Particle emission from heavy-duty engine fuelled with blended diesel and biodiesel

In this study, particulate matter (PM) were characterized from a place impacted by heavy-duty vehicles (Bus Station) fuelled with diesel/biodiesel fuel blend (B3) in the city of Londrina, Brazil. Sixteen priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) concentrations were analyzed in the samples by their association with atmospheric PM, mass size distributions and major ions (fluorite, chloride, bromide, nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, nitrite, oxalate; fumarate, formate, succinate and acetate; lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and ammonium). Results indicate that major ions represented 21.2% particulate matter mass. Nitrate, sulfate, and ammonium, respectively, presented the highest concentration levels, indicating that biodiesel may also be a significant source for these ions, especially nitrate. Dibenzo[a,h]anthracene and indeno[1,2,3,-cd]pyrene were the main PAH found, and a higher fraction of PAH particles was found in diameters lower than 0.25 μm in Londrina bus station. The fine and ultrafine particles were dominant among the PM evaluated, suggesting that biodiesel decreases the total PAH emission. However, it does also increase the fraction of fine and ultrafine particles when compared to diesel.     

Females reward courtship by competing males in a cannibalistic spider

Despite widespread recognition that intersexual interactions shape reproductive strategies, studies of male competition do not typically include effects imposed by females. In cannibalistic redback spiders, escalated fighting between rival suitors is predicted, as males are unlikely to mate with more than one female, and strong first-male sperm precedence favours mating with virgins. In staged competitions for matings between size mismatched rivals, smaller males adopted an alternative sneaking strategy. However, despite initial agonistic interactions, larger males did not pursue or incapacitate smaller males. When inter-male competition occurred, females struck at males frequently, although strikes were rarely seen when males courted in the absence of a rival. After minimal fighting, larger males engaged in significant courtship (3 h) rather than killing inferior rivals. Prolonged courtship was favoured by female behaviour, as males that attempted rapid copulation (smaller, sneaking males) were cannibalised before mating was completed. This premature cannibalism significantly decreases paternity in redback spiders. Thus, significant features of male competitive behaviour (i.e. prolonged courtship by larger males) may be predicted with consideration of the female’s response to male reproductive strategies. Although the effect of females may be more subtle in systems without the extreme reversed size-dimorphism of redbacks, these results suggest that female interests should be explicitly considered when studying inter-male interactions.     

The impact on tropospheric ozone formation on the implementation of a program for mobile emissions control: a case study in São Paulo,Brazil

The main sources of reactive hydrocarbons (RHC) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x), ozone precursors, in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) in the southeast of Brazil are emissions from vehicles fleets. Ambient surface ozone and particulate matter concentrations are air quality problem in the MASP. This study examined the impact that implementing a control program for mobile emissions has on ozone concentrations, An episode of high surface ozone concentrations occurring in the MASP during the March 13–15, 2000 period was used as a case study that was modeled for photochemical oxidants using the California Institute of Technology/Carnegie Mellon University three-dimensional photochemical model. Different scenarios were analyzed in relationship to the implementation of the Programa Nacional de Controle de Poluição por Veículos Automotores (PROCONVE, National Program to Control Motor Vehicle Pollution). Scenario 1 assumed that all vehicles were operating within PROCONVE guidelines. Scenarios 2 and 3 considered hypothetical situations in which the PROCONVE was not implemented. Scenario 2 set the premise that vehicles were using pre-1989 technology, whereas scenario 3 allowed for technological advances. A base case scenario, in which the official emission inventory for the year 2000 was employed, was also analyzed. The CIT model results show agreement with most measurements collected during 13–15 March 2000 modeling episode. Mean normalized bias for ozone, CO, RHC and NO _x are approximately 9.0, 6.0, ?8.3, 13.0%, respectively. Tropospheric ozone concentrations predicted for scenario 2 were higher than those predicted for scenarios 1, 3 and base case. This study makes a significant contribution to the evaluation of air quality improvement and provides data for use in evaluating the economic costs of implementing a program of motor vehicle pollution control aimed at protecting human health.     

Study of spatial and temporal distribution of antimicrobial in water and sediments from caging fish farms by on-line SPE-LC-MS/MS

An on-line solid phase extraction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-MS/MS) method for the determination of 12 antimicrobials in sediment and surface water was developed and validated. Furthermore, the spatial and temporal antimicrobials distributions in the sediment and in the water of four fish farms located in the hydroelectric dam of Ilha Solteira Reservoir in Brazil were investigated over four seasons in three sampling sites: at the fish cages, 100 and 1,000 m downstream far from the cages. The method was performed using an Agilent Zorbax 80 SB-C8 column (9.4 × 15 mm, 5 µm) as the loading column, and the Agilent Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 column (3.0 × 100 mm, 3.5 µm) as a separation column within a run time of 13 min. The limits of quantification were less than 9 ng·L^?1 for the antibiotics in water and 16 µg·kg^?1 in sediment; the recovery ranged from 80 to 119%, with a variation coefficient less than 11%, and the repeatability was lower than 15%. Oxytetracycline was found in the water in all sample seasons. However, florfenicol was identified in April and October 2013 and January 2014, and tetracycline was present in July 2013. Regarding the sediment, oxytetracycline and tetracycline were found in all sampling periods, but chlortetracycline was only identified in January 2014. The spatial distribution of antimicrobials showed that the main pollution source came from the fish farms. This study demonstrated that the proposed method is reliable for the monitoring of antimicrobials in water and sediments and it showed contamination in both matrices from Ilha Solteira Reservoir.     

The use of a natural coagulant (Opuntia ficus-indica) in the removal for organic materials of textile effluents

The goal of this study was to investigate the activity of the coagulant extracted from the cactus Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) in the process of coagulation/flocculation of textile effluents. Preliminary tests of a kaolinite suspension achieved maximum turbidity removal of 95 % using an NaCl extraction solution. Optimization assays were conducted with actual effluents using the response surface methodology (RSM) based on the Box–Behnken experimental design. The responses of the variables FeCl₃, dosage, cactus dosage, and pH in the removal of COD and turbidity from both effluents were investigated. The optimum conditions determined for jeans washing laundry effluent were the following: FeCl₃ 160 mg L^?1, cactus dosage 2.60 mg L^?1, and pH 5.0. For the fabric dyeing effluent, the optimum conditions were the following: FeCl₃ 640 mg L^?1, cactus dosage 160 mg L^?1, and pH 6.0. Investigation of the effects of the storage time and temperature of the cactus O. ficus-indica showed that coagulation efficiency was not significantly affected for storage at room temperature for up to 4 days.     

Road traffic injury in sub-Saharan African countries: A systematic review and summary of observational studies

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate, through a systematic review of hospital-based studies, the proportion of road traffic injuries and fatalities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Methods: In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines, we searched the following electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, Africa-Wide Information, Global Health, and Web of Science. Articles were eligible if they measured proportion of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in SSA by using hospital-based studies. In addition, a reference and citation analysis was conducted as well as a data quality assessment.

Results: Up to 2015, there were a total of 83 hospital-based epidemiologic studies, including 310,660 trauma patients and 99,751 RTI cases, in 13 SSA countries. The median proportion of RTIs among trauma patients was 32% (4 to 91%), of which the median proportion of death for the included articles was 5% (0.3 to 41%).

Conclusion: The number of studies evaluating RTI proportions and fatalities in SSA countries is increasing but without the exponential rise expected from World Health Organization calls for research during the Decade of Action for Road Traffic Injuries. Further research infrastructure including standardization of taxonomy, definitions, and data reporting measures, as well as funding, would allow for improved cross-country comparisons.     

Conservation and development in Amazonian extractive reserves: the case of Alto Juruá

Extractive reserves constitute an innovative approach to match conservation and development objectives, which were originally envisaged as part of a land struggle by forest dwellers in Brazil. In spite of the idea's popularity and the attempts to apply the concept to different tropical regions, there has been little analysis of the combined conservation and development performance of extractive reserve programs. We present a detailed analysis of deforestation and demographic and socioeconomic changes in Alto Juruá, the first extractive reserve created in Brazil in 1990. Forest cover has remained fairly stable. Population has declined slightly, with some internal displacements. The cash economy base has shifted from the original rubber production to a diversified portfolio of agriculture and livestock, and there has been a dramatic rise in nonagrarian income. We conclude that the Reserve represents a very dynamic setting with positive conservation and development outcomes during its first decade.     

Heterogeneous electro-Fenton process for degradation of bisphenol A using a new graphene/cobalt ferrite hybrid catalyst

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A simple, efficient, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive synthesis route was developed to obtain a magnetic nano-hybrid (GH) based on graphene...