SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND STRUCTURAL VARIATION OF Copaifera arenicola IN A CAATINGA FRAGMENT

The study of spatial distribution of tree populations has proven to be important for revealing how individuals are horizontally organized in the environment, facilitating the structural understanding and forms of colonization and dispersion of propagules. The present work aimed at studying the pattern of spatial distribution of tree species Copaiferaarenicola [(Ducke) J. Costa e L.P.Queiroz] and its structural relation with the altimetric profile in a Caatinga fragment in Ribeira do Pombal municipality, Bahia. Census of all individuals in the area with circumference at breast height (CBH) ≥ 6 cm was performed. The spatial distribution analysis was conducted for the whole population using Ripley K univariate function, with maximum search radius (h) of 128 m. 409 individuals were found, corresponding to absolute density of 89.49 ind. ha-1 and 0.681 m². ha-1 of basal area. The group of C. arenicola individuals corresponds to a stable population in expansion phase, presenting higher number of young and medium individuals. The pattern of spatial distribution of individuals in the area under study was the uniform arrangement. None of the altimetric classes of the area had a different influence on the structure and distribution of arboreal individuals

Artificial intelligence to growth stresses predicting in Eucalyptus clones using dendrometric variables and wood density

Eucalyptus planted forests contribute to maximizing lumber production but problems such as longitudinal growth strain can negatively influence the quality of the products. Knowing dendrometric variables and wood properties can help in the prediction of longitudinal growth strain, mainly with the help of artificial intelligence. Thus, the aim of this research was to evaluate the use of artificial neural networks to predict longitudinal growth strain in Eucalyptus trees based on dendrometric variables, spacing between trees and wood density. The longitudinal growth strain was measured in trees of four Eucalyptus clones planted in three spacings. The diameter and height of each tree were measured. The basic wood density was determined. Artificial neural networks were used to estimate longitudinal growth strain as a function of dendrometric variables, tree spacing and wood density. The results showed that the artificial neural networks presented good results for training and validation, with most of them resulting in high correlation coefficient values. The trained artificial neural networks showed a correlation coefficient above 0,56. Artificial neural networks showed that the variables clone and basic wood density were the ones that most contributed to the prediction of longitudinal growth strain. On the other hand, the spacing between trees, the height of the tree and the diameter at breast height were not relevant to predict growth stresses

Ocorrência da espécie exótica Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Aves, Ardeidae) no município de Ribeira do Pombal, Bahia, Brasil

O estabelecimento de uma espécie exótica numa região, mesmo quando verificada como residente, gera diversas preocupações ambientais, econômicas e de saúde. A espécie Bubulcus ibis (Aves, Ardeidae), conhecida popularmente como garça-vaqueira, possui ocorrência marcante no semiárido do nordeste brasileiro, sendo encontrada em agrupamentos de ninhos construídos em árvores de pequeno porte, formando também grupos para forrageamento junto ao gado bovino. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo verificar a espécie B. ibis no município de Ribeira do Pombal (Bahia) quanto ao seu comportamento de forrageamento e nidificação local. Os grupos foram registrados com o número de indivíduos estimado e os locais de observação georreferenciados, com auxílio de aparelho GPS, em trabalho de campo realizado no período de maio a outubro de 2015, entre os horários das 7h às 12h e das 14h30 às 18h. Foram computados 34 pontos de ocorrência da espécie, com um total de 2.471 indivíduos distribuídos nas atividades: forrageamento (1.546), repouso (137) e em sítio de reprodução (788). A espécie ocorre no município sempre em bando, em caráter temporário, com distribuição dispersa em grande parte do território, independentemente do estado de conservação ou antropização do ambiente ocupado

RESÍDUO MADEIREIRO GERADO EM MARCENARIAS NO MUNICÍPIO DE RIBEIRA DO POMBAL – BAHIA

Realizou-se o presente trabalho com o objetivo de avaliação, do descarte e da proposta de uso de resíduos gerados em marcenarias no município de Ribeira do Pombal situado mesoregião nordeste do Estado da Bahia. Aplicou-se um questionário semiestruturado nas marcenarias do município, nos meses de fevereiro e março de 2016. Os entrevistados foram indagados em três questões principais: espécie de madeira utilizada, volume e destino de resíduos gerados referentes ao ano de 2015. Registrou-se 09 marcenarias no município e com as madeiras provenientes de 15 espécies botânicas. O volume médio de resíduos gerados foi estimado em 21 m³. A venda foi o principal destino dos resíduos correspondendo a 62% do total dos resíduos. A maravalha foi o tipo de resíduo mais gerado (46%) seguido pela serragem (39%). Sugere-se a utilização dos resíduos madeireiros como matéria prima para a geração de energia, servindo como um orçamento extra para as próprias marcenaria

Pellucidin A promotes antinociceptive activity by peripheral mechanisms inhibiting COX-2 and NOS: In vivo and in silico study.

Peperomia pellucida (PP) belongs to the Peperomia genus, which has a pantropic distribution. PP is used to treat a wide range of symptoms and diseases, such as pain, inflammation, and hypertension. Intriguingly, PP extract is used by different tropical countries for its anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects. In fact, these outcomes have been shown in animal models, though the exact bioactive products of PP that exert such results are yet to be discovered. To determine and elucidate the mechanism of action of one of these compounds, we evaluated the antinociceptive effect of the novel dimeric ArC2 compound, Pellucidin A by using in vivo and in silico models. Animals were then subjected to chemical, biphasic and thermal models of pain. Pellucidin A induced an antinociceptive effect against chemical-induced pain in mice, demonstrated by the decrease of the number of writhes, reaching a reduction of 43% and 65% in animals treated with 1 and 5 mg/kg of Pellucidin A, respectively. In the biphasic response (central and peripheral), animals treated with Pellucidin A showed a significant reduction of the licking time exclusively during the second phase (inflammatory phase). In the hot-plate test, Pellucidin A did not have any impact on the latency time of the treated animals. Moreover, in vivo and in silico results show that Pellucidin A's mechanism of action in the inflammatory pain occurs most likely through interaction with the nitric oxide (NO) pathway. Our results demonstrate that the antinociceptive activities of Pellucidin A operate under mechanism(s) of peripheral action, involving inflammatory mediators. This work provides insightful novel evidence of the biological properties of Pellucidin A, and leads to a better understanding of its mechanism of action, pointing to potential pharmacological use

Description of mitochon genome and phylogenetic considerations of Sabethes bipartipes, Sabethes cyaneus, Sabethes quasicyaneus, and Sabethes tarsopus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Federal University of Pará. Institute of Biological Sciences. Center of Genomics and System Biology. Post-graduate program in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Laboratory of Genomic and Bioinformatics. Belém, PA, BrazilState of Pará University. Post-graduate program in Parasitary Biology in the Amazon, Center of Biological and Health Sciences. Belém, PA, BrazilMinistério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, BrasilMinistério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, BrasilMinistério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, BrasilState of Pará University. Post-graduate program in Parasitary Biology in the Amazon, Center of Biological and Health Sciences. Belém, PA, BrazilState of Pará University. Post-graduate program in Parasitary Biology in the Amazon, Center of Biological and Health Sciences. Belém, PA, Brazil / Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, BrasilMinistério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, BrasilMinistério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, BrasilState of Pará University. Post-graduate program in Parasitary Biology in the Amazon, Center of Biological and Health Sciences. Belém, PA, Brazil / Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, BrasilThe genus Sabethes (Diptera: Culicidae) comprises species of great epidemiological relevance, particularly involved in transmission cycles of the Yellow fever virus in South America. Given the unavailability of information related to aspects of evolutionary biology and molecular taxonomy of species of this genus of mosquitoes, we report here the first sequencing of the mitochondrial genomes of Sabethes bipartipes, Sabethes cyaneus, Sabethes tarsopus, and Sabethes quasicyaneus. The sequences obtained showed an average length of 14,920 bp, comprising 37 functional genes (13 PCGs, 22 tRNA, and 02 rRNA). The phylogenies reconstructed by Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods, based on the concatenated sequences of all 13 PCGs, produced similar topologies and strongly supported the monophyletic relationship between the Sabethes subgenera, corroborating the known taxonomic classification based on aspects of the external morphology of the taxa assessed. The data and information produced from the Sabethes species evaluated here may be useful for future taxonomic and evolutionary studies of the genus, as well as the Culicidae family