A Contingent Valuation Study Of Buriti (mauritia Flexuosa L.f.) In The Main Region Of Production In Brazil: Is Environmental Conservation A Collective Responsibility?

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)The immature leaves of the buriti palm (Mauritia flexuosa) are widely harvested in the municipality of Barreirinhas, Maranhão, for the production of handicrafts, which are sold to locals and tourists. The increasing demand for these artisanal goods is stimulating the emergence of an informal market for immature buriti leaves, leading to an intensification of their extraction and resulting in negative effects on local buriti palm populations and the ecosystem. Thus, the objective of the present study was to assess the environmental value of the buriti palm tree based on the maximum willingness to pay (WTP) for its conservation, using the contingent valuation method. Among the respondents, 99.74% reported that the palm species should be protected and the majority of them (65.75%) agreed to pay for its conservation (annual WTP R$ 179.49 ± 222.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that the WTP was not influenced by the socio-economic profile of the respondents. The main reasons for non-WTP are related to dissatisfaction with the government and the belief that financial contributions would not solve problems of environmental damage. Overall, the evaluated population believes that environmental conservation is not an obligation of the government or that of the population, but is a collective responsibility. © 2016, Sociedade Botanica do Brasil. All rights reserved.304532539CAPES, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível SuperiorMOE, Ministry of EducationCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Apuntes florísticos y taxonómicos para la flora de las Islas Canarias

En el presente trabajo damos a conocer un total de 30 nuevas citas florísticas para las Islas Canarias. Algunas de ellas son adiciones para la flora de una determinada isla, mientras que otras incrementan la fitodiversidad del Archipiélago en general. De alguno de estos taxones se conoce su gran potencial invasor y por lo tanto con esta nota se pretende dar una voz de alerta sobre su presencia/introducción en unas islas con frágiles ecosistemas. Por otro lado confirmamos para la isla de Lanzarote la presencia de Astragalus hamosus L. Para la nominación de los taxones se han seguido principalmente las floras básicas de Castroviejo (1986-2009) y de Tutin et al. (1964-1980). Para aquellos taxones que no se hallan en los anteriores tratados así como para aquellos grupos conflictivos (p.e. Orobanche) se sigue la bibliografía referenciada en cada uno de ellos. El material al que se hace referencia bajo cada uno de los taxones se encuentra depositado en los herbarios ORT o TFC. Para cada una de las especies se anota, cuando es posible, su distribución, ecología y ubicación fitosociológica, así como comentarios sobre su problemática taxonómica o nomenclatural si las hubiere y consideraciones acerca de su potencial capacidad de expansión en los ecosistemas de las islas. Respecto a la nominación de los sintáxones seguimos la nomenclatura fitosociológica de Rodríguez Delgado et al. (1998) y Rivas-Martínez et al. (2001, 2002)

Utilization of barley grain in substitution of corn in diets for lactation cows

In the present research work the effects of partial and total substitution of ground corn grain by dry rolled barley on the milk production and composition were evaluated. Twenty-eight Holstein cows with an average of 125 days in milk were used in a 4x4 latin square design. Once a day, the diet was supplied in a totally mixed ration. Four levels of corn substitution by barley were tested (T1 0% barley; T2 33% barley; T3 67% barley; and T4 100% barley. The experiment was carried out during 105 days. Cows were milked twice a day and contents of fat, protein, milk total solids, and somatic cell count (SCC) were established twice in each treatment period and the milk urea nitrogen (MUN) at the end of each period. The dry matter intake decreased in a linear fashion when barley replaced corn in the diet. However, the ingestion of crude protein, neutral fiber detergent and acid fiber detergent were not affected when substituting corn by barley. Linear reduction was observed in milk yield, fat corrected milk production and fat and protein contents of the milk, while the protein percentages increased in a linear way. No effect was registered concerning the levels of substitution on the protein production, total solids of the milk, SCC, MUN and on the conversion efficiency.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos da substituição total e parcial de grãos de milho moídos por grãos de cevada laminados sobre a produção e a composição do leite. Foram utilizadas 28 vacas holandesas, com média de 125 dias de lactação, em um delineamento em quadrado latino 4x4. A dieta foi fornecida na forma de dieta totalmente misturada, 1 vez ao dia. Foram testados 4 níveis de substituição de milho por cevada (T1 0% cevada; T2 33 % cevada; T3 66% cevada; e T4 - 100% cevada). O experimento teve uma duração total de 105 dias. As vacas foram ordenhadas 2 vezes ao dia e as coletas para determinação da percentagem de gordura, proteína e extrato seco total (EST) e da contagem de células somáticas (CCS) realizadas 2 vezes em cada período experimental e para determinação do nitrogênio uréico no leite (NUL) ao final de cada período. A ingestão de matéria seca decresceu linearmente quando a cevada substituiu o milho. A ingestão de proteína bruta, fibra em detergente ácido e fibra em detergente neutro não foi afetada pela substituição do milho pela cevada. Foi observada redução linear na produção de leite, produção de leite corrigido para 4% de gordura (LCG), produção e percentagem de gordura do leite, enquanto que a percentagem de proteína aumentou linearmente. A eficiência alimentar (EA) foi em média de 1,31 kg de LCG/kg de matéria seca ingerida, não sendo afetada pelas dietas. Também não houve efeito do nível de substituição sobre a produção de proteína, EST, CCS e NUL

Sobre caso de doença de Chagas aguda em região de vetores controlados no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

No vector transmitted cases of Chagas disease had been notified in the state of São Paulo since the 1970s. However, in March, 2006, the death of a six-year-old boy from the municipality of Itaporanga was notified to the Center for Epidemiological Survey of the São Paulo State Health Secretariat: an autochthonous case of acute Chagas disease. The postmortem histopathological examination performed in the Hospital das Clínicas of the Botucatu School of Medicine confirmed the diagnosis. Reference to hospital records, consultation with the health professionals involved in the case and interviews with members of the patient's family supplied the basis for this study. We investigated parasite route of transmission, probable local reservoirs and vectors. No further human cases of acute Chagas disease were diagnosed. No locally captured vectors or reservoirs were found infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. Alternative transmission hypotheses - such as the possible ingestion of foods contaminated with vector excreta - are discussed, as well as the need to keep previously endemic regions and infested houses under close surveillance. Clinicians should give due attention to such signs as uni- or bilateral palpebral edema, cardiac failure, myocarditis, pericarditis, anasarca and atypical signs of nephrotic syndrome or nephritis and consider the diagnostic hypothesis of Chagas disease.Desde a década de 1970 não se notificavam casos autóctones de doença de Chagas aguda em São Paulo. Em março de 2006 a Vigilância Epidemiológica registrou óbito por doença de Chagas aguda, em Itaporanga, de paciente de seis anos de idade. Exame histopatológico post mortem realizado no Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu confirmou o diagnóstico. Consultamos prontuários de hospitais e entrevistamos profissionais de saúde envolvidos além de familiares do paciente. Descrevemos medidas adotadas in loco para identificar a via de transmissão, reservatórios e vetores. Discutimos as possíveis fontes de infecção. Na região não foram identificados outros casos humanos, vetores ou reservatórios vertebrados infectados por Trypanosoma cruzi. Salientamos a importância de manter a vigilância, mesmo em áreas onde a transmissão de doença de Chagas está interrompida e naquelas ainda infestadas por triatomíneos. Deve-se admitir a hipótese diagnóstica de doença de Chagas quando observados: edema palpebral (uni ou bilateral), insuficiência cardíaca, miocardite, pericardite, anasarca, quadros similares aos de síndrome nefrótica ou glomerulonefrite sem causas outras aparentes, em pacientes com dados epidemiológicos positivos. Encontro, mesmo em raras ocasiões, de triatomíneos na região ou ainda contato com alimento contaminável com formas infectantes de T. cruzi

Searching for star-planet magnetic interaction in CoRoT observations

Close-in massive planets interact with their host stars through tidal and magnetic mechanisms. In this paper, we review circumstantial evidence for star-planet interaction as revealed by the photospheric magnetic activity in some of the CoRoT planet-hosting stars, notably CoRoT-2, CoRoT-4, and CoRoT-6. The phenomena are discussed in the general framework of activity-induced features in stars accompanied by hot Jupiters. The theoretical mechanisms proposed to explain the activity enhancements possibly related with hot Jupiter are also briefly reviewed with an emphasis on the possible effects at photospheric level. The unique advantages of CoRoT and Kepler observations to test these models are pointed out.Comment: Invited review paper accepted by Astrophysics and Space Science, 13 pages, 5 figure

Macaronesia as a fruitful arena for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology

peer reviewe

Role of carbonate burial in Blue Carbon budgets

Calcium carbonates (CaCO 3 ) often accumulate in mangrove and seagrass sediments. As CaCO 3 production emits CO 2 , there is concern that this may partially offset the role of Blue Carbon ecosystems as CO 2 sinks through the burial of organic carbon (C org ). A global collection of data on inorganic carbon burial rates (C inorg , 12% of CaCO 3 mass) revealed global rates of 0.8 TgC inorg yr −1 and 15–62 TgC inorg yr −1 in mangrove and seagrass ecosystems, respectively. In seagrass, CaCO 3 burial may correspond to an offset of 30% of the net CO 2 sequestration. However, a mass balance assessment highlights that the C inorg burial is mainly supported by inputs from adjacent ecosystems rather than by local calcification, and that Blue Carbon ecosystems are sites of net CaCO 3 dissolution. Hence, CaCO 3 burial in Blue Carbon ecosystems contribute to seabed elevation and therefore buffers sea-level rise, without undermining their role as CO 2 sinks. © 2019, The Author(s)

Expedition 361 summary

International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 361 drilled six sites on the southeast African margin (southwest Indian Ocean) and in the Indian-Atlantic Ocean gateway, from 30 January to 31 March 2016. In total, 5175 m of core was recovered, with an average recovery of 102%, during 29.7 days of on-site operations. The sites, situated in the Mozambique Channel at locations directly influenced by discharge from the Zambezi and Limpopo River catchments, the Natal Valley, the Agulhas Plateau, and Cape Basin, were targeted to reconstruct the history of the greater Agulhas Current system over the past ~5 My. The Agulhas Current is the strongest western boundary current in the Southern Hemisphere, transporting some 70 Sv of warm, saline surface water from the tropical Indian Ocean along the East African margin to the tip of Africa. Exchanges of heat and moisture with the atmosphere influence southern African climates, including individual weather systems such as extratropical cyclone formation in the region and rainfall patterns. Recent ocean model and paleoceanographic data further point at a potential role of the Agulhas Current in controlling the strength and mode of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) during the Late Pleistocene. Spillage of saline Agulhas water into the South Atlantic stimulates buoyancy anomalies that may influence basin-wide AMOC, with implications for convective activity in the North Atlantic and global climate change. The main objectives of the expedition were to establish the role of the Agulhas Current in climatic changes during the Pliocene–Pleistocene, specifically to document the dynamics of the Indian-Atlantic Ocean gateway circulation during this time, to examine the connection of the Agulhas leakage and AMOC, and to address the influence of the Agulhas Current on African terrestrial climates and coincidences with human evolution. Additionally, the expedition set out to fulfill the needs of Ancillary Project Letter number 845, consisting of high-resolution interstitial water sampling to help constrain the temperature and salinity profiles of the ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum. The expedition made major strides toward fulfilling each of these objectives. The recovered sequences allowed generation of complete spliced stratigraphic sections that range from 0 to between ~0.13 and 7 Ma. This sediment will provide decadal- to millennial-scale climatic records that will allow answering the paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic questions set out in the drilling proposal