Analysis of chromium behaviour and speciation during the electrodialytic process

The interest in chromium (Cr) arises from the widespread use of this heavy metal in various industrial processes that cause its release as liquid, solid and gaseous waste into the environment. The impact of Cr on the environment and living organisms primarily depends on its chemical form, since Cr(III) is an essential micronutrient for humans, other animals and plants, and Cr(VI) is highly toxic and a known human carcinogen. This study aimed to evaluate if the electrodialytic process (ED) is an appropriate treatment for Cr removal, through a critical overview of Cr speciation, before and after the ED experiments, to assess possible Cr(III)-Cr(VI) interconversions during the treatment. ED was the treatment technique applied to two types of matrices containing Cr: chromate copper arsenate (CCA) contaminated soil and municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash. In order to study Cr remediation, three EDR set-ups were used: a new set-up, the combined cell (2/3C or 3/2C), with three compartments, alternating current between two anodes and different initial experimental conditions, one set-up with three compartments (3C cell) and the other set-up with two compartments (2C cell). The Cr removal rates obtained in this study were between 10-36% for the soil, and 1-13% for the fly ash. The highest Cr removal rates were achieved in the 26 days experiments: 36% for the soil, 13% for the fly ash. Regarding the 13 days experiments, the highest Cr removal rates were attained with the 2/3C set-up: 24% for the soil, 5% for the fly ash. The analysis of Cr(VI) was performed before and after ED experiments to evaluate eventual changes in Cr speciation during the treatment. This analysis was conducted by two methods: USEPA Method 3060A, for the extraction of Cr(VI); and Hach Company Method 8023, for the detection of Cr(VI). Despite the differences in Cr total concentration, both matrices presented a similar speciation, with Cr(III) being the main species found and Cr(VI) less than 3% of Cr total, before and after the treatment. For fly ash, Cr(VI) was initially below the detection limit of the method and remained that way after the treatment. For soil, Cr(VI) decreased after the treatment. Oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI) did not occur during the ED process since there was no increase in Cr(VI) in the matrices after the treatment. Hence, the results of this study indicate that ED is an appropriate technique to remediate matrices containing Cr because it contributes to Cr removal, without causing Cr(III)-Cr(VI) interconversions.

Development of process control strategies exploiting knowledge from systems biology: application to MDCK suspension cells

Madine Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell lines have been extensively evaluated for their potential as host cells for influenza vaccine production. Recent studies allowed the cultivation of these cells in a fully defined medium and in suspension. However, reaching high cell densities in animal cell cultures still remains a challenge. To address this shortcoming, a combined methodology allied with knowledge from systems biology was reported to study the impact of the cell environment on the flux distribution. An optimization of the medium composition was proposed for both a batch and a continuous system in order to reach higher cell densities. To obtain insight into the metabolic activity of these cells, a detailed metabolic model previously developed by Wahl A. et. al was used. The experimental data of four cultivations of MDCK suspension cells, grown under different conditions and used in this work came from the Max Planck Institute, Magdeburg, Germany. Classical metabolic flux analysis (MFA) was used to estimate the intracellular flux distribution of each cultivation and then combined with partial least squares (PLS) method to establish a link between the estimated metabolic state and the cell environment. The validation of the MFA model was made and its consistency checked. The resulted PLS model explained almost 70% of the variance present in the flux distribution. The medium optimization for the continuous system and for the batch system resulted in higher biomass growth rates than the ones obtained experimentally, 0.034 h-1 and 0.030 h-1, respectively, thus reducing in almost 10 hours the duplication time. Additionally, the optimal medium obtained for the continuous system almost did not consider pyruvate. Overall the proposed methodology seems to be effective and both proposed medium optimizations seem to be promising to reach high cell densities.

A proposta de regulamento relativo a um direito europeu comum da compra e venda e as suas implicações no direito português

We have witnessed in recent years, an obvious effort by the competent European institutions, towards the harmonization of general law applicable to all Member States (MS's). Many developments have been registered in several areas of law, a europeanization process that aims to add value to cross-border transactions and, consequently, the internal market and european trade. This trend manifests itself in general to the private law level, and particularly in contract law. The extension of the field in which market participants - whether professionals or consumers - can act, must imperatively be articulated with a consequent wider protection. After all, the consumer is also a leading European purposes and its level should not be called into question for the sake of promoting trade. The link between the positions of two opposing parties, professionals and consumers, requires commitment and work reinforced by the institutions but only on that basis is consistent legislative production. The proposed Regulation on a Common European Sales Law of the sale, the European Commission, set focus to European contract law and raises questions about the relevance and necessity of such uniformity. An instrument for purposes of harmonization of European contract law, that can be applied to all cross-border consumer contracts, similar in all MS's certainly bring many benefits. However, its applicability and usefulness would depend on the level of protection that would provide, compared to the existing national rights. Would an optional instrument ensure the designs of a common law? Moreover, would a binding instrument be the best alternative in that sense? Keywords:

Reflux esophagitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease: a cross-sectional study of gastroesophageal reflux disease patients by age group

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the intensity of acid reflux and severity of esophageal tissue damage in a cross-sectional study of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Seventy-eight patients with were selected in accordance with the strict 24-hour ambulatory esophageal pHmetry (24h-pHM) criteria and distributed into three age groups: Group A: 14 - 24 years of age. Group B: 25 - 54; and Group C: 55 - 64. The 24h-pHM was carried out in accordance with DeMeester standardization, and the Savary-Miller classification for the diagnosis of reflux esophagitis was used. The groups were similar in 24h-pHM parameters (p > 0.05), having above normal values. For the study group as a whole, there was no correlation between age group and intensity of acid reflux, and there was no correlation between intensity of acid reflux and severity of esophageal tissue damage. However, when the same patients were sub-grouped in accordance with the depth of their epithelial injury and then distributed into age groups, there was a significant difference in esophagitis without epithelial discontinuity. Younger patients had less epithelial damage than older patients. Additionally, although there was a significant progression from the least severe to the moderate stages of epithelial damage among the age groups, there was no apparent difference among the age groups in the distribution between the moderate stages and most severe stages. The findings support the conclusion that the protective response of individuals to acid reflux varies widely. Continued aggression by acid reflux appears to lead to the exhaustion of individual mechanisms of epithelial protection in some patients, but not others, regardless of age or duration of the disease. Therefore, the diagnosis and follow-up of GERD should include both measurements of the quantity of refluxed acid and an assessment of the damage to the esophageal epithelium.

Contributo para o estudo dos efeitos da passagem à situação (e idade) de reforma na frequência das principais doenças crónicas em Portugal

RESUMO - Introdução: A transição para a reforma é um acontecimento que pode acarretar alterações suscetíveis de afetar o estado de saúde. Vários estudos têm investigado os efeitos da reforma no estado de saúde, embora poucos o tenham investigado, especificamente, nas doenças crónicas. As recentes políticas de aumento da idade de reforma, assim como a ausência de consenso sobre os efeitos da reforma na saúde, atribuem-lhe ainda maior importância. Constituem objetivos do presente estudo quantificar a associação entre a Passagem à situação de reforma (e idade de reforma) e a frequência de cada uma das principais doenças crónicas, no sentido dos efeitos da reforma nestes indicadores de saúde (doença respiratória crónica, diabetes, doença cardiovascular, AVC, depressão e cancro). Material e Métodos: Desenvolveu-se um estudo transversal, no qual foram analisados os dados provenientes das amostras representativas da população portuguesa SHARE 2011 e ECOS 2013. As associações foram quantificadas através do cálculo do Odds ratio por Regressão Logística Binária com avaliação do confundimento e modificação de efeito. As variáveis de doença crónica foram medidas por auto-reporte. Foram considerados os reformados que se encontrassem em processo de reforma (ou seja, reformados há 5 anos ou menos) e que não se tivessem reformado por doença. Resultados: A reforma não se encontrou significativamente associada a nenhuma das doenças crónicas consideradas, excetuando-se: i) o cancro (na amostra ECOS), para o qual foi fator protetor; ii) e a doença cardiovascular (na amostra SHARE), para a qual teve um efeito prejudicial, mas apenas em não hipertensos. A reforma em idade antecipada pareceu encontrar-se associada a um pior estado de saúde, relativamente à reforma em idade legal (ou após). Tal observou-se no Cancro (nas amostras ECOS e SHARE), na Diabetes (na amostra SHARE), e no AVC em pessoas sem Doença Cardiovascular (na amostra SHARE). Pelo contrário, em pessoas com Doença Cardiovascular a reforma antecipada pareceu constituir um fator protetor. Discussão e conclusões: As diferenças observadas nos resultados entre amostras poderão, entre outros, atribuir-se às diferentes populações em estudo, dimensões amostrais e desenhos de amostragem. Os resultados obtidos não são muito diferentes dos que têm sido descritos na bibliografia, ainda que haja um número reduzido de estudos sobre esta matéria. Indicam que, eventualmente, as recentes alterações de aumento da idade de reforma poderão expandir o grupo de pessoas que se reformam antecipadamente, podendo resultar, eventualmente, num aumento da prevalência de doenças crónicas na população portuguesa. Os mecanismos através dos quais a reforma poderá influenciar a ocorrência de doenças crónicas permanecem por explicar, embora os seus principais fatores de risco pareçam representar importantes modificadores de efeito.

On the labor share the long-run equilibrium and its adjustment process

This research computes an Equilibrium Labor Share using a VECM for a panel of 19 countries, analyzes what determines the speed at which the labor share adjusts towards that equilibrium and decomposes this adjustment in terms of real wages and employment. Results suggest that the speed at which a country adjusts decreases with employment protection legislation and labor taxes. Most countries’ labor shares adjustment is made through real wages changes instead of changing employment, suggesting that wage moderation policies may play an important role on the adjustment process without harming employment. Keywords: Equilibrium

A+ grandparents at school

Facing an aging society, where there is a large gap between generations and where the elderly are neglected, the Portuguese Red Cross – Delegation of Vila Nova de Gaia – created the project A+: grandparents at school, which encourages intergenerational work. After observing the positive results of the pilot project, the A+ team decided that the project has the potential to be scaled at a national level to enable it to contribute to the integration of the older people in the society, as well as for positive changes of individuals with regard to the elderly. This work project proposes a method to determine whether A+ can be scaled and what is the most efficient way to do it, establishing a process of scale that can be used by every non-profit organization

Sexing the human skull through the mastoid process

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance for sex determination of the measurement of the area formed by the xerographic projection of 3 craniometric points related to the mastoid process: the porion, asterion, and mastoidale points. METHOD: Sixty skulls, 30 male and 30 female, were analyzed. A xerographic copy of each side of the skull was obtained. On each xerographic copy, the craniometric points were marked to demarcate a triangle. The area (mm²) of the demarcated triangle for each side of the skull (right (D) and left (E) sides) was determined, and the total value of these measures (T) was calculated. RESULTS: Concerning the right area of the male and female skulls, 60% of the values overlapped; for the left area, 51.67% overlapped, and for the total area, 36.67% overlapped. The analysis of the differences between the sexes in the areas studied was significant for the 3 areas. Regarding the total area, which is the preferred measurement because of the asymmetry between the sides of the skull, the value of the mean was 1505.32 mm² for male skulls, which was greater than the maximum value obtained in the female skulls. The value of the mean for female skulls was 1221.24 mm², less than the minimum value obtained for the male skulls. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a significant result in the 3 studied areas, (D), (E), and (T). The total area values show less overlapping of values between the sexes, and therefore can be used for sexing human skulls. For the population studied, values of the total area that were greater than or equal to 1447.40 mm² belonged to male crania (95% confidence). Values for this area that were less than or equal to 1260.36 mm² belonged to female crania (95% confidence).

On the labor share the long-run equilibrium and its adjustment process

This research computes an Equilibrium Labor Share using a VECM for a panel of 19 countries, analyzes what determines the speed at which the labor share adjusts towards that equilibrium and decomposes this adjustment in terms of real wages and employment. Results suggest that the speed at which a country adjusts decreases with employment protection legislation and labor taxes. Most countries’ labor shares adjustment is made through real wages changes instead of changing employment, suggesting that wage moderation policies may play an important role on the adjustment process without harming employment.

Analysis of a controversial decision process: the case of the pumped hydro storage power plant Atdorf in Germany

Based on the report for the unit “Métodos Interactivos de Participação e Decisão A” (Interactive methods of participation and decision A), coordinated by Prof. Lia Maldonado Teles de Vasconcelos and Prof. Nuno Miguel Ribeiro Videira Costa. This unit was provided for the PhD Program in Technology Assessment in 2015/2016.

Socio-demographic correlates of physical activity of European adults: A cross-sectional study from the European Social Survey

ABSTRACT - Background: From a public health perspective, the study of socio-demographic factors related to physical activity is important in order to identify subgroups for intervention programs. Purpose: This study also aimed to identify the prevalence and the socio-demographic correlates related with the achievement of recommended physical activity levels. Methods: Using data from the European Social Survey round 6, physical activity and socio-demographic characteristics were collected from 39278 European adults (18271 men, 21006 women), aged 18-64 years, from 28 countries in 2012. Meeting physical activity guidelines was assessed using World Health Organization criteria. Results: 64.50% (63.36% men, 66.49% women) attained physical activity recommended levels. The likelihood of attaining physical activity recommendations was higher in age group of 55-64 years (men: OR=1.22, p<0.05; women: OR=1.66, p<0.001), among those who had completed high school (men: OR=1.28, p<0.01; women: OR=1.26, p<0.05), among those who lived in rural areas (men: OR=1.20, p<0.001; women: OR=1.10, p<0.05), and among those who had 3 or more people living at home (men: OR=1.40, p<0.001; women: OR=1.43, p<0.001). On the other hand, attaining physical activity recommendations was negatively associated with being unemployed (men: OR=0.70, p<0.001; women: OR=0.87, p<0.05), being a student (men: OR=0.56, p<0.001; women: OR=0.64, p<0.01), being a retired person (men: OR=0.86, p<0.05) and with having a higher household income (OR=0.80, p<0.001; women: OR=0.81, p<0.01). Conclusion: This research helped clarify that, as the promotion of physical activity is critical to sustain health and prevent disease, socio-demographic factors are important to consider when planning the increase of physical activity.

The interception process in tropical rain forests: a literature review and critique (*).

A review of the literature on measurements of rain water interception processes by forests is made. Information on Africa, Central and South America, and Asia is given. A general analysis is made and the need to further the measurements under field conditions is stressed.

Cross-presentation by WASp deficient B cells and dendritic cells

The immune system comprises of different cell types whose role is to protect us against pathogens. This thesis investigates a very important mechanism for our organism protection in a specific disorder: cross-presentation in Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS). WAS is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the cytoskeletal regulator WASp and WAS patients suffer from eczema, thrombocytopenia, and immunodeficiency. X-linked neutropenia (XLN) is caused by gain-of-function mutations in WASp and XLN patients suffer from severe congenital neutropenia and immunodeficiency. This thesis was focused on the role of B and T lymphocytes and dendritic cells (DCs). This work will be divided into two main topics: 1) In the first part I studied the capacity of B cells to take up, degrade and present antigen. Moreover I studied the capacity of B cells to induce T cell proliferation. 2) In the second part, I studied T cell proliferation induced by dendritic cells. To increase our understanding about this mechanism, additional experiments were performed, including acidification capacity of CD8+ and CD8- DCs, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production since it is directly connected to acidification. These assays were measured by flow cytometry. Localization of Rac1 and Rac2 GTPases was assessed by confocal microscopy. Proliferation, acidification and ROS production assays were performed also with cells from X-linked neutropenia (XLN) mice. From this study we concluded that B cells cannot induce CD8+ T cell proliferation however they take up and present antigen. Moreover I have shown that increased cross-presentation by WASp KO DCs with ovalbumin is associated with decreased capacity to acidify endosomal compartment; and WASp KO CD8- DCs have increased Rac2 localization to the phagosome. XLN dendritic cells have similar acidification and ROS production capacity than wildtype cells. In conclusion, our data suggests that WASp regulates antigen processing and presentation in DCs.

Millennium BCP: Optimization of the branches closure process

Nowadays, a significant number of banks in Portugal are facing a bank-branch restructuring problem, and Millennium BCP is not an exception. The closure of branches is a major component of profit maximization through the reduction in operational and personnel costs but also an opportunity to approach the idea of “baking of future” and start thinking on the benefits of the digital era. This dissertation centers on a current high-impact organizational problem addressed by the company and consists in a proposal of optimization to the model that Millennium BCP uses. Even though measures of performance are usually considered the most important elements in evaluating the viability of branches, there is evidence suggesting that other general factors can be important to assess branch potential, such as the influx on branches, business dimensions of a branch and its location, which will be addressed in this project.