Recent Studies on Neoechinorhynchus curemai Noronha, 1973 (Acanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae), in Prochilodus lineatus Valenciennes, 1836, from Volta Grande Reservoir, MG, Brazil

O presente trabalho estudou a helmintofauna do curimbatá, Prochilodus lineatus Valenciennes, 1836, do reservatório de Volta Grande, MG, Brasil. Foram analisados 18 peixes com comprimento médio de 46,7 ± 1,1 cm e peso médio de 1.674,8 ± 75,6 g, sendo que 15 apresentaram acantocéfalos no intestino com prevalência de 83,3%. O helminto foi identificado como Neoechinorhynchus curemai Noronha, 1973 (Acanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae), que diferiu das outras espécies descritas pelas dimensões dos caracteres e pela morfologia. da descrição original de N. curemai difere pelas maiores dimensões dos testículos, pela glândula de cimento alongada, pela presença de núcleos nos lemniscos, pelas dimensões dos ovos e pelos maiores ganchos da probóscide presentes na segunda e na terceira fileiras nos machos e na primeira fileira nas fêmeas. Foi observada menor porcentagem ocupada pelo sistema reprodutivo em relação ao tronco da fêmea. A observação dos parátipos de N. curemai de Noronha (1973) mostrou grande semelhança com os do presente trabalho. Este fato complementa a descrição do helminto em outra localidade.

Behavioural responses of workers towards worker-produced male larvae and queen-produced worker larvae in Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus Forel, 1911 (Hym., Formicidae)

Leaf-cutting ant workers care for larvae with an elaborate behavioural repertoire to satisfy the needs of the offspring. In order to investigate worker discrimination ability in the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus, we compared the behavioural responses of workers towards worker-produced male larvae and queen-produced worker larvae, including the following behavioural acts: licking the larval body, transporting larvae, feeding larvae with hyphae, scraping larval mouth parts, ingesting faecal fluid excreted by the larva, and inserting hyphae of the symbiontic fungus on the larval body. We verified that workers behaved differently depending on larval origin, i.e. licking the larval body, transporting larvae and inserting hyphae of the symbiontic fungus on the larval body. Observed differences denote the ability of workers in discriminating among larvae, probably because of their different individual needs.

Physical resistance as a criterion in the selection of foraging material by Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus Forel, 1911 (Hym., Formicidae)

Leaf-cutting ants forage on a wide variety of plant species using the physical and chemical characteristics of the plants as a selection criterion. In order to determine the influence of the physical factor on the selection of foraging material, inert materials such as floral sponge, polystyrene, plastic and clay, which possess different degrees of physical resistance to cutting, were offered simultaneously to five Acromyrmex subterraneus brunneus colonies, and assessed 12 and 24 h after foraging. No substrate selectivity was observed during foraging. Physical resistance was used as a decision criterion for the incorporation or return of the foraged material. This fact suggests the existence of a second time of selection of the foraged material inside the colony during cultivation of the symbiontic fungus.

A nação pela pedra: coleções de paleontologia no Brasil, 1836-1844

A formação e o estudo de coleções de história natural e de paleontologia participaram da instauração da ordem política do Império do Brasil, delineando também uma ordem científica. A simbiose entre ciência e nação encontrou em Peter W. Lund, iniciador dos estudos de paleontologia em nosso país, um agente ativo e constante. As coleções e escritos desse naturalista deram amparo à visualização do passado e à escrita da história em museus, instituições científicas e culturais brasileiras e europeias. As disputas pelo ordenamento político sob as Regências e a Maioridade foram acompanhadas de perto pelo estudo e a explicação das formas de vida e do globo no passado.

A eletricidade chega à cidade: inovação técnica e a vida urbana em Natal (1911-1940)

Dans les premières décennies du XXème siècle, un groupe d intellectuels brésiliens a pris pour soi la mission de conduire la nation aux chemins du progrès, en réfléchissant sur les transformations des villes et, souvent, en proposant et en mettant en avant des actions et mesures qui dirigeraient la modernisation du pays. Dans ce contexte, la ville apparaissait comme un synonyme de progrès en opposition à la campagne, en donnant emphase à la construction du Brésil urbain. À Natal, celui-ci a été une période de sensible modification dans l espace urbain, en suivant les préceptes de l hygiénisme et de l esthétique racionaliste, qui ont orienté les réformes entreprises dans beaucoup de villes brésiliennes. Les élites politiques et socioéconomiques de la capitale du Rio Grande do Norte ont developpé le discours en faveur de la modernisation qui avait pour objectif de justifier les interventions dans la ville et l introduction de l infra-structure de services urbains, par exemple, les services d illumination et de transport, qui à partir de 1911, ont commencé à être stimulés par l électricité. Cette modernisation est matérialisée par de nouveaux équipements et services, par des espaces remodelés en accord avec la rationalité technique de l urbaniste, pour l utilisation de nouvelles sources d énergie (gaz, électricité), en plus de la croissance de la population résidente en ville. Cependant, nous ne pouvons pas oublier que la construction de la ville moderne est passée tant par des transformations physiques, matérielles, comme par l absorption de valeurs, symboles, gestes, vocabulaires, objets, adoptions de nouvelles normes de comportement et par la formation de nouvelles sensibilités sur l espace urbain et la vie en ville. De cette manière, les nouvelles normes technologiques, comme l électricité, ont rendu possible des transformations dans la structure matérielle de la ville et en vie urbaine dans ses plus divers aspects. Ce travail propose d analyser la relation entre énergie électrique et la vie urbaine à Natal entre 1911 et 1940, en prenant en compte, pour cela, les actions d intervention de l État sur l espace urbain et les perceptions d intellectuels face aux transformations urbaines dont ils étaient les témoins. À partir de cette analyse, nous cherchons à préciser les efforts gouvernementaux pour la manutention des services d électricité et conservation des équipements urbains; comprendre comment l utilisation d énergie électrique a aidé à produire de nouvelles situations quotidiennes et comment elle a été perçue, traduite en sentiments et perceptions fondées dans la cohabitation avec cette innovation technique. Les élites locales désiraient diffuser des habitudes considerées modernes, en construisant une identification avec la manière de vie urbaine, fortement inspirée dans la vie dans les villes Européennes et Américaines. L électricité a rendu possible des expériences et sensations qui allaient caractériser l habitant de la ville

Structural and ultrastructural characteristics of the yolk syncytial layer in Prochilodus lineatus (Valenciennes, 1836) (Teleostei; Prochilodontidae)

The yolk syncytial layer (YSL) has been regarded as one of the main obstacles for a successful cryopreservation of fish embryos. The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize the YSL in Prochilodus lineatus, a fish species found in southeastern Brazil and considered a very important fishery resource. Embryos were obtained through artificial breeding by hormonal induction. After fertilization, the eggs were incubated in vertical incubators with a controlled temperature (28 degrees C). Embryos were collected in several periods of development up to hatching and then fixed with 2% glutaralclehyde and 4% paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.3). Morphological analyses were carried out under either light, transmission or scanning electron microscopy. The formation of the YSL in P. lineatus embryos starts at the end of the cleavage stage (morula), mainly at the margin of the blastoderm, and develops along the embryo finally covering the entire yolk mass (late gastrula) and producing a distinct intermediate zone between the yolk and the endodermal cells. The YSL was characterized by the presence of microvilli on the contact region with the yolk endoderm. A cytoplasmic mass, full of mitochondria, vacuoles, ribosomes, endomembrane nets and euchromatic nuclei, indicated a high metabolic activity. This layer is shown as an interface between the yolk and the embryo cells that, besides sustaining and separating the yolk, acts as a structure that makes it available for the embryo. The structural analyses identified no possible barriers to cryoprotectant penetration.

Cryogenic preservation of embryos of Prochilodus lineatus (Valenciennes, 1836) (Characiforme; Prochilodontidae)

While the freezing techniques of mammal embryos have been providing promising results, the cryopreservation of teleostean eggs and embryos have remained unsuccessful up to now. Therefore, this work aimed to develop a procedure of cryogenic preservation of embryos of Prochilodus lineatus and to observe, at both structural and ultrastructural levels, the morphological alterations that took place after the application of freezing/thawing techniques. The embryos at the morula stage could not tolerate exposure to the cryoprotectants ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, methanol, dimethyl sulphoxide and propylene glycol, presenting 100% of mortality. Embryos at the 4- to 6-somites stage tolerated exposure to propylene glycol and dimethyl sulphoxide, and the results revealed no significant differences (alpha = 0.05) regarding survival from both treatments. None of the freezing, thawing and hydration protocols was effective on preserving embryo viability. The ultrastructural analyses of frozen and thawed embryos showed that cells from ectoderm, somites, notochord and endoderm were structurally intact, with well preserved nuclei and mitochondria. The yolk globules were able to tolerate the freezing process, but the yolk syncytial layer was unorganized, displaying an electron-dense and compacted appearance, collapsed reticules, nuclei with modified chromatin and ruptures on the plasmatic membrane at the contact zone with endoderm. It might be concluded that the procedures tested for freezing were unable to avoid the formation of intracellular ice crystals, leading to drastic morphological modifications and making P. lineatus embryos unviable.

Sazonalidade e dieta frugívora do saí-andorinha Tersina viridis (Illiger, 1911) em reflorestamento da mata ciliar do Rio Mogi Guaçu, São Paulo, Brasil

Segundo a literatura, Tersina viridis (Illiger, 1911) possui hábito gregário sazonal em deslocamentos locais. Os reais motivos desses deslocamentos ainda são poucos conhecidos. em reflorestamento de mata ciliar do rio Mogi-Guaçu, SP, foi possível quantificar a variação sazonal mensal na densidade populacional durante um ano. O número de indivíduos aumentou substancialmente durante a estação seca e ausência durante a estação chuvosa, assim, caracterizando um comportamento fortemente sazonal de ocorrência nesse local. Provavelmente T. viridis possui algumas rotas de deslocamentos quando aparecem em grandes agregados no período mais seco na região do interior do estado de São Paulo e vizinhanças. A grande abundância de algumas espécies de plantas ornitocóricas pode ser alguns dos motivos que determinam a rota desses deslocamentos na região estudada, e não o padrão geral da fenologia da frutificação das espécies ornitocóricas.

Ultrastructural studies of the mandibular gland of Melipona quadrifasciata Lepeletier, 1836 (Apidae, Meliponini): a comparison between workers and queens

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

A comparative cytochemical study of the dufour gland in the eusocial bee Apis mellifera Linne, 1758 and Melipona bicolor Lepeletier, 1836

Dufour glands of Apis mellifera and Melipona bicolor were studied under light and transmission electron microscopy, using the cytochemical techniques of mercury bromophenol blue for protein detection, imidazole-buffered osmium tetroxide selective staining of unsaturated lipids, lanthanum nitrate for intercellular junction identification and zinc-iodide-osmium tetroxide for cytoplasmic endomembrane visualization. The results in both species corroborated the lipid nature of the gland secretion and showed in A. mellifera the poverty of the synthetic machinery in the worker gland cells in comparison with the queen, as expected by previous biochemical analyses. The pathway of the exogenous compounds of the secretion is intracellular, since substances can penetrate the cell folds and intercellular junctions, but their access to the, gland lumen is barred by the apical intercellular junctions.

Ultrastructural aspects of the mandibular gland of Melipona bicolor Lepeletier, 1836 (Hymenoptera : Apidae, Meliponini) in the castes

The mandibular gland in Melipona bicolor workers and queens was studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. There is no difference in the gland anatomy between the castes, but the transmission electron microscopy showed variation of the cellular ultrastructure according to the secretory phase of the gland in both castes. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum was abundant in the secretory cells of physogastric queens, indicating that these cells produce lipid secretion that is stored in granules with multi-lamellar bodies. Mitochondrial variations during the cell secretory cycle indicates their participation in the lipid synthesis. After secretion, release in the reservoir lumen through the collecting canals, the secretory cells contain many myelinic bodies, indicative of cellular regression. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coptobrycon bilineatus (Ellis, 1911) (Characiformes: Characidae): redescription and comments on its phylogenetic relationships

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

Migration of the curimbatá Prochilodus lineatus (Valenciennes, 1836) (Pisces, Prochilodontidae) at the waterfall Cachoeira de Emas of the Mogi-Guaçu river - São Paulo, Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Cultura pedagógica e formação de professores: a biblioteca da escola normal de Piracicaba (1911-1920)

Cet article a pour objet la Bibliothèque de l'École Normale de Piracicaba, à l'intérieur de São Paulo, entre les années 1911 et 1920, parce qu'elle représente un lieu de formation d'enseignants et organisation de culture pédagogique. Cette Bibliothèque qui a été constituée au long du cycle de vie de l'École Complémentaire de Piracicaba (1896-1911) et officialisée à partir de 1911 aura le rôle d'organiser et disséminer une certaine culture pédagogique en raison de sélectionner, trier et distribuer un ensemble de connaissances propres à la profession enseignante. Elle symbolise un espace de formation de l'enseignant de l'École Normale et de l'élève-lecteur. L'étude de la culture pédagogique se concentre sur l'analyse de cette bibliothèque.