Are earthworm populations maintained in public parks in cities? The case of Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

ISEE 10

Fauna edáfica como indicadora de contaminação do solo.

Recentemente, o solo tem se tornado foco de preocupação devido à gradativa contaminação de ambientes terrestres e aquáticos, decorrente do progresso e avanços sócio-econômicos no país. Diante dessa realidade, a demanda por atividades antrópicas menos agressivas ao ambiente é cada vez maior. Os possíveis impactos ambientais, portanto, devem ser monitorados, controlados e remediados, a fim de evitar problemas irreversíveis ao meio ambiente e à sociedade. A ecotoxicologia estuda os efeitos dos poluentes sobre os organismos e a interação destes com o habitat. Para se avaliar o impacto de uma substância no solo, ensaios ecotoxicológicos com metodologia padronizada internacionalmente podem ser realizados com invertebrados edáficos, tais como as minhocas, enquitreídeos e colêmbolos, por serem importantes na decomposição da matéria orgânica do solo. Esses ensaios de laboratório, no entanto, precisam ser adaptados, pois a metodologia padrão se baseia em espécies e condições de clima temperado que não condizem com a realidade do Brasil. Adaptações aos ensaios de efeito agudo (mortalidade), efeito crônico (reprodução) e de fuga (comportamento) têm sido estudados por vários grupos e os resultados têm sido positivos com relação ao uso do substrato com o pó da fibra da casca do côco e utilização de temperaturas maiores que 20ºC. Algumas espécies encontradas no Brasil também têm sido testadas, algumas delas apresentando resultados promissores, outras, com limitações. De modo geral, os métodos para avaliação da contaminação do solo em laboratório têm apresentado avanços, entretanto, mais estudos se fazem necessários para o estabelecimento de espécies nativas recomendadas para cada tipo de ensaio.Resumo expandido

Impact of interfacial molecular orientation on radiative recombination and charge generation efficiency.

A long standing question in organic electronics concerns the effects of molecular orientation at donor/acceptor heterojunctions. Given a well-controlled donor/acceptor bilayer system, we uncover the genuine effects of molecular orientation on charge generation and recombination. These effects are studied through the point of view of photovoltaics-however, the results have important implications on the operation of all optoelectronic devices with donor/acceptor interfaces, such as light emitting diodes and photodetectors. Our findings can be summarized by two points. First, devices with donor molecules face-on to the acceptor interface have a higher charge transfer state energy and less non-radiative recombination, resulting in larger open-circuit voltages and higher radiative efficiencies. Second, devices with donor molecules edge-on to the acceptor interface are more efficient at charge generation, attributed to smaller electronic coupling between the charge transfer states and the ground state, and lower activation energy for charge generation.Molecular orientation profoundly affects the performance of donor-acceptor heterojunctions, whilst it has remained challenging to investigate the detail. Using a controllable interface, Ran et al. show that the edge-on geometries improve charge generation at the cost of non-radiative recombination loss

Draamakasvatus tunne- ja vuorovaikutustaitojen tukena 0–6-vuotiailla

Tiivistelmä. Tutkielmamme tavoitteena on koota yhteen, miten draamakasvatuksella voidaan tukea ja kehittää lasten tunne- ja vuorovaikutustaitoja. Tutkielmamme on kuvaileva kirjallisuuskatsaus, jossa syvennymme draamakasvatukseen tunne- ja vuorovaikutustaitojen tukena. Pyrimme myös tutkielmallamme tuomaan lisää ymmärrystä varhaiskasvatuksen henkilöstölle draamakasvatuksen tuomasta tuesta lasten tunne- ja vuorovaikutustaitoihin. Aiheemme on ajankohtainen ja etenkin tunnetaitojen harjoittaminen on isossa roolissa varhaiskasvatuksessa ja esiopetuksessa. Teoreettisen viitekehyksemme keskeisimmät käsitteet ovat draamakasvatus, tunne- ja vuorovaikutustaidot ja varhaiskasvatus. Vastaamme kirjallisuuden ja eri aineistojen avulla tutkimuskysymykseemme, “Miten draamakasvatuksella voidaan tukea 0–6-vuotiaiden lasten tunne- ja vuorovaikutustaitoja?”. Yhdistämme ja arvioimme tutkimuksessamme jo olemassa olevaa tietoa draamakasvatuksen vaikutuksesta lasten tunne- ja vuorovaikutustaitoihin ja millä draamakasvatuksen keinoilla niitä voidaan tukea. Lopuksi pohdimme ja arvioimme aineistojen perusteella saatuja tutkimustuloksiamme. Aineistona pyrimme käyttämään mahdollisimman tuoreita lähteitä, mutta tutkimuksia aiheesta on vielä vähän, joten olemme myös hyödyntäneet kirjallisuutta ja muuta aineistoa aikaisemmilta vuosilta. Aineistomme koostuu suomalaisista kirjoista ja artikkeleista sekä muusta aineistosta. Olemme myös käyttäneet lähteinä ulkomaisia artikkeleita. Aineiston perusteella draamakasvatuksella voidaan tukea lapsen tunne- ja vuorovaikutustaitoja, ja varhaiskasvatuksen henkilöstön tulisi tuntea draamakasvatuksen työtapoja, joita he voisivat toteuttaa tietoisesti ja suunnitelmallisesti. Kirjallisuudessa ja artikkeleissa tulee ilmi, että opettajan tulee olla tietoinen erilaisista draamakasvatuksen toimintatavoista ja käsitteistä. Jokainen varhaiskasvatuksessa työskentelevä voi omassa työssään rohkeasti soveltaa ja kehittää draaman genrejä omalle ryhmälle sopivaksi

Toxicity of AMPA to the earthworm Eisenia andrei Bouché, 1972 in tropical artificial soil.

Aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) - one of glyphosate's main metabolites - has been classified as persistent in soils, raising concern regarding the widespread use of glyphosate in agriculture and forestry. Glyphosate may have negative or neutral effects on soil biota, but no information is available on the toxicity of AMPA to soil invertebrates. Therefore our aim was to study the effect of AMPA on mortality and reproduction of the earthworm species Eisenia andrei using standard soil ecotoxicologica I methods (ISO). Field-relevant concentrations of AMPA had no significant effects on mortality in acute or chronic assays. Except at the highest concentration tested, a significant biomass loss was observed compared to controls in the chronic assay. The number of juveniles and cocoons increased with higher concentrations of AMPA applied, but their mean weights decreased. This mass loss indicates higher sensitivity of juveniles than adults to AMPA. Our results suggest that earthworms coming from parents grown in contaminated soils may have reduced growth, limiting their beneficial roles in key soil ecosystem functions. Nevertheless, further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying the sublethal effects observed here

Toxicidade de oxicloreto de cobre e mancozeb para Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta).

Os fungicidas a base de cobre e manganês são utilizados nas áreas de várzea próximas a Manaus - Amazonas, para controle de doenças em plantas cultivadas. Esses agrotóxicos, mesmo quando usados adequadamente, podem vir a se acumular no ambiente e tornar-se um risco para a atividade biológica do solo, a qual é fundamental para a exploração agrícola sustentável a longo prazo. Diante disto, para o manejo da qualidade do solo, é necessário o conhecimento do risco ecotoxicológico desses fungicidas. Para tanto, a toxicidade dos fungicidas mancozeb e oxicloreto de cobre para Eisenia fetida, espécie de minhoca utilizada como organismo indicador, foi investigada. Fungicides based on copper and manganese are used in floodplain areas near Manaus, Amazonas, to control diseases in cultivated plants. Such pesticides, even when properly used, may accumulate in the environment and become a risk for soil biological activity which is crucial for long-term agriculture sustainability. For soil quality management, knowledge about the ecotoxicological risk of these fungicides is necessary. Therefore, the toxicity of the fungicides mancozeb and copper oxychloride was evaluated for Eisenia fetida, an earthworm species used as indicator organism.Título em inglês: Toxicity of copper oxychloride and mancozeb to Eisenia fetida (Oigochaeta)

Deficiency of Antigen Presenting Cell Invariant Chain Reduces Atherosclerosis in Mice

August 25, 2010Background: Adaptive immunity and innate immunity play important roles in atherogenesis. Invariant chain (CD74) mediates antigen-presenting cell antigen presentation and T-cell activation. This study tested the hypothesis that CD74-deficient mice have reduced numbers of active T cells and resist atherogenesis. Methods and Results: In low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient (Ldlr[superscript −/−]) mice, CD74 deficiency (Ldlr[superscript −/−]Cd74[superscript −/−]) significantly reduced atherosclerosis and CD25+-activated T cells in the atheromata. Although Ldlr[superscript −/−]Cd74[superscript −/−] mice had decreased levels of plasma immunoglobulin (Ig) G1, IgG2b, and IgG2c against malondialdehyde-modified LDL (MDA-LDL), presumably as a result of impaired antigen-presenting cell function, Ldlr[superscript −/−]Cd74[superscript −/−] mice showed higher levels of anti–MDA-LDL IgM and IgG3. After immunization with MDA-LDL, Ldlr[superscript −/−]Cd74[superscript −/−] mice had lower levels of all anti–MDA-LDL Ig isotypes compared with Ldlr[superscript −/−] mice. As anticipated, only Ldlr[superscript −/−] splenocytes responded to in vitro stimulation with MDA-LDL, producing Th1/Th2 cytokines. Heat shock protein-65 immunization enhanced atherogenesis in Ldlr[superscript −/−] mice, but Ldlr[superscript −/−] Cd74[superscript −/−] mice remained protected. Compared with Ldlr[superscript −/−] mice, Ldlr[superscript −/−]Cd74[superscript −/−] mice had higher anti–MDA-LDL autoantibody titers, fewer lesion CD25+-activated T cells, impaired release of Th1/Th2 cytokines from antigen-presenting cells after heat shock protein-65 stimulation, and reduced levels of all plasma anti–heat shock protein-65 Ig isotypes. Cytofluorimetry of splenocytes and peritoneal cavity cells of MDA-LDL– or heat shock protein-65–immunized mice showed increased percentages of autoantibody-producing marginal zone B and B-1 cells in Ldlr[superscript −/−]Cd74[superscript −/−] mice compared with Ldlr[superscript −/−] mice. Conclusions: Invariant chain deficiency in Ldlr[superscript −/−] mice reduced atherosclerosis. This finding was associated with an impaired adaptive immune response to disease-specific antigens. Concomitantly, an unexpected increase in the number of innate-like peripheral B-1 cell populations occurred, resulting in increased IgM/IgG3 titers to the oxidation-specific epitopes

Limits for Recombination in a Low Energy Loss Organic Heterojunction

Donor–acceptor organic solar cells often show high quantum yields for charge collection, but relatively low open-circuit voltages (V$_{OC}$) limit power conversion efficiencies to around 12%. We report here the behavior of a system, PIPCP:PC$_{61}$BM, that exhibits very low electronic disorder (Urbach energy less than 27 meV), very high carrier mobilities in the blend (field-effect mobility for holes >10$^{-2}$ cm$^{2}$ V$^{-1}$ s$^{-1}$), and a very low driving energy for initial charge separation (50 meV). These characteristics should give excellent performance, and indeed, the V$_{OC}$ is high relative to the donor energy gap. However, we find the overall performance is limited by recombination, with formation of lower-lying triplet excitons on the donor accounting for 90% of the recombination. We find this is a bimolecular process that happens on time scales as short as 100 ps. Thus, although the absence of disorder and the associated high carrier mobility speeds up charge diffusion and extraction at the electrodes, which we measure as early as 1 ns, this also speeds up the recombination channel, giving overall a modest quantum yield of around 60%. We discuss strategies to remove the triplet exciton recombination channel.SMM, RHF, MKR, SAA, and JLB acknowledge support from the KAUST Competitive Research Grant Program. MKR, SAA, and JLB also acknowledge generous support of their work by KAUST and the Office of Naval Research Global (Award N62909­15­1­2003); they thank the KAUST IT Research Computing Team and Supercomputing Laboratory for providing computational and storage resources. NAR, MW, TQN, and GCB acknowledge support from the Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research (Award Nos. N00014-14-1-0580 and N00014-16-1-25200. AS would like to acknowledge the funding and support from the India-UK APEX project. HLS acknowledges support from the Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability. MN and HS gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council though a Programme Grant (EP/M005141/1)