The State University of Santa Cruz (Portuguese: Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, UESC) is a public institution of higher education in Brazil, based in the city of Ilhéus, Bahia. Until the 1990s, it was the only university in the city.As of 2020, the university offers 33 undergraduate courses and several graduate programs.
Brazil is the world’s leading producer of sugarcane, and its bagasse constitutes a substantial biomass resource with a strong potential for renewable energy production via pyrolysis. The development of mathematical models capable of accurately representing pyrolysis phenomena is, therefore, essential for advancing process understanding and optimization. In this study, the influence of biomass particle injection location on pyrolysis conversion rates in a spouted bed reactor was investigated. A CFD Eulerian-Lagrangian model was developed and implemented in OpenFOAM. Model validation involved two preliminary steps: the simulation of single-particle pyrolysis to evaluate reaction kinetics and the simulation of the inert particle bed dynamics. Subsequently, three pyrolysis simulations were performed, varying the biomass injection point: the annular region, the fountain region, and the region above the fountain. Numerical results were validated against experimental data from the literature. Tar and gas production and particle temperature evolution were analyzed for each configuration, all exhibiting characteristic spouted bed behavior. The results demonstrated that biomass injection into the fountain region yielded the highest performance, resulting in a conversion rate of 54.65
To provide a comprehensive overview of key findings in research involving AD-MSCs and IONPs. Recent studies demonstrate the use of rabbits as a source for obtaining AD-MSCs, although human and murine sources remain the most commonly used. Regarding cell viability and IONP concentration, it is observed that high levels of IONPs can negatively impact the viability of AD-MSCs. Therefore, concentrations below 50 µg/mL are recommended. As for the influence of IONPs on cell proliferation and differentiation, the results are still divergent. However, most studies do not identify statistically significant differences in these parameters compared to controls. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) have changed the scientific and medical community’s perspective on adipose tissue, primarily due to their relative ease of isolation compared to cells from other sources, while maintaining similar biological characteristics. Nanoparticles (NPs) are nanometric structures with dimensions ranging up to 100 nm and, over the years, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have been extensively investigated in the biomedical field due to their unique ability to interact with and modulate cellular biological functions. Advances in biotechnology have expanded therapeutic applications of AD-MSCs, with their combination with IONPs emerging as a highly promising strategy. However, this interaction is still recent, and its precise effects on AD-MSCs remain poorly understood. Therefore, this systematic review aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge regarding the influence of IONPs on AD-MSCs. All selected studies utilized adipose tissue as the source of MSCs, predominantly of human and murine origin, and indicated that IONP concentrations equal to or below 50 µg/mL are preferable, as higher nanoparticle levels may negatively affect AD-MSC viability. In addition, the intracellular localization of IONPs has been predominantly observed within lysosomes, endosomes, the perinuclear region, and the cytoplasm. Although current findings suggest a promising interaction between IONPs and AD-MSCs, the available literature remains limited and, occasionally, presents discrepant results. This highlights the need for further investigations to better elucidate the biological effects and safety of this association, particularly concerning future in vivo applications.
The increasing global consumption of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs, particularly new psychoactive substances, has resulted in their continuous release into aquatic environments, raising concerns regarding potential adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. In this study, a dispersive micro-solid-phase extraction using customized extraction devices was developed in combination with liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry for target and suspect screening, followed by sensitive quantification by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The extraction procedure was optimized using experimental design. Optimal conditions comprised 50 mg of Oasis MCX sorbent, 100 mL of sample (pH 2, containing 7.5
To identify patterns of complication burden among individuals with diabetes mellitus based on sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics, and to examine their co-occurrence with diabetes-related comorbidities. This cross-sectional study was conducted during a diabetes health campaign in a municipality in southern Bahia, Brazil, involving 1,542 patients. Data were obtained through a standardized questionnaire and ophthalmological examinations. Latent class analysis was applied to identify subgroups with similar clinical characteristics. Models with two to four classes were estimated, with the two-class model presenting the most parsimonious and interpretable solution according to BIC. Associations between classes and comorbidities were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance, adjusted for age and sex. Two classes were identified. Class 1 (86.6
Cover crops can enhance soil biological quality and increase soil organic carbon stocks. This study aimed to assess changes in microbial biomass, activity, and soil organic carbon stocks in cocoa farming systems in Ilh & eacute;us, Bahia, Brazil. Four cocoa farming systems were evaluated: full sun with Brachiaria cover crops, full sun with Fabaceae cover crops, full sun with spontaneous vegetation (natural), and full sun without any cover crops, arranged in a randomized completely block design. And an Agroforestry System (AFS) with cocoa trees intercropped with Eritrina velutina served as a reference. Soil samples (0-10 cm layer) were collected from the cocoa tree lines. Analyses included microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) via the fumigation-extraction method, soil microbial activity (SMA) based on CO2 evolution, soil organic carbon, and labile carbon through wet oxidation (SOC and LC, respectively), and total nitrogen (TN) using the Kjeldahl method. The study calculated soil organic carbon stocks (SOCstock), carbon loss rates, metabolic quotient (qCO2), and microbial quotient (qMIC). Results indicated an increase in MBN in treatments with cover crops compared to the control, suggesting that cover plants can improve microbial attributes in full-sun cocoa systems. However, MBC levels did not significantly change with cover crops, highlighting the need for longer cultivation periods to reach AFS levels. Notably, cocoa in full-sun with cover crops increased SOC in the 0-10 cm layer, with the Fabaceae consortium showing a similar SOCstock to the 40-year-old AFS. Thus, Fabaceae cover crops increase soil SOCstock in the short term after the change of land use.
