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In this work, we apply the Technique to Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to two case studies. The first example is concerned with the evaluation of the best response alternatives in case of accidental oil spill in the sea. The second example considers the rental evaluation of residential properties. Simulations results are promising and show the feasibility of the technique.

Restinga vegetation occurs along the entire coast of Brazil. The 187 km of coastline of the state ofPernambuco demonstrates a diversity of habitats, such as beaches, dunes, and restingas. The present study sought toelaborate a checklist of the phanerogamic species found there. The species listed were compiled from surveysundertaken between 1951 and 2007, as well as from herbaria collections in that state. A total of 477 species distributedamong 303 genera and 95 families were encountered. The families with the greatest numbers of species were Poaceae(39 species), Fabaceae (34), Cyperaceae (26), Euphorbiaceae (25), Myrtaceae (24), Rubiaceae (20), Caesalpiniaceae(17), Mimosaceae (16), Asteraceae (14), Orchidaceae (14), Bromeliaceae (9), Boraginaceae (8), Malvaceae (8),Solanaceae (8), and Annonaceae, Araceae, Chrysobalanaceae, Malpighiaceae, and Melastomataceae (7 each).Approximately 60 % of the species were common to other restinga areas in northeastern Brazil, and 39.3 % wererestricted to the coast of Pernambuco.

The presence of nutrients and endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) hormones in the aquatic environment can affect wildlife and humans. Sewage treatment using biological processes followed by advanced oxidation processes can be a promising system for EDC removal, however, these have been little investigated in detail in the literature. This study evaluated the removal of nutrients, 17β-estradiol (E2), and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) from sewage using an anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic sequential batch reactor (SBR). Furthermore, the treated sewage generated was subjected to post-treatment using a UV/H2O2 system. Hormones were added to the synthetic sewage only once, and it was submitted to treatment by SBR. The residues of E2 and EE2 were measured in the treated sewage generated by SBR for 13 consecutive cycles. The total removal rate of phosphorus and nitrogen by SBR was in average greater than 75% showing the simultaneous occurrence of nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus biological removal. Seventeen percentage of the added E2 was detected in treated sewage, but 85% of EE2 was discharged into the same treated after 13 cycles of SBR. Although the literature has indicated the removal of EE2 by sorption and/or biodegradation in biological sewage treatment systems with nitrification, including full-scale ones, this study suggested that this removal has been apparent. The remaining residues of E2 and EE2 were completely degraded by the UV/H2O2 process. The removal of organic matter and nutrients by SBR facilitated the oxidative action of the UV/H2O2 system with lower consumption of peroxide. The integration of these two processes is very promising for EDC removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of replacing antibiotics with increasing doses of chitosan (CHI) on nutrient intake and digestibility, corn grain excretion, ruminal fermentation, nitrogen metabolism, and feeding behavior in finishing steers fed forage-free diets. Five ruminally cannulated crossbred steers were assigned to a 5 x 5 Latin square experimental design and given the following diets: C0= basal diet with no additives, ANT= basal diet with inclusion of virginiamycin 30 mg/kg DM, C375= basal diet with inclusion of chitosan 375 mg/kg DM, C750= basal diet with inclusion of chitosan 750 mg/kg DM, and C1500= basal diet with inclusion of chitosan 1500 mg/kg DM. Supplementation with CHI did not affect ruminal pH and ammonia nitrogen (N-NH3) concentration. Chitosan quadratically affected corn grain excretion and molar proportion of ruminal butyrate, with greater values for C750. Animals fed C375 showed greater dry matter intake and neutral detergent fiber intake; and greater digestibility of DM, starch, and NDF. Animals fed C750 and C1500 diets presented greater absorbed N compared to ANT. Animals fed ANT, C750, and C1500 spent more time eating and chewing than animals fed CON. More specifically, the dose of 375 mg/kg DM of diet was very promising for steers fed free-forage diet due to its ability to improve nutrient digestibility, with only slight changes in N metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]