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A família Tintinnidae (Phylum Ciliophora- Ordem Oligotrichida) foi estudada neste trabalho, em amostras coletadas entre 11 de março de 1999 e 31 de março de 1999, em 28 estações localizadas nas proximidades do Atol das Rocas e Fernando de Noronha (Nordeste do Brasil), por meio de arrastos verticais de uma rede de plâncton, com malhas de 20 µm de abertura, desde 200m até a superfície, e numa estação fixa próxima ao Atol das Rocas (Estação 28), mediante a coleta de amostras de água da superfície com garrafas de NISKIN, em diferentes horários de um ciclo nictemeral. O estudo microscópico do material coletado resultou na identificação de treze espécies, destacando-se como as mais freqüentes Amphorides quadrilineata (Claparède & Lachmann, 1858), Dadayiella ganymedes (Entz, Sr.,1884), Eutintinnus fraknoi (Daday) Kofoide & Campbell, 1929, E. tubulosus (Ostenfeld) Kofoid & Campbell, 1929, Steenstrupiella gracilis (Jörgensen) Kofoid & Campbell, 1929 e S. steenstrupii (Claparède & Lachmann, 1858) Kofoid & Campbell, 1929. Palavras chave: Sistemática; Tintinnina; Atlântico Tropical.

Recent approaches to the study of nonlinearity in biological systems have found a powerful tool in the approximate entropy (ApEn) estimation. ApEn is a family of statistic indices that measures different degrees of regularity in time series without any a priori hypothesis about the system structure generating them. In this paper we analyze its ability to distinguish, in the short period, different physiological conditions in which the cardiovascular control system can influence the heart rate variability signal (HRV). At the same time we show results confirming a significant separation in myocardial infarction populations on the basis of the ApEn index. The experimental work also discusses the choice of parameters for a correct ApEn index estimation and its link with the neural mechanisms controlling HRV signal.

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Assessment of Nonlinear Properties in Biological Systems: The Time Series Analysis Nonlinear Physiological Models for the Generation of Heartbeat Dynamics Experimental Results: Examples in Cardiovascular Pathologies and Physiological Conditions Conclusion This chapter contains sections titled: References

Drug-induced alterations of repolarization heterogeneity are checked to prevent the risk of lethal arrhythmias. Before drugs approval, FDA mandates a “thorough QT study.” In the last 14 years, the test avoided the withdrawal from the market of related drugs. However, it is questioned if the low specificity of the test might have hindered molecules from being commercialized. Research of alternative indices, linked with the physiology, is therefore supported by regulatory agencies. A new measure of ventricular repolarization heterogeneity (V-index) was recently proposed; it is based on a stochastic model that links the electrical potential of the myocytes with the surface ECG and it provides an estimate of the heterogeneity of the repolarization times. After being tested on synthetic signals, the metric is now undergoing a validation procedure. In this work, we performed a retrospective study to assess the metric as a function of the sotalol concentration. Since sotalol leads to an increased dispersion of the repolarization times, due to the block of the beta-adrenergic receptors, it provides a good test bench for the V-index. Briefly, 12-lead digital ECG recordings of 38 healthy subjects were collected in three consecutive days. At the first day no drugs were administrated. A 160-mg dose of sotalol was injected at the second day and 320-mg dose at the third one. The serum concentration of the drug was assessed at predefined intervals during the second and the third days. The QT interval and the V-index were computed at the same instants to support a proper comparison. The goals were as follows: evaluation of i) sensitivity of the metric to the effects of the drug and ii) time evolution of the metric as a function of serum concentration. All measures were collected during rest conditions and only on stable beats. A beat was defined stable whether its RR value was within of an interval of 20 ms around the local mean. The metric showed a different mean value in presence of sotalol (baseline: 26.17 ± 9.23 ms vs single-drug dose: 36.00 ± 14.51 ms; p b 0.001 paired t-test). The cross-correlation among QT and V-index showed a high level of similarity (N0.9, p b 0.001). The results confirmed a study performed on the same data set using only the QT interval (Extramiana et al. 2010, Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol). Further studies are still necessary, but the research showed that quantification of repolarization heterogeneity through the V-index is effective. Moreover, being directly linked to a physiological model, the Vindex could offer additional insights in risk stratification.

Seasonal changes in phytoplankton populations in the chlorophyll-a concentration and on some environmental factors were studied monthly from June 1974 to September 1975 at Ubatuba, northern coast of Sao Paulo. Water temperatures ranged from 20oC in August to 29.5oC in March and salinities from 33.06 o/.. in March to 35.80 o/.. in January. The maximum salinity value observed in January near the bottom, associated with the thermal stratification found only during this month, seems to indicate an oceanic contribution to the enrichment of the local water mass. Pluviometric values ranged from 37.2 mm in August to 468.5 mm in January. Phytoplankton cell counts fluctuated from 64,000 to 1,028,000 cells/l and chlorophyll-a values varied from 0.52 to 6.86 µg/l. Maximum standing-stock was observed during summer, particularly in March, and it is probably associated with land drainage due to precipitation. A second bloom was observed in September 1975, and it is associated probably with the discontinuous impact of the wind. The phytoplankton populations were dominated by unidentified phytoflagellates, followed by diatoms and dinoflagellates. Nitzchia closterium and Thalassionema nitzschioides, along with Navicula sp., were the most representative species of diatoms. Among the dinoflagellates, Gymnodinium sp. was the most important. Blue-green algae and silicoflagellates were poorly represented. The diatoms Chaetoceros simplex, Chaetoceros spp, Nitzchia longissima, Nitzchia spp, Rhizosolenia delicatula and Rhizosolenia stolterfothi were found with high densities, only during bloom periods. The chlorophyll-a fractionation experiments demonstrated that organisms in size classe smaller than 20 µm represented, for all depths, between 54.93 and 98.15 o/.. of the total phytoplankton population.

Extensive beds of benthic, non-calcareous macroalgae are associated with reef formations in oligotrophic coastal waters of Northeastern Brazil. Large amounts of these algae constantly and naturally detach and decay. Part of them is deposited on the beach, remains exposed during low tides, and decomposes. Field experiments on decomposition were carried out in a tidal pool (temperatures fluctuating from 29 to 43°C salinity from 6 to 35 at Ponta do Seixas (Paraiba, Brazil), and laboratory studies were made in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. High values of NO 3 − (up to 148.92 μg at 1−1), NO 2 − (up to 3.14 μg at 1−1) and PO 3 4− (up to 22.95 μg at 1−1) were released during algal degradation. Nitrogen values were higher in the tidal pool than in aerobic and anaerobic experiments, as opposed to phosphorus where the opposite phenomenon occurred. The diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum inoculated in seawater enriched with decomposition products of algae showed intense growth, sometimes similar to that in complete algal culture medium. Inhibition and death of this diatom was observed in some other experiments. The importance of drift seaweed as a source of nutrients for the local ecosystem is stressed.

Determining the potential cardiotoxicity and pro-arrhythmic effects of drug candidates remains one of the most relevant issues in the drug development pipeline (DDP). New methods enabling to perform more representative preclinical in vitro studies by exploiting induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CM) are under investigation to increase the translational power of the outcomes. Here we present a pharmacological campaign conducted to evaluate the drug-induced QT alterations and arrhythmic events on uHeart, a 3D miniaturized in vitro model of human myocardium encompassing iPSC-CM and dermal fibroblasts embedded in fibrin. uHeart was mechanically trained resulting in synchronously beating cardiac microtissues in 1 week, characterized by a clear field potential (FP) signal that was recorded by means of an integrated electrical system. A drug screening protocol compliant with the new International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) guidelines was established and uHeart was employed for testing the effect of 11 compounds acting on single or multiple cardiac ion channels and well-known to elicit QT prolongation or arrhythmic events in clinics. The alterations of uHeart’s electrophysiological parameters such as the beating period, the FP duration, the FP amplitude, and the detection of arrhythmic events prior and after drug administration at incremental doses were effectively analyzed through a custom-developed algorithm. Results demonstrated the ability of uHeart to successfully anticipate clinical outcome and to predict the QT prolongation with a sensitivity of 83.3%, a specificity of 100% and an accuracy of 91.6%. Cardiotoxic concentrations of drugs were notably detected in the range of the clinical highest blood drug concentration (Cmax), qualifying uHeart as a fit-to-purpose preclinical tool for cardiotoxicity studies.

Seven species of hyaline Tintinnina were obtained from plankton samples collected near the coastal reefs of Ponta do Seixas (Lat. 7º09'16"S, Long. 34º4735"W), Northeastern Brazil, from April 1981 to May 1982 and from April 1983 to May 1984: Amphorellopsis acuta (Schmidt, 1901), Dadayiella ganymedes (Entz Sr., 1884), Epiplocyloides reticulata (Ostenfeld & Schmidt, 1901), Eutintinnus tubulosus (Ostenfeld, 1899), Favella ehrenbergi (Claparède & Lachmann, 1858), Metacylis mereschkowskyi Kofoid & Campbell, 1929 and M. perspicax (Hada, 1938). The most frequent and abundant species were M. mereschkowskyi and F. ehrenbergi. Except/).ganymedes, E. reticulata and F. ehrenbergi all species are new records from Brazil. Metacylis perspicax is also the seventh world register. For all species we provide description, drawings, measurements, seasonal occurrence, world distribution and some systematic comments.

Atrial flutter (AFl) is a common heart rhythm disorder driven by different self-sustaining electrophysiological atrial mechanisms. In the present work, we sought to discriminate which mechanism is sustaining the arrhythmia in an individual patient using non-invasive 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Specifically, we analyse the influence of atrial and torso geometries for the success of such discrimination. 2,512 ECG were simulated and 151 features were extracted from the signals. Three classification scenarios were investigated: random set classification; leave-one-atrium-out (LOAO); and leave-one-torso-out (LOTO). A radial basis neural network classifier achieved test accuracies of 89.84%, 88.98%, and 59.82% for the random set classification, LOTO, and LOAO, respectively. The most discriminative single feature was the F-wave duration (74% test accuracy). Our results show that a machine learning approach can potentially identify a high number of different AFl mechanisms using the 12-lead ECG. More than the 8 atrial models used in this work should be included during training due to the significant influence that the atrial geometry has on the ECG signals and thus on the resulting classification. This non-invasive classification can help to identify the optimal ablation strategy, reducing time and resources required to conduct invasive cardiac mapping and ablation procedures.

Funding Acknowledgements Supported by the European Union"s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No.766082 (MY-ATRIA) Background Atrial Flutter (AFl) as a common reentrant atrial tachycardia is driven by self-sustainable mechanisms that cause excitation to propagate along pathways different from sinus rhythm. Intracardiac electrophysiological mapping and catheter ablation is often performed without prior knowledge of the mechanism perpetuating AFl in a given patient, likely prolonging the procedure time of these invasive interventions. We investigated the feasibility of automatically identifying 20 different AFl types based on the non-invasive 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) using machine learning. Methods Electrophysiological fast marching computer simulations of 20 different atrial tachycardia scenarios (micro-/macro-reentry, scar-related/anatomical/functional, figure-of-eight, focal, different locations) were performed and propagated to the standard 12-lead ECG based on the Courtemanche atrial action potential model. The virtual study population comprised combinations of 8 different anatomical bi-atrial models with 2 orientational variants each and 8 different torso models yielding a total of 2512 ECGs. From each ECG, we extracted 114 features from different domains (e.g., time, frequency, entropy, wavelet, non-linear recurrence analysis). The dataset was randomly split into 1256 training samples, 628 validation samples and 628 test samples while maintaining a balanced AFl type distribution. A radial basis neural network (RBNN) was trained as a classifier after selection of the most informative features. Results The RBNN yielded a test set accuracy of 90% regarding the identification of the AFl mechanism using 10 features (from different domains). The most discriminative single feature was the cycle length that alone led to a test set accuracy of 74%, while the remaining feature set without cycle length (9 features) reduced the test set accuracy to 33%. The machine learning approach generalized well regarding unseen torso geometries (90% accuracy if training was performed on only 7 torso models) but rather poor regarding atrial anatomies (23% if the atrial anatomical model was not seen during training) indicating that more than the currently used 8 atrial models should be included during training to cover the relevant anatomical variability. Conclusions Our results show that a machine learning classifier can potentially identify a high number of different AFl types using the 12-lead ECG. This non-invasive method can aid in planning and tailoring AFl treatment for patients. Application to clinical data is necessary as a next step to pave the way for clinical translation. Abstract Figure.

From 2007-2017, pediatric emergency department (ED) visits for mental health concerns increased by 66% in Canada, with repeat visits accounting for a significant proportion of all visits. Our objective was to examine patient and visit characteristics associated with repeat visits to a tertiary care pediatric ED for mental health concerns.Data were obtained from the administrative records of McMaster Children's Hospital ED for mental health-related visits from February 2013-December 2017. Data on 9,018 ED visits made by 4,976 unique patients were included in this study. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine characteristics associated with repeat visit within six months of index presentation.22% (n=1,088) of individuals returned to the ED for a mental health concern within six months following their index visit. A repeat visit within six months was associated with female sex (OR=1.19,We found that approximately one in five patients presenting to the ED for a mental health concern have a repeat visit within six months, consistent with previous studies. This study provides support for previously identified risk factors for repeat visits and offers information on interactions between patient sex and diagnosis.De 2007 à 2017, les visites au service d’urgence (SU) pédiatrique pour des problèmes de santé mentale ont augmenté de 66 % au Canada, les visites répétées représentant une proportion significative de toutes les visites. Notre objectif était d’examiner les caractéristiques des patients et des visites associées aux visites répétées à un SU pédiatrique de soins tertiaires pour les problèmes de santé mentale.Les données ont été obtenues des dossiers administratifs du SU de l’Hôpital pour enfants McMaster pour les visites liées à la santé mentale de février 2013 à décembre 2017. Les données de 9 018 visites au SU faites par 4 976 patients uniques ont été incluses dans l’étude. L’analyse de régression logistique a servi à examiner les caractéristiques associées aux visites répétées en dedans de six mois de la première visite.22 % (n = 1 088) des personnes sont revenues au SU pour un problème de santé mentale en dedans de six mois de leur première visite. Une visite répétée en dedans de six mois était associée au sexe féminin (RC = 1,19,Nous avons constaté qu’environ un patient sur cinq qui se présente au SU pour un problème de santé mentale a une visite répétée en dedans de six mois, conformément aux études précédentes. Cette étude apporte un appui aux facteurs de risque précédemment identifiés pour les visites répétées, et offre de l’information sur les interactions entre le sexe des patients et le diagnostic.

Studies on retrieved hip prostheses are currently performed in order to assess the wear mechanisms and the overall wear rate of such artificial joints. Several reported studies on the survival of artificial hips have been based on the measurement of the amount of worn material directly on retrieved acetabular cups. The estimation of the change in volume, V, of the cup cavity is particularly difficult in the case of slight wear due to several factors of which the most critical is the lack of information on the unworn geometry of the cup.This paper presents a new measuring technique, which is described in detail and has been applied to estimate the wear of 65 acetabular cups harvested from revised hip arthroplasty. The coordinate data of several points on the articular surface are sampled using a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). The value of V is calculated mathematically from the measurements by using the hypothesis that the actual shape of both slightly worn and highly worn surfaces has a small departure from a truly spherical shape. The wear volume is estimated with reasonable accuracy mainly on those cups showing penetration depths greater than 0.2 mm, corresponding to an amount of wear greater than 100 mm3for a 32 mm cup. The uncertainty in the results is estimated for each cup. The repeatability of the technique is studied for a case showing very slight wear. The advantages, disadvantages and limitations of the method are presented and discussed.

Proposes new classifiers based on fuzzy inference systems (FISs) for the Fetal Heart Rate (FHR) signal analysis. They include standard cardiotocographic (CTG) parameters together with a set of frequency domain and nonlinear indices. The goal is the identification of two very common fetal pathological conditions: Intra-Uterine Growth Retardation (IUGR) and Diabetes type I. The FHR signals obtained from 104 CTG recordings were analyzed (75 Normal, 11 IUGR and 18 Diabetic). Fuzzy classifiers combine the set. Of 10 input data into the S-output set (Normal, IUGR, Maternal Diabetes) by fuzzy relies. Results show FISs predict normal and pathological fetal states even with 100% of correct classifications. Their performance however is always higher than 80% in the whole population, depending on the rule number. This approach can strongly help the automatic CTG signal analysis improving the early discrimination among normal and pathological fetal conditions.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent irregular heart rhythm due to disorganized atrial electrical activity, often sustained by rotational drivers called rotors. The non-invasive localization of AF drivers can lead to improved personalized ablation strategy, suggesting pulmonary vein (PV) isolation or more complex extra-PV ablation procedures in case the driver is on other atrial regions. We used a Machine Learning approach to characterize and discriminate simulated single stable rotors (1R) location: PVs, left atrium (LA) excluding the PVs, and right atrium (RA), utilizing solely non-invasive signals (i.e., the 12-lead ECG). 1R episodes sustaining AF were simulated. 128 features were extracted from the signals. Greedy forward algorithm was implemented to select the best feature set which was fed to a decision tree classifier with hold-out cross-validation technique. All tested features showed significant discriminatory power, especially those based on recurrence quantification analysis (up to 80.9% accuracy with single feature classification). The decision tree classifier achieved 89.4% test accuracy with 18 features on simulated data, with sensitivities of 93.0%, 82.4%, and 83.3% for RA, LA, and PV classes, respectively. Our results show that a machine learning approach can potentially identify the location of 1R sustaining AF using the 12-lead ECG.

In this study, surface ECG signals recoded during atrial fibrillation (AF) episodes have been investigated to detect signs of spontaneous termination and to derive an automatic classifier of terminating (T) and nonterminating (N) AF events. The ECG signals consisted in Holier recordings coming from the 2004 Computers in Cardiology Challenge database, A set of features have been extracted from the ECG signals and the related RR interval series including both linear and nonlinear indexes. In the training dataset, we observed a prolonged dominant atrial cycle length (DACL) passing from N to T accompanied by an increased of residual ECG (rECG) power. Concerning the RR interval variability a reduction of mean RR interval and Regularity (R) and an increase of approximated entropy (ApEn) have been documented. These features were used to train a feed-forward neural network which was employed for the automatic classification of the challenge test set. Score of the classifier was encouraging: 26/30 episodes were correctly classified.

Anatomical abnormalities in the corpus callosum have been reported in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in patients with bipolar but not unipolar disorder. MRI signal intensity can be used as a putative index of corpus callosum myelination.To measure MRI signal intensity in patients with bipolar and unipolar disorder to investigate abnormalities of corpus callosum myelination.The study involved 29 DSM-IV bipolar patients (mean (SD) age, 35 (11) years; 16 male, 13 female), 23 DSM-IV unipolar patients (41 (10) years; 4 male, 19 female), and 36 healthy controls (37 (10) years; 23 male, 13 female). A 1.5T GE Signa magnet was employed, with a fast spin echo sequence. Corpus callosum signal intensity was obtained blindly using the semiautomated software NIH Image 1.62.Bipolar patients had lower corpus callosum signal intensity for all callosal subregions (genu, anterior and posterior body, isthmus, splenium) than healthy controls (ANCOVA, age and sex as covariates, p0.05). No significant differences were found between unipolar and healthy subjects (ANCOVA, age and sex as covariates, p0.05).The findings suggest abnormalities in corpus callosum white matter in bipolar but not unipolar patients, possibly because of altered myelination. Such abnormalities could lead to impaired interhemispheric communication in bipolar disorder. Longitudinal MRI studies involving first episode and early onset bipolar patients will be necessary for a better understanding of the potential role of abnormalities of corpus callosum myelination in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder.

Labor exposes the fetus to repetitive transient hypoxic stress. We assessed whether such events modify the regularity of the fetal inter-beat interval series (fRR), using an in-vivo near-term sheep model, by means of entropy measures. Umbilical cord occlusions (UCO), from partial to complete, were applied to 7 near-term pregnant sheep. Fetal blood samples were collected at intervals of 20 minutes, to quantify pH, lactate and base deficit (“biomarkers”). Fetal ECG recordings were collected with implanted electrodes and used to derive the fRR series. Sample entropy (SampEn), permutation entropy (PE) and conditional PE(cPE) were estimated for fRR patterns of various lengths m, in each 2.5 minutes-long cycle of occlusion and successive recovery. Entropies' changes in time, during the course of the experiment, and their relation with the simultaneous values of the biomarkers were evaluated with Spearman's rank-order correlations. Entropy values decreased during the experimental protocol (rs=−0.62 for SampEn at m = 1, rs=−0.27 for PE at m = 5 and rs=−0.30 for cPE at m = 4; p < 0.05). Correlations with biomarkers were found to be moderate for SampEn (0.49 < |rs| < 0.62; p < 0.05) and weak to moderate for PE and cPE (0.31 < |rs| < 0.54; p < 0.05). Repetitive UCOs changed the regularity of fRR, suggesting a pronounced modulation as first line adaptive response.

We present a theoretical and experimental analysis of the dam break of a viscoplastic fluid in a horizontal channel. A shallow, slow fluid model based on the Herschel-Bulkley constitutive law allows one to characterize the early and late stages of the flow, the final state and the dependence on yield stress and nonlinear viscosity. A particular diagnostic is advanced (time ratios based on the length of time required for the fluid to slump certain distances from the broken dam) that may assist an experimentalist to unravel those dependences. Experiments are conducted with cornsyrup, and aqueous suspensions of xanthan gum, kaolin, carbopol, cornstarch and apple puree. Cornsyrup xanthan gum and kaolin show fair quantitative agreement with theory. Carbopol compares less favourably, due primarily to inertial effects which are missing from the theory. The results for cornstarch confirm that it is shear thickening, but its detailed rheology remains unknown (and unexplored). Apple puree also appears to compare well with theory, although repeating the dam break in a roughened channel leads to substantially different results, suggesting that fluid separation can induce effective wall slip (a problem that also probably plagues the Bostwick device). Finally, theory is compared with Bostwick tests with fruit puree, with limited success. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We computed 3 linear and 20 nonlinear HRV indexes on 24-h Holter recordings from 200 stable CHF patients (age 52plusmn9 yrs, NYHA II-III, LVEF 24plusmn6%) with the aim to assess i) the mutual interrelationships between these indexes and ii) their prognostic value towards cardiac death. We found high correlations between variables, with potential bias in fitting survival models. To overcome this problem a clustering procedure was used, obtaining 11 clusters. Cox analysis showed that seven clusters were significantly associated with the study outcome (p

Wearable sensors play a significant role for monitoring the functional ability of the elderly and in general, promoting active ageing. One of the relevant variables to be tracked is the number of stair steps (single stair steps) performed daily, which is more challenging than counting flight of stairs and detecting stair climbing. In this study, we proposed a minimal complexity algorithm composed of a hierarchical classifier and a linear model to estimate the number of stair steps performed during everyday activities. The algorithm was calibrated on accelerometer and barometer recordings measured using a sensor platform worn at the wrist from 20 healthy subjects. It was then tested on 10 older people, specifically enrolled for the study. The algorithm was then compared with other three state-of-the-art methods, which used the accelerometer, the barometer or both. The experiments showed the good performance of our algorithm (stair step counting error: 13.8%), comparable with the best state-of-the-art (p &gt, 0.05), but using a lower computational load and model complexity. Finally, the algorithm was successfully implemented in a low-power smartwatch prototype with a memory footprint of about 4 kB.

The studied area belongs to the basin of river Timbó. It is included in the group of smaller coast line basins of Pernambuco and it is placed between the south latitudes 7º 50’ and 7° 54’ S and the west longitudes 34º 53’, and 34º 55’ in the Metropolitan Region of Great Recife - in the districts of Paulista, Abreu e Lima and Igarassu. The composition and the structural characteristics of the swamp were evaluated in tem sections divided a long the right and the left banks of the river; from the river to the interior of the mangrove, using the parcels method. The antropic impacts on the mangrove were also researched through photons and the application of a advised matrix of environmental impacts (check list).The diversity and the quantity of a solid wastes found in the interior of the swamps were also considered. The research showed that there are 3 typical species of mangrove area. The are found in the sections (Rhizophora mangle, Laguncularia racemosa and Avicennia schaueriana); Rhizophora mangle is the predominant specie, both in terms of frequency and in terms of density. In the sections of the right bank side of the river the values of DAP varied from 7,31 to 16,08 cm, and the average height varied from 2,88 to 9.77 m, the basal area varied from 7,21 to 17,07 m². ha-¹ and the density from 760 to 12.000 ind. ha-¹. In the left bank the DAP varied from 4,9 to 8,51 cm; the average height from 3,69 to 9,91 m, and the basal area from 5,69 to 11,65 m². ha-¹ and the density from 840 to 6.140 ind. ha-¹. These results suggest that the mangrove is structured and shows an exuberant thicket. The totality of catalogued impacts in the area showed however, that the environment is very vulnerable to the antropic factors. It was seen that these tensions are more intense and more varied in the borders of the woods. In the right bank of the mangrove, it is pressured by the urban development; and in the bank side, this tension happens more intensity next to the mouth, mainly due to the leisure and agricultural activities (including the construction of fish farms). The main antropic factors in the area were: landfills, leisure activities, construction of buildings, roads, transmission lines, piers, land movement, river walls, hostels, erosive processes, tourism, fish farms and forest fires. The presence of solid wastes was observed in the interior of the mangrove in all sections studied. The Plastic materials were more obvious both in terms of diversity and weight. The total of garbage that may be found in the interior of the mangrove is about 1.236,90 tons. Nenhuma A área estudada pertence à bacia hidrográfica do rio Timbó (incluída no grupo das pequenas bacias litorâneas de Pernambuco), localizada entre as latitudes de 7º 50’ e 7º 55’ S e as longitudes de 34º 50’ e 34º 55’ W, na Região Metropolitana do Grande Recife, nos municípios de Paulista, Abreu e Lima e Igarassu. Foram avaliadas a composição e características estruturais do manguezal em dez transecções distribuídas nas margens direita e esquerda, do rio para o interior do manguezal, utilizando-se o método das parcelas. Os impactos antrópicos sobre o manguezal também foram pesquisados por meio de registros fotográficos e da aplicação de uma matriz ponderada de impacto ambiental (check-list). A diversidade e a quantidade de resíduos sólidos (lixo) encontrados no interior do manguezal também foram considerados. A pesquisa revelou a existência de 3 espécies típicas da áreas de mangue, encontradas nas transecções estudadas (Rhizophora mangle, Laguncularia racemosa e Avicennia schaueriana); Rhizophora mangle destacou-se como espécie predominante, tanto em termos de freqüência como em termos de densidade. Nas transecções situadas na margem direita, os valores de DAP (diâmetro da altura do peito) médio variaram de 7,31 a 16,08 cm, a altura média de 2,88 a 9,77 m, a área basal de 7,21 a 17,07 m². ha-1, e a densidade de 760 a 12.000 ind. ha-1. Na margem esquerda, o DAP médio oscilou de 4,9 a 8,51 cm, a altura média de 3,69 a 9,91 m, a área basal de 5,69 a 11,65 m². ha-1, e a densidade de 840 a 6.140 ind. ha-1. Esses resultados sugerem que o manguezal é bem estruturado e se apresenta como um bosque bem exuberante. A totalidade dos impactos catalogados na área demonstrou, no entanto, que o ambiente é altamente vulnerável às tensões antrópicas. Constatou-se que essas tensões são mais intensas e mais diversificadas na periferia do bosque. Na margem direita o manguezal é pressionado pelo desenvolvimento urbano e na margem esquerda, esse tensor ocorre com mais intensidade próximo à foz, predominando pressões devido às atividades recreacionais e agropecuárias (incluindo-se a construção de viveiros). Destacaram-se como os principais tensores antrópicos na área, os aterros, atividades recreacionais, marinas, casas de veraneio, estabelecimento comerciais, especulação imobiliária, estrada, linha de transmissão, atracadouro, movimentação de terras, muros de arrimo, pousadas, processos erosivos, turismo, viveiros, e queimadas. A presença de resíduos sólidos foi observada no interior do manguezal em todas as transecções estudadas, sendo mais representativo os materiais de plástico, tanto em termos de diversidade como de peso. O total de lixo que pode ser encontrado no interior do manguezal foi estimado em 1.236,90 toneladas.

This paper had for purpose elaborate a diagnosis of the estuary area of the Timbó river – state of Pernambuco, concerning the use of the space and the occupation way, exploration and human interferences. Some sectors have been demarcated, 8 in the right margin (municipal district of Paulista), and 9 sectors in the left margin (municipal districts of Abreu e Lima and Igarassu). It had used semi structured questionnaires and done interviews with people that inhabit the neighborhood areas from the searching estuary (fishermen and dealers). Pondered matrixes of the environmental impacts (check-list) were built, as a model suggested by Tommasi (1994), modified for estuary areas; the matrix estuary’s space form of use, of the urban infrastructure conditions and the uses compatibility (as Diegues,1995), and the fishery forms in the estuary several sectors. With the application of these matrixes, it tried to decompose the analyzed environment in factors and indicators, emphasizing the structure of peripheral communities to the estuary and trying to evaluate the prejudices that man has been provoking to environment. It had verified that the searched area introduces a high level of degradation, with loss environmental quality clears evidences, especially in the right margin, where IQA’s values were smaller. Environmental quality critical levels (IQAs smaller than 50) were found in Maria Farinha and Nova Cruz. Among several cataloged impacts, garbage and sewages, landscape general alteration, invasion of public areas (including slums constructions), navigation and harbors and homemade fishing (including the utilization of explosives in some places) were the most highlighted. It had evidenced that commercial activities are in mostly nearest to the outlet and are directed essentially for recreation and tourism. The river inhabitants diagnosis social-environmental showed that most fishermen is illiterate and the fishing is made for men up to 89 years, that crop is essentially done by women up to 70 years, the number of children and pre-teenagers that participates in this activity is very large, fishing production is in retraction due the pollution and that seems it is causing a traditional link loss with fishing, evidenced by the small time of dwelling in the areas (less than 10 years, in general) and by the adoption of highly predatory practice, as the explosive and little net uses. Most fishing professionals owns their houses, with drinking water and electric power, being the estuary their main survival source. The imaginary of many people in this area is permeated by the belief in several kinds of ghosts, being a religious practice (Catholic in the right margin and evangelical in the left) very constant and present in all locations. Nenhuma O presente trabalho teve por objetivo elaborar um diagnóstico da área estuarina do rio Timbó-PE, no tocante às formas de uso e ocupação do espaço, exploração extrativista e interferências humanas. Foram demarcados 8 setores na margem direita (município do Paulista), e 9 setores na margem esquerda (municípios de Abreu e Lima de Igarassu). Foram usados questionários semi-estruturados e foram feitas entrevistas com atores que habitam as áreas próximas ao estuário (pescadores, catadores e comerciantes). Foram construídas matrizes ponderadas de impactos ambientais (check-list), conforme modelo sugerido por Tommasi (1994), modificado para áreas estuarinas; matrizes das formas de uso do espaço estuarino, das condições de infraestrutura urbana, da compatibilidade de usos (conforme Diegues, 1995), e das formas de captura do pescado nos diversos setores do estuário. Com a aplicação dessas matrizes procurou-se compartimentar o ambiente analisado em fatores e indicadores, enfatizando a estrutura das comunidades periféricas ao estuário e procurando avaliar os prejuízos que o homem vem provocando ao ambiente. Verificou-se que a área pesquisada apresenta altos níveis de degradação, com claras evidências de perda de qualidade ambiental, especialmente na margem direita, onde os valores dos IQAs foram menores. Níveis críticos de qualidade ambiental (IQAs menores que 50) foram encontrados nas localidades de Maria Farinha e Nova Cruz. Entre os diversos impactos catalogados, lixo e esgotos, alteração geral da paisagem, invasão de áreas públicas (inclusive com edificações de favelas), navegação e atracadores e pesca artesanal (inclusive com utilização de explosivos em alguns locais) foram os que mais se destacaram. Evidenciou-se que as atividades comerciais são efetuadas principalmente próximo à desembocadura e estão voltadas essencialmente para a recreação e o turismo. O diagnóstico sócio-ambiental dos moradores ribeirinhos mostrou que a maioria dos pescadores é analfabeta, que a pesca é efetuada por homens de até 89 anos, que a catação é preferencialmente praticada por mulheres com até 70 anos, que o numero de crianças e pré-adolescentes que participam dessa atividade é muito grande, que a produção pesqueira encontra-se em retração devido à poluição e que parece estar havendo perda de vínculo tradicional com a pesca, evidenciada pelo pequeno tempo de moradia nas áreas (menos de 10 anos, em geral) e pela adoção de práticas altamente predatórias, como o uso de explosivos e redinhas. A maioria dos profissionais da pesca possui casa própria, geralmente simples, com água potável e energia elétrica, sendo o estuário sua principal fonte de sobrevivência. O imaginário de muitas das pessoas da área é permeado pela crença em diversos tipos de visagens, sendo a prática religiosa (católicos na margem direita e evangélicos na margem esquerda) muito constante e presente em todos os locais.