Strumigenys Fairchildi Brown, 1961 (formicidae, Myrmicinae): First Record Of This Rarely Collected Ant From Brazil

Strumigenys fairchildi Brown, 1961 is recorded for the first time in Brazil. This ant species was previously known only from a few specimens collected in Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador. The worker S. fairchildi was collected at the Parque Estadual do Cristalino, a continuous area of Amazon tropical rain forest protected for biodiversity conservation in the municipality of Novo Mundo, Mato Grosso state. In addition, we present a distribution map and high-resolution images of the worker. © 2016 Check List and Authors.12

Twin pregnancy in brazil: a profile analysis exploring population information from the national birth e-registry on live births

sem informaçãoBirth records as SINASC (Brazilian Live Birth Information System) are highlighted in uncommon conditions such as twin pregnancy whose prevalence rarely exceeds 2 to 3% of the total number of births. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence110sem informaçãosem informaçãosem informaçã

ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF FOREST HARVESTING WITH HARVESTER AND FORWARDER

ABSTRACT Due to the high cost of acquisition and preservation of machines used in the operations of forest harvest, it is necessary to know the profitability of its purchase and up to what point its usage is profitable. Thus the aim of this work was to evaluate economically the activities of felling and timber extraction held by skidders harvester and forwarder up to approximately 30,000 hours of work. Seventeen forest machines were used: 5 harvesters John Deere model 1270D, and 5 harvesters John Deere model 1470D, with power of 215 hp (160 kW) and 241 hp (180 kW), respectively, and 7 forwarders John Deere model 1710D, with power of 215 hp (160 kW). The data base supplied by a forestry company located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, containing all the necessary information to obtain the equilibrium point, the annual equivalent cost (AEC) and the internal return rate (IRR) was used. The equilibrium point was used to determine the amount of minimum hours the machines should work. The AEC was used to determine the profitability of the operation. In 2013 it was not possible to find a number of working hours that did not cause loss for either the harvester or the forwarder. The substitution point for the harvester or the forwarder through the AEC was not found. The harvester presented investment profitability in 2011 of 67.43%. The forwarder presented an internal rate or return of 34.00% in 2011

Study of the binary system fly ash/sugarcane bagasse ash (FA/SCBA) in SiO2/K2O alkali-activated binders

Due environmental problems related to Portland cement consumption, many studies have been performed to diminish its use. One solution is the development of alkali-activated binders, which can decrease CO2 emissions and energy consumption by 70% when compared to Portland cement production. In addition, an alkali-activated binder presents mechanical properties similar to Portland cement mixtures, which turns into an interesting material in civil construction. Aluminosilicate-based materials are important raw materials to produce the alkali-activated binders. Therefore, two residues are presented as an aluminosilicate source in this study: fly ash (FA) and sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA). Both residues were obtained from a combustion process to generate energy, the former from coal and the latter from the bagasse of the sugarcane industry. In addition, the alkaline activating solution is an important factor to achieve improved mechanical properties. In this context, this study investigated the influence of four different SiO2/K2O molar ratios (0, 0.36, 0.75 and 1.22) in the activating solution with a constant water content, and three FA/SCBA binder proportions (75/25, 50/50 and 25/75). Microstructural characterization was carried out by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, mercury intrusion porosimetry, pH and electrical conductivity measurements to study the evolution of the reaction process. The compressive strength of mortars was assessed in order to determine the optimum SiO2/K2O molar ratio and FA/SCBA ratio. The tests showed that a SiO2/K2O molar ratio of 0.75 and FA/SCBA proportion of 75/25 provided the best mechanical properties.The authors would like to thank the Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte of Spain (Cooperacion Interuniversitaria program with Brazil, Project PHB-2011-0016-PC), CAPES Brazil (Project CAPES/DGU No. 266/12) and CNPq (process no 401724/2013-1).Castaldelli, V.; Moraes, J.; Akasaki, JL.; Pinheiro Melges, JL.; Monzó Balbuena, JM.; Borrachero Rosado, MV.; Soriano Martínez, L.... (2016). Study of the binary system fly ash/sugarcane bagasse ash (FA/SCBA) in SiO2/K2O alkali-activated binders. Fuel. 174:307-316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2016.02.020S30731617

Is it possible to simplify environmental monitoring? Approaches with zooplankton in a hydroelectric reservoir

Abstract Aim: In order to contribute to the knowledge about the simplification of biological surveys, this study evaluated the use of substitute groups, numeric and taxonomic resolution for the three main groups of zooplankton (cladocerans, copepods and rotifers) in a Hydropower Plant (UHE). The following issues were addressed: (i) the patterns of spatial and/or temporal ordering generated between each zooplankton group are in concordance? (ii) The concordance is maintained using presence/absence data instead of density data? (iii) The identification of organisms to the species level can be replaced by genus or family level? Methods Samples were taken in seven sample units over five campaigns between 2009 and 2010 in the UHE Serra da Mesa (Goiás, Brazil). To evaluate the correlation between each pair of matrices was used the Mantel test. Results The results demonstrate that the replacements should not be made among the zooplanktonic groups, requiring the monitoring of three groups (copepods, cladocerans and rotifers). Furthermore, the results suggest the use of density data of individuals rather than just presence/absence of species. Finally, the results of this study indicate the possibility to use data at species level instead of data at genus or family level. Conclusion For zooplankton community monitoring purposes only the use of taxonomic resolution showed to be efficient for this area of study, not being recommended the use of surrogate groups or numerical resolution