Pesticides in aquifers from Latin America and the Caribbean.

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), agriculture is the primary consumer of water and the biggest user of pesticides worldwide. Given that groundwater is a crucial resource in this region, a systematic review was conducted to evaluate the current state of knowledge on the presence of pesticides in aquifers. The review examined 48 research papers published between 1998 and 2020, and found that only six countries in the region have information on pesticides in groundwater. A total of 70 agrochemicals were detected, encompassing legacy pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and metabolites. Herbicides, including the widely used atrazine and glyphosate, were the most commonly detected current-use pesticides. These herbicides are being gradually banned or restricted due to their potentially harmful effects on the environment. Factors that contribute to the presence of these contaminants in aquifers include preferential flows, seasonal variations in rainfall, aquifer type, unsaturated zone thickness, and land use and management practices. Researchers noted that analysis of these contaminants is often beyond the economic or methodological scope, and analytical capacity in the region is generally limited. Based on the findings of this review, there is a clear need for groundwater pesticide monitoring in the region to reduce health risks to humans and ecosystems.

Incorporating local researchers' and decision makers' preferences for groundwater resources management in a spatial multi-voiced decision model.

Water is a crucial and highly sensitive political issue. The overexploitation of groundwater resources and deterioration of water quality caused by pollution as well as the deficiencies of the existing infrastructure require immediate attention. The main goal of this paper is to carry out a multi-voiced multicriteria analysis that integrates the preferences of local researchers and decision makers in a process aimed at prioritizing watersheds that require the implementation of groundwater management instruments. Using the Criterium Decision Plus system, criteria and subcriteria were integrated into a spatial multi-voiced decision model for the prioritization of watersheds for groundwater resources management. The criteria chosen were Groundwater quality, Groundwater quantity, Land use with potential pollutant load, Equity and Intrinsic aquifer vulnerability. Criteria and subcriteria preferences analysis were derived from workshops with local researchers and decision makers. The spatial multi-voiced decision model identified five of the fourteen watersheds as high to very high priority and requiring groundwater resources management. Based on the local researchers' and decision makers' preferences and hierarchy scheme of the multi-voiced decision model the main criteria and subcriteria that contributed to the final model results were identified. Regarding the criteria, Groundwater quality, Equity and Groundwater quantity contributed extensively to the model. The subcriteria contributions to the groundwater resources management came mainly from High intrinsic aquifer vulnerability, Agrochemicals, Groundwater Storage and Groundwater for domestic supply. This proposed procedure showed that time and effort can be directed to using data and preferences to assist in planning and decision making for groundwater resources management.

A Decision Support Tool For Water Pollution and Eutrophication Prevention In Groundwater-dependent Shallow Lakes From Periurban Areas Based On The DPSIR Framework.

The deterioration of water quality worldwide is a serious environmental problem. Water managers still need operational tools to assess water issues and to inform water planning and decision-making. The aim of this article is to propose a 3-step methodological framework for assessing water pollution problems by combining a conceptual modeling tool (DPSIR) with the development of a quantitative model (Multi-Criteria Decision Model). This contribution provides a practical and flexible evaluation tool for conducting an integrated assessment of eutrophication and agrochemicals delivered to groundwater-dependent shallow lakes. It lays out action guidelines for decision-making environmental managers within the context of intermediate cities in developing countries. Forty-one indicators were identified to characterize the D-P-S-I compartments and for the multi-criteria model conceptualization. In this work, response options analysis consisted of evaluating and choosing water management instruments via a decision support tool. Two lake watersheds located in the peri-urban of two middle-size cities, in Argentina, were chosen to illustrate this methodological approach. The ensuing results allowed establishing a ranking of areas to prioritize, identifying a criteria and sub-criteria to focus on in order to set out action guidelines to minimize water pollution and eutrophication. These action guidelines are urgently needed in emerging countries, where financial, human resources and infrastructure are limited. The scarcity of such causes important implications regarding policy solutions for environmental issues. The implemented decision support tool in both lake watersheds provided a common basis for the understanding of the ongoing water pollution problems and a quantitative ranking (i.e., decision scores) for defining specific actions (responses) for human-induced stresses on such natural systems.

Effect of remote nursing monitoring on overweight in women: clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the effect of remote nursing monitoring on the improvement of anthropometric measurements of overweight women. METHOD: controlled, randomized clinical trial, carried out in a reference outpatient clinic for treatment of obesity. The baseline sample was composed of 101 women randomly assigned to two groups, 51 in the intervention group (IG) and 50 in the control group (CG). The IG received remote monitoring through telephone calls and conventional monitoring, and the CG received conventional monitoring. Women were assessed at the baseline and after three months of intervention. A paired t-test and analysis of covariance were used to evaluate intragroup differences in anthropometric measurements, and the statistical significance of 5% was adopted. Eighty one women completed the study. RESULTS: in the intergroup comparison after the intervention, a reduction of 1.66 kg in the mean weight (p = 0.017) and of 0.66 kg/m2 in the mean BMI (p = 0.015) was found in the intervention group. There was a borderline statistically significant (p = 0.055) reduction of 2.5 cm in WC with in the intervention group. CONCLUSION: the remote monitoring was beneficial in reducing anthropometric measurements. RBR-3hzdgv.

Effect of remote nursing monitoring on overweight in women: clinical trial / Efeito do monitoramento remoto de enfermagem sobre o excesso de peso de mulheres: ensaio clínico / Efecto del monitoreo remoto de enfermería sobre el sobrepeso de mujeres: ensayo clínico

ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate the effect of remote nursing monitoring on the improvement of anthropometric measurements of overweight women. Method: controlled, randomized clinical trial, carried out in a reference outpatient clinic for treatment of obesity. The baseline sample was composed of 101 women randomly assigned to two groups, 51 in the intervention group (IG) and 50 in the control group (CG). The IG received remote monitoring through telephone calls and conventional monitoring, and the CG received conventional monitoring. Women were assessed at the baseline and after three months of intervention. A paired t-test and analysis of covariance were used to evaluate intragroup differences in anthropometric measurements, and the statistical significance of 5% was adopted. Eighty one women completed the study. Results: in the intergroup comparison after the intervention, a reduction of 1.66 kg in the mean weight (p = 0.017) and of 0.66 kg/m2 in the mean BMI (p = 0.015) was found in the intervention group. There was a borderline statistically significant (p = 0.055) reduction of 2.5 cm in WC with in the intervention group. Conclusion: the remote monitoring was beneficial in reducing anthropometric measurements. RBR-3hzdgv.

RESUMO Objetivo: avaliar o efeito do monitoramento remoto de enfermagem na melhora das medidas antropométricas de mulheres com excesso de peso. Método: ensaio clínico controlado, randomizado, realizado em ambulatório de referência em obesidade. Constituíram o baseline 101 mulheres, alocadas aleatoriamente em dois grupos, 51 no grupo de intervenção (GI) e 50 no grupo controle (GC). O GI recebeu o monitoramento remoto por telefone e acompanhamento convencional e o GC acompanhamento convencional. A avaliação das mulheres ocorreu no baseline e após três meses de intervenção. Para avaliar as diferenças das medidas antropométricas intragrupos, utilizou-se o teste t pareado e, intergrupos, a análise de covariância, adotando-se significância estatística de 5%. Completaram o estudo 81 mulheres. Resultados: na comparação intergrupos após a intervenção, verificou-se redução de 1,66 kg na média do peso (p = 0,017) e redução de 0,66 kg/m2 na média do IMC (p = 0,015) para o grupo intervenção. Houve redução de 2,5 cm na CC no grupo intervenção com diferença estatística boderline (p=0,055). Conclusão: o efeito do monitoramento remoto foi benéfico na redução das medidas antropométricas. RBR-3hzdgv.

RESUMEN Objetivo: evaluar el efecto del monitoreo remoto de enfermería en la mejora de las medidas antropométricas de mujeres con sobrepeso. Método: ensayo clínico controlado, aleatorio, realizado en ambulatorio de referencia en obesidad. Constituyeron el baseline 110 mujeres, colocadas aleatoriamente en dos grupos, 51 en el grupo de intervención (GI) y 50 en el grupo control (GC). El GI recibió el monitoreo remoto por teléfono y el seguimiento convencional y el GC tuvo seguimiento convencional. La evaluación de las mujeres ocurrió en el baseline y después de tres meses de intervención. Para evaluar las diferencias de las medidas antropométricas intragrupos se utilizó el test t pareado y, intergrupos, el análisis de covariancia, adoptando significancia estadística del 5%. Completaron el estudio 81 mujeres. Resultados: en la comparación intergrupos después de la intervención se verificó reducción de 1,66 Kg en la media del peso (p=0,017) y reducción de 0,66 Kg m2 en la media del IMC (p=0,015) para el grupo intervención. Hubo reducción de 2,5 cm en la CC en el grupo intervención con diferencia estadística boderline (p=0,055). Conclusión: el efecto del monitoreo remoto fue benéfico en la reducción de las medidas antropométricas. RBR-3hzdgv.

Fuzzy logic-based assessment for mapping potential infiltration areas in low-gradient watersheds.

This paper gives an account of the design a logic-based approach for identifying potential infiltration areas in low-gradient watersheds based on remote sensing data. This methodological framework is applied in a sector of the Pampa Plain, Argentina, which has high level of agricultural activities and large demands for groundwater supplies. Potential infiltration sites are assessed as a function of two primary topics: hydrologic and soil conditions. This model shows the state of each evaluated subwatershed respecting to its potential contribution to infiltration mainly based on easily measurable and commonly used parameters: drainage density, geomorphologic units, soil media, land-cover, slope and aspect (slope orientation). Mapped outputs from the logic model displayed 42% very low-low, 16% moderate, 41% high-very high contribution to potential infiltration in the whole watershed. Subwatersheds in the upper and lower section were identified as areas with high to very high potential infiltration according to the following media features: low drainage density (<1.5 km/km(2)), arable land and pastures as the main land-cover categories, sandy clay loam to loam - clay loam soils and with the geomorphological units named poorly drained plain, channelized drainage plain and, dunes and beaches.

A GIS-based assessment of groundwater suitability for irrigation purposes in flat areas of the wet Pampa plain, Argentina.

The Pampa in Argentina is a large plain with a quite obvious dependence on agriculture, water availability and its quality. It is a sensitive environment due to weather changes and slope variations. Supplementary irrigation is a useful practice for compensating the production in the zone. However, potential negative impacts of this type of irrigation in salinization and sodification of soils are evident. Most conventional methodologies for assessing water irrigation quality have difficulties in their application in the region because they do not adjust to the defined assumptions for them. Consequently, a new GIS-based methodology integrating multiparametric data was proposed for evaluating and delineating groundwater suitability zones for irrigation purposes in flat areas. Hydrogeological surveys including water level measurements, groundwater samples for chemical analysis and electrical conductivity (EC) measurements were performed. The combination of EC, sodium adsorption ratio, residual sodium carbonate, slopes and hydraulic gradient parameters generated an irrigation water index (IWI). With the integration of the IWI 1 to 3 classes (categories of suitable waters for irrigation) and the aquifer thickness the restricted irrigation water index (RIWI) was obtained. The IWI's index application showed that 61.3 % of the area has "Very high" to "Moderate" potential for irrigation, while the 31.4 % of it has unsuitable waters. Approximately, 46 % of the tested area has high suitability for irrigation and moderate groundwater availability. This proposed methodology has advantages over traditional methods because it allows for better discrimination in homogeneous areas.