Brazilian Botanic Gardens

We argue that botanic gardens, as plant conservation focused institutions, have been tested in temperate regions that possess a relatively robust conservation infrastructure and a relatively low number of threatened species. The ability of the Brazilian botanic gardens to support plant conservation is especially challenging, given their small number relative to Brazil’s plant diversity and the increasing rate of habitat loss and plant endangerment. This study, the first for Brazil, assesses the conservation capacity of Brazilian botanic gardens. An assessment is made of the status of conservation facilities in Brazilian botanic gardens and the conservation status of their plant collections.This was based on a survey sent to thirty-six Brazilian botanic gardens in 2011– 2013 using information from the 2008 Brazilian Red List, and seven state conservation lists. The results identified a small percentage of threatened species (n =102/21 per cent) in ex situ collections of 22 botanic gardens and less than 10 per cent representation for each state red list. An assessment based on the updated Brazilian Red List (2014) showed that 425 threatened species were maintained in living collections of 18 botanic gardens. Despite the extensive size of some collections, the proportion of threatened species in the collections was found to be very low. Improvement in infrastructure, technical capacity, including horticultural skills, and development of policies and protocols will benecessary to increase the effectiveness of the collections for conservation aims

Andrological, pathologic, morphometric, and ultrasonographic findings in rams experimentally infected with Brucella ovis

AbstractBrucella ovis is considered the most important infectious cause of reproductive disorders in sheep. The disease is characterized by epididymitis, subfertility and infertility in rams. B. ovis occasionally results in abortion in ewes, as well. The aim of this study was to evaluate kinetic changes in the reproductive organs of rams experimentally infected with B. ovis. Nine rams were experimentally inoculated intrapreputially with 2mL of a suspension containing 1.2×109CFU (colony-forming units)/mL of B. ovis (strain ATCC25840). In addition, 50μL of a suspension containing 1.2×1010CFU/mL of the same B. ovis strain was inoculated into each conjunctival sac, resulting in 3.6×109CFU total per ram. Six of nine infected rams had developed clinical changes in the tail of the epididymis at 30 days post-infection (dpi), but these changes regressed in 50% of these rams. Ultrasound demonstrated an increase in the area of the tail of the epididymis (P<0.001), reduction in the area of the testes (P<0.001), and an increased length and width of the seminal vesicles (P<0.001) during the course of infection. A sperm granuloma was diagnosed on the basis of ultrasonography findings. Microscopically, there was epididymitis, testicular degeneration, and seminal vesiculitis. Inflammatory cells were detected in the semen even before the development of epididymitis. Moreover, inflammatory cells were also found in the semen of asymptomatic rams, indicating that the presence of leukocytes in the ejaculate is a valuable method for screening potential carriers of infections in the genital tract

Avaliação da qualidade de matérias-primas de ruibarbo utilizadas em formulações farmacêuticas

As plantas denominadas de ruibarbo sintetizam antraquinonas e taninos, que são responsáveis pelos efeitos laxante e adstringente, respectivamente. Análises da qualidade de cinco matérias-primas de ruibarbo foram realizadas a fim de detectar adulterações. As reações para antraquinonas e taninos foram positivas. Os constituintes rapônticos foram observados na amostra de Rheum palmatum (2). As medidas de cinzas totais para Rheum palmatum (2) e Ferraria cathartica estão acima do esperado. Conforme resultados, as amostras de Rheum palmatum (2) e Ferraria cathartica devem estar adulteradas

Estudo farmacognóstico de galhos de Vanillosmopsis erythropappa Schult. Bip. - Asteraceae

Vanillosmopsis erythropappa é um vegetal rico em óleos essenciais, especialmente o á-bisabolol. O objetivo deste estudo foi pesquisar a variação sazonal qualitativa de substâncias naturais, teores de óleos essenciais, cinzas totais, umidade e pH. Os resultados mostraram uma variação de flavonóides, taninos, triterpenóides, esteróides, saponinas, óleos essenciais, cinzas totais, umidade e pH, demonstrando que os aspectos ambientais influenciam o metabolismo dessa espécie. As médias anuais dos valores obtidos foram: óleos essenciais= 0,29 ± 0,09%; cinzas totais= 3,13 ± 0,49%; umidade= 6,56 ± 0,80% e pH= 5,40 ± 0,24

Unconventional spin fluctuations in the hexagonal antiferromagnet YMnO3_3

We used inelastic neutron scattering to show that well below its N\'{e}el temperature, $T_{\rm N}$, the two-dimensional (2D) XY nearly-triangular antiferromagnet YMnO$_{3}$ has a prominent {\it central peak} associated with 2D antiferromagnetic fluctuations with a characteristic life time of 0.55(5) ps, coexisting with the conventional long-lived spin-waves. Existence of the two time scales suggests competition between the N\'{e}el phase favored by weak interplane interactions, and the Kosterlitz-Thouless phase intrinsic to the 2D XY spin system.Comment: 4pages, 5figure

On-ground performance tests of the SAX/PDS detector

The Phoswich Detection System (PDS) is one of the four narrow field experiments on board the SAX satellite. The PDS will be dedicated to deep temporal and spectral studies of celestial X-ray sources in the 15–300 keV energy band. It also includes a gamma-ray burst monitor. The PDS detector is composed of 4 actively shielded NaI(Tl)/CsI(Na) phoswich scintillators with a total geometric area of 795 cm2 and a field of view of 1:4 (FWHM). The performance of the detector, before its integration with its flight electronic, was tested using standard instrumentation. Here we present results of these tests. The measured energy resolution of the phoswich units is better than 15% at 60 keV, confirming the expectations. Also test results of the anticoincidence shield of CsI(Na) and collimator are discussed

Multiaxial Fatigue Assessment of Friction Stir Welded Tubular Joints of Al 6082-T6

The present paper addresses the problem of designing aluminium friction stir (FS) welded joints against multiaxial fatigue. After developing a bespoke FS welding technology suitable for joining aluminium tubes, some one hundred welded tubular specimens of Al 6082-T6 were tested under pure axial, pure torsional and biaxial tension-torsion loading. The influence was explored of two independent variables, namely the proportional or nonproportional nature of the biaxial loading and the effect of axial and torsional non-zero mean stresses. The experimental results were re-analysed using the Modified Wöhler Curve Method (MWCM), with this bi-parametrical critical plane approach being applied in terms of nominal stresses, notch stresses, and also the Point Method. The validation exercise carried out using these experimental data demonstrated that the MWCM is applicable to prediction of the fatigue lives for these FS welded joints, with its use resulting in life estimates that fall within the uniaxial and torsional calibration scatter bands. The approach proposed in the present paper offers, for the first time, a complete solution to the problem of designing tubular FS welded joints against multiaxial fatigue loading