Biotic versus abiotic pollination in Oeceoclades maculata (Lindl.) Lindl. (Orchidaceae)

Geographical variation in the reproductive biology of widespread species often occurs at their distributional boundaries. We sought to determine whether such variation has occurred in an invasive orchid, Oeceoclades maculata, across its naturalized range. We compared its reproductive biology in a Brazilian population with that published for a population on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. In the state of Sao Paulo, O. maculata flowers between December and February, at the height of the rainy season. Similar fruit sets were observed in manual self (76%) and cross (70.4%) pollination treatments. The fruit set of plants protected from both pollinators and rainfall was 6.1%, whereas plants exposed only to rainfall had a fruit set of 41.4%, slightly less than the controls (48.3%). Like the Puerto Rico population, reproduction is primarily through rain-assisted autogamy, but unlike observations made on the island, outcrossing can eventually occur. We observed two butterfly species (Heliconius ethilla narcaea and Heliconius erato phyllis) pollinating O. maculata. Secretory epidermal cells and trichomes of the spur lumen produced 0.7 mu L of 25% (sucrose equivalents) nectar per flower each morning, which was stored in a dilated basal portion of the spur and reabsorbed by the afternoon. Thus, geographical variation in reproductive biology exists across the broad invasive range of O. maculata.

A palaeobiogeographic model for biotic diversification within Amazonia over the past three million years

Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain high species diversity in Amazonia, but few generalizations have emerged. In part, this has arisen from the scarcity of rigorous tests for mechanisms promoting speciation, and from major uncertainties about palaeogeographic events and their spatial and temporal associations with diversification. Here, we investigate the environmental history of Amazonia using a phylogenetic and biogeographic analysis of trumpeters (Aves: Psophia), which are represented by species in each of the vertebrate areas of endemism. Their relationships reveal an unforeseen 'complete' time-slice of Amazonian diversification over the past 3.0 Myr. We employ this temporally calibrated phylogeny to test competing palaeogeographic hypotheses. Our results are consistent with the establishment of the current Amazonian drainage system at approximately 3.0-2.0 Ma and predict the temporal pattern of major river formation over Plio-Pleistocene times. We propose a palaeobiogeographic model for the last 3.0 Myr of Amazonian history that has implications for understanding patterns of endemism, the temporal history of Amazonian diversification and mechanisms promoting speciation. The history of Psophia, in combination with new geological evidence, provides the strongest direct evidence supporting a role for river dynamics in Amazonian diversification, and the absence of such a role for glacial climate cycles and refugia.

Nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes and morphometric indexes in the catfish Cathorops spixii (Ariidae) from different sites on the southeastern Brazilian coast

Nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes (NAE) were taken as biomarkers in the catfish Cathorops spixii (Ariidae) sampled in an estuary little affected by human activity (Cananeia) and in three regions (Santos Channel: SC, Santos Bay: SB and Sao Vicente Channel: SVC) of the Santos-Sao Vicente estuary impacted by various anthropogenic activities. Increases in NAE were observed in fish from SC and SVC sampled in the summer period as compared with specimens from the Cananeia estuary. These results suggest the presence of genotoxic compounds in these regions. However, the absence of significant differences in micronuclei frequency reflects slight mutagenic effects in these individuals. It is possible that the lower NAE frequency in specimens from SB might be associated with the greater remobilization and dilution of chemicals in this region. The low frequency of NAE in C. spixii from the Cananeia estuary is in accordance with the slight anthropogenic influence in this system, and may be suggestive of the absence of genotoxic and mutagenic effects in these organisms.

The use of severity indexes to estimate the risk of death in Intensive Care

The Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) and Logistic Organ Dysfunction System (LODS) are instruments used to classify Intensive Care Unit (ICU) inpatients according to the severity of their condition and risk of death, and evaluate the quality of nursing care. The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the performance of SAPS II and LODS to predict the mortality of patients admitted to the ICU. The participants were 600 patients from four ICUs located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves were used to compare the performance of the indexes. Results: The areas under the ROC curves of LODS (0.69) and SAPS II (0.71) indicated moderate discriminatory capacity to identify death or survival. No statistically significant differences were found between these areas (p=0.26). In conclusion, there was equivalence between SAPS II and LODS to estimate the risk of death of ICU patients.

Selection of early-maturing sweet orange cultivars by performance indexes

The objective of this work was to select adequate early-maturing sweet orange cultivars for the fresh fruit market and for industrial processing using performance indexes. Performance indexes for citrus were established from data collected in an experiment carried out in the southwest region of the state of Sao Paulo, involving 12 early-maturing sweet orange cultivars. New results were obtained by identifying cultivars with superior characteristics. In a comparison with 'Hamlin' sweet orange, a standard early-maturing cultivar, 'Valencia 2' and 'Salustiana' were considered better materials for the fresh fruit market, whereas 'Westin' sweet orange was identified as a superior cultivar for orange juice processing.

Vertical distribution of biotic pollination systems in cerrado sensu stricto in the Triangulo Mineiro, MG, Brazil)

(Vertical distribution of biotic pollination systems in cerrado sensu stricto in the Triangulo Mineiro, MG, Brazil). Several factors can influence the distribution of floral resources and pollination systems in ecosystems, such as climate, altitude, geographic region, fragmentation of natural areas and differences in floristic composition along the vertical stratification. This study aimed to evaluate the distribution of the vertical stratification of biotic pollination systems in cerrado (sensu stricto) fragments in the Triangulo Mineiro. There was no significant difference (chi(2)(0.05,9)=14.17; P = 0.12) in total plant species richness among fragments, nor in the species richness of each layer (trees, shrubs, herbs and lianas) and the shrub layer was the best represented. Likewise, there was no significant difference between fragments for the systems of pollination (chi(2)(0 05,21) =13.80; P = 0.8778). Pollination by bees was the most common, corresponding to 85% of species in each fragment. In relative terms, plants pollinated by bees were dominant in all strata, reaching 100% for the lianas in fragments 1, 3 and 4 and for the herbs in fragments 1 and 4. In this study, based on floristic composition and distribution of biotic pollination systems in the vertical stratification, we could define a vertical mosaic in the cerrado studied, which has implications for the sustainability of communities in the cerrado, as well as the horizontal mosaic of vegetation types.

Relationship of aerobic and neuromuscular indexes with specific actions in judo

Objective. - The aim of this study was to verify the relationship of aerobic and neuromuscular indexes with specific situations in judo. Method. - Eighteen male judokas took part in the study. The following assessments were performed: vertical jump (CMJ) on a force platform; Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) to obtain the number of throws and percentage of the maximal heart rate (%HRmax) one minute after the test; match simulation to obtain the peak blood lactate (LACmax) and the percentage of the blood lactate removal (BLR); incremental test to obtain the velocity at the anaerobic threshold (vAT) and peak velocity (PV) reached in the test. Results. - A significant correlation was observed between the number of throws in the SJFT, the vAT (r = 0.60; P < 0.01), PV (r = 0.70; P < 0.01) and CMJ (r = 0.74; P < 0.01). A significant inverse correlation was found between the LACmax and vAT (r = -0.59; P = 0.01). Conclusions. - It can be concluded that the performance in the SJFT was determined by the aerobic capacity and power and the muscle power. Athletes with greater aerobic ability (vAT) presented lower blood lactate accumulation after the match. (c) 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Validation of reference genes for RT-qPCR normalization in common bean during biotic and abiotic stresses

Selection of reference genes is an essential consideration to increase the precision and quality of relative expression analysis by the quantitative RT-PCR method. The stability of eight expressed sequence tags was evaluated to define potential reference genes to study the differential expression of common bean target genes under biotic (incompatible interaction between common bean and fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum) and abiotic (drought; salinity; cold temperature) stresses. The efficiency of amplification curves and quantification cycle (C (q)) were determined using LinRegPCR software. The stability of the candidate reference genes was obtained using geNorm and NormFinder software, whereas the normalization of differential expression of target genes [beta-1,3-glucanase 1 (BG1) gene for biotic stress and dehydration responsive element binding (DREB) gene for abiotic stress] was defined by REST software. High stability was obtained for insulin degrading enzyme (IDE), actin-11 (Act11), unknown 1 (Ukn1) and unknown 2 (Ukn2) genes during biotic stress, and for SKP1/ASK-interacting protein 16 (Skip16), Act11, Tubulin beta-8 (beta-Tub8) and Unk1 genes under abiotic stresses. However, IDE and Act11 were indicated as the best combination of reference genes for biotic stress analysis, whereas the Skip16 and Act11 genes were the best combination to study abiotic stress. These genes should be useful in the normalization of gene expression by RT-PCR analysis in common bean, the most important edible legume.

Suitability of distance metrics as indexes of home-range size in tropical rodent species

Estimators of home-range size require a large number of observations for estimation and sparse data typical of tropical studies often prohibit the use of such estimators. An alternative may be use of distance metrics as indexes of home range. However, tests of correlation between distance metrics and home-range estimators only exist for North American rodents. We evaluated the suitability of 3 distance metrics (mean distance between successive captures [SD], observed range length [ORL], and mean distance between all capture points [AD]) as indexes for home range for 2 Brazilian Atlantic forest rodents, Akodon montensis (montane grass mouse) and Delomys sublineatus (pallid Atlantic forest rat). Further, we investigated the robustness of distance metrics to low numbers of individuals and captures per individual. We observed a strong correlation between distance metrics and the home-range estimator. None of the metrics was influenced by the number of individuals. ORL presented a strong dependence on the number of captures per individual. Accuracy of SD and AD was not dependent on number of captures per individual, but precision of both metrics was low with numbers of captures below 10. We recommend the use of SD and AD instead of ORL and use of caution in interpretation of results based on trapping data with low captures per individual.

Evaluation of chromosomal abnormalities by cIg-FISH and association with proliferative and apoptotic indexes in multiple myeloma

Eighty-six newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients from a public hospital of São Paulo (Brazil) were evaluated by cIg-FISH for the presence of del(13)(q14), t(4;14)(p16.3;q32) and del(17)(p13). These abnormalities were observed in 46.5, 9.3, and 7.0% of the patients, respectively. In order to identify the possible role of del(13)(q14) in the physiopathology of MM, we investigated the association between this abnormality and the proliferative and apoptotic indexes of plasma cells. When cases demonstrating t(4;14)(p16.3;q32) and del(17)(p13) were excluded from the analysis, we observed a trend towards a positive correlation between the proportion of cells carrying del(13)(q14) and plasma cell proliferation, determined by Ki-67 expression (r = 0.23, P = 0.06). On the other hand, no correlation between the proportion of cells carrying del(13)(q14) and apoptosis, determined by annexin-V staining, was detected (r = 0.05, P = 0.69). In general, patients carrying del(13)(q14) did not have lower survival than patients without del(13)(q14) (P = 0.15), but patients with more than 80% of cells carrying del(13)(q14) showed a lower overall survival (P = 0.033). These results suggest that, when del(13)(q14) is observed in a high proportion of malignant cells, it may have a role in determining MM prognosis. Another finding was a statistically significant lower overall survival of patients with t(4;14)(p16.3;q32) (P = 0.026). In the present study, almost half the patients with t(4;14)(p16.3;q32) died just after diagnosis, before starting treatment. This fact suggests that, in São Paulo, there may be even more patients with this chromosomal abnormality, but they probably die before being diagnosed due to unfavorable socioeconomic conditions. This could explain the low prevalence of this chromosomal abnormality observed in the present study.

Nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes and morphometric indexes in the catfish Cathorops spixii (Ariidae) from different sites on the southeastern Brazilian coast

Nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes (NAE) were taken as biomarkers in the catfish Cathorops spixii (Ariidae) sampled in an estuary little affected by human activity (Cananéia) and in three regions (Santos Channel: SC, Santos Bay: SB and São Vicente Channel: SVC) of the Santos-São Vicente estuary impacted by various anthropogenic activities. Increases in NAE were observed in fish from SC and SVC sampled in the summer period as compared with specimens from the Cananéia estuary. These results suggest the presence of genotoxic compounds in these regions. However, the absence of significant differences in micronuclei frequency reflects slight mutagenic effects in these individuals. It is possible that the lower NAE frequency in specimens from SB might be associated with the greater remobilization and dilution of chemicals in this region. The low frequency of NAE in C. spixii from the Cananéia estuary is in accordance with the slight anthropogenic influence in this system, and may be suggestive of the absence of genotoxic and mutagenic effects in these organisms.