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It is crucial to monitor the levels of Non-Ionizing Radiation (NIR) to which the general population may be exposed and compare them to the limits defined in the current standards, in view of the rapid rise of communication services and the prospects of a connected society. A high number of people visits shopping malls and since these locations usually have several indoor antennas close to the public, it is therefore a kind of place that must be evaluated. Thus, this work presents measurements of the electric field in a shopping mall located in Natal, Brazil. We proposed a set of six measurement points, following two criteria: places with great the flow of people and the presence of one or more Distributed Antenna System (DAS), co-sited or not with WiFi access points. Results are presented and discussed in terms of the distance to DAS (conditions: near and far) and flow density of people in the mall (scenarios: low and high number of people). The highest peaks of electric field measured were 1.96 and 3.26 V/m, respectively corresponding to 5% and 8% of the limits defined by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the Brazilian National Telecommunication Agency (ANATEL).

Tropical carbon emissions are largely derived from direct forest clearing processes. Yet, emissions from drought-induced forest fires are, usually, not included in national-level carbon emission inventories. Here we examine Brazilian Amazon drought impacts on fire incidence and associated forest fire carbon emissions over the period 2003–2015. We show that despite a 76% decline in deforestation rates over the past 13 years, fire incidence increased by 36% during the 2015 drought compared to the preceding 12 years. The 2015 drought had the largest ever ratio of active fire counts to deforestation, with active fires occurring over an area of 799,293 km 2 . Gross emissions from forest fires (989 ± 504 Tg CO 2 year −1 ) alone are more than half as great as those from old-growth forest deforestation during drought years. We conclude that carbon emission inventories intended for accounting and developing policies need to take account of substantial forest fire emissions not associated to the deforestation process. Deforestation carbon emissions from the Brazilian Amazon have declined steeply, but how much drought-induced forest fire emissions add to this process is still unclear. Here the authors show that gross emissions from forest fires are more than half as great as those from deforestation during drought years.

Plastic pollution is generated by the unsustainable use and disposal of plastic products in modern society, threatening economies, ecosystems, and human health. Current clean-up strategies have attempted to mitigate the negative effects of plastic pollution but are unable to compete with increasing quantities of plastic entering the environment. Thus, reducing inputs of plastic to the environment must be prioritized through a global multidisciplinary approach. Mismanaged waste is a major land-based source of plastic pollution that can be reduced through improvements in the life-cycle of plastics, especially in production, consumption, and disposal, through an Integrated Waste Management System. In this review paper, we discuss current practices to improve life cycle and waste management of plastics that can be implemented to reduce health and environmental impacts of plastics and reduce plastics pollution. Ten recommendations for stakeholders to reduce plastic pollution include (1) regulation of production and consumption; (2) eco-design; (3) increasing the demand for recycled plastics; (4) reducing the use of plastics; (5) use of renewable energy for recycling; (6) extended producer responsibility over waste; (7) improvements in waste collection systems; (8) prioritization of recycling; (9) use of bio-based and biodegradable plastics; and (10) improvement in recyclability of e-waste.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are highlighted due to their low toxicity, compatibility with the human body, high surface area to volume ratio, and surfaces that can be easily modified with ligands. Biosynthesis of AuNPs using plant extract is considered a simple, low-cost, and eco-friendly approach. Brazilian Red Propolis (BRP), a product of bees, exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities. Here, we described the biosynthesis of AuNPs using BRP extract (AuNP extract ) and its fractions (AuNP hexane , AuNP dichloromethane , AuNP ethyl acetate ) and evaluated their structural properties and their potential against microorganisms and cancer cells. AuNPs showed a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band at 535 nm. The sizes and morphologies were influenced by the BRP sample used in the reaction. FTIR and TGA revealed the involvement of bioactive compounds from BRP extract or its fractions in the synthesis and stabilization of AuNPs. AuNP dichloromethane and AuNP hexane exhibited antimicrobial activities against all strains tested, showing their efficacy as antimicrobial agents to treat infectious diseases. AuNPs showed dose-dependent cytotoxic activity both in T24 and PC-3 cells. AuNP dichloromethane and AuNP extract exhibited the highest in vitro cytotoxic effect. Also, the cytotoxicity of biogenic nanoparticles was induced by mechanisms associated with apoptosis. The results highlight a potential low-cost green method using Brazilian red propolis to synthesize AuNPs, which demonstrated significant biological properties.

This study presents a novel approach for the classification of coronavirus species and variants of SARS-CoV-2 using Chaos Game Representation (CGR) and 2D Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (2D MF-DFA). By extracting fractal parameters from CGR images, we constructed a state space that effectively distinguishes different species and variants. Our method achieved accuracy in species classification, with a notable accuracy for SARS-CoV-2 variants despite their genetic similarities. Using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) as a classifier further enhanced the performance. This approach, which requires fewer steps than most existing methods, offers an efficient and effective tool for viral classification, with implications for bioinformatics, public health, and vaccine development.

A 21-year climatology of Easterly Waves Disturbances (EWDs) over the tropical South Atlantic (TSA) has been examined using data from the European Centers for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting interim reanalysis (ERAI) and satellite data. This includes the frequency distribution of EWDs and their interannual variability. The large-scale environment associated with EWDs has been investigated for the coastal region of Northeast Brazil (NEB) for the rainy (April–August) season using a composite analysis. EWDs were first identified in ERAI, resulting in 518 observed cases. These were found to show notable interannual variability with around 16–40 episodes each year and with an average lifetime of 4–6 days. Of the identified EWDs, 97% reached the coast of NEB, of which 64% were convective in nature and 14% moved across the NEB region and reached the Amazon. The annual occurrence of EWDs seems to be lower (higher) during El Niño (La Niña). The monthly occurrence of EWDs shows higher activity in the rainy season. EWDs originate in association with four types of system: cold fronts, convective clusters from the west coast of Africa, Intertropical Convergence Zone and Tropical Upper Tropospheric Cyclonic Vortices. The composite analysis indicates strong relative vorticity and divergence anomalies at low levels, as well as in the vertical profiles of relative humidity and vertical velocity (omega). The precipitation composites show that the EWDs propagate between the TSA and NEB and contribute at least 60% of the total rainfall over the east coast of NEB throughout the rainy season.

Bacterial biofilm formation is one of the dynamic processes, which facilitates bacteria cells to attach to a surface and accumulate as a colony. With the help of biofilm formation, pathogenic bacteria can survive by adapting to their external environment. These bacterial colonies have several resistance properties with a higher survival rate in the environment. Especially, pathogenic bacteria can grow as biofilms and can be protected from antimicrobial compounds and other substances. In aquaculture, biofilm formation by pathogenic bacteria has emerged with an increased infection rate in aquatic animals. Studies show that Vibrio anguillarum, V. parahaemolyticus, V. alginolyticus, V. harveyi, V. campbellii, V. fischeri, Aeromonas hydrophila, A. salmonicida, Yersinia ruckeri, Flavobacterium columnare, F. psychrophilum, Piscirickettsia salmonis, Edwardsiella tarda, E. ictaluri, E. piscicida, Streptococcus parauberis, and S. iniae can survive in the environment by transforming their planktonic form to biofilm form. Therefore, the present review was intended to highlight the principles behind biofilm formation, major biofilm-forming pathogenic bacteria found in aquaculture systems, gene expression of those bacterial biofilms and possible controlling methods. In addition, the possibility of these pathogenic bacteria can be a serious threat to aquaculture systems.

Glyphosate-based herbicide has been the first choice for weed management worldwide since the 1970s, mainly due to its efficacy and reported low toxicity, which contributed to its high acceptance. Many of the recent studies focus solely on the persistence of pesticides in soils, air, water or food products, or even on the degree of exposure of animals, since their potential hazards to human health have raised concerns. Given the unaware exposure of the general population to pesticides, and the absence of a significant number of studies on occupational hazards, new glyphosate-induced toxicity data obtained for both residual and acute doses should be analyzed and systematized. Additionally, recent studies also highlight the persistence and toxicity of both glyphosate metabolites and surfactants present in herbicide formulations. To renew or ban the use of glyphosate, recently published studies must be taken into account, aiming to define new levels of safety for exposure to herbicide, its metabolites, and the toxic excipients of its formulations. This review aims to provide an overview of recent publications (2010–present) on in vitro and in vivo studies aimed at verifying the animal toxicity induced by glyphosate, its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) and glyphosate-based formulations, evaluated in various experimental models. Apart from glyphosate-induced toxicity, recent data concerning the role of surfactants in the toxicity of glyphosate-based formulations are discussed.

Aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) may expose health care workers (HCWs) to pathogens causing acute respiratory infections (ARIs), but the risk of transmission of ARIs from AGPs is not fully known. We sought to determine the clinical evidence for the risk of transmission of ARIs to HCWs caring for patients undergoing AGPs compared with the risk of transmission to HCWs caring for patients not undergoing AGPs. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, University of York CRD databases, EuroScan, LILACS, Indian Medlars, Index Medicus for SE Asia, international health technology agencies and the Internet in all languages for articles from 01/01/1990 to 22/10/2010. Independent reviewers screened abstracts using pre-defined criteria, obtained full-text articles, selected relevant studies, and abstracted data. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. The outcome of interest was risk of ARI transmission. The quality of evidence was rated using the GRADE system. We identified 5 case-control and 5 retrospective cohort studies which evaluated transmission of SARS to HCWs. Procedures reported to present an increased risk of transmission included [n; pooled OR(95%CI)] tracheal intubation [n = 4 cohort; 6.6 (2.3, 18.9), and n = 4 case-control; 6.6 (4.1, 10.6)], non-invasive ventilation [n = 2 cohort; OR 3.1(1.4, 6.8)], tracheotomy [n = 1 case-control; 4.2 (1.5, 11.5)] and manual ventilation before intubation [n = 1 cohort; OR 2.8 (1.3, 6.4)]. Other intubation associated procedures, endotracheal aspiration, suction of body fluids, bronchoscopy, nebulizer treatment, administration of O2, high flow O2, manipulation of O2 mask or BiPAP mask, defibrillation, chest compressions, insertion of nasogastric tube, and collection of sputum were not significant. Our findings suggest that some procedures potentially capable of generating aerosols have been associated with increased risk of SARS transmission to HCWs or were a risk factor for transmission, with the most consistent association across multiple studies identified with tracheal intubation.

The extensive use of pesticides in agriculture has significantly impacted the environment and human health, as these pollutants are inadequately disposed of into water bodies. In addition, pesticides can cause adverse effects on humans and aquatic animals due to their incomplete removal from the aqueous medium by conventional wastewater treatments. Therefore, processes such as heterogeneous photocatalysis and adsorption by nanocomposites have received special attention in the scientific community due to their unique properties and ability to degrade and remove several organic pollutants, including pesticides. This report reviews the use of nanocomposites in pesticide adsorption and photocatalytic degradation from aqueous solutions. A bibliographic search was performed using the ScienceDirect, American Chemical Society (ACS), and Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) indexes, using Boolean logic and the following descriptors: “pesticide degradation” AND “photocatalysis” AND “nanocomposites”; “nanocomposites” AND “pesticides” AND “adsorption”. The search was limited to research article documents in the last ten years (from January 2012 to June 2022). The results made it possible to verify that the most dangerous pesticides are not the most commonly degraded/removed from wastewater. At the same time, the potential of the supported nanocatalysts and nanoadsorbents in the decontamination of wastewater-containing pesticides is confirmed once they present reduced bandgap energy, which occurs over a wide range of wavelengths. Moreover, due to the great affinity of the supported nanocatalysts with pesticides, better charge separation, high removal, and degradation values are reported for these organic compounds. Thus, the class of the nanocomposites investigated in this work, magnetic or not, can be characterized as suitable nanomaterials with potential and unique properties useful in heterogeneous photocatalysts and the adsorption of pesticides.