Rupture of a hepatic adenoma in a young woman after an abdominal trauma: A case report

Unlike hepatic haemorrhage following blunt abdominal trauma, spontaneous abdomen bleeding is rare, even in the presence of a hepatocellular adenoma (HA) or carcinoma. However, the diagnosis of a tumour underlying a haematoma after liver trauma is unusual, especially when it occurs more after two years after the accident. Here, we report a case of a ruptured HA due to blunt abdominal trauma. A 36-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with sudden onset of upper abdominal pain. Her medical history revealed a blunt abdominal trauma two years prior. Initial abdominal computed tomography scan revealed a large haematoma measuring more than 16 cm in diameter in the right lobe of the liver. Magnetic resonance imaging showed haemorrhagic areas and some regions with hepatocyte hyperplasia, suggesting HA. The patient underwent right hepatic lobectomy, and a histopathological examination confirmed a diagnosis of HA. In conclusion, it is important to consider that abdominal trauma may hide old, asymptomatic and not previously detected injuries, as in the case reported.

The Occurrence of Ophiocnemis marmorata (Echinodermata:Ophiuroidea) Associated with the Rhizostome Medusa Rhopilema hispidum (Cnidaria:Scyphozoa)

The association of scyphomedusae with invertebrates has been long known in the literature; especially with hyperiids amphipods. The association of echinoderms with jellyfish is not common and rarely recorded. We reported the association of the ophiuroid Ophiocnemis marmorata with the rhizostome scyphomedusa Rhopilema hispidum collected in Vellar estuary (on the southeast coast of India). O. marmorata is supposed to be a filter feeding ophiuroid,quite common in soft bottom of shallow waters. The brittle stars possibly seek for food supply,shelter and protection through the association.

Quantification of Lipid Content and Identification of the Main Lipid Classes Present in Microalgae Extracts Scenedesmus sp. for Obtaining Fatty Compounds for Biofuel Production

Microalgae biomass has been reported in the literature as one of the most promising sources for obtaining different products of industrial interest such as lipids, fatty acids, carotenoids, proteins and fibers. The lipid fraction of microalgae comprises neutral lipids, free fatty acids and polar lipids. It is of great importance to estimate the composition of the lipid fraction to define the potential for use, either as a raw material for the production of biofuels or for use for nutraceuticals and/or food purposes. The microalgae Scenedesmus sp. cultivated in a photobioreactor, the sky open raceway type, was evaluated for lipid content, identification and quantification of lipid components obtained from different extracts. In the quantification of the lipid content, extraction methods were proposed without chemical treatment (use of solvents only) such as chloroform:methanol (2:1 v/v)—Bligh & Dyer, Ethanol, Ethyl acetate:Hexane (1:1 v/v) and others with chemical treatment such as J-Schmid-Bondzynski-Ratzlaff (acid) and saponification (basic). For the identification of the main lipid components present in the extracts, the Thin layer chromatography (TLC) technique was used. This made it possible, using a simple and inexpensive method, to identify the compounds extracted by different extraction methods, that is, it was possible to verify the selectivity of the different extraction methods. In addition, it has been shown that using these methods, widely described in the literature as methods of extracting lipids in practice, extracts a wide diversity of compounds. The levels of lipids obtained via solvent extraction were up to 50% higher than those obtained with chemical treatment. In lipid extracts, obtained via solvent extraction, the presence of polar compounds, glycerides, carotenoids, pigments and sterols was identified, with up to 53% being composed of an unsaponifiable fraction, thus, presenting low selectivity for extracting fatty components. The acidic and basic treatments applied to the biomass of Scenedesmus sp. showed greater selectivity for obtaining fat components of 71.47% and 94.99%, respectively. The results showed that depending on the solvent/method used to quantify the lipids, the selectivity for obtaining the grease fraction, fundamental for conversion into biofuels, varies and the total lipid content may be overestimated.

Characterization of the Lipid Components in <i>Desmodesmus</i>and <i>Scenedesmus</i>Strains: Lipid Content, Lipid Classes and Fatty Acid Profile

The lipid composition in terms of the amount of neutral lipids, free fatty acids and polar lipid content is of great importance to make full use possible of this fraction and to define the suitability of its application, either as a raw material for fuel production, nutraceutical purposes or feed. In addition to the fatty components present in the lipid extract, other components may be included, such as: carotenoids, pigments and sterols. The microalgae studied in this work, Scenedesmus sp. and Desmodesmus sp., were subjected to the same growth conditions and evaluated for lipid content, quantification and diversity of lipid components as well as its fatty acid profile. For lipid determination two extraction methods were compared: the J: Schmid-Bondzynski-Ratzlaff and Bligh & Dyer method. For Desmodesmus sp. 5.43% ± 0.41% and 9.18% ± 0.33% of lipids were obtained on an ash-free dry weight basis and for Scenedesmus sp. 12.46% ± 0.38% and 8.16% ± 0.42% of lipids were obtained on an ash-free dry weight basis using for both methods J: Schmid-Bondzynski-Ratzlaff and Bligh & Dyer, respectively. For the identification of the main lipid components present in the extracts, the Thin layer chromatography (TLC) technique was used. This made it possible, using a simple and inexpensive method, to identify the compounds extracted by different extraction methods, that is, it was possible to verify the selectivity of the different extraction methods. In addition, it has been shown that using these methods, widely described in the literature as methods of extracting lipids in practice, extracts a wide diversity of compounds. The major lipid class for both microalgae was fatty acids with amounts between 23.62% - 38.02%. The triglycerides percentage in biomasses without chemical treatment did not exceed 18.26%. In the lipid extract obtained with Bligh & Dyer, the microalgae Desmodesmus sp. presented 55.26% of unsaponifiable material, higher than the amount present using the same extraction method for Scenedesmus sp. 49.06%. Among the main unsaponifiables identified are hydrocarbons (carotenes) and sterols esters. The acid treatment of biomass, method J: Schmid-Bondzynski-Ratzlaff, showed selectivity of 72.84% and 76.66% for obtaining fatty material from the microalgae Desmodesmus sp. and Scenedesmus sp., respectively. The results showed that depending on the method used for extraction, the lipid fraction will be different in relation to the percentage of fatty components.

A comparative study for the performance of encased granular columns

This paper describes a three-dimensional(3D) numerical analysis of a test embankment on geotextileencased columns(GECs), in comparison with two-dimensional(2D) axisymmetric and plane strain analyses. The 3D numerical analysis was performed considering a rectangular strip under the embankment centerline. The 2D analysis was also carried out using axisymmetric unit cell and plane strain approaches.Numerical results indicated that the adopted 3D strip model represented well the measured deformations and pore pressure evolution during embankment construction and post-contraction periods.Unlike the unit cell model, both plane strain and 3D analyses could properly determine the settlement profile along the embankment base as well as the profile of the horizontal soil deformation beneath the embankment toes. The plane strain analysis, however, was not able to compute the geotextile ring force which might be simply calculated using the axisymmetric unit cell approach. The paper also showed that, due to horizontal boundary fixities applied to the embankment borders, the unit cell model clearly underestimated the tension developed in the basal geogrid.

Morphological and chemical aspects of Chlorella pyrenoidosa,Dunaliella tertiolecta,Isochrysis galbana and Tetraselmis gracilis microalgae

This study evaluates the growth and chemical composition of the following marine microalgae: Dunaliella tertiolecta, Isochrysis galbana, and Tetraselmis gracilis and the chemical composition of Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Microalgae can produce a number of compounds of high commercial value for the industry, mainly for the food industry. The growth kinetics, cell volume, pigments, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and fatty acid and amino acid composition were evaluated. I. galbana had the largest number of cells per mL-1 (107), concentration of carotenoids (6.33 μg·mL-1), and carbohydrates (34.32%). D. tertiolecta and T. gracilis had the highest cell volume (560.6 and 592.7 μm3, respectively), the highest amount of total dry biomass. D. tertiolecta had the highest chlorophyll concentration (9.05 μg·mL-1), and C. pyrenoidosa had the highest protein (48.16%) and lipid (14.30%) content. The marine species D. Tertiolecta, I. galbana, and T. gracilis had high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids (C18:1 n9), and C. pyrenoidosa was high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (C18:2 n6 and C18:3 n3), indicating the present high nutritional value fatty acids. The microalgae studies showed a composition of amino acids that meet the nutritional requirements recommended by the FAO g·100 g-1 (FAO/WHO/UN, 1985) for adults and children (2 - 5 years), indicating that these proteins can be used in foods.

Biodiesel production by hydroesterification of microalgal biomass using heterogeneous catalyst

This paper assesses the hydroesterification process for the production of Biodiesel from Monoraphidium contortum (MORF-1) microalgae biomass, as it is a sustainable alternative not only economically, but also environmentally and ecologically to replace petroleum diesel fuel. The Biodiesel studied in this work was obtained from fatty acid esterification, a product of microalgae and methanol biomass hydrolysis reaction. CBMM’s (HY-340) niobium oxide powder was used as catalyst. The reactions were carried out in a properly closed autoclave reactor (batch), where the reagents were mixed under constant stirring at 500 rpm for hydrolysis and esterification. The products generated were submitted to gas chromatography and oxidative stability analysis. The hydroesterification process showed itself to be a promising alternative to the conventional biodiesel production process (transesterification) as it favors the use of feedstocks with any acidity and moisture content and may be performed with acid catalyst, which favors high conversions in a small range of time (30 minutes).

Opportunities for Remote Collaboration in a Social Web Search Model That Integrates Parents and Children

Traditionally, search engines are designed to support a single user working alone. However, the construction of knowledge is enriched when one adds collaboration to search tasks. We identified opportunities for remote collaboration in a Social Web search model that integrates parents and children guided by 5W + 1H (who, what, where, when, why, how) dimensions. Our social search model aims at improving the search process for children. We found 7 opportunities for remote collaboration on the search process, based on implicit-explicit interactions.

Bio-Oil Extracted of Wet Biomass of the Microalga <i>Monoraphidium</i>sp. for Production of Renewable Hydrocarbons

Renewable hydrocarbons refer to fuels consisting of hydrocarbons of 10 to 20 carbon atoms, produced from biomass, and free of oxygen. Hydrocracking, hydrodeoxygenation and hydrotreatment processes for the production of renewable hydrocarbons are described in the literature. Microalgae have been targeted in recent years to synthesize biomass that can be used in the production of biofuels, such as renewable hydrocarbons, biodiesel or ethanol second generation. In this context the lineage Monoraphidium sp. was selected from previous ecophysiological studies and its potential to produce lipids to develop this research related with the extraction of the bio-oil of the wet biomass of Monoraphidium sp. through heat treatment. Consecutively the bio-oil was used as raw material for the production of hydrocarbons through hydrocracking and hydrodeoxygenation processes (HDO) as: decarbonylation, decarboxylation, dehydratation, with in situ production of hydrogen from liquid-phase reforming of glycerol. The reactions were carried out under two different temperature conditions, 350°C and 300°C, respectively, for 1 h and using ruthenium alumina catalyst (Ru/Al2O3). The results showed the bio-oil processing route at a temperature of 350°C promising for the production of hydrocarbons achieving a conversion of 81.54%.

Process Temperature Profile and Rheological Properties of Greases from Vegetable Oils

Greases are composed by lubricating oil dispersed in a thickener that can be a metal soap, polymers or clays. Grease production using vegetable oils is increasing due to biodegradability requirements. Since vegetable oils present a worse oxidation and hydrolysis stability than mineral oils, it is usually difficult to produce a neutral grease using them. Four greases were produced using soybean oil as lubricating oil and lithium 12-hydroxy- stearate as thickener. The maximum temperature of reaction ranged from 230°C to 120°C in a bench process and a reduction in the final product acidity was observed (from 8.2% acid to 0.05% alkaline). Traditional tests to evaluate thickener structure resistance like 10,000-time worked penetration, roll stability and dropping point were performed and results compared. In addition, rheological tests were performed and the results were also compared. Results indicate that it is possible to produce a quite neutral grease using vegetable oils with good thickener structure properties.

Production of Hydrogen from Aqueous Phase Reforming of Glycerol: Economic Evaluation

Glycerol is the main byproduct from the production of biodiesel by transesterification of vegetable oils, and approximately 10% of total biodiesel production volume corresponds to glycerol. The profitability of various chemical processes depends, in part, on the sale of byproducts, which enables a reduction in the production costs and consequently, in the product’s final price. Thus, it is necessary to look for alternatives to solve the problem of glycerol buildup, in order to avoid future environmental impacts and make biodiesel competitive in the growing market of biofuels. In this context, this study’s objective is the development of a low cost and environmental clean technology that allows the conversion of glycerin into a greater value product. In this paper, an economic evaluation of production hydrogen using Aqueous Phase Reforming (APR) was conducted. Firstly, we detailed the technical assumptions in the study. Reactions were performed in batch reformer of 10 liters of capacity, at the temperature of 250℃ and pressure of 38 atm. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed. The results from economic evaluation show that APR of glycerol, using nickel catalysts supported on alumina or zirconium oxide, is a promising and competitive technology for hydrogen production.

Neurorestorative Effects of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy after Stroke: An Integrative Review

Stroke has been considered as one of the main causes of death and of motor and cognitive sequels. Especially, many patients with upper limb hemiparesis improved their motor action and showed meaningful cortical changes after treatment with constraint-induced movement therapy. Therefore, this review aims to verify the literature about neuroimaging and behavioral evidences in the cortical reorganization through the use of the constraint-induced movement therapy. So, we conducted the literature research in indexed journals from many databases like Pubmed, Medline, Cochrane Database, Lilacs and Scielo. We concluded that the behavioral and neuroimaging studies using traditional and modified constraint-induced movement therapy promote cortical reorganization.

Petroleum Patent Used Such Monitoring Technological Like Innovation Process of Drilling Fluids with Xanthan Gum ——World Panorama

This paper aims to discuss the importance of patenting and publishing as an instrument of incentive to technological innovation in the petroleum chemistry area. The present study has examined the publications and the patent applications published from 1974 to 2014. A technological monitoring methodology for patents in drilling fluid with xanthan gum has been compared using profiles of patent application in the world, with emphasis on Industrial Property Databases available on the internet (INPI-Br, Derwent, Espacenet, Patent Scope and USPTO) with intention to assess the main inventors, applications, applications’ countries, the IPC classification, years of application and category of claims as well as discuss the importance of patents as a means of encouraging technological innovation of xanthan gum. The United States and China stand out both in relation to the publication of papers as well as in the amount of patent filing in scientific publications with the theme drilling fluid with additive xanthan gum classified by the authors’ country of origin. It is observed that Brazil and the US lead the ranking with 15 publications (about 23.1% of the total). Among the 72 institutions obtained as a result, both Petrobras SA and Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, lead the world ranking, with 6 publications each;in relation to the areas of knowledge, it is observed that engineering stands out in the publication of papers and the areas of chemistry, engineering, energy fuels and polymer science are noticeable in numbers of patent applications. The analysis of patent filings in the periods proposed features a significant percentage associated with the classification C09K.

Adipose stromal/stem cells in regenerative medicine:Potentials and limitations

This article presents the stem and progenitor cells from subcutaneous adipose tissue,briefly comparing them with their bone marrow counterparts,and discussing their potential for use in regenerative medicine.Subcutaneous adipose tissue differs from other mesenchymal stromal/stem cells(MSCs)sources in that it contains a pre-adipocyte population that dwells in the adventitia of robust blood vessels.Pre-adipocytes are present both in the stromal-vascular fraction(SVF;freshly isolated cells)and in the adherent fraction of adipose stromal/stem cells(ASCs;in vitro expanded cells),and have an active role on the chronic inflammation environment established in obesity,likely due their monocyticmacrophage lineage identity.The SVF and ASCs have been explored in cell therapy protocols with relative success,given their paracrine and immunomodulatory effects.Importantly,the widely explored multipotentiality of ASCs has direct application in bone,cartilage and adipose tissue engineering.The aim of this editorial is to reinforce the peculiarities of the stem and progenitor cells from subcutaneous adipose tissue,revealing the spheroids as a recently described biotechnological tool for cell therapy and tissue engineering.Innovative cell culture techniques,in particular 3D scaffold-free cultures such as spheroids,are now available to increase the potential for regeneration and differentiation of mesenchymal lineages.Spheroids are being explored not only as a model for cell differentiation,but also as powerful 3D cell culture tools to maintain the stemness and expand the regenerative and differentiation capacities of mesenchymal cell lineages.

Cartilage and bone tissue engineering using adipose stromal/stem cells spheroids as building blocks

Scaffold-free techniques in the developmental tissue engineering area are designed to mimic in vivo embryonic processes with the aim of biofabricating,in vitro,tissues with more authentic properties.Cell clusters called spheroids are the basis for scaffold-free tissue engineering.In this review,we explore the use of spheroids from adult mesenchymal stem/stromal cells as a model in the developmental engineering area in order to mimic the developmental stages of cartilage and bone tissues.Spheroids from adult mesenchymal stromal/stem cells lineages recapitulate crucial events in bone and cartilage formation during embryogenesis,and are capable of spontaneously fusing to other spheroids,making them ideal building blocks for bone and cartilage tissue engineering.Here,we discuss data from ours and other labs on the use of adipose stromal/stem cell spheroids in chondrogenesis and osteogenesis in vitro.Overall,recent studies support the notion that spheroids are ideal"building blocks"for tissue engineering by“bottom-up”approaches,which are based on tissue assembly by advanced techniques such as three-dimensional bioprinting.Further studies on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that orchestrate spheroid fusion are now crucial to support continued development of bottom-up tissue engineering approaches such as three-dimensional bioprinting.

Enhancing Smart Grid with Session-Oriented Communication System to Truly Support Reliability and Robustness

Environmental sustainability issues and the costs of new power generation and transmission have increased the interest in evolving current power grid to new technologies. The Smart Grid is a promising technology, since it allows a distributed computing approach with potentials for self-diagnosing/-healing, reliable multi-user communication and fast hard real-time control. However, the missing standardization associated with heterogeneity of legacy systems and wide-area service demands, makes very challenging to adopt Smart Grid in a cost-effective way. By considering this, we propose the Session-Oriented Communication System (SOCSys) to overcome the above issues by enhancing Smart Grid with truly reliable and robust capabilities over heterogeneous environments. SOCSys achieves this goal by orchestrating session-control with innovative network-centric facilities operating over a wireless mesh Information Network compliant with IEEE 802.11e/s standard. The simulation results show that SOCSys improved network performance in terms of bandwidth utilization and minimization of delay, while consuming low network resources. Graphical analyses showed that SOCSys supported multimedia sessions with excellent quality, where it outperforms the experiments with regular settings.

GeoAmazonas—GIS for Water Resources Management

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used essentially for spatial analysis. They can lead to the development of methods for analyzing and planning the use of geographical space and, consequently, are helpful to the decision making process, assisting those responsible for planning the use of a certain territory. This article is a result of the “Project for the Integrated and Sustainable Management of Trans- boundary Hydric Resources of the Amazon Basin considering Variability and Climate Change”, which has the goal of strengthening institutional guidelines in order to plan and execute activities related to the protection of the land, hydric resources and sustainable management of the Amazon Basin, considering the existing impacts of climatic changes. This article aims at analyzing the process of building and implementing the GeoAmazonas GIS as one of the instruments for managing the basin, including its contribution for standardizing different data sources in the entire area of the basin and the identification of conflicts related the use of water resources and vulnerability situations.

Selecting Oil Wells for Hydraulic Fracturing: A Comparison between Genetic-Fuzzy and Neuro Fuzzy Systems

Hydraulic fracturing is widely used to increase oil well production and to reduce formation damage. Reservoir studies and engineering analyses are carried out to select the wells for this kind of operation. As the reservoir parameters have some diffuse characteristics, Fuzzy Inference Systems (FIS) have been tested for these selection processes in the last few years. This paper compares the performance of a neuro fuzzy system and a genetic fuzzy system used for selecting wells for hydraulic fracturing, with knowledge acquired from an operational data base to set the SIF membership functions. The training data and the validation data used were the same for both systems. We concluded that, despite the genetic fuzzy system being a newer process, it obtained better results than the neuro fuzzy system. Another conclusion was that, as the genetic fuzzy system can work with constraints, the membership functions setting kept the consistency of variable linguistic values.