Uso de Geotecnologias para Análise da Dinâmica da Vegetação da Sub-bacia do Ribeirão Serra Azul, MG

A modificação das paisagens bem como do uso e ocupação da superfície são um dos geradores de impactos ambientais, dentre eles o desmatamento e aumento da temperatura de superfície. Assim, objetivou-se com o presente trabalho realizar uma análise temporal nos anos de 2000, 2005, 2010 e 2015, da dinâmica vegetal da sub-bacia do Ribeirão Serra Azul por meio do uso de geotecnologias. Através do uso de imagens de satélite, foi possível mapear o comportamento da temperatura de superfície, da vegetação bem como a relação desses fatores com o uso e ocupação da superfície da região. Os resultados demonstraram que a região apresentou uma expansão urbana ao longo do tempo bem como um aumento da temperatura de superfície. O principal fator que proporcionou o aumento dessa temperatura foi a supressão da vegetação

Seleção de área para construção de aterro sanitário no município de Esmeraldas, MG, a partir da utilização de ferramentas de geoprocessamento

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo a utilização de ferramentas de geoprocessamento para a identificação de áreas aptas para a construção de aterro sanitário no município de EsmeraldasMG. Para isso, utilizou-se o cálculo da área ideal de alocação do aterro através da projeção de população e dimensionamento do empreendimento. Além disso, para elaboração do mapa de regiões aptas para a implantação do aterro sanitário utilizou-se a sobreposição dos mapas e a subtração dos buffer’s elaborados para cada variável analisada. Os resultados permitiram verificar seis áreas potenciais para implantação do empreendimento. Dessa forma, visando atenuar a complexidade que envolve a seleção de áreas para a construção de aterros sanitários, os usos de técnicas de geoprocessamento se mostraram uma ferramenta eficaz para a realização da identificação preliminar de áreas ideais para implantação desse tipo de empreendimento

Temporal analysis of drought coverage in a watershed area using remote sensing spectral indexes

The development of several time series analysis programs using satellite images has provided many applications based on resources from geostatistics field. Currently, the use of statistical tests applied to vegetation indexes has enabled the analysis of different natural phenomena, such as drought events in watershed areas. The objective of this article is to provide a comparative analysis between NDVI and EVI vegetation index data made available by MOD13Q1 project of MODIS sensor for drought mapping using vegetation condition index (VCI) in the Serra Azul stream sub-basin, MG. The methodology adopted the Cox-Stuart statistical test for seasonality analysis and Pearson's linear correlation to verify the influence of different indexes on delimitation of drought in a watershed. The results indicated the NDVI vegetation index as more efficient than EVI in spatial characterization of studied watershed region, mainly in identification of seasonality. The VCI proved to be highly feasible for monitoring drought in study period between 2013 and 2018, allowing the effective delimitation of drought conditions in the Serra Azul stream sub-basin. In addition, the effectiveness of MODIS sensor data in characterizing drought events that affected the study area was proven

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

A COLETA SELETIVA EM BELO HORIZONTE, MINAS GERAIS: UMA ANÁLISE DA IMPORTÂNCIA DO ENGAJAMENTO POPULAR

Recycling can be an alternative to conventional methods of waste disposal, due to the large waste generation and pursuit for environmentally appropriate solutions to reduce its social and environmental negative impacts. The selective collection depends on the effective participation of citizens, in the proper waste segregation and disposal, so it can be carried out. However, there are challenges that must be overcome regarding the involvement of individuals in these matters, as most of the waste generated is not recycled, possibly due to the population’s lack of interest or knowledge. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyze the participation of Belo Horizonte’s inhabitants in the disposal of recyclable waste. Hence, documents issued by the town hall administration and data reported by the municipal Superintendence of Urban Cleaning were consulted. Through data analysis, it was possible to infer that there is a deficiency in social participation in the selective collection in Belo Horizonte. This fact is possibly the result of poor engagement in public policies that prioritize making residents conscious of the importance of recycling, as well as cultural issues. Thus, environmental education, currently implemented, should occur on a larger scale allied to applications of new methodologies to increase populations awareness.La preocupación mundial por el manejo de los residuos sólidos se debe principalmente a los nuevos hábitos de consumo. De esta forma, el reciclaje se convierte en una alternativa para la reintroducción de estos residuos en el ciclo productivo. Sin embargo, para eso es necesaria una participación ciudadana efectiva, sin embargo, se deben superar desafíos en cuanto a la forma en que los individuos se involucran en estos temas. Así, el objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar la importancia de la participación ciudadana en la eliminación de residuos sólidos reciclables, en Belo Horizonte - MG. Para ello, se consultaron documentos emitidos por la alcaldía y datos reportados por la Superintendencia de Aseo Urbano del municipio, lo que permitió identificar un déficit de participación social en la recolección selectiva. Este resultado es posiblemente un reflejo del bajo compromiso de las políticas públicas para concientizar sobre la importancia del reciclaje, además de las cuestiones culturales. Por lo tanto, el municipio debe ampliar y aplicar nuevas iniciativas encaminadas a la Educación Ambiental.A preocupação mundial frente à gestão dos resíduos sólidos se dá, principalmente, devido aos novos hábitos de consumo. Deste modo, a reciclagem torna-se uma alternativa para reintrodução destes resíduos ao ciclo produtivo. Contudo, para tanto, é necessário o efetivo engajamento do cidadão, entretanto, desafios devem ser superados relativos à forma como os indivíduos se envolvem nestas questões. Assim, o objetivo do presente trabalho é analisar a importância do engajamento dos cidadãos no descarte de resíduos sólidos recicláveis, em Belo Horizonte - MG. Para tanto, foram consultados documentos emitidos pela prefeitura e dados reportados pela Superintendência de Limpeza Urbana do município, o que permitiu se identificar um déficit da participação social na coleta seletiva. Tal resultado é possivelmente reflexo do baixo engajamento em políticas públicas de conscientização sobre a importância da reciclagem, além das questões culturais. Portanto, o município deve ampliar e aplicar novas iniciativas que visem à Educação Ambiental

Clinical Profile and Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19 in Hospitalized Patients from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Comparison between the First and Second Pandemic Waves

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, Brazil has become one of the countries most affected by this disease. A year into the pandemic, a second wave of COVID-19 emerged, with a rapid spread of a new SARS-CoV-2 lineage of concern. Several vaccines have been granted emergency-use authorization, leading to a decrease in mortality and severe cases in many countries. However, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants raises the alert for potential new waves of transmission and an increase in pathogenicity. We compared the demographic and clinical data of critically ill patients infected with COVID-19 hospitalized in Rio de Janeiro during the first and second waves between July 2020 and October 2021. In total, 106 participants were included in this study; among them, 88% had at least one comorbidity, and 37% developed severe disease. Disease severity was associated with older age, pre-existing neurological comorbidities, higher viral load, and dyspnea. Laboratory biomarkers related to white blood cells, coagulation, cellular injury, inflammation, renal, and liver injuries were significantly associated with severe COVID-19. During the second wave of the pandemic, the necessity of invasive respiratory support was higher, and more individuals with COVID-19 developed acute hepatitis, suggesting that the progression of the second wave resulted in an increase in severe cases. These results can contribute to understanding the behavior of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and may be helpful in predicting disease severity, which is a pivotal for guiding clinical care, improving patient outcomes, and defining public policies

Short-term protection conferred by Leishvacin® against experimental Leishmania amazonensis infection in C57BL/6 mice.

To date, there is no vaccine available against human leishmaniasis. Although some vaccination protocols can induce immunity in murine models, they fail to induce protection in humans. The reasons for that remain unclear. The aimof the present study was to characterize the changes in the pattern of the immune response during subcutaneous vaccination with Leishvacin® in mice. We also investigated whether IFN-γ and nitric oxide synthase are indispensable for the protection elicited by the vaccine. C57BL/6 WT vaccinated mice showed smaller lesions and fewer numbers of parasites in footpads until 8 weeks post-infection. Up to this time, they produced higher levels of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, IL-17A and IL-10 and higher specific antibody response than control non-vaccinated mice. Moreover, we showed that IFN-γ, most likely by induction of iNOS expression, is essential for immunity. However, after 12 weeks of infection, we observed loss of difference in lesion size and parasite burden between the groups. Loss of resistancewas associatedwith the disappearance of differences in cytokine patterns between vaccinated and control mice, but not of antibody response, which remained different until a later time of infection. The reversal of resistance to L. amazonensis could not be explained by upregulation of regulatory cytokines. Our data point to a subversion of the host immune response by L. amazonensis even when a protective response was previously induced