Association of an insulin-like growth factor 1 gene microsatellite with phenotypic variation and estimated breeding values of growth traits in Canchim cattle

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Variação, mudança e ensino: o caso dos pronomes possessivos da gente e nosso(a)(s) em uma abordagem sociofuncionalista

In this work, we analyze the variation and change phenomenon involving the possessive pronouns da gente and nosso(a)(s) in the light of the theoretical referentials of the North-american linguistic functionalism and of the variationist sociolinguistics. At first we present the phenomenon itself, highlighting the fact that few studies have considered it as an object, gap which we will try to fill in with our contribution. In the following chapter, we emphasize concepts and principles of the functionalism and the sociolinguistics that are used as our background for the data analysis. In the third chapter, we present what the normative grammars inform about our object of study, besides synthesizing some works on variation and change involving the personal pronouns nós and a gente. In the following chapter, we analyze the data. We used data from the Discurso & Gramática a língua falada e escrita na cidade do Natal (FURTADO DA CUNHA, 1998) corpus. In this chapter we present the results for the groups of social and linguistic factors which we can control. Grounded on these results, we specify the preferential contexts for employing the pronouns da gente and nosso(a)(s) and we observe that the social motivations, the valorization credited to the forms and the identity marks underly the restrictions exercised in their use by social factor groups, besides obtaining signs of ongoing changes in apparent time (from the age factor groups) and possible use specializations of each form, what helped us verify the course of the grammaticalization process of the referred pronouns in the community of Natal. In the sixth chapter, we make some considerations on the teaching of grammar and propose activities which can be carried on in the classroom involving the possessive pronouns da gente and nosso(a)(s) considering the variation and change issue

Em cantos de reis: a tradição discursiva em Autos de Natal

This study incorporates many areas of knowledge to the Linguistics field, as it centers the social historicity of Brazilian and autos potiguares on two analytical proposes: the presence of linguistic formulas - in its macrostructure - into the paradigm of discursive traditions, following Kabatek (2006), Koch and Oesterreicher (2007), besides the theory of Speech Acts, in its microstructure, proposed by Austin (1990) and Searle (1995). Under Zumthor (1993; 1997; 2000; 2005; 2010), the idea of textual variability (mouvance) was alluded, highlighting that the text is always modifying, according to the performance and reception of the language uses. Considering this theoretical framework, we focus on the trinomial linguistic formulas, orality and performance, in order to describe the dynamics of stability, variation and change, emphasizing yet how extra-linguistic social-historic cultural relations influence its composition. Such discuss is inherent more precisely to Textual Analysis in enhancing the orality tradition as a linguistic support. The text, in its turn, becomes effective as an evocation, motivated by the transmission, reception and variability from its conservation and reiteration. Naturally, a methodological support based on quali-quantitative research was chosen, based on Flick (2009), who justifies the corpus composed by Brazilian Folias de Reis chants and Bois de Reis potiguares . Thereby Language dynamics, subjacent to tradition which takes effect by the use of a common social memory, are observed from two dimensions: on the first, it evocates the sacralization (religious) in which they stand their devotion to biblical History; secondly, a dissacralization with identified and ideological values, inherent to a people culture. The chant shows, in this ludic impulse, a contextualized activity which results in the following conclusion: the changing and stability processes in textual macro and microstructures occur, at the same time, by the adjustment to the use of the text accomplishing a social-political function and an ethical-pedagogic one; supposedly, social relationships arise the tradition and it, on its turn, evocates the variability and the nomadism in the text

Experimental study of the moment of inertia of a cone - angular variation and inertia ellipsoid

In this paper, an experimental set-up which differs from the traditional ones is established in order to determine the moment of inertia of a right circular cone. Its angular variation and inertia ellipsoid are determined by means of an experimental study. In addition, a system that allows for the evaluation of the angular acceleration and torque through electric current or frequency measurement is utilized.

Dynamic Tracking with Zero Variation and Disturbance Rejection Applied to Discrete-Time Systems

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

5S rDNA variation and its phylogenetic inference in the genus Leporinus (Characiformes : Anostomidae)

5S rDNA sequences have proven to be valuable as genetic markers to distinguish closely related species and also in the understanding of the dynamic of repetitive sequences in the genomes. In the aim to contribute to the knowledge of the evolutionary history of Leporinus (Anostomidae) and also to contribute to the understanding of the 5S rDNA sequences organization in the fish genome, analyses of 5S rDNA sequences were conducted in seven species of this genus. The 5S rRNA gene sequence was highly conserved among Leporinus species, whereas NTS exhibit high levels of variations related to insertions, deletions, microrepeats, and base substitutions. The phylogenetic analysis of the 5S rDNA sequences clustered the species into two clades that are in agreement with cytogenetic and morphological data.

The relationship between environmental variation and species abundance in shrimp community (Crustacea : Decapoda : Penaeoidea) in south-eastern Brazil

The impact of shrimp fisheries in tropical regions has become comparable to the world's most intensively exploited temperate shed ecosystems. The increase in the fishing fleet in south-eastern Brazil and the decrease in landings of profitable shrimp species have contributed to the incorporation of additional species into those fisheries. The goal of the present study is to investigate the influence of environmental factors on the abundance patterns of shrimp communities on the south-eastern coast of Brazil, over a period of two years. Monthly collections were conducted in the Ubatuba and Caraguatatuba regions using a commercial shrimp fishing boat equipped with 'double-rig' nets. Each region was divided into 7 sampling stations up to 35 m deep. The relationship between the environmental factors and the abundance patterns in the shrimp communities was assessed using a canonical correlation analysis (CCorrA). The first set of variables used during the CCorrA included environmental characteristics and the second set of variables the abundance of the studied species. A total of 374,915 individuals were collected during the present study. Xiphopenaeus kroyeri showed the highest abundance (273,127), followed by Artemesia longinaris (73,422), and Pleoticus muelleri (15,262). In the first root, depth and temperature showed the highest factor loadings (0.9 and -0.7) and canonical weights (0.6 and -0.4). These environmental factors were strongly associated with the abundance of X. kroyeri (factor loading = - 0.9 and canonical weight = - 0.9). The second root demonstrated a positive relationship between abundance of P. muelleri and depth, and an inverse association with bottom temperature. The abundance patterns of X. kroyeri and P. muelleri were strongly affected by the water mass South Atlantic Central Water (cold waters =15 degrees C), which can lead to a temperature decrease in deeper areas (> 15 m). Thus, the opposite abundance trend for depth of these species might reflect bathymetric variation in temperature, a clear example of distinct behavioural differences of species of different origins, either tropical (X. kroyeri) or subantarctic (P. muelleri). The low overall association between environmental parameters and shrimp abundance patterns indicates that each studied species might have responded idiosyncratically to environmental variation, such that a general community-level response was not apparent. However, other confounding factors such as intraspecific migration patterns might have also played a role in generating the observed patterns.

CRANIOMETRIC VARIATION AND SUBSPECIFIC DIFFERENTIATION IN THRICHOMYS APEREOIDES IN NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL (RODENTIA, ECHIMYIDAE)

Thrichomys apereoides is an echimyid rodent which ranges in distribution from northeastern and central Brazil into Paraguay. Five subspecies are recognized, although each form is not well characterized and diagnosis is based primarily in pelage color variation. In this study we employed procedures from multivariate statistics to assess the systematic status of subspecies described from northeastern Brazil. The results of the craniometric analysis cannot be reconciled with the subspecies currently recognized for northeastern Brazil. Populations assigned to T. a. laurentius and T. a. inermis form a continuum of variation in cranial size, although they differ in cranial shape from a population from the locality of Bodoco in the state of Pernambuco. The implications of these findings for the systematics of T. apereoides are discussed.

Growth of Chrysanthemum x grandiflorum in Different Peats and Change of Peat Properties during Cultivation

Marketable chrysanthemums were produced in several different peat types. Only the plants in one of the dredged frozen black peats and one of the milled white peats had a significant lower shoot dry weight than those in one of the sod and milled white peats, respectively. As the N-contents of the fertilized peats show neither deficiency nor excess in nutrient supply, possibly they are not the reason for the differences in shoot dry weight. The air capacity, which is extremely low in both dredged frozen black peats and dropped further during the cultivation period due to decomposition, also cannot explain the differences in shoot dry weight sufficiently (R-2=0.44*; n=12). A close linear negative correlation (R-2=0.77**; n=12) was found between the CAT (VDLUFA) soluble Fe and the shoot dry weight. Therefore, the Fe-contents might be a quality factor of peat to be used as a growing medium.

Analytical optimization of spread and change of exponential decay of generalized Wannier functions in one dimension

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

A new species of Galendromus (Acari : Phytoseiidae): A case of intraspecific variation and redefinition of carinulatus species group

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

Genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships based on RAPD analysis in section Caulorrhizae, genus Arachis (Leguminosae)

Wild Arachis germplasm includes potential forage species, such as the rhizomatous Arachis glabrata and the stoloniferous A. pinto and A. repens. Commercial cultivars of A. pintoi have already been released in Australia and in several Latin American countries, and most of these cultivars were derived from a single accession of A. pintoi (GK 12787). Arachis repens is less productive as a forage plant than is A. pintoi. However, it can be crossed with A. pintoi, and thus has good potential as germplasm for the improvement of A. pintoi. Arachis repens is also used as an ornamental plant and ground cover. Many new accessions of these two stoloniferous species are now available, and they harbor significant genetic variability beyond that available in the few older accessions, previously available. Therefore, these new accessions need to be conserved, documented and considered in terms of their potential for crop improvement and direct commercial use. Sixty-four accessions of this new germplasm were analyzed using RAPD analysis. Most of the accessions of A. repens grouped together into a clearly distinct group. In general, the accessions from the distinct valleys of the Jequitinhonha, Sao Francisco and Parana rivers did not group together, suggesting there is not a tight relation between dispersion by rivers and the geographic distribution of genetic variation in these species.

Diurnal evolution of solar radiation at the surface in the city of São Paulo: Seasonal variation and modeling

Seasonal variations in the diurnal evolution of the global, diffuse and direct solar radiation at the surface, the clearness index, diffuse fraction and direct fraction are described in detail for the City of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The description is based on measurements of global and diffuse solar radiation carried out over 5.25 years. The diffuse component was measured with a shadow-band device. The annual evolution of the amplitude of the diurnal cycle of all radiometric parameters indicates a seasonal pattern with two distinct periods: autumn-winter and spring-summer. About 10% of the observed period was characterized by clear sky days. This seasonal variation is determined by a larger incidence of clear sky days in the autumn-winter period. Reductions of up to 10% in hourly and daily values of global radiation were observed in conjunction with an increase in particulate matter concentration on clear sky days. The pollution effect may be responsible for the discrepancy, of 16%, found between local and more regional estimates of global solar radiation in Sao Paulo. The diurnal evolution of hourly values of monthly-averaged global and diffuse solar radiation were successfully estimated by the empirical expressions derived here. Daily values of monthly-averaged global solar radiation were satisfactorily estimated using the Angstrom expression.

Growth of Chrysanthemum grandiflorum in different peats and change of peat properties during cultivation

Marketable chrysanthemums were produced in several different peat types. Only the plants in one of the dredged frozen black peats and one of the milled white peats had a significant lower shoot dry weight than those in one of the sod and milled white peats, respectively. As the N-contents of the fertilized peats show neither deficiency nor excess in nutrient supply, possibly they are not the reason for the differences in shoot dry weight. The air capacity, which is extremely low in both dredged frozen black peats and dropped further during the cultivation period due to decomposition, also cannot explain the differences in shoot dry weight sufficiently (R2=0.44*; n=12). A close linear negative correlation (R2=0.77** n=12) was found between the CAT (VDLUFA) soluble Fe and the shoot dry weight. Therefore, the Fecontents might be a quality factor of peat to be used as a growing medium.