Dose assessment for releases from medical installations in the city of Rio de Janeiro

The values of effluent releases to urban sewage system in Brazilian regulation were investigated and compared with the current International Atomic Energy Agency recommended criteria, using the city of Rio de Janeiro as a case study. Deterministic and probabilistic assessments were performed for two conservative scenarios, considering the exposure of the population in general and the exposure of workers in sewage treatment plants. The results from the deterministic assessment were found to be more restrictive than those from the probabilistic assessment. Although currently the doses for the inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro are lower than the dose limit for the public, the approach currently in use in Brazil is not adequate to fulfill the international requirements and nuclide-specific values needing to be adopted.     

Sugar Cane Bagasse Waste as Reinforcement in Low Cost Composites

The State University of the North of Rio de Janeiro State is currently engaged on a large development program to exploit the potentialities of sugar cane industry in a self sustained nonpolluting program. Sugar cane is a traditional industry responsible for the main fraction of the economy of the northern region of the State of Rio de Janeiro, also known as the North Fluminense region. In this respect, a project of particular interest is the use of the sugar cane bagasse waste as reinforcement to polymeric resins for fabrication of low cost composites. In the present work a study was carried out on the possible uses of bagasse waste as reinforcement in polyester matrix composites. Preliminary results have attested this possibility. Composites with homogeneous microstructures could be fabricated and the level of their mechanical properties enable them to have practical applications similar to the ones normally associated with wooden agglomerates. Future developments are expected to increase the performance and competitiveness of these composites as compared to those of other materials in the same structural class.     

Determination of 238U, 234U, 232Th, 228Th, 228Ra, 226Ra and 210Pb concentration in excreta samples of inhabitants of a high natural background area

The high concentration of uranium and thorium in certain Brazilian areas provides an opportunity to evaluate the radiation exposure due to intake of radionuclides by the populations that live and work in areas with a high natural radiation background. Buena, where this study was conducted, is a small village on the coast in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro State, characterised by the presence of a large deposit of monazite sand. In this paper, the concentrations of 238U, 234U, 232Th, 228Th, 228Ra, 226Ra and 210Pb in faecal samples from inhabitants of this area were determined by a sequential analytical method. The results of the average concentrations in faeces of inhabitants of Buena are 9.4 +/- 3.4 mBq g(ash)(-1) for 238U, 9.2 +/- 4.0 mBq g(ash)(-1) for 234U, 7.0 +/- 4.2 mBq g(ash)(-1) for 232Th, 256.1 +/- 134.6 mBq g(ash)(-1) for 228Th, 335.5 +/- 192.8 mBq g(ash)(-1) for 228Ra, 156.6 +/- 74.1 mBq g(ash)(-1) for 226Ra and 66.7 +/- 17.7 mBq g(ash)(-1) for 210Pb. The results were compared with background concentrations from faecal samples from individuals living in Rio de Janeiro City. For most of the radionuclides analysed, the average concentration in faeces from inhabitants of the high natural radiation background was higher than the concentration found in Rio de Janeiro, considered a 'normal' background area.     

Pedestrian deaths in Rio de Janeiro and Baltimore

Pedestrian fatalities in the cities of Baltimore (U.S.) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) were studied using medical examiner data. The population-based death rate for Rio was about four times the rate for Baltimore. The difference reflected extremely high death rates in Rio among sober adults of working age. In Baltimore, 72% of the fatally injured pedestrians were either younger than 10 years old or older than 64, or had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.10% by weight or greater. In Rio, only 28% were similarly youthful, aged, or impaired by alcohol.     

Spatial Organization of the Brazilian States with Respect to Human Migration

"Multidimensional scaling technique was applied to the Brazilian migration matrix in order to identify the functional regions of the nation, using the 1970 census data for males. The results obtained from three types of proximity matrices confirmed the key roles of Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso as the core states in addition to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Substantial circulation of migrants among the core states runs counter to the popular notion about the Northeastern states as the major source of labor in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The Northeast [was] found to consist of three groups of states: Maranhao, Piaui and Ceara showed a stable clustering, but peripherally located, in all configurations; and, the other two groups failed to form persistent regions across configurations. Though limited in scope, the observed attraction of Espirito Santo and Goias violated the widely held negative effect of distance and deserves further investigation."     

Evaluation of bioventing on a gasoline-ethanol contaminated undisturbed residual soil

Remediation methods for environmental contamination problems based on physical or chemical processes frequently present low efficiency and/or high costs. On the other hand, biological treatment is being proved to be an accessible alternative for soil and water remediation. Bioventing is commonly used for petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) spills. This process provides better subsurface oxygenation, thus stimulating degradation by indigenous microorganisms. In Brazil, gasoline and ethanol are routinely mixed; some authors suggest that despite gasoline high degradability, its degradation in the aquifer is hindered by the presence of much rapidly degrading ethanol. The present study evaluates a bioventing treatment of a gasoline–ethanol contaminated undisturbed residual soil from Rio de Janeiro. Contamination and treatment effects were monitored by conventional microbiology methods, chemical analysis, and ground penetrating radar (GPR) measurements. Results of culturable bacterial population counts show the effect of contamination and bioventing on the microbiota of gasoline and gasoline–ethanol containing soils; however, GPR responses to these variations are not conclusive and still need to be assessed.     

Impacts of a delayed and slow-paced vaccination on cases and deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic: a modelling study

In Brazil, vaccination has always cut across party political and ideological lines, which has delayed its start and brought the whole process into disrepute. Such divergences put the immunization of the population in the background and create additional hurdles beyond the pandemic, mistrust and scepticism over vaccines. We conduct a mathematical modelling study to analyse the impacts of late vaccination along with slowly increasing coverage, as well as how harmful it would be if part of the population refused to get vaccinated or missed the second dose. We analyse data from confirmed cases, deaths and vaccination in the state of Rio de Janeiro in the period between 10 March 2020 and 27 October 2021. We estimate that if the start of vaccination had been 30 days earlier, combined with efforts to drive vaccination rates up, about 31 657 deaths could have been avoided. In addition, the slow pace of vaccination and the low demand for the second dose could cause a resurgence of cases as early as 2022. Even when reaching the expected vaccination coverage for the first dose, it is still challenging to increase adherence to the second dose and maintain a high vaccination rate to avoid new outbreaks.     

Latin american and Caribbean intercomparison of radiation protection area monitoring instruments

In December 2000 the International Atomic Energy Agency sponsored an intercomparison of radiation protection area monitoring instruments which was held at the Instituto de Radioprote??o e Dosimetria--IRD/CNEN, Rio de Janeiro. Brazil. This intercomparison exercise was aimed at evaluating the ability of some Latin American and Caribbean countries to perform calibrations or such instruments, or have them properly performed by a third party. Nine countries participated in the exercise with 13 portable gamma dose rate monitors. The quantity of interest for the intercomparison was the ambient dose equivalent, H*(10), although some instruments were not designed or calibrated in this quantity. Results were converted to H*(10), whenever necessary. according to the information supplied by each participant. All results for the quantity of interest agree well within 10% of the reference values and the quoted uncertainties.     

Establishment of radiation qualities for mammography according to the IEC 61267 and TRS 457

This article presents the technical conditions necessary to establish appropriate radiation qualities for the calibration of the dosemeters used in the mammography detectors in the Laboratório de Ciências Radiológicas (LCR) from the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Tests were conducted to evaluate the homogeneity of the radiation field, scattering, half-value layers and system stability. The calibration method (substitution) is described in this work. A moderate alteration in filtration makes it possible to maintain the half-value layers within the limits recommended. The results indicate the adequacy of the LCR laboratory for the calibration of the dosemeters in the radiation qualities for mammography with an expanded uncertainty in the best measurement capability of ± 1.8 % (k = 2).     

Photographic Miscarriage

Abstract

Henrique Fleiuss (born 1823 in Cologne, died 1882 in Rio de Janeiro) studied literature in Cologne and natural sciences as well as music in Munich. He went to Brazil in 1858 at the suggestion of von Martius, the famous botanist. There, in 1859, he founded the ‘Instituto Artistico’ in partnership with his brother Carlos Fleiuss and the artist Carlos Linde.     

Nuclear medicine annual external occupational dose distribution: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, year 2005

Brazil has about 300 nuclear medicine services (NMS), 44 of them located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Most nuclear medicine staff are routinely monitored for external dose. This paper makes a statistical analysis of all the RJ NMS annual external occupational doses in year 2005. Around 100 professionals of RJ NMS received annual doses >4.0 mSv, considering only external doses, but no one receives doses higher than the mean annual dose limit of 20 mSv. Extremities dosemeters are used by about 10 % of the staff. In some cases, these doses are more than 10 times higher than the dose in thorax. The maximum ratio of extremity dose/thorax dose, in 2005, was 72. This study shows the importance to improve radiation protection procedures in nuclear medicine, mainly because the number of occupational individuals in nuclear medicine and their external doses are increasing.     

The technique of glueing precast elements of the Rio-Niteroi bridge

The prestressed concrete superstructure of the 7,884 m long and 26.6 m wide bridge over the Guanabara Bay, connecting the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Niteroi, in Brazil, was constructed by the cantilever method with the help of precast segments which were glued together with epoxy resin. An experimental investigation of the structural behavior of the glued joints was made in a model of the bridge. Important conclusions resulted from the experiment. It has been shown that the glued joints do not affect the safety of the structure. Several investigations were made during the construction for determination of various important features of the glued joints for erection procedures. The behavior of glued joints was studied with the help of a specially developed concrete test piece.     

Latin American and Caribbean intercomparison of surface contamination monitoring equipment

In October 2009, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sponsored an intercomparison exercise of surface contamination monitoring equipment, which was held at the Laboratório Nacional de Metrologia das Radia??es Ionizantes, from the Instituto de Radioprote??o e Dosimetria, IRD/CNEN, Rio de Janeiro. This intercomparison was performed to evaluate the calibration accessibility in Latin America and the Caribbean. Thirteen countries within the region and IAEA have sent instruments to be compared, but only five countries and IAEA were considered apt to participate. Analysis of instruments, results and discussions are presented and recommendations are drawn.     

Development of a profitable procedure for the extraction of 2-H-1-benzopyran-2-one (coumarin) from Mikania glomerata

This report deals with a new procedure suitable for the extraction of coumarin 1 from Mikania glomerata. The aim of this investigation is to obtain this compound in an economically profitable way, taking into account the yield of its extraction, the cost, and the time of the overall process. Fresh and dried plants collected in several areas of the State of Rio de Janeiro were used, and seasonal effects on coumarin content were studied. Obtained results indicated that extraction with a 1% (w/v) NaOH solution, under appropriate conditions, allows a simple and complete recovery of the desired product and that the best yields were obtained with the fresh aerial parts of the plant. Season and area of harvesting effects have also been studied     

Ozonation of a landfill leachate: evaluation of toxicity removal and biodegradability improvement

This work shows an evaluation of treatments for the leachate produced at the Gramacho Municipal Landfill in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. This leachate has very peculiar characteristics, with a high salinity level and very low biodegradability (BOD(5)/COD of 0.05). A sequence of processes was employed in the treatment of this leachate. Initially, a physicochemical treatment was used, while the second stage consisted of application of ozone to improve the biodegradability of the leachate. The final stage comprised a biological treatment. The physical-chemical treatment led to COD and DOC removal levels of 40 and 25%, respectively, with the use of Al(2)(SO(4))(3). The sequence of treatments proposed brought good results, with an increase in the BOD(5)/COD ratio from 0.05 to 0.3 after ozonation. The toxicity tests performed using Brachydanio rerio and Poecilia vivipara showed that the toxicity of the leachate had hardly been reduced by ozonation. These results are in agreement with the fact that, despite the higher BOD(5)/COD ratio, the biological process did not present a good performance. The total average removal levels of COD and DOC achieved using the combined treatment were 73 and 63%, respectively, for an ozone dose of 3.0 gL(-1) by the leachate.     

4He adsorption isotherms on Na-plated Pyrex glass

We present ⁴ He volumetric adsorption isotherm measurements on small area cells made out of Pyrex glass, and the same cells coated with partial platings of evaporated sodium. Isotherms at 4.2K and 3.99K are used to obtain quanititative results for the isosteric heat of adsorption (q_st) on bare glass and qualitative results for q_st on the Na-plated portion of the cells.On leave from Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, supported by CNPq.     

Development of a Profitable Procedure for the Extraction of 2-H-1-Benzopyran-2- one (Coumarin) from Mikania glomerata

This report deals with a new procedure suitable for the extraction of coumarin 1 from Mikania glomerata, The aim of this investigation is to obtain this compound in an economically profitable way, taking into account the yield of its extraction, the cost, and the time of the overall process. Fresh and dried plants collected in several areas of the State of Rio de Janeiro were used, and seasonal effects on coumarin content were studied. Obtained results indicated that extraction with a 1% (w/v) NaOH solution, under appropriate conditions, allows a simple and complete recovery of the desired product and that the best yields were obtained with the fresh aerial parts of the plant. Season and area of harvesting effects have also been studied     

Petroleum oxidation using Fenton's reagent over beach sand following a spill

Removal and oxidation of petroleum adhered onto the beach sand after a spill over Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) have been studied using Fenton's reagent (Fe2+ + H2O2). Jar tests were done on 5 and 20 g sand suspended in 200 ml aqueous solution containing iron(II) salt and hydrogen peroxide under constant stirring. The H2O2(g):Fe(g)2+ ratio varied from 0.5:1 to 50:1, pH was 2.0 and 6.0 and reaction time 1 and 3 h. Initially, the contaminated sand content of oil and grease (O&G) was 32 g/kg sand. The statistical analysis showed time and iron-sand and H2O2-iron-sand interactions to be the most significant variables, with an average O&G removal from the contaminated sand being just 30% after 3 h reaction. However, oil was removed from the sand (by up to 97%) and passed to the aqueous phase, making waste final disposal easier. The post-reaction analysis showed the supernatant to be biodegradable. Chromatographic analysis results were that the Fenton's reaction favored both the change and reduction of oil saturated and aromatic fractions.     

Behaviour of composite soil reinforced with natural fibres

Next to the food shortage, the housing shortage is one of the most crucial problems on earth. To improve this situation and make it possible to build more houses, particularly for low-income families, it is necessary to examine all locally available materials which can be used for construction. Bamboo, sisal and coconut fibres are materials which are available in abundance in Brazil and are not used in civil construction. To increase the amount of information concerning the physical and mechanical behaviour of these materials several research programmes were executed at Pontifical Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) and Universidade Federal da Paraiba (UFPb) under the general supervision of the first author. In this paper new results are presented concerning the application of sisal and coconut fibres in conjunction with three types of locally appropriate soil for the production of composite soil blocks reinforced with sisal and coconut fibres.     

An Intersemiotic Translation of a Mobile Art Project to a Photographic Essay

VIA is a mobile art project (video-dance and computational music) semiotically translated to photographic media by means of formal constraints derived from selected properties of Rio de Janeiro’s predefined downtown routes. Under the constraints of street buildings and the morphology of the routes, questions regarding the influence of the bodily movements of the urban space led to the creation of a dance typology. This typology is related to pedestrians in the area and to the structure of the buildings spans where the performance happened. The dance movements captured in the videos were restricted and regulated by the physical environment and its main features. Here, an intersemiotic translation of a mobile art project to a photographic essay is presented and described. It strongly relates, and tentatively explores, both an artistic research praxis and a theoretical discussion. The essay explores an analogous semiotic effect from the VIA project on the photographic essay as a result of this investigation.