Three groups of unexpected experimental findings were published in the past twenty years in different research areas, opposing current paradigms, and supporting the following statements: (i) water is becoming the ideal medium for chemical synthesis; (ii) water is an electrifying agent of most materials; (iii) macroscopic matter is formed by charge mosaics that are often the outcomes of surface processes at the aqueous interfaces. These statements provoke major changes in chemical thinking that have a common feature: the behavior of chemicals in aqueous electrified interfaces may largely differ from their behavior in bulk and theoretical predictions. This review discusses eight widely accepted statements familiar to chemists, students, professors, and teachers, but challenged by many experimental findings obtained in systems having aqueous interfaces. A broader statement that is being used in this context is that the thermodynamic properties of ionic species change depending on the local electric potential, modifying their reactivity, mass transfer, and other properties. Beyond synthetic applications, atmospheric moisture is becoming a promising source of electricity. These new views create huge opportunities for chemical research and development, based on the most abundant and environmentally compatible chemical. Aqueous interfaces are thus a powerful toolbox for building a sustainable economy. areas paradigms i (i synthesis ii (ii materials iii (iii feature predictions chemists students professors teachers potential reactivity transfer applications electricity development economy

Abstract Periodontal disease is considered the main oral cavity disorder in dogs. Essential oils have the potential for use in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases. The antimicrobial activity of Schinus molle L. essential oil (SMEO) has already been reported. Chitosan, a natural product with antimicrobial activity and good biocompatibility has potential in biodental applications. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro antimicrobial activity of SMEO against bacteria associated with periodontal disease in dogs, developed and evaluated the physicochemical properties of a novel chitosan-based buccal delivery system containing SMEO. SMEO showed antimicrobial activity against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria associated with canine periodontitis, with MIC values of 750 µg.mL-1 for Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp, 1000 µg.mL-1 for Corynebacterium spp. and 1250 µg.mL-1 for Pseudomonas spp. All formulations evaluated presented adequate physicochemical properties, good stability, and pH values close to buccal pH (5.0–7.0). Chitosan gel loaded with SMEO showed potential as a SMEO delivery system, having the ideal physicochemical and rheological properties (pseudoplastic and apparent viscosities) required for application on buccal tissue. Thus, we can conclude that formulation has the potential to be used for buccal mucosa delivery in the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease in dogs.

Human population growth and development has been largely dependent on non-renewable natural resources, which cannot be indefinitely sustained. Beyond, coal and other abundant resources cannot continue to be used at current rates due to their impact on the environment and climate. It is thus important to replace as much as possible the fossil fuels and scarce minerals as sources of energy and industrial raw materials. Biomass plays a key role in this scenario, since its availability depends on abundant but often misused resources: air, water, sunlight and land. The “oil shocks”, the recognition of impending resource shortages, the global pollution and climate change led many governments and organizations to create roadmaps to Bioeconomy. This includes the growing use of plants and animals to produce energy and raw materials, but it cannot create food scarcity. Agriculture depends on the plant macronutrients N, P and K, and this article discusses their role in plant and animal growth, production and consumption, dependence on non-renewable minerals and energy and perspectives for increasing their efficiency. Special attention is given to Brazilian agriculture that is heavily dependent on imported NPK, requiring strategic action and research.

Abstract: Sustainable production requires increasing use of raw materials from renewable sources, processed under mild conditions with minimal effluent production. These requirements are satisfied by using materials derived from biomass, in synergy with food and energy production. The possibilities of biomass are continuously enlarged by new findings, as in the intrinsic nanocomposite properties of natural rubber and the amphiphile behavior of cellulose that translated into new functional materials, including high-performance, flexible and conductive non-metallic materials. Other findings are allowing a better understanding of electrostatic phenomena that play a positive role in electrostatic adhesion and cohesion of nanocomposites made from biomass products. Moreover, this should allow the development of safe electrostatic separation techniques, suitable for the fractionation of crude mixtures of biomass residues. A current study on rubber electrostatics is showing its capabilities as a transducer of mechanical energy while providing clues to understand the performance of the dielectric elastomers used in robotic self-sensing actuators.

RESUMO Avaliamos neste estudo a composição de espécies, e características ecológicas de uma comunidade de serpentes em área de transição Cerrado-Amazônia, no Centro-Oeste do Brasil (Estado do Mato Grosso). Coletamos os dados durante seis expedições para "Tanguro" (área de estudo) através dos métodos de procura visual, armadilhas de interceptação e queda e encontros ocasionais. Registramos 194 espécimes, distribuídas em 34 espécies, 26 gêneros e oito famílias. As espécies mais abundantes foram Crotalus durissus Linnaeus, 1758 (n = 50), Philodryas olfersii (Lichtenstein, 1823) (n = 15), Philodryas nattereri Steindachner, 1870 (n = 13), Xenodon rabdocephalus (Wied, 1824) (n = 12), Lachesis muta (Linnaeus, 1766) (n = 10) e Erythrolamprus almadensis (Wagler, 1824) (n = 10). A composição de espécies encontrada representa uma combinação entre a fauna de Cerrado e Amazônica.

ABSTRACT The present study encompasses the species composition and ecological characteristics of the snake community in a Cerrado-Amazon transition zone in Midwest of Brazil (state of Mato Grosso). The data were collected during six excursions to the "Tanguro" (study area) by visual encounter survey, pitfall traps with drift fences and non-systematic sampling. We collected 194 specimens, distributed in 34 species, 26 genera, and eight families. The most abundant species were Crotalus durissus Linnaeus, 1758 (n = 50), Philodryas olfersii (Lichtenstein, 1823) (n = 15), Philodryas nattereri Steindachner, 1870 (n = 13), Xenodon rabdocephalus (Wied, 1824) (n = 12), Lachesis muta (Linnaeus, 1766) (n = 10) and Erythrolamprus almadensis (Wagler, 1824) (n = 10). The composition of species found here represents a combination of Cerrado and Amazonian savanna fauna.

The aim of the present study was to describe the species composition and reproductive modes of an anuran community from a transition area between the Amazonia and Cerrado biomes. Data were collected in habitats exhibiting different degrees of anthropogenic degradation. The community (35 species) identified during the present study presented a larger number of reproductive modes when compared with those from Cerrado communities, but smaller than those of other sites in the Amazon. While all nine modes were recorded in the gallery forests of local rivers and streams, anthropogenic habitats (rubber tree orchards and soybean fields) were occupied only by species adapted to environments where humidity is low, typical of the Cerrado. Overall, the anuran fauna of the study area was characterized by species that depend on access to water bodies for their reproduction, with only a few specialized species able to reproduce in dry environments.

Se realizaron censos de vegetación durante 1994 en una parcela de 0.1 ha. en cada una de las plantaciones abandonadas de Pinus radiata, Cupressus lusitanica, Eucalyptus globulus, Alnus acuminata y en un bosque secundario montano alto en los Andes centrales de Colombia. También fueron recolectados datos de las propiedades físicas y químicas de suelos superficiales. El bosque de regeneración natural tiene el mayor número de especies (33) seguido por las plantaciones de E. globulus (26) y A. acuminata (16). Las plantaciones abandonadas de P. radiata y C. lusitanica, tuvieron sólo tres especies. Entre el bosque de regeneración natural y la plantación de E. globulus hubo solamente once especies en común y solamente siete con la plantación de A. acuminata. Todas estas especies, con excepción de tres, son arbustos del sotobosque dispersados por viento o aves. En el sotobosque de la plantación de P. radiata había una regeneración abundante del árbol nacional de Colombia, Ceroxylum quindiuensis. La altura de los árboles y el área basal fueron significativamente mayores en las plantaciones de P. radiata y C. lusitanica que en el bosque de regeneración natural. De las variables ambientales y biológicas medidas en este estudio, la acumulación de acículas bajo las plantaciones de P. radiata y C. lusitanica y la alta biomasa de raíces finas bajo la plantación de C. lusitanica, podrían ser los principales factores limitantes para el establecimiento de un número mayor de especies del bosque nativo. Las propiedades químicas de los suelos varían ampliamente y no hubo diferencias coherentes entre los suelos bajo especies exóticas y nativas.

Vegetation surveys were carried out during 1994 in 0.1. ha plots in abandoned plantations of Pinus radiata, Cupressus lusitanica, Eucalyptus globulus, Alnus acuminata and in a secondary upper montane rain forest in the Central Andes of Colombia. The regeneration forest had the higher number of plant species (33) followed by the E. globulus (26) and A. acuminata (16) plantations. Abandoned plantations of P. radiata and C. lusitanica, had only three species. There were only eleven species in common between the regeneration forest and the plantation of E. globulus (Baccharis latifolia, Cordia cylindrostachya, Dunalia solanacea, Leandra melanodesma, Lippia hirsuta, Monnina angustata, Solanum aff. scorpioideum, S. aphydendron, Sphaeropteris quindiuensis, Tobouchina mollis and Verbesina nudipes), and only seven when compared to the A. acuminata plantation (Abatia parviflora, Asploddianthus pseudostuebelli, Bocconia frutescens, Leandra melanodesma, Lippia hirsuta y Solanum aff. scorpioideum y Verbesina nudipes). With the exception of Cordia cylindrostachya, Bocconia frutescens and Tibouchina mollis, all other species are understory shrubs dispersed by wind or birds. In the understory of the P. radiata plantation there was abundant regeneration of the Colombian national tree, Ceroxylon quindiuensis. Tree height and basal area were significantly higher in the P. radiata and C. lusitanica plantations than in the regeneration forest. Of the environmental and biological variables measured in this study, the accumulation of needles under P. radiata and C. lusitanica plantations, and the high biomass of fine roots under the C. lusitanica plantation, could be the main limiting factors for the establishment of a higher number of species of the native forest. The chemical properties of the soils varied greatly, and there were no consistent differences between the soils under exotic and native species.