Detection of atmospheric aerosols and terrestrial nanoparticles collected in a populous city in southern Brazil.

The main objective of this study is to analyze hazardous elements in nanoparticles (NPs) (smaller than 100 nm) and ultrafine particles (smaller than 1 µm) in Porto Alegre City, southern Brazil using a self-made passive sampler and Sentinel-3B SYN satellite images in 32 collection points. The Aerosol Optical Thickness proportion (T550) identification was conducted using images of the Sentinel-3B SYN satellite at 634 points sampled in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy analyses were performed to identify chemical elements present in NPs and ultrafine particles, followed by single-stage cascade impactor to be processed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. This process was coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and later analysis via secondary ion mass spectrometry. Data was acquired from Sentinel-3B SYN images, normalized to a standard mean of 0.83 µg/mg, at moderate spatial resolution (260 m), and modeled in the Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) software v.8.0. Statistical matrix data was generated in the JASP software (Jeffreys's Amazing Statistics Program) v.0.14.1.0 followed by a K-means cluster analysis. The results demonstrate the presence of between 1 and 100 nm particles of the following chemical elements: Si, Al, K, Mg, P, and Ti. Many people go through these areas daily and may inhale or absorb these elements that can harm human health. In the Sentinel-3B SYN satellite images, the sum of squares in cluster 6 is 168,265 and in cluster 7 a total of 21,583. The use of images from the Sentinel-3B SYN satellite to obtain T550 levels is of great importance as it reveals that atmospheric pollution can move through air currents contaminating large areas on a global scale.

Metals in the soil of urban cemeteries in Carazinho (South Brazil) in view of the increase in deaths from COVID-19: projects for cemeteries to mitigate environmental impacts.

The increasing mortality of COVID-19 can aggravate soil contamination by metals, harmful to the health of the population, requiring new projects for future cemeteries capable of mitigating these impacts to the environment, justifying the importance of studying the concentrations of metals in the soil of urban cemeteries. The paper analyzed the levels of metals in the soil of urban cemeteries in the City of Carazinho, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, located in southern Brazil, considering the increase in deaths by COVID-19, for the purpose of future projects for cemeteries aimed at mitigating the impacts generated on the environment. The soils of the three urban cemeteries in Carazinho were sampled, with 5 internal and external points, with 3 repetitions at depths of 0-20 and 20-40 cm, adding 180 samples to measure the concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cr and Pb (g kg-1), considering the analytical sequence: (1) analysis in triplicate with mean deviation (RDS); (2) R2 of the analytical curve; (3) traceability of the pattern of each metal; (4) quantification limit of each metal (QL), with the performance of nitroperchloric digestion of the samples and the determinations of metals by flame modality atomic absorption spectrometry. Quantitative data on deaths by COVID-19 were analyzed by univariate modeling of time series, in the integrated autoregressive moving averages model. The results of this study were made available to fifteen architects, who attributed future solutions for environmentally sustainable cemeteries. The results showed high levels of copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) in the soil of the cemeteries studied. Considering the increase in deaths and subsequent burials per COVID-19 revealed a prediction for the death toll of 6,082,306 for June 9, 2022, it is assumed that metal contamination can reach even higher levels. To mitigate these levels of contamination by metals, 80% of the architect respondents expressed their preference for a vertical cemetery, with treatment of gases and effluents to mitigate environmental impacts.

Use of geospatial tools to predict the risk of contamination by SARS-CoV-2 in urban cemeteries.

Urban cemeteries are increasingly surrounded by areas of high residential density as urbanization continues world-wide. With increasing rates of mortality caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, urban vertical cemeteries are experiencing interments at an unprecedented rate. Corpses interred in the 3rd to 5th layer of vertical urban cemeteries have the potential to contaminate large adjacent regions. The general objective of this manuscript is to analyze the reflectance of altimetry, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) in the urban cemeteries and neighbouring areas of the City of Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is assumed that the population residing in the vicinity of these cemeteries may be exposed to SARS-CoV-2 contamination through the displacement of microparticles carried by the wind as a corpse is placed in the burial niche or during the first several days of subsequent fluid and gas release through the process of decomposition. The reflectance analyses were performed utilizing Landsat 8 satellite images applied to altimetry, NDVI and LST, for hypothetical examination of possible displacement, transport and subsequent deposition of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The results showed that two cemeteries within the city, cemeteries A and B could potentially transport SARS-CoV-2 of nanometric structure to neighboring residential areas through wind action. These two cemeteries are located at high relative altitudes in more densely populated regions of the city. The NDVI, which has been shown to control the proliferation of contaminants, proved to be insufficient in these areas, contributing to high LST values. Based on the results of this study, the formation and implementation of public policies that monitor urban cemeteries is suggested in areas that utilize vertical urban cemeteries in order to reduce the further spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Geo-environmental parametric 3D models of SARS-CoV-2 virus circulation in hospital ventilation systems.

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has the potential to cause natural ventilation systems in hospital environments to be rendered inadequate, not only for workers but also for people who transit through these environments even for a limited duration. Studies in of the fields of geosciences and engineering, when combined with appropriate technologies, allow for the possibility of reducing the impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the environment, including those of hospitals which are critical centers for healthcare. In this work, we build parametric 3D models to assess the possible circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the natural ventilation system of a hospital built to care infected patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Building Information Modeling (BIM) was performed, generating 3D models of hospital environments utilizing Revit software for Autodesk CFD 2021. The evaluation considered dimensional analyses of 0°, 45°, 90° and 180°. The analysis of natural ventilation patterns on both internal and external surfaces and the distribution of windows in relation to the displacement dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the air were considered. The results showed that in the external area of the hospital, the wind speed reached velocities up to 2.1 m/s when entering the building through open windows. In contact with the furniture, this value decreased to 0.78 m/s. In some internal isolation wards that house patients with COVID-19, areas that should be equipped with negative room pressure, air velocity was null. Our study provides insights into the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 contamination in internal hospital environments as well as external areas surrounding hospitals, both of which encounter high pedestrian traffic in cities worldwide.

Biophysical matter in a marine estuary identified by the Sentinel-3B OLCI satellite and the presence of terrestrial iron (Fe) nanoparticles.

The analysis of marine matter using the Sentinel-3B OLCI (Ocean Land Color Instrument) satellite is the most advanced technique for evaluating: the absorption of colored detrital and dissolved material (ADG_443_NN), total suspended matter concentration (TSM_NN) and of chlorophyll-a (CHL_NN) on a global scale. The objective is to analyze ADG_443_NN, TSM_NN and CHL_NN using the Sentinel-3B OLCI satellite and the presence of Fe-nanoparticles (NPs) + hazardous elements (HEs) in suspended sediments (SSs) in the maritime estuary of the Colombian city of Barranquilla. The study used the unpublished image of the Sentinel-3B OLCI satellite in the evaluation of ADG_443_NN, TSM_NN and CHL_NN in 72 sampled points. Subsequently, 36 samples of SSs were carried out in the Magdalena River, in the identification of Fe-NPs by advanced electron microscopies. The Sentinel-3B satellite revealed particulate accumulations in OCE1 through the intensity of OLCI in ocean. There was also a high Fe-NPs intensity of SSs in the Magdalena channel, spreading contamination to large regions.

Hazardous elements in the soil of urban cemeteries; constructive solutions aimed at sustainability.

Urban cemeteries on a global scale raise concerns due to their potential to concentrate differing levels of hazardous pollutants in their native soils due to the unnatural concentration of burials in a limited space. It is paramount for sustainability that designers of future cemeteries take this into account in order to minimize the deposition and movement of these contaminants within the soil profile. The objective of this manuscript is to identify the levels of certain hazardous element contamination, specifically heavy metals, in the soil of horizontal urban cemeteries that do not utilize herbicides for weed control. In this, solutions were sought for the construction of future urban cemeteries capable of mitigating further contamination of the environment by the increase in interments. The soils of three urban cemeteries (A, B and C) in the Brazilian city of Carazinho, in Rio Grande do Sul State, were sampled with 5 monitoring points in the internal area and 5 points in the external area of the cemeteries. At each point, 3 replications were performed at two depths (0-20 and 20-40 cm), totaling 180 samples in all, to determine the concentration of the following metals: copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), and chromium (Cr) (g kg-1). In addition, online interviews with 15 architects who design cemeteries were conducted. Architectural design solutions to mitigate environmental contamination were modeled utilizing the Building Information Modeling system (BIM). The results showed an excess of Cu in the soil of cemeteries A, B and C, surpassing the standards allowed by Brazilian federal regulations. A total of 80% of the interviewed architects expressed their preference for the vertical cemetery, with gas and effluent treatment systems to mitigate environmental impacts.

New Method Application for Marker-Trait Association Studies in Plants: Partial Least Square Regression Aids Detection of Simultaneous Correlations.

In this work, we investigated the suitability of performing partial least square regression (PLSR) on genotype-phenotype datasets to identify marker-trait associations. We utilized data collected on a cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping population that was evaluated under contrasting irrigation treatments, well-watered and water-limited conditions, in a hot, arid environment in 2012. Two phenotypic data sets were used in combination with the genetic data which consisted of 841 marker loci assigned to 117 linkage groups. The first dataset contained canopy traits that were gathered using a mobile, high-throughput phenotyping platform and included canopy temperature (CT), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and canopy height (CHT) with leaf area index (LAI) being derived from NDVI and CHT measurements. The second phenotypic data set consisted of 14 elemental concentration measurements corresponding to the following elements: P, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cu, As, Co, Rb, Mo, S, and Mg. To conduct the PSLR analyses we used the "pls" and "pls depot" available in R statistical software version 3.2.4. The PLSR bi plot from the analysis of the first dataset showed that three (LAI, NDVI, and CHT) out of the four canopy traits were highly correlated, and by using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), we detected 22 significant (p<0.01) marker-trait associations for the four traits. In contrast to the canopy trait analysis, our PLSR bi plot for the second dataset showed varying correlations for each of the 14 traits. Because of the lack of distinct trait similarities, MANOVA was not an ideal option to test for marker-trait associations so we implemented a jackknife re sampling technique. Jackknife re sampling failed to detect significant marker effects for several of the 14 elemental concentration traits. Thus, our future work aims to test other re sampling techniques such as boot straping for traits that do not exhibit high correlation. Overall, PLSR was a very informative way to comprehend data structure, displaying correlations within markers, within traits, and between marker and traits in one bi plot. Further studies are still needed to leverage detection of additional variance in correlated datasets and to prevent spurious results. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time PLSR has been reported in such a context.