Effect of a sardine supplement on C-reactive protein in patients receiving hemodialysis

Objective - The study evaluated the effect of a canned sardine supplement in C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients on hemodialysis (HD) and the compliance and adherence to this supplement. Design - This was a quasi-experimental study: Participants with a serum CRP of 5 mg/dL or less volunteered to consume a sardine supplement or were maintained on the usual cheese/ham sandwich supplement. Setting - The study took place in two outpatient dialysis units in Lisbon, Portugal. Patients - The study comprised 63 patients receiving maintenance HD three times per week for at least 6 months and an initial CRP concentration of 5 mg/dL or less. Exclusion criteria included the presence of graft vascular access or history of cancer. Intervention - After a 4-week washout period, the nutritional intervention included a canned sardine sandwich for the case group (n = 31) and a cheese or ham sandwich for the control group (n = 32), to be ingested during each routine HD session, 3 times per week, for 8 weeks. Main outcome measure - Serum levels of high-sensitivity CRP were the outcome measure. Results - Only 65 patients from the invited 186 patients met the inclusion criteria and agreed to eat the sardine sandwich supplement three times per week and were involved in the study. A significant proportion of 48% (n = 31, case group) consumed the sardine sandwich supplement three times per week for 8 weeks, fulfilling the requirements and completing the study. The present investigation showed that a sardine sandwich supplement had no effect on CRP levels among patients on HD. However, when participants were stratified according to tertiles of CRP distribution values at baseline, a reduction in CRP levels was found for those in the higher tertile, being higher for the case group (P = .047). Although diabetic patients were excluded from the analysis (eight in the sardine supplementation group and seven in the control group) a significant CRP reduction was found (P = .034). Conclusion - Although a supplement of low-dose n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids had no effect on the plasma high-sensitivity CRP of the supplemented group, a reduction in CRP levels was found when patients were stratified for tertiles of CRP (for the upper tertile) and diabetic status (for nondiabetic patients). These findings need to be further confirmed. This canned sardine supplement was accepted by an important proportion of patients, enhancing diet variety and contributing for a greater n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid intake.

User modeling In adaptive hypermedia educational systems

This document is a survey in the research area of User Modeling (UM) for the specific field of Adaptive Learning. The aims of this document are: To define what it is a User Model; To present existing and well known User Models; To analyze the existent standards related with UM; To compare existing systems. In the scientific area of User Modeling (UM), numerous research and developed systems already seem to promise good results, but some experimentation and implementation are still necessary to conclude about the utility of the UM. That is, the experimentation and implementation of these systems are still very scarce to determine the utility of some of the referred applications. At present, the Student Modeling research goes in the direction to make possible reuse a student model in different systems. The standards are more and more relevant for this effect, allowing systems communicate and to share data, components and structures, at syntax and semantic level, even if most of them still only allow syntax integration.

Mixed extractant systems for metal recovery

Hoje em dia, a preven����o dos res��duos de metais �� uma quest��o muito importante para um grande n��mero de empresas, pois necessitam optimizar o seu sistema de tratamento de ��guas residuais a fim de alcan��arem os limites legais dos teores em i��es met��licos e poderem efectuar a descarga das ��guas residuais no dom��nio h��drico p��blico. Devido a esta problem��tica foram efectuados estudos inovadores relacionados com a remo����o de i��es met��licos de ��guas residuais, verificando-se que as tecnologias de membrana oferecem uma s��rie de vantagens para o efeito. Uma dessas tecnologias, referida como Membrana L��quida de Suporte (SLM), �� baseada num mecanismo de extrac����o. A membrana hidrof��bica, impregnada com uma solu����o extractora, funciona como barreira entre a ��gua residual e uma solu����o, geralmente ��cida. A diferen��a de pH entre a ��gua residual e a solu����o actua como for��a motriz para o transporte de i��es met��licos da ��gua residual para a referida solu����o. Poder�� ocorrer um problema de falta de estabilidade, resultante da poss��vel fuga da solu����o extractora para fora dos poros das membranas. Estudos anteriores mostraram que os ��cidos alquilfosf��ricos ou ��cidos fosf��nicos, como os reagentes D2EHPA e CYANEX e hidroxioximas como o LIX 860-I podem ser muito ��teis para a extra����o de i��es met��licos como ferro, cobre, n��quel, zinco e outros. A cl��ssica extrac����o l��quido-l��quido tamb��m tem mostrado que a mistura de diferentes extractores pode ter um efeito sinerg��tico. No entanto, n��o �� claro que haja um efeito ��ptimo da raz��o de extractor ou que tipo de complexo �� formado durante o processo de extrac����o. O objectivo deste projecto �� investigar este comportamento sinerg��tico e as complexas forma����es por meio de um m��todo espectrofotom��trico, o ���Job���s method��� e ���Mole-ratio method���. Estes m��todos s��o utilizados para estimar a estequiometria dos v��rios complexos entre dois solutos, a partir da varia����o de absorv��ncia dos complexos quando comparado com a absorv��ncia do soluto. Com este projecto, o Job���s method e mole-ratio method ser��o aplicados a um sistema de tr��s componentes, para conseguir mais informa����es sobre a complexa����o de n��quel (II) e a fim de determinar a raz��o extractor: metal dos complexos formados durante a aplica����o de mistura de extractores D2EHPA e LIX 860-I. Segundo Job���s method a elavada absorv��ncia situa-se na regi��o de 0,015-0,040 M de LIX 860-I e uma baixa concentra����o de D2EHPA. Quando as diferentes experi��ncias s��o encontradas num conjunto experimental foram avaliadas de acordo com o m��todo de trabalho, o valor m��ximo do gr��fico foi encontrado para uma baixa fra����o molar do i��o met��lico e uma maior concentra����o de D2EHPA. Esta mudan��a foi encontrado de 0,50 at�� 0,30, que poderia apontar para a dire����o da forma����o de diferentes complexos. Para o Mole-Ratio method, a estequiometria dos complexos metal pode ser determinada a partir do ponto de intersec����o das linhas tangente do gr��fico da absorb��ncia versus a concentra����o do ligante. Em todos os casos, o m��ximo foi obtido em torno de uma concentra����o total de 0,010 M. Quando D2EHPA foi aplicado sozinho, absorv��ncias muito baixos foram obtidas.

Application of wetland systems in the treatment of acid rock mine drainage

The presented work was conducted within the Dissertation / Internship, branch of Environmental Protection Technology, associated to the Master thesis in Chemical Engineering by the Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto and it was developed in the Aquatest a.s, headquartered in Prague, in Czech Republic. The ore mining exploitation in the Czech Republic began in the thirteenth century, and has been extended until the twentieth century, being now evident the consequences of the intensive extraction which includes contamination of soil and sub-soil by high concentrations of heavy metals. The mountain region of Zlat�� Hory was chosen for the implementation of the remediation project, which consisted in the construction of three cells (tanks), the first to raise the pH, the second for the sedimentation of the formed precipitates and a third to increase the process efficiency in order to reduce high concentrations of metals, with special emphasis on iron, manganese and sulfates. This project was initiated in 2005, being pioneer in this country and is still ongoing due to the complex chemical and biological phenomenon���s inherent to the system. At the site where the project was implemented, there is a natural lagoon, thereby enabling a comparative study of the two systems (natural and artificial) regarding the efficiency of both in the reduction/ removal of the referred pollutants. The study aimed to assist and cooperate in the ongoing investigation at the company Aquatest, in terms of field work conducted in Zlat�� Hory and in terms of research methodologies used in it. Thereby, it was carried out a survey and analysis of available data from 2005 to 2008, being complemented by the treatment of new data from 2009 to 2010. Moreover, a theoretical study of the chemical and biological processes that occurs in both systems was performed. Regarding the field work, an active participation in the collection and in situ sample analyzing of water and soil from the natural pond has been attained, with the supervision of Engineer, Irena ��upikov��. Laboratory analysis of water and soil were carried out by laboratory technicians. It was found that the natural lagoon is more efficient in reducing iron and manganese, being obtained removal percentages of 100%. The artificial lagoon had a removal percentage of 90% and 33% for iron and manganese respectively. Despite the minor efficiency of the constructed wetland, it must be pointed out that this system was designed for the treatment and consequent reduction of iron. In this context, it can conclude that the main goal has been achieved. In the case of sulphates, the removal optimization is yet a goal to be achieved not only in the Czech Republic but also in other places where this type of contamination persists. In fact, in the natural lagoon and in the constructed wetland, removal efficiencies of 45% and 7% were obtained respectively. It has been speculated that the water at the entrance of both systems has different sources. The analysis of the collected data shows at the entrance of the natural pond, a concentration of 4.6 mg/L of total iron, 14.6 mg/L of manganese and 951 mg/L of sulphates. In the artificial pond, the concentrations are 27.7 mg/L, 8.1 mg/L and 382 mg/L respectively for iron, manganese and sulphates. During 2010 the investigation has been expanded. The study of soil samples has started in order to observe and evaluate the contribution of bacteria in the removal of heavy metals being in its early phase. Summarizing, this technology has revealed to be an interesting solution, since in addition to substantially reduce the mentioned contaminants, mostly iron, it combines the low cost of implementation with an reduced maintenance, and it can also be installed in recreation parks, providing habitats for plants and birds.

Facebook vs moodle : Surveying university students on the use of learning management systems to support learning activities outside the classroom

CISTI'2015 - 10�� Confer��ncia Ib��rica de Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informa����o, 17 a 20 de junho de 2015, ��gueda, Aveiro, Portugal.

Cooperative framework for open real-time systems

Actualmente, os sistemas embebidos est��o presentes em toda a parte. Embora grande parte da popula����o que os utiliza n��o tenha a no����o da sua presen��a, na realidade, se repentinamente estes sistemas deixassem de existir, a sociedade iria sentir a sua falta. A sua utiliza����o massiva deve-se ao facto de estarem practicamente incorporados em quase os todos dispositivos electr��nicos de consumo, telecomunica����es, automa����o industrial e autom��vel. Influenciada por este crescimento, a comunidade cient��fica foi confrontada com novos problemas distribu��dos por v��rios dom��nios cient��ficos, dos quais s��o destacados a gest��o da qualidade de servi��o e gest��o de recursos - dom��nio encarregue de resolver problemas relacionados com a aloca����o ��ptima de recursos f��sicos, tais como rede, mem��ria e CPU. Existe na literatura um vasto conjunto de modelos que prop��em solu����es para v��rios problemas apresentados no contexto destes dom��nios cient��ficos. No entanto, n��o �� poss��vel encontrar modelos que lidem com a gest��o de recursos em ambientes de execu����o cooperativos e abertos com restri����es temporais utilizando coliga����es entre diferentes n��s, de forma a satisfazer os requisitos n��o funcionais das aplica����es. Devido ao facto de estes sistemas serem din��micos por natureza, apresentam a caracter��stica de n��o ser poss��vel conhecer, a priori, a quantidade de recursos necess��rios que uma aplica����o ir�� requerer do sistema no qual ir�� ser executada. Este conhecimento s�� �� adquirido aquando da execu����o da aplica����o. De modo a garantir uma gest��o eficiente dos recursos dispon��veis, em sistemas que apresentam um grande dinamismo na execu����o de tarefas com e sem restri����es temporais, �� necess��rio garantir dois aspectos fundamentais. O primeiro est�� relacionado com a obten����o de garantias na execu����o de tarefas de tempo-real. Estas devem sempre ser executadas dentro da janela temporal requirida. O segundo aspecto refere a necessidade de garantir que todos os recursos necess��rios �� execu����o das tarefas s��o fornecidos, com o objectivo de manter os n��veis de performance quer das aplica����es, quer do pr��prio sistema. Tendo em conta os dois aspectos acima mencionados, o projecto CooperatES foi especificado com o objectivo de permitir a dispositivos com poucos recursos uma execu����o colectiva de servi��os com os seus vizinhos, de modo a cumprir com as complexas restri����es de qualidade de servi��o impostas pelos utilizadores ou pelas aplica����es. Decorrendo no contexto do projecto CooperatES, o trabalho resultante desta tese tem como principal objectivo avaliar a practicabilidade dos conceitos principais propostos no ��mbito do projecto. O trabalho em causa implicou a escolha e an��lise de uma plataforma, a an��lise de requisitos, a implementa����o e avalia����o de uma framework que permite a execu����o cooperativa de aplica����es e servi��os que apresentem requisitos de qualidade de servi��o. Do trabalho desenvolvido resultaram as seguintes contribui����es: An��lise das plataformas de c��digo aberto que possam ser utilizadas na implementa����o dos conceitos relacionados com o projecto CooperatES; Crit��rios que influenciaram a escolha da plataforma Android e um estudo focado na an��lise da plataforma sob uma perspectiva de sistemas de tempo-real; Experi��ncias na implementa����o dos conceitos do projecto na plataforma Android; Avalia����o da practicabilidade dos conceitos propostos no projecto CooperatES; Proposta de extens��es que permitam incorporar caracter��sticas de sistemas de tempo real abertos na plataforma Android.

Origin and evolution of coastal talus-platforms (faj��s) with pond systems in oceanic volcanic islands

Disserta����o de Mestrado, Geologia do Ambiente e Sociedade, 15 de Fevereiro de 2016, Universidade dos A��ores.

Code offloading on real-time multimedia systems: a framework for handling code mobility and code offloading in a QoS aware environment

Actualmente, os smartphones e outros dispositivos m��veis t��m vindo a ser dotados com cada vez maior poder computacional, sendo capazes de executar um vasto conjunto de aplica����es desde simples programas de para tirar notas at�� sofisticados programas de navega����o. Por��m, mesmo com a evolu����o do seu hardware, os actuais dispositivos m��veis ainda n��o possuem as mesmas capacidades que os computadores de mesa ou port��teis. Uma poss��vel solu����o para este problema �� distribuir a aplica����o, executando partes dela no dispositivo local e o resto em outros dispositivos ligados �� rede. Adicionalmente, alguns tipos de aplica����es como aplica����es multim��dia, jogos electr��nicos ou aplica����es de ambiente imersivos possuem requisitos em termos de Qualidade de Servi��o, particularmente de tempo real. Ao longo desta tese �� proposto um sistema de execu����o de c��digo remota para sistemas distribu��dos com restri����es de tempo-real. A arquitectura proposta adapta-se a sistemas que necessitem de executar periodicamente e em paralelo mesmo conjunto de fun����es com garantias de tempo real, mesmo desconhecendo os tempos de execu����o das referidas fun����es. A plataforma proposta foi desenvolvida para sistemas m��veis capazes de executar o Sistema Operativo Android.

Fuzzy Monte Carlo model for transmission power systems reliability based decision making

This thesis presents the Fuzzy Monte Carlo Model for Transmission Power Systems Reliability based studies (FMC-TRel) methodology, which is based on statistical failure and repair data of the transmission power system components and uses fuzzyprobabilistic modeling for system component outage parameters. Using statistical records allows developing the fuzzy membership functions of system component outage parameters. The proposed hybrid method of fuzzy set and Monte Carlo simulation based on the fuzzy-probabilistic models allows catching both randomness and fuzziness of component outage parameters. A network contingency analysis to identify any overloading or voltage violation in the network is performed once obtained the system states. This is followed by a remedial action algorithm, based on Optimal Power Flow, to reschedule generations and alleviate constraint violations and, at the same time, to avoid any load curtailment, if possible, or, otherwise, to minimize the total load curtailment, for the states identified by the contingency analysis. For the system states that cause load curtailment, an optimization approach is applied to reduce the probability of occurrence of these states while minimizing the costs to achieve that reduction. This methodology is of most importance for supporting the transmission system operator decision making, namely in the identification of critical components and in the planning of future investments in the transmission power system. A case study based on Reliability Test System (RTS) 1996 IEEE 24 Bus is presented to illustrate with detail the application of the proposed methodology.

Study of Annealed Indium Tin Oxide-Films prepared by RF Reactive Magnetron Sputtering

Tin doped indium oxide (ITO) films were deposited on glass substrates by rf reactive magnetron sputtering using a metallic alloy target (In-Sn, 90-10). The post-deposition annealing has been done for ITO films in air and the effect of annealing temperature on the electrical, optical and structural properties of ITO films was studied. It has been found that the increase of the annealing temperature will improve the film electrical properties. The resistivity of as deposited film is about 1.3 x 10(-1) Omega*cm and decreases down to 6.9 x 10(-3) Omega*cm as the annealing temperature is increased up to 500 degrees C. In addition, the annealing will also increase the film surface roughness which can improve the efficiency of amorphous silicon solar cells by increasing the amount of light trapping.

Supporting intra-task parallelism in real-time multiprocessor systems

Os sistemas de tempo real modernos geram, cada vez mais, cargas computacionais pesadas e din��micas, come��ando-se a tornar pouco expect��vel que sejam implementados em sistemas uniprocessador. Na verdade, a mudan��a de sistemas com um ��nico processador para sistemas multi- processador pode ser vista, tanto no dom��nio geral, como no de sistemas embebidos, como uma forma eficiente, em termos energ��ticos, de melhorar a performance das aplica����es. Simultaneamente, a prolifera����o das plataformas multi-processador transformaram a programa����o paralela num t��pico de elevado interesse, levando o paralelismo din��mico a ganhar rapidamente popularidade como um modelo de programa����o. A ideia, por detr��s deste modelo, �� encorajar os programadores a exporem todas as oportunidades de paralelismo atrav��s da simples indica����o de potenciais regi��es paralelas dentro das aplica����es. Todas estas anota����es s��o encaradas pelo sistema unicamente como sugest��es, podendo estas serem ignoradas e substitu��das, por construtores sequenciais equivalentes, pela pr��pria linguagem. Assim, o modo como a computa����o �� na realidade subdividida, e mapeada nos v��rios processadores, �� da responsabilidade do compilador e do sistema computacional subjacente. Ao retirar este fardo do programador, a complexidade da programa����o �� consideravelmente reduzida, o que normalmente se traduz num aumento de produtividade. Todavia, se o mecanismo de escalonamento subjacente n��o for simples e r��pido, de modo a manter o overhead geral em n��veis reduzidos, os benef��cios da gera����o de um paralelismo com uma granularidade t��o fina ser��o meramente hipot��ticos. Nesta perspetiva de escalonamento, os algoritmos que empregam uma pol��tica de workstealing s��o cada vez mais populares, com uma efici��ncia comprovada em termos de tempo, espa��o e necessidades de comunica����o. Contudo, estes algoritmos n��o contemplam restri����es temporais, nem outra qualquer forma de atribui����o de prioridades ��s tarefas, o que impossibilita que sejam diretamente aplicados a sistemas de tempo real. Al��m disso, s��o tradicionalmente implementados no runtime da linguagem, criando assim um sistema de escalonamento com dois n��veis, onde a previsibilidade, essencial a um sistema de tempo real, n��o pode ser assegurada. Nesta tese, �� descrita a forma como a abordagem de work-stealing pode ser resenhada para cumprir os requisitos de tempo real, mantendo, ao mesmo tempo, os seus princ��pios fundamentais que t��o bons resultados t��m demonstrado. Muito resumidamente, a ��nica fila de gest��o de processos convencional (deque) �� substitu��da por uma fila de deques, ordenada de forma crescente por prioridade das tarefas. De seguida, aplicamos por cima o conhecido algoritmo de escalonamento din��mico G-EDF, misturamos as regras de ambos, e assim nasce a nossa proposta: o algoritmo de escalonamento RTWS. Tirando partido da modularidade oferecida pelo escalonador do Linux, o RTWS �� adicionado como uma nova classe de escalonamento, de forma a avaliar na pr��tica se o algoritmo proposto �� vi��vel, ou seja, se garante a efici��ncia e escalonabilidade desejadas. Modificar o n��cleo do Linux �� uma tarefa complicada, devido �� complexidade das suas fun����es internas e ��s fortes interdepend��ncias entre os v��rios subsistemas. N��o obstante, um dos objetivos desta tese era ter a certeza que o RTWS �� mais do que um conceito interessante. Assim, uma parte significativa deste documento �� dedicada �� discuss��o sobre a implementa����o do RTWS e �� exposi����o de situa����es problem��ticas, muitas delas n��o consideradas em teoria, como �� o caso do desfasamento entre v��rios mecanismo de sincroniza����o. Os resultados experimentais mostram que o RTWS, em compara����o com outro trabalho pr��tico de escalonamento din��mico de tarefas com restri����es temporais, reduz significativamente o overhead de escalonamento atrav��s de um controlo de migra����es, e mudan��as de contexto, eficiente e escal��vel (pelo menos at�� 8 CPUs), ao mesmo tempo que alcan��a um bom balanceamento din��mico da carga do sistema, at�� mesmo de uma forma n��o custosa. Contudo, durante a avalia����o realizada foi detetada uma falha na implementa����o do RTWS, pela forma como facilmente desiste de roubar trabalho, o que origina per��odos de inatividade, no CPU em quest��o, quando a utiliza����o geral do sistema �� baixa. Embora o trabalho realizado se tenha focado em manter o custo de escalonamento baixo e em alcan��ar boa localidade dos dados, a escalonabilidade do sistema nunca foi negligenciada. Na verdade, o algoritmo de escalonamento proposto provou ser bastante robusto, n��o falhando qualquer meta temporal nas experi��ncias realizadas. Portanto, podemos afirmar que alguma invers��o de prioridades, causada pela sub-pol��tica de roubo BAS, n��o compromete os objetivos de escalonabilidade, e at�� ajuda a reduzir a conten����o nas estruturas de dados. Mesmo assim, o RTWS tamb��m suporta uma sub-pol��tica de roubo determin��stica: PAS. A avalia����o experimental, por��m, n��o ajudou a ter uma no����o clara do impacto de uma e de outra. No entanto, de uma maneira geral, podemos concluir que o RTWS �� uma solu����o promissora para um escalonamento eficiente de tarefas paralelas com restri����es temporais.

Copper, nickel and zinc removal by peanut hulls: batch and column studies in mono, tri-component systems and with real effluent

The main goal of this research study was the removal of Cu(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous solutions using peanut hulls. This work was mainly focused on the following aspects: chemical characterization of the biosorbent, kinetic studies, study of the pH influence in mono-component systems, equilibrium isotherms and column studies, both in mono and tri-component systems, and with a real industrial effluent from the electroplating industry. The chemical characterization of peanut hulls showed a high cellulose (44.8%) and lignin (36.1%) content, which favours biosorption of metal cations. The kinetic studies performed indicate that most of the sorption occurs in the first 30 min for all systems. In general, a pseudo-second order kinetics was followed, both in mono and tri-component systems. The equilibrium isotherms were better described by Freundlich model in all systems. Peanut hulls showed higher affinity for copper than for nickel and zinc when they are both present. The pH value between 5 and 6 was the most favourable for all systems. The sorbent capacity in column was 0.028 and 0.025 mmol g-1 for copper, respectively in mono and tri-component systems. A decrease of capacity for copper (50%) was observed when dealing with the real effluent. The Yoon-Nelson, Thomas and Yan���s models were fitted to the experimental data, being the latter the best fit.

Comparison of inverse planning systems based on biological or physical factors: Pinnacle��, Corvus�� and Monaco��

Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the most important approaches in the treatment of cancer and its performance can be improved in three different ways: through the optimization of the dose distribution, by the use of different irradiation techniques or through the study of radiobiological initiatives. The first is purely physical because is related to the physical dose distributiuon. The others are purely radiobiological because they increase the differential effect between the tumour and the health tissues. The Treatment Planning Systems (TPS) are used in RT to create dose distributions with the purpose to maximize the tumoral control and minimize the complications in the healthy tissues. The inverse planning uses dose optimization techniques that satisfy the criteria specified by the user, regarding the target and the organs at risk (OAR���s). The dose optimization is possible through the analysis of dose-volume histograms (DVH) and with the use of computed tomography, magnetic resonance and other digital image techniques.

Chlormequat selective electrodes: construction, evaluation and application at FIA systems

A flow injection analysis (FIA) system having a chlormequat selective electrode is proposed. Several electrodes with poly(vinyl chloride) based membranes were constructed for this purpose. Comparative characterization suggestedthe use of membrane with chlormequat tetraphenylborate and dibutylphthalate. On a single-line FIA set-up, operating with 1x10-2 mol L-1 ionic strength and 6.3 pH, calibration curves presented slopes of 53.6��0.4mV decade-1 within 5.0x10-6 and1.0x10-3 mol L-1, andsquaredcorrelation coefficients >0.9953. The detection limit was 2.2x10-6 mol L-1 and the repeatability equal to ��0.68mV (0.7%). A dual-channel FIA manifold was therefore constructed, enabling automatic attainment of previous ionic strength andpH conditions and thus eliminating sample preparation steps. Slopes of 45.5��0.2mV decade -1 along a concentration range of 8.0x10-6 to 1.0x10-3 mol L-1 with a repeatability ��0.4mV (0.69%) were obtained. Analyses of real samples were performed, and recovery gave results ranging from 96.6 to 101.1%.

Natural waste materials containing chitin as adsorbents for textile dyestuffs: batch and continuous studies

In this work three natural waste materials containing chitin were used as adsorbents for textile dyestuffs, namely the Anodonta (Anodonta cygnea) shell, the Sepia (Sepia officinalis) and the Squid (Loligo vulgaris) pens. The selected dyestuffs were the Cibacron green T3G-E (CI reactive green 12), and the Solophenyl green BLE 155% (CI direct green 26), both from CIBA, commonly used in cellulosic fibres dyeing, the most used fibres in the textile industry. Batch equilibrium studies showed that the materials��� adsorption capacities increase after a simple and inexpensive chemical treatment, which increases their porosity and chitin relative content. Kinetic studies suggested the existence of a high internal resistance in both systems. Fixed bed column experiments performed showed an improvement in adsorbents��� behaviour after chemical treatment. However, in the column experiments, the biodegradation was the main mechanism of dyestuff removal, allowing the materials��� bioregeneration. The adsorption was strongly reduced by the pore clogging effect of the biomass. The deproteinised Squid pen (grain size 0.500���1.41 mm) is the adsorbent with highest adsorption capacity (0.27 and 0.037 g/g, respectively, for the reactive and direct dyestuffs, at 20��C), followed by the demineralised Sepia pen and Anodonta shell, behaving like pure chitin in all experiments, but showing inferior performances than the granular activated carbon tested in the column experiments.