Phytosociology, diversity and floristic similarity of a Cerrado fragment on Southern Ceará state, Brazilian Semiarid.

There is a lack of studies on phytosociology of Cerrado fragments within the Caatinga biome, located in the Southern region of Ceará State, associated to the Brazilian Crystalline Shield geological formation. Thus, contributing to the diagnosis and knowledge of this plant community, a survey on the general flora and especially the structure of arboreal vegetation was made. Every individual with SND ≥ 3cm (total height), within 12 parcels with 12x30 m (0.432 ha) of area was sampled. The floristic similarity was calculated by the Jaccard index, in comparison with ten other Brazilian Cerrado areas. Fourty-six species distributed in 22 families were found, comprising a total of 906 individuals, with AD=2,097.22 ind.ha-1. The highest abundance was found within families Fabaceae (20.31%) and Vochysiaceae (19.98%). Qualea parviflora, Annona leptopetala, Hymenaea stignocarpa and Callisthene fasciculata had the highest IVI index species. The calculated biodiversity indexes were: alpha diversity of Shannon (H’) = 3.8 and equitability of Pielou (J’) = 0.83. The results obtained show the area as a vegetation relict, under threat due to the penetration of Caatinga species, climatic changes, insufficient conservation efforts and fast anthropic deforestation. As a result, this relict area tends to shrink to a fragment much smaller than it was in the past

Agricultural and livestock production in the Amazon: a reflection on the necessity of adoption of integrated production strategies in the western region of the state of Pará.

The Brazilian Amazon has a large bovine herd and is an important exporter of meat from cattle and is also one of the most competitive regions for exportation of animal protein. Conventional extensive cattle ranching management has been a strategy promoted by public policies and has contributed to the processes of occupation of the region through modification of public lands with native forests. The objective of this study was to analyze the fundamental elements that have sustained conventional extensive cattle ranching in the Amazon and to demonstrate new strategies to change this paradigm, with a focus on western Pará. Data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) on cattle ranching production between 1990 and 2019 were analyzed and separated into two periods, 1990-2000, and 2001-2019. Meteorological data from western Pará were analyzed to describe the agrometeorological conditions (1989 -2012) with respect to the hydrological regime and its controls on the soil-plant-atmosphere system. Results show that the largest greenhouse gas emissions (GGE) from ruminants occurs during the dry season due to pasture forage grasses that are highly lignified. In contrast, lower emissions occur from diets rich in proteins and lipids, with subsequent gains in productivity, thus indicating the benefits of pastures with well-managed grasses. It is believed that cattle ranchers will adopt integrated systems such as integration of crop-livestock-forest (ICLF) when they are able to understand that climate conditions can be allied with sustainability indicators of the production chain. This paradigm shift in production systems applies not only to environmental and economic aspects, but especially to social ones such as opportunities to hire qualified workers coming from regional agrarian science school

Innovative 2D/3D biotextiles for potential bone tissue engineering applications

Bone tissue engineering represents a specialised niche within the biomedical field to which textile technologies can markedly contribute. Textile-based technologies are considered as potential routes for the production of scaffolds for TE applications, as they present superior control over design and reproducibility. This work aims at developing novel 2D/3D textile structures based on different polymeric materials and to engineer their surfaces in order to promote and control cell adhesion and proliferation. Natural and synthetic polymers such as silk, polybutylene succinate (PBS) and poly(ethylene therephtalate) (PET) were selected to be extruded into multifilament yarns and processed into different structures such as Jersey, Rib and Piqué and 3D spacer. Furthermore, different surface modifications were performed (acid/alkaline treatment, UV radiation and plasma) for increasing cell adhesion and proliferation. The immobilization of different proteins on the surface of modified materials was also performed. All textile constructs were characterized in terms of porosity, morphology and mechanical properties by µ-CT, SEM and DMA analysis. The effectiveness of the surface modifications was assessed by FTIR, XPS and contact angle measurements. The obtained constructs present very reproducible intra-architectural scaffold geometry with high surface area and exhibiting a wide range of porosities. By the above mentioned techniques it was possible to validate the effectiveness of the proposed treatments in modifying the surface of the materials. In addition, BSA was successfully immobilized on the obtained surfaces. Cell adhesion and proliferation studies are allowed to validate the developed constructs for the proposed application. By the proposed textile methodologies it was possible to develop a diversity of constructs with a wide range of porosities and surface area. The effective modification and immobilization of biomolecules on the surface of the biotextiles are important outcomes that are expected to have a positive impact in their biological performance.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologi

Solos, clima e vegetação em áreas de ocorrência natural de castanheiras na Amazônia brasileira.

Este capítulo tem como objetivo integrar uma base de informações das classes de solos, vegetação e clima nos municípios onde a castanheira-da-amazônia ocorre naturalmente, no âmbito do território da Amazônia Legal.V. 3: Ecologia e manejo de castanhais nativos. ODS 2, ODS 3, ODS 8, ODS 11, ODS 12, ODS 13, ODS 17