The gravitational wave radiation of pulsating white dwarfs revisited: The case of BPM 37093 and PG 1159-035

We compute the emission of gravitational radiation from pulsating white dwarfs. This is done by using an up-to-date stellar evolutionary code coupled with a state-of-the-art pulsational code. The emission of gravitational waves is computed for a standard 0.6 M⊙ white dwarf with a liquid carbon-oxygen core and a hydrogen-rich envelope, for a massive DA white dwarf with a partially crystallized core for which various ℓ l = 2 modes have been observed (BPM 37093) and for PG 1159-035, the prototype of the GW Vir class of variable stars, for which several quadrupole modes have been observed as well. We find that these stars do not radiate sizeable amounts of gravitational waves through their observed pulsation g-modes, in line with previous studies. We also explore the possibility of detecting gravitational waves radiated by the f-mode and the p-modes. We find that in this case the gravitational wave signal is very large and, hence, the modes decay very rapidly. We also discuss the possible implications of our calculations for the detection of gravitational waves from pulsating white dwarfs within the framework of future space-borne interferometers like LISA.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y GeofísicasInstituto de Astrofísica de La Plat

Impacto da COVID-19 na geração e gestão dos resíduos de serviço da saúde: estudo de caso

The impact of the new Coronavirus pandemic on public health and its consequences in the economic, social, and environmental context is undeniable, highlighting, from an environment point of view, the increase in the generation of medical waste belonging to Group A. These residues deserve special attention since inadequate management practices can lead to negative impacts on environmental sustainability, aggravating the state of public health. In this context, the research aimed to analyze, through a descriptive cross-sectional study, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rates of Group A medical waste produced in a hospital located in the southern region of the country. The results indicated that the generation of medical waste increased 21% compared to the pre-pandemic period, corroborating with other studies that shown the influence of the pandemic on the increase in the generation of this type of waste. Thus, the permanent assessment of the generation and management of medical waste constitutes an important database for more assertive decision-making, both by managers of public and private institutions, with the objective of mitigating the environmental impacts and risks to public health imposed by the pandemic.Introdução: o impacto da nova pandemia de Coronavírus na saúde pública e suas consequências no contexto econômico, social e ambiental é inegável, destacando-se, do ponto de vista ambiental, o aumento da geração de resíduos hospitalares pertencentes ao Grupo A. Tais resíduos, devido a sua natureza, características e indicações específicas de gerenciamento e disposição final, necessitam atenção especial, uma vez que práticas inadequadas de manejo e gestão podem levar a impactos negativos na sustentabilidade ambiental e ao agravamento da situação da saúde pública. Objetivo: analisar o impacto da pandemia da COVID-19 nas taxas de geração de resíduos hospitalares em um hospital localizado na região Sul do país. Método: estudo transversal descritivo com levantamento de dados sobre a geração de Resíduos de Serviço da Saúde potencialmente infectantes no período pré e durante a pandemia do novo Coronavírus. Resultados: a geração de resíduos hospitalares Grupo A aumentou 21% em relação ao período pré-pandêmico, destacando que no mês correspondente ao pico das internações (março/2021), somente os resíduos gerados pelo setor COVID-19 foram responsáveis por 36,7% do total de resíduos mensal gerados pelo hospital. Considerações finais: dados como esses corroboram com outros estudos que mostraram a influência da pandemia no aumento da geração desse tipo de resíduo, evidenciando ainda que a avaliação permanente da geração e gestão de resíduos hospitalares constitui um importante banco de dados para tomadas de decisão mais assertivas, tanto por gestores de instituições públicas como privadas, com o objetivo de mitigar os impactos ambientais e os riscos à saúde pública impostos pela pandemia

ELETROOXIDAÇÃO NO TRATAMENTO DE EFLUENTES DE LAVANDERIA HOSPITALAR

No presente estudo foram realizados ensaios de tratamento utilizando os processos oxidativos avançados (POA’s) visando a mineralização e a detoxificação dos efluentes gerados em uma lavanderia hospitalar. Os ensaios envolveram a utilização do processo de eletrooxidação. Foram realizadas análises dos parâmetros globais e análises toxicológicas, antes e após cada ensaio. Desta forma buscou-se avaliar a eficiência dos métodos empregados na redução dos parâmetros globais, e na detoxificação dos efluentes da lavanderia hospitalar em questão. Os ensaios envolvendo o processo de eletrooxidação com condutividade induzida através da adição de NaCl realizados durante 60 minutos obtiveram os melhores desempenhos. O efluente gerado no enxágüe inicial das compressas passou da condição de extremamente tóxico (12,58%) para moderadamente tóxico (61,59%), enquanto que as reduções de DBO5 e DQO foram de respectivamente, 32% e 9%. Com relação ao efluente oriundo da etapa da lavagem, a DQO apresentou uma redução de 41%, enquanto que a toxicidade foi reduzida consideravelmente, passando da condição de extremamente tóxico (6,89%) para pouco tóxico (76,65%

Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover.

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale

Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities

AimAmazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types.LocationAmazonia.TaxonAngiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots).MethodsData for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega-phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran's eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny.ResultsIn the terra firme and várzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igapó and white-sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured (R2 = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified (R2 = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types.Main ConclusionNumerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long-standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions

Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities

Aim: Amazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types. Location: Amazonia. Taxon: Angiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots). Methods: Data for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega-phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran\u27s eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny. Results: In the terra firme and várzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igapó and white-sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured (R$^{2}$ = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified (R$^{2}$ = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types. Main Conclusion: Numerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long-standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions

Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora

Using 2.046 botanically-inventoried tree plots across the largest tropical forest on Earth, we mapped tree species-diversity and tree species-richness at 0.1-degree resolution, and investigated drivers for diversity and richness. Using only location, stratified by forest type, as predictor, our spatial model, to the best of our knowledge, provides the most accurate map of tree diversity in Amazonia to date, explaining approximately 70% of the tree diversity and species-richness. Large soil-forest combinations determine a significant percentage of the variation in tree species-richness and tree alpha-diversity in Amazonian forest-plots. We suggest that the size and fragmentation of these systems drive their large-scale diversity patterns and hence local diversity. A model not using location but cumulative water deficit, tree density, and temperature seasonality explains 47% of the tree species-richness in the terra-firme forest in Amazonia. Over large areas across Amazonia, residuals of this relationship are small and poorly spatially structured, suggesting that much of the residual variation may be local. The Guyana Shield area has consistently negative residuals, showing that this area has lower tree species-richness than expected by our models. We provide extensive plot meta-data, including tree density, tree alpha-diversity and tree species-richness results and gridded maps at 0.1-degree resolution