Morphometry MRI in the differential diagnosis of parkinsonian syndromes Morfometria por ressonância magnética no diagnóstico diferencial das síndromes parkinsonianas

This study evaluates the diagnostic value of morphometric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the differential diagnosis among Parkinson's disease (PD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). We studied 21 PD cases, 11 MSA-c, 8 MSA-p and 20 PSP cases. Midbrain area (Ams), pons area (Apn), middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP) and superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP) were measured using MRI. Comparisons were made between PD, MSA-p, MSA-c and PSP. Apn, MCP and SCP morphometry dimensions presented differences among groups. Ams below 105 mm² and SCP smaller than 3 mmwere the most predictive measures of PSP (sensitivity 95.0 and 80.0%, respectively). For the group of MSA-c patients, Apn area below 315 mm² showed good specificity and positive predictive value (93.8% and 72.7%, respectively). In conclusion, dimensions and cut off values obtained from routine MRI can differentiate between PD, PSP and MSA-c with good sensitivity, specificity and accuracy.Morfometria pela ressonância magnética (RM) no diagnóstico diferencial entre doença de Parkinson (DP), paralisia supranuclear progressiva (PSP) e atrofia de múltiplos sistemas (AMS). Este estudo avaliou a RM no diagnóstico diferencial de 21 casos com DP, 11 AMS-c, 8 AMS-p e 20 com PSP. A área sagital do mesencéfalo (Ams), área sagital da ponte (Apn), largura do pedúnculo cerebelar médio (PCM) e pedúnculo cerebelar superior (PCS) foram medidas pela RM e realizadas comparações entre destes pacientes. A Ams <105 mm² e a largura média do PCS <3 mm foram preditivas para PSP (sensibilidade de 95,0 e 80,0%, respectivamente). Nos casos de AMS-c a área pontina <315 mm² apresentou boa especificidade e valor preditivo positivo para o diagnóstico (93,8% e 72,7%). Em conclusão, as dimensões e valores de cortes obtidos a partir da RM podem diferenciar PD, PSP e AMS-c, com sensibilidade, especificidade e precisão

Recycling Nutrients Contained in Biomass Bottom Ash from Industrial Waste to Enhance the Fertility of an Amazonian Acidic Soil

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of recycling ash from Amazonian biomass on the fertility of a dystrophic Yellow Latosol. For this purpose, a laboratory incubation experiment was performed with Yellow Latosol using four increasing doses of ash (8.75, 17.5, 35, and 70 Mg ha&minus;1), three incubation times (20, 40, and 60 days), two positive treatments (13 Mg ha&minus;1 lime and 2 Mg ha&minus;1 phosphate fertilizer), and one control soil. The chemical analyses of the soil revealed that the application of increasing doses of ash positively affected the pH values and significantly increased the availability of the nutrients P, K, Ca, and Mg, the levels of which were adequate for the soils and main crops of the state of Par&aacute;, Brazil. The input of these nutrients and the moderate increase in pH contributed to the increase in base saturation and thus reduced the potential acidity of the soil and neutralized Al3+. Therefore, recycling ash from Amazonian biomasses in agricultural or forest soils may represent a sustainable and integrative alternative that balances the management of industrial waste and the fertility of acidic and nutrient-deficient soils in the state of Par&aacute;

Recycling Nutrients Contained in Biomass Bottom Ash from Industrial Waste to Enhance the Fertility of an Amazonian Acidic Soil

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of recycling ash from Amazonian biomass on the fertility of a dystrophic Yellow Latosol. For this purpose, a laboratory incubation experiment was performed with Yellow Latosol using four increasing doses of ash (8.75, 17.5, 35, and 70 Mg ha−1), three incubation times (20, 40, and 60 days), two positive treatments (13 Mg ha−1 lime and 2 Mg ha−1 phosphate fertilizer), and one control soil. The chemical analyses of the soil revealed that the application of increasing doses of ash positively affected the pH values and significantly increased the availability of the nutrients P, K, Ca, and Mg, the levels of which were adequate for the soils and main crops of the state of Pará, Brazil. The input of these nutrients and the moderate increase in pH contributed to the increase in base saturation and thus reduced the potential acidity of the soil and neutralized Al3+. Therefore, recycling ash from Amazonian biomasses in agricultural or forest soils may represent a sustainable and integrative alternative that balances the management of industrial waste and the fertility of acidic and nutrient-deficient soils in the state of Pará

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non-detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data