Monitoring pharmaceuticals photo-Fenton degradation process by using Solid Phase Extraction and liquid chromatography

The recovery of the pharmaceuticals bezafibrate and tetracycline from water was evaluated, using Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) with the aim of applying this technique to interrupt the pharmaceuticals' photodegradation by photo-Fenton process for further analysis. Sep-Pack C-18, Strata X, and Oasis HLB cartridges were evaluated. Oasis HLB showed the most satisfactory recovery and repeatability results: 98% (CV - 1%) for bezafibrate (20.0 mg L-1) and 76% (CV = 1%) for tetracycline (25.0 mg L-1). There was not a significant decrease in recovery at lower concentrations of the pharmaceuticals, and neither when present in Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) effluent matrix.

Dinâmica da avifauna em fragmento de mata na Fazenda Rio Claro, Lençóis Paulista, São Paulo, Brasil

Discute-se a importância do levantamento qualitativo e quantitativo da comunidade de aves da Fazenda Rio Claro (22°27'S, 48°51'W), Lençóis Paulista, para a avaliação de um fragmento de mata mesófila do interior de São Paulo. Tais levantamentos foram realizados entre agosto de 2001 a julho de 2002. Para o estudo quantitativo utilizou-se da metodologia de Pontos de Escuta. Foram analisados os índices de diversidade e de freqüência de ocorrência dessa comunidade, sendo as suas espécies organizadas tanto em função das categorias alimentares quanto sob o aspecto da ocupação do estrato vegetal. O levantamento qualitativo registrou 216 espécies. Já o quantitativo registrou 74 espécies em 761 contatos, com uma média de 12,7 contatos/amostra. O índice pontual de abundância (IPA) variou de 0,001 (um contato) a 0,07 (53 contatos); aquele da diversidade foi de H' = 3,10, mostrando um aumento significativo entre setembro e novembro; a eqüitatividade média no período foi de E = 0,95. Os insetívoros constituem quase a metade das espécies registradas no levantamento quantitativo (44,6%), seguido por frugívoros (24,9%), onívoros (16,4%), carnívoros (8,5%), nectarívoros (4,2%) e uma pequena proporção de detritívoros (1,4%). A categoria mais abundante no sub-bosque foi a de insetívoros, enquanto que os frugívoros foram os mais abundantes no solo e na copa. A comunidade de aves no fragmento estudado mostrou o mesmo padrão encontrado em outros fragmentos de mata mesófila de mesmo tamanho relativo. Algumas espécies ameaçadas foram encontradas na área de estudo.

Hipertensão arterial em idosos: prevalência, fatores associados e práticas de controle no Município de Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil

Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a prevalência da hipertensão arterial referida em idosos de Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil, identificando os fatores associados, o uso de serviços de saúde e o conhecimento e as práticas quanto às opções do tratamento. Trata-se de estudo transversal, de base populacional, com amostra de conglomerados, estratificada e em múltiplos estágios. A análise dos dados referentes aos 426 indivíduos (sessenta anos e mais) levou em conta o desenho amostral e o efeito do delineamento. A prevalência de hipertensão foi de 51,8% (46,4% nos homens e 55,9% nas mulheres) e mostrou-se mais elevada em idosos: com menor escolaridade (55,9%), migrantes de outros estados (60,2%) e com sobrepeso ou obesidade (57,2%). Os resultados indicam que os serviços de saúde estão garantindo o acesso ao atendimento médico (71,6% visitam o médico regularmente) e aos medicamentos (86,7% tomam medicamento de rotina), sem distinção de nível sócio-econômico. Persistem, no entanto, desigualdades sociais quanto ao conhecimento e utilização de outras práticas de controle da pressão arterial, como dieta adequada e atividade física, que são insuficientemente utilizadas também pelos segmentos socialmente mais favorecidos.

Distribuição espacial dos idosos de um município de médio porte do interior paulista segundo algumas características sócio-demográficas e de morbidade

Os Sistemas de Informação Geográfica constituem importantes instrumentos dentro da Saúde Pública como técnicas de análise da distribuição de agravos à população, e, portanto, podem ser usados no estudo da localização de indivíduos portadores de doenças crônicas. Este trabalho objetivou a realização de análise espacial da distribuição da população de sessenta anos e mais no Município de Botucatu, São Paulo, Brasil, estudando o perfil sócio-demográfico e a presença de diabetes e hipertensão arterial. Foram analisados dados de 468 idosos da amostra de inquérito populacional realizado entre 2001 e 2002. Os idosos com melhor nível sócio-econômico residem nos setores censitários de estratos sociais mais altos, o que foi estatisticamente comprovado pela utilização de técnicas de análise espacial para renda e escolaridade. Não se encontrou padrão de distribuição espacial para idosos hipertensos e diabéticos que se localizaram no mapa de forma heterogênea. O presente estudo sugere a utilização das técnicas de geoprocessamento para o mapeamento digital das áreas de abrangências das Unidades de Atenção Primária à Saúde, para um melhor controle da distribuição de idosos portadores de doenças crônicas e de sua assistência pelos profissionais de saúde.

Propriedades reológicas de matérias-primas do Pólo Cerâmico de Santa Gertrudes provenientes da Formação Corumbataí (região de Rio Claro, SP)

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

Titi monkeys (Callicebus spp., Atelidae : Platyrrhini) in the Brazilian state of Rondonia

Five species of titi monkey (Callicebus brunneus, Callicebus caligatus, Callicebus cinerascens, Callicebus donacophilus, and Callicebus moloch) were recorded in surveys of primate populations at 26 sites throughout the Brazilian state of Rondonia. The distribution of the two species, C. cinerascens and C. donacophilus (recorded in the state for the first time), appeared to be related to that of non-forest ecosystems, the former in the cerrado woodlands, and the latter in gallery forests of the Guapore grasslands. The results of the surveys also indicate that C. brunneus has a more restricted distribution in southern Rondonia than was previously thought, whereas C. moloch is more widespread. However, the ecological factors that determine species distribution in the south of the state remain unclear on the basis of the available data. All species were observed in small social groups of no more than five individuals, which are typical of the genus, generally in the middle and lower forest strata.

The muscular organization of the stomach of Capybaira (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris): an architectural view

Twenty-two stomachs from adult capybaras were used in this study, and an acid digestion mesoscopic technique was pursued using different concentrations of nitric acid to observe the muscular organization of the stomach. The capybara's stomach possessed a muscular coat composed of four layers or strata: external longitudinal, external oblique, circular and internal oblique. Also, the cardiac and pyloric sphincter muscles were comprised of three or two different layers, respectively. Furthermore, the internal oblique fibres were observed extending from the cardiac portion of the stomach to the smaller curvature, where they participated in the formation of the Ansa cardiaca together with the external. longitudinal fibres. This muscular architectural arrangement was compared to that in small rodents (rat, hamster, guinea pig), as well as in rabbits and pigs. In conclusion, the stomach of the capybara has a very particular, complex and defined muscular organization that differs from that in other rodents, or domestic animals, in particular, pigs. (c) 2005 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Reinterpretation of a conulariid-like fossil from the Vendian of Russia

Vendoconularia triradiata Ivantsov and Fedonkin, recently described from Vendian (latest Proterozoic) strata of Russia, has been interpreted as a six-sided conulariid cnidarian. However, comparison of published illustrations of V. triradiata with Palaeozoic conulariids suggests that certain key features of the anatomy of V. triradiata should be reinterpreted. Specifically, features previously homologized with the corners of conulariid thecae may actually be homologous to the conulariid midlines. Under this new interpretation, the corners of the Vendoconularia theca were sulcate, and the midline of each face was non-sulcate and flanked by a pair of low internal carinae. This alternative set of hypotheses of homology makes the argument for a conulariid affinity for Vendoconularia stronger.

TRICUT: a program to clip triangle meshes using the rapid and triangle libraries and the visualization toolkit

An efficient technique to cut polygonal meshes as a step in the geometric modeling of topographic and geological data has been developed. In boundary represented models of outcropping strata and faulted horizons polygonal meshes often intersect each other. TRICUT determines the line of intersection and re-triangulates the area of contact. Along this line the mesh is split in two or more parts which can be selected for removal. The user interaction takes place in the 3D-model space. The intersection, selection and removal are under graphic control. The visualization of outcropping geological structures in digital terrain models is improved by determining intersections against a slightly shifted terrain model. Thus, the outcrop line becomes a surface which overlaps the terrain in its initial position. The area of this overlapping surface changes with respect to the strike and dip of the structure, the morphology and the offset. Some applications of TRICUT on different real datasets are shown. TRICUT is implemented in C+ + using the Visualization Toolkit in conjunction with the RAPID and TRIANGLE libraries. The program runs under LINUX and UNIX using the MESA OpenGL library. This work gives an example of solving a complex 3D geometric problem by integrating available robust public domain software. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimativa da captura total: desenhos amostrais para pesca artesanal

Estimating total landings of artisanal fisheries in managed areas is essential for the development of programs aimed at the establishment of sustainable production systems. However, few experiences addressed the constraints of assessments targeted at multispecific and small scale fisheries with pulverized landings. Total annual production (fish, lobsters and octopus) at the Marine Extractive Reserve of Corumbau, Bahia, Brazil, in 2006, was estimated through yields recorded by fisherfolks, in the scope of a participatory fisheries monitoring program. Three designs were employed: 1) simple random sampling, 2) stratified random sampling by month and fishing frequency, 3) stratified random sampling by community, fishing frequency and months, resulting in estimates of 349t (95% confidence interval = 305-393), 330t (289-372) and 315t (279-351), respectively. This kind of information can help design strategies for aggregation of value to small scale fisheries production, and also for the dimensioning of the corresponding infrastructure. However, these estimates shall not be used to support fishing effort increase, as there is high uncertainty regarding the state of the stocks, as well as limitations related to the asymmetry in monthly landings per fisherfolk and to the sampling coverage in the different strata.

A new specimen of Stratiotosuchus maxhechti (Baurusuchidae, Crocodyliformes) from the Adamantina Formation (Upper Cretaceous), southeastern Brazil.

This is a report about the second occurrence and description of the third specimen of Stratiotosuchus maxhechti (Baurusuchidae, Crocodyliformes) from the Bauru Basin, Upper Cretaceous of southeastern Brazil. The material was found in the typical reddish, fine-grained sandstone from the Adamantina Formation, Bauru Group, Monte Alto County, São Paulo State. These strata are considered to be Campanian-Maastrichtian in age. It is the second skull of Stratiotosuchus maxhechti recovered where the choanal region and the skull-mandible articulation is preserved. The holotype of this species comes from the Adamantina Formation from southwestern São Paulo State, while this new specimen comes from its northern-central region, making possible biocbronological and paleoccological correlations among different geographically distant stratigraphic horizons within the Bauru Basin. The main osteologic contributions from this new specimen are the surangular taking part in the skull/mandible articulation and the presence of a relatively well-preserved choanal region, which are not seen in the holotype, furthering the knowledge of Stratiotosuchus maxhechti. Based on the features of this new specimen, an emended diagnosis is provided.

Conchostráceos com linhas de crescimento recurvadas junto à margem dorsal (famílias Palaeolimnadiopseidae e Perilimnadiidae) da formação rio do rasto, Permiano superior, bacia do Paraná, Brasil

Some Upper Permian conchostracans from the Rio do Rasto Formation (Parana Basin, South Brazil) have very characteristic recurved growth lines at the dorsal margin. All previously described specimens were classified as Palaeolimnadiopsis subalata (Reed) Raymond. However, a re-analysis of these fossils and of additional recently- collected specimens demonstrated that not all can be included in a single species, nor only in the Family Palaeolimnadiopseidae. According to their shape and the size of the umbo, they are classified into three species. The sub-elliptic carapaces with small anterior umbo are maintained in Palaeolimnadiopsis subalata (Reed, 1929) Raymond, 1946. The sub-circular carapaces with small sub-central umbo correspond to the new species Palaeolimnadiopsis riorastensis. The small size of the umbo is a character of the Family Palaeolimnadiopseidae. The small elliptic valves with large anterior umbo are assigned to the new species Falsisca brasiliensis of the Family Perilimnadiidae, which is characterized by large umbos. Palaeolimnadiopsis has a wide chronostratigraphic distribution, but Falsisca is restricted to the Upper Permian-Lower Triassic of Europe and Asia. This interval is in agreement with the probable Late Permian age of the respective strata of the Rio do Rasto formation. Falsisca was not previously recorded in Gondwana.

Territorial behaviour and dominance hierarchy of Anthracothorax nigricollis Vieillot 1817 (Aves: Trochilidae) on food resources

Dominant species are those which delimit and defend territories from other individuals of the same or different species. Subordinate species are those which, furtive and sneakily, use sources of nectar from other individuals. This study aimed to describe the aggressive interactions between species of hummingbirds, define which species are dominant and which are subordinate, investigate if the sharing of resources occurs during the visits, and compare the behaviour of the dominant species in different strata (tree, arbustive and herbaceous). The species observed interacting with Anthracothorax nigricollis Vieillot 1817 were Phaethornis pretrei Lesson and Delattrer 1839, Thalurania furcata Gmelin 1788, and Polytmus guainumbi Pallas 1764. Nine behavioural acts grouped into four categories were identified and described. The dominant species is A. nigricollis (with 0.9 of the attacks), followed by T. furcata (with 0.07) and P. pretrei (with 0.03). The resource sharing was seen only in the shrub layer, in C. surinamensis, in which there was intraspecific and interspecific sharing. A. nigricollis showed higher interspecific toleration, T. furcata (0.27) and P. pretrei (0.55) than intraspecific A. nigricollis (0.18). The frequency of occurrence of behaviours expressed by A. nigricollis in the three vegetation strata differed significantly.

Resource partitioning among epigaeic and hypogaeic ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of a Brazilian cocoa plantation

Patterns of dietary and foraging strata utilization by the ground ant community of a Brazilian cocoa planatation were examined using sugar, meat and flour baits on the surface as well as buried. A total of 49 ant species was recorded, including 10 species of Pheidole. Strong dominance was exercised by Solenopsis geminata at both surface and subterranean strata, and at all food resources. The dissimilarity matrix of the epigaeic ant fauna was much greater than that for the hypogaeic species. At least four guilds were identified: the fungus-growing ants, epigaeic nectivores, epigaeic carnivores, and hypogaeic foragers. Niche breadth reduction, leading to the formation of guilds, permits the coexistence of many species in the this ground ant community from a tropical cocoa plantation. -Authors

Hypogaeic anti epigaeic ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) assemblages of atlantic costal rainforest and dry mature and secondary amazon forest in Brazil: Continuums or communities

Meat, flour and sugar baits were used on the soil surface and buried to examine species composition of the ant fauna in three separate tropical forests in Brazil, and to control for the effect of the regional faunal pool. Compositional mosaic diversities were comparable among areas, bait types and foraging strata. Mosaic diversity was independent of mean assemblage size. The number of unique species per sampling unit was correlated with mean assemblage size. Canonical correspondence analysis ordered species first by foraging substrate, second by geographic location, and third by diet. The first axis was significantly correlated with mean similarity and affinity. Mean Mahanalobis distances between centroids of groups based upon foraging strata were significantly larger than between localities, indicating local ecological pressures stronger than regional species pool constraints. As most. species foraged in only one stratum in one geographical position and were not omnivorous, the response of species to environmental gradients (continuums) showed a lower coherency with these patterns than did communities, structured around guilds based upon foraging strata and diet.