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Ethanol production in Brazil started in the early 1930s due to laws created by the Brazilian government. However, ethanol production only increased significantly with the National Program of Ethanol implementation in 1975. This program was another action taken by the Brazilian government aiming to provide conditions for the development of the ethanol industry in the country. With the program, it was possible to achieve significant progress; however, it finished in the mid-1980s. Currently, ethanol is produced on a large scale by more than 300 sugarcane mills all over the country. In 2016, the Brazilian government provided another incentive for ethanol production by creating the RenovaBio Program, which aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Besides the environmental aspect, Brazil’s ethanol industry needs to develop to supply future biofuel demand. According to the forecast provided in this paper, and considering technical, economic, and environmental aspects regarding the Brazilian ethanol industry, the current and only feedstock used is likely to be insufficient. Thus, the ethanol produced from corn would be an attractive secondary feedstock to complement sugarcane ethanol as the primary feedstock.

Introduction The endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach (EETA) is routinely used to treat sellar and suprasellar tumors. It provides safe and direct access to tumors in these locations, with wide visualization of anatomical landmarks and great surgical results. With the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the high risk of transmission involved, various surgical procedures cannot be postponed due to their emergency. Case Report A 62-year-old female presented in the previous two months with headaches, followed by bilateral severe visual loss. In 2016, she was submitted to subtotal resection of a non-secretory macroadenoma. Because of the progressive visual deficits, the EETA was used to the resect the pituitary adenoma. Technical Note We developed a low-cost adaptation to the surgical fields, covering the patient's head and superior trunk with a regular surgical microscope bag with a tiny slit to enable the endoscope and surgical instruments to enter the nose, thus protecting the personnel in the operating room from the aerosolization of particles. This makes surgery safer for the surgical team and for the patient. Conclusion In view of the lack of literature on this subject, except for some reports of experiences from some services around the world, we describe the way we have adjusted the EETA in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Water resource management consists of planning and implementing measures to ensure sufficient and quality supply to activities requiring water usage, including the supply of plumbing systems in buildings. Major problems arise from mismanagement of water usage, such as the lack of proper upkeep practices and maintenance of plumbing fixtures in public buildings. The aim of this study is to analyze the existence of possible statistical correlations between water consumption data and operating conditions of plumbing fixtures in public administrative buildings. Ten public buildings were visited in Brazil while performing this research, in order to determine the per capita water consumption, flow rates, and operating conditions of plumbing fixtures. Flow rate data were obtained through field measurements by the gravimetric method and compared with the values set by Brazilian standards and environmental certifications. Consumption indicators were calculated, which showed variation from 16.6 to 69.3 L/user/day. The performed statistical analysis pointed out that there was significant correlation with variables related to construction and operating conditions of plumbing fixtures, such as the number of installed devices, number of leaks and defects found, in addition to devices with flow rate noncompliant to limits established by current legislation.