Impact of swordfish fisheries on sea turtles in the Azores.

The surface longline fishery around the Azores targets swordfish (Xiphias gladius). Bycatch from this fishery includes loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and occasionally leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) that are either hooked or entangled in the lines. Hooks are generally set at depths of 15-50 m and baited with squid, mackerel, or sometimes with shark meat. The size classes of loggerhead sea turtles caught ranged from 41.3 to 65.4 cm curved carapace length and constitutes the largest size class of loggerheads occurring in the Azores. The impact on this size class affects the survival of the southeastern United States (SEUS) population of loggerheads because the loggerheads from the Azores are primarily from SEUS rookeries. For one commercial longline boat, we observed that the mean capture of turtles per 1000 hooks by month ranged between a minimum of 0.04 in May and a maximum of 0.79 in July with a weighted mean catch of 0.27. October and November also registered high catch rates. Of 60 turtles recorded, 54 were hooked in the mouth, 3 in the esophagus, 1 in the eye, 1 in the flipper, and one was undetermined. The turtles that were caught were physically strong, except one that was weak and another dead. Total capture of loggerhead sea turtles is estimated to be 4190 for the entire fleet fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Azores during the swordfish season (May to December) of 1998. We strongly recommend that observer programs be continued because capture rates may vary among years and among fishing boats

Comparação da fauna de formigas de serapilheira entre área de floresta atlântica secundária e plantação adjacente de pinus no sudeste do Brasil

We investigated the influence of Pinus afforestation on the structure of leaf-litter ant communities in the southeastern Brazilian Atlantic Forest, studying an old secondary forest and a nearly 30 year-old never managed Pinus elliottii reforested area. A total of 12,826 individual ants distributed among 95 species and 32 genera were obtained from 50 1 m² samples/ habitat. Of these, 60 species were recorded in the pine plantation and 82 in the area of Atlantic forest; almost 50% of the species found in the secondary forest area were also present in the pine plantation. The number of species per sample was significantly higher in the secondary forest than in the pine plantation. Forest-adapted taxa are the most responsible for ant species richness differences between areas, and the pine plantation is richer in species classified as soil or litter omnivorous-dominants. The specialized ant predators registered in the pine plantation, as seven Dacetini, two Basiceros, two Attini and two Discothyrea, belong to widely distributed species. The NMDS (non-metric multidimensional scaling) ordination also suggested strong differences in similarity among samples of the two areas. Furthermore, this analysis indicated higher sample heterogeneity in the secondary forest, with two clusters of species, while in the pine plantation the species belong to a single cluster. We applied the ant mosaic hypothesis to explain the distribution of the leaf-litter fauna and spatial autocorrelation tests among samples. We argue that the results are likely related to differences in quality and distribution of the leaf-litter between the pine plantation and the secondary area.A influência do reflorestamento com Pinus na estrutura da fauna de formigas de serapilheira foi investigada, estudando uma floresta Atlântica secundária inalterada há 30 anos e uma área reflorestada com Pinus elliottii no Sudeste do Brasil. Em 50 amostras de 1 m² tomadas em cada área, foram coletados 12.826 indivíduos, distribuídos em 95 espécies e 32 gêneros de formigas. Foram identificadas 60 espécies na área reflorestada com Pinus e 82 espécies na área de floresta secundária; aproximadamente 50% das espécies foram registradas nas duas áreas. A mediana do número de espécies por amostra foi maior na floresta secundária. Táxons com biologia especializada são responsáveis por grande parte das diferenças de composição de fauna, sendo a área de reflorestamento com Pinus mais rica em espécies onívoras e dominantes. Predadoras especializadas registradas na área de Pinus, como sete espécies de Dacetini, duas Basiceros, duas Attini e duas Discothyrea, têm ampla distribuição na Floresta Atlântica. A ordenação das amostras com o escalonamento multidimensional não-métrico (NMDS) indicou grande diferença na similaridade entre as amostras das áreas. Adicionalmente, essa análise sugere maior heterogeneidade na composição das amostras da floresta secundária, identificando dois agrupamentos de espécies, enquanto a área de Pinus apresenta um agrupamento apenas. Para investigar quais fatores podem explicar a heterogeneidade observada, testes de co-ocorrência e de autocorrelação espacial foram aplicados entre amostras de cada área. Nossa conclusão é que as diferenças observadas devem estar relacionadas com diferenças na qualidade e distribuição da serapilheira entre as áreas.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)UMC - Fundação de Amparo ao Ensino e Pesquis

Cartilage regeneration approach based on squid chitosan scaffolds : in-vitro assessment

During the past decades, marine organisms have been the focus of considerable attention as potential source of valuable materials. For instance, chitosan is a biopolymer with high potential in the biomedical field and can be produced from crustacean shells and squid pens [1]. In this sense, we propose the use of chitosan to produce scaffolds for regenerative medicine purposes. An alkaline solution was used to deproteinize squid pens and isolate β- chitin (Chaussard 2004), which was further converted into chitosan through a deacetylation reaction. Chitosan was then processed into porous structures by freeze-drying [3], where chitosan solutions (4%) were submitted to different freezing temperature of -80ºC and - 196ºC. The produced structures were further submitted to neutralization methods with 4% NaHO, including in some cases a pre-washing step using ethanol/water solutions (100:0; 90:10, 80:20; 70:30 and 50:50) [4]. The morphology of scaffolds produced using either squid or commercial chitosan revealed a lamellar structure, independent of the source and/or freezing temperature. All chitosan scaffolds produced exhibited no-cytotoxic behaviour over L929 cells. To test the in vitro functionality of the scaffolds, cells from the mouse chondrogenic cell line ATDC-5 were seeded in the scaffolds and cultured for different time periods. Scaffolds made from squid chitosan were shown to promote better cell adhesion than commercial chitosan scaffolds and comparable or better cell proliferation. This demonstrates that squid chitosan is a valuable alternative to produce scaffolds for different applications in regenerative medicine, namely the regeneration of cartilage

Learning, body and territory among indigenous Xakriabá boys

This article draws on an ethnographical study of indigenous Xakriabá boys, focusing on fieldwork that explores everyday practices that characterise the passage from domestic space to manhood through territory circulation. The hunt assumes an emblematic position in the learning process configuration that constitutes the male ethos of the Xakriabá. We review the unique arrangement of key practices, exploring their articulations and revealing learning processes developed both through the use of the scythe in agricultural work, and through hunting in the woods that surround the villages. Learning is explored as an inherent dimension of social practices. We highlight the relationships among different learning configurations in order to identify recurrent themes, such as peer interaction and co-responsability, which characterise particular ways of learning among the Xakriabá.O artigo retoma a etnografia realizada com os meninos do povo indígena Xakriabá e focaliza cenas de campo que descrevem práticas presentes no cotidiano desses meninos que caracterizam a passagem do espaço doméstico para o mundo adulto masculino através da circulação pelo território. A caça assume um lugar emblemático na configuração das aprendizagens que constituem o ethos masculino dos Xakriabá. A configuração singular de tais práticas é revisitada para explorar suas articulações e revelar as aprendizagens que se tornam possíveis no uso da foice, parte do trabalho na roça; e na caça, realizada na mata do entorno das aldeias. Explora-se a aprendizagem como dimensão inerente às práticas e busca-se estabelecer relações entre as configurações de diferentes aprendizagens para explicitar orientações recorrentes como a interação entre pares e a cor-responsabilização na condução das práticas, que revelam modos de aprender próprios nas interações entre os Xakriabá

Produção orgânica de alface e rabanete em cultivo solteiro e consorciado

O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a produção de alface e rabanete em cultivo solteiro e consorciado em sistema orgânico. O experimento foi realizado no campo experimental da UEMS, Glória de Dourados, MS, num solo classificado como Argissolo Vermelho, textura arenosa. O delineamento estatístico utilizado no experimento foi de blocos casualizados, com três repetições. Os tratamentos foram constituídos por três cultivares de alface consorciadas com uma de rabanete: 1) Alface americana em monocultivo, 2) Alface crespa em monocultivo, 3) Alface roxa em monocultivo, 4) Rabanete em monocultivo, 5) Alface americana consorciada com rabanete, 6) Alface crespa consorciada com rabanete e 7) Alface roxa consorciada com rabanete. Nas condições em que foi executado este experimento, pode-se concluir que o cultivo consorciado de alface com rabanete foi adequado do ponto de vista agronômico, pois a presença do rabanete não prejudicou a produção de alface, além de se apresentar como possibilidade concreta de gerar renda extra para o agricultor em uma mesma área física

Semiconductor gellan gum based composite hydrogels for tissue engineering applications

Publicado em "Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine", vol. 7, supp. 1 (2013)Semiconductor hydrogels can be developed by combining the intrinsic electrical properties of semiconductors with the specific characteristics of hydrogels. These hydrogels have recently attracted much attention for applications in tissue engineering, especially formulations incorporating pyrrole and excellent biocompatibility. Several studies have reported that electrical stimulation influences the migration, proliferation and differentiation of stem cells and other cell lines [1]. The goal of this work is to use in situ chemical polymerization of polypyrrole (PPy) with gellan gum (GG) in order to obtain a new generation of semiconductor composite hydrogels. For the synthesis of GG/PPy composites, GG at 1.25% (w/v) final concentration was prepared in distilled water at room temperature. The solution was then heated under stirring at 90°C for 20 min. Temperature was decreased to 65°C and Py was added under vigorous agitation. The crosslinker solution (CaCl2, 0.18%) was added at 50°C. After 2 h, GG/Py composite hydrogels were obtained. In a further step, GG/Py samples were immersed in a solution of oxidizing agent in PBS and the reaction was carried out for 18 h under agitation at room temperature. Finally, the samples were frozen at -80°C for 48 h and lyophilized. The characterization of GG, GG/PPy and PPy samples was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The incorporation of PPy in the gellan gum was confirmed by SEM analysis. The coating with PPy increases the thickness of each sheet in 3 fold when compared with GG samples. Conductivity tests were also performed. For cytotoxicity assay, the samples were rehydrated with complete culture medium. MTS and DNA quantification assays were performed to evaluate the metabolic activity and proliferation of L929 fibroblast cells after 1, 3 and 7 days in culture with GG, GG/PPy and PPy samples. MTS assays clearly indicate a proportional relation between the cell viability and the PPy concentration: higher concentrations of PPy resulted in lower cell viability. These results show that lower concentration of PPy incorporated in the GG hydrogels can provide an adequate electrical stimulus to improve cell behavior. In conclusion, semiconductor hydrogels can be an excellent platform for tissue engineering and electrochemical therapy application

Influence of freezing temperature and deacetylation degree on the performance of freeze-dried chitosan scaffolds towards cartilage tissue engineering

Chitosan-based porous structures have been significantly studied across the world as potential tissue engineering scaffolds. Despite the differences in chitosan produced from squid pens or crustacean shells, with the former being more reactive and easily available with a higher degree of deacetylation (DD), most of the studies report the use of crab or shrimp chitosan as they are readily available commercial sources. The aim of this work was to highlight the great potential of chitosan produced from squid pens for biomedical application. From freeze-dried scaffolds for soft tissue engineering, we investigated the influence of the DD of chitosan and the freezing temperature during processing on their performance. Chitosan was obtained by deacetylation of β-chitin previously isolated from endoskeleton of giant squid Dosidicus gigas (DD 91.2%) and compared with a commercially available batch obtained from crab shells (DD 76.6%). Chitosan solutions were frozen at â 80° C or â 196° C and further freeze-dried to obtain 3D porous structures (scaffolds). Scaffolds prepared at â 196° C have a compact structure with smaller pores, while those prepared at â 80° C showed a lamellar structure with larger pores. The compressive modulus varied from 0.7 up to 8.8 MPa. Both types of scaffolds were stable on PBS, including in the presence of lysozyme, up to 4 weeks. Furthermore, the squid chitosan scaffolds processed at â 80° C promoted ATDC5 chondrocyte-like cells adhesion and proliferation. The results suggest that the developed squid chitosan scaffolds might be further exploited for ap- plications in cartilage tissue engineering.This work was partially funded by ERDF through POCTEP Projects 0330_IBEROMARE_1_P and 0687_NOVOMAR_1_P, Atlantic Area Project 2011-1/164 MARMED and by European Union through European Research Council – Project ComplexiTE (ERC-2012-ADG 20120216-321266). Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology is gratefully acknowledged for post-doc grants of R.P. Pirraco (SFRH/BPD/101886/2014) and S.S. Silva (SFRH/BPD/112140/2015) and PhD grant of Lara L. Reys (SFRH/BD/112139/2015). The authors would also like to acknowledge to Dr. Julio Maroto, from Fundación CETMAR (Spain) and Roi Vilela, from PESCANOVA S.A. (Spain), for the kind offer of squid pens.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Leaf Appearance and Elongation in Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania Tillers of Varying Ages

A sward may be considered as a tiller population of varying ages and sizes, and these different age groups are likely to present distinct behaviour in terms of growth and herbage production. However, there is very little information on how tiller age, in association with grazing management practices (e.g. frequency and intensity of grazing), alter morphogenetic characteristics and, therefore, herbage production. Against this background, the present experiment had the objective to evaluate leaf appearance and elongation in Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania tillers of different age groups when submitted to intermittent grazing regimes

PACCE: Perl Algorithm to Compute Continuum and Equivalent Widths

We present Perl Algorithm to Compute continuum and Equivalent Widths (pacce). We describe the methods used in the computations and the requirements for its usage. We compare the measurements made with pacce and "manual" ones made using iraf splot task. These tests show that for SSP models the equivalent widths strengths are very similar (differences <0.2A) for both measurements. In real stellar spectra, the correlation between both values is still very good, but with differences of up to 0.5A. pacce is also able to determine mean continuum and continuum at line center values, which are helpful in stellar population studies. In addition, it is also able to compute the uncertainties in the equivalent widths using photon statistics. The code is made available for the community through the web at http://www.if.ufrgs.br/~riffel/software.html.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted by Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Hind limb ischemia in type 1 diabetic mice as useful tool to evaluate the neovascularization of tissue engineering constructs

Hind-limb ischemia has been used in type 1 diabetic mice to evaluate treatments for peripheral arterial disease or mechanisms of vascular impairment in diabetes [1]. Vascular deficiency is not only a pathophysiological condition, but also an obvious circumstance in tissue regeneration and in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) strategies. We performed a pilot experiment of hind-limb ischemia in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced type 1 diabetic mice to hypothesise whether diabetes influences neovascularization induced by biomaterials. The dependent variables included blood flow and markers of arteriogenesis and angiogenesis. Type 1 diabetes was induced in 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice by an i.p. injection of STZ (50 mg/kg daily for 5 days). Hind-limb ischemia was created under deep anaesthesia and the left femoral artery and vein were isolated, ligated, and excised. The contralateral hind limb served as an internal control within each mouse. Non-diabetic ischaemic mice were used as experiment controls. At the hind-limb ischemia surgical procedure, different types of biomaterials were placed in the blood vessels gap. Blood flow was estimated by Laser Doppler perfusion imager, right after surgery and then weekly. After 28 days of implantation, surrounding muscle was excised and evaluated by histological analysis for arteriogenesis and angiogenesis. The results showed that implanted biomaterials were promote faster restoration of blood flow in the ischemic limbs and improved neovascularization in the diabetic mice. Therefore, we herein demonstrate that the combined model of hind-limb ischemia in type 1 diabetes mice is suitable to evaluate the neovascularization potential of biomaterials and eventually tissue engineering constructs.  Acknowledgments: TCS and RPP acknowledge RL3-TECT-NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000020, co-financed by ON.2-O Novo Norte; and FCT grants: SFRH/BPD/101952/2014 and SFRH/BPD/101886/2014, respectively. LPS acknowledges FCT grant SFRH/BD/78025/2011