Small microplastics on beaches of Fernando de Noronha Island, Tropical Atlantic Ocean

Oceanic islands are important areas of environmental, social, economic, and scientific interest. Therefore, it is essential to identify pollutants in these environments, including large (1 mm to ≤ 5 mm) and small microplastics (SMP) (1 μm to ≤ 1 mm). Here, SMP were identified and characterized in the windward (WW) and leeward (LW) beaches of Fernando de Noronha Island. Samples were collected from 900 cm2 quadrants on the strandline of 15 sandy beaches and were sieved through stainless steel sieves with 1 mm mesh. The SMP were characterized according to their shape, colour, and size. Synthetic fibres and fragments were identified, and synthetic fibres were predominant. Statistical differences were not found between the WW and LW beaches (160.0±137.5 particles m-2 and 128.0±84.3 particles m-2, respectively; Mann-Whitney U test: U=198.5; p=0.81) in relation to the total amount of SMP deposited on the beaches. Also, both types/ shapes were present in the two groups of beaches (Friedman’s test, X2 r=6.09; p=0.91). The environmental forcings controlling the transport and potential deposition of synthetic fibres may have been different from those acting on fragments that more resembled the grains of sand in the beaches. Although it is difficult to prevent allochthonous sources of SMP at the small scale, management actions on the island are mandatory to prevent autochthonous sources

Análise Integrada da Qualidade da Água na Bacia e no Complexo Estuarino do Rio Goiana, Pernambuco, Brasil

Estuaries are very productive coastal environments and offer numerous services and resources both society and other ecosystems. They are sensitive environments and are subject to anthropic actions, of varied types and intensities, compromising the efficiency of the services provided. Monitoring these environments is an important tool to know its conditions at different time and space scales. In this study, abiotic parameters from two different databases, with different, butoverlapping, sample designs were used to make an overall analysis of thewater quality of a small estuary on the northeast coast of Brazil. The estuary of Goiana River was divided in four areas and studied along four years with two seasons each. It was observed that the water quality ofthe estuary presents conditions compatible with its intended main uses,but already shows signs of alert for uses as wildlife conservation. In this way, monitoring the quality of estuarine environments, besidesguaranteeing the maintenance of the provision of ecosystemic services, also aims at ensuring the success of environment conservation and its outcomes.Os estuários são ambientes costeiros muito produtivos e oferecem inúmeros serviços e recursos tanto para a sociedade como para outros ecossistemas. São ambientes sensíveis e sujeitos a açõesantrópicas, de variados tipos e intensidades, comprometendo a eficiência dos serviços prestados. Monitorar esses ambientes é uma ferramenta importante para conhecer suas condições em diferentes escalas de tempo e espaço. Neste estudo, parâmetros abióticos de duas bases de dados diferentes, com desenhos amostrais diferentes, mas sobrepostos, foram usados para fazer uma análise geral da qualidade da água de um pequeno estuário na costa nordeste do Brasil. O estuário do rio Goiana foi dividido em quatro áreas e estudou ao longo de quatro anos com duas estações cada. Observou-se que a qualidade da água do estuário apresenta condições compatíveis com os principais usos pretendidos, mas já apresenta sinais de alerta para usos como a conservação da vida silvestre. Desta forma, o monitoramento da qualidade dos ambientes estuarinos, além de garantir a manutenção da prestação de serviços ecossistêmicos, visa também garantir o sucesso da conservação ambiental e seus resultados

AS CONVENÇÕES DA ORGANIZAÇÃO INTERNACIONAL DO TRABALHO COMO FONTE E FUNDAMENTO PARA A PESQUISA EM DIREITO

As Convenções da Organização Internacional do Trabalho (OIT) são tratados multilaterais abertos compostos de acordos vinculantes juridicamente para os Estados que as adotem. No Brasil, a utilização das Convenções ocorre em razão da força normativa e influência no ordenamento nacional. O objetivo desta proposta é investigar aspectos sobre a produção do trabalho científico e a escolha das Convenções da Organização Internacional do Trabalho para a composição do corpo teórico da pesquisa em Direito. Na construção do artigo foi utilizada a abordagem qualitativa, sendo realizados procedimentos de revisão bibliográfica e documental, demonstrados por análise dos dados

O TRABALHO INFANTIL DOMÉSTICO E A APLICAÇÃO DAS CONVENÇÕES 138 E 182 DA ORGANIZAÇÃO INTERNACIONAL DO TRABALHO NO BRASIL

O trabalho infantil doméstico prejudica o completo desenvolvimento de crianças e adolescentes, pois o ambiente pode expor os menores a maus tratos, agressões físicas e verbais, dentre outras problemáticas. Nesse sentido, a Convenção 182 da Organização Internacional do Trabalho (OIT) dispõe que o trabalho infantil doméstico é uma das piores formas de trabalho infantil. O objetivo desta proposta é analisar a aplicação das Convenções 138 e 182 OIT no enfrentamento do trabalho infantil doméstico no Brasil.

Influence of Glutamine and Glutamate Supplementation in the Blood Levels of Horses

Background: The most abundant free amino acid in mammals is glutamine (GLN). Little research has focused on GLN supplementation for horses, but GLN levels in this species are known to decline after exercise and during lactation. Under physiological conditions, the body produces Gln in sufficient quantities for general metabolism, and a small part of this amino acid comes from dietary protein. Little research has so far focused on equine dietary supplementation with free glutamine or combined with other amino acids during catabolic states or in highly stressful situations. This research was conducted to evaluate the effects of equine dietary supplementation using a combination of glutamine and glutamate.  Materials, Methods & Results: The study involved four Arabian mares, not in training (~380 kg; ~12 years old) and four treatments (control, and inclusions of 1, 2 and 4% of GLN+GLU) in a Latin square model. A 7-day washout period was established between each phase. Fifty percent of the mares’ maintenance energy requirements came from concentrate and 50% from hay and grazing. The other 50% came from Tifton hay (Cynodon dactylon), which was supplied ad libitum. After 7 weeks of nutritional supplementation (once a day, in the morning). In the experimental model, the mares were distributed in a Latin square design comprised of four treatments: control (without inclusion) and inclusions of 1%, 2% and 4% of supplement (AminoGut®, Ajinomoto do Brazil), and four animals. Blood was collected in five stages (fasting, and 60, 120, 240 and 360 min after feeding) in each treatment. The blood samples were analyzed to determine GLN, GLU, urea, creatinine, uric acid, total plasma protein, hematocrit and glucose levels. Glutamine and Glutamate concentrations were analyzed using the enzymatic spectrophotometric method. The results were analyzed statistically using one- and two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test with P set at 5%. The results indicated that GLN differed in both the group (P 0.05). Significant changes in GLN levels were also observed in the 4% inclusion treatment compared to all the treatments in the fasting phase and in the + 60 min and +240 min phases of the control group (P 0.05) during the period under analysis, and remained within the normal range for the species in their current stabling conditions. The mares presented no clinical problems nor did they change their feeding behavior during the supplementation period or on the days blood was collected.Discussion: Glutamine metabolism in horses has yet to be extensively studied.  However, it has been shown that, when supplied to horses in its free form, this amino acid causes Gln levels to rise rapidly within the first 90 min of the postprandial period.  This indicates that an extra amount of this amino acid may increase Gln blood levels despite intense degradation of enterocytes. This study found that supplementation with a combination of Gln+Glu can increase blood Gln levels after 6 h in the treatment involving 4% Gln+Glu included in the concentrate (P < 0.05) In conclusion, supplementation with GLN+GLU raised the mares’ GLN levels after 360 min when 4% of GLN+GLU was included in their diet. These results may be used to establish GLN supplementation models for horses.

Padrões e tendências a médio prazo da contaminação por resíduos sólidos na praia de Boa Viagem, Nordeste do Brasil

A quantidade, diversidade e composição do lixo encontrado ao longo de uma praia arenosa do nordeste do Brasil (praia de Boa Viagem) foram descritos neste trabalho. Variações temporais e espaciais da contaminação por lixo marinho depositados na linha do deixa num período de três anos foram examinadas. As amostras foram coletadas durante as estações seca (janeiro, fevereiro, março) e chuvosa (junho, julho, agosto) de 2005 a 2007. A praia foi amostrada uma vez por mês para contagem e classificação de todos os itens visíveis dentro de um transecto com 1m de largura centrado na linha do deixa. Foram encontradas diferenças significativas na diversidade e quantidade de lixo marinho encontrado ao longo das duas estações do ano. Um total de 165.882 itens foram depositados na praia de Boa Viagem. A categoria plástico representou 74,3% dos resíduos sólidos encontrados na praia de Boa Viagem. A quantidade de plástico foi significativamente maior (p <0,05) do que a matéria orgânica e madeira. Diferenças significativas (p <0,05) foram observadas na diversidade de lixo durante eventos de El Niño. Estas análises destacam os problemas que devem ser abordados na gestão futura de áreas de praia

[1-(3-Chloro­phen­yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]methanol hemihydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title hydrate, C9H8ClN3O·0.5H2O, comprises two independent 1,2,3-triazole mol­ecules and a water mol­ecule of crystallization. The dihedral angles between the six- and five-membered rings in the 1,2,3-triazole mol­ecules are 12.71 (19) and 17.3 (2)°. The most significant different between them is found in the relative orientations of the terminal CH2OH groups with one being close to perpendicular to the five-membered ring [N—C—C—O torsion angle = 82.2 (5)°], while in the other mol­ecule, a notable deviation from a perpendicular disposition is found [torsion angle = −60.3 (5)°]. Supra­molecular chains feature in the crystal packing sustained by O—H⋯(O,N) inter­actions along the a-axis direction. The chains are connected via C—H⋯N inter­actions and the resultant layers stack along the b axis

Natural history and survival in stage 1 Val30Met transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy

OBJECTIVE: To assess the natural history and treatment effect on survival among patients with transthyretin-associated familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) stage 1 Val30Met. METHODS: Multi-institutional, hospital-based study of patients with TTR-FAP Val30Met prospectively followed up until December 2016, grouped into untreated (n = 1,771), liver transplant (LTx)-treated (n = 957), or tafamidis-treated (n = 432) cohorts. Standardized mortality ratios, Kaplan-Meier, and Cox methods were used to estimate excess mortality, survival, and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Disease-modifying treatments decreased TTR-FAP excess mortality from 10 to 4 (standardized mortality ratio 3.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.64-5.59). Median overall survival of untreated and LTx-treated cohorts was 11.61 (95% CI 11.14-11.87) and 24.73 years (95% CI 22.90-27.09), respectively, and was not reached in the tafamidis-treated cohort (maximum follow-up, 10 years). Both disease-modifying treatments improved survival. Among early-onset patients (younger than 50 years of age), tafamidis reduced the mortality risk compared with untreated patients by 91% (HR 0.09, 95% CI 0.03-0.25, p < 0.001) and with LTx-treated patients by 63% (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.14-1.00, p = 0.050). Previous tafamidis treatment did not affect mortality risk after LTx (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.25-2.78, p = 0.763). Among late-onset patients (50 years and older), tafamidis reduced mortality risk by 82% compared with untreated patients (HR 0.18, 95% CI 0.06-0.49, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: LTx and tafamidis convey substantial survival benefits, but TTR-FAP mortality remains higher than in the general population. These results strongly reinforce the importance of timely diagnosis and earlier treatment, boosting the pursuit for an increased life expectancy. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class III evidence that for patients with stage 1 Val30Met TTR-FAP, LTx and tafamidis increase survival

Dynamics of marine debris ingestion by profitable fishes along the estuarine ecocline

The dynamics of microfilament (<5 mm) ingestion were evaluated in three species of snooks. The ingestion of different colours and sizes of microfilaments were strongly associated with the spatio-temporal estuarine use and ontogenetic shifts of snooks. Their feeding ecology was also analysed to assess dietary relationships with patterns of contamination. All species were highly contaminated with microfilaments. The highest ingestion of microfilaments occurred in the adults, when fishes became the main prey item and also during the peak of fishing activities, in the rainy season. This suggests that trophic transfer, in addition to periods of high availability of microfilaments are important pathways for contamination. The ingestion of microfilaments of different colours and sizes was likely influenced by input sources. Blue microfilaments were frequently ingested, and appear to have both riverine and estuarine inputs, since they were ingested in all seasons and habitats. Purple and red microfilaments were more frequently ingested in the lower estuarine habitats. The length of microfilaments was also associated with environmental variability. Longer microfilaments were ingested in habitats with greater riverine influence, the opposite was observed for shorter microfilaments. Therefore, microfilament contamination in snooks are a consequence of their ecological patterns of estuarine uses through different seasons and life history stages