Cellular and biochemical alterations induced by diesel oil in the brown alga Sargassum cymosum var. stenophyllum cultured in vitro.

The effect of the in vitro acute exposure to diesel oil (0.001%, 0.01%, 0.

"Pink power"-the importance of coralline algal beds in the oceanic carbon cycle.

Current evidence suggests that macroalgal-dominated habitats are important contributors to the oceanic carbon cycle, though the role of those formed by calcifiers remains controversial. Globally distributed coralline algal beds, built by pink coloured rhodoliths and maerl, cover extensive coastal shelf areas of the planet, but scarce information on their productivity, net carbon flux dynamics and carbonate deposits hampers assessing their contribution to the overall oceanic carbon cycle. Here, our data, covering large bathymetrical (2-51 m) and geographical ranges (53°N-27°S), show that coralline algal beds are highly productive habitats that can express substantial carbon uptake rates (28-1347 g C m day), which vary in function of light availability and species composition and exceed reported estimates for other major macroalgal habitats.

Modelling bioremediation of contaminated effluents by Ulva ohnoi. - A predictive perspective.

Ulva spp. are tolerant to salinity variations and exhibit easy acclimation, playing an essential role in the depollution of aquatic ecosystems precisely due to their high efficiency in absorbing and accumulating nutrients. For this reason, Ulva spp.

Exposure and power of TV food advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: a content analysis.

Background: With the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions imposed to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the Brazilian population has increased the time spent at home and watching television (TV). Since food advertising exposure is a key driver of food choices, this study described the content of food advertisements (ads) on Brazilian TV during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This is an exploratory study.

Bat diversity boosts ecosystem services: Evidence from pine processionary moth predation.

Coniferous forests contribute to the European economy; however, they have experienced a decline since the late 1990s due to an invasive pest known as the pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa. The impacts of this pest are increasingly exacerbated by climate change. Traditional control strategies involving pesticides have had negative effects on public health and the environment.

Revolutionising food advertising monitoring: a machine learning-based method for automated classification of food videos.

Objective: Food advertising is an important determinant of unhealthy eating. However, analysing a large number of advertisements (ads) to distinguish between food and non-food content is a challenging task. This study aims to develop a machine learning-based method to automatically identify and classify food and non-food ad videos.

Effects of ocean warming and pollution on Sargassum forests.

The combined effects of climate change and ocean pollution have resulted in a noteworthy decline of canopy-forming species, impacting marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning significantly. In this context, Sargassum cymosum, which is widely distributed along the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, serves as an excellent model among canopy-forming species to investigate these impacts on populations in different regions and environmental conditions. Here, we evaluate the ecophysiological responses of two populations of S.

Changing with the times: Seasonal environmental gradients unveil dynamic bat assemblages and vulnerability.

Uncovering the temporal and spatial dynamics of biological communities in response to biotic and abiotic drivers is essential to predict the effects of environmental change on biodiversity. Similarly, estimating species vulnerability in the face of such dynamics is crucial for implementing effective conservation actions. We explored how bat diversity changes over the year across an altitudinal gradient and identified the environmental drivers that shape bat communities.

Food advertising aimed at children and adolescents in Brazil: a longitudinal analysis of denouncements in CONAR.

Scientific evidences show that self-regulation models fail to protect children and adolescents from commercial exploitation. In Brazil, the "Conselho Nacional de Autorregulamentação Publicitária - CONAR" is the entity that proposes guidelines for the products advertising and services to regulated sector. The aim is to analyze the denouncements of food advertising aimed at children and adolescents sent to CONAR between 2010 and 2020.

From ecological functions to ecosystem services: linking coastal lagoons biodiversity with human well-being.

In this review we highlight the relevance of biodiversity that inhabit coastal lagoons, emphasizing how species functions foster processes and services associated with this ecosystem. We identified 26 ecosystem services underpinned by ecological functions performed by bacteria and other microbial organisms, zooplankton, polychaetae worms, mollusks, macro-crustaceans, fishes, birds, and aquatic mammals. These groups present high functional redundancy but perform complementary functions that result in distinct ecosystem processes.

Characteristics of food establishments registered with a meal delivery app in Latin America.

Numerous studies have characterised the establishments registered with meal delivery apps (MDA) in several countries. However, little evidence is available regarding these platforms in Latin America (LA). The purpose of this study is to characterise food establishments registered with an MDA in nine LA cities.

Levelling-up rhodolith-bed science to address global-scale conservation challenges.

Global marine conservation remains fractured by an imbalance in research efforts and policy actions, limiting progression towards sustainability. Rhodolith beds represent a prime example, as they have ecological importance on a global scale, provide a wealth of ecosystem functions and services, including biodiversity provision and potential climate change mitigation, but remain disproportionately understudied, compared to other coastal ecosystems (tropical coral reefs, kelp forests, mangroves, seagrasses). Although rhodolith beds have gained some recognition, as important and sensitive habitats at national/regional levels during the last decade, there is still a notable lack of information and, consequently, specific conservation efforts.

Long range gene flow beyond predictions from oceanographic transport in a tropical marine foundation species.

The transport of passively dispersed organisms across tropical margins remains poorly understood. Hypotheses of oceanographic transportation potential lack testing with large scale empirical data. To address this gap, we used the seagrass species, Halodule wrightii, which is unique in spanning the entire tropical Atlantic.

Scientific research on food environments in Brazil: a scoping review.

Objective: To map the scientific research on food environments in Brazil, based on the following questions: How many studies have addressed food environments?; What study designs and methodological approaches were applied?; What is the geographic scope of the studies?; What scenarios and dimensions of food environments were studied?; Which population groups were studied?; How were food environments conceptualised?; What are the main limitations of the studies?

Design: Scoping review conducted in four databases, from January 2005 to December 2022, using different food environment-related terms to cover the main types and dimensions proposed in the literature. The studies were independently selected by two authors. A narrative synthesis was used to summarise the findings.

A Scoping Review of Observational Studies on Food and Beverage Advertising on Social Media: A Public Health Perspective.

Popular social media platforms have been actively used by ultra-processed food companies to promote their products. Being exposed to this type of advertising increases the consumption of unhealthy foods and the risk of developing obesity and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Thus, monitoring commercial content on social media is a core public health practice.

Digital marketing of online food delivery services in a social media platform before and during COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

Objective: To describe the promotion of food and beverage and marketing strategies used by online food delivery services (OFDS) in a social media platform before and during the pandemic in Brazil.

Design: Publicly available data were extracted from OFDS Instagram accounts. Posts published 6 months immediately before and after the first case of COVID-19 in Brazil were randomly sampled.

Global case study of digital marketing on social media by a top soda brand.

The Big Soda segment is central in modern food systems, and they invest heavily in digital marketing, but little is known about it. We aimed to analyze the digital marketing on Facebook of the soda brand with a major worldwide reach. Countries were described in terms of soda brand presence and popularity on Facebook according to countries' socio-demographic index (SDI) and the market share of soda brand (%MS).

Obesity among government-backed economy restaurant workers in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Introduction: This food service sector produces nutritionally balanced meals and its workers eat their meals in this environment. Since they work with nutritionally adequate meals, would these workers have a lower prevalence of obesity?

Objectives: The present study aimed to describe the prevalence of obesity among government-backed economy restaurant workers in a Brazilian state capital with analysis of sociodemographic and occupational factors and associated health factors.

Methods: Two hundred and fifteen (215) workers from four government-backed economy restaurants operating in the city of Belo Horizonte were evaluated.