A greenhouse gas inventory in the municipal landfill of the city of Limeira, Brazil

Landfill main gases are methane and carbon dioxide, and result mainly from the anaerobic digestion of organic waste. The exact distribution of gases in the landfill varies with the landfill age among other factors such as waste composition, moisture, particle size, temperature, pH, age of waste, landfill design and operation. The current Brazilian environmental legislation has encouraged the municipalities to adopt measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from landfills. The implementation of projects to reduce GHG requires the estimation of the gases produced in the landfill. This research presents a GHG inventory performed in the landfill of the city of Limeira, located in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The inventory was conducted by using the Brazilian GHG Protocol that follows the methodology of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and also IPCC guidelines. The inventory comprised data from 1985 to 2013; however, data prior to 2000 were estimated, because until that year the landfill was in fact a dump, with no monitoring of the amounts of wastes disposed of. Three categories of emissions were considered: a) direct emissions of CO2 and CH4 from the decomposition of municipal solid waste (MSW) and non-hazardous industrial waste and the emissions produced from waste transportation within the landfill and landfill operation; b) emissions resulting from electricity consumption within the operating limits of the landfill; and, c) indirect emissions from waste transportation throughout the city to the landfill and also from industries to the landfill. The results showed that in the year 2013 were emitted 35,996.91 t of CO2 e into the atmosphere. From the total, 98.91 % of emissions were produced by MSW decomposition; 0.002 % by industrial waste decomposition; 0.332 % by burning fossil fuels during landfill operation; 0.003 % by electricity consumption of electricity in the landfill and 0.75 % by waste transportation.Landfill main gases are methane and carbon dioxide, and result mainly from the anaerobic digestion of organic waste. The exact distribution of gases in the landfill varies with the landfill age among other factors such as waste composition, moisture, part4320832088sem informaçãosem informaçã

Using ensembles of artificial neural networks to improve PM10 forecasts

High concentrations of atmospheric pollutants provoke negative effects that range from respiratory problems in humans to altered growth in crops due to the reduction of solar radiation. In this context, the study of suspended particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere is especially relevant. Several works in the literature are dedicated to evaluate PM impacts and to develop models to forecast PM concentrations. Among these models, artificial neural networks (ANNs) are often employed mainly due to the facts that they are capable of learning from a set of training data samples and that they are known to be universal function approximators. However, most ANN training algorithms are susceptible to initial conditions, so the resulting models of distinct training phases may present different accuracies for the same problem. It is known from the machine learning literature that the ensemble approach, which basically combines a set of slightly different high-accuracy predictors, tends to lead to more accurate forecasts. Therefore, in this paper an ensemble of ANNs is proposed to forecast the daily concentrations of PM10 (phi <= 10 mu m) in the city of Piracicaba, Brazil. The ensemble was trained with daily samples collected from 07.2009 to 06.2013 and evaluated with one-day-ahead forecasts from 07.2013 to 06.2014. Experiments with distinct ANN configurations were made and an average reduction of 8.85 % was obtained in the Mean Squared Error. The ensembles were compared to individual ANNs that led to the best accuracy in the training dataset. It was also verified that, when compared to distinct single ANNs, the ensemble-based approach facilitated the generation of high accuracy models, as it increased the robustness of the development process. It is important to highlight that the proposed approach can be directly applied to other scenarios related to the prediction of PM concentrations, such as different atmospheric pollutants and meteorological data.High concentrations of atmospheric pollutants provoke negative effects that range from respiratory problems in humans to altered growth in crops due to the reduction of solar radiation. In this context, the study of suspended particulate matter (PM) in th4321612166sem informaçãosem informaçã

Environmental impact monitoring of a minero-chemical complex in Catalão urban area of PTS, PM10 and PM2.5 by EDX characterization

Depending on its nature, particulate matter has very different size, composition and morphology. By the combination of these criteria it is possible to distinguish the emitting sources (primary or secondary). The shape and the dimension of the particles have also a direct interaction with the risk assessment for human health. The minero-chemical complex consists of phosphate fertilizer manufacturing, rock phosphate and niobium mining open pits and it is located northeast of the urban area of the city. Environmental issues associated with it include the following: fugitive emissions which are primarily associated with operational leaks from tubing, valves, connections, flanges, packings, open ended lines, floating roof storage tank and pump seals, gas conveyance systems, compressor seals, pressure relief valves, tanks or open its/containments, and loading and unloading operations of products. Furthermore the area of study is characterized by a predominantly northeast winds direction. The monitoring was performed weekly particulates samples were collected in two seasonal episodes at one representative places in the urban area of Catalao (a Brazilian city located in Goias state) in the period from August to November of 2014. Suspended particles were sampled on pure fiberglass filters by using a High Volume air sampler and were analyzed via an energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis system (EDX). The airborne particulate matter was characterized from a physico-chemical point of view to supply information on the particle composition and the compounds carried on their surfaces. The microanalysis enables identification of several groups of particles such as: soot, Si-rich, metal-rich and biological particules. These results may help in controlling and preventing fugitive emissions in atmospheric air.Depending on its nature, particulate matter has very different size, composition and morphology. By the combination of these criteria it is possible to distinguish the emitting sources (primary or secondary). The shape and the dimension of the particles h4319091914CNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPEG - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE GOIÁSsem informaçãosem informaçãoFinancial support and scholarships from the Brazilian funding agencies CNPq, FAPEG and Environment Office City of Catalão, City Council Environmental Protection of Catalão and Public Ministry of Goiás State are gratefully acknowledged

First report in italy of the exotic mosquito species Aedes (Finlaya) koreicus, a potential vector of arboviruses and filariae

BACKGROUND: In the Veneto region (north-eastern Italy) an entomological surveillance system has been implemented since the introduction of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) in 1991. During the routine monitoring activity in a tiger mosquito-free area, an unexpected mosquito was noticed, which clearly did not belong to the recorded Italian fauna. FINDINGS: At the end of May 2011, twelve larvae and pupae were collected in a small village in Belluno province (Veneto region) from a single manhole. Ten adults reared in the laboratory were morphologically and genetically identified as Aedes (Finlaya) koreicus (Edwards, 1917), a species native to Southeast Asia. The subsequent investigations carried out in the following months in the same village provided evidence that this species had become established locally. Entomological and epidemiological investigations are currently ongoing in the surrounding area, to verify the eventual extension of the species outside the village and to trace back the route of entry into Italy. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report in Italy of the introduction of the exotic mosquito Ae. koreicus. This species has been shown experimentally to be competent in the transmission of the Japanese encephalitis virus and of the dog heartworm Dirofilaria immitis and is considered a potential vector of other arboviruses. Thus, the establishment of this species may increase the current risk or pose new potential threats, for human and animal health. This finding considerably complicates the entomological monitoring of the Asian tiger mosquito Ae. albopictus in Italy and stresses the importance of implementing the entomological surveillance for the early detection of and the rapid response against invasive mosquito species

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p&lt;0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p&lt;0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity &gt; 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

Numerical methods for the evaluation of pollutant dispersion based on advection-diffusion equation

Several pollutant dispersion models have been developed to provide subsidies for environmental impact assessment and monitoring of natural resources such as air, soil and water. In this work, we solve the one-dimensional advection-diffusion equation using an adaptive-step algorithm for the analysis of pollutant dispersion and compare it with other recent work, obtaining very similar results for two solute dispersion scenarios, one along steady flow through inhomogeneous medium and another along uniform flow through homogeneous medium. Our method is characterized by low computational time and simplicity of the code, and may contribute as a numerical background for pollutant source management.Several pollutant dispersion models have been developed to provide subsidies for environmental impact assessment and monitoring of natural resources such as air, soil and water. In this work, we solve the onedimensional advection-diffusion equation using39799804sem informaçãosem informaçã

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

Background: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit