Preferência alimentar da formiga urbana Camponotus vittatus forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

For an adequate management program of urban ants, knowledge on their biology is required, with the aim of detecting and exploring their vulnerabilities. This type of information has been used in the manufacture of baits, which must show, among other characteristics, attractiveness to several species to be considered efficient and economically viable. Therefore, the present study was aimed to evaluate in the laboratory the attractiveness of sweet and fatty substances to Camponotus vittatus, trying to find which substances would be more efficient to be introduced as the attractive component in baits. Five colonies, 68 sweet substances and 23 fatty substances were utilized in the laboratory trials. The most attractive sweet and fatty substances, were, respectively, 75% demerara sugar and vegetable fat. When substances of both natures were tested together, sweet substances presented slightly higher attractive indexes than oily substances.

Molecular characterization of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and A-thiooxidans strains isolated from mine wastes in Brazil

Nineteen strains of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, including 12 strains isolated from coal, copper, gold and uranium mines in Brazil, strains isolated from similar sources in other countries and the type strains of the two species were characterized together with the type strain of A. caldus by using a combination of molecular systematic methods, namely ribotyping, BOX- and ERIC-PCR and DNA-DNA hybridization assays. Data derived from the molecular fingerprinting analyses showed that the tested strains encompassed a high degree of genetic variability. Two of the Brazilian A. ferrooxidans organisms (strains SSP and PCE) isolated from acid coal mine waste and uranium mine effluent, respectively, and A. thiooxidans strain DAMS, isolated from uranium mine effluent, were the most genetically divergent organisms. The DNA-DNA hybridization data did not support the allocation of Acidithiobacillus strain SSP to the A. ferrooxidans genomic species, as it shared only just over 40% DNA relatedness with the type strain of the species. Acidithiobacillus strain SSP was not clearly related to A. ferrooxidans in the 16S rDNA tree.

Construction and application of an electrochemical sensor for paracetamol determination based on iron tetrapyridinoporphyrazine as a biomimetic catalyst of P450 enzyme

This work describes the construction and application of a biomimetic sensor for paracetamol determination in different samples. The sensor was prepared by modifying a glassy carbon electrode surface with a Nafion (R) membrane doped with FeTPyPz. The best performance of the sensor in 0.1 mol L-1 acetate buffer was at pH 3.6. Under these conditions, an oxidation potential of paracetamol was observed at 445 mV vs. Ag vertical bar AgCl. The sensor presented a linear response range between 4.0 and 420 mu mol L-1, a sensitivity of 46.015 mA L mol(-1) cm(-2), quantification and detection limits of 4.0 mu mol L-1 and 1.2 mu mol L-1, respectively. A detailed investigation about its electrochemical behavior and selectivity was carried out. The results suggested that FeTPyPz presents catalytic properties similar to P450 enzyme for paracetamol oxidation. Finally, the sensor was applied for paracetamol determination in commercial drugs and for the monitoring of its degradation in an electrochemical batch reactor effluent.

Tratamento de esgoto e produção de água de reúso com o emprego de filtros de areia

In this research it was studied a system composed by the anaerobic filter combined with a sand filter for the wastewater treatment. For this, three anaerobic filters were operated with hydraulic detention time of nine hours which had the effluent disposed over four sand filters in different frequencies of application. on the first sand filter, 50 L.m(-2) were applied once a day. on the second, the third and the fourth filters, the same load was disposed in twice, three and four times a day, distributed between 9 a. m. and 4 p. m. The system presented a final effluent suitable for the COD and BOD legislation maximum limit to be discharged into water body (Decreto Paulista no 8,468/1976), showing the viability of dispose a higher quantity of effluent then the one suggested by NBR 13969/1997, which guides the constructive aspects for this kind of treatment.

On-line redox speciation analysis of antimony using L-proline immobilized on controlled pore glass and hydride generation inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry for detection

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Efeito da aplicação de água residuária de suinocultura no solo e na qualidade dos seus lixiviados

This study evaluates the behavior of swine effluent for their effects on soil and the quality of the leachate. In the incubation of soil with effluent were used 48 units in total with experimental application rates of 0, 50, 100 and 150 m(3). ha(-1). The soil pH and leached after the application of different rates remained acid and the values of ammonia in the argisols (Pax; Ultisol) showed minor values than in the witness soil while at the nitosols the values increased due to the application rates. The cation exchange capacity increased with greater intensity in argisols. The carbon/nitrogen relation was low showing a rapid mineralization of organic waste. The values of nitrate in leachate and the first of the phosphorus nitosol were higher than in the argisols, depending on the rate of application.

Effects of cumulative doses of vinasse on soil microorganisms in cerrado

Counts of colony forming units of actinomycetes, bacteria and filamentous fungi were determined in cerrado soil treated with vinasse (processed sugar cane effluent) for 5 yr, using doses of 20 l m-2a-1 and 50 l m-2a-1. A temporary increase in the counts of actinomycetes and bacteria for some months after the addition of vinasse was observed. An increased number of fungi was detected throughout the experiment together with qualitative changes in the population. The most abundant fungi in cerrado soil not treated with vinasse (control soil) were Chaetomium, yeasts, Mucor, Penicillium and Trichoderma, while in vinasse treated soils, the same genera adding Verticillium, with the exception of yeasts, were the most common fungi. -Author

Experimental investigation of soil and groundwater impacts caused by vinasse disposal

The problems caused by the residual effluents of wine distilleries for alcohol production are well known. The effluent effects in soil and groundwater are being researched in an area with sugar cane culture which receives, yearly, vinasse by dispersion. Samples are being collected from the soil, the groundwater and the existing creeks in the area. Four sub-areas are being monitored separately with a vinasse application of 300 m 3/ha year. Experimentation periods in each area have been 0, 5, 10 and 15 years. In the unsaturated zone, samples are being collected at depths of 25, 75 and 150 cm. The chemical analyses include macro and micro nutrients, organic matter and pH. Physical analyses give the soil water retention, hydraulic conductivity and soil particle distribution. These measurements permit the evaluation of nitrogen absorption and fertility changes of the soil. A tendency for the maintenance of soil fertility can be observed but with an elevation of nitrate concentration in groundwater.

Cumulative effects of vinasse on the characteristics of red-yellow latosols under cerrado vegetation

Vinasse, a liquor effluent from the alcohol and sugar making industry, was applied annually for twelve years to medium-textured red-yellow latosols under cerrado vegetation sensu stricto, to study the environmental impacts on the biotic and abiotic factors. Four plots were established of which two acted as control and the other two received annual doses of vinasse. The studies were begun in 1980 when the first annual dose of 20 L m-2 year-1 was added to the soil without removing the top scrub layer. Theses doses were added to the soil until 1983, but in 1984 the doses were increased to 50 L m-2 year-1 and used until 1991. Soil samples were taken at a depth of 15 cm every three months from 1987 to 1991. Twenty seven environmental variables in the vinasse-treated and untreated plots were studied. These factors consisted of different enzymatic activities, a number of filamentous fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes and other micro-organisms, nutrients and some micro-climatic factors. The results obtained were statistically analyzed using the Tukey test, Pearson correlation and variance test methods with replicates and three factors. Matrices were determined using the correlation coefficient method and were compared with those of earlier published studies in the same area. The comparison of the results helped characterize changes in the environmental factors studied and in the correlation between them, after using annual cumulative doses of vinasse. Positive effects were observed only for the first six years of this application but vinasse had negative effects after the seventh year. It is concluded that medium-textured red-yellow latosols cannot be treated with vinasse for proloned periods.

Possible effects of sodium chloride treatment on quality of effluents from Alabama channel Catfish ponds

Channel catfish ponds are treated with salt (sodium chloride) to increase chloride concentration and prevent nitrite toxicity in fish. A survey indicated that most farmers try to maintain chloride concentration of 50 to 100 mg/L in ponds by annual salt applications. Averages and standard deviations for selected water quality variables in salt-treated ponds were as follows: chloride, 87.2 ± 37.5 mg/L; total dissolved solids (TDS), 336 ± 96 mg/L; specific conductance, 512 ± 164 μmhos/cm. Maximum values were 189 mg/L for chloride, 481 mg/L for TDS, and 825 μmhos/cm for specific conductance. Good correlations between specific conductance values and both chloride and TDS concentrations suggest that specific conductance can be a rapid method for estimating concentrations of these two variables in surface water. The maximum limit for chloride concentration in Alabama streams allowed by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management is 230 mg/L. The usual recommended upper limit of TDS for protection of aquatic life in freshwater streams is 1,000 mg/L. Based on the observed relationship between TDS concentration and specific conductance in Alabama catfish ponds, 1,000 mg/L TDS corresponds to 1,733 μmhos/cm specific conductance. It is unlikely that effluents from salt-treated catfish ponds would violate the in-stream chloride standard of 230 mg/L or harm aquatic life in streams. Nevertheless, chloride concentrations in ponds should be measured before salt application as a safe guard against excessive salt application and chloride concentrations above the in-stream chloride standard.

Determination of the phthalocyanine textile dye, reactive turquoise blue, by electrochemical techniques

Turquoise blue 15 (AT15) is a reactive dye widely used in the textile industry to color natural fibers. The presence of these dyes in effluent and industrial wastewater is of considerable interest due ecotoxicological and environmental problems. The electrochemical reduction of this dye has been investigated in aqueous solution using cyclic voltammetry, controlled potential electrolysis and cathodic stripping voltammetry. Optimum conditions for dye discoloration by controlled potential electrolysis use an alkaline medium. Using cathodic stripping voltammetry a linear calibration graph was obtained from 5.00×10-8 mol L-1 to 1.00×10 -6 mol L-1 of AT15 at pH 4.0, using accumulation times of 180 and 240 s and an accumulation potential of 0.0 V. The proposed method was applied in direct determination of the dye in tap water and in textile industry effluent.

Efeito alelopático de extratos de parte aérea de barbatimão [Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville] na germinação e desenvolvimento da plântula de pepino

Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville (barbatimão), belonging to Mimosaceae family; it is used as ornamental and the wood is used in civil buildings, edification in wet places, lathe and joinery jobs, being very used also in home-made medicine against hemorrhage, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, conjunctivitis, injury cleaning, uterus hemorrhage, ulcerous hurt and excessive oily skin. The objective of this research was to determine the allelopathic potential of an aqueous extract, boiled or not of S. adstringens (Mart.) Coville, in the Cucumis sativus germination and initial development. Thus, the aqueous vegetable extract was extracted from the shoot, which was triturated in 1L of distilled water to 100g of leaf, being the extract filtrated and separated in boiled and not boiled. The treatments used were distilled water (0%) and boiled and not boiled extracts, in the concentrations of 50 and 100%. The cucumber seeds were put to germinate in Gerbox, having filter paper as substrate, which was wet with 25mL from different treatments, in constant temperature of 25°C. The reading germination was accomplished in breaks of 24 hours, for a period of five consequently days after the beginning of the experiment, considering germinated the seeds that showed 2mm of root, approximately. To dry matter determination, the seedlings with five days after the germination were separated in shoot and root, dried during three days to a constant weight in a 60°C forced draft oven. Through results, it can be concluded that the extract of S. adstringens affected more the Cucumis sativus seedling development than the germination, and it didn't show difference if boiled or not.

Emprego do reagente de fenton como agente coagulante na remoção de substâncias húmicas de água por meio da flotação por ar dissolvido e filtração

Fenton 's reagent was used as coagulant agent to treat water with high true color (100 ± 5 HU) caused by the introduction of humic substances extracted from peat, using dissolved air flotation. The pair value of coagulant dosage x coagulation pH was optimized to posterior construction of coagulation diagrams, reaching apparent color removal efficiency slightly superior to 60%. It was tried to simulate a treatment with complete cycle, carrying out an experiment with sand filtration after flotation, obtaining an effluent with excellent quality, presenting remnant apparent color, turbidity and absorbance of 253.7 nm less or equal to 2 HU, 0.40 TU and 0.009 cm -1, respectively, and residual total iron < 0.005 mg/L and DOC < 0.001 mg/L.

Risk of peritonitis during peritoneal dialysis in carriers of Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci

The presence of Staphylococcus aureus in the nasal cavities and pericatheter skin of peritoneal dialysis patients put them at high risk of developing peritonitis. However, it is not clear whether the presence of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) in the nasal passages and skin of patients is related to subsequent occurrence of peritoneal infection. The aim of the present study was to verify the relationship between endogenous sources of S. aureus and CNS and occurrence of peritonitis in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Thirty-two patients on peritoneal hemodialysis were observed for 18 months. Staphylococcus species present in their nasal passage, pericatheter skin and peritoneal effluent were identified and compared based on drug susceptibility tests and dendrograms, which were drawn to better visualize the similarity among strains from extraperitoneal sites as well as their involvement in the causes of infection. Out of 288 Staphylococcus strains isolated, 155 (53.8%) were detected in the nasal cavity, 122 (42.4%) on the skin, and 11 (3.8%) in the peritoneal effluent of patients who developed peritonitis during the study. The most frequent Staphylococcus species were CNS (78.1%), compared with S. aureus (21.9%). Among CNS, S. epidermidis was predominant (64.4%), followed by S. warneri (15.1%), S. haemolyticus (10.7%), and other species (9.8%). Seven (64%) out of 11 cases of peritonitis analyzed presented similar strains. The same strain was isolated from different sites in two (66%) out of three S. aureus infection cases. In the six cases of S. epidermidis peritonitis, the species that caused infection was also found in the normal flora. From these, two cases (33%) presented highly similar strains and in three cases (50%), it was difficult to group strains as to similarity. Patients colonized with multidrug-resistant S. epidermidis strains were more predisposed to infection. Results demonstrated that an endogenous source of S. epidermidis could cause peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients, similarly to what has been observed with S. aureus.