Socioeconomic potential for rainwater harvesting systems in southern Brazilian municipalities

The implementation of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems depends on technical and socioeconomic assessments. However, most studies do not consider socioeconomic aspects, which could lead to different degrees of RWH implementation and technology selection due to economic constraints and local regulations. We evaluated the socioeconomic potential for RWH as an alternative for the water supply of 24 southern Brazilian municipalities with less than 50,000 inhabitants. A total of 10,080 RWH configurations were assessed and a reliability analysis was carried out to define the RWH system configurations potentially implementable (RWHþ) in each municipality. RWH economic benefits were estimated from a social point of view, based on the reduction of the monthly water payment. Overall, RWHþ supplying higher demands with higher economics savings were feasible, as expected. However, several municipalities that showed RWHþ supplying 100% of the domestic water demands obtained lower economic savings, due to low water tariff and water consumption. Still, a set of municipalities presented RWHþ for rainwater demand replacing 50% to 60% of the residential demand, for which the high water tariffs were reflected in higher economic savings. The advantages of using the RWH systems stand out even more when the investments at Federal and Local levels are considered

Carbendazim adsorption on granular activated carbon of coconut shell : optimization and thermodynamics

The adsorption of the fungicide Carbendazim (CBZ) on granular activated carbon (GAC) of coconut shell was investigated through batch tests in deionized water. The most favorable conditions for the adsorption of CBZ were examined through the variation of the mass of GAC, temperature, and contact time. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied, seeking the best adsorption condition to optimize future tests. A thermodynamic analysis was carried out using the Van't Hoff method. The tests with the dosage of 10 mg of GAC and temperatures of 25º C and 30º C showed higher adsorption of the fungicide. The Freundlich isotherm adjusted best to the adsorption of the compound. The Freundlich intensity parameter had a result that contrasted with the value of ΔG regarding a spontaneous change. Physisorption predominates the adsorption of CBZ on GAC. It is an exothermic and spontaneous process that reduces the degree of disorder of the adsorbent/solution interface

Spatio-temporal changes in urban water consumption during 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic in southern Brazil

This study investigated the changes that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in urban water consumption in residential, commercial, industrial, and public agencies in the city of São Leopoldo, southern Brazil, which has about 55,000 consumers and over 200,000 inhabitants. Overall, the city increased water consumption by 5.6% during the 2-year pandemic, with 5.9% in 2020 and 5.5% in 2021. Residential and industrial consumption increased by 6.77 and 9.92% in the first year, and by 5.47 and 14.45% in the second year, respectively. On the other hand, commercial and public sector consumption decreased by 5.48 and 46.26% in the first year and 1.83 and 40.99% in the second year, respectively. In the first months of the pandemic, there was a sharp increase in residential water consumption at the same time as a reduction in consumption in the other categories. In contrast, there was a slight return to previous water consumption patterns in the following months. Overall, we can affirm that the more central neighborhoods presented higher changes in water consumption than the peripheral neighborhoods. In addition, the water consumption during the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods was statistically different for residential, industrial, and public consumers

Partial Obstruction of the Small Intestine by a Trichobezoar in a Dog

Background: Bezoars are accumulations of foreign material and indigestible organic substances in the gastrointestinal tract. There are different classifications for bezoars based on its primary composition. The trichobezoars are concretions composed of hair or hair-like fibers and are often associated with trichophagia in humans. The obstruction by a trichobezoar occurring in the stomach, with its tail extending to or beyond the ileocecal valve or jejunum is rare in humans. This condition is called Rapunzel Syndrome. Obstruction by trichobezoar has been reported few times in cats and dogs. This paper aims to describe an uncommon clinical presentation of a young dog with partial obstruction of the small intestine by a trichobezoar.Case: A 2-year-old, 5.5 kg, intact male poodle was referred due to kyphosis and a history of pain in the thoracolumbar region for approximately 10 months. Physical examination revealed that the dog walked without any difficulty or ataxia, but had pain on palpation of the lumbar vertebral column. Thoracolumbar spine radiographies failed to show any sign of disease. Conservative therapy for intervertebral disk disease did not shown any improvement. In addition, the dog showed signs of pain on abdominal palpation and 18-month history of hyporexia, apathy and dark colored diarrhea. Abdominal ultrasonography detected a 5-cm intraluminal intestinal structure at the ileo-jejunal junction, forming an acoustic shadow, with focal thickening of the intestinal wall. Exploratory celiotomy followed by jejunal enterotomy revealed a trichobezoar consisting of undigested hair and textile fibers partially obstructing that segment. The intestinal wall in that region formed a sacculation, so a 5 cm jejunal resection with end-to-end anastomosis was performed. Histopathology of this segment did not show any neoplastic formation. After 20 days of surgical procedure, no clinical sign was reported by the owner, the animal return to normal appetite and back pain was not present. Ultrasonography confirmed normal intestinal flow. At the last follow-up 180 days after surgery, the dog was in excellent condition with no obvious clinical sign related to the disease or surgical procedure.Discussion: The mild chronic signs presented by the animal lead to an initial inaccurate diagnosis, since abdominal pain may seem like a back pain. The ultrasonography was useful to identify the presence of an initially unknow foreign body. However, definitive diagnosis was only possible after exploratory celiotomy, since trichophagia was not reported by the owner. The trichobezoar found in this case cannot be classified as Rapunzel Syndrome, since it is not a gastric trichobezoar with a tail extending up to the small intestine. The occurrence of trichobezoar is usually associated with overgrooming, tumor or end-to-end anastomosis, but none of this conditions was present. The presence of omental adhesion on jejunum wall is suggestive of previous damage, probably caused due to long-term permanence of the trichobezoar in this segment. The intestinal perforation caused by trichobezoar is one of the most common life-threatening complication observed in human patients. A sacculation observed during surgery may have contributed to its formation. The case presented may be considered extremely uncommon, due to the partial obstruction of the intestinal lumen and long-term evolution

Avaliação da qualidade da água de abastecimento do campus saúde da cidade universitária José da Silveira Netto, Belém, Pará / Quality assessment of campus supply water health of the university city José da Silveira Netto, Belém, Pará

Tendo como base as normas e conceitos para obter a melhor qualidade de água para abastecimento e consumo da população, essa pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar os parâmetros físico-químicos da qualidade da água do Campus Saúde da Cidade Universitária José da Silveira Netto, na Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), em Belém do Pará. A avaliação da qualidade da água foi realizada de forma regular, toda terceira quinta-feira de cada mês, a fim de obter resultados mais precisos acerca da água que abastece o campus, utilizando dados da Estação de Tratamento de Água (ETA) da UFPA como comparativo. Os parâmetros avaliados foram cor aparente, turbidez, condutividade elétrica, temperatura e pH. Estabeleceu-se uma relação entre a distância dos pontos amostras e a ETA, além de correlacionar com as variações temporais. Observou-se que todos os pontos apresentaram valores elevados para as variáveis cor aparente, turbidez e condutividade e que, de modo geral, todos os pontos tiveram o mesmo comportamento com os passar dos meses, sofrendo variações semelhantes. Além disso, as distâncias dos pontos amostrados e a ETA não justificam a elevada concentração das variáveis. Salienta-se a importância de uma avaliação dos parâmetros químicos de qualidade dessa água.