Evolutionary Changes in the Complexity of the Tectum of Nontetrapods: A Cladistic Approach

Background: The tectum is a structure localized in the roof of the midbrain in vertebrates, and is taken to be highly conserved in evolution. The present article assessed three hypotheses concerning the evolution of lamination and citoarchitecture of the tectum of nontetrapod animals: 1) There is a significant degree of phylogenetic inertia in both traits studied (number of cellular layers and number of cell classes in tectum); 2) Both traits are positively correlated accross evolution after correction for phylogeny; and 3) Different developmental pathways should generate different patterns of lamination and cytoarchitecture.Methodology/Principal Findings: The hypotheses were tested using analytical-computational tools for phylogenetic hypothesis testing. Both traits presented a considerably large phylogenetic signal and were positively associated. However, no difference was found between two clades classified as per the general developmental pathways of their brains.Conclusions/Significance: The evidence amassed points to more variation in the tectum than would be expected by phylogeny in three species from the taxa analysed; this variation is not better explained by differences in the main course of development, as would be predicted by the developmental clade hypothesis. Those findings shed new light on the evolution of an functionally important structure in nontetrapods, the most basal radiations of vertebrates.

Ausência do pai ao longo do desenvolvimento ontogenético e indicadores de desconto de futuro: uma contribuição da psicologia evolucionista

The new Evolutionary Psychology (E. P.) paradigm has been trying to understand how the human beings make their decisions over time regarding the most diverse variables, always bearing in mind that such a cognitive process is due to a complex natural selection process that occurred millions of years ago. One of the main topics discussed by this new paradigm is the issue of parental investment, i.e., the care the parents provide to an offspring at the expense of the investment into a new one. The present work sought to integrate these two topics, trying to understand how some variables modulate the process of decision making in a sample of the city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte state. It was investigated the hypothesis that the presence of both parents, along the individual development, could signal a more favorable environment, providing clues to the individual that he could assume a competitive position at the socio-biological market. His decisions, therefore, could be guided by long-term investments with aims to obtain more robust rewards. On the contrary, those who has suffered for some moment the absence of one the parents could develop theirselves in a not so competitive way, starting to choose immediate benefits - but lesser ones -, since the future would be less predictable due to their worse development conditions. This study involved 152 individuals from three higher education institutions, one of them being public and the others being private ones. In the results found, there was no difference between children of coupled parents and children of deceased or divorced parents concerning discount rates. The levels of hopelessness did not affect the discount rates of children of single parents when compared to children of coupled parents. Not having one of the parents because of divorce made the child to tend to present lower scores in the domain of social relations of WHOQOL - Bref, whilst the absence of the father by death made the scores lower in the domain of environment. The results indicate that loosing one of the parents along the development influences the individual's quality of life perception, but the measurement method of future discounting rates by means of financial choices is not sensitive to this variation

Ecologia alimentar e comportamento de forrageamento de Ameivula aff. ocellifera (Squamata: Teiidae) em área de caatinga do nordeste do Brasil

This study investigated the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the feeding ecology and foraging behavior of the whiptail lizard Ameivula aff. ocellifera, a new species widely distributed in the Brazilian Caatinga, and that is in process of description. In attendance to the objectives, the Dissertation was structured in two chapters, which correspond to scientific articles, one already published and the other to be submitted for publication. In Chapter 1 were analyzed the general diet composition, the relationship between lizard size and prey size, and the occurrence of sexual and ontogenetic differences in the diet. Chapter 2 contemplates a seasonal analysis of diet composition during two rainy seasons interspersed with a dry season, and the quantitative analysis of foraging behavior during two distinct periods. The diet composition was determined through stomach analysis of lizards (N = 111) collected monthly by active search, between September 2008 and August 2010, in the Estação Ecológica do Seridó (ESEC Seridó), state of Rio Grande do Norte. Foraging behavior was investigated during a rainy and a dry month of 2012 also in ESEC Seridó, by determining percent of time moving (PTM), number of movements per minute (MPM) and prey capture rate by the lizards (N = 28) during foraging. The main prey category in the diet of Ameivula aff. ocellifera was Insect larvae, followed by Orthoptera, Coleoptera and Araneae. Termites (Isoptera) were important only in numeric terms, having negligible volumetric contribution (<2%) and low frequency of occurrence, an uncommon feature among whiptail lizards. Males and females did not differ neither in diet composition nor in foraging behavior. Adults and juveniles ingested similar prey types, but differed in prey size. Maximum and minimum prey sizes were positively correlated with lizard body size, suggesting that in this population individuals experience an ontogenetic change in diet, eating larger prey items while growing, and at the same time excluding smaller ones. The diet showed significant seasonal differences; during the two rainy seasons (2009 and 2010), the predominant prey in diet were Insect larvae, Coleoptera and Orthoptera, while in the dry season the predominant prey were Insect larvae, Hemiptera, Araneae and Orthoptera. The degree of mobility of consumed prey during the rainy seasons was lower, mainly due to a greater consumption of larvae (highly sedentary prey) during these periods. Population niche breadth was higher in the dry season, confirming the theoretical prediction that when food is scarce, the diets tend to be more generalized. Considering the entire sample, Ameivula aff. ocellifera showed 61,0 ± 15,0% PTM, 2,03 ± 0,30 MPM, and captured 0,13 ± 0,14 per minute. Foraging mode was similar to that found for other whiptail lizards regarding PTM, but MPM was relatively superior. Seasonal differences were verified for PTM, which was significantly higher in the rainy season (66,4 ± 12,1) than in the dry season (51,5 ± 15,6). It is possible that this difference represents a behavioral adjustment in response to seasonal variation in the abundance and types of prey available in the environment in each season

Hidróxidos duplos lamelares aplicados à obtenção de biodiesel

In this paper, the Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH s) type hydrotalcite were synthesized, characterized and tested as basic heterogeneous catalysts for the production of biodiesel by transesterification of sunflower oil with methanol. The synthesis of materials Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH s) by co-precipitation method from nitrates of magnesium and aluminum, and sodium carbonate. The materials were submitted to the variation in chemical composition, which is the amount of Mg2+ ions replaced by Al3+. This variation affects the characteristic physico-chemical and reaction the solid. The molar ratio varied in the range of 1:1 and 3:1 magnesium / aluminum, and their values between 0.2 and 0.33. This study aims to evaluate the influence of variation of molar ratio of mixed oxides derived from LDH s and the influence of impregnation of a material with catalytic activity, the KI, the rate of conversion of sunflower oil into methyl esters (biodiesel) through transesterification by heterogeneous catalysis. .The catalysts were calcined at 550 ° C and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy of X-ray (SEM / EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and test basicity. The transesterification reaction was performed for reflux is a mixture of sunflower oil and methanol with a molar ratio of 15:1, a reaction time of 4h and a catalyst concentration of 2% by weight. The physical-chemical characterization of sunflower oil and biodiesel obtained by the route methyl submitted according NBR, EN, ASTM. Subsequently, it was with the chromatographic and thermogravimetric characterizations of oils. The results of chromatographic analysis showed that the catalysts were effective in converting vegetable oil into biodiesel, in particular the type hydrotalcite KI-HDL-R1, with a conversion of 99.2%, indicating the strong influence of the chemical composition of the material, in special due to presence of potassium in the structure of the catalyst

Análise bromatológica de carnes antes e após o processamento para obtenção de charque

The process of salting and drying in the sun is used to preserve meat since the beginning of civilization. There is evidence that this preservation technique has arisen in Egypt, between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago. In our country, according to literature, was the first industrial product that gave the appearance of beef jerky, beef being produced, where about 70% to 75% of the muscle is composed of water, where it will be around 45% as a final product, according to the law in his article RIISPOA No. 432 provides that the jerky should contain no more than this amount of moisture in the muscular portion, or more than 15% of total ash with tolerance of up to 5% variation . Besides this parameter, proteins, lipids, ash, and minerals were analyzed in samples before and after the manufacturing process to know the content of these nutrients. Since these are considered important in product quality, thus the concentration in these samples, respectively, in the flesh Front (CD and CHD) before and after the manufacturing process for humidity were respectively 75.28% and 47.38% , the protein was 14.17 and 22.20 g / 100 g sample, 6.360 and 4.251 of lipids g/100g of the sample, and the ashes 0.974 9.144 g/100g sample, minerals like calcium and 4.074 30 , 06 ppm, sódio0, 055 and 5.401 g / L, sodium chloride, 0.139 and 13.74 g / L, potassium 237.5 and 166.8 ppm, 1.721 and 3.295 ppm iron, 0.143 and 0.135 ppm phosphorus, zinc and 4.690 6.905 ppm; magnésio14, 63 e13, 75 ppm manganese .017 e0, 007ppm, copper 0.057 and 0.039 ppm in the case of needle-type meat (CPA and CHPA), 68.04% and 44.17%, protein 13 , 72, and 24.42 g/100g of sample, 1.137 in the ash and 12.68 g / 100g of sample, and the minerals calcium 17.11 and 12.89 ppm; sódio0, 123 and 4.871 g / L, sodium chloride 0.312 and 12.39 g / L, potassium 305.3 and 182.1 ppm; ferro1, 817 and 1.513 ppm, 0.273 and 0.139 ppm phosphorus, zinc 6.305 and 4.783 ppm, 27.95 and 15.85 ppm magnesium, manganese and 0.025 0.011 ppm, 0.057 and 0.143 ppm copper and chromium 0.014 and 0.068 ppm

Caracterização estrutural de Perovskitas Lax-1AxCoO3 (x=0 e 0,2) ,dopadas com cálcio e bario, por espectroscopia de absorção de raios X (XAS).

In this work, the structures of LaCoO3, La0,8Ba0,2CoO3 and La0,8Ca0,2CoO3 perovskites were characterized as a function of temperature (LaCoO3 structure being analyzed only at room temperature). The characterization of these materials were made by X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS), in the cobalt K-edge, taking into account the correlated Einstein model X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). The first part of the absorption spectrum corresponded the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). These materials were prepared by the combustion method. The combustion products were calcinated at 900 0C, for 6 hours in air. Noted that the sample LaCoO3 at room temperature and samples doped with Calcium and Barium in the temperature range of 50 K to 298 K showed greater distortion to monoclinic symmetry with space group I2/a. However, the sample doped with barium at the temperatures 50 K, 220 K, and 260 K showed a slight distortion to rhombohedral symmetry with space group R-3c. The La0,8Ca0, 2CoO3 structure was few sensitive to temperature variation, showing a higher local distortion in the octahedron and a higher local thermal disorder. These interpretations were in agreement with the information electronic structural on the XANES region and geometric in the EXAFS region

Variabilidade espacial da produtividade do feijoeiro correlacionada com atributos químicos de um Latossolo Vermelho Distroférrico sob sistema de semeadura direta

O feijão, importante fonte proteica, é um alimento muito comum na dieta da população dos países latino-americanos, sendo o Brasil maior produtor mundial deste legume. Nacionalmente, seu cultivo no sistema de semeadura direta tem crescido ano após ano. em 2002, foi avaliada a variabilidade espacial do feijoeiro, em função dos atributos químicos de um Latossolo Vermelho Distroférrico no sistema de semeadura direta, em Selvíria (MS) no Cerrado Brasileiro. O objetivo do presente estudo foi selecionar, entre os atributos do solo pesquisado, aquele com a melhor correlação, linear e espacial, para explicar a variabilidade da produtividade do feijoeiro. Foi instalada uma rede amostral, para a coleta de dados do solo e das plantas, com 135 pontos amostrais, em uma área de 7500 m². A produtividade de grãos de feijão (PG) representou o atributo da planta, enquanto os do solo foram: P, MO, pH, K, Ca, Mg, H+Al, S, T e o V%. Estabeleceram-se correlações lineares, simples e múltiplas, entre a PG e os atributos do solo. Foram modelados semivariogramas para todos os atributos, obtendo-se as respectivas krigagens e validações cruzadas. Também foram estabelecidas as co-krigagens entre a PG e os atributos do solo. em relação à produtividade de grãos de feijão, 22% da sua variação foram atribuídos à variação nos atributos químicos do solo. Tanto linear quanto espacialmente, o pH do solo foi bom indicador da produtividade de grãos de feijão quando cultivado sob sistema de semeadura direta.

Sistemática integrativa de Cichlasoma orientale Kullander 1983 e Crenicichla menezesi Ploeg 1991 (Teleostei: Cichlidae) das bacias hidrográficas do Nordeste do Brasil

Understanding the historical and ecological relationships which are influent in current biological diversity is one of the most challenging tasks of evolutionary biology. Recent systematics emphasizes the need of integrative approaches to delimit different lineages and species. The northeastern Brazil, mostly placed in Caatinga biome, is characterized by a semi-arid weather, low precipitation and seasonal behavior of rivers. This region is regarded lacking as ichthyological knowledge and one of the most threatened by anthropic activities. Further, will be affected by a massive water diverpsion work that will transfer waters from São Francisco basin, to other major four basins: Jaguaribe, Apodi-Mossoró, Piranhas-Açu and Paraiba do Norte. Loss of diversity and richness, hibridizitation, community interactions changes, population homogenization, changes in water quality and flow regime, are examples of environmental impacts already related with similar works. The present study aims to investigate morphological and molecular variation of Cichlasoma orientale Kullander 1983 and Crenicichla menezesi Ploeg 1991, two cichlid species present in northeastern Brazil basins. Further, the study aims to evaluate the influence of geomorphological and climatic processes in this variation, and point some possible impacts of the artificial connectivity which can be brought by São Francisco interbasin water transfer to their population dynamics. Geometric morphometrics and phylogeographical analysis were used to investigate the populations from three different hydrological regions. Our results showed a significant morphological variation of populations from basins that are involved in the São Franscisco s diversion project, not related to an ancient separation between populations, emphasizing morphological variation which could represent a set of plastic responses to the variable hydrological regime in Northeastern Brazil. The role of plastical responses in naturally variable habitats as well as the potential disturbs that could be brought by the interbasin water transfer works are discussed here. Further, our molecular data allowed us to make inferences about species distribution and their taxonomy, and identification of a potential new species of Crenicichla for São Francisco river basin. Our data also allowed to identify some shared haplotypes for both species, which could be related to lineage sorting scenarios or recent gene flow between populations. However a strong structure in most of the pairwise comparisons between populations for both species was revealed. Climatic events such as Atlantic forest regression during the Pleistocene, sea level fluctuations and dispersion by paleorivers in the mouth of Apodi-Mossoró river, and neotectonic events regulating the connection between drainages are likely to have had a contribution for the actual lineages distribution in northeastern Brazil. Further, analysis of molecular variation (AMOVA and SAMOVA) showed that the actual basin s isolation is an important factor to molecular variation, in spite of the signal of recent contact between some basins. Different genetic diversity patterns between species could be related to multiple historic events of colonization, basins landscapes or biological differences. The present study represents the first effort of integrative systematics involving fish species of northeastern Brazil, and showed important morphological and molecular patterns which could be irrecoverably affected by the artificial connection that might be caused by the São Francisco interbasin water transfer

Caracterização morfodinâmica do estuário do Rio Açu, Macau/RN

Estuaries are coastal environments ephemeral life in geological time, derived from the drowning of the shoreline as a function of elevation relative sea level. Such parallel systems is characterized by having two sources of sediment, the river and the sea. The study area comprises the Acu River estuary, located on the northern coast of Rio Grande do Norte State, in a region of intense economic activity, mainly focused on the exploration of oil onshore and offshore, likely to accidental spills. In the oil sector are developed for salt production, shrimp farming, agriculture, fisheries and tourism, which by interacting with sensitive ecosystems, such as estuaries, may alter the natural conditions, thus making it an area susceptible to contamination is essential in understanding the morphodynamic variables that occur in this environment to obtain an environmental license. Information about the submarine relief the estuaries are of great importance for the planning of the activity of environmental monitoring, development and coastal systems, among others, allowing an easy management of risk areas, and assist in the creation of thematic maps of the main aspects of landscape. Morphodynamic studies were performed in this estuary in different seasonal periods in 2009 to observe and quantify morphological changes that have occurred and relate these to the hydrodynamic forcing from the river and its interaction with the tides. Thus, efforts in this area is possible to know the bottom morphology through records of good quality equipment acquired by high resolution geophysical (side-scan sonar and profiler current by doppler effect). The combination of these data enabled the identification of different forms of bed for the winter and summer that were framed in a lower flow regime and later may have been destroyed or modified forms of generating fund scheme than the number according Froude, with different characteristics due mainly to the variation of the depth and type of sedimentary material they are made, and other hydrodynamic parameters. Thus, these features background regions are printed in the channel, sandy banks and muddy plains that border the entire area

Relative expression of insulin like growth factor I (IGFI) and follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) in follicles and ovarian tissue from Bos primigenius indicus (Nelore)

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

Caroticoclinoid foramen in human skulls: incidence, morphometry and its clinical implications

The caroticoclinoid foramen is an inconstant structure, formed by the union of the anterior and middle clinoid processes. The aim of this study was to perform an incidence and morphometry of the caroticoclinoid foramen in Brazilian human skulls and discuss its clinical implications. Eighty dry human skulls with sex distinction were used, and 3 groups of incidence were determined: General, sex, and sides. The morphometry was performed using a manual caliper and the major diameter of the foramina was measured; the values were also divided in general, according to sex and sides. The incidence of skulls with at least one foramen was 8.5%. According to the sides, 8.5% of the skulls showed foramen on the right side and 2.5% on the left. We found 2.5% of the skulls with bilateral foramen and 6.25% with unilateral foramen. In relation to sex, the foramens were found in 5% of male skulls and 12.5% of female skulls. The major diameter of this structure presented on mean, values of 5.23 mm on general, 5.18 mm on the right side and 5.35 mm on the left, 5.30 mm in male skulls and 5.18 mm in female skulls. The anatomical characteristics of this foramen should be considered in view of its clinical implications associated with neurosurgery as clinoid process removal, and symptoms as headache due to internal carotid artery alterations in this region. In conclusion knowledge of this structure supports the diagnosis and treatment of clinical complications related to this variation.

An algorithm for arranging response surface designs in small blocks

We consider the problem of blocking response surface designs when the block sizes are prespecified to control variation efficiently and the treatment set is chosen independently of the block structure. We show how the loss of information due to blocking is related to scores defined by Mead and present an interchange algorithm based on scores to improve a given blocked design. Examples illustrating the performance of the algorithm are given and some comparisons with other designs are made. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Larval dispersal and predation in experimental populations of Chrysomya albiceps and Cochliomyia macellaria (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

In this study we investigated the larval dispersal associated with larval predation in experimental populations of Chrysomya albiceps and Cochliomyia macellaria. Frequency distribution of sampling units (G test) in the substrate was used to evaluate variation in larval dispersal. An experimental acrylic channel (1 x 0.1 x 0.2 m) covered with wood shavings was used to observe larval dispersal prior to pupation. The acrylic channel was graduated at 0.05 m intervals, each representing a sampling unit; hence, 20 sampling units were set up. A Petri dish containing third instar larvae of single and double species was deposited at one edge of the acrylic channel allowing larvae to disperse. The number of buried pupae (0, 1, 2, n) present in each sampling unit was recorded. For double species, the number of recovered larvae of C. albiceps was similar to the number initially released on the dish Petri. on the other hand, the number of recovered larvae of C. macellaria was significantly smaller than the initially released number. The results show that C. albiceps attacks C. macellaria larvae during the larval dispersal process. The larval distribution of C. albiceps did not differ significantly from C. macellaria in double species, but it differed significantly in single species. The larval aggregation level of C. macellaria decreased when C. albiceps was present and the larval aggregation level of C. albiceps increased when C. macellaria was present. The implications of such findings for the population dynamics of these species are discussed.

Quantitative comparisons and models of time-averaging in bivalve and brachiopod shell accumulations

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

On the larval stages of Macrocoeloma diplacanthum (Decapoda : Brachyura : Majidae), and a review of mithracine phylogenetic aspects

Larval development of Macrocoeloma diplacanthum (Stimpson) consists of two zoeal stages, followed by the megalopa. Each larval stage is described in detail. The duration of the zoeal stages was 2-3 (2.4 +/- 0.5) and 3-4 (3.5 +/- 0.5) days for the first and second zoea, respectively, the megalopa phase appearing 6-8 (7.0 +/- 0.5) days after hatching. Unlike for other majids, zoeal stages of M. diplacanthum can be readily distinguished by their distended forehead with strong underlying muscle bands, undercut dorsal carapace spine, and spine on the terminal endopod segment of the first maxilliped. No other known mithracine or majid zoeae exhibit this combination of features. Our zoeal account of M. diplacanthum from Mexico is remarkably consistent with Floridian specimens previously described. However, we have found some differences between descriptions, which could be attributed to natural variation or inadequate description. Previous attempts to evaluate the relationships within Mithacinae have been based on larval characters widely distributed throughout Majidae and therefore are considered inadequate to infer sister-group relationships. The phylogenetic analysis of majids suggested that the position of Mithracinae is still uncertain, as is its monophyletic status. We recommend that additional characters, particularly of the megalopa phase, be sought for a better resolution of majid evolutionary history.