Integrating geotechnology and marine litter on beaches – a citizen science approach

The objective of this work was to engage students from public schools of São Paulo coast (Brazil) in the study and control of litter on beaches. Two public schools from coastal cities of São Paulo State (Peruíbe and Ubatuba) had students trained to sample and quantify marine litter on beaches. After this training, using Google Earth images, two beaches of each city were chosen to be studied. On each beach, samples were taken in the 100 meters of the selected stretch. The residues were classified by type of material and type of item (seeking to associate to sources). After the sampling surveys, the students were oriented to the data analysis. The students prepared a presentation with sampling results, hypotheses to explain the possible origin of the marine litter and measures that could be taken to reduce the problem on the studied beach. For both schools, this workshop revealed great students’ involvement during all process, from the field-work and data analysis, to the development of hypothesis and solution propositions. The beaches of Peruíbe were more isolated and in one of them most of the waste was coming from the sea, which carried litter from boats and nearby villages. Meanwhile, the beaches of Ubatuba were urbaner and had high occurrence of construction materials, indicating a miss-managed discard of litter by local residents. The main outputs of these workshops were: (1) giving the students an experience of how a scientific project is developed, (2) generating reliable data on marine litter in the school areas, (3) stimulating discussion about sources and proposing solutions and (4) establishing a cooperation network between the school and the university.Keywords: marine litter, monitoring, beaches, citizen scienc

Association of autoantibodies anti-OxLDL and markers of inflammation with stage of HIV infection

Univ São Paulo, Dept Pathol, Sch Dent, BR-05508900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Sect Lipids Atherosclerosis & Vasc Biol, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Dept Immunol, Inst Biomed Sci 4, BR-05508900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Sect Lipids Atherosclerosis & Vasc Biol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Sistema de informação geográfica das zonas balneares da ilha do Pico (Açores)

XII Expedição Científica do Departamento de Biologia - Pico 2005.Os trabalhos promovidos pela Secção de Geografia, no decorrer da “Expedição Cientifica – Pico 2005”, incidiram na recolha e sistematização de dados para a implementação de um Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG) das Zonas Balneares (ZB) da ilha do Pico. O estudo enquadra-se numa linha de investigação em curso que visa a gestão integrada da orla costeira dos Açores. Os levantamentos de campo foram realizados por uma equipa composta por nove elementos com formações multidisciplinares. Os dados coligidos, concluídos que estão os procedimentos de integração em ambiente SIG, não se destinam apenas à comunidade científica, mas sobretudo aos agentes e instituições com competências na promoção do turismo, conservação da natureza e gestão da orla costeira, incluindo os diferentes níveis de administração (local e regional). A metodologia de recolha de informação baseia-se na adaptação da proposta desenvolvida por Rita Norberto (Zonas Balneares Costeiras da Ilha de São Miguel. Contributos para o seu conhecimento, 2004). Os resultados obtidos permitem, desde logo, constatar o enorme potencial lúdico e conservacionista da costa do Pico, atendendo à quantidade ediversidade das zonas balneares inventariadas (44) e à presença de elementos naturais singulares. Por sua vez, o SIG revelou-se uma ferramenta de análise espacial extremamente eficaz na visualização dos elementos registados na base de dados geográfica

PHYSICAL-MECHANICAL WOOD PROPERTIES FROM INVASIVE EXOTIC SPECIES OF ATLANTIC FOREST

Invasive exotic tree species cause several problems to the world biota. Removing these trees is important for restoring ecosystem balance. However, after the removal, there is a concern regarding the proper destination of the generated materials. The lack of knowledge about the wood characteristics makes it difficult to recommend for the most appropriate uses, which leads to a low added value of the product. The aim of the study was to assess the physical and mechanical wood properties and indicate the alternatives for using wood from exotic invasive species at the Fiocruz Mata Atlântica Biological Station, Rio de Janeiro - RJ. The three species studied were Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamarck (Jackfruit), Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels (Java plum) and Clitoria fairchildiana R.A. Howard (Sombreiro). The physical and mechanical wood properties were determined in three distinct regions, denominated central, intermediate and external, ranging from pith-bark direction. The wood of Artocarpus heterophyllus had low basic density, retractions were lower in the central region, and the intermediate region had the highest mechanical resistance. The Syzygium cumini wood had medium density, the mechanical properties increased in the pith-bark direction, and the radial and volumetric retractions were lower in the central region. Clitoria fairchildiana wood had medium density and had the lowest mechanical resistance from the species evaluated. The three species have appropriate physical properties for the furniture sector, and the Syzygium cumini wood presented adequate mechanical resistance for civil construction

Behavior of the thermal diffusivity of native and oxidized human low-density lipoprotein solutions studied by the Z-scan technique

Modifications in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) have emerged as a major pathogenic factor of atherosclerosis, which is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in the western world. Measurements of the heat diffusivity of human LDL solutions in their native and in vitro oxidized states are presented by using the Z-Scan (ZS) technique. Other complementary techniques were used to obtain the physical parameters necessary to interpret the optical results, e. g., pycnometry, refractometry, calorimetry, and spectrophotometry, and to understand the oxidation phase of LDL particles. To determine the sample's thermal diffusivity using the thermal lens model, an iterative one-parameter fitting method is proposed which takes into account several characteristic ZS time-dependent and the position-dependent transmittance measurements. Results show that the thermal diffusivity increases as a function of the LDL oxidation degree, which can be explained by the increase of the hydroperoxides production due to the oxidation process. The oxidation products go from one LDL to another, disseminating the oxidation process and caring the heat across the sample. This phenomenon leads to a quick thermal homogenization of the sample, avoiding the formation of the thermal lens in highly oxidized LDL solutions. (C) 2012 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). [DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.17.10.105003]National Counsel for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)National Counsel for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)National Institute of Science and Technology of Complex Fluid (INCTFCx)National Institute of Science and Technology of Complex Fluid (INCT-FCx)Redoxoma (INCT-Redoxoma)Redoxoma (INCTRedoxoma

Inflammatory environment and immune responses to oxidized LDL are linked to systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels in hypertensive subjects

Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Div Cardiol, BR-04039030 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Dept Immunol, São Paulo, BrazilNatl Inst Complex Fluids, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, Div Cardiol, BR-04039030 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Dinâmicas de (investig)ação em contextos de promoção da língua portuguesa: a presença do CIDTFF na rede Camões, I.P.

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Diversity and ethics in trauma and acute care surgery teams: results from an international survey

Background Investigating the context of trauma and acute care surgery, the article aims at understanding the factors that can enhance some ethical aspects, namely the importance of patient consent, the perceptiveness of the ethical role of the trauma leader, and the perceived importance of ethics as an educational subject. Methods The article employs an international questionnaire promoted by the World Society of Emergency Surgery. Results Through the analysis of 402 fully filled questionnaires by surgeons from 72 different countries, the three main ethical topics are investigated through the lens of gender, membership of an academic or non-academic institution, an official trauma team, and a diverse group. In general terms, results highlight greater attention paid by surgeons belonging to academic institutions, official trauma teams, and diverse groups. Conclusions Our results underline that some organizational factors (e.g., the fact that the team belongs to a university context or is more diverse) might lead to the development of a higher sensibility on ethical matters. Embracing cultural diversity forces trauma teams to deal with different mindsets. Organizations should, therefore, consider those elements in defining their organizational procedures. Level of evidence Trauma and acute care teams work under tremendous pressure and complex circumstances, with their members needing to make ethical decisions quickly. The international survey allowed to shed light on how team assembly decisions might represent an opportunity to coordinate team member actions and increase performance