Rural and Urban Streams: Anthropogenic Influences and Impacts on Water and Sediment Quality

The Pirapo river watershed (Parana State, Brazil) compounds a relatively industrialized and urbanized region, undergoing great pressure from the discharge of industrial, agricultural and domestic wastes. We evaluated the environmental quality of ten streams belonging to this watershed in April and June 2008 by performing acute and chronic toxicity tests with Daphnia similis and Ceriodaphnia silvestrii from water and sediment samples. We tested the hypothesis that the streams located in urban areas are more exposed to the influence of pollutants, than those outside the city limits. In addition, we obtained the measures of physical and chemical parameters, and identified the main polluted sources. Contrary to what was expected, the rural streams were more toxic than those located in urban area. These results demonstrate that the water bodies located in rural areas are being affected by the pollution of aquatic ecosystems as far as those found in urban areas, requiring the same attention of environmental managers in relation to its monitoring.

Kinetic studies of urban solid residues and leachate from sanitary landfill

Urban solid residues are constituted of food remaining, grass leaves, fruit peelings, paper, cardboard, rubber, plastic, etc. The organic fraction formed represents about 50% during the decomposition yields biogas and leachate, which are sources of pollution. Residue samples were collected from the landfill in different and cells from several ages and the corresponding leachate, both after treatments, were submitted to thermal analysis. Kinetic parameters were determined using Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method. The linear relation between the two kinetic parameters (ln A and E) was verified for organic residue urban`s samples, but not for leachate`s sample. The occurred difference can be attributed to the constituents present in leachate.

Lifecycle assessment of fuel ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil

This paper presents the lifecycle assessment (LCA) of fuel ethanol, as 100% of the vehicle fuel, from sugarcane in Brazil. The functional unit is 10,000 km run in an urban area by a car with a 1,600-cm(3) engine running on fuel hydrated ethanol, and the resulting reference flow is 1,000 kg of ethanol. The product system includes agricultural and industrial activities, distribution, cogeneration of electricity and steam, ethanol use during car driving, and industrial by-products recycling to irrigate sugarcane fields. The use of sugarcane by the ethanol agribusiness is one of the foremost financial resources for the economy of the Brazilian rural area, which occupies extensive areas and provides far-reaching potentials for renewable fuel production. But, there are environmental impacts during the fuel ethanol lifecycle, which this paper intents to analyze, including addressing the main activities responsible for such impacts and indicating some suggestions to minimize the impacts. This study is classified as an applied quantitative research, and the technical procedure to achieve the exploratory goal is based on bibliographic revision, documental research, primary data collection, and study cases at sugarcane farms and fuel ethanol industries in the northeast of SA o pound Paulo State, Brazil. The methodological structure for this LCA study is in agreement with the International Standardization Organization, and the method used is the Environmental Design of Industrial Products. The lifecycle impact assessment (LCIA) covers the following emission-related impact categories: global warming, ozone formation, acidification, nutrient enrichment, ecotoxicity, and human toxicity. The results of the fuel ethanol LCI demonstrate that even though alcohol is considered a renewable fuel because it comes from biomass (sugarcane), it uses a high quantity and diversity of nonrenewable resources over its lifecycle. The input of renewable resources is also high mainly because of the water consumption in the industrial phases, due to the sugarcane washing process. During the lifecycle of alcohol, there is a surplus of electric energy due to the cogeneration activity. Another focus point is the quantity of emissions to the atmosphere and the diversity of the substances emitted. Harvesting is the unit process that contributes most to global warming. For photochemical ozone formation, harvesting is also the activity with the strongest contributions due to the burning in harvesting and the emissions from using diesel fuel. The acidification impact potential is mostly due to the NOx emitted by the combustion of ethanol during use, on account of the sulfuric acid use in the industrial process and because of the NOx emitted by the burning in harvesting. The main consequence of the intensive use of fertilizers to the field is the high nutrient enrichment impact potential associated with this activity. The main contributions to the ecotoxicity impact potential come from chemical applications during crop growth. The activity that presents the highest impact potential for human toxicity (HT) via air and via soil is harvesting. Via water, HT potential is high in harvesting due to lubricant use on the machines. The normalization results indicate that nutrient enrichment, acidification, and human toxicity via air and via water are the most significant impact potentials for the lifecycle of fuel ethanol. The fuel ethanol lifecycle contributes negatively to all the impact potentials analyzed: global warming, ozone formation, acidification, nutrient enrichment, ecotoxicity, and human toxicity. Concerning energy consumption, it consumes less energy than its own production largely because of the electricity cogeneration system, but this process is highly dependent on water. The main causes for the biggest impact potential indicated by the normalization is the nutrient application, the burning in harvesting and the use of diesel fuel. The recommendations for the ethanol lifecycle are: harvesting the sugarcane without burning; more environmentally benign agricultural practices; renewable fuel rather than diesel; not washing sugarcane and implementing water recycling systems during the industrial processing; and improving the system of gases emissions control during the use of ethanol in cars, mainly for NOx. Other studies on the fuel ethanol from sugarcane may analyze in more details the social aspects, the biodiversity, and the land use impact.

Urban upgrading interventions and engaging residents in fuzzy management: Case studies from Novos Alagados, Salvador, Brazil

International theory and practice have promoted state-assisted upgrading of `informal` urban areas worldwide since the late 1970s, with various forms of monitoring and assessment of impact. Two independent studies of how residents perceive and evaluate such interventions have recently been undertaken for neighbouring parts of the upgraded area of Novos Alagados on the Itapagipe peninsula in the northwestern part of Salvador, Brazil`s third largest city. These studies start from different premises and have been implemented in very different ways, but both have the objective of permitting the `voice` of the residents to be heard concerning the upgrading process. Comparing them helps highlight the essential `fuzzy` nature of values concerning urban interventions of this nature and leaves us with thought-provoking questions concerning the role of local society in relation to the state in urban development, and the potential this has for on-going forms of urban management in cities which are emerging globally. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Discoloration and fungal growth on three fiber cement formulations exposed in urban, rural and coastal zones

Three formulations of fiber cement were evaluated for fungal colonization and color change after five years of exposure in aging stations located in urban (Sao Paulo), rural (Pirassununga) and coastal (Rio Grande) zones in Brazil. The lowest color change and fungal colonization were registered in Rio Grande, which has a temperate climate, as opposed to Sao Paulo and Pirassununga, which are tropical. The highest fungal colonization was recorded in Sao Paulo, one of the most air polluted cities in Brazil. Pirassununga samples had an intermediate fungal colonization, in spite of showing the highest color change with visible dark spots on the surfaces. These spots were identified as cyanobacteria, which significantly contributed to the darkening of the specimens. The fiber cement formulation, varying in proportion of organic fibers such as poly (vinyl alcohol) and cellulose, was less significant for fungal bioreceptivity than the characteristics of the exposure site. The most frequent fungal genus found in the tropical climate, in both urban and rural zones, and the main one responsible for the higher records in Sao Paulo, was Scytalidiurn sp. which was registered for the first time on this building material in Brazil. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toxicity-directed approach of polyester manufacturing industry wastewater provides useful information for conducting treatability studies

A broader characterization of industrial wastewaters, especially in respect to hazardous compounds and their potential toxicity, is often necessary in order to determine the best practical treatment (or pretreatment) technology available to reduce the discharge of harmful pollutants to the environment or publicly owned treatment works. Using a toxicity-directed approach, this paper sets the base for a rational treatability study of polyester resin manufacturing. Relevant physical and chemical characteristics were determined. Respirometry was used for toxicity reduction evaluation after physical and chemical effluent fractionation. Of all the procedures investigated, only air stripping was significantly effective in reducing wastewater toxicity. Air stripping in pH 7 reduced toxicity in 18.2%, while in pH 11 a toxicity reduction of 62.5% was observed. Results indicated that toxicants responsible for the most significant fraction of the effluent`s instantaneous toxic effect to unadapted activated sludge were organic compounds poorly or not volatilized in acid conditions. These results led to useful directions for conducting treatability studies which will be grounded on actual effluent properties rather than empirical or based on the rare specific data on this kind of industrial wastewater. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Failure assessments of corroded pipelines with axial defects using stress-based criteria: Numerical studies and verification analyses

Conventional procedures used to assess the integrity of corroded piping systems with axial defects generally employ simplified failure criteria based upon a plastic collapse failure mechanism incorporating the tensile properties of the pipe material. These methods establish acceptance criteria for defects based on limited experimental data for low strength structural steels which do not necessarily address specific requirements for the high grade steels currently used. For these cases, failure assessments may be overly conservative or provide significant scatter in their predictions, which lead to unnecessary repair or replacement of in-service pipelines. Motivated by these observations, this study examines the applicability of a stress-based criterion based upon plastic instability analysis to predict the failure pressure of corroded pipelines with axial defects. A central focus is to gain additional insight into effects of defect geometry and material properties on the attainment of a local limit load to support the development of stress-based burst strength criteria. The work provides an extensive body of results which lend further support to adopt failure criteria for corroded pipelines based upon ligament instability analyses. A verification study conducted on burst testing of large-diameter pipe specimens with different defect length shows the effectiveness of a stress-based criterion using local ligament instability in burst pressure predictions, even though the adopted burst criterion exhibits a potential dependence on defect geometry and possibly on material`s strain hardening capacity. Overall, the results presented here suggests that use of stress-based criteria based upon plastic instability analysis of the defect ligament is a valid engineering tool for integrity assessments of pipelines with axial corroded defects. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural and morphological studies on SiOxNy thin films

In this work, the structure and morphology of silicon oxynitride films deposited by the PECVD technique were studied. The films were deposited under two different conditions: (a) SiOxNy with chemical compositions varying from SiO2 to Si3N4 via the control of a N2O + N-2 + SiH4 gas mixture, and (b) Si-rich SiOxNy films via the control of a N2O + SiH4 gas mixture. The analyses were performed using X-ray near edge spectroscopy (XANES) at the Si-K edge, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). For samples with chemical composition varying from SiO2 to Si3N4, the diffraction patterns obtained by TEM exhibited changes with the chemical composition, in agreement with the XANES results. For silicon-rich silicon oxynitride samples, the formation of a-Si clusters was observed and the possibility of obtaining Si nanocrystals after annealing depending on the composition and temperature was realized. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mapping the Contemporary Studies on Alliances and Strategic Networks

The competition among the companies depends on the velocity and efficience they can create and commercialize knowledge in a timely and cost-efficient manner. In this context, collaboration emerges as a reaction to the environmental changes. Although strategic alliances and networks have been exploited in the strategic literature for decades, the complexity and continuous usage of these cooperation structures, in a world of growing competition, justify the continuous interest in both themes. This article presents a scanning of the contemporary academic production in strategic alliances and networks, covering the period from January 1997 to august 2007, based on the top five journals accordingly to the journal of Citation Report 2006 in the business and management categories simultaneously. The results point to a retraction in publications about strategic alliances and a significant growth in the area of strategic. networks. The joint view of strategic alliances and networks, cited by some authors a the evolutionary path of study, still did not appear salient. The most cited topics found in the alliance literature are the governance structure, cooperation, knowledge transfer, culture, control, trust, alliance formation,,previous experience, resources, competition and partner selection. The theme network focuses mainly on structure, knowledge transfer and social network, while the joint vision is highly concentrated in: the subjects of alliance formation and the governance choice.

Hormonal modulation of photomorphogenesis-controlled anthocyanin accumulation in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv Micro-Tom) hypocotyls: Physiological and genetic studies

Hormones are likely to be important factors modulating the light-dependent anthocyanin accumulation. Here we analyzed anthocyanin contents in hypocotyls of near isogenic Micro-Tom (MT) tomato lines carrying hormone and phytochrome mutations, as single and double-mutant combinations. In order to recapitulate mutant phenotype, exogenous hormone applications were also performed Anthocyanin accumulation was promoted by exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) and inhibited by gibberellin (GA), in accordance to the reduced anthocyanin contents measured in ABA-deficient (notabills) and GA-constitutive response (procera) mutants. Exogenous cytokinin also enhanced anthocyanin levels in MT hypocotyls. Although auxin-insensitive chageotropica mutant exhibited higher anthocyanin contents, pharmacological approaches employing exogenous auxin and a transport inhibitor did not support a direct role of the hormone in anthocyanin accumulation Analysis of mutants exhibiting increased ethylene production (epwastic) or reduced sensitivity (Never ripe), together with pharmacological data obtained from plants treated with the hormone, indicated a limited role for ethylene in anthocyanin contents. Phytochrome-deficiency (aurea) and hormone double-mutant combinations exhibited phenotypes suggesting additive or synergistic interactions, but not fully espistatic ones, in the control of anthocyanin levels in tomato hypocotyls. Our results indicate that phytochrome-mediated anthocyanin accumulation in tomato hypocotyls is modulated by distinct hormone classes via both shared and independent pathways. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Sugar and ethanol production as a rural development strategy in Brazil: Evidence from the state of Sao Paulo

Sugar and ethanol production are key components of Brazil`s rural development and energy strategies, yet in recent years sugar production has been widely criticized for its environmental and labor practices. This study examines the relationship between rural development and sugarcane, ethanol, and cattle production in the state of Sao Paulo. Our results suggest that the value added components of sugarcane production, which include sugar refining and ethanol production, may have a strong positive affect on local human development in comparison to primary agricultural production activities and other land uses. These results imply that sugar production, when accompanied by a local processing industry can stimulate rural development. However, this paper also highlights the significant environmental and social harms generated by the sugar industry at large, which may undermine its development benefits if not addressed. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

TESA-blot for the diagnosis of Chagas disease in dogs from co-endemic regions for Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma evansi and Leishmania chagasi

We standardized serodiagnosis of dogs infected with Trypanosoma cruzi using TESA (trypomastigote excreted-secreted antigen)-blot developed for human Chagas disease. TESA-blot showed 100% sensitivity and specificity. In contrast, ELISA using TESA (TESA-ELISA) or epimastigotes (epi-ELISA) as antigen yielded 100% sensitivity but specificity of 94.1% and 49.4%, respectively. When used in field studies in an endemic region for Chagas disease, visceral leishmaniasis and Trypanosoma evansi (Mato Grosso do Sul state, Central Brazil), positivities were 9.3% for TESA-blot, 10.7% for TESA-ELISA and 32% for epi-ELISA. Dogs from a non-endemic region for these infections (Rondonia state, western Amazonia) where T cruzi is enzootic showed positivity of 4.5% for TESA-blot and epi-ELISA and 6.8% for TESA-ELISA. Sera from urban dogs from Santos, Sao Paulo, where these diseases are absent, yielded negative results. TESA-blot was the only method that distinguished dogs infected with T cruzi from those infected with Leishmania chagasi and/or Trypanosoma evansi. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Molecular modeling and QSAR studies of a set of indole and benzimidazole derivatives as H(4) receptor antagonists

Histamine is an important biogenic amine, which acts with a group of four G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), namely H(1) to H(4) (H(1)R - H(4)R) receptors. The actions of histamine at H(4)R are related to immunological and inflammatory processes, particularly in pathophysiology of asthma, and H(4)R ligands having antagonistic properties could be helpful as antiinflammatory agents. In this work, molecular modeling and QSAR studies of a set of 30 compounds, indole and benzimidazole derivatives, as H(4)R antagonists were performed. The QSAR models were built and optimized using a genetic algorithm function and partial least squares regression (WOLF 5.5 program). The best QSAR model constructed with training set (N = 25) presented the following statistical measures: r (2) = 0.76, q (2) = 0.62, LOF = 0.15, and LSE = 0.07, and was validated using the LNO and y-randomization techniques. Four of five compounds of test set were well predicted by the selected QSAR model, which presented an external prediction power of 80%. These findings can be quite useful to aid the designing of new anti-H(4) compounds with improved biological response.

HPLC-UV determination of metformin in human plasma for application in pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence studies

In this study, a simple, rapid and sensitive HPLC method with UV detection is described for determination of metformin in plasma samples from bioequivalence assays. Sample preparation was accomplished through protein precipitation with acetonitrile and chromatographic separation was performed on a reversed-phase phenyl column at 40 degrees C. Mobile phase consisted of a mixture of phosphate buffer and acetonitrile at flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. Wavelength was set at 236 nm. The method was applied to a bioequivalence study of two drug products containing metformin, and allowed determination of metformin at low concentrations with a higher throughput than previously described methods. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design, synthesis, antimicrobial activity and molecular modeling studies of novel benzofuroxan derivatives against Staphylococcus aureus

Molecular modi. cation is a quite promising strategy in the design and development of drug analogs with better bioavailability, higher intrinsic activity and less toxicity. In the search of new leads with potential antimicrobial activity, a new series of 14 4-substituted [N`-(benzofuroxan-5-yl) methylene] benzohydrazides, nifuroxazide derivatives, were synthesized and tested against standard and multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. The selection of the substituent groups was based on physicochemical properties, such as hydrophobicity and electronic effect. These properties were also evaluated through the lipophilic and electrostatic potential maps, respectively, considering the compounds with better biological pro. le. Twelve compounds exhibited similar bacteriostatic activity against standard and multidrug-resistant strains. The most active compound was the 4-CF(3) substituted derivative, which presented a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 14.6-13.1 mu g/mL, and a ClogP value of 1.87. The results highlight the benzofuroxan derivatives as potential leads for designing new future antimicrobial drug candidates. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.