Edible insect powder, particularly from the cricket Acheta domesticus L., is a promising sustainable alternative to traditional livestock-derived protein. Insects provide high protein content, fibre, and essential minerals, making them suitable for food applications. This study investigates the viability of alternative diets for rearing A. domesticus. Two experimental diets were tested: RI [50% horticultural by-products (HP) + 50% commercial diet (CD)] and RII (33% HP + 33% CD + 33% fish by-products). The results demonstrated that both diets were suitable for cricket rearing. Crickets reared on diets RI and RII produced, respectively, insect powders FI and FII, which were evaluated for their nutritional, bioactive, and microbiological attributes. Both powders exhibited high protein content (≈60%), all essential amino acids, higher mineral content than traditional protein sources, and met European Union food safety standards. Diet composition influenced powder characteristics: FI showed higher antioxidant activity and saturated fat content, while FII contained more protein, ash, minerals, and monounsaturated fatty acids. These findings underscore the potential of using industrial by-products to promote a circulareconomy in insect farming and suggest pathways for further research. However, since insects can bioaccumulate toxic elements, such as Hg, from diets, caution should be taken when considering fish by-products

Elliptic flow at RHIC is computed event-by-event with NeXSPheRIO. We show that when symmetry of the particle distribution in relation to the reaction plane is assumed, there is a disagreement between the true and reconstructed elliptic flows. We suggest a possible way to take into account the asymmetry and get good agreement between these elliptic flows.

Football (soccer) is the most played sport worldwide, practiced by more than 300 million people [1]. It is a high-impact contact sport, and with the increasing competitive level, it often results in sports-related damage of the knee structures, including articular cartilage injuries [2â 4]. These articular cartilage injuries can also be caused by forceful and repetitive mechanical stresses on the knee joint during the football practice [5â 8]. When the cartilage damage reaches the subchondral bone, it often results in knee complaints [9], including pain, swelling, catching, and locking [3, 10, 11]. Nonetheless, articular cartilage injuries may be present in asymptomatic athletes which, if not treated properly, may lead to an early onset of knee osteoarthritis [12â 14].

Background: Mosaicplasty has been associated with good short- to long-term results. Nevertheless, the osteochondral harvesting is restricted to the donor-site area available and it may lead to significant donor-site morbidity. Purpose: Provide an overview of donor-site morbidity associated with harvesting of osteochondral plugs from the knee joint in mosaicplasty procedure. Methods: Comprehensive search using Pubmed, Cochrane Library, SPORTDiscus and CINAHL databases was carried out through 10th October of 2016. As inclusion criteria, all English-language studies that assessed the knee donor- site morbidity after mosaicplasty were accepted. The outcomes were the description and rate of knee donor-site morbidity, sampleâ s and cartilage defectâ s characterization and mosaicplasty-related features. Correlation between mosaicplasty features and rate of morbidity was performed. The methodological and reporting quality were assessed according to Colemanâ s methodology score. Results: Twenty-one studies were included, comprising a total of 1726 patients, with 1473 and 268 knee and ankle cartilage defects were included. The defect size ranged from 0.85 cm2 to 4.9 cm2 and most commonly 3 or less plugs (averaging 2.9 to 9.4 mm) were used. Donor-site for osteochondral harvesting included margins of the femoral trochlea (condyles), intercondylar notch, patellofemoral joint and upper tibio-fibular joint. Mean donor-site morbidity was 5.9 % and 19.6 % for knee and ankle mosaicplasty procedures, respectively. Concerning knee-to-knee mosaicplasty procedures, the most common donor-site morbidity complaints were patellofemoral disturbances (22 %) and crepitation (31 %), and in knee-to-ankle procedures there was a clear tendency for pain or instability during daily living or sports activities (44 %), followed by patellofemoral disturbances, knee stiffness and persistent pain (13 % each). There was no significant correlation between rate of donor-site morbidity and size of the defect, number and size of the plugs (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Osteochondral harvesting in mosaicplasty often results in considerable donor-site morbidity. The donor-site morbidity for knee-to-ankle (16.9 %) was greater than knee-to-knee (5.9 %) mosaicplasty procedures, without any significant correlation between rate of donor-site morbidity and size of the defect, number and size of the plugs. Lack or imcomplete of donor-site morbidity reporting within the mosaicplasty studies is a concern that should be addressed in future studies.

Purpose This study aimed to systematically analyze the postoperative clinical, functional, and imaging outcomes, complications, reoperations, and failures following patellofemoral cartilage restoration surgery. Methods This review was conducted according to the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to August 31, 2018, to identify clinical studies that assessed surgical outcomes of patellofemoral cartilage restoration surgery. The Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS) was used to assess study quality. Results Forty-two studies were included comprising 1,311 knees (mean age of 33.7 years and 56% males) and 1,309 patellofemoral defects (891 patella, 254 trochlear, 95 bipolar, and 69 multiple defects, including the patella or trochlea) at a mean follow-up of 59.2 months. Restoration techniques included autologous chondrocyte implantation (56%), particulated juvenile allograft cartilage (12%), autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis (9%), osteochondral autologous transplantation (9%), and osteochondral allograft transplantation (7%). Significant improvement in at least one score was present in almost all studies and these surpassed the minimal clinically important difference threshold. There was a weighted 19%, 35%, and 6% rate of reported complications, reoperations, and failures, respectively. Concomitant patellofemoral surgery (51% of patients) mostly did not lead to statistically different postoperative outcomes. Conclusion Numerous patellofemoral restoration techniques result in significant functional improvement with a low rate of failure. No definitive conclusions could be made to determine the best surgical technique since comparative studies on this topic are rare, and treatment choice should be made according to specific patient and defect characteristics.

Kesterite solar cells based in Cu2ZnSnS4 and Cu2ZnSnSe4 are potential future candidates to be used in thin film solar cells. The technology still has to be developed to a great extent and for this to happen, high levels of confidence in the characterization methods are required so that improvements can be made on solid interpretations. In this study we show that the interpretations of one of the most used characterization techniques in kesterites, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), might be affected by its specimen preparation when using focused ion beam (FIB). Using complementary measurements based on scanning electron microscopy and Raman scattering spectroscopy, compelling evidences show that secondary phases of ZnSe mixed in the bulk of Cu2ZnSnSe4 are the likely cause of the appearance of voids in the STEM lamellae. Sputtering simulations support this interpretation by showing that Zn in a ZnSe matrix is preferentially sputtered compared with any metal atom in a Cu2ZnSnSe4 matrix.

Abstract The requirement of traceability of information for food is an increasingly important condition for gaining the confidence and loyalty of the consumer. The concept of geotraceabil ity arose through the association between knowledge of a geographical nature with the traditional information provided by traceability. This study explored the use of design of spatial information inherent to biophysical parameters of the pasture (vegetation indices and evapotranspiration) combined with data collection on the mobility of cattle in pasture areas for extraction and availability of spatially explicit information that can assist sustainable cattle production. From the trajectories, it was observed the existence of a typical behavioral pattern of the animals, such as the preference to walk towards clean and flat terrain, search for areas that present better thermal comfort or regions near to supplementary feeding (salt, food, etc.) and the access to water. Overall, it is noticed that in a pasture environment, the animals prioritize their primary physiological needs, that is, water consumption and thermal regulation. The results are promising in terms of applied research for behavioral analysis of animals and environmental interactions associated with mobility. The technique used in the study has the potential to be applied in the implementation of cattle production geodecision systems that support good production practices and favor the quality and safety of food with environmental sustainability.

The Alto Tocantins watershed, located in the Brazilian Savanna (Cerrado biome), is under an intense land use and occupation process, causing increased pressure on natural resources. Pasture areas in the region are highly relevant to the rational use of natural resources in order to achieve economic and environmental sustainability. In this context, remote sensing techniques have been essential for obtaining information relevant to the assessment of vegetation conditions on a large scale. This study aimed to apply this tool in conjunction with field measurements to evaluate evapotranspiration (ET) against pasture degradation indicators. The SAFER algorithm was applied to estimate ET using MODIS images and weather station data from year 2012. Results showed that ET was lower in degraded pastures. It is noteworthy that during low rainfall period, ET values were 22.2% lower in relation to non-degraded pastures. This difference in ET indicates changes in the partition of the energy balance and may impact the microclimate. These results may contribute to public policies that aim to reduce the loss of the productive potential of pastures.

O fenômeno da expansão por umidade (EPU) resulta da ação da água e seus vapores causando a expansão dos materiais cerâmicos, podendo provocar danos no material e prejudicar sua vida útil. Na literatura existe muita ênfase nos problemas gerados pela EPU e nas tensões resultantes dessa expansão, porém até o presente não há dados relativos ao comportamento mecânico dos materiais cerâmicos após ação da EPU. Trabalhos recentemente desenvolvidos na UFCG tratam especificamente desse problema em blocos cerâmicos de vedação. Inicialmente verificou-se que, no caso de massas cerâmicas para uso em cerâmica vermelha queimadas em diversas temperaturas na faixa de 700 a 1100 ºC, e com a EPU induzida por imersão, fervura e autoclavagem, a EPU tem correlação com o comportamento mecânico dos corpos queimados, observando-se redução no módulo de ruptura à flexão à medida que a EPU aumenta. Trabalhos desenvolvidos com massas para uso em cerâmica vermelha aditivadas com carbonato de cálcio e carbonato de magnésio e queimadas entre 850 e 1000 ºC, evidenciaram o efeito benéfico do carbonato de cálcio na redução da EPU e aumento da resistência à flexão, sendo observada correlação entre EPU e módulo de ruptura à flexão, mas, no entanto, não foi observada correlação entre a EPU e o módulo quando da utilização do carbonato de magnésio. Pesquisas efetuadas com massas para cerâmica vermelha aditivadas com quartzo fino, visando o desenvolvimento de fases vítreas, não mostraram correlações bem definidas entre EPU e módulo de ruptura, sendo observado que adições de 10 e 20% de quartzo melhoram a resistência mecânica dos corpos cerâmicos após autoclavagem e que a adição de 30% de quartzo reduz seu módulo de ruptura.

Abstract Ceramic membranes are of great industrial interest in separation processes. They are characterized by high chemical and thermal stabilities and filtration capacity at high temperatures (>500 °C) in a wide range of pH values. However, the major disadvantage of ceramic membranes is the high-cost of production involving synthetic raw materials, usually alumina and zirconia. In this work, low-cost ceramic membranes were prepared by solid-state reactive firing using a mixture of kaolinite clay and sugarcane bagasse ash. Particle size distribution, thermal, mineralogical, and chemical composition analyses were carried out to study the raw materials. Technological properties and water permeability were investigated in samples fired between 800 and 1000 °C. The filtration efficiency was measured by comparative analyses between the raw water and the filtrate. The mean pore size ranging from 2.5 to 6.0 μm makes the sugarcane bagasse ash derived ceramic membranes suitable for microfiltration processes.