Testing remotely-sensed predictors of meso-carnivore habitat use in Mediterranean ecosystems

Context: The legacy of human use of Mediterranean ecosystems results in spatial and temporal heterogeneity of resources for wildlife. Understanding wildlife use of these ecosystems may be improved by including information on ecosystem type, structure, and function extracted from remote sensing data. Objectives: To assess whether we can improve our understanding of wildlife-habitat use by including information on ecosystem type, structure and function. Methods: We tested whether remote sensing derived descriptors of ecosystem type, structure (tree cover and patch size) and function (productivity and stress) determine the habitat of stone martens (Martes foina), common genets (Genetta genetta), and European badgers (Meles meles) in southern Portugal. We linked radio-tracking data from five stone martens, five genets and eight badgers with aerial photography, and some spectra-selectivity to classify vegetation, its structure, productivity and drought stress. Results: Statistically-derived generalized linear mixed regression models using combinations of remotely sensed descriptors of ecosystem type, structure and function, performed better than single ecosystem type descriptors. Conclusion: Inclusion of information on ecosystem functioning in predictive models of habitat use is more informative than ecosystem type alone, suggesting functional relationships between wildlife and their habitat. However, inclusion of both ecosystem type and function maybe limited to finer spatial resolutions. Our results illustrate the untapped potential of remote sensing to provide detailed descriptors of habitat at adequate spatial scales, now that they are freely available and are systematically collected over space and time. This information adds useful insights on wildlife-habitat relationships under changing patterns of land use and climate

Impacts of climate extremes in Brazil the development of a web platform for understanding long-term sustainability of ecosystems and human health in amazonia (pulse-Brazil)

This is the final version of the article. Available from the American Meteorological Society via the DOI in this record.This work was funded by the joint FAPESP 2011/51843-2 and NERC NE/J016276/1 International Opportunities Fund. PULSE-Brazil development is also funded by the FAPESP grant (2012/51876-0) under the Belmont Forum Cooperation Agreement. Marengo and Aragão thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for their Research Productivity Fellowship

Molecular Evolutionary Characterization of a V1R Subfamily Unique to Strepsirrhine Primates

Vomeronasal receptor genes have frequently been invoked as integral to the establishment and maintenance of species boundaries among mammals due to the elaborate one-to-one correspondence between semiochemical signals and neuronal sensory inputs. Here, we report the most extensive sample of vomeronasal receptor class 1 (V1R) sequences ever generated for a diverse yet phylogenetically coherent group of mammals, the tooth-combed primates (suborder Strepsirrhini). Phylogenetic analysis confirms our intensive sampling from a single V1R subfamily, apparently unique to the strepsirrhine primates. We designate this subfamily as V1Rstrep. The subfamily retains extensive repertoires of gene copies that descend from an ancestral gene duplication that appears to have occurred prior to the diversification of all lemuriform primates excluding the basal genusDaubentonia (the aye-aye). We refer to the descendent clades as V1Rstrep-a and V1Rstrep-b. Comparison of the two clades reveals different amino acid compositions corresponding to the predicted ligand-binding site and thus potentially to altered functional profiles between the two. In agreement with previous studies of the mouse lemur (genus, Microcebus), the majority of V1Rstrep gene copies appear to be intact and under strong positive selection, particularly within transmembrane regions. Finally, despite the surprisingly high number of gene copies identified in this study, it is nonetheless probable that V1R diversity remains underestimated in these nonmodel primates and that complete characterization will be limited until high-coverage assembled genomes are available

Agronomic biofortification of cowpea with selenium: effects of selenate and selenite applications on selenium and phytate concentrations in seeds

BACKGROUNDSelenium (Se) is a nutrient for animals and humans, and is considered beneficial to higher plants. Selenium concentrations are low in most soils, which can result in a lack of Se in plants, and consequently in human diets. Phytic acid (PA) is the main storage form of phosphorus in seeds, and it is able to form insoluble complexes with essential minerals in the monogastric gut. This study aimed to establish optimal levels of Se application to cowpea, with the aim of increasing Se concentrations. The efficiency of agronomic biofortification was evaluated by the application of seven levels of Se (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 60 g ha−1) from two sources (selenate and selenite) to the soil under field conditions in 2016 and 2017.RESULTSApplication of Se as selenate led to greater plant Se concentrations than application as selenite in both leaves and grains. Assuming human cowpea consumption of 54.2 g day−1, Se application of 20 g ha−1 in 2016 or 10 g ha−1 in 2017 as selenate would have provided a suitable daily intake of Se (between 20 and 55 μg day−1) for humans. Phytic acid showed no direct response to Se application.CONCLUSIONSelenate provides greater phytoavailability than selenite. The application of 10 g Se ha−1 of selenate to cowpea plants could provide sufficient seed Se to increase daily human intake by 13–14 μg d−1. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industr

O ethos e o pathos na sala de parto

RESUMO Objetivo Compreender o ethos e o pathos presentes nos discursos de mulheres parturientes e profissionais de saúde no contexto da sala de parto. Método Pesquisa qualitativa do tipo interpretativa. Utilizou-se o método da Análise do Discurso. Participaram das entrevistas 36 mulheres e 24 profissionais de saúde de maternidades do interior de Minas Gerais. Resultados Os discursos sinalizam a concepção que as mulheres têm do parto, centrada no olhar do outro e nas suas representações; as dificuldades das enfermeiras para operacionalizar o cuidado e construir uma imagem profissional autônoma. O discurso médico enfatiza a especialidade, a capacidade de intervir em situações de risco e as mudanças no status da profissão. Conclusões A construção do ethos de médicos e enfermeiros é fundamental para o delineamento de campos de saberes mais flexíveis e parauma atuação profissional condizente com os seus papéis e comprometida com os preceitos éticos e legais do cuidado obstétrico