Herpetofauna, Santa Edwiges I and II hydroelectric power plants, state of Goiás, Brazil

This paper presents a check list of amphibians and reptiles of the area under the influence of Santa Edwiges I and IIsmall hydroelectric power plants on Rio Buritis, state of Goiás, Brazil. The list was the result of faunal rescueoperations carried out between 31 August and 29 September 2005 (Santa Edwiges II) and between 30 July and 12September 2006 (Santa Edwiges I). The list comprises 30 species of amphibians belonging to 16 genera and 8 families(Caeciliidae, Bufonidae, Cycloramphidae, Hylidae, Brachycephalidae, Leiuperidae, Leptodactylidae, andMicrohylidae), and 45 species of reptiles belonging to 38 genera and 16 families (Amphisbaenidae, Anguidae,Gekkonidae, Gymnophtalmidae, Polychrotidae, Scincidae, Teiidae, Tropiduridae, Anomalepididae, Leptotyphlopidae,Typhlopidae, Boidae, Colubridae, Dipsadidae, Elapidae, and Viperidae)

Jogo sério para o ensino da Gestão de Riscos em Projetos de Softwares usando Inteligência Artificial

Com a crescente demanda por gerentes de projeto de software, a Web tem se tornado um ambiente promissor para o treinamento destes profissionais. Dessa forma, a utilização de jogos Web como um instrumento no processo de ensino e aprendizagem tem sido pesquisada. No entanto, o projeto de um jogo Web instrutivo que preencha todos os requisitos pedagógicos e técnicos para a formação de um gerente de projeto não é uma tarefa trivial. De fato, há uma lacuna entre os conceitos teóricos, que são geralmente ensinados nos cursos tradicionais, e os aspectos práticos exigidos pelas tarefas reais. A principal contribuição desse trabalho é um jogo persistente baseado em navegadores da Internet voltado para a gestão de riscos utilizando técnicas da inteligência artificial, incluindo agentes inteligentes e lógica fuzzy. O sistema deverá ser capaz de avaliar, em tempo real, cada ação dos jogadores, para, assim, aperfeiçoar o processo de aprendizado da gestão de riscos

Exercise training decreases mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-3 expression and suppresses hepatic gluconeogenesis in obese mice

When the hepatic insulin signaling is compromised, there is an inadequate suppression of gluconeogenic pathways, leading the organism to high levels of glucose. Studies with animals with obesity induced by high fat diet or genetically modified showed increased MKP-3 expression and MKP-3/Foxo1 association in liver, with a consequent increase in blood glucose concentration, development of insulin resistance and DM2. As a non-pharmacological strategy recognized and indicated for prevention and treatment of diabetes is the regular practice of physical exercise. In this study we demostrated that physical training is an important tool capable of reducing insulin resistance in the liver by reducing the inflammatory process, including the inhibition of MKP-3 and, therefore, suppress gluconeogenic program in obesity rats. The understanding of these new mechanisms by which physical training regulates glucose homeostasis has critical importance to health professionals for the understanding and prevention of diabetes. Insulin plays an important role in the control of hepatic glucose production. Insulin resistant states are commonly associated with excessive hepatic glucose production, which contributes to both fasting hyperglycaemia and exaggerated postprandial hyperglycaemia. In this regard, increased activity of phosphatases may contribute to the dysregulation of gluconeogenesis. Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-3 (MKP-3) is a key protein involved in the control of gluconeogenesis. MKP-3-mediated dephosphorylation activates FoxO1 (a member of the forkhead family of transcription factors) and subsequently promotes its nuclear translocation and binding to the promoters of gluconeogenic genes such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase). In this study, we investigated the effects of exercise training on the expression of MKP-3 and its interaction with FoxO1 in the livers of obese animals. We found that exercised obese mice had a lower expression of MKP-3 and FoxO1/MKP-3 association in the liver. Further, the exercise training decreased FoxO1 phosphorylation and protein levels of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1 alpha) and gluconeogenic enzymes (PEPCK and G6Pase). These molecular results were accompanied by physiological changes, including increased insulin sensitivity and reduced hyperglycaemia, which were not caused by reductions in total body mass. Similar results were also observed with oligonucleotide antisense (ASO) treatment. However, our results showed that only exercise training could reduce an obesity-induced increase in HNF-4 alpha protein levels while ASO treatment alone had no effect. These findings could explain, at least in part, why additive effects of exercise training treatment and ASO treatment were not observed. Finally, the suppressive effects of exercise training on MKP-3 protein levels appear to be related, at least in part, to the reduced phosphorylation of Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) in the livers of obese mice592613251340CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP471498/2011-42010/12091-2; 2011/14727-4; 2011/13779-

Eccentric Exercise Leads To Glial Activation But Not Apoptosis In Mice Spinal Cords.

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of 3 overtraining (OT) protocols on the glial activation and apoptosis in the spinal cords of mice. Rodents were divided into control (C; sedentary mice), overtrained by downhill running (OTR/down), overtrained by uphill running (OTR/up) and overtrained by running without inclination (OTR). The incremental load test, ambulation test, exhaustive test and functional behavioural assessment were used as performance evaluation parameters. 36 h after the exhaustive test, the dorsal and ventral parts of the lumbar spinal cord (L4-L6) were dissected for subsequent protein analysis by immunoblotting. The OT protocols led to similar responses of some performance parameters. The ventral glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) protein levels were diminished in the OTR/up and OTR compared to CT and OTR/down groups. The ventral ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1), and the dorsal GFAP and Iba-1 protein levels were increased in the OTR/down compared to the other groups. The ratio between the cleaved capase-3/caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9/caspase-9 measured in the spinal cord were not sensitive to the OT protocols. In summary, the OTR/down activated the glial cells in the motor (i. e. Iba-1) and sensory (i. e. GFAP and Iba-1) neurons without leading to apoptosis

Modern rhodolith-dominated carbonates at Punta Chivato, Mexico

Rhodolith-dominated carbonate environments, characterized by high abundances of free-living coralline algae, have been described globally from a wide range of Recent and fossil shallow marine settings. In the present-day warm-temperate Gulf of California, Mexico, rhodolith-dominated systems are important contributors to carbonate production. One of the most prolific rhodolith factories is located on the Punta Chivato shelf, in the central Gulf of California, where due to a lack of input of terrigenous material from the arid hinterland, carbonate content averages 79%. Punta Chivato rhodoliths thrive above the shallow euphotic zone under normal saline, warm-temperate and meso- to eutrophic conditions. A detailed sedimentologic study combined with acoustic seafloor mapping indicates the presence of extensive rhodolith-dominated facies at subtidal water depth covering an area of \u3e17 km2. Additional facies, surrounding the rhodolith-dominated facies include a fine-grained molluscan, a transitional bivalve-rhodolith and a bivalve facies. While the Punta Chivato shelf yields average abundances of 38% rhodolith-derived coralline algal components in the gravel-sized sediment fraction, the rhodolith facies itself is characterized by more than 60% coralline algal components. Other important carbonate producers at Punta Chivato include bivalves (35%), bryozoa (11%) and gastropods (8%). The present study shows that acoustic sediment mapping yields highly resolved continuous coverage of the seafloor and can distinguish modern rhodolith facies from surrounding sediment. This has important implications for quantifying rhodolith-dominated settings globally, as well as for ecological and conservation studies. © Publications Scientifiques du Muséum national d\u27Histoire naturelle, Paris

Compostagem laminar: uma prática amigável à biodiversidade.

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Conservação e uso de populações de coqueiro-gigante (Cocos nucifera L.)

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Mancha anelar do fruto do coqueiro: uma ameaça à comercialização do coco in natura para água.

Caracterização do problema; Descrição dos sintomas; Estratégia de ação desenvolvida pela Embrapa Tabuleiros Costeiros e ASCONDIR para investigação do problema.bitstream/item/54497/1/CPATC-DOCUMENTOS-13-MANCHA-ANELAR-DO-FRUTO-DO-COQUEIRO-UMA-AMEACA-A-COMERCIALIZACAO-DO-COCO-IN-NA.pd

Embrapa se antecipa ao problema da erosão do solo no Agreste sergipano.

O Estado de Sergipe tem experimentado uma forte expansão da cultura do milho nos últimos anos, principalmente nas regiões Agreste e Sertão que respondem por 96% da área plantada.Tal expansão pode acarretar sérios problemas de erosão hídrica no solo.bitstream/item/123096/1/Embrapa-se-antecipa.pd

Relações de resistência mecânica à penetração e produtividade do milho doce.

Ao longo do tempo, o manejo intensivo do solo altera suas condições físicas. Características, estas, capazes de influenciar a disponibilidade de água, de oxigênio, resistência mecânica a penetração e, consequentemente, o desenvolvimento e produtividade das plantas. Sistemas de cultivo que promovem menor revolvimento do solo (sistemas conservacionistas) podem reduzir os efeitos da compactação e a associação com rotação de culturas potencializa sua capacidade de regenerar as propriedades físicas perdidas, além de trazer significativas vantagens econômicas. Tendo em vista estas vantagens, neste estudo visou-se a análise da resistência mecânica a penetração um sistema de faixas experimentais com três repetições dispostas em blocos compostos por 12 tratamentos que associam três manejos de solos (CC ? cultivo convencional, CM ? cultivo mínimo, PD ? plantio direto) e quatro plantas de cobertura (amendoim, feijão, guandu e crotalária) em sucessão a cultura do milho doce (Zea mays L.). Houve diferença signifcativa nos valores de Resistência Mecânica à Penetração, do solo submetido aos diferentes sitemas de cultivo. O plantio direto apresentou maior resistência mecânica na camada até 10 cm, a crotalária apresentou menores valores de resistência mecânica no cultivo convencional, sendo que o amendoim foi a cultura que apresentou menores valores de resistência mecânica no plantio direto