Topical ophthalmic antibiotics show low efficacy due to the well-known physiological defense mechanisms of the eye, which prevents the penetration of exogenous substances. Here, we aimed to ...incorporate besifloxacin into liposomes containing amines as positively charged additives and to evaluate the influence of this charge on drug delivery in two situations: (i) iontophoretic and (ii) passive treatments. Hypothesis are (i) charge might enhance the electromigration component upon current application improving penetration efficiency for a burst drug delivery, and (ii) positive charge might prolong formulation residence time, hence drug penetration. Liposomes elaborated with phosphatidylcholine (LP PC) or phosphatidylcholine and spermine (LP PC: SPM) were stable under storage at 6 ºC for 30 days, showed mucoadhesive characteristics, and were non-irritant, according to HET-CAM tests. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements showed that neither the drug nor spermine incorporations produced evident alterations in the fluidity of the liposome's membranes, which retained their structural stability even under iontophoretic conditions. Mean diameter and zeta potential were 177.2 ± 2.7 nm and - 5.7 ± 0.3 mV, respectively, for LP PC; and 175.4 ± 1.9 nm and + 19.5 ± 1.0 mV, respectively, for LP PC:SPM. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimal bactericide concentration (MBC) of the liposomes for P. aeruginosa showed values lower than the commercial formulation (Besivance). Nevertheless, both formulations presented a similar increase in permeability upon the electric current application. Hence, liposome charge incorporation did not prove to be additionally advantageous for iontophoretic therapy. Passive drug penetration was evaluated through a novel in vitro ocular model that simulates the lacrimal flow and challenges the formulation resistance in the passive delivery situation. As expected, LP PC: SPM showed higher permeation than the control (Besivance). In conclusion, besifloxacin incorporation into positively charged liposomes improved passive topical delivery and can be a good strategy to improve topical ophthalmic treatments.
Hydrotreating of vegetable oils offers a green alternative to oil‐derived fuels and raw hydrocarbon materials, usually obtained from oil. In contrast to sulfided catalysts, which contaminate the ...product with sulfur, carbide‐based catalysts are able to produce clean hydrocarbons. A NiMo carbide‐based catalyst, supported on nanometric γ‐alumina was prepared, characterized by X‐ray crystallography, Nitrogen physisorption, scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The oxidation temperatures and acidity were also determined. Tests were performed in a batch‐type reactor for the hydrotreatment of soybean oil at 360, 380, and 400°C and 4.5 MPa. Liquid samples were analyzed by gas chromatography with a mass spectra detector. The reaction rate was calculated showing that reactant concentration did not influence deoxygenation rates, nor did the catalyst revealed a significant change in the activity. The product composition was extensively characterized, proving that reaction temperature greatly influences the concentration of aromatic, unsaturated and saturated hydrocarbons, as well as chain size distributions.
This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the association of the fat content in the diet with Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Patients from the Diabetes research ...clinic at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (Brazil) were consecutively recruited. The inclusion criterion was the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. The exclusion criteria were as follows: body mass index >40 kg/m2, heart failure, gastroparesis, diabetic diarrhea, dietary counseling by a registered dietitian during the previous 12 months, and inability to perform the weighed diet records (WDR). The dietary fatty acids (saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) consumption was estimated by 3-day WDR. Compliance with the WDR technique was assessed by comparison of protein intake estimated from the 3-day WDR and from the 24-h urinary nitrogen output performed on the third day of the WDR period. The presence of DKD was defined as urinary albumin excretion (UAE) ≥ 30 mg / 24 h or/and glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m2. Urinary albumin was measured twice and eGFR was estimated by using the CKD-EPI equation.
A total of 366 patients were evaluated; of these, 33% (n = 121) had DKD. Multivariate analysis showed that the intake of linolenic acid was negatively associated with DKD (OR = 0.57; 95% CI 0.35-0.93; P = 0.024), adjusted for gender, smoking, cardiovascular disease, ACE inhibitors and/or angiotensin receptor blocker use, systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose and HDL cholesterol. In a separate model, similar results were observed for linoleic acid, adjusting to the same co-variables (OR = 0.95; 95% CI 0.91-0.99; P = 0.006).
The lower intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially linolenic and linoleic acid, is associated with chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Abstract In this study, the use of Pinhão husk as a source of reinforcement material for development of edible films, where the Pinhão seed flour and bovine gelatin were used as matrices for the ...films. Mechanical properties, water vapor permeability, solubility and opacity, microstructure, and thermal degradation characterized the films produced. The films presented homogeneous and cohesive structures. Pinhão husk content positively affected film properties by increasing tensile strength (TS) and decreasing water vapor permeability (WVP), with Pinhão flour film formulations (5.0% Pinhão flour, 1.2% glycerol, and 0.4% Pinhão husk) and gelatin (5.0% gelatin, 2.0% glycerol, and 0.4% Pinhão husk) those that presented the best results (5.06 MPa for TS and 0.14 g.mm/kPa.h.m 2 for WVP) and (3.88 MPa for TS and 0.28 g.mm/kPa.h.m 2 for WVP), respectively The thermal degradation study revealed that the films are stable at temperatures below 150°C, losing only free water and volatile compounds of low molecular weight. Pinhão husk can reinforce films, making them suitable as biodegradable and edible packaging materials for eco‐friendly food products. This contributes to the circular economy, preserves biodiversity, and reduces plastic waste, offering promising sustainable packaging solutions.
Understanding the direct and indirect effects of niche and neutral processes in structuring species diversity is particularly challenging because environmental factors are often geographically ...structured. Here, we used Structural Equation Modeling to quantify direct and indirect effects of geographic distance, the Amazon River’s opposite margins, and environmental differences in temperature, precipitation, and vegetation density (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index—NDVI) on ant beta diversity (Jaccard’s dissimilarity) across Amazon basin. We used a comprehensive survey of ground-dwelling ant species from 126 plots distributed across eight sampling sites along a broad environmental gradient. We found that geographic distance and NDVI differences were the major direct predictors of ant composition dissimilarity. The major indirect effect was that of temperature through NDVI, whereas precipitation neither had direct or indirect detectable effects on beta diversity. Thus, ant compositional dissimilarity seems to be mainly driven by a combination of isolation by distance (through dispersal limitation) and selection imposed by vegetation density, and indirectly, by temperature. Our results suggest that neutral and niche processes have been similarly crucial in driving the current beta diversity patterns of Amazonian ground-dwelling ants.
Fatigue cracking, a major distress in asphalt pavements, is worsened by traffic and climate conditions such as moisture effects on constituents and interfacial properties. However, investigation on ...fatigue's evolution in different scales under moisture effect is still scarce in the open literature. This work aims to assess moisture‐induced damage effects on asphaltic materials focusing on the failure of asphalt binders, the aggregate‐binder interface, and mixture. The methodology included tests under dry and wet conditions: linear amplitude sweep (LAS); asphalt bond strength (ABS) in different temperatures and pull rates for interfaces; indirect tensile strength (ITS), and tension‐compression fatigue on asphalt mixtures. Key findings were: (i) moisture damage presents growing effects from binders to mixtures; (ii) LAS test results were not sensitive to moisture; (iii) ABS tests require proper field temperatures for accuracy; (iv) ITS ratio provide reliable conditioned fatigue expectations; and (v) fatigue testing without conditioning to hydrodynamic effects or real moisture susceptibility might overestimate service‐life.
Highlights
Moisture damage presents growing effects from binders to mixtures;
LAS results were not sensitive to moisture;
ABS tests require proper field temperatures for accuracy;
ITSR indicates conditioned fatigue behavior, unconditioned tests might overestimate service life.
Technical qualification is required to adequately meet the responsibilities related to solid waste management (SWM). Given that the successful SW policies requirements implementation at the local ...level relies on the ability to plan and the efficient management of public services, this paper aims to verify if municipalities have working teams that are prepared for this challenge. To accomplish this goal, three indicators were proposed to evaluate these human resources: Professional Qualification Level (PQL), Multidisciplinary Level (ML) and Leadership Level of Education (LLE). A proportional stratified sample with SWM leaders from 156 Brazilian municipalities participated in a survey. The results showed that although some municipalities were able to provide teams and find solutions to implement plans and actions, some smaller municipalities were not able to organize themselves adequately for this implementation. This paper provides a diagnosis of the human resources dimensions associated with the administrative capacity of municipal governments for the successful implementation of the Brazilian Solid Waste Policy (BSWP) at the local level. There is a need to improve the administrative capacity of municipalities to ensure the satisfactory implementation of the BSWP. The shortcomings identified in this paper should be addressed by the government to ensure that the constitutional right to waste management is achieved.
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•We proposed three indicators to evaluate the human resources dedicated to MSWM.•We verified if municipalities have working teams that are prepared for this challenge.•A survey with SWM leaders from 156 Brazilian municipalities was conducted.•The administrative capacity needs improvement to satisfactory BSWP implementation.•Smaller cities have more difficult to structure adequate work teams for MSWM.
The pursuit of an economical, active, and stable catalyst for Bio-Ethanol Steam Reforming (ESR) to facilitate renewable H2 production continues. Especially considering that ...traditional-noble-metal-based catalysts, are too expensive for large scale applications. In this paper, a sol-gel Ni–Mo2C–Al2O3 catalyst was employed for the first time in the ESR reaction. Synthesized by an innovative “one-pot” sol-gel method, this highly porous catalyst (670 m2. gcat−1) promises to deliver, in a single material, the nickel's ability on cleaving C–C bonds with the known catalytic stability of Mo2C in reforming reactions. Catalytic stability and activity were tested over a wide range of temperatures (450 °C-700 °C) and at a high Gas-Hourly-Space-Velocity (GHSV), 200,000 mmol h−1. gcat−1. The high temperature tests (T > 650 °C) exhibited elevated stability (over 12 h) and activity (ethanol conversion and H2-Production-Rate of 100 % and 1700 mmol h−1. gcat−1, respectively). Besides, TPO-O2 and TEM micrographs have shown the presence of both graphitic and aromatic coke on tests E and H spent catalysts, 2.08 mgcarbon. gcat− 1h−1 and 541 mgcarbon. gcat− 1h−1, respectively. Nevertheless, given its more graphitic nature and lower formation rate, H2 yield, and conversion remained constant throughout the entirety of the high-temperature tests, confirming that the coke did not block the catalytic sites.
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•Unprecedent Ethanol Steam Reforming over a sol-gel Ni–Mo2C–Al2O3 catalyst.•Highly porous catalyst (SSA = 669 m2 g−1) synthesized using a novel one-pot method.•Despite coke formation, catalyst stayed active at 700 °C in high-temp tests.•Active under all reaction conditions, even under a GHSV of 200,000 mL.h− 1. gcat−1.•High reaction temperatures (650 °C, 700 °C) led to improved catalytic stability.
Abstract The objective of this work was to evaluate the data estimated by NASA Power in relation to that measured at surface weather stations under different climates, and to verify the effects of ...these data on reference evapotranspiration (ETo) estimation. For comparison, data measured at 21 surface weather stations, located in Brazil, Israel, Australia, Portugal, and the United States of America were used, representing different Köppen climate types. The following climatic variables were analyzed daily: maximum (Tmax), mean (Tmean), and minimum (Tmin) air temperatures; wind speed; incident solar radiation; and mean relative humidity (RHmean). Wind speed showed the highest variations and was overestimated in the Cfb, BWh, BSh, and Cfa climates. Tmean and mean wind speed were estimated accurately in the Csa and BWh climates, whereas Tmax and Tmin were underestimated in 13 and 9 climates, respectively; Tmin did not show adequate results in tropical climates. Incident solar radiation was overestimated in all climates, except in BSh, but presented the best statistical indicators among the analyzed variables. The scenarios in which ETo was estimated using the Penman-Monteith method and data from NASA Power were consistent even for the climate type that presented the worst association between measured and estimated data.
Resumo O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os dados estimados pela Nasa Power em relação aos medidos em estações meteorológicas de superfície, em diferentes climas, e verificar os efeitos destes dados na estimativa da evapotranspiração de referência (ETo). Para comparação, foram utilizados dados medidos em 21 estações meteorológicas de superfície, localizadas no Brasil, em Israel, na Austrália, em Portugal e nos Estados Unidos da América, representando diferentes tipos climáticos de acordo com Köppen. As seguintes variáveis climáticas foram analisadas diariamente: temperaturas máxima (Tmáx), média (Tméd) e mínima (Tmín) do ar; velocidade do vento; radiação solar incidente; e umidade relativa média do ar (URméd). A velocidade do vento apresentou as maiores variações e foi superestimada nos climas Cfb, BWh, BSh e Cfa. A Tméd e a velocidade média do vento foram estimadas com precisão nos climas Csa e BWh, enquanto a Tmáx e a Tmín foram subestimadas em 13 e 9 climas, respectivamente; a Tmín não apresentou resultados satisfatórios nos climas tropicais. Já a radiação solar incidente foi superestimada em todos os climas, exceto no BSh, mas apresentou os melhores indicadores estatísticos entre as variáveis analisadas. Os cenários em que a ETo foi estimada com o método Penman-Monteith e os dados da Nasa Power foram consistentes até para o tipo climático que apresentou a pior associação entre dados medidos e estimados.
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