Breeding biology and nest site characteristics of the scarlet ibis in southeastern Brazil

The breeding biology of the only Scarlet Ibis Eudocimus ruber colony in southeastern Brazil was studied during the 1996-97 breeding season. The ibises began to visit their colony site by mid-September. Nest building and egg laying took place in early November and was synchronous, making the first nesting pulse. Mean clutch size in this pulse was 2.45 eggs/nest, and 0.67 young/nest reached age three weeks, when they were able to walk about the nest tree and environs. Predation was the main cause of nest failures (74% of all losses), followed by nest collapses (19%). A second nesting pulse, also synchronous, started in late December, when the young from the first nests were already able to wander about the colony and make short flights. Mean clutch size of this pulse was 2.05 eggs/nest and productivity was 0.34 young/nest. Nest collapses during storms accounted for 58% of the losses, and predation for a further 27%. A third pulse, with only a few nests, started when the second pulse young were in their third week, but no nest was successful. The incubation time was 21-24 days, and the young were able to fly well when 40 days old, deserting the colony by age 75 days. Nesting early in the breeding season yielded greater success. Nests were built close to each other (a sphere with a 1.8 m radius and centered on an average nest would include the four nearest neighbors) and there was always more than one nest per tree. Most nests were built on the upper third of the nest-tree and had some cover from overhanging branches. There was a trend for the ibises building their nests in even closer proximity during the second pulse, perhaps as a strategy to lessen individual predation risks. Received 30 August 2000, accepted 4 October 2000.

Free expansion of attractive and repulsive Bose-Einstein condensed vortex states

A numerical study of the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation for an axially symmetric trap to obtain insight into the free expansion of vortex states of BEC is presented. As such, the ratio of vortex-core radius to radia rms radius xc/xrms(<1) is found to play an interesting role in the free expansion of condensed vortex states. the larger this ratio, the more prominent is the vortex core and the easier is the possibility of experimental detection of vortex states.

Comparison between polyurethanes containing castor oil (Soft Segment) and cancellous bone autograft in the treatment of segmental bone defect induced in rabbits

The aim of this study is to compare polyurethanes containing castor oil (soft segment) in granular form compared to cancellous bone autograft applied to a segmental bone defect. Norfolk adult female rabbits - approximately 13 months of age with a mean body weight of 4.5 kg - are used. In both radial diaphyses, 1 cm osteoperiosteal segmental defects are created. The defect in the left radius is filled with the castor-oil-based polyurethane, and the right one, filled with cancellous bone autograft, collected from the left proximal humerus. The rabbits are euthanazed at 15, 30, 60, and 120 days postsurgery (5 animals/ period), for histological analyses. By radiographic analyses, at these time points, the bone regeneration is more evident and accelerated in the bone defects treated with the cancellous bone autograft. At 120 days postsurgery, the segmental bone defects treated with the cancellous bone autograft are totally reconstituted and remodeled, while the bone defects treated with polyurethane polymer have bone formation of 79%. Histological study shows that the polyurethane acts as a space filler, minimizing the local production of fibrous tissue. No granule degradation, resorption or any inflammatory reaction is detected. Thus, it is possible to conclude that the castor-oil-plant-based polyurethane - in the granule presentation - is biocompatible and osteointegrated, but does not show the same bone regeneration capacity as the cancellous bone autograft. © 2007 SAGE Publications.

Dental age as indicator of adolescence

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to analyze the relationship between root formation of the first premolars and skeletal maturation stages identified in hand-wrist radiographs. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out involving the panoramic and hand-wrist radiographs obtained on the same date of 232 patients, 123 boys and 109 girls aged 4 years and 5 months to 17 years and 12 months. Root formation stages of the first premolars were related to the ossification stages of the sesamoid bone, epiphyseal stages of the phalanx of the thumb and epiphyseal stages of the radius. Results: The studied variables demonstrated statistically significant correlations. Conclusion: Roots of the lower first premolars do not reach 2/3 of their complete length before adolescence.

Urea-induced unfolding of Glossoscolex paulistus hemoglobin, in oxy- and cyanomet-forms: A dissociation model

The urea effect on the giant extracellular hemoglobin of Glossoscolex paulistus (HbGp) stability was studied by analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). AUC data show that the sedimentation coefficient distributions curves c (S), at 1.0mol/L of urea, display a single peak at 57 S, associated to the undissociated protein. The increase in urea concentration, up to 4.0mol/L, induces the appearance of smaller species, due to oligomeric dissociation. The sedimentation coefficients and molecular masses are 9.2S and 204kDa for the dodecamer (abcd)3, 5.5S and 69kDa for the tetramer (abcd), 4.1S and 52kDa for the trimer (abc) and 2.0 S and 17kDa for the monomer d, respectively. SAXS data show initially a decrease in the I(0) values due to the oligomeric dissociation, and then, above 4.0mol/L of denaturant, for oxy-HbGp, and above 6.0mol/L for cyanomet-HbGp, an increase in the maximum dimension and gyration radius is observed, due to the unfolding process. According to AUC and SAXS data the HbGp unfolding is described by two phases: the first one, at low urea concentration, below 4.0mol/L, characterizes the oligomeric dissociation, while the second one, at higher urea concentration, is associated to the unfolding of dissociated species. Our results are complementary to a recent report based on spectroscopic observations. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Comparative analysis between three methods of bone estimating age in individuals with down syndrome by mode of the hand and wrist ray

The wrist and hand region has been the most commonly used for estimating age and osseous development due to the great number of ossification centers. The aim was to determine which method, Tanner & Whitehouse's (TW3), Greulich & Pyle's (GP) or Eklof & Ringertz's, more closely relates to the chronological age in subjects with Down syndrome with chronological ages between 61 and 180 months, using wrist and hand radiographs. The sample consisted of 85 radiographs, 52 of males and 33 of females. Eklof & Ringertz's method was computerized (Radiomemory). Greulich & Pyle's atlas was used and compared with the wrist and hand radiographs. For the TW3 method, 13 ossification centers were evaluated; for each one of them, there are seven or eight development stages to which scores are assigned; these scores are then added and the results are transformed into osseous age values. No statistically significant differences were observed between the male and female genders for methods TW3 and GP, contrasting with the observed differences for the Eklof & Ringertz method. Correlation (r2) between osseous and chronological ages was 0.8262 for TW3 and 0.7965 for GP, while for the method of Eklof & Ringertz, it was 0.7656 for females and 0.8353 for males. The author concluded that the osseous age assessment method that better related to the chronological age was the TW3, followed by Greulich & Pyle's and Eklof & Ringertz's.

Electrochemical Properties of Oxo-Manganese Complex Biomimicking Enzyme Active Sites and Its Electrocatalytic Application for Dopamine Determination

This work describes the characterization of the [Mn2 IV,IVO2(terpy)2(H2O)2]4+ complex in aqueous solution by UV-vis spectrophotometry, cyclic voltammetry, and linear sweep voltammetry with a rotating disk electrode. The pH effect, potential scan rate, effect of perfluorosulfonate polymer, and anion of supporting electrode on the electrochemical behavior of the modified electrode for better performance were investigated. The potential peak of the modified electrode was linearly dependent upon the ratio [ionic charge]/[ionic radius]. The modified electrode exerted an electrocatalytic effect on dopamine oxidation in aqueous solution with a decrease in the overpotential compared with the unmodified glassy carbon electrode. This way, the modified electrode showed an enzymatic biomimicking behavior. Tafel plot analyses were used to elucidate the kinetics and mechanism of dopamine oxidation. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Dynamics of rotation of super-Earths

We numerically investigate the dynamics of rotation of several close-in terrestrial exoplanet candidates. In our model, the rotation of the planet is disturbed by the torque of the central star due to the asymmetric equilibrium figure of the planet. We model the shape of the planet by a Jeans spheroid. We use surfaces of section and spectral analysis to explore numerically the rotation phase space of the systems adopting different sets of parameters and initial conditions close to the main spin-orbit resonant states. One of the parameters, the orbital eccentricity, is critically discussed here within the domain of validity of orbital circularization timescales given by tidal models. We show that, depending on some parameters of the system like the radius and mass of the planet, eccentricity etc., the rotation can be strongly perturbed and a chaotic layer around the synchronous state may occupy a significant region of the phase space. 55 Cnc e is an example. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

A Combined Study of the Pion's Static Properties and form Factors

We study consistently the pion's static observables and the elastic and γ* γ → π0 transition form factors within a light-front model. Consistency requires that all calculations are performed within a given model with the same and single adjusted length or mass-scale parameter of the associated pion bound-state wave function. Our results agree well with all extent data including recent Belle data on the γ* γ → π0 form factor at large q2, yet the BaBar data on this transition form factor resists a sensible comparison. We relax the initial constraint on the bound-state wave function and show the BaBar data can partially be accommodated. This, however, comes at the cost of a hard elastic form factor not in agreement with experiment. Moreover, the pion charge radius is about 40 % smaller than its experimentally determined value. It is argued that a decreasing charge radius produces an ever harder form factor with a bound-state amplitude difficultly reconcilable with soft QCD. We also discuss why vector dominance type models for the photon-quark vertex, based on analyticity and crossing symmetry, are unlikely to reproduce the litigious transition form factor data. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Wien.

Dispersal of Cotesia flavipes in sugarcane field and implications for parasitoid releases

Diatraea saccharalis Fabr. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is a major sugarcane pest in Brazil. The management of infested areas is based on the release of Cotesia flavipes (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a parasitoid of D. saccharalis larvae, but there are doubts about the effectiveness of C. flavipes, primarily regarding its rate of dispersal in sugarcane fields. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the dispersal of C. flavipes in a sugarcane field and suggest a release method that provides higher parasitoid efficiency. The study was carried out in four areas of approximately 1 ha, in which stalk pieces containing 20 D. saccharalis larvae were distributed in a rectangular grid, and 12,000 C. flavipes adults were released at four points, that were 50 m apart and 25 m from the field border. Three days later, the D. saccharalis larvae were recovered and kept in the laboratory until they reached pupal stage or C. flavipes emergence. Parasitism varied from 13.2% to 42.8%. The random distribution of parasitized larvae was found in one assay. In three areas, the parasitized larvae showed an aggregated distribution, with a range of 15 to 25 m. Since the parasite's success is directly linked to parasitoid dispersion, it would be interesting to move the release points to 30 m from each other because the dispersal may happen in a 15 m radius.

Structure and thermal behavior of PMMA-polysilsesquioxane organic-inorganic hybrids

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Functional and Topological Studies with Trp-Containing Analogs of the Peptide StII(1-30) Derived From the N-Terminus of the Pore Forming Toxin Sticholysin II: Contribution to Understand its Orientation in Membrane

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Exogenous bacterial osteomyelitis in 52 dogs: a retrospective study of etiology and in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility profile (2000-2013)

Background: Most clinical cases of osteomyelitis in dogs involve infectious agents, especially bacteria and fungi. The characterization of these microorganisms may aid in the prevention and treatment of disease.Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate retrospectively microbiological cultures and in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility profile of isolates from 52 cases of bacterial osteomyelitis in long bones of dogs over 2000-2013. In 78% of the cases injuries were caused by a motor vehicle accident, but there were a few cases of dog bites (17%) and ascending infection due to pododermatitis (5%).Animals and methods: The isolated microorganisms were identified based on conventional phenotypic methods. In vitro disk diffusion test was performed using 30 different antimicrobials.Results: The isolates were obtained from femur (28%), humerus (16%), tibia (31%), and radius/ulna (25%). Among 52 cases, culture was positive in 88% of cases. Thirteen genus of different species of microorganisms were isolated. The most common microorganisms isolated were Staphylococcus spp. and Escherichia coli followed by Streptococcus spp., enteric bacteria, Corynebacterium sp. and anaerobic bacteria. In 42% of cases cultures were mixed. The most effective drugs against isolated bacteria were amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium (79%) followed by ceftriaxone (69%). High-resistance rates were documented against azithromycin (80%), penicillin (59%), and clindamycin (59%).Conclusions: The present study highlights diverse etiologic agents in cases of infectious bacterial osteomyelitis, with predominance of Staphylococcus genus, and reinforces the importance of obtaining cultures and susceptibility profiles given the high rates of antimicrobial resistance.

Measurement of jet fragmentation in PbPb and pp collisions at root s(NN)=2.76 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Coexistence between Nearctic-Neotropical migratory shorebirds and humans on urban beaches of the Southern Hemisphere: a current conservation challenge in developing countries

The arrival of migratory shorebirds on beaches in urban communities in developing countries is a current challenge for the protection of these migrant birds. Nearctic-Neotropical migrants rely on roosting and feeding sites during their stopover on wintering sites in the Southern Hemisphere to acquire sufficient energy to complete their migratory cycles. On the other hand, cities in the Southern Hemisphere are growing rapidly, which results in increasing competition for space between humans and birds, such as for use in beach habitats. In the present study, I analyze the probability for occurrence for Nearctic-Neotropical migratory birds relative to the number of people in southeastern Brazil, the most populated region of South America. The frequency of occurrence of migrants, their distance of tolerance to people and the number of people were recorded in sample areas (circle plots with 20 m radius) on a 9 km stretch of urban beaches from November to February from 2009 to 2013. The probability of occurrence of Nearctic birds decreased as the number of people increased. When the number of people exceeded 20, the probability of occurrence of birds was almost zero. Furthermore, more than 95 % of birds moved off when people were within 16 m of reach. These results are discussed in the context of conservation actions since no management plan has been developed for migrant shorebirds that use urban beaches as stopover or wintering sites in developing countries.