Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from a new raw lignocellulosic material: Flamboyant (Delonix regia) pods

Activated carbons were prepared from flamboyant pods by NaOH activation at three different NaOH:char ratios: 1:1 (AC-1), 2:1 (AC-2), and 3:1 (AC-3). The properties of these carbons, including BET surface area, pore volume, pore size distribution, and pore diameter, were characterized from N₂ adsorption isotherms. The activated carbons obtained were essentially microporous and had BET surface area ranging from 303 to 2463 m² g⁻¹.¹³C (CP/MAS and MAS) solid-state NMR shows that the lignocellulosic structures were completely transformed into a polycyclic material after activation process, thermogravimetry shows a high thermal resistance, Boehm titration and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy allowed characterizing the presence of functional groups on the surface of activated carbons. Scanning electron microscopy images showed a high pore development. The experimental results indicated the potential use of flamboyant pods as a precursor material in the preparation of activated carbon.     

Soil carbon storage in silvopasture and related land-use systems in the brazilian cerrado

Silvopastoral management of fast-growing tree plantations is becoming popular in the Brazilian Cerrado (savanna). To understand the influence of such systems on soil carbon (C) storage, we studied C content in three aggregate size classes in six land-use systems (LUS) on Oxisols in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The systems were a native forest, a treeless pasture, 24- and 4-yr-old eucalyptus ( sp.) plantations, and 15- and 4-yr-old silvopastures of fodder grass plus animals under eucalyptus. From each system, replicated soil samples were collected from four depths (0-10, 10-20, 20-50, and 50-100 cm), fractionated into 2000- to 250-, 250- to 53-, and <53-μm size classes representing macroaggregates, microaggregates, and silt + clay, respectively, and their C contents determined. Macroaggregate was the predominant size fraction under all LUS, especially in the surface soil layers of tree-based systems. In general, C concentrations (g kg soil) in the different aggregate size fractions did not vary within the same depth. The soil organic carbon (SOC) stock (Mg C ha) to 1-m depth was highest under pasture compared with other LUS owing to its higher soil bulk density. The soils under all LUS had higher C stock compared with other reported values for managed tropical ecosystems: down to 1 m, total SOC stock values ranged from 461 Mg ha under pasture to 393 Mg ha under old eucalyptus. Considering the possibility for formation and retention of microaggregates within macroggregates in low management-intensive systems such as silvopasture, the macroaggregate dynamics in the soil seem to be a good indicator of its C storage potential.     

Much ado about nothings: using zero similarity points in distance-decay curves

Distance decay is used to describe the (usually exponential) decay in ecological similarity of assemblages between two sites as a function of their distance apart along an environmental gradient. Exponential distance-decay curves are routinely fitted by calculating the ecological similarity between each pair of sites, and fitting a linear regression to the points on a scatter plot of log-similarity vs. distance (x-axis). However, pairs of sites where the assemblages have no species in common pose a problem, because the similarity is zero, and the log transformation cannot be applied. Common fixes to this problem (i.e., either removing or transforming the zero values) are shown to have undesirable consequences and to give widely disparate estimates. A new method is presented as a special case of a generalized dissimilarity model. It is fitted very quickly and easily using existing software, and it does not require removal or transformation of the zero similarity points. Its simplicity makes it convenient for use in conjunction with the resampling methods that are routinely employed to test hypotheses, to obtain standard errors of estimated parameters, or to compare distance-decay curves. A word of caution about standard application of the bootstrap is noted, and modified bootstrap and jackknife alternatives are demonstrated.     

Patterns of egg yolk antioxidant co-variation in an avian brood parasite–host system

Despite their importance to offspring fitness outcomes, there has been little previous work on egg-mediated maternal effects in avian brood parasites which lay their eggs in the nests of other species. Here, we examine patterns of egg yolk antioxidant deposition in an avian host (red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus) and their brood parasite (brown-headed cowbird, Molothrus ater). Cowbird nestlings compete directly for food with host blackbird chicks and succeed, despite hatching from a smaller egg, by begging more intensely and growing as or more rapidly than their hosts. Dietary-derived antioxidants, such as carotenoids and vitamins E and A, deposited in egg yolk, may enhance growth rate and reduce oxidative stress, and therefore provide a potential mechanism by which female cowbirds could enhance the competitiveness of their young in host nests. However, provision of antioxidants to eggs is costly so we predicted that female cowbirds should adjust the amount of antioxidants in response to variation in host quality. We found that whilst red-winged blackbird clutches parasitised by cowbirds did not differ in the pattern of antioxidant deposition compared to non-parasitised clutches, levels of vitamin E deposited in cowbird eggs were closely matched to that of the individual host clutch in which cowbirds laid their egg. This supports the prediction that female cowbirds adjust the antioxidant concentration of their eggs to increase the likely competitiveness of their offspring in the host nest into which they are laid and may help explain the success of cowbirds in competing with larger host young.     

Assessment of trace metals pollution in estuarine sediments using SEM-AVS and ERM?CERL predictions

In this paper a PSIAC-based multi-parameter fuzzy pattern recognition (MPFPR) model is proposed and applied for classifying and ranking the potential soil erosion (PSE). In this approach, standard value matrix is used to define the membership degrees of each catchment to each class and the feature values are used for alternative ranking. The characteristic of PSE for each class is expressed by linguistic variables. The proposed method is straightforward, easy to understand, very practical, and its results may easily be interpreted. To assess the performance of the model, the results of PSIAC MPFPR and original PSIAC method are interpreted and compared with the observed data. It is shown that the proposed approach reflects the fuzzy nature of the soil erosion more efficiently and is quite robust for application in real world cases.     

Assessment of carcinogenic heavy metal levels in Brazilian cigarettes

Total mercury (Hg(T)) and bioavailability Hg (Hg(HCl)) concentrations in soil were determined in five districts in Wuhu urban area. Spatial pattern of soil Hg concentration was generated through kriging technology. Results showed that Hg concentration in soil ranged from 0.024 to 2.844 mg kg(?-1) with an average of 0.207 mg kg(?-1). Hg concentration in soil appeared to have a block distribution and decreased from downtown to surrounding district. And Hg concentrations appeared to have a medium scale spatial auto correlation, strongly affected by human activity. The maximal Hg average concentration (0.332 mg kg(?-1)) in soil appeared in Jinghu district, where the high intensity of human activities is. Second highest Hg average concentration (0.263 mg kg(?-1)) in soil appeared in development district, where the intensive industrial activities are. Bioavailability Hg concentration in soil ranged from 2.6 to 4.9 μg kg(?-1) with an average of 3.8 μg kg(?-1), which had a ratio of 0.28~6.44% to total Hg. The ratios of bioavailability Hg to total Hg in vegetable soil were bigger than those of park soil. Correlation analysis showed that total Hg, organic matter, total phosphorus, and bioavailability Hg concentrations in soil were significantly positively correlated. Hg concentration in vegetable ranged from 2.7 to 15.2 μg kg(?-1) with an average of 6.5 μg kg(?-1). Hg concentration in vegetable was positively correlated with Hg(HCl) concentration in soil. According to the calculation on hazard quotient (HQ) for children, inhalation of Hg vapor from soil is the main exposure pathway, in which HQ is 2.517 × 10(?-2), accounting for 80.3% of the four exposure pathways. Hazard index (HI) of the four exposure pathways is lower than the "safe" level of HI = 1; therefore, exposure of soil Hg exhibited little potential health risk to children in Wuhu urban area.     

Hepatitis A Outbreaks and Environmental Circulation of Genotype IA Strains in the São Paulo City, 2017–2018

Food and Environmental Virology - Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is the major cause of enterically transmitted infectious hepatitis. Between 2016 and 2017, the number of confirmed cases of hepatitis A...     

Simulating rotational grazing management.

Dairy systems predominantly based on rotational grazing are notoriously hard to manage. In order to ensure profitability, this type of production requires quite good organisation, planning, and operating capability on the part of the farmer. A simulation-based decision support system, called SEPATOU, has been developed for this purpose. At the core of the decision support approach lies an explicit and rigorous modelling of the management strategy that underlies a dairy farmer's decision-making behaviour (real or hypothetical). The SEPATOU system is a discrete-event simulator that reproduces the day-to-day dynamics of the farmer's decision process and the response of the controlled biophysical system for which models of grass growth, animal consumption, and milk production are used. SEPATOU provides the means to evaluate and compare tentative strategies by simulating their application throughout the production season under different hypothetical weather conditions. The relative worth of a strategy can be assessed by analysing the effects on the biophysical system and their variability across the representative range of possible conditions that is considered. The activities to be managed concern the type and amount of conserved feed, where to fertilise and how much, the choice of fields to harvest, and most importantly, which field to graze next. Typically, SEPATOU is designed to be used by extension services and farming system scientists. It is implemented in C++ and is currently undergoing a validation process with the intended users.     

Lessons in Ecosystem Management from Management of Threatened and Pest Loranthaceous Mistletoes in New Zealand and Australia

Loranthaceous mistletoes are interesting because of their complex dependence on suitable host trees and avian dispersers and because of their patchy distribution at the landscape level. Although their over- and under-abundance in Australia and New Zealand have been widely documented, little attention has been given to the need for an ecosystem approach to their management. Although the current status of mistletoes is very different in Australia and New Zealand, some of the causal factors and the long-term effects of changes in mistletoe abundance are similar in the two countries. We suggest that mistletoe abundance in pre-European landscapes was dependent on a series of evolutionary and environmental filters relating to host specificity, pollination, dispersal, infection, environmental habitat quality, predation, and disturbance. European settlement modified these filters in a number of ways, resulting in either increases or decreases in mistletoe abundance. The three broad groups of changes that have occurred with European settlement involve fragmentation, predation, and altered disturbance regimes. Although managers have usually addressed mistletoe over- or under-abundance with short-term solutions (e.g., pruning infected trees), we suggest that management must address the underlying causes of the problems involving mistletoes. This requires an ecosystem approach to management that addresses both the direct and indirect causes of the current status of mistletoes.     

Toxic effects of the ingestion of water-soluble elements found in soil under the atmospheric influence of an industrial complex

In this study, we investigated the toxic effects of water-soluble elements from a contaminated soil via gavage in a single dose, simulating a geophagy event. The contaminated soil was collected in a field located in an industrial complex, and the control soil was collected in a reference area. Metabolic and behavioral parameters in Wistar male rats were measured after 24 and 96 h of gavage. After 96 h, the major organs were weighed, blood was collected to check hematological parameters, the bone marrow was taken for the micronucleus test, and the liver was used for evaluating the total antioxidant capacity, lipoperoxidation and protein carbonylation. Animals exposed to contaminated soil presented a few significant alterations by comparison with control animals: TBARS and protein carbonyl levels increased, the relative weight of the kidneys increased, metabolic parameters (body weight gain, food intake, water consumption, urine and feces production) depressed and there was behavioral alteration. These findings suggest that soils impacted by atmospheric contaminants can affect the organism physiological status jeopardizing the health of populations living in industrial areas. Finally, this study reassures that ingestion of potentially contaminated soils, even for short periods of time, can cause health risks.