Shallow-water species of Beania Johnston, 1840 (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata) from the tropical and subtropical Western Atlantic

This paper describes four new species of the bryozoan genus Beania from the Brazilian coast. Two of them have been previously recorded in the western Atlantic as Beania hirtissima (Heller, 1867) and Beania mirabilis Johnston, 1840, respectively; they are redescribed here as Beania americana n. sp. and Beania mirabilissima n. sp. Two reticulate species, Beania correiae n. sp. and Beania metrii n. sp., are newly described. Descriptions of four other species of Beania from the region are also included: Beania australis Busk, 1852, Beania cupulariensis Osburn, 1914, Beania klugei Cook, 1968 and Beania maxilladentata Ramalho, Muricy & Taylor, 2010.

Historical carbon emissions and uptake from the agricultural frontier of the Brazilian Amazon

Tropical ecosystems play a large and complex role in the global carbon cycle. Clearing of natural ecosystems for agriculture leads to large pulses of CO(2) to the atmosphere from terrestrial biomass. Concurrently, the remaining intact ecosystems, especially tropical forests, may be sequestering a large amount of carbon from the atmosphere in response to global environmental changes including climate changes and an increase in atmospheric CO(2). Here we use an approach that integrates census-based historical land use reconstructions, remote-sensing-based contemporary land use change analyses, and simulation modeling of terrestrial biogeochemistry to estimate the net carbon balance over the period 1901-2006 for the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, which is one of the most rapidly changing agricultural frontiers in the world. By the end of this period, we estimate that of the state`s 925 225 km(2), 221 092 km(2) have been converted to pastures and 89 533 km(2) have been converted to croplands, with forest-to-pasture conversions being the dominant land use trajectory but with recent transitions to croplands increasing rapidly in the last decade. These conversions have led to a cumulative release of 4.8 Pg C to the atmosphere, with similar to 80% from forest clearing and 20% from the clearing of cerrado. Over the same period, we estimate that the residual undisturbed ecosystems accumulated 0.3 Pg C in response to CO2 fertilization. Therefore, the net emissions of carbon from Mato Grosso over this period were 4.5 Pg C. Net carbon emissions from Mato Grosso since 2000 averaged 146 Tg C/yr, on the order of Brazil`s fossil fuel emissions during this period. These emissions were associated with the expansion of croplands to grow soybeans. While alternative management regimes in croplands, including tillage, fertilization, and cropping patterns promote carbon storage in ecosystems, they remain a small portion of the net carbon balance for the region. This detailed accounting of a region`s carbon balance is the type of foundation analysis needed by the new United Nations Collaborative Programmme for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD).

A NOVEL EPIPHYTIC CYANOBACTERIAL SPECIES FROM THE GENUS BRASILONEMA CAUSING DAMAGE TO EUCALYPTUS LEAVES

A cyanobacterial mat colonizing the leaves of Eucalyptus grandis was determined to be responsible for serious damage affecting the growth and development of whole plants under the clonal hybrid nursery conditions. The dominant cyanobacterial species was isolated in BG-11 medium lacking a source of combined nitrogen and identified by cell morphology characters and molecular phylogenetic analysis (16S rRNA gene and cpcBA-IGS sequences). The isolated strain represents a novel species of the genus Brasilonema and is designated Brasilonema octagenarum strain UFV-E1. Thin sections of E. grandis leaves analyzed by light and electron microscopy showed that the B. octagenarum UFV-E1 filaments penetrate into the leaf mesophyll. The depth of infection and the mechanism by which the cyanobacterium invades leaf tissue were not determined. A major consequence of colonization by this cyanobacterium is a reduction in photosynthesis in the host since the cyanobacterial mats decrease the amount of light incident on leaf surfaces. Moreover, the cyanobacteria also interfere with stomatal gas exchange, decreasing CO2 assimilation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an epiphytic cyanobacterial species causing damage to E. grandis leaves.

Characterizing suspended sediments from the Piracicaba River Basin by means of k(0)-INAA

The inorganic chemical characterization of suspended sediments is of utmost relevance for the knowledge of the dynamics and movement of chemical elements in the aquatic and wet ecosystems. Despite the complexity of the effective design for studying this ecological compartment, this work has tested a procedure for analyzing suspended sediments by instrumental neutron activation analysis, k(0) method (k(0)-INAA). The chemical elements As, Ba, Br, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hf, Fig, K, La, Mo, Na, Ni, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sr, Ta, Tb, Th, Yb and Zn were quantified in the suspended sediment compartment by means of k(0)-INAA. When compared with World Average for rivers, high mass fractions of Fe (222,900 mg/kg), Ba (4990 mg/kg), Zn (1350 mg/kg), Cr (646 mg/kg), Co (74.5 mg/kg), Br (113 mg/kg) and Mo (31.9 mg/kg) were quantified in suspended sediments from the Piracicaba River, the Piracicamirim Stream and the Marins Stream. Results of the principal component analysis for standardized chemical element mass fractions indicated an intricate correlation among chemical elements evaluated, as a response of the contribution of natural and anthropogenic sources of chemical elements for ecosystems. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial variation in the strength of mutualism between a jumping spider and a terrestrial bromeliad: Evidence from the stable isotope N-15

Psecas chapoda, a neotropical jumping spider strictly associated with the terrestrial bromeliad Bromelia balansae in cerrados and semi-deciduous forests in South America, effectively contributes to plant nutrition and growth. In this study, our goal was to investigate if spider density caused spatial variations in the strength of this spider-plant mutualism. We found a positive significant relationship between spider density and delta N-15 values for bromeliad leaves in different forest fragments. Open grassland Bromeliads were associated with spiders and had higher delta N-15 values compared to forest bromeliads. Although forest bromeliads had no association with spiders their total N concentrations were higher. These results suggest that bromeliad nutrition is likely more litter-based in forests and more spider-based in open grasslands. This study is one of the few to show nutrient provisioning and conditionality in a spider-plant system. (c) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Adjustment of Mineral Elements in the Culture Medium for the Micropropagation of Three Vriesea Bromeliads from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: The Importance of Calcium

Many different species of Bromeliaceae are endangered and their conservation requires specific knowledge of their growth habits and propagation. In vitro culture of bromeliads is an important method for efficient clonal propagation and ill vitro seed g,germination can be used to maintain genetic variability. The present work aims to evaluate the in vitro growth and nutrient concentration in leaves of the epiphyte bromeliads Vriesea friburguensis Mez, Vriesea hieroglyphica (Carriere) E. Morren, and Vriesea unilateralis Mez, which exhibit slow rates of growth in vivo and in vitro. Initially, we compared the endogenous mineral composition of bromeliad plantlets grown in half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium and the mineral composition considered adequate in the literature. This approach suggested that calcium (Ca) is a critical nutrient and this was considered for new media formulation. Three new culture media were defined in which the main changes to half-strength MS medium were an increase in Ca, magnesium, sulfur, copper, and chloride and a decrease in iron, maintaining the nitrate: ammonium rate at approximate to 2:1. The main difference among the three new media formulated was Ca concentration, which varied from 1.5 mm in half-strength MS to 3.0, 6.0, and 12 mm in M2, M3, and M4 media, respectively. Consistently, all three species exhibited significantly higher fresh and dry weight on M4, the newly defined medium with the highest level of Ca (12 mm). Leaf nitrogen, potassium, zinc, magnesium and boron concentrations increased as Ca concentration in the medium increased from 1.5 to 12 mm.

Microsatellite Polymorphisms in Cassava Landraces from the Cerrado Biome, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Using nine microsatellite loci, we investigated genetic structure and diversity in 83 Brazilian cassava accessions, including several landraces, in the Cerrado biome in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. All nine loci were polymorphic, averaging 6.00 alleles per locus. Treating each of seven municipalities as a cassava group or population, they averaged 3.5 alleles per locus, with 97% polymorphic loci, high values for observed heterozygosity (0.32) and gene diversity (0.56). Total genetic variability was high (0.668), and most of this genetic variability was concentrated within municipalities (0.577). Cluster and structure analyses divided accessions into two major clusters or populations (K = 2). Also, a significant genetic versus geographic correlation was found (r = 0.4567; P < 0.0260). Migratory routes in the Cerrado are considered main contributors to the region`s high cassava diversity and spatial genetic structure, amplifying interactions between traditional farmers and the evolutionary dynamics of this crop.

Analysis of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the crt-o and mdr1 Genes of Plasmodium vivax among Chloroquine-Resistant Isolates from the Brazilian Amazon Region

Plasmodium vivax parasites with chloroquine resistance (CQR) are already circulating in the Brazilian Amazon. Complete single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses of coding and noncoding sequences of the pvmdr1 and pvcrt-o genes revealed no associations with CQR, even if some mutations had not been randomly selected. In addition, striking differences in the topologies and numbers of SNPs in these transporter genes between P. vivax and P. falciparum reinforce the idea that mechanisms other than mutations may explain this virulent phenotype in P. vivax.

Organized Crime and Terrorism: From the Cells Towards Political Communication, A Case Study

During the first half of 2006 the city of Sao Paulo suffered three series of violent attacks against the security forces, civilians, and the government. The violent campaign also included a massive rebellion in prisons and culminated in the kidnapping of a journalist and the broadcast of a manifesto from the criminal organization PCC threatening the police and the government. Right after, the main device used to contain organized crime in the prisons was declared unconstitutional. This episode represents a prototypical example of the use of media-focused terrorism by organized crime for projection into the political communication arena.

Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence in a Community Sample From the City of Sao Paulo

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in a community sample from the city of Sao Paulo. METHODS: This epidemiological survey was conducted at a family health program in Sao Paulo, Brazil, using randomized sampling. Data were collected by interviewing residents and were analyzed by Pearson`s correlation coefficients, chi-square tests, and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Seventy (10.7%) of the 657 subjects currently presented UI, including 50.7% with sporadic UI and 74.3% with UI upon moderate efforts. Ninety-three percent woke up during the night, 43.7% maintained continence until the bathroom, 63.4% had a sensation of wetness, and 77.5% reported no use of any continence aids. Female gender, advanced age, gynecologic or urologic surgery, dysuria, and urinary tract infection were correlated with UI (P < .001; r(2) = 0.572). CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of UI was found to be high and was comparable to results from multiple countries.

Political Systems and the Perspective on Nursing Education during the Spanish Transition (from the Franco Regime to Democracy). A Contribution based on Nursing History

The aim of this study is to describe the changes in nursing education during the process prior to and after the establishment of democracy in Spain. It begins with the hypothesis that differences in social and political organization influenced the way the system of nursing education evolved, keeping it in line with neopositivistic schemes and exclusively technical approaches up until the advent of democracy. The evolution of a specific profile for nursing within the educational system has been shaped by the relationship between the systems of social and political organization in Spain. To examine the insertion of subjects such as the anthropology of healthcare into education programs for Spanish nursing, one must consider the cultural, intercultural and transcultural factors that are key to understanding the changes in nursing education that allowed for the adoption of a holistic approach in the curricula. Until the arrival of democracy in 1977, Spanish nursing education was solely technical in nature and the role of nurses was limited to the tasks and procedures defined by the bureaucratic thinking characteristic of the rational-technological paradigm. Consequently, during the long period prior to democracy, nursing in Spain was under the influence of neopositivistic and technical thinking, which had its effect on educational curricula. The addition of humanities and anthropology to the curricula, which facilitated a holistic approach, occurred once nursing became a field of study at the university level in 1977, a period that coincided with the beginnings of democracy in Spain.

Risk factors for neonatal transfers from the Sapopemba free-standing birth centre to a hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Objective: to identify risk factors associated with neonatal transfers from a free-standing birth centre to a hospital. Design: epidemiological case-control study. Setting: midwifery-led free-standing birth centre in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Participants: 96 newborns were selected from 2840 births between September 1998 and August 2005. Cases were defined as all new borns transferred from the birth centre to a hospital (n = 32), and controls were defined as new borns delivered at the same birth centre, during the same time period, and who had not been transferred to a hospital (n = 64). Measurements and findings: data were collected from medical records available at the birth centre. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression. The multivariate analysis included outcomes with p<0.25, specifically: smoking during pregnancy, prenatal care appointments, labour complications, weight in relation to gestational age, and one-minute Apgar score. Of the foregoing outcomes, those that remained in the full regression model as a risk factor associated with neonatal transfer were: smoking during pregnancy [p = 0.009, odds ratio (OR) = 4.1,95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-16.33], labour complications (p<0.001, OR = 5.5, 95% CI 1.06-28.26) and one-minute Apgar score <= 7 (p<0.001, OR = 7.8,95% CI 1.62-37.03). Key conclusions and implications for practice: smoking during pregnancy, labour complications and one-minute Apgar score <= 7 were confirmed as risk factors for neonatal transfer from the birth centre to a hospital. The identified risk factors can help to improve institutional protocols and formulate hypotheses for other studies. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ethanol production by a new pentose-fermenting yeast strain, Scheffersomyces stipitis UFMG-IMH 43.2, isolated from the Brazilian forest

The ability of a recently isolated Scheffersomyces stipitis strain (UFMG-IMH 43.2) to produce ethanol from xylose was evaluated. For the assays, a hemicellulosic hydrolysate produced by dilute acid hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse was used as the fermentation medium. Initially, the necessity of adding nutrients (MgSO(4).7H(2)O, yeast extract and/or urea) to this medium was verified, and the yeast extract supplementation favoured ethanol production by the yeast. Then, in a second stage, assays under different initial xylose and cell concentrations, supplemented or not with yeast extract, were performed. All these three variables showed significant (p < 0.05) influence on ethanol production. The best results (ethanol yield and productivity of 0.19 g/g and 0.13 g/l/h, respectively) were obtained using the hydrolysate containing an initial xylose concentration of 30 g/l, supplemented with 5.0 g/l yeast extract and inoculated with an initial cell concentration of 2.0 g/l. S. stipitis UFMG-IMH 43.2 was demonstrated to be a yeast strain with potential for use in xylose conversion to ethanol. The establishment of the best fermentation conditions was also proved to be of great importance to increasing the product formation by this yeast strain. These findings open up new perspectives for the establishment of a feasible technology for ethanol production from hemicellulosic hydrolysates. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Niobium hydrogenation process Effect of temperature and cooling rate from the hydrogenation temperature

High-purity niobium powder can be produced via the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation processes The present work aimed at the effect of temperature and cooling rate conditions on the niobium hydrogenation process using hydrogen gas The hydrogen contents of the materials were evaluated by weight change and chemical analysis X ray diffraction (XRD) was performed to identify and determine the lattice parameters of the formed hydride phases No hydrogenation took place under isothermal conditions only during cooling of the materials Significant hydrogenation occurred in the 500 C and 700 C experiments leading to the formation of a beta NbH(x) single phase material (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved

Cellulosic Films Obtained from the Treatment of Sugarcane Bagasse Fibers with N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO)

Ethanol/water organosolv pulping was used to obtain sugarcane bagasse pulp that was bleached with sodium chlorite. This bleached pulp was used to obtain cellulosic films that were further evaluated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A good film formation was observed when temperature of 74 degrees C and baths of distilled water were used, which after FTIR, TGA, and SEM analysis indicated no significant difference between the reaction times. The results showed this to be an interesting and promising process, combining the prerequisites for a more efficient utilization of agro-industrial residues.