PCDD/F Emissions From Virgin And Treated Wood Combustion

Energy from biomass is becoming increasingly important as fossil fuel reserves diminish. The utilization of biomass is already prevalent in the domestic heating sector, but produces significant amounts of pollutants that are detrimental to human health. Dioxins, formed in any combustion process where carbon, oxygen and, chlorine are present, are a subject of major interest due to their carcinogenicity. Much research has been carried out to study emissions from hazardous and municipal waste incinerators. Dioxin emission from wood combustion plants are also of interest, especially those due to combustion of treated, varnished or PVC-coated wood, which can produce high polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) emissions. This study compares the PCDD/F emissions produced by burning treated wood and virgin wood to verify if the differences are significant. Six different wood samples were analysed (three of treated wood and three of virgin wood) and a two-step wood gasification boiler was used. The analysis has been conducted both on off gas and on ashes. The measured PCDD/F concentrations are to be considered particularly limited and the treated wood use does not cause a general worsening in the PCDD/F emission. Thus, the wood treatment – subject of study – is not dangerous for PCDD/F. Finally, the experimental results indicated that during the thermal treatment, the formation mechanism of PCDD/F is the de novo synthesis

Aspergillus species in Vitis vinifera of organic and conventional farming in the São Francisco Valley, Brazil.

The biodiversity of filamentous fungi is one of the most important contributions to the occurrence of mycotoxins in agricultural products. The fungi species belonging to the genus Aspergillus has been blamed for the presence of mycotoxins in wine. The incidence of fungi of these genera in grapes will depend on climatic conditions, grape variety, form of cultivation and agricultural practices. This study aimed to identify Aspergillus species isolated from wine grapes from organic and conventional cultivation Sub-medium region of the São Francisco Valley. Varieties evaluated were Touriga Nacional and Ruby Cabernet in conventional farming and Tempranillo in organic farming

Diversidade de espécies de Aspergillus e Penicillium em solos de vinhedos da região Tropical Semiárida do Brasil.

O objetivo neste estudo foi avaliar a diversidade de fungos os gêneros Aspergillus e Penicillium isolados de solos de vinhedos da região do Vale Submédio São Francisco. Doze amostras de solo foram coletadas na safra de 2014/2. Para o isolamento de fungos filamentosos foi utilizada a técnica de plaqueamento em superfície em meio DG-18 (Fungi and Food Spoilage, 593, 1997)

A Small Mammal Community in a Forest Fragment, Vegetation Corridor and Coffee Matrix System in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

The objective of our work was to verify the value of the vegetation corridor in the conservation of small mammals in fragmented tropical landscapes, using a model system in the southeastern Minas Gerais. We evaluated and compared the composition and structure of small mammals in a vegetation corridor, forest fragments and a coffee matrix. A total of 15 species were recorded, and the highest species richness was observed in the vegetation corridor (13 species), followed by the forest fragments (10) and the coffee matrix (6). The absolute abundance was similar between the vegetation corridor and fragments (F = 22.94; p = 0.064), and the greatest differences occurred between the vegetation corridor and the matrix (F = 22.94; p = 0.001) and the forest fragments and the matrix (F = 22.94; p = 0.007). Six species showed significant habitat preference possibly related to the sensitivity of the species to the forest disturbance. Marmosops incanus was the species most sensitive to disturbance; Akodon montensis, Cerradomys subflavus, Gracilinanus microtarsus and Rhipidomys sp. displayed little sensitivity to disturbance, with a high relative abundance in the vegetation corridor. Calomys sp. was the species least affected by habitat disturbance, displaying a high relative abundance in the coffee matrix. Although the vegetation corridors are narrow (4 m width), our results support the hypothesis in which they work as a forest extension, share most species with the forest fragment and support species richness and abundance closer to forest fragments than to the coffee matrix. Our work highlights the importance and cost-effectiveness of these corridors to biodiversity management in the fragmented Atlantic Forest landscapes and at the regional level

Influence of physical and chemical characteristics of wine grapes on the incidence of Penicillium and Aspergillus fungi in grapes and ochratoxin A in wines

The incidence of filamentous fungi and toxin levels in grapes and wines varies depending on the variety of grapes, the wine region, agricultural practices, weather conditions, the harvest and the winemaking process. In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate the diversity of Aspergillus and Penicillium fungi isolated fromwine grapes of the semi-arid tropical region of Brazil, evaluate the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) in the experimental wine and verify if there is a correlation between occurrence of these fungi and the physicochemical characteristics of the wine grapes grown in the region. For the isolation of fungi we used the direct plating technique. The presence of OTA in the experimental wine was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography. The species found were Aspergillus niger, A. carbonarius, A. aculeatus, A. niger Aggregate, A. flavus, A. sojae, Penicillium sclerotiorum, P. citrinum, P. glabrum, P. decumbens, P. solitum and P. implicatum. All isolates of A. carbonarius were OTA producers and all P. citrinum were citrinin producers. The highest concentration of OTA was found in red wine (0.29 ?g/L). All species identified in this study, except A. flavus, showed a positive correlation with at least one physicochemical parameter assessed, highlighting the pectin content, total sugar, total acidity and phenolic compounds

Effects of gender and race on prognosis after myocardial infarction: Adverse prognosis for women, particularly black women

Controversy has arisen concerning whether gender influences the prognosis after myocardial infarction. Although some studies have shown there to be no difference between the sexes, most have indicated a worse prognosis for women, attributing this to differences in baseline characteristics. It has been further suggested that black women have a particularly poor prognosis after infarction. To determine the contribution of gender and race to the course of infarction, 816 patients with confirmed myocardial infarction who were enrolled in the Multi-center Investigation of the Limitation of Infarct Size (MILIS) were analyzed. Of those patients, 226 were women and 590 were men, 142 were black and 674 were white.The cumulative mortality rate at 48 months was 36% for women versus 21% for men (p < 0.001, mean follow-up 32 months). The cumulative mortality rate by race was 34% for blacks versus 24% for whites (p < 0.005). Both women and blacks exhibited more baseline characteristics predictive of mortality than did their male or white counterparts. It was possible to account for the greater mortality rate of blacks by identifiable baseline variables; however, even after adjustment, the mortality rate for women remained significantly higher (p < 0.002). The poorer prognosis for women was influenced by a particularly high mortality rate among black women (48%); the mortality rate for white women was 32%, for black men 23% and for white men 21%. The mortality for black women was significantly greater than that of the other subgroups. Thus, findings in the MILIS population indicate that the prognosis after myocardial infarction is worse for women, particularly black women

Fungos ocratoxigênicos em uvas viníferas Syrah cultivadas no Vale do Submédio São Francisco.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi isolar e identificar espécies de fungos potencialmente produtores de OTA em uvas Syrah cultivadas no Vale do Submédio São Francisco, bem como avaliar a capacidade produtora desses fungos

Incidência de fungos ocratoxigênicos em uvas destinadas a produção de vinhos do Nordeste brasileiro.

O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a incidência de fungos Aspergillus em uvas viníferas (Alicante Bouschet), cultivadas no Nordeste brasileiro

Hybridization in human evolution: Insights from other organisms

During the late Pleistocene, isolated lineages of hominins exchanged genes thus influencing genomic variation in humans in both the past and present. However, the dynamics of this genetic exchange and associated phenotypic consequences through time remain poorly understood. Gene exchange across divergent lineages can result in myriad outcomes arising from these dynamics and the environmental conditions under which it occurs. Here we draw from our collective research across various organisms, illustrating some of the ways in which gene exchange can structure genomic/phenotypic diversity within/among species. We present a range of examples relevant to questions about the evolution of hominins. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but rather illustrative of the diverse evolutionary causes/consequences of hybridization, highlighting potential drivers of human evolution in the context of hybridization including: influences on adaptive evolution, climate change, developmental systems, sex-differences in behavior, Haldane’s rule and the large X-effect, and transgressive phenotypic variation.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151330/1/evan21787.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151330/2/evan21787_am.pd