Food web structure in a tropical stream ecosystem

This study investigated the structure and properties of a tropical stream food web in a small spatial scale, characterizing its planktonic, epiphytic and benthic compartments. The study was carried out in the Potreirinho Creek, a second-order stream located in the south-east of Brazil. Some attributes of the three subwebs and of the conglomerate food web, composed by the trophic links of the three compartments plus the fish species, were determined. Among compartments, the food webs showed considerable variation in structure. The epiphytic food web was consistently more complex than the planktonic and benthic webs. The values of number of species, number of links and maximum food chain length were significantly higher in the epiphytic compartment than in the other two. Otherwise, the connectance was significantly lower in epiphyton. The significant differences of most food web parameters were determined by the increase in the number of trophic species, represented mainly by basal and intermediate species. High species richness, detritus-based system and high degree of omnivory characterized the stream food web studied. The aquatic macrophytes probably provide a substratum more stable and structurally complex than the sediment. We suggest that the greater species richness and trophic complexity in the epiphytic subweb might be due to the higher degree of habitat complexity supported by macrophyte substrate. Despite differences observed in the structure of the three subwebs, they are highly connected by trophic interactions, mainly by fishes. The high degree of fish omnivory associated with their movements at different spatial scales suggests that these animals have a significant role in the food web dynamic of Potreirinho Creek. This interface between macrophytes and the interconnections resultant from fish foraging, diluted the compartmentalization of the Potreirinho food web.

Scaling predictions for radii of weakly bound triatomic molecules

The mean-square radii of the triatomic molecules 4He 3, 4He 2- 6Li, 4He 2- 7Li, and 4He 2- 23Na were calculated using a renormalized three-body model with a pairwise Dirac-δ interaction, having as physical inputs only the values of the binding energies of the diatomic and triatomic molecules. Molecular three-body systems with bound subsystems were considered. The resultant data were analyzed in detail.

Preconcentration and determination of mercury(II) at a chemically modified electrode containing 3-(2-thioimidazolyl)propyl silica gel

A mercury-sensitive chemically modified graphite paste electrode was constructed by incorporating modified silica gel into a conventional graphite paste electrode. The functional group attached to the (3-chloropropyl) silica gel surface was 2-mercaptoimidazole, giving a new product denoted by 3-(2-thioimidazolyl)propyl silica gel, which is able to complex mercury ions. Mercury was chemically adsorbed on the modified graphite paste electrode containing 3-(2-thioimidazolyl)propyl silica (TIPSG GPE) by immersion in a Hg(II) solution, and the resultant surface was characterized by cyclic and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. One cathodic peak at 0.1 V and other anodic peak at 0.34 V were observed on scanning the potential from -0.1 to 0.8 V (0.01 M KNO3; ν = 2.0 mV s-1 νs. Ag/AgCl). The anodic peak at 0.34 V show an excellent sensitivity for Hg(II) ions in the presence of several foreign ions. A calibration graph covering the concentration range from 0.02 to 2 mg L-1 was obtained. The detection limit was estimated to be 5 μg L-1. The precision for six determinations of 0.05 and 0.26 mg L-1 Hg(II) was 3.0 and 2.5% (relative standard deviation), respectively. The method can be used to determine the concentration of mercury(II) in natural waters contaminated by this metal. 2005 © The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry.

The influence of the flame structure on the combustion oscillations in a cylindrical chamber

An experimental study has been conducted with the objective of investigating the effects of the flame structure in the combustion oscillation conditions into a laboratorial scale cylindrical chamber. The experiments were conducted in a water-jacketed 1-m long by 25-cm internal diameter stainless steel vertical tube. The combustor operated with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in both oscillatory and non oscillatory conditions, under the same input conditions. Part of the reactant mixture was excited acoustically, before the burner exit, by a speaker positioned strategically. The burner was aligned with the chamber longitudinal axis and positioned at its bottom. The experiments were conducted for 0.16 g/s of LPG burning in stoichiometric equivalence ratio. To analyze the flame structure the image tomographic reconstruction process were used, and the resultant images were associated to the oscillatory conditions (frequency and amplitude) into the combustion chamber. The main conclusions were: 1) when the flame premixed condition increase, for example 60% of the total air flow rate is premixed with LPG, the region of intense energy released is close to burner exit and strong amplitudes of oscillation (close to 50 mbar) were obtained into the chamber; 2) for long flames, predominantly diffusive flames, just weak amplitudes were detected, in the spite of the speaker exiting the premixed flow; 3) when the energy is released distributed through the combustion chamber, the long flame acts like a baffle. Copyright © 2006 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.

The generation of scenes in mixed reality environments using the chromakey technique

A classic problem in the development of Mixed Reality systems is the registration. The correct alignment between virtual objects and the real elements is extremely important for the coherent composition of the resultant scene. Considering this context, this paper describes an approach for the composition of scenes in Mixed Reality environments using the chromakey technique for the extraction of real objects. After that, the scene is mounted in a coherent way related to the depth in OpenGL framebuffer for posterior rendering. ©2007 IEEE.

Voltammetry of mercury (II) based on an organo-clay modified graphite electrode

Organo-clay complex of ligand-hexadecyltrimethylammonium with montmorillonite was made for the purpose of application as a preconcentration agent in a chemically modified carbon paste electrode for determination of mercury (II) in aqueous solution. It was found out that the adsorption of Hg(II) by organo-clay complex is independent of the pH of the solution. It was also found out that the adsorption of the remaining metals Cd(II), Ps(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Ni(II) was dependent on the changes in pH solutions and increased when it varies from 1 to 8. The resultant material was characterized by cyclic and differential pulse anodic voltammetry using a modified graphite paste electrode in different supporting electrolytes. The mercury response was evaluated with respect to pH, electrode composition, preconcentration time, mercury concentration, possible interferences and other variables.

Omissāo de macronutrientes no crescimento e no estado nutricional de capim-elefante (cv. Mott) cultivado em solução nutritiva

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of omission of macronutrients in the growth and the nutritional state of elephant-grass plants (Pennisetum purpureum Shum cv. Mott). The experiment was developed in the FCAV/UNESP, in Jaboticabal-SP,Brazil, using nutrient solution. The experimental design was completely randomized blocks, with seven treatments (the complete solution proposed by Hoagland & Amon (1950) and the individual omission of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S, in these solution), in three repetitions. Pre-germinated plants were placed in pot (5 dm3), containing the nutrient solution, which was aerated constantly during the experimental period and the respective treatments, with three replications each. Weekly, the height of the plants, the leaf number, apex diameter and number of tillers were evaluated as well as plant nutritional state. The omission of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S limited the production of dry weight of shoot the elephant grass, compared to the full treatment. The deficiency of a macronutrient, in addition to promoting reduction of its content in the shoot, resulted in reducing the accumulation of most macronutrients, with resultant morphological changes, translated as characteristic symptoms of deficiency.

A video-based biometric authentication for e-learning web applications

In the last years there was an exponential growth in the offering of Web-enabled distance courses and in the number of enrolments in corporate and higher education using this modality. However, the lack of efficient mechanisms that assures user authentication in this sort of environment, in the system login as well as throughout his session, has been pointed out as a serious deficiency. Some studies have been led about possible biometric applications for web authentication. However, password based authentication still prevails. With the popularization of biometric enabled devices and resultant fall of prices for the collection of biometric traits, biometrics is reconsidered as a secure remote authentication form for web applications. In this work, the face recognition accuracy, captured on-line by a webcam in Internet environment, is investigated, simulating the natural interaction of a person in the context of a distance course environment. Partial results show that this technique can be successfully applied to confirm the presence of users throughout the course attendance in an educational distance course. An efficient client/server architecture is also proposed. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Hepatoencephalopathy syndrome due to Cassia occidentalis (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae) seed ingestion in horses

Cassia occidentalis is a bush from the Leguminosae family, subfamily Caesalpinoideae, and is a toxic plant of veterinary interest due to the occasional contamination of animal rations. This report describes the clinical and histopathological findings of an outbreak of C.occidentalis poisoning in horses. Twenty mares were poisoned after consuming ground corn contaminated with 8% of C.occidentalis seeds. Of the 20 animals affected, 12 died: 8 mares were found dead, 2 died 6h after the onset of clinical signs compatible with hepatic encephalopathy and the 2 other animals were subjected to euthanasia 12h after the onset of the clinical signs. The remaining 8 mares presented with mild depression and decreased appetite, but improved with treatment and no clinical sequelae were observed. In 6 animals that underwent a necropsy, an enhanced hepatic lobular pattern was noted and within the large intestine, a large number of seeds were consistently observed. Hepatocellular pericentrolobular necrosis and cerebral oedema were the main histological findings. In one mare, there was mild multifocal semimembranosus rhabdomyocytic necrosis and haemorrhage. Seeds collected from intestinal contents and sifted from the culpable feedstuff were planted. Examination of the leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds of the resultant plants identified C.occidentalis. Horses poisoned by C.occidentalis seeds demonstrate clinical signs associated with hepatoencephalopathy and frequently die suddenly. Lesions primarily involve the liver and secondarily, the central nervous system. Cassia occidentalis poisoning should be considered a differential diagnosis in horses with hepatoencephalopathy and special caution should be taken with horse rations to avoid contamination with seeds of this toxic plant. © 2012 EVJ Ltd.