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Aim: To test the association between sociodemographic and social characteristics with COVID-19 cases and deaths in small and large Brazilian cities. Methods: This ecological study included COVID-19 data available in State Health Secretaries (managed by brasil.io API) and three national databases (IBGE, DATASUS and Embrapa). Temporal spread of COVID-19 in Brazil during the first year considered as outcome: a) days until 1st case in each city since 1st in the country; b) days until 1,000 cases/100,000 inhabitants since 1st case in each city; c) days until 1st death until 50 deaths/100,000 inhabitants. Covariates included geographic region, city social and environmental characteristics, housing conditions, job characteristics, socioeconomic and inequalities characteristics, and health services and coverage. The analysis were stratified by city size into small (<100,000 inhabitants) and large cities (≥100,00 inhabitants). Multiple linear regressions were performed to test associations of all covariates to adjust to potential confounders. Results: In small cities, the first cases were reported after 82.2 days and 1,000 cases/100,000 were reported after 117.8 days, whereas in large cities these milestones were reported after 32.1 and 127.7 days, respectively. For first death, small and large cities took 121.6 and 36.0 days, respectively. However, small cities were associated with more vulnerability factors to first case arrival in 1,000 cases/100,000 inhabitants, first death and 50 deaths/100,000 inhabitants. North and Northeast regions positively associated with faster COVID-19 incidence, whereas South and Southeast were least. Conclusion: Social and built environment characteristics and inequalities were associated with COVID-19 cases spread and mortality incidence in Brazilian cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination of water resources, surface or underground, is one of the major problems society faces. Thus, areas occupied by cemeteries can negatively impact the environment, especially on water and soil quality. This research aims to analyze groundwater quality in a space occupied by a cemetery in southern Brazil. Twelve chemical elements were analyzed using atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma coming from 5 monitoring wells installed in the study area. The results indicated changes in the elements barium, iron, lithium, manganese, sodium, and zinc, with climatic conditions being a predominant factor in the variation of concentrations. The chemical elements aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, and vanadium presented concentrations lower than the quantification limit of the method. The concentrations of iron, lithium, zinc, and manganese varied from lower than the quantification limit of the method to 74.10, 3.91, 4.11 µg.L-1, and 0.45 mg. L-1, respectively. Barium and sodium varied from 0.12 to 0.28 and 7.55 to 40.18 mg. L-1, respectively. The element sodium presented average concentrations of 7.55 to 40.18 mg.L-1. The element manganese varies the LQ at 0.45 mg.L-1, where in 5 samples, the values were above those allowed for potability, indicating that it disagrees with current legislation. The others, which contained detectable concentrations in the medium (Ba, Fe, Li, Mn, Na, and Zn) would be within the permitted limits. Based on this, it was possible to conclude a change in the chemical elements during the analyzed period. Thus, the importance of preliminary studies in the areas occupied by necropolises, which can become a public health problem, is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of the world-renowned bus rapid transit (BRT) in Curitiba, Brazil, is based on the interdependence of public transport, road system hierarchy, and land use regulation. Notwithstanding the consolidation of this triple approach, the transport system is overcrowded, and in 2009, the city made a bid for a technical analysis of the economic feasibility and the determination of environmental effects of a subway infrastructure to be implemented along one of its mass transport corridors, the north-south one. However, a recent survey indicates that most of people using BRT do not actually live along these corridors, but primarily in the densely occupied peripheral districts of the city and the immediate neighboring areas of a much more populated metropolitan region. This paper searches to confirm a contraction between real urban performance and an ideal city proposed by its somewhat innovative and now 45-year-old plan that was elaborated according to, among other paradigms, high-density linear occupation to make public transport at the same time cheap and attractive for dwellers. This paper also intends to provoke a discussion on the paradoxical municipal managerial decision of, at the same time, enforcing a master plan establishing priorities in terms of public transport and not being able to combine the offer of its main structures for mass public transportation and the public implementation of low-income housing programs along them. Data used to explore these discussions are basically that referring to the use of this modal in the city of Curitiba and the location of municipal social housing programs between 1980 and 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curitiba, in Brazil, is known for the pioneering deployment of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in the 1970s, and its system became a reference model worldwide. However, from its very beginning, Curitiba's BRT competed with rail projects, from subway to light rail vehicles (VLT). These projects have been defended by many municipal technicians over the years as better solutions for urban transportation. From 1952, when the last tram ran in the city, up to 2009, when the municipality concluded a bid for a new subway project, eight projects were developed as attempts to resume rail transportation in town. In spite of the failure of all those projects, this article proposes that the major innovations in the BRT in Curitiba had their origins in those unimplemented rail projects, through technical and political advances that resulted from controversies, conflicts, and alliances among the main relevant social groups and artifacts involved during this period. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article examines the urban planning on information and communication technologies (ICT) in the cities of São Paulo, Brazil. It was found that the ICT initiatives in the São Paulo cities were fragmented and were not being connected to economic development, city stature or administrative urbanization. The authors commented that the urban leaders do know where to look for inspiration, what they are going to implement and what the outcomes of such development will be. The five structural limitations in the implementation of ICTs for urban development in São Paulo cities are discussed.

Abstract: Studies on keratinolytic microorganisms have been mainly related to their biotechnological applications and association with animal pathologies. However, these organisms have an ecological relevance to recycling keratinous residues in nature. This work aimed to select and identify new culturable feather-degrading bacteria isolated from soils of Brazilian Amazon forest and Atlantic forest. Bacteria that were isolated from temperate soils and bacteria from Amazonian basin soil were tested for their capability to grow on feather meal agar (FMA). Proteolytic bacteria were tested for feather degradation and were further identified according to their morphological and biochemical characteristics. Also, molecular identification based on 16S rDNA gene sequencing was carried out. A total of 24 proteolytic and 20 feather-degrading isolates were selected; Most of the isolates were from the Bacillus genus (division Firmicutes), but one Aeromonas, two Serratia (γ-Proteobacteria), and one Chryseobacterium (Cytophaga–Flavobacterium group). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]