Relação entre a geodiversidade intrínseca e a estruturação de habitat na escala do geossítio: exemplos na Serra do Segredo e nas Pedras das Guaritas (Caçapava do Sul, RS, Brasil)

Geosites are points or areas that represent better the geodiversity of a territory, i.e. its natural range of geological elements. Among the criteria used for the quantitative assessment of geosites is its relevance for structuring habitat, related with its functional or ecological support value. This paper aims at presenting the relationships between the intrinsic geodiversity of a geosite (its geological features) and the existing habitat diversity. Thus, the geosites Serra do Segredo and Pedras das Guaritas, both located in Caçapava do Sul, south-central Rio Grande do Sul State, were analyzed in detail. Literature review, satellite and aerial photograph images were analyzed, as well as data collected during fieldtrips in different seasons. It is highlighted here the importance of depositional, tectonic and weathering features, at the geosite scale, for the structuring and maintaining various types of environments and organisms: from lichens to forest fragments, from amphibian tadpoles to medium-sized mammals.Os geossítios são locais ou áreas que melhor representam a geodiversidade de um território, ou seja, a variedade natural de elementos geológicos. Entre os critérios de avaliação quantitativa de geossítios está sua importância na estruturação de habitat, relacionado a seu valor funcional ou de suporte ecológico. Este trabalho objetiva apresentar as relações entre a geodiversidade intrínseca (de feições geológicas) de um geossítio e a diversidade de habitat e/ou abrigos existentes. Para isso, analisaram-se informações da bibliografia, imagens de satélite, fotografias aéreas e dados provenientes de saídas a campo em diferentes épocas do ano nos geossítios Serra do Segredo e Pedras das Guaritas, ambos no município de Caçapava do Sul, centro-sul do Rio Grande do Sul. Demonstra-se aqui a importância de feições deposicionais, deformacionais e intempéricas, na escala do geossítio, para a estruturação e a manutenção de diversos tipos de ambientes e organismos: de líquenes a fragmentos florestais, de formas jovens de anfíbios a mamíferos de médio porte

Impact of experimental Nano-HAP pastes on bovine enamel and dentin submitted to a pH cycling model

This in vitro study evaluated the preventive potential of experimental pastes containing 10% and 20% hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (Nano-HAP), with or without fluoride, on dental demineralization. Bovine enamel (n=15) and root dentin (n=15) specimens were divided into 9 groups according to their surface hardness: control (without treatment), 20 Nanop paste (20% HAP), 20 Nanop paste plus (20% HAP + 0.2% NaF), 10 Nanop paste (10% HAP), 10 Nanop paste plus (10% HAP + 0.2% NaF), placebo paste (without fluoride and HAP), fluoride paste (0.2% NaF), MI paste (CPP-ACP, casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate), and MI paste plus (CPP-ACP + 0.2% NaF). Both MI pastes were included as commercial control products containing calcium phosphate. The specimens were treated with the pastes twice a day (1 min), before and after demineralization. The specimens were subjected to a pH-cycling model (demineralization–6-8 h/ remineralization-16-18 h a day) for 7 days. The dental subsurface demineralization was analyzed using cross-sectional hardness (kgf/mm 2 , depth 10-220 µm). Data were tested using repeated-measures two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni's test (p<0.05). The only treatment able to reduce the loss of enamel and dentin subsurface hardness was fluoride paste (0.2% NaF), which differed significantly from the control at 30- and 50-µm depth (p<0.0001). The other treatments were not different from each other or compared with the control. The experimental Nanop pastes, regardless of the addition of fluoride, were unable to reduce dental demineralization in vitro

(-)-tarchonanthuslactone Exerts A Blood Glucose-increasing Effect In Experimental Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)A number of studies have proposed an anti-diabetic effect for tarchonanthuslactone based on its structural similarity with caffeic acid, a compound known for its blood glucose-reducing properties. However, the actual effect of tarchonanthuslactone on blood glucose level has never been tested. Here, we report that, in opposition to the common sense, tarchonanthuslactone has a glucose-increasing effect in a mouse model of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The effect is acute and non-cumulative and is present only in diabetic mice. In lean, glucose-tolerant mice, despite a slight increase in blood glucose levels, the effect was not significant.20350385049Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Institute of Chemistry/UNICAMPFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)FAPESP [proc. 13/07607-8]FAPESP [11/50514-5, 12/09254-2, 10/08673-6, 2009/53606-8

Human respiratory syncytial virus in children hospitalized for acute lower respiratory infection

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a prevalência e a sazonalidade do vírus respiratório sincicial humano (VRSH) em crianças de 0 a 6 anos hospitalizadas por infecção aguda das vias aéreas inferiores (IVAI) em São José do Rio Preto (SP) e a associação entre faixa etária, diagnóstico e VRSH. MÉTODOS: Entre maio de 2004 e setembro de 2005, foram estudados 290 episódios consecutivos de IVAI adquiridos na comunidade em crianças de 0 a 6 anos internadas no Hospital de Base de São José do Rio Preto. Para identificação do VRSH, foram coletadas amostras de secreção de nasofaringe e realizou-se análise molecular por meio da técnica de RT-PCR. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de VRSH foi de 29,3% nos episódios de IVAI hospitalizados. A IVAI foi frequente em lactentes (mediana de idade = 13,5 meses). O VRSH foi mais frequente nos casos de bronquiolite (64%) e no primeiro ano de vida (35%). Os episódios de infecção por VRSH ocorreram entre o outono e a primavera, com frequência maior em 2004 do que em 2005. Os critérios clínicos e radiológicos não foram suficientes para o diagnóstico de infecção pelo VRSH. Em 78,8% dos episódios de VRSH, houve tratamento com antibiótico. CONCLUSÕES: A prevalência do VRSH em crianças de 0 a 6 anos hospitalizadas por IVAI foi elevada, com predomínio nas mais jovens ou com bronquiolite. A circulação do vírus variou nos dois anos estudados. Os resultados sugerem necessidade de diagnóstico laboratorial do VRSR na prática clínica.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence and seasonality of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) in children aged 0 to 6 years, hospitalized with acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil, and the association between age, diagnosis, and HRSV. METHODS: Between May 2004 and September 2005, we studied 290 consecutive episodes of community-acquired ALRI in children aged 0 to 6 years admitted to the Hospital de Base of São José do Rio Preto. In order to detect HRSV, nasopharyngeal secretion samples were collected and RT-PCR molecular analysis was performed. RESULTS: The HRSV prevalence was 29.3% for the cases of hospitalized patients with ALRI. ALRI was common in infants (median age = 13.5 months). HRSV was more frequent in cases of bronchiolitis (64%) and during the first year of life (35%). Episodes of HRSV infection occurred between fall and spring, showing higher frequency in 2004 than in 2005. Clinical and radiological criteria were not sufficient to establish the diagnosis of infection with HRSV. Antibiotic therapy was used in 78.8% of episodes of HRSV. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high prevalence of HRSV in children aged 0 to 6 years who were hospitalized for ALRI, predominantly in younger patients or those with bronchiolitis. The circulation of the virus varied in the two years studied. Our results suggest the need for laboratory diagnosis of HRSV in the clinical practice

Inventário e avaliação quantitativa de geossítios: exemplo de aplicação ao patrimônio geológico do município de Caçapava do Sul (RS, Brasil)

This paper presents an inventory and quantitative assessment of 46 geosites, which compose the geological heritage of the municipality of Caçapava do Sul, important center of geoscience research in the Rio Grande do Sul State. The selected sites comprise large areas, single outcrops and potential highway viewpoints that represent the four main geological contexts of the considered territory. The applied quantitative assessment system considers six sets of criteria: geoscience, ecology, culture, esthetics, economy and potential use. Its application results in educational (Veduc), tourist (Vtur) and protection need (Vprot) indexes in the scale from 1 to 10, for each of the geosites. The study highlighted the sites Pedras das Guaritas, Pedra do Segredo, and Pedra do Leão as having great potential for education and tourism, as well as for outdoor sports. Sites with conflict between geoheritage significance and economic exploration, as the Caieiras and Minas do Camaquã mining districts, resulted in the most expressive protection need indexes. The obtained results allowed the definition and suggestion of priorities for public, private, and third-sector institutions concerning possible geoconservation initiatives. Such initiatives shall integrate education, tourism, infrastructure development, and the establishment of protected areas for this region of singular natural heritage with a huge potential for sustainable development.Este trabalho apresenta um inventário, com valoração quantitativa, de 46 geossítios componentes do patrimônio geológico do Município de Caçapava do Sul, região importante na pesquisa geocientífica no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Os lugares selecionados para avaliação, contemplando grandes áreas, afloramentos simples e potenciais miradores em rodovias, representam os quatro grandes contextos geológicos inseridos no território municipal. O sistema de valoração aplicado considera critérios geocientíficos, ecológicos, culturais, estéticos, econômicos e de uso potencial, resultando em índices (na escala de 1 a 10) de valor educativo (Veduc), turístico (Vtur) e de necessidade de proteção (Vprot) para cada um dos geossítios. Os destaques do estudo são as Pedras das Guaritas, a Pedra do Segredo e a Pedra do Leão, entre diversos outros geossítios com grande potencial para educação, turismo e esportes de aventura na natureza. Lugares de conflito entre sua importância geopatrimonial e sua exploração econômica, como a área das Caieiras e as Minas do Camaquã, resultam nos maiores valores de necessidade de proteção. Os resultados permitiram a definição e sugestão de prioridades de atuação para instituições públicas, privadas e do terceiro setor em suas iniciativas de geoconservação. Tais iniciativas devem integrar projetos educacionais e turísticos, implantação da infraestrutura necessária, e ainda estabelecimento de unidades de conservação da natureza (UC) naquela região de patrimônio natural singular e de grande potencial para o desenvolvimento sustentável

Gestão da Água na Suinocultura

Embrap

Characterization of Soybean Cultivars for Biodiesel Production

Due to environmental issues involving the polluting gasesemission, Brazil has adopted the policy of using oil and biodiesel. For biodiesel production, the main raw material used in Brazil is soybean oil. The development of the numerous genotypes of this culture has always considered quantitative aspects. The objective was to qualitatively characterize 12 soybean cultivars for biodiesel production. The experimental design was randomized blocks with three replicates. The cultivars were sown in December 2016, in no-tillage system, in Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil (-25.093056, -50.063327 UTM). The analyzed variables were: oil and protein contents, acidity index and specific mass. It was concluded that there were no significant differences among the cultivars for oil and protein contents. For the variables acidity index and specific mass, there were significant differences among the cultivars, being below the limits established by the Brazilian legislation for vegetable oil, but with potential for biodiesel production

Vírus da encefalite São Luis: primeiro isolamento de humano no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

O presente estudo relata o isolamento do vírus da encefalite São Luis (SLEV) de um caso febril humano suspeito de dengue, em São Pedro, Estado de São Paulo. MAC-ELISA realizado com soros das fases aguda e convalescente foi inconclusivo e anticorpos IgG foram detectados por inibição da hemaglutinação para flavivirus. Imunofluorescência indireta com cultura de células C6/36 inoculadas com soro da fase aguda foi positivo para flavivirus mas negativo quando testado com anticorpos monoclonais para dengue. O RNA extraído de cultura de células infectadas foi amplificado na presença de primers universais para o gênero Flavivirus, deduzidos de uma região da proteína não estrutural 5 e diretamente sequenciado. Os resultados da pesquisa no BLAST indicaram que a seqüência apresenta 93% de similaridade de nucleotídeos com a seqüência de SLEV (cepa MS1.7), confirmado por RT-PCR, realizado com primers específicos para SLEV. O fato de SLEV ter sido identificado como a causa de doença humana indica a necessidade de aprimorar a vigilância a fim de detectar precocemente esse agente no Estado de São Paulo e no Brasil. Esse caso é também um alerta para os profissionais de saúde sobre a necessidade de investigações clínicas e epidemiológicas mais completas sobre doenças febris como no caso relatado. Infecções por SLEV podem não ser reconhecidas ou confundidas com outras causadas por arbovírus como a dengue.This paper reports the isolation of St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) from a febrile human case suspected to be dengue, in São Pedro, São Paulo State. A MAC-ELISA done on the patient's acute and convalescent sera was inconclusive and hemagglutination inhibition test detected IgG antibody for flaviviruses. An indirect immunofluorescent assay done on the C6/36 cell culture inoculated with the acute serum was positive for flaviviruses but negative when tested with dengue monoclonal antibodies. RNA extracted from the infected cell culture supernatant was amplified by RT-PCR in the presence of NS5 universal flavivirus primers and directly sequenced. Results of BLAST search indicated that this sequence shares 93% nucleotide similarity with the sequence of SLEV (strain-MSI.7), confirmed by RT-PCR performed with SLEV specific primers. Since SLEV was identified as the cause of human disease, it is necessary to improve surveillance in order to achieve early detection of this agent in the state of São Paulo and in Brazil. This finding is also an alert to health professionals about the need for more complete clinical and epidemiological investigations of febrile illnesses as in the reported case. SLEV infections can be unrecognized or confused with other ones caused by an arbovirus, such as dengue

Alpinia

Species of the genus Alpinia are widely used by the population and have many described biological activities, including activity against insects. In this paper, we describe the bioactivity of the essential oil of two species of Alpinia genus, A. zerumbet and A. vittata, against Rhodnius nasutus, a vector of Chagas disease. The essential oils of these two species were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-MS. The main constituent of A. zerumbet essential oil (OLALPZER) was terpinen-4-ol, which represented 19.7% of the total components identified. In the essential oil of A. vittata (OLALPVIT) the monoterpene β-pinene (35.3%) was the main constituent. The essential oils and their main constituents were topically applied on R. nasutus fifth-instar nymphs. In the first 10 min of application, OLALPVIT and OLALPZER at 125 μg/mL provoked 73.3% and 83.3% of mortality, respectively. Terpinen-4-ol at 25 μg/mL and β-pinene at 44 μg/mL provoked 100% of mortality. The monitoring of resistant insects showed that both essential oils exhibited antifeedant activity. These results suggest the potential use of A. zerumbet and A. vittata essential oils and their major constituents to control R. nasutus population

LaMMos - Latching Mechanism based on Motorized-screw for Reconfigurable Robots and Exoskeleton Suits

Reconfigurable robots refer to a category of robots that their components (individual joints and links) can be assembled in multiple configurations and geometries. Most of existing latching mechanisms are based on physical tools such as hooks, cages or magnets, which limit the payload capacity. Therefore, robots re- quire a latching mechanism which can help to reconfigure itself without sacrificing the payload capability. This paper presents a latching mechanism based on the flexible screw attaching principle. In which, actuators are used to move the robot links and joints while connecting them with a motorized-screw and dis- connecting them by unfastening the screw. The brackets used in our mechanism configuration helps to hold maximum force up to 5000N. The LaMMos - Latching Mechanism based on Motorized- screw has been applied to the DeWaLoP - Developing Water Loss Prevention in-pipe robot. It helps the robot to shrink its body to crawl into the pipe with minimum diameter, by recon- figuring the leg positions. And it helps to recover the legs positions to original status once the robot is inside the pipe. Also, LaMMos add stiffness to the robot legs by dynamically integrate them to the structure. Additionally, we present an application of the LaMMos mechanism to exoskeleton suits, for easing the mo- tors from the joints when carrying heavy weights for long periods of time. This mechanism offers many interesting opportunities for robotics research in terms of functionality, pay- load and size.Comment: 14 pages, 15 figure