Ecomorphological correlates of twenty dominant fish species of Amazonian floodplain lakes

Fishes inhabiting Amazonian floodplain lakes exhibits a great variety of body shape, which was a key advantage to colonize the several habitats that compose these areas adjacent to the large Amazon rivers. In this paper, we did an ecomorphological analysis of twenty abundant species, sampled in May and August 2011, into two floodplain lakes of the lower stretch of the Solimões River. The analysis detected differences among species, which could be probably associated with swimming ability and habitat use preferences. © 2017, Instituto Internacional de Ecologia. All rights reserved

Semantic strategy training increases memory performance and brain activity in patients with prefrontal cortex lesions

Objective: Memory deficit is a frequent cognitive disorder following acquired prefrontal cortex lesions. In the present study, we investigated the brain correlates of a short semantic strategy training and memory performance of patients with distinct prefrontal cortex lesions using fMRI and cognitive tests. <p/>Methods: Twenty-one adult patients with post-acute prefrontal cortex (PFC) lesions, twelve with left dorsolateral PFC (LPFC) and nine with bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (BOFC) were assessed before and after a short cognitive semantic training using a verbal memory encoding paradigm during scanning and neuropsychological tests outside the scanner. <p/>Results: After the semantic strategy training both groups of patients showed significant behavioral improvement in verbal memory recall and use of semantic strategies. In the LPFC group, greater activity in left inferior and medial frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus and insula was found after training. For the BOFC group, a greater activation was found in the left parietal cortex, right cingulated and precuneos after training. <p/>Conclusion: The activation of these specific areas in the memory and executive networks following cognitive training was associated to compensatory brain mechanisms and application of the semantic strategy

O potencial do aruanã Osteoglossum bicirrhosum (Vandelli, 1829) (Osteoglossiformes, Osteoglosidae) para a criação em cativeiro The potential of arawana Osteoglossum bicirrhosum (Vandelli, 1829) (Osteoglossiformes, Osteoglosiidae) for the creation in captivity

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo identificar uma nova espécie para a criação em cativeiro na região amazônica, visando atender não somente a demanda do mercado local, mas os anseios de um mercado consumidor ávido por novos produtos de qualidade. Para tanto, foi utilizado como ponto de partida o banco de dados do Projeto Manejo dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis de 2001 a 2004. Fazendo uma ligação destes dados com os obtidos junto ao Núcleo de Recursos Pesqueiros do Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis e da Secretaria Especial de Aqüicultura e Pesca da Presidência da República/AM, possibilitou-se identificar o aruanã Osteoglossum bicirrhosum (Vandelli, 1829) como um pescado com potencial para a criação em cativeiro. Foram analisados ainda os valores de mercado e realizadas análises da composição centesimal e do rendimento de carcaça, que creditaram ao aruanã uma carne magra (0,08% de gordura) e protéica (15,19%), com um rendimento de 29,15 ± 1,48% de filé.<br>The present work had as objective to identify a new species for creation in captivity in the Amazon region, aiming not only the demand of the local market, but also a consuming market interested in new products and with quality. It was used as starting point the data base of the Projeto Manejo dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis of 2001 the 2004. Making a link of this data with the Nucleus of Resources the Fishing of the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and the Natural resources and the Special Secretariat of Aqüicultura and Fishing of the Presidency of the Republic/AM database, it was made possible to identify the arawana Osteoglossum bicirrhosum (Vandelli, 1829) as a fish with potential for the creation in captivity. Market values were analyzed and carried through analyses of the centesimal composition and the income of carcass, that they had credited the arawana a lean meat (0,08% of fat) and proteic (15,19%), with an meat yield of 29,15 ± 1,48% of filet