A systematic review of feather mites of the pterodectes generic complex (acari: Proctophyllodidae: Pterodectinae) with redescriptions of species described by vladimír cerný

Five species of feather mites originally described in the genus Pterodectes by Vladimir černý (1974) are redescribed: Pterodectes havliki, P. maculatus , P. reticulatus, P. storkani, P. thraupicola and P. troglodytis. The formerly unknown males of P. thraupicola and P. reticulatus and the female of P. maculatus are described for the first time. A synopsis of known species of the Pterodectes generic complex is presented, and species content of the genus Pterodectes is revised. Fifteen species previously included in this genus are transferred to the new genus Amerodectes gen. n.: Amerodectes atyeoi (OConnor et al., 2005) comb. n., A. bilineatus (Berla, 1958) comb. n., A. geothlypis (Berla, 1973) comb. n., A. gracilis (Trouessart, 1885) comb. n., A. maculatus comb. n., A. molothrus (Mironov, 2008) comb. n., A. nordestensis (Berla, 1958) comb. n., A. paroariae (Mironov, 2008) comb. n., A. pitangi (Mironov, 2008) comb. n., A. tangarae (Mironov, 2008) comb. n., A. turdinus (Berla, 1959) comb. n., A. sialiarum (Stoll, 1893) comb. n., A. storkani (černý, 1974) comb. n., A. thraupicola (cčerný, 1974) comb. n., and A. troglodytis (černý, 1974) comb. n. Five species are transferred to the genus Tyrannidectes Mironov, 2008: Tyrannidectes amaurochalinus (Hernandes et Valim, 2006) comb. n., T. banksi (Valim et Hernandes, 2008) comb. n., T. crassus (Trouessart, 1885) comb. n., T. fissuratus (Hernandes et Valim, 2005) comb. n., and T. reticulatus (Cerný, 1974) comb. n.; and one species is moved to the genus Metapterodectes Mironov, 2008: Metapterodectes muticus (Banks, 1909) comb. n. The genus Pterodectes remains monotypic, with the type species P. rutilus Robin, 1877. © Acarina 2010.

Optimal energy generation with biomass of sugarcane harvest

The aim of this work is the application of the Interior Point and Branch and Bound methods in multiobjective optimization models related to sugarcane harvest residual biomass. These methods showed their viability to help on choosing the sugarcane planting varieties, searching to optimize cost and energy balance of harvest residual biomass, which have conflitant objectives. These methods provide satisfactory results, with fair computing performance and reliable and consistent solutions to the analyzed models. © 2011 IEEE.

Attacks by jaguars (Panthera onca) on humans in central Brazil: Report of three cases, with observation of a death

Conflicts between humans and big cats have been known for centuries throughout the world, but have intensified in recent decades. Recently, attacks by Panthera onca on humans in Brazil have been brought to the forefront through exposure in the press and because of the severity of the attacks. We report 3 cases of patients attacked by jaguars in provoked and predatory situations. Two patients survived the attacks and one died. Attack mechanisms and lesions in victims are discussed. The attacks demonstrate a real risk of accidents from jaguars in certain regions, such as the Pantanal and the Amazon. © 2011 Wilderness Medical Society.

Corn yield with reduction of insecticidal sprayings against fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The ideal time is more important than amount of insecticidal spraying to adequate the control of Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in corn. This study aimed to evaluate lufenuron sequential sprayings effect and its rotation with other active ingredients on the population, damage caused by S. frugiperda and the impact on corn yield. The experiment was carried out in the field with six treatments: (1) one lufenuron spraying, (2) two lufenuron sprayings, (3) three lufenuron sprayings (4) four lufenuron sprayings, (5) sprayings with spinosad, lufenuron, thiamethoxam+lambdacyhalothrin and deltamethrin (in sequence, at ten days intervals) (6) control treatment. Sprayings started twenty days after the seedling had emerged and then every ten days for a maximum of four sprays. Both caterpillar population (20.9-21.7 larvae/plot) and index of damage (1.2-1.7) observed in corn plants were significantly lower in treated plots compared to control (untreated) (31.7 larvae/plot and index of damage 2.7), regardless of spraying amount. The results showed that multiple insecticide applications to control S. frugiperda do not guarantee higher yields in corn, ranging from 6375.2 to 7650.1 kg ha -1. Only one spraying of lufenuron was enough to prevent significant reduction in corn yield (6749.9 kg ha -1). © 2012 Asian Network for Scientific Information.

Zinc and lead content and availability in Brazilian soil contaminated with residue of a secondary smelting lead recycling plant

The sequential extraction procedure of Zinc and lead performed in a Brazilian soil showed that it presents high pollution potential once over 90% of total lead is present in fractions where the metals can be easily mobilized. The fraction contents are as follow: F1 = 174 and 15 mg kg-1; F2 = 3155 and 9.7 mg kg -1; F3 = 99 and 1.6 mg kg -1; Residual fraction = 38 and 5.5 mg kg -1 for lead and zinc, respectively. The comparison with non contaminated soil only Pb 2+ concentration is above its intervention reference concentration, 900 mg kg -1.

Sensory profile and preference mapping of orange cakes with addition of prebiotics inulin and oligofructose

Orange cakes with addition of inulin and oligofructose to justify a prebiotic claim (minimum of 3 g of fructans in a 60 g serving of cake) were investigated regarding sensory aspects. The sensory profile of cakes with inulin, with inulin/oligofructose and without prebiotics (standard cake) was evaluated using descriptive quantitative analysis. Preference mapping was assessed using multidimensional scaling on data obtained through an acceptability test with a nine-point hedonic scale. The cakes with prebiotics presented greater crust brownness, dough beigeness, hardness and stickiness than the standard cake and lower crumbliness. Principal Component Analysis (69.5 and 10.7% of explanation to the first and second principal components, respectively) showed that crust brownness, dough beigeness, hardness and stickiness contributed to distinguish the cakes with prebiotics from standard cakes. The sensory acceptability was similar for the three cakes and higher when compared to three commercial cakes, but the preference mapping showed that cakes with prebiotics were preferred to commercial cakes. Addition of prebiotics in orange cakes is feasible, based on the sensory results, which may facilitate marketing of this functional food with sensorial qualities equivalent to conventional products. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Parameterization technique for the continuation power flow using the trivial and tangent predictor

This paper presents efficient geometric parameterization techniques using the tangent and the trivial predictors for the continuation power flow, developed from observation of the trajectories of the load flow solution. The parameterization technique eliminates the Jacobian matrix singularity of load flow, and therefore all the consequent problems of ill-conditioning, by the addition of the line equations which pass through the points in the plane determined by the variables loading factor and the real power generated by the slack bus, two parameters with clear physical meaning. This paper also provides an automatic step size control around the maximum loading point. Thus, the resulting method enables not only the calculation of the maximum loading point, but also the complete tracing of P-V curves of electric power systems. The technique combines robustness with ease of understanding. The results to the IEEE 300-bus system and of large real systems show the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2012 IEEE.

Voltammetric determination of sulfite using graphite paste electrode modified with nanoparticles of copper pentacyanonitrosylferrate

Copper Pentacyanonitrosylferrate (NCuNP) nanoparticles were prepared in formamide solvent. The material was characterized by Infrared (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) Spectroscopy. The Cyclic Voltammogram (CV) the modified graphite paste electrode with NCuNP exhibits two redox couples with (Eθ,)1 = 0.29 and (E θ,)2 = 0.86 V attribute at Cu(I)/Cu (II) and Fe(II)(CN)5NO/Fe(III)(CN) 5NO processes, respectively (KCl = 1.0 mol L-1; v = 20 mV s-1). The redox couple with (Eθ,)2 presents an electrocatalytic response for sulfite. The modified graphite paste electrode gives a linear response of 7.0 × 10-4 to 3.0 × 10-2 mol L-1 (r = 0.998), for sulfite determination with Detection Limit (DL) of 1.76 × 10-3 mol L-1 and an amperometric sensitivity of 3.38 mA/mol L-1 and relative standard desviations ± 3% (n=3). ©The Electrochemical Society.

Brazilian catfish parasitized by Epistylis sp. (Ciliophora, Epistylididae), with description of parasite intensity score

The determination of mean intensity of parasitism for colony-forming sessile protozoan such as Epistylis has been a great problem in parasitological studies. Some alternatives have been proposed by researchers for laboratory and field conditions. This study describes the criteria to establish the parasitic intensity score for epistylidid infestation in fish. Parasite distribution and the host-parasite relationship in four species of Brazilian cultured catfish and their hybrids are discussed. The highest prevalence rates were found in the hybrid jundiara, Leiarius marmoratus male × Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum female (96.4 %), followed by jurupoca, Hemisorubim platyrhynchos (60 %), and the hybrid surubim, Pseudoplatystoma corruscans male × P. reticulatum female (52.7 %). Positive correlation between parasitic intensity score and the fish size, weight, and relative condition factor were also observed. These findings indicate that Epistylis infestation in Brazilian catfish is an emerging disease in cultured fish. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Osmotic Dehydration of Pineapple with Impregnation of Sucrose, Calcium, and Ascorbic Acid

Mass transfer was evaluated during osmotic dehydration of pineapple in solutions with until four components aiming to investigate the solutes concentration influence on impregnation. In the first step, the experimental trials for optimization of solution concentration were based on 23 factorial design. In the second step, effective diffusion coefficients were determined. Equations representing the influence of the concentration of sucrose, calcium lactate, and ascorbic acid in osmotic solutions on water loss and gains of sucrose, calcium, and vitamin C were found. Results showed that both calcium lactate and sucrose concentration affected calcium and sucrose gain. On the other hand, only vitamin C gain was significantly affected by the ascorbic acid concentration in the studied concentration range. However, when comparing diffusivities in pineapple immersed in sucrose solutions, with and without calcium lactate, with and without ascorbic acid, it was possible to verify that diffusivities of water, sugar, and calcium increased in presence of ascorbic acid in solution. Calcium in solution diminished the water and sucrose diffusivities. High calcium and vitamin C contents were obtained in 1 h immersion in the solutions studied. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

The feather mites (Acari, Astigmata) of the Violet-capped Woodnymph, Thalurania glaucopis (Gmelin) (Aves, Trochilidae), with descriptions of three new species

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

Smoking is associated with remodeling of gap junction in the rat heart: Smoker's paradox explanation?

Background: In a previous study utilizing the rat model, exposure to tobacco smoke for 5 weeks increased survival after AMI, despite similar age and infarct size between the smokers and nonsmokers, and absence of reperfusion. Objective: Thus, this study aimed to analyze the effects of exposure to tobacco smoke on intensity, distribution or phosphorylation of connexin 43 in the rat heart. Methods: Wistar rats weighing 100 g were randomly allocated into 2 groups: 1) Control (n = 25); 2) Exposed to tobacco smoke (ETS), n = 23. After 5 weeks, left ventricular morphometric analysis, immunohisthochemistry and western blotting for connexin 43 (Cx43) were performed. Results: Collagen volume fraction, cross-sectional areas, and ventricular weight were not statistically different between control and ETS. ETS showed lower stain intensity of Cx43 at intercalated disks (Control: 2.32 ± 0.19; ETS: 1.73 ± 0.18; p = 0.04). The distribution of CX43 at intercalated disks did not differ between the groups (Control: 3.73 ± 0.12; ETS: 3.20 ± 0.17; p = 0.18). ETS rats showed higher levels of dephosphorylated form of Cx43 (Control: 0.45 ± 0.11; ETS: 0.90 ± 0.11; p = 0.03). On the other hand, total Cx43 did not differ between control and ETS groups (Control: 0.75 ± 0.19; ETS: 0.93 ± 0.27; p = 0.58). Conclusion: Exposure to tobacco smoke resulted in cardiac gap junction remodeling, characterized by alterations in the quantity and phosphorylation of the Cx43, in rats hearts. This finding could explain the smoker's paradox observed in some studies.

Symptom dimensions are associated with age of onset and clinical course of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Meta-analysis of the heterogeneous symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has found a four-factor structure of symptom dimensions consisting of cleaning, forbidden thoughts, symmetry, and hoarding. Research into age of onset of symptom dimensions has yielded inconsistent results, and it is unknown whether symptoms along these dimensions differ in their clinical course. We assessed age of onset and clinical course of different OCD symptom dimensions in a large cohort of adult patients. Nine-hundred fifty-five subjects were assessed using the Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. For age of onset analysis, we tested across three methods of classification: (1) primary (more severe) symptom dimension (2) clinically significant symptoms within a dimension or (3) any symptoms within a dimension. Age of onset was defined as the earliest age of onset reported for any individual item within a symptom dimension. For analysis of different types of clinical course, we used chi-square tests to assess for differences between primary symptom dimensions. OCD symptoms in the symmetry dimension had an earlier age of onset than other OCD symptom dimensions. These findings remained significant across all three methods of classification and controlling for gender and comorbid tics. No significant differences were found between the other dimensions. Subjects with primary OCD symptoms in the forbidden thoughts dimension were more likely to report a waxing-and-waning course, whereas symmetry symptoms were less likely to be associated with a waxing-and-waning course. © 2013.

Opportunistic microorganisms in individuals with lesions of denture stomatitis

The aim of this study was to isolate, quantify, identify, and compare opportunistic microorganisms (Candida and Staphylococcus genera and Enterobacteriaceae/Pseudomonadaceae families) from prosthesis-fitting surfaces, the hard palate, and mouth rinses of individuals wearing removable maxillary prosthesis with (50) and without (50) lesions of denture stomatitis (DS). The strains were collected and identified using phenotypic, biochemical and molecular tests. The counts of microorganisms were significantly higher in the group of individuals with DS (P < 0.05). C. albicans was the most frequently isolated yeast species in both groups, following by C. tropicalis and C. glabrata. Six isolates were identified as C. dubliniensis. S. aureus and S. epidermidis were the most frequent Staphylococcus species in both groups. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the predominant species in both groups. The association between Candida spp. and bacteria isolated in this study with DS suggests that these microorganisms may play important roles in the establishment and persistence of this disease. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Diastolic function is associated with quality of life and exercise capacity in stable heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction

Exercise capacity and quality of life (QOL) are important outcome predictors in patients with systolic heart failure (HF), independent of left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF). LV diastolic function has been shown to be a better predictor of aerobic exercise capacity in patients with systolic dysfunction and a New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification >II. We hypothesized that the currently used index of diastolic function E/e' is associated with exercise capacity and QOL, even in optimally treated HF patients with reduced LVEF. This prospective study included 44 consecutive patients aged 55±11 years (27 men and 17 women), with LVEF,0.50 and NYHA functional class I-III, receiving optimal pharmacological treatment and in a stable clinical condition, as shown by the absence of dyspnea exacerbation for at least 3 months. All patients had conventional transthoracic echocardiography and answered the Minnesota Living with HF Questionnaire, followed by the 6-min walk test (6MWT). In a multivariable model with 6MWT as the dependent variable, age and E/e' explained 27% of the walked distance in 6MWT (P=0.002; multivariate regression analysis). No association was found between walk distance and LVEF or mitral annulus systolic velocity. Only normalized left atrium volume, a sensitive index of diastolic function, was associated with decreased QOL. Despite the small number of patients included, this study offers evidence that diastolic function is associated with physical capacity and QOL and should be considered along with ejection fraction in patients with compensated systolic HF.