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We develop a nonparametric model to study health spillover effects of policy interventions. We use double/debiased machine learning to estimate the model using data from 74 hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and examine cross-patient spillover effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic forced hospitals to develop new protocols to offer intensive care to both COVID and non-COVID patients. Our results show that the need to care for COVID patients affects health outcomes of non-COVID patients. Controlling for a number of confounders, we find that mortality rates and length of stay of non-COVID ICU patients increase when hospitals simultaneously offer intensive care to both types of patients. Policy simulations suggest that an increase in the number of ICU beds can counter morbidity spillover, but it is unlikely to be a feasible approach to counter mortality spillover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During times of crisis, media coverage increases significantly, shaping public opinion and creating images of the places where these events occur. In this context, this paper analyses the Zika virus epidemic in Brazil, a past crisis that gained increased media attention during the months leading up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, to identify the cognitive and affective components of published information. To this end, we subjected 1034 headlines (from digital editions of leading Spanish daily newspapers) related to tourism security at the Olympic Games to content analysis and employed a series of attributes to approach the cognitive and affective components of the information analysed. The results reveal that alarmist and negative headlines are more frequent when security issues, particularly citizen security, are reported. News headlines about the Olympic Games are generally descriptive and more positive. In the field of health security, citation-type headlines—those citing information provided by experts or authorities—are used more frequently. By analysing a past crisis, this study has several implications for Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) dealing with such events. In this context, we highlight some good practices to maximise informative news and minimise alarmist ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban landscape can support a many wild species, especially within green areas like remnants of native forests. Thus, conserving such remnants of native habitat patches is crucial for maintaining urban biodiversity. However, because limited resources and conflicting interests preclude the conservation of all patches, it is necessary to prioritize the most relevant ones, including the ones that facilitate organisms' dispersal across landscapes, maintaining the landscape functional connectivity. Here we present a framework for prioritizing patches based on their functional connectivity role in the urban landscape, using Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a model city. Functional connectivity was assessed through the Probability of the Connectivity Index of the entire landscape, using two model species that represent low- and high-dispersal scenarios. We then prioritized patches based on their individual contribution to the connectivity of the landscape (dPC values). Our results showed that Rio de Janeiro has very low functional connectivity, with only 20 priority forest fragments out of the ca. 1,400 available in the landscape. We propose four main strategies to ensure that prioritized patches can fulfil their functional connectivity role in urban landscapes: i) incorporate unprotected patches into the landscape's Protected Areas network; ii) use other effective area-based conservation measures for patches unlikely to become PAs; iii) resolve legal uncertainties about the land ownership situation; and iv) effectively manage already protected patches. Our proposed methodological framework and recommendations apply to any urban landscapes that contain remnants of native habitat patches. It requires easily obtainable data and provides a step toward the implementation of more science-based conservation strategies for urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazilian income distribution is one of the most unequal in the world, yet the first 15 years of the twenty-first century showed some improvement in reducing inequality. However, data from Brazilian censuses show that the income distribution of the Jewish population in Brazil worsened from 2000 to 2010. The goal of this paper is to investigate whether this observed phenomenon should be attributed to the emergence of new Jewish identities among poorer segments of Brazilian society or a structural change in the more traditional Jewish community. We calculated Gini coefficients, Lorenz curves, and Kuznets ratios of the Jewish population (i) in Brazil, (ii) in the capital cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, considered as a unit, and (iii) among the general Brazilian population from microdata in the 1980 and 2010 censuses. The results show that the worsening of income distribution among the Jewish population in Brazil is more intense in areas outside of urban centers in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. This finding suggests that the observed phenomenon should be attributed to emerging new identities rather than structural change in the more traditional community. A conclusion section addresses issues for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies the potential main social actors involved in and affected by the conservation and use of the Environmental Protection Area (EPA) of Engenho Pequeno, in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, and discusses how environmental education can be shaped to engage them in participatory, socially progressive and environmentally sustainable management for that area. Therefore, semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals and entities related to the EPA. The snowball method complemented the mapping of non-official social actors. The discussion was based on the critical approach of environmental education, polycentric governance, adaptive management, environmental advocacy and case studies about education in protected areas. Results showed nine key stakeholders to be considered in a network program for the EPA's participatory management, including government, schools, local and nearby residents and religious groups. In the end, we recommend the hosting of a one day workshop, built around existing local and national environmental goals, as an entry point for trust building and the search for shared interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Brazil, scarce air quality data hinders air pollutant chemical understanding and policy decisions regarding public health and environmental impacts. From this perspective, our study assessed the O3, PM2.5, and PM10 yearly and seasonal trends and also the WHO Air Quality Guidelines 2021 exceedance trends at 40 air quality stations located in four highly urbanized zones in Brazil (Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Espírito Santo) from early 1990s up to 2019. We applied the Mann–Kendall test aligned with Sen's Slope estimator to assess the trends and the Cox-Stuart test to verify the WHO AQG 2021 exceedances trends. Our findings pointed out that the current national legislation is outdated when compared to WHO AQG 2021 values, leading to multiple exceedances episodes. We also found out that 62% of São Paulo's stations presented O3 increasing trends, while in Rio de Janeiro 85.7% presented decreasing trends. The Cox-Stuart test pointed out that PM2.5 exceedance trends showcase positive values, and most of the significative values are located in São Paulo stations. Therefore, we endorse that the national legislation needs to be updated meanwhile the air monitoring network needs to expand its coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rio skate Rioraja agassizi is endemic to coastal waters of the Western South Atlantic. The species is common in the coasts of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Previous studies performed in South Brazil, demonstrated that its hatched egg capsules are the most abundant among the co-occurring species. The aim of this study was to assess seasonality in the monthly frequency of egg capsules of R. agassizi at Praia do Cassino (33°07′34″S 52°38′22″W/ 33.126080°S 52.639327°W), southernmost coast of Brazil, over a two-year sampling. The egg capsules were manually collected from the edge of the beach in a belt transect of 1 km long and ca. 0.1 km width, on a weekly basis. After the collections, the capsules were taken to the laboratory for identification at the species level and morphometric measurements. To study the seasonality in the oviposition in R agassizi, data were analyzed monthly, seasonally and annually; accordingly, the data were expressed as non-parametric and heterogeneous, thus, statistical tests were applied to verify trends, significant differences, and descriptive parameters within each scale. In the annual and interannual data, there were statistically significant differences and trends between the sampling periods. Thus, these series of data collected are in fact random and the values demonstrated a randomness in the study site. As for the seasonal data, at least one of the seasons has a significantly different distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article exposes and analyzes the potentialities and limits of the activities of public defenders who work in Brazilian criminal sentence enforcement courts. It is the result of a work of systematization of different research experiences carried out in recent years: an ethnographic research with the Public Defender's Office of São Paulo and a documentary research on criminal sentence enforcement proceedings in the state of Rio de Janeiro. After making some general considerations about the role of public legal assistance in the Brazilian criminal justice system, the article explores the role of public defenders in some key moments of a sentence enforcement process: in the elaboration of a request of benefit; in the inspection of procedural records; in the monitoring of the processing time of the court; and, finally, in the defense at administrative processes of disciplinary infractions. In all those situations it is possible to perceive the aporetic or paradoxical character of the public defenders' operations. On the one hand, their intervention in sentence enforcement proceedings appears to be absolutely essential, triggering the rights and benefits that make the prison population flow through the prisons in Brazil. On the other hand, public defenders appear as agents that are absolutely powerless, if not entirely useless, because they are incapable of making the justice system observe, in due course, the most ordinary subjective rights of a convict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biocultural diversity (BCD), denoting the 'inextricable link' between biological and cultural diversity, has traditionally highlighted the coevolution between highly biodiverse regions and the ethnic–linguistic diversity of indigenous communities. Recently, European researchers have relaunched BCD as a conceptual foundation for urban greenspace planning capable of overcoming challenges of the ecosystem services paradigm. However, the methodological foundation for this particular approach to 'urban BCD' is still in its infancy, obscuring precisely how the framework is an advancement for studying different urban residents' experience of and connectedness to nature and biodiversity. In this paper, we further develop the urban BCD concept by using the culturally and biologically diverse city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as a 'critical case'. First, we employ qualitative field methods to investigate manifestations of human–nature relationships in the favela (informal settlement) of Rocinha and the neighbouring Tijuca Forest. Second, we reflect on how the urban BCD framework and methodology emphasise i) interrelationships, ii) varied group values and iii) participation, and iv) are sensitising and reflexive. Our findings challenge the 'usual' narrative about favelas as places of environmental degradation and disaster risk, revealing BCD and nature connectedness that are as related to popular culture, fitness ideals and citizen-building, as to traditional livelihoods and spiritual beliefs. Departing from interrelationships, BCD can portray aspects that a narrow focus on 'services' and 'disservices' cannot, but attention should be paid to how operationalisation risks perpetuating ecosystem services thinking. Nevertheless, we identify promising avenues for its use in highly diverse cities with unequal access to natural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are highly lipophilic and can accumulate and biomagnify in food chains. Characterized as a public health problem, exposure to these compounds enables the development of diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. The objective of this study was to estimate the plasma levels of organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in 151 samples (97 women; 54 men) in hospitalized individuals in Petropolis, Brazil. Individuals over 18 years of age and residing for at least 2 years in the mountainous region of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, participated in a cross-sectional study. Interviews using a structured questionnaire and blood samples to estimate plasma levels of persistent organic pollutants provided data. Gas chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry provided the levels of organochlorine pesticides and PCBs. Compared to data present in the literature, the concentration of POPs was lower, and individuals from 55 to 64 years of age (3.28 ng mL−1) and women (2.52 ng mL−1) presented a higher average concentration of organochlorine pesticides; men (0.05 ng mL−1) also presented a high concentration of PCBs. This is the first Brazilian study to estimate the concentration of several POPs in a hospital-based sample that includes men and women, thus contributing to the characterization of our population regarding environmental exposures relevant to health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol screening and brief intervention in primary care reduce harmful alcohol use but are rarely conducted in Brazil. This study describes health professionals' perceptions of patients' harmful alcohol use. A modified grounded theory approach drawing on purposive sampling was used to secure interviews from thirty-three primary care professionals between September and November 2018. Data analysis was iterative; initial coding was developed by the full research team and refined using formative and axial coding. Alcohol symptomology varied and professionals associated harmful alcohol use with patients' economic hardship. Although health professionals rarely identified alcohol-related problems among their patients, when alcohol problems were identified, it was often through consultations about other symptoms. Compared to drug use, low to moderate alcohol use was not considered harmful, supported in part by a widespread acceptance of alcohol use. Brazil's universal primary care system uses a collaborative care model to support integrated treatment of medical and mental health conditions, but alcohol screenings often occur only after problems manifest. Given limited early identification of harmful alcohol use in primary care, it is necessary to improve professionals' training related to alcohol screening and brief intervention to reduce alcohol-related disability-adjusted life years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present a proposal of forest monitoring and an evaluation system adjusted for tropical forest restoration initiatives in support of decision-making, tracking and management in an offsetting policy context. This study is framed by the case study of the Rio de Janeiro State Environmental Agency (INEA RJ) in Southeastern Brazil. We tested a set of indicators to evaluate restoration projects up to 4 years since planting. After the data were collected, we developed a scorecard and tested it in the field, allowing the evaluation of project development on a scale from 0 to 10. This analysis indicates conformity or a need for adequacy. We measured 7853 individuals on 205 sample plots. The projects had an average age of 32 months in the range of 14–48 months. The average scorecard value was 5.87 points, and we adequately assessed ecosystem structure, composition, function, species composition and organization. We create an evaluation tool to support decision-makers as also the restoration practitioners' decisions. The main innovation was to popularize the forest monitoring among stakeholders independent of the technician's experience background, by offering a simple, accessible, and robust protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the genuine progress indicator (GPI) for the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil, from 2002 to 2016 as an alternative indicator to the gross domestic product (GDP). Methodological approach was based on GPI 2.0 (Talberth in EE 142:1–11, 2017) with necessary adjustments due to geographical and biological specificities and currency conversions. For the calculations, primary and secondary data sources were consulted, both from public agencies and private institutions. Three main results were clearly observed: (1) the relation GPI/GDP fluctuated between 22 and 31% in the period 2002–2016; (2) even with a decline in Rio de Janeiro GDP from 2014 to 2016, due to Brazilian economic crisis, the GPI still increased in those years and (3) despite this continuous growth of GPI, its average yearly growth rate was 7,95%, while GDP, even with its 2014–2016 decrease, showed a higher average growth rate of 9,30% per year. Results also show that public policies in RJ should focus on jobs creation, investments in renewable energy and improving public transport, actions that are related to variables that, proportionally, most negatively affected the GPI. On the other hand, policies aiming to preserve vegetation cover should be intensified, since services of protected natural capital were the ones that contributed most positively to the indicator. This approach aims to increase GPI in the state and, consequently, improve the quality of life of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air quality models are essential tools to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDG) because they are effective in guiding public policies for the management of air pollutant emissions and their impacts on the environment and human health. Despite its importance, Brazil still lacks a guide for choosing and setting air quality models for regulatory purposes. Based on this, the current research aims to assess the combined WRF/CALMET/CALPUFF models for representing SO2 dispersion over non-homogeneous regions as a regulatory model for policies in Brazilian Metropolitan Regions to satisfy the UN-SDG. The combined system was applied to the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area (RJMA), which is known for its physiographic complexity. In the first step, the WRF model was evaluated against surface-observed data. The local circulation was underestimated, while the prevailing observational winds were well represented. In the second step, it was verified that all CALMET three meteorological configurations performed better for the most frequent wind speed classes so that the largest SO2 concentrations errors occurred during light winds. Among the meteorological settings in WRF/CALMET/CALPUFF, the joined use of observed and modeled meteorological data yielded the best results for the dispersion of pollutants. This result emphasizes the relevance of meteorological data composition in complex regions with unsatisfactory monitoring given the inherent limitations of prognostic models and the excessive extrapolation of observed data that can generate distortions of reality. This research concludes with the proposal of the WRF/CALMET/CALPUFF air quality regulatory system as a supporting tool for policies in the Brazilian Metropolitan Regions in the framework of the UN-SDG, particularly in non-homogeneous regions where steady-state Gaussian models are not applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are widespread in the environment due to the overuse of antibiotics and other pollutants, posing a threat to human and animal health. In this study, we evaluated antimicrobial residues, bacterial diversity and ARGs in two important watersheds, Guandu and São João, that supply drinking water to Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil. In addition, tap water samples were collected from three different cities in Rio de Janeiro State, including the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro city. Clarithromycin, sulfamethoxazole and azithromycin were found in untreated water and drinking water in all samples. A greater abundance of Proteobacteria was observed in Guandu and São João watersheds, with most of the sequences belonging to the Gammaproteobacteria class. A plasmidome-focused metagenomics approach revealed 4881 (Guandu), 3705 (São João) and 3385 (drinking water) ARGs mainly associated with efflux systems. The genes encoding metallo-β-lactamase enzymes (blaAIM, blaGIM, blaIMP, and blaVIM) were detected in the two watersheds and in drinking water samples. Moreover, we demonstrated the presence of the colistin resistance genes mcr-3 and mcr-4 (both watersheds) and mcr-9 (drinking water and Guandu) for the first time in Brazil. Our data emphasize the importance of introducing measures to reduce the disposal of antibiotics and other pollutants capable of promoting the occurrence and spread of the microbial resistome on aquatic environments and predicting possible negative impacts on human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Brazil, the passion fruit woodiness disease is caused by the cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV). It is considered one of the most economically important diseases in the passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims). This study aims to implement the recurrent selection to develop passion fruit cultivars resistant to CABMV and with good agronomic performance. The experiment was led in Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro–Brazil, in a randomized block design with 90 full-sib families, three replications, and three plants per plot. The area below the mean disease progress curve (AUDPCM) was estimated, and the total production per plant (TPP) was evaluated. The estimate analysis of variance components and prediction of genetic gains were performed using the REML/BLUP procedure (Restricted Maximum Likelihood/Best Linear Unbiased Prediction). At the end of the evaluations, all plants presented symptoms of the disease, with different levels of severity. For families RS32 and RS33, the largest number of individuals selected for TPP was obtained. A AUDPCM values ranged from 468.75 to 1717.50 for individuals 438 and 604, respectively. In the selection for AUDPCM, families RS91 and RS84 stood out, with the highest number of resistant individuals selected. Genotypes 497, 582, 438, 495, 581, 92, 791, 506, 552, 183, 443, 669, 219, 724, 189, 378, 477, 244, 239, 126, and 174, are promising and can be used as parents to obtain progenies, to compose the next cycle of recurrent selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) has successfully been tested as an objective tool to quantify land use and management effects on soil health, including under some Brazilian soil conditions. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate soil quality under five land uses, including: three types of agroforestry systems, a degraded pasture, and a secondary forest in Southeastern Brazil. The study was conducted at an experimental farm in Sapucaia, state of Rio de Janeiro, where diverse management practices had been implemented on plots with similar soil properties and management history prior to the establishment of three distinct agroforestry systems. We collected soil samples in the dry and rainy seasons, and assessed biological (soil organic carbon, β-glucosidase, microbial biomass carbon), chemical (pH, phosphorus, and potassium), and physical (bulk density, macroaggregation) soil properties. Using the SMAF scoring curves, the measured values were transformed (0–1 range) and an overall soil health index was calculated. We found overall SMAF scores values of 0.87, 0.88 and 0.87 for AS1, AS2, AS3, respectively, 0.83 for pasture, and 0.82 for forest, and the values differed significantly between land uses. The establishment of agroforestry systems over areas previously occupied with extensive pasturelands enhances soil fertility (12.79%) and soil physical indicators (6.5%). Our results show that AS not only enhance the provision of key soil ecological functions, but also restore soil quality of unmanaged pastureland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controversy and conflict surround the design and implementation of protected areas in tropical forests in Brazil. This case study applies an ethnogeomorphic perspective to relate local understandings of landscape to conservation goals in a protected area in Rio de Janeiro State. Externally imposed environmental protection areas fail to incorporate understandings of local farmer practices that shaped the landscape notionally being protected. Rather, a focus on reafforestation and technocentric farming techniques ignores flexible and adaptive land use practices in managing the protected area. Findings show that ethnogeomorphic research that generates multiple readings of landscapes could support more inclusive, locally informed conservation programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public policies affecting land use/land cover also have an impact on water resource availability, and hilltop protected areas are a relevant factor in ensuring continued availability of water resources. The legislation ruling the delimitation of protected areas on hilltops has changed at the Brazilian national level in 2012 and in Rio de Janeiro state in 2014. However, these environmental legislation changes did not take into account the feedback effects of restricting protected areas to hilltops on the regularity of hydrological responses in watersheds. As such, this manuscript sought to analyze the contribution of hilltop-only protected areas to continued water availability. We analyzed hydrological responses in the São João river watershed, which provides water for domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses in the Região dos Lagos municipalities of Rio de Janeiro state. Our results show that designating only hilltops as protected areas, as prescribed under the new pieces of legislation, does not prevent abrupt changes in hydrological responses that can lead to changes in streamflow volume and regularity as well as increases in sediment flows, which may compromise drainage systems and continued water supply due to reservoir silting. Therefore, we conclude that protecting hilltops only, as established under current Brazilian legislation, is not sufficient to safeguard the environmental function of maintaining water resource availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demands of humankind contribute to the scarcity of natural resources and foster climate changes. For this reason, sustainable development has become a fundamental agenda in the twenty-first century. The intense urbanization induces significant changes in the natural water cycle, and this feature, coupled with neglecting the natural water dynamics in the urban planning process, increases the population's vulnerability to urban floods. In this context, sustainable urban drainage techniques have been proposed to match the urban and natural demands, while preserving or recovering the environmental functions, as much as possible. However, such techniques are often not adopted, even in developed cities, and this fact seems to be related to the improper awareness of the whole set of benefits involved in their use. This article aims to evaluate the economic viability of sustainable urban drainage systems, in a simple and easily acceptable way, considering the ecosystem services provided by green roofs and rainwater harvesting barrels, and including their action in delivering urban revitalization and valorization. The proposed method can be easily used and understood by decision-makers, facilitating its diffusion and use in urban policy-making process. The results showed a best-performing scenario for the rainwater harvesting system with a payback of approximately three years, a benefit-cost ratio of four, and an internal return rate of 45%. The ecosystem service benefits represent 36.3% to 50.8% of total benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing comfortable thermal conditions for users of open spaces is vitally important for improving the quality of urban life. Thermal comfort can be defined through environmental, individual, and subjective variables. The Olgyay bioclimatic chart is an outdoor thermal comfort analysis tool, connecting temperature with relative humidity. The application of this tool is still limited to hot humid climates only where minimal differences between indoor and outdoor temperatures exist. The novelty of this work is to propose adaptations to the Olgyay bioclimatic chart, taking into consideration different climatic classifications. In addition, urban plantation is examined for its influence on thermal comfort through the bioclimatic chart. The method adopted in this research consists of field measurements of the microclimatic variables in the examined places. In response, a new graphic model is proposed with a range of thermal comfort zone and analysis of the data obtained. The neighborhood of Humaitá in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is applied as a case study to validate the proposed approach. Insights into this work reveal that the urban plantation is contributing to the reduction of air temperature and the increase of relative air humidity; however, this contribution is insufficient to reach the thermal comfort conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dirofilaria immitis is the causative agent of canine heartworm disease, a severe health problem in dogs, especially in coastal areas of tropical and subtropical regions of the world. We employed molecular methods to investigate the occurrence of canine infection by filarioids in five municipalities of Baixada Fluminense (Magé, Duque de Caxias, Guapimirim, Nova Iguaçu, and São João de Meriti), a non-endemic area of Rio de Janeiro State, Southeast Brazil. A total of 110 canine blood samples collected from 2017 to 2018 and positive for microfilariae at the modified Knott's test were screened by cPCR targeting DNA fragments of the 12S rDNA gene for filarial nematodes. Seventy-seven samples (70%) tested positive at the molecular analysis. Of these, 72 were identified as D. immitis and 5 (4.5%) as Acanthocheilonema reconditum. Dirofilaria repens was not detected in the studied municipalities of Baixada Fluminense. This is the first record of D. immitis and A. reconditum in the Baixada Fluminense region, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The prevalence of D. immitis cases in the five municipalities suggests the establishment and maintenance of its enzootic cycle in the studied region, which indicate vulnerability to the occurrence of epidemic cycles and, possibly, human cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasites are important organisms in ecosystem dynamics and take part in the regulation and structure of host populations. The prevalence, abundance, and distribution of parasites in their host species may be affected by biotic and abiotic factors. Most studies of helminths of Brazilian marsupials are taxonomic descriptions or re-descriptions and records of occurrence. The use of noninvasive techniques for studying parasitic worms of vertebrate hosts is more common in large or threatened species. The aims of this study were to describe and identify the helminth morphotypes and to analyse the parasitological parameters of gastrointestinal helminth eggs obtained in faecal samples of marsupial Didelphis aurita at the Fiocruz Atlantic Forest Biological Station and surroundings, municipality of Rio de Janeiro, southeast Brazil. The common opossums were sampled during a capture-mark-recapture study. Faecal samples collected from each animal were analysed for helminth egg diagnosis using the methods of flotation in sugar solution and sedimentation. Eggs were compared with samples obtained from the uterus of adult worms obtained from a previous study carried out in the same area. Eleven helminth egg morphotypes were found. Among them, seven were identified at the species level. The highest values of parasitic load and prevalence were observed for the families Viannaiidae and Trichuridae. A significant relationship was found between the number of morphotypes and host body size in females. The influence of parasite load on host condition factor or body size was not observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that the majority of museum visitors are often very young children, much research in museums focuses on pre-teen learners (ages 8–12). Our goal in this study was to investigate the behaviors of children aged 5–8 during a visit to a science exhibition. We aim to develop a methodology to assess children's levels of engagement with the interactive exhibits and how the participation of explainers (mediation) affected this engagement. Our working hypothesis was that different activities (and different kinds of mediation) would generate different levels of engagement. We recorded videos from 13 groups of 5- to 8-year-old children visiting "Aventuras pelo corpo humano," an interactive exhibition about the human body. A large data set including thousands of excerpts of video-taped activity was analyzed using collaborative, online, qualitative data analysis software (Dedoose). The results suggest that the type of mediation overrides the design of the exhibition when it comes to children visitors' experiences and that, despite their emphasis on promoting visitor engagement, explainer mediation strategies often represented deficit and banking models of teaching and learning, highlighting the importance of training for explainers that goes beyond content training and focuses on strategies of mediation that promote learner agency and protagonism. This study confirms previous empirical insights, which can help guide the design of future exhibitions as well as professional development of explainers and science communicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Dirofilaria immitis, a mosquito-borne nematode that primarily infects dogs, can equally infect cats. Although there have been numerous studies on canine heartworm prevalence in Brazil, there have been few studies on feline infections. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) are both life-threatening retroviruses transmitted directly between cats. Infections with Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. are highly prevalent among dogs in Brazil, with Rhipicephalus sanguineus being the main vector for both bacteria. This study aimed to gather information on these infections among dogs and cats in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro by performing rapid point-of-care tests for prophylactic enforcement. Methods: Surplus samples of serum or plasma from private laboratories were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (SNAP Feline Triple Test or SNAP 4Dx Plus Test). Results: The prevalence of heartworm disease was 7% among dogs and 0.9% among cats, the latter being 12.9% of the former. The prevalence of FIV and FeLV was 4.3 and 11.9%, respectively. Among dogs, the seroprevalence of Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. was 27.1 and 9.8%, respectively, and Borrelia burgdorferi was not detected. Conclusion: Given that such infections circulate among pets, prophylactic measures should be encouraged by small animal practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tripletail Lobotes surinamensis inhabits tropical and subtropical oceans, including the South Atlantic, where information about its reproductive biology is scarce. We combined physiological and morphological tools to study the reproductive cycle of L. surinamensis in the western South Atlantic. Adult females and males were sampled in Paraty Bay (Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil) for 2 years, and the animals were grouped into three seasons: spring, summer, and autumn/winter. Gonadal morphology, plasma levels of gonadal steroids, 17β-estradiol (E2), 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone (17α-OHP) were quantified in females, and testosterone (T) and 11-KT were quantified in males. The gene expression of the β subunit of pituitary gonadotropins, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were evaluated in all seasons. The histological analysis of the gonads showed that L. surinamensis is a multiple spawner with an asynchronous oocyte development. The gene expression of fshβ did not change throughout the reproductive cycle in males and females, while the gene expression of lhβ in males was higher in the summer compared to the autumn/winter periods. Plasma E2 was higher in females and 11-KT in males during spring. Gonadal development, plasma level of E2 (females), and 11-KT (males) are indicators that L. surinamensis reproduce during the spring and summer in Paraty Bay, while the gene expression levels of gonadotropins in females and fshβ in males were not useful physiological tools to establish the reproductive season. The results suggest an active expression throughout the year, a profile expected in multiple spawning species, as proposed here for the L. surinamensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the behavior of a talus-colluvium deposit up to 70-m thick located in the Serra dos Orgaos, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil. The monitoring dataset of 13 years contributes to a better understanding of the mechanisms of movement associated with talus-colluvium deposits in Southeast Brazil. The study site has had a long history of slow movements, beginning in the 1970s. Field investigations, laboratory tests, monitoring, and theoretical analyses were carried out. In total, 446 groundwater-monitoring campaigns, 120 inclinometer readings, and full-time pluviometric monitoring were completed. Creep movement has been observed with a seasonality that is controlled by variations in the groundwater table (GWT). Due to the large strains, the soil residual shear strength may be mobilized at the failure surface. Analyses indicate that a better slope stability condition may be achieved by reducing the GWT level. The installation of deep horizontal drains (DHDs) led to reductions in the GWT and movement. The displacement rate decreased from 20 mm/month to 2.5 mm/year. Moreover, the monitoring data and analyses evidence the decrease of stability of the talus-colluvium mass with increased GWT and reactivation of movement with blocked drains. Good correlations (r2 up to 0.90) were observed for rainfall, movements, GWT levels, and piezometer readings. Before the installation of the DHDs, there was a direct correlation between displacements and piezometric levels. After that, this correlation was not so evident. The response of the deposit to rainfall is no longer immediate but depends on a significant amount of accumulated rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current climate changes have several consequences, such as rising sea levels. Today, the identification of coastal vulnerabilities worldwide is necessary to prevent impacts and drive action. The aim of the work was to estimate the vulnerable areas from a total rate of increase in sea level of 2.8 m and to identify the impacts of greater magnitude through the use of hierarchical analysis. The analytic hierarchy process method was used to list the most serious impacts. In addition, the simulation of the most vulnerable sites was carried out in a GIS environment using geoprocessing and a digital terrain model for the area of study. The Ilha Grande Bay region (southeastern Brazil) was chosen as a test area due to its economic, tourist and environmental importance. The main impacts are floods, coastal erosion and loss of coastal ecosystems. The most vulnerable areas are characterized as flat with low slopes, usually coastal plains occupied by environmental protection areas, urban centers and historical centers. The methodology proved to be effective in assessing and forecasting vulnerable areas and can be applied to several types of coastal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The city of Rio de Janeiro now covers what was formerly coastal Atlantic rainforest. Native biodiversity has been lost from most of the metropolitan area due to changes in land use, introduction of exotic species, and influence of foreign designs in public and private parks and gardens. This paper presents a multifunctional green infrastructure planning proposal to protect and regenerate native biodiversity in the last remaining natural ecosystem fragments in a watershed within the city's limits. The proposal is based on social-ecological assessments and analyses. The watershed contains an extensive mangrove remnant surrounded by a protected massif partially covered by coastal Atlantic rainforest and is one of the very last productive landscapes where residents experience a strong sense of place. The strategy is to reconcile urban development with environmental achievements to conserve existing ecosystem patches, which will be connected by way of riparian corridors and other open spaces, such as streets, private yards and public areas, by using native species and ecological design. The green infrastructure framework is planned at the watershed scale. On a neighborhood and local scale, the plan is to promote public participation, develop new ecological aesthetics, encourage the planting of native species, and establish an innovative circulation system within a low-impact design framework to achieve various abiotic, biotic, and cultural goals. In addition to the economic benefits, accessible food production, rural tourism and ecotourism have the potential to unite people and nature within the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores whether the Rio/São Paulo Extended Metropolitan Region, an area with 36 million and accounting for one-third of Brazil's GNP, can successfully integrate into the global economy. Analysis of private investment projects in different sub-regions over the period 1995-2002 suggests that most of the investments are in high-tech or average technology rather than in low technology projects. Decentralization into the Paraiba Valley appears to be taking place rapidly. However, in the region as a whole, severe imbalances between the Rio and the São Paulo remain, and these are an obstacle to the region's attempt to climb up the global urban hierarchy rankings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the partial or mathematical solution on the long commutes in the ônibus 409 road that connects Rio de Janeiro and the Instituto Nacional de Matemática Pura e Aplicada in the Floresta da Tijuca National Park in Brazil. It presents a mathematical equation for the road in the city wherein Buckley-Leverett solution was used.

A growing awareness of increasing trends in coastal erosion and flooding due to climate change is triggering a demand for the rapid assessment of the potential responses of the coastlines around the world, principally in locations where human occupation is especially endangered. Investigations of present and future physical vulnerability and associated social risk have, therefore, become crucial for coastal management. In order to provide a quick and simple methodology for the identification of vulnerable coastal segments, Sharples () has proposed a mapping methodology, called the smartline approach, which consists of representing, by means of simple lines, a geomorphic classification of the hinterland, backshore and beaches. The aim of this paper is to apply the smartline approach to coastal vulnerability assessment with inclusion of social data. The results show that this methodology is appropriate for the indication of coastal segments with varying degrees of vulnerability to erosion and flooding and for the appraisal of the resulting social risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to map the thermal field in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro (MARJ) considering the atmospheric characteristics and the land use that contribute to understanding the urban heat island. Three thermal maps are defined through the use of Landsat5-TM satellite images for three winter events chosen for the decades of 1980, 1990, and 2000, respectively. The results reveal a concentration of warmer cores in urban central areas as well as some local warmer areas in suburban region. Sites with lower temperatures correspond to vegetated areas which are away from the central part of the MARJ, including points of suburban areas. This work emphasizes the importance of the combined analysis of surface temperature with land use and atmospheric conditions, depicting a distinct pattern of heat islands for tropical climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper initially proposes a heuristic algorithm for the p-median problem designed for large weighted graphs. The problem is approached through the construction of p trees whose shapes are progressively modified according to successive tests over the stability of their roots and vertices. The algorithm seems promising because: (i) on a regular PC it can handle problems of the order of 500 vertices, while the mainframe version goes indefinitely further, (ii) contrary to what normally would be expected, execution times seem to be inversely proportional to p, and even for large problems, they may be reasonable, especially if p is large relative to the number of vertices, and (iii) it produces solutions of good quality and in most of the cases studied, it outperforms the traditional heuristic of Teitz and Bart. A real application of the algorithm embedded in a methodology to evaluate the location of 85 public schools, among 389 possible vertices, in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro is reported. Results confirmed the conjecture of poor location and the procedure was able to identify several micro-regions simply void of schools. The methodology is being well received by the education authorities and its extension to the whole metropolitan area is being considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the effects of non-aqueous fluids (NAF)-associated drill cuttings discharge on shelf break macrobenthic communities in the Campos Basin, off the southeast Brazilian coast, Rio de Janeiro State. Samples were taken with a 0.25-m2 box corer from surrounding two oil and gas wells on three monitoring cruises: before drilling, three months after drilling, and 22 months after drilling. Statistical methodologies used Bayesian geostatistical and analysis of variance models to evaluate the effects of the NAF-associated drill cuttings discharge and to define the impact area. The results indicated that marked variations were not observed in the number of families between cruises, though there were changes in the fauna composition. The changes seen in biological descriptors in both control and background situation areas were not considered significant, showing a temporal homogeneity in means. The impact area presented changes in biological descriptors of communities and trophic structure during the three cruises and such changes were correlated to chemical and physical variables related to the drilling activities, as a result of the mix of drill cuttings and sediment and the anoxic conditions established in the substrate. In that area, three months after drilling, a decrease in diversity and an increase in density, motile deposit-feeders and Pol/Crp ratio, and dominance of opportunistic organisms, such as the capitellid Capitella sp., were observed and, 22 months after drilling, an increase of diversity, reduction of dominance of capitellid polychaete, changes in the fauna composition, and a dominance of opportunistic burrowing and tube-building organisms were observed, indicating an ecological succession process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restoration of degraded swamps often requires strong human intervention because of their fragility. In Brazil, coastal swamp forests are now much reduced by anthropogenic action. This paper investigates survival and growth performance of nine native shrub and tree species introduced into a degraded swamp invaded by exotic grasses and sedges in coastal Rio de Janeiro. Our central aim was to evaluate which species were more appropriate for use in initial stages of revegetation. Additionally, in separate field experiments, we tested statistical hypotheses that higher survival and growth performance would be found for seedlings: (a) taller in height, (b) subjected to shorter duration of flooding, and (c) planted with addition of organic matter inside the planting holes. Results were analyzed after 3 years of planting. “Planting in mounds”, and a consequent reduction on the flooding period plants are exposed to, increased survival and growth. The use of taller seedlings often increased survival, and organic matter addition increased growth. Three ( Myrsine rubra, Tabebuia cassinoides, and Calyptranthes brasiliensis) out of nine species tested showed high growth- and use-viability indices, and were therefore indicated for use in revegetation programs. Interspecific variation as regards responses to the treatments applied suggests that in the future, species evaluated for this purpose, should be examined on a case-by-case basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copacabana is one of the most famous neighborhoods of the city of Rio de Janeiro/Brazil but suffers from a high inhabitant density. One of the many environmental problems faced is related to noise pollution. In order to assess not only the noise levels, to which the population is exposed, but also to quantify the influence of architectonical aspects, the paper presents the steps taken towards a simulation of the noise immissions and propagation in this area. The results of the simulation are compared to measurements in different locations and daily-hours. The discrepancies are analyzed and the methodology is discussed in view of its application to a huge urban center like the city of Rio de Janeiro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As in other countries worldwide, adults with severe mental illness in Brazil have elevated rates of HIV infection relative to the general population. However, no HIV prevention interventions have been tested for efficacy with psychiatric patients in Brazil. We conducted participatory research with local providers, community leaders, patient advocates, and patients using an intervention adaptation process designed to balance fidelity to efficacious interventions developed elsewhere with fit to a new context and culture. Our process for adapting these interventions comprised four steps: (1) optimizing fidelity; (2) optimizing fit; (3) balancing fidelity and fit; and (4) pilot testing and refining the intervention. This paper describes how these steps were carried out to produce a Brazilian HIV prevention intervention for people with severe mental illness. Our process may serve as a model for adapting existing efficacious interventions to new groups and cultures, whether at a local, national, or international level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angra dos Reis/Itaguai region of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a very problematic area due to the instability of slope and landslides, due to geological and geomorphological conditions and to the significant and continuous human occupation over favorable areas is prone to the triggering of landslides. The samples were analyzed by thermogravimetry (TG), derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). This paper analyzes and characterizes the clay minerals and presence of water, gravitational mass movements’ sites and compares it with sites where gravitational mass movements do not occur. Indeed, this analysis also attempts to verify the presence of minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the ways that endemic drug trafficking has affected local level politics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Drawing on ethnographic analysis of political exchanges in the 1998 national elections in three favelas (shantytowns), I argue that drug trafficking has changed the practice of clientelism. Evidence and analysis in this paper will show that the persistence of drug trafficking in the city has led to the emergence of a two-tiered clientelist system in which politicians make exchanges with traffickers who then, in turn, provide some benefits to favela residents in return for their votes. This results in an arrangement that provides votes to politicians and limited assistance to the poor but does little to build the legitimacy of the political system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the contribution of action research to teachers‘ in-service education at elementary schools in the Rio de Janeiro local system of education, linking thought and action indissolubly. This involves inviting teachers and learners to question their own practice, in their own process of building up citizenship, while striving to recover their place in a society that limits and makes their social relations difficult. The development of action research at the Faculty of Education in Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has brought to light ethical, scientific and political questions in the school system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have indicated that many rock slope failures in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, occur during relatively dry periods when there is little, if any, rainfall. In the present paper, we describe these events and propose possible mechanisms for their occurrence. It is believed that daily fluctuations in temperature may create thermally induced stresses of enough magnitude to propagate fractures already existing in the rock mass. Laboratory experiments were conducted in order to measure temperature variations in a fractured rock system. Using the experimentally obtained data, we carried out numerical analyses in order to verify whether temperature-related stresses were indeed able to propagate fractures existing in the rock mass. The results obtained indicate that cycles of temperature change over time, especially during the colder months of the year can indeed create stress conditions in the rock mass able to propagate existing non-persistent joints, and ultimately lead to failure of the rock slope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bento Sanches Dorta was an astronomer and geographer in the Portuguese colony of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil from 1781 to 1788. He recorded daily readings of meteorological and geomagnetic variables during that period. This dataset provides, to the best of our knowledge, the earliest known continuous 8-year-long instrumental meteorological observations for any South American site. His data show that the winters in this period were relatively cool, and that 1785 was the rainiest and hottest year, and 1787 the driest and coolest. The records display a distinct seasonal cycle and a variability that are comparable with the modern data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mental health evaluation project was conducted in the City of Rio de Janeiro for the entire population of young children who received services in public child daycare centers and preschools. The Brazilian Portuguese version of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE-BR) served as an outcome measure for social-emotional development. Four age intervals of the ASQ:SE-BR were investigated by time period, 2011 and 2012. A total of 76,806 children from 21 to 66 months were evaluated. Three thousand children were randomly selected from each age interval and year for the analyses. The analyses used unidimensional Rasch Partial Credit Model and multidimensional Rasch Partial Credit Model to evaluate the psychometric properties of the ASQ:SE-BR. The model comparisons indicated support for the one-construct model and the two-construct model, indicating adequate evidence for the internal structure for the ASQ:SE-BR. Only one item was found to have misfit. Sound psychometric properties were supported by the results including internal structure, weighted item fit, reliability, and invariance across years. Item difficulty presented an appropriate coverage across intervals. This study provides supportive evidence for the use and interpretation of ASQ:SE scores with urban low-income Brazilian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a study on the preliminary comparison of PAH in total suspended particulate samples taken at Niterói and Rio de Janeiro Cities, Brazil. For the study day-time samples of TSP were collected using a portable high volume air sampler from SIBATA-HVC 500, Japan and glass fibber filter paper from Advantec Toyo, Japan. They were collected in open areas facing traffic routes at the Campus of Federal Fluminense University located in the center of the Niterói city in a mixed commercial/residential neighbourhood, representative of this city and at the Campus of Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, located in a very intensive traffic area 10 km away of Rio de Janeiro city center, beside the most important route to this city.

Polycyclic aromatic (46 PAHs) and aliphatic hydrocarbons (C−C) were studied in atmospheric particulate matter sampled in Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area (RJMA). In total, 236 samples from six different sites were collected simultaneously and weekly over 1 year (January-December 2011) allowing a robust atmospheric characterization of fine particulate matter (PM). Hydrocarbon concentration was in general low compared to previous studies in the area (PAHs range 0.25-19.3 ng m), possibly due to changes in fuel composition over time. Precipitation is the main meteorological parameter that rules particulate and hydrocarbon concentration, modifying PAH typology by scavenging. Aliphatic and aromatic diagnostic ratios gave indications conflicting with combustion features. However, ratios showed differences among sites. Principal component analysis (PCA) associated to multiple linear regressions (MLR) allowed quantitative estimate of sources and effectively indicated vehicular emission as the main hydrocarbon source in the atmospheric particulate matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat availability-or how much habitat species can reach at the landscape scale-depends primarily on the percentage of native cover. However, attributes of landscape configuration such as the number, size and isolation of habitat patches may have complementary effects on habitat availability, with implications for the management of landscapes. Here, we determined whether, and at which percentages of native cover, the number, size and isolation of patches contribute for habitat availability. We quantified habitat availability in 325 landscapes spread across the state of Rio de Janeiro, in the Atlantic Forest hotspot, with either high (>50 %), intermediate (50-30 %), low (30-10 %) or very low (<10 %) percentage of native cover, and for six hypothetical species differing in inter-patch dispersal ability. Above 50 % of native cover, the percentage of cover per se was the only determinant of habitat availability, but below 50 % the attributes of landscape configuration also contributed for habitat availability. The number of patches had a negative effect on habitat availability in landscapes with 50-10 % of native cover, whereas patch size had a positive effect in landscapes with <10 % of native cover. The different species generally responded to the same set of landscape attributes, although to different extents, potentially facilitating decision making for conservation. In landscapes with >50 % of native cover, conservation actions are probably sufficient to guarantee habitat availability, whereas in the remaining landscapes additional restoration efforts are needed, especially to reconnect and/or enlarge remaining habitat patches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the Americas, from Northern Mexico to Colombia's mountain valleys and Brazil's shantytowns, escalating armed violence and the growing power of criminal organizations has generated immense public concern about the breakdown of the rule of law. While some policy makers and journalists write about state failure and the emergence of ungoverned spaces, the evidence presented in this article will show that far from a lack of governance or a failure of the state, criminal organizations often collaborate with a variety of state actors to create varied systems of localized order that perpetuate criminal power and undermine most policy efforts to control crime and violence. In contrast to past scholarship's reliance on single case studies to analyze the efforts of armed actors to build localized orders, this article offers a systematic comparative analysis of a police-connected protection racket and a drug gang operating in two Rio de Janeiro neighborhoods under similar political conditions. Analysis of the evidence shows that variation in the organizational structures of the armed actors and, in particular, their proximity to state officials, poses varied consequences for local development, including the dynamics of politics and policymaking, associational life, and violence and security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal lagoons have long been subjected to anthropogenic disturbances due to the increasingly urbanization pressure along the margins. As a result, the composition, structure and distribution of macrozoobenthic communities are strongly affected by environmental gradients and harsh ecological conditions. This study address the first signs changes in the Piratininga-Itaipu lagoon system, located in the southeastern Brazilian coastline, state of Rio de Janeiro, after the opening of a tidal channel in the most deteriorated area of Piratininga lagoon in April 2008, as part of restoration measures concerning the severe eutrophication of this system. In order to observe changes in environmental conditions and community structure before and after the channel opening, sampling of the benthic macrofauna and abiotic variables were conducted in seven sites, from August 2007 to March 2009. According to statistical tools, no significant differences were shown in both environmental characteristics and community structure before and after the channel at the distinct locations. Nevertheless, local changes in the abundance and composition of species were detected particularly in Piratininga, in the site where the tidal channel was constructed. A remarkable loss in abundance of most opportunistic species and the appearance of six new taxa in Piratininga after the opening of the channel was related to habitat regeneration in virtue of the intrusion of marine waters into the lagoon. However, marine inflow seems to be restricted since no clear evidence of the channel influence was felt in the remaining sites of Piratininga and in Itaipu. Macrobenthic communities were heterogeneous between both lagoons throughout the sampling period, characterized by low diversity and evenness indices. A general increase in salinity and redox potential were observed in Piratininga. Both variables allied to dissolved oxygen appeared to play a major role in structuring the benthic communities. This study is the first contribution to knowledge of taxonomic biodiversity of macrozoobenthic assemblages of Piratininga-Itaipu lagoon system and pioneer in describing apparent ecosystem ameliorations after the channel opening. Therefore, continuous monitoring ought to be carried out in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the tidal channel and follow further recovery of this ecosystem. Macrobenthos were quite heterogeneous between both lagoons throughout the sampling period, with biological attributes showing a remarkable loss in species abundance, mostly opportunistic. The appearance of new taxa, Polydora cornuta, after the opening of the channel was related to improvement of better oxygenation of water and sediments, causing regeneration of habitat. Other resilient taxa with persistant bioturbation activities, such as Allita, Streblospio, Capitella and oligochaetes, dominated the early stages of recovery. This study is the first contribution to knowledge of taxonomic biodiversity of macrozoobenthic assemblages of Piratining-Itaipu lagoon system and pioneer in describing apparent ecosystem ameliorations after the channel opening. Therefore, continuous monitoring ought to be carried out in order to follow further recovery of this ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]