Introduction of the special edition

The Master in environment holds annually the Environment Forum of the State of Maranhão. In 2019, the third edition of the event was held with the theme: Water Resources Management in Maranhão - Potentialities and Weaknesses for a Participatory and Decentralized Management, which presented 149 scientific papers divided into two distinct areas 82 works in the area of planning and environmental quality and 67 works in the área of health and environment. Due to the importance that the event has been showing to the State and the high scientific quality of the presented works, it was considered pertinent a wider dissemination, where all the scientific community would have access to the accomplished works, hence the idea of a Special Edition in a renowned Scientific Journal. Thus, to compose the special edition of the III Forum on the Environment, 15 articles were selected, which later underwent an “ad hoc” peer review to ensure quality. The articles have varied themes and range from environmental monitoring using georeferencing technologies, going through proposals of intervention methodology for environment recovery to articles focused on the influence of anthropic and environmental factors on human health

Spray drying of the buriti pulp at different maltodextrin concentrations and temperature

In this work, the formulations prepared with buriti pulp and different maltodextrin concentrations (5, 10 and 15%) were dried in spray dryer and the chemical, physical and physical-chemical characteristics of the formulations and powder samples were evaluated. In this drying process two kinds of powder samples were collected: one into drying chamber and another in the cyclone. Using a factorial experimental planning, the experiments were conducted, in order to assess the moisture and ash contents, total acidity and density of both samples. The formulations dried in the spray dryer presented be feasible for the production of buriti pulp powder; however, powder samples collected into drying chamber and cyclone were different. Among the parameters analysed, it was found that only for density the samples collected into drying chamber, that the first-order empirical model obtained was statistically significant and predictive

Noise monitoring in the city of São Luís, Brazil

The noise generated by vehicular traffic is a major source of discomfort for urban residents and directly affects their quality of life. This study performed the monitoring of urban noise in the city of São Luís, Brazil. The data were collected at 25 sampling points throughout the city over a period of 6 months—1 week per month from Monday to Sunday between the hours of 11:00 and 13:00. The results showed that 23 points were above the limits established by NBR 10151/00. The analysis of variance showed significant differences between the points. Therefore, it is evident that the population is exposed to high levels of noise capable of generating public health problems. The two points within the NBR limits were recorded in an area with dense vegetation, showing the importance of the preservation of the vegetation

Detecting spatiotemporal variability in the physicochemical properties of water in the Lower Mearim using remote sensing data

Natural or anthropogenic chemical compounds of different origins often accumulate in estuarine regions. These compounds may alter the water quality. Therefore, It is important to constantly monitor the quality of estuarine regions. A combination of remote sensing and traditional sampling can lead to a better monitoring program for water quality parameters. The objective of this work is to assess the spatiotemporal variability of the physicochemical properties of water in the lower region of the Mearim River and estimate water quality parameters via remote sensing. Samples were collected at 16 points, from Baixo Arari to the mouth of the watershed, using a multiparameter meter and Landsat 8 satellite images. The physicochemical parameters of the water had high salinity levels, between 2.30 and 20.10 parts per trillion; a high total dissolved solids content, between 2.77 and 19.70 g/L; and minimum dissolved oxygen values. Estimating the physicochemical properties of the water via remote sensing proved feasible, particularly in the dry season when there is less cloud cover

Carta de apresentação da Edição Especial MMA

Carta de apresentação da Edição Especial MM

Assessment of the biological potential of diaryltriazene-derived triazene compounds

In the present study, novel, 1,3-diaryltriazene-derived triazene compounds were synthesized and tested. Triazenes are versatile and belong to a group of alkylating agents with interesting physicochemical properties and proven biological activities. This study describes the synthesis, molecular and crystalline structure, biological activity evaluation, and antifungal and antimicrobial potentials of 1,3- bis (X-methoxy-Y-nitrophenyl)triazenes [X = 2 and 5; Y = 4 and 5]. The antimicrobial and antifungal activities of the compounds were tested by evaluating the sensitivity of bacteria (American Type Culture Collection, ATCC) and clinical isolates to their solutions using standardized microbiological assays, cytotoxicity evaluation, and ecotoxicity tests. The antimicrobial potentials of triazenes were determined according to their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs); these compounds were active against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, with low MIC values. The most surprising result was obtained for T3 having the effective MIC of 9.937 µg/mL and antifungal activity against Candida albicans ATCC 90028, C. parapsilosis ATCC 22019, and C. tropicallis IC. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report promising activities of triazene compounds against yeast and filamentous fungi. The results showed the potential utility of triazenes as agents affecting selected resistant bacterial and fungal strains