Daniela Müller de Quevedo

Integrated assessment of air pollution by metals and source apportionment using ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) in southern Brazil

One of the biggest environmental problems existing today is air pollution, which is characterized by the presence of toxic gases and metal pollutants, the latter of which is generally associated with emissions of particulate matter (PM) from industries or automotive vehicles. Biomonitoring is a method that can be used to assess air pollution levels because it makes it possible to determine what effects these air pollutants cause in living organisms and their responses. The species Lolium multiflorum Lam., known as ryegrass, is considered a good bioindicator of metals, since it accumulates these substances during exposure. This study proposes to conduct an integrated assessment of air quality using two different monitoring methodologies: biomonitoring with L. multiflorum and active monitoring in areas with different levels of urbanization and industrialization. Concentrations found in ryegrass plants revealed high levels of Pb, Cr, Zn, and Cu, indicating that vehicular and industrial emissions were the main sources of pollution. Analysis of PM also revealed soot and biogenic particles, which can transport metals. Therefore, with the proposed method, the anthropogenic impact on air pollution in the investigated area could be clearly demonstrated.

Aptidão física relacionada à saúde de idosas da região do Vale do Sinos, RS: um estudo ex post-facto

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of study was to assess the level of fitness related to health in elderly women aged 60 to 70, physically active and sedentary, in the city of Sapiranga, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. METHODS: It was an ex post-facto study that assessed 40 elderly women selected through a convenience sample and distributed into two groups: practicing physical activities (n=20) and not practicing them (n=20). It was assessed: waist circumference, Waist-hip ratio - WH-ratio, Body Mass Index-BMI, cardiorespiratory capacity, upper and lower limb strength, and flexibility. The data normal distribution was verified through the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (α = 0,05). The sample profile was determined through the descriptive Statistics and to test the difference between the two groups averages it was used the ttest for independent samples through the SPSS software, version 16.0. RESULTS: The age average of the sample was 64.6±3,6 years. The tests results average observed were: Body Mass Index, 29.8±5.7; waist circumference, 86.8±10.3 cm; Waist-hip ratio, 0.86; 6-minute walk test, 409.1±60.0 m; heart rate at rest (HRR), 93.6±17.5 bpm; final heart rate (FHR), 107.6±17.3 bpm; elbow flex test, 12.0±3.7rep.; lower limb sitting down and getting up from a chair, 10.4±2.9 rep., and flexibility test, 20.4±9.5 cm. CONCLUSION: The study conclusion was that in the studied sample the results were within the expected levels for the age group, except for HRR and FHR.

History of water quality parameters – a study on the Sinos River/Brazil

Water is increasingly becoming a valuable resource, constituting one of the central themes of environmental, economic and social discussions. The Sinos River, located in southern Brazil, is the main river from the Sinos River Basin, representing a source of drinking water supply for a highly populated region. Considering its size and importance, it becomes necessary to conduct a study to follow up the water quality of this river, which is considered by some experts as one of the most polluted rivers in Brazil. As for this study, its great importance lies in the historical analysis of indicators. In this sense, we sought to develop aspects related to the management of water resources by performing a historical analysis of the Water Quality Index (WQI) of the Sinos River, using statistical methods. With regard to the methodological procedures, it should be pointed out that this study performs a time analysis of monitoring data on parameters related to a punctual measurement that is variable in time, using statistical tools. The data used refer to analyses of the water quality of the Sinos River (WQI) from the State Environmental Protection Agency Henrique Luiz Roessler (Fundação Estadual de Proteção Ambiental Henrique Luiz Roessler, FEPAM) covering the period between 2000 and 2008, as well as to a theoretical analysis focusing on the management of water resources. The study of WQI and its parameters by statistical analysis has shown to be effective, ensuring its effectiveness as a tool for the management of water resources. The descriptive analysis of the WQI and its parameters showed that the water quality of the Sinos River is concerning low, which reaffirms that it is one of the most polluted rivers in Brazil. It should be highlighted that there was an overall difficulty in obtaining data with the appropriate periodicity, as well as a long complete series, which limited the conduction of statistical studies such as the present one.

An analysis of the sustainability index of micro- and small-sized furniture industries

The measurement of the sustainability level can bring benefits to organizations, particularly in integrating traditional and sustainable management. Thus, the scope of this study is to structure a process to measure the sustainability level, specifically in micro- and small-sized enterprises that belong to the furniture industry, providing them the possibility to measure and monitor their sustainability level through indicators, subindices and a sustainability index. Currently, there is no system for measuring the level of sustainability and its integration in the management of furniture industries. Thus, the system proposed in this article can be considered unprecedented. This measurement system comprises the equations of measurement, standardization, weighting and aggregation of indicators in a sustainability index. The practical application was carried out in nine furniture industries. The results demonstrate that the indicators, subindices and index of sustainability are adequate to diagnose their sustainability level, revealing negligence with environmental aspects. Our conclusion is that the proposed method to measure the sustainability level of micro- and small-sized industries is consistent and reflects the reality of the furniture industry. Furthermore, its efficient use should consider a joint analysis of indicators and subindices. Finally, its integration with the management process of the industries enables a diagnosis, without additional information efforts, of the strengths and weaknesses of environmental, social and economic aspects.

Coordenação global, equilíbrio, índice de massa corporal e nível de atividade física: um estudo correlacional em idosos de Ivoti, RS, Brasil

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the relationship among Body Mass Index (BMI), physical activity level, global coordination, and postural balance in an elderly population from Ivoti, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study assessed a convenience sample of 202 elderly female and male subjects. It was used the global coordination test and the postural balance test and calculated the BMI according to the cutoff points: malnutrition: 27.0 kg/m2. The level of physical activity was classified in METs as: high active from 1,500 to 3,000 Mets-min/week; moderate from 600 to 1499 Mets-min/week and low below 600 Mets-min/week. Data was submitted to the descriptive statistical and the Spearman correlation (α = 0.05) using the SPSS software, version 16.0. The study was approved by the Ethics Research Committee of Universidade Feevale, Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil. RESULTS: Among the 202 individuals, 62 (30.7%) were males and 140 (69.3%), females. The male and female age averages were 69.53 ± 6.23 and 67.52 ± 5.69 years old, respectively. The general sample age average was 68.14 ± 5.92 years. Negative correlation between BMI and global coordination and BMI and balance was detected, r = -0.423 (p < 0.01) and r = -0.3060 (p < 0.01), respectively. However, when stratified by sex, these associations were not significant for males. The physical activity level showed negative correlation when compared with BMI (r= -0,219) and with age (r= -0,241), it had a positive correlation when compared with global coordination (r= 0,274) and balance (r=0,191). When compared BMI and balance and age and balance no correlation was found in the elderly subjects classified as sufficiently active. Global coordination and balance were positively correlated to the level of physical activity only in female subjects. However, BMI is negatively correlated to the level of physical activity of both genders. CONCLUSION: it was concluded that the sample women´s high BMI may have produced worse performance on the global coordination and balance tests. There was significant moderate negative correlation between level of physical activity in total METs and BMI of both men and women and BMI, global coordination, and postural balance only among the female elderly sample. However, a positive correlation among level of physical activity in total METs, global coordination, and postural balance of the studied sample was observed.

Physical characterization of a watershed through GIS: a study in the Schmidt stream, Brazil

Remote sensing and geoprocessing are essential tools for obtaining and maintaining records of human actions on space over the course of time; these tools offer the basis for diagnoses of land use, environmental interference and local development. The Schmidt stream watershed, located in the Sinos River basin, in southern Brazil, has an environmental situation similar to that of the majority of small streams draining rural and urban areas in southern Brazil: agricultural and urbanization practices do not recognize the riparian area and there is removal of original vegetation, disregarding the suitability of land use; removal of wetlands; intensive water use for various activities; and lack of control and monitoring in the discharge of wastewater, among other factors, deteriorate the quality of this important environment.This article aims to achieve a physical characterization of the Schmidt stream watershed (Sinos river basin) identifying elements such as land use and occupation, soil science, geology, climatology, extent and location of watershed, among others, so as to serve as the basis for a tool that helps in the integrated environmental management of watersheds. By applying geographic information system - GIS to the process of obtaining maps of land use and occupation, pedologicaland geological, and using climatological data from the Campo Bom meteorological station, field visit, review of literature and journals, and publicly available data, the physical characterization of the Schmidt stream watershed was performed, with a view to the integrated environmental management of this watershed. Out of the total area of the Schmidt stream watershed (23.92 km(2)), in terms of geology, it was observed that 23.7% consist of colluvial deposits, 22.6% consist of grass facies, and 53.7% consist of Botucatu formation. Major soil types of the watershed: 97.4% Argisols and only 2.6% Planosols. Land use and occupation is characterized by wetland (0.5%), Native Forest (12.83%), Native Forest + Rural Anthropic + Secondary Vegetation + Forestry (43.81%), Urban Anthropic/Urban Area (39.85%), and also Urban Anthropic/Expansion areas (3.01%). Mean annual rainfall is 1337 mm, maximum temperatures range from 10.5°C to 41.6°C and minimum temperatures range from -1.80°C and 26°C, weak winds, occasionally over 5 m/s. Conducting an environmental assessment in this watershed is essential for environmental and land management. However, these assessments are not conducted in all watersheds and, when they are, their frequency is not sufficiency to allow for continuous monitoring, in order to model and predict scenarios, with a view to adopt medium and long-term measures for environmental protection.

Microbial risk assessment in recreational freshwaters from southern Brazil

In this study, total coliforms (TC), Escherichia coli, enterovirus (EV), rotavirus (RV), and human mastadenovirus species C and F (HAdV-C and HAdV-F) were evaluated in water samples from Belo Stream. For HAdV-C and F, the infectivity was assessed by integrated cell culture quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (ICC-qPCR). Samples were collected monthly (May/2015 to April/2016) at four sites. Viral analyses were performed for both ultracentrifuge-concentrated and unconcentrated samples. For site P4 (used for recreational purposes), QMRA was applied to estimate health risks associated with exposure to E. coli and HAdV-C and F. TC and E. coli were present throughout the collection period. EV and RV were not detected. HAdV-C were present in 8.51% (1.89E + 06 to 2.28E + 07 GC (Genomic Copies)/L) and 21.27% (2.36E + 05 to 1.29E + 07 GC/L) for unconcentrated and concentrated samples, respectively. For HAdV-F were 12.76% (2.77E + 07 to 3.31E + 08 GC/L) and 48.93% (1.10E + 05 to 4.50E + 08 GC/L) for unconcentrated and concentrated samples, respectively. For unconcentrated samples, infectivity for HAdV-C was detected in 37.20% (1st ICC-qPCR) and 25.58% (2nd ICC-qPCR). For HAdV-F, infectivity was detected in 6.97% (1st ICC-qPCR) and 6.97% (2nd ICC-qPCR). For concentrated samples, HAdV-C infectious was observed in 17.02% (1st ICC-qPCR) and in 8.51% (2nd ICC-qPCR). For HAdV-F, were present in 8.51% for both 1st and 2nd ICC-qPCR. Statistical analyzes showed significant difference between the collection sites when analyzed the molecular data of HAdV-F, data of TC and E. coli. Correlation tests showed direct correlation between HAdV-F with E. coli and TC. E. coli concentrations translated to the lowest estimates of infection risks (8.58E-05 to 2.17E-03). HAdV-F concentrations were associated with the highest infection risks at 9.99E-01 and for group C, 1.29E-01 to 9.99E-01. These results show that commonly used bacterial indicators for water quality may not infer health risks associated with viruses in recreational freshwaters.

Chemical composition of rainwater in the Sinos River Basin, Southern Brazil: a source apportionment study

This study aimed to assess the chemical composition of the rainwater in three areas of different environmental impact gradients in Southern Brazil using the receptor model EPA Positive Matrix Factorization (EPA PMF 5.0). The samples were collected in a bulk sampler, from October 2012 to August 2014, in three sampling sites along with the Sinos River Basin: Caraá, Taquara, and Campo Bom. The major ions NH4+, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, F−, Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, and pH were analyzed, as well as identify the main emission sources. The most abundant cations and anions were Ca2+, Na+, Cl−, and SO42−, respectively. The mean pH value in the Sinos River Basin during the study period was 6.07 ± 0.49 (5.13–7.05), which suggests inputs of alkaline species into the atmosphere. The most important neutralizing agents of sulfuric and nitric acids in the Sinos River Basin are Ca2+ (NF = 1.36) and NH4+ (NF = 0.57). The source apportionment provided by the EPA PMF 5.0 resulted in four factors, which demonstrate the influence of anthropogenic and natural sources, in the form of (a) industry/combustion of fossil fuels (F− and SO42−), (b) marine contribution (Na+ and Cl−), (c) crustal contribution (K+, Ca2+, and NO3−), and (d) agriculture/livestock (NH4+). Therefore, this study allows a more appropriate understanding of factors that contribute to rainwater chemical composition and also to possible changes in air quality.

Seasonal assessment and apportionment of surface water pollution using multivariate statistical methods: Sinos River, southern Brazil

Assessment of surface water quality is an issue of currently high importance, especially in polluted rivers which provide water for treatment and distribution as drinking water, as is the case of the Sinos River, southern Brazil. Multivariate statistical techniques allow a better understanding of the seasonal variations in water quality, as well as the source identification and source apportionment of water pollution. In this study, the multivariate statistical techniques of cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), and positive matrix factorization (PMF) were used, along with the Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman’s correlation analysis in order to interpret a water quality data set resulting from a monitoring program conducted over a period of almost two years (May 2013 to April 2015). The water samples were collected from the raw water inlet of the municipal water treatment plant (WTP) operated by the Water and Sewage Services of Novo Hamburgo (COMUSA). CA allowed the data to be grouped into three periods (autumn and summer (AUT-SUM); winter (WIN); spring (SPR)). Through the PCA, it was possible to identify that the most important parameters in contribution to water quality variations are total coliforms (TCOLI) in SUM-AUT, water level (WL), water temperature (WT), and electrical conductivity (EC) in WIN and color (COLOR) and turbidity (TURB) in SPR. PMF was applied to the complete data set and enabled the source apportionment water pollution through three factors, which are related to anthropogenic sources, such as the discharge of domestic sewage (mostly represented by Escherichia coli (ECOLI)), industrial wastewaters, and agriculture runoff. The results provided by this study demonstrate the contribution provided by the use of integrated statistical techniques in the interpretation and understanding of large data sets of water quality, showing also that this approach can be used as an efficient methodology to optimize indicators for water quality assessment.

QUALITY OF LIFE AT WORK: PERCEPTION OF NURSES AND NURSING TECHNICIANS FROM A HOSPITAL IN SERRA GAÚCHA, RS

The present descriptive, cross-sectional study aims to analyze the quality of work life (QLW) with 95 nurses and nurse technicians selected by convenience from a hospital in Serra Gaucha, RS. The Nursing Questionnaire of quality of life at work (QWLQ-78) was used and divided into four domains (Physical/Health; Psychological; Professional; and Personal). The data were submitted to descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and absolute and relative frequency calculation. The results from all domains showed a satisfactory perception of quality of life at work (QLW). A strong correlation was observed between all domains and QLW, notably in the personal domain (r=0,866), followed by Psychological and Professional Domains (both ρ=0.819). The lowest correlation occurred between the Physical/Health domain and QWL (r=0.762) and between this domain and the others. The study showed a satisfactory perception of QWL in the studied sample. Descriptors: Quality of Life; Hospital; Nursing.