Sustainable Social Technologies In The Semiárido Of Rio Grande Do Norte – Brazil

Along the Brazilian history, the federal government has invested in the construction of large-scale water works in the Northeastern region, aiming to fight drought in the Semiárido and to finish with the scarcity of water by means of public policies. However, the climatic context makes drought a natural characteristic of the Northeastern region and cannot be fought against, as it is a natural phenomenon in the area. The objective of the present paper is to investigate how social technologies implemented in the Semiárido have contributed to the strengthening of women’s production capacity in the Hipólito community located in the Mossoró municipality, (State of Rio Grande do Norte, Northeastern Brazil), with the implementation of fertilized cisterns, aiming at gender equality and sustainable agriculture as preconized by Agenda 2030. As a methodological procedure, a qualitative research was carried out, adopting the participatory observation and the focal group techniques. Twelve women who integrate the Mulheres em Ação group participated in the study. It was observed that women positively perceive the impacts of the social technologies of the Um Milhão de Cisternas (P1MC) and Uma Terra e Duas Águas (P1+2) programs in the Hipólito community. Moreover, agriculture practices involved in the construction of the water reuse technology in their yards yielded positive expectations regarding production by the addition of another social technology that will make a larger volume of water available to the community. It is concluded that social technologies coexisting with the Semiárido have contributed to a new territorial development model, consonant with the Semiárido characteristics.

The severe thunderstorm of 5th April, 2010 at Guwahati airport : An observational study

During the afternoon of 5th April, 2010, a thunderstorm swept across Guwahati Airport (Lat. 26º26´, Long 91º35´) and neighborhood from northwest direction. Strong squally winds (reaching up to 49 knots) and high intensity rain (11mm in 15 minutes) were registered accompanying the storm. One person was killed by the falling tree due to squally winds and several others were injured by the event. The observed evolution of temperature, humidity, wind and pressure at Guwahati Airport, as well as the sequence of satellite and radar images, revealed the presence and movement of convective cells. An observational analysis of the event has been given in this paper. The aim of the study is to contribute to the characterization of these events by analyzing the observational information available. The diagnosis is aimed at helping forecasters to identify this kind of organized deep convective events and being able to issue timely warnings. The synoptic scenario shows warm and moist advection from the Bay of Bengal in low levels over Northeastern region of India and an upper-level north-south trough running from Sub-Himalayan West Bengal to north Orissa. This situation is known to be favorable for development of severe convection over Northeastern region of India during pre-monsoon season.

Sphingidae (Lepidoptera: Bombycoidea) assemblage in the State Ecological Station of Wenceslau Guimarães, Bahia, Brazil

The diversity of hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) is poorly known in the biomes of the Bahia state. However, studies were carried out in other states of the northeastern region with species inventories in the Atlantic Forest, Caatinga and Cerrado. In order to bro aden the knowledge on of the richness and diversity of hawkmoths in the Atlantic Forest of the state of Bahia, six monthly sampling sessions were carried out in the State Ecological Station of Wenceslau Guimarães. Hawkmoths were captured using a 250-watt mercury-vapor light trap set against a white cloth panel, for two nights a month, between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. A total of 266 specimens were collected, distributed across 17 genera and 41 species. The most abundant and dominant species were Isognathus swainsoni C. Felder, 1862, with a relative abundance of 12.41%, and Xylophanes amadis (Cramer, 1782) and Xylophanes anubus (Cramer, 1777), both with 7.9%. Our study represents the second inventory of hawkmoths for the state, totaling 59 species known for the Atlantic Forest of Bahia. Isognathus excelsior (Boisduval, [1875]) and Manduca lucetius (Cramer, 1780) represented new records for the biome. The accumulated number of species indicates the need for further sampling in order to safely reach the curve asymptote.

Investigations of a Weathered and Closely Jointed Rock Slope Failure Using Back Analyses

This study presents the case of a landslide triggered by a high groundwater level caused by several days of continuous rainfall in the northeastern region of Taiwan. The slope where this landslide occurred consists of closely jointed and weathered bedrock. By means of finite element limit analysis and the Hoek–Brown failure criterion, this study performed a slope failure simulation similar to the actual landslide and deduced the reasonable value range for the combination of key Hoek–Brown failure criterion parameters through back analyses. The results indicate that the key parameters affecting the bedrock’s slope stability were the geological strength index (GSI) and the disturbance factor (D), whereas the effects of the unconfined compressive strength (σci) were less significant. The results of the back analysis reveal that the suitable D-value range and GSI of closely jointed and weathered sandstone in the northeastern region of Taiwan are 0.8 to 0.9 and 20 to 30, respectively. These back-analyzed value ranges can serve as a reference for broader applications in the preliminary stability analysis of similar rock slopes where it is difficult to perform in situ investigation.

Economic impact and epidemiological aspects of subclinical mastitis and caprine arthritis-encephalitis in the semiarid northeastern region of Brazil

Dairy activity in the semi-arid region has gained prominence due to its profit potential; however, there are still sanitary problems that result in significant economic impact. Thus, this study aimed to assess the economic impact and to conduct an epidemiological study of caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) and subclinical mastitis in dairy goat herds of the semi-arid northeastern region of Brazil. The study proceeded with the collection of blood (n = 351) and milk samples (n = 321) from 15 rural properties with up to 50 animals, risk factor assessment, economic profile analysis, and georeferencing of the properties. The blood serum obtained was subjected to the AGID test. The milk samples were cultured on blood agar, and the reading was performed 24 hours after incubation. Overall, 3.4% of the animals were seropositive for CAE, and 15.8% were diagnosed with subclinical mastitis. 71.95% of the positive animals belonged to properties with a semi-intensive rearing system, weekly cleaning of the facilities, and no pre- or post-dipping. Subclinical mastitis caused by the main agent Staphylococcus spp. was associated with the breed type of the animals, highlighting two risk factors: purebred animals (OR = 12.52) and the milking performed close the soil (OR = 18.07). A reduction of up to 35.34% was observed in the income of dairy properties, constituting a considerable economic impact. Due to these sanitary problems, the economic impact demonstrates the need for a sanitary management program focused on these infirmities.