Search results

The recent European crisis has raised a number of concerns among economists about the persistence of significant productive and competitiveness differences across national economies within the European Union (EU). Such differences can be seen as both a major root cause underlying the crisis and as an important factor explaining the current political difficulties within the EU.

The big divide between core and periphery is taken into account in this chapter, which focuses on the processes of structural transformation in the European periphery. We intend to contribute to a better understanding of structural changes in Europe and of their potential impact on future growth prospects and overall convergence/divergence dynamics.

A comparison of the experiences of two groups of peripheral countries is undertaken, based on a sample of old member states of Southwestern Europe and of new member states of Eastern Europe. A descriptive analysis is made of the trends occurred in the structure of production, employment and trade, examining this evidence in the light of technology and skill-based industrial classifications. Comparisons are made for both the pre and post-crisis periods.

Changes in the economic structure towards more skill- and technology-intensive sectors were relatively modest in Southwest Europe, whereas they increased rapidly in Eastern Europe. Notwithstanding, both groups of countries have experienced a strong deterioration of the growth dynamics after 2008, which seems to reflect the strong emphasis of economic policy on financial market stabilisation and a relative neglect of policies targeted to the recovery of investment and to the reinforcement of exporting capacities.

The solution to overcome economic retardation requires inevitably export-led growth and the building up of a more competitive economy. This, in turn, requires the design of an adequate industrial policy.

This study aims to estimate the overall SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and evaluate the accuracy of an antibody rapid test compared to a reference serological assay during a COVID-19 outbreak in a prison complex housing over 13,000 prisoners in Brasília.

The authors obtained a randomized, stratified representative sample of each prison unit and conducted a repeated serosurvey among prisoners between June and July 2020, using a lateral-flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIA). Samples were also retested using a chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (CLIA) to compare SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and 21-days incidence, as well as to estimate the overall infection fatality rate (IFR) and determine the diagnostic accuracy of the LFIA test.

This study identified 485 eligible individuals and enrolled 460 participants. Baseline and 21-days follow-up seroprevalence were estimated at 52.0% (95% CI 44.9–59.0) and 56.7% (95% CI 48.2–65.3) with LFIA; and 80.7% (95% CI 74.1–87.3) and 81.1% (95% CI 74.4–87.8) with CLIA, with an overall IFR of 0.02%. There were 78.2% (95% CI 66.7–89.7) symptomatic individuals among the positive cases. Sensitivity and specificity of LFIA were estimated at 43.4% and 83.3% for IgM; 46.5% and 91.5% for IgG; and 59.1% and 77.3% for combined tests.

The authors found high seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies within the prison complex. The occurrence of asymptomatic infection highlights the importance of periodic mass testing in addition to case-finding of symptomatic individuals; however, the field performance of LFIA tests should be validated. This study recommends that vaccination strategies consider the inclusion of prisoners and prison staff in priority groups.

The objective of this study was to assess the incorporation of polyunsaturated omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in the eggs of Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) fed with soybean, flaxseed and shark liver oils, as well as to assess their effects on the chemical composition and lipid quality of the yolks.

The total of 252 units of quails were distributed in a completely randomized design with seven treatments and six replications, totaling 42 experimental design units. The sources of oils and their inclusions in the experimental diet were 2% of soybean oil (S), 2% of flaxseed oil (L) and 2% shark liver oil (T), obtained from the species Carcharhinus acronotus, and the mixtures of 1% S + 1% L (SL); 1% S + 1% T (ST); 1% L + 1% T (LT) and 0.67% S + 0.67% L + 0.67% T (SLT).

The proximate composition of the egg yolk was not changed to the supplementation of lipid sources added in quail diet. The total replacement of soybean oil by shark liver oil reduced the cholesterol content in the yolk by 19% (T = 282.97 mg cholesterol/100 g egg) and the addition of flaxseed oil produced eggs with greater amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (LS = 18.32%). The treatments with flaxseed oil and its mixtures (soybean oil + flaxseed oil and flaxseed oil + shark liver oil) effectively contributed to reducing the ω-6:ω-3 ratio and enriching the quail eggs with PUFAs, especially linolenic acid (18: 3n3c) and EPA (20: 5n3c).

Thus, manipulation in the diet of quails enriched the content of essential PUFAs and reduced the cholesterol content in the yolk. The flaxseed oil was the lipid source that influenced to improve the quality of the egg yolk. These results have practical applicability for the quail egg industry.

The increasing accumulation of synthetic plastic waste in oceans and landfills, along with the depletion of non-renewable fossil-based resources, has sparked environmental concerns and prompted the search for environmentally friendly alternatives. Biodegradable plastics derived from lignocellulosic materials are emerging as substitutes for synthetic plastics, offering significant potential to reduce landfill stress and minimise environmental impacts. This study highlights a sustainable and cost-effective solution by utilising agricultural residues and invasive plant materials as carbon substrates for the production of biopolymers, particularly polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), through microbiological processes. Locally sourced residual materials were preferred to reduce transportation costs and ensure accessibility. The selection of suitable residue streams was based on various criteria, including strength properties, cellulose content, low ash and lignin content, affordability, non-toxicity, biocompatibility, shelf-life, mechanical and physical properties, short maturation period, antibacterial properties and compatibility with global food security. Life cycle assessments confirm that PHB dramatically lowers CO₂ emissions compared to traditional plastics, while the growing use of lignocellulosic biomass in biopolymeric applications offers renewable and readily available resources. Governments worldwide are increasingly inclined to develop comprehensive bioeconomy policies and specialised bioplastics initiatives, driven by customer acceptability and the rising demand for environmentally friendly solutions. The implications of climate change, price volatility in fossil materials, and the imperative to reduce dependence on fossil resources further contribute to the desirability of biopolymers. The study involves fermentation, turbidity measurements, extraction and purification of PHB, and the manufacturing and testing of composite biopolymers using various physical, mechanical and chemical tests.

This article aims to collect data on the aluminum alloy 7050-T7451 machinability used in the manufacturing of aeronautical structures, using the combination of the jatropha vegetable-base soluble cutting oil in relation to the canola vegetal and semisynthetic mineral oils and the technique to apply cutting fluid by flood in relation to the Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) in the milling process (HSM – high-speed machining).

It was observed that the jatropha vegetal cutting oil presented the best results in relation to requirements for lubrication, superficial mean roughness (index Ra) and shape errors in relation to the other oils in both the techniques to apply fluid which were tested. Comparing the application techniques, the jatropha vegetal oil offered an increase in the life span of the cutting tool, using the flood technique, exceeding in almost six times the machined length of the cutting tool in relation to the MQL technique in the same process conditions.

The Jatropha vegetable-base cutting oil, besides being produced from a renewable source, has inherent characteristics that can help attain a sustainable manufacturing, mainly with the use of the flood technique to apply cutting fluid in the aluminum alloy 7050-T7451 machining.

The Jatropha (vegetable) oil, in relation to its physicochemical properties, appeared to be the best one fit for being used in the machining of aluminum alloys 7050-T7451 because it did not interfere with any of the elements involved in the formation of intergranular corrosion and/or pitting, which are not allowed in the aeronautical production of parts. Jatropha (vegetable) cutting oil, besides being produced from a clean and renewable source, has the inherent characteristics that can help attain a sustainable manufacturing.

This study aims to determine the physicochemical and fatty acids composition of Serra da Estrela cheese (SEC), as well as health-related lipid indices, like the atherogenic and thrombogenic indices, and to evaluate the influence of producer, geographical origin and production date.

All 24 SEC produced between November 2017 and March 2018 were collected at selected certified producers and analyzed by NIR spectrophotometer and by GC. Data were statistically evaluated by chemometric tools.

In all evaluated SEC, 23 fatty acids were quantified. Cheese origin influenced nutritional and health-related lipid indices). The cheeses were characterized by a relative high abundance of saturated fatty acids (67-76%), followed by a medium content of monounsaturated fatty acids (17-25%) and by low level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (5-7%). A putative positive association between cheese consumption and healthy lipid indices could be reached.

The contents of some medium and long chain fatty acids as well as of nutritional and health indices were influenced by cheese producer, geographical origin and production date pointing out the need for standardizing production procedures.

The SEC plays a key role in the local economy, being an endogenous product with unique sensory characteristics and nutritional potential, for which the knowledge of the lipids profile and health indices is of utmost relevance.

SEC is an iconic Portuguese cheese with Protected Designation of Origin. Based on the results, like health-related lipid indices, evaluated for the first time, a positive association between cheese consumption and healthy lipid indices could be envisaged.

This study aims to describe a bibliometric analysis of recent articles addressing the applications of e- noses with particular emphasis on those dealing with fuel-related products. Documents covering the general area of e-nose research and published between 1975 and 2021 were retrieved from the Web of Science database, and peer-reviewed articles were selected and appraised according to specific descriptors and criteria.

Analyses were performed by mapping the knowledge domain using the software tools VOSviewer and RStudio. It was possible to identify the countries, research organizations, authors and disciplines that were most prolific in the area, together with the most cited articles and the most frequent keywords. A total of 3,921 articles published in peer-reviewed journals were initially retrieved but only 47 (1.19%) described fuel-related e-nose applications with original articles published in indexed journals. However, this number was reduced to 38 (0.96%) articles strictly related to the target subject.

Rigorous appraisal of these documents yielded 22 articles that could be classified into two groups, those aimed at predicting the values of key parameters and those dealing with the discrimination of samples. Most of these 22 selected articles (68.2%) were published between 2017 and 2021, but little evidence was apparent of international collaboration between researchers and institutions currently working on this topic. The strategy of switching energy systems away from fossil fuels towards low-carbon renewable technologies that has been adopted by many countries will generate substantial research opportunities in the prediction, discrimination and quantification of volatiles in biofuels using e-nose.

It is important to highlight that the greatest difficulty in using the e-nose is the interpretation of the data generated by the equipment; most studies have so far used the maximum value of the electrical resistance signal of each e-nose sensor as the only data provided by this sensor; however, from 2019 onwards, some works began to consider the entire electrical resistance curve as a data source, extracting more information from it.

This study opens a new and promising way for the effective use of e-nose as a fuel analysis instrument, as low-cost sensors can be developed for use with the new data analysis methodology, enabling the production of portable, cheaper and more reliable equipment.

Micropollutants in the aquatic environment pose threats to both ecosystems and human health. Traditional wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) reduce some micropollutants, especially those who adhere to sludge or suspended matter. The hydrophilic micropollutants, on the other side, which may be non-biodegradable and resistant to UV-treatment etc. are typically transported untreated into the water recipients. This paper contains a literature study on the state of the art of advanced wastewater treatment technologies for reducing micropollutants such as pharmaceutical degradation products, personal care products, surfactants and industrial chemicals including heavy metals.

This literature study is completed using the most extensive and expansive literature database in the World to date, Google Scholar (GS). Published papers in recognized scientific journals are sought out in GS, and for relevance for this literature study, papers published here from 2016 and onwards (the last 5 years) have been chosen to eliminate irrelevant studies.

The result of the study is that there are many promising technologies on the market or emerging; however, no one solution treats every micropollutant equally well. Since advanced technologies often require expensive investments for municipalities and companies, it is important to identify which micropollutants pose the highest risk towards human health and the environment, because choosing systems to eliminate them all is not economically wise, and even choosing a system combining the existing technologies can be more expensive than states, municipalities and private companies are capable of investing in.

The research is limited to published papers on GS, which may omit certain papers published in closed databases not sharing their work on GS.

The practical implications are that practitioners cannot find go-to solutions based on the conclusions of the research and thus need to use the results to investigate their own needs further in order to make the wisest decision accordingly. However, the paper outlines the state of the art in advanced wastewater treatment and explains the benefits and downsides of the technologies mentioned; however, more research in the field is required before practitioners may find a proper solution to their specific issues.

The social implications are that the consequences of introducing a removal of micropollutants from the water environment can ultimately effect the citizens/consumers/end-users through added costs to the tariffs or taxes on advanced wastewater treatment, added costs on everyday goods, wares and products and added costs on services that uses goods, wares and products that ultimately produces micropollutants affecting the water environment.

This paper presents a much needed state of the art regarding the current advanced technologies to mitigate micropollutants in wastewater. The overview the paper provides supports politics on national as well as international levels, where larger unions such as the EU has stated that advanced wastewater treatment will be the next step in regulating pollutants for aquatic outlet.