Estratégia de vida do peixe anual Hypsolebias antenori (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) do semiárido brasileiro

This work deals with the life strategy of an endangered annual fish, Hypsolebias antenori (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae), of the Brazilian semiarid region. The eggs of these fish hatch at the onset of the rainy season, grows rapidly and they reproduce during the rainy season. When the water puddles dry out, the entire population dies. The resistant eggs which are buried in the bottom of the dried pools go through diapause stages, during which time the embryonic development becomes temporarily arrested. With the onset of the next rainy season, the eggs hatch and a new generation is formed. Specimens of H. antenori were captured during 2011 and 2013, in temporary water pools located in the hydrographic basin of river Jaguaribe in Ceará, Brazil. Sex ratio, the length-weight relationship, the growth type, first sexual maturity, anatomy and histology of the digestive tract, development of gonads, reproductive strategy, karyotypic pattern of the species, and the conservation status of H. antenori were investigated. The results of this study are presented in the form of eight articles. The first article is about the fish faunal composition of the hydrographic basins of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, wherein the record of H. antenori is included. The second article deals with the sex ratio, secondary sexual characteristics of males, the length-weight relationship and the type of growth. Males show a pattern of intense coloration with well developed fins. The sex ratio showed a significant predominance of females (1M:1.7 F). Males were larger in length and weight. The equation of weight and total length relationship was Wt=0.0271Lt3,8937, showing a positively allometric growth, indicating greater increase in weight than in length. The third article discusses the anatomy and histology of the digestive tract of H. antenori. It is considered as a generalist feeder with characteristics of omnivore, which utilizes different food sources. The fourth article discusses the stages and phases of gonad development and type of spawning of H. antenori. The fifth article is about the r reproductive strategy adopted by H. antenori which helps in successful reproduction over a short period of life. The sixth article deals karyotypic pattern of the species, constituting the first cytogenetic contribution to the genus. The seventh article discusses about the risk of extinction of this species which suffers a series of threats, such as, habitat loss through land use, deforestation, construction of reservoirs, pollution due to domestic and industrial sewage, besides pesticides and agrochemicals. Furthermore, decreasing rainfall and intensification of aridity due to global climate changes, interferes with the reproductive cycle. The eighth article deals with aggressive behavior adopted between males and among females during reproduction. All temporary water pools sampled during this study were in high degree of degradation, mainly due to human action. There is a great need for conservation measures to protect the populations of annual fish, including the creation of protected areas in the semiarid ephemeral aquatic environments of Brazil

Efeitos da simpaticotomia endoscópica sobre as artérias carótidas e vertebrais na terapêutica cirúrgica da hiperidrose primária

Analisar, em pacientes submetidos a simpaticotomia videotoracoscópica para tratamento da Hiperidrose Primária (HP), as conseqüências hemodinâmicas da desnervação vascular das artérias carótidas e vertebrais após a trans-secção cirúrgica da cadeia simpática torácica (simpaticotomia), através da mensuração de parâmetros ultra-sonográficos. Método: Vinte e quatro pacientes portadores de HP submetidos a quarenta e oito simpaticotomias torácicas endoscópicas foram avaliados através da mensuração da velocidade de pico sistólico (VPS), velocidade de pico diastólico (VPD), índice de pulsatibilidade (IP) e índice de resistência (IR) nas artérias carótidas comuns, internas e externas, além da artéria vertebral bilateralmente usando o eco-doppler duplex scan. As avaliações foram realizadas antes da intervenção cirúrgica e trinta dias após o procedimento. O teste de Wilcoxon foi usado na análise das diferenças entre as variáveis antes e depois da simpaticotomia. Resultados: A simpaticotomia no nível de T3 foi a trans-secção mais realizada (95,83%), seja isoladamente (25%) ou associada a T4 (62,50%) ou a T2 (8,33%). Houve aumento significativo no IR e no IP da artéria carótida comum bilateralmente (p<0,05). A VPD da artéria carótida interna diminuiu em ambos os lados (p<0,05). A VPS e a VPD da artéria vertebral direita também aumentaram (p<0,05). Achados assimétricos foram observados, de modo que artérias do lado direito foram as mais freqüentemente afetadas. Conclusões: Alterações hemodinâmicas foram observadas nas artérias vertebral e carótida após simpaticotomia para tratamento de HP. VPS foi o parâmetro mais freqüentemente alterado, principalmente nas artérias do lado direito, representando alterações assimétricas significantes nas artérias carótida e vertebral. Entretanto, são necessárias pesquisas subseqüentes para verificar se essas alterações são definitivas ou temporárias, uma vez que as inferências clínicas somente terão validação se as alterações forem permanentes

Estudo da remoção de compostos orgânicos, benzeno e tolueno, em solução aquosa por processo oxidativo avançado do tipo Fenton

The oil and petrochemical industry is responsable to generate a large amount of waste and wastewater. Among some efluents, is possible find the benzene, toluene, ethilbenze and isomers of xilenes compounds, known as BTEX. These compounds are very volatily, toxic for environment and potencially cancerigenous in man. Oxidative advanced processes, OAP, are unconventional waste treatment, wich may be apply on treatment and remotion this compounds. Fenton is a type of OAPs, wich uses the Fenton s reactant, hydrogen peroxide and ferrous salt, to promove the organic degradation. While the Photo-Fenton type uses the Fenton s reactant plus UV radiation (ultraviolet). These two types of OAP, according to literature, may be apply on BTEX complex system. This project consists on the consideration of the utilization of technologies Fenton and Photo-Fenton in aqueous solution in concentration of 100 ppm of BTEX, each, on simulation of condition near of petrochemical effluents. Different reactors were used for each type of OAP. For the analyticals results of amount of remotion were used the SPME technique (solid phase microextraction) for extraction in gaseous phase of these analytes and the gas chromatography/mass espectrometry The arrangement mechanical of Photo-Fenton system has been shown big loss by volatilization of these compounds. The Fenton system has been shown capable of degradate benzene and toluene compounds, with massic percentage of remotion near the 99%.

Avaliação do desenvolvimento da região de Cruzeta (RN), através do uso intensivo de água para irrigação

This work aims for the evaluation of Cruzeta Irrigated Perimeter, RN, which consists in the efficient use of water for agricultural production. The goal is looking for the available quantity of water for supplying required demands for adequate and economically viable cultures for the region. It is supposed that regional community water is supplied by pipelines from sources located outside of the region. From this study it is recommended the implantation of adequate installments for culture management in accordance with the availability of water resources and others conditionings. It must be considered the intensity of rainy and drought seasons in order to adjust the cultivated area and equipments to be operated, and also, the use of operating models and simulations in order to establish alert levels and eventually, reduction of irrigated area. Based on obtained data it is proposed the cultivation of different types of non-permanent cultures so that temporary cultures would be extensively produced in periods of abundant reservoir storage water permitting the transformation of storage water in storage culture products and few or no production in severe drought periods. This is the basic premise for sustainable agricultural development for Brazilian semiarid region

Dinâmica populacional e alimentar de Stegastes fuscus, (Osteichthyes:pomacentridae) em arrecifes da praia de Búzius, no Rio Grande do Norte

The damselfish, Stegastes fuscus Cuvier, 1830 (Osteichthyes: Perciformes: Pomacentridae), is abundant in the coastal reefs of Búzios Beach, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil and they play an important role in the reef community ecology. The present study investigated the feeding strategy of this species considering the food habits and morfo-histology of the digestive tract. Influence of the environmental correlates such as temperature, rainfall and luminosity in the tidal rock pools were studied. The fish were captured on a monthly basis from September 2004 to August 2005, during which period 842 individuals of S. fuscus were captured, 125 males, 437 females and 280 individuals without sex identification. The sex ratio observed was 1 M : 3,5 F. The total body length of males varied from 3.6 to 11.3 cm, with a mean of 7.77 cm; that of females varied from 2.9 to 11.4 cm, with a mean of 7.85 cm, and that of sex grouped individuals varied from 2.9 to 11.4 cm, with a mean of 7.83. However, there was no difference between males and females in total body length. This species presented a positive alometric growth and the equations obtained for the relation between body mass and total body length were: Wt =0,0174Lt 3,1123 for males; Wt =0,0137Lt 3,2294 for females and Wt = 0,0148Lt 3.1928 for sex grouped individuals. The relation between total body length and standard length was L t = 1 ,3223Ls + 0,1527 for sex grouped individual s. February to August was associated to a long period of gonadal resting. The fish spawned during January and in September -October. The frequency of fish with empty stomachs occurred during August to December, whereas frequency of fish with food contents i n stomachs occurred during January to July. This species is considered as a preferential herbivore based on the volume of macroalgae in its diet composition. The morfo -histological aspects of S. fuscus confirm herbivory. Among the environmental factors con sidered only rainfall showed a correlation with the feeding habits of this species

Tratamento eletroquímico de água produzida sintética para remoção de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos

The aim of this work is the treatment of produced water from oil by using electrochemical technology. Produced water is a major waste generated during the process of exploration and production in the oil industry. Several approaches are being studied aiming at the treatment of this effluent; among them can be cited the biological process and chemical treatments such as advanced oxidation process and electrochemical treatments (electrooxidation, electroflotation, electrocoagulation, electrocoagulation). This work studies the application of electrochemical technology in the treatment of the synthetic produced water effluent through the action of the electron, in order to remove or transform the toxic and harmful substances from the environment by redox reactions in less toxic substances. For this reason, we used a synthetic wastewater, containing a mixture H2SO4 0,5M and 16 HPAs, which are: naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo (a) anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k) fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, dibenzo(a, h)anthracene, benzo(g, h, i)perylene. Bulk electrochemical oxidation experiments were performed using a batch electrochemical reactor containing a pair of parallel electrodes, coupled with a power supply using a magnetic stirrer for favoring the transfer mass control. As anodic material was used, a Dimensionally Stable Anode (DSA) of Ti/Pt, while as cathode was used a Ti electrode. Several samples were collected at specific times and after that, the analysis of these samples were carried out by using Gas Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC - MS) in order to determine the percentage of removal. The results showed that it was possible to achieve the removal of HPAs about 80% (in some cases, more than 80%). In addition, as an indicator of the economic feasibility of electrochemical treatment the energy consumption was analyzed for each hour of electrolysis, and based on the value kWh charged by ANEEL, the costs were estimated. Thus, the treatment costs of this research were quite attractive

Degradação eletroquímica de benzeno, tolueno e xileno via oxidação eletroquímica utilizando eletrodo Ti/Pt

This work is directed to the treatment of organic compounds present in produced water from oil using electrochemical technology. The water produced is a residue of the petroleum industry are difficult to treat , since this corresponds to 98 % effluent from the effluent generated in the exploration of oil and contains various compounds such as volatile hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenols, carboxylic acids and inorganic compounds. There are several types of treatment methodologies that residue being studied, among which are the biological processes, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), such as electrochemical treatments electrooxidation, electrocoagulation, electrocoagulation and eletroredution. The electrochemical method is a method of little environmental impact because instead of chemical reagents uses electron through reactions of oxide-reducing transforms toxic substances into substances with less environmental impact. Thus, this paper aims to study the electrochemical behavior and elimination of the BTX (benzene, toluene and xylene) using electrode of Ti/Pt. For the experiment an electrochemical batch system consists of a continuous source, anode Ti/Pt was used, applying three densities of current (1 mA/cm2, 2,5 mA/cm2 and 5 mA/cm2). The synthetic wastewater was prepared by a solution of benzene, toluene and xylene with a concentration of 5 ppm, to evaluate the electrochemical behavior by cyclic voltammetry and polarization curves, even before assessing the removal of these compounds in solution by electrochemical oxidation. The behavior of each of the compounds was evaluated by the use of electrochemical techniques indicate that each of the compounds when evaluated by cyclic voltammetry showed partial oxidation behavior via adsorption to the surface of the Ti/Pt electrode. The adsorption of each of the present compounds depends on the solution concentration but there is the strong adsorption of xylene. However, the removal was confirmed by UV-Vis, and analysis of total organic carbon (TOC), which showed a percentage of partial oxidation (19,8 % - 99,1 % TOC removed), confirming the electrochemical behavior already observed in voltammetry and cyclic polarization curves

A política nacional de educação ambiental: limites e desafios para a sua efetivação na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

The Environmental Education is a plural and diversified knowledge field, composed by a group of social agents of specific State, government and civil society sectors, with different world views and theoretical matrices that exercised and influenced its genealogy and constitutive dynamic. The Environmental Education – while specific knowledge field – has been produced, systematized and diffused in Brazil in the last decades by official State organisms, through public policies, as well as by social movements of popular education, and constitutes a large and historical movement about the environmental question, that was worldwide projected in the 1960 decade (the environmentalist movement). Concerning the creation of public policies and specific programs to the Environmental Education, in the scope of the governmental initiative, the approval of the National Policy of Environmental Education, by means of the Law n. 9.795/99 – together with its regulatory decree, the Decree nº 4.281 – represents the consolidation of a inclusion process of the environmental dimension in the educational field. These normative acts, beyond charging the public power with the incumbency to define public policies that incorporate the environmental dimension and to promote the Environmental Education in all education levels, also charge the educational institution with the duty of promoting this component in an integrated and articulated way with the educational programs that such institutions develop. In this context, it is aimed to identify and analyze under the light of the dialectical and historical materialism, the practices and concepts developed under the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), with regard to its institutional policy on Environmental Education, relating it to establishing the Pnea. The analysis by means specific legislation on the subject and institutional documents UFRN. The research showed that, in general, the National Environmental Education Policy has limits to its effectiveness given the absence of specific funding for this purpose and the little government involvement in that the Brazilian State assumes, by through effective policies, the material conditions of financing actions with respect to this field of education. The fragmented and disjointed way the analyzed actions are developed constitutes a limit to the challenge for the UFRN implement, consistently and objectively, an Environmental Education policy, which can be monitored and evaluated as an effective public policy, both landmarks major goal of own Pnea as the demands of development whose agenda a critical environmental perspective.

Estudo da estrutura subsuperficial da província Borborema com correlação de ruído sísmico

Ambient seismic noise has traditionally been considered as an unwanted perturbation in seismic data acquisition that "contaminates" the clean recording of earthquakes. Over the last decade, however, it has been demonstrated that consistent information about the subsurface structure can be extracted from cross-correlation of ambient seismic noise. In this context, the rules are reversed: the ambient seismic noise becomes the desired seismic signal, while earthquakes become the unwanted perturbation that needs to be removed. At periods lower than 30 s, the spectrum of ambient seismic noise is dominated by microseism, which originates from distant atmospheric perturbations over the oceans. The microsseism is the most continuous seismic signal and can be classified as primary – when observed in the range 10-20 s – and secondary – when observed in the range 5-10 s. The Green‘s function of the propagating medium between two receivers (seismic stations) can be reconstructed by cross-correlating seismic noise simultaneously recorded at the receivers. The reconstruction of the Green‘s function is generally proportional to the surface-wave portion of the seismic wavefield, as microsseismic energy travels mostly as surface-waves. In this work, 194 Green‘s functions obtained from stacking of one month of daily cross-correlations of ambient seismic noise recorded in the vertical component of several pairs of broadband seismic stations in Northeast Brazil are presented. The daily cross-correlations were stacked using a timefrequency, phase-weighted scheme that enhances weak coherent signals by reducing incoherent noise. The cross-correlations show that, as expected, the emerged signal is dominated by Rayleigh waves, with dispersion velocities being reliably measured for periods ranging between 5 and 20 s. Both permanent stations from a monitoring seismic network and temporary stations from past passive experiments in the region are considered, resulting in a combined network of 33 stations separated by distances between 60 and 1311 km, approximately. The Rayleigh-wave, dispersion velocity measurements are then used to develop tomographic images of group velocity variation for the Borborema Province of Northeast Brazil. The tomographic maps allow to satisfactorily map buried structural features in the region. At short periods (~5 s) the images reflect shallow crustal structure, clearly delineating intra-continental and marginal sedimentary basins, as well as portions of important shear zones traversing the Borborema Province. At longer periods (10 – 20 s) the images are sensitive to deeper structure in the upper crust, and most of the shallower anomalies fade away. Interestingly, some of them do persist. The deep anomalies do not correlate with either the location of Cenozoic volcanism and uplift - which marked the evolution of the Borborema Province in the Cenozoic - or available maps of surface heat-flow, and the origin of the deep anomalies remains enigmatic.

No fio da meada: um estudo acerca da precarização do trabalho na indústria têxtil

In line with the process of financialization and globalization of capital, which has intensified in all latitudes of the globe, the world of work is permeated by his determinations arising and also has been (re) setting from numerous changes expressed by example, in the unbridled expansion of temporary forms of work activities, and flexible outsourced by the growth of informality, forming a new morphology of work. However, regardless of how these forms are expressed in concrete materiality, there is something that unifies: all of them are marked by exponentiation of insecurity and hence the numerous negative effects on the lives of individuals who need to sell their labor power to survive. Given this premise, the present work is devoted to study, within the framework of the Brazilian particularities of transition between Fordism and Toyotism, what we call composite settings of the conditions and labor relations processed within the North river- textile industry Grande. To this end, guided by historical and dialectical materialism, we made use of social research in its qualitative aspect, using semi-structured interviews, in addition to literature review, information retrieval and use of field notes. From our raids, we note that between the time span stretching from the 1990s to the current year, the Natal textile industry has been undergoing a process of successive and intense changes in their modus operandi, geared specifically to the organization and labor management causing, concomitantly, several repercussions for the entire working class.

No fio da meada: um estudo acerca da precarização do trabalho na indústria têxtil

In line with the process of financialization and globalization of capital, which has intensified in all latitudes of the globe, the world of work is permeated by his determinations arising and also has been (re) setting from numerous changes expressed by example, in the unbridled expansion of temporary forms of work activities, and flexible outsourced by the growth of informality, forming a new morphology of work. However, regardless of how these forms are expressed in concrete materiality, there is something that unifies: all of them are marked by exponentiation of insecurity and hence the numerous negative effects on the lives of individuals who need to sell their labor power to survive. Given this premise, the present work is devoted to study, within the framework of the Brazilian particularities of transition between Fordism and Toyotism, what we call composite settings of the conditions and labor relations processed within the North river- textile industry Grande. To this end, guided by historical and dialectical materialism, we made use of social research in its qualitative aspect, using semi-structured interviews, in addition to literature review, information retrieval and use of field notes. From our raids, we note that between the time span stretching from the 1990s to the current year, the Natal textile industry has been undergoing a process of successive and intense changes in their modus operandi, geared specifically to the organization and labor management causing, concomitantly, several repercussions for the entire working class.

Efeitos da simpaticotomia endoscópica sobre as artérias carótidas e vertebrais na terapêutica cirúrgica da hiperidrose primária

Analisar, em pacientes submetidos a simpaticotomia videotoracoscópica para tratamento da Hiperidrose Primária (HP), as conseqüências hemodinâmicas da desnervação vascular das artérias carótidas e vertebrais após a trans-secção cirúrgica da cadeia simpática torácica (simpaticotomia), através da mensuração de parâmetros ultra-sonográficos. Método: Vinte e quatro pacientes portadores de HP submetidos a quarenta e oito simpaticotomias torácicas endoscópicas foram avaliados através da mensuração da velocidade de pico sistólico (VPS), velocidade de pico diastólico (VPD), índice de pulsatibilidade (IP) e índice de resistência (IR) nas artérias carótidas comuns, internas e externas, além da artéria vertebral bilateralmente usando o eco-doppler duplex scan. As avaliações foram realizadas antes da intervenção cirúrgica e trinta dias após o procedimento. O teste de Wilcoxon foi usado na análise das diferenças entre as variáveis antes e depois da simpaticotomia. Resultados: A simpaticotomia no nível de T3 foi a trans-secção mais realizada (95,83%), seja isoladamente (25%) ou associada a T4 (62,50%) ou a T2 (8,33%). Houve aumento significativo no IR e no IP da artéria carótida comum bilateralmente (p<0,05). A VPD da artéria carótida interna diminuiu em ambos os lados (p<0,05). A VPS e a VPD da artéria vertebral direita também aumentaram (p<0,05). Achados assimétricos foram observados, de modo que artérias do lado direito foram as mais freqüentemente afetadas. Conclusões: Alterações hemodinâmicas foram observadas nas artérias vertebral e carótida após simpaticotomia para tratamento de HP. VPS foi o parâmetro mais freqüentemente alterado, principalmente nas artérias do lado direito, representando alterações assimétricas significantes nas artérias carótida e vertebral. Entretanto, são necessárias pesquisas subseqüentes para verificar se essas alterações são definitivas ou temporárias, uma vez que as inferências clínicas somente terão validação se as alterações forem permanentes