Levantamento florístico na fase de regeneração em fragmento de Floresta Ombrófila Mista.

Resumo

Avaliação da regeneração natural em um fragmento de floresta ombrófila mista - Caçador, SC.

Resumo

Metabolic capabilities of microorganisms involved in and associated with the anaerobic oxidation of methane

In marine sediments the anaerobic oxidation of methane with sulfate as electron acceptor (AOM) is responsible for the removal of a major part of the greenhouse gas methane. AOM is performed by consortia of anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME) and their specific partner bacteria. The physiology of these organisms is poorly understood, which is due to their slow growth with doubling times in the order of months and the phylogenetic diversity in natural and in vitro AOM enrichments. Here we study sediment-free long-term AOM enrichments that were cultivated from seep sediments sampled off the Italian Island Elba (20◦C; hereon called E20) and from hot vents of the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California, cultivated at 37◦C (G37) or at 50◦C (G50). These enrichments were dominated by consortia of ANME-2 archaea and Seep-SRB2 partner bacteria (E20) or by ANME-1, forming consortia with Seep-SRB2 bacteria (G37) or with bacteria of the HotSeep-1 cluster (G50). We investigate lipid membrane compositions as possible factors for the different temperature affinities of the different ANME clades and show autotrophy as characteristic feature for both ANME clades and their partner bacteria. Although in the absence of additional substrates methane formation was not observed, methanogenesis from methylated substrates (methanol and methylamine) could be quickly stimulated in the E20 and the G37 enrichment. Responsible for methanogenesis are archaea from the genus Methanohalophilus and Methanococcoides, which are minor community members during AOM (1–7h of archaeal 16S rRNA gene amplicons). In the same two cultures also sulfur disproportionation could be quickly stimulated by addition of zero-valent colloidal sulfur. The isolated partner bacteria are likewise minor community members (1–9h of bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicons), whereas the dominant partner bacteria (Seep-SRB1a, Seep-SRB2, or HotSeep-1) did not grow on elemental sulfur. Our results support a functioning of AOM as syntrophic interaction of obligate methanotrophic archaea that transfer non-molecular reducing equivalents (i.e., via direct interspecies electron transfer) to obligate sulfate-reducing partner bacteria. Additional katabolic processes in these enrichments but also in sulfate methane interfaces are likely performed by minor community members

VLBI imaging of extremely high redshift quasars at 5 GHz

We present very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) images of ten very high redshift (z>3) quasars at 5 GHz. The sources 0004+139, 0830+101, 0906+041, 0938+119 and 1500+045 were observed in September 1992 using a global VLBI array, while 0046+063, 0243+181, 1338+381, 1428+423 and 1557+032 were observed in October 1996 with the European VLBI Network and Hartebeesthoek, South Africa. Most of the sources are resolved and show asymmetric structure. The sample includes 1428+423, the most distant radio loud quasar known to date (z=4.72). It is barely resolved with an angular resolution of about 2.0*1.4 mas.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics, in press, Latex2e, 10 pages, 3 figures (and lots of sub-figures

A study of the angular size-redshift relation for models in which Λ\Lambda decays as the energy density

By modifying the Chen and Wu ansatz, we have investigated some Friedmann models in which $\Lambda$ varies as $\rho$. In order to test the consistency of the models with observations, we study the angular size - redshift relation for 256 ultracompact radio sources selected by Jackson and Dodgson. The angular sizes of these sources were determined by using very long-baseline interferometry in order to avoid any evolutionary effects. The models fit the data very well and require an accelerating universe with a positive cosmological constant. Open, flat and closed models are almost equally probable, though the open model provides a comparatively better fit to the data. The models are found to have intermediate density and imply the existence of dark matter, though not as much as in the canonical Einstein-de Sitter model.Comment: LaTex, 15 pages including 2 figures (Revised version appeared in CQG

Magnetic Fields in Quasar Cores II

Multi-frequency polarimetry with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) telescope has revealed absolute Faraday Rotation Measures (RMs) in excess of 1000 rad/m/m in the central regions of 7 out of 8 strong quasars studied (e.g., 3C 273, 3C 279, 3C 395). Beyond a projected distance of ~20 pc, however, the jets are found to have |RM| < 100 rad/m/m. Such sharp RM gradients cannot be produced by cluster or galactic-scale magnetic fields, but rather must be the result of magnetic fields organized over the central 1-100 pc. The RMs of the sources studied to date and the polarization properties of BL Lacs, quasars and galaxies are shown to be consistent so far with the predictions of unified schemes. The direct detection of high RMs in these quasar cores can explain the low fractional core polarizations usually observed in quasars at centimeter wavelengths as the result of irregularities in the Faraday screen on scales smaller than the telescope beam. Variability in the RM of the core is reported for 3C 279 between observations taken 1.5 years apart, indicating that the Faraday screen changes on that timescale, or that the projected superluminal motion of the inner jet components samples a new location in the screen with time. Either way, these changes in the Faraday screen may explain the dramatic variability in core polarization properties displayed by quasars.Comment: Accepted to the ApJ. 27 pages, 9 figures including figure 6 in colo

Sevoflurane Anesthesia Improves Cognitive Performance in Mice, but Does Not Influence In Vitro Long-Term Potentation in Hippocampus CA1 Stratum Radiatum

BACKGROUND: Whether the occurrence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction is a result of the effects of surgery or anesthesia is under debate. In this study, we investigated the impact of sevoflurane anesthesia on cognitive performance and cellular mechanisms involved in learning and memory. METHODS: Male C57Bl6/J mice (4–5 months) were exposed to one minimum alveolar concentration sevoflurane for two hours. After 24 h, cognitive performance of mice was assessed using the modified hole board test. Additionally, we evaluated hippocampal long-term potentiation and expression levels of different receptor subunits by recording excitatory postsynaptic field potentials and using the western blot technique, respectively. Non-anesthetized mice served as controls. RESULTS: In anesthetized mice, neither cognitive performance nor long-term potentiation was impaired 24 h after anesthesia. Interestingly, sevoflurane anesthesia induced even an improvement of cognitive performance and an elevation of the expression levels of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor type 1 and 2B subunits in the hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS: Since NMDA receptor type 1 and 2B subunits play a crucial role in processes related to learning and memory, we hypothesize that sevoflurane-induced changes in NMDA receptor subunit composition might cause hippocampus-dependent cognitive improvement. The data of the present study are in favor of a minor role of anesthesia in mediating postoperative cognitive dysfunction

Observational Properties of Jets in Active Galactic Nuclei

Parsec scale jet properties are shortly presented and discussed. Observational data are used to derive constraints on the jet velocity and orientation, the presence of velocity structures, and the connection between the pc and kpc scale. Two peculiar sources with limb-brightened jets: 1144+35 and Mkn 501 are discussed in detail.Comment: 13 pages with 7 figures. To appear in "Virtual Astrophysical Jets" APSS, Kluwer Academic Publisher - Massaglia, Bodo, Rossi eds - in pres

The nucleotide and partial amino acid sequences of rat fetuin

Fetuins are among the major plasma proteins, yet their biological role has remained elusive. Here we report the molecular cloning of rat fetuin and the sequence analysis of a full-length clone, RF619 of 1456 bp with an open reading frame of 1056 bp encoding 352 amino acid residues. The coding part of RF619 was identical with the cDNA sequence of the natural inhibitor of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase from rat (pp63) except for four substitutions and a single base insertion causing divergence of the predicted protein sequences. Partial amino acid sequences of rat plasma fetuin were in agreement with the predictions based on the RF619 cDNA. Purified rat fetuin inhibited the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase in vitro. Therefore, we conclude that RF619 and pp63 cDNA encode the same protein, i.e. authentic rat fetuin which is a functional tyrosine kinase inhibitor

A Multi-Epoch VLBI Survey of the Kinematics of CJF Sources; Part I: Model-Fit Parameters and Maps

Context: This is the first of a series of papers presenting VLBI observations of the 293 Caltech-Jodrell Bank Flat-Spectrum (hereafter CJF) sources and their analysis. Aims: One of the major goals of the CJF is to make a statistical study of the apparent velocities of the sources. Methods: We have conducted global VLBI and VLBA observations at 5 GHz since 1990, accumulating thirteen separate observing campaigns. Results: We present here an overview of the observations, give details of the data reduction and present the source parameters resulting from a model-fitting procedure. For every source at every observing epoch, an image is shown, built up by restoring the model-fitted components, convolved with the clean beam, into the residual image, which was made by Fourier transforming the visibility data after first subtracting the model-fitted components in the uv-plane. Overplotted we show symbols to represent the model components. Conclusions: We have produced VLBI images of all but 5 of the 293 sources in the complete CJF sample at several epochs and investigated the kinematics of 266 AGN.Comment: Figure 1 and Table 2 are only available in electronic form at the CDS and soon at http://www.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/staff/sbritzen/cjf.htm