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Introduction: According to the Portuguese clinical guidelines published in 1999, patients with traumatic brain injury and coagulopathies should remain in-hospital for 24 hours for clinical and image surveillance, despite having an admission computed tomography (CT) scan showing no intracranial lesions. Growing evidence suggests this practice is not only void of clinical relevance, but that it can also be potentially harmful for the patient. Nevertheless, up until now there is no published data concerning the economic impact of this clinical practice. Methods: A cost analysis compared retrospective data from patients admitted to our emergency department during 2022 with a hypothetical scenario in which a patient with an admission CT scan without traumatic lesions was discharged. Clinical data was also retrieved concerning the rate of a delayed intracranial bleeding on 24-hour CT scan and mortality at a six-month-period after discharge. Direct costs for the national health service were determined in terms of funding and time invested by medical teams. Results: From a sample of 440 patients, 436 remained in-hospital for a 24-hour clinical and image surveillance, of which only two (0.5%) showed a new intracranial lesion on the second CT-scan. Neither of these two patients required therapeutic measures to control bleeding and were discharged 36 hours after admission. Out of 440 patients, one patient (0.2%) died of cardiac arrest during the 24-hour surveillance period, despite having an initial normal CT scan showing no brain lesions. Our current surveillance practice directly amounted to €163 157.00, whereas the cost of our hypothetical scenario amounted to €29 480.00: a difference of €133 677.00. The application of our surveillance guideline also meant that nine emergency shifts were devoted to this task, compared to 4.6 hypothetical shifts if patients were discharged after an initial CT scan without traumatic intracranial lesions. Conclusion: In spite of apparently not adding any clinical value to our practice, our in-hospital surveillance may represent a significant financial and time-consuming burden, costing five times as much and demanding our medical teams twice as much work when compared to a scenario without clinical surveillance and 24-hour CT scans.

The rising prevalence of food intolerances and increased health and environmental consciousness has driven the demand for free-from (FF) and organic products. This study aims to analyze consumer needs, motivations, and challenges related to these products in Portugal through an online survey with 2268 eligible responses, with a median age of the participants of 41 years. The sample was predominantly female (76.9%), with male participants comprising 23.1% of the sample. The results show that 97.4% of the respondents were aware of FF products, with 60.0% being regular consumers, particularly of lactose-free milk and gluten-free bread and biscuits. Significant market gaps were identified in the variety of FF bread (62.8%), pastries (49.0%), and cookies (38.4%). The consumers identified high prices (84.9%) and excessive sugar/fat content (52.1%) as the main drawbacks of FF products currently on the market. The women showed greater knowledge and purchase levels compared to the men. The trust in organic certification was low (21.4%), with skepticism higher among the lower-income and male participants. Despite this, 78.1% believed in the health benefits of organic products, and 72.2% agreed that increased demand could lower prices. Overall, this study highlights the need for greater product variety, improved transparency, and consumer education to enhance market trust and accessibility.

Plant leaves are a source of essential phenolic compounds, which have numerous health benefits and can be used in multiple applications. While various techniques are available for recovering bioactive compounds from by-products, more data are needed on enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE). The aim of this study was to compare EAE and solid–liquid extraction (SLE), to evaluate the impact on bioactive compounds’ extraction yield, phytochemical composition, and the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic properties of Aralia cordata leaves and roots, sea buckthorn Hippophae rhamnoides, and hemp Cannabis sativa leaves. The results indicate that EAE with Viscozyme L enzyme (EAE_Visc) extracts of the tested plant leaves possess the highest yield, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content. Moreover, the EAE_Visc extract increased by 40% the total sugar content compared to the control extract of A. cordata root. Interestingly, the sea buckthorn leaf extracts exhibited α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, which reached an almost 99% inhibition in all extracts. Furthermore, the sea buckthorn leaves SLE and EAE_Visc extracts possess antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy was used to examine changes in cell wall morphology after EAE. Overall, this study shows that EAE can be a promising method for increasing the yield and improving the functional properties of the resulting extracts in a fast and sustainable way compared to SLE.

Akkermansia muciniphila is considered a next-generation probiotic to be incorporated in new food and pharmaceutical formulations. Effective delivery systems are required to ensure high probiotic viability and stability during product manufacture, shelf-life, and post-consumption, namely, throughout digestion. Hydrogelated matrices have demonstrated promising potential in this dominion. Hence, this work aimed to evaluate the effect of a calcium-alginate hydrogelated matrix on A. muciniphila viability during 28-days refrigerated aerobic storage and when exposed to simulated gastrointestinal conditions, in comparison with that of free cells. Akkermansia muciniphila was successfully encapsulated in the calcium-alginate matrix via extrusion (60% encapsulation yield). Furthermore, encapsulated A. muciniphila exhibited high stability (a loss in viability lower than 0.2 log-cycle) after 28-days of refrigerated aerobic storage, maintaining its viability around 108 CFU/g. Prominently, as the storage time increased, encapsulated A. muciniphila revealed higher viability and stability regarding in vitro gastrointestinal conditions than free cells. This suggests that this encapsulation method may attenuate the detrimental effects of prolonged aerobic storage with a subsequent gastrointestinal passage. In conclusion, encapsulation via extrusion using a calcium-alginate hydrogelated matrix seems to be a promising and adequate strategy for safeguarding A. muciniphila from adverse conditions encountered during refrigerated aerobic storage and when exposed to the gastrointestinal passage.

Akkermansia muciniphila is a common human intestinal commensal with a mucin-degrading nature. Its immunomodulatory characteristics and regulatory role of mucus layer and gut barrier integrity highlight the potential benefits of using this bacterium as an interventional player against inflammatory/cardio-metabolic disorders. In this work, we evaluate the effect of microencapsulation by the emulsification/internal gelation method on A. muciniphila survival during aerobic storage (0, 15, 30 and 95 days) and subsequent exposure to simulated gastrointestinal passage, in comparison with that of free cells. The present results show that microencapsulation by internal gelation promotes a 64.4 % entrapment efficacy of A. muciniphila cells (maintaining a 108 order of magnitude for cell viability). Moreover, physical characterization showed that microparticles mean size was 53,5 ± 12,1 µm and, as observed by electron scanning microscopy, microcapsules were spherical in shape. More importantly, as storage time increased, encapsulated A. muciniphila demonstrated higher stability in GI conditions, when compared to its free counterpart. In conclusion, microencapsulation by internal gelation seems to be an appropriate strategy in protecting A. muciniphila against the detrimental gastrointestinal transit after long periods of aerobic refrigerated storage.

Inspired by the principles of the circular economy, using vineyard pruning residues as a source of raw materials for producing nanocellulose is a promising approach to transforming vineyard resources into value-added products. This study aimed to obtain and characterize cellulose and cellulose nanofibers from such sources. The cellulose collected from different fractions of micronized stems (500, 300, 150 μm, and retain) of vines was submitted to autohydrolysis and finally bleached. Soon, it underwent treatment via (2,2,6,6-tetrametil-piperidi-1-nil)oxil (TEMPO) oxidation and ultrasonic to obtain nanocellulose fibers. The cellulose films were obtained at a microscale thickness of 0.05 ± 0.00; 0.37 ± 0.03; 0.06 ± 0.01 e 0.030 ± 0.01 mm, with the following particle size: 500 µm, 300 µm, 150 µm, and retain (

Hippophae rhamnoides L. leaves possess a remarkable amount of polyphenols that could serve as a natural remedy in various applications. In comparison, numerous techniques, such as conventional and high-pressure techniques, are available for extracting the bioactive fractions from sea buckthorn leaves (SBL). However, enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) of SBL has not been comprehensively studied. The aim of this study was to optimize critical EAE parameters of SBL using the cellulolytic enzyme complex, Viscozyme L, to obtain a high-yield extract with a high concentration of bioactive compounds. In order to determine the optimal conditions for EAE, the study employed a central composite design and response surface methodology to analyze the effects of four independent factors (pH, temperature, extraction time, and enzyme concentration) on two different responses. Our findings indicated that under optimal conditions (3:15 h extraction, temperature 45 °C, pH 4.9, and 1% Viscozyme L v/w of leaves DW), EAE yielded 28.90 g/100 g DW of the water-soluble fraction. Furthermore, the EAE-optimized liquid extract was continuously fermented using an ancient fermentation starter, Tibetan kefir grains, which possess lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and have significant potential for use in biopreservation. Interestingly, the results indicated various potential prebiotic characteristics of LAB. Additionally, alterations in the cell wall morphology of the SBL residue after EAE were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This study significantly optimized EAE parameters for sea buckthorn leaves, providing a promising natural source of bioactive compounds for various applications, such as nutraceuticals, functional foods, and high-value products.

Dogs and cats are potential sources of infection for some zoonotic diseases such as Q fever, caused by Coxiella burnetii, a multiple host pathogen. Q fever outbreaks in dogs and cats have been related with parturition and abortion events, and ticks have a potential role in the transmission of this pathogen. This study aimed to screen for C. burnetii in dogs and cats, and in ticks collected from infested animals. An observational descriptive study was conducted in Portugal at two time points nine years apart, 2012 and 2021. Sera obtained from dogs and cats (total n = 294) were tested for C. burnetii antibodies using a commercial ELISA adapted for multi-species detection. C. burnetii DNA was screened by qPCR assay targeting IS1111 in uterine samples and in ticks. A decrease in the exposure to C. burnetii was observed in cats from 17.2% (95% CI: 5.8–35.8%) in 2012 to 0.0% in 2021, and in dogs from 12.6% (95% CI: 7.7–19.0%) in 2012 to 1.7% (95% CI: 0.3–9.1%) in 2021 (p < 0.05). Overall, and despite differences in the samples, rural habitat seems to favour the exposure to C. burnetii. The DNA of C. burnetii was not detected in ticks. The low seropositivity observed in 2021 and the absence of C. burnetii DNA in the tested samples, suggest that dogs and cats from Portugal are not often exposed to the pathogen. Nevertheless, the monitoring of C. burnetii infection in companion animals is an important tool to prevent human outbreaks, considering the zoonotic potential for owners and veterinarians contacting infected animals, mainly dogs and cats from rural areas which often come into contact with livestock.

Ultrasounds are being considered an excellent alternative technology in juice preservation. Yet, when combined with heat treatment, the process seems to be further intensified. This work aimed to evaluate and compare the impact of ultrasounds and heat treatments, when applied alone or in combination, on Staphylococcus aureus survival in orange juice. Inoculated commercial pasteurized orange juice was treated at different times at 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 °C. SEM analyses were applied to identify morphological changes in S. aureus cells appearance. The microbial inactivation data were fitted using two mathematical models, depending on the behaviour observed.Sonication at 20, 30, and 40 °C induced 4.02 ± 0.52, 3.80 ± 0.49 and 4.30 ± 0.74 log cycles reduction of S. aureus after treatments of 90, 60 and 60 min, respectively. The heat treatments at the same temperatures had no impact on S. aureus survival. When 50 and 60 °C were applied, more than 5-log reductions were attained for both thermosonication and heat treatments alone. A synergistic effect was observed between sonication and high temperatures. At 50 °C, the thermosonication reduced the treatment time from 60 to 35 min and the microbial load from 5.14 ± 0.08 to 10.76 ± 0.28 log cycles reduction, compared to heat treatment alone. Results from SEM images showed that cells undergo membrane damage during sonication exposure. This was observed by collapsed cells, cell disruption, and holes in the cell’s membrane.Thermosonication proved to be a viable alternative to thermal pasteurization of orange juice since milder treatments can be safely applied, improving the final product quality.

Akkermansia muciniphila is regarded as a promising next-generation probiotic or live biotherapeutic candidate. Effective delivery strategies must be developed to ensure high enough viability of the probiotic strain throughout its industrial formulation, distribution chain, shelf-life, and, ultimately, the host’s gastrointestinal tract, where it should exert its beneficial effect(s). Among the possible methodologies, spray-drying is considered industrially attractive regarding its costs, efficiency, and scalability, with the due parameter customization. In this study, spray-drying was explored as a one-step process to encapsulate A. muciniphila DSM 22959, testing the drying settings and three different dairy-based matrices. Microcapsule morphology and size was assessed, and viability throughout storage at 4 or 22 °C and simulated gastrointestinal passage was determined. Akkermansia muciniphila microencapsulation by spray-drying, using 10% skim milk and inlet/outlet temperatures of 150/65 °C, is effective in terms of viability stabilization, both during prolonged aerobic storage and exposure to simulated gastrointestinal passage. Akkermansia muciniphila viability was maintained at around 107 CFU/g up to 28 days at 4 °C under aerobic conditions with viability losses inferior to 1 log reduction. This methodology provides the necessary conditions to efficiently deliver the recommended dose of live A. muciniphila in the human gut as a live biotherapeutic product.

Introducción: la rehabilitación de pacientes desdentados mandibulares posteriores con implantes osteointegrados, se vuelve difícil cuando la cresta alveolar presenta una atrofia severa debido al recorrido superficial del canal mandibular. La lateralización del nervio dentario inferior es una alternativa terapéutica que posibilita la colocación de implantes convencionales y cortos en esta región. Objetivo: comparar la facilidad, efectividad y seguridad de la técnica quirúrgica convencional, realizada con fresas quirúrgicas, y la piezocirugía en la lateralización del nervio dentario inferior. Presentación del caso: paciente con ausencia bilateral de los molares inferiores y cresta alveolar atrófica fue tratada mediante lateralización del nervio dentario inferior y colocación simultánea de implantes. En el lado izquierdo, la lateralización fue realizada con fresas y en el lado derecho, con motor piezoeléctrico. Fue posible observar que la piezocirugía facilitó la técnica quirúrgica, y consecuentemente disminuyó el tiempo operatorio. A la vez, produjo una osteotomía más regular y con menos sangrado, lo cual mejoró la visualización del campo operatorio. Finalmente, el daño neural inmediato fue menor en el lado tratado con motor piezoeléctrico y con recuperación más rápida. Después de 3 meses de seguimiento, los implantes en ambos lados no presentaban pérdida ósea. Conclusiones: el uso del motor piezoeléctrico trajo más beneficios durante la lateralización del nervio dentario inferior, por la simplificación de la técnica quirúrgica y la reducción del sangrado y del daño neural en comparación con el uso de fresas convencionales.

Parasiticidal fungi have been used in several in vivo experiments in livestock farms worldwide, constituting an effective tool for the biocontrol of gastrointestinal parasites in grazing animals. In the first year of study, two groups of eight first-season pasturing ewe lambs infected by strongyles were dewormed with albendazole, and then, the test group received an oral dose of 106 chlamydospores of Mucor circinelloides and 106 Duddingtonia flagrans individually and thrice a week from mid-September to May (FS1), while the control group remained without fungi (CT1). In the second year, two new groups of first-season grazing ewe lambs were treated with ivermectin and subjected to the same experimental design (FS2 and CT2, respectively). The anthelmintic efficacy was 96.6% (CT1), 95.6% (FS1), 96.1% (CT2), and 95.1% (FS2). The counts of strongyle egg output increased in the control groups (CT1 and CT2) throughout the study and reached numbers higher than 600 eggs per gram of feces (EPG), while in FS1 and FS2, they were M. circinelloides and D. flagrans provides a helpful strategy for maintaining low levels of strongyle egg output in first-season grazing ewe lambs and improves their health status.

Food fermentation under pressure has been studied in recent years as a way to produce foods with novel properties. The purpose of this work was to study kefir production under pressure (7–50 MPa) at different temperatures (17–32 °C), as a case study of unconventional food fermentation. The fermentation time to produce kefir was similar at all temperatures (17, 25, and 32 °C) up to 15 MPa, compared to atmospheric pressure. At 50 MPa, the fermentation rate was slower, but the difference was reduced as temperature increased. During fermentation, lactic and acetic acid concentration increased while citric acid decreased. The positive activation volumes (Va) obtained indicate that pressure decreased the fermentation rate, while the temperature rise led to the attenuation of the pressure effect (lower Va). On the other hand, higher activation energies (Ea) were observed with pressure increase, indicating that fermentation became more sensitive to temperature. The condition that resulted in a faster fermentation, higher titratable acidity, and higher concentration of lactic acid was 15 MPa/32 °C. As the authors are aware, this is the second work in the literature to study the combined effect of pressure and temperature on a fermentative process.

Em perfeita consonância com o que sucede noutras áreas do conhecimento, em que ao papel da emoção é dada uma relevância considerável, senão mesmo fundamental, o número 31.2 da revista Diacrítica é tematicamente dedicado ao estudo das emoções na ficção literária e na criação cultural. Neste sentido, reúne ensaios que de um modo interdisciplinar abordam, sob o ângulo emocional, um conjunto diverso de conteúdos e representa-ções literário-culturais.Afora esta secção temática, na primeira parte da revista (Vária),o leitor encontra estudos consagrados a outras problemáticas. A partir deste número 31.2, a revista Diacrítica inicia um novo formato. A anterior organização em três números anuais correspondentes às linhas de investigação em Linguística, Literatura e Filosofia & Cultura, será subs-tituída por números temáticos que abordarão questões atuais de investiga-ção nos diversos campos da atuação do CEHUM, mantendo a revista a sua periodicidade trimestral.

Introdução: As crianças são frequentemente alvo de quadros infeciosos, não só pelo seu contexto epidemiológico mais vulnerável, mas também pela imaturidade do seu sistema imunitário. As doenças exantemáticas são frequentes nesta fase da vida, impondo ao médico uma enorme dificuldade diagnóstica no que concerne a patologias dermatológicas. O objetivo deste relato de caso prende-se com a importância do médico de família reconhecer alterações cutâneas de maior gravidade, que se comportem como emergências dermatológicas. Descrição do Caso: Criança do género feminino, cinco anos, sem antecedentes pessoais de relevo. Em agosto de 2015 recorreu a consulta de medicina geral e familiar por febre, mal-estar geral e com duas lesões eritematosas e ulceradas no lábio inferior com três dias de evolução. Esta situação foi encarada como um quadro de varicela. Dois dias depois verificou-se agravamento da situação, com surgimento de lesões semelhantes na mucosa vaginal, edema palpebral e exsudação mucopurulenta ocular bilateral. Por recusa alimentar total recorreu a um serviço de urgência privado, onde ficou internada. Dada a ausência de melhoria foi transferida para o hospital da área de residência três dias depois, encontrando-se prostrada, com múltiplas lesões aftosas na mucosa oral e vaginal, hemorragias subconjuntivais dispersas e queratite. Ficou internada no serviço de pediatria. Atendendo ao quadro clínico de estomatite ulcerativa, conjuntivite purulenta e vulvovaginite foi assumido o diagnóstico clínico de síndroma de Stevens-Johnson. Comentário: A síndroma de Stevens-Johnson caracteriza-se por uma reação de hipersensibilidade cutânea tardia que atinge a pele e as mucosas. Constitui uma emergência dermatológica com potencial elevado de morbimortalidade, difícil de diagnosticar na prática clínica diária do médico de família. Assim, sempre que surjam lesões cutâneas ou mucosas associadas a toma de fármacos, infeções virais, neoplasias ou simplesmente lesões que concernem algum grau de suspeição, não deve ser adiada a referenciação hospitalar urgente.

Este artigo mostra como três modelos acoplados do Intergovernmental on Panel Climate Change - (IPCC-AR4), o FGOALS1.0G - LASG do Institute of Atmospheric Physics of China, o GISSER da National Aeronautics Space Admnistration (NASA) e o GFDL_CM2 da National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), simularam a variabilidade do gradiente meridional de Temperatura da Superfície do Mar (TSM), entre os meses de fevereiro a maio, no Atlântico Tropical (1901-1999). A precipitação durante a estação chuvosa (fevereiro a maio) no setor norte do Nordeste do Brasil (NEB) foi também analisada pelos três modelos e comparada com as observações. Os modelos GISSER e FGOALS1.0G mostraram melhor desempenho na simulação do sinal do gradiente meridional de TSM no Atlântico Tropical para o período de 1901 a 1999. Destaca-se que os modelos apresentaram um melhor desempenho na simulação da tendência decadal, conseguindo explicar entre 50% a 80% da variabilidade do gradiente, com a TSM do setor sul sendo melhor simulada.

Seaweeds, which have been widely used for human consumption, are considered a potential source of biological compounds, where enzyme-assisted extraction can be an efficient method to obtain multifunctional extracts. Chemical characterization of Sargassum muticum and Osmundea pinnatifida extracts obtained by Alcalase and Viscozyme assisted extraction, respectively, showed an increment of macro/micro elements in comparison to the corresponding dry seaweeds, while the ratio of Na/K decreased in both extracts. Galactose, mannose, xylose, fucose, and glucuronic acid were the main monosaccharides (3.2–27.3 mg/glyophilized extract) present in variable molar ratios, whereas low free amino acids content and diversity (1.4–2.7 g/100 gprotein) characterized both extracts. FTIR-ATR and 1H NMR spectra confirmed the presence of important polysaccharide structures in the extracts, namely fucoidans from S. muticum or agarans as sulfated polysaccharides from O. pinnatifida. No cytotoxicity against normal mammalian cells was observed from 0 to 4 mglyophilized extract/mL for both extracts. The comprehensive characterization of the composition and safety of these two extracts fulfils an important step towards their authorized application for nutritional and/or nutraceutical purposes.

Neste trabalho, foi utilizado um modelo de atmosfera de mesoescala para previsão de ventos em curto prazo para aplicações em geração de energia eólica. Diferentes resoluções espaciais e parametrizações foram testadas, sendo a comparação entre as simulações feita com base em uma metodologia estatística, que se utiliza de um conjunto de índices e medidas de erro amplamente utilizados em estudos meteorológicos e avaliações de modelos atmosféricos. Tal metodologia foi aplicada para escolha das melhores opções de espaçamento de grade horizontal, parametrização de turbulência e peso do relaxamento newtoniano na representação dos campos de vento do litoral cearense em quatro dias do período de transição entre as estações seca e chuvosa. Os testes revelam que, dentre as opções testadas, a configuração que melhor reproduz as observações ao longo do litoral, conta com espaçamento de grade horizontal de 1 km, turbulência parametrizada com a versão anisotrópica do esquema proposto por Smagorinsky e escala de tempo do relaxamento newtoniano de 12 h.In the present work, a mesoscale atmospheric model was used for short-term wind forecast for applications on wind energy generation. Different spatial resolutions and parameterizations were tested, and the comparison among the simulations was based on a methodology, which uses a set of statistical indices and error indicators widely accepted in the Meteorology community when evaluating atmospheric models. Such methodology was utilized in order to choose the best options for horizontal grid spacing, turbulence parameterizations and nudging timescale when representing the wind field over the coast of Ceará State, in Northeast Brazil, in four days during the transition period between the dry and wet seasons. The tests reveal that, among the different options, the model setup, which reproduces better the observations along the coast is the one with a 1km grid spacing, using an anisotropic Smagorinsky-type turbulence scheme and Newtonian relation timescale of 12 h.

Apesar dos avanços da modelagem dinâmica da atmosfera nas últimas duas décadas do século 20 as aplicações com modelagem empírica ainda têm sido muito utilizadas em função do seu fácil uso e pouca dependência de recursos computacionais. Neste estudo é mostrada uma comparação dos resultados de simulação de precipitação para o Nordeste do Brasil (NEB) - 1971-2000 obtido por modelagem dinâmica de grande escala e regional (downscaling) e a previsão de um método de modelagem empírica K´neigbhors. Foram usados o modelo de circulação geral da atmosfera ECHAM4.5, e dois modelos regionais, o Modelo Regional Espectral (MRE/97) do National Centers for Atmospheric Prediction- NCEP e o Regional Atmospheric Model System (RAMS) desenvolvido na Universidade do Colorado. Os modelos regionais foram aninhados aos dados simulados pelo ECHAM4.5 tendo como condição de contorno a Temperatura da Superfície do Mar observada no período de fevereiro a maio. Os resultados mostraram que o modelo empírico apresentou menor erro absoluto nos períodos fevereiro a abril (FMA) e março a maio (MAM) que os modelos dinâmicos em áreas do no norte do Maranhão e Piauí, oeste e sul do Ceará, centro-sul do Piauí e oeste e nordeste da Bahia. Quanto ao bias, o ECHAM4.5 e o MRE/97 mostraram um bias úmido em grande parte do NEB, porém com um valor médio para o setor norte do NEB (2ºS-12ºS e 45ºW-37ºW) mais próximo do observado. Para o RAMS e o método análogo houve um predomínio de um bias seco sobre o NEB, com valores em magnitudes mais distantes do observado. A previsibilidade (Heidke Skill) em três categorias Seca (S), Normal (N), Chuvosa (C), mostrou que o método análogo tem baixo Skill, entre 0,1 e 0,3 em todas as categorias, enquanto os modelos dinâmicos apresentaram Skill superiores, com valores maiores para as categorias S e C (da ordem de 0,4 a 0,5), até superiores a 0,6 em algumas áreas do setor norte do NEB para a categoria C como visto nos resultados dos modelos ECHAM4.5 e MRE/97.Despite significant advances of the dynamic atmosphere models over the last decades of the 20th century, the empirical atmospheric models have been widely used due mostly to both its general applicability and its little dependence on the computational resources. This study is show comparison of precipitation simulation to Northeast Brazil (NEB) - 1971-2000 from large scale dynamical modeling and regional model (downscaling) and the forecast of empirical modeling (K-nearest-neighbor (k-NN). Were user the general circulation model ECHAM4.5 together two regional models, the Regional Spectral Model (RSM/97) from the National Centers for Atmospheric Prediction-NCEP and the Regional Atmospheric Model System (RAMS) developed at Colorado State University. The regional models were nested in ECHAM4.5, forced with the observed Sea Surface Temperature as a boundary condition, for the period from February to May. The results show that the empirical model presented a smaller absolute error than the dynamic models for the periods February to April (FMA) and March to May (MAM) in isolated areas of the north of Maranhão and Piauí states, west and south of Ceará, center-south of Piauí and west and northeast of Bahia state. Regarding model biases, ECHAM4.5 and the RSM/97 produced, to a large extent, a humid bias over large areas of NEB, however with an average precipitation for the northern sector of NEB (2ºS-12ºS and 45ºW-37ºW) close to the observations. RAMS and the analog method had a dominance of a dry bias over NEB, with precipitation totals below the observed values. The model skills (using the Heidke score) were evaluated for three categories Dry (S), Normal (N), Rainy (C), showed that the analogous method has low skills, between 0,1 and 0,3 in all categories, while dynamic models presented superior skills, with larger values for categories S and C (of the order of 0,4 the 0,5), exceeding 0,6 in some areas of the northern sector of NEB for category C as seen in the models ECHAM4.5 and RSM/97 models.

Resumo Conhecer a distribuição espacial dos padrões de vento de uma região costeira para monitoramento do potencial eólico onshore e offshore passa pela existência de uma rede de estações meteorológicas no litoral. No litoral cearense, em decorrência de uma sistemática ausência desta rede, o estudo dos ventos costeiros pode se beneficiar com a utilização dos ventos a 10 m estimados por satélites, BSW, com resolução espacial e temporal de 0,25° e seis horas, respectivamente. Neste trabalho, os ventos BSW são validados na vizinhança do litoral cearense através de boias oceânicas e torres anemométricas. Verificada sua acurácia, estes dados são utilizados para estudar a variabilidade espacial dos ventos marítimos no litoral cearense, em escala sazonal e interanual, e suas correlações com os ventos costeiros.