The Nevado de Toluca Flora and Fauna Protection Area presents a constant fragmentation of its forests. The objective of the research was to identify the processes of forest deterioration and the role of local stakeholders in its conservation. Geographic information systems were used as a basis for the generation of thematic maps, in addition to the application of a flow diagram that defines the problems of the forest and another that describes and analyzes them for the search of solutions. The results show that the main factors affecting deterioration are forest fires, immoderate logging, pests and diseases. Finally, strategies and scenarios for forest management are proposed based on the articulation of local stakeholders.

Nanocomposites are high performance materials which reveal rare properties. Nanocomposites have an estimated annual growth rate of 25% and fastest demand to be in engineering plastics and elastomers. Their prospective is so prominent that they are valuable in numerous areas ranging from packaging to biomedical applications. In this review, the various types of matrix nanocomposites are discussed highlighting the need for these materials, their processing approaches and some recent results on structure, properties and potential applications. Perspectives include need for such future materials and other interesting applications. Being environmentally friendly, applications of nanocomposites propose new technology and business opportunities for several sectors of the aerospace, automotive, electronics and biotechnology industries.

Six Sigma is an organized and systematic method for strategic process improvement that relies on statistical and scientific methods to reduce the defect rates and achieve significant quality up-gradation. Six Sigma is also a business philosophy to improve customer satisfaction, a tool for eliminating process variation and errors and a metric of world class companies allowing for process comparisons. Six Sigma is one of the most effective advanced improvement strategies which has direct impact on operational excellence of an organization. Six Sigma may also be defined as the powerful business strategies, which have helped to improve quality initiatives in many industries around the world. With the use of Six Sigma in casting industries, rejection rate is reduced, customer satisfaction is improved and financial benefits also increased. Six Sigma management uses statistical process control to relentlessly and rigorously pursue the reduction of variation in all critical processes to achieve continuous and breakthrough improvements that impact the bottom-line and/or top-line of the organization and increase customer satisfaction. In this paper author reviewed some of the significant previous published papers and focused on the general overview of publication in casting industries.

Energy shortages and environmental damage have become serious problems facing the society today. Biomass can be a renewable energy source, which large-scale development and utilization are of great significance to industry and social life. Biomass pyrolysis technology can achieve effective utilization of biomass energy. It is necessary to optimize the pyrolysis reaction technology and device for realize the industrialization and large-scale production of biomass energy.

The use of saline water in agriculture is a viable alternative, considering the increased demand for fresh water. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth and phytomass production of sugar beet under irrigation with water of different saline concentrations in a field experiment on the campus of the Federal University of Alagoas in Arapiraca. The treatments were five levels of electrical conductivity (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 dS m^-1). The design was in randomized blocks, with four repetitions. The maximum yield of sugar beet at 27 days after the application of saline treatments was obtained with a salinity of 3.0 dS m^-1, for the variables plant height (PA), stem diameter (CD), root length (RC), aboveground dry phytomass (FSPA) and total dry phytomass (FST). At 42 days after the application of saline treatments, the variables aboveground fresh phytomass (FFPA), root fresh phytomass (FFR), total fresh phytomass (FFT), aboveground dry phytomass (FSPA) and total dry phytomass (FST) increased with increasing water salinity. Rain may have influenced the results obtained for the evaluations, performed at 42 days after the application of the saline treatments.

The cambucizeiro (Campomanesia phaea), belonging to the Myrtaceae family, is a native plant of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The description of the characteristics of the cambucizeiro fruits is important to support new genetic improvement works and its commercial exploitation, especially regarding the processing of the fruit. The present work aimed to perform the morphological and chemical characterization of the cambucizeiro fruits. Fifty-eight accessions, from different locations in the Atlantic Forest and Serra do Mar in the state of São Paulo, were collected, propagated by seeds and one specimen of each accessory is at the Seedling Production Center in São Bento do Sapucaí (SP). Forty fruits from each access were collected in May and submitted to the following analyses: longitudinal and transversal diameter, total fruit fresh mass, number and mass of seeds, total soluble solids, % citric acid, ratio, firmness, vitamin C and coloration. Fruit conformation varies intensely among accessions. The number of seeds is not a good indicator for the relation with the fruit mass, but the mass of one thousand seeds. Some accessions have high soluble solids content, but, on the other hand, the vast majority have fruits with high acidity. Cambuci is an excellent source of vitamin C. The fruits of the accessions are green in color, persisting an opaque shade when ripe.