Unexpectedly high uranium concentrations, up to 930 µg L-1, approximately thirty times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) guidance level, were observed in groundwater samples from the mountainous region near Rio de Janeiro City, the so-called “Região Serrana”, approximately 60 km from the city. This region is characterized by a large number of tourist activities and water-related industries, such as mineral water and breweries that can be impacted by these findings. In addition, the water supplies in small communities of this region are partially or entirely based on groundwater sources. Uranium contamination was observed in 7 of the 16 counties in this region. Based on these data, this study concluded that the probability of obtaining uranium-contaminated groundwater is high in some specific areas of this region. In addition, high 222Rn concentrations were verified, with levels reaching 1570 Bq L-1. Furthermore, a maximum level of 4.6 Bq L-1 210Pb was also measured, which has a WHO guidance level of 0.1 Bq L-1. Based on the present findings, it is suggested that any artesian well deeper than 80 m in this region should be tested for uranium and 222Rn.

Urban mobility problems affects the vast majority of cities nowadays. Thus, systems that provide real time information to assist in planning routes and choosing the most appropriate paths are essential to make transport more effective. As an alternative solution to problems related to mobility in cities, there are the so-called Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) which include the Route Recommendation Systems (RRS) and methodologies for congestion prediction that combine Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to improve the quality of transport systems. In this context, this work proposes the use of pheromone-based communication for building an ITS that offers information about real time traffic flow, taking into account the mobility of vehicles and passengers and the traffic dynamics. The general goal is to provide an Android solution able to suggest users routes calculated by the hybrid algorithm between A* and pheromone mechanism. The idea is to avoid areas of heavy traffic congestion.

OBJETIVO: Observar a intensidade da reação inflamatória causada pela urina sobre a parede das alças intestinais de ratos. MÉTODOS: Modelo experimental, utilizando 20 ratos da raça Wistar alocados em dois grupos. Todos os animais foram submetidos à punção abdominal no quadrante inferior direito (QID), duas vezes por dia, durante um período de cinco dias. No grupo I (controle), nenhuma substância era inoculada por ocasião do procedimento, enquanto que, no grupo II (urina), 3 ml de urina neonatal estéril eram inoculados. Os animais foram eutanasiados no sexto dia de procedimento. Um espécime de intestino delgado fixado em parafina e corado pelo método da eosina-hematoxilina foi submetido à análise microscópica, sempre pelo mesmo patologista, o qual determinou o grau de reação inflamatória na parede das alças intestinais. RESULTADOS: Todos os animais completaram o experimento. No grupo I, serosite foi observada em seis animais e enterite em um. No grupo II, serosite foi observada em nove animais e enterite em quatro. A diferença na intensidade da reação inflamatória observada entre os grupos não chegou a configurar diferença estatisticamente significante (p = 0,1). CONCLUSÃO: A inoculação intra-abdominal de urina neonatal estéril não foi capaz de produzir reações inflamatórias significativas na parede intestinal de ratos quando comparada a animais de um grupo controle submetido apenas ao procedimento de paracentese.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the intensity of the inflammatory reaction caused by urine on the intestinal wall of rats. METHODS: Experimental model, using 20 Wistar rats divided into two groups. All the animals were submitted to abdominal puncture at the right inferior quadrant, twice daily for five days. In Group I (control group) no substance was inoculated during the procedure, while in Group II (urine group), 3 ml of neonatal urine were inoculated. The animals were killed on the sixth day. A small-bowel specimen was fixed in paraffin and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Microscopic analysis was performed by the same pathologist in all cases for determination of the degree of inflammatory reaction in the intestinal wall. RESULTS: All animals completed the experiment. In group I (control group) serositis was observed in six animals and enteritis in one. In group II (urine group) serositis was observed in nine animals and enteritis in four. The groups were similar in terms of the intensity of the inflammatory reaction observed (p = 0.1). CONCLUSION: The intra-abdominal inoculation of neonatal urine did not produce significant inflammatory reactions in the intestinal wall of rats.