Aquaponics and its potential aquaculture wastewater treatment and human urine treatment

The main objective of this thesis is to study the developing fields of aquaponics and its potential for aquaculture wastewater treatment and human urine treatment. Aquaponics is a food production system which combines fish farming (aquaculture) with soilless crop farming (hydroponics). In this thesis the concept of aquaponics and the underlying processes are explained. Research on aquaculture wastewater and human urine wastewater is reviewed and its potential application with aquaponic systems is studied. An overview of the different types of aquaponic systems and current research on the field is also presented. A case study was conducted in a farm in Askeröd, Sweden, which involved building two aquaponic systems (System 1 and System 2) and a human urine-based aquaponic system (System 3), with different degrees of component complexity and sizes. The design, building and monitoring of System 1, System 2 and System 3 was documented and described in detail. Four day experiments were conducted which tested the evolution in concentration of Total Ammonia Nitrogen (NH4+/NH3), Nitrite (NO2-), Nitrate (NO3-), Phosphate (PO43-), and Dissolved Oxygen (O2) after an initial nutrient input. The goal was to assess the concentrations of these parameters after four days and compare them with relevant literature examples in the aquaculture industry and in source-separated urine research. Neither of the two aquaponic systems (System 1 and System 2) displayed all of the parameter concentrations in the last day of testing below reference values found in literature. The best performing of the aquaponic systems was the more complex system (System 2) combining the hydroponic Nutrient Film Technique with a Deep Water Culture component, with a Total Ammonia Nitrogen concentration of 0,20 mg/L, a Nitrite concentration of 0,05 mg/L, a Nitrate concentration of 1,00-5,00 mg/L, a Phosphate concentration of <0,02 mg/L and a Dissolved Oxygen concentration of 8,00 mg/L. The human urine-based aquaponic system (System 3) underperformed in achieving the reference concentration values in literature for most parameters. The removal percentage between the higher recorded values after the input addition and the final day of testing was calculated for two literature examples of separated urine treatment and System 3. The system had a removal percentage of 75% for Total Ammonia Nitrogen, 98% for Nitrite, 25% for Nitrate and 50% for Phosphate. These percentages still underperformed literature examples in most of the tested parameters. The results gathered allowed to conclude that while aquaculture wastewater treatment and human urine treatment is possible with aquaponics systems, overall these did not perform as well as some examples found in recirculating aquaculture systems and source-separated urine treatment literature. However, better measuring techniques, longer testing periods and more research is recommended in this field in order to draw an improved representative conclusion.

Development of Chitosan and Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) Blended scaffolds for cell culture using supercritical fluids technology

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Química e Bioquímica

Production of recombinant protein hLIF in static and dynamic systems of animal cell culture

Thesis for the Degree of Master of Science in Biotechnology Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

“We are azorean”: discourses and practices of folk culture in Santa Catarina (Brazil)

Etnográfica, Vol. IX, N.1, pp. 171-193

The impact of CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dots in cells of Medicago sativa in suspension culture

Abstract Background: Nanotechnology has the potential to provide agriculture with new tools that may be used in the rapid detection and molecular treatment of diseases and enhancement of plant ability to absorb nutrients, among others. Data on nanoparticle toxicity in plants is largely heterogeneous with a diversity of physicochemical parameters reported, which difficult generalizations. Here a cell biology approach was used to evaluate the impact of Quantum Dots (QDs) nanocrystals on plant cells, including their effect on cell growth, cell viability, oxidative stress and ROS accumulation, besides their cytomobility. Results: A plant cell suspension culture of Medicago sativa was settled for the assessment of the impact of the addition of mercaptopropanoic acid coated CdSe/ZnS QDs. Cell growth was significantly reduced when 100 mM of mercaptopropanoic acid -QDs was added during the exponential growth phase, with less than 50% of the cells viable 72 hours after mercaptopropanoic acid -QDs addition. They were up taken by Medicago sativa cells and accumulated in the cytoplasm and nucleus as revealed by optical thin confocal imaging. As part of the cellular response to internalization, Medicago sativa cells were found to increase the production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in a dose and time dependent manner. Using the fluorescent dye H2DCFDA it was observable that mercaptopropanoic acid-QDs concentrations between 5-180 nM led to a progressive and linear increase of ROS accumulation. Conclusions: Our results showed that the extent of mercaptopropanoic acid coated CdSe/ZnS QDs cytotoxicity in plant cells is dependent upon a number of factors including QDs properties, dose and the environmental conditions of administration and that, for Medicago sativa cells, a safe range of 1-5 nM should not be exceeded for biological applications.

New analytical methodologies for doping control – detection of anabolic androgenic steroids in human urine

Dissertation submitted to Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia - Universidade Nova de Lisboa in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Biochemistry - Biotechnology)

“Culture Stops Development!”: Bijagó Youth and the Appropriation of Developmentalist Discourse in Guinea-B

African Studies Review, Volume 52, Number 2, pp. 69–

Ethno-pragmatique et prosodie. Présentation d'une hypothèse de recherche pluridisciplinaire dans le domaine des sciences du langage et de la culture

L'hypothèse de recherche que nous souhaitons vous présenter ici a pour objet l&s fonctions pragmatiques de Ia prosodie. L'ensemble de notre Projet de Recherche s'organise en effet autour d'une seule (mais fondamentale) hypothèse de travail: c'est dans et par Ia prosodie que pour Vessentiel le langage contribue activement à Ia construction du lien social. La formulation de cette hypothèse resulte des travaux que nous avons menés dans le champ de FAnthropologie des rites, étudiés dans une perspective sémiologique (au sens large), visant à mieux saisir dans quelle mesure et selon quelles modalités, dans et par le rite, Vordre du signe est signe de 1'ordreK Le rite constitue un système complexe de comrpunication symbolique qui contribue en effet activement à definir sur le plan sémantique et à structurer sur le plan dramaturgique les situations d'interaction sociale.

Culture boundaries in semantic web

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Organizational culture influence on information quality - use of business intelligence systems relationship: portuguese context

Dissertação apresentada como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Estatística e Gestão de Informação

A systems biology framework for pathway level culture media engineering: pplication to Pichia pastoris cultures

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Química e Bioquímica

The Visual Culture of Human Rights. Observations on Amnesty International

Trabalho de project de Mestrado em Antropologia de Direitos Humanos e Movimentos Sociais

Prevalência de infecção numa população de hemodialisados, em ambiente clínico

RESUMO: Foram estudados, numa análise retrospectiva, 1689 doentes com insuficiência renal crónica (IRC), pertencentes a 11 clínicas de hemodiálise, num período de 1 Janeiro de 2009 a 1 de Janeiro de 2012 (três anos). Utilizaram-se os dados clínicos desses doentes relativos a amostras de hemoculturas, exsudados purulentos e urinas assépticas, de forma a caracterizar os microorganismos existentes e relacionou-se com alguns dados demográficos. Os doentes do sexo masculino estiveram sempre em maior número pelo que também possuíam a maior média de idades nos vários casos. O presente estudo observou que cerca de metade da população em estudo que se encontra em HD possui menos de 68 anos. Na análise aos dados das hemoculturas confirmou-se que o S.aureus é o microrganismo predominante dos casos de infecção, embora exista uma grande diversidade de microorganismos. Verificou-se também, que quanto maior a idade do doente maior é probabilidade de contrair uma infecção. Os doentes que contraíram infecção foram em número similar, pelo que a sua distribuição por sexo também foi idêntica na infecção, mas não o era inicialmente. Para as amostras de hemoculturas, também se observou que quanto maior é a dimensão da clínica (número de doentes), maior é o número de infecções. Embora esta heterogeneidade já tenha sido descrita para outros países, demonstra que possivelmente existe uma oportunidade de nivelar as clínicas pelas melhores clínicas de forma a obter ganhos em saúde. Nas amostras de exsudados purulentos, o microrganismo mais frequente foi S.aureus, observando-se que com o aumento da idade aumenta também o número de infecções. A distribuição por sexo de doentes com e sem infecção foi semelhante. Nas urinas assépticas o microorganismo predominante foi a E.coli. Mais uma vez se observou que com o aumento da idade aumenta o número de infecções. Na distribuição por sexo, os doentes do sexo feminino encontravam-se em maior número, pelo que também foi o género que mais infecções apresentou. Conclui-se que o padrão de microorganismos apresentado foi de encontro com o esperado, existindo uma grande diversidade de microorganismos nas amostras estudadas. Para além disso a heterogeneidade das clínicas apresenta uma oportunidade para um estudo mais aprofundado pelos profissionais interessados na organização e qualidade dos laboratórios de análises.----------ABSTRACT: This retrospective study involves 1689 patients with chronic kidney disease from 11 clinics, from January 1st 2009 to January 1st 2012 (3 years). The Clinical data used for these patients related to blood culture samples, aseptic urine and purulent exudates, in order to characterize the microorganisms within and its relationship to some demographic data. There was a higher number of male patients and their average age distribution was also wider. The present study observed that around half of the studied population that is in HD is below the age of 68 years. While analyzing the data from the blood cultures, it was confirmed that S. aureus is the predominant microorganism in infections, although a wide variety of microorganisms exists. It was also found that the greater the age of the patient, the greater is the probability of contracting an infection. Patients who contracted infection were in similar number so their gender distribution was also similar in infection, even though it was not so initially. For the blood culture samples, it was also observed that the greater the size of the clinic (number of patients), the greater the number of infections. Although this heterogeneity has already been described for other countries, it demonstrates that there is an opportunity to even all the clinics to the best, in order to obtain health gains. In the samples of purulent exudates, the most frequent microorganism was S. aureus, noting that, with increasing age, the number of infections also increases. The distribution of patients by sex with and without infection was similar. In aseptic urines the predominant microorganism was E.coli. Once again, it was observed the number of infections increases with age. In the distribution by gender, female patients were more numerous, and as such this gender suffered more infections. Overall, the pattern of microorganisms that was detected was as expected, with a registered large diversity in the studied samples. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of the clinics presents an opportunity for a more profound study to be undertaken by professionals interested in the quality and organization of clinical analysis laboratories.

Gas emissions on rice culture and its importance on air quality

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente Perfil Gestão de Sistemas Ambientais

International News Reporting in the Multidimensional Network: The socio-demographics, professional culture and newswork of foreign correspondents working across Sub-Saharan Africa

Tese apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Doutor em Media Digitais