Evaluation of Phytosterols in Milk and Yogurts Used as Functional Foods in Portu

The early development of cardiovascular diseases, one of the major death causes in Europe, is clearly associated with high plasmatic cholesterol levels. However, it is demonstrated that the ingestion of phytosterols enriched milk and yogurts could reduce cholesterolemia. The purpose of the present work was to assess the commercially available phytosterols-enriched milk and yogurts. As such, the available three milk and seven yogurt presentations in Portuguese market were collected during 2008 and analyzed through gas chromatography coupled with mass detection. All the analyzed milk samples were in agreement with the proportion established by the European Commission, with β-sitosterol as the more abundant phytosterol. However, and contrarily to milk, the different yogurt manufacturers had different options in the phytosterols added to the dairy foods commercialized

NEOTROPICAL XENARTHRANS: a data set of occurrence of xenarthran species in the Neotropics

Xenarthrans – anteaters, sloths, and armadillos – have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with 24 domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across their full distribution ranges. The Neotropics harbor 21 species of armadillos, ten anteaters, and six sloths. Our dataset includes the families Chlamyphoridae (13), Dasypodidae (7), Myrmecophagidae (3), Bradypodidae (4), and Megalonychidae (2). We have no occurrence data on Dasypus pilosus (Dasypodidae). Regarding Cyclopedidae, until recently, only one species was recognized, but new genetic studies have revealed that the group is represented by seven species. In this data-paper, we compiled a total of 42,528 records of 31 species, represented by occurrence and quantitative data, totaling 24,847 unique georeferenced records. The geographic range is from the south of the USA, Mexico, and Caribbean countries at the northern portion of the Neotropics, to its austral distribution in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. Regarding anteaters, Myrmecophaga tridactyla has the most records (n=5,941), and Cyclopes sp. has the fewest (n=240). The armadillo species with the most data is Dasypus novemcinctus (n=11,588), and the least recorded for Calyptophractus retusus (n=33). With regards to sloth species, Bradypus variegatus has the most records (n=962), and Bradypus pygmaeus has the fewest (n=12). Our main objective with Neotropical Xenarthrans is to make occurrence and quantitative data available to facilitate more ecological research, particularly if we integrate the xenarthran data with other datasets of Neotropical Series which will become available very soon (i.e. Neotropical Carnivores, Neotropical Invasive Mammals, and Neotropical Hunters and Dogs). Therefore, studies on trophic cascades, hunting pressure, habitat loss, fragmentation effects, species invasion, and climate change effects will be possible with the Neotropical Xenarthrans dataset

Retrospectiva sociolingüística: contribuições do PEUL Sociolinguistic overview: PEUL's contribution

<abstract language="eng">In this article we focus PEUL's (Programa de Estudos sobre o Uso da Língua) contribution to Brazilian Sociolinguistics, and, specifically, to variationist studies. We start by providing an overview of Rio de Janeiro variable phenomena. Then we show the spread of variation domain and emphasize the systematicity and regularity of a linguistic variable - the formal parallelism - on phenomena of language variation and change, and show some patterns of correlation between language and social structure