A situaçao da conservaçao do solo e da agua no Brasil : o papel do SNLCS da EMBRAPA

Ce rapport fait le point de la situation de la recherche et des connaissances de gestion et de conservation des sols et des eaux au Brésil. Un inventaire des différentes institutions et organismes qui travaillent dans ces domaines ou en financent les recherches est dressé et le bilan des résultats déjà acquis dans les cinq grandes régions du pays établi. Un diagnostic des points faibles et des secteurs carentiels par région est tenté et de nouvelles lignes de recherche sont préconisées. En conclusion des solution possibles sont présentées au niveau national et à celui particulier du SNLCS de l'EMBRAPA. (Résumé d'auteur

Antibacterial activity and toxicity of drimys brasiliensis

Men have used medicinal plant properties to treat infectious diseases. Both the rise of emerging infectious diseases as the microbial resistance problem has stimulated the searching for new antimicrobial agents. This study evaluated the antibacterial activity and toxicity of crude extracts, fractions and pure compounds from Drimys brasiliensis. The antibacterial activity of five extracts, twelve fractions and five isolated compounds were tested against six Gram-positive and seven Gram-negative bacteria. The methodology used was agar dilution. The extract potential toxicities were evaluated using Artemia salina assay. Antibacterial activity tests showed some promising results, such as bark chloroform extract with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 62.5 μg/mL for Bacillus cereus, fraction G2 with MIC for Staphylococcus aureus of 62.5 μg/mL, and methoxy-polygodial compound with MIC to Bacillus cereus of 31.25 μg/mL. There was no activity against Gram-negative bacteria. The bark dichloromethane extract showed MIC of 1000 μg/mL against Helicobacter pylori. The best results corresponded to fractions E and G2, with a MIC of 500 μg/mL. Among the isolated compounds, polygodial showed better activity with MIC of 250 μg/mL. Artemia salina tests showed that the bark dichloromethane extract and the fractions E and G2 showed toxicity, with LC50 values of 27.51, 25.29 and 139.7 μg/mL, respectively. The results showed the antibacterial activity of Drimys brasiliensis, with potential toxicity, but with possible antimutagenic action.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Effects of carbonated water injection on the pore system of a carbonate rock (coquina)

CO2 injection is a well-known Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) technique that has been used for years to improve oil extraction from carbonate rock and other oil reservoirs. Optimal functioning of CO2 injection requires a thorough understanding of how this method affects the petrophysical properties of the rocks. We evaluated pore-scale changes in these properties, notably porosity and absolute permeability, following injection of CO2-saturated water in two coquina outcrop samples from the Morro do Chaves Formation in Brazil. The coquinas are close analogues of Pre-salt oil reservoirs off the coast of southern Brazil. The effects of carbonated water injection were evaluated using a series of experimental and numerical steps before and after coreflooding: cleaning, basic petrophysics, microtomography (microCT) imaging, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses, and pore network modeling (PNM). Our study was motivated by an earlier experiment which did not show the development of a wormhole in the center of the sample, with a concomitant increase in permeability of the coquina as often noted in the literature. We instead observed a substantial decrease in the absolute permeability (between 71 and 77%), but with little effect on the porosity and no wormhole formation. While all tests were carried out on both samples, here we present a comprehensive analysis for one of the samples to illustrate changes at the pore network level. Different techniques were used for the pore-scale analyses, including pore network modeling using PoreStudio, and software developed by the authors to enable a statistical analysis of the pore network. Results provided much insight in how injected carbonated water affects the pore network of carbonate rocks

Fauna of euglossina (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from southwestern Amazonia, Acre, Brazil

Male orchid bees were collected between December 2005 and September 2006 in 11 forest areas of different sizes in the region of Rio Branco, Acre, Southwestern Amazonia, Brazil. The bees were attracted by 6 aromatic compounds and collected by insect nets and scent baited traps. A total of 3,675 males of Euglossina in 4 genera and 36 species were collected. Eulaema cingulata (Fabricius) was the most common (24.6%), followed by Eulaema meriana (Olivier) (14.6%), Euglossa amazonica Dressler (10.5%), Eulaema nigrita Lepeletier (10.5%) and Eulaema pseudocingulata (Oliveira) (7.2%). Cineole was the scent that attracted the greatest number of individuals (23.8%) and methyl salicylate the greatest number of species (28) for both methods of sampling. Thirty one bees of 9 species with pollinar orchid attached to their bodies were collected. The accumulative number of species stabilized after the 48th collection. Few species were abundant; the great majority were represented by less than 50 bees. The lack of standardized sample protocols limited very much the conclusions derived from comparisons among the majority of studies on Euglossina assemblages. However, the results presented here suggest that the State of Acre is very rich in those bees compared to other regions.Machos de abelhas Euglossina foram coletados entre dezembro de 2005 e setembro de 2006 em 11 áreas florestais de diferentes tamanhos na região de Rio Branco, Acre, Amazônia Sul-Ocidental. As abelhas foram atraídas por 6 substâncias odoríferas e coletadas com rede entomológica e armadilhas. Um total de 3.675 machos de Euglossina pertencentes a 4 gêneros e 36 espécies foi coletado. Eulaema cingulata (Fabricius) foi a espécie mais comum (24,6%), seguida por Eulaema meriana (Olivier) (14,6%), Euglossa amazonica Dressler (10,5%), Eulaema nigrita Lepeletier (10,5%) e Eulaema pseudocingulata (Oliveira) (7,2%). Cineol foi a substância que atraiu maior número de indivíduos (23,8%) e metil salicilato o maior número de espécies (28) para ambos os métodos de coleta. Foram coletados 31 indivíduos pertencentes a 9 espécies portando polinários. O número acumulado de espécies coletadas na região estabilizou a partir da 48ª coleta. Poucas espécies foram abundantes, a maioria representada por menos que 50 indivíduos. A falta de um protocolo amostral padronizado tem limitado comparações entre trabalhos realizados em diferentes regiões. Contudo, os resultados aqui apresentados indicam que o Acre apresenta elevada riqueza dessas abelhas

Measurements of differential production cross sections for a Z boson in association with jets in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

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