Ecology of the Skink, Mabuya arajara Reboucas-Spieker, 1981, in the Araripe Plateau, Northeastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Litoestratigrafia da bacia do Araripe: reavaliação e propostas para revisão

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Perda da vegetação natural na Chapada do Araripe (1975/2007) no estado do Ceará

Pós-graduação em Geografia - IGCE

Avaliação da capacidade de infiltração de solos submetidos a diferentes tipos de manejo

Inadequate vegetation and soil management leads to physical changes that affect aquifer recharge. The Araripe Plateau feeds an elevated number of springs on its northern slope; however, there are indications that their yield is decreasing. Through this research, it was studied the infiltration capacity of soils under different types of management. Soil samples from 21 sites were grouped into four groups. Group 1 represents areas of preserved vegetation, the others, anthropized ones. It was observed that soil moisture and infiltration capacity are linearly well correlated with organic matter; mean soil moisture during the dry season was significantly higher for Group 1 than for the other groups, even during the rainy season and anthropized areas show low organic matter contents, soil moisture, and infiltration capacity, indicating modifications in the soil's structure that reduce aquifer recharge.

Facies sedimentares e ambientes deposicionais da Formação Barbalha no vale do cariri, bacia do araripe, nordeste do Brasil

The Aptian Barbalha Formation represents the first unit of the post-rift sequence of the Araripe Basin and crops out at the slopes of the Aranpe plateau in the eastern part ot Aranpe Basin. The unit has also been named Kio da Batateira Formation, but this name is here used in its original definition as Batateira Beds, an interval of great lateral continuity and characterized by the presence of bituminous shales of the Alagoas Stage (P-270 palynological biozone). This paper presents the results of a stratigraphic analysis carried out along the outcrop belt in order to establish the facies architecture and to interpret deposicional environments of the siliciclastic Barbalha Formation. Detailed stratigraphic vertical sections were measured and correlated. They allowed the recognition of two depositional sequences characterized by fining upward arrangement of facies, beginning with fluvial deposits and ending with lacustrine deposits at their tops. The end of the first cycle is represented by black shales and brecciated limestones of the Batateira Beds that record a geologic event of regional magnitude and serve as meaningful long-distance stratigraphic mark. The second deposicional sequence overlies disconformably the Batateira Beds and begins with clast-supported conglomerates, which are covered by a succession of fluvial sandstones and minor intervals of pelitic rocks. The sandstone content diminishes towards the top and the upper part of the unit is characterized by the presence of ostracode-rich green shales. The Barbalha Formation is conformably overlaid by Late Aptian lacustrine limestones belonging to the Crato Member of the Santana Formation.

Fission-track dating of Macusanite glasses with plateau and size correction methods

Two Macusanite pebbles (MB1 and MB2) were dated with the fission-track method. Six irradiations were carried out in different nuclear reactors: Pavia (Italy), IPEN-CNEN (Brazil) and IPEN-Lima (Peru). Measurements of the thorium and uranium induced-fission per target nucleus using natural thorium thin films and natural U-doped glasses calibrated against natural uranium thin films, together with lambda(F) of 8.46 x 10(-17) a(-1) were used to determine the ages. The apparent ages were corrected using the plateau and size correction methods. Track measurements were performed by different analysts, using different counting criteria. In addition, tracks were measured on samples which had been submitted to thermal treatment as well as on samples which had not been heated. Thermal treatments were carried out to erase the fossil tracks before neutron irradiation. No significant differences have been found in individual results, using the two Macusanite pebbles and the different nuclear reactors, age correction techniques, analysts, track-counting criteria, and thermal treatments before neutron irradiation. The great majority of the results (14/17) is compatible with the Ar-Ar ages of 5.12 +/- 0.11 and 5.10 +/- 0.11 Ma, Macusanite MB1 and MB2, respectively. However, the fission-track ages are systematically less (similar to8%) than the Ar-Ar ages of the two Macusanite samples studied. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Caracterização espectroscópica de peixe do período cretáceo (Bacia do Araripe)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estudo de coprólito da bacia sedimentar do Araripe por meios de espectroscopia FT-IR e difração de Raios-X

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effect of Drilling Technique on the Early Integration of Plateau Root Form Endosteal Implants: An Experimental Study in Dogs

Purpose: This study tested the hypothesis that early integration of plateau root form endosseous implants is significantly affected by surgical drilling technique.Materials and Methods: Sixty-four implants were bilaterally placed in the diaphysial radius of 8 beagles and remained 2 and 4 weeks in vivo. Half the implants had an alumina-blasted/acid-etched surface and the other half a surface coated with calcium phosphate. Half the implants with the 2 surface types were drilled at 50 rpm without saline irrigation and the other half were drilled at 900 rpm under abundant irrigation. After euthanasia, the implants in bone were nondecalcified and referred for histologic analysis. Bone-to-implant contact, bone area fraction occupancy, and the distance from the tip of the plateau to pristine cortical bone were measured. Statistical analyses were performed by analysis of variance at a 95% level of significance considering implant surface, time in vivo, and drilling speed as independent variables and bone-to-implant contact, bone area fraction occupancy, and distance from the tip of the plateau to pristine cortical bone as dependent variables.Results: The results showed that both techniques led to implant integration and intimate contact between bone and the 2 implant surfaces. A significant increase in bone-to-implant contact and bone area fraction occupancy was observed as time elapsed at 2 and 4 weeks and for the calcium phosphate-coated implant surface compared with the alumina-blasted/acid-etched surface.Conclusions: Because the surgical drilling technique did not affect the early integration of plateau root form implants, the hypothesis was refuted. (C) 2011 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons J Oral Maxillofac Surg 69: 2158-2163, 2011

Pulmonary infection in two sympatric lizards, Mabuya arajara (Scincidae) and Anolis brasiliensis (Polychrotidae) from a cloud forest in Chapada do Araripe, Ceará, Northeastern Brazil

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

Fish community structure along a conservation gradient in Bodoquena Plateau streams, central West of Brazil.

Aim: To investigate whether composition and structure of stream ichthyofauna vary along the conservation gradient in the Bodoquena Plateau; Methods: Standardized sampling was performed in nine stream stretches (three references, three in the pasture, and three in urban areas), each 80 m long, in April, May and June/08; Results: A quantity of 8,102 individuals representing 36 species was collected. There were no significant differences with respect to absolute species richness among stretches. Urban stretches were more similar to each other than the other two groups, both regarding species composition and abundance. A set of six species was considered an indicator of reference stretches, whereas two were of pasture stretches and four of urban stretches. Poecilia reticulata and Corydoras aeneus, occurring only in urban stretches, were unique in showing the maximum values in the indicator species analysis; Conclusions: Results indicate changes in the ichthyofauna with urbanized surrounding water courses. The presence and abundance of Poecilia reticulata and Corydoras aeneus may indicate the quality loss of these environments.

Characidium xanthopterum (Ostariophysi: Characiformes: Crenuchidae): a new species from the Central Brazilian Plateau

Characidium xanthopterum é descrita de tributários das bacias do alto Paraná e do alto Tocantins, no Planalto Central do Brasil, Estado de Goiás, Brasil. Entre as congêneres, a nova espécie é diagnosticada pela ausência de barras escuras nas porções laterais do corpo em exemplares adultos, e pela presença de todas as nadadeiras fortemente amareladas, sem marcas ou manchas. Exemplares menores de 32 mm CP apresentam barras escuras no corpo. Estas barras desaparecem com o crescimento entre 32 e 35 mm CP, e estão sempre ausentes em indivíduos maiores do que 35 mm CP.

The U-isotopes modeling in aquifers from Pocos de Caldas plateau, Brazil

U-modeled groundwater residence times were estimated by changes in U-234/U-238 activity ratio (AR) and U content of groundwaters from Pocos de Caldas city situated at the Pocos de Caldas alkaline massif, Brazil. The estimated ages are more realistic than others generated by the use of hydraulic conductivity data and available information about the weathering rate of rocks in the plateau. The U-234/U-238 AR and reciprocal of the dissolved U-content data also defined a ternary plot that allowed the calculation of the relative volume of three source waters for the mixed water. Such U-isotopes modeling for mixing calculations indicated that the dominant phase (68%) in the mixture is thermal.

A method for evaluating Ra-228 in environmental matrices and its use at Pocos de Caldas plateau, Brazil

This work describes a methodology developed for performing the extraction, detection and quantification of Ra-228 in waters, suspended solids and sediments. The technique proved to be useful for analyzing samples from the hydrological environment of Morro do Ferro, Pocos de Caldas plateau, Brazil. The 228Ra activity in underground waters of 5 boreholes drilled in the area varied from 0.02 up to 14.5 Bq/l, whereas for the surficial waters the variation was from 0.04 to 0.51 Bq/l; for the suspended solids, the values ranged from 1.5 up to 419 Bq/g, whereas it was possible to find a value of 2.04 Bq/g for the sediments. These results show the applicability of the method for characterizing different matrices of environmental interest. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.