Radon concentration measurements in mofettes from Harghita and Covasna counties, Romania

In the Harghita volcanic range (Romania) there are many occurrences of dry CO(2) emanations, called mofettes. The emanating gas with high carbon dioxide content has a proved curative effect. The gas also contains important quantities of radon. Since the mofettes are used in curative purposes in several illnesses, in most of the cases without medical supervising, has been proposed to determine the radon activity concentration in some of the most frequented mofettes from Romania. The seasonal variations have also been monitored and were calculated the effective doses received by the patients during a cure. The radon activity concentrations' levels above the mofettes indoor air range between 548 and 10 717Bq/m(3) while within the gas pools' values between 3210 and 32 781Bq/m(3) have been measured. The effective dose received by the patients during a cure is between 0.0086 and 0.16mSv. No major seasonal variations of the radon activity concentrations levels have been pointed out so far in the studied mofettes.     

Transport of radiocesium in mycelium and its translocation to fruitbodies of a saprophytic macromycete

We present a new protocol to study fluxes of radionuclides and other xenobiotics in saprophytic fungi. This simple method has successfully been used to evaluate transport of radiocesium in hyphae of Pleurotus eryngii and its translocation to fruitbodies.     

Putting the cart before the horse: Water governance and IWRM

Water governance has emerged as perhaps the most important topic of the international water community in the 21^st century, and achieving “good” water governance is now a focus of both policy discourse and innumerable development projects. Somewhat surprisingly in light of this attention, there is widespread confusion about the meaning of the term “water governance”. This paper reviews the history of the term's use and misuse to reveal how the concept is frequently inflated to include issues that go well beyond governance. Further, it highlights how calls to improve water governance often espouse predetermined goals that should instead be the very function of water governance to define. To help overcome this confusion, the paper suggests a more refined definition of water governance and related qualities of good water governance that are consistent with broader notions of the concepts. In light of the substantial resources allocated in its name, this paper's findings show there is significant potential to strengthen efforts at improving water governance.     

Potential for electricity savings by reducing potable water consumption in a city scale

Nowadays, it is very important that water and energy resources are used appropriately as this is a challenge to promote sustainable development. In some sectors, such as water and sewerage utilities, energy consumption depends on water consumption. The main objective of this work is to estimate the potential for electricity savings in a water and sewerage utility by reducing potable water consumption in the residential, commercial and public sectors in the city of Florianópolis, southern Brazil. These three sectors account for 98.9% of the total water consumption in the city. By using data related to energy consumption and costs that apply to the local water utility for water and sewage treatment, and also the potential for potable water savings over the three sectors, it is possible to estimate the potential for energy savings by reducing potable water consumption and sewage treatment. Potable water savings were estimated by using data available in the literature about water end-uses for different types of buildings located in Florianópolis. Three options were considered: installing dual-flush toilets, reusing greywater and using rainwater. The average potential for potable water savings were 30.0%, 53.4% and 60.3%, respectively, for the residential, commercial and public sectors. Thus, the average potable water savings amount to about 10,153,835 m³/year, and the electricity savings amount to 4.4 GW h/year, which would be enough to supply 1217 houses or flats in Florianópolis, with an average energy consumption of 300 kW h/month.     

Optical fiber based methodology for assessment of thiocyanate in seawater

A new methodology for the assessment of thiocyanate (SCN(-)) is proposed based on optical fiber (OF) detection coupled to a liquid chromatography system (LC). The developed methodology showed an adequate performance for the analysis of SCN(-) comparable to a high performance liquid chromatography with UV detector (HPLC-UV) methodology: a detection limit of 3 μg L(-1), a linear range from 4 to 400 μg L(-1), and an analytical time of less than 6 min. The OF based methodology was of compact design and easy operation. This simple system has the potential to be used as a sensing approach for SCN(-) in seawater.     

Norovirus Foodborne Outbreak Associated With the Consumption of Ice Pop,Southern Brazil, 2020

Food and Environmental Virology - Norovirus is a major cause of foodborne-associated acute gastroenteritis (AGE) outbreaks worldwide. Usually, food products are contaminated either during...     

Assessment of Viral Contamination of Five Brazilian Artisanal Cheese Produced from Raw Milk: a Randomized Survey

Food and Environmental Virology - Enteric viruses have been described as important contaminants in fresh and ready-to-eat foods such as sandwiches, deli meat and dairy products. This is a...     

Bio-based Films and Coatings: Sustainable Polysaccharide Packaging Alternatives for the Food Industry

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Polymers used as raw materials for synthetic packaging, i.e., those obtained from petroleum-derived sources, are resistant to degradation. Because of this,...     

Active Biodegradable Film Based on Chitosan and Cenostigma Nordestinum' Extracts for Use in the Food Industry

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Bioactive biodegradable films are emerging biomaterials in the food packaging field. This study aims to investigate the effect of different Cenostigma...     

Regional-scale meteorological characteristics of the Vento Norte phenomenon observed in Southern Brazil

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - The sudden increase in air temperature associated with strong gusty winds of northerly direction is a phenomenon occasionally observed during the cold season in the...