Comparação de dois tipos de amostragem de chuva: deposição total e deposição apenas úmida em àrea costeira tropical

In a tropical coastal area. During 6 months the composition of rain samples collected simultaneously over 24h with an open collector and with an automatic opened collector (KFA - J¸lich Type) at 500m of the Atlantic coastline of Salvador were compared. All average concentrations were higher for the "total" samples than for the "wet only" samples, except for hydrogen ions, nitrate and ammonium.

Avaliação das condições ambientais da lagoa de Varano, no sul da Itália

In the sediments of Varano lagoon (South Italy) were evaluated the concentration of some toxic heavy metals. Besides in the same sites were determinated the bioluminescent inhibition of eluate sediments by Toxalert® 10 and all matrix datas comparated with biological classification proposed by author Frisoni based on abundance level of macrozoobenthos. The results from three tipes of approches (ecotoxicological, chemical and biological ) show a similar trend.

Estudo da biodisponibilidade de metais nos sedimentos da Lagoa da Pampulha

The presence of metals in the sediments of Pampulha Lake was investigated in order to determine the bioavailability of metals in these sediments for the cultivation of vegetables such as lettuce. The chemical analyses of metals and As were accomplished by the k0 neutron activation technique. The plans for recovering this lake foresee the removal of the deposited sediments and transport of the discarded material to a specific area after the dam. The present study suggests that this strategy of discarding sediments doesn't imply any risk for the local population, in relation to the bioavailability of metals in these sediments.

O papel dos sulfetos volatilizados por acidificação no controle do potencial de biodisponibilidade de metais em sedimentos contaminados de um estuário tropical, no sudeste do Brasil

Measurements of acid volatile sulfide (AVS) and simultaneously extracted metals (SEM) were combined in order to verify the ecological hazard of contaminated sediments from the Santos-Cubatão Estuarine System (SE Brazil), which is located in one of the most industrialized areas in the Latin America. Intertidal sediments from the Morrão River estuary were collected seasonally in short cores. The redox conditions, organic matter contents and grain-size were the main controlling factors on SEM distribution. However, clear relationships among these variables and AVS were not observed. The molar SEM/AVS ratios were frequently > 1 especially in the summer, suggesting major metal bioavailability hazard in this humid hot season.

Avaliação (em escala laboratorial) da aplicação do processo eletrolítico em efluente de lagoa de estabilização de esgoto urbano

Physico-chemical and microbiological parameters were evaluated before and after applying an electrolytic process to effluents of a stabilization lagoon, in the presence or absence of "salt". Chlorine generation and bactericidal properties of the treatments were studied following two experiments. Effluent pH increased with electrolysis time. In the absence of "salt", 20 min electrolysis resulted in a COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) reduction of 44%, along with ca. 99.9% (3 log10 cfu/mL) reduction in total coliforms, heterotrophic bacteria and Escherichia coli. These results indicated that the electrolytic process is a promising complementary technology to improve effluent quality for stabilization lagoons.

Influência da temperatura, umidade e profundidade do solo na persistência do diurom e sulfato de endossulfam em um solo tropical

The influence of temperature (30 and 40 ºC) and soil humidity (20, 50 and 70% of water holding capacity) on the degradation of the herbicide diurom and the endosulfan metabolite, endosulfan sulfate was studied under laboratory conditions, in different soil layers (0-30, 30-38 and 38-83 cm) of an Oxisol (Yellow Latosol) collected in an agricultural area of Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Endosulfan sulfate was rapidly degraded under lower soil humidity, higher temperature and deeper soil layers. For diurom the opposite was observed as a consequence of its higher water solubility and lower soil sorption coefficient.

Biodegradação de alcoóis, ftalatos e adipatos em um solo tropical contaminado

The adipic and phthalic acid esters are plasticizers, have low water solubility, high partition octanol/water coefficients (Kow) and accumulate in soil and sediments. These compounds are considered teratogenic, carcinogenic and endocrine disruptors chemicals. This study evaluated the bioremediation of tropical soil contaminated with plasticizers process wastes, in aerobic conditions, with and without introduction of acclimated bacteria. It was selected 200 kg of contaminated tropical soil for the biodegradation study. The plasticizers concentrations in soil ranged between 153 mgDOA/kg up to 15552 mgDIDP/kg and after 90 days of biodegradation, the lower removal efficiencies were 72% with a 1-2 log simultaneous bacterial growth.

Lipídios como indicadores de fontes e distribuição de matéria orgânica particulada em um complexo estuarino-lagunar tropical (Mundaú-Manguaba, AL)

Fatty acids, alcohols and sterols were considered as markers of the source and distribution of particulate organic matter during the dry season in the Mundaú-Manguaba estuarine-lagoon system, NE Brazil. Lipid composition showed an overwhelming influence of autochthonous sources of organic matter in all system´s compartments, including the probable occurrence of algal blooms in specific areas. On the other hand, contamination by sewage was restricted to Mundaú lagoon. This scenario differed from known conditions observed in the wet season, illustrating the usefulness of the lipid biomarker approach for the characterization of other complex and dynamic systems in the Brazilian coastal zone.

Esterois como indicadores do acúmulo de esgotos domésticos em sedimentos de um sistema estuarino-lagunar tropical (Mundaú-Manguaba, AL)

The history of sewage contamination in the Mundaú-Manguaba estuarine lagoon system (NE Brazilian coastal zone) was evaluated through the concentration of sterols in sediment cores. The concentration of coprostanol increased towards the surface sediments, with the maximum of 5.65 µg g-1 at 0-2 cm sediment layer in Mundaú. Manguaba exhibited a lower level of contamination. The ratio cholestanol/cholesterol suggested degradation of coprostanol only before the burial of organic matter in the sediment. This feature, together with information of population growth in the watershed, allowed the estimation of a sedimentation rate of 0.90 cm year-1 to the Mundaú lagoon.

Fluxos de nutrientes associados às descargas de água subterrânea para a Lagoa Mangueira (Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil)

This study assesses the importance of groundwater discharge to dissolved nutrient levels in Mangueira Lagoon. A transect of an irrigation canal in the margin of Lagoon demonstrated a strong geochemical gradient due to high groundwater inputs in this area. Using 222Rn as a quantitative groundwater tracer, we observed that the flux of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), silicate and phosphate (1178 and 1977; 26190 and 35652; 167 and 188 mol d-1 for winter and summer, respectively) can continually supply/sustain primary production. The irrigation canals act as an artificial underground tributary and represent a new source of nutrients to coastal lagoons.

Tropical biodiversity: has it been a potential source of secondary metabolites useful for medicinal chemistry?

The use of natural products has definitely been the most successful strategy in the discovery of novel medicines. Secondary metabolites from terrestrial and marine organisms have found considerable use in the treatment of numerous diseases and have been considered lead molecules both in their natural form and as templates for medicinal chemistry. This paper seeks to show the great value of secondary metabolites and emphasize the rich chemical diversity of Brazilian biodiversity. This natural chemical library remains understudied, but can be a useful source of new secondary metabolites with potential application as templates for drug discovery.

Corrosion of steel reinforced concrete in the tropical coastal atmosphere of Havana City, Cuba

The influence of chloride deposition rate on concrete using an atmospheric corrosion approach is rarely studied in the literature. Seven exposure sites were selected in Havana City, Cuba, for exposure of reinforced concrete samples. Two significantly different atmospheric corrosivity levels with respect to corrosion of steel reinforced concrete were observed after two years of exposure depending on atmospheric chloride deposition and w/c ratio of the concrete. Changes in corrosion current are related to changes in chloride penetration and chloride atmospheric deposition. The influence of sulphur compound deposition could also be a parameter to consider in atmospheric corrosion of steel reinforced concrete.

Epidemiologia comparativa entre os patossistemas temperado e tropical: conseqüências para a resistência a fungicidas

O patossistema tropical difere do patossistema temperado tanto em estrutura quanto em comportamento. Nesta revisão, ambos os patossistemas são caracterizados e, com base nessa caracterização, o risco de origem e de seleção de resistência a fungicidas é discutido para ambas as situações. As características diferenciais relevantes para análise foram: sobrevivência I (entre estações de cultivo); sobrevivência II (entre ciclos do patógeno); taxa aparente de infecção; via anti-horária de infecção; ingresso e/ou manutenção de mutantes resistentes; via horária de infecção; persistência de mutantes resistentes; adaptabilidade dos mutantes resistentes. Conclui-se que o patossistema tropical não apresenta risco maior para a seleção de mutantes resistentes, mas pode, em alguns casos, apresentar risco maior de origem de mutantes resistentes.