Does the effectiveness of forest protected areas differ conditionally on their type of governance?

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Effects of micelle nature and concentration on the acid dissociation constants of the metal extractor PADA

The pyridine-2-azo-p-dimethylaniline (PADA) ligand presents two acid dissociation constants, being pKa1 related to the pyridinium and pKa2 related to the anilinium residue. These have been measured by spectrophotometric titrations in aqueous solutions containing either the anionic (SDS), or the non–ionic (Triton X-100) or the cationic (DTAC) surfactants. The pKai shifts of the charged systems from that of the PADA/Triton X-100 reference (∆pKai0) are compared. For PADA/DTAC ∆pKa10 = 0.05 and ∆pKa20 = 0.6. For PADA/SDS ∆pKa10 = 2.1 and ∆pKa20 = 2.1 both yielding the value of -126 mV for the surface potential (ψ) of SDS. The ψ value, lying between the calculated Stern potential and the zeta potential, indicates that the dye is located on the SDS micelles between the fixed and the shear layer. In contrast, the behaviour of PADA/DTAC is explained assuming that the positively charged deprotonation sites of PADA are forced to protrude towards the bulk solvent by the positive charges of DTAC micelles. The shifts of the apparent pKai from the aqueous values (∆pKaiw) have also been analysed. Concerning PADA/Triton X-100, the shifts ∆pKa1w = -0.1 and ∆pKa2w = -0.9 are rationalized in terms of dielectric constant reduction at the reaction sites. Concerning PADA/DTAC, ∆pKa1w= -0.05 and ∆pKa2w= -0.3 whereas, for PADA/SDS, ∆pKa1w = 2.0 and ∆pKa2w = 1.2. The pKa2w values decrease on raising the surfactant concentrations for all the investigated systems. This behaviour is explained assuming that the increase of the overall micellar surface and, by consequence, of the reaction sites number, results in a site dilution effect which disfavours proton association. The addition of NaCl induces changes of pKa1 and pKa2 which are explained in terms of (large) reduction of ψ for PADA/SDS and of (small) reduction of the dielectric constant for the other systems

Caesalpinieae (Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae) do campo experimental da Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, município de Moju, PA, Brasil.

(Caesalpinieae (Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae) do Campo Experimental da Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Município de Moju, PA, Brasil). Este trabalho tem como objetivo realizar o estudo florístico-taxonômico da tribo Caesalpinieae, do Campo Experimental da Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Moju, PA, complementando o conhecimento da flora local, cujo inventário teve início em 2001; visa também contribuir para o conhecimento das Leguminosae do Estado do Pará. As coletas foram feitas através de técnicas convencionais utilizadas em taxonomia vegetal. A identificação dos espécimes foi realizada, inicialmente, nos herbários IAN e MG, comparando-se com material previamente determinado; a seguir, utilizou-se literatura específica e comparação com os tipos. Caesalpinieae está representada na área por 10 táxons, dos quais Batesia, Campsiandra, Dimorphandra, Libidibia e Vouacapoua apresentam apenas uma espécie cada; Tachigali está representado por cinco espécies. Dimorphandra macrostachya ssp. congestiflora é um novo registro para o Estado do Pará. Neste trabalho são apresentadas descrições e chave para identificação dos táxons estudados, ilustrações detalhadas, área de ocorrência, lista do material examinado e comentários sobre cada táxon tratado

Caesalpinieae (Leguminosae-caesalpinoideae) do campo experimental da Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Município de Moju, Estado do Pará, Brasil.

PIBIC 2010. Publicado também no CONGRESSO NACIONAL DE BOTÂNICA, 61., 2010, Manaus

Levantamento de plantas conhecidas como Mututi, com ênfase ao estudo morfológico de espécies de Pterocarpus Jarq. (Leguminosae).

Disponível também on-line

Levantamento de plantas conhecidas como Mututi, com ênfase ao estudo morfológico de espécies de Pterocarpus Jacq. (Leguminosae).

Disponível também on-line

In vivo biodistribution and lifetime analysis of cy5.5-conjugated rituximab in mice bearing lymphoid tumor xenograft using time-domain near-infrared optical imaging

Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody directed against human CD20 antigen, which is expressed on B-cell lymphocytes and on the majority of B-cell lymphoid malignancies. Herein we report the conjugate of rituximab with the near-infrared (NIR) fluorophore Cy5.5 (RI-Cy5.5) as a tool for in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo NIR time-domain (TD) optical imaging. In vitro, RI-Cy5.5 retained biologic activity and led to elevated cell-associated fluorescence on tumor cells. In vivo, TD optical imaging analysis of RI-Cy5.5 injected into lymphoma-bearing mice revealed a slow tumor uptake and a specific long-lasting persistence of the probe within the tumor. Biodistribution studies after intraperitoneal and endovenous administration were undertaken to evaluate differences in the tumor uptake. RI-Cy5.5 concentration in the organs after intraperitoneal injection was not as high as after endovenous injection. Ex vivo analysis of biologic tissues and organs by both TD optical imaging and immunohistochemistry confirmed the probe distribution, as demonstrated by imaging experiment in vivo, showing that RI-Cy5.5 selectively accumulated in the tumor tissue and major excretion organs. In summary, the study indicates that NIR TD optical imaging is a powerful tool for rituximab-targeting investigation, furthering understanding of its administration outcome in lymphoma treatment

Modular integration of a 3 DoF F/T sensor for robotic manipulators

Robot assisted surgery and minimally invasive robotic surgery inherently entail that the hands of the surgeon indirectly interact with the patient tissues and organs even if the operator is out of the affected body. Hence, transferring sensor information from the inside of the patient to the outside of the surgeon may certainly improve the perception of the robotic enduser. To this aim – within the EU framework of the STIFF-FLOP project (STIFFness controllable Flexible and Learnable Manipulator for Surgical Operations), we developed a novel design of miniaturized and magnetic resonance compatible sensors for force and torque real-time measurements in robotic surgery. The sensor design has a hollow shape, whose geometry allows its integration and embedding within snake-like surgical robots and modular devices. According to typical requirements and specifications of a surgical procedure, the sensor operates in a range of force and torque of 0-5 N and 0-5 N⋅cm, respectively. Due to a customized tool and calibration procedure, an error of less than 15% of sensor range can be obtained. This novel transducer may advance force and haptic feedback in robot assisted and minimally invasive surgeries