Manejo de açaizais de grotas.

2015

Voice Performance Evaluation of Street Children From Aracaju, Brazil Using Perceptual-Auditory and Acoustic Analyses

Objective. To compare the voice performance of children involved in street labor with regular children using perceptual-auditory and acoustic analyses.Methods. A controlled cross-sectional study was carried out on 7- to 10-year-old children of both genders. Children from both groups lived with their families and attended school regularly; however, child labor was evident in one group and not the other. A total of 200 potentially eligible street children, assisted by the Child Labor Elimination Programme (PETI), and 400 regular children were interviewed. Those with any vocal discomfort (106, 53% and 90, 22.5%) had their voices assessed for resonance, pitch, loudness, speech rate, maximum phonation time, and other acoustic measurements.Results. A total of 106 street children (study group [SG]) and 90 regular children (control group [CG]) were evaluated. the SG group demonstrated higher oral and nasal resonance, reduced loudness, a lower pitch, and a slower speech rate than the CG. the maximum phonation time, fundamental frequency, and upper harmonics were higher in the SG than the CG. Jitter and shimmer were higher in the CG than the SG.Conclusion. Using perceptual-auditory and acoustic analyses, we determined that there were differences in voice performance between the two groups, with street children having better quality perceptual and acoustic vocal parameters than regular children. We believe that this is due to the procedures and activities performed by the Child Labor Elimination Program (PETI), which helps children to cope with their living conditions.

Reference genes for quantitative RT-PCR data in gastric tissues and cell lines

AIM: To evaluate the suitability of reference genes in gastric tissue samples and cell lines.METHODS: the suitability of genes ACTB, B2M, GAPDH, RPL29, and 18S rRNA was assessed in 21 matched pairs of neoplastic and adjacent nonneoplastic gastric tissues from patients with gastric adenocarcinoma, 27 normal gastric tissues from patients without cancer, and 4 cell lines using reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). the ranking of the best single and combination of reference genes was determined by NormFinder, geNorm (TM), BestKeeper, and DataAssist (TM). in addition, GenEx software was used to determine the optimal number of reference genes. To validate the results, the mRNA expression of a target gene, DNMT1, was quantified using the different reference gene combinations suggested by the various software packages for normalization.RESULTS: ACTB was the best reference gene for all gastric tissues, cell lines and all gastric tissues plus cell lines. GAPDH + B2M or ACTB + B2M was the best combination of reference genes for all the gastric tissues. On the other hand, ACTB + B2M was the best combination for all the cell lines tested and was also the best combination for analyses involving all the gastric tissues plus cell lines. According to the GenEx software, 2 or 3 genes were the optimal number of references genes for all the gastric tissues. the relative quantification of DNMT1 showed similar patterns when normalized by each combination of reference genes. the level of expression of DNMT1 in neoplastic, adjacent non-neoplastic and normal gastric tissues did not differ when these samples were normalized using GAPDH + B2M (P = 0.32), ACTB + B2M (P = 0.61), or GAPDH + B2M + ACTB (P = 0.44).CONCLUSION: GAPDH + B2M or ACTB + B2M is the best combination of reference gene for all the gastric tissues, and ACTB + B2M is the best combination for the cell lines tested. (C) 2013 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.

Desempenho de genótipos de girassol no cerrado do leste Maranhense, ano agrícola 2013/2014.

RESUMO: No ano agrícola 2013/2014, foram conduzidos três ensaios de avaliação de genótipos de girassol, sendo dois no município de Mata Roma e um em Magalhães de Almeida, com o objetivo de identificar materiais promissores para produção de grãos e óleo. O espaçamento utilizado foi de 0,70 m entre linhas com plantas distanciadas de 0,30 m. A adubação de fundação constou de 200 kg ha-1 da fórmula 05-30-15 + micronutrientes e cobertura aos 30 dias após semeadura, usando-se 30 kg ha-1 de N e 30 kg ha-1 de K2O. Em Mata Roma, a produtividade de grãos no ensaio final 01 variou de 1.866 kg ha-1 a 2.567 kg ha-1, obtida nos genótipos Embrapa 122 e BRS G34, respectivamente, ficando a média geral do ensaio em 2.095 kg ha-1. No ensaio final 02 a produtividade de grãos variou de 1.705 kg ha-1 a 2.036 kg ha -1 para os genótipos Helio 250 e MG 360, REspectivamente, com média geral de 1.834 kg ha-1. Em Magalhães de Almeida a produtividade de grãos obtida no ensaio final constou de 1.600 kg ha-1 no genótipo Helio 251, 2.110 kg ha-1 no CF 101 e média Geral do ensaio de 1.908 kg ha -1. Os maiores teores de óleo obtidos nos três ensaios foram 40,1%, 40,6%, 40,9% e 41,4%, respectivamente, nos genótipos CF 101, Paraíso 20, BRS G41 e MG 360. ABSTRACT: In the agricultural year 2013/2014, three sunflowers genotypes tests were conducted in the state of Maranhão: two in the county of Mata Roma and one in Magalhães de Almeida, in order to identify promising materials for the production of grain and oil. The spacing used was 0.70 m between rows with plants spaced of 0.30 m. The foundation of fertilization consisted of 200 kg ha-1 formula 05-30-15 + micro-nutrient and coverage on 30 days after sowing, using 30 kg ha-1 of N and 30 kg ha-1 of K2O. In Mata Roma, grain yield in the final test 01 ranged from 1,866 kg ha-1 to 2,567 kg ha-1, obtained at Embrapa 122 and BRS G34 genotypes, respectively, getting the overall average of the test in 2,095 kg ha-1. In the final test 02, the grain yield ranged from 1,705 kg ha-1 to 2,036 kg ha-1 for Helio 250 and MG 360 genotypes, respectively, with overall average of 1,834 kg ha-1. In Magalhães de Almeida the grain yield obtained in the final test consisted of 1,600 kg ha-1 in the genotype Helio 251, 2,110 kg ha-1 in the CF 101 and overall average test of 1,908 kg ha-1. The highest oil content obtained in the three tests were 40.1%, 40.6%, 40.9% and 41.4%, respectively, in the 101 CF genotypes, Heaven 20, BRS G41 and MG 360.

A Doença Celíaca

Projeto de Pós-Graduação/Dissertação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências Farmacêuticas

Úlcera péptica

Projeto de Pós-Graduação/Dissertação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências Farmacêuticas

Inibidores PCSK9

Projeto de Pós-Graduação/Dissertação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências Farmacêuticas

Thabalhando probabilidades com Cabri II

Quando pensamos em introduzir o conceito de probabilidades não podemos deixar de considerar que os alunos, independentemente de sua formação escolar, já têm contato com situações de caráter aleatório. Trata-se assim, desde as séries iniciais do Ensino Fundamental, de conduzir os alunos em um processo de observação e análise do componente de imprevisibilidade intrínseco a estas situações. Trabalharemos neste mini-curso tal introdução a partir de um contexto de probabilidade geométrica, que propõe aos alunos a identificação do modelo que melhor representa o jogo de Franc-Carreau. A atividade dos alunos, adaptada das elaboradas por Coutinho (2001).

Environmental context explains Lévy and Brownian movement patterns of marine predators

An optimal search theory, the so-called Levy-flight foraging hypothesis(1), predicts that predators should adopt search strategies known as Levy flights where prey is sparse and distributed unpredictably, but that Brownian movement is sufficiently efficient for locating abundant prey(2-4). Empirical studies have generated controversy because the accuracy of statistical methods that have been used to identify Levy behaviour has recently been questioned(5,6). Consequently, whether foragers exhibit Levy flights in the wild remains unclear. Crucially, moreover, it has not been tested whether observed movement patterns across natural landscapes having different expected resource distributions conform to the theory's central predictions. Here we use maximum-likelihood methods to test for Levy patterns in relation to environmental gradients in the largest animal movement data set assembled for this purpose. Strong support was found for Levy search patterns across 14 species of open-ocean predatory fish (sharks, tuna, billfish and ocean sunfish), with some individuals switching between Levy and Brownian movement as they traversed different habitat types. We tested the spatial occurrence of these two principal patterns and found Levy behaviour to be associated with less productive waters (sparser prey) and Brownian movements to be associated with productive shelf or convergence-front habitats (abundant prey). These results are consistent with the Levy-flight foraging hypothesis(1,7), supporting the contention(8,9) that organism search strategies naturally evolved in such a way that they exploit optimal Levy patterns.

Foraging success of biological Levy flights recorded in situ

It is an open question how animals find food in dynamic natural environments where they possess little or no knowledge of where resources are located. Foraging theory predicts that in environments with sparsely distributed target resources, where forager knowledge about resources’ locations is incomplete, Lévy flight movements optimize the success of random searches. However, the putative success of Lévy foraging has been demonstrated only in model simulations. Here, we use high-temporal-resolution Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking of wandering (Diomedea exulans) and black-browed albatrosses (Thalassarche melanophrys) with simultaneous recording of prey captures, to show that both species exhibit Lévy and Brownian movement patterns. We find that total prey masses captured by wandering albatrosses during Lévy movements exceed daily energy requirements by nearly fourfold, and approached yields by Brownian movements in other habitats. These results, together with our reanalysis of previously published albatross data, overturn the notion that albatrosses do not exhibit Lévy patterns during foraging, and demonstrate that Lévy flights of predators in dynamic natural environments present a beneficial alternative strategy to simple, spatially intensive behaviors. Our findings add support to the possibility that biological Lévy flight may have naturally evolved as a search strategy in response to sparse resources and scant information.

Ocean-wide tracking of pelagic sharks reveals extent of overlap with longline fishing hotspots

Overfishing is arguably the greatest ecological threat facing the oceans, yet catches of many highly migratory fishes including oceanic sharks remain largely unregulated with poor monitoring and data reporting. Oceanic shark conservation is hampered by basic knowledge gaps about where sharks aggregate across population ranges and precisely where they overlap with fishers. Using satellite tracking data from six shark species across the North Atlantic, we show that pelagic sharks occupy predictable habitat ‘hotspots’ of high space use. Movement modelling showed sharks preferred habitats characterised by strong sea-surface-temperature gradients (fronts) over other available habitats. However, simultaneous Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking of the entire Spanish and Portuguese longline-vessel fishing fleets show an 80% overlap of fished areas with hotspots, potentially increasing shark susceptibility to fishing exploitation. Regions of high overlap between oceanic tagged sharks and longliners included the North Atlantic Current/Labrador Current convergence zone and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge south-west of the Azores. In these main regions, and sub-areas within them, shark/vessel co-occurrence was spatially and temporally persistent between years, highlighting how broadly the fishing exploitation efficiently ‘tracks’ oceanic sharks within their space-use hotspots year-round. Given this intense focus of longliners on shark hotspots our study argues the need for international catch limits for pelagic sharks and identifies a future role of combining fine-scale fish and vessel telemetry to inform the ocean-scale management of fisheries.

Bolsa Familia Program and school enrolment: An analysis of the 2010 Brazilian demographic census

The Bolsa Família Program goal is to promote social development and poverty reduction, through the direct transfer of conditional cash, in association with other social programs. This study aims to analyze whether Bolsa Família had an association with children’s school attendance, which is one of the educational conditions of the program. Our main hypothesis is that children living in households receiving Bolsa Família had greater chances of attending school. Data from the Ministry of Social Development and Combating Famine indicated that children living in households with Bolsa Família had greater school enrolment levels. By using data from the 2010 Demographic Census, collected by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), some descriptive analyzes and binary logistic regression models were performed for different thresholds of household per capita income. These estimates were made by comparing children who lived in households receiving Bolsa Família to those children not receiving the program. We took into consideration characteristics about the household, mothers, and children. The results were clustered by the municipality of residence of the child. In all income thresholds, children benefi ting from Bolsa Família were more likely to be enrolled in school, compared to children not receiving the benefi t.

The biology and ecology of the ocean sunfish Mola mola: a review of current knowledge and future research perspectives

Relatively little is known about the biology and ecology of the world's largest (heaviest) bony fish, the ocean sunfish Mola mola, despite its worldwide occurrence in temperate and tropical seas. Studies are now emerging that require many common perceptions about sunfish behaviour and ecology to be re-examined. Indeed, the long-held view that ocean sunfish are an inactive, passively drifting species seems to be entirely misplaced. Technological advances in marine telemetry are revealing distinct behavioural patterns and protracted seasonal movements. Extensive forays by ocean sunfish into the deep ocean have been documented and broad-scale surveys, together with molecular and laboratory based techniques, are addressing the connectivity and trophic role of these animals. These emerging molecular and movement studies suggest that local distinct populations may be prone to depletion through bycatch in commercial fisheries. Rising interest in ocean sunfish, highlighted by the increase in recent publications, warrants a thorough review of the biology and ecology of this species. Here we review the taxonomy, morphology, geography, diet, locomotion, vision, movements, foraging ecology, reproduction and species interactions of M. mola. We present a summary of current conservation issues and suggest methods for addressing fundamental gaps in our knowledge.

Environmental context explains Levy and Brownian movement patterns of marine predators

An optimal search theory, the so-called Levy-flight foraging hypothesis(1), predicts that predators should adopt search strategies known as Levy flights where prey is sparse and distributed unpredictably, but that Brownian movement is sufficiently efficient for locating abundant prey(2-4). Empirical studies have generated controversy because the accuracy of statistical methods that have been used to identify Levy behaviour has recently been questioned(5,6). Consequently, whether foragers exhibit Levy flights in the wild remains unclear. Crucially, moreover, it has not been tested whether observed movement patterns across natural landscapes having different expected resource distributions conform to the theory's central predictions. Here we use maximum-likelihood methods to test for Levy patterns in relation to environmental gradients in the largest animal movement data set assembled for this purpose. Strong support was found for Levy search patterns across 14 species of open-ocean predatory fish (sharks, tuna, billfish and ocean sunfish), with some individuals switching between Levy and Brownian movement as they traversed different habitat types. We tested the spatial occurrence of these two principal patterns and found Levy behaviour to be associated with less productive waters (sparser prey) and Brownian movements to be associated with productive shelf or convergence-front habitats (abundant prey). These results are consistent with the Levy-flight foraging hypothesis(1,7), supporting the contention(8,9) that organism search strategies naturally evolved in such a way that they exploit optimal Levy patterns.

Satellite tracking of the World's largest bony fish, the ocean sunfish (Mola mola L.) in the North East Atlantic

Satellite-linked archival transmitters were used to record the movements of three ocean sunfish (Mola mola) in the North East Atlantic. Patterns of depth use and temperature experienced by individual fish were integrated into 4-hour intervals throughout the tracking period and relayed via the Argos system. Data were recorded for 42, 90 and 54 days respectively from the three fish. The first two were tagged off southern Portugal at the end of February 2007 and travelled principally northward, while the third fish was tagged off west Ireland in August 2007 and travelled southward. These patterns are consistent with seasonal migration of ocean sunfish to high latitudes and their Subsequent return south. Maximum depths recorded by the three fish were 432 m, 472 m and 320 m respectively. All three individuals showed a diel pattern in depth use, occurring deeper during the day and shallower at night, a pattern consistent with sunfish tracking normally vertically migrating prey. Sunfish sometimes remained continuously at deeper (>200 m) depths during the day, but at other times they showed extensive movement through the water column typically travelling between their maximum depth and the surface within each 4-h period. The overall pattern to emerge was that ocean sunfish travel extensively in both horizontal and vertical dimensions, presumably in search of their patchily-distributed jellyfish prey.