Estudo comparativo entre ovitrampa e o método LIRAa para avaliação da presença de Aedes aegypti (Diptera:Culicidae) em Pedro II, Piauí, Brasil / Comparative study between ovitraps and LIRAa method for evaluating the presence of Aedes aegypti (Diptera:Culicidae) in Pedro II, Piauí, Brazil

O aumento no número de casos de dengue, Chikungunya e Zika vírus se deve a vários fatores, como aumento da urbanização, abastecimento de água irregular e controle ineficaz do vetor primário Aedes aegypti. Assim, estratégias de monitoramento desses vetores são necessárias para redução da circulação viral. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar comparativamente, o Levantamento Rápido do índice de Infestação por Ae. aegypti (LIRAa) e a ovoposição em armadilhas (ovitrampa) na cidade de Pedro II, PI- Brasil em três bairros: Boa Esperança, Cristo Rei e Vila Kolping.  As ovitrampas foram elaboradas com pote plástico escuro, contendo no seu interior água, uma palheta e o larvicida Pyriproxifen. No período de 2019 e 2020, colocou-se 31 ovitrampas em pontos estratégicos para contagem e identificação dos ovos presentes na palheta e a partir dos dados obtidos foi possível o cálculo dos Índices de Positividade de Ovitrampa (IPO) e Índices de Densidade de Ovos (IDO). Os dados obtidos foram comparados com o LIRAa realizado em 2019 nos meses de maio, agosto e outubro.  Coletou-se 23.704 ovos. No bairro Boa Esperança foram 9.020 ovos (38,1%) com IPO = 68,9% e IDO = 222,8. No Cristo Rei foram 9.659 ovos (40,7%), IPO = 72,4% e IDO = 109,6. No Vila Kolping, 5.025 ovos (21,2%), IPO = 47,4% e IDO = 81,3. Os resultados mostraram que o IPO variou muito (27,2% a 100%) entre os bairros amostrados, o que demonstra a grande flutuabilidade populacional do vetor. De acordo com o LIRAa, os bairros ofereceram risco alto de infestação do vetor, especialmente no mês de maio. No entanto, no mês de outubro os índices aferidos pelo LIRAa tiveram o valor entre 0,8% e 1,3% e os ovos ainda estavam com a densidade alta, como é o caso do bairro Boa Esperança com 203,6 de IDO.  O grupo de depósitos que predominou foi o A2, caracterizado por grandes reservatórios de água, vasos/frascos com água, pratos, garrafas e outros. Os resultados da pesquisa indicam que o monitoramento por ovitrampas e o método LIRAa são atividades complementares e instrumentos de grande utilidade para a vigilância vetorial, permitindo maior precisão na tomada de decisões

Analysis of Water Barrier, Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Nanocoposites Based on Cassava Starch and Natural Clay or Modified by Anionic Exchange

<div><p>Biopolymer films have several industrial applications because they are environmentally sustainable. Cassava starch is a biopolymer that is easily available, but has limitations: it is hydrophilic, poorly resistant and degradable. The improvement of these properties was proposed in this research from the use of bentonite clay (BT) as a filling material. The compatibilization of this in the polymer matrix was obtained by ion exchange with an organic anionic surfactant. The formation of intercalated or exfoliated starch nanocomposites in the presence of natural or modified clay was characterized by XRD, FTIR, AFM and SEM. The improvement of water vapor, thermal and mechanical properties was investigated by WVP, solubility, TGA and tensile test. The starch nanocomposites in the presence of modified clay showed a better result than those of natural clay. There was no significant difference in the color of the starch film in the presence of the natural or modified clay.</p></div

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora