REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL MATURITY IN FEMALES OF AEGLA FRANCA (DECAPODA: ANOMURA: AEGLIDAE)

We describe the reproductive period. fecundity, and average size at the onset of functional maturity of female Aegla franca, the northernmost distributed aeglid species. The reproductive period is markedly seasonal and takes place front May (austral mid-autumn) to August (late winter). Ovigerous females appear quite abruptly in the population by May, and this condition is observed in all adult females sampled regardless of their size. The average size at the onset of functional maturity in females, at which 50% of the females sampled during the reproductive period were considered adults, was 12.75 mm CL. The smallest post-ovigerous female measured 12.06 mm carapace length (CL). Mean fecundity (+/- S.D.) from 41 females bearing early and intermediate eggs was 129.1 +/- 32.2 and corresponded to a mean female CL of 14.11 mm. The elliptical-shaped eggs exhibited significant increase in size along the development stages. The third pair of pleopods bore higher number of eggs than the others. Compiled information regarding the reproductive period reported for aeglids revealed all increase in the breeding period length with latitude. The reproductive period tends to be shorter in localities under larger rainfall variation and smaller temperature variability than in sites with opposite climate conditions. Eggs tend to be fewer in number and larger in size towards lower latitudes. We present an hypothesis that stream water velocity might act as a major selective pressure during the early life history of fluvial aeglids with direct effect on the reproductive pattern.

ALLOMETRIC GROWTH, SEXUAL MATURITY, AND ADULT MALE CHELAE DIMORPHISM IN AEGLA FRANCA (DECAPODA: ANOMURA: AEGLIDAE)

Allometric growth analysis on chelac dimensions vs. carapace length (CL) was employed to estimate average size at the onset of morphometric maturity (= puberty molt) and sexual dimorphism regarding the pair of chelae in Aegla franca. Males attain morphometric maturity (12.15 mm of CL) at a larger size than females (10.93 mm of CL). After the puberty molt, an additional change in the allometry level regarding chelae dimensions was detected in adult males (average CL = 19.00 mm). As a result, two sequential morphotype groups of adult males, herein designated as morphotype I and morphotype II, were recognized according to the state of development of the pair of claws. We postulate that the second change in this allometry level is related to functional maturity in this sex, based on the following observations: 1) temporal variation in the proportion between the two morphotype groups reveals that morphotype II individuals make up most of adult males in the population at the beginning of the seasonal reproductive period of the species, and 2) morphotype II males show a more robust pair of claws as compared to the predecessor morphotype, which might represent an advantageous trait in reproductive competition. Males and females of Aegla franca are heterochelous with handedness preponderance of the left chela. Claw size is a distinct dimorphic trait in this species, being significantly larger in male specimens.

Letters and cities: reading the urban environment with the help of perception theories

When wandering around a city such as Sao Paulo, we are surrounded by letters, numbers and symbols. These elements form part of an environment full of signs in many shapes and sizes that compete for our attention. Our perception of these elements contributes towards our spatial guidance and sense of place. The idea of `reading` the city, or urban environment, was introduced by Kevin Lynch, for whom reading the urban structure follows on from recognizing or identifying its numerous visual elements, not necessarily verbal ones. Beginning with a brief bibliographic review of perception theories, this article combines concepts from environmental psychology with concerns brought up by the fields of information design and epigraphy studies, setting out the basis of a methodological proposal for the study of typography and lettering in the urban environment.

Debt Maturity: Is Long-Term Debt Optimal?

We model and calibrate the arguments in favor and against short-term and long-term debt. These arguments broadly include: maturity premium, sustainability, and service smoothing. We use a dynamic-equilibrium model with tax distortions and government outlays uncertainty, and model maturity as the fraction of debt that needs to be rolled over every period. In the model, the benefits of defaulting are tempered by higher future interest rates. We then calibrate our artificial economy and solve for the optimal debt maturity for Brazil as an example of a developing country and the US as an example of a mature economy. We obtain that the calibrated costs from defaulting on long-term debt more than offset costs associated with short-term debt. Therefore, short-term debt implies higher welfare levels.

Sexual maturity and egg production in an unexploited population of the red squat lobster Pleuroncodes monodon (Decapoda, Galatheidae) from Central America

The squat lobster Pleuroncodes monodon is one of the most common and abundant galatheid species in the deepwater fishery of Pacific coast of America. In contrast with Peru and Chile, the red squat lobster is not commercially exploited in Costa Rica. Here we estimated the size of sexual maturity and analysed egg production in P. monodon from the Pacific of Costa Rica; the results might be important for an adequate management strategy when initiating a sustainable fishery of this resource in Costa Rica. Analyses of allometric growth revealed that females and males reached their morphological sexual maturity at 26.9 and 30.4 mm CL. respectively. The percentage of immature females captured in the present study (54%) suggests that almost half of females are able to reproduce before they are caught. Egg production was positively correlated with body size; females that measured between 24.1 and 29.0 mm CL contributed roughly 90% to the offspring production of the population. Females from Costa Rica had a considerably lower average egg volume (0.039 mm(3)) and higher fecundity (9810) than females from Chile. In comparison to other American galatheids P. monodon from Costa Rica produces numerous but small eggs, a typical strategy of species with a prolonged larval development. An analysis between our results and information published about P. monodon from Chile also revealed differences in the size-frequency distribution shape of both populations. The non-exploited character of the Costa Rican P. monodon population and a latitudinal (temperature-related) cline in body size might be associated with these differences. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Use of pleopod morphology to determine sexual dimorphism and maturity in hermit crabs: Isocheles sawayai as a model

In the Anomura, studies on growth patterns are infrequent, possibly because the heterogeneity of the group, especially in terms of morphology, makes it difficult to construct generalized growth models. Particularly hermit crabs are an interesting group to evaluate aspects of growth, because of their unique body. Isocheles sawayai, a hermit crab found only in the western Atlantic Ocean, poorly known with respect to its sexual dimorphism and maturity, was investigated here based on morphometry. Monthly collections (July 2001 through June 2003) were made from a shrimp fishing boat in the Caraguatatuba region on the northern coast of the state of SA o pound Paulo, Brazil. The specimens were measured and weighed, and had their sex checked. Throughout the sampling period, 374 specimens of I. sawayai were collected (11.23% nonovigerous females, 6.69% ovigerous females, 79.41% males and 2.67% intersexes). The size at which morphological sexual maturity was reached by both sexes ranged from 4.0 to 4.3 mm shield length, according to the relative growth and the size of the smallest ovigerous female. Sexual dimorphism was shown by males, which were significantly larger than females, and by differences in growth pattern between the sexes, especially for relationships that involved the pleopods, which is related to their different functions in males and females. The present study is one of the first to use pleopod morphometry to determine sexual maturity and dimorphism in hermit crabs, especially for species with intersexuality such as I. sawayai.

Children`s oral production of narratives and constructive memory using prior reading of pictures

With the purpose of approximating two issues, oral narrative and constructive memory, we assume that children, as well as adults, have a constructive memory. Accordingly, researchers of the constructive memory share with piagetians the vision that memory is an applied cognition. Under this perspective, understanding and coding into memory constitute a process which is considered similar to the piagetian assimilation of building an internal conceptual representation of the information (hence the term constructive memory. The objective of this study is to examine and illustrate, through examples drawn from a research about oral narrative with 5, 8 and 10 years old children, the extent to which the constructive memory is stimulated by the acquisition of the structures of knowledge or ""mental models"" (schemes of stories and scenes, scripts), and if they automatically employ them to process constructively the information in storage and rebuild them in the recovery. A sequence of five pictures from a book without text was transformed into computerized program, and the pictures were thus presented to the children. The story focuses on a misunderstanding of two characters on a different assessment about a key event. In data collection, the demands of memory were preserved, since children narrate their stories when the images were no longer viewed on the computer screen. Each narrative was produced as a monologue. The results show that this story can be told either in a descriptive level or in a more elaborated level, where intentions and beliefs are attributed to the characters. Although this study allows an assessment of the development of children`s capabilities (both cognitive and linguistic) to narrate a story, there are for sure other issues that could be exploited.

Comparison of reading performance after bilateral implantation of multifocal intraocular lenses with+3.00 or+4.00 diopter addition

PURPOSE To compare reading ability after cataract surgery and bilateral implantation of multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) with a +3 00 diopter (D) addition (add) or a +4 00 D add SETTING Department of Ophthalmology, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil DESIGN Prospective comparative study METHODS Patients scheduled for cataract surgery were randomly assigned to bilateral implantation of an aspheric AcrySof ReSTOR multifocal IOL with a +3 00 diopter (D) addition (add) or a +4 00 D add The reading speed, critical print size, and reading acuity were measured binocularly with best correction using MNREAD acuity charts 6 months after surgery Patients were tested with the chart at the best patient-preferred reading distance and at 40 cm Binocular uncorrected and best distance-corrected visual acuities at far and near were also measured RESULTS The study enrolled 32 patients At the best reading distance the results were similar between the 2 IOL groups in all reading parameters When tested at 40 cm, reading speed at all print sizes from 03 to 00 (all P< 001), critical print size (P< 001) and reading acuity (P = 014) were statistically significantly better in the +3 00 D IOL group than in the +4 00 DIOL group Uncorrected and corrected visual acuities at far and near were similar between the 2 groups CONCLUSION Although the 2 IOL groups had similar performance in reading parameters, patients had to adjust to their best reading distance The +3 00 D IOL performed better than the +4 00 D IOL at 40 cm

Covariance functions for body weight from birth to maturity in Nellore cows

The objective of this study was to estimate (co)variance functions using random regression models on Legendre polynomials for the analysis of repeated measures of BW from birth to adult age. A total of 82,064 records from 8,145 females were analyzed. Different models were compared. The models included additive direct and maternal effects, and animal and maternal permanent environmental effects as random terms. Contemporary group and dam age at calving (linear and quadratic effect) were included as fixed effects, and orthogonal Legendre polynomials of animal age (cubic regression) were considered as random co-variables. Eight models with polynomials of third to sixth order were used to describe additive direct and maternal effects, and animal and maternal permanent environmental effects. Residual effects were modeled using 1 (i.e., assuming homogeneity of variances across all ages) or 5 age classes. The model with 5 classes was the best to describe the trajectory of residuals along the growth curve. The model including fourth- and sixth-order polynomials for additive direct and animal permanent environmental effects, respectively, and third-order polynomials for maternal genetic and maternal permanent environmental effects were the best. Estimates of (co) variance obtained with the multi-trait and random regression models were similar. Direct heritability estimates obtained with the random regression models followed a trend similar to that obtained with the multi-trait model. The largest estimates of maternal heritability were those of BW taken close to 240 d of age. In general, estimates of correlation between BW from birth to 8 yr of age decreased with increasing distance between ages.

Characterization of language and reading skills in familial polymicrogyria

Polymicrogyria (PMG) is a malformation of cortical development characterized by an excessive number of small gyri and abnormal cortical lamination, giving the cortical surface an irregular and gross appearance. The severity of clinical manifestations correlates with the extent of cortical involvement. The objective of the present study was to describe three families with linguistic features of developmental language disorder and reading impairment, and to establish a neuroanatomic correlation through neuroimaging. Subjects have been submitted to a comprehensive protocol including psychological assessment, language evaluation, neurological examination, and neuroimaging investigation. In our families, children usually had the diagnosis of developmental language disorder while adults had the diagnosis of reading impairment. MRI showed perisylvian polymicrogyria in several subjects of each family. Our data support the idea that there is a co-occurrence of developmental language disorder and reading impairment and both conditions may be associated with polymicrogyria. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transcriptome analysis of Taenia solium cysticerci using Open Reading Frame ESTs (ORESTES)

Background: Human infection by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium affects more than 50 million people worldwide, particularly in underdeveloped and developing countries. Cysticercosis which arises from larval encystation can be life threatening and difficult to treat. Here, we investigate for the first time the transcriptome of the clinically relevant cysticerci larval form. Results: Using Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) produced by the ORESTES method, a total of 1,520 high quality ESTs were generated from 20 ORESTES cDNA mini-libraries and its analysis revealed fragments of genes with promising applications including 51 ESTs matching antigens previously described in other species, as well as 113 sequences representing proteins with potential extracellular localization, with obvious applications for immune-diagnosis or vaccine development. Conclusion: The set of sequences described here will contribute to deciphering the expression profile of this important parasite and will be informative for the genome assembly and annotation, as well as for studies of intra- and inter-specific sequence variability. Genes of interest for developing new diagnostic and therapeutic tools are described and discussed.