Physical environment modulates the behavioral responses induced by chemical stimulation of dorsal periaqueductal gray in mice

In order to investigate the relationship between behaviors elicited by chemical stimulation of the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dorsal PAG) and spontaneous defensive behaviors to a predator, the excitatory amino acid D,L-homocysteic acid (5 nmol in 0.1 mu l), was infused into the dorsal PAG and behavioral responses of mice were evaluated in two different situations, a rectangular novel chamber or the Mouse Defense Test Battery (MDTB) apparatus. During a 1-min period following drug infusion, more jumps were made in the chamber than in the MDTB runway but running time and distance traveled were significantly higher in the runway. Animals were subsequently tested using the standard MDTB procedure (anti-predator avoidance, chase and defensive threat/attack). No drug effects on these measures were significant. In a further test in the MDTB apparatus, the pathway of the mouse during peak locomotion response was blocked 3 times by the predator stimulus (anesthetized rat) to determine if the mouse would avoid contact. Ninety percent of D,L-homocysteic treated animals made direct contact with the stimulus (rat), indicating that D,L-homocysteic-induced running is not guided by relevant (here, threat) stimuli. These results indicate that running as opposed to jumping is the primary response in mice injected with D,L-homocysteic into the dorsal PAG when the environment enables flight. However, the lack of responsivity to the predator during peak locomotion suggests that D,L-homocysteic-stimulation into the dorsal PAG does not induce normal antipredator flight. (c) 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Variabilidade da produtividade da soja em função de atributos físicos de um latossolo vermelho distroférrico sob plantio direto

Atualmente, no cenário nacional, a cultura da soja em plantio direto é muito utilizada na integração agricultura-pecuária. No ano agrícola de 2006/2007, no município de Selvíria (MS), entre as latitudes de 20 ° 18 ' 05S e 20 ° 18 ' 28S e as longitudes de 52 ° 39 ' 02W e 52 ° 40 ' 28W, foi analisada a produtividade da soja, em plantio direto, em função de alguns atributos físicos de um Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico. O objetivo foi selecionar, entre os atributos do solo pesquisados, aquele que melhor se apresentasse para explicar a variabilidade espacial da produtividade agrícola. Para isso, foi instalada a malha geoestatística para a coleta dos dados do solo e da planta, contendo 120 pontos amostrais, numa área de 4.068 m² e declive homogêneo de 0,025 m m-1. do ponto de vista linear e espacial, a elevada produtividade de grãos de soja pôde ser explicada em função da densidade do solo e da umidade volumétrica. A baixa variabilidade da maioria dos atributos do solo indicou que o plantio direto é um sistema que proporciona a homogeneização do ambiente físico do solo.

Terapia de linguagem no espectro autístico: a interferência do ambiente terapêutico

OBJETIVO: Analisar o perfil funcional da comunicação de crianças e adolescentes com distúrbios do espectro autístico em dois ambientes de terapia de linguagem, que se diferenciam quanto ao aspecto físico. MÉTODOS: Participaram dez sujeitos com distúrbios do espectro autístico, seis do gênero masculino e quatro do gênero feminino, com idades entre 4 e 13 anos. Na coleta de dados, foram realizadas filmagens de oito sessões de terapia de linguagem individual com duração de 30 minutos, sendo quatro sessões em uma sala comum e quatro em uma sala com ambientação específica (sala NIC), intercaladamente, durante um mês. Para a análise dos dados foi empregado o Protocolo de Pragmática, e os resultados receberam tratamento estatístico. RESULTADOS: Verificou-se que não houve diferença significativa entre o perfil pragmático apresentado pelos dez sujeitos na sala comum e na sala NIC. CONCLUSÃO: O contexto físico aqui estudado não influenciou significativamente no perfil funcional da comunicação de indivíduos do espectro autístico, ainda que se tenha verificado tendências individuais apresentando melhor desempenho em uma sala ou em outra.

Desenvolvimento e aprendizagem: reflexões sobre suas relações e implicações para a prática docente

Este texto aponta alguns elementos que podem contribuir para a reflexão sobre a importância de uma adequada compreensão do desenvolvimento humano e de suas articulações com a aprendizagem e com as relações sociais, para a construção, no espaço físico e social da sala de aula de um processo pedagógico qualitativamente superior.

Group size and composition of Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) (Van Bénèden, 1864) in the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex, Brazil

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

Estrutura de um trecho de floresta Amazônica na bacia do alto rio Xingu

Este estudo apresenta a estrutura de florestas em Gaúcha do Norte-MT (13° 10'S e 53° 15' O), na borda sul-amazônica. Para o levantamento fitossociológico, três áreas amostrais de 1ha foram subdivididas em 50 parcelas de 10x20m, nas quais foram amostrados todos os indivíduos com perímetro à altura do peito (PAP) >15 cm. Para verificar a similaridade estrutural entre as áreas utilizou-se a Análise de Correspondência. As espécies indicadoras dos ambientes de interflúvio e das áreas sujeitas à inundação foram obtidas através do TWINSPAN e de um sistema de pesos. Concluiu-se que as florestas presentes na bacia do rio Pacuneiro pertencem à mesma unidade fitogeográfica, mas com subtipos florísticos e estruturais de acordo com a posição no relevo, a proximidade dos cursos d'água e o estrato analisado, apresentando predominância de algumas espécies, ou até mesmo possíveis endemismos, em determinados trechos ou estratos. A formação apresentou baixa diversidade alfa (2,91 a 3,50) e beta (3,62 a 3,86), o que não é comum em florestas amazônicas. Várias hipóteses podem explicar essa baixa diversidade, entre elas a baixa precipitação e a alta sazonalidade, o ambiente físico regional aparentemente homogêneo e favorável às espécies competidoras, ou os eventos históricos, relacionados à possível exploração por tribos indígenas ou à recente expansão dessas florestas sobre as áreas savânicas.

Distribution of stream macroalgae in the eastern Atlantic Rainforest of São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil

Fifty-two stream segments were sampled from 16 August to 13 September in 1993 in the eastern Atlantic Rainforest of São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil (22°55′-25°00′S, 44°48′-48°03′W). Forty-two macroalgal subgeneric taxa were found and the most widespread species were Audouinella pygmaea (21% of sites), Compsopogon leptoclados and Microcoleus subtorulosus (19%). Macroalgal species number per sampling site ranged from 0 to six (2.6 ± 1.7) and was positively correlated to species abundance, whereas species cover ranged from 0 to 70% of the stream bed (15.5 ± 20.8%). No significant correlation was found among macroalgal species number and abundance with any physical or chemical variable analyzed. Most sites were dominated by one or few macroalgal species, mainly, Audouinella macrospora, C. leptoclados and M. subtorulosus. No significant difference was found between the frequency distribution of variables measured for streams and for total macroalgae but the most widespread species (A. pygmaea) differed significantly for current velocity, specific conductance, turbidity and pH. Overall means for macroalgal occurrence include the following values: temperature (X̄ = 19.9°C), current velocity (X̄ = 45 cm s-1), oxygen saturation (X̄ = 66%), specific conductance (X̄ = 59.6 μS cm-1), turbidity (X̄ = 5 NTU) and pH (X̄ = 7.1). This pattern of patchy distribution and dominance by few species has been suggested as typical of stream macroalgal communities and has been ascribed to the rapid fluctuation of physical and chemical conditions. Total macroalgal species richness as well as mean species number per sampling site were considerably lower than found in similar studies of other regions. The Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis was applied to explain these results: the same factor (high precipitation) responsible for the maintainance of the high species diversity in the surrounding forest can be, paradoxically, a constraint to the development of a more diverse macroalgal flora in streams. © 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Estimation of crowd density using image processing

Human beings perceive images through their properties, like colour, shape, size, and texture. Texture is a fertile source of information about the physical environment. Images of low density crowds tend to present coarse textures, while images of dense crowds tend to present fine textures. This paper describes a new technique for automatic estimation of crowd density, which is a part of the problem of automatic crowd monitoring, using texture information based on grey-level transition probabilities on digitised images. Crowd density feature vectors are extracted from such images and used by a self organising neural network which is responsible for the crowd density estimation. Results obtained respectively to the estimation of the number of people in a specific area of Liverpool Street Railway Station in London (UK) are presented.

Evaluation of neighborhood impacts caused by companies of the high-tech industrial cluster of São Carlos, SP, Brazil

The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology for evaluating neighborhood impacts using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and to apply the procedures to the companies of the High-Technology Industrial Cluster of São Carlos. To this end, an evaluation was made of the neighborhood impacts on the physical environment, urban components, quality of life, and urban infrastructure using impact matrices, and the impacts were assigned scores according to type, order, magnitude and duration. Fifty one companies were examined based on data provided by the companies themselves and on field surveys. The impacts are represented spatially in proportional symbols maps, based on the spatial distribution of the companies in the urban area of the city of São Carlos and the areas of influence of each company. The application of the proposed methodology served to validate it and indicated that the neighborhood impacts caused by the companies of this study are related to each company's type of activity, its size, and its occupation of the area. © 2008 Journal of Urban and Environmental Engineering (JUEE). All rights reserved.

Compartimentação fisiográfica do município de peruíbe, litoral de São Paulo - uma abordagem metodológica como subsídio à avaliação geotécnica de terrenos

This paper presents a method applied to the seacoast town of Peruibe, São Paulo State, Brazil. The method encompasses the application of remote sensing interpretation techniques and field survey to obtain geotechnical data and thus generate cartographic products composed of easily grouped units that work as database objects and can de used to assist geotechnical zoning. The so-called Compartmentalization Basic Units (CBUs) show the smallest land surface analyzed from its physiographic elements and have in their cores the same geotechnical properties, making it easier to analyze the potentialities and the fragilities of the physical environment and its susceptibility to the action of natural and anthropic processes. In the study area, sixty-eight units were individualized in which geotechnical properties were inferred by photo interpretation criteria, using textural properties of the image adjusted with field observations. The method proved to be easily reproducible, and is especially useful in regions where the absence of basic maps makes it impossible to establish homogeneous zones through traditional overlay of different topic informations.

Diagnóstico ambiental do rio corumbataí em trecho urbano do município de rio claro, SP

The environmental analysis is an important tool used in forecasting and mitigation of environmental problems. Focusing on the occupation of marginal areas of the Corumbataí River in an urban stretch in the city of Rio Claro (SP), this study aimed to gather information on situations of risk, both to the environment and the population, verified in that area. Through field observation and in specific studies, the geological and geotechnical aspects, the characteristics of surface waters and aspects of urbanization were analyzed. The results show that the environmental problems diagnosed are related to lack of planning in the occupation of the area. Moreover, the natural characteristics of the physical environment expose people to risks such as floods and soil slides.

Aplicação de técnica de geoprocessamento em áreas degradadas de mata ciliar e sua correlação com qualidade da água numa subbacia hidrográfica

Studying the physical environment of a watershed is the basic condition for a successful planning of the riparian forest preservation, and for water production and conservation. The aims of the present study were to analyze and quantify the spatial and temporal evolution (1984 and 2010) using Landsat-5 satellite images of Cintra Stream sub-watershed, Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil, processed by the software IDRISI Andes, as well as to analyze the water quality through the parameters pH, EC, DO and BOD5 at 4 different sites in the years 1999, 2008 and 2009. Considering the 1076.48ha area of the sub-watershed, the pasture class of 1984 was reduced by 25.55% in 2010, resulting in an increase in the remaining classes. The most important class was native forest and reforestation since it had an increase of 5.08%, which indicates recovery of the riparian forest. Degraded areas were identified close to the inferior limit of the sub-watershed (P3 and P4), as well as local contamination (P1 and P2) with worsening of the water quality in the remaining sites in the periods 2008 and 2009. Recovery and management of the ecological succession of degraded areas and water quality monitoring at 1 and 2 sites will be necessary to reestablish the natural condition of the area studied.

Variabilidade dos atributos de um latossolo vermelho sob plantio direto no cerrado brasileiro e produtividade da soja

The spatial variability of several soil attributes (bulk density, penetration resistance, water content, organic matter content and pH) as well as soybean yield have been assessed during the 2007/08 growing season, in Selviria (MS) in a Hapludox (Typic Acrustox), under no tillage. The objectives were to assess the spatial variability of soil and plant parameters at the small plot scale and to select the best soil attribute explaining most the variability of agricultural productivity. Soil and plant were sampled on a grid with 121 points within a plot of 25,600 m 2 in area and slope of 0.025 mm -1 slope. Medium and low coefficients of variation were obtained for most of the studied soil attributes as expected, due to the homogenizing effect of the no-till system on the soil physical environment. From the standpoint of linear regression and spatial pattern of variability, productivity of soybeans could be explained according to the hydrogen potential (pH). Results are discussed taken into account that the soybean crop in no-tillage is widely used in crop-livestock integration on the national scene.

Análise de fraturamentos para determinação de áreas instáveis na faixa de dutos Osvat/Osplan - São Sebastião, em São Paulo

The present work aimed at characterizing geological features that identify areas with high ruptibility (fracturing) in the Osvat/Osplan pipeline in São Sebastião, São Paulo. The analysis of ruptile geological structures (lines of strikes and structural lineaments) through the use of orbital remote sensing was used as systematic mapping. The analysis of these features enables the inference of factors, such as permeability, infiltration and degree of shear in the region, factors which influence the processes of erosion and landslides in the area. On the map of structural lineaments, points of lineaments intersection from different directions were analyzed, followed by the counting of the frequency of these items per unit area, allowing the statistical modeling of spatial distribution, generating the map of density of structural lineament intersections, which allows determining areas with the highest percolation of fluid in the rock structure. However, on the map of lines of strikes, a space analysis was conducted to identify the two directions with higher frequency of lines of strikes in order to establish the maximums 1 and 2 and to identify the areas of abrupt changes of direction of these strike lines. In such areas where abrupt changes of directions of maximum lines of strikes occur, consequently there will be intense percolation of fluids, responsible for higher alterability of the rock/soil complex, facilitating the installation of erosion processes and landslides, increasing the area instability and consequently the vulnerability of the pipeline.

Atlas ambiental como subsídio aos estudos de sustentabilidade - a bacia do Araçuaí no Vale do Jequitinhonha - MG

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