Metabolic parameters of postmenopausal women after quinoa or corn flakes intake - a prospective and double-blind study

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Análise comparativa entre a produção de biogás em aterro controlado e variações no potencial elétrico natural por meio de perfilagem geofísica

This work aims to analyze data from a Natural Electric Potential landfill type ditch located in Cordeirópolis (SP). The procedure measures initially involved the assembly and installation of an apparatus cables, sensors and drain geophysical measurements and flow rate of biogas in a ditch later filled by solid waste. Biogas is a product of degradation of organic matter in waste by the action of microorganisms in an anaerobic environment. Its features high methane content in the gas potentially usable as fuel in energy generation systems or steam. The study area is characterized by clayey soil composition change from the diabase sill correlated to the event Serra Geral Formation siltstones overlapping Tatuí with groundwater level site around 50m. The cables were installed vertically in parallel with drain gas manifold, which allowed the collection of data by the technique geophysical logging every 15 days over a period of eight months. For data analysis we used four parameters in the study, the closing time of the ditch, natural electric potential, the flow velocity of biogas and rain. With the tabulated data plots were constructed for each collection day showing values in the range of the cable is in contact with waste (200 cm - 400 cm) and range of the cable in contact with the soil (600 cm - 800 cm). Subsequently graphs were generated with the period of eight months to analyze the data tabulated. A statistical correlation data, which show the influence of rainfall on the production of biogas. The results were satisfactory and demonstrated the feasibility of the research method in studies for the feasibility analysis for the capture of biogas energy

Plano de gerenciamento sustentável dos resíduos de construção civil. O caso de Rio Claro (SP)

The current problematic of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste faced for the Brazilian cities, is one of the main degradation factors of the environment, over all about the promise of the urban ambient quality. This scenery must mainly to the unsustainable management adopted by the great majority of the Brazilian cities. Therefore, this work aims at to offer subsidies for medium cities, having as study object the city of Rio Claro-SP, (Brazil), in the elaboration of plans and integrated programs of sustainable management of the construction and demolition waste, in accordance with CONAMA Resolution nº 307/2002, that’s set up a sustainable management system of C&D waste. In this direction, the diagnosis of the management was elaborated for the city of Rio Claro, (generation, collects, transport and disposal) and the public administration of the construction and demolition waste, as well as of the study of the related aspects with C&D waste recycling plant. Later, was suggested a plan of improvements for the public manager of C&D waste: areas of temporary disposal to facility the appropriating destination, appropriated areas of final disposal, incentives to the recycling of C&D waste, new legislations, education and orientation programs and adequacy the agents of C&D waste management (generating, transporting, addressee and public manager), directing for an environmental, economic and social sustainability.

Phytoseiidae mites associated with Hevea spp. from the Amazon region: a hidden diversity under the canopy of native trees

Despite the Amazon Forest being the largest tropical forest in the world, and cradle of rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis), no studies have aimed to report the occurrence of mites associated with native trees from this ecosystem. Our survey investigates the phytoseiid mites associated with five species of native rubber trees from nine sites of the Amazon Forest, and also presents a major review of phytoseiid species from natural vegetation in Brazil. We found a total of 1305 mites, belonging to 30 species, of which seven were new to science, Amblydromalus akiri sp. nov., Amblyseius chicomendesi sp. nov., Amblyseius duckei sp. nov., Amblyseius manauara sp. nov., Iphiseiodes katukina sp. nov., Iphiseiodes raucuara sp. nov. and Typhlodromips igapo sp. nov.; beyond two new records for Brazil, Iphiseiodes kamahorae and Amblyseius martus. Our results emphasize the importance of Amazon native trees as an unexplored source of predator mites, which in turn may be further studied as biological control agents of pest mites on rubber trees. The impressive diversity, endemism and rate of new species found highlight the importance of studies on arthropod communities associated with the Amazon vegetation.

Soberania alimentar e o assentamento Mulungu no semiárido cearense

Pós-graduação em Geografia - FCT

Condomínios residenciais fechados: a urbanização do Grupo Encalso Damha em São Carlos - SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Red-fleshed sweet orange juice improves the risk factors for metabolic syndrome

Orange juice consumption can promote lower levels of oxidative stress and inflammation due to the antioxidant activity of citrus flavonoids and carotenoids. In addition, red-fleshed sweet orange juice (red orange juice) also contains lycopene. This study investigated the effects of red orange juice consumption on risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Volunteers consumed red orange juice daily for 8 weeks, with clinical and biochemical assessments performed at baseline and on the final day. There was no change in the abdominal obesity, but low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, C-reactive protein decreased, while there was an increase of the antioxidant activity in serum after red orange juice consumption. Insulin resistance and systolic blood pressure were reduced in normal-weight volunteers, while diastolic blood pressure decreased in overweight volunteers after intervention. Red orange juice showed anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and lipid-lowering properties that may prevent the development of metabolic syndrome.

Biossorção & biodegradação de azo corante: desenvolvimento de processos utilizando resíduos como fonte de microorganismos = Azo dye biosorption & biodegradation : process development with residues as source of microorganisms

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Sinais digitais de um durômetro portátil para a estimativa de propriedades de madeiras para dormentes

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Cana-de-açúcar e álcool combustível: histórico, sustentabilidade e segurança energética

The cane sugar is important since the early days in the history of the country, following the discovery of Brazil since the colonial period, therefore, the culture has an important role in the Brazilian economy, being one of the main products. In the 1970s with the advent of the economic crisis, geopolitical and the possibility of depletion of oil, countries dependent on imported fuel, sought new energy alternatives. In Brazil, it was decreed in 1975 the creation of the National Alcohol Program - PROALCOOL, who had several years of rising, the increase of distilleries and marketing of cars powered with ethanol blend. Due to the decrease in the price of oil the importance of the program significantly reduced, returning to peak only in 1979, ie, the second phase of the program. Conceived as one of the vectors of the national response to the crisis in oil prices '70s, the program persisted at times rising in others not reaching for more than three decades. Brazil is the second largest ethanol producer, second only to the U.S., where the raw material comes from corn, which becomes a bottleneck biodiesel production because it competes with food production. New technologies developed to increase ethanol production combined with sustainability and economic viability are being held, the principal is the second generation ethanol, known as cellulosic ethanol, ethanol plus third and fourth generation.

The Vaquita: Can It Survive?

The vaquita (Spanish for "little cow"), or Gulf of California harbor porpoise (Phocoena sinus), has the most limited range of any marine cetacean and is probably the rarest. It has been caught incidentally in gill nets set commercially for totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi), large fish that were over-exploited in the upper Gulf of California until they, too, were endangered. In 1975. the Mexican Government announced a total indefinite closure on fishing for totoaba, Between the time this porpoise was described as new to science (1958) and its listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as Endangered (early 1985), the vaquita was known from only 26 confirmed records (partial remains found on beaches) and a few sightings of live animals. (Note: the vernacular name "cochito" was cited when this animal was listed, but biologists have since learned that "vaquita" is the term used by most local fishermen.) The Endangered Species Technical Bulletin story about its listing (see BULLETIN Vol. X No. 2) said the species was on the brink of extinction "if it still exists."

Kowalewskiella totani n. sp. (Cestoda: Dilepididae) from Totanus flavipes

Totanus flavipes (Gmelin) 1789 (lesser yellowlegs) collected from the Cheyenne Bottoms Waterfowl Management area, Barton County, Kansas was parasitized by cestodes belonging to the poorly known genus Kowalewskiella Baczynska 1914 and constituting a species new to science. Kowalewskiella totani n. sp. is described from Totanus flavipes from Barton County, Kansas. It differs from K. cingulifera (Krabbe 1869) Sandeman 1959 in being much larger and having roughly twice as many testes as the latter species.

Strumenti e metodi per lo sviluppo prodotto di lenti oftalmiche

The recent introduction of free form NC machining in the ophthalmic field involved a full review of the former product development process both from the design and the manufacturing viewpoint. Aim of the present work is to investigate and to set up innovative methods and tools supporting the product development, particularly for lenses characterized by free form geometry, as e.g. progressive lenses. In the design stage, the research addressed geometric modeling of complex lens shapes and relevant analysis tools for the optical-geometrical characterization of the produced models. In the manufacturing stage, the main interest was focused on the set-up of the fabrication process, particularly on the NC machining process for which an integration CADCAM software was developed for the generation and the simulation of the machining cycle. The methodologies and tools made available by the present work are currently used in the development of new complex geometry product typologies as, e.g. progressive lenses.

Impatto ambientale dei rifiuti e degli sprechi agroalimentari in Europa e in Italia

Nonostante il fatto che una gran parte del mondo viva ancora oggi a livelli di sussistenza, i dati in nostro possesso ci indicano che le attività umane stanno esaurendo le risorse ambientali del pianeta. La causa di questo eccessivo sfruttamento delle risorse è da ricercare nei pattern non sostenibili di produzione e consumo dei paesi sviluppati. La preoccupazione per le conseguenze sull'ambiente e la lotta al cambiamento climatico hanno posto le politiche ambientali al centro dell'attenzione internazionale. Il Protocollo di Kyoto e la Commissione Europea hanno stabilito degli obiettivi di riduzione delle emissioni di gas serra, rispettivamente del 12% entro il 2012 e del 20% entro il 2020. All'interno del Protocollo di Kyoto l'obiettivo per l'Italia è ridurre del 6,5% le emissioni di gas serra nazionali rispetto al 1990. Le politiche mirate alla riduzione delle emissioni di gas serra hanno in genere come obiettivo gli impianti energetici e i trasporti. Poca attenzione viene data alla filiera agroalimentare pur sapendo che l'agricoltura ha un forte impatto sull'ambiente e recenti studi stimano che circa il 50% del cibo prodotto viene perso o buttato via dalla produzione al consumo. Alla luce di questi dati, il mio lavoro di tesi ha avuto come obiettivo quello di quantificare i rifiuti e gli sprechi agroalimentari in Europa e in Italia e stimare l'impatto ambientale associato. I dati raccolti in questa tesi mettono in evidenza l'importanza di migliorare l'efficienza della filiera agroalimentare per ridurre l'impatto ambientale nazionale e rispettare gli accordi internazionali sulla lotta ai cambiamenti climatici.

Fermentative processes for environmental remediation

The growing interest in environmental protection has led to the development of emerging biotechnologies for environmental remediation also introducing the biorefinery concept. This work mainly aimed to evaluate the applicability of innovative biotechnologies for environmental remediation and bioenergy production, throught fermentative processes. The investigated biotechnologies for waste and wastewater treatment and for the valorisation of specific feedstocks and energy recovery, were mainly focused on four research lines. 1. Biotechnology for textile wastewater treatment and water reuse that involving anaerobic and aerobic processes in combination with membrane technologies. Combinations of different treatments were also implemented for water reuse in a textile company. 2. Biotechnology for the treatment of solid waste and leachate in landfill and for biogas production. Landfill operated as Bioreactor with recirculation of the generated leachate was proposed for organic matter biostabilisation and for ammonia removal from leachate by favouring the Anammox process. 3. An innovative two-stage anaerobic process for effective codigestion of waste from the dairy industry, as cheese whey and dairy manure, was studied by combining conventional fermentative processes with a simplified system design for enhancing biomethanisation. 4) The valorisation of the glycerol waste as surplus by-product of the biodiesel industry was investigated via microbial conversion to value-added chemicals, as 1,3-propanediol. The investigated fermentative processes have been successfully implemented and reached high yields of the produced bio-chemical. The studied biotechnological systems proved to be feasible for environmental remediation and bioenergy and chemicals production.