Uso de dardos anestésicos para a captura de veados campeiros (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) no Pantanal.

Existem poucos relatos sobre a captura de cervídeos na América do Sul. Até hoje, a captura do veado campeiro (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) em vida livre foi feita principalmente com uso de redes, seguida de contenção química. Neste trabalho, avaliou-se a viabilidade de captura de indivíduos da espécie utilizando dardos anestésicos, lançados à distância. Essa técnica, também conhecida como ?darting?, nunca havia sido reportada para captura de O. bezoarticus na natureza, pois se acreditava que os animais morreriam em fuga, devido ao estresse relacionado ao tiro. A fim de evitar tal possibilidade, a técnica apresentada incluiu uma fase longa de abordagem dos animais. No geral, a trajetória descrita durante a aproximação teve formato de espiral em torno dos alvos e, via de regra, o atirador adotou ângulos oblíquos para aproximar-se, até alcançar a condição de tiro (<20 m). Entre os anos de 2005 e 2006, foram realizadas 23 capturas de veados campeiros com uso de Zolazepan + Tiletamina (1:1), na dosagem de 10 mg/kg ou Telazol + Xilazina (2:1), na dosagem de 3 a 4,5 mg/kg e 1,5 a 2,25 mg/kg, respectivamente. Os dardos foram lançados com de pistola de gás comprimido ?dartgun? ou zarabatana. Todos os animais capturados recuperam-se após a captura e nenhuma injúria visível foi registrada. Apenas uma mortalidade foi observada durante o estudo. O método mostrou-se eficaz e pode substituir com vantagens o anterior, uma vez que a equipe necessária é menor e o risco de mortalidade mais baixo. A alternativa apresentada é recomendada para futuras capturas de O. bezoarticus. A experiência do atirador é um fator limitante ao método.bitstream/CPAP/55937/1/BP71.pdfFormato eletrônic

Quantitative analysis and processing of surfaces and profiles from profilometry images

Surface metrology is concerned with inspecting morphological parameters of a surfaces or profiles, by using contact or non-contact profilometers. The following abstract describes the development of a software in Python environment that implements various processing methods on images from optical and stylus profilometers. In particular, the program focusses on image pre-processing and determination of dimensional parameters for 2D areas and 1D profiles. It is worth mentioning that many open and closed source programs are already distributed, but they do not provide a sufficient automatization in the image processing, often requiring the user to repeat the same steps for each image to obtain the expected results. The program has been initially developed within the framework of the EMPIR 20IND07 TracOptic project for the processing of a batch of topographies on RS-M and RS-N linear step samples, in order to compensate for the lack of automation for the calculation of height parameters. The developed program is designed to be modular and scalable for expanding the processing capabilities

Twin beam quantum-enhanced correlated interferometry for testing fundamental physics

Quantum metrology deals with improving the resolution of instruments that are otherwise limited by shot noise and it is therefore a promising avenue for enabling scientific breakthroughs. The advantage can be even more striking when quantum enhancement is combined with correlation techniques among several devices. Here, we present and realize a correlation interferometry scheme exploiting bipartite quantum correlated states injected in two independent interferometers. The scheme outperforms classical analogues in detecting a faint signal that may be correlated/uncorrelated between the two devices. We also compare its sensitivity with that obtained for a pair of two independent squeezed modes, each addressed to one interferometer, for detecting a correlated stochastic signal in the MHz frequency band. Being the simpler solution, it may eventually find application to fundamental physics tests, e.g., searching for the effects predicted by some Planck scale theories

Human immunotypes impose selection on viral genotypes through viral epitope specificity

BACKGROUND: Understanding the genetic interplay between human hosts and infectious pathogens is crucial for how we interpret virulence factors. Here, we tested for associations between HIV and host genetics, and interactive genetic effects on viral load (VL) in HIV+ ART-naive clinical trial participants. METHODS: HIV genomes were sequenced and the encoded amino acid (AA) variants were associated with VL, human single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and imputed HLA alleles, using generalized linear models with Bonferroni correction. RESULTS: Human (388,501 SNPs) and HIV (3,010 variants) genetic data was available for 2,122 persons. Four HIV variants were associated with VL (p-values<1.66×10 -5). Twelve HIV variants were associated with a range of 1-512 human SNPs (p-value<4.28×10 -11). We found 46 associations between HLA alleles and HIV variants (p-values<1.29×10 -7). We found HIV variants and immunotypes when analyzed separately, were associated with lower VL, whereas the opposite was true when analyzed in concert. Epitope binding prediction showed HLA alleles to be weaker binders of associated HIV AA variants relative to alternative variants on the same position. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show the importance of immunotype specificity on viral antigenic determinants, and the identified genetic interplay puts emphasis that viral and human genetics should be studied in the context of each other

Chemistry in Brazil: perspectives and needs for the next decade. Introductory document

Over the past years the Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ) has been working on different projects related to the development of Chemistry in Brazil. After a discussion throughout the country two documents have been published in Quimica Nova: Mobilizing Axes in Chemistry and The Chemist's Education. Here, we describe the initial document which was the starting point for the discussion of a new series of papers published in this special issue of Quimica Nova which presents an overview of the Chemistry in our country and the perspectives and needs for the next decade.S7S1

Distinct Olfactory Cross-Modal Effects on the Human Motor System

BACKGROUND: Converging evidence indicates that action observation and action-related sounds activate cross-modally the human motor system. Since olfaction, the most ancestral sense, may have behavioural consequences on human activities, we causally investigated by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) whether food odour could additionally facilitate the human motor system during the observation of grasping objects with alimentary valence, and the degree of specificity of these effects. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a repeated-measure block design, carried out on 24 healthy individuals participating to three different experiments, we show that sniffing alimentary odorants immediately increases the motor potentials evoked in hand muscles by TMS of the motor cortex. This effect was odorant-specific and was absent when subjects were presented with odorants including a potentially noxious trigeminal component. The smell-induced corticospinal facilitation of hand muscles during observation of grasping was an additive effect which superimposed to that induced by the mere observation of grasping actions for food or non-food objects. The odour-induced motor facilitation took place only in case of congruence between the sniffed odour and the observed grasped food, and specifically involved the muscle acting as prime mover for hand/fingers shaping in the observed action. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Complex olfactory cross-modal effects on the human corticospinal system are physiologically demonstrable. They are odorant-specific and, depending on the experimental context, muscle- and action-specific as well. This finding implies potential new diagnostic and rehabilitative applications

A Low-Cost GPS GSM/GPRS Telemetry System: Performance in Stationary Field Tests and Preliminary Data on Wild Otters (Lutra lutra)

Background: Despite the increasing worldwide use of global positioning system (GPS) telemetry in wildlife research, it has never been tested on any freshwater diving animal or in the peculiar conditions of the riparian habitat, despite this latter being one of the most important habitat types for many animal taxa. Moreover, in most cases, the GPS devices used have been commercial and expensive, limiting their use in low-budget projects. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have developed a low-cost, easily constructed GPS GSM/GPRS (Global System for Mobile Communications/General Packet Radio Service) and examined its performance in stationary tests, by assessing the influence of different habitat types, including the riparian, as well as water submersion and certain climatic and environmental variables on GPS fix-success rate and accuracy. We then tested the GPS on wild diving animals, applying it, for the first time, to an otter species (Lutra lutra). The rate of locations acquired during the stationary tests reached 63.2%, with an average location error of 8.94 m (SD = 8.55). GPS performance in riparian habitats was principally affected by water submersion and secondarily by GPS inclination and position within the riverbed. Temporal and spatial correlations of location estimates accounted for some variation in the data sets. GPS-tagged otters also provided accurate locations and an even higher GPS fix-success rate (68.2%). Conclusions/Significance: Our results suggest that GPS telemetry is reliably applicable to riparian and even divin