Diversidade de espécies de aves em silvicultura de eucalipto.

Com a rápida e crescente expansão da silvicultura, especialmente no Estado de São Paulo, é comum o debate sobre os impactos e possíveis benefícios de tal prática, principalmente sobre a biodiversidade. Entretanto, levantamentos de indicadores de biodiversidade nessas áreas ainda são escassos e existe uma grande lacuna de conhecimento. Este trabalho apresenta resultados sobre a caracterização da avifauna encontrada em uma propriedade de silvicultura de Eucalyptus no Município de Brotas, SP. A amostragem da avifauna foi realizada usando a metodologia de contagem por pontos. Após seis campanhas de campo foram registradas 53 espécies de aves para a área de estudo, distribuídas em 23 famílias e 11 ordens. A ordem dos Passeriformes foi a que apresentou maior número de espécies (34) e de contatos (132). De acordo com a análise da frequência de ocorrência, poucas espécies mostraram-se frequentes na região e outras apareceram em um único ponto, fato que poderia ser indicativo de grande variedade de nichos ecológicos. Análises futuras avaliarão a diversidade da fauna em relação a indicadores de ecologia da paisagem e em relação à fitossociologia do sub-bosque nas áreas de cultivo de eucalipto.bitstream/item/56791/1/015-11.pd

Antibody response elicited by the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine booster in patients with multiple sclerosis: Who gains from it?

Background and purpose: Although two doses of COVID-19 vaccine elicited a protective humoral response in most persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS), a significant group of them treated with immunosuppressive disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) showed less efficient responses. Methods: This prospective multicenter observational study evaluates differences in immune response after a third vaccine dose in pwMS. Results: Four hundred seventy-three pwMS were analyzed. Compared to untreated patients, there was a 50-fold decrease (95% confidence interval [CI] = 14.3–100.0, p < 0.001) in serum SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels in those on rituximab, a 20-fold decrease (95% CI = 8.3–50.0, p < 0.001) in those on ocrelizumab, and a 2.3-fold decrease (95% CI = 1.2–4.6, p = 0.015) in those on fingolimod. As compared to the antibody levels after the second vaccine dose, patients on the anti-CD20 drugs rituximab and ocrelizumab showed a 2.3-fold lower gain (95% CI = 1.4–3.8, p = 0.001), whereas those on fingolimod showed a 1.7-fold higher gain (95% CI = 1.1–2.7, p = 0.012), compared to patients treated with other DMTs. Conclusions: All pwMS increased their serum SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels after the third vaccine dose. The mean antibody values of patients treated with ocrelizumab/rituximab remained well below the empirical "protective threshold" for risk of infection identified in the CovaXiMS study (>659 binding antibody units/mL), whereas for patients treated with fingolimod this value was significantly closer to the cutoff

Immunity of an Alternative Host Can Be Overcome by Higher Densities of Its Parasitoids Palmistichus elaeisis and Trichospilus diatraeae

Interactions of the parasitoids Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare & LaSalle and Trichospilus diatraeae Cherian & Margabandhu (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) with its alternative host Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) affect the success or failure of the mass production of these parasitoids for use in integrated pest management programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the cellular defense and encapsulation ability of A. gemmatalis pupae against P. elaeisis or T. diatraeae in adult parasitoid densities of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 or 13 parasitoids/pupae. We evaluated the total quantity of circulating hemocytes and the encapsulation rate versus density. Increasing parasitoid density reduced the total number of hemocytes in the hemolymph and the encapsulation rate by parasitized pupae. Furthermore, densities of P. elaeisis above 5 parasitoids/pupae caused higher reduction in total hemocyte numbers. The encapsulation rate fell with increasing parasitoid density. However, parasitic invasion by both species induced generally similar responses. The reduction in defensive capacity of A. gemmatalis is related to the adjustment of the density of these parasitoids to their development in this host. Thus, the role of the density of P. elaeisis or T. diatraeae by pupa is induced suppression of cellular defense and encapsulation of the host, even without them possesses a co-evolutionary history. Furthermore, these findings can predict the success of P. elaeisis and T. diatraeae in the control of insect pests through the use of immunology as a tool for evaluation of natural enemies

PLANTAS HOSPEDEIRAS DE Thyrinteina arnobia (LEPIDOPTERA: GEOMETRIDAE) AFETAM O DESENVOLVIMENTO DO PARASITOIDE Palmistichus elaeisis (HYMENOPTERA: EULOPHIDAE)1

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência do parasitismo e a biologia da prole do parasitoide Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare e La Salle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) em pupas de Thyrinteina arnobia Stoll (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) quando criadas em plantas de Psidium guajava ou Eucalyptus cloeziana. Ovos de T. arnobia foram coletados e colocados em sacos de tecido tipo organza envolvendo galhos de plantas de P. guajava (T1) e E. cloeziana (T2) até as lagartas alcançarem a fase de pupa. Trinta pupas de cada tratamento foram individualizadas em tubos de vidro e expostas ao parasitismo por quatro fêmeas de P. elaeisis por 24 h. Avaliaram-se a emergência da progênie do parasitoide por pupa; a porcentagem de parasitismo, pupas mortas e de adultos de T. arnobia emergidos; a duração do ciclo de vida (ovo-adulto);a longevidade; a razão sexual; e o tamanho da cápsula cefálica e do corpo do parasitoide. A porcentagem de parasitismo, a emergência de P. elaeisis por pupa, a longevidade das fêmeas e o tamanho da cápsula cefálica e do corpo dos machos do parasitoide foram menores quando seu hospedeiro foi criado em plantas de eucalipto. Isso pode ter ocorrido devido à grande quantidade de compostos do metabolismo secundário presentes nesta planta, que podem ser acumulados no corpo do herbívoro ao se alimentar, afetando negativamente o inimigo natural. Palmistichus elaeisis mostrou-se mais adaptado à mirtácea nativa da América P. guajava

Characterizing marshland compressibility by an in-situ loading test: design and set-up of an experiment in the Venice Lagoon

Abstract. The fate of coastal marshlands in the near future will strongly depend on their capability to maintain their elevation above a rising mean sea level. Together with the deposition of inorganic sediments during high tides, organic soil production by halophytic vegetation, and organic matter decomposition, land subsidence due to natural soil compression is a major factor controlling the actual elevation of salt-marsh platforms. Due to their high porosity and compressibility, the marsh sedimentary body undergoes large compression because of the load of overlying more recent deposits. The characterization of the geotechnical properties of these deposits is therefore of paramount importance to quantify consolidation versus accretion and relative sea level rise. However, undisturbed sampling of this loose material is extremely challenging and lab tests on in-situ collected samples are not properly representative of in-situ conditions due to the scale effects in highly heterogeneous silty soils such as those of the Venice lagoon. To overcome this limitation, an in-situ loading test was carried out in the Lazzaretto Nuovo salt-marsh in the Venice Lagoon, Italy. The load is obtained by a number of plastic tanks that are filled with seawater, reaching a cumulative load of 40 kN applied on a 2.5×1.8 m2 surface. Specific instrumentations were deployed before positioning the tanks to measure soil vertical displacement at various depths below the load (0, 10, and 50 cm) and distances (0, 40, and 80 cm) from the load centre. Moreover, six pressure transducers were used to record overpressure dissipation over time. The collected datasets will be interpreted through a 3-D flow-deformation model that, once calibrated, provides reliable estimates of the compressibility values for each monitored depth interval