Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera assemblages from riffles in mountain streams of Central Brazil: environmental factors influencing the distribution and abundance of immatures

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effects of environmental factors, age and genotype on sperm production and semen quality in Bos indicus and Bos taurus AI bulls in Brazil

The effects of ambient temperature and humidity, month, age and genotype on sperm production and semen quality in AI bulls in Brazil were evaluated. Data from two consecutive years were analyzed separately. Seven Bos indicus and 11 Bos taurus bulls from one artificial insemination (AI) center were evaluated in Year 1 and 24 B. indicus and 16 B. taurus bulls from three AI centers were evaluated in Year 2. Ambient temperature and humidity did not significantly affect sperm production and semen quality, probably because there was little variation in these variables. Month accounted for less than 2% of the variation in sperm production and semen quality. Increased bull age was associated with decreased sperm motility (P < 0.10) and increased minor sperm defects (P < 0.001) in Year 1. B. indicus bulls had greater (P < 0.005) sperm concentration than B. taurus bulls in both years (1.7 x 10(9)/ml versus 1.2 x 10(9)/ml in Year 1 and 1.6 x 10(9)/ml versus 1.2 x 10(9)/ml in Year 2, respectively). Ejaculate volume was not significantly affected by genotype in Year 1 (6.6 ml versus 6.9 ml in B. indicus and B. taurus bulls, respectively), but B. indicus bulls had greater (P < 0.05) total (11.4 x 10(9) versus 8.2 x 10(9)) and viable (6.7 x 10(9) versus 4.9 x 10(9)) numbers of spermatozoa in the ejaculate than B. taurus bulls. In Year 2, B. taurus bulls had greater (P < 0.05) ejaculate volume than B. indicus bulls (8.2 ml versus 6.7 ml, respectively) and total and viable number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate were not significantly different between genotypes (10.3 x 10(9) versus 9.1 x 10(9) and 6.1 x 10(9) versus 5.4 x 10(9) in B. indicus and B. taurus bulls, respectively). Sperm motility was not significantly affected by genotype (mean, 59%). In Year 1, B. indicus bulls tended (P < 0.10) to have more major sperm defects and had more (P < 0.05) total sperm defects than B. taurus bulls (11.8% versus 8.7% and 13.6% versus 10.0%, respectively). In Year 2, B. indicus bulls tended (P < 0.10) to have more total sperm defects than B. taurus bulls (16.2% versus 13.3%, respectively). In conclusion, neither ambient temperature and humidity nor month (season) significantly affected sperm production and semen quality. B. indicus bulls had significantly greater sperm concentration and B. taurus bulls had significantly fewer morphologically defective spermatozoa. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Copy number of P elements, KP/full-sized P element ratio and their relationships with environmental factors in Brazilian Drosophila melanogaster populations

The P transposable element copy numbers and the KP/full-sized P element ratios were determined in eight Brazilian strains of Drosophila melanogaster. Strains from tropical regions showed lower overall P element copy numbers than did strains from temperate regions. Variable numbers of full-sized and defective elements were detected, but the full-sized P and KP elements were the predominant classes of elements in all strains. The full-sized P and KP element ratios were calculated and compared with latitude. The northernmost and southernmost Brazilian strains showed fewer full-sized elements than KP elements per genome, and the strains from less extreme latitudes had many more full-sized P than KP elements. However, no clinal variation was observed. Strains from different localities, previously classified as having P cytotype, displayed a higher or a lower proportion of KP elements than of full-sized P elements, as well as an equal number of the two element types, showing that the same phenotype may be produced by different underlying genomic components of the P-M system.

Effects of daily changes in environmental factors on the abundance and richness of Odonata

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Coliform density in oyster culture waters and its relationship with environmental factors

The objective of this work was to evaluate the total and thermotolerant coliform densities in the oyster culture water of Cananeia, SP, Brazil, correlating these densities with environmental variables and tidal variations. Superficial water samples were collected in two tide conditions (spring and neap) from three areas of Cananéia municipality (Mandira, Itapitangui and Cooperostra). The three studied areas showed good conditions for the culture regarding coliform densities. The two tidal conditions differed significantly as to total coliform concentration; however, the same procedure was not performed for thermotolerant coliforms. No correlation was observed between water temperature, pH, and concentrations of total and thermotolerant coliforms. Coliform density was positively correlated with rainfall and negatively correlated with salinity. Spring and neap tides differed significantly as to coliform number. Simple diagnosis of environmental conditions of the crop fields is insufficient to assess water quality of shellfish cultivation. A continuous monitoring program of planted areas is necessary both for the assessment of water quality potential for marine culture and for ensuring safe consumption of seafood, besides constituting an important tool to understand the relationships between contamination and the involved environmental variables.

Biomass and elemental composition (C, N, H) of the periphytic community attached to Polygonum punctatum Ell. in a subtropical reservoir and its relationship to environmental factors

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The roles of environmental conditions and spatial factors in controlling stream macroalgal communities

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Genetic parameters and environmental effects on temperament score and reproductive traits of Nellore cattle

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Protein levels and environmental temperature effects on carcass characteristics, performance, and nitrogen excretion of broiler chickens from 7 to 21 days of age

This trial was conducted to evaluate the utilization of low-protein diets formulated based on the ideal protein concept for broiler chickens from 7 to 21 days of age reared at different environmental temperatures. Nine hundred male Cobb-500® chickens were used. At day seven chicks were distributed according to a completely randomized design in a 3 x 3 factorial with four replications of 25 birds each. It was used three crude protein levels in the diet (21.5; 20.0 and 18.5%) and three environmental temperatures (low, thermoneutral and high). The performance, carcass characteristics (yield and chemical composition), and nitrogen ingestion and excretion were assessed. There was no significant interaction among the factors for the evaluated variables. Environmental temperatures affected differently chicken performance. High environmental temperature resulted in lower weight gain and higher wing fat percentage, whereas cold temperature resulted in higher feed conversion. on the other hand, low-protein diets decreased weight gain, breast yield, nitrogen excretion and influenced breast and wings chemical composition. Birds reared at high environmental temperature showed lower nitrogen intake and excretion. The results showed that the decrease in protein levels from 7 to 21 days of age contributed to lower nitrogen excretion in broiler chickens, but impaired performance and carcass characteristics independent of rearing temperature.

Signal transduction-related responses to phytohormones and environmental challenges in sugarcane

Background: Sugarcane is an increasingly economically and environmentally important C4 grass, used for the production of sugar and bioethanol, a low-carbon emission fuel. Sugarcane originated from crosses of Saccharum species and is noted for its unique capacity to accumulate high amounts of sucrose in its stems. Environmental stresses limit enormously sugarcane productivity worldwide. To investigate transcriptome changes in response to environmental inputs that alter yield we used cDNA microarrays to profile expression of 1,545 genes in plants submitted to drought, phosphate starvation, herbivory and N-2-fixing endophytic bacteria. We also investigated the response to phytohormones (abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate). The arrayed elements correspond mostly to genes involved in signal transduction, hormone biosynthesis, transcription factors, novel genes and genes corresponding to unknown proteins.Results: Adopting an outliers searching method 179 genes with strikingly different expression levels were identified as differentially expressed in at least one of the treatments analysed. Self Organizing Maps were used to cluster the expression profiles of 695 genes that showed a highly correlated expression pattern among replicates. The expression data for 22 genes was evaluated for 36 experimental data points by quantitative RT-PCR indicating a validation rate of 80.5% using three biological experimental replicates. The SUCAST Database was created that provides public access to the data described in this work, linked to tissue expression profiling and the SUCAST gene category and sequence analysis. The SUCAST database also includes a categorization of the sugarcane kinome based on a phylogenetic grouping that included 182 undefined kinases.Conclusion: An extensive study on the sugarcane transcriptome was performed. Sugarcane genes responsive to phytohormones and to challenges sugarcane commonly deals with in the field were identified. Additionally, the protein kinases were annotated based on a phylogenetic approach. The experimental design and statistical analysis applied proved robust to unravel genes associated with a diverse array of conditions attributing novel functions to previously unknown or undefined genes. The data consolidated in the SUCAST database resource can guide further studies and be useful for the development of improved sugarcane varieties.

TERRITORIAL DISPUTES, LABOUR RELATIONS and ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IN AGROHIDRONEGOCIO sugarcane IN THE PONTAL PARANAPANEMA (SP)

This research aims to analyze the conflict over land in Postal do Paranapanema (state of São Paulo, Brazil), considering the competition for water resources and the degradation of environmental health in the area called the agrohidronegocio sugarcane. The survey results indicate that the expansion of sugarcane cultivation in this region is causing the worsening health of workers. Moreover, the research also seeks to identify alternative models to the hegemonic project of regional development based on matrix agrohidroenergetica. For this, the research has as interlocutors various types of social movements such as the Landless Workers Movement and the Movement of Dam Affected, and union leaders.

Relationship between green management and environmental training in companies located in Brazil: A theoretical framework and case studies

The main objective of this study is to understand the relationship between green management and environmental training in Brazilian companies, underscoring how this relationship takes place and its most important factors. For such, 9 case studies were conducted at large ISO 14001 certified companies, leaders in their market segments. Several interviews were conducted for each case, documents were collected and visits were made for direct observation. The main contributions and results of this study were: (a) a proposal for a theoretical framework relating the evolutionary stages of green management and the characteristics of environmental training; (b) it was ascertained, as per the proposed theoretical framework, that organizational culture and teamwork, top management support and more technical green management practices are the factors that seem to connect and convert environmental training into more proactive green management, especially for companies in the proactive green management stage; (c) the identification of the co-evolution between the companies' stage of green management and their environmental training level, which is the identified relationship mechanism between environmental training and green management. In other words, the higher the level of adoption of activities recommended for green management, the more evolved the green management practiced at the companies tends to be; and (d) identification that the proposed theoretical framework tends to be useful, mainly because it can explain the relationship between green management and environmental training at the company in the proactive stage. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alcoholic women and men: a comparative study of social and familial aspects and outcome

Objetivos: A proporção de ocorrência de alcoolismo em homens e mulheres tem uma variação de 14:1 até 2:1, mostrando a necessidade de estudos específicos para a população feminina. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar o perfil e a evolução de alcoolistas, segundo gênero e gravidade da dependência. Métodos: Realizou-se um estudo longitudinal retrospectivo de 114 homens e 57 mulheres alcoolistas (CID-10), inscritos no ambulatório da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, no período de 1990-1994 e avaliados até julho de 1997. Utilizou-se um questionário semi-estruturado, e, para avaliação da gravidade do alcoolismo, o Short Alcohol Dependence Data. Resultados/Conclusões: Os principais resultados mostraram que a estrutura familiar estava comprometida com: relacionamento difícil para 55,6% das mulheres e 65,7% dos homens; violência familiar em 74,1% das mulheres e 61,1% dos homens. As mulheres iniciaram a ingestão mais tarde que os homens (p=0,01), em geral com seus cônjuges (p=0,00). Não houve diferença de evolução no tratamento entre os gêneros. Os principais fatores associados à melhor resposta ao tratamento, independentemente do sexo, foram: nível de gravidade de dependência do álcool (dependentes leves e moderados apresentaram 5,59 vezes mais chances de melhorar do que os dependentes graves); ser praticante de alguma religião (2,3 vezes mais chances de melhora do que os pacientes que não eram praticantes); e tempo de seguimento no programa, negativamente correlacionado a chances de melhora (0,68 vezes menos chances de melhora que aqueles que permaneceram por tempo menor em tratamento).