest biomass wastes, pyrolytic bio-oils with complementary properties and valorized characteristics. This can be used in the wood treatment or as a phenol source, for several industrial applications. A new and valorized application can be found for forest biomass wastes, which can be incorporated into the biorefinery concept.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Interpretação do ensaio de carga dinâmico em estacas através de análises tipo CAPWAP

O objectivo deste trabalho é o de mostrar as potencialidades do ensaio de carga dinâmico, como método alternativo ou complementar ao ensaio de carga estático. Discutem-se os problemas associados ao método de interpretação dos registos obtidos no ensaio dinâmico, com base em análises tipo CAPWAP. Apresenta-se um estudo paramétrico discutindo a influência dos diversos parâmetros do modelo, nomeadamente, da rigidez de ponta, do deslocamento elástico limite e dos factores de amortecimento lateral e de ponta. Este modelo foi implementado num programa de cálculo com base nas equações originalmente propostas por Smith (1960).The aim of this work is to show the potentialities of the dynamic load test, as an alternative or a complementary method to the static load test. The problems associated to the interpretation method based on CAPWAP analyses are discussed. A parametric study is presented, discussing the influence of several parameters of the model, namely, the base rigidity, the quake and the lateral and base soil damping constant. This model was implemented in a computer code using the original equations proposed by Smith (1960).Sociedade Portuguesa de Geotecnia, Associação Brasileira de Mecânica dos Solos e Engenharia Geotécnica, Secção Autónoma de Engenharia Civil da Universidade de Aveir

Circular saw misuse is related to upper limb injuries: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: Machinery injuries account for a substantial share of traumatic upper limb injuries (TULIs) affecting young active individuals. This study is based on the hypothesis that there is an important relationship between the improper use of power saws and TULIs. The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence and epidemiology of TULIs caused by power saws and determine the risks related to power saw use. METHODS: A cross-sectional evaluation of medical records from a two-year period was performed. Patients sustaining TULIs related to power saws were analyzed. Data on the epidemiology, site of injury, mechanism of trauma, technical specifications of the tool, cutting material, personal protective equipment, time lost and return to work were obtained. RESULTS: A database search retrieved 193 TULI records, of which 104 were related to power saws. The majority of patients were male (102/104; 98.1%), right-handed (97/104; 93.3%), and manual workers (46/104; 44.2%), with an average age of 46.8 years. The thumb was the most frequently injured site (32/93; 34.4%). Most of the injuries were caused by manual saws (85/104; 81.7%), and masonry saws accounted for 68.2% (58/85) of the cases. Masonry saws improperly used for woodwork resulted in 86.2% (50/58) of the injuries. TULI caused by masonry saws was 5 times higher in manual workers than in other patients. In addition, masonry saws had a risk of kickback 15 times higher than that of other saws, and the risk of injury increased by 5.25 times when the saws were used improperly for wood cutting. CONCLUSIONS: The profile of TULIs related to power saws was demonstrated and was mainly associated with manual saws operated by manual workers that inappropriately used masonry saws for woodworking

INCÊNDIOS EM VEGETAÇÃO NO PERÍMETRO URBANO DE ALTAMIRA, PA, NO PERÍODO DE 2011 À 2020

Incêndios em vegetação não ocorrem apenas em ambientes naturais, eles podem ocorrer também, em áreas urbanas. O objetivo desse trabalho foi analisar descritivamente os dados das ocorrências de incêndio em vegetação, no perímetro urbano de Altamira no período de 2011 a 2020 e verificar as correlações entre as ocorrências e variáveis meteorológicas. Para a realização dessa pesquisa foram utilizados os dados das ocorrências atendidas pelo CBMPA, 9º GBM, registradas no SISCOB. Do total de ocorrências 8,88% são referentes à incêndios, e destes, 57,91% são relativos à incêndio em vegetação. A tipologias de incêndio em vegetação registradas são genéricas, sendo “mato” o tipo mais frequente. As seis localidades que apresentaram os maiores números, juntas representam cerca de um terço do total de ocorrências no período estudado. O número de ocorrências apresentou uma correlação forte e negativa (-0,83) com precipitação, forte e positiva (0,86) com a temperatura e muito forte e negativa (-0,95) com a umidade relativa do ar. Os casos de incêndio em vegetação ocorreram nos meses em que as variáveis meteorológicas se mostravam propícias para tal, revelando a necessidade de se criar campanhas e/ou ações preventivas, principalmente nesse período, para conscientização da população em relação ao uso do fogo.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Corpo de Bombeiros; SISCOB; Amazônia

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks