K.A. Marques, C.E Celli, J.H. Passoni, D. Teixeira, E. Bachiega, E.S. Vidal, W.M. Carvalho, M.L. Aguiar and J.R. Coury
The monitoring of respirable particulate matter (PM10) and of total carbon percentage (mass basis) in the atmosphere of São Carlos (SP) was performed in the period between…
Abstract
The monitoring of respirable particulate matter (PM10) and of total carbon percentage (mass basis) in the atmosphere of São Carlos (SP) was performed in the period between September 1997 and January 2000. São Carlos, located in the central region of the state of São Paulo, has a population of close to 180,000 inhabitants and about 500 industrial establishments of medium to small size, mainly dealing with metallurgy, textiles, food and ceramics. The equipment used for air monitoring was a high volume sampler (GVS‐GRASEBY/GMW) equipped with a one‐stage inertial separator for a 10μm particle cut diameter. The PM10 concentration was determined by gravimetry and the total carbon concentration by the Ströheim method. The results show a well defined seasonal dependence of both the PM10 and of the total carbon concentration. Higher concentrations of PM10 and carbon were observed in autumn and winter, which also coincided with low relative humidity and precipitation. The measured trends were compared with the PM10 data from the city of São Paulo in the same period and showed similar seasonal dependence. However, in relative terms, the PM10 concentration in São Carlos showed stronger seasonal dependence than in São Paulo.
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Elaine Schornobay-Lui, Eduardo Carlos Alexandrina, Mônica Lopes Aguiar, Werner Siegfried Hanisch, Edinalda Moreira Corrêa and Nivaldo Aparecido Corrêa
There has been a growing concern about air quality because in recent years, industrial and vehicle emissions have resulted in unsatisfactory human health conditions. There is an…
Abstract
Purpose
There has been a growing concern about air quality because in recent years, industrial and vehicle emissions have resulted in unsatisfactory human health conditions. There is an urgent need for the measurements and estimations of particulate pollutants levels, especially in urban areas. As a contribution to this issue, the purpose of this paper is to use data from measured concentrations of particulate matter and meteorological conditions for the predictions of PM10.
Design/methodology/approach
The procedure included daily data collection of current PM10 concentrations for the city of São Carlos-SP, Brazil. These data series enabled to use an estimator based on artificial neural networks. Data sets were collected using the high-volume sampler equipment (VFA-MP10) in the period ranging from 1997 to 2006 and from 2014 to 2015. The predictive models were created using statistics from meteorological data. The models were developed using two neural network architectures, namely, perceptron multilayer (MLP) and non-linear autoregressive exogenous (NARX) inputs network.
Findings
It was observed that, over time, there was a decrease in the PM10 concentration rates. This is due to the implementation of more strict environmental laws and the development of less polluting technologies. The model NARX that used as input layer the climatic variables and the PM10 of the previous day presented the highest average absolute error. However, the NARX model presented the fastest convergence compared with the MLP network.
Originality/value
The presentation of a given PM10 concentration of the previous day improved the performance of the predictive models. This paper brings contributions with the NARX model applications.
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Julia Fernanda Urbano Marinho, Marcella Chalella Mazzocato, Fabricio Luiz Tulini, Marluci Palazzolli Silva, Elaine Cristina Pereira de Martinis and Carmen Sílvia Fávaro-Trindade
The purpose of this study was the development and the nutritional, physical-chemical and sensorial characterization of probiotic and synbiotic sorbets elaborated with jussara pulp…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was the development and the nutritional, physical-chemical and sensorial characterization of probiotic and synbiotic sorbets elaborated with jussara pulp (Euterpe edulis), Lactobacillus spp. and polydextrose.
Design/methodology/approach
Five formulations of jussara sorbets (one control, two probiotics and two synbiotics) were produced and evaluated according to their centesimal composition, pH, soluble solids, instrumental color, overrun, apparent density, sensory acceptability and purchase intent.
Findings
All sorbets exhibited low calorific value, with no difference between them (p =0.96). The synbiotic samples (S3 and S5) showed the higher carbohydrate (30.4 and 30.2 per cent) and crude fiber content (0.4 and 0.5 per cent). Regarding to sensory acceptance, the probiotic samples (S2 and S4) presented greater global acceptability (averages acceptance 6.4 and 6.6, respectively) while the polydextrose samples (S3 and S5) showed low values (5.9 for both samples), although this prebiotic was able to increase the overrun to values above 40 per cent.
Practical implications
The functional jussara sorbets are a promising possibility for diversification of the probiotic foods already offered. The combination of its probiotic, prebiotic and bioactive properties can provide technological improvement and superior nutritional quality, with good sensorial acceptance. Likewise, jussara pulp showed nutritional properties favorable to its application in the food industry, which can help preserve its endangered palm tree.
Originality/value
The probiotics and synbiotics jussara sorbets showed to be adequate as a lactose-free and low-calorie functional product, with high nutritional, commercial and ecological value. Also, it was possible to notice that while the addition of probiotics improved the sensorial acceptance of jussara sorbets, polydextrose raised the technological quality by increasing its overrun.
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This exploratory study, a Ph.D. dissertation completed at the University of Western Ontario in 2013, examines the materially embedded relations of power between library users and…
Abstract
This exploratory study, a Ph.D. dissertation completed at the University of Western Ontario in 2013, examines the materially embedded relations of power between library users and staff in public libraries and how building design regulates spatial behavior according to organizational objectives. It considers three public library buildings as organization spaces (Dale & Burrell, 2008) and determines the extent to which their spatial organizations reproduce the relations of power between the library and its public that originated with the modern public library building type ca. 1900. Adopting a multicase study design, I conducted site visits to three, purposefully selected public library buildings of similar size but various ages. Site visits included: blueprint analysis; organizational document analysis; in-depth, semi-structured interviews with library users and library staff; cognitive mapping exercises; observations; and photography.
Despite newer approaches to designing public library buildings, the use of newer information technologies, and the emergence of newer paradigms of library service delivery (e.g., the user-centered model), findings strongly suggest that the library as an organization still relies on many of the same socio-spatial models of control as it did one century ago when public library design first became standardized. The three public libraries examined show spatial organizations that were designed primarily with the librarian, library materials, and library operations in mind far more than the library user or the user’s many needs. This not only calls into question the public library’s progressiveness over the last century but also hints at its ability to survive in the new century.
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Andrei Bologa, Hanns‐Rudolf Paur, Helmut Seifert, Klaus Woletz and Tobias Ulbricht
The aim of the paper is to present the results of investigations of fine particle generation by small biomass combustion and the possibility of reducing the emissions by…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the paper is to present the results of investigations of fine particle generation by small biomass combustion and the possibility of reducing the emissions by electrostatic precipitation.
Design/methodology/approach
The grains, wood‐logs, wood‐, mixed‐ and straw‐pellets were combusted in two stoves and two boilers. The set‐ups were operated according to DIN‐4702. Particle number concentration in the gas flow was measured by Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer and particle mass concentration was measured according to the Guidelines VDI‐2066 upstream and downstream a novel space charge electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The ESP consists of an ioniser and a grounded brush inside of a tube form grounded collector electrode.
Findings
The ESP ensures stable operation at gas temperatures up to 350°C. The use of sharp‐points high voltage electrode ensures effective particle charging at high particle number concentrations. The combustion of wood‐pellets is characterized by lower particle mass concentrations. The highest particle mass concentrations were observed by the straw‐pellets combustion. The ESP ensures particle collection with mass collection efficiency 87±3% for wood‐logs and 82±2% for wood‐pellets combustion.
Practical implications
The novel ESP is recommended for exhaust gas cleaning from small scale biomass combustion facilities and domestic heating units. The use of the ESP would reduce the emissions of fine aerosol into the atmosphere and improve the air quality.
Originality/value
The paper presents the comparative analysis of particle size distribution and particle mass concentrations in the exhaust gas from small‐scale combustion units for different types of biomass. The study confirms the possibility to reduce particle emissions by electrostatic precipitation. The originality of the technology and apparatus is patently protected.
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This chapter explores the challenges and opportunities of using multiliteracies pedagogy and multimodality in a nontraditional English language arts classroom. The paper…
Abstract
This chapter explores the challenges and opportunities of using multiliteracies pedagogy and multimodality in a nontraditional English language arts classroom. The paper highlights the dynamic and contemporary nature of the multiliteracies pedagogy and multimodal literacy practices proposed by the New London Group (1996). This paper makes connections through the analysis of scholarship and practice and provides solutions for educators to promote learning that is meaningful, engaging, and relevant to students. The focus is on promoting literacy instruction that values students' creativity, language, and culture to cultivate analysis, inquiry, and agency.
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The intent of this chapter is to examine the historical and present-day intersections of injury, impairment, pain and risk-taking in the Paralympic Movement. While much has been…
Abstract
Purpose
The intent of this chapter is to examine the historical and present-day intersections of injury, impairment, pain and risk-taking in the Paralympic Movement. While much has been written about injuries that end an athlete’s career, far less consideration has been given to how an injury might launch a sports career. In this chapter, I explore the experiences of athletes for whom injury and sports participation are fundamentally entwined.
Approach
To accomplish this, I draw on sociological literature on sport and injury, psychological literature on identities and sport retirement and feminist disability theories. The discussion is further enriched by interviews with Paralympic athletes and informed by own experience as a researcher, guide and volunteer in the Paralympic Movement.
Findings
This work illustrates how systems of representation intersect to (re)produce identities. This includes demonstrating how some individuals use sport as a means of claiming an athletic identity while distancing themselves from devalued disabled identities and the subsequent impact this can have on their psycho-social well-being.
Implications
This chapter demonstrates how sociologists of sports can engage with critical disability scholarship to deepen understandings of how and why individuals with impairments enter into sport and their experiences therein.
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Heather T. Rowan-Kenyon, Rebecca D. Blanchard, Brian D. Reed and Amy K. Swan
This study examines the characteristics that affect college persistence from the first to second year among low-socioeconomic status (SES) high school graduates who enrolled in a…
Abstract
This study examines the characteristics that affect college persistence from the first to second year among low-socioeconomic status (SES) high school graduates who enrolled in a two- or four-year college degree program, using the ELS:2002 database. Specifically, this study compares the influences of student entry characteristics, social and cultural capital, institutional characteristics, and college experiences across SES quartiles. While academic preparation and college support measures were predictors of persistence for all groups, predictors of persistence for low-SES students included measures of academic preparation and talking with faculty or advisors. Implications extend to institutional responses needed to support the success of low-SES students.