Vegetable fibers are increasingly used in biocomposites, but there is a need for further development in utilizing by-products like cocoa husks. Three-dimensional printing, through Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), is advancing rapidly and may be of great interest for applying biocomposite materials. This study focuses on developing innovative and fully biodegradable filaments for the FFF process. PLA filaments were prepared using cellulose fibers derived from cocoa husks (5% mass ratio). One set of filaments incorporated fibers from untreated husks (UCFFs), while another set utilized fibers from chemically treated husks (TCFFs). The fabricated materials were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques, and they were also tested for tensile strength. ANOVA reveals that both UCFFs and TCFFs significantly predict tensile strength, with the UCFFs demonstrating an impressive R² value of 0.9981. The optimal tensile strength for the filament test specimens was 16.05 MPa for TCFF8 and 13.58 MPa for UCFF8, utilizing the same printing parameters: 70% infill and a layer thickness of 0.10 mm. Additionally, there was an 18% improvement in the tensile strength of the printed specimens using the filaments filled with chemically treated cocoa husk fibers compared to the filaments with untreated fibers.

The growing demand for environmentally responsible lubricants motivates the use of bio-based base stocks and benign solid additives. This study assesses the tribological performance of two Amazonian vegetable oils, Carapa guianensis (andiroba) and Copaifera spp. (copaiba resin) and a paraffinic mineral oil (PNL30) formulated with different zinc oxide (ZnO) particles, namely nanocrystals and microcrystals, at 0.01, 0.05, and 0.10 wt.%. Reciprocating sliding tests, coupled with 3D profilometry, viscosity, and sedimentation analyses, were used to link dispersion stability with friction and wear responses. A preliminary stability screening constrained the practical loading window to ≤0.10 wt.% for reproducible suspensions. Performance depended on the interplay between particle type and base-oil chemistry. Andiroba exhibited the most pronounced gains, with ZnO microcrystals near 0.05 wt.% delivering the best friction outcomes and the largest wear reductions (up to ~35%). In copaiba resin oil, nanocrystals produced small, sometimes non-significant improvements, whereas microcrystals tended to worsen wear consistent with abrasive third-body effects in a less polar matrix. In PNL30, the overall benefits were modest: nanocrystal additions generally increased wear, whereas microcrystals particularly at the highest loading 0.10 wt.% achieved a 36.4% reduction in SWR, representing a measurable and statistically significant improvement in wear resistance. These results highlight that eco-efficient lubricant design should co-optimize particle characteristics and dosage with base-oil polarity and film-forming tendencies, prioritizing dispersion stability alongside tribological targets.

Aiming to expand the knowledge about the occurrence of endophytic fungi associated with cocoa (Theobroma cacao), a study was carried out at the Univesidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia State, during the period from August 2019 to May 2021. Two hundred and seventy isolates were obtained from fragments of leaves and branches collected in the field, considering the rainy and dry periods, and 137 were identified, belonging to nine taxas distributed in nine different families of the Phylum Ascomycota. Selected isolates of Chaetomium globosum, Colletotrichum, Fusarium oxysporum, Neopestalotiopsis and Xylaria were inoculated into seminal seedlings of three cacao varieties under greenhouse conditions, and reisolation was carried out after 60 days. Of the inoculated isolates, all were recovered. Chaetomium globosum and Fusarium oxysporum were most reisolated from the inoculated seedlings, and the first was even present in the non-inoculated seedlings (control), indicating the need to undertake studies that aim to better understand the association of this fungus with the cacao tree, since it was characterized its vertical transmission. The evaluation of the biological control potential of some endophytes found in this study may bring new perspectives for the integrated management of cacao diseases, mainly Witch's Broom (Moniliophthora perniciosa) and Brown Rot (Phytophthora spp.).

This paper presents an innovative framework for analyzing the regularity of solutions to the stochastic Navier-Stokes equations by integrating Sobolev-Besov hybrid spaces with fractional operators and quantum-inspired dynamics. We propose new regularity theorems that address the multiscale and chaotic nature of fluid flows, offering novel insights into energy dissipation mechanisms. The introduction of a Schrödinger-like operator into the fluid dynamics model captures quantum-scale turbulence effects, enhancing our understanding of energy redistribution across different scales. The results also include the development of anisotropic stochastic models that account for direction-dependent viscosity, improving the representation of real-world turbulent flows. These advances in stochastic modeling and regularity analysis provide a comprehensive toolset for tackling complex fluid dynamics problems. The findings are applicable to fields such as engineering, quantum turbulence, and environmental sciences. Future directions include the numerical implementation of the proposed models and the use of machine learning techniques to optimize parameters for enhanced simulation accuracy.

A manufatura aditiva tem se consolidado como uma tecnologia estratégica para a inovação industrial, a sustentabilidade produtiva e o desenvolvimento territorial, especialmente em contextos urbanos e regionais. Entre os materiais mais utilizados nesse processo destaca-se o poliácido láctico (PLA), cuja biodegradabilidade e baixo custo favorecem sua disseminação, embora suas limitações mecânicas restrinjam aplicações estruturais e funcionais. Nesse contexto, a incorporação de cargas metálicas ao PLA surge como alternativa para ampliar o desempenho mecânico e térmico dos componentes fabricados. O presente estudo analisa as propriedades mecânicas ao impacto de peças produzidas por manufatura aditiva utilizando filamento de PLA/Cobre, empregando planejamento experimental baseado na Metodologia de Superfície de Resposta. Os corpos de prova foram projetados em ambiente CAD, fabricados por FDM e submetidos ao ensaio de impacto conforme a norma ASTM D256. Os resultados indicam incremento significativo na energia absorvida e na resistência ao impacto, particularmente em regimes de maior porcentagem de preenchimento e alturas de camada intermediárias. Além das contribuições técnicas, o estudo discute implicações para políticas públicas de inovação, economia circular e desenvolvimento urbano, ao evidenciar o potencial da manufatura aditiva para cadeias produtivas locais e sustentabilidade industrial. Conclui-se que o uso de compósitos poliméricos metalizados pode ampliar aplicações industriais da impressão 3D, contribuindo para estratégias de inovação territorial.