Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae, <i>Leptodactylus cupreus</i> Caramaschi, Feio and Sao-Pedro, 2008: Distribution extension

We provide the first record of Leptodactylus cupreus out of its type locality, as well the first record of this speciesin the State of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil. The record of Leptodactylus cupreus from municipality Santa Teresaextends in approximately 220 km to the northeastern of its geographic distribution and establishes the inferior limit of 800m in its altitudinal distribution in the Serra da Mantiqueira

Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV: mapping the Milky Way, nearby galaxies, and the distant universe

We describe the Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV), a project encompassing three major spectroscopic programs. The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment 2 (APOGEE-2) is observing hundreds of thousands of Milky Way stars at high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratios in the near-infrared. The Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey is obtaining spatially resolved spectroscopy for thousands of nearby galaxies (median ). The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) is mapping the galaxy, quasar, and neutral gas distributions between and 3.5 to constrain cosmology using baryon acoustic oscillations, redshift space distortions, and the shape of the power spectrum. Within eBOSS, we are conducting two major subprograms: the SPectroscopic IDentification of eROSITA Sources (SPIDERS), investigating X-ray AGNs and galaxies in X-ray clusters, and the Time Domain Spectroscopic Survey (TDSS), obtaining spectra of variable sources. All programs use the 2.5 m Sloan Foundation Telescope at the Apache Point Observatory; observations there began in Summer 2014. APOGEE-2 also operates a second near-infrared spectrograph at the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, with observations beginning in early 2017. Observations at both facilities are scheduled to continue through 2020. In keeping with previous SDSS policy, SDSS-IV provides regularly scheduled public data releases; the first one, Data Release 13, was made available in 2016 July

Neonatal Apex Resection Triggers Cardiomyocyte Proliferation, Neovascularization and Functional Recovery Despite Local Fibrosis

So far, opposing outcomes have been reported following neonatal apex resection in mice, questioning the validity of this injury model to investigate regenerative mechanisms. We performed a systematic evaluation, up to 180 days after surgery, of the pathophysiological events activated upon apex resection. In response to cardiac injury, we observed increased cardiomyocyte proliferation in remote and apex regions, neovascularization, and local fibrosis. In adulthood, resected hearts remain consistently shorter and display permanent fibrotic tissue deposition in the center of the resection plane, indicating limited apex regrowth. However, thickening of the left ventricle wall, explained by an upsurge in cardiomyocyte proliferation during the initial response to injury, compensated cardiomyocyte loss and supported normal systolic function. Thus, apex resection triggers both regenerative and reparative mechanisms, endorsing this injury model for studies aimed at promoting cardiomyocyte proliferation and/or downplaying fibrosis. In this article, Nascimento and colleagues demonstrate that neonatal apex resection stimulates cardiomyocyte proliferation and permanent scarring in the apex. Newly formed cardiomyocytes compensate muscle loss by resection, and resected hearts recover functional competence in adulthood. These findings endorse this model for studies aiming to block cardiac fibrosis and/or favoring CM proliferation

Optimizing hydropower generation with reservoir level management in humid regions

It is well known that water management practices can have a significant impact on the climate and hydrology of a region. As a rule, the average flow downstream decreases due to the construction of new hydropower plants and the operation of new dams, as evaporation increases in the upstream dams. However, this is not the case in every situation. This study shows that dams in humid areas such as Brazil can help to increase river flow. This phenomenon occurs due to the high humidity and low wind conditions in the region, which leads to low evaporation in the reservoirs. At the same time, full reservoirs help to maintain high humidity around the reservoirs, which increases precipitation in the catchment. To test this hypothesis, water storage and hydropower generation data from Brazilian catchments in the Southeast region were used. Reservoir data are compared with future hydropower generation to investigate the correlation between the two variables. We find that the operation of reservoirs has a significant impact on Brazilian river flows. On average, the annual hydropower potential of a catchment with a full reservoir is 111 % higher than with empty reservoirs. To increase the flow of the river, the study proposes solutions to fill the reservoirs after an energy crisis and keep the reservoirs at full capacity

High velocity seawater air-conditioning with thermal energy storage and its operation with intermittent renewable energies

The rapid increase in cooling demand for air-conditioning worldwide brings the need for more efficient cooling solutions based on renewable energy. Seawater air-conditioning (SWAC) can provide base-load cooling services in coastal areas utilizing deep cold seawater. This technology is suggested for inter-tropical regions where demand for cooling is high throughout the year, and it has been implemented in islands with short distances from the coast and the deep sea. This paper proposes adjustments to the conventional design of SWAC plants to reduce implementation risks and costs. The approach is named high velocity SWAC and consists of increasing the excavation depth of the seawater pump station up to 20 m below the sea level, compared to 2 to 5 m in conventional SWAC projects. This allows a twofold increase in the speed of inlet pipeline seawater and cooling load of the plant. The cooling load can be expanded twofold with only 55% capital cost and 83% project costs, compared with the costs of a new system. In addition, this article shows that high velocity SWAC plants with thermal energy storage will have an important role supporting the dissemination of intermittent renewable sources of energy in regions where SWAC is a viable cooling alternative

Energy crisis in Brazil: Impact of hydropower reservoir level on the river flow

Water management strategies can have considerable impacts on the regional climate and hydrology. It is usually the case that the construction and operation of hydropower reduce the river flow downstream due to the increase in evaporation. However, this paper shows that in humid regions, such as in Brazil, the hydropower storage reservoirs contribute to increase the flow of the river. This observation has been tested with historical reservoir levels and river flow data from several dams in Brazil. It was found that the operation of reservoirs in Brazil has a considerable impact on its river flows. The higher the storage level at the beginning of the humid period, the higher the river flow during the wet period. The paper proposes strategies to allow the reservoirs to fill up and to maintain the reservoirs filled in the future, with the intention of increasing hydropower generation and reducing the intermittency of other renewable energy sources