The use of sewage sludge as remediation for imidacloprid toxicity in soils

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study investigated the influence of the sewage sludge (SS) soil amendment on the chronic toxicity of imidacloprid (through the seed dressing...     

Quality and sustainability in the production process: A study of bakeries using an integrated multi-criteria method based on fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS

The objective of the present study is to evaluate, determine, and apply alternatives for improving the quality of the process and the product, with an emphasis on sustainable practices, using an integrated multi-criteria method. For this purpose, an analysis was conducted at a chain of bakeries, aiming to highlight bottlenecks in the production process and in the product. With the support of a literature review, four criteria and seven alternatives were defined to overcome these bottlenecks and, at the same time, contribute to the sustainability of the organization. For data analysis, six decision makers were interviewed and, following their evaluations, an integrated method based on fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS was created. The fuzzy AHP was adopted to establish the importance of the criteria, while the fuzzy TOPSIS was used to evaluate and classify the alternatives developed to bypass the bottlenecks. The results revealed that of the criteria, Criterion “Cr1 – Quality” was prioritized. On the other hand, the alternative with the best performance was “A3 – Physical Layout Reorganization”. Applying this alternative, the study demonstrates the results achieved such as reduction of errors and accident risks, as well as greater fluidity in the productive space. the present study also makes theoretical and managerial contributions to the field, bringing the theory closer to the reality of companies that operate in the food sector.     

Social context modulates sickness behavior

Sickness behaviors constitute an array of symptoms exhibited by an animal during the course of an infection, including reduced activity, reduced food and water intake, and reduced social interactions. It is hypothesized that these symptoms enable reallocation of finite energy resources to fight infection. In this way, by focusing energy on healing, available resources are being removed from other activities, potentially reducing adaptive opportunities, such as mating. Hence, to achieve increased reproductive success, animals might be able to adjust the expression of sickness behaviors to their environmental circumstances. While abiotic conditions such as temperature and season can modulate sickness behaviors, no studies in passerines have linked modulation of sickness behaviors to social settings. Here, it is demonstrated that social surroundings affect the extent to which animals exhibit symptoms of sickness. After an immune challenge, zebra finches kept in isolation markedly reduced activity, but those kept in a colony setting did not. The same trend is verified when looking at the time they spent resting. Additionally, a proinflammatory cytokine (interleukin-6) was quantified in plasma samples and all animals that had been immune challenged showed increased levels of this marker, showing that the physiological response was similar. Hence, birds in a social context were able to overcome the behavioral, but not physiological, symptoms usually associated with an inflammatory response. These findings suggest a trade-off between allowing the body to respond to an infection and taking advantage of being in a social situation.     

Parental diets determine the embryonic fatty acid profile of the tropical nudibranch Aeolidiella stephanieae: the effect of eating bleached anemones

Aeolidiella stephanieae is a stenophagous tropical nudibranch that feeds exclusively on glass anemones of the genus Aiptasia. These sea anemones usually harbour endosymbiotic photosynthetic dinoflagellates that contribute to the nutrition of their host by providing photosynthetates, such as fatty acids (FA). The present work determined the effect of parental diets on the FA profile of A. stephanieae embryos by feeding breeding pairs of this nudibranch with either symbiotic or aposymbiotic A. pallida. Contrasting FA profiles, namely in the levels of palmitic acid (16:0) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), were recorded for both parental diets and egg masses produced by nudibranchs eating either symbiotic or aposymbiotic A. pallida. Noteworthy effects of parental dietary FAs on egg masses were also observed, particularly for DHA, which is mainly synthetized by the endosymbionts of A. pallida. Additionally, the present study also highlights how bleaching events may promote cascading effects on the nutrition of marine species with a stenophagous diet, such as A. stephanieae.     

Managing organizations for sustainable development in emerging countries: an introduction

This introduction article is for the special issue ‘Managing organizations for sustainable development in emerging countries: natural resources, biodiversity, and climate change’ in the International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology and presents an introduction to the topics and summarizes accepted contributions in the special issue. The accepted works may contribute with organizational management in the search for more sustainable organizations. The works focus on the challenges of managing organizations in a context of degradation of natural resources, loss of biodiversity, and climate change. Accepted papers discuss these issues, based on the reality of emerging economies (e.g. Brazil, India, and China).     

Providing a common diet to different marine decapods does not standardize the fatty acid profiles of their larvae: a warning sign for experimentation using invertebrate larvae produced in captivity

Larval decapods are commonly produced in captivity and employed in experiments to evaluate interspecific physiological and biochemical differences. Currently, it is still unknown if different decapod species provided a common diet and exposed to identical abiotic conditions produce newly hatched larvae (NHL) with similar fatty acid (FA) profiles. This study analyzed the FA composition of NHL from five marine shrimp species (Lysmata amboinensis, L. boggessi, L. debelius, L. seticaudata and Rhynchocinetes durbanensis) fed a common diet and stocked at constant temperature. FA profiles of NHL differed significantly within and among genera. NHL from species unable to molt from zoea I to zoea II in the absence of food (L. amboinensis, L. debelius and R. durbanensis) displayed the lowest FA contents. Researchers must be aware that providing a common diet to different species, even if closely related, may not standardize the FA profile of NHL produced in captivity.     

An analysis of the influence of the local effects of climatic and hydrological factors affecting new malaria cases in riverine areas along the Rio Negro and surrounding Puraquequara Lake,Amazonas, Brazil

A study was conducted at three sampling regions along the Rio Negro and surrounding Puraquequara Lake, Amazonas, Brazil. The aim was to determine the influence of the local effects of climatic and hydrological variables on new malaria cases. Data was gathered on the river level, precipitation, air temperature, and the number of new cases of autochthonous malaria between January 2003 and December 2013. Monthly averages, time series decompositions, cross-correlations, and multiple regressions revealed different relationships at each location. The sampling region in the upper Rio Negro indicated no statistically significant results. However, monthly averages suggest that precipitation and air temperature correlate positively with the occurrence of new cases of malaria. In the mid Rio Negro and Puraquequara Lake, the river level positively correlated, and temperature negatively correlated with new transmissions, while precipitation correlated negatively in the mid Rio Negro and positively on the lake. Overall, the river level is a key variable affecting the formation of breeding sites, while precipitation may either develop or damage them. A negative temperature correlation is associated with the occurrence of new annual post-peak cases of malaria, when the monthly average exceeds 28.5 °C. This suggests that several factors contribute to the occurrence of new malaria cases as higher temperatures are reached at the same time as precipitation and the river levels are lowest. Differences between signals and correlation lags indicate that local characteristics have an impact on how different variables influence the disease vector’s life cycle, pathogens, and consequently, new cases of malaria.     

Metal loads and biomarker suite responses in a tropical carnivorous fish indicative of anthropogenic impacts in a Southeastern Brazilian lagoon

Tropical coastal lagoons are highly productive environments exhibiting high biodiversity. However, the use of these ecosystems by local communities is of concern, since this generally leads to environmental degradation. The Imboassica coastal lagoon, located in Macaé city, in Northern Rio de Janeiro, is an important ecosystem in the state, however, already displaying signs of anthropogenic impacts. Carnivorous fish Hoplias malabaricus specimens were sampled from this impacted site, as well as from a reference area. Fish from Imboassica Lagoon presented lower condition factor, lower cholinesterase activity, and higher percentage of erythrocyte micronuclei when compared to fish from the reference site. Metals in fish from Imboassica Lagoon were always higher than Encantada Lagoon, with some seasonal differences, where some metals were higher in the rainy season compared to the dry season in muscle tissue, with the exception of Cu, Fe, Sr, and Zn; and in the liver, except for Ba, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Sr. Cr and Mn in the edible muscle portion of the fish were higher than the limits established by Brazilian and International legislations as permissible for human consumption, thus leading to concerns regarding public health risks for the local population that use fish as their main protein source.     

Evaluation of surface water quality in aquatic bodies under the influence of uranium mining (MG, Brazil)

The quality of the water in a uranium-ore-mining area located in Caldas (Minas Gerais State, Brazil) and in a reservoir (Antas reservoir) that receives the neutralized acid solution leaching from the waste heaps generated by uranium mining was investigated. The samples were collected during four periods (October 2008, January, April and July 2009) from six sampling stations. Physical and chemical analyses were performed on the water samples, and the data obtained were compared with those of the Brazilian Environmental Standards and WHO standard. The water samples obtained from waste rock piles showed high uranium concentrations (5.62 mg L^?1), high manganese values (75 mg L^?1) and low average pH values (3.4). The evaluation of the water quality at the point considered the limit between the Ore Treatment Unit of the Brazilian Nuclear Industries and the environment (Consulta Creek) indicated contamination by fluoride, manganese, uranium and zinc. The Antas reservoir showed seasonal variations in water quality, with mean concentrations for fluoride (0.50 mg L^?1), sulfate (16 mg L^?1) and hardness (20 mg L^?1) which were low in January, evidencing the effect of rainwater flowing into the system. The concentrations for fluoride, sulfate and manganese were close or above to the limits established by current legislation at the point where the treated mining effluent was discharged and downstream from this point. This study demonstrated that the effluent discharged by the UTM affected the quality of the water in the Antas reservoir, and thus the treatments currently used for effluent need to be reviewed.     

European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) populations under arsenic and metal stress: evaluation of exposure at a mining site

Two populations of the European bee-eater were studied, one living at a reference site and the other at a metal mining site. The concentration of arsenic and 11 metals (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) was measured in feathers and regurgitated pellets collected at both sites. Cadmium, chromium, mercury, nickel, and lead were at least twofold higher in feathers of birds from the contaminated site than in the reference site, suggesting that this population was exposed to higher metal levels. Similarly, levels of aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, iron, and lead were also at least twofold higher in pellets from the contaminated area. The obtained results suggested that the impacted population of Merops apiaster is at risk due to the exposure to some metals.