Quantitative analysis of lead in polysulfide-based impression material

Permlastic® is a polysulfide-based impression material widely used by dentists in Brazil. It is composed of a base paste and a catalyzer containing lead dioxide. The high toxicity of lead to humans is ground for much concern, since it can attack various systems and organs. The present study involved a quantitative analysis of the concentration of lead in the material Permlastic®. The lead was determined by plasma-induced optical emission spectrometry (Varian model Vista). The percentages of lead found in the two analyzed lots were 38.1 and 40.8%. The lead concentrations in the material under study were high, but the product’s packaging contained no information about these concentrations

Nos caminhos da história urbana, a presença das figueiras-bravas

RESUMO Este texto trata das chamadas figueiras-bravas, espécies nativas em florestas tropicais e subtropicais que, plantadas ou nascendo espontaneamente em certos locais, propiciaram, sob suas imensas copas, espaços de sociabilidade em muitos núcleos urbanos oitocentistas. As figueiras-bravas foram também importantes marcos paisagísticos, influindo muitas vezes na configuração de espaços urbanos de várias cidades brasileiras. Neste artigo, três casos relativos ao estado de São Paulo são apresentados: o caso de Lorena, no Vale do Paraíba, onde ao menos quatro logradouros importantes foram formados a partir da existência de figueiras-bravas e outros dois casos relativos à capital paulista, a saber, a figueira-brava da chácara da Marquesa de Santos, na várzea do Carmo, atual Parque D. Pedro II, e a figueira conhecida como Árvore das Lágrimas, ainda existente no Ipiranga

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora

Bioenergia: desenvolvimento, pesquisa e inovação

Com 27 trabalhos produzidos por pesquisadores do Instituto de Pesquisa em Bioenergia (Bioen), da Unesp, este livro oferece uma ampla visão sobre as áreas que compõem o segmento. Seu principal objetivo é contribuir para melhorar a compreensão dos vários aspectos da bioenergia, em especial no Brasil, que figura entre os países com maior nível de desenvolvimento tecnológico no setor. Os artigos abordam uma série abrangente de questões relacionadas à bioenergia, como a construção genética das plantas de cana-de-açúcar visando ao aumento de produtividade, a disseminação de sementes para estimular a propagação de espécies com potencial energético, etapas de produção de bioenergia, usos do combustível e seus efeitos nos diversos tipos de motores. Agrupados por assunto, os textos estão distribuídos em cinco partes: Biomassa para bioenergia; Produção de biocombustíveis; Utilização de bioenergia; Biorrefinaria, alcoolquímica e oleoquímica e Sustentabilidade dos biocombustíveis