Urban river recovery: a systematic review on the effectiveness of water clean-up programs.

Urban rivers are affected at different levels by the intensification of human activities, representing a serious threat to the maintenance of terrestrial life and sustainable urban development. Consequently, great efforts have been dedicated to the ecological restoration of urban rivers around the world, as a solution to recovering the environmental functionality of these environments. In this sense, the present work aimed to investigate the effectiveness of interventions carried out aimed at the recovery of urban rivers, through a systematic review of the literature between 2010 and 2022, using the search term "rivers recovery." The results showed that there have been notable advances in the implementation of river recovery programs in urban areas around the world between the years analyzed. The ecosystems studied were affected, for the most part, by the increase in the supply of nutrients from domestic and industrial effluents, in addition to having highly urbanized surroundings and with several changes in land use patterns. The preparation of this literature review made it possible to demonstrate that the effectiveness of river recovery is extremely complex, since river recovery projects are developed for different reasons, as well as being carried out in different ways according to the intended objective.

Effects of Reiki on the Perception of Quality of Life Determined by the Questionnaire WHOQOL-BREF.

Reiki is a philosophy and healing technique that directs the use of vital energy (ki) for energy rebalance, as well as healing, in a holistic sense, of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual processes. The practice is part of the integrative and complementary practices recognized by the World Health Organization. This study aimed to evaluate the Reiki effects on people's life quality perception, by using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). We analyzed the answers of 144 individuals, and the data were categorized in quartiles according to the number of Reiki sessions attended. The results of each question and dimension of the questionnaire were analyzed by Student's t test (individual questions) and analysis of variance (dimensions). We observed significant improvement in the perception of physical pain, need for medical treatment, meaning of life, physical environment, availability of money, availability of information, locomotion, work capacity, access to health, place of residence, and transportation facilities. Reiki sessions have improved people's quality of life perception in many aspects, proving its therapeutic efficacy in a broader approach to health promotion.

[Materialities and transnational scientific culture of objects: the 12th International Congress of Zoology, Lisbon, 1935]. / Materialidades e cultura científica transnacional dos objetos: o 12º Congresso Internacional de Zoologia, Lisboa, 1935.

The material memory of the 12th International Congress of Zoology, held in Lisbon in 1935 includes insignias - the starfish - and caricatures of zoologists. Through an investigation of the archives at the University of Lisbon's National Museum of Natural History and Science, we intend to investigate the material landscape as conceived by the zoologist Artur Ricardo Jorge by drawing epistemologically on the potentialities of the biography of scientific objects. This research note reveals a scientific discourse translated into materialities circulated in public spaces in the globalized Europe of the 1930s, with references from scientific power, in the context of Portugal's Estado Novo regime, enshrined in its 1933 constitution.

O 12º Congresso Internacional de Zoologia realizou-se em Lisboa, em 1935. Da sua memória concreta constam insígnias ­ estrela-do-mar ­ e caricaturas de zoólogos. A partir de investigação no Arquivo do Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência/Universidade de Lisboa, pretendemos interrogar a cenografia material, pensada pelo zoólogo Artur Ricardo Jorge pela aproximação epistémica às potencialidades da biografia de objetos científicos. Esta nota de pesquisa pretende deixar a marca de um discurso científico traduzido em materialidades de circulação em espaço público, na Europa globalizante dos anos 1930, com referências de poder científico, no contexto do Estado Novo português, inaugurado, constitucionalmente, em 1933.

Materialidades e cultura científica transnacional dos objetos: o 12º Congresso Internacional de Zoologia, Lisboa, 1935 / Materialities and transnational scientific culture of objects: the 12th International Congress of Zoology, Lisbon, 1935

Resumo O 12º Congresso Internacional de Zoologia realizou-se em Lisboa, em 1935. Da sua memória concreta constam insígnias - estrela-do-mar - e caricaturas de zoólogos. A partir de investigação no Arquivo do Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência/Universidade de Lisboa, pretendemos interrogar a cenografia material, pensada pelo zoólogo Artur Ricardo Jorge pela aproximação epistémica às potencialidades da biografia de objetos científicos. Esta nota de pesquisa pretende deixar a marca de um discurso científico traduzido em materialidades de circulação em espaço público, na Europa globalizante dos anos 1930, com referências de poder científico, no contexto do Estado Novo português, inaugurado, constitucionalmente, em 1933.

Abstract The material memory of the 12th International Congress of Zoology, held in Lisbon in 1935 includes insignias - the starfish - and caricatures of zoologists. Through an investigation of the archives at the University of Lisbon's National Museum of Natural History and Science, we intend to investigate the material landscape as conceived by the zoologist Artur Ricardo Jorge by drawing epistemologically on the potentialities of the biography of scientific objects. This research note reveals a scientific discourse translated into materialities circulated in public spaces in the globalized Europe of the 1930s, with references from scientific power, in the context of Portugal's Estado Novo regime, enshrined in its 1933 constitution.

Altruistic helping in young children with ASD: A preliminary study.

It has long been claimed that individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show impaired prosocial behavior, however there is little direct evidence in support of this claim and inconsistencies have been reported in the literature. Therefore, the goal of this study was to compare the levels of altruistic behavior in 15 young children with an ASD and 14 children with Down syndrome, paired in chronological age (age range between 2 years and 8 months and 6 years and 2 months) and non-verbal intellectual ability. Our results showed that children with an ASD engaged less frequently in altruistic behavior compared to the DS group. In addition, we found a significant negative correlation between the severity of autism symptoms and altruistic behavior in the ASD group, suggesting that the more severe the symptoms of ASD, the less frequent the altruistic behaviors. Conversely, no significant correlations were found between non-verbal IQ level and performance in the altruistic behavior tasks, in either group. Overall, our results suggest that, regardless of intellectual skills, the ability to engage in altruistic behavior is compromised in young children with ASD.

The electrophysiology of audiovisual processing in visual narratives in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

We investigated the semantic processing of the multimodal audiovisual combination of visual narratives with auditory descriptive words and auditory sounds in individuals with ASD. To this aim, we recorded ERPs to critical auditory words and sounds associated with events in visual narrative that were either semantically congruent or incongruent with the climactic visual event. A similar N400 effect was found both in adolescents with ASD and neurotypical adolescents (ages 9-16) when accessing different types of auditory information (i.e. words and sounds) into a visual narrative. This result might suggest that verbal information processing in ASD adolescents could be facilitated by direct association with meaningful visual information. In addition, we observed differences in scalp distribution of later brain responses between ASD and neurotypical adolescents. This finding might suggest ASD adolescents differ from neurotypical adolescents during the processing of the multimodal combination of visual narratives with auditory information at later stages of the process. In conclusion, the semantic processing of verbal information, typically impaired in individuals with ASD, can be facilitated when embedded into a meaningful visual information.

Combining capillary electromigration with molecular imprinting techniques towards an optimal separation and determination.

Capillary electromigration is a well-established commercial group of analytical techniques, and, alike other column separation systems, it often benefits from a preceding sample preparation step. This step not only improves the analytical performance of many methods and prolongs the equipment's life span, but it also makes some determinations possible. A remarkable sample preparation technique is molecular imprinting technology: by creating tailored polymers able to 'select' the targeted analytes, matrix effects are severely diminished. This review aims to provide an overview of all the published works that combine capillary electrophoresis and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP). Although a literature search produced around 130 published analytical methodologies and 5 patents, authors believe that there is still plenty of room for interesting developments. Works ranged from the analysis of pesticides to pharmaceuticals or hormones, being the most common instrumental detection spectrophotometric. The combination between MIP and electrophoresis can be divided into two main categories depending on where the MIPs are placed within the analytical 'pipeline': off-column and in-column. Off-column consisted of MIP batch application previous to capillary injection. In-column approaches are more complex, and can be divided into coating, monolith, packed (these three being considered capillary electrochromatography), and dispersed particles (affinity capillary electrophoresis).

Derivatization-free determination of aminoglycosides by CZE-UV in pharmaceutical formulations.

Aminoglycosides are a relevant class of antibiotics widely used by medics and veterinaries. There are a variety of reasons that make their determination relevant, such as quality control, environment and food contamination assessment, drug-release studies, among others. The lack of a chromophore makes aminoglycoside spectrophotometric detection particularly challenging, often requiring derivatization. In this work, an indirect detection method, making use of imidazole as a probe, applying CZE was successfully tested. It did not require derivatization, which simplified the sample preparation. Suitable figures of merit were obtained; recoveries between 95 and 105%, adequate repeatability and precision, correlation coefficients (r) above 0.998, and limits of detection (LODs) of 3.2 and 11 mg/L for gentamicin and paromomycin, respectively. As a proof-of-concept, it was also applied in a simple controlled release experiment that was well fitted using the Hill equation.

Cyclohexane-1,3-dione as a derivatizing agent for the analysis of aldehydes by micelar electrokinetic chromatography with diode array detection.

Aldehydes are important compounds in a large number of samples, especially food and beverages. In this work, for the first time, cyclohexane-1,3-dione (CHD) was used as a derivatizing reagent aiming aldehyde (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, and valeraldehyde) analysis by MEKC-DAD. The optimized separation of the derivates was performed using a voltage program (+20 kV, 0-15 min.; +23 kV, 15-17 min.) at a temperature of 26°C, and using as the running buffer a mixture containing 100 mmol/L of sodium dodecyl sulfate and 29 mmol/L of sodium tetraborate at pH 9.2, with maximum absorbance at 260 nm. CHD was compared with two other derivatizing agents: 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrazone and phenylhydrazine-4-sulfonic acid. The CHD-aldehyde derivatives were also characterized by LC-MS. The calibration curves for all aldehydes had r2 above 0.999 and LODs ranged from 0.01 to 0.7 mg/L. The optimized methodology was applied in sugar cane brandy (cachaça) samples successfully. CHD showed to be an alternative derivatization reagent due to its stability, aqueous solubility, high selectivity and sensitivity, reduced impurities, and simple preparation steps.

Methodology for soil respirometric assays: Step by step and guidelines to measure fluxes of trace gases using microcosms.

This methodology is proposed to measure the fluxes of trace gases among microcosms and the atmosphere. As microcosm respiration we include both aerobic and anaerobic respiration, which may results in CO2, CH4, NO, N2O, N2, H2S and H2 fluxes. Its applicability includes the assessment of products biodegradability and toxicity, the effect of treatments and products on greenhouse gases fluxes, and the mineralization of organic fertilizers. A step by step procedure; the complementary parameters and good practices that might be taken into account to perform a microcosm experiment; and the tools nowadays available that could be useful in this respirometric methodology are presented. We included a spreadsheet with calculus examples. Samples were taken at 1; 30; 60 and 90 min after closing the microcosms to determine the gases fluxes. The dilution effect was negligible, as we present. Besides CO2, we have successfully quantified the fluxes of CH4 and N2O from the microcosms in a broad range of concentrations. This method is useful in technical and scientific studies, for instances to test new products and improve the understanding of microbial processes, respectively. •Simple materials are required to set up the microcosm.•Examples of (pre) treatments are given regarding water availability, fertilizer doses, pH adjustment and nutrients amendments.•The method was suitable to directly measure multiple trace gases fluxes, either produced or consumed during microcosm respiration.

4-hydrazinobenzoic acid as a derivatizing agent for aldehyde analysis by HPLC-UV and CE-DAD.

Aldehydes are relevant analytes in a wide range of samples, in particular, food and beverages but also body fluids. Hydrazines can undergo nucleophilic addition with aldehydes or ketones giving origin to hydrazones (a group of stable imines) that can be suitably used in the identification of aldehydes. Herein, 4-hydrazinobenzoic acid (HBA) was, for the first time, used as the derivatizing agent in analytical methodologies using liquid chromatography aiming the determination of low-molecular aldehydes. The derivatization reaction was simultaneously performed along with the extraction process, using gas-diffusion microextraction (GDME), which resulted in a clean extract containing the HBA-aldehyde derivates. The corresponding formed imines were determined by both high-performance liquid chromatography (LC) with UV spectrophotometric detection (HPLC-UV) and capillary electrophoresis with diode array detection (CE-DAD). HBA showed to be a rather advantageous derivatization reagent due to its stability, relatively high solubility in water and other solvents, high selectivity and sensibility, reduced impurities, simple preparation steps and applicability to different separation and/or different detection techniques. Limits of detections (LODs) of the optimized methodologies (in terms of time and pH among other experimental variables) were all below 0.5 mg L-1, using both instrumental techniques. Furthermore, for the first time, the HBA-aldehyde derivatives were analyzed by LC with mass spectrometry (LC-MS), demonstrating the possibility of identification by MS of each compound. The developed methodologies were also successfully applied in the analysis of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in several alcoholic beverages. This was also the first time GDME was combined with CE, showing that it can be a valuable sample preparation tool for electrophoresis, in particular by eliminating the interference of ions and inorganic constituents present in the samples.

Derivatizing assay for the determination of aldehydes using micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

In this work, the use of a novel derivatization agent for the determination of aldehydes (in this particular case: formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, and valeraldehyde) using micellar electrokinetic chromatography is reported. The derivatization reaction is based on the reaction of aldehydes with benzhydrazide to form the corresponding derivates with maximum absorbance at 250 nm. The experimental conditions of the derivatization reaction as well of the separation were optimized. The adducts were separated with a +22 kV voltage at a temperature of 29°C. The adducts' separation was performed in less than 14 min using as the running buffer a mixture containing 110 mmol/L of sodium dodecyl sulfate and 27 mmol/L of sodium tetraborate at pH 9.45. Samples were injected using hydrodynamic mode (50 mbar × 5 s). The calibration curves were linear up to 15.0 mg/L with r2 above 0.99. Intra and inter-day precisions were in average 3 and 4%, respectively, and recoveries were in average of 95%. Limits of detection and quantification were around 0.5 and 1.5 mg/L, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied in the analysis of low molar weight aldehydes in yogurt and vinegar samples.

[Awareness and education regarding sexually transmitted diseases among undergraduate students]. / O conhecimento e o ensino sobre doenças sexualmente transmissíveis entre universitários.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are the main global cause of acute illness and death and represent a high socioeconomic cost. Undergraduate students are highly exposed to STDs. The research developed at UNICAMP sought to quantify and generate self-perception of knowledge(or lack thereof) about STDs, as well as evaluate the interest of the students in a course on the topic. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire sent electronically to students about to graduate at the end of 2011 and to freshmen in 2012. The questionnaire was answered by 1,448 seniors and 371 freshmen. Twenty percent of seniors and 38% of freshmen had no sexual activity. Among sexually active students, 26.9% had no regular partner and 28.2% more than two partners per year. The condom was used by 99% of students, but less than 20% used them appropriately. About 80% were unaware that condoms do not provide protection outside the barrier area; they intended to read more about STDs and learnt something about the subject. Nearly half of the students considered that a course should be offered to all undergraduates. These findings will be of use in defining strategies for prevention and the teaching tool could be used in other learning environments.

O conhecimento e o ensino sobre doenças sexualmente transmissíveis entre universitários / Awareness and education regarding sexually transmitted diseases among undergraduate students

Resumo Doenças sexualmente transmissíveis (DST) são a principal causa global de doença aguda e morte e representam elevado custo socioeconômico. Universitários são altamente expostos. A pesquisa desenvolvida na Unicamp teve como objetivo quantificar e gerar autopercepção do (des)conhecimento sobre as DST, além de avaliar o interesse em uma disciplina sobre o tema. O instrumento de coleta de dados foi o questionário enviado eletronicamente aos graduandos do final de 2011 e aos alunos recém-ingressos em 2012. Responderam o questionário 1.448 veteranos e 371 calouros. Não tinham tido atividade sexual 20% dos veteranos e 38% dos calouros. Dos alunos que já haviam tido, 26,9% não tinham parceria fixa e 28,2%, mais que duas parcerias/ano. O preservativo foi usado por 99% dos alunos, mas menos de 20% deles faziam uso adequado. Cerca de 80% não sabiam que o preservativo não protege fora da área de barreira; pretendiam ler mais sobre DST e aprenderam algo sobre o assunto. Quase a metade julgou que uma disciplina deveria ser oferecida a todos os graduandos. Estes dados serão úteis para definir estratégias de prevenção e o instrumento didático poderá ser utilizado em outros ambientes de ensino.

Abstract Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are the main global cause of acute illness and death and represent a high socioeconomic cost. Undergraduate students are highly exposed to STDs. The research developed at UNICAMP sought to quantify and generate self-perception of knowledge(or lack thereof) about STDs, as well as evaluate the interest of the students in a course on the topic. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire sent electronically to students about to graduate at the end of 2011 and to freshmen in 2012. The questionnaire was answered by 1,448 seniors and 371 freshmen. Twenty percent of seniors and 38% of freshmen had no sexual activity. Among sexually active students, 26.9% had no regular partner and 28.2% more than two partners per year. The condom was used by 99% of students, but less than 20% used them appropriately. About 80% were unaware that condoms do not provide protection outside the barrier area; they intended to read more about STDs and learnt something about the subject. Nearly half of the students considered that a course should be offered to all undergraduates. These findings will be of use in defining strategies for prevention and the teaching tool could be used in other learning environments.

Brazilian Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (BraCVAM) and the process of validation in Brazil.

The need for the creation of a Brazilian centre for the validation of alternative methods was recognised in 2008, and members of academia, industry and existing international validation centres immediately engaged with the idea. In 2012, co-operation between the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) and the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) instigated the establishment of the Brazilian Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (BraCVAM), which was officially launched in 2013. The Brazilian validation process follows OECD Guidance Document No. 34, where BraCVAM functions as the focal point to identify and/or receive requests from parties interested in submitting tests for validation. BraCVAM then informs the Brazilian National Network on Alternative Methods (RENaMA) of promising assays, which helps with prioritisation and contributes to the validation studies of selected assays. A Validation Management Group supervises the validation study, and the results obtained are peer-reviewed by an ad hoc Scientific Review Committee, organised under the auspices of BraCVAM. Based on the peer-review outcome, BraCVAM will prepare recommendations on the validated test method, which will be sent to the National Council for the Control of Animal Experimentation (CONCEA). CONCEA is in charge of the regulatory adoption of all validated test methods in Brazil, following an open public consultation.

Dermatology relevance to graduates from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas Medical School.

BACKGROUND: Some research indicates that physicians do not dominate the expected dermatological content for the proper exercise of the profession. This fact compromises their diagnostic and therapeutic performance, generating unnecessary costs. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relevance of Dermatology and the knowledge acquired in the specialty during the undergraduate course in clinical practice of graduates at the State University of Campinas Medical School (FCM/UNICAMP). METHOD: A questionnaire with 22 closed questions and two open ones was electronically sent to physicians who had graduated more than 10 years ago and others for less than 10 years. In the first group, physicians were trained by the same curriculum and in the second group there were subjects trained by the old and the new curriculum. RESULTS: Of the 126 respondents, 83% had completed a specialization course. Among all, 82% did not study dermatology after graduation. The majority considered that Dermatology has high relevance in clinical practice, regardless of the group. There was a statistically significant difference between non-dermatologist doctors graduated for more than 10 years and those graduated for less than 10 years regarding confidence about lesion diagnosis, diagnostic investigation and treatment of skin diseases. Physicians who have graduated for a longer time feel more insecure in relation to patients with dermatoses. Concerning contributions offered by graduation program completion they prioritized outpatient care, ability to diagnose, knowledge of pathology, research and knowledge of lesions. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that Dermatology is relevant in medical practice and more recent graduates from the FCM/UNICAMP feel less insecure when treating a patient with dermatoses.

Dermatology relevance to graduates from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas Medical School

AbstractBACKGROUND:Some research indicates that physicians do not dominate the expected dermatological content for the proper exercise of the profession. This fact compromises their diagnostic and therapeutic performance, generating unnecessary costs.OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to evaluate the relevance of Dermatology and the knowledge acquired in the specialty during the undergraduate course in clinical practice of graduates at the State University of Campinas Medical School (FCM/UNICAMP).METHOD:A questionnaire with 22 closed questions and two open ones was electronically sent to physicians who had graduated more than 10 years ago and others for less than 10 years. In the first group, physicians were trained by the same curriculum and in the second group there were subjects trained by the old and the new curriculum.RESULTS:Of the 126 respondents, 83% had completed a specialization course. Among all, 82% did not study dermatology after graduation. The majority considered that Dermatology has high relevance in clinical practice, regardless of the group. There was a statistically significant difference between non-dermatologist doctors graduated for more than 10 years and those graduated for less than 10 years regarding confidence about lesion diagnosis, diagnostic investigation and treatment of skin diseases. Physicians who have graduated for a longer time feel more insecure in relation to patients with dermatoses. Concerning contributions offered by graduation program completion they prioritized outpatient care, ability to diagnose, knowledge of pathology, research and knowledge of lesions.CONCLUSION:This study has shown that Dermatology is relevant in medical practice and more recent graduates from the FCM/UNICAMP feel less insecure when treating a patient with dermatoses.

Microbiological and mycological beach sand quality in a volcanic environment: Madeira archipelago, Portugal.

Madeira forms a mid-Atlantic volcanic archipelago, whose economy is largely dependent on tourism. There, one can encounter different types of sand beach: natural basaltic, natural calcareous and artificial calcareous. Microbiological and mycological quality of the sand was analyzed in two different years. Bacterial indicators were detected in higher number in 2010 (36.7% of the samples) than in 2011 (9.1%). Mycological indicators were detected in a similar percentage of samples in 2010 (68.3%) and 2011 (75%), even though the total number of colonies detected in 2010 was much higher (827 in 41 samples) than in 2011 (427 in 66 samples). Enterococci and potentially pathogenic and allergenic fungi (particularly Penicillium sp.) were the most common indicators detected in both years. Candida sp. yeast was also commonly detected in the samples. The analysis of the 3rd quartile and maximum numbers of all indicators in samples showed that artificial beaches tend to be more contaminated than the natural ones. However, a significant difference between the variables was lacking. More monitoring data (number of bathers, sea birds, radiation intensity variation, and a greater number of samples) should be collected in order to confirm if these differences are significant. In general, the sand quality in the archipelago's beaches was good. As the sand may be a vector of diseases, an international common set of indicators and values and a compatible methodologies for assessing sand contamination, should be defined, in order to provide the bather's with an indication of beach sand quality, rather than only the water.

Determination of 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole in caramel colors by capillary electrophoresis.

The use of chemical preservative compounds is common in the food products industry. Caramel color is the most usual additive used in beverages, desserts, and breads worldwide. During its fabrication process, 2- and 4-methylimidazole (MeI), highly carcinogenic compounds, are generated. In these cases, the development of reliable analytical methods for the monitoring of undesirable compounds is necessary. The primary procedure for the analysis of 2- and 4-MeI is using LC- or GC-MS techniques. These procedures are time-consuming and require large amounts of organic solvents and several pretreatment steps. This prevents the routine use of this procedure. This paper describes a rapid, efficient, and simple method using capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the separation and determination of 2- and 4-MeI in caramel colors. The analyses were performed using a 75 µm i.d. uncoated fused-silica capillary with an effective length of 40 cm and a running electrolyte consisting of 160 mmol L(-1) phosphate plus 30% acetonitrile. The pH was adjusted to 2.5 with triethylamine. The analytes were separated within 6 min at a voltage of 20 kV. Method validation revealed good repeatability of both migration time (<0.8% RSD) and peak area (<2% RSD). Analytical curves for 2- and 4-MeI were linear in the 0.4-40 mg L(-1) concentration interval. Detection limits were 0.16 mg L(-1) for 4-MeI and 0.22 mg L(-1) for 2-MeI. The extraction recoveries were satisfactory. The developed method showed many advantages when compared to the previously used method.