Perceptions of Amazonian deforestation in the British and Brazilian media

The Amazon rainforest stretches across more than six million square kilometers and nine countries. Of the original forest area it is thought that 18 per cent has been cleared, mainly for farming purposes. In Brazil, the main drivers of deforestation are beef ranching and soya production that together occupy more than 75 per cent of newly deforested land. The situation in the Amazon illustrates a fundamental dilemma facing environmentalists around the world: how to reconcile economic development with biodiversity conservation. In this paper the representation of this dilemma in the British and Brazilian news media is assessed. The results indicate that there were far more articles referring to deforestation in the Brazilian press (816 Brazilian to 29 UK) but that many of these make no mention of what factors are responsible for deforestation. The patterns of representation of the proximate (direct) causes of Amazonian deforestation were very similar in the two countries, with soya and beef cattle ranching commanding the most press attention. The ultimate (indirect) causes of deforestation, however, are treated very differently, with the Brazilian media seemingly far more aware of the role of economic development needs than the UK press. Interestingly, the role of international demand for soya, beef, and forest products in driving deforestation was highlighted primarily in the UK press. These findings are critically discussed in the context of media influence on public understandings of Amazonian deforestation.

Association between coronary artery atherosclerosis and the intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery measured on ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery of patients with coronary artery disease is greater than that of individuals without that disease. METHODS: Case-control prospective study of prevalence assessing the thickness of the intima and media layers of 29 patients with coronary artery disease and 29 individuals without that disease by using ultrasonography of the carotid arteries. Diabetic patients and those with peripheral artery and cerebral vasculopathies were excluded from the study. RESULTS: The mean age was 51±7.5 years. Fifty-five per cent of the patients were males. Acute myocardial infarction was present in 62%; cardiac catheterization in 72%; saphenous bypass in 5%; and coronary angioplasty in 24%. The intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery in case patients and in control patients was, respectively, 0.81±0.25 mm and 0.62±0.18 mm (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: Intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery was significantly greater in patients with coronary artery disease.

Assessment of Intima-Media Thickness in Healthy Children Aged 1 to 15 Years

Abstract Background: Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) has been shown to be increased in children and adolescents with traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease, compared with those of healthy children. Objective: To assess the influence of sex, age and body mass index (BMI) on the CIMT in healthy children and adolescents aged 1 to 15 years. Methods: A total of 280 healthy children and adolescents (males, n=175; mean age, 7.49±3.57 years; mean BMI, 17.94±4.1 kg/m2) were screened for CIMT assessment. They were divided into 3 groups according to age: GI, 1 to 5 years [n=93 (33.2%); males, 57; mean BMI, 16±3 kg/m2]; GII, 6 to 10 years [n=127 (45.4%); males, 78; mean BMI, 17.9±3.7 kg/m2], and GIII, 11 to 15 years [n=60 (21.4%); males, 40; mean BMI, 20.9±4.5 kg/m2]. Results: There was no significant difference in CIMT values between male and female children and adolescents (0.43±0.06 mm vs. 0.42±0.05 mm, respectively; p=0.243). CIMT correlated with BMI neither in the total population nor in the 3 age groups according to Pearson correlation coefficient. Subjects aged 11 to 15 years had the highest CIMT values (GI vs. GII, p=0.615; GI vs. GIII, p=0.02; GII vs. GIII, p=0.004). Conclusions: CIMT is constant in healthy children younger than 10 years, regardless of sex or BMI. CIMT increases after the age of 10 years.

Sôbre u'a modificação do meio de Monteverde

It is well known that the culture media used in the presumptive diagnosis of suspiciuous colonies from plates inoculated with stools for isolation of enteric organisms do not always correctly indicate the major groups of enterobacteria. In an effort to obtain a medium affording more exact indications, several media (1-9) have been tested. Modifications of some of these media have also been tested with the result that a satisfactory modification of Monteverde's medium was finaly selected. This proved to be most satisfactory, affording, as a result of only one inoculation, a complete series of basic indications. The modification involves changes in the formula, in the method of preparation and in the manner of storage. The formulae are: A. Thymol blue indicator: NaOH 0.1/N .............. 34.4 ml; Thymol blue .............. 1.6 g; Water .................... 65.6 ml. B. Andrade's indicator. C. Urea and sugar solution: Urea ..................... 20 g; Lactose ................... 30 g; Sucrose ................... 30 g; Water .................... 100 ml. The mixture (C.) should be warmed slightly in order to dissolve the ingredients rapidly. Sterilise by filtration (Seitz). Keep stock in refrigeratior. The modification of Monteverde's medium is prepared in two parts. Semi-solid part - Peptone (Difco) 2.0 g; NaCl 0.5 g; Agar 0.5 g; Water 100.0 ml. Boil to dissolve the ingredients. Adjust pH with NaOH to 7.3-7.4. Boil again for precipitation. Filter through cotton. Ad indicators "A" 0.3 ml and "B" 1.0 ml. Sterilise in autoclave 115ºC, 15 minutes in amounts not higher than 200 ml. Just before using, add solution "C" asseptically in amounts of 10 ml to 200 ml of the melted semi-solid medium, maintained at 48-50ºC. Solid part - Peptone (Difco) 1.5 g; Trypticase (BBL) 0.5 g; Agar 2.0 g; Water 100,00 ml. Boil to dissolve the ingredients. Adjust pH with NaOH to 7.3-7.4. Boils again. Filter through cotton. Add indicators "A" 0.3 ml and "B" 1.0 ml; ferrous ammonium sulfate 0.02 g; sodiun thiosulfate 0.02 g. Sterilise in autoclave 115ºC, 15 minutes in amounts not higher than 200 ml. Just before using, add solution "C" asseptically in amounts of 10 ml to 200 ml of the melted solid medium, maintained at 48-50ºC. Final medium - The semi-solid part is dispensed first (tubes about 12 x 120 mm) in 2.5 ml amounts and left to harden at room temperature, in vertical position. The solid part is dispensed over the hardened semi-solid one in amounts from 2.0 ml to 2.5 ml and left to harden in slant position, affording a butt of 12 to 15 mm. The tubes of medium should be subjected to a sterility test in the incubator, overnight. Tubes showing spontaneous gas bubbles (air) should then be discarded. The medium should be stored in the incubator (37ºC), for not more than 2 to 4 days. Storage of the tubes in the ice-box produces the absorption of air which is released as bubbles when the tubes are incubated at 37ºC after inoculation. This fact confirmed the observation of ARCHAMBAULT & McCRADY (10) who worked with liquid media and the aplication of their observation was found to be essential to the proper working conditions of this double-layer medium. Inoculation - The inoculation is made by means of a long straight needle, as is usually done on the triple sugar, but the needel should penetrate only to about half of the height of the semi-solid column. Indol detection - After inoculation, a strip of sterelized filter papaer previously moistened with Ehrlich's reagent, is suspended above the surface of the medium, being held between the cotton plug and the tube. Indications given - In addition to providing a mass of organisms on the slant for serological invetigations, the medium gives the following indications: 1. Acid from lactose and/or sucrose (red, of yellowsh with strains which reduce the indicators). 2. Gas from lactose and/or sucrose (bubbles). 3. H[2]S production, observed on the solid part (black). 4. Motility observed on the semi-solid part (tubidity). 5. Urease production, observed on solid and semi-solid parts (blue). 6. Indol production, observed on the strip of filter paper (red or purplish). Indol production is not observed with indol positive strains which rapidly acidify the surface o the slant, and the use of oxalic acid has proved to give less sensitive reaction (11). Reading of results - In most cases overnight incubation is enough; sometimes the reactions appear within only a few hours of incubation, affording a definitive orientation of the diagnosis. With some cultures it is necessary to observe the medium during 48 hours of incubation. A description showing typical differential reaction follows: Salmonella: Color of the medium unchanged, with blackening of the solid part when H[2]S is positive. The slant tends to alkalinity (greenish of bluish). Gas always absent. Indol negative. Motility positive or negative. Shigella: Color of the medium unchanged at the beginning of incubation period, but acquiring a red color when the strain is late lactose/sucrose positive. Slant tending to alkalinity (greenish or purplish). Indol positive or negative. Motility, gas and H[2]S always negative. Proteus: Color of the medium generally changes entirely to blue or sometimes to green (urease positive delayed), with blackening of solid part when H[2]S is positive. Motility positive of negative. Indol positive. Gas positive or negative. The strains which attack rapidly sucrose may give a yellow-greenish color to the medium. Sometimes the intense blue color of the medium renders difficult the reading of the H[2]S production. Escherichiae and Klebsiellae: Color of the medium red or yellow (acid) with great and rapid production of gas. Motility positive or negative. Indol generally impossible to observe. Paracoli: Those lactose of sucrose positive give the same reaction as Esherichia. Those lactose or sucrose negatives give the same reactions as Salmonellae. Sometimes indol positive and H[2]S negative. Pseudomonas: Color of the medium unchanged. The slant tends to alkalinity. It is impossible to observe motility because there is no growth in the bottom. Alkaligenes: Color of the medium unchanged. The slant tends to alkalinity. The medium does not alter the antigenic properties of the strains and with the mass of organisms on the slant we can make the serologic diagnosis. It is admitted that this medium is somewhat more laborious to prepare than others used for similar purposes. Nevertheless it can give informations generally obtained by two or three other media. Its use represents much saving in time, labor and material, and we suggest it for routine laboratory work in which a quick presumptive preliminary grouping of enteric organisms is needed.

Biological aspects of the DM28C clone of Trypanosoma cruzi after metacylogenesis in chemically defined media

The biological characterization of the Trypanosoma cruzi clone Dm 28c in terms of its growth in LIT medium, cell-cycle, infectivity to mice and interaction with professional and non-professional phagocytic cells shows that it behaves as a bona fide T. cruzi representant. The biological properties of this myotropic clone do not change according to the origin of the trypomastigote forms (i. e., from triatomines, infected mice, cell-culture or from the chemically defined TAUP and TAU3AAG media). In addition Dm 28c metacyclic trypomastigotes from TAU3AAG medium display a high infectivity level to fibroblasts and muscle cells. Experiments on binding of cationized ferritin to trypomastigotes surface show the existence of cap-like structures of ferritin in regions near the kinetoplast. However the nature and role of these anionic sites remain to be determined. The results indicate that metacyclic trypomastigotes from Dm 28c clone obtained under chemically defined conditions reproduce the biological behaviour of T. cruzi, rendering this system very suitable for the study of cell-parasite interactions and for the isolation of trypanosome relevant macromolecules.

Eokines: synthesis, storage and release from human eosinophils

Eosinophils are prominent inflammatory cells in asthma and other allergic disorders, as well as in helminthic parasite infections. Recently, eosinophils have been reported to synthesize and store a range of regulatory proteins within their secretory granules (eokines). Eokines comprise a group of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors which are elaborated by eosinophils. These proteins, and the messages which encode them, appear to be identical to those produced by lymphocytes and other tissues. Interestingly, immunoreactivity to many of these eokines has been found to co-localize to the eosinophil´s secretory granules. In this review, we have discussed the repertoire of 18 eokines so far identified in eosinophils, and focused on four of these, namely, interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and RANTES. These four eokines co-localize to the crystalloid granules in eosinophils, as shown in studies using subcellular fractionation and immunogold labeling in electron microscopy. During stimulation by physiological triggers, for example, with serum-coated particles, eosinophils release these mediators into the surrounding supernatant. In addition, eokines are likely to be synthesized within eosinophils rather than taken up by endocytosis, as show in detection of mRNA for each of these proteins using in situ hybridization, RT-PCR, and in the case of RANTES, in situ RT-PCR. Eokines synthesis and release from eosinophils challenges the commonly held notion that these cells act downstream of key elements in immune system, and indicate that they may instead belong to the afferent arm of immunity.

Discursive media strategies in the journalistic construction of schistosomiasis in Jaboticatubas, Minas Gerais

Using media discourse analysis for material published by the press on schistomisasis in the city of Jaboticatubas, the possible determining factors of narrative and discursive constructions in the diffusion of information are discussed. It was observed that media discourse treats schistosomiasis in 1962 as something from the natural order. By 1997 and 1998, the media discourse strategies reveal ideological treatment in favor of certain social segments. Situations are identified in which social agents in specific contexts construct the meanings of this endemic disease. It was concluded that the economic organization of space was a determining factor in the production and circulation of the media discourses.

Long-term storage and viability of Ochlerotatus albifasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

The viability of Ochlerotatus albifasciatus (Macquart) eggs stored at room temperature and at 5ºC was studied over 31 months. After 12, 18 and 31 months of storage, eggs were acclimatized at 22ºC for ten days, and then inundated twice every seven days. The effect of the storage period on the percentage of hatching was analyzed by one way ANOVA. Differences on the hatching response between the first and second flooding were analyzed by paired t-test. Differences on the hatching response between the two storage conditions were analyzed by Mann-Whitney rank test. Results showed that (1) Oc. albifasciatus eggs were able to survive and hatch over 31 months; (2) the percent hatching of eggs stored at 5ºC was higher than that of eggs stored at room temperature; and (3) low temperatures and long periods without water favor installment hatching.

Growth, cysts and kinetics of Borrelia garinii (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetacea) in different culture media

The aim of the present paper was to evaluate cyst formation and growth parameters of Borrelia garinii in a range of media differing in formulation and cost. A qualitative assessment of morphology and motility of B. garinii was conducted. All media were prepared aseptically and used in test tubes or Petri dishes. For each medium, the initial spirochete concentration was standardized to 10³ spirochets/mL. The following culture media were suitable to grow B. garinii: Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly, brain heart infusion and PMR. Growth was minimal at six weeks post-inoculation and maximum spirochete density was observed between 9-12 weeks. Often, the cultures developed cysts of different sizes, isolated or in groups, with a spiraled portion of variable sizes, mainly in unfavorable culture media. Brazilian Lyme disease-like illness, also known as Baggio-Yoshinari syndrome (BYS), is a new and interesting emerging tick-borne disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes, only during its cystic forms. It has been assumed that the peculiar clinical and laboratory features of BYS are consequential to the absence of a human sucker Ixodes ricinus complex tick at risk areas in Brazil, supporting the concept that the borrelia phenotypic expression pattern is modified as it is transmitted through the host.

Stool sample storage conditions for the preservation of Giardia intestinalis DNA

Stool is chemically complex and the extraction of DNA from stool samples is extremely difficult. Haemoglobin breakdown products, such as bilirubin, bile acids and mineral ions, that are present in the stool samples, can inhibit DNA amplification and cause molecular assays to produce false-negative results. Therefore, stool storage conditions are highly important for the diagnosis of intestinal parasites and other microorganisms through molecular approaches. In the current study, stool samples that were positive for Giardia intestinalis were collected from five different patients. Each sample was stored using one out of six different storage conditions [room temperature (RT), +4ºC, -20ºC, 70% alcohol, 10% formaldehyde or 2.5% potassium dichromate] for DNA extraction procedures at one, two, three and four weeks. A modified QIAamp Stool Mini Kit procedure was used to isolate the DNA from stored samples. After DNA isolation, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was performed using primers that target the β-giardin gene. A G. intestinalis-specific 384 bp band was obtained from all of the cyst-containing stool samples that were stored at RT, +4ºC and -20ºC and in 70% alcohol and 2.5% potassium dichromate; however, this band was not produced by samples that had been stored in 10% formaldehyde. Moreover, for the stool samples containing trophozoites, the same G. intestinalis-specific band was only obtained from the samples that were stored in 2.5% potassium dichromate for up to one month. As a result, it appears evident that the most suitable storage condition for stool samples to permit the isolation of G. intestinalis DNA is in 2.5% potassium dichromate; under these conditions, stool samples may be stored for one month.

Rearing method of Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) (Coleoptera, Silvanidae) on various wheat grain granulometry

Oryzaephilus surinamensis is one of most common insect pest of grains and a variety of stored products, and has been found in high numbers in almost all storage facilities. However, laboratory mass rearing of this insect for bioassays is not a simple task, mainly because of its feeding behavior, small size, and high mobility. Thus, the aim of this work was to develop a simple and efficient laboratory rearing method for O. surinamensis, using wheat kernels milled into different granulometry to obtain large number and standardized population at different life stages for bioassays. The adults were collected from storage grain facilities in the southern region of Brazil and 100 specimens were placed inside glass jars with wheat kernels milled at different grades and kept at 25±0.5ºC and 65±5% relative humidity. The insects were allowed to copulate and lay eggs for 10 days and then removed. The number of eggs, larvae, and pupae was counted at five-day intervals; longevity of the second generation adults was evaluated. The kernels milled at grade 20 were the best medium for offspring production: 89% of eggs by the 5th day; 30.5% larvae by the 10th day; 43% pupae by the 30th day and 63.4% adults at the 46th day. The adults survived up to 450 days. Culturing O. surinamensis under the described conditions, transferring the parental adults by the 10th day after infestation and replacing the media when population builds up will produce enough insects of each stage for various laboratory bioassays.

Clearing and dissecting insects for internal skeletal morphological research with particular reference to bees

ABSTRACT A detailed protocol for chemical clearing of bee specimens is presented. Dry specimens as well as those preserved in liquid media can be cleared using this protocol. The procedure consists of a combined use of alkaline solution (KOH or NaOH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), followed by the boiling of the cleared specimens in 60–70% EtOH. Clearing is particularly useful for internal skeletal morphological research. This procedure allows for efficient study of internal projections of the exoskeleton (e.g., apodemes, furcae, phragmata, tentoria, internal ridges and sulci), but this process makes external features of the integument, as some sutures and sulci, readily available for observation as well. Upon completion of the chemical clearing process the specimens can be stored in glycerin. This procedure was developed and evaluated for the preparation of bees and other Apoidea, but modifications for use with other insect taxa should be straightforward after some experimentation on variations of timing of steps, concentration of solutions, temperatures, and the necessity of a given step. Comments on the long-term storage, morphological examination, and photodocumentation of cleared specimens are also provided.

Soil water storage in an upland forest after selective logging in Central Amazonia

Soil water storage of Central Amazonian soil profiles in upland forest plots subjected to selective logging (in average, 8 trees or 34, 3 m³ of timber per hectare were removed) was measured in four layers, down to a depth of 70 cm. The study lasted 27-months and was divided in two phases: measurements were carried out nearly every week during the first 15 months; in the following year, five intensive periods of measurements were performed. Five damage levels were compared: (a) control (undisturbed forest plot); (b) centre of the clearing/gap; (c) edge of the gap; (d) edge of the remaining forest; and (e) remaining forest. The lowest values for water storage were found in the control (296 ± 19.1 mm), while the highest were observed (333 ± 25.8 mm) in the centre of the gap, during the dry period. In the older gaps (7.5-8.5 year old), soil water storage was similar to the remaining and the control forest, indicating a recovery of hydric soil properties to nearly the levels prior to selective logging.

Comparison of the methane oxidation rate in four media

Landfill gas emissions are one of the main sources of anthropogenic methane (CH4), a major greenhouse gas. In this paper, an economically attractive alternative to minimize greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste landfills was sought. This alternative consists in special biofilters as landfill covers with oxidative capacity in the presence of CH4. To improve the quality/cost ratio of the project, compost was chosen as one of the cover substrates and soil (Typic red yellow-silt-clay Podzolic) as the other. The performance of four substrates was studied in laboratory experiments: municipal solid waste (MSW) compost, soil, and two soil-compost at different proportions. This study aimed to evaluate the suitability and environmental compatibility as a means of CH4 oxidation in biofilters. Four biofilters were constructed in 60 cm PVC tubes with an internal diameter of 10 cm. Each filter contained 2.3 L of oxidizing substrate at the beginning of the experiment. The gas used was a mixture of CH4 and air introduced at the bottom of each biofilter, at a flow of 150 mL min-1, by a flow meter. One hundred days after the beginning of the experiment, the best biofilter was the MSW compost with an oxidation rate of 990 g m-3 day-1 , corresponding to an efficiency of 44 %. It can be concluded that the four substrates studied have satisfactory oxidative capacity, and the substrates can be used advantageously as cover substrate of MSW landfills.

Water storage variability in a vineyard soil in the southern highlands of Santa Catarina state

In the subtropical regions of southern Brazil, rainfall distribution is uneven, which results in temporal variability of soil water storage. For grapes, water is generally available in excess and water deficiency occurs only occasionally. Furthermore, on the Southern Plateau of Santa Catarina, there are differences in soil properties, which results in high spatial variability. These two factors affect the composition of wine grapes. Spatio-temporal analyses are therefore useful in the selection of cultural practices as well as of adequate soils for vineyards. In this way, well-suited areas can produce grapes with a more appropriate composition for the production of quality wines. The aim of this study was to evaluate the spatio-temporal variability of water storage in a Cambisol during the growth cycle of a Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard and its relation to selected soil properties. The experimental area consisted of a commercial 8-year-old vineyard in São Joaquim, Santa Catarina, Brazil. A sampling grid with five rows and seven points per row, spaced 12 m apart, was outlined on an area of 3,456 m². Soil samples were collected with an auger at these points, 0.30 m away from the grapevines, in the 0.00-0.30 m layer, to determine gravimetric soil moisture. Measurements were taken once a week from December 2008 to April 2009, and every two weeks from December 2009 to March 2010. In December 2008, undisturbed soil samples were collected to determine bulk density, macro- and microporosity, and disturbed samples were used to quantify particle size distribution and organic carbon content. Results were subjected to descriptive analysis and semivariogram analysis, calculating the mean relative difference and the Pearson correlation. The average water storage in a Cambisol under grapevine on ridges had variable spatial dependence, i.e., the lower the average water storage, the higher the range of spatial dependence. Water storage had a stable spatial pattern during the trial period, indicating that the points with lower water storage or points with higher water storage during a certain period maintain these conditions throughout the experimental period. The relative difference is a simple method to identify positions that represent the average soil water storage more adequately at any time for a given area.