Abstract The medical treatment of uterine fibroids is a subject of growing interest, often associated to difficult decisions, especially in women who wish to preserve fertility and the uterus. The existing treatments are only used for short or limited periods, due to the evidence paucity on the benefits and risks of long-term use. New molecules are being tested showing improved efficacy in the management of uterine fibroids associated symptoms, especially in abnormal uterine bleeding and good safety profiles. The recent data which supports the new treatment options for symptomatic uterine fibroids, particularly in the control of abnormal uterine bleeding, are reviewed herein.

Resumo O tratamento médico dos miomas uterinos sintomáticos continua a ser um dos grandes desafios, existindo cada vez mais a preocupação da preservação anatómica e da fertilidade. Os tratamentos existentes são utilizados apenas por períodos curtos e limitados, devido à escassez de evidências sobre os benefícios e riscos do uso a longo prazo. Novas moléculas inovadoras têm sido investigadas, mostrando melhorias no controlo da hemorragia uterina anormal e perfis de segurança apropriados. Os dados recentes que suportam as novas opções de tratamento para miomas uterinos sintomáticos, particularmente no controlo da hemorragia uterina anormal, são aqui revistos e sistematizados.

Abstract Research on environmental perception is essential for the understanding of individuals’ relations and expectations towards natural environments. Here, we evaluated the perception of high school students on exotic and native species in Brazil. We interviewed 371 students from two high schools located in the state of Goiás, one with and one without a protected area within its premises. Students needed to identify native and exotic species and to indicate species origin. We used a t-test to evaluate differences between students’ scores regarding the correctness of species origin and also ANOVA to assess whether these scores varied among taxonomic groups. Students identified exotic species better than native ones. Students better identified exotic mammals, fishes, and birds than native ones. We found there were no significant relationships of students’ knowledge of species’ origins with socioecological factors. Students’ perceptions of exotic and native species were low and focused on charismatic large-bodied species. We suggest that students are encouraged to expand their knowledge of local biodiversity. Teachers, local schools, and policymakers are essential to achieve this aim. A more diverse methodology for teaching, including new technologies and citizen-science projects, can help establish a genuine interest of local biodiversity students.

RESUMO O melão-de-são-caetano (Momordica charantia L.) é uma planta versátil que pode ser consumida como alimento e possui aplicações terapêuticas. Desta forma, o estudo sobre o processo de secagem é de suma importância para manter a qualidade de suas folhas durante o armazenamento. Objetivou-se, com esta pesquisa, avaliar a cinética de secagem das folhas de melão-de-são-caetano, bem como determinar suas propriedades termodinâmicas. As folhas foram dispostas em bandejas de polietileno e submetidas a secagem em estufa nas temperaturas de 20, 30, 40 e 50 °C até atingir o equilíbrio higroscópico. Diversos modelos de regressão não linear foram ajustados aos dados experimentais para caracterizar o processo de secagem. A partir do modelo de Arrhenius foram obtidos os coeficientes da difusão e a energia de ativação para o cálculo da entalpia, entropia e energia livre de Gibbs. Os modelos de Midilli e Page foram os melhores para representação da cinética de secagem das folhas de melão-de-são-caetano nas temperaturas de 20, 30, 40 e 50 °C. O aumento da temperatura do ar de secagem aumenta a energia livre de Gibbs e a difusividade de água no interior das folhas. A entalpia e a entropia diminuem com o aumento da temperatura.

ABSTRACT Bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) is a versatile plant that can be consumed as a food and has therapeutic applications. Studying its drying process is important to maintain their leaf quality during storage. The objective of this study was to evaluate the drying kinetics of bitter melon leaves and determine their thermodynamic properties. The leaves were placed in polyethylene trays and subjected to drying in an oven at temperatures of 20, 30, 40, and 50 °C until reaching hygroscopic equilibrium. The experimental data were fitted to several non-linear regression models to characterize the drying process. The Arrhenius model was used to obtain the coefficients of diffusion and the activation energy, which were used to calculate the enthalpy, entropy, and the Gibbs free energy. Midilli and Page were the best models to represent the drying kinetics of bitter melon leaves at temperatures of 20, 30, 40, and 50 °C. Increases in the drying air temperature increased the Gibbs free energy and water diffusivity in the interior of the leaves. Enthalpy and entropy decreased as the temperature was increased.

RESUMO Estudos relacionados com a sorção de água em sementes são essenciais para o dimensionamento e otimização de sistemas de armazenagem. Assim, objetivou-se determinar e modelar as isotermas de adsorção e calcular o calor latente de vaporização da água, a entalpia e entropia diferencial, a teoria isocinética e a energia livre de Gibbs para as sementes de pimenta Cumari-do-Pará. Os teores de água de equilíbrio foram obtidos pelo método estático gravimétrico nas temperaturas de 30, 35 e 40 °C e atividades de água entre 0,290 a 0,900 (decimal). O modelo de Chen-Clayton é o que melhor representa as isotermas de adsorção de água em sementes de pimenta Cumari-do-Pará nas condições estudadas, apresentando 9,94% de erro médio relativo, 0,40 de erro médio estimado e distribuição aleatória dos resíduos. O calor latente de vaporização variou de 2.555,669 a 3.162,180 kJ kg-1. A entalpia, a entropia e a energia livre de Gibbs aumentam com a redução do teor de água de equilíbrio das sementes. A teoria isocinética é válida para o processo de adsorção.

ABSTRACT Studies related to water sorption in seeds are essential for the design and optimization of storage systems. The objective of this research was to determine and model the adsorption isotherms and calculate the latent heat of water vaporization, differential enthalpy and entropy, the isokinetic theory and Gibbs free energy for ‘Cumari-do-Pará’ pepper seeds. The equilibrium moisture contents were obtained by the static gravimetric method at temperatures of 30, 35 and 40 °C and water activities between 0.290 and 0.900 (decimal). The Chen-Clayton model is the one that best represents the water adsorption isotherms in ‘Cumari-do-Pará’ pepper seeds under the studied conditions, with 9.94% mean relative error, 0.40 mean estimated error and random distribution of residuals. The latent heat of vaporization ranged from 2,555.669 to 3,162.180 kJ kg-1. The enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy increase with the reduction in the equilibrium moisture content of the seeds. The isokinetic theory is valid for the adsorption process.

The wastewaters from biodiesel production contain as primarily wastes sodium or potassium soaps, fatty acids, glycerin, alcohol and other contaminants. In general, these waters are chemically unsuitable for release to any water body, so, it is necessary the adoption of techniques for the treatment of this effluent. In this review, electrochemical, biological, physicochemical, and combined treatments reported for the removal of the wastewater containing pollutants come from biodiesel production have been summarized. In addition, the recovery, the reuse, the energy production and the synthesis of new compounds from the organic matter contained in this kind of effluent are also reviewed.