Cytogenetic evaluation and the association with polymorphisms of the CPY1A1 and NR1I3 genes in individuals exposed to BTEX

The gas station attendants are exposed daily to chemical agents that compose gasoline, such as BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene), and the exposure to these agents can cause a variety of effects on the human health. Among the various possible cell alterations associated with these exposures are the formation of micronuclei and of binucleated cells which are used as indicators of clastogenic action. Benzene, the main carcinogenic agent, is metabolized to more soluble forms and easily excreted by isoenzymes of cytochrome P450, such as CYP1A1. The CYP1A1 gene is highly polymorphic and one of its allele variations can be detected by the use of restriction endonucleasis MspI and is originated by the transition of a thymine by a cytosine (3798T>C), resulting in the polymorphic allele CYP1A1*2A. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cytogenetic damage induced by the exposure to BTEX and to associate it with the polymorphisms of the CYP1A1 and NR1I3 genes. Samples of exfoliated cells from the oral mucosa of 27 gas station attendants and from a control group were collected. The results found show that the group exposed to BTEX presents significantly higher alterations than those in the control group for micronuclei (MN; 6.85?±?1.33 vs. 2.96?±?1.91, P?<?0.001) and for the total of nuclear alterations observed (MN + binucleated cells (BNC); 9.59?±?4.73 vs. 5.07?±?2.21, P?<?0.001). When comparing the cytological alterations and the genotypes among the exposed individuals for the polymorphism 3798T>C of the CYP1A1 gene, homozygotes TT present MN + BNC significantly higher than carriers of the allele C (10.88?±?5.36 vs. 5.33?±?2.52, P?=?0.028). No association was observed in the control group or for the NR1I3 gene. These results show that molecular and cytogenetic data can be used in the future as tools to monitor individuals exposed to such compounds.     

Evaluation of the impacts of road runoff in a Mediterranean reservoir in Portugal

Road runoff is a linear diffuse source of pollution, with very specific characteristics. This study intends to improve the understanding of road runoff impacts in water bodies in Portugal. The chosen case study is S. Domingos reservoir catchment. The study analyzed land uses, the presence of pollution sources, and gathered temporal water quality data and performed site measurements and sample collection. The water quality data for the reservoir was provided by the national water quality monitoring system from the Portuguese Water Institute. The parameters selected were TSS, COD, NO₃ ^?, Cl^?, and Cu. The results obtained revealed that the presence of IP6 highway at S. Domingos catchment affects the water quality; however, the impacts are not significant due to the high dilution effect of the reservoir volume. Agriculture, the main land use of the catchment, is responsible for introducing pollutants such as TSS, Cl^?, COD, N, and P in the local water streams and at the reservoir. TSS, COD, and Cu are pollutants generated by the road. The success of the study was very much dependent on the availability of 12 years of historic water quality data for S. Domingos reservoir, and the use of the moving average method. Taking into consideration the high variability of hydrological variables in Mediterranean climates, the concentration of pollutants in the water bodies must always be assessed in a significant time period.     

Assessment of water systems for contaminants from domestic and industrial sewages

The State of Minas Gerais represents one of Brazil's most outstanding mining resources. The contamination of river waterfrom kaolin processing activities may be harmful to people inthe way of slow but chronic poisoning. On the other hand, the discharge of untreated or inadequately treated domestic sewage into aquatic environments can also cause deleterious effects to the health. However, no reliable figures are available for pollutant occurrences in river water. This draws attention to thevery precarious situation that exists with respect to pollutionby organic and inorganic toxic wastes, especially with respect to humans and fauna in all its expressions. Thus, with the purpose of establishing a preliminary report to trace out industrialisation outcomes, samples of river water, vegetation and fish were collected and analysed to detect pollutant inputs.The concentration of metals was determined in suspended particle,vegetation and fish, while those of nitrite, nitrate, phosphateand chloride were determined in river water samples. The concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) was measured in river water at the time of collection. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) were also determined. Metalinputs in the samples analysed appeared to be related to effluentdischarges into the rivers. The suspended particles showed highconcentrations (in mg kg^-1) of zinc (62 600) and aluminium(559 000), while vegetation samples collected near rivers wereheavily contaminated with iron (7680). The fishes examined werecontaminated with chromium (1.5 mg kg^-1). In general, the concentrations of nitrite, nitrate, chloride, phosphate and BOD in river water were lower than the maximum values established bythe Brazilian Environmental Standards.     

Heavy Metal Availability in Soil Amended with Composted Urban Solid Wastes

A study was performed to evaluate the pH and the availability of Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Ni in soil amended with increasing doses of composted solid wastes, collected in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro State and in Coimbra, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The influence of the time elapsed between compost application to the soil and the sampling of the plant growth substrate (soil + compost) for pH and metal availability analyses was also examined. The availability of heavy metals in the soil, in the compost and in the substrate was evaluated using DTPA solution for metal extraction. The increase of the compost doses added to the soil resulted in the increase of the pH in the substrate. The addition of the compost from the bigger city, Rio de Janeiro, resulted in higher increase in soil pH and available Zn, Cu, Pb, and Ni levels as compared to the addition of the compost from the smaller city, Coimbra. Increasing the time elapsed between the compost application to the soil and the sampling of the mixture resulted in higher available Zn, Cu, Mn, and Pb levels. The addition of the compost from Rio de Janeiro resulted in substrate metal concentrations in the order Zn > Pb > Ni > Cu > Mn and for the Coimbra compost the metal concentrations in the substrate was Zn > Pb > Cu > Ni > Mn. The higher values of pH and available metals obtained for the bigger city were attributed to the greatest metal contamination of its compost.     

Barriers,potentialities, and actions for implementation of sustainable energy procedures in Brazilian federal universities

Many universities around the world have served as active centers for research on climate change. However, there are several barriers to their activities, stemming from the nature of research, resources, and the structure of institutions. This document provides an overview of barriers, potential factors, and activities to develop and implement sustainable energy processes in public higher education institutions (HEIs) in Brazil. The research was conducted from March to April of 2018 with representatives of HEIs (rectors or prorectors of research). A total of 63 invitations to respond to the Survey‐monkey survey were emailed, and responses were received from 32 universities. The research concludes by proposing measures that can be taken to make the issue of climate change more present and effective in university research and teaching activities. This includes changes in research, information dissemination, and teaching approaches to better support actions to address climate change. In Brazil, there are many potentialities in terms of natural resources, but actions for implementation are still incipient. Further efforts and investment in research and development will be required.     

Comparative studies of fungal degradation of single or mixed bioaccessible reactive azo dyes

A screening using several fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pleurotus ostreatus, Trametes versicolor and Aureobasidium pullulans) was performed on the degradation of syringol derivatives of azo dyes possessing either carboxylic or sulphonic groups, under optimized conditions previously established by us. T. versicolor showed the best biodegradation performance and its potential was confirmed by the degradation of differently substituted fungal bioaccessible dyes. Enzymatic assays (lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase, laccase, proteases and glyoxal oxidase) and GC-MS analysis were performed upon the assay obtained using the most degraded dye. The identification of hydroxylated metabolites allowed us to propose a possible metabolic pathway. Biodegradation assays using mixtures of these bioaccessible dyes were performed to evaluate the possibility of a fungal wastewater treatment for textile industries.     

Lisbon’s womb: an approach to the city metabolism in the turn to the twentieth century

The consumption and production of food products in the municipality of Lisbon in the 1890–1900 decade is assessed with the support of historical cartography and statistical resources. For the first time, food production in a municipality in the turn to the twentieth century is accounted and simultaneously subject of a visual analysis of the land used for agriculture and of the water infrastructures that supported such uses. Agriculture occupied at least 40 % of the territory of the city, while the built environment occupied no more than 16 % of the territory. However, local production of food was far from supplying most of the citizens’ needs, and substantial food imports were needed. In this context, the municipality behaved like a heterotrophic system, highly dependent on the external supply of resources. Moreover, comparing to other European cities at the time Lisbon was facing in the end of the nineteenth century a late and slow transition from an agrarian social metabolism to an industrial one, suggesting that Lisbon was still relatively high-solar-powered as compared to other European cities at the time that were already highly fossil-fuel-powered.     

Can variations in the spatial distribution at sea and isotopic niche width be associated with consistency in the isotopic niche of a pelagic seabird species?

This study tested for fluctuations on short-term consistency (within about 1 month) in the isotopic niche of a pelagic seabird species. Short-term consistency in the isotopic niche was assessed using a wide-ranging apex predator, the Cory’s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea, along a 3-year study (2010–2012), during both the pre-laying and chick-rearing periods, with markedly inter- and intra-annual differences in the foraging spatial distribution at sea and isotopic niche width. We used individual movement data and stable isotope data, analysed using recent metrics based in a Bayesian framework, of 69 adults breeding on a small neritic island in the North Atlantic (39°24′N, 009°30′W). As expected, our results confirm that isotopic niche expansion could arise via increased variation in spatial distribution at sea among individuals. Results suggest fluctuations on short-term consistency in the isotopic niche of Cory’s shearwaters related to their different foraging patterns among periods and, ultimately, to presumably temporal changes in the availability and predictability of food resources. Short-term consistency in the isotopic niche was higher and persistent during periods when the population showed an intermediate isotopic niche width and absent when isotopic niche was either smaller or larger during the study period. These results suggest that consistency in the isotopic niche is an important characteristic of this population during the breeding period that may fluctuate depending on resources availability and should be important to understand the dynamics of foraging ecology of pelagic seabirds in general.