The impact of prolonged fasting during aestivation on the structure of the small intestine in the green-striped burrowing frog, Cyclorana alboguttata

The effects of short-term fasting and prolonged fasting during aestivation on the morphology of the proximal small intestine and associated organs were investigated in the green-striped burrowing frog, Cyclorana alboguttata (Anura: Hylidae). Animals were fasted for 1 week while active or for 3-9 months during aestivation. Short-duration fasting (1 week) had little effect on the morphology of the small intestine, whilst prolonged fasting during aestivation induced marked enteropathy including reductions in intestinal mass, length and diameter, longitudinal fold height and tunica muscularis thickness. Enterocyte morphology was also affected markedly by prolonged fasting: enterocyte cross-sectional area and microvillous height were reduced during aestivation, intercellular spaces were visibly reduced and the prevalence of lymphocytes amongst enterocytes was increased. Mitochondria and nuclei were also affected by 9 months of aestivation with major disruptions to mitochondrial cristae and increased clumping of nuclear material and increased infolding of the nuclear envelope. The present study demonstrates that the intestine of an aestivating frog responds to prolonged food deprivation during aestivation by reducing in size, presumably to reduce the energy expenditure of the organ.

Conceptual Design of a Circulating Fluidized Bed Reactor as a Thermochemical Thermal Energy Storage System for Applications in Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Plants

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Estrutura da comunidade arbórea e suas relações com fatores edáficos na floresta de restinga paludosa da Estrada Velha, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul

(Estrutura da comunidade arbórea e suas relações com fatores edáficos na floresta de restinga paludosa da estrada Velha, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul). O presente estudo tem como objetivo estudar a estrutura da comunidade arbórea da floresta de restinga paludosa da Estrada Velha (32º07’S; 52º09’W) localizada no município do Rio Grande, na Planície Costeira do Rio Grande do Sul e suas correlações com fatores edáficos. Para a amostragem do componente arbóreo foram demarcadas três transecções paralelas, ao longo das quais foram alocadas 30 unidades amostrais de 10m X 10m, de forma não contígua e amostrados todos os indivíduos com perímetro a altura do peito maior ou igual a 15 cm. Foram coletadas amostras de solo para análises químicas e granulométricas e realizadas medidas da coluna d’água nas unidades amostrais. Os principais parâmetros fitossociológicos foram estimados para descrever a estrutura da floresta, bem como os índices de Diversidade de Shannon (H’) e de Equabilidade de Pielou (J’). A similaridade com outras florestas no Rio Grande do Sul foi estimada pelo índice de Jaccard (ISj). As relações entre a abundância das espécies nas unidades amostrais e fatores edáficos foram avaliadas por meio de análise de componentes principais (PCA) e análise de correspondência canônica (CCA). Foram registrados 585 indivíduos distribuídos em 19 espécies, 17 gêneros e 16 famílias. A família com maior riqueza específica foi Moraceae e as espécies com maiores valores de importância foram Citronela gongonha (Mart.) R.A. Howard, Erythrina crista-galli L., Sebastiania brasiliensis Spreng., Ficus cestrifolia Schott. e Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.) Glassman. O Índice de diversidade foi 1,99 nat.ind-1 e o de Equabilidade foi 0,68. As análises multivariadas de ordenação evidenciaram um gradiente de distribuição das espécies correlacionado principalmente com a densidade de C. gongonha e fatores edáficos como pH, Ca, CTC(t), MO, K e nível de alagamento. O componente arbóreo mostrou similaridade florística (ISj) com outras florestas paludosas localizadas em maiores latitudes no Estado.

FLORÍSTICA E ESTRUTURA DO COMPONENTE ARBÓREO E RELAÇÃO COM VARIÁVEIS AMBIENTAIS EM UM REMANESCENTE FLORESTAL EM CAMPOS NOVOS - SC

O presente estudo objetivou conhecer os padrões da composição florística e estrutural do componente arbóreo de um trecho de remanescente de Floresta Ombrófila Mista Montana em Campos Novos - SC e determinar as variáveis ambientais que influenciam estes padrões. Para isso, foi amostrado 1 ha de floresta por meio de 50 parcelas de 10 × 20 m dispostas de forma sistemática, distanciada 30 m entre si, no remanescente florestal. Dentro das parcelas foram identificados e mensurados (circunferência medida a altura do peito, CAP, e altura total) CAP, e altura total) todos os indivíduos arbóreos vivos com CAP ≥ 15,7 cm. Os dados ambientais relacionados às propriedades químicas e físicas dos solos e à topografia também foram coletados em cada parcela. Foram calculados o índice de Shannon-Wiener (H’), a equabilidade de Pielou (J’) e os estimadores fitossociológicos. A organização florístico-estrutural do fragmento foi analisada por meio de uma NMDS (Nonmetric multidimensional scalling). As variáveis ambientais foram ajustadas a posteriori à ordenaçã o produzida, sendo aquelas significativas (p < 0,05) plotadas na forma de vetores. Foram amostrados 1.027 indivíduos, que totalizaram uma área basal de 43,57 m2, distribuídos em 88 espécies e 41 famílias botânicas. A diversidade do remanescente estudado foi relativamente alta (H’=3,59) e a dominância baixa (J’=0,80). A espécie de maior VI foi Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze (14,44%). A análise multivariada NMDS indicou um gradiente florístico-estrutural relacionado à cota média (altitude), saturação de bases, pH e teores de P nos solos.

COMPOSIÇÃO FLORÍSTICA E CARACTERIZAÇÃO SUCESSIONAL COMO SUBSÍDIO PARA CONSERVAÇÃO E MANEJO DO PNMCBio, SOROCABA - SP

O trabalho foi realizado no Parque Natural Municipal Corredores da Biodiversidade (PNMCBio), em Sorocaba -SP, com o objetivo de avaliar a composição florística do componente arbóreo e o estágio sucessional de uma área de floresta nativa de aproximadamente 31 hectares. Para tanto, foram alocadas 64 parcelas de tamanho 10 x 10 m, distribuídas aleatoriamente na área, sendo coletados todos os indivíduos com CAP igual ou maior que 15 cm. Estimou-se a diversidade por meio do índice de diversidade de Shannon (H’) e a equabilidade por meio do índice de Pielou (J’). As espécies foram caracterizadas nos grupos sucessionais, síndrome de dispersão, categorias de ameaça, amplitude de distribuição e indicadoras do estágio de regeneração. Foram amostrados 1088 indivíduos, distribuídos em 79 espécies, 54 gêneros e 29 famílias, sendo o H’ estimado em 3,421 e o J’ em 0,78, valores próximos aos encontrados em outras áreas de formações vegetacionais similares. Foram identificadas quatro espécies ameaçadas de extinção, 11 espécies endêmicas da Mata Atlântica e duas espécies restritas à Floresta Estacional Semidecidual no domínio da Mata Atlântica. O fragmento encontra-se em estágio médio de regeneração, sendo de suma importância sua conservação e manejo para a manutenção da biodiversidade local e regional.

Térmitas como bioindicadores de qualidade de habitat na caatinga, Brasil: há uma sintonia entre as variáveis estruturais dos habitats e as taxocenoses amostradas?

The composition of termite assemblages was analyzed at three Caatinga sites of the Seridó Ecological Station, located in the municipality of Serra Negra do Norte, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. These sites have been subjected to selective logging, and cleared for pasture and farming. A standardized sampling protocol for termite assemblages (30h/person/site) was conducted between September 2007 and February 2009. At each site we measured environmental variables, such as soil granulometry, pH and organic matter, necromass stock, vegetation height, tree density, stem diameter at ankle height (DAH) and the largest and the smallest crown width. Ten species of termites, belonging to eight genera and three families, were found at the three experimental sites. Four feeding-groups were sampled: wood-feeders, soil-feeders, wood-soil interface feeders and leaf-feeders. The wood-feeders were dominant in number of species and number of encounters at all sites. In general, the sites were not significantly different in relation to the environmental variables measured. The same pattern was observed for termite assemblages, where no significant differences in species richness, relative abundance and taxonomic and functional composition were observed between the three sites. The agreement between the composition of assemblages and environmental variables reinforces the potential of termites as biological indicators of habitat quality

Evaluation of floral characteristics of melon hybrids (Cucumis melo l.) in pollinator attractiveness.

Floral morphology and biology are important characteristics for plant-pollinator interactions and may influence the behavior of these agents. This study aimed to determine which floral attributes of different melon hybrids influence this interaction and, consequently, their attractiveness in simultaneous crops. The study was conducted in the region of Petrolina, State of Pernambuco (PE)/Juazeiro, State of Bahia (BA) and Mossoró, State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), in areas with the following melon hybrids: Yellow type, Piel de Sapo, Cantaloupe and Galia. For studies on floral morphology and biology, hermaphrodites and male flowers of each hybrid were analyzed for their size and nectar chamber size, pollen and nectar production, anthesis time and flower lifespan. Floral visitors were observed simultaneously in hybrids of three types of melon, from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., in the two study sites. Evaluations of the corolla diameter and flower height indicated that the hermaphrodite flowers were larger in size than male flowers in all types of melon investigated, in both study sites. As for nectar chamber, male flowers are larger in width, but smaller in height, compared to hermaphrodite flowers. Regarding the volume of nectar, differences were found between floral types for the hybrids evaluated, in the two study sites; the hermaphrodite flowers produced 2-7 times more nectar than male flowers in all studied hybrids. Observations of visits of Apis mellifera to areas with simultaneous flowering of the three types of melon demonstrated differences in the frequency of visits between hybrids, floral type and foraged resource. Flowers of the hybrids Piel de Sapo and Cantaloupe exhibited larger corolla diameter, larger dimensions of the nectar chamber and greater supply of resources for foraging, which could explain the higher number of visits of bees to their flowers in the sites studied.

Functions for estimating stem diameter and tree age using tree height, crown width and existing stand database information

Abstract

Diameter and height distributions in a gallery forest tree community and some of its main species in central Brazil over a six-year period (1985-1991)

(Diameter and height distributions in a gallery forest tree community and some of its main species in central Brazil over a six-year period (1985-1991)). The diameter and height structure were studied over six years in approximately 64 ha of the Gama gallery forest in Brasília, DF. Trees from 10 cm dbh were measured every three years from 1985 in 151 (10 x 20 m) permanent plots. Natural regeneration (individuals under 10 cm dbh) was measured in subplots within the 200 m² plots. Most individuals and species were under 45 cm diameter and 20 m high while the maximum diameter for individual species ranged from 30 to 95 cm. The diameter structure was typical of a mixed tropical forest with the number of individuals decreasing with increasing size classes and showing little change over the six years. The most abundant species occupy different positions in the canopy and have different size structures.

Stem diameter and height of chrysanthemum cv Yokoono as affected by gibberellic acid

The effect of gibberellic acid has been shown mainly to promote cell division and elongation. This study was aimed to evaluate the development of height and diameter of the stems of chrysanthemum cultivar Yoko ono by the applications of gibberellic acid (GA(3)) in the field. The treatments were composed of four doses (0, 40, 80 and 120 mg L(-1)) at 15 and 30 days after transplanting. From the findings, It can be concluded that GA(3) significantly affected the diameter of stem at higher doses, and was unable to affect the height of stem.

Polydimethylsiloxane: a new contrast material for localization of occult breast lesions

Background. The radioguided localization of occult breast lesions (ROLL) technique often utilizes iodinated radiographic contrast to assure that the local injection of (99m)Tc-MAA corresponds to the location of the lesion under investigation. However, for this application, this contrast has several shortcomings. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety, effectiveness and technical feasibility of the use of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as radiological contrast and tissue marker in ROLL. Materials and methods. The safety assessment was performed by the acute toxicity study in Wistar rats (n = 50). The radiological analysis of breast tissue (n = 32) from patients undergoing reductive mammoplasty was used to verify the effectiveness of PDMS as contrast media. The technical feasibility was evaluated through the scintigraphic and histologic analysis. Results. We found no toxic effects of PDMS for this use during the observational period. It has been demonstrated in human breast tissue that the average diameter of the tissue marked by PDMS was lower than when marked by the contrast medium (p <0.001). PDMS did not interfere with the scintigraphic uptake (p = 0.528) and there was no injury in histological processing of samples. Conclusions. This study demonstrated not only the superiority of PDMS as radiological contrast in relation to the iodinated contrast, but also the technical feasibility for the same applicability in the ROLL.

Probability of axillary node involvement in patients with tubular carcinoma of the breast

The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of axillary metastasis in women with tubular carcinoma (TC) of the breast. Women who underwent axillary dissection for TC in the Western Sydney area (1984-1995) were identified retrospectively through a search of computerized records. A centralized pathology review was performed and tumours were classified as pure tubular (22) or mixed tubular (nine), on the basis of the invasive component containing 90 per cent or more, or 75-90 per cent tubule formation respectively. A Medline search of the literature was undertaken to compile a collective series (20 studies with a total of 680 patients) to address the frequency of nodal involvement in TC. A quantitative meta-analysis was used to combine the results of these studies. The overall frequency of nodal metastasis was five of 31 (16 per cent); one of 22 pure tubular and four of nine mixed tumours (P = 0.019). None of the tumours with a diameter of 10 mm or less (n = 16) had nodal metastasis compared with five of 15 larger tumours (P = 0.018). The meta-analysis of 680 women showed an overall frequency of nodal metastasis in TC of 13.8 (95 per cent confidence interval 9.3-18.3) per cent. The frequency of nodal involvement was 6.6 (1.7-11.4) per cent in pure TC (n = 244) and 25.0 (12.5-37.6) per cent in mixed TC (n = 149). A case may be made for observing the clinically negative axilla in women with a small TC (10 mm or less in diameter).