Fungal communities in the garden chamber soils of leaf-cutting ants

Leaf-cutting ants modify the properties of the soil adjacent to their nests. Here, we examined whether such an ant-altered environment impacts the belowground fungal communities. Fungal diversity and community structure of soil from the fungus garden chambers of Atta sexdens rubropilosa and Atta bisphaerica, two widespread leaf-cutting ants in Brazil, were determined and compared with non-nest soils. Culture-dependent methods revealed similar species richness but different community compositions between both types of soils. Penicillium janthinellum and Trichoderma spirale were the prevalent isolates in fungus chamber soils and non-nest soils, respectively. In contrast to cultivation methods, analyses of clone libraries based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region indicated that richness of operational taxonomic units significantly differed between soils of the fungus chamber and non-nest soils. FastUnifrac analyses based on ITS sequences further revealed a clear distinction in the community structure between both types of soils. Plectania milleri and an uncultured Clavariaceae fungus were prevalent in fungus chamber soils and non-nest soils, respectively. FastUnifrac analyses also revealed that fungal community structures of soil from the garden chambers markedly differed among ant species. Our findings suggest that leaf-cutting ants affect fungal communities in the soil from the fungus chamber in comparison to non-nest soils. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co.

Analysis of hybrid waste-to-energy for medium-sized cities

Urban centers have a huge demand for electricity and the growing problem of the solid waste management generated by their population, a relevant social and administrative problem. The correct disposal of the municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in cities is one of the most complex engineering problems that involves logistics, safety, environmental and energetic aspects for its adequate management. Due to a national policy of solid wastes recently promulgated, Brazilian cities are evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of incinerating the non-recyclable waste. São José dos Campos, a São Paulo State industrialized city, is considering the composting of organic waste for biogas production and mass incineration of non-recyclable waste. This paper presents a waste-to-energy system based on the integration of gas turbines to a MSW incinerator for producing thermal and electric energy as an alternative solution for the solid waste disposal in São José dos Campos, SP. A technical and economic feasibility study for the hybrid combined cycle plant is presented and revealed to be attractive when carbon credit and waste tax are included in the project income. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Tropical influence in oriental gardens in Brazil

In the contemporary landscaping, among the gardening styles, the Japanese Garden plays very important rule and influence. The Japanese Garden has originated in China-the cradle of gardening culture; and Korea. Their vegetable elements, architectural features and fauna are characteristic, due to use of stones, water, bridges, stoned lamp, bonsai, carps and bamboo (Prunus serrulata, Camellia japonica, Ophiopogon japonicas) and many others. In Brazil, the Japanese Garden has massive influence, the presence of native elements typically tropical is very noticeable. This influence can be observed both in architecture, vegetation and fauna. Thus, this study aimed to identify and analyze the tropical elements in Japanese Gardens in cities such as São Paulo. Japanese Gardens in Brazil were chosen from the following cities: Sao Paulo State, Garça, Jaboticabal and Ribeirão Preto. It was observed, mostly in the presence of different palms species, plants of the Zingiberales order, Alpinia purpurata and styled architectural elements such as lakes. Some elements were able to apply the philosophy of the Japanese Garden, other not.

O direito à natureza na cidade: ideologias e práticas na história

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Starmerella aceti f.a., sp nova, an ascomycetous yeast species isolated from fungus garden of the leafcutter ant Acromyrmex balzani

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

O romance europeu do século XIX: uma leitura de Notre-Dame de Paris (1831) de Victor Hugo e A tale of two cities (1859) de Charles Dickens

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

As concepções urbanísticas que impulsionaram o desenvolvimento do capitalismo e a reprodução da força de trabalho em São Paulo: sanear e excluir

This article aims to rank the main concepts in vogue in the city of São Paulo who contributed to the formulation of a shared urban oriented capitalist development and reproduction of the workforce. This way, it will discuss the main issues raised in the period, which is between the first decades of the XX Century to the end of the 1950s, trying to foresee how they worked as engineers and architects to incorporate the urbanistic proposals from Europe and the United States. And then, we will present, on the first four sections of this article, points of view that effectively impacted the paulista urban thought of the first half of the XX century: Sanitarism, pendular conception between the Mesologic Theory and the Microbian Theory; the Historicist formulation of Camillo Sitte; Howard´s garden-town and The French Experience. Our analyses were formulated having as a reference the broad systematization of bibliography and documents performed at the Arquivo Histórico Municipal (Intermediário) de Araraquara (Historical Municipal Archive from Araraquara), consultations at the the books of the library of the biblioteca da Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da USP (USP Architecture and Urbanism College) and at the Faculdade de Ciências e Letras da UNESP, Araraquara-SP( College of Sciences and Languages from UNESP, campus Araraquara). The analisys of the performed research show that one urbanistic torrent at São Paulo State with clear influences from the conceptions that led the urbanistic debates in the first half of the XX Century. Although these conceptions compose a painting of urban transformations at São Paulo city and noticeably in some inland cities, previously to the solidification of a whole proposition for the city that was later called of Directive Plan.

Do plano de melhoramentos ao plano urbanístico: a contribuição das concepções que impactaram o pensamento urbano paulista

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

As influências de anhaia mello e prestes maia na formulação de um pensamento urbanístico paulista

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Alteração da fertilidade do solo como indicador do processo de antropização e presença de atividades não agrícolas no assentamento rural Horto Aimorés, municípios de Bauru e Pederneiras/SP =: Change of soil fertility as an indicator of the anthropization process and presence of non agricultural activities at the rural settlement Horto Aimorés, cities of Bauru and Pederneiras/ SP

Pós-graduação em Geografia - FCT

Absence of the Parasite Escovopsis in Fungus Garden Pellets Carried by Gynes of Atta sexdens

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Contribuições de Anhaia Mello ao urbanismo paulistano: de Ebenezer Howard à escola de Chicago

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A comparative analysis of caries and fluorosis among cities with and without public water supply fluoridation in São Paulo State, Brazil

Purpose: This population-based, cross-sectional study aimed to record the DMFT index for 12 year-old children with dental caries and fluorosis levels in cities with and without public water supply fluoridation. Methods: From the 101 municipalities belonging to the Health Regional Department XV (DRSXV-SJRP) of the São Paulo state in the Southeast region of Brazil, 85 cities were selected after exclusion of those with incomplete data and less than ten years of fluoridation treatment in 2004. The criteria adopted for the assessment of dental caries and fluorosis levels were based on the guidelines published in the WHO Manual 4th edition. The data were analyzed using Fisher’s exact tests at a significance level of 5%. Results: The prevalence of caries in 12 year-old children had no significant association with fluoridated water, and was considered “moderate” and “high” in cities without fluoridation and “low” and “moderate” in cities with fluoridation. A significant association was found between water fluoridation and fluorosis (P=0.001), but not between water fluoridation and the DMFT index (P=0.119). Conclusion: The prevalence of fluorosis was related to water fluoridation in this study. However, fluorosis was also observed in non-fluoridated cities, which may result from fluoride intake through other sources.

Indicators to the consumption of electric energy and agriculture cattle farming production for the elaboration of clusters with cities of the state of São Paulo, Brazil

The issue in this matter is that rules for use of electricity in rural areas are limited to the provision of inputs. Adopting guidelines to consider managed sub regions can generate poor results. The focus of this study was to present parameters for indicators of electric energy and agricultural production to allow the formation of city groups in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, with similar electric energy consumption and rural agricultural production. The methodology was the development of indicators that characterize the electric energy consumption/agricultural production and the preparation of groups using indicators with ward of statistical method of groups. The main conclusions were the formation of six homogeneous groups with similar characteristics regarding agricultural production/consumption of electricity. The application of these groups in cities with similar characteristics would produce more satisfactory results than the division of administrative Rural Development Offices (RDO).